Fusion Cycles will be open 9am-6pm on Australia Day, Wednesday 26 January.  We will be closed on Sunday 30 January instead. 

Fusion Cannibal Kit on special now! $150 for both jersey and knicks/bib and brace.  Limited sizes, while stocks last. 

Orbea Onix Dama (size 53)

Carbon frame, Shimano Tiagra groupset

RRP: $2499 Special: $1999

Mark Smoothy - Long distance cyclist, Triathlon coach and Fusion customer, tested out a new saddle for the Smiddy Challenge in 2010 - cycling from Brisbane to Townsville for cancer research......

San Marco Mantra Saddle:
I was telling Craig that I always suffered from a loss of circulation in my legs from, what felt like, compression in the groin region. It was only on really long rides of over 150 kilometres that this would happen. Craig recommended the Mantra saddle. This saddle has the big cut-out down the middle and I have never ever tried a cut-out saddle before. But I have to tell you I cannot recommend this saddle enough to justify the difference that it has made to my riding comfort. These saddles are really expensive and never have I spent that much on something to sit on. But guess what? I can honestly say it was worth every darn penny spent on it. The circulation problem went away! My arse still got sore from the sheer amount of miles but I can definitely attest that it was less sore this year. Totally recommend if you are after a saddle that helps in protecting things down there long term!

Fusion Cycles will continue to offer FREE group rides for our customers 5 days per week in 2011.

Tuesday and Wednesday continue to be fast road rides leaving from the shop at 5.30am.

Thursday and Sunday are beginner road rides leaving from the shop and Monday is a beginner mountain bike ride meeting at Beilby Rd entrance to Gap Creek Reserve, Chapel Hill.

Click here for more details of our Fusion Shop Rides

How did you get into Cycling?

I was always on my bike as a kid, starting with BMX and then got into mountain biking in the 1990's.  I started road cycling as cross training for mountain bike racing but road riding has now become more of a focus, although I still think of myself as a mountain biker. 

Why did you open Fusion Cycles?

Chelsie and I were looking for a business opportunity and being keen cyclists, we thought a boutique bike shop in New Farm that focuses on 5 star service would be a good idea and a lot of fun.

What's the best thing about running a bike shop?

Having a business that is also a hobby is definitely a bonus.  Being able to have all the toys at my fingertips is probably the best part.  Working, socialising with and helping people with the same interests is great too.

What are your cycling goals in 2011?

As part of our Fusion Race Team we're starting a Masters A Team which I'm keen to race with this year.  I'd also like to do the national mountain bike marathon championship at Boonah in April.

Pick your line - Before you get to a downhill section of the trail, survey the situation off your mountain bike, just as you would any unfamiliar trail feature. Once you are confident enough to ride the terrain, look ahead on the trail to identify obstacles and steep changes in elevation. If it is a commonly used trail you will most likely be able to distinguish “the line”—the most commonly traveled route through a particular section of trail.

Feet level - As you begin the descent, make sure to keep your feet level with your strong foot forward. Keeping your feet parallel to the ground will give you better balance and ensure you don’t snag a pedal on rocks, roots or other obstacles that are in your path.

Relax upper body - Keep your knees and arms bent. This allows you to absorb any shocks from the trail and also makes it easy to manouver the bike. Resist the urge to over grip the handlebars which will cause unnecessary fatigue. You should be prepared to use both brakes evenly, but the majority of your breaking will be done with the rear brake (right hand) to prevent you from going over the handlebars.

Weight back - Riding down steep descents is all about keeping your weight back. Moving your hips further back/behind your seat will redistribute your weight for optimal balance and handling. This means your pedals, not your seat, will be carrying most of your weight. As you progress to steeper descents, you will find yourself getting further behind the seat to keep your body on the bike rather than tumbling down the hill.

Look ahead - Don’t fixate on obstacles in your path of descent. Looking ahead will keep you from riding right into them.

MTB tips courtesy of About.com Mountain Biking

Every Saturday from Jan 15 Murrarie Road Cycling Criteriums from 6.45am, prize money for first 4 places. Click here for more info.

Sat 8 and 15 Jan HPRW Kermisse, Lakeside.  All grades, $5 entry.  Click here for more info. 

Sun 9 and 23 Jan Ipswich Synergy Park Criterium, Mica St, Carole Park. 7am start. Click here for more info.

