Slave

I am of the opinion that techno-speak is used by marketing people to "Smokkel our koppe" to move products. There is a great big think tank that sits and discusses what is likely to move the junk on the shelves. Example. My so baught some hair mouse a while ago. The tin says "With hydro-active technology"' Defined all it means is that is has "Water active technology". And we buy this junk? (not so much the product, but the mumbo jumbo). Hey, this bike has compact cranks - Gotta get me some of those. Great post though,I think it can be extremely useful. Perhaps the mods would like to combine all the terminolgy explained questions into this one post so that we all know where to discuss the Q&A about terminology and technology in one easy-to-find spot.

OK, so the way things are looking at the moment is: There is a remote possibility that I can get a Monac Frame (ally or ally composite, not Carbon) with a Shimano 105 groupset which is the 2006 spec. Wheels, I am looking at opting for those that have more spokes like on the Raleigh RC 2000. In the alternative, a Raleigh RC6000 prbably also a 2006 spec bike. Any comments?

Thanks mate. (I seriously thought it migh have something to do with the quick-release wheel "disting")

That a picture of yourself there Big H?

Other than the puchline to a very good joke, what is a "clincher"?

Easier to go down to the LBS and just buy some spokes dude. Unless they don't carry the correct size. Cutting and re-threading just sounds like too much work. I'd rather use the time and go for a ride.

When I did my first 94.7, I did not have padded pants. (Maybe that's why it felt like I was still perched on the bike two days later). The saddle used to make me bleed (as in pinch the urethra and put blood in the urine stuff). Since I got some padded pants, it goes much better. No more red wee. I thought that was all just normal stuff. My Sun (back in my school days, still had a leather saddle. Biking was for tough ous back then. (hey I just figured where my brain damage came from. Too many hours on hard saddles damaged the brain housing and the brain. And I paid a therapist plenty to find this out in this forum in two days. That is good value for money). Now we are all turning into a bunch of softies. I take it Mampara, that there are some bad frames and bad group sets out there as well.

What? You telling me there is more to a bike than just the frame , wheels and groupsets? You get gel saddles now as well. And here I was thinking that cycling was just for hard@sses.

Just what I need for my old bike to get me through the 94.7 or the argus. How about substituting for plastic tools to save weight?

I cannot answer that on the grounds that it may incriminate me? Among other things, I tend to be high on life and whenever I can, get a good dose of adrenaline. I find a good hard ride tends to get me high on endorphins as well.

Funny Post.

Brian. I once rode on a tire that had about the same size gash in the tread area for quite a while before I eventually replaced it. If a new tire is an affordable option, replace. If not, glue a piece of car tube inside the tire and put in some tireliners to reduce the chance of more punctures through that spot. Ride very carefully. I found it quite scary when you have a puncture on the skinny road tyres. There is not much air in them in the first place but hell it can escape fast. Really scary when it happens at speed.

I thought so too. It is a rather lame excuse. Problem is a test ride around the block won't really tell me as much as a 30km test ride. Even so, there should not be any major wear and tear even over a bigger distance. It's not like I want to ride to Cape Town. On my present set of tires (Conti) I have done close on 1000 clicks and they are still in great shape.

Thanks slowpoke. Been there' date=' done that. I am always looking at bikes when I see them on the road, and when I go to bike shops. The mind boggles at all the different models and they all look good. Would love to go and test ride a few bikes to get an idea. Kyalami Cycles are very worried about the wear on the tires if I take a bike for a test. Which bike shops are willing to offer this facility and run the risk that I might end up buying the bike somewhere else?

