CarveItUp

Powder board? Which would that be? I'm not sure I even know what powder is. Liquid Arc 144, Alp 157 or Ultraprime 168? I'm a little stuck! Maybe I'll be using the demo tent all week? Derek's gotta decide between the 156 Alp and the 164 Factory Prime... beth

That goodness for Aunt Louise. We stayed at her condo Thursday night and just had to drive from Barrie in to Osler. The first few runs were magical. Powder! It was like surfing in the orchard. By the end it was really choppy and hard work. Thanks to Chris for organizing us all and to yyzcanuck (Andrea and Dave) for the snacks that got us back to Barrie without starving. Great to see everyone again. Can't wait till next year!

Ok, I've searched through to forums and read all the threads about choosing springs but I'm still not sure what to do. I want to try the BTS kit but I don't know what springs to get. The problem is that I don't weigh much but it seems that the people using yellow springs tend to be people who used to ride in walk mode or ride in powder. So what springs to start with? Here's the deal: I'm 5'8" and weigh about 135 lbs (and yes, I'm a guy in my 30's) I wear size 25 SB225s (Nagano edition) with the softer (gold) tongue and thermoflex liners I lock into forward lean position 2 both front and rear (I don't like walk mode) I ride almost exclusively groomers since I am from Ontario I typically stick to blue runs - I don't deal with steeps very well My main boards are a factory prime 164 and an Alp 157 (race plates on both) I've been averaging about 10 days per year for the past 8 years (all in hard boots) and I am an ok rider but not that great. I'm thinking blue is the way to go but I am concerned it would be too stiff given my weight. I know I could buy both but I'd like to hear your experience to try to avoid starting on the wrong setup. Thanks for any suggestions. Derek

You could try Simulia in Providence. They are the former ABAQUS company but have changed names since being acquired by Dassault (the makers of CATIA). They do all sorts of cool finite element analysis stuff.

Flights from TO into Aspen are booked (hooray for points!). Still hunting for a place to stay. Arriving Tuesday and riding Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Derek and Beth

Derek and I are looking into flights and starting to get serious about coming to the 2008 SES. We're a married couple in our early 30's and we both ride. We're looking for a bed somewhere to sleep off the aches after a day on the hill, not really late night party people. We're looking for just the 12th to the 16th. Does anyone have a spare room they are looking to fill? beth and derek

Derek and I are starting to think we can make it to the SES this year... but the planning is daunting. Any Torontonians have advice on flights, timing etc.? I did a trip to Colorado in the early '90s but I bet a lot has changed since then... beth

So I went for a ride today. There is a pretty good downhill near the end of the ride. At about the fastest point, I looked at my computer and it read about 63 km/h. But a few minutes later when I was on a flat stretch, I looked again and this is what I saw... (minus the cat - she's really nosy). I wonder if it's something with this particular computer. Derek PS - There's no way I got anywhere near 100 km/hr. To most I've ever hit was 87 and that was nuts.

Any chance you stopped at a stoplight with a sensor to tell it when to change? I find that I get wacky speeds at certain lights from the loop of wire under the pavement that is used to tell if a car is there. It's establishing a magnetic field. If it's at the right frequency, the sensor detects you're moving, fast, while sitting waiting at a red light, according to your computer. 62.5 mph is 100 km/h. Could that be the limit of the computer? beth gone really fast while standing still.

Someone will be caught for doping... and I don't mean Sinkewitz (sp?) TOO LATE! http://www.velonews.com/tour2007/details/articles/12910.0.html Not what the sport needs right now... :(

If I'm not mistaken, Speedplay makes an adaptor for moving the cleat further back or forward on the shoe (if that's the issue). I've read about it numerous times in the Fitness Q&A section of www.cyclingnews.com Here is a link http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.merchandise&promoid=Aluminum%20Fore-Aft%20Extender%20Base%20Plate%20Kit carveitup

What a great day yesterday. We had a lot of fun. Thanks for hosting us again Chris. At one point we looked back up the hill and there was no-one on it. Then, the carvers just started coming down. YYZCanuk aka. Andrea and Dave, the snacks helped us make it home - it was a pretty hairy drive at points. See everyone all next year! Beth, Derek, Mike and Colin (and the evil twins!)

And Derek's bringing his twin Derek. I think I might have to have a chat with Derek tonight about identity theft. I think the second Beth was meant to be my brother Colin. beth

There are huge number of options for wheels at many different price points and for many purposes. For example, the Mavic Ksyrium SSC SLs are a very good wheel but a lot of people will say it is very stiff. Nice for racers and heavier riders, not so good for lightweight folks. Also, if you break a spoke, the replacements can be really hard to get and expensive. The zipps are really cool, but the deep aero profile can make them a bit of a handful for new riders in cross winds. If you buy full carbon wheels, you'll also find that braking is not as good as with an aluminum rim. I think I'd worry too much if I was riding every day on $2,000 + wheels (there are cheaper ones but zipps are pricey in general). There are some really light wheels out there but durability may be an issue with these. Many people will buy super light wheels and use them only for racing and use more durable wheels for every day. I recently picked up a set of Neuvation R28 Aero 2s for my Kuota Kharma. After much research, they looked to be a great compromise of light weight, durability, aerodynamics and relatively low cost and they came very highly recommended in all the reviews I found. I also like the fact that they come with 6 spare spokes - and you could use standard spokes in a pinch. I am a light rider, but Neuvation also makes a slightly heavier version that is more durable (the M28). I was also considering the Fulcrum Racing 3s. Probably a little stiffer but a really nice design and made by Campagnolo. A good place to research wheels is roadbikereview.com. Keep in mind that there is always somebody out there who has trashed every wheel so take the reviews with a grain of salt. Carveitup

