rattlesnake

Specialised Romin for road and Specialised Phenom for MTB. Both are "cut away' in the middle so as to relieve pressure on the nerve endings and to ensure consistent blood flow through the crown jewel areas. I was on Arione's on all my bikes and switched them all over to specialised. Result, no numbness after being in saddle for longer periods, improved comfort. There are also many other l/t benefits of using cutaway saddles.

I went through the (painful) experience of trying out Avid Elixr R, followed by Hygia SLP and then I finally made the move and got Formula R1's. Best disc brake out there. Period. If you dont believe me check out the reviews on http://www.mtbr.com/...97_1507crx.aspx

Same issue as with D2D race .... dunno why they do that. Racing tandems should go off just after elites.

True story - I once had the misfortune of landing up in Peter de Villier's twin brother's spinning class (at least I'm sure it was his twin judging by his high pitched voice and appearance).... Walks in as a replacement, armed with long socks, tekkies, ski pants (not cycling shorts) and the trusty headband.... Mr de Villiers then proceeded to start the class with a sprint warm up, yelling in his best high pitched Peter Div, voice... ok, GO GO GO..... only problem is that he had classical instrumental music on.... It was at this point that I whipped out my trusty ipod and enjoyed the "picture" without sound. Looking down as much as i could, i couldnt help notice how Div was bouncing up and down in his saddle like he was taming a young bull, with a look of absolute glee on his face, shouting "Ok GO, GO, GO!" I needed 90 minutes training so I decided to stay. After the scheduled 75 minutes, Div sat up and yelled, "Jislaaik it ouens, don't be surprised if I do another 15 minutes hey".... It was at this point that I chose to exit stage left. Funny now, was not so impressed on that morning.

Thanks Tankman, maybe the 39 chainring is a good idea..... will definitely make the climbing easier and then for the flat roads I still have the big chainring in front.

Need some advice on what cassette's are compatible on road bikes; Our tandem is currently set up with two chainring's in front, a 44t and a 54t. Running an 11-28 cassette at the back, but as some of you might know, climbing on a tandem is much more difficult than climbing on a single bike. So for a race like the race for victory, my concern is that it might be extremely difficult (nearly impossible) to climb the last big climb in Suikerbosrand with a 15%+ gradient with the current gearing setup. My question is, can one get an 11 (or 12) 30 or 32 cassette that fits a road bike and if not, are mtb casettes compatible with the road bike? What if anything do I need to take into consideration here? Currently running Ultegra 6700 groupset. Thanks

I have found that all the endurance training (i.e. hours in the saddle) only does one thing - increases endurance. You can'tconly do endurance training and expect the speed to be there when you want it in a race. I learnt this the hard way, the only way to get faster is to incorporate specific speed, tempo and climbing days in your training routine. Focusing on cadence is also extremely important. I have found that 1 cadence focused day a week and one tempo / speedwork day a week have increased my average speed over a relatively short space of time. How much, depends on your current fitness levels, the fitter you are, the smaller the incremental increases in speed. There is tons of stuff you can read on the internet on speed, cadence and tempo riding. Hope this helps.

I used to be a golfer...... now, all I can think about is bicycles and bike gear.... anyways, went to the pro shop as I had a voucher to spend.... after spending an hour there milling through the sale items, i walked out with..... WAIT FOR IT... Sun spray and nice socks that I can use for cycling....

LOL - It was a resignation, but luckily for me I have one or two exciting opportunities that I am pursuing.... but I will have 1-2 months worth of time to kill.... preferably spent on the bike

So it seems that I have just become a house executive....aka garden leave for a month or two So will be looking to do some longer morning rides starting from the Sandton / Morningside area. Looking to do road and mountain bike rides, anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. So if you happen to have some spare time on your hands and want to get some training in, give me a shout.

I got 1st dibs - pm sent

Thanks for advice

I got an entry too :clap: Also have to find a partner though..... eish R35k is hefty though!

Try taking one foot off the pedal and onto your back wheel on a steep technicla descent... hmmmm, think you might end up with more than a broken collarbone.

One word: CHOKERS!!!!

About 45k as in the pic above

Apparently is amazing, weighs 13kg's. Team riding one keep winning...... and its carbon. Only downside is the guys who sell them in SA (Leewees Cycles) are not the most reliable guys on the block.... also not the most service focused shop I've come across, but they have a great product in the matrix

Awesome upgrade, thanks!

Spinning helps big time if you do it right. Keep your resistance above 4.5 - 5, no matter what the instructor says and focus on tempo and form. Can also do one leg at a time intervals to train power and correct pedal stroke. I think in some aspects its harder than riding the bike because you can't free wheel, its constant resistance. I have known a few people that only do spinning during the week and are placing high up in races..... my 2 cents...

So, I noticed the other day when I was cleaning my tandem, the shimano jockey wheels hardly spin at all.... vs my sram XO jockey wheels on my MTB which spin like crazy when i spin them in my hand. This made me think about the drag differential (if any) between the different jockey wheels... ceramic bearings vs normal bearings etc... Logically it makes sense to me that a bearing which spins slower (less) will have more drag then one which spins better.... after reading some blogs and calling my local bike shop, it seems that there is a negligible difference on the effective power output through the drive train.... BUT i am not convinced.... what say you more experienced hubbers on this matter???

Does anyone know any of the race organisers for the Berge en Dale Race, maybe worthwhile to ask them if its possible for someone to do a sweep of the part of the course that goes through the cradle on friday eve. My wife and I are racing on a tandem, not to be funny, but punctures and tandems don't end up pretty. If we catch the guy doing this I will stop at nothing to see them punished by the fullest extent of the law. Naming and shaming in the media might also be on the cards.

might be bike setup... slight deviations from the correct settings become accentuated by increased time in the saddle. I would go some place that offers a professional bike set up.

Thnx will take her to the concept store in melrose arch.

Hi Hubbers My wife is currently using a WTB saddle on our road tandem but finds it extremely uncomfortable. Its kind of tough to try all the different brands out so wanted to see which saddles were most popular amongst women riders... Thanks, your input would be greatly appreciated.

pm sent