End your dull monochromatic life

If you're into top quality kit and like to stand out from the masses, many of which lead a dull monochromatic life, then this might be for you.  We have in stock the following pile of BLING, ideal for breathing life into your current bike or maybe to strap onto a nice new frame! 

Crank Brother Iodine Wheels (Orange)   £700
SRAM X0 Shifters (Tango orange)         £210
SRAM X0 Rear Mech (Tango Orange)  £190
SRAM PG990 Cassette (Orange)          £90
RaceFace Atlas Chainset (Orange)         £190
RaceFace Atlas Bar (Orange)                £65

Total Cost Seperately £1445

Offer Price £995!

Endura Stealth Jacket Review

I bought this jacket a couple of months ago based on the good reviews it has got. However I have bought other pricey items before based on good reviews and been a bit disappointed.

The Endura Stealth is a soft-shell water proof with pit zips and is fairly close fitting making it suitable for both road and mtb. This is its first plus point! I have an Assos Airjack which is road specific; obviously it can be worn on the mtb but one ‘off’ or a brush past a thorny hedge would do it some serious damage. The Endura fabric is a lot tougher.

The fit is good and the zips are good quality. A poor quality zip can be so annoying when riding and trying to undo / do up.

The pit zips are cleverly placed so they can be opened and closed with a rucksack / camelback on. There are two sets of pit-zips: large ones that open towards the hip and smaller ones under the arm itself.

I think pit zips are crucial when wearing a windproof as you can overheat so easily. I have a number of cheaper windproofs that I rarely wear because they feel like boil-in-a-bag items. Open the front zip and they just balloon at the back.

In the cold weather the jacket has been great. I would prefer a higher, softer collar but the use of a buff sorts out that issue.

Whilst the fit of my £200+ Assos Airjack is more snug and I love wearing it, I think the Endura is better value for money and more wearable in more situations. I have not tried it for hours in heavy rain but will update this review after another couple of months use. So far though I would give it an 85% score. It only really loses marks on the collar and because I have not had it for long enough to try it in all weathers for prolonged periods.

I have just bought the Stealth Lite bib-tights also and these fit well and should make wet weather riding much more fun… review also to follow. mph.

Cranberry Oat Flapjack - For Energy and Immunity!

5oz Porridge oats
4oz Demerara sugar
3oz dried cranberries
4oz marg, melted
Oil for greasing  (not the sort found in the garage though!)

Preheat oven to 190 deg C (170 in fan oven) and grease a shallow 11” x 7” tin.
Stir oats, sugar and cranberries together in a bowl. Pour in melted marg and stir thoroughly until combined. Press oat and cranberry mixture into prepared tin and bake for 15-20 min until golden.
Remove from oven, mark up into 14 bars but leave to cool for 5 min in tin. Cool on a wire rack.


Enjoy!

How to build a Pace 104 Singlespeed 69er

So what's all that about you might be asking yourself???

Well, I used to have a Trek 69er singlespeed and loved it! Originally when I bought the Trek I was going to spec a custom build singlespeed, but nothing really fitted the bill and looking at the 69er I was won over by the concept and the spec. The frame on the Trek is aluminium and is a real piece of art with lots of smooth wide extrusions stretching all the way down to the BB. All these helped to make the frame super stiff, and that's where, perhaps, the only problem was. If anything the Trek was a little too stiff, especially on longer rides. 

However, as a concept a 69er has some great advantages - a 29" front wheel just glides over the trail smoothing out all those hollows, small bumps, rocks and not forgetting all those roots. It does this by having a smaller angle of attack on the trail as the wheels circumference is greater than its 26" cousin. Also, the larger circumference gives you a bigger contact patch with the trail making it grip more in fast corners. Meanwhile! the rear 26" wheel gives you all that fast direct drive & acceleration of a conventional bike. Of course there are always trade offs but the only real disadvantage I found was that cornering through tight switchbacks can be a little tricky as the wheel base is a little stretched out over a standard 26" wheelset, but this is something you get used to pretty quick and is easily adjusted with line choice.

So, when Pace - http://www.pacecycles.com/ - introduced the 104 last year, a plan started to evolve for the Treks replacement. As a bit of a Pace nut, I love the design concept and retro cues in the detailing on the frame but best of all it is a steel frame so the ride is never going to be as stiff as the Trek. Another consideration is that the Pace has sliding dropouts with a mech hanger on the drive side so if I want I can gear it as well. But, what sealed it for me as a replacement for the Trek is that a medium Pace 104 is nearly exactly the same geometry as the 17.5" Trek I was riding, so this made it the perfect choice for a new improved 69er.

