Got cheap 2nd bike on free turbo from mate.

wrong location – needs to be in front of TV. Mines in living room. I found cateye rear with cadence a great solution to maintaining a good rpm.

Mate failed because he could only have it setup in garage and went mad looking at the garage door 🙂

Mixture of riding, group and accommodation. Don’t want days off from riding. Enjoy having someone else lead and let me enjoy the ride. I honestly go for good weather and dry trails. Enjoyed my trips so far. Can be difficult to cater for all ability levels.

Cold and snowing in Bristol so cant think it will be better there.

For that sort of riding I would look at the Maxxis Ardent LUST. Great tyre at 20 psi for trail centers. I use HRII front and HR 2.35 rear for Wales etc awsome combination of grip, clearing and roll really well. HD’s bit slow. Weights not the issue IMHO its rolling resistance.

Well the High Roller II (tubeless 25psi) were superb in 5 hour mud fest on the front and 2.35 out back. Wasnt anything they couldnt handle. Spin up well and little drag. They are staying on for the winter 🙂 Ardent 2.35 LUST front and back on other wheels for trail centre usage. +1 for haven 55mm stem and 711 bars. Just brilliant.

Mmm looks good up front LUST 2.35 on the back. Why no UST version? Maxxis please reply. Bit of Quaontocks action tomorrow. What psi you running I have deflated to 25psi. I run my Ardents at 20psi. Wondered if I risked any tyre rolling off the rim. I noticed that I could get the HRII on with fingers but LUST needs a little tyre leaver action.

I think its the new geometry that attracts me. Cant see the spec has changed much from my 2010 version? Like the look of the Whyte minus the brakes ofc. TBH there are some great bikes around. Each to their own style of riding. Maybe I should demo one.

Went up ok on XT rim and some Stabs. Left at 40psi to seat. Will try out at 25psi at Quantockd

They dont was wondering about the 2.4exo. Will I get away with just some sealent and running it without a tube? Anyone tried?

+1 Havoc 65mm stem 711 bars on 2010 Zesty. Im convinced I should stick with my Zesty but Im still going to try the demo. Lets see what I think after a day at Afan!

Demo 516 here in Feb – hands off Im first!

http://thebicycledoctor-thebicycledoctor.blogspot.com/2010/11/lapierre-2011-spicy-zesty-demo-bikes.html

Weight wise 916 is only just heavier than Zesty. I don’t want to lose climbing and trail ability. Will I see a big difference between Zesty and Spicy?

+1 for Dans advice. Buy the bike you like riding and if you only go to the Alps once a year then a whole new bike is expensive option. 160mm of travel would enhance the Alp experience but at a cost. And that’s what I’m struggling to justify. Two bikes and maintenance cost when I could just have 1 bike. May just throw caution to the wind though after demo 🙂

Zesty slog? One of the lightest around and was ideal for Trans alps, Spain, Morocco. Andora in June so no issues on up hill.

Zesty 714 2010. Brilliant for the sort of riding your thinking of and it’s been more than enough for Europe. Have thought about Spicy and booked a demo in Feb. Experience tells me Zesty is a great trail bike. Light, fast and great down and up hill. Ride mostly South Wales and Afan etc. I believe having looked at the geometry etc that there is little to differentiate between the two. You can add a 150mm fork to the Zesty and that narrows the difference even less. Why not try a demo?

Love my 2010 Zesty jsut the way she is 🙂 If I need 160mm I would go Spicy and leave Zesty at 140mm as its perfect for me. Demo in Feb on 516 so could be two bike soon 🙂

Can you post GPX file please

Got both. Xar is the more comfortable of the two. It’s heads for helmets though. Try before you buy and get the one that feels right

A TV/computer is essential. The main issue with turbo is boredom. Its the key for me. If I have a long steady session I look at whats on TV and do the session or put in a DVD. I bought an end of season bike and it sits in the turbo all the time. I would go turbo, rollers require concentration.

Polar HRM, rear wheel cat eye for cadence. I set the resistance and leave it alone then use gears to up the power. I prop the front wheel up on some old books and use a £1 foam camping mat and small towel to protect the floor and catch sweat. It need not cost the earth.

Turbo for accurate focused training especially in the winter is great. Its improved my fitness and cycling. In the old days I got few quality rides in the winter. Now I have a great base fitness all in the comfort of my warm dry room.

Mines in front of the TV and DVD player 🙂 in the living room 🙂

Zesty or Spicy. Zesty because I ride mostly UK. Spicy because I want to ride more in AM country.

Why not ask these

http://www.welovelapierre.com/lapierre-blog/

There all the same frame and they have 314 and 714s.

Got a basic turbo free from mate. Sat it on chepo mat, towel and book to keep it level. Polar HRM with free online training diary and cat eye on rear wheel for cadence. Sat in living room in front TV and chepo fan. Cheap but provides all the data you need for a beginner. You can always upgrade late once you know it’s for you

+1 for air cans 🙂

what DVD /CD software you guys using to put on to DVDs? I cant seem to burn them to disk? Help needed please 🙂

I can’t burn my sufferfest vid to DVD any freeware software ideas? Thanks

The free on line Polar diary automatically calculates it as you up load data and gives you a good graph to help with trend analysis. Not bad for a freebie. Was what made me go polar in the end. I use polar zones just easier to remember 🙂

Im right handed bought right handed and mount under the left bar. Fits nicely next to the shifter very handy and wont get damaged in off. If its on top the bar its going to get damaged.

