[Fultonius]

Turbo Trainer Knowledge?

Righty-ho you bunch of smooth legged roady freaks, tell me, what turbo trainer should I get? 

What I'm looking for is something not too expensive that has a good range of varying resistance, fairly quiet and not horifically expensive. I need the resistance to be able to go very light as I'm using this to rehab my PCL/PFL ligaments and to start with it'll just be spinning with no resistnace.

I might sell it when I'm finished rehabbing, so I don't mind spending a bit more to get something that will be easier to sell.

Any thoughts?

[mr__j5]

I have a Gist Fluid Turbo Trainer that I think rides really nicely and was much cheaper than most fluid turbos at £120 but they don't seem to be available anymore.

However, it is the only trainer that I have owned, but it is certainly much smoother than the short goes that I have had on the more basic resistance style trainers.

The resistance range is also more than enough. Lowest resistance is basically none and I can't ride highest resistance in anything like top gear.

[chappers]

tacx sirrus.

[Fultonius]

  Looks like good options!

If the recent ebay madness continues (I got silly money for some stuff recently) I'd probably get nearly RRP for it...

[jfw]

londis - whistle blower, revenge mad - or both??

http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showpost.php?p=213765&postcount=474

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/may/20/floyd-landis-doping-tour

[Palomides]

Dynamite.

If he actually has anything to back up even one of his accusations then it's huge. I actually feel sorry for the guy, his email reeks of stress and despair (unless it's delusion)

Nice to see the expected responses already:
WADA: "Hmm, that's interesting."
Andy Rihs: "Lies, lies, lies"
Pat McQuaid: "Bluster,bluster,bluster"
Vaughters: "Let's live in the present"

Any bets on whether Armstrong comes out with a straight denial, legal action, or just ignores it??

[fatdoc]

Holy fucking shit.

So, not only have I wasted 100s of hours watching this drug fuelled shite... ( I knew that already..)

but there is an individual who will stand up and be counted.

 - you go positive... go get a life ban -

only way for me to bother following the sport from now on..

respect to Landis.. even if one revelation is true... that's it. the sport is mired..

pull all the TV for one year.. that'll sort it.

[Percy B]

I'm really not bothered by the new Landis revelations.....

A) Its all bullshit from a generation of cyclists that have had their day and are due for retirement if they haven't already done so

B) Landis is bitter, mental and ginger

and C) Its all ancient history.

On a more positive note, check this website out. Has a nice blog about roadie stuff regularly updated, and they are a nice bunch of people to ride with...

http://www.lasquadra.co.uk/

Recommended if your a S Yorks based roadie who doesn't want the hassle of joining a 'proper club', but fancies getting a good beasting by likeminded folk....

[jfw]

Are the younger generation of riders any different?

I kind of know or think that the whole elite are on drugs - and are still brilliant athletes.

I just think its kind of intriguing the scale of the denial - have things changed? has drug use declined? does it just continue to evolve in sophistication?

I read robert millar's biography, the author interviewed a tour doctor - his ethic were basically that the riding these guys do takes so much out of you that the administration of hormones etc was justified medical treatment.

i  always think why is altitude training any different to epo? why are vitamin shots ok, but not hormones?

Would they be better allowing anything / everything - or say allowing epo - up to a certain hemocrit level?

[mr__j5]

On a more positive note, check this website out. Has a nice blog about roadie stuff regularly updated, and they are a nice bunch of people to ride with...

http://www.lasquadra.co.uk/

Recommended if your a S Yorks based roadie who doesn't want the hassle of joining a 'proper club', but fancies getting a good beasting by likeminded folk....

I was really tempted until I found the ride description bit that killed it for me: " ... stopped at a cafe ... "

I guess I am always destined to ride on my own or with a small select few.

I don't like starting at 9am.
I don't like stopping along the way.
But I'm not a racer. I'm only after 50 miles in 3-3 1/2 hours.

This doesn't seem to fit in with many other peoples ride styles.

[cowboyhat]

The thread on cycling news is amazing. The overiding perception is that everyone was/is doing it and thats just the way things are. Maybe I'm being naive but can it really be/have been like that with all the constant testing? Aren't some people just better athletes and are better prepared than others?

