rudi-h

So I get that enduro is somewhere halfway between DH and XCO and you preferably need some skills, flat pedals and a 6" travel bike... but what's the format of these races. How far? How long? How does the timing work? Is it a mass start / individual start? How fit should you be etc.? anyone out there wanna explain to us normal trail riders how this works?

train harder so nobody will "fly past" you!

I've been without a cold and a flu now for two seasons, and I don't drink a single pill, vitamin or supplement. This is what I do: 1) Shower hot each morning, and get yourself into warm, dry clothes ASAP. 2) Make sure you go to bed warm and that your feet and neck stays out of any draft. 3) When you train, have a hot shower immediately after. preferably at the gym / running club etc. don't wait until you get home 4) If you get a sore throat,wear a scarf - even if it makes you look like a moffie 5) If I do get sick, I don't drink any pills. That way the flu/cold develops into fever quite fast. Once you have fever, you lie in your bed for max 1 day and the increased body temperature helps to combat the illness. In my experience I've never been sick for more than 1 day if i let my body do the healing. With pills it can often drag out to a couple weeks of feeling shyte.

whereabouts?

i think that's fking unreasonable and i'd also feel hard done by! If IM didn't hosted the races that they do, I'd sommer boycott them, but 70.3 and IM are two of the greatest events in SA, so its not easy to take that stance.

if you made it big enough with your own business you would also take a large salary... the sacrifice, hard work and risk involved to get a successful business going is larger than anyone can think. i know that cause I am closing down my business after two years of working 14 hours a day, 6 days a week and losing a mini fortune in the process...

new tires. if you already have new tires, buy stronger tyres. I know they suck in terms of grip, especially on muddy rides, but I haven't had one puncture in 5 years running on Crossmark UST tyres. (i don't run them tubeless though)

apparently its so awesome nobody will ever want to sell it

+1 on the video. If you shoot that in HD I bet the fall that is about to happen will earn a few million hits on youtube!

the entire eastrand is dangerous boet

automotive/multi-purpose grease isn't the best option for bearings, so the cheap "midas" grease isn't the best. With that said, any grease should work just fine because a bicycle bearings do not work as hard or as often as bearings in heavy industrial applications where grease selection and properties are essential.

when i first got clipless pedals, I seriously thought that I'm never gonna get the hang of it. Fell 6 times on the first ride and hated myself for blowing the cash on pedals and shoes... Needless to say, I maybe have fallen once more after that due to not being able to un-clip. Just stick with it!!!

i think its good. testing everyone will help to prevent a "doping culture" amongst social riders. Hypothetically, if you only test the top 10, then maybe Nr. 50 will use EPO knowing that he won't be caught with the hopes that he can maybe get down to Nr. 11 and by doing that will help him get a sponsorship to a top 10 team? Then you have a situation where the top riders are all a bunch of ex-dopers faking to be clean once they get in the top ranks. Its the naming and shaming of riders that hopefully will clean up the sport. Look at this recent saga with Danilo Di Luca and his EPO test. He would never have been top 10 in this year's Giro, but they tested him and caught him. Other cyclists and journalists have gone so far to call him a "stupid idiot" and making comments like "he's not only an average rider, but he has no brains". The argument is that he is risking the reputation of his trainers, coaches, team mates and teams. Surely that is a step in the right direction if you compare it to the public opinion 5 years ago after a well known rider had a positive EPO test.

i don't agree... any team in any sport should always play their best team / player. Wiggins isnt likely to win the TDF this year with the increase in mountain-top finishes and limited time-trial km's... Wiggo hasn't done anything yet this season to prove his form in any way. If he maybe thrashes Froome in the Criterium Dauphine or in the Tour de Suisse or any of the preparation races, then its a different story, but based on Wiggo's poor showing at the Giro he doesn't deserve to defend anything.

and di luca positive for EPO... not a great day for us fans

Thats awesome... Please post some details on your trip. We are a bunch of mates that try to fit in a 4 - 5 day bike trip every summer and this is definitely an area of interest. Would like to know what you have been up to!

nope, a cyclist i ride all sorts of bikes in all sorts of places... part of my love for cycling is the freedom that comes with it. the whole thing of riding where you like, when you like and on whatever bike you like. as you enforce laws you also end up taking away the fun. also, people as a group never behave as you would want them to. so this whole idealistic idea of "all cyclists" doing things in a certain way and to set an example "as a group" is never going to happen. its almost like thinking that everybody should agree on any topic in a Hub post...?

sugar has something like 15 kCal per teaspoon. even if you take 4 cups of coffe a day with 2 spoons, and 2 spoons over your pap, that will be around 150 kCal per day. that is between 5% and 10% of your daily energy intake and less sugar than a 500ml coke... Don't see how cutting that out will make you lose weight. 10 minutes of running does more good than cutting out sugar.

sorry for sayin, but thats a k@k idea and will result in a lot of admin just to enjoy riding your bike. My honest opinion on the two reasons why you want all this admin: 1 we can identify and fine people who break the law and And then? You gonna report a dude to the police station that skipped a light? How are you gonna prove it / what are the authorities gonna do? Have you ever taken down the number plate of a car that drives like **** in front of you and reported him? I know I have not, so I don't see how this will change anything. 2 we can immediately spot a stolen bike or even match a owner to a license plate? How will you fasten the numberplate to a bike in a way that the thief cannot just almost immediately rip it off and toss it into the nearest bush?

wow you do have a lot of patience... high-pressure washer here i come

jeez not again a helmet is NOT the be-all and end-all of cycling safety. I do wear one, but not wearing one is not an instant death sentence. i-pods, riding with limited skill, riding on high-traffic routes, riding outside your limits etc. are probably far more likely to get you killed than to ride without a helmet on a safe place at a safe speed well within your limits. and yes, I do wear a helmet, but theres more to cycling safely than that!

run. i don't believe in weight loss supplements at all

this is the problem. if you really get into it and enjoy riding, then you will end up frustrated with a R5k bike after a year and you will start saving for something really nice. So in 12 - 18 monthgs from now, its likely that you would have spent R20k or more by buying a R5k bike and one year later a R15k + bike. I've seen it happen to many people, so don't fall into the same trap. Maybe borrow a bike / buy second hand until you know whether you enjoy the sport / lifestyle enough, and then save for a bike that you want to ride.

you get so used to cleats that you don't think about it anymore. TIP: Do a couple night rides to boost your confidence on riding technical sections. In the night you don't see whats coming, and before you know if you are through one hell of a technical section. Didn't look where you're form, but if in JHB/PTA its worthwhile to join the D&D crowd every now and then.

depends on the road I would say. I used to ride on a road with a very wide shoulder. There I would cycle towards oncoming traffic for the following reasons: 1) The shoulder is supposed to be open at all times (except for emergency vehicles) therefore nobody has to dodge anybody else. 2) In the case where two cars are overtaking and occupying the emergency lane, it give you enough time to see it coming and to swerve off of the shoulder / road. If you were to cycle with the traffic, then two cars (often trucks) pass each other and the result is a 16 wheeler passing so close to you that the wind almost throws you off the bike. I'd rather have the choice of getting out of the road completely On narrow roads where drivers are forced to swerve into the oncoming lane to pass you I ride with the traffic for the reasons stated earlier in this post.