Bottle and cage for XC racing and training, Camelback for marathons and long sessions.

ooh nice, very nice, some more pics when its finished please flange. What are the wheels?

I find the CX Pro quick on the back. I use one on my training wheels with a Mud on the front.

The Challenge suggestion is also interesting, I’m looking to test a pair soon.

I race in the Swedish national series, so we are unlikely to meet, although you’re more than welcome over.

I’d also look at putting a Schwalbe CX PRO on the back for early season fast rolling courses.

So that’s a pair of matching Ti frames, custom made for you, which didn’t cost you anything? Hmmm interesting back story there somewhere

I had noticed the lack of spacers! Very nice, ti or ali?

I raced on Muds the whole of last season and fond them quite good to be honest. That was on a combination of grass, gravel, and tarmac. From plus 10 degrees to minus 10.

Holy-freaking-headtube! You 6,6″ LS?

Nice pair of matching bikes there.

OK go on then. New race bike for the coming season, carbon frame, Dura-Ace gears. 8.1kg in the picture

450 seems good value to me.

Love to build one up, thinking drops, Campag, 3T, big tyres. Sod the weight just build something fun, solid, and capable of riding just about everything all day long.

Very nice. Keep us updated

Thanks guys, yes tubs are the way to go, I know, I know. Seriously looking at some Strada [/url]wheels.

Forgot to add the brakes are Spooky carbon’s

Yeah really do fancy tubs, partly for the performance and partly for the tradition

Njee, is that a PT on your MTB? Interesting.

Nice work!

Rode one way as a 15 year old on a 15 speed Peageot Alpina, but the thought of coming back again is really quite something else. Chapeau

How does it work for the athletes then?

Names on a list, anyone using Shimano, anyone racing?

Racing at the Swedish XC championships

@ Vondally – its a 2011 9.9ssl, I had a 2009 model but the chainstay cracked so I got a new frame through Treks’s lifetime warranty.

It has a tapered headtube which I found surprisingly stiffer than the older model.

Its a BB90 press-fit. I’ve got a spare set of “Enduro mr2437-llb” bearings for it

I only have a XC race bike. I don’t feel the need for anything else for the areas where I ride.

Just under 9KG with an XT build, light but no weight-weenie

It’s what governments/countries do. The question is whether to tax people to raise money, or stop giving so much out.

Hunted, Angels, or Downward Spiral. All three will give you a good going over.

If the music bothers you so much then buy the group edition as there is an option to download a version with no soundtrack.

3T ARX pro, run them on my MTB and CX bikes, (with matching bars obviously), lovely

Yes potential weight issue with an X, agreed.

Yes Wiggle only seem to have the Team listed for delivery in the UK, however I live in Sweden and they have the whole range listed, all be it not in stock.

I’m the UK currently and planning to pay Halfords a visit to see one in the flesh.

Bream did you race Ränneslästuren yesterday?

‘Tis a fair point, however they are popular for a reason.

BMC? Love ’em or hate them frame design, but not as common.

The new Neil Pryde, Bianchi, Wilier, the list of nice stuff is endless….. getting a test ride is another matter though

That’s a lot of bike, I’d certainly want more than a mountain bikes forum’s opinion before spending that amount of cash.

Never ridden a Parlee, but at that level I’d look at Cervelo

Works fine, I ride my CX with road rubber on, on the club road rides without an issue.

See Tim Johnson riding his Cannodale CX bike in the Rapha films, he could easily get a road bike from his sponsors, but instead chose to stick slicks on his CX.

They are not made for the trail centre rider, to quote “the answer to the elite racers demands “.

Tubs are excellent for XC races where pits are never too far away. Would I ride them for a three hour blast on the trails, no.

A change from riding trails to roads helps keep to mind and mojo fresh, especially if you ride the same trails/roads all the time. However you can just pump up the tyres, or better yet get a set of new wheels with slicks on for the MTB.

If you’re serious about racing/training then road riding is an option worth looking into, although more for longer marathon races than standard XC IMO/IME.

Running is good for running, cycling is good for cycling. Both work the heart and lungs but use different muscles. Mo Farah doesnt cycle a lot, Wiggins doesn’t run a lot, go figure

Do you want to improve your performance at MTB races or justify buying a road bike?

Unquestionably yes. Back in the beginning the likes of Gould and Baker cam from huge road training backgrounds, (and won just about everything in the UK), and nothing much has changed. There was even a video of the Atherton’s riding road bikes for training.

The simple answer is that you pedal more on road, stop less, (once out of the city/town), and generally work at a more consistent and higher heart rate

The Rapha tubs are bigger than needed to hold the content, (they’d be somewhat odd if they didn’t), however this is so they work aesthetically.

Both mine were sufficiently filled not to concern me.

Tested mine down to minus 15 over here, no issues. I find the cold restricts my lungs before my legs to be honest.

Frankly if you go from 0 to 100% without warming up, in any weather, you get what is coming to you

I use Rapha’s embrocation and chamois cream

Yes, just don’t get it mixed up with the chamois cream, or apply them in the wrong order.

Smells great, warms the legs, especially in the wet, feels traditional. Adds another 5 minutes to the pre-ride faff.

If its for both racing and general riding then I’d seriously look at a Cotic X with the Ultegra groupset and get a couple of pairs of disk wheels built up, one set with tubs for racing and one set of normal clinchers.

See Strada for wheels.

Yes the Cotic is not super light, but unless you’re looking at top 5 then over the course of an hours, (40 minutes?), race I’d sacrifice a little weight for a such a more all round bike.

70KM of wet, heavy going gravel roads, beautiful riding on the cross bike

That’s the one!
Tomac – Check
Drop bars – check
Tioga disk back wheel – check

There is a bike shop over here with one of those Yeti frames he raced on, (as in he raced it, not just a replica), and those AlpineStars shoes he raced in, go there just to inspired every so often. Class.

We need a picture of Tim Gould winning the world champs hill climb

American Classics, very nice, good strength to weight ratio, beautiful hubs, and well priced

Disk brakes, fatter wheels, stronger, more relaxed geometry

10kg is with everything, pedals, cage, bar ends.

9.9ssl frame size 19.5
2010 Reba race with remote lockout
American Classic tubeless wheelset with RR and NN tyres and normal tubes
Complete XT gears and brakes
3T alloy bars and stem

I race the Swedish “long race series” on it, not sure if that’s marathon or not. All races are between 80 and 110KM, so race time between 3 and half and 4 and half hours.

I find it very comfortable, especially with bar ends to give my hands a more relaxed feel.