SimpleDom

So I ran out of beans, and while I'm waiting for my truth beans to arrive, I went and got some woollies beans in the meantime. Got their "Espresso" beans, which are very dark roasted compared to what I'm used to. Man, the dose and grind are completely different! Took 5 pulls to get it dialed. 21 grams of beans, much more coarsely ground than the 24g and finer grind on the truth beans. A very interesting experience. The flavour of the coffee was still good, but I'll be happier once my beans from truth arrive. Also, Deluxe coffee works were better than woollies in my opinion. Also much lighter roasted.

I think he's coming back tonight or tomorrow...

If I'm very lucky, my Stage Max is currently with Mr Usher!

I run a 120mm fork on my simple. It's fantastic.

Having never ridden the intended tall boy, my opinion is to be taken with a pinch of salt. I would look seriously at the Stage MAX. Ticks so many boxes, and seems to be negligible compromise.... Guys ride them for Enduro, stage racing, trail riding, etc. It's a lovely machine.

It's quite hard to get enough just with food.... 1/4 teaspoon of salt, in water, twice per day...

Well done! And salt!

Given the current trends in this thread, I thought I'd give some feedback on my own experience. This season I have made a point of experimenting with different fueling strategies for racing. Mostly for mtb races, but also included 94.7. Without boring you with too much detail: I've tried a race on SuperStarch before only, SuperStarch before and during, pure eat what you can and drink pepto pro (sugar racing), and then carb free. So. The results were interesting. Mostly what I noticed is that sugar makes me cramp (muscle cramps. Hamstrings, quads, calves) . Every time. SuperStarch included. As a result, I'm not actually able to "benefit" from any sugar intake for racing. I also didn't love racing on fat only. It's not a performance thing, but rather just how I felt while pushing hard. It's ugly. You just feel empty, even though you're moving fast. Then I nailed it on 94.7. I really feel like I have found what works for me: 200g of carbs the day before the race (When food only). Then, what I think the key switch was... I swapped the usual 2tbsp of coconut oil in my bulletproof coffee for 2 tbsp of pure mct oil. On top of this, I had 4 eggs, cooked in butter, with grated cheese. On the bike, I used water and drywors. Nothing else. I felt amazing. Now the result. I managed a 2:55 for 94.7 from group H. For the first 30km, I nursed my partner who was feeling crap. He then instructed me to leave him. I time trialed the remainder of the race with zero assistance. And the the kicker. I finished, had another sip of mct oil, and then did my second lap from the last start group in a moving time of 3:30. (3:45 including stops at water points). I was pretty happy with that, and from a fuel perspective, I felt awesome the whole time. There was no resting or tapering for this race. It formed part of an 18.5 hour training week in my Epic training schedule. Last point. To race properly on LCHF takes a kind of dedication that I would not consider normal. It's really really all or nothing in my experience. No sugar, ever. No beer either. Ever. Will I keep this up beyond the Epic, I'm not sure. It's a tough lifestyle to maintain. True adaptation takes many months. Not weeks. And any nutritional sins wipe you out for a week minimum.

I have a lot of respect for your views on the topic on performance and LCHF. Having seen you really give it a full go, and it just not working for you. As for others with an emotional opinion.... Ya... I guess I have nothing to say to them.

When on LCHF, you look to try top up glycogen stores for a race. So recent recommended carb intake the day before is 200g. From a recent pod cast from Noakes. It's not carb loading per se. You're just not wanting to start in a glycogen depleted state. Lchf means you use less glycogen, but it's still necessary.

While you're dropping stuff, you can swing by my place with a lever whenever you're free.

It helps kick start Ketone production.... That's only going to help.

When fasting, keep a jar of coconut oil handy. If your hungry, eat a spoonful.

Beautiful build Bibi

You ordered your stage max yet??

I think this is also a very situation dependant decision too though. Some might never ride hard enough to really use the 160. So might never see that kind of terrain. Skills play a big role when you're "needing" that much travel. I might be too terrified to even really push the bike that hard. And then there's how much sag. You set, rebound speed, etc. It all makes my head spin quite frankly. Another reason why I'm getting the stage max, set up by Pat. If he thinks it's good enough, then I'm not going to need anything more.

Cannot find the unlike button!!

Interested in how this goes. I have the same frame!

One of the best posts I've read. Beautiful.

100% Spot on. Anyone measuring blood ketones will have seen this. But it's not just because of the numbers.. . I can feel it for days after. The tiredness, lack of focus, headaches, and empty tank. A quick fix is a nice hard session, or long ride. Just something to kick the liver back into producing ketones.

Deywors for me every 30 mins. Just a 3cm piece. Works like a bomb. Has fat, protein and salt!

Welcome home.

Where the heck do you guys keep finding this stuff!?

It's more than OK. Does a great job. I love mine. Steel burs will be quicker, and maybe a bit more consistent in terms of coarseness, but the ceramic certainly isn't bad. Probably the difference between good very good.

That's not a bad thing. A local bike, that people love. Did I miss your point?