Much easier on the fingers, but the smell man, the smell. My main objective is simple. (I did my 1st 94.7 several years ago in 3.35. Then I got really soft and lazy and went into last years challenge hopelessly unfit, undertrained and really stoopid and managed a 4.40 (4 hours 40 min)) It was a much tougher course but the whole thing was really painful. I have not enetered this years 94.7 for a number of reasons (one of which is simple economics), but my thinking is, do a good deal of training and riding, build a good foundation and aim at a sub 3 hr challenge next year. To do that I need to be enjoying my cycling and I need a half-way decent bike. Moderate technology should suffice and do the job without going overboard. If I can get down a hill at 60 instead of 50 or do 45 on a flat instead of 35, and can go into a corner a fair bit faster, then this should be an achievable objective. This is the plan, now I just need to get to grips with the technology to work it all out. I looked at the Cannondale and Giant websites yesterday and everyone seems to have their own jargon to add to my new dictionary. Considering that I can not afford ultra tech, the top of the range competition cycles are out. Do I go for an endurance bike or a sport bike (as defined by Cannondale) or do I just go and get a Raleigh? The only frame choice raleigh have are compact (according to the web site). How will this effect me on a long ride such as the 94.7? Bear in mind, I am 1.9 m tall and weigh in at 95 to 100kg. A size 60 frame has been recommended (or a large in todays terminology). What would be a reasonable, middle of the road bike for me to consider. Mercx. I like the look of the bike you have on offer and I am considering the purchase, but don't wait for me if you get another offer. I am trying to get the ducks in a row before I make the final decision. It has taken a good deal of five years to get here. (Some of those was when the bike just collected dust).

Thanks Spinnekop. That explains a lot. This thing about weight smokkels my kop. Like the dudes at the cycle challenge a few years back tried to interest me in plastic tyre levers. Why? I asked. Weight dude, save weight. I weigh like close to the 100 kilo mark. I swear 10 or 20 grams will make no difference to me at all. Even bike frames, some are 1 or 2 kilos lighter. On my body mass, that is nothing and if I get fit enough to drag my own weight around as well as that of the bike, it's all in the training. If we were talking 10 20 kilos, big diffs. Small amounts, it's just BS. Looks are not all that important and the more spokes I have, the easier I can repair my own buckled wheels when I fall. That's my take on it anyway. The learning curve is great, but there are just so many different bikes, fram designs, groupsets, headsets and other sets that I need to know more about all this junk so I can make a better decision. Perhaps I should stick to knitting.

Basically, I have been looking at the Raleigh frames and all the different models available. Now, I am more foncused than ever. All this stuff about compact frames, group sets, wheelsets and headsets. Other than the latest technology, what exactly is a 105 groupset? What makes this the "thing to have"? Then there are an astounding array of rims to choose from and it just makes me wonder. Choice is great when you know what it does for you and there is some way to tell the difference. I was looking at a Raleigh RC2000 and comparing it to the RC3000. Other than the obvious price diffs, the wheels are slightly different because the 3000 has less spokes. That is (IMHO) scary. I am not a small fella so I like the idea that there are more spokes to distribute my weight and offer a degree of structural rigidity to the wheels. Are less spokes really better? Why? What are the other websites where one can check out the bikes around (Yeah, this will make me even more confused).

I think I need those vitamins now.

I note that cycling,like any other walk of life, has it'sown brand of jargon. Is there somewhere to get it all simplified. For example, what are Truvativ Iso-Flow Cranks? and what are Alloy 32h Hubs & Double-Wall Rims?

Niterider, that sounds like a reasonable explanation. I know that there is a centralised "setting" where the handles will "centre" to. This seems to be a bit left of centre. When I got the bike several years ago, I pretty much stripped it, checked all the bearings, cups and regreased everything from the wheels, cranks and pedals. This I tend to do at the begining of each season as a "service" and to be sure that everything is in order. I have not checked the headset for a while and will defintely do so on the weekend. The poor handling charateristics though have been there from day one when I got the bike and first rode it. (The road I lived in at the time came off a reasonable downhill so the left turn was at moderate speed and this was when I first noticed that the bike would not lean well in any corner. My first attempt was far too close to crash and roasties for comfort. ) Since then, leaning over at more than say 5 degrees off the vertical on either side, the bike seems to want to "dive into the dirt"on either side. Positively terrifying.

