I’d be quicker on the CX.

I have the Rapha’s cross bibs and think that they are are excellent, extremely warm, good fit, very nice feel. I use them with baggies for winter riding as well as rides when I’m not wearing club kit, (rare).

Last serious race of season done:

I can recommend one of these:

Developed together with our club and Allebike, and handmade in Italy.

20 – 60 mins on a turbo, upto 2 hours on the rollers.

I always though that there are too many variables affecting your heart rate to make it a useful training tool.

The longer the interval the more use a HR monitor is. For short, say 1 minute or less efforts then they become somewhat pointless. However for the classic 4*4, or 2*20 then they offer a real benefit

19th in the final race of the national cup, ended up 12th overall.

Great video of me hitting the deck at around 1:20 here:

Well how’s it going?

Saw you made contact with the locals, too bad I was racing as I’d have liked to come along too.

I upgraded my race wheels this season and dropped 400grams or so, what got me was not the lightness but the performance gain due to the increased stiffness. Better tracking and more feedback meant I had greater control and more confidence when corning.

That green one looks really nice!

Any news on release dates and price?

EDIT: from the link: First FF29?s are expected in the UK for Feb/March 2012

Icebreaker all the way for me, excellent quality, good fit, and have lasted well.

Thanks again LS

OK you’re gonna have to explain that one LS.

Why would a smaller drum offer more resistance?

Interesting numbers there LS, thanks

> Entry-level rollers are good just for technique/concentration (not enough resistance unless spinning a high gear)? TTs better for resistance/intervals etc?

I use both rollers and a TT, Rollers are excellent for technique and work well for level 2 workouts, boredom is not an issue for as I listen to the excellent Velocast Race Radio podcast

> Will be for MTB use only (for now anyway), so anything that takes a 26″ should be fine?

Most TT are OK with both wheel sizes

> Best to run a trainer tyre? Currently running 317s so maybe limited to how narrow I can go. Am thinking of using a spare wheel but with the same cassette/chain.

Get a spare wheel with a trainer tyre or road tyre, yes.

> Noise – anyone used a quiet one downstairs while there’s a 15 month-old sleeping upstairs? I reckon it’ll be too noisy so I’ll have to do daytime sessions. A camping mat any good? Or a proper mat?
? Riser block normally needed?

I use a camping mat and a block of wood, perfect

> Resistance – can be altered on the fly (by remote?)? Can you normally use your gears as well?

The better TT can be, yes

> Countering the boredom factor – surely Sufferfest et all are the way to go? Watching films/TV probably not the most stimulating?

Sufferfest all the way for me

> Speaking of Sufferfest – doesn’t each video get boring when you’ve done it a couple of times? You know the route and it has the same old climbs, descents, attacks, etc. Or do they randomise some bits?

No they do not get boring, twice or thrice a week, mix the films up, there are currently 5 or 6 to buy.

> Necessary to hook up to HRM/bike computer/PC/iPhone? I guess tracking HR/distance/cadence etc is a bonus but not a necessity?

Not needed but can be done with the top level Tacx and Elite TT

Elite have a new 2012 TT out that increase/decreases resistance, shows power readings, cadence, speed, distance etc, all via a ANT+ head unit. Neat!

Nice, looked heavy going at the start!

Nice xls there tricky, I’d say even the first setup page would give some value and then simply PostIt Note the values to your laptop for reference

Try http://www.thesufferfest.com/

10 USD each or there abouts

The values are based on PE, (Perceived Effort), although you can convert these to HR Zones or Power Levels if you wanted.

No connection to the laptop, purely a film with Pro cycling clips that are appropriate to the training you’re meant to be doing.

Yup they are fantastic training aids, saw me through the 3 months of snow last winter. Haven’t tried any of the new ones yet, but can recommend, Local Hero, Angels, The Hunted, and Downward Spiral. Each is different and they can be combined nicely twice a week or so to maintain a good fitness level.

Single, 42 tooth.

Raced all season on it, works perfectly with a 42 tooth sized rock ring.

Trek Top Fuel would be my choice. The ali one can be picked up a lot cheaper when the models change.

As for training, how much time do you have per week?

Start at Club La Santza and ride the Ironman route, (other routes are available), they provide maps and you can hire bikes there to.

Just to throw the cat amongst the pigeons

from Joe’s blog

Michelin Jet’s are worth looking at

Is it a training book that need to be rear all the way through to gain an understanding or one that you pick parts of to suit your needs?

I read mine cover to cover, (its an easy and quick read if you’ve got prior knowledge of training principles), then when back and re-read the more interesting bits and started to piece together a plan.

LSD, (Long Slow Distance), training is what Pro’s do, as Pro’s have the time available for this type of training.

Us lot, who work 40+ hours a week, can not replicate Pro style training, therefore we need to adapt it to fit our 8, 10, 12 hours a week training schedules.

That said I did a lot of technique work in Zone 2 last winter, one leg drils etc, this worked well and killed time whilst it snowed for 3 months.

Its also worth noting perceived effort as well as HR. The book talks about calculating the weeks effort and using that number as a gauge to make sure you’re training consistently, (Think it was perceived effort of each session time training time in minutes, but I’m not sure off hand)

10BPM is not much, but certainly enough to push over into the next zone. What you ate, drank, how you slept, if you’re stressed all potentially alter your HR. What you should do is reduce the effort until your HR falls into the desired zone, otherwise what the point of using an HR?

I read that book this time last year and mapped out my season using the blocks of training weeks that were recommended.

Its an interesting and helpful book for those looking for a thorough introduction to creating a training plan.

Once I planned my sessions I stuck to the schedule roughly 80% of the time, but found I needed to simply get out and ride every so often to remind myself why I cycle.

I got myself tested in Jan this year and again last month, the increase in fitness, (in watts/kg at threshold), has been considerable, so it clearly works if you put the effort in.

I’ll make some adjustments based on my experiences and use the same formula again this year.

Göteborg, here.

try happymtb.org

YPM TD.

I’m racing cross for another two weeks then its down time till Christmas, then 2012 season starts.

I’ll be interval training throughout the year, working on both threshold and sub threshold, so twice a week, with a minimum of two more sessions of 90 minutes and 3 hours. This will see me through till April time, snow depending.

Training with my club twice a week from Spring to Fall was the key to my improvement this year. Better technique and increased confidence in riding fast off road were worth at least the fitness gains I achieved through training.

That’s me lying horizontal at the start line on Sunday

According to that link then elite, but given the larger field sizes in the UK I’d stick with Expert.

Seriously, with regard to training, racing, and the associated lifestyle, however its still “fun”.

Once a month or so I ride for the sheer pleasure without the heart rate monitor.

Steve Peat did a video for his development team that covered a lot of interesting and IMO correct ideas about what he was looking for in team riders. Actual speed was quite low down on the list compared to attitude, ability to communicate, general awareness, etc.

Worth hunting down.

Merida sponsor one of the junior members of our club, as well as supplying one of the top Swedish teams with their bikes. To be honest the fact they invest in the juniors makes me more positive towards them than seeing elite races won on their bikes.

Thanks Markie, clearly having an odd IT moment there

Loving the huge Dugast tubs on that Peregrine, nice 8)

Wow that didn’t last long paul78!

Thanks, interesting read.