Fri Sat 14-15 Jan Lunarc MTB 8hr Enduro, 12midnight-8am, Slickers, Denham Rd, Kurwongbah. Click here for more info.

Sun 16 Jan Gatorade Tri Series, Race 4, Robina.  QTS Triathlon 750m swim / 20km cycle / 5km run. NAB Enticer 300m swim / 10km cycle / 2.5km run. The Courier-Mail Kool Kids Triathlon 100m swim / 2km cycle / 400m run. Click here for more info.

Wed 19 and 26 Jan HPRW Twilight Criterium Series 5pm, Albert Bishop Park, Nundah. Click here for more info.

Wed 26 Jan Australia Day Tyalgum Cup, Tyalgum. 45km Graded Scratch Road Race, Grades A-E. Entry fee $25. Online entries through CQ. Entries close 16 Jan.
Click here for more info.

Sat 29 Sun 30 Jan Tre-x Offroad Triathlon, Kurwongbah. Click here for more info.

You service your $5,000 bike regularly during the year, so why not your $300,000 home loan? Put Aussie Tom to the test. He has hundreds of products from various lenders and could save you thousands! The 1st 5 people to meet with Tom will get a $100 voucher at Fusion Cycles. STOP adding to bank profits and contact Tom: tom.mewing@aussie.com.au or ph 3363 1333/0403 768 768.

Getting back on track with nutrition and exercise after Christmas can be a battle. Here are five easy tips to help you.

1) Get back to reality

Over the Christmas period, portion sizes become larger. The first step is reigning them in. Get back to appropriate portion sizes for your training requirements. This means measuring out your servings to ensure what you think is a cup of rice is actually a cup of rice and not just a pile on a plate. The average athlete doesn’t quantify food volumes and without knowing exactly what is on your plate, you have no chance of controlling it.

2) Get organised again

During the holiday season meal times become disorganised and dysfunctional. Get back into a meal routine that suits your training schedule. This means eating breakfast after training not at 10am brunch to catch up with friends or skipping breakfast because you have slept in. It also means the bowl of cereal you ate for the last 48 weeks of the year not the eggs and ham off the bone you have had over the holiday period. Organise your food intake to ensure you are not skipping meals or eating poor choices. This is easily achieved by sitting down on one day a week and planning meals out. When will you cook, when do you need a high carbohydrate meal, when is steak and salad appropriate. A little bit of planning goes a long way in regulating your intake.

3) Stay hydrated away from training

Most athletes take on board the hydration message during exercise in summer. What they often neglect, working in air conditioned environments, is the importance of hydration throughout the day. Consistent hydration is essential to ensure that the body recovers between training sessions as well as helping with fat mass loss. An easy way to stay hydrated is to have a water source in clear view throughout the day. Similair to the principles of race hydration visual cue’s are essential. You must be reminded to drink, and without a visual cue like a water bottle on your desk it is easy to forget about drinking when you are hard at work.

4) Fuel for performance

Often times the first thing that athletes remove to try to lose weight is food sources around and during exercise. This allows them to control calories and reduce the extra few pounds gained over Christmas. This is not true. Removing key energy sources during specific sets will reduce the quality of the session and lead to less calories burned. Ensure that during high intensity sessions you are able to reach the intensities and the speeds required to improve performance. If you need to cut out calories or carbohydrates then do it away from training. Fuel before, during and after essential sessions and then reduce carbohydrate and energy volumes at non essential times.

5) Avoid the fad diets and quick fixes.

Rather than starting some fad diet that the latest celebrity is indorsing try measure and restraint. Rather than restricting nutrients or food groups to achieve weight loss try to cut back your intakes to previous levels. If you are doing a detox or cleansing diet, be very careful. These diets although allowing you to lose scale weight fast more often than not lead to large losses in lean muscle mass and sparing of fat mass. For athletes this is the worst thing that you can do as lean tissue is the thing that helps you perform. If you are going to do a detox ensure it is for a short as possible and try and avoid catabolic activities that will increase lean muscle tissue losses. Remember without the metabolic power of lean muscle tissue your metabolism slows and makes it harder for you to continue to lose weight.

Greg Shaw
Sports Dietitian
AIS Sports Nutrition
Australian Institute of Sport