Racing XC last year in the Hope sponsored Brownbacks Series - http://www.brownbacksracing.co.uk/ - was to prove quite lucrative! Winning the Weekend Warrior class provided me with a set of Hope Tech X2 brakes. Also, the prize money I had won (to be spent at Blazing Saddle in Hebden Bridge) was going to build me a singlespeed specific rear wheel. I chose the White Industries ENO hub to base it around. I have to admit this is a bit of bling as they are really beautiful things to look at in the polished finish. I already had the cranks & BB which are a pair of Middleburn RS8's & SKF BXC, both ISIS. So having already got a good 50% of the build all I needed now was a frame and I was almost there! and after a happy accident in the shop Big Bear Bikes were left with a medium sized frame, but in purple, well that was all the excuse I needed really and the 104 was falling into place!! I wanted the bike to be pearlescent white and having had a frame resprayed before I knew where I could get a descent job done. Argos Racing in Brisol - http://argoscycles.com/ - do some quality work when it comes to resprays, so off the frame went and the finished job does not disapoint. The fork choice for the build was easy as there is only one worth getting as far as I am concerned and that's a Fox F-29 and they also do it in white. As a recent convert to Stan's ZTR rims the white Crest had to be the only choice for the wheels. The Crest's are light enough for the build and they do them in both 26" & 29" ! Hope's Pro II front hub is as light as anything else around and in the silver finish would compliment the White Ind rear and finished in silver spokes the wheels would work out quite well too. The remaining build is the rest of my favourite kit - Easton post & bars, Hope stem, Ergon grips & Bontrager saddle.

Put it all together and voila! you've got a custom built singlespeed 69er.

Mike

Full spec as follows:

Frame: 104 (medium - custom respray pearlescent white)
Fork: Fox F-29 RLC FIT air (120mm)
Headset: Hope
Stem: Hope 90mm (zero degree)
Handlebar: Easton Downhill Monkeylite (hi-rise)
Grips: Ergon GX1 (white)
Brakeset: Hope Tech X2's (180mm front / 160mm rear)
Seat Clamp: Hope
Seat Post: Easton EC70 Zero
Saddle: Bontrager Evoke RXL
Bottom Bracket: SKF BXC ISIS 118mm
Crank Arms: Middleburm RS8's (ISIS)
Chain Ring: Middleburn 34
Freehub: White Industries 18T (trials)
Chain: Sram PC7X (heavy duty BMX)
Front Wheel:  Hope Pro II hub (silver), DT Swiss double butted spokes (silver) & 29" ZTR Crest rim (white) - tubeless
Rear Wheel: White Industries ENO bolt-in Singlespeed hub (silver), DT Swiss double butted spokes (silver) & with 26" ZTR Crest rim (white) - tubeless
Tyres: Bontrager Mud-X 2.0 rear / Bontrager FR3 2.35 front

Late Availability - Cycling Fitness Assessment !!!

York St John University 

PHYSIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT REPORT

  

BASELINE MEASURES – JUNE 2010

 

Fitness Test Results Summary

TABLE 1:  Overview of critical fitness test scores

Parameter	Score
VO2max (ml.kg-1.min-1)	54.9
LT2:     Power Output (W)             Heart Rate (b.min-1)             %VO2max @ Threshold	210 153 64.9
Peak Power Output (W)	360

Physiological Characteristics

TABLE 2:  Physiological Characteristics

Stature (cm)	Body Mass (kg)	Resting Blood Pressure (mmHg)
183.5	90.7	132 / 83

The resting blood pressure measurement was slightly higher than the normal 120/80, however it cannot be considered a ‘true’ resting value.

  

Fitness Assessment Results

Endurance Fitness

In order to develop a full picture of your endurance trained state it is important to consider your:

• Aerobic Capacity (VO_2max)
• Lactate Threshold
• Cycling Economy

Aerobic Capacity

The preferred way of creating energy by the body is through the breakdown of substances using oxygen.  As work increases the amount of energy we need increases and therefore oxygen use increases.  This supply of oxygen by our systems eventually reaches a peak called VO_2max.

