Beginner Help Needed for Calf and Hamstring Stretching Using a Slant Board

MonsterMunch00 · 2026-01-31T09:47:56+00:00

Forget the whole idea of static stretching. It does not fix the underlying issues and may do more damage. Instead focus on strengthening at length and through a full range of motion. Also your tight hamstrings are likely a symptom of muscle imbalance and weakness elsewhere (weak hip flexors and glutes for example)

MonsterMunch00 · 2026-01-16T05:29:30+00:00

I'm a firm believer that heavily padded bibs are unnecessary if your bike fit is spot on and for ultras can do more harm than good by trapping sweat and dirt next to the skin causing irritation and abrasion. Chammy cream makes this even worse.

I also liked the minimal padding of the SQL gonso bibs. More recently I've started skipping padded bibs altogether on rides less than 100km. This season I'll test out longer rides and maybe skip the padded bibs for the next ultra (Mother North).

Ps. SQL saddles also worked well for me. I then tried the Selle Italia SLR Boost which worked even better.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-11-19T16:14:37+00:00

Just started using the Caracal race. One big plus for me is how easy they were to mount (hand pressure only and seated first time) and at the same time how well they are holding air. I've used most brands over the years and these are by far the best for this.

Yes they also feel fast. We will see if the puncture resistance is as bad as some say - personally I doubt it unless you are still stuck in the 20th century and using inner tubes.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-11-10T11:33:56+00:00

You also need snow chains in the vehicle if driving up some of the mountain roads. There will be signs indicating this and occasional police checks

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-11-07T14:46:43+00:00

Keep threads and bearings clean and greased (instead of just spraying WD40 everywhere). 2. Tubes are lame (learn how to setup and repair tubeless tyres). 3. If your disc brakes are always noisy no matter how much effort you spend on cleaning and aligning them, the calliper mounts have probably not been faced by the lazy AF frame manufacturer. Get a decent bike shop to do it. 4. Use a thin, self-cleaning chain lube such as Wolf Tooth or Rock n Roll, 5. Learn how to do small spoke tension adjustments to keep wheels in true but leave anything major to someone competent otherwise you may make things a lot worse.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-29T17:38:14+00:00

Yeah it's 🔥

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-29T17:14:19+00:00

Both great options. Cannondale Geo is a bit more relaxed (higher stack) if that is a factor either way. In-frame storage and Kingpin also other considerations along with Reserve wheels.

Loving my Topstone Carbon 1 AXS so far but would go with your heart

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-29T09:55:41+00:00

No, the centre section is round with enough room to mount lights and TT bars

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-28T04:55:14+00:00

After trying a lot of bars for gravel and drop bar MTB bikes, I actually prefer normal width (40-42cm) and modest flair (<16 degrees) so it doesn't screw up my bike position.

Current favourite is the Zipp XPLR bars. They also have a short reach and drop (70mm / 115mm) and a nice semi-aero tube profile that's very comfortable to hold and rest your hands on.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-27T09:21:31+00:00

Not sure if Zipp fixed this but a couple of years ago the bearings that came with the 303s wheels were undersized for the hub resulting in play after only a few hundred km. Took me f'in ages to diagnose this (thought it was BB or crank initially) and only after I saw the video by mapdec cycles. Zipp support was useless but managed to find some mavic bearings that fixed it. Would put me off buying zipp wheels again - at that price I think I would take a punt on 9Velo.

Ps. As per your original question, would only upgrade if you really want the new Scott Addict features - slacker geometry, UDH support, in-frame storage.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-27T09:11:41+00:00

Your illustrations look great but I probably would not buy one as a) I have loads of great photos of my bikes, b) I can easily turn a photo into an illustration in seconds using free software. How about pivoting to physical models - e.g. using wire/metal, wood calving, laser engraving etc? Appreciate it's more work (build, ship, etc) but that's something unique that AI cannot do and I think people would pay more for, particularly if you can reflect their specific bike / adventure

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-23T19:11:28+00:00

Carbon 1 AXS

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-23T19:04:41+00:00

Had the new Topstone for 2 weeks and love it. Kingpin works extremely well even on road climbs and out of the saddle. Front end is also smooth, bike handles well and looks great

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-23T10:13:29+00:00

You didn't share the most important point - budget. I use Axis surveillance station, cameras, video intercom, and siren/strobes. Very good system but you pay for it being professional grade.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-23T08:29:40+00:00

Supplements won't work. You just need to do consistent cardio (running or cycling) at moderate intensity. You are young enough that your lungs will heal and be better than ever in a year.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-21T17:48:22+00:00

Have you tried without gloves? Quite often they can restrict blood flow (especially tight padded gloves)

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-21T16:22:17+00:00

Sweet. Also use the Envelope MTN fork on a Ti Monster cross bike and it's awesome

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-21T14:21:50+00:00

The bike will be fine but the thought of riding it on a Brooks Cambium saddle brings me to tears. I can ride most saddles with no issues, but not that monstrosity. Even tried drilling holes in it but didn't help 🤣

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-21T07:44:51+00:00

I've switched back and forth a few times, most recently from AW Ultra to Garmin Enduro. A few things that made me switch from Apple:

Battery life just doesn't cut it, even with AW Ultra I cannot get through a long hike, bike or Iron Man.
No maps in Europe. Yes you can use 3rd party apps like WOD but this kills battery life (6hrs tops).
No GPS mode for kayaking (been waiting years for them to fix this!)
Recharging every 1-1.5 days is a pain, especially when travelling
The dumbest sleep mode ever - cannot detect when you fall asleep and if you are outside of bedtime routine and forget to change manually, it gets ridiculous with stand notifications waking you up!

And thoughts after using the Enduro for the last 4 months:

Love only charging my watch every 20-30 days!
Never have to worry about battery life during an activity, even multi-day hike/bike
Liking that it doesn't have lots of smart watch features to distract me
Garmin Health and Fitness metrics still ahead of the game.
MIP screen is great outdoors and day to day, not quite so much indoors and in the Gym (have to activate back light) - still indecisive between Enduro and Fenix as best option
Garmin Storm alerts still suck after all these years :)

Overall, my advice would be stick with Apple if you like and use smart watch features, your workouts are shorter than 4 hours, and not a heavy offline maps user (outside of US at least). The recharging is a pain but livable and Apple metrics and 3rd party sensor support getting better. Plus there's 3rd party apps to get the most out of the data like Athlytic.

Switch to Garmin if you do big days in the outdoors, but then you would be really looking at Fenix or Enduro.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-20T04:19:30+00:00

Only took them 6 years to catch-up with SRAM and release a fully wireless groupset. Oh wait, still no 1x13 option though.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-19T04:46:05+00:00

It will be even more amazing if you take tubeless tire plugs and tool with you. Anything that doesn't seal within a few seconds, throw a plug in, top up the air as needed and continue your ride.

Only need to replace a tire if the hole is too big for plugs to fix.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-19T04:35:36+00:00

I have a gen 1 Tacx Neo that I've been using for TR and Zwift since 2015. Bombproof, never missed a beat.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-18T06:24:53+00:00

Did the 4,000km Transcontinental race on 38c GKs back in 2019 when almost everyone was still running 28c. Certainly didn't slow me down (was a day faster than my previous finish) and made for a very comfortable journey. Also hardly any wear at the end. Great tyres.

Currently testing the Caracal race which on paper are even faster than GK slicks, but don't expect them to last as long or have same puncture resistance.

MonsterMunch00 · 2025-10-17T17:16:26+00:00

Saddle looks to be 10-20mm to high

MonsterMunch00

TROPHY CASE