Yip, I'm with you on that and it's sad. I was LA's biggest fan and hated him for the huge betrayal, but the realisation that most were doping and time passes, mean I watch his The Move podcast religeously through each grand tour.
When one competitor shines way above all the rest, I maybe default to those days of gross dishonesty. They even catch teams cheating in NASCAR and as a past motor racing competitor I've seen ways to cheat one would never dream of ...🙂
I know there's supposedly that "golden hour" recovery window but I'm often intrigued by how a team soigneur/DS will rush up to a (most often road) rider and rush to give him a can etc which gets literally downed. I know sometimes they might have run out of juice but I also wonder what Muti might be in their to either dilute or flush something....maybe I'm just skeptical....
Tell tale signs were in the TT. JFV went out angry and aggressive like you have to to win, while TP Looked very measured. IMHO TP is tired and way off his best. I do wonder though where JV found such a leap in form compared to everyone else and over previous years....I'm just sceptical about micro dosing....
Don't overclean your chain. I deep clean with Pink stuff and scrubbing brush only after 4 to 6 rides, in between I just run it through a tightly clenched cloth..... Clenching will also become second nature when you scare the **** out of yourself on the trail - must happen at least once a ride for maximum enjoyment!
Maybe use/more use of drones up the final km watching the leaders and 3x2 Gendarmes on motorbikes clearing the crowd? Maybe the Gendarmes need to be welding knobkieries.....
How many weighed on camera, without bottles? Pure climbers bikes and on the start line of a massive climbing stage? There's a reason you sometimes get bike changes mid stage...Contador loved doing that. These guys leave nothing to chance. I can get my bike below 6.8 and have no fear breaking anything.
Seeing how easily guys can build a 6.8k bike I don't think any tdf bikes weigh over 7. Leaving out a carbon patch here and there and it's resin won't save much....afaik the reason my Supersix Evo Stealth doesn't have clearcoat is to save 19g.....and it added about 5k to the price at the time...
They were able to achieve 6.8 long ago....in around 2000 on LA's bike they had to take out some titanium bolts and replace with steel bolts to come up to weight....often a mass production bike will have some forgiveness in the layup for a more comfy ride which they may dial out, or change fork layup slightly to make the steering more direct etc...
At the end of the day, find what works best for you. I used to ride my front at 1.1 and am still trying to get used to the rattle effect at about 1.5 to 1.8... I also always struggle for front grip in loose sandy situations but I guess that's par for the course
Hope they do well as I think they make great bikes. The previous importer was stuck with previous years stock and forced to sell through Solomon's at a cut price - the Cube brand deserves better
Hi Matt
Best service for any shock or dropper in Gauteng? Give Jaco (Jake's) a call at Shockingly Good Bicycle Service Centre:
082 418 7928
https://sgbservice.co.za/
If he doesn't know something about a shock, fork or dropper it ain't worth knowing.
I won't let anyone else near my stuff ...
Is there something that you don't like about the rear hub? My understanding is that the FS3 is fairly entry level in its purpose. If the hubs aren't maybe causing an immediate issue, I'd look at upgrading the fork first.....In my experience, in any hobby or sport, upgrading your equipment bit by bit can be fun and "stage" the cost, but it's usually more cost effective to sell the whole bike and upgrade to the platform you'd prefer ...
I've looked at going wax etc but for me changing from Squirt isn't worth the hassle. So far it's looked after my drivetrain well. Changed Eagle GX chain after about 2900km, my XX1 chain has done around 10,000km and still first cassette.
Any good RC model plane shop (I used to get from Aerial Concepts in Woodmead if you're in JHB), they call it cotton flocks. I guess fibreglass suppliers would sell it.
Was the rim properly cleaned between tape applications and is tape right width? It should hold fairly well without sealant but it's likely some air will get past the tape - linearly it's twice the circumference of the wheel that there is an edge to "secure". I reckon if you add sealant you should be good to go....
