RobMobius

I went thru this same process a few months back. I wanted a GPS for MTB that would track my route/ speed etc for analysis later, but also wanted a unit that I navigate with, ie follow a route / track for a rail I had not ridden before. The Edge were more oriented around the prior than the latter. The EDGE 605 and 705 will be ideal but they are going to very expensive. After all my research and bldg bang for buck into the equation I bought a second hand Garmin Etrex Legend. Its small enough to fit on the bike and carry while running. Its not the smallest but small enough. It holds maps (topo and street) but has no auto routing (like the in car navigation systems have). Its taken me a month of playing to figure out all the features and how to best use them but I am very happy. It all has the std features, easy to read display, syncs with my PC. I would recommend it if budget is an issue. If not then go for the edge 705.

There can only be a few reasons for chain slip. You need to work thru them progressively till the problem is solved. 1. Stretched chain 2. Worn cogs 3. Bent / twisted hanger 4. Damaged misaligned rear derailleur 5. Bent frame / chainstays (highly unlikley) 6. Incorrect cable tension. I am no mechanic so I am sure there maybe other factors. I had the same problem. When I took the bike to another LBS they found my rear cogs were worn. My previous LBS had told me they were fine so get a second opinion.

I am finally making progress with this damn injury but I still need some advice. I swapped my clipless pedals for std pedal and I have been riding in takkies lately and been pain free. So now I know is a foot position and bike setup issue. I have noticed that at the top of my pedal stroke the inside of my foot lifts of the pedal (supinates) and my heel pivots towards the bike. Is there a shoe / cleat / pedal that allows for this dynamic 3 dimensional foot movement?

Thanks for the all the advice everyone. Very lekker. I am always blown away by the sense of community on the Hub compared to other forums I am active on. Ronelle I would be keen to hear more about the fat pad theory, perhaps on PM as it might be too boring for the forum?

Ronelle, interesting and novel advice. I have been doing a lot of mobilisation of the TFL, glut med and lateral structures as well as eccentric training of the TFL to try and control the deceleration of the rotation of the lower limb when running. It seems to have helped for running but not riding. Interestingly, since my first serious ride I have had pain and stiffness post ride of the peroneus longus especially on the fibular head and I have been sure that this is involved somehow. This seems to tie in with what you are saying. I spend some time yesterday on spin bike experimenting with different positions and I had some relief moving the saddle back not fwds as you recommend. Can you explain your thinking regarding the seat position and the orientation of the spinal line?

Hi there, I have picked up ITBS in my right leg at the level of my knee. I think it was initially caused by running as I do (used to) a lot of trail running. So I stopped running but kept riding (MTB) and the knee seemed fine. Then on the Karoo2Coast it gave me hell for the last 30km and now I just can't shake it. I have rested and rehabed ( I am a biokineticist so I like to think the rehab was correct). I can now cycle and run but as soon as I up the length or the intensity even by 5 % it hits me again. I am new to the cycling world. This is my first year doing the sport. From a cycling perspective is there anything I should be aware off or doing differently? Thanks

So how long is a piece of string then? I called the rangers in charge of mtn security. They tell me they have had no incidents or complaints in months so they are very upbeat at the moment. Of course we can never have a guarantee (Big H) but its good to know what the current situation is and the likely outcome of riding there. So at the moment things seem relatively calm.

There have been no shocking headlines about muggings on the mtn for a while? Have things improved or are there just no hikers and riders for the guys to mug? I am keen to start riding there again but don't feel like donating my bike to the RDP! Whats the current status quo?

Hi Bug, I have a runx and use the Holdfast 3 bike rack (no towbar). I looked at the Thule but the holdfast seemed just as good for much less. Its super simple to use. I regulary hang 2 MT bikes. I have hung 3 but its a tight fit. But my real concern is the amount of weight hanging on the boot hinges. Just to 1200Km with 2 bikes (K2C) and 150km no problem. My feul consumption was unaffected. For the long trips I take the wheels off and put them inside to reduce the weight on the rack. As I said I am worried about the boot hinges. The rack is plenty strong enough though. The Runx bumper sticks out a fair bit so I don't use the rack closest to the car as its a pain to stop the car from being scratched.

Hi Mtn Lion, Thanks for the link. Most of the time I will just need a datalogger but from time to time I will want to make use of the navigation abilities.

