{"id":283,"date":"2012-10-01T06:28:19","date_gmt":"2012-10-01T04:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/?p=283"},"modified":"2013-10-13T01:12:21","modified_gmt":"2013-10-12T23:12:21","slug":"trends-for-the-argus-cycle-tour-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/?p=283","title":{"rendered":"Trends for the Argus Cycle Tour 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is what we expect to see at the Argus Cycle Tour <\/strong><\/p>\n

Aero Road bikes …. such as Specialized Venge and the Felt AR Series<\/p>\n

More crazies will be riding single-speed bikes with events like Moonlight Mass getting more of these bikes on the road<\/p>\n

More 29\u2019er MTB with slicks \u2013 should offer a 29\u2019er category! – Total wheel (with tyres) circumference even bigger than 700c road wheels<\/p>\n

29\u2019er riders will battle for top speed on 2-chainring cranks with 30-something, 20-something chain ring combinations (change to 42-28 chain ring combinations and you\u2019ll be okay) and 1 x 11 SRAM gearing<\/p>\n

Get the right saddle \u2013 sit bone width and women\u2019s specific<\/p>\n

Buy good cycling shorts or bib shorts \u2013 imported Italian chamois\u2019s (Castelli is well-priced, imported Italian brand)<\/p>\n

Nearly everyone will be (or should be) on compact crank sets \u2013 lose a little top speed but climbing is oh-so-easy<\/p>\n

Shimano Tiagra is now in a 10-speed on budget bikes \u2013 less than R10 000<\/p>\n

Most (90%?) riders don\u2019t need more than a Shimano 105 or SRAM Rival group set<\/p>\n

Carbon with Dura-Ace spec means you GOTTA be fast! Or embarrassed! Or rich!<\/p>\n

Riders are leaning toward \u2018plush\u2019 road bikes (more relaxed angles \u2013 more comfortable rides) such as the Specialized Roubaix<\/p>\n

Pump your tyres as hard as the tyre specifies! Fast and almost puncture proof.<\/p>\n

Clean your chain (and entire drive train) \u2013 dirt really does slow you down and wears quicker.<\/p>\n

Want to lose weight \u2013 drink water during short training rides (less than 2 hours)<\/p>\n

Supplements with sodium, magnesium and potassium are always a good bet against cramp.<\/p>\n

Pump your tyres with nitrogen \u2013 lighter, cooler and faster. Mmmm…maybe?<\/p>\n

Cycle GPS computers are rewarding!<\/p>\n

Watch out for old-school bikes, commuters and unicycles.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t tell the pilot on a tandem that his pillion rider is not pedalling \u2013 everyone does, it is irritating, so don\u2019t say it because it ain\u2019t funny anymore!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect miracles from the local bike shop on the Saturday (or the week) before your race on Sunday \u2013 and expect to pay and be patient!<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t experiment with supplements and energy drinks the week before the race.<\/p>\n

That said – be careful what your purchase at the cycle expo<\/p>\n

Mountain bikers \u2013 get your road tyres (aka slicks) now before they\u2019re sold out. You\u2019ll need smaller tubes too \u2013 26 or 29 x 1.5.<\/p>\n

Buy a few CO2 \u2018bombs\u2019 for the Argus. Why pomp if a blow job will do?<\/p>\n

If it rains, lower your tyre pressures by 10%.<\/p>\n

Wear sunglasses\/eye protection \u2013 preferably photo-chromatic<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget the Argus MTB Challenge the weekend before the ACT.<\/p>\n

Wearing a safety-rated helmet proves that Your brain is worth it.<\/p>\n

Lube your bike \u2013 creaky bikes will drive your fellow riders crazy.<\/p>\n

If the Cape doctor is active ditch those deep section wheels.<\/p>\n

Spare a thought for the late starters \u2013 they will know who the winner is before they even start!<\/p>\n

Avoid cat eyes, drain covers and the back wheels of other riders\u2026 And spectators and their dogs.<\/p>\n

Most of all set reasonable goals and ENJOY the experience<\/p>\n

I plan to – 2013 will be my 21st Argus – I just hope the Club 21 cycle-top design will be cool<\/p>\n

Stirling Snr<\/p>\n

October 2012<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is what we expect to see at the Argus Cycle Tour Aero Road bikes …. such as Specialized Venge and the Felt AR Series More crazies will be riding single-speed bikes with events like Moonlight Mass getting more of …<\/p>\n

Trends for the Argus Cycle Tour 2013<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":286,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,13,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-banter","category-debate","category-handytips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=283"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":797,"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/283\/revisions\/797"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.revolutioncycles.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}