Fixing A Road Bike

Check out this video from my latest bike ride.

I have signed up for Wild Wales Challenge 2013, which takes place in Bala on Bank Holiday Weekend. The ides of this training ride was to hit as many big climbs as possible. However, on my second climb of the morning, i ran into trouble with my gears. After the chain came off for the third or fourth time, i looked down to find the rear derailleur hanging off.

I was alone, at the top of a welsh mountain with a broken bike. I managed to strap it to the frame using a spare inner tube, and freewheeled back down to the closest town and ordered a taxi to take me back to my car.

I thought i had killed the bike. My bike knowledge isnt that great just yet as I havent been riding that long. It turns out this was a failsafe called a Derailleur Hanger, which are desgined to snap under increased load so that neither the derailleur or the frame get bent in the event of shock or other damage, in this case caused by the yanking of an unconnected chain.

Fast forward a few days and I have fixed this all myself. You can buy Hangers online, there are thousands to choose from, so get the one suited to your bike.

In my case, it was as simple as using a 5mm allen key to take off the broken piece from the derailleur and a smaller one to release the other piece from the frame via two tiny allen bolts. Fasten it nice and tightly together and voila, back from the dead!


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Raw Food Diets

Are they any good?

Why are so many people taking up raw food diets?

Let me start with a little basic info. A raw food diet means exactly that, eating nothing but pure, straight from the ground food. A raw food diet will not contain any pre cooked, steamed, or processed foods and is generally related to Veganism and some vegetarianism.

A raw food diet is not a fad, its a lifestyle choice. By "diet" I mean a constant day to day nutritional plan, not a quick fat loss fix.


What Do I Eat?

Essentially, your food would consist of a lot of fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. Already, this doesnt sound very appealing, but through a bit of research there are various ways to prepare the food if necessary to make it taste nice I guess!


Who promotes Raw Food?

I have noticed a few Youtubers who are advocates of the raw food lifestyle, such as the slightly wacky DurianRider and his better half Freelea. I have watched many of their videos, and while Durianrider is obviously a successful athlete, I'm not so sure I agree on his dietary ethics. Go check him out, he definately has some things for you to think about. Others worth noting are RawBrahs, and FullyRawKristina.


Is It Healthy?

Generally health organisations point out that while it would be safe for a sensible adult to take part in the raw lifestyle, its not something to do without fully understanding the risks. The most obvious is the possibility to a lack of nutrients, vitamins and minerals which are harder to find than in a regular diet. Such dangers are the lack of high quality protein and Vitamin B12, both of which are readily available in meat products. However they can be sourced elsewhere, and it is possible for a "raw foodie" to use supplements.

Many converts to this lifestyle report massive weight loss, an increase in energy levels, and reversal of many medical conditions. I am slightly sceptical when it comes to the medical side of things, as your diet would have to be spot on nutritionally in order to not see some side effects. Women for example may experience issues with menstrual cycles on certain extreme diets.

The abundance of carbohydrates though, would explain the rise in energy, and I assume the weight loss would be partly caused by the lower than usual levels of protein, which may in turn cause some degree of muscle atrophy.


What Do You Think?

Comment below and let me know what your views are on the Raw Food Diet. Have you tried it? If so, what was the outcome? I would love to know whether it was an easy choice or whether it only lasted a short period.

I personally would rather enjoy a good solid cooked meal when I fancy it, so I doubt i'll ever try this. Unless maybe for a short experiment!



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