Wow, Popeye, thats awesome. Are the maps compatible with most map enabled GPS's? Thru my kite surfing connections I can get this GPS at a ridiculous price. http://www.locosystech.com/product.php?zln=en&id=5 Its the bomb for speed kiting as the chip is apparently something special and super accurate blah blah etc etc. It is more suited as a tracker than a navigator as the display is basically on over grown digital watch display. It has all the functionality and can link with a PC for mapping. I assume I could download a route to it, from, for eg, Popeye's Jonkershoek map. Obviously it cannot display the map but it can navigate way point wap point along a predefined route. What do you think?

Any one know how or where we can get the results?

I am looking at getting a GPS for MTBing. I have used them extensively for sailing but I am interested in what features are the most important for riding off road. Most of my off road rides are races but I would love to track the route so I can go over it later or redo the ride as a training ride. So for this I need GPS more as a tracker rather than a navigator. The unit would also have to be small enough to attach to the bike, be waterproof and rugged to take the knocks. Battery life would also have to be more than 6 hrs for some of the longer rides. I would assume the unit must also have excellent satellite tracking abilities to cope with forest sections. What about map functionality, necessary? I would expect it not be important as the map software only really covers major (read tar) roads. What specs and models would you recommend? Keeping in my that I don't want to have rebond my house to pay for the unit.

Guilty as charged, one in the same. Kiteboarding and now mountain biking!. I needed something to get me thru the winter. I am hooked! I must say I am not convinced about tubeless. The weight saving is minimal. By the time you have pumped the tire full of the slime you are almost back to the weight of having a tube. I have also come to the rescue to 2 riders on 2 separate races who had blow out with tubeless tyres. They ended up using my spare tubes to get home. My Merida was built up so there is not a single std Merida feature except the frame. But my wheels are heavy so when the budget allows, that will be my first weight saving change. The a lighter crank and bearing I think. I am using cross mark on the back wheel and hutchinson cameleon on the front. See you on the water and on the single track

As a sports scientist I thought I would throw my 2 cents in. To answer the original question, plyometrics will improve cycling performance. The question is, is it the best way of improving cycling performance, the most likely answer is no. There are better ways to spend your time training for cycling than doing plyometrics. Plyometrics are not cycling specific enough but can play a supportive role. As has already been mentioned plyometrics is a very intensive form of training that has a very high injury risk. It really should only be the domain of the highly trained althlete and / or done under the supervision of an expert. The pros of plyometric training is that you need very little equipment and you can train almost anywhere. Its a very functional exercise. This means it translates very well into normal human movements and needs. However cycling is the exception. Cycling is an unnatural movement for humans. We do it rather well but nothing in our development over the centuries has required a rotation action from our legs. As such the functional translation of plyometrics to cycling is almost non existent. What plyo does do is train 2 very important aspects of muscle contraction. 1. It trains muscle balance. Plyo demands functional co contraction form all muscles involved in a movement. We are not just focusing on quads or hamis as you may with weight training. The result is more muscularly balanced movements which can increase power through efficiency and reduce the risk of injury in normal activities. 2. The second factor is the muscle stretch shortening cycle or SSC. This is a theory that muscles, tendons and ligaments store potential energy when strectched that assists a subsequent contraction. For example, pushing down on a pedal needs the quads to contract and the hamis to lengthen. Potential energy is stored in the hamis as they are stretched by the quads. This energy can be released on the pedal upstroke which assists the hamstring contraction and gives a more powerful contraction. The same is true for the subsequent downstroke with the quads now releasing their potential energy store during the supstroke. Shew! Make any sense. Plyo is one way of optimising this effect. It also works on the neurological component as Hammie mentioned. But the explanation of this is 5 page post in itself. The cons of plyo is the high risk of injury, the severe muscle stiffness over the following 72 hrs (DOMS) and the lack of specificity. But I do include them as part of the cross training programme of the athletes I manage. Plyometrics would suit rugby, soccer, hockey players more than cyclists. Better stop their as I am sure most of you are bored to tears by now.

Buy a (insert your favourite bike brand here) ! Ok I can't change my bike but whats the most cost effective way to shed some weight. Specs Hardtail Merida Matts LX Champion XT shifters and DRs BB bearing is a std (ie not external) Not great wheels Hydraulic RNCYC (I think) brakes I think the wheel set is the best place to start. If so what would you suggest, considering value for money?

"Ah again assumptions. A smaller engine is not necessarily less powerful since it has less friction. Also ligter pistons and possibly requiring less fuel to do the job all translate into perhaps little drop in actual performance." -------- This represents a hair -------< This represents a split hair At a basic level, reducing weight by non functional mass is better than losing weight from functional mass such as muscle. I think what the previous poster is trying to say is if you can reduce body weight, possibly by losing muscle mass, but still retain the same power output you will increased your power to weight ratio which should make you a better climber. Will it make you be able to "rev" faster or cycle with a higher cadence? Not directly no. take a look at the builds of the sprinters (running and cycling). No lack of muscle mass there. Leg speed is determined by a host of factors. The most obvious one after training techniques is the muscle fibre type that dominates. A dominance of white muscles fibre means a faster muscle, more powerful muscle contraction over a short distance. Red fibre types are slower and less powerful but have far more endurance. This brings up an interesting debate on which will make you a better climber? I propose a dominance of red slow twitch fibres.

