Photos have emerged today of a new trail bike from Giant. Sporting 650B (27.5") wheels, internal "stealth" dropper post routing and ISCG05 chainguide tabs this bike has all the modern add-ons expected for a trail weapon in 2013. Travel is expected to be around 150mm with both aluminium and carbon options to cater to all budgets.
This bike is likely to be a direct contender with the Santa Cruz Bronson, Banshee Spitfire and the rest of the crop of 650B trail bikes. The prototype weighed in at a svelte 12.4kg (27.4lbs) which is lighter than the build on the Bronson featured at it's launch (claimed weight ~28lbs with an actual weight closer to 30).
650B wheels are supposedly the best of both worlds, the rolling abilities of the 29er with the agility of 26 however the lack of tyres, wheels and spares limits build up options. I for one am eager to try out one of the new trail bikes with 650B but only time will tell if this inbetweener size is here to stay.
Showing posts with label weights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weights. Show all posts
Friday, 12 April 2013
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Motivation
Motivation is something that we all want, yet for the most part (for me at least) is something I find fairly hard to obtain. Certainly in the depths of winter, with pouring rain clattering against the window, the urge to get my bike out from the garage and go for a ride is almost non-existent! Even if the ride itself is enjoyable, the hideous routine of cleaning my bike back to mint condition, only for it to get coated the next weekend is something I battle with on a regular basis. Cleaning my bike is a joy and I love being able to spend a couple of hours making sure every little nook and cranny is mud free and sparkling, yet it is massively demoralizing that within 100m of trail the bike will look exactly as it did before with perhaps slightly more mud.
Perhaps then, it's the current state of the trail network that's putting me off riding. With the torrential rain that's fallen over the recent days and weeks, each slither of dirt winding it's way through the forest has degraded to little more than one big puddle. During summer I live on the trails, drifting turns, boosting jumps and having a blast, but in the winter the speed drops so dramatically that the sections which were once flat out and insanely fun to ride have become slow and uninspiring. So have I stopped riding? Short answer no. Although I spend less time out on the trails over winter on my mountain bike, I still put the miles in, and spend more time on my road bike. This coupled with regular gym sessions to boost cardio and strength mean that once the good weather does eventually turn up I'll be fighting fit to enjoy it!
Overall I think that leaving the bike to a degree over winter is a good thing. It allows me to relax and turn my attention to something else instead of just doing something again and again for the sake of doing it. In my mind, it's better to ride less often, but when you do ride have an absolutely incredible time, than to ride on a regular basis and not particularly enjoy it!
Perhaps then, it's the current state of the trail network that's putting me off riding. With the torrential rain that's fallen over the recent days and weeks, each slither of dirt winding it's way through the forest has degraded to little more than one big puddle. During summer I live on the trails, drifting turns, boosting jumps and having a blast, but in the winter the speed drops so dramatically that the sections which were once flat out and insanely fun to ride have become slow and uninspiring. So have I stopped riding? Short answer no. Although I spend less time out on the trails over winter on my mountain bike, I still put the miles in, and spend more time on my road bike. This coupled with regular gym sessions to boost cardio and strength mean that once the good weather does eventually turn up I'll be fighting fit to enjoy it!
Overall I think that leaving the bike to a degree over winter is a good thing. It allows me to relax and turn my attention to something else instead of just doing something again and again for the sake of doing it. In my mind, it's better to ride less often, but when you do ride have an absolutely incredible time, than to ride on a regular basis and not particularly enjoy it!
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Progress
Although this is only my second week at the gym, the combination of a regular work out and a healthier diet (cutting out the chocolate) seems to be working wonders! When I first started gym work I could do 10 reps of the 80kg leg press, with a goal of just being able to press the 124kg weight (twice my body weight) yet just one week on I accomplished my goal doing 10 reps with the 124, something I was not expecting!
It's not just weights I've been doing at the gym however and cardio work plays an important role as I'll need to be fighting fit for the Megavalanche! As such I've been hitting the treadmills, spin bikes and cross trainer! The cross trainer is a particularly miserable experience, as you sweat gallons of liquid onto the surrounding equipment, silently crying inside. Although not remotely enjoyable it is really good for cardio work outs and improving my general fitness, so the suffering is worth it!
All in all I'm a big fan of the gym, and plan to keep training right up until the Mega, hopefully peaking fitness just before then! Over and out for now.
It's not just weights I've been doing at the gym however and cardio work plays an important role as I'll need to be fighting fit for the Megavalanche! As such I've been hitting the treadmills, spin bikes and cross trainer! The cross trainer is a particularly miserable experience, as you sweat gallons of liquid onto the surrounding equipment, silently crying inside. Although not remotely enjoyable it is really good for cardio work outs and improving my general fitness, so the suffering is worth it!
All in all I'm a big fan of the gym, and plan to keep training right up until the Mega, hopefully peaking fitness just before then! Over and out for now.
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Training
As some of the readers may know I've recently got tickets to ride the 2013 Megavalanche in Alp d'Huez, 30km of insanely difficult downhill trails interspersed with some short but steep climbs in case we find it too easy - fat chance!
As a result I've decided some serious training is in order to make sure I can enjoy the race and with that in mind I signed up to a gym yesterday and completed my first spin session there. A class basically consists of a group of sweating people hunched over exercise bikes whilst a piece of lycra carrying a woman screams abuse (read words of encouragement) loudly at you. The clear upside of this is that little of her words make it through to you over the overwhelming pounding of the music that although designed to motivate us to push harder, only succeeded in deafening all those involved.
Having said all this and shown an apparent dislike to the event my experience was in fact the polar opposite. I found the instructions of the leader to be handy, and more effective than just plodding along in the same gear, whilst the music did seem to help phase out the screams of agony from my legs! All in all I found I pushed far harder than I would have on a normal bike ride, sweating multiple gallons and was eager to do it again.
So what's next? Well I plan to spin twice a week and go to the gym at least once, maybe more dependent on cost/free time etc and hopefully will find my local Sunday rides to get easier, more fun and faster; ready for the Megavalanche in July - bring it on!
As a result I've decided some serious training is in order to make sure I can enjoy the race and with that in mind I signed up to a gym yesterday and completed my first spin session there. A class basically consists of a group of sweating people hunched over exercise bikes whilst a piece of lycra carrying a woman screams abuse (read words of encouragement) loudly at you. The clear upside of this is that little of her words make it through to you over the overwhelming pounding of the music that although designed to motivate us to push harder, only succeeded in deafening all those involved.
Having said all this and shown an apparent dislike to the event my experience was in fact the polar opposite. I found the instructions of the leader to be handy, and more effective than just plodding along in the same gear, whilst the music did seem to help phase out the screams of agony from my legs! All in all I found I pushed far harder than I would have on a normal bike ride, sweating multiple gallons and was eager to do it again.
So what's next? Well I plan to spin twice a week and go to the gym at least once, maybe more dependent on cost/free time etc and hopefully will find my local Sunday rides to get easier, more fun and faster; ready for the Megavalanche in July - bring it on!
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