So are we going to have snow??? The forecast doesn't look promising. Beth

Mine is only 3 years and 65,000 km old but so far only a few minor problems. When it was new, there was a kink in the rear washer hose so it didn't wash too well and at about 40,000 km there was a rattle in one heat shield that they replaced under warranty. Otherwise, it's been fine. Derek

My family has had mazdas in the past (Miata and old Protege) and they were great cars. Reliable, nice to drive and economical. A couple of years ago, I was looking for a new small wagon and test drove both the P5 and Impreza TS wagon. I chose the impreza. Here's why: 1) The Mazda had significantly less power. I test drove manuals by the way. I like the extra power in the subaru. 2) The Mazda's interior fit and finish seemed cheap. The subaru is not much better. Neither seems to have particularly good seats. 3) I really like the 4WD. Not just in the snow. You always notice it. 4) I bought mine new and I seem to remember that the subaru was about the same price with way more features (PW, PL, keyless entry, etc etc.) 5) I am always surprised how much stuff fits in it. I put a full size stove in the back with the hatch closed. Full size doors, etc. Cons for the subaru: 1) Fuel mileage is not great but it takes regular 2) The rear seats in the sedans don't fold down (get the wagon) 3) A little noisy at highway speeds - but the mazda probably is too and my roof top bike rack doesn't help this 4) Scheduled maintenance is a little pricey 5) Styling on the mazdas is better Test drive both. Try the subaru in the rain and you'll like what you see. I must say, I do like the Mazda3 now, though - but I haven't driven one. Derek

I've got access to labs and stuff and lots of electronics guys... Send me your i-pods and I'll do some testing. Unfortunately it's likely to be destructive. My bet is on the floating head on the hard drive and the number being carried over to the other types of ipod beacuse it was there. Although the sealing on the ICs to prevent moisture inflitration would also be a concern.

Derek, Mike and I are in. I'll ask Colin, Kevin and Graham. As mentioned above, Simon and Tara are going to Whistla that day. Beth carveitup.net

We'll have to check the dates but if we're free we'd love to come again. I'll let you know shortly. I sent you an email with lots of addresses in it. Did you ever put together a video of last year's event? Derek carveitup.net

A few years ago, driving back home after a weekend of mountain biking in Bromont, we were on the Pont Champlaine (sp?) in Montreal - a big highway bridge - and traffic suddenly stopped. I braked and stopped safely - like you, the ABS didn't even have to kick in - but the guy behind me in some sort of large Ford SUV or pickup with a box (and pulling a trailer) couldn't stop in time. I too looked in the rearview mirror and saw him coming. Sh**! was my expletive of choice and I was at least able to get my head back into the head rest prior to impact. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to warn my wife in time so she was a little sore but otherwise ok. It's a real drag to actually see it coming. The worst thing about my incident was that I remember passing the Ford earlier and telling my wife that I was glad to be past him because he was driving rather erratically. My car was an '01 VW Jetta Wolfsberg and even with $6,000 damage (including labour at our local VW Audi dealer) we were able to drive it the 4 hours home safely. I always see vans, pickups and SUVs driving fast and agressively on the highways. It seems that a lot of the drivers of these vehicles don't realize that most of them don't handle or brake nearly as well as many passenger cars. It appears that German cars have particularly good brakes...

Greg, I'm at Neworld Cycle on Plains Road on Friday evenings and the weekends. Which Cannondale did you get? I'm on an R1000 now and I love it! Beth carveitup.net

Derf, It's pretty easy to wreck a derailleur due to a missed shift. My wife was riding her Cannondale home from school a couple of months ago and somehow missed a shift in the front derailleur while travelling at a good clip. Snapped the rear derailleur (ultegra) off (the screw was still in the derailleur hanger surrounded by some aluminum), bent the front derailleur (ultegra) beyond repair, the chain got jammed in the rear wheel (mavic Ksyrium Elite) bending the chain beyond repair, two spokes were broken, the frame got a minor dent on the seatstay and her truvativ rouleur GXP carbon cranks were nicely scratched. Needless to say, that was an expensive repair - even though she works part time at a bike shop. Derek carveitup

Some clipless pedals have tension adjustment screws at the front and back (one for each side). You may be able to loosen off the tension enough to get them out easier. Be careful though - on a few pedals that I've seen, if you loosen them off too much, and the screw comes out of the spring retainer, it can be a real pain to get them back together. Derek

We use PHPBB2 on carveitup.net and i have found it to be secure (as long as you keep up with updates) and very easy to administer. There are boards out there using it with tens of thousands of members and they seem to perform well. It is easy to install and customize and best of all, it's free. carveitup admin