SeaBee

Will be in Prince Albert next month some time. Is that 27k's of Swartbergpas to the top? I presume so... Is an over and back a doable option? Don't know the pass at all, so don't want to find myself descended on the other side and wanting to phone the missus with a red face... Then again, nothing like a bit of a break and soldier on upwards again... not as if it's gonna be a race.

Vir wat dit werd is en terwyl ons nou die taalpolisie oproep: Grammatikaal (met hoeveel m'e ook al) is anglisisties, nie suiwer afrikaans nie... Die afrikaanse woord is "taalkundig".

Luck of the draw, I presume. We went through Strand a couple of weekends ago and justabout everybody waved or nodded back.

No, meaning I am uploading data I've gotten whilst riding with my Garmin to Endomondo (just checking it out). My 2 rides the weekend: 1012 and 548m elev gain in Garmin Connect, pretty much the same in GTC, etc. The same files uploaded to Endomondo: 601 and 401m elev gain in Endomondo. That's vastly different, esp the 1st one! Heck, I see on the 1st one even the cadence is way off. (Maybe it does zero averaging...?)

Jip emo, that's similar to the one I'm using - except I chuck mine in a back pocket. Will test the water "solution" the coming weekend, thanks!

One thing is if I upload my Garmin data (after the ride) there, the elevation is waaayyy off relative to all other tools I look at.

The water may be my solution. I don't use it from the big bottles, it's in the flask when I ride. But struggling my azz off to get the last bit out. When it goes below 2 (and I usually also take 3/5 and return with some to spare) I shake and shake and the flippen stuff won't come out (esp in winter!)

Seabee's dumb question for the day. Hammer gels work for me - and they have these these big bottles they sell it in, which I usually use. Dump some in that flask of theirs and away we go. My problem is I am wondering whether there's not a better way to transport and use this? Surely I'm not the only one using this bulk gel - or something similar? What work-around do you guys have? Where do you store it for more user-friendly usage? Or is this simply the best way to go and I have to grin and bear it if I want to use the "bulk gel"?

Pretty sure I saw them at Totalsports or Due South or something like that as well recently. (This was in the Colony, but availability should be the same up there.)

Okay, so consensus on Perpetuem is using it like an energy drink (mixed in bottle/camelback). 32GI I use in training, but when I go hard, it does not work for me. Spoken to Mark a couple of times already, maybe due to something in my eating habits. But it simply does not carry me through harder sessions - I get hungry like hell about 1.5-2 hours in. That's why I'm about to try Perpetuem. I cannot stand the taste of PeptoPro. Have tried, but... yuuuuck! Friend of mine swears by it... good for him! I claim I still have taste buds...

Okay, stupid question of the day... Also want to try Perpetuem - just want to get a sachet to test first. It seems to be in a league of it's own for marathon-type events. But how do you guys use it? Do do you chuck it in a 750 bottle and use as a drink or do you go the "thick"/concentrated option with a small flask? (And presumably then use a normal carb drink with it in your bottle?) Other drinks under consideration is Marathon from Cadence Nutrition and USN's BCAA Vitargo, which I used last winter with good effect on consecutive hard training rides.

Just had a look and have to agree. Weird reseeding run, this one... and the one thing that's gone completely out of whack is the Argus. A lower index on that than my Wilde ride - which is a much easier (and a bit shorter) ride and was done in a lower avg speed than Argus?! Can't remember what my Argus index was before this, but I do remember it was so much better than the rest that it was rated to make up 50% of the seeding - now it's the lowest of all! And enough has been said last year already about the stuff-up they made of the 99er. (Yes, my Argus has even dropped behind that one in index!)

Close AirBender... it was Glock (in the other Toyota). But yes, he was on the dry tyres on a increasingly wet track, having gone for a long haul strategy. Did not move over, he simply had no traction. (And he was passed by both Vettel and Hamilton.) It was not the highlight of that particular day for me.