The higher this peak the more energy we can create and therefore the more work we can potentially do, but also the better our recovery from more intense bouts.  Therefore a high VO_2max is important to produce a high power outputs at high intensity and also recover more quickly after an intense bout.

TABLE 3:        Maximum Oxygen Uptake and Work Rate at Maximum Oxygen Uptake

Relative (ml.kg-1.min-1)	Cycling Work at (W)
54.9	360

This value can vary a great deal in the population from 30-80 ml.kg^-1.min^-1 depending on gender, age, trained status.  Your score is above average for your age and is indicative of a trained endurance athlete.  A norm score for an Australian elite senior male, track endurance rider in 1995 was 79.3 ml.kg^-1.min^-1 and this occurred at 453W.  You can expect improvements of up to 10% as a result of an endurance training programme.

Lactate Threshold

There comes a point in exercise where the supply of energy by oxygen cannot keep pace with the intensity of exercise we want to do.  Therefore our body uses other ways to create energy.  Anaerobic process are used which results in an accumulation of lactic acid.  Two thresholds are identified as a result of this lactate production:

• LT1 point at which blood lactate first increases above resting levels
• LT2/OBLA the point at which there is an upward turn in the lactate curve or where blood lactate exceeds 4mmol.l^-1 due to accumulation of blood lactate

At these intensities the body cannot continue indefinitely therefore the higher LT2 the more work we can do for longer.  Therefore if you improve your LT2 it means you could ride at the same speed as before, but place less physiological stress on the body or ride faster than before under the same physiological condition.

Heart rate provides an easy measurement for monitoring the intensity you are riding at in relation your lactate threshold.  These are used to create the HR training zones identified later in the report.  For you the two LT points occur at:

Heart rate at LT1         135 b.min^-1

Heart rate at LT2         153 b.min^-1

Even better you could gauge work rate (W) during your training.  This is unusual for an amateur athlete to be able to do and calibration is important between the bike you did the test on and your training device.  The work rates your thresholds occurred at were:

Work rate at LT1         150W

Work rate at LT2         210 W

The most important aspect of lactate threshold is the % of your VO_2max at which it occurs as this is the best indicator of endurance trained state (Figure 2).  This identifies the proportion of your maximal aerobic power you can produce without negative physiological consequences.  For trained athletes LT2 is normally between 70 and 95% of VO_2max.  Yours occurred at 64.9% of VO_2max and is illustrated in the graph below.  This is a key area for improvement for you as your VO_2max itself is already fairly high.

Cycling Economy

This is the oxygen cost / energy cost of riding at a given intensity for 6 minutes.  This was not measured under ideal conditions but it can be predicted.  This can be compared on your next visit and should be reduced.  This would indicate that your muscles are more efficient in converting chemical energy (food) into mechanical energy (pedal stroke power).

Speed / Work Rate	Oxygen Cost / Energy Expenditure
180W	2.82 l.min-1

Training Recommendations

Training Zone Rides

Base Zone                  Steady Ride

                                    @ 150-180W at a heart rate of 135-145 b.min^-1

                                    >60min

Threshold Zone         Tempo Ride

                                    @ 210-240W at a heart rate of 153-161 b.min^-1

                                    10 min lower end, 2 min higher end, 30-60 min

High Intensity Training (HIT) Sessions

                              Six to nine 5min bouts @ 80% PPO (86% VO_2max)

                              This equates to intervals at 172-175 b.min^-1 or 290-300W

                              1 minute rest between bouts at about 100W

Big Hiting Hardtail - Pace 325.5 Custom Build

This is a custom build Pace 325.5 hardtail that we put together recently for a customer.  A different but very well thought through mixture of light-weight and more burly (160mm Lyrik Air fork/Bash Ring/Freeride Front Tyre) components.  The customer who is a previous Pace 303 owner loves the ride and chasing full-sus bikes downhill!  It shows how flexible the Pace design is!  The full spec list is and photos are below:

Spec as follows:

