camerons

I get it fine and like you I am delighted that they ran something at all. It doesn't change the fact that the report itself was cr@p and basically told us nothing other than people are getting hijacked on their bikes. In that I am dissapointed.

Is your real name Derek by any chance? Yes I have read what you wrote and it doesn't change my opinion about the piece. As far as getting the word out goes yes it was great, a whole bunch of people watched it and awareness was generated. As far as being a decent piece of investigative journalism - it wasn't. It is a shame because Carte Blanche has set very high standards with some great pieces of journalism in the past. Perhaps it might have been worth them waiting a couple more weeks to get some actual answers? Perhaps there aren't actually answers like we are hoping with syndicates buying bikes overseas and all sort of conspiracy theories. Perhaps it’s just a bunch of starving people who have recognised an opportunity to make some "easy" money. That is a reality of South Africa.

I agree with you 100%. Not sure why everyone else is so pleased about what was a very average piece of journalism. They told us that bikes get hijacked and might go to Mozam or might go to Zimbabwe or might be ridden around on by locals and they were being sold for way less than market value - WOW really!! Oh and a couple of guys got arrested, but no mention of kingpins or any one that might count in the whole thing! Compared to what they have done for other issues I think that this really wasn't great. Sure it gets the word out and blah blah blah but as a piece of investigative journalism I give it less than 5 out of 10.

I've done several halves and a few full IM races so whether that makes me qualified to give advice is up to you. I am 31 and started tri when I was 27. I did a full IM less than one year after I started tri. Anyway enough about me.... I think that doing a HIM at the age of eighteen will be fine. Swimming and cycling do not stress the body particularly and a half only has a 21km run which I think is perfectly managable at 18 years of age. I would probably wait a couple of years if you plan on going for a full IM or beyond as the level of running required for those events might stress a young body quite a bit.

Out of interest what is the basis for this statement? I am a big beleiver in a cooldown and it seems it is widely held to be a good idea. I think you'll find that most people planning on training or racing again the next day will incorporate some sort of cooldown (warmdown) into their routine. Even the pros on the TDF will sit on an excercise bike for a bit and spin the legs.

If Paul Kimmage's book "Rough Ride" is to be beleived the organizers fix it so a local pro wins the local race... ie. one of the Schleks would win this one. This keeps it popular with the locals and boosts the organizers profits and they in turn can pay the riders more. A nice symbiotic relationship. Very cool picture by the way.

if this is the case them maybe consider an entry level stumpjumper as then you will have a frame worth upgrading the parts on. Not sure what the price difference between a rockhopper and stumpy is so apologies if this isn't a viable option.

Buy yourself a turbo trainer! I just got one with a power meter and it is proving to be a great way to train. Having power is brilliant cause you know exactly how hard you are working. So much so I am considering a power meter for my road bike.

I think it is certainly better than nothing but because of the lack of structure it is difficult to make steady progress. If you're hoping to race and race well and it's too miserable to be outside I would suggest training on the spinning bikes but rather following your own structured program than actually doing a spinning class.

The one that fits you the best is the best. Go for a saddle fit somewhere or borrow a couple from your LBS and test.

They are useful if you're riding around a town with loads of pedestrians around (such as Luxembourg City). You either need a bell or know how to do a good whistle. Whether or not I'd want one adorning my best road bike is another question. Just googled the F1 - nice bike. Not sure it would be my choice for 8500 pounds though. Trek Project One or Venge for me.

I'm not sure if it's the same in this country but in the UK it's the law that all bicycles are sold with reflectors and a bell. It's quite funny when you see a R60000 S-Works in a shop with a bell on in. She is a beauty. Felt bikes are really growing on me.

From the little I can see that looks luverly.

I'm with you on this one. If you're happy to be a middle to back of pack swimmer (1:20 plus) then you really don't need much swim training at all - provided you can actually swim. The fitness you're carrying from being run and cycle fit will see you through fine. The only potential "issue" I can see is maybe the effects of the cold water on the body. I've never done a long swim in water as cold as capetown so really can't comment from personal experience but I guess it might take a while to warm up on the bike and get the heart rate under control. Perhaps some cold water practise would be benificial.

The original poster wrote - it survived a minor fall intact, but with a small hairline crack on the inside. No problem, I thought – everybody tells me about the brilliant Rudy Project service, but just to make sure that I had a warrantee I phoned CWC only to be told that these helmets did not carry a crash replacement warrantee. so as I am aware of the difference in this case it's the same thing.

Yes and I beleive the only reason they do so is because they do R&D with the lids they get back that people have crashed with. Why would anyone do a warranty for something that you have effectively broken? If I crashed my car I wouldn't go back to VW and ask for a new one so why would I think differently about a bike helmet? I must say I really don't think you've been hard done by at all.

you mean to say you're not cycling at that speed that is a good point though. the faster you ride the more important aerodynamics become.

