Hector

I assume that if you won any prize money you would gladly give 50% back to the Organisers

My 105 Shimana also has three clicks on the front. This is not for a third chain ring but to trim your front chain from rubbing against your front deraileur when you might be riding in big front, big back or small front, small back. check that your chain and/or cassette are not worn, but it sounds more likely to be a setting problem

Thanxs

I have converted my Merida TFS 500 into a SS. Using a 32 front and 15 on the back. Still using my cluster to check what gear I want to use. I now want to remove the cluster and just use the 15 cog that slides onto the free wheel hub. Have any hubers done this and what spacers should I use? Any helpful idea's

Can I use a xt 10 speed chain on a SRAM cassette - I ride a specialized stump jumper 10 speed

I have had my strap for 4 years. I throw it over my neck after my ride when I have a shower. While washing my hair, I wash the strap with the same soap and then let it rinse while completing my shower. that way it is always clean and smell OK

A friend of mine had a 29er tubless that would not seal properly. He did not have a spare 29er tube so I gave him a 26in tube. The 26in tube works perfectly in a 29er tyre - just some useless info the next time a 29er needs help.

A Fixie is great to improve your cadence skills. Use it in the winter months on shorter rides. You will be amazed how it improves your pedal stoke once you get back onto your bike after winter.

Back in the 1970's there was no such thing as the modern day clincher. We all rode Tubbies on our road bikes and got punctures. Tubbies were hard to come by and were expensive if you could buy them, so we repaired the punctures. I remember removing the strip off the inside of the tubbie, cutting the stiching, patching the tube and then restiching the tubbie and gluing back the strip. One hell of a lot of work so maybe you should just buy another tubbie.

Gumbo is a cycle shop in East London - used to be called Cycle Surgery run by Jaun Scholtz - not sure what happened to the web site

I recently bought a Specialized Stumpjumper. The difference on rough or rocky roads, badly rutted district roads ect is huge - able to travel much faster and safer. I still prefer riding my hardtail, but if I know the road is going to be rough, no question about using the soft tail. One bit of advice - if you can get the rear shock adjuster attached to your handle bars - to make full use of your rear shock you need to adjust to lock out, travel or full suspension. Bending down to change the lever can become problematic if you are not used to bending down and changing the lever. Buy the soft tail, but dont sell your hard tail.

Agree that you dont have to change your chain length for sucxch a small difference. Just for info, the correct chain length is as follows: 1.Remove the old chain. 2.Shift the front derailleur over the largest chainring, and the rear derailleur on the smallest cog. 3.Thread the new chain through the front derailleur. It is not necessary to thread the chain through the rear derailleur at this point. Simply wrap the chain around the largest front chainring and around the largest rear cog. 4.Pull the chain tight, and note the closest rivet where the two could be joined. Keep in mind a chain can only be joined by mating inner and outer plates. 5.From the closet rivet, lengthen the chain by counting over an additional two rivets (two links), which is a distance of one-inch. Cut the chain at this point. 6.Remove the chain from the bike and thread it through both derailleurs and join the ends. Remember if you are using a mater link, include it in your calculation of 2 links

I race road but train MTB. I converted my old Merida TFS500 hard tail into a Road bike hybrid. I put on slicks, changed the front rings to 24/38/48 and the cluster to 11/21. These ratios are necessary if you are going to keep up with the road bikes. I put on road pedals, just for fun I changed the handle bars to drop's - used a Sora tripple chain gear lever. I also locked the front shocks I manage to keep up a max of 32kmph with the road bikes, but let me tell you it is hard work. Good luck

Go buy yourself the book called Time Crunched Cyclist. I have used this book to very good effect - packing good training in 45min and still able to do a sub 3hr 100km road race at 51 years of age. hill repeats and sprints will move you up the ladder in no time - good luck

UCI has certain rules - they also apply to the Cycle Tour - tough ****!!

I have been using a CS400 for 3 years on a MTB. Changed the battery myself after 2 years. Any decent watch shop will be able to change the battery. Very easy to down load info onto your computre and the CS400 has a huge data capacity that means you dont have to down load after every ride.

Welcome to cycling. The most important aspect about cycling is you must enjoy the ride or race. There is no point in riding yourself to a stand still. Riding at an average heart rate of 85% should allow you to push harder at times (90%+) and relax down hills. If you are able to download your data, you will be able to see when you pushed hard - try to remember how you felt during the period. On you next ride you can try to improve this, one step at a time. Remebmer that training your heart rate with interval training will allow you to improve your ability to stay with the bunch on the longer hills - have fun

Well now you know why your one leg records a higher % than the other. Subconsciously your one leg is doing more work than the other, it shows on your shoes, you are walking harder on one of your shoes. If you measure your thigh and calf muscles, you will find a small difference in measurment as well

Have the same problem - check the soles of a pair a shoes you wear regularly. You should notice one of the soles more worn than the other. If this is the case, the same will reflect on your power meter. It means your one leg is doing more work than the other. This could be from a previous injury - as is in my case. Hope this helps

I recently went for a full blood test. I am on Antcad plus high blood pressure tablets. I suffer occasionally from cramp. The results of the blood test and ECG test showed I was low in potastium. This is a side effect from the tablets. My doctor advised me to take Potasium tablets especially before a long or hard ride. Try to increase banana and potato consumption. Hope this helps - I am 50 years old

I have done quiet a few fun road races with my MTB with slicks. Great fun and damn good work out. I changed to a 48/38/28 chain rings and 11/21 cluster. It makes a big difference having the extra speed. Road races done at an average speed of 34km/ph requires a lot of fast peddaling and that is when the 48/11 helps. I also added a CS600 Power Meter onto the MTB. I use it for training on the road. Allows me to ride on much rougher terain, jump pavements and less punctures from glass. You get buggar all for a second hand MTB, so convert it into a road trainer

I used to ride in the Magaliesberg area during winter - frost till 8h30 next to the road. Go to a motor bike shop and ask them about gloves. I got a good pair that did the trick. Bikers know a lot about cold riding. good luck

Never heard of the CS500 - I had the CS200 and upgraded to the CS400. Great upgrade as you can down load all your data with ease including cadence, altitude with easy reference to past rides. If you want Power readings you will need to buy the CS600. Well worth the extra bucks if you require an entry level power meter. What I like about Polar is it battery life is very good - you dont have to charge your HR monitor every time you go out for a ride. I also use mine on a mountain bike and have had no problems with the holder.

What beats me is that a Shimano product comes out of the same factory. How can one can buy it cheaper through CRC even after the import duties?. Can the bike shops confirm they are been screwed for import duties? Their mark up is not great but something is wrong if the same product can be imported below the cost the LBS says is their cost price. Remember, everyone just wants a great deal - cyclist and LBS.