CJVDM

Ive also learnt that i can't blame everything on my bike. Why would my brakes be rubbing the 5th time if it didnt the prev 4 times i checked.

Not a soul (lucky me). It did check that 1st before i started scanning for pain.. At least it gave me time to lay on my back and contemplate what an idiot i must have looked. At least the lyrics to Bad Day made me smile.

Some of you might be MTB pro's, others might be new to this wonderful sport. Thought i would share my lessons learnt. - Sand is not your friend. The fact the one switched from road bike to MTB does not mean that sand suddenly becomes fun. It sucks.... literally.... - Although i might think ive got good bike handling skills, i dont. Went up a smallish incline in way to heavy a gear, couldnt turn it, then couldnt unclip in time and flipped over backwards. Somehow a bush got hold of me and gave me a nice friendly reminder on my back (a nice scrape) that im not the MTB god. Ironically, Bad Day from Fuel was playing on my Ipod. - My LBS actually did fill my tires with slime. God bless them, otherwise i would still be walking home. - Oh yes, slime is actually a good thing, it might be heavier (dont know how much) but i would rather lug that around than having to spend time changings tubes... So what did you learn today?

Where can i get some Maltodextrin (for the AJ mix)???. Been asking at every pharmacy and no-one is able to assist.

You guys have way too much money...

Why is disc brakes so popular? As everyone is riding disc brakes currently and propably all new MTB's come out with them i didnt even think twice when i purchased my bike. I wanted minimum discs + hydraulics. But whats the fuss all about? Do they stop faster, are they lighter? All that i know is that the space between the dics is so damn small, i struggle to keep the rotor from not touching one of the sides. And then, when i actually manage to ensure that the rotor does not touch anything it just starts chafing again the moment im done with a ride. Ive even tightened the wheel as much as possible, thinking that the wheel has moved from impact or something. And why do the discs lock when you take the wheel out and acidentally touch the lever? And then one has to struggle to pry them apart. Do they also stick like that while im riding. It certainly felt like it yesterday... Since this is the rant forum im venting my frustration. How you the rest of you maintain your brakes and ensure that it doesnt touch the rotor (when its not suppose to )?

Yea thanks, thats all i need, another "gimic" to spend my money on . Lemme 1st do a race again with some decent times before ill start with a power meter. Porky was right, to much techi stuff these days. It just confuses the hell out of me. CJVDM2009-10-03 14:18:27

Thing is, i propably dont know enough abt HR theories. My understanding was that a certain zone is better for fat burning while a higher zone will not burn fat but sugar. Thus, if i train in too high a zone, ill get fitter and be able to ride faster, but it will take a while longer to get rid of my target exess. Right now people are spending thousands to make their bikes 1-2 kg lighter, i can easily loose 15kg's (and i want to do it asap) + these man boobs are irritating...

Ive started training after a lay off of approx 6 years. Bought myself a mountain bike (prev roadie) and got a Deplhi 5 with HR monitor. I read the Lore of HR training Did a decent road trip this morning, and anticipated to ride at approx 60% of max HR to get my weight down first. At 32 yr of age my max HR should be approx 188. At 60% i should be training approx 113 bpm. Problem is that i just have to sit in the saddle to get to 120. My avg for the +- 30km was 150. On the flats it easily clocked 140+ and even the sight of a small hill (or bump in the round) took it to 160. What the heck should i do? Just keep peddling at this HR and hope it comes down eventually or slow to a crawl to get to 60% target. Will i still burn fat at 80% of max HR? Kinda venting some frustration here (seems this "getting back into it" is gonna take a lot longer than i thought and looking for any tips the hubbers might have.

Done

Ive always used Isostar when racing, even on longer rides. Its not as strong (sweet) as energade. Ive heard good things abt Cytomax, think i will pass Diskem and check what they have available.

Onetime, i bought the MTB because its more versatile (still wanna do the argus with it) but the MTB events seems a lot more fun. So, take it that i want to eg Karoo to Coast or similar nxt yr. Should my training be more tar or more gravel at first? Im sure that later on the majority will be done offroad. Ps. Not sure whether there are gravel to the silos or vissershok, so presume you meant tar.. CJVDM2009-09-26 09:10:56

Im competely new to the MTB scene. Was a roadie for a number of years, but havnt cycled for the last 7yrs. Now, i need to get fit and loose a lot of kg's. How should i start? Just road at first, or mix of road and offroad, or just offroad? With the summer coming closer, i should be able to cycle +- 2 times a week after work for approx 1 and 1/2 hrs and weekends maybe more. I dont have a HRM yet, first wanna see if i can do the cycle thing seriously again. Any tips on how to start from scratch? ps i live in Durbanville, and did Majik forest for the 1st time last weekend (up to black pole from the vineyards and down through the forest), had to stop 5 times to catch my breath going up (im seriously unfit) but coming down was such a rush that im now keen to get into this. Ive read a lot on all the comments / posts on the Hub abt all the events that im psyked to try it out nxt yr.