Done.

I’m 6’4″, I had a P7 for years. Great bike, but I prefer the handling characteristics of a 29er. Going back to try small wheels again confirmed it for me. And the 26″ wheel bike looks very small, almost out of proportion.

Try a 29er, they are different.

And there’s a reason the P7 is a good deal….

Intolerant people.

And me when I’m intolerant.

Done it a couple of times, my tips:

1) You can’t be too fit. If you were to go out on a fast,hot, very hilly 100 miler, how would you feel? La Marmotte is this, getting hotter as they day goes on, and you hit the Alpe with humidity at a high level. Build your miles up to regular 100 mile plus rides, with mates and really push on the climbs.

2) You can’t be too light. That’s you and your lardy arse! Ok, that’s me really, but if you work on item 1), 2) will surely follow. Unless your a world champion pie eater. I’m your size, it’s not much benefit!

3) Your bike must fit you. Spending all day riding up proper mountains in building heat and humidity will find out any issues. A super super light bike, Assos shorts and electronic gearshift couldn’t matter less. There will be a very dark skinned pensioner riding past, smiling, wearing a woolen top on a bike he bought as a teenager. Clever marketing won’t make you faster, but a bike that fits will keep you riding comfortably for longer.

4) Go down the week before and practice a few climbs and descents. The Glandon at speed is fearsome. They don’t advertise it but several people have died on its slopes. The roads can have a very poor surface and watch out for melting tarmac patches. A buzz, certainly, but it’s nice to know where the road goes. The first descent can be (has been) carnage.

5) Start slow, enjoy it. Look at the view, chat to your fellow riders. If it’s your first time and you’re not chasing gold take some pics. Remember you’re doing it for for fun.

6) Try and avoid taking the front in the peleton on the valley roads, sit at the back and spin!

7) Have a drinking and eating strategy. There are many water fountains and pumps away from feeding stations that will get you filled up more efficiently. Take some nice sarnies wrapped in foil. Endless energy food is tiresome,have some nice nosh for a pick me up.

Eight) THE MOST IMPORTANT BIT – the route can vary, but:
The Glandon is a long climb. It’ll probably be cool and seem quite easy. You’ll wonder what all the fuss was about. Go steady on the descent. Cruise the valley.
The Telegraphe is a nice climb, enjoy.
The Galibier gets progressively tougher. After Plan Lachat it turns back on itself and gets steep and unrelenting. The descent of the the Lauteret is a main road with traffic and tunnels. Some lit, some not. One rider I saw ended up in intensive care crashing in a tunnel…
SAVE SOMETHING FOR THE ALPE. It’s steep, the first three ramps will set the tone nicely, and it’ll probably be very humid at that time of day. You’ll have 99 mountain miles in your legs by the time you start it…

Enjoy! I shall be going again. It’s a truly epic day out.

I’m no expert guys, but my goals were;

To finish
To enjoy the ride
To enjoy the social aspect

It’s 109 miles and 5000+m of climbing. It can be hot (39 degrees this year) and very humid.

1) you need to be comfortable. Riding for 9 – 12 hrs in mountains, in extreme heat, over poor road surfaces (in places) makes bike fit important.

2) Build up to being able to ride 100+ miles with sustained efforts to replicate climbing for hours on end!

3) Lose weight. I mean you, not your bike. The cycling industry is equipment weight obsessive, they need to keep generating income. A light bike is nice to have but that is all. For 99.9% of the cycling population the real gains are in losing body fat.

4) Don’t underestimate the descents. People have died on the descents of La Marmotte. You need to be confident riding at speed aroung others on bendy roads. Some sections are very steep, and can be rough. I would ride them in advance for safety.

5) Feeding strategy – plan your water stops, keep eating. Energy drinks and food are a very personal choice. Feed stations are excellent but very busy if you have a late start. Pack a couple of sarnies and some savouries to offset the sugar onslaught. Be disciplined about sipping your drink regularly on the climbs.

6) Plan your trip. A big one this, arrive early. It would be beneficial to acclimatise. Ride the climbs and descents. Go out in the heat and humidity of the day. If it rains go out and get some climbing in and practice descending in the wet.

I’m sure there is more…. Maybe I should start a blog!

And don’t forget to train…. ;-)

We entered seperately this year, but there was a group option. Previously I have entered friends, so it is possible. You just need all their personal details and a card to pay online at the time. Entry is personal details and a health declaration, and confirmed by e mail. It’s great value as long as you don’t take a package. (But don’t underestimate the stress of organizing a group trip)

For simplicity and in order to avoid antagonizing the interweb we elected to go solo on entries in 2013 and all got in.

One of our group did end up receiving someone else’s entry but Sport Communication were pretty good at sorting it out.

