Hand cleats

This is excellent. Only just saw that it was launched with some fanfare in the US a week ago. It would be really useful for me, as I don’t have very strong hands. From the web-site:

Ever wondered what could be done to improve power transfer from the upper body to the handlebars of your bike? Most people’s hands aren’t strong enough to prevent a loss of power at this crucial juncture. Sprinters need a lot of gripping technique to use their upper body so well.

Now you can, too. Here is the product that will revolutionise sprinting and also your everyday cycling. Forget losing your grip on the handlebars when you hit a bumpy section of road or having to cling on to the bars for dear life when descending a steep hill on your mountain bike. The new LoopFlair HandCleats™ allow you to hold the bars firmly at all times without tiring out your hands and reduce the risk of accidents. They’re available in road and mountain bike versions for the three major manufacturers (Shimano, Campagnolo and SRAM) and more are planned.

The cleat slots fit easily over any brake and gear lever hood on the road bike using LoopFlair’s revolutionary lever hood cover. If you want to change hand positions, just press the release button at the side of the hood lightly. This becomes intuitive after just a few tries. The mountain bike version comes with special hand grips that are anchored inside the bars.

Bike technology continues to evolve. When clipless pedals were introduced in the mid-1980s, they sparked a revolution. In a few years’ time, we expect that every discerning bike rider will be using LoopFlair HandCleats™. Get them now.

http://www.loopflair.com/

after 12 o'clock muppet!

you can only do them up until 12 midday
after that YOU become the april fool

Shame. I'd never heard of that rule before. Apparently, it's only in the UK, Australia, and South Africa that that's the case. Oh well. You live and learn.

Oliver, look at your post in the april fools thread (post 6 I think. From last year).

Fool x 2!

And I forgot about that.

And fool x3 as I deliberately delayed starting the thread until after noon. I had it ready hours ago.

Why does the tradition expire at noon?
That feature probably relates to the customary boundaries of the old renewal festivals, which limit the mayhem to a very strict timeframe. The source of Britain's deadline might be the 17th century's well-named Shig-Shag day, when celebrants put oak sprigs in their hats to show loyalty to the monarchy, in reference to Charles II's hiding in an oak tree. Those who failed to observe the custom could only be ridiculed until midday. These days, anyone who plays a prank after noon is supposedly an "April fool" themselves; this nice observation may not seem so crucial to anyone who has been custard pied at 12.01pm, but it distinguishes our version of the ritual from that found in other countries.

This is the best explanation that I could find on-line and might also explain why that's not the case in other countries.

This is excellent. Only just saw that it was launched with some fanfare in the US a week ago. It would be really useful for me, as I don’t have very strong hands. From the web-site:

http://www.loopflair.com/
I really wanted that to be a real link to a proper hand-cleat website :(