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Blog August 14, 2020

Canyon Crash Replacement: is it worth it?

I’ve written before about my own experience as a 2nd-hand owner of a Canyon bike after breaking my frame, but I thought it would be interesting to document another story. This time, the story of someone who is actually covered by Canyon’s crash warranty. This is the story of a Local Apex Predator and his Canyon Ultimate CF SLX. Here goes. The damage in the photos below was caused when the fully…

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Blog Featured August 13, 2020

If there was ever any doubt, AERO IS KING!

If you haven’t already read the Shaving Time post, go do that. Will save me the trouble of repeating myself too much. For those that couldn’t be bothered, the TLDR; is that there’s a local ITT, I’ve been playing with different kit, setups, etc. The latest test was a multi-combo; two big changes: a much lower body position + aero wheels, and two minor: aero socks (rubbish) + 1200 lumen headlamp (it…

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Blog Featured August 10, 2020

Specialized S-Works Power Cranks Broken

It’s never great when something breaks, but when that thing is an expensive power meter, it really sucks… In this case, it’s the right side power meter – which while everything looks good in the Specialized Power Cranks app, just isn’t reporting any power. My “solution” so far has to been to remove the battery from the right crank, and just run one-sided, so at least the left-side doubles the power and…

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Blog July 31, 2020

Maybe wait a bit for the marketing emails, Garmin.

It could just be me, but I find it super annoying that whatever system Garmin uses to send out marketing emails, has come back up before they have Garmin Connect fully working again. This is the second email I’ve received trying convince me that I really ought to buy a Venu since they experienced a total system failure last week. As someone who works in IT, I totally get that different teams…

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Blog Featured July 30, 2020

FAQ it

Added a FAQ to the site. The intent is something that’s approachable no matter what your level in the game is. It is intended to be a living document, and so feel free to offer suggestions on new questions, tell me where I’m wrong, etc. FAQ…

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Blog July 29, 2020

Three tips for getting faster

I am in no way qualified to give general training advice, but having made the transition from slow, to significantly less slow (still have work to do); these are a few of the things that have worked for me. Of course, saying them out loud is a lot easier than actually doing it, but here goes: 1) Get a bike computer and associated sensors. It’s much easier to understand when the “suffering”…

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Blog Featured July 28, 2020

Shaving time

Having become quite comfortable breaking the rules, more than a couple on the screenshot above even, I’ve resisted the urge to signal membership in the cycling collective. As one might reasonably guess, that time is done, at least temporarily. But, have no fear! I will hold steadfast on my other violations. First of, I am surprised that anyone who has shaved their legs does it more than once. What an absolutely horrible…

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Blog July 21, 2020

Going downhill with Strava

Believe me, I’m as tired of banging on about how much Strava sucks, as you are about reading me bang on about how much Strava sucks. But, there is so much suck, and I have to write about something ;)… I’ve mentioned before that Live Segments are the only reason I pay for Strava, and while that might seem like an exaggeration, it’s not. Sure, routes are nice, and the “analysis” is…

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Blog July 15, 2020

MAP’g Game Theory

IMO, MAP is stupid and anti-consumer. Contractual obligations that extend beyond that to assure that a retail will not sell below SRP, even more so. I understand why OEMs like it, and why dealers have to play along, but that doesn’t really change the fundamentals. It is an attempt to subvert market forces, and while it’s in someone’s interest, it’s not in mine. Ultimately, it’s ineffective too. As long as you have…

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