It’s a cracking event, good luck!

You can enter a group but the website is quite unreliable. IME you just need to get on it at midnight and keep trying. A group of 6 all got in last year but it took us all several attempts. It’s chaotic!

Don’t forget to train…. ;-)

Quote from my brickie;

No two spirit levels are the same….

:D

£6000 on a Landy Defender 10 years ago. Still foung strong.

Off to Elevenarife soon :wink:

Or just do them in your car…..

The only accurate information Strava gives is for self-comparison.

crikey – Member

Wow, 1972 called asking for their attitude to women back please.

Self righteous idiot. I think Rachel knew exactly what she was doing and the OP has passed a reasonable comment. On the picture, not the article.

Not too many women would object to being called ‘ hot’, which she is.
I may be a knuckle dragger but you sir, are a knuckle shuffler. Get over yourself!

Aesthetically displeasing.

Don’t forget your ITB’s….. :twisted:

Old timer? Guilty m’lud. I’m 50 and the clock is ticking faster every day :wink:

You may have a point…

Much more interesting than MTB gearing…. 8O

I’ve been here for years and still can’t decide….

Marketing person’s dream ^^^^^^

Tony Martin would have won on my Nan’s Raleigh shopper after a trip to her local Spar. He was that good.

You don’t have to believe everything the biggest spender on marketing tells you. But they’d rather you did ;-)

I agree with the Shibmeister. Smells goooooood.

I buy a dozen cans at a time, paid around £1.40 a can last time.

29er 32:18 – 51.6″
29er 35:19 – 53.4″
26er 32:16 – 52″

I’d go for thighs of cold plastecine…..

I use 35-19 with a wobbly front ring and a lush niner rdo ti rear cog

Dear god man. Thighs of iron I tell ye.

I would guess 32-18 is pretty much the same as 35-19 is pretty much the same as 32-16 on a 26er. I’ll ask Sheldon….

Bit late to the party but a respectable 13/13 here. What’s the prize?

Surly COGS are great COGS, other COGS are available such as KingCOGS but the are very expensive in the world of COGS. Whichever make of COG you decide on an 18t COG would be a good starting point. For reliability i’d go Surly. COG.

Upgrade to Middleburn RS7 and Square Taper BB

Coincidentally I too did this, 20 years ago!

You neasure your thighs?!

I’ve had similar symptoms to yours following L4/5 prolapse. Disc impingment identified in 2010 by MRI.
Took me a good few months to get upright and mobile. Many more to get back on the bike in anger, but I got fitter, stronger and more flexible about a year later. All injuries are different though, keep positive.
And 15+ years later i still have symptoms occasionally. I know what to do and not do to manage it.
Physio, swimming (front crawl), Pilates, yoga, stretching, rolling, cycling and eventually running helped for me.
Good luck!

I’m still undecided….

Yes you are. BA isn’t in any way ‘restrictive’

VO2 is a measure of your ability to work aerobically. Lifting, moving, that sort of thing. It also benefits certain performance athletes ;-)

Mate, be careful. This doesn’t sound like the ideal start to a relationship…. if you get to date 2 and there’s a more significant challenge – RUN!

Odd.

Samuri, I doubt wether Mcmoonter has got wood envy from that top pic ;-)

I do however, have floor envy. Nice job.

Take ownership of your condition, after physio has done it’s thing do yoga, stretching, cycle, stretching, core, stretching and repeat for life!

Personally i would puruse the above and only entertain strong pills and knives as an absolute last resort. GP’s are not back injury specialists…..

Did somebody get serious up there ^^^^^^^ :-D

I still can’t make my mind up……

And read McKenzie’s ‘treat your own back’ ;-)

Yoga, Pilates, stretching….. repeat forever!

forexpipz – Member
Brant. Have you considered that some people are trying to run single speed with skewers and not bolt on axles?

Please design your next frame with this in mind. :roll:

WTF!!! If anything would put me off setting up a bike related business dealing with the public it’s threads like this.

forexpip – the chaintug (you only need one) should be on the driveside and will, if set up correctly, prevent the wheel from pulling over under drive. Even if your title is ‘Sir Chris’

There’s no need to score your frame!

Titanium will crack, carbon will melt in the heat ;-) , custom steel is the way forward!

Fit is everything. My Roberts just feels responsive, particularly on fast alpine descents, and it’s beautifully compliant. Great confidence inspiring bike.

This is why I love STW!

Kitten flavoured cupcakes anyone?

Middleburn cranks, hardcore rings + Royce square taper. Fit and forget reliability.

Did you / are you going to take up Brants offer?

You may want to search for ‘cracked titanium’ on here first…… seeing how well this has gone for you ;-)

Cheers Dez ;-)

Thanks for your help guys, we have contact!