Barend de Arend

OK, I'm gonna try the bandana thing. Thanks everyone. (I already use a cycling jersey, rehydrats, massive amounts of sunscreen, etc.)

Googling CoolX... yields X-Ray scanners Doh! Where can I obtain some?

Dunno if it's the right forum. It's Q&A about cooling tech, not gears and wheels. I'm cycling to Durban in a few months, and I normally suffer in the heat. I'd like to know some tips of dealing with it. I struggle with headaches, heat spots, and sunburn when it heats up too much. Currently, for those conditions, I put sunscreen everywhere -- but my scalp gets burned through the helmet, and through my hair. I put sunscreen on the scalp as much as possible, but there's very little I can do to sunscreen the scalp where there is hair. I put ice in my helmet (in the vents) and pour water down my neck and back regularly. This is about as much as I can do. I've been thinking of strapping an ice pack to my back -- but once it has melted, what do you do with it? I've been thinking of using a casquette, soaking it in water, putting it in the freezer, and using that to (a) cool me down, and (b) block the sun on my scalp. I can put it in the car until the first stop, and then wear it. Does anyone else have any better ideas?

Then maybe don't organise a race. Or don't organise a short and long distance event at the same time. The short distance event is only there to get more entries, hence more money. The cost of getting that extra cash is an extra timing mat.

Well, one or more of There is prize money (unconfirmed)There is sponsorship (not a lot, but hey)SA really needs categorised racing.

Put a timing mat on the long route?

98 km/h, GoldenGate nature reserve following Chris Froome on the twisties. We had to slow down, or hit the car we caught... (I've had a front tyre burst at 70km/h at the Kremetart. Be very, very careful.)

I guess you'll use your quads more, your calves less. According to cyclingnews.com (search for mid-foot cleat position) people report higher steady power, higher threshold power (better 60min TT, better 5min TT), but lower peak power (slower sprints, slower 10sec acceleration) Basically, in steady efforts, your calf has to tense to transfer power from your quad to your pedal, but it doesn't add anything. If you remove or reduce the leverage on the ankle, you'll reduce the stress on the calf, so your quad gets more blood, and transfers more of the energy. It can be more complicated though: does the calf really add nothing? In sprints, does ankling add power? What about when you have a weak or a strong core? Does the human foot support stress there? Does the human foot need to support stress there if you have a very stiff carbon sole? Then you have to ask if locking your ankle like that doesn't put extra stress on your knee or other ligaments? Your hips? And then there are other considerations, like how do you walk on cleats like that? Do you bump your front wheel against your toes more? You need shoes that support it, and a bike with a longer top tube, but a shorter head tube, so it's a serious expense.

Faces. It's the faces when the front wheel goes. Barend de Arend2009-06-10 06:40:42

L-glutamine helps my immune system. I don't get sick so easy when I'm pushing hard. I'm not convinced of any of the other benefits.

Agreed. However, that doesn't make you a team, and it doesn't make you sponsored, so it's not a UCI or CSA issue. It's a club issue. To me it's much more important to wear club kit at club events.

If you are sponsored, you should be able to prove to your sponsor that you're worth the money. If you have a full team, the team members or boss can and will police themselves. If you are sponsored, you are probably required to attend some races. So the sponsor or team boss should already check that you're there. A photograph will probably do. If you pay to belong to a club, you are *not* sponsored, so it probably doesn't matter. If you pay to belong to a club, you aren't obligated to even race, so it probably doesn't matter.

It is when you accidentally unclip when standing out of the saddle. Worn cleats lead to accidents.

If the only motivation to join a club is a license' date=' it's a bad club, and it will die. If taking away the license motivation is bad for the club, then the club will die. It failed miserably. I'm in multiple databases. a) The club b) CGC c) CSA d) MyRace e) WinningTime f) ChampionChip g) CycleLab online entries It's a MISSION. A good club would take care of this mess for me. (oh' date=' wait, ROAG does!) Why? There are plenty of examples where like-minded people get together to form a club that costs nothing. That's how mountain biking (as a whole) got started.

The top tube is basically just for reach. There are other questions that influence reach (like seat tube angle' date=' saddle setback), so a 54cm Trek isn't necessarily the same as a 54cm Cervelo, or a 54cm Pinarello. Yep, you can. However, stem length affects steering, and hence stability, so a very short or very long stem is usually a bad idea. What's "very short" and "very long?" depends on who you ask. Usually 8cm and 14cm. No' date=' they don't. Most "old-school" frames come in 48, 50, 52 ... 63. Most Italians will make a custom frame size (De Rosa even do custom carbon). It'll fit like a custom tailored suit, or custom shoes, but it will cost more. You send them your measurements (inseem, knee, foot size, arm size, etc.) they send you a frame. It gets more complicated when you calculate how flexible you are (how low do you want the bars?) A *lot* of things change: seat angle, headtube angle, seat tube size, etc. In the middle of the range, almost all angles are 73 degrees, but that's not necessarily true for smaller (<52) and larger (>58) bikes. You only need to worry about four things: (four, I need to learn to count!) * effective saddle height. * effective saddle setback. * effective reach. * effective drop. In other words: where are your feet, your butt, and your hands, in relation to each other. A bike that doesn't fit is like a shoe that doesn't fit. OK for short walks, but it will really hurt on long(er) rides. Barend de Arend2009-04-23 06:10:48

Good! If possible, quote the e-mails when you write the cycling magazines and the event organisers. Quote the dates and times of the phone calls, and who was on the other end. Collect ammunition and facts. Tomorrow I want to see everyone who moaned about them post all that info. EigerSA will get his wish of TheHub agreeing on something

No' date=' you don't. You just have to (a) get the original complainant to complain to the event organisers, OR (b) submit some kind of petition. The rest of TheHub doesn't have to get involved. You assume you need a lot of people. I don't think you do. I've done that for you. Lodge an official complaint with the event organisers (because only they can fix it), but the foe is ChampionChip. It shouldn't be daunting. You escalate one step at a time.

Howdy Barend! Hope you're well!!! Very well' date=' thanks. You know, I did think of that. However, that means that it either (a) interferes with the derailleur or (b) the quick-release. And if they're both on the front wheel, you'll have to check that the quick release axle is long enough.

Different forks have different limits. Carbon forks frequently won't let you add more than a few cm of spacers. Check your fork manual. Some forks require at least 1cm of spacers *above* the stem. Check your fork manual. You can't raise the stem so that the steerer is only part-way in the stem. You *can* flip almost all stems so they point upwards, instead of horizontal.