JasonW

He is obviously a member of the Thabo Mbeki "what crisis?" club

One should not lose sight of the fact that what we are interested in is a ?certain objective physiological response?to?the?training?that?we?do.? So?if?I?want?to?maximise?the?V02?max?benefit?that?I?receive?from?a?session,?then?I?have?to?adopt?a?certain?training?strategy.? How?exactly?I?define?the?boundaries?of?that?session?is?more?or?less?arbitrary?and?will?be?influenced?by?the?measuring?device,?temperature,?etc. Docs study is obviously extremely useful as it shows us how to train better with a power meter. It does not mean (and I'm not suggesting that the study seaks to prove this ) that training with a HR monitor is more effective.

I'm inclined to agree that riding to a floating avergae power value is more beneficial than riding to a static value which negates onces ability to push oneself. The problem that I have with HR training is that one can simply not tell whether you are still in the same zone that you were in when you started, or possibly even which zone you started in! For example you could set out to perform a 20 min L4 (threshhold) interval, but would typically start in L5 (VO2 max) and then drift down to L3 (tempo) by the end. You think that you have performed a constant effort as your HR has stayed the same. The advantage of the power metre is that it allows you to aim at and validate your efforts to ride in a defined zone.

If you want to know what it takes to ride Paris Roubaix ... http://www.saris.com/athletes/PermaLink,guid,38eca391-6ee9-4c55-9cc4-d5a189bc10c4.aspx Bit annoying that they don't give his weight though

No idea! To be honest I wasn't a fan of the Giant until I got talked into buying one, but very happy now.

I'm not sure where this anti-carbon paranoir comes from. I've owned two carbon MTBs and not had a problem with either. I've heard reports Sant Cruz frame breakages from the guys at Cycle Factory. Don't know about the GT, other than that people had issues with the rear sus a while back. My 2c is to get the Anthem Advanced or if you are a "carbo-phobe" get the Anthem 0!

Haven't used them for the Epic, but have had mine for three years now and not a single problem. They have done Cederberg Experience which is pretty similar terrain.

Yup, there are seal on the fork which keep the oil in and they do get worn. The older Fox forks were prone to leaking a lot. My new (2007) ones don't. Its not a big issue.

Better support for the Fox and the new ones don't seem to have the previous issue with leaky seals

Really depends on your point of view. The R7 is about 200g lighter, but is reputedly flexier. Personally I prefer the Fox, but the weight saving is tempting ...

You can buy a Camelback brush which fits down the tube and is great for getting the black stuff out

If money is not an option then you could go for the new DT 190 hubs - 105g front and 190g rear. Together cost nearly $ 1000 though!

Thanks Scotty. Do you experience much signal loss or is that reliable?

I've had this problem as well. I ended up duplicating one of the other charts and the problem went away! (I know its not an optimal solution)

Hi, I also have a set of the ZTR355 wheels, but built with American Classic hubs. These are lighter than the DT 240 hubs, but the hub bearings do wear very quickly. I have now replaced the bearings with a tougher generic bearing and they have been fine. I'm also using DT Revolution and have not had a singly spoke break, even when I rode half a lap of an XC circuit with a flat rear tyre! Notubes have a new Race ZTR wheelset which claims a weight of 1210g including valve and rim strip. Max weight is 77kgs. Rims are 284g!

Bear in mind that it is only compatible with the SRM and the Quark (when it comes out). If it was compatible with Poertap I probably would be tempted!

For most things either a plain old map or Googlearth printout are just as good.

Mine doesn't!

3 for the Anthem carbon, coz I own one! But seriously there is no pedal bob and very good lateral stiffness. The only downside to the anthem is that you are limited to 3.5" travel and the damping is quite firm. Whilst I see the appeal of single pivot in that it is light and easier to maintain, there is always going to be lateral play and pedal bob. My 2c!

Eish, the price of being a fashion slave

It does seem to work well on pedals and is a lot less messy. Expensive though.

While we are on this topic, is there any benefit to the use of copper slip?

Hi Johan, any intentions of holding a course in Cape Town?

On a lighter note, http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/humour-a-complaint-to-mellow-johnnys-bike-shop-15260 Classic!