Johan, the confidence thing about leaning the bike has nothing to do with my confidence or lack thereof. I agree that the younger we are, the higher the risks we are willing to take, but having ridden bikes for so long as a kid, I was full of confidence when I first got on my present bike, until I leaned over in a corner and almost toppled the dam thing. Yes, it has created huge fear and the confidence I once had, is gone. I cannot explain why it is, but this bike just does not like to lean. Cornereing is now a combination of steering and a small amount of lean. Cornering is also a lot slower than it used to be on my old Sun. During my first 94.7 challenge, there were a number of times when the bike almost fell over in corners so now I corner with my foot off the pedal just in case. I know it is not smart to ride without hands on the handle bars, but I could do that all day with my Sun. This one is impossible and you cannot ride for even 10 seconds without hands-on. It vears left and also gives one the impression of instant crash and burn. As I got the bike second hand, maybe the frame is bent which is something I never considered until now. It all looks in line and everything appears to be normal in the forks and the geometry I can see. The tyres I have are Conti so I doubt they are a problem. Changin hub systems implies money spent on a bike I have little or no confidence in. The last quote I got for that was some 2,5 grand, far more than the bike is worth and with it's handling characteristics, is not a wise spend. This was several years ago. I agree that it is time to change the technology and the reason I am here is to gain some wisdom and insight, so that my next purchase is a great one. Are there some shops that will let one test-drive a bike?

OK. Let's all take a deep breath and stop the brick throwing. I love lively debate because I learn from it so let's keep it civil. Others will hopefully learn from this topic as well. As a teenager, I had a SUN Snipe Plus road racer and I used to be able to corner at almost any speed and really low to the ground without suffering the feeling that the bike would fall over. Diffierent tyre sizes (27 X 1 & 1/4) probably had something to do with it. The current 700 by 23 tyres are really skinny and were a new experience for me. The problem,as I see it has very much to do with my height above the ground, combined with tyre shape and size and probably, the frame design and geometrics. My saddle post is out of the current frame by the max disatance it can be, so my position on the bike is very high. My ass end is far higher than my head and almost feel like I am riding in an inverted position. Not a comfortable position to ride in for a long period of time, so I tend to have my hands "resting" on the top of the brake levers while riding. In the "Drop" position, I get this crazy inverted feeling and a mean crick in the neck just to see where I'm going. Not a safe riding position as I often look down at my feet to "rest" my neck. As for the gearing, I have more endurance than speed and rather power my way up a hill than spin. The smaller chain ring on the bike has never been used by me and the two to three larger gears on the rear casette very rarely get used. As I get fitter, I use less and less gear changes until I use only the last two "smaller" gears. Thus I find it frustrating to be doing 45 when I know I could be doing 10km/h faster on the same strecth of road. I have tried mountain biking and I just cannot do the spinning thing so have opted for road biking if that helps. In the past 18 hours, I have learned several things. The sizing I got at Just cycles only took my crotch height which told them I need a 60cm or large frame. They did not measure anything else. (thanks for the calculator,I will make use of it.) Given the gearing problem, I need to run the biggest chain / pull ring up front and an 11 tooth gear at the back. I now also know what they mean when the tell you the spec is 11/ 23. Problem is, I have been told by all the bike shops, that I cannot get an 11 for the back and the smallest available gear for my bike is a 14. Strange, I managed to get a 13 from a mate of mine. Because the bike is old and parts are becoming a problem (had this with the crank bearing cups a while back) and because it handles so badly, I am reluctant to spend money on it. I feel I need to get a newer bike. The simple logic is that despite my age, the more I enjoy cycling, the more I will do it and probably enter more races. I just don't want to have to rob a bank to get a reasonable ride. Thanks for the replies so far and the debate. Let's keep it going.

I will do that Spinnekop and thanks for your interest. Part of the reason I posted here was that I have found getting "sized" to be somewhat more difficult than actually doing the Highveld challenge. If I wanted to do it myself, what measurements would I need?