bikemonster

EFA

And breathe, AngryAnt. It's a forum, unless and until somebody is calling you rude names, it's prolly meant as light hearted banter. Apt screen name, it seems. Relax; all I meant was that shorter sentences would make it easier to read your posting, that's all. As to training, anything is better than nothing. If your spinnining bike is one of the electronic ones, like the TechnoGym ones that Virgin Active has, then you can repeat the same workout, and up the "level" as it gets easier. If you're using a "traditional" spinning bike, with a hand-adjusted resistance then it's up to you to set an interesting/worthwhile pattern to each exercise. In either case, as you do not have downhills to coast down, you will likely get a better workout than you would for an equivalent length time on a real bike. On the occasions that I use a spinning bike I struggle to stay on there for more than 45 minutes because it gets really, really boring. Unless you are training a specific weakness, I would say that using a spinning bike for leg speed training is much more important than pushing weights around. Better?

AngryAnt, perhaps you could ask Big H for some spare punctuation. He usually has more than enough.

Can I just stop for a mo' here and question this notion of "pro"? How many people doing these races, and needing to overtake the OP, are making a living from it?

Great suggestion. I like it. I like it a lot! http://fengshuihouse.co.uk/images/bells-whisky.jpg

There. Fixed it for you, no need to thank.

Its probably for that exact reason that they are giving discounts if you do both the long routes' date=' that way they encourage more people to do them both.[/quote'] Now listen here Ratty, this is the Hub. Logic has no place here, please desist and cease forthwith and at once!

Gasping, some times it's worth foregoing some of the possible advantages that you mention. FWIW my Campagnolo setup was: 1. Very well priced (on special at the time) 2. Efficient - it works well. 3. Easy to maintain. Better - it has been fautless 4. Spares that I've needed (so far just chain, but cassette will soon be required) have been readily available. I went in with my eyes open, knowing that spares would be spendy, but you can't run with the wolves and p!ss with the puppies. If cheap spares were that important to me I'd be riding Sora. (At the risk of repeating myself, nothing wrong with Sora, it works, it's just not sexy.)

Sorry, what was the question?

Bragging rights it is! When I kitted my bike out, everybody I was riding with had Shimano (everything from Tiagra to Dura Ace). A good deal came up on Record which made it slightly more expensive than the Ultegra that I had been eyeing. Having ridden it for a few years, I like the look of it. I love the cables routed along the handlebars (I think SRAM do this and Shimano may have also started doing this) which makes for a very tidy cockpit. In truth, if you're not being paid to ride your bike, anything above Sora is on your bike because you like it, and can afford it, not because you need it. And I have no beef with that at all. Like the OP, I also like the fact that over 90% of the bikes in South Africa are kitted with Shimano, and I place a value on being different. But I have nothing disparaging to say about Shimano or SRAM.

I was avoiding being rude...you'll notice I didn't equate Shimano to a Toyota Yaris. The Ford GT is more English than American. I guess Force would be equivalent to a Corvette or a Viper. (And to think that the OP was worried that this thread would be hijacked by Campag!)

If you're a petrolhead, this may help... Campagnolo: http://homeapproved.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/ferrari_430_scuderia1.jpg Shimano: http://www.importjap.com//wp-content/gallery/nissan-gt-r-official-pictures/nissan_gtr_official_side.jpg

Get the one with a cute red frog that looks cooler. Seriously, unless you are being paid to ride a bike, they're both way better than you acshily need as opposed to want. And I should know about unnecessarily cool bike stuff - my gruppo sets a 'record' in that regard!

If it's just a "make do" bike, then buy a cheapie 2nd hand bike. You'll always be able to sell it on for what you paid. With a new frame, you will lose money.

If your current bike is in surgery, can't you get a loan bike until you know what will happen with your bike? I'm not convinced that a different frame will give you much more speed - whether you're in Z, in A or anywhere else in the alphabet soup. The fact that you're asking a bunch of strangers what to do tells me you should sit on your credit card until you know exactly what you want to do!

Which one talks to you? Why do you need a new frame in the first place? I'd be inclined to say neither of those. Disclaimer - I have ridden neither frame, so apply that to what follows... The Planet X is, I believe, a "generic" frame with Planet X's logo splashed on it. Where's the appeal? The Orbea was cracked and repaired. If it was my bike, I'd ride it till the roads wore out, but buy it from somebody else, with it already being a "second best"? Hell no! I have a slightly odd approach to buying stuff...I must be absolutely delighted with my purchase. It took me a long time to work this out, but the sting of spending more than you planned is short lived. But if you buy something that doesn't really get you all hot and frothy, and settle for something that's OK, that will bug you every single time you look at it. I'd say wait until a bike/frame comes along that really gets you excited and then buy that.

Tough sh!t. If you aren't a good enough cyclist to find a way past, sit behind. If you aren't a good enough human being to avoid being an a$$hat, find some other sport. In the last few years I have ventured into motorsport, and there are some notions in motorsport that would fit well with cycling. 1 - Rights to the line. It is up to the overtaker to make the pass safely. Until the overtaker is alongside the person being overtaken, the car/bike in front has rights to the line. The car/bike in front should behave predictably but while they are in front, they have the line. 2 - When overtaking, treat slower traffic as part of the course and find a way around. I know, the analogy is not a perfect one, but if you are behind somebody, no point in yelling "Hold your line!". Where they ride, that is their line. Don't overlap your front wheel with their back wheel and everything will be fine.

You weren't on a blue Orbea in H/I bunch were you?

His parents must be so proud of their little boy. Oh well, even if he can't drop the pack, he can at least drop one in front of the pack.

Cycle lanes suck. As Cat-i posted ^^^ every junction becomes a potential accident spot. Motorists need to be aware that cyclists are squishy things (Hi Squishy!). Cyclists need to abide by the rules too.