rudi-h

Thanks, maybe time to try it again after 10+ years... One more question then: If its lighter and improves handling (as you mention), I guess the theory is that you can go faster at the expense of comfort. This makes me wonder why you don't see them on podiums of marathon type races? Is it fair to say that you lose all the gain that you make on the climbs on the downhills and technical sections?

Slight Hi-jack, but it is Friday afterall... So really now if you throw the cost benefits of a rigid fork out of the picture, how can a sane person prefer a rigid rig to a suspension bike? My first MTB was a rigid cro-moly Trek 930 (1997 model) and after riding a rocky downhill section my wrists were so broken that I used to pray just to get to the bottom. Haven't done it recently, but that bike used to take ALL of the fun out of riding downhill. Other than trying to be a tough guy, why would you want to ride rigid, any perks that I don't know about?

I think that given the amount of cash that people blow on bicycles there has to be opportunities for making cash in the cycling industry, but I don't think that being a full time mechanic is where that opportunity lies. If I recall one hubber started working at a bike shop on weekends which is maybe not a bad start. This gives you the opportunity to know the industry and learn the trade WHILE you still have a job that pays the bills. Once you know the industry a lot better and understand who spends the money and what they spend it on, it may be feasible to start something yourself. Going into something full time that doesn't pay much is a big decision and should not be taken lightly.

anybody know if LC has an email address that works? working in an open plan and hence not ideal to call for personal stuff outside of lunchtime

I think the quick answer, is that (flame suite on) due to Lance the TDF has reached a status as the ultimate grand tour and that is where the ultimate "showdown" happens every year. The fact that NQ opted for the Giro instead of the Tour is perhaps the following logic from Movistar: 1) He has not yet won a Grand Tour and perhaps winning the Giro will look better on his palmares than another #2 spot at the Tour. 2) NQ is not as balanced a rider as Froome or Contador as he can't ride flat TT's. He might therefore be pushed into #3 at the TDF which would be much worse than winning the Giro (and perhaps the Vuelta). 3) Movistar still wants to give Valverde a last shot as a GC captain As for Wiggo, I think if Wiggo was really serious about a second TDF title and and big "rivalry" against foome, he would have found another team already where he could be captain, so that's more an issue of he does not want to compete 1:1 against froome rather than not having the opportunity. Bottom line. The TDF is the "world champs" of grand tours and the Giro and Vuelta are there for upcoming riders to make their name. Only one captain per team is workable, so if a rider is serious about GC, its his own responsibility to find his own team. No doubt that we will see Froome, Nibali, Quintana, Contador and perhaps one or two of the new talents (Aru etc.) all together competing for the tour next year permitting good health from all these guys.

all works fine until you have one hell of a muddy ride...

dude... although I see where you are coming from, I'm sure at the age of 73 your race time is no longer the most important thing in your life. I would have shared your sentiment if he did the race and cut him off with 200m to go or something stupid, but they let him finish and i'm sure he knows his time. All races have cut-offs and all races have rules. I think its great for your old man to keep on riding and keep on training, but remember... Its about the ride, not about the stopwatch.

great idea, just not sure if it will be practical due to the hills around there. most of us here on the hub love riding our bikes uphill and we go through quite a bit of trouble to ride places that are not flat. however, if you are riding to work and don't want to build up too much of a sweat, sandton isn't ideal i remember the rock run a few months ago where the run took us from the bottom of sandton drive all the way up to rivonia... That's not the type of ride that the majority of office workers would find appealing 5 days a week.

if in doubt, choose the longer option. a long hard day in the saddle makes you stronger and builds character. Plus, you can't be called a cyclist unless you have blown completely on a bike ride/race with another 40+km's to go

I think he's going to make 'ole cuddles cry on zoncolan

Just check with the airline about paying extra for your bike. Don't know why, but when you fly to the USA, you have an allowance of 2 pieces of checked baggage. If you notify in advance, they are often willing to convert one of your baggage pieces to "oversize". Hence, you can take a bike for free. Not sure if anything has changed, but I have flown my MTB to Alaska in 2010 in a full size bike box without paying a cent extra.

