Chopper Guard - All Comments

re: Democratising cycling performance enhancement

Tony Hammington — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 05:17:09 GMT

so what do with the other half bottle of Heineken ( presumption we are talking quarts here)??? If single, gulp feavourishly in preparation for other sort of bonking and hope virgin oil is past it's "use by date", if married, share with spouse in anticipation for other sort of bonking?

re: Bringing decency to nude cycling

chuckie34 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:15:01 GMT

I don't see how that will help Nick. If he wants to cycle naked then so be it. Good on him.

re: Cramped cycling style

John — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:03:52 GMT

Cramp. For me I carry a small tim (Wrigley's eclise mints container) that I pack 75% with tissue paper and then fill the balance with salt crystals. I usually get about 15 seconds advance warning of cramp coming on and that's when I dip my tongue into the container (keep the tin in the bento bag on the top bar for ease of access) and maybe ten crystals stick. Suck on these, take some water and the cramp dissappates within 30 seconds. After that I do the above about every 30 minutes for the balance of the race.

re: Cramped cycling style

Terry Mcdowell — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:32:39 GMT

I Also get Very bad Cramp , The Last big ride I did and no cramp , I drank plenty of water and a product called ELETE Electrolyte you mix with water or your hydration fluid for the whole week before the event , and i had two bottles of Horleys Replace and no cramp

re: Cramped cycling style

Greg — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:28:01 GMT

this sounds like a familiar story from some of my cycling events. Taupo 09 was probably the worst, calves & quads both legs, training could have been better, but nutrition and hydration during the ride was ok. At SRAM Tour De Ranges used Endurolytes from Hammer Nutrition from that one event they seemd to work. I have heard that hydration in the days leading up to an event is also important. Have used Cramp Stop in the past but didnt seem to work.

re: Vintage Cycling t-shirts

Pete Black — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 03:25:58 GMT

That's really going to help isn't it!???

re: Chopper Guard product head-to-head -- Leppin Sport Squeezy Vs PowerBar GEL

jhc123 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 09:04:01 GMT

Fair comments in the review. Personally I get the leppins as the price is right and they seem to work for me.

As for the Leppin packaging, yep it could be improved but it's not a reason to ignore them. I just have a squeezy bottle in my pocket that I pre-fill from the sachets. I find the bottle much easier than any sachet style packaging to deal with and this is where the leppin is good, as some of the gels are not runny enough to drink from a bottle.

re: The world’s moved on, but why haven’t cycling clubs?

Errol Thompson — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 08:16:26 GMT

Clubs do organise events that you can just turn up and enter. However, for more serious racing, there is a lot of organisation that goes on behind the scenes.

What the casual rider/racer doesn't realise is that for most events, the club has to prepare traffic management plans, volunteers, officials, ... There are also issues of insurance for riders. Club memberships and the BCNZ licence covers some of these issues.

When I first became involved in cycling, we seemed to be able to turn up at a location and organise a race. No approvals or notifications. Over time, I have seen it become more and more difficult and involving more and more negotiation with councils.

Maybe there could be more options for casual entries to be taken at some club events but if you are talking of a regional or national championship event, then there is a need to manage the entries and ensure that those who entered have a level of riding skill that enables them to compete safely.

re: You may have missed the two column centimetres

Vanessa Gray — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:01:50 GMT

We have a crazy system here, this person would have likely got a much harsher sentence had he assaulted Superintendent Fitzgerald whilst he was in uniform.

Until there is some real reason for avoiding cyclists on our roads they will continue to be seen as either fair game or not worthy of great consideration.

These sentences are the result of technical word play rather than proper consideration of the consequences of the offence (which are not considered in sentencing).

This is perhaps something that could be taken up in collaboration with Sensible Sentencing Trust perhaps?

If you are appalled by seeing the deaths of your cycling companions being treated so lightly, consider joining SST and perhaps we can get it on their agenda.

re: You may have missed the two column centimetres

Su Yin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 09:18:53 GMT

I agree with Buckley! This is vehicular manslaughter

re: You may have missed the two column centimetres

Buckley — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:57:45 GMT

$2,000 and nine months driving ban for a life! What a joke.

re: Not happy: St Heliers/Glendowie Residents' Association member Guy King

Hamsta — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:09:52 GMT

I don't know whether to laugh or groan.

Guy used to rent an apartment in St Heliers from my father. This is typical of the sort of self-righteous tripe he trots out on a regular basis on any number of subjects he'd like to consider himself an expert.

I'll be forwarding this page to my Dad for a laugh.

re: Not happy: St Heliers/Glendowie Residents' Association member Guy King

Su Yin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:27:40 GMT

Good post! I read this before I watched the 60 Minutes story and I had a good laugh when the '52 in a bunch' comment came up.

Just because you got on a bike when you were a wee sprog does not a 'former cyclist' make thee. :)

re: Septic origins trace a distinctly New Zealand streak of vicious intolerance.

Tim — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:00:14 GMT

couldn't agree more, but its hard to keep a perspective when you have dodged another used disposable nappy, or had a horn blast in your ear and a car graze your elbow on its way by....I like to just once.....

re: The world’s moved on, but why haven’t cycling clubs?

Rachael Neutze — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:38:01 GMT

Good thought provoking stuff!

So why do people join cycling clubs?

Sure if you join up with just one month to go in the racing year it does make for an expensive month but that is not always the case...

We all know that cycling is the thing to do at the moment, Last Saturday morning was a great example in Wellington, the city was teeming with cyclists (granted we all looked at the weather forecast beforehand and knew that Sunday was going to be rubbish!)

But unlike popular belief, it’s not just the recreational cyclist space that is growing.

Cycling clubs are also enjoying steady growth and although we perhaps have a bit of work to do in the area of telling the world why being a member of a cycling club is such a good idea it hasn’t stopped club numbers growing by over 12% in the past two years in NZ.

So the big question why join a club when you can ride for free??

Here’s my top 3 but as mentioned below, I’m just as interested in hearing your thoughts!

1. To learn

Riding with other experienced riders is your chance to learn about racing, tactics, learn more about your bike, how to look after your bike and what to look for when purchasing a bike. Learn about local events, local courses and the best courses to do depending on the weather conditions. And the list goes on... Clubs are full of people with knowledge who are often only too happy to share some of the information they have built up over years of riding and being involved in the sport of cycling.

2. Added motivation.

It can be great to set yourself the aim of riding around Taupo in a set time or slicing time off your Graperide time but it’s oh so easy for life to get in the way of those goals. Clubs offer structured racing and competition, as well as rides to help keep you focussed and help make achieving those goals that little bit easier. You still need to do the work on the bike and turn up but it’s so much easier knowing you can have a bite to eat (sometimes homemade) and a chat with other club members afterwards.

3. Giving something back

Being the one handing out some knowledge to a younger or new rider to the sport can be hugely rewarding and why a number of cyclists want to be a part of something bigger than just riding with their mates. Whether it be volunteering with some juniors or doing your bit as a marshal for a race, that basic human need of wanting to be a part of something and help people is what attracts a number of our fantastic club members to cycling.

So that’s just a start, I could go on but I’d also love to hear from you our Road and Track club members as to what gives you the motivation to put on your club colours and line up in a race as a or out there with your stop watch and pen and paper calling numbers as riders come across the line, or whatever aspect it may be that keeps you involved in the club scene.

One thing we need to improve on is helping clubs articulate to future members just why they should become a part of the most exciting sport in the country.

Feel free to flood my inbox with ideas on how we can do this and what you’d like to see as a perspective club member and/or a current member.

Enjoy the Ride

Rachael

rachael@bikenz.org.nz