Sequoia

With singlespeed mtb's, you can still free. You only have one gear ratio, but you do have a freewheel. Fixed means exactly that - you can't free and as GO wrote above, that can get hairy on long downhills. You do get guys riding fixie mtb's but they tend to REALLY know what they are doing. Have a look a Sheldon Brown's pages on singlespeeds and fixies. I've ridden a singlespeed on the road for a long time, but I'm going to change it to a fixie some time in the near future. Just make sure you put a brake (front) on a fixie.

Yup, I think you are right.

I'm sure it's not fun. I don't doubt that.....but dammit just once I want to know what it feels like to give that much! Has happened to me on a few occasions...normally throw up on the warm down and I definately don't enjoy it or feel that it has helped, if anything I think it does more damage than good I remember reading somewhere about a XC who went so hard that he passed out... And then another guy said that he wanted the gene that enabled him to go that hard! And, just to keep it on track - my highlight of the year was getting my lazy ass back on the bike and keeping it there even when it was kicking and screaming for the couch! Bring on 2008!

Or you can go the route that us heavies (100kg+) have followed for years... Buy a set of decent 32 or 36 hole hubs (Ultegra will do nicely) and a pair of mavic Open Pro rims or something similiar. Now give those to a good wheelbuilder and bob's your uncle. I have an old mavic rear wheel with a open pro rim laced to an old Shimano 600 hub and despite my Clydesdale size, it's been holding up for thousands of kilo's. Not very sexy, though...

I normally use 53-39, 11-23 and can get up Pompstasie-se-bult. Did the Burger on a lowest gear combo of 42-21 and almost died.

The diameter is stamped inside the clamp as 31.8mm. The frame is supposed to be 31.8 according to cannondale's dealer book. It measures out as roughly 31.8. Roughly, because I don't have accurate calipers at home and had to resort to a bit of pi*diameter. Everything is supposed to work - that is why I'm wondering if it isn't just a thick paint layer. The next size up is a 34.x and even the most inept home mechanic should be able to spot a 2+ mm difference.

I'm building up a CAAD5 frame at the moment. I'm transferring components from a Schwinn frame. Both frames have a 31.8mm seat tube diameter. BUT... when I try to put the front derailleur on the cannondale, it seems as if the clamp is the wrong size. The clamp seems round enough and it IS the right size. So what gives? Could it be that the paint is thicker on the cannondale? Should I simply close my eyes and tighten the sucker up to spec? I've taken the derailleur straight off the other frame, and there is no visible damage to the frame. Obviously I don't want to damage the frame.Sequoia2007-12-10 04:32:03

Point taken

OK, Let me explain myself better. Traffic lights are red. Three lanes - one turning left, one going straight and one turning right. Said cyclist wants to turn right. He moves to the inside of the the right-turning lane. This means that to get to the left-hand side of the road, he must now cross the flow of traffic. Wouldn't it make more sense to remain on the outside of the turning lane? Then you don't have to cross the traffic flow.

Nah, this topic is completely unrelated to "the tirade." I am simply trying to point out that not everyone is riding as one would expect them to. Maybe through ignorance? I just found it strange that someone who seems to be a regular cyclist, would endanger himself like that.

Have a look at this: http://www.canyon.com/_en/tools/pps.html It shows what you would look like on a specific Canyon bike, based on your measurements. Cool animation!

My dad has a favourite saying when we did something stupid - "My son, don't worry, you are simply suffering from LOCS - lack of common sense..."

This morning driving in to work, I twice saw cyclists moving to the right of the right-most lane when turning right. This doesn't make sense to me? That means you have to cross the flow of traffic to get to the left again. The one guy was fully kitted out on a specialized tarmac. He was almost taken out when he misjudged the speed of a car and tried cutting in in front of it. That's just plain silly? I think we need more common sense when sharing the road...

I'm looking at the RXS's at the moment. Or Speedplays. Want a pedal that is not going to let go when a 105kg powerhouse starts sprinting for (current position - 11)...

+1 on the 520's. I've been abusing a pair for a couple of years now and they are still going strong.

Jokerman, you must be all torso? I'm 1.97 and I'm getting a 63cm caad5.

Saddle - I want to move my SLR gel flow from my mtb to my road bike and get a new saddle for the mtb. Strangely (for a big man), I really like the SLR, but I have heard good things from many people about the fizik Gobi. So it's either a SLR XC or a Gobi. Should I just stick to what I know and like? How different is the ride? Pedals - I want to change my pedals on the road bike. I'm thinking of either Shimano 6620 Ultegra's or Time RXS's. I've never been on Time pedals, but I'd like to give it a try. Being big and strong, I have a holy fear of accidental releases. How secure are the Time pedals? I've seen my gat on two occasions with Look pedals, but that was due to worn cleats. So can anyone give me a convincing reason why I should NOT go with the Time's?

I also have very few problems with taxi's and I go over the Koeberg interchange and through Maitland... I have changed my route to go through Paarden Island, as I have fewer incidents going through there, than having to face the boy racers/taxis/trucks/skedonke-combo on Koeberg road. Had a couple of close calls, but none were unmanageable.

I'm currently looking at building a fixie. My commuter is an old steel (525) LeJeune with semi-horizontal dropouts. It is currently built up as a retro geared bike, with down tube shifters, but I've had it as a singlespeed in the past as well. This time round I'm thinking of going all the way. The only thing bothering me a bit is the gear ratio. I'm using it for commuting from Milnerton to Rondebosch, so it is all flatland. But, if the Kaapse Dokter picks up, you need a gear low enough to make progress into the wind and then in the afternoon, you need a ratio high enough to allow you to maintain a decent speed WITH the wind. That's the main reason why I stopped using it as a single speed. With a fixie, with no coasting, maybe I'll learn to spin at 180rpm...

You can say what you want to, but that guy is a craftsman... Nobody would be able to say that you are a conformist when you rock up on one of JJ's creations...

I think I'm the biggest around! 1.97m 105kg Down from a gymmed-up high of 112kg. Steadily losing weight. Not THAT much left to lose, though. A lot of it is muscle and bone. Should have stuck to rugby! The lowest I've been was 95kg. Aiming for that again.

I do stretch. Regularly. I've made it an integral part of my warm down. It is just that I am naturally "stiffer" than some other people. It is a family thing - both my brothers also need to stretch quite a lot in order to remain flexible.

How supple are you? I am as stiff as a tree. I've always been able to touch my toes, but after a year of near-inactivity, I am lucky if I can reach my knees... Maybe I've grown some more! What is strange, is that my quads are still nice and loose, but my lower back, glutes hammies and calves are really tight. Anyone else have this? It is not impacting my cycling much, but I want to at least be able to put my hands on the floor again... How do you feel about suppleness? Important? Not Important?

Glad you're OK. It reminds me of a related incident a couple of years back. I was cycling along the Old Paarl road near Klapmuts, when a bakkie clipped my elbow with its mirror. My hand slipped off the handlebar and I just managed to stay upright. The impact broke the mirror. Needless to say, the bakkie never stopped. Ek was witgeskrik. I still have a piece of that mirror somewhere. 15 cm's to the left and it would have been a completely different situation. Such is life.