No, sorry, there are no situations where man bags are acceptable.

Sorry, but at the risk of being controversial and hurting some folks feelings, run/walk really doesn’t count, it just makes you look like an under prepared muppet.

Not a chance, even 16 weeks would be pushing it from a starting point of nothing.

Well, add me to the list that thought the OP was gibberish.

In relation to LBS, price and product range.
When LBS can give me the exact product i want delivered to my door with 50% off RRP they can have all of my orders. In the meantime they’ll have to make do with servicing/repairs.

Obviously the main advantage is you’ll feel less of a tool than if you buy tiny wheels that’ll be obsolete in 2yrs time.

Yes and no.
Obviously the cardio side works, but your muscular endurance and efficiency on the bike will suffer. Theres a good reason pro cyclists don’t run outside early base building work and triathletes don’t ride as fast as full time cyclists.

E bike, some stuff is just too steep to take it easy even with a tiny gear. E bike will give you the freedom to tackle a wider range of terrain.

Crikey, that was too close for comfort.

I’m not the strongest rider in the world by a long shot,and have a preference for spinning an easy gear. Got 36/22 on the front and a 36 on the back, certainly wouldn’t consider anything bigger for solo and would happily take 2 lower gears if they were available.

So do we think the aussies are going to step up their game for team pursuit tonight?

Event organisers should be made to ensure that the route is cleared following the sportive. These event organisers should pass the cost on as part of the entry fee. Its disgusting that people think its OK to chuck a wrapper on the floor. So if its becoming a big problem then something needs to be done about it. Making everyone pay will be a sure fire way of ensuring its self policed.

This

I like how the interpretation of the general recommendation of needing a more balanced diet and eating proper food is taken as eating a flapjack or chucking more crap in a blender…

Good isn’t it :D

In seriousness though, we all have our different habits with everything in life including food. Some folk find it easier to eat a good balanced diet than others. A scoop of whey protein and a scoop of oat flour into the blender is at least a significant improvement without having any impact on the OP’s lifestyle.

Start lobbying for a 26 hour day. Extra hour in bed and an extra hour to get breakfast and get to work.

Can we skip 26 and go right for 30?

I think I underdid it on the protein and fats when I describe my diet. I usually pile into this for dinner.

That’s why I’m thinking there might be some benefit to lobbing some protein powder into my nutribullet as well as the oats?

Your body can only utilise so much protein in 1 go, so having it mostly in 1 or 2 meals is not as good as spreading it over the day.
So yes, a scoop of protein powder would probably be a good addition.

Healthy ish brekkie/lunch/snacks so far is
– nutribullet – half appple, half pear, half orange, half banana, half plum, half nectarine, couple of baby carrots, 1.5 handfuls of spinach, milk, ginger, peanut butter, seeds
– 2 mini ritter sports (4 little cubes each)
– chicken curry, no rice – currently being consumed

Up for the rest of the day is
– banana
– apple
– yoghurt
– salad, about the size of a chinese takeaway box, with couscous salad, beetroot salad, tomatoes, cucumber, salad leaves, random seeds
– dinner to be agreed – homemade leftovers probably

Pretty much all your carbs coming from fruit and virtually no protein.

Get some nice slow release carbs in your diet (why cut out the rice for example?) and ~15g of protein 5 times a day.

its not about feeling full i dont think. Im not generally hungry.

Just need to cut out the twixes / boosts / minstrels / bonbons that im eating every day

At the risk of stating the obvious, don’t buy them, can’t eat what you don’t have.
The thing I find harder to understand is how someone on a cycling forum can not be hungry, i’m ALWAYS hungry.

protein flapjacks.
still contain carbs, but are generally quite filling, and the protein content will help you stay full for longer.

Agree with Matt, pretty firm rocky/gravelly surface most of the way round – don’t see the wet causing a problem.
The main climb is a proper climb for sure, only moderate length, but some very steep sections.
Plenty of climbing outside the main climb too, as there are constant undulations.
Achievable for a fit 13yr old, but quite a challenge and likely to take a good part of the day.

TB will wear quickly on tarmac. Will be a little faster than XR1, but marginal. For your intended use i’d probably be looking at touring tyres rather than mtb tyres

Find BB7’s on my CX bike a bit meh.
Lacking in power compared to even a rim brake in the dry, but somewhat make up for it by not losing any performance in the wet.
Not a disaster, but certainly wouldn’t spend money on new ones.

Minions on tarmac 8O

Hope the OP has thighs of steel and the lungs of a horse

Not taking that bet – he is getting something of a reputation

Conti do the gatorskin hardshell (maybe even a normal gator) in 32c.
Schwalbe S-One for a faster option comes in 30c

2017 Scott Spark in the b+ flavour?

Edit: or the normal 900 (not RC) model even.