Every training method has advantages and disadvantages. Your challenge as a self-coached athlete is to find a methodology that works for you

agreed and agree depends on how much time you have. I dont doubt the science but I can fit in 6-7 hours training a week so for me its more intensity and a couple 3 hour rides a month.

I have one of the sufferfest but cant burn to dvd MPEG4 – help needed please 🙂 All the freebie burners I tried wont convert or burn it to disk. What am I doing wrong? Win7 user.

Try moving to Spain, Greece, Italy or Portugal nice climates no jobs or money 😉 Syria or Iran are also top destinations (waves goodbye)

It was on the Carmichael MTB dvd and it seemed to agree with some of my experience. On road I tend to need long periods of sustained effort whilst on trails much more on off type power required. The efforts I think on mtb tend to be shorter. If Im on a down hill bit I maybe even resting so to speak out of the saddle then faced with a short up hill I need to hit maximum power really quick. Sort of burst.

We seem to be straying in to training for the road? I think mtb has a different requirement for more max effort situations. Horses for courses depending on what time you have available.

beej – we have the same plan! 🙂 Just keep stepping up in each phase, rest move up.

DT78 in trans alps this year we went out slow and was well down the field on day one. But each day we moved up the field. We werent getting better – they were getting worse and expending energy faster than than they could afford. Allowed us to put in some attacks later on in the week gaining quite a few places.

Agree with you idave. Whats its use? Well for me I look at it as a measure of potential performance. For example two riders are going up the same hill at the same intensity level realtive to their own fitness the one with the higher intensity or threshold level will get to the top first ie he puts down more power for the same physical effort or intensity. So to go further faster I need a higher threshold. Works the same on 12 – 24 hour solo or multi day events when its extremly important. Knowing where the threshold is also allows to manage your enegry levels and stay below that threshold on attacks or steep ups etc. On big multi day or solo I manage the race based on my HRM zones.

Training empty? Well weight is ok so no need to fat burn in my case. I find I snack 24/7. Whilst mainataining a low overal weight is helpful to go really hard I must fuel and without it your risk lowering your immune system. I rate fuel, sleep and rcovery as important as time in the saddle. It all has to be managed within the time available.

There are many theories. I started out on the LSD plan but I have turned to the dark side as I see more benefit for shorter time spent training.

I think training should be driven by goals or your plans will just not make sense. For most effect you need to measure and monitor and adapt plans based on performance results. That to me seems obvious? There are many factors that go in to gaining superior performance as I mentioned. Not just the adoption of a single theory of everything for that refer to Steven Hawking 😉

DT From post its your LT. Essential you were working at or over your LT. Once in the sugar burn zone you consume water and energy faster than your body can usefully replace it and lactic acid builds up leading to your cramps. Slowing slightly and raising your LT will combat this problem. Your LT, depending on how you measure will be a % or bpm of your MHR. I use % as its easier to remember. 70% – 80% Zone 3 80% – 90% Zone 4. My LTs about 80 – 85% depending on tiredness. On long enduros I use electrolyte drinks, carbo food and salt sandwiches to combat cramps – works for me and its a favourite 🙂 Also steady warm up and down helps. You started out way too fast for your fitness level and hit near your maximum HR is first 10 mins then went down hill. P.S I know that area well 🙂

beej your plan is correct. But why compress it? Start your base now. You can then enter the build phase at a much higher level and so step up to peak at a higher level that way you will achieve a higher level fitness. I try to maintain a good base all year. In all stages your always trying to build, rest build. But see my comments about a holistic approach.

Agree with the new base approach above and that is my experience to. There is no easy short cut. Physiological adaptation for power and VO2 only happens when the body is stressed above its normal level. There is also more to endurance than training. I should mention good diet and rest are also needed. I hit the trails regularly throughout the winter to keep my skill level but not for training. Better weather sees me doing more on trails and setting some micro goals along the way. Events normally, 12 hour solo, 100km+ CX or enduros. These help to build the psychological strength and knowledge you need to go big. Also allows you to practice eating and drinking. I would also suggest that you train in your event clothes and boots. All this together can have a tremendous boost to your ability level.

I can recommend the polar on line traing diary. It can even create a training plan based on your HRM data. Its also free and givces you an indication of total training load to help you avoid over training. From my experience its a good guide

https://www.polarpersonaltrainer.com/index.ftl

helps to provide structure and motivation 🙂

I think short regualr mix of training is best in different zones. Improve that LT. Gym is also essential to strengthen arms, core, neck, back which you need if your aiming at enduro type distances.

Think you have to weigh up the risk of paying for a holiday wrapping your bike in cardboard then struggling with it and luggage to destination and then finding its broken. The potential for failure is high. Boxes and bags reduce the risk to almost zero. I travel with bike couple times a year and its well worth the investment. Just remember what your risking and what impact it may have on your holiday. Your call.