Frame: 325.5 (medium)
Fork: Rockshox Lyric Solo air (160mm)
Headset: Hope (intergrated)
Stem: Hope 70mm (zero degree)
Handlebar: Easton EC70 Monkeylite (hi-rise)
Shifters: Shimano SLX
Brakeset: Hope Tech M4's (200mm front / 160mm rear)
Seat Clamp: Hope QR
Seat Post: Kore carbon I-Beam
Saddle: SDG carbon I-Beam
Crank Arms: Shimano SLX
Chain Rings: Middleburn (24/34)
Bash Ring: e13 Turbocharger 36T
Front Mech: Shimano SLX Compact
Rear Mech: Shimano XT GS
Cassette: XT (11-34)
Chain: Sram 991
Wheel Set: DT 240 hubs with ZTR Arch rims (tubeless)
Tyres: Bontrager Mud-X 2.0 rear / Bontrager FRS 2.35 front

The Effects of Aging

Humans are often assumed to be at their peak of physical fitness in their late 20’s, and in physical decline from the early 30’s onwards. Although the number of “older” athletes reaching the top of their sports well beyond this age shows that this need not necessarily be so, like it or not it is well documented that as time goes by it takes its toll on the human body. When you reach your sixties, fitness becomes an increasingly important factor in your general health and well-being. Your reaction times are 20 per cent slower than at their peak. In your seventies, you will use up to 50 per cent of your aerobic capacity just to do everyday tasks, such as getting the shopping in.

So how does Father Time exert these changes on us? Thinking mainly in terms of attributes that affect healthy individuals (rather than the increase of diseases that may affect us as we age) it is reported that our maximum heart rate and VO2 max decline, strength reduces, body fat increases, ability to clear lactic acid reduces and bone density declines.

The good news however, is that exercise can have a big impact in reducing and delaying these effects. For example one indisputable outcome of aging is declining aerobic horsepower. Classically, this is measured via VO2 max, your maximum rate of oxygen usage per unit of body weight. For sedentary people, VO2 max typically declines by about 10 percent per decade after age 30. For athletes who keep in training, the rate of decline can often be held to about half that.

With regards to cardiac capacity, although your maximum heart rate drops about one beat per minute each year, the stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped out by the left ventricle to the body) naturally increases with age to compensate for this. In theory this maintains the cardiac output (which is a function of stroke volume multiplied by heart rate) so the amount of oxygen reaching the muscles is the same. A 50-year-old's heart might not beat as rapidly as it once did, but it can pump at least as much blood per minute. However, stroke volume can be significantly improved (increased) through aerobic training, and therefore if your heart becomes more efficient (because it is pumping more blood through with each contraction) then it stands to reason that your heart rate, both measured whilst exercising and whilst at rest drops. This in turn means that you maintain a large differential between your maximum heart rate (which is lowering naturally with age) and your resting heart rate. In other words you still have a good range of heart rates to utilize for different training zones.

However, if the heart is delivering as much oxygen as before, but VO2 max is declining, it must be that the muscles are becoming less adept at using it. What precisely is going on is still being disputed. However, all parties seem to be in agreement that if you do not use your muscles then you lose certain types of muscles fibres. Strength training should not be seen as the preserve of young people, in fact it may be more important to include elements of this type of training as you age.

It comes down to “use it or loose it”. 'Evidence suggests that if you stay active, the rate of physical decline is halved,' claims Mike Stroud (Author of Survival of the Fittest). It's a comforting thought! A bit of an endurance junkie (i.e. with Sir Ranulph Fiennes he did the 7 marathons on 7 Continents in 7 days) he believes the body is tuned for slow-burn efforts during its whole lifespan and that we have an evolutionary capability for it. “People who are doing extreme endurance events are voluntarily accessing this survival capacity. You just have to ask your body hard enough.”

'Evidence suggests that if you stay active, the rate of physical decline is halved,' claims Stroud. Now that's a  comforting thought! MF

Sunday Road Rides for 2011

It’s a shame these have stopped due to the bad weather but they will resume when sensible to do so. Having discussed with a few people the consensus of opinion is that it would be good to have a monthly ride and view it as a ‘challenge ride’ as the first one was back in November. The challenge will be the distance and the hills, the overall pace will be moderate though. These rides will be in the best and most scenic moors countryside. Distance would be 50-70 miles. I’ll give a couple of weeks notice before doing the first one. It’s still too icy on the higher moors sections at the moment though. A good alternative is to join in with the Malton Wheelers rides from the Malton train station at 9.00am.

In the mean time I will be riding Sunday mornings if not racing. These will be at a moderate / easy pace but on A roads and back roads away from the moors. If that’s of interest to you then give me some feedback or let the shop know and I’ll post up times when we plan to head out. mph.