Well, i summoned up the motivation to go out on yet another cold grey ‘summer’ ride, so think i deserve one.

Combination of increased frequency of colds and heart rate that doesn’t want to go up does sound a lot like over training. 8-10hrs/wk is definitely enough to lead down that road if intensity is too high, or if rest/nutrition are insufficient.
Have you got any other over training symptoms like apathy, irritability, feeling gloomy/depressed, change of sleeping pattern?

I’d be tempted to put the bike away for a month and forget about it whilst continuing to explore other options with GP.

Anyway since when was the Olympics about fitness and not skill? They have table tennis in it, don’t they?

Not a great comparison, Table Tennis players are actually very fit, it requires a huge amount of explosive leg power to move around the table.

Maybe archery would be a better example?

Scott spark – in all 3 flavours!
Just need to find a spare £20k lying around…….

Yeah, bikes, especially MTB’s are for riding. Much as its disappointing when you find that first scratch, bikes are for riding, not for looking at.

Well, lets just say its a shame we’ve ended up talking about crashes as we were really treated to great racing on both days.

From a Team GB perspective i thought we did great too, with the mens team making some nice agressive racing, and Lizzie doing a good performance too.

Looking ahead, think we are shaping up for a good XC event. If this weekends WC is anything to go by, womens race in particular is wide open with at least 4 potential winners.

Well yes and no.
Each was the right bike at the right time, but certainly isn’t very handy for donor parts.

Bought in the following order:
Road bike with rim brakes (road disks weren’t a thing yet)
29er hardtail (135 rear, 15QR front) (142 wasn’t a thing yet)
27.5 FS (142 rear, 15QR front)
CX bike with disks (135 rear, 9mm front)(this rear would technically fit 29er, but not too useful)
650b+ rigid SS (135 rear, 9mm front)(front from CX would fit, but again not useful)

So yeah, very happy with each bike, but wtf @ wheel compatibility. Will certainly have to pay more attention to that in the future.

Just wait until the bike industry find out about boost mini

Edit: On a more serious note, its a complete PITA, and can’t understand why the manufacturers can’t see its costing them sales.
I’ve got 5 bikes right now, and none of the wheels are compatible with each other….
Cant see me spending money on anything more than a winter beater bike until they get it sorted out.

Don’t have one yet, but plan to get the Topeak one for b+ tyres at some point.

You mean that open corner, with good sight lines and a nice, dead straight, approach?

Hardly open, but admittedly it doesn’t tighten.
Disagree about the good sight lines, the straight approach means you could be travelling so fast you are well committed to the turn before you know whats round the other side.

Sight lines aren’t really an excuse though, as anyone that thought they were in with a chance will have ridden the descent at least 3-4 times in the week leading up to the race, or at least filmed it and reviewed the footage.

At least you’d be able to enjoy the view on the way down!

It is indeed a superb view, although spending a week riding in the dolomites there are superb views everywhere you look

At a guess the risk assessment said the dangers are no worse than what is found in the normal pro cycling calendar.

Lets for example take the Passo Giau descent into Cortina d’Ampezzo (picked because i’ve done it and knew it made a good example). Included in the Giro on a very regular basis, no mass outcry about the dangers, and yet we find the following blind corner which is approached at very high speed.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.5223945,12.1194374,3a,75y,91.64h,67.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s-C5Ja0juAbdysb1vY5ovtg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Which if you get it wrong leads to sheer rock face:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.5224628,12.1200604,3a,75y,73.88h,62.83t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8q2a9jGXJicUPHkV9BpV-w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1?hl=en

And a wheel height wall ready to launch you into oblivion:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@46.5224995,12.1201379,3a,75y,68.57h,64.32t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1suUgNhZsE1Y4eEabGvvvM-w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

If that section i’ve linked has been deemed suitable for racing umpteen times, then there’s no reason the Olympic RR course shouldn’t also have been deemed safe.

Its a case of the riders using their judgement about the level of risk they are willing to take. In the case of the Olympic RR, the riders will all have been out and recce’d the descent in the week leading up to the event, they all knew the risks, and they all made the decision they were worth it.

Anyone manage to get out biking without a car?

yes, 3-4 times a week.
Open shed, get bike out, close shed, ride

Had they come off on a similar European road there would have probably been a low kerb and pathway and less injuries. sheer drop off the edge of a mountain

Fixed that for you.

In Tokyo we’ll have surfing and skateboarding.

WADA are going to be busy

Been asking myself the same question recently. Been riding the same saddle on my road bike since 2011 and always found it comfortable, but since switching back to the road from MTB at the start of July i’m really not getting along with it.
Hoping its just a case of needing to get some more hours in.