It sounds like you know what you're talking about so I assume you are familar with power/watts.... Here is some research I copied from an article I read a while back which shows you how many watts all the different modifications you can make will save: Aero helmet 15-20w saving Nice tyres + latex tubes 15-20w saving Non flapping clothing/tighter skinsuit 10-15w saving Upgrading a 101 to a disc wheel 2-8w saving New chain and jockey wheels 3-4w saving Switching from clips and drops to base bar & extensions 5-8w saving Round tubed frame to aero frame (eg. P2C) 10-15w As you can see the helmet, tyres +tubes and skinsuit are the cheapest and most effective things to sort out first. I still think body position would be number 1 though. A general rule of thumb is that a 10 Watt saving will save you about 40 seconds over 40km, so it certainly adds up over an ironman distance course.

Howzit Bru, To answer your questions.... 1. Yes 2. Very 3. Yes Will buying them assist you Ironman bike leg/time trialling? Yes... but there are other things I would consider first such as getting aero bars and making sure I had a really good aero position on my bike. In fact if i was going to spend 6k I would probably look for a second hand TT frame which got me into a a decent aero position instead of wheels. From a pure aerodynamics perspective that would be your best bet. Interestingly I have read that those pointy helmets (twat hats) will offer you better gains than aero wheels. I once read a study where they assesed all the areas you can get the biggest gains and I think that body position was number 1 and the helmet was number 2 and a skin suit was number 3.

Good idea, infact very good idea. I normally like to do a couple of high volume weeks a season and find they stand me in good stead. Make sure you do the traning at a steady (zone2) pace, not balls to the wall. Some words of advice... make sure you've got a decent enough base in you that you will be able to handle this big week and the sudden increase in volume. Also, even if you're tired, do not skip a day, rather get out there and just spin for an hour and keep the legs moving. If your legs are feeling tired and sore they'll feel even worse after a complete day off. Keep them moving. oh and make sure you eat enough to keep the energy levels up.

is it just me or do other people not like all the decals that get put onto deep section wheels? Between those and the decals on the frame I think bikes end up looking a bit like a big advertising board. Those easton ones are particularly bad. If I had the wheels I would probably take the decals off (if possible) and just have plain black wheels.

Thanks for the links however nothing there changes my mind. You are right in saying that the statement "there is no evidence" is incorrect however I will say that to my knowledge there are no peer reviewed studies that show that strength training will improve endurance cycling. THe last time I looked into this subject in depth was about a year ago and as far as I know nothing has changed since then. I would be glad to be proved wrong. Conversely there are a few peer reviewed studies that show that strength training can actually have a negative effect on endurance cyclists. I don't have access to them right now but if you are truely interested I can find them for you to look at. You will notice how I have changed my tune slightly to say "endurance cyclist" rather than "cyclists" as there has been some studies done that show improvement in track cyclists as far as I know. Anyway I am sure there will be a few more people along at some stage who have different points of view but my experience tells me that they will all be based on anecdotal and n=1 type evidence. As mentioned in an earlier reply to that other chap, I am interested in improving my cycling so if anyone can show me that strength training will improve my cycling I will be at the gym tomorrow.

I'm not too sure what you're on about in the above? I think I've explained my point of view quite well. Please provide a decent counter argument (this is what I mean by intelligent debate) if you disagree. I am always keen to learn. Like most people on here I am interested in becoming a better cyclist so beleive me if I thought there was merit in doing weights I would be doing them.

Thanks, it is nice to be able to have some intelligent debate. I will read your links when I have a chance and reply in more detail. I've been out cycling (to improve my cycling) and lunch is calling

I do alright thanks champ. Let me explain a little... I used to think that weights in the gym would help my cycling but I have slowly moved away from stronger is better mantra after reading more. My old theory was if I have a max squat of say 100kg then when I'm cycling I'll be working at a smaller percentage of my max so therefore I will fatigue more slowly. Right? The problem comes with the force production used in cycling! Even at full pelt, 400 watts, the amount of force you need to produce through the pedal is very small (max of 10kg/ 100N) per revolution. The speed that you pedal at is so much faster than anything you do in the gym. A big squat takes 2 seconds to get to full extension, at 90 rpm the power part of the stroke is about 0.3s long So big weights will help you to pull away from the lights in a big gear but for POWER, think of people like the Schleks, with stick thin legs - can produce a lot of power. You don't need a lot of strength just to be strong enough and have the aerobic capacity to repeat it over and over. Anyhow do yourself a favour and do some research on the internet, this topic is one of the most hotly debated in cycling formus all over the internet. The common wisdom is that leg specific strenght training will not improve your cycling, cycling more will. Interestingly there is quite a big of research that shows that core strenght training improves cycling due to improved efficiency and work rate economy.