Indoor trainer. Better than spinning?

Not being able to ride and still needing to train for the Joberg2c has had me spinning with one arm. Yesterday my investigations revealed that an indoor trainer using your own bike is better than a spinning bike. The pedal action and flywheel momentum is more realistic. Not one to waste time, I headed off to Dunkeld Cycles where I purchased an Elite Crono InOut trainer.  As always Marc and his team were super helpful and helped me install and set everything up on account of me being armless (and general good service).

Great service - talk about shop floor

Shop assembly

Zen and the art of mountain bike maintenance

Thanks to Morningside Cycles and Stephen Mulholland a group of about 12 of us were privileged enough to get some race day bike maintenance tips last night.  We cover endless km’s of track with the vague ability to fix a puncture.  After last night we can all safely say that we can repair and replace disc breaks, attend deraileur issues, broken chain issues and gear clicking hassles.  Thanks guys.  My photo’s are shocking but capture the flavour sufficiently.

Bike service with a smile – Dunkeld Cycles

I’ve been clocking up miles without a service.  In the process I stretched my chain which in turn did the usual damage to the cassette and 2 of my 3 front rings.  Nothing unusual about this except that if I had changed my chain sooner I would have got much more wear out of my cassette and rings.  A chain costs about R320 – ideally it should be changed after about 700km – I have done closer to 1,500km since December.  Note to self … remember to replace chain sooner rather than later.  That’s a new chain every 3 weeks or less when training is at our target levels.

Thank to the guys at Dunkeld Cycles for squeezing me in.  At this time before Sani2C it is easier to get an audience with the President than to get a service slot.  Bottom line – support your local bike shop – chainraction wouldn’t help now would it.

Workshop @ Dunkled Cycles

Dunkeld Cycles

Training food

This looks like a shop but it is actually the kitchen at home. Frankly I need all the help I can get.

Training food