New Stead

I have been looking around for some time figuring out how I could buy a new bike. I was toying the idea of buying a frame and then slowly building it up. I've looked at a few frames and spoken with a few people trying to figure out a frame that would fit. For the last 5 years or so I have been riding a trusty old Giant TCR2. Can't complain the bike has done quite a few k's and served me well. However, clearly when I bought it, it is too long in top tube and as a result when it was fitted the stem length had to be reduced and a plus 17 degree angle one at that. No fault of the fitter (entirely my fault) I bought the bike second hand and he did the best with what he had to work with.

So after chucking around a few ideas I have been keeping my eyes open for something that would be suitable in terms of size as I seem to be a little too tall for a medium and way too small for a large frame normally. The seat height I run usually means I have a lot of bar to saddle drop and being inflexible like most cyclists I simply can't run too much drop.

I had decided that my next bike is most likely going to last at least 5 years as the trusty Giant has done and will be required for training, racing and generally mucking round with mates on bikes. I have always enjoyed the comfort of a carbon frame (sorry for all the 'steel is real' lovers out there) so was on the lookout for something full carbon again.

Groupset wise I was looking at 10 speed as most of wheels and groupsets are either SRAM or Shimano so wanted them to be compatible.

Anyway after reading the paper on the weekend I saw that my good mate Jeremy who owns The Ride Inn was having a massive sale on Ridley bikes. I have always liked the look of the Ridley and the fact they come from Belgium where the real hard men on cycling seem to come from. Plus they were ridden for a while by Silence Lotto and my 2 favourite riders Robbie McEwen and Cadel Evans. McEwen still rides the bikes as when he went to Katusha he managed to convince the team to look at the brand and then get them onboard as a supplier.

So after speaking to the wife she gave me approval to go and check out the bikes on sale. Off I trotted to see Jeremy and after measuring me up we figured I would fit on to the medium sized frame. That gave me a few options and I finally ended up with the 2009 Ridley Noah. The specs on this bike are well beyond what I ever thought I would ride.

It runs full Campagnolo Super Record 11 speed which is amazing to ride. After selecting the bike it was on to the fitting. Jeremy is very particular and the fit took a few hours. But after having ridden the bike a couple of times I give it the thumbs up. I'll post my first impressions soon but here are some photos for those who were waiting.

Has it really been that long since I posted last ?

Well I guess the net doesn't lie so it's been just over 2 months since I last posted. Oh well at least I personally think that's not too bad as I've been out doing other things and not sitting on my clacker in front of the keyboard.

I've been watching highlights of the Giro on Eurosports news and saw the protest by the riders about the dangerousness of the stage in Milan to the extent that they just stopped and explained to the crowd why they weren't racing.

I felt sorry for Danilo Di Luca the Maglia Rosa at the time as he was left as the race leader to attempt to explain to the crowd why they wouldn't 'race' the stage as such. Having read some reports I can understand why the riders refused to race.

However, I also saw an article from an organiser who pointed out that one of the attractions of the Giro is the sometimes unpredictable nature of the stages. Given the injuries that one rider suffered when he crashed there does need to be a balance. Whilst we can crash anytime we are riding the organisers should try to make it as safe as possible for everyone. I could understand if professionals who only have a relatively short life span at the top of the sport ask for us much safety as is reasonably achievable to ensure that they are not injured to the extent that they cannot return to the sport such as Saul Raisin. But as I said the attraction of the Giro is sometimes the nature in which the event is run i.e. never a dull moment.

I came across this article from Michael Barry of Team Highroad-Columbia. Quite an interesting read and gives it from a pro's perspective on the toughness of just one stage.