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220 Survey & Do you use the Tips?

GHarvGHarv Posts: 456
in General Chat
Anyone completed this yet?



One of the questions is around - do you put the tips into practice - i really thought about it and on the training front i must admit i've probably never done so.



Yes with the tips around kit etc. but not on the training front.



It's certainly not that i don't need lots of help but frankly aren't a lot of them c**p???



Take the thread about the running in the last mag?



And has anyone ever used ony of that bullock blokes swimming stuff? I think it's the pictures - i just can't see it?



Tri plus had some great swim tips in the pilot issue which were dead easy to follow and put in to place.



So is it just me?



Are there not better tips on here?



G

Comments

  • Jack HughesJack Hughes Posts: 1,262
    Read through the questionnaire - it is basically to gather bio data for marketing info to enable them to sell more advertising space - and, apart, from the first couple of questions, has nothing to do with editorial at all.



    What I want to see:



    More race reviews - race are relatively expensive, all very different from each other, so I would like to see more in depths reviews - not just course descriptions/walk throughs - but some of the hygiene factors such as start times, pre/post race facilities, parking, where to stay etc.



    More kit reviews - covering stuff from basics up to advanced bits and bobs. I'd also like to see how they can help with performance - e.g. test the bikes in controlled conditions, and tell us which is the fastest etc. Oh, and how to use the kit - I quite like the review I posted here about the Tacx flow [;)].



    I'm quite keen on inspirational stories - anything to think I can do that! and get the juices flowing. Runners world are following a team of people through a season - would quite like that sort of feature - a mix of abililities, and to see how they get on with training, racing, injuries, diet etc.
  • MowfMowf Posts: 272
    I really enjoyed the series they did on Nik Cook and his training for a year. It was really interesting to see someone progress and really start to get better. It was a shame he got injured and couldn't make good on his plan.



    I would like to see more stuff about age-groupers going pro. They have a columnist (EK Lidbury) who has just done it. Not sure about anyone else, but i would like to read about that.



    I think course profiles would be good. But not just from serious cyclists on thousands of pounds worth of kit who seem to find hills easy...
  • jonEjonE Posts: 1,113
    The bike reviews leave alot to be desired and seem to have become a 'which bike has the best paint scheme with an I pod attachment' comparison after a quick blast around Richmond Park or similar.I would like to see more long term equipmment tests with comparisons between similar bikes but with different spec components and groupsets to see if an upgrade would be worth the money or better spent else where.The editor seems content to tell the world in his blog etc about his bike being stolen so this would be a good opportunity for a long term test.

    There is also very little regarding injury,recovery,and again getting athletes to provide the magazine with details of their injuries,there is little variety in the magazine regarding ideas as it continues to use the same experts who regurgitate the same advice over and over again,it is misleading to the first timers who might take their word as gospel without sampling the delights that are elsewhere in this triathletes garden of eden.



    Apologises, ranting on again.I'll go back to my cave now.
  • PC_67PC_67 Posts: 196
    I think more "real life" stories from beginners, to decent age groupers to elites would be a big improvement. Nik Cook's series last year was good but was a bit hard-core. The same type of stuff but for people of varying levels of ability (including Nik's), time or even commitment would make for good reading. Age groupers with kids clearly can't commit as much as a guy in his prime whose missus is also a serious competitor!



    The training tips are a bit useless except on occasion. I mean how useful was Richard Stannard's recent "favourite swim sessions" to a normal person? "I like to do a 6k warm up then another 100 lengths of intervals and then another 2k warm down" was how it read to me. That's about a month in the pool for me.



    I also thought the "day in the life of an elite" was rubbish. A couple of pics of Olly Freeman and co eating off their laps watching telly. A bit more imagination and actual content could have made that a very good feature.



    Monthly club features maybe.
  • Tiring Tri ingTiring Tri ing Posts: 242
    They should take a lesson from top gear - pick a set bike route that has a couple of hills and no traffic problem, and then get someone (an ex-elite, good age grouper etc) to fill the Stig role and take the bikes for a run round the course each month. That way you could get a comparison going i.e. how much faster is a £2000 bike than a £500 bike? Is the 2009 bike really £500 better than the 2008 version from the same company? What is the fastest bike out there? What makes the most difference - frame or components? If they really want to be adventurous then they could take each bike round 2 courses - a flat, airfield type race circuit and a hilly 60km route.



    There are obviously loads of variables - weather/wind, fitness of the rider at different times of year, comfort of the bike, which distance race it's designed for (e.g. Ironman or TT), but this could be noted in the scores table. I'd find this a much more interesting comparison than the narrow 2 bikes a month that you get at the moment.

  • GHarvGHarv Posts: 456
    Best idea ever on the forum for improving the mag.



    Nice one.



    G
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