Yes and no. If you lose a kg of non functional mass such as fat, hair, skin (fell on Sunday and feel like I have lost a Kg of skin!) the result is the same as losing a kg of bike weight. The bottom line is you have less weight to drag up a hill. If you lose a kg of functional weight such a leg muscle then you have effectively reduced that which you need to get you to the top of the hill. Bluntly put, if you needed your Honda Civic to climb a hill quicker then it makes sense to make the car lighter by ripping out seats, spare wheels etc. But if you lighten the car by putting in a smaller engine then the gains will be neutral or even negative.

I am assuming this brand is not well known due to the lack of replies. Strange as Giant seems to be such a strong brand in the country (SA). After this weekend I have formulated my own opinion. The stuff is crap! I did the simplest race with my fiance. 30 km of all jeep track, 90% downhill, dry and not very dusty or sandy with 1 river crossing. My chain was completely unprotected by 15km. Its no good. So what to try? I am going to give the White Lightning Epic a go as its the only one that hasn't had a bashing on this forum, that I can see. The others have huge fans and huge haters. teh next best seems to be Squirt? A question, I cleaned a small section of my chain will lemon juice and hot water. The sand and muck just fell off the chain leaving it shiny and brand new looking. I am not sure if its the lemon juice or the hot water thats responsible. Is there any harm in using hot water and / or lemon juice?

Speed devil, thanks for the best laugh I have had all day...

So whats the low down on this product. My LBS sold me this and I have been using it. I am lubing correctly but I am concerned its not up to the job? The reason for this is I lubed the chain lekker then had to take it to my LBS who them promptly told me my chain needed lubing, only 20 min after I had lubed it! Thanks

Ok, this thread got interesting and went off on a tangent (tandem?). To bring it back on track, can I get your help tracking down by bike's problem. I have changed the chain and one ride later its still in one piece. but I have a perennial shifting problem that may or may not be related to the chain issue. A reminder - its a MTB with full XT (very new) except for Deore shifters which are old (maybe worn?) I cannot (nor can my LBS) set my gears correctly. I shift down no problem to the 5th ring (from smallest). Then I have to double shift to get to the 4th smallest. Problem is less prevelant shifting to easier gears. Problem only exists between 4 and 5th smallest rings. As mentioned chain is brand new and lubed. DR is new and str8. New cables and housing. New and correct (unloaded shifting technique). The problem exists on the bike stand too. It seems as if the DR is not moving sufficiently to jump that gear. The cluster has been checked and I am told its fine. Maybe my shifter is not pulling enough cable. But if its worn surely it would give me hassles in all gears not just this one change? All other changes are fine. This problem is driving me nuts and no one has a plausible theory or explanation. I am just told, get a new this or that. Help? Thanks Hubbers

Ok we have narrowed the field down a bit due to whats available size wise and the decision to go for disk brakes. Can I get opinions on the Silverback Sierra and the GT Expert. the Sierra is R400 cheaper but has full XT and Manitou 100mm shock, juicy fives. external bearing. Very well spec'ed for R7995. Its also 11.4kg and the bike is for a lady who I think would benefit from a lighter bike both for riding but also transporting the bike etc. The GT has Tora shock, Sram 9 (maybe 7?) RD, Juicy 3's, better tyres, its a few kg's heavier and more expensive. So worse spec (debatable) and heavier frame but (maybe) better frame. What advise so the wise oracles out there have? Thanks

Ewep, if you saw my legs, you would fall over laughing. Its a mystery how they even manage to carry me around each day...! Toothpicks is being generous.... I called Shimano (thanks for the advice) and they are being awesome in trying to help solve the problem. Thanks Jade.

I post on quite a few sporting forums. But I must hand it to you "Hubbers" this is by far the most active and helpful forum I have come across. Thanks so much. In response to the suggestions, Chain has been fixed by my LBS It is a shimano HG XT chain Nope its not a10 speed but a real MTB doing real events! I try to "unload" during shifting but I am sure my technqiue needs work, any suggestions on that? I will give Shimano a call as maybe its just a bum chain. My nervousness is that I replace the chain only to break the next one as the chain is only the symptom not the cause, and I just break the next one as well.