Part of the proceeds from this site go to support Bicycles For Humanity, Melbourne - so your purchase has changed other lives as well as improving your own. Nice work!

Thanks for Your support - you are now a winner.

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Cycling Secrets closely supports Bicycle For Humanity and all the work it does. We’re thrilled to see their first project off the ground so successfully. 10% of all revenues from this site goes directly to this practical and transparent initiative.

If you are in Melbourne, Australia and have a bike to donate visit Bicycles For Humanity Melbourne or drop it into your nearest Bicycle Super Store

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Cyclists from around the world can sign up for a seven day pedal tour of the Tuscany region of Italy. Proceeds from this trip will help fund the establishment of a bike shop and cycling center in a remote African village in the far eastern corner of Namibia. Austin-Lehman has earmarked $1,000 per booking for this trip to go directly to the new bike shop and cycling center in Namibia. To read more about the partnership between ALA and B4H and to view more about the sustainability of this project, please read our news release.

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Heres a little more detail-

This bag has a wide, over the shoulder strap and securing waist strap, this bag will not fall off your back. Capacity - 24 liters. Pockets - 3 deep internal pockets, 1 large external formed EVA pocket with zip.Fabric - 600D Nylon, neoprene, lycra or PU leather finish.Features - Waterproof zips, 3D mesh padding, non slip rubber ring, mesh pockets in flap

…. looks damn cool and is very comfortable to ride with. Of all the messenger bags we’ve used these are the best. The Knog guys are industrial designers so these bags are solid, functional and look great.

We’ll b giving away more cool stuff soon so stay posted.

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However there is evidence to show that a coffee before riding won’t do you much good.

Take with carbs post ride for more muscle glycogen

In recent studies it was found that while caffiene delivered in capsules resulted in a marked improvement in endurance ( up to ten times), taking your caffiene in liquid form at your favourite cafe won’t have the same effect. There are many other compounds in a coffee and it appears that some of these block the performance effects of the caffiene.

Also if you’re in to creatine it seems a pre-ride caffiene  hit will essentially blunt or completely counteract the effects on any creatine supplimentation. It is wise to remember that caffeine is also a diuretic and causes a loss of fluid, which then leads to a dehydrating effect - so be aware if your heading out for a long one that any caffiene pre-ride may need to be offset with more hydration along the way.

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Bicyles For Humanity, Melbourne just waved goodbye to their first shipping container full of bikes to Namibia.
The 410 second hand bikes, over 700 paniers and bike bags from Knog will change lives and broaden horizons in Africa. The bikes will be distributed to oprhans and home based HIV/AIDS care workers. The shipping container will become a bike workshop providing skills training, employment and business opportunities for the community in which it is placed. BEN Namibia will implement and administer the BEC ( bike Empowerment Centre) in Namibia.
We’re extremely happy to have a had a part in this brilliant practical and transparent project. Thanks to everyone who participated in our bike raffle and supported the cause. There will be more on the way.
B4h melbourne will packing a container every year and sending it to some of the poorest countries in the world where a bike is provides the possibility of access to an education, health care, fresh water, resources and community.

Makes us feel good all over.

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An email thread from Tony Garcia regarding a Vista problem

Problem
Hello,
Love the software. I loaded 1 month worth of data, saved, exited the program, and when I tried to restart I received the following error:
“Network initialization failed. Permission denied. File: C:\PDOCUSRS.NET Directory: C:\”

Ever received feedback about this error?
Thanks,
-Tony

On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 2:57 AM, Cycling Secrets wrote:

Hi Tony - Thanks for getting in touch. Sorry the software isn’t behaving for you. We haven’t come across this issue before but we’ll look into it asap. An important part of this is being able to replicate the problem. Can you tell us what operating system your using ?

Thanks again - look forward to hearing from you.

The Cycling Secrets team

Solution

Thanks for the response. After thinking about it I decided to look into the admin permissions for new applications. I have Windows Vista and have not delved deeply into it’s settings.

There is a program setup wizard that takes the owner through questions and steps. One question was if I wanted to allow the program admin permissions…..I selected yes and this allowed the program to run and function properly.

I provided details in case one of your users runs across this issue in the future.

Best,
-Tony

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They vary in realism ( road feel), effectiveness, noise and price.

Here’s a quick run down-

Rollers – A system of usually three parallel cylinders (rollers) that the bike sits on and which spin as the wheel are turned. Typically the rear rollers will be attached by a drive system to the front meaning that the front roller and therefore wheel will be turning at the same rate as the back one. Bike rollers provide for development of smooth technique and balance and are favoured by track cyclists because of this. We can all benefit from refining our spinning technique and balance – smoother riding means more efficiency and the ability to go harder longer. I know what your thinking ‘How the hell do I balance when I have no forward momentum?’ A coaches standard reponse will be ‘Just don’t think about it too much.’ You’ll find the same forces are at work when on rollers as are in play when you’re on the road and this is a great way to improve your form. Rollers are more about technique than fitness although with some models you can attach a mag resistance unit.
Wind  Bike Trainers – Wind trainers provide resistance through a fan like attachment – hence the name. They can be very noisy but do provide exponential resistance -which is preferable if you want more of a ‘road feel’. Exponential resistance essentially means the resistance is speed sensitvie and follow the power formaula of an outdoor ride. They also usually come in a little cheaper than the other options.
Mag Trainers – Mag bike trainers use, you guessed it, a magnet system to provide resistance. While they are quieter than wind trainers they don’t offer any exponential resistance. You can usually adjust the resistance levels manually but bottom line is they will give you a less than realisitc road feel.
Fluid  Bike Trainers – As the name suggests these bike trainers provide resistance from an impellor within a fluid held within a sealed chamber. They are quieter and offer exponential resistance. There are a number on the market and you may find that the resistance in some changes as the fluid changes temperature. We recommend the Kurt Kinetic range of fluid bike trainers as they don’t have this characteristic.

