SlowUnsteady

The GPS tracking will pick up obvious stuff like jumping in a car, but simply keeping up a good speed with lowish heart rate? I guess if you track all parameters (power, heart rate, speed, cadence), you'll go a long way to limiting most issues.

How well will they monitor the front guys? With this prize money, combined with the big gaps of the Freedom challenge, what is there to prevent the unscrupulous from arranging some tows by friends on motorbikes, or similar nefarious activity?

1) Can't get the training results out of the iPad app... This is the absolute biggest problem 2) The software costs extra (and is useless from all reports) so I wouldn't go near it. combined with the hopeless built in controller, your only option is to run it from the iPad app. But then you hit problem 1) above. 3) You can't import files to the iPad app. This will affect you if you want to sync to Sufferfest. Before the iPad app came out, the Bushido was a definite no-go. Currently its, imo, worthwhile if you can save R5g or so over the better trainers (powerbeam pro, Kickr), though I'd probably pay up the extra tbh. If they get the iPad app sorted out (solving the first item should be a doddle, I believe guys with jailbreak'd ipads have done it themselves, and you might find the android app will be better when it comes out) it'll become a bargain (even if they charged a few hundred for the app, I'd pay that).

The Bushido displays power, HR etc on the iPad app, and works pretty well for building routes, especially as you can set up training based on power output, rather than only incline etc. I haven't used any VR functionality, but I'm not overly interested in the "climb famous route while in my living room" vibe. I'd suggest the weaknesses of the Bushido are the following: 1)

The really sad part about the Bushido is that if they could just make a few subtle changes to the iPad app, it would be very good. I run mine off an iPad, and it does everything I want other than give me my power data out. If it could just do that I'd be happy to recommend the system, as you can often find them heavily discounted (even new) and if you don't use their in-house controller, or the PC software, you get away from most of the bugs.

Thanks Droo, that is something I hadn't seen (and a considered response on the benefits of the hydraulic vs electric system). I'd have to admit to preferring the lower messiness and smaller bar real estate of wires and switches (vs hydraulics and a button), but at least its likely to be close to as useable (unlike the cable systems), and would allow me to get something like a pike while keeping useability. To everyone else, this isn't about electronics doing anything more than hydraulics and cables currently do, i.e. lockout and travel adjust.

Strange that the complaints seem to center around things getting automated, and the messiness. From my experience, the system is simpler (just two settings, locked and not, with no middle setting which is only put there because the makers know people won't actually adjust things, thereby compromising the shock's use), cleaner (if you can't get wires to look neater than cables you're not really trying, they're the same thing, just thinner!) and more reliable (no cables to lock up with mud, and the days of electronics being less reliable than hydraulics/mechanical devices are long behind us). Agreed, this opens the possibility for more complexity and less control (the shocks that "read" the trail ahead, or via gps), but I'd guess this kind of thing will always be very much an option (heck, the only car with the same feature is currently an S-Class merc, I doubt it'll become sensible on a bike within 20yrs!). Most bikes (yes, I know there are rigid single-speeders out there!) already have lockout on the shocks, so all this does is clean up handlebars, improve reliability, and improve usefulness. All for the downside of adding one more battery to our watches/GPS's/Lights/Power Meters. Nevertheless, seems the naysayers are definitely in the majority, as these items seem to have fallen away pretty quickly... Either that, or they were simply too expensive (which is a very justifiable criticism).

I've just been looking around at the current stock of new suspension techs coming out and notice that Fox's iCD system seems to have been all but dropped. I find this quite strange as my experience with it has been nothing short of revelatory, and every review I've seen has been similar. Strangely, I have a Pyga with a 120mm Fox iCD front shock (issues with stock when I ordered meant i got "upgraded" to this as opposed to CTD... Initially I was wary, but agreed to try it out and was hooked). This combo, which doesn't make sense on the face of it, has been brilliant. Getting rid of all the fussiness of "climb" settings etc, while making the lockout so easy to use its quicker than changing gear, actually suits a trail bike more than these multiple option setups where people often just plunk them into the middle setting for the entire ride. I've been hoping to see full trail setups come out with iCD as, in my opinion, having a single switch to control lock out front and rear and (dreaming here), travel adjust on the front would really finish off these long travel superbikes and leave suspension designers free to plump for the plushest riding bikes, without compromising for ultimate climbing efficiency. Instead, I'm seeing the technology fall away and while something like the Pike would be a lovely upgrade in travel and feel, it would feel like a downgrade in use-ability for flat and uphill riding (purely just knowing that even with a remote lockout I'll never use it as actively as the iCD). Thoughts?

Definitely get the cheap rear wheel, the money you save on not wrecking your tyres will pay for the wheel pretty quickly. Or even better, use the excuse to upgrade your current wheels, and keep the old ones for the trainer

Wow.. That is a LOT harder than anything I've done before, long cycling events are nothing. 71 min swim (planned was 70 mins, and hope was for 65 or so, but the congestion etc limited that). The cycle was brutal, did 6h40 (aim was sub 6!!). Definitely think I could have had a better fit, and I think I spent too little time focusing on getting my power up before building endurance. Paced it well I think (though I spent the whole ride being passed by people, including those bunches. I did see one ripped apart by the refs who spent a good 5 mins thereafter giving out cards, so I think they were trying to police things). I always knew the run would be tough (ITB had limited my training), did the first 14km's at what I thought was my "banker" pace (84mins), but then stopped loving life (and the wind) and had splits of 1h40 and 1h43 for the next two laps to come in in 12h58. Too long a race for me, though. I can see myself working towards a good 1/2 IM time in the future (time required is so much less, focus can be on more enjoyable training etc) but have my doubts I'd go for the full distance again. Nothing to do with the course, though, I thought it was beautiful (didn't feel dangerous at all, and I wasn't too displeased by the road surface which I'd expected to be much worse after all the warnings), its just too long a day out. One thing that stood out though, the swim is WAY too easy relative to the other legs. I swam a bit at school (though nothing for the last 15-20yrs, when I've been cycling mostly), but even my friends with no swimming background thought it was a non-entity, its like a biathlon with a nice little warmup beforehand.

Another green one here, and I can confirm its breadth of ability (though perhaps not my own). It does get a bit irritating in races though, as everyone else ends up being slower downhill (and its my own fitness, rather than the bike, limiting me up!). Important to keep it all stiction free, even the slightest bit seems to harm the ride more than my previous ride (probably because one is so much more aware of what is possible, she is the sweetest thing when tuned, soaks up everything that should be soaked up, leaves you to handle the rest).

Back to times: I was originally thinking sub 12, but am now expecting to be happy with sub 12:30... In reality, my main goal is to start on the run after less than 7:30, got absolutely NO idea what the run (walk?) will be like due to ITB issues (longest training run has been 23km's ). The best I can hope for is about 4:15 I guess, which would put me under 12, but my current expectation is I'll probably be quite happy to go under 5hrs (assumption being the second half of the run will be 50/50 hobble and walk).

Glad you lot are all feeling great. I got hit by ITB after a great half ironman, which really dampened my enthusiasm. Add bike problems (which have put me onto a new set of tribar extensions as I couldn't find the same extensions I had) and work pressure. Aish.. Still, based on my training I can see finishing the bike in good shape, and possibly getting through 25km's of the marathon before falling apart (the ITB has meant my longest runs have been 20's).

I got my Ant+ dongle from bicyclepower.co.za

A quick question, lurking and reading this has confused me. Which of these events are tough due to technical terrain, and which are tough due to crazy hills? The latter appeals not at all. I'd imagine that any races with a lot of the former would have to severely limit their numbers surely?