linnega

Its not strictly true that the Olympics are not valued by the pros. Many have made it clear that the Olympics are a primary goal for the season, Evans included. Admittedly it does come primarily from guys in countries where the Olympics is a big deal - UK, US, Aus.

He actually opens his mouth a whole lot more often. Just the local press (and the US) only reprot on it during Tour time. He did a whole edition of Procycling a few months back.

Sounds rather typically Eastern - like GWM (Great Wall Motors). I wouldn't imagine that CKT produce all (if any) of their frames. to catch up as new manufacturer would take time and be expensive, and I would be very concerned about their quality if the pricing is competitive. Better to use the existing technology from the top manufacturers and combine the research of other companies to form a new product line.

Thats what happens when you just read the results. I didn't even know anything had happened. Will catch the clip at home when I have a real internet connection.

Barry, you and the "Flying Scotsman" most likely know Hunter a lot better than most on this forum, and are probably dealing with more facts, but around the world people will question the timing. Just as they question the impact unknown Columbians are able to make at the Giro particularly, but also with Soler at the Tour. So asking the question is perfectly appropriate and within the expectations of an open forum. As for the "Flying Scotsman" perhaps he needs to remember that just being a mediocre SA pro doesn't entitle you to discredit other cyclists viewpoints. Forgot to add - congrats to Mr and Mrs Hunter. Hope their little one brings them much joy and fatherhood brings serenity and maturity to Mr Hunter. And of course, good luck for the Tour. Hunter's not on my TDF teams but I will still shout for him. linnega2008-07-05 08:45:22

Cranky - if you only rode the marked routes then you missed most of the really good stuff. The only problem I see in the future for Giba Gorge is that it becomes too popular and cannot handle the volume.

Not really. There are different versions. 1.2 and 2.0 are pretty common across gadgets these days and may not necessarily be compatible, particularly if you don't have software to pair the two gadgets. Your phone is Bluetooth 2.0 but the Nuvi 710 may well be 1.2 and not compatible. Admittedly though, Garmin could provide better service by actually providing a reason for any compatibility issues so that you can discover if your phone is compatible despite not being listed.

Not sure that Armstrong has time to read (he does own a bike shop after all), although Simeoni probably sent him an SMS. Other cool results: Valverde - Beat ex-Puerto man "babyface" Sevilla Pfannberger - retained Austrian jersey so Barloworld will fly the Austrian flag Wegmann - retained German jersey despite having a torrid season to date

Day 7 - June 29: Elite men road race, 254km Results1 Filippo Simeoni (Ceramica Flaminia-Bossini Docce) (excluding Craven's win of course)

Hill2Hill is a pretty cool race because he has something of everything. A bit of singletrack, cane riding, dirt road, footpaths, concrete sections, steps, a bridge to bunny hop onto, sewerage (oops). Makes for a damn good few hours out. Sani2C is great because the organisation is first class and there route is excellent. D-R: The single track at last years Karkloof was rubbish and there was too much of it. Badly cut singletrack is the worst thing to be riding when you are tired. Dirtbreath: Waiting is part of racing. If you don't want to wait in a race, be in the front few. If it bothers you, don't race - just ride with a mate or two.

Mmm...some of the worst places in the world to drive - India, Mauritius, Durban...

What you are talking about is not sponsorship but development money. Sponsorship implies that the sponsor is getting commercial benefit from the transaction. Mountain biking is not that expensive if you buy a Giant Boulder. Perfectly acceptable bike for racing. I know people that have raced Giants Challenge with one.

You can spend 2 hours in Giba without riding over the same piece of singletrack. Go there and ask the guides to take you on a tour over the waterfall and then up to the top quarry.

Aw c'mon Minty - just cos he's got more bike porn. And he had to sell that other brand he had - whats it called again?

Like Barloworld? Sort of, except Barloworld manage other brands (not particularly their own) in the markets in which they operate. Which is why it is odd that Barloworld chose to sponsor the cycling team in their own name. If I were them I would have chosen one of their marketed brands. If the winners of the recent vets Tour were marketed as the Specialty Stores Cycling Team it would have little commercial value, but as the marketed brand of Mr Price there is a lot of value.

Specialized is basically a brand managment company in that the real money is made by "clever" marketing. An integral part of creating that brand would be warranty support. Pricing is another area that is particularly important and is where Specialized falls down in SA. The markups through the chain to the customer are too high and their retail pricing is not as competitive as it is in other parts of the world. It would not surprise me if either Giant or Merida manufactured the carbon Specialized frames as by now both are pretty competent at producing high quality carbon frames. They certainly spend enough on R&D and produce enough frames to make them experts. linnega2008-06-19 06:20:03

Does anyone know who manufactures the Specialized frames. I know they are made in Taiwan (always have been) and my understanding is that most production was at the Merida plant with Giant doing some of the high-end frames. Could just be that peope assumed the two biggest bike manufacturers around were producing Specialized?

D-R, Pops and GO are far better behaved than these two. If they were women a few choice cat noises would be appropriate.

Wondered when that study would pop up. Seems that the consstent scientific view is that your pedalling action has little to do with making you go faster. Most benefits are probably placebo effect (you believe it is easier and/or faster). Best advice is probably not to worry about your pedal stroke. Just ride more and train smarter. The best pedal stroke is the one that come naturally to you.

To answer some of your questions about these pedals and my firsthand experience with them to date. Firstly, that review complains about damage to the sole, but if they had been installed properly with the spacers as supplied with the pedals there would have been no damage to the sole of the shoe. Second on mud shedding, the Looks are similar to Eggbeaters. The cleats get less clogged (with the Eggbeaters that is the main problem), but the pedal more clog. In heavy mud though both are easily cleared with a couple swift glancing kicks. Thirdly, I initially found the engagement a little more tricky than with the Eggbeaters. This is now pretty much on a par, so I imagine it is just to do with getting used to new pedals. Engagement is easy - stomp down and start pedalling. Finally, I mentioned stack height as an issue previously and it is a minor complaint. However, this is more to do with the Anthems low BB clearance than the stack height of the pedals. I had problems with my Eggbeaters, and it is marginally worse with the Looks. Overall though, the Looks are significantly better in all but one department (stack height) than Eggbeaters. They are also cheaper. For durability, I will let you know if and when they break. linnega2008-06-17 09:14:24

Really - perhaps you could point out just one. Coming second in a vuelta d'espagna time trial leaving from Granada. A bit more hig level race even then this one Just remembered this post. Forgive me if I take ALL Vuelta performances with a dollop of salt. Roberto Heras blitzing the competition in his final "win" at the last TT, a splendid example.