With another week washed out and events postponed, I had a change to get a bit more cross training.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Port 24 Preview
With an expected 250 riders to enter the Port 24, this will mean plenty of clear trail for all entrants. The trails at Port fit those wonderful clichés of smooth, fast and flowing. Well that is what they are guaranteeing and it is true.
With plenty of corners, grippy soil and plenty of obstacles this is one trail that will keep you alert and buzzing for the duration of the event. While not overly technical it is a riders course with just 80m of vertical climbing per lap. A lot of people are excited to ride the Port trails for the first time, with plenty of riders back for another weekend on the Mid North Coast.
Read last years race report here.
Champion Systems Jersey and Bib Knicks
Originally I was researching, I was looking at getting some custom jerseys and crew shirts made for Worlds when I came across Champion Systems (CS). Through the handful of manufactures I eventually whittled it down, with their unlimited design and colours, reasonably small minimum and not outrageous turn-around I was keen to get the ball rolling with CS.
Sample jerseys were sent out, the design finalised and sizes locked in, it seemed forev
Sample jerseys were sent out, the design finalised and sizes locked in, it seemed forever (around 5 weeks) before Jeremy of the Sydney CS division called to say the order was being shipped. After they arrived I spent a solid week MTBing SE QLD and even made the podium at Mt Perry, a good test for the jerseys on their first outing.
Some of the jerseys from my order went on to the backs of a few friends, were put through their paces at many enduros and subsequent washes. Their colours remained bright and the fit was close (the euro race cut seems to fit best those with a light-weight upper body). From mud and dust, to close calls and offs the CS jerseys handled it all.
When I heard Team Enduro Pulse would be wearing CS for 2011/12, I was defiantly enthusiastic to get back in their gear. But this time it was their bib knicks that were shining bright, the Razor knicks. Flat-lock stitched to feel seamless, extra leg length, enduro chamois and no elastic bands on the end of the legs. This was a whole new level of knicks for me.
To be fair, I sought further advice from the experts in all things lycra, some roadies, to see what they thought. The roadies found the Razor knicks fitted nicely. Roadie No. 1 really like the feel of the lower leg section, with its soft fitting, much better then the feeling of elastic cutting into your leg, she said that she also felt the legs were a little long for her "short" legs, but they certainly still felt very comfortable.
Again as a "shorty", Roadie No. 1 found the brace a little big, however this was easily fixed (as she is a sewing guru). On the first ride Roadie No. 1 found the chamois to be relatively comfortable, she didn't feel any great discomfort in the four hours, so was general pretty happy. More recently the Razor knicks have found themselves second in line to another set of bib-knicks in comfort factor, all she would change on them is the chamois.
Roadie No. 1 found that the chamois (female specific enduro) is not padded enough in the middle area, where other brands have more contours at particular pressure points. Other then that she said for the average 2-3hr rides they are more then sufficient.
The roadies also loved the jerseys and found they fit really well. It was obvious to Roadie No.1 that being a race cut (female euro race cut) the jersey wasn’t designed to be baggy but nicely fitted and found a further positive in not having elastic on the bottom of the jersey. She says elastic can tend to make the jersey ride up whilst riding.
As a whole set, Razor knicks and Race jersey, the roadies found that they are really comfortable. They wash and dry in no time, a bonus for those of us who are commuters. The roadies would rate the set with words like fantastic and certainly would recommend them to their friends. Some of them live in their CS gear, but Roadie No. 1 looks forward to wearing her CS kit and saves them for the weekend to look good in the bunch.
CS with their wide range, great cuts and designs are up there with the hi-end products of the cycling world. The best part of it is you can get it in your own design without to much trouble. You can see Team Enduro Pulse in their CS gear at many enduros throughout the year.
To be fair, I sought further advice from the experts in all things lycra, some roadies, to see what they thought. The roadies found the Razor knicks fitted nicely. Roadie No. 1 really like the feel of the lower leg section, with its soft fitting, much better then the feeling of elastic cutting into your leg, she said that she also felt the legs were a little long for her "short" legs, but they certainly still felt very comfortable.Again as a "shorty", Roadie No. 1 found the brace a little big, however this was easily fixed (as she is a sewing guru). On the first ride Roadie No. 1 found the chamois to be relatively comfortable, she didn't feel any great discomfort in the four hours, so was general pretty happy. More recently the Razor knicks have found themselves second in line to another set of bib-knicks in comfort factor, all she would change on them is the chamois.Roadie No. 1 found that the chamois (female specific enduro) is not padded enough in the middle area, where other brands have more contours at particular pressure points. Other then that she said for the average 2-3hr rides they are more then sufficient.
The roadies also loved the jerseys and found they fit really well. It was obvious to Roadie No.1 that being a race cut (female euro race cut) the jersey wasn’t designed to be baggy but nicely fitted and found a further positive in not having elastic on the bottom of the jersey. She says elastic can tend to make the jersey ride up whilst riding.
As a whole set, Razor knicks and Race jersey, the roadies found that they are really comfortable. They wash and dry in no time, a bonus for those of us who are commuters. The roadies would rate the set with words like fantastic and certainly would recommend them to their friends. Some of them live in their CS gear, but Roadie No. 1 looks forward to wearing her CS kit and saves them for the weekend to look good in the bunch.CS with their wide range, great cuts and designs are up there with the hi-end products of the cycling world. The best part of it is you can get it in your own design without to much trouble. You can see Team Enduro Pulse in their CS gear at many enduros throughout the year.