Newton Stability TrainerI have been asked a few times what I think of the Newton trainers I have been using towards the end of this season with some good results. I thought this posting may help people as it’s effectively a review of them!


I have recently been getting back into running (well running is the thing I have always struggled with, my cycling being pretty good but have to improve and do the mileage running for Ironman this year..). The reason I don’t like to run is that I find my calves have in the past got very tight and sore after any run but especially harder/quicker runs, and also suffered from shin splints early last year. I have always used Asics in the past (I have 9 pairs of different sorts, started with the 2110 and 1100 for training and also 2 pairs of Kayanos, 3 apirs of DS trainers and a pair of the triathlon ones). The Kayanos seemed OK for training but was looking for a flatter shoe for racing as I have been trying to run more “forefoot” style the last year or so to get away from heel striking (especially useful to be more efficient at end of triathlons).

So last year I  tried the DS trainers which are flatter, 3 pairs of those later still have sore legs after any significant runs.So when I came across the Newtons a few months ago was very interested particularly because they are aimed at people trying to run more mid-fore foot and designed that way (all the Asics and other big brands seem too built up in the heel, Adidas are the other trainers I have used in the past).

It was quite a revelation trying the Newtons, the natural way to run in them is forefoot/mid foot, and with the springy design in the forefoot do actually feel quicker (sure it must be cheating but seems to be allowed!). But most importantly after a couple of sessions I was running my quickest ever and not trying any harder, in fact my heart rates were lower so presumably running more efficiently, and although my calves still get tight they are nowhere near as bad as they used to be. I have been running in the Newtons the last couple of months (with a lot of PBs running and convinced they won me the last triathlon I entered, after not a lot of running training went from 38 minute 10k sort of splits to under 36minute pace, obviously can’t all be the shoes but still…).

Last week I went back to my Asics Gel Kayanos to step up the mileage for winter training (they suggest alternating normal trainers and the Newtons) but they seem really slow and now have tight calfs and a niggling knee problem after a couple of slow-ish runs! The 2XU Compression tights and socks help with recovery from the tight calfs but now certainly feel the extra impact running in my old trainers going back to them). So I think my Asics trainers are now pretty much redundant and will be buying another pair of the Newton Gravity trainers! Shame since I recently bought a new pair of Kayanos which I raced Nice Ironman (although the run was certainly no race…) and a new pair of DS Trainers I can’t seem them being used! I can’t wait to do a full season in the Newtons next year.

[In response to question about if you don’t have a “perfect running style” would they still be good]. I certainly don’t have a perfect running style (and am sure I still don’t) but in my experience if you are at least trying to run “properly” (less heel strike) these will help you position your body correctly. The Asics trainers seem to make my body lean backwards and take a heel strike naturally whereas the Newtons seem to make me lean forwards more naturally so running forefoot is the natural thing to do.

There is fairly limited supply of Newtons at the moment to the UK but they are finding their way into some of the major stores. I bought mine online at Athlete Service and there is some useful information on Newton shoe sizing and fit and some interesting videos on running style up there too.

Hope that is useful for those interested!

For those who were on the www.ravito.co.uk training camp last week I have uploaded photos from the week here.

Thank you for your comments, a couple of testimonials I have posted below from those who don’t mind. A great week and the format obviously went down well with a combination of different rides in the amazing scenery as well as the bike mechanics/skills/training information. We will look forward to running the next one in March 2009, email if you are interested!
Rob

Testimonials from October Cycling Clinic, Vercors, France

“As a competitive oarsman, I have been on a number of rowing training camps before but was unsure of what to expect in the Vercors.  We covered over 800km in the week, broken down sensibly into endurance rides and more intensive interval training and sprint work such that even the most daunting of sessions felt achievable.  Given my commitment to sport, I always appreciate being treated as a professional athlete and the leadership and management of this camp gave me what I needed: from physiological testing, technical input, and disciplined group riding to hard work-outs made more bearable by supportive coaching and of course breathtaking scenery.  Even the weather appeared to be organised for us! I came away with my confidence in both technique and physical capacity significantly enhanced and now have a great platform to build on over the winter.  The test of any service is whether you would take it up again…I am looking forward to my next camp.  Thank you Filipe and Rob”.
SG

“Really well organized, enjoyable and memorable training camp.  Even as an experienced cycle-sportive participant I was amazed how much I learnt about cycling technique, bike handling, bike maintenance and achieving peak physical performance; as well as getting several hundred very effective training miles under my wheels.  I’m looking forward to the next one already.”
JE
To be honest, nothing I write really conveys how fantastic Filipe was.  What I can’t get my head around was how I spent the week getting dropped and generally being proved inadequate whether we were going flat, ups or down, and yet have come home feeling so much more confident and positive about next season.  Strange.

