I was asked by Bicycling and Morewood to give some quick words about their bike of the year, the Morewood Zula. I have a great partnership with Morewood and we continue to discuss to to get me to be a better mountain biker as I am still frequently running out of talent on the trails.

The video comes out well timed, as this weekend I am putting that exact Zula through some serious racing at Xterra World Champs in Maui, Hawaii. The course is brutal and there is just something about this bike which makes me happy every time I get on it.

A great opportunity to have gotten the Fairbairn Private Bank logo out there as well, one of the key anchors for 2010 and the amazing year it’s been.

On the note of bike partnerships – I managed to get onto the Triathlete site with the Katana – which is awesome for Ceepo as well.

Have a great day y`all…

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So the Katana arrived a few weeks ago and we are seemingly ready to get it built up. After 4 weeks of rest and a two week transition period I am ready to get back onto the road for long rides and ready to start working my indoor trainer again. So it rolls.

I had the chance to take a while to think about how I was going to build this bike and what I wanted to put on it, what worked previously for me and what Jeroen Swart recommended I ride in future. All in all, it’s a compromise between speed, comfort and economy.

The frame is without a doubt the most aero I have ever owned. Tick. I have ridden Campagnolo, Shimano and Sram in the past and my favorite without a doubt, was the Sram. I am going to make some key adaptions to the Sram this time and see how that works out.

I am going to start with the Force Groupset. Strong, reliable and about half the price of the Sram Red. Because it’s a TT groupset, the gear shifters are the same as the Red. I already have a Red cassette and chain at home, so that’s easy. I am planning to get some these radical Berner adaption rear derailleur wheels for Hawaii. Lower friction on the chain and could probably get them in red to match the frame.

It’s not all standard and I was ordered to move down to 172.5mm cranks when I had the proper fitting with Jeroen Swart. I was on 175mm before and his thought process goes that the shorter cranks help with the crunch of the hip flexor and the dead spot at the top of the pedal stroke. I believe him. He also advised me to move onto Rotor Rings but I wanted to go one further with this bike and get one of these:

Pretty, no? Very durable, very stiff and just a tad sexy methinks. Very excited about these. The extra punt on the long downhills in Hawaii should be a nice gain from the 56 tooth power on the downstroke of the bike. I toyed with the idea of going up to 54 teeth but I am concerned about the effect it might have on the run.

Saddles are such a personal journey. Hate some, love some. I love the Selle Italia SLR family, and in particular, the T1. I have used it for 3 years now without a single glitch. It’s got the Barbara Streisand nose, strong rails and non-slip centre for wet tri shorts.

Aerobars are another contentious issue. Recently I discovered the Uberhund bars and I have to admit I was more than a little excited when I saw this…

All smiles. They were more comfortable in the aero position than any other aerobar I ever tried. I was initially going with another bar for riding comfort out of the aerobars but I will just have to find a way to make them more comfortable to ride up hill. Their comfort in the aero position is just too good to give up.

I will still be on my Speedplay pedals, my Zipp wheels and my Continental Competition Tubbies.

So those are all the pretty things going on the Ceepo Katana that’s now just waiting to be ridden. Not going to lie to you, I am super excited.

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A while ago I hinted that there was a new frame on the way. If you follow me on twitter, you would also have seen my utter frustration when it was incorrectly sent to Germany where it got stuck under this…

I think they were lying about it being stuck there though. That frame is so pretty I think it was conceived in that eruption. That Japanese Rising Sun combined with the name Katana, which any Kill Bill fans would know is an ancient Japanese Sword. Really now….

I am retiring my old bike for a slightly faster model, especially as I am now on my way to Kona for World Champs. That course is brutal and the extra bit of help goes a long way. People are going to ask why I didn’t go top of the range with the Viper, and my reasoning is simple. Its called a triathlon… specifically, an Ironman. I look for something more compliant out on the road that’s a little stiffer and hence, a little more comfortable. It may sound like nothing, but the Katana is my choice for 180km time trial over the Viper because of the run.

I am so looking forward to having him here with me. Why a boys name? Generally boys give their bikes girls names. Must be a nostalgic thing, or maybe a missed opportunity somewhere in their lives.

This bike will be called Kratos. KRATOS (or Cratus) was the god or daimon of strength, might, power and sovereign rule in Greek mythology. I think the style or racing at Ironman deserves a Kratos. It’s about mental strength, might and sovereign rule over your mind and your body for an entire day. Fitting.

Thank you Ceepo for their mighty effort in getting the frame here. There was a suggestion to send a racing donkey through Africa to get it here whilst that Volcano spewed anger and ash. They are still very new to South Africa but I suggest you check them out online here for all the models.

I am a big fan of niche design and Ceepo are into triathlon, and Ironman specifically. They don’t care about the UCI and their rules. A triathlon specific geometry is very different to a cycling one when it comes to OPTIMAL comfort out there. I am excited to be a part of this craftmanship, this passion for our sport.

Full built up pictures soon, I promise.

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In prep for Ironman I have spoilt myself a little with some new toys. Well, let’s be honest here for just a second, I am being spoilt by my sponsors with new toys for the last racing day of the season.

New kit:

Luma Sports have done up some amazing kit to race in.

New shoes:

Puma have just released the Complete Utopia II, a shoe I am very excited about. Never mind the color that matches…

New nutrition flavor:

Apart from the normal gels and bars I will be using, as well as loads of awesome little pills from Sport-X, I have a new flavor of energy drink I have been playing with.

Blueberry yes yes!

New Suunto:

After Elgin claimed my T6c during Cape Epic, Suunto have come to the party to make sure I don’t overcook the first lap of the bike, and the run…

There is something truly hot on the boil though, and this is all I can say until it arrives at my front door…

I got some new stickers for my wheels and there is rumor that I may actually ride an aero helmet for the race. All in all, I am going to arrive looking like a pro. Ironman athletes are all so aware of what other athletes look like and I may as well employ all scare tactics for the big day out. It’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar out there!

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