How much is down to the bike?

@ vinyl villain... Not true about snowboards. The top end stuff usually changes and the tech from previous years 'trickles down' to boards lower down the range. Lower end stuff is mostly bought by weekend warriors and people who just want an inexpensive ride.

I used to enjoy Chris Boardman's bike reviews in ProCycling because he has a pragmatic approach and was willing to say when he thought some innovation was pointless. As I understand it the bike manufacturers who paid for advertising in the mag were less enamoured of him. So now we have the witless Marcel Wust repeating the manufacturer's claims without much scepticism.

ironically, he now advertises his own bikes in that very same magazine

• 1 My other big passion in life is snowboarding, and every year their is a huge rush to get the newest greatest board, which everyone will swear rides better than the previous years, yet in reality all that has changed are the graphics
  
  

When you fork out a load of dollar for something new and shiny you inevitably find a myriad of reasons why it is better than what you had before, just to justify the purchase

aye, exactly.

How much of cycling is down to the bike?
...
So from your experience, how much does a well built and kitted out bike effect your performance?

first off that 'Anniversary Limited Edition Model' cannondale is the perfect example of how to piss away your money on something that isn't worth the price tag.

sastre would still have won the tour this year using 105. lots of good continental teams ride the lowest spec stuff because they don't have much money.

the 150quid bike is another story. i wouldn't trust that with my life descending at 100kmph+ in a group, at least as much as would a bike made from tin foil.

where do you stand on the canned chilli front?

That's the reason I didn't buy Lightweights. At a retail price of £2k plus, and then you find that the spokes are carbon and if you damage one it's back to the factory for probably 2 weeks at a min. charge of £50 plus carriage! Same with Lew. Fine if you can afford to be without them for repair. Actually I also hate their graphics! Too Germanic IMHO.

Remember reading a story about the two gents who started lightweight. Being a small upstart their choice of graphics was limited to what font was on the PC/Printer. Arial vs Sans Serif?

Stagg Chilli FTW!

It was a partial joke. They are the Ford of bike names, solid, reliable and do a job. But they aren't bleeding edge nor do they do anything remotely left field.

If it aint broke, why fix it?

do they make a vegan version?

Of Stagg or Trek? 4 Bean?
http://www.staggchili.com/default.asp?req=varieties/variety/310

I've not seen many varieties in the UK. Lots in Oz though.

and of trek?

Ask me about food.. I'm sick of talking bikes :)

I want stagg chilli AND a Trek!

fucking want them bad..

so bad..

for 09

Of Stagg or Trek? 4 Bean?
http://www.staggchili.com/default.asp?req=varieties/variety/310

I've not seen many varieties in the UK. Lots in Oz though.

not vegan, contains "natural butter flavour".

"flavour" being the keyword though, means it ain't proper butter.

no dairy, no cry

i thought "natural" was the keyword?

we should ask some actual vegans, with experience at this sort of thing.

are you saying vegan food is unnatural?

The smell vegans make is unnatural!

I want stagg chilli AND a Trek!
fucking want them bad..
so bad..
for 09

I can hook you up...

RPM: no, i'm saying that vegans don't eat natural butter, you prawn sandwich.

not vegan, contains "natural butter flavour".

I'm not sure, but:
http://www.veganrepresent.com/forums/archive/index.php?t-4292.html

but what if it's a flavour made from butter beans?

it's a flavouring, made from natural ingredients. not real butter, you plum duff

I can hook you up...

with both?

trek + stagg chilli here we fuckin come

coming home

all the way now.

I'm your fuckin daddy

if you read all of the posts on the vegan forum that hippy just posted, you will see that near the bottom they decide that "natural butter flavour" probably comes from natural butter. just because it's a natural ingredient doesn't make it vegan, you three-bean salad.

this goes for treks, also.