Let me start this way. I train for three reasons, firstly for enjoyment, secondly to feel good and to a lesser extent, but still valid is to be happy with what I look like. So some background. 9 years ago I broke my back (fortunately with no lasting consequences), forcing me into a rigorous 12 week gym rehab program of roughly 5 x 1 hour sessions a week.This got me into a routine of going to gym, and after my back was sorted again I continued to do so. The back rehab program was weights orientated, so I continued the 5 x 1 hour sessions pumping muscles instead of back excercises. A year later I (fortunately) injured my shoulder as a result of trying to pick up stuff that's too heavy for me, so that was the end of serious weight training. I've since become keen on endurance sport and have done virtually every race/event on the calendar as far as road cycling, running, triathlon, adventure racing etc. goes. I love doing these, so I've been ticking the first two (and most important) boxes of why I train cause I love it and I feel great when I'm fit. The missing link is that if I only do endurance training, I get very skinny very fast and I'm no longer the well built me of 8 years ago. Don't get me wrong, I've got no intention of becoming a bodybuilder or doing weight training for 3 hours a week... So I guess the question out there, is what do you guys in order to throw in some form of strength training that does not add a lot of time to your weekly training routing, but yet being a balanced, full body activity that also perhaps builds fitness? I typically do a few lat pull downs or push-ups before I run or spin at the gym in the evenings, but that's not by any means a balanced full-body training program. I'm also not interested in a rigorous 40 minute strength training routine, as that will take too much time away of doing the stuff I like, which is cycling, running and swimming... So what are the options out there? Is Cross fit the way to go, or what do you guys do?

I've just read through the records and its truly insane. George Mallory who started everesting according to the article (he grew up in SA) holds the record at 10h48 which was done last year... The guy is 54 years old! crazy how strong some people are!

that's a really serious average gradient... where were you riding?

really hot looking bike... who sells them in joburg?

So its time for a new bike... Seeing that 27.5" is the new black, that's the way I'm gonna go and I'm looking for 140mm suspension travel. Not 160 as I intend to do some longer rides / races with it Please add to the list of bikes to research and post reviews! Any agents for the lesser known brands will be appreciated. Santa Cruz 5010 Momsen (model(s)?) Intense Carbide Cannondale Jeckyll Yeti SB75 Specialized (model(s)?) Giant Trance Trek Fuel GT Force

So if you go 1X10 there are at least some good options it seems! Thanks, I'll go do some more homework on this!

So I'm considering to start a new build later this year... However, last time that I bought / built a bike, 3x9 was the standard and you basically only had to choose between LX, XT and XTR based on what your budget would allow, or equivalently X7, X9 or X0 if you were in the SRAM camp. These days there's all the talk about 2X10's, 1X11, Clutch derailleurs etc. I'm a big fan of simplicity, so I'm quite excited about the 1X11 options out there, but from my understanding this is only available on the top end groupsets. Can anybody give a run-own on what options are available out there? i.e. can you purchase a SLX groupset in a 1 X 11 configuration? Can you buy a XT clutch derailleur, or are these options only available on the top end stuff? Reason I'm asking, is I place a higher value on having a good frame, good shock & fork and good wheels whilst caring less about my groupset e.g. being a SLX rather than a XTR, but want to know if I will be compromising my options.

Recovery improves with fitness. The more you train, especially on consecutive days, the better you will recover. Just make sure to rest enough between intense multi-day sessions to prevent over-training

Okay then, most people can eat whatever they like without gaining weight with 6 hours of solid training a week... I trust there will be exceptions. We were 4 friends that trained for both 70.3 and IM this year. In the months leading up to 70.3, we were doing 6-8 hours a week. No weight gain from anybody, no weight loss, eating what we like and drinking beer etc. Then we upped the training to 12 hours from January, and all of us dropped roughly 5kg's since January... So the bottom line is that hard training works a charm for weight loss. You may have to cross train or do something different to what you are doing now, but TRAINING WORKS

IMO supplements are a waste of time. Balance your eating habits with your training habits to come up with something that works for you. I've never seen fit and highly active people that are obese, so all the thousands of people that do regular exercise as part of their day to day lives must be doing something right. +-6 hours of solid training a week and you can eat whatever you like.

you'll be fine with a 1 X 11 I rode it on a rohloff setup a few years ago which also does not have the full range that a 2x10 setup will give you and there was only one very short section that I could not ride. You seem to be a stronger rider and will have a much lighter bike, so no need to worry

I'm not making this comment with regards to Cycle Science as such because I don't know anything about the alleged fake transaction, but generally speaking closing a shop operated by frauds is the best outcome, irrespective of the jobs that will be lost. The employees are better of applying for jobs at legit employers. If business owners lack moral standards to the point where they flog fake items as originals, they will also likely be willing to underpay staff, evade tax etc. and are not worthy of any income that they will make

agreed RR. I'm going to be one of the 2000 standing on the beach at PE this weekend to experience the energy and strength of the human spirit in a very special way. The people who I admire most are the brave men and women that start their run as the sun sets with a very lonely 42km in the dark. In 2011 I passed a man 65 years of age on the run who had been trying to finish the event for 3 consecutive years. He crossed the finish line for the first time that night well after 11PM. Everytime when life seems tough I think of that guy. what a legend!

spartacus and tom together have won 8 of the last 10 editions of the race... others don't seem to have a chance if you let the statistics do the talking! My money is on Cancellara!