Last year there was an interview with big Magnus Backstedt in Cycling Weekly. Foolishly I neither kept it nor committed it to memory but as best as I recall it read: Big Magnus is 1m92 tall and weighs 95kg. He churns out 1750 watts (today on Eurosport Floyd Landis said his max is 1100 watts). Bianchi gave Magnus his standard issue team bike. He said it was too flexible. I think it was superlight alloy. They made him another (I think made out of titanium) and in tests he was putting 150 more watts to the back wheel. Now 150 watts is probably what most of us guys put out total when we are on the rivet. For sure it is the difference between winning and losing a gallop. I believe that with modern steel tubing it doesnt have to be a choice between stiff, dead and heavy and light but flexible. My Columbus Max Roberts weighs only 100gms more than my 753 Peugeot but is far superior and best of all it is still in one piece having already done five times the mileage of the Peugeot junk that snapped in two. Ray Green, Brighton, England
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