Christie

Most defensive aspects not good for the boks today

Agree, well said. Carbon is a fantastic material, but the market is at a point where folks are willing to spend R50k on a Dogma that weighs more than a metal frame. Metal bikes would also work better for 90% of riders, yet most end up on a carbon frame.

This makes me think of a review I read of a very expensive but badly engineered "performance" car, written by a professional race driver. Not being used to normal car journo speak and politics, he described it as "a shopping trolley for stupid people". Made my list of favourite motoring articles. (edit - sorry for the hi-jack)

I find the weight quite crazy for the price, considering that you could buy a modern steel frame that will weigh in that region, and have arguably better ride quality. (at least as far as the average owner is concerned)

Yield stress & Youngs Modulus are good parameters to compare imo.

I would not be so sure about that. Pinarello carbon frames are relatively heavy

KSI - such a wonderful unit.......... NOT!!!

Greg for me. Seond is the tdf stage win of RH. Close behind in third are the wins of Burry and Greg in world cup races. I dont put the Epic above these, the Epic is not to MTB what the TDF is to road racing. The u23 results are all important for potential shown, but u23 is not the top level of the sport. I regard u23 results on the same level as for example the IRB junior world cup

Interesting to note that Horner, who completely thrashed Nibali, JRod and Valverde a week ago, was nowhere today.

Somebody commented on cyclingnews that it was an "unadmirable" win.

Have to say that except fot the last 2 laps or so, the race was not very eiting imo

Belgium had numbers all the way, then lost the plot on the last climb.

Crash would have taken a lot out of Nibali, too

Mistake in the end made by Valverde to mark Nibali and not Costa. Thats pro cycling, agree that Ciolek did the same to win MSR.

Costa takes it

Costa sucking wheel all the way

10s for JRod, about 5km to go.

JRod goes!

Will it come down to a sprint?

Gruppo compato

Team car paced Nibali back, he went right to the front again.

Low profile rims Dura Ace C24(if you dont have a Campy gruppo) Deep sections (you need this for time trials, long break aways, or doing lots of work on the front) Zipp, Cosmics

Perhaps things wil go better. Doping still the main problem imo. Lets wait and see Cookson's true coulours

Does it matter? Ride/weight/just about everything most of us would notice should be close to the same. Just dont buy it for lots of money.

Some comments from the interwebs: Haemoglobin rose 7% over the 3 week race. (it should go down) Rectics vs mature cell count ratio decreased by more than half (typical of a top-up from a blood bag) Surprise? This strengthens my suspicion that the biological passport testing is mostly for show, to make sponsors think it is not possible to cheat.