Friday 16 March 2012

Beware of traders and your bike setup . . .

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Xstrata. I don't own any shares currently, nor do I plan to buy any given the current moves by Glencore. What worries me is that under GBP12.00 a share Xstrata in my view is a steal. And the people trying to steal it are some of the best traders in the business ... Glencore. Now Ivan and his boys already own a chunk of the stock and without a self-implosion they'll never need to sell it. The moment they listed was the moment Xstrata was doomed. For sharp operators like Glencore the very thought they could buy a company with paper that represents multiples of cash they currently make is just too juicy a proposition. So no, I'm not going to buy Xstrata, even though I believe the Glencore team will happily print shares to do the deal. No, I don't want to own the black box that is Glencore. 


More importantly the Dogma was in the shop today getting the broken spoke fixed and having the Grand Fondo killer (aka 12-27 cassette) added. So in order to keep the training going I hopped on the BMC for its first serious hill climb over 50k's.




A couple of observations. Firstly bike geometry can be so different that you're bound to feel uncomfortable when you change bikes for a long ride. In my case I noticed that the seat on the BMC was way too high for the type of climbs I was used to on the Dogma. I needed that extra centimetre or so of leg bend at the bottom for the 8 degree plus stuff. I stopped twice to make adjustments. Additionally there's no doubt that the reach to my hoods was also too long by about 20mm. This had me baffled, but on reflection I've really only used the BMC for flat riding where you like to be lower and more extended. If you hill climb you need bend in your elbows to help relax your upper body. 


Secondly the quality difference between this "sportive" level bike and the Dogma is really noticeable when you push to extremes. The Dogma is so stable and composed. I never understood what the bike reviews really meant by that until today. The BMC creaks and groans under power, which I think is the carbon quality showing up. The Dogma kind of sits on the road like a sports car and sucks into the tarmac. Obviously the wheels and Shimano 105 setup are not up to my Campy SR11 / Easton EA90SLX standard combo. 


Anyway I checked in at Jean Brun and said the BMC is coming in for some upgrades. I figure if its worth owning the bike it's worth making sure I get the most out of it. So it's going to be new 70mm stem. A better set of wheels. And if I get really inspired switch to SRAM or at least Ultegra Shimano.


Bon Weekend.

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