JW
 

  • fantastic - he put so much effort into giving us individual coaching, which was at exactly the right level for my ability” 
  • “Despite the tired legs I looked foward to every ride we did - there was always something I wanted to improve from the previous ride.” 
  • “The week was really well structured - we never just rode for the sake of mileage, but every session had a purpose.  The sprinting and team time trial sessions were great fun” 

I first came across 2XU at the triathlon/cycling/running show at Sandown Park last year and have been interested in their wetsuits and have a very well made “Assos-quality” cycling jacket of theirs which I wear all the time, one of my best purchases (http://www.athleteservice.com/proddetail.asp?prod=UC1203a). After reading various reviews of compression clothes in magazines recently (220, etc al) I took the plunge and bought some of their compression range. I bought a pair of the 2XU High Performance compression tights, a pair of shorts and long and short sleeve tops. I’ve worn the items pretty much non stop the last couple of weeks so thought would write a review if helpful for others.

I’m very impressed by the quality of the garments, particularly the materials used seem to be superior to other leggings which I tend to wear (mainly Adidas and Nike running leggings plus JL and other brand leggings from my rowing days). The fit of all the garments is great, all medium in my case, although the medium short sleeve top seems a little tighter than the medium long sleeve (perhaps by design).

I have done a few long runs wearing the 2XU compression tights, this morning a hilly half marathon run in the Cotswolds which was the best test so far; a windy, wet day and a run mainly on roads from Uley up and down hills to Nailsworth and up a big hill for a couple of miles - normally my legs are in a mess by the time I get back…

2XU Compression Leggings

The main selling points of the compression wear are supposed to be improved circulation, increased blood flow and helping to clear lactic acid. In the real world it is pretty difficult to test these claims however I did notice particularly today how well they work for recovery after hills. Typically my calf muscles get really sore and tight during long runs, particularly when hilly and on the road and I think the leggings help the legs recover more quickly after steep climbs, being able to keep running hard at the tops of hills. Also, I’m not sure whether psychological or not but I seem to be able to relax the lower part of my legs more when running in the compression tights and I think this may help stride length but for me seems to help with soreness - though hard to know if it is the compression effect alone. It may be due to the fact that with the compression tights the muscles are held firmer by the material (not wobbling about when not under load) but it’s hard to tell (sorry that’s not very technical-sounding!).

In any case if you are are after a new pair of leggings for running (or cycling/rowing or any outdoor activity really) I think these are worth the £10 or so premium over a standar pair of leggings. I haven’t had a chance to try compression socks but I would imagine these would have the same effect (perhaps more), and other reviews I have read say that those are the item of compression clothing that has most benefit for the cost, which I can see makes sense (however I’m not sure about the “look” of the compression socks (think Paula Radcliffe), the leggings are quite good looking though!)

I have worn the 2XU compression shorts mostly in the gym so far and these are excellent, particularly well made, nice seams and good fit. I’m not sure about the compression benefits compared to the tights, it must be more limited, however on the treadmill they seemed very good. Perhaps partly psychological but they seem to help the recovery leg to come back down into position when running, something I noticed straight away on the treadmill, and perhaps this improves leg speed though that needs more testing! The shorts are great for general workouts (on the ergos, weights, spin bike, etc etc) so many uses.

I have worn the compression tops a few times and they are very nice, great fit and well made with good seams and high quality material. I’m not so convinced about the compression benefits of the tops compared to leggings, although perhaps I’m not training hard enough at the moment to notice the improved bloodflow and so on! It seems to me that you would have to have a very tight top to improve bloodflow to the heart although thinking about it maybe this is why the arms on the sleeves are quite tight, that would make sense (am just editing this later and having read a bit more this is indeed the case, graduated compression from the sleeves is supposed to increase bloodflow back to the heart, apparently).

2XU Long sleeve compression top

Again, if you are after a new pair of tights or short sleeve top though these are very well made so can’t really go wrong. These are ideal rowing tops (though I don’t row any more) I can see how they could be of possibly more benefit to rowers than triathletes. I’ll mainly wear these tops for training and recovery, cycling time trial races (quite aerodynamic!) and as a base-layer for running and cycling. The compression shorts will definitely be my first choice for running races.

In summary if you are after tight-fitting leggings or tops, even if you are unconvinced by the claims about compression clothing, these are extremely well made and on a similar price to Adidas/Nike clothing. They are better made (at least so far, in my opinion) than most of the other major brands, fit very well, and if some of the claims are true about improved performance and quicker recovery (and I think at least some of it is true) then that’s a bonus! 

If you would like to buy 2XU Compression clothing the best price I found on www.athleteservice.com where they have a 10% off promotion on 2XU and free delivery. I had to return the top as I ordered the wrong size to start with but was all dealt with very promptly so would definitely recommend them. http://www.athleteservice.com/2xu-compression-range.asp?cat=14

October 2008 Update - I have now been using the compression clothing over the summer and start of Autumn/Winter training and am even more impressed with the compression range. I have recently bought a pair of the Elite Compression Tights which are defnintely a step up from the High Performance (standard) tights, although those are now Male and Female specific rather than unisex so I think slightly better fit. I would recommend spending the extra £10 for the Elite leggings especially for recovery use.

More info on the compression technology is on this site here

RG

Rebecca in Start Gate qualifying

Yesterday we went up to Manchester for the day to go and watch the racing at the World Track Championships, particularly to cheer on Rebecca Romero along with some of her other friends and youngest supporter, 3 week old Fleur (photos on www.salbany.com).

