I'll be taking my Focus Paralane with me to Australia in the New Year and possibly to Europe next summer (I don't trust the airlines with my best bikes). I currently use it as my winter bike and so have Gatorskin 700x28 tires on it. It will be summer when I travel. I'll mostly be riding paved roads with some good gravel. I'm thinking Conti GP5000 clincher (my current wheels are not tubeless ready), probably 700x30 or 32. My bike has clearance for up to 34mm with the fenders on and possibly more without (I'll probably remove the fenders for the trips). The current wheels are DTSwiss R522db disk brake wheels. Apparently, it is possible to convert them to tubeless. I'm open to any suggestions and guidance on choosing tires. What recommendations does anyone have for an all road tire?

My favourite BBC podcast, More or Less, published this extract from its normal podcast: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5b7d (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5b7d). It is some science around the risks to heart health from prolonged intense (more than 4-6 hours per week for many years) endurance training. I'm posting this because I fit the profile for higher risk and have succumbed to the atrial fibrillation (a-fib) that is the main risk consequence. Before anyone gets too worried about this, here are a few takeaways from this podcast: - the health benefits of moderate exercise are many and far out-weigh any of the risks associated with it. - higher risk of arrhythmias, of which a-fib is one, is associated with both ends of the exercise intensity spectrum: no exercise and intense, long-term exercise have the highest risk. Anything in between lowers your risk of arrhythmia. - Studies have widely differing assessments of the risk quantification of intense exercise, varying from 1 in 2 to 1 in 10 chance of developing arrhythmia. Before anyone panics, that means that at worst you have a 50% chance of avoiding the condition and at best, have a 90% chance (pretty good odds), and then only at the most intense exercise levels. Also, risks at the intense end only arise after many years (20+?) of intense exercise. - As with much human health research, most of the study is on males, and most of that on middle aged and older ones. Some research indicates that females may have lower risk with endurance training at any intensity but, as usual data on female subjects is sadly lacking. This podcast extract is only 10 minutes long so it's not a huge investment in time. But it is good food for thought. I hope it sparks some discussion. I'll probably have to wait at least 18 months from my initial diagnosis until receiving the pretty straightforward procedure that should cure me (the delay is mostly arbitrary decisions not to allocate the facility and people resources to get it done - I'm currently number 51 of 103 patients just in Victoria awaiting treatment). If any of you can avoid this inconvenience and the limitations of its impacts, then this post will have been worth it.

Favero is offering deeply discounted Black Friday deals on double and single-sided power meter pedals. Options are for Look or Shimano cleats. Mine have been bomb-proof and everyone I know who has them, loves them. Long battery life and very accurate. Can be moved from bikes to bikes (I switch between summer bike and TT). My delivery was quick and inexpensive. There should be no duty on pedals (they come from Italy). I highly recommend these for anyone who wants a reliable, flexible power meter.