It seems a bit like a 9/11 conspiracy, too many people involved over too long a period of time. Or maybe uci/wada etc are all involved too?

I don't care either way, its just very interesting. Percy summed it up.

[clm]

the 'its the way cycling was then, its fine, get over it' statement is coming up again and again on the cycling news thread and it bugs the crap out of me. Its cheating. If it wasn't they would let them do it.

[Percy B]

Agreed. I think the fact that riding the Grand Tours competitively is fundamentally too hard for many/most pro cyclists to be able to survive, and thus the need for pharmacutical support became the norm. Trying to stop the use of drugs in a sport that has evolved and become the spectacle it is thanks to widespread drug-use was never going to be easy, but at least now they are trying.
It really is a nightmare scenario for the race organisers - a bit like saying to the F1 organisers that this year all the drivers will go back to using Ford Ka's because the modern F1 cars are cheating - except that in this case its not about mechincal things like cars or bikes, its about the super-charged riders full of EPO, etc. Suddenly finding that your Tour de France is going to be riden at an average of 25mph instead of last years 35mph, and that many of the riders will have to get off and walk on some of the mountain stages 'cos they aren't allowed a pre-race blod transfusion and a shot of testosterone any more might be a little worrying for some of the sponsors and TV companies. Or am I just a cynical old git...

The precedent has been set by previous generations, and I personally think drug use is the worst sort of cheating. However, going back and fixing the problem was always going to be a long and ugly affair - lets hope they continue to root out the cheats. Lets not forget that almost all the heroes of cycling were probably full of illegal substances - Merckx, Coppi, the whole damn lot of them

[fatkid2000]

Got to agree with Percy - I struggle to get my head round how a human can cycle for 3 weeks at the speeds achieved in the Grand tours without some help. Maybe things are changing as the speeds are slowing down, some of Pantani's 'record' ascents will never be beaten. The thing that baffles me is that some pretty fit friends of mine have got round L'etape - and they all thought the pros are either super-human or on drugs to be able to do it day after day.

On a different note - I seem to have developed Fatdoc's ability at destroying stuff - in the past 2 months my repairs have been:

1) Rear mech of the summer bike - sheared off at the the hanger. Alex at La bicicletta has never seen such a bolt sheared in the same way.
2) Rear Mech of winter bike - totally seized up & not indexable.
3) Left ergo-power lever - lever for moving to big ring sheared off and internal spring knackered - Winter bike.
4) Knackered front mechs on both bikes.
5) 5 punctures in 2 weeks.

Mind you both groupsets are 3 years old - maybe time for a new bike!!

[jfw]

its always time for a new bike 

[Baron]

Speaking of which, went in to la bicicletta yesterday. What a nice chap Alex is. Gave me a very good price on building up an Argon 18 Krypton. Only decision now - veloce, 105 or ultegra. Thoughts?

[soapy]

di-2

[Palomides]

Force?

(or Rival - then there's room in your budget for a Gruber Assist...)

[chappers]

Speaking of which, went in to la bicicletta yesterday. What a nice chap Alex is. Gave me a very good price on building up an Argon 18 Krypton. Only decision now - veloce, 105 or ultegra. Thoughts?

if its 2010 ultegra, get that.

[cowboyhat]

Speaking of which, went in to la bicicletta yesterday. What a nice chap Alex is. Gave me a very good price on building up an Argon 18 Krypton. Only decision now - veloce, 105 or ultegra. Thoughts?

Is the bathroom finished then?

I'm very happy with Ultegra.

[Baron]

Priority fail

[fatkid2000]

So this is how Cancellera manages to ride so fast!

[fatdoc]

fuck.. right.. will this get a 40lb FR rig up a fire road??

if so there is a MASSIVE sales opportunity here.

christ.. I'll have 3!!

[Percy B]

You need 3 

[clm]

im not having that it produces enough torque. And the commissaires are so bloody picky, how on earth could that pass them by?
They seem to have ignored the fact that cancellara is massive guns! Riding away from a sprint finish in the tour is no mean feat. I loved the moment in the roubaix this year when one guy went after him tgen had a massive 'well fuck you then' paddy when he couldnt hold the wheel.