Paul Petch

September updates

The Weather

I’d not be English If I did not start with the weather.. lol. Well this week has been fantastic when it comes to the weather! The trails are as good as dry and the sun has been shining most days. Yesterday was kind of strange with 23degs and a North Wester (as its known) which meant warm strong winds. It really does look like summer is here…. and I’m happy about that because its means one thing…. EPICS. I spent 95% of my riding on Port Hills last summer as I’d just arrived in Christchurch, which was fantastic. I’ll still be up in the hills this season- but really want to get out and explore the South Island some more. I’d also like to get upto Roto Vegas to see what the fuss is all about up there. Woot. Woot.

Of late the two weekly rides and one at the weekend that I’ve managed to keep up all through the winter have paid off when it comes to my summer fitness. I’m fitter now than I was at the end of the summer which is fantastic! I now need to make the weekend ride a long one to increase my endurance levels… which is not difficult really when the sun is shining and the sky is blue  :D Mid week rides have also become alot more fun as Craig is now fully back on his feet after months off the bike due to an ankle injury and also semi retired… which means I have a mate to ride with during the day while I can take advantage of my current work situation… i.e. freelancing and very part time. Good times.

Nutritionalist Update

On the nutritional side of things….. WOW….. is all I can say! I’ve been on the “new and improved” way of eating now for a week and I cannot believe how different I feel. I’ve not felt this good for years. So what am I doing differently? In a nut shell I’m eating LOW GI foods in all meals (6ish overall) with  a protein source. I’m also having two protein shakes per day as well as Omega 3 supplements, a blend of herbs to relax my muscles a little and a drink in the morning full of minerals and supplements to help my liver along :) For a week now I have had ZERO sugar cravings……that’s right NOTHING! It is amazing stuff. I’ve also lost about a KG and I’m more active too… and on the sleep side of things, that is also better too. . it’s bloody amazing.

It does feel weird though after so many years of craving sweet foods all day to then have no urges! Don’t get me wrong It’s fantastic, but a habit has stopped…. just like when I quit smoking…..I’m finding I have a lot more time on my hands! haha. One thing I’ve noticed is how much better I can concentrate during the day, as my blood sugar levels are balanced and I’m now getting enough protein to fuel my bodies activities and repairs. I’m still physically tired after a hard day and a ride… but i’m not mentally exhausted all of the time…..which is not only refreshing but also making me happier :)

Another odd thing is how our food portion sizes have decreased OVERNIGHT due to the extra protein that we are consuming (which makes your brain think that you are full). Our cupboards are literally spilling over after doing a food shop yesterday and then realizing on return that we still had most of the items due to eating less!!! We had a homemade lasagna last night with feta, ricotta, spinach, eggs, onions, tomato sauce and egg pasta and heaps of side vegis…..we used to eat half of the dish with potatoes and veg…..last night we struggled to eat a 1/4 each and to be honest half of that portion would have sufficed. Literally within one week things have changed…. amazing stuff.

If there are any negatives it must be the amount of pills etc I have to ram down my throat in the mornings…. there are a few I can tell you. Also the protein shakes are very expensive too…. currently my Wife and I are monitoring how much more it has increased our weekly food budget. Due to eating less though- it looks like it will all balance out as we are looking to be spending less on other items per week. It will be interesting to see how it works out.

So overall things are going really well with the new found diet and I cannot believe how simple it is!  Fingers crossed it continues.

Warranties

Warranty wise, I’m still waiting for my Revelation forks to be returned from the UK and Chain Reaction Cycles. What a hassle it has been and I’ve learnt some valuable lessons this year in that I’ll NEVER buy forks from overseas again to save a few hundred bucks. They always go wrong so I’ll not risk it again…..and damn the postage is not cheap to get things back for inspection either! At least they have been deemed a warranty so are currently being fixed/ replaced (I’m not to sure to be honest).

But it looks that Chain Reaction Cycles won’t be refunding my costs to return them- even though I have an email stating that they would due to reporting the issues in the first week of receipt. I expect to see them within the next 2- 3 weeks and I’m currently trying to get hold of someone there that can actually sort out my problems.  What a HASSLE. All up the Revelation experience has been nothing more than an expensive hassle which is a shame as Chain Reaction Cycles have done all they can (aside from guaranteeing a refund but then saying no!) Watch this space :)

I won’t be buying forks from overseas ever again. Lesson learnt.

Lynskey

As for the Lynskey frame…well I’ve decided to sell it! Why exactly? Well, I’m just not into race geometry anymore and during the 3 months it was away being replaced under warranty I fell in love with the Cove and learnt to enjoy my riding again rather than feeling like everything was a race. Once upon a time I felt sweet on the Lynskey, but now it feels long, low to the ground and awkward for riding anything other than XC trails and fire roads. I could keep the work of art that cost $4200 NZ (what was I thinking!!??!) but what for exactly?

The funny thing is that I was out on the GT Peace at Bottle Lake on Monday and had a ball….. I rode the Lynskey the previous week there and not once felt like I was comfortable on it. Its a sign of the times when I prefer to ride a $500 plain tubed steel frame vs a $4200 hand made titanium job… all because of the geometry….and if I was to be honest I miss the one I had originally….. it felt and rode differently.*sigh*

Ideas on a new frame

So what are my plans once I sell the Lynskey? I’m considering a few options…. firstly I’ll go for another XC style frame but with less racer geometry and some better pedal clearance. I have my eye on a few frames (as always!). I’d really like a Soul frame from Cotic and after seeing one on the trails last week even more so! They are absolutely gorgeous with simple skinny tubes- hard wearing paint job and no nonsense design… oh and made in the UK. I like!

The other idea that I’ve been toying with is actually trying my hand at dual suspension again! I’ve been a die hard hard tail rider for 15+ years now and in that time have owned a single dually- a Trek Fuel Ex8 07… and I hated it! But after chatting with a few people and doing some research I’ve discovered that that frame design (that they subsequently fixed! dod gammit!) caused the rear to become rigid when you applied the rear brake! That experience was enough to put me off riding a dually for ever. I must keep an open mind though and indeed, I’m re considering my options and currently a Giant Trance is at the top due to their value and fantastic Maestro suspension design. Basically I would go for something that is super active all of the time to help me out when I ride into rocks on Port Hills :D Decisions decisions :)

Either way- its time for the Lynskey to find a new home. If you are interested in a swap or to buy the frame- please email me.

Happy trails!

Related posts:

1. Some updates
2. Some quick updates
3. First post in some time – some updates
4. Lynskey Titanium – it has wings I tell ya!
5. April 2009 updates

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 8:13 am and is filed under Misc Ramblings and tagged with lynskey, nutrition, rock shox. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.