I enjoy my single speed riding and every once in a while I come across a lovely looking bike on the Net like this one called “The Ox”. It is made by a company called Independant Fabrication Bikes.

There is just something beautiful about the simplicity of Single Speed Bike riding and this bike shows that beauty wonderfully.

Here are some photos of the Olympic Stadium and cycling facilities for the 2012 Olympics in London. Enjoy these…

London 2012

The first is the Olympic Stadium

London 2012 Olympic Stadium

And the Olympic Stadium by night…

London 2012 Olympic Stadium - by night

And the velodrome…

London 2012 Velodrome

The BMX track for 2012…

London 2012 BMX Track

London 2012 BMX Track

This is a little off the topic of training but nutrition does affect your performance and health in the long run so I’ve included it here. The US News & World Report site recently published their finds of their investigation into the best current diets on the market.

The DASH diet came out tops in the Best Diets Overall category. Before you go and click of the link and sign up for this diet look at the other diets in the report. They have got a pretty comprehensive write-up about each and it is always best to find something that includes foods that you firstly would normally eat and that secondly fits into your lifestyle. Why eat carrots if you never eat carrots?

The categories that they used are:

• Best Diets Overall
• Best Commercial Diet Plans
• Best Weight-Loss Diets
• Best Diabetes Diets
• Best Heart-Healthy Diets
• Best Diets for Healthy Eating
• Easiest Diets to Follow

I haven’t tried to summarise anything from the site here because their site is pretty comprehensive. If you’re interested in any of the diets see what they have to say.

If you’ve never heard of them then this video is a great introduction to Belt Driven Bicycles. Basically a Belt Driven Bicycle is a standard bicycle where the chain has been replaced with a belt. The main benefits are that these belts don’t need to be lubed which makes riding a lot cleaner especially for commuters.

No more putting your pants legs in your socks! Other benefits include no stretching of the belts like with chains. When chains stretch with use you’ll find that your bears will start to wear out unevenly resulting in your gears jumping and slipping. These belts don’t stretch and also don’t wear out the gears.

At this stage they only run on single gear bikes, but hey that’ll just make you stronger. Happy Cycling…

I’m not a bike mechanic by nature and tend to send my bikes in to my local shop for any repairs and adjustments. The problem is that I have been caught a few times during races and especially the multiday races where my equipment needed some adjustments. The following two videos from YouTube show you how to adjust your front and rear derailleur.

The first video only covers the rear derailleur adjustment.

The next video covers both adjustment of the front and rear derailleurs as well as cable replacement for your gears.

So now you know how to fix this. Next time there is no excuses for not completing that race because of gears. Happy cycling…

Tacx Galaxia

Tacx has come up with a revolutionary new roller called the Tacx Galaxia. These rollers try to mimic natural forces on a bicycle by moving with the rider. The problem with traditional rollers is that riders have to concentrate all the time and try not to fall off when standing, especially as the bike begins to sway. The Galaxia moves forward when riders accelerate due to the generated kinetic energy. The opposite happens when slowing down and the roller moves backwards. This invention is so unique, so much so that Tacx has patented the system.

First impressions make one think that the Galaxia looks unstable when seeing the swing system at work, but the opposite is true on the bike. This system actually enables riders to more easily stand on the bike while on the roller.

Michael Morkov

Michael Morkov is a pro cyclist currently with Team Saxo Bank. In Poland in 2009 he became the Madison World Track Champion along with Alex Rasmussen. In 2010 and 2011 he raced in the Giro d’Italia and in 2011 he finished 18th in the road world championships in his home country, Denmark. He was one of the first pro riders to try the Galaxia and was very positive from the start.

Morkov says “Riding on the Galaxia feels better than riding on other rollers, it definitely feels more smooth.” About standing he says, “When you jump on the rollers, it’s a little bit unstable at the beginning, because you have to find your equilibrium. But once riding on the rollers, you experience a much better balance.” He likes the trainers so much and has already bought two of them.

Before the Galaxia Morkov used the Tacx Antares as his warm-up and training roller, and says “I am still very happy with them, but it’s a good thing that now we can also use the Galaxia. These are the rollers of the future.” Rollers are a mobile training center for professional cyclists and are easy to use anywhere.

Before races rollers are often used for warm-up sessions by professionals. The sessions vary in length but generally range in length from 20 to 40 minutes. The aim is to start slowly and to build up intensity with intervals to raise the heart rate and warm-up the muscles without any injury. Cadence is also important to get the right feeling of racing in the legs.

How does the Analyser work

This video will show you how to use the Analyser feature in the Tacx Trainer Software. The analyser screen shows you how to get averages, maximums etc. from each training ride.

Personally I think that there are better software packages out there to get training data but this is a great way to see if your average is better. I personally like to look at the Average Power figure to see how I’ve improved in my average power.

How to install Google Earth function

This video will show you how to install the Google Earth plugin for the Tacx Trainer Software. The Google Earth feature shows you in Google Earth where exactly in the world you are while training. It is a great feature if you’re riding in a different country to your own.

Another use is when you download a route from a GPS. Obviously where isn’t a video to go with your training but you can see on Google Earth where you are. Happy riding!

How to change a route in Real Life Video

Ok, let’s face it not all of us can ride 100km after work each day. If you did have the time then why aren’t you actually riding it outside instead of on a trainer?

You might have 1/2 hour each day to do a short ride. This video will show you how to take an extract of a Real Life Video and save that as a new route. You could for example extract only the hill of a existing video and save that. This way you’ll only ride hills for your 1/2 hour ride.

It is a great way to optimize your time each day. Happy riding!

How does the steering calibration works in Arcade VR Games

If you’ve tried the Tacx Arcade VR Games and find that your steering calibration is out then this video will guide you on how to fix it. The Tacx Arcade Games don’t come with a calibration facility so you need to either do it in the Tacx Fortius software or the Tacx Trainer Software. Happy playing!

The Tacx VR Games are addictive and tiring.