splat

My result was sorted out this morning already. At least they acknowledge the problem and are pro active in fixing it and letting you know thier progress etc.

DR Do you bake your backside in vinegar once a week?

Now what if lets say you manage to break one of these limited edition very desirable team frames....With what will they replace it?! Aren't the other frames down the line the same? Ultegra and 105 bikes are also Deda carbon frame?

Frame:Dedacciai HF Race Alloy Frame with Dedacciai Blacktail Race and Monobox Carbon TailFork:Dedacciai Black Drive Full Carbon Fork

To make them more desirable? Marketing stunt? Everybody is talking about them! Ferarri does that with thier top line models. They make 1 less than what they think demand will be. (Not that I am comparing Raleigh to Ferarri)

Even if they are a bit extraterrestrial? Just kidding. That was quite a performance. I see Basso will be back to racing soon. Ulrich may not be so lucky...

He is standing on the top step of the podium and is barely taller than the other two!

Tell us more...

You are now entered for the: Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour (taking place on 11 Mar 2007)

I would be interested in hearing about a possible course. Let us know if there is something like that in CT.

From: http://www.news24.com/News24v2/ContentDisplay/trafficFrame/0,,1-WESTERN%20CAPE,00.html Western CapeLocationKnysnaRoad namePrince Alfred Pass: ReportRoad closed between Knysna and the R62 due to weather damage

Thanks Gary! Getting there and back may be a different story though!

Hey Gummy. No one is knocking the roadies, its just that guys like Greg are often forgotten... Ian McLeod seems to have taken a while to get back into shape and onto the Grand Tour team roster. He is currently lying 162nd @ 0.57. David George (RSA) Relax-Gam 170th @ 1.27. last rider (189 @ 17:41 after 2 flat stages)

Marius is back as part of the new and improved Hub!!

By Shane Stokes (ww.cyclingnews.com) Tour de Langkawi winner David George is currently riding his second Vuelta, having participated in the race before during his time with US Postal. He's glad to be riding the race with his Relax-Gam team, but as he told Cyclingnews at the stage three finish in Almendralejo, luck hasn't really been on his side thus far "I crashed yesterday and have had four punctures, including one in the time trial. The crash happened when I slipped going around a roundabout, I lost traction. Today was very hot and long?a survival day, I guess. My legs are all right, I am taking it easy after my fall, just riding myself into it. "I am going to take things day by day. I will see if I can get up there at some point?obviously I would like to do one or two good stages." George said there might be some surprises, presumably referring to the fallout of the scandals earlier this summer. "Everything is changing in the sport?who knows how the race will turn out?" he said.

From Robbiehunter.net 16.08.2006 14:48 My Future It seems that Operaction Puerto and the Floyd story are starting to have a huge effect on cycling in Europe. Yesterday I and i guess you all, all heard that Team Phonak are closing there doors at the end of the current season 2006. The team boss Andy Rhis has decided he has given enough to cycling in the past 7 years and that now after the last big disappointment its enough. Over the past 2 and a half weeks Andy and the rest of the team managment had tried to find another avenue so that the team could continue but the biggest problem was that the financial hole that a new sponsor would have to fill was too great in such short notice and nothing materialized. Even though i had signed a 2 year contract during the Tour de France it seems that the contract is not worth the paper its written on. We were advised this morning that the contracts would not be up held and that at best the current managment would try help us find teams for the next year. As noble as that might seem the Phonak managment have nothing to do with any other teams decissions so in truth we are left to find teams at this late hour in the season on our own. Right now from my side my agent Alex Carrera has been looking and speaking to all the teams around and is trying to get me a ride for the future. All we can do now is to be patient and see what responses we get from them. I have no doubt i will be able to find a ride on another team but becauase the market has just been flodded by riders the market value has dropped substantialy. My program has also changed once again and seems that the team now wants me to ride the Tour of England followed by the Tour of Poland. I expressed to the team that i would prefer the Vuelta but as the team roster is full the only way i can do it is if one of the guys decides no to go or gets sick. Any ways right now its looking like England and Poland. Cheers for now

Hydraulic disks are great when they work. They are a pain when they need bleeding, or the rotor is slightly bent, or the pistons dont retract properly, or the calipers are slightly out of alignment, or the pads are dirty or worn out, or they get too hot etc. V-Brakes are normally a bit simpler to fix and maintain, but usually can't match discs for braking power. One or two finger braking is great for technical descents where you need to hang on the bars as well as the brakes. (prepare for a HUGE debate now...)

According to his diary, he was hoping to ride the Vuelta (for himself) so that he could have some results to show for this season in case it was necessary to go shopping for a new team... His name doesnt appear on the Vuelta team roster, so hopefully he has something wrapped up already.

ewep: if the compact crank you buy uses the same BB as your current one, you are ready to go. Your LBS should be able to sort you out.

Assuming the the crankset you choose uses the same bottom bracket, you should be A for AWAY! (I dont think that there are any Q factor issues). You would have to drop your front mech slightly and possibly shorten your chain a bit.

Try this link from FSA for an explaination: http://www.fullspeedahead.com/downloads/compact.pdf Interactive spreadsheet for comparisons: http://www.fullspeedahead.com/downloads/copy_Rollout%20chart .xls I must admit I havent read through it myself, but have looked at the comarisions and comments from other people and understand that the 50/11 gear is a bit faster than a 53/12 gear on the flats (for the same cadence), and the 34/23 is a bit easier than a 39/25 gear on the climbs. The advantages are a slighly lighter drivetrain (smaller chainrings, smaller cassette and a shorter chain) and closer gear ratios. Some people say that a compact (more curved) front mech is required while others say that a properly adjusted from mech is sufficient. Shimano doesnt do anything special, but FSA and Campy have compact front mechs. Good luck with your desicion and enjoy your new groupset! splat38933.3538657407

My bike shop replaced the wheels at thier cost and then got compensation from either Scott or Shimano. These Shimano wheels have been well documented on various forums as being a bit cr@p. There have been some very good suggestions given here. As usual what you need doesn't fit the budget. Us big boys cant worry about having light kit when we are 100kg on a good day. We need durability first. Light and strong usually means really expensive (expensive is also relative though) Your best bet is to get a new wheelset built. Depending on your bike shop, they may help you out with that or contribute in part to the new wheels and send the Shimano wheels to Raleigh for them to deal with. Good luck

I bought a Scott with the same wheels and had the same problems. Before I bought the bike, I specifically asked if the wheels were OK for me (100kg) - I got an emphatic 'Ja, they're fine!'. After taking them back twice - the shop replaced them (at thier own cost) with some nice hand built 36 spoke Mavic Open Pro's on Ultegra hubs. Awesome solid wheels. The shop owner had subsequently found out that the wheels do indeed have a weight limit and was taking it up with Shimano as to why this isnt stated anywhere easy to find. He was also going to take it up with bike suppliers as to why these wheels are supplied with Large and Extra large frames. There are not too many people who would ride Large and Extra Large that are under 100kg... I didnt follow up with the him as to what his findings/conclusions were, but I imagine that he is not supplying those wheels to us Clydesdales any more.

High Street Cycles do group rides on Sat & Sun mornings (Jan @ 021 9193885). They are currently moving to a new location, but still use the old spot as a meeting point (Durban Road, Opposite the Renault dealership). They do long (80-120) and short routes (half) at a moderate pace. Depending on the weather, the groups range from 20 to 40 odd.