It was a fantastic day, the atmosphere was amazing and brilliant to be there in person to see Rebecca win her Rainbow Jersey in the Women’s Individual Pursuit in awesome style. After setting a new British Record for the 3km pursuit in the qualifying Rebecca stormed to victory in the final by over 6 seconds over the reigning World Champion! An amazing athlete and great to see her hard work over the past couple of years paying off after her switch from rowing.

Rebecca Romero with Fleur SalbanyThe day was topped off with wins and World Best times for the Men’s Team Pursuit and Women’s Team Sprint and some great performances from Chris Hoy in the sprints.

Links:
www.rebeccaromero.co.uk

www.timredgrove.com

www.salbany.com

Rebecca Saluting the CrowdSome of the many news articles!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/cycling/7318239.stm

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article3635848.ece

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/03/28/uocycl128.xml

Video:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/ttv/sport.jhtml?bcpid=1138275681&bclid=1365762219&bctid=1469603951

Mavic R-SYS Review

December 11th, 2007 1 Comment

Mavic R-SYS wheelsetMavic R-SYS Rear Wheel on Cinelli Man MachineCinelli Man Machine with R-SYS wheelsetCinelli Man Machine with R-SYS wheelset

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took delivery of a lovely pair of the Mavic R-SYS wheels earlier today. For those who say “surely I don’t need ANOTHER pair of wheels!” this wheelset is to fill the hole in my collection as a top-end pair of racing clinchers. My normal wheels are Mavic Open Pro 32 hole with Chorus hubs/CX Ray spokes (and Powertap rear hub on training wheel) and tend to race with tubular Campagnolo Boras. For longer cyclosportive races in France and road racing in Britain I’m reluctant to use the Boras due to punctures (gets expensive) and not always the best to use if it’s windy (deep section) or hot (pads on the carbon rims not great if hot/on long descents). So I will be using the R-SYS on these occasions. Anyway on with the review…

On opening the box and taking out it was pretty obvious that this is a very light pair of wheels! I was too keen to try them out to take time weighing them but they seem to be on a par with the Boras, possibly even lighter (pretty good since they’re clinchers). Build quality is excellent as I would expect from Mavic, and they don’t look too difficult to maintain. I was a bit dubious about the spokes in pictures I had seen however in the flesh they look really nice and not as fat as I had expected. The wheels look very “bling” with nice retro silver rims and black (mostly carbon) spokes, one with silver writing on (these look great when looking at the wheel when riding in the sun!).

I quickly put on a pair of yellow Vredestein Fortezza tricomp tyres along with a Record 11-23 cassette and they certainly look the part on my new Cinelli Man Machine and a noticeable reduction in weight over the usual Open Pros wheelset.

I took the bike out for a spin over my standard hilly route along with some nice fast bits of road and some usual awful Oxfordshire road surface. I only had 75 minutes before it was dark and it was a bit windy out so a good test.

It was noticeable straight away how quickly the wheels spin up to speed and very responsive around town. A couple of bursts out the saddle and drag up Pishill I was really impressed with the stiffness of the wheels, especially the front wheel out the saddle where the road kicked up. Also noticeable how the wheels surge on when out of the saddle especially after getting used to my Open Pro/Powertap rear wheel which is obviously quite a bit heavier. I seemed to be climbing in one or two gears smaller sprocket than usual though obviously that could have been psychological! Definitely a brilliant climbing wheelset though.

Along the flats the wheels run really well and seem to soak up bumps better than I had expected given how stiff they feel. Coming down the Hambleden Valley 40-50kph the wheels felt really solid at a sustained speed and also an excellent braking surface…! Still unsure about the spokes in the wind, they don’t seem to be particularly draggy but don’t seem to affect the wheels in terms of handling at least. Obviously not quite as good as the deep section Boras for outright speed but not far off.

 All in all I think these are a great wheel for the money, the best clinchers I have ridden anyway. They make a great all-round wheel for racing although not sure I would train on them daily I expect you could do without too much problem (I’d just be a bit wary about the spokes - although they do seem pretty tough).

I’ll keep updated on how I get on with these but if you’re after a mountain climbing wheelset for the summer you can’t go too far wrong with these…

Contact me on rob@speedylegs.com for the best price to buy via this link (I can give you a 10% off voucher against items on the outdoor-athlete website)
http://www.outdoor-athlete.com/products.asp?cat=6

New websites live

April 3rd, 2007 No Comments

Websites “put live” recenley:

www.leander.co.uk - redesign of the world’s most successful rowing club’s website.

http://www.riverconnections.co.uk/ - website for Henley River Connections, a group of organisations in and around Henley-on-Thames based around the river (hotels, museums, clubs and organisations).

http://www.somersets.com/ - skincare and shaving online shop redesign

http://www.casa-ventura.com/ - website for a B&B/rental property in the Mijas region of Spain (also http://www.mijaspropertyfinders.com/ for the same couple).

http://www.aeronauts.com/ - new online shop for a Henley-based artist specialising in aeroplane and space paintings/prints.