Minion

I recorded differences of around 3-5% between a Quarq and a Powertap. Not insignificant, but both are highly consistent, so it's only really a problem if you're comparing rides done with a crank-based meter to ones done with a hub-based one. Stated accuracy for the PT is +-1.5%, the normal SRM and Quarq are +-2% and the new Red Quarq is +-1.5%. Some of my most valuable power data comes from post-race analysis, so I think it's important to have a PM for both racing and training. Which PM you then choose depends a lot on how many wheelsets you'll use and how important weight is to you. If you're only using one wheelset and you don't mind weight, the base-level PT is about 40% of the price of a Quarq, provided you don't need to buy a new rim to go with it. The lighter PT hubs are about 2/3rds to 90% of the price of a Quarq (more, once you've accounted for new spokes and wheelbuilding). You're limited in your choice of wheelsets to those with normal spoke patterns (no Campag Shamals etc.) If you're using two wheelsets, the PT may still be cheaper, but only if you stick to the base model. If you're using multiple bikes, a hub-based PM may be more convenient, but only if you regularly swap between bikes. If you're only swapping every two weeks or so, if may be more convenient just to swap the crank (a 5min job). There are some reports that regular swapping can strip the crank bolt, in which case it would cost around R2000 to replace the crank arms. If you use the IDT a lot with a hub-based PM, bear in mind that you may have to swap the tyre every time you use it. If you use a Lemond Revolution and want power readings, you'd have to spend R4000 for a Power Pilot or buy an ANT+ USB stick and software so you can get power readings on your PC. Weight-wise, my experience has been: Zipp 404 vanilla vs. 404 with PT 2.4+ - PT adds 250g (Elite+ PT would add 400g). SRAM S900 crank vs. SRAM S975 Quarq - Quarq adds about 113g. Campag Record 180mm 53/39 cranks w. BB vs. SRAM S975 Quarq 175mm 50/34 w. BB - Quarq adds 206g. Finally, if you're thinking of buying only in the next 2-3 months, you might consider waiting until the Garmin pedal-based PM is released in March.

Exactly, but by the time she gets her 9th Amashova medal (the 10th would probably be special, again), there will be other novices for whom the medal means something. Getting rid of all the medals just because you've become jaded is a bit excessive.

I had forgotten how much medals can mean to people until someone I know got a medal for completing their first Amashova and first 94.7. She has won gold medals at SA Champs and medals at the German equivalent of provincial champs in another sport. The so-called trinkets she received for those two cycle races hold a similar value in her collection as the 'proper' medals. Just because these medals have become meaningless to you, doesn't mean they won't hold great significance for someone else.

According to my Garmin, I lose altitude on the IDT.

Isn't it the weekend of 18/19 February?

A little bit, but mainly FEM, CFD and CAE software.

Again, it could depend on the software you're using, but most of the stuff I've come across, it's more like buying a car and then getting a faster, improved model with additional features every year or two. Whenever your car breaks, you get free access to a technician who will fix it.

Not sure what software you're talking about, but it's a successful model for quite a lot of high-end engineering software (though not necessarily the stop working part). With the software I now support, yearly maintenance gets you major updates (including significant new features and performance improvements) and however many hours of my (qualified engineer) time you need to fix your problems. If I can't fix the problem, you can be assisted by the international support and development team of the software itself. If you don't pay maintenance, you get no updates and support, but the software will continue working.

I've you've been a member of a cycling club in Central Gauteng, then you've been paying that R75 fee every year for the past couple of years.

Not true. The shape also moves the centre of pressure for the wheel closer to the steering axis. This reduces the steering moment caused by crosswinds. The overall crosswind force might be the same (I don't know), but the effect on bike handling is greatly reduced.

I would dispute that. For someone doing 180km in 5:00, it might end up saving 10min (3.2%), say. Someone doing it in 7hrs might only save 3.1%, but this then translates to a 12min absolute time saving. There are aero benefits for everyone. Slower riders get a higher absolute benefit (more minutes saved), but a lower relative benefit (their % speed up is lower). It then becomes a personal choice of whether or not the benefits are worth the cost. For someone doing a 5hr split, 10min may well cost a podium place. For someone taking 7hrs the stakes are lower, but you may well kick yourself if you miss your goal time by 1min when you could have saved 10min with better equipment. Edit: for a 40km split, someone doing it in 0:57:28 might save 0:01:55, while someone doing it in 1:14:14, might save 2:29.

Headsets from 20-40GBP: http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/headsets-1-ahead-dept586_pg1/

It's sad how often this applies to our government.

Until you get disqualified for carrying an illegal fairing.

This is just a result of lazy/sloppy editing. In the days when even Google has an 'English (South African)' option, it's really inexcusable and just shows a lack of proper care.

Someone forgot to change the language on their word processor.

This makes sense, though I seem to recall Joker mentioning that he trains with power. He'd need to get a couple of the paid plug-ins in order to get similar power analysis functionality to a program like WKO+.

I believe Paypal offers seller protection, but only if you sent it to the verified address that is linked to the Paypal account. Also, you can only pay from Paypal into another Paypal account (in SA, at least). I suspect what will happen is they will pay, you will send, they will institute a claim that the item never arrived, Paypal will reverse the transaction since you didn't send to the verified Paypal address.

At the moment, none . My PC with Sporttracks died and I haven't installed it on my laptop. Off the top of my head, I had: - Equipment plugin - mainly for tracking maintenance - Weather plugin - Garmin Fitness - until recently, the only way to create power-based advanced workouts for an Edge on the PC. - CSV export - Overlay plugin - I preferred CSV exporting to Excel for comparisons, though. I think I had a few more, but those are the ones I remember using the most.

I think it still keeps more than one month of data, but you cannot display more than one month of data in the summary pages. The main reason to upgrade is to get access to more plug-ins, though the really good plug-ins are pretty pricey (5-15 EUR). Upgrading also allows you to track more than two equipment items.

A dilution ratio of 100C corresponds to less than one atom out of all the atoms in the known universe. http://www.badscience.net/2007/11/a-kind-of-magic/

I think it depends on your individual setup. If you can get the same relative positions of the contact points on the two bikes, then the Tarmac will probably be more responsive due to it's steeper head tube. If your individual body shape means you have to make compromises on your fit to get into a reasonable position on the Tarmac and those compromises significantly affect your comfort and power production, then you'd be better off ditching the Tarmac.

Sort of. That does appear to apply to cells grown in a culture. Not sure whether it would have direct application as a treatment method for cells living in the human body.

Sounds like BS. Ask him for some scientific studies/papers supporting his claim.