Eldron

We have a few of that style fitter over here. Generally over 60 or an ex racer. Slam the 130mm stem, saddle 30mm too high, at least 140mm drop, flat hoods, saddle angled downwards. Aero über allem! Makes no sense if you're not super flexible, not doing daily stretching, not doing plenty of core work and don't have an FTP over 450w.

You're going to the wrong fitters.

That is the downside of bikefitting - it is still relatively new so there isn't a lot of consistency....yet. Come visit me in Copenhagen. I'll find the right bike for you and fit it to perfection or your money back :-)

A Large Giant TCR is a 53cm and the recommended fit range is 183-193cm. Which shows how stupid using seat tube measurement to determine the correct frame size is.

100% Small = aggressive/Large = endurance is a myth. A bike with a long Reach and low Stack is aggressive. A bike with a short Reach and high Stack is endurance. A bike with more aggressive geometry will be "aggressive". A bike with relaxed geometry will be more comfortable/endurance. The smaller sized bike will be a tad stiffer and handle a but more directly. Larger sized bike will be a little bit more comfy and a little slower to react to changes in direction. I really don't understand the reluctance to get fitted. It costs a fraction of the price of a new bike (probably around the same as a new part for your bike) but has a MASSIVE effect on your long term comfort, efficiency and injury prevention.

Frame sizing, height and inseam are enough to buy a new bike around 40% of the time in my experience. The other 60% have atypical bodies and need a body measurement to get the right size and geometry bike (inseam, arm length, torso length and flexibility minimum). As an example - if you have a long torso and short legs then aero/sprint bikes are great for you. If you have a short torso and long legs then more endurance style geometry is best for you. Most fitters will offer a measuring service if they're decent. Frame sizing is also a mine field - measuring the seat tube gives you very little idea on how big a bike is. Unless you know your ideal Stack and Reach chances are you won't end up on the right geometry or size. Most fitters should offer a dual fitting - the first appointment is body measurement and assessment - this will yield enough info to find the right geometry&size. Part 2 will be fitting you to the right bike.

Ego. Misguided ego. But ego.

It is amazing the different attitudes between countries and people. Over here I have yet to see an ebike at a race - or a hissy fit at a race for that matter.... Commuting is a completely different story - little old ladies on ebikes will race you Death Race style and would probably add cattle prods and Gatling guns if they were legal! Every time you overtake someone who hear their motor whine a little louder.....game on! In random news - around 70% of my store parcels arrive by electric cargo bike (the other 30% by electric vehicle).

The vast majority of people at Sani2c were riding regular bikes so the facts would suggest that the majority of people riding Sani2c have not moved on at all. And please don't go the medical, cargo, fun, ride together, no shuttle required route again. Everybody and their uncle who had a heart attack agrees there are fantastic reasons for ebikes.

Been there and done that and I quite enjoyed riding them for a few hours. A fun bike to go a little faster than normal on but ultimately that is all it is - a normal bike that goes a little faster on the uphills. Unless you chip it to 45kph you can't use it most of the time.

This type of rider is (in my opinion) the reason for some of the anti ebike sentiment. Quite clearly doesn't need an ebike but uses one so he can crack B bunch and talk smack.

Exactly this - ebikes are not a specific problem but exacerbate an existing general problem. Slower/unfit regular riders will tend to self regulate because their lack of fitness on the uphills will put them towards the back of the field where downhill prowess is less likely to be Minnaar standard - ebikers go faster than regular riders of equal fitness on uphills and will end up in a group "ahead" of their skillset where the fitter/more technical riders are...then cause blockages on the downhills...

Most of this would be solved if Sani2c and most races went with the "minimum time" requirement like CTCT - was it 4 hours at CTCT? Start them last and make the minimum ebike time long enough that you force ebike riders to do the things they want to do - enjoy the scenery. Two separate races at one event - everybody wins.

UCI insists on different events. Ebikes are not legal in non motorised events.

For racing against other ebikes yes. Which in itself is quite telling.

Extreme debates are my favourite form of debate. I see your garage remote hypothesis and counter with: Why ride at all when you can just play MTBRider2000 on your XBOX? Ironically riding a 29er WAS cheating for a while until the UCI approved them.

A few times the whole race is a just enough to give you that awesome sense of accomplishment at the end though right? Maybe I am just a little too old school for ebikes but I'd much rather suffer a little and finish than hit the boost button and let the motor finish for me.

A billion Bells to you sir. I hope Intermarche gave Girmay a faaaaat increase on the resign - he has almost single handedly converted an alsoran team into the darling of the peleton.

I still don't understand ebikes. If you want to ride a bike then ride a bike - what is the point of taking on a challenging thing then making it easier by using a motor? For people that have medical problems sure - makes complete sense but the Sani2c is one of the easiest stage races on the calendar. There really is no need for an ebike for anyone who has a reasonable level of fitness. This "I want the experience but couldn't be bothered to train or sweat a little on the uphills" attitude just smacks of laziness.

Pffff Ti is an element not an alloy ;-)

Also - make use of social media. I was quite anti SOME but eventually got an Instagram account coupled to Facebook. It has been really good for me. Initially I won customers on word of mouth but when SOME took off it took off large. Took about 5 months to get onto featured list on Google using a consistent SEO strategy. Get as many Google ratings as possible - they're SEO gold!!

This is quite an interesting social discussion. I figure the watch is worth probably R1,500 less in its current condition. Is a man's/couple's reputation really worth R1,500? In this online world people will find you (as demonstrated here). We know exactly who the couple is. Did they really think they'd shaft someone and stay invisible?

This was the other thing I wanted to mention but forgot. My profit would probably be around 40% higher if more bikes were available at the moment. Fortunately I'm mostly a service oriented shop so we're still happily in the black. I would not open a shop before mid 2024. Most of my supplies have already presold most of their 2023 stock (Ridley, Orbea, Colnago, Eddie Merckx).

So I was having a conversation with some mechanic buddies the other day and the question "what is the narrowest tyre that should be tubelessed" question was raised. Right now the number seems to be around 34-36mm. Basically CX and wider. We have all had success and failure on road tyres but my feeling is that road is where mtb was 5-8 years ago. Not all tyre/wheel combos work and not all sealants are up to the task (especially over 5 bar). Me personally I will keep running tubes on road until the equipment is better (and limit the tyres and sealant I offer to my customers for road).

I opened a bike shop...in a foreign country....and I am no cutting edge entrepreneur gig economy genius...so it can be done 🙂 My random feelings: 1) Find a niche - being a metoo shop isn't going to win you customers very quickly. People like their LBS and won't change unless they have several bad experiences. Find a reason for people to visit you specifically. 2) Location location location - rent is cheap in lower income areas but so is revenue/profit. Go high - cycling is a high disposable income sport. 3) Have a faaarkton of liquid capital - initial outlay is pretty high - tools, shop interior, stock (as most have said many companies have minimum first order size) etc. 4) Expand your network long before you open your shop - ride with clubs, network big companies that have their own cycling teams, get to know suppliers (if you can). 5) Train hard and ride strong - I have no idea why but people seem to lend credibility in all cycling fields if you're a good rider. 5) Worst case scenario planning - you will almost certainly have a years worth of loss making/break even months. 6) Find a way to get people to your shop - events, pro speakers, rides that start/end there, beer, gran tour viewings etc. Kinda ties in to the niche thing. 7) Don't grow slowly - I went this route and regretted it. I should have just laid out more cash initially and offered much more and grown faster. 😎 Have fun - if it isn't fun you won't give it 100%.