Generally – Unless you use a rim driven trainer (not recommended) you need to use slick tyres
on your back wheel – on both if you’re on rollers. Rollers are great for improving your cycling form but if you want to do hard intervals sessions you’ll need a bike trainer that offers some resistance.
If you can afford it a fluid trainer is certainly the way to go.

With a bike trainer as with any equipment  it will come to nothing unless you use it effectively. When it comes to bike
trainers you need a training plan and you need to stick to it. Just riding in one place with no structure will bore you senseless and put a serious dent in your motivation – so invest in a good interval training programme and stick to it – then come the Summer you’ll be able to dump all those guys who didn’t want to get wet or cold through the winter.

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If you’ve just started cycling training you may wonder why anyone would use a stationary bike trainer. If you’re used to the road or riding in a group surely there is nothing more tedious than riding for hours and getting nowhere.

There are many reasons why using a stationary trainer can be an important part of any broad based cycling training program beyond just not wanting to get your bike wet or your fingers and toes frozen in the winter.

• Controlled Conditions – When using a bike trainer all those factors that make each ride, even on the same course, different - the wind, the road surface, the traffic, other riders, obstacles are absent. This allows you to measure your output and have data that has relevance to your progress. If you also use the same resistance, tire pressure and gearing for each workout you can effectively use your cadence monitor as a relative power metre reflecting your work load.

• Consistant Effort – It has been said that an hour on the bike trainer is worth two on the road. This is again due to the removal of other factors – no distractions, no free wheeling down hills, no traffic lights. You’re just going to be pedaling the whole time.

• Smooth Pedal Strokes (la souplaise) – Bike trainers give you the ability to develop a smoother pedal stroke by doing one-leg pedaling drills. This will show you exactly what they mean when they say ‘pedaling the full circle’.

• Save Time – If you have a limited amount of time to train a bike trainer removes the need to spend any of it getting to a suitable road for you workout. Few of us have the perfect stretch of road outside our door. A bike trainer also eliminates all those unknowns when you head out – like a puncture or equipment failure which extends your time out.

• Recovery – It’s been shown that 20 minutes low intensity riding can be the most effective recovery after a training session. There is some evidence to susggest it may be more effective for clearing lactic acid than massage. So your investment in a bike trainer can mean you won’t need that live in masseur after all.

• More Focused – The lack of cars, potholes, attractive joggers and other distractions not only make time on the bike trainer safer but also more focused. This means your training can be more intense.

• Avoid the Dark and Rain - While we should all be motivated enough to get out on the road no matter what the weather (the head wind and hail just make me stronger right? Ow, ow, ow…) there’s no question that a wet cold ride can put a serious dent in your enthusiasm. If having a bike trainer means that you train when previously you would have found an excuse then it has further worth right there.

What the bike trainer won’t do for you is

• Improve your riding skills. You will still need to get out on those group rides to continue your  riding skill on the road.

• Entertain you along the way. We recommend a bike training DVD to both keep you going and maximise the effectiveness of you time on the bike trainer. You’ll know from being on the road – you always go harder when there’s a rabbit to catch or someone to keep up with.

  There are some great bike training DVD’s available – bike through the alps with a bunch of pros and a cheering crowd the whole way.

• Remove the need for hydration. Don’t forget your still working hard, probably harder, on the bike trainer than when out on the road. All the things you know about nutrition and hydration still apply – the one difference is if you forget your drink bottle you can always just go get it, if you bonk you don’t have to make it home – you’re already there.

• Plan your training. The bike trainer is an extremely effective tool for a number of training needs. Plan a good training program and stick to it. Extremely effective interval training programs are available in Coach Bakers HIT e-book.

Finally find out about bike trainers before getting one. They can be a serious investment and there are different kinds of bike trainer dependant on your budget and usage. Certainly they will save our time, maximise your results from training and potentially save you money on other equipment or services.

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The Rock n Roll frame is offerd with either the Road Resistance Unit or the Pro Resistance Unit.

• The most realistic indoor ride available anywhere
• Forces core muscle use to maintain proper balance while riding
• Makes any rider a more powerful and faster cyclist
• Measurable and repeatable workloads
• Lock-out feature for conventional use
• Most stable frame in the industry
• Fits any Kinetic resistance unit fluid, mechanical or wind
• Clamp and Lock Quick Release with lever lock secures bike easily
• Removable legs for easy storage
• Custom-made PVC feet
• Unconditional lifetime warranty
• Lifetime crash replacement policy
• Available as frame or with Pro or Road Machine RU
• Turntable Riser Ring is recommended for use with the Rock & Roll Trainer

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