My problem was I previously had saddle sore issues, this saddle took all the issues away. I am using chamois cream. I have not changed my personal hygiene. So at this stage I may agree with MJ - it may have been roundabout the time I've changed to a new tub of cream - same make as previous (Mark II). Maybe a formulation change - dunno. So that's the first thing I'll try to eliminate by just getting me a different make of cream and see whether that may solve it. My original thoughts were that my saddle may be past it's sell-by date - and was wondering whether going for some of the harder 30% carbon SLR saddles (many new options, I now see) may be a better option. But was wondering about the comfort of it - the shape is obviously agreeing with me. What diffs does the "flow" really make - my current saddle is a flow version. AB - my personal "mix" to help works wonders - Fissans mixed with Bactroban. If the sore is open, I give it a quick dab of Friars Balsam - that sorts the living sheet out of it and all is good thereafter! (Blurry vision for a couple of seconds, but that's okay...)

Jeez... MJ, you may have a point! I think that's about when I opened a new tub of saddle cream. Same as used previously - maybe a new formulation. I will experiment a bit with that! Had a quick chat to somebody else as well and it seemed not probable to be the saddle, esp having started off well and not that long into the saddle's life.

Need some advise here... I went through quite a number of saddles, before finding my butt's match. I eventually came across a Selle Italia SLR XP flow. I could riiiide! Life was good. Then, towards the middle of summer I started noting this "uncomfortable feeling" again after some longer rides, and not long afterwards, the saddle sores I got from previous saddles returned. (Note: mid-season, not as if my butt was not used to riding at that stage!) And looking at the saddle, I have "sat out" some divots there and seems like that's exactly where I seem to get the irritation from. And the saddle is not all that old. I will buy the same saddle again without thinking, so it's not "an itch", the longevity of it just worries me. Still looks fine, except for sagging section. And no, I'm not all that heavy. I was just wondering whether it's worth getting a harder SLR flow saddle (which leaves me only one to get) in the hope that the razor blades I seem to have for sit-bones don't chow them up as well. It's a bit more expensive, but will hopefully last longer and dimensions should be the same. Or are these all-carbon saddles not comfy at all? No use getting another one and you can't ride on it for longer than 10 mins... Yes, this comes after a ride yesterday and I have already applied "my usual mixture", feeling that there's something on the way.

Nick, find your resting HR and use Karvonen method to set up your zones.

I've also been wondering about how best to measure HRR. I can sleep with a HR monitor on - but what value do I then take - the lowest it went or what it was just before the alarm went off and spikes it (which means I can't pretty much check it "when I wake up") Or do I have to wait for a nice rainy Sat morning and hope I wake "naturally". Or just wear it when I plan to doze off in front of the telly and see what it is when I wake up?

Can you "bulk upload" saved history from Garmin rides? Not on Garmin device any more - stored on PC, but since the 705 ends up a mapped drive on the PC, I'd assume it's do-able...? And I do presume the "live tracking" is only for phones (running the app) - otherwise that can be a neat safety net should I get into trouble. Then at least the mrs can see where I find myself. BTW Bennie, not to be "funny" about it, but I'd personally not go public with my profile. Just a privacy thing... I don't care who laughs at my lack of speed. There's just too much info in there for me to want to make it public.

fanie, if/when you do get online, also d/l and evaluate SportTracks. I prefer it above GTC - but it's a personal choice.

...which then makes it a Ferrari?! SC usage was absurd - how can they piddle along behind while there's a dry line emerging - and then continue for so long everybody ducks into the pits for inters. Vettel is looking good, yes. Just ask Webber - the season is a long one...

I'm pretty sure (but then, my memory is dodgy) this was not the case last year - also suspect it's an issue that they must simply be made aware of.

Whatever I have the privilege of riding at that moment... that's my favourite bike.

Just got my FA leg warmers... wow, hugely different to the thingies I have... make that HAD beforehand. (Which was the reason I did not look for other legwarmers to begin with!) Full leg, feels much warmer and odds of it sliding out from under my shorts are virtually zero. Now I dare anybody to go slower than me... Definitely just going for the experience and expecting to learn a lot.

Don't think snow is forecast, but it's been bloody cold and rainy for a couple of days this side of the mountain, so I won't be surprised if we freeze out butts off on Saturday. Off to buy me some long pants tomorrow - any advise?