Mechanic Extraordinaire

Testimononials -Oh I'm blushing!

Steve has been servicing/fixing my bike for almost a year now and I have no hesitation in recommending him. Every time I get the bike back from Steve it feels as good as or sometimes even better than new. He is obviously completely competent with all aspects of bike maintenance and setup and it's great to be able to trust that he'll always do the best possible job with the most suitable parts. He also often suggests little things to change which make a huge difference on the trails. His quick turnaround time also means that I never have to be off the bike for very long.

Paula Keohan- Adventure and XC Racer

I would totally recommend Stephen when it comes to fixing a bike. He knows everything there is to know about the bike. He is efficient and reliable and he doesn’t rip you off! If you leave your bike in to a shop to be repaired, you may have someone who really knows what they are at fixing the problem and on the other hand you may not. The do not particularly care how good a job they do, as long as the customer seems happy. Stephen is working for himself, so it is important to him to do a good job and please the customer. He is a very good mountain biker himself, and he knows all about the different components of the bike and he would have lots of advice to give on any technical aspect of the bike. If I ever have any questions, I would always ask Stephen. I really couldn’t find any faults with Stephen, he is a sincere, genuine, hard worker who will do him best for you.

Rachel Cinnsealach- Adventure Racer/ XC Rider

Yes, extraordinaire. That's right! I've been doing bike work from my workshop for the past 6months or so and have lot's of very happy customers. So why would you give me your bike to work on?

I'll treat it like it's my own with no distractions or shop managers breathing down my neck, I can take my time and guarantee the job is done 100% right. No compromises.

I charge approximately half the price of regular bike shops.

I check over every part of every bike. If anything is not 100%, I'll let you know immeditealey and let you know what it'll take to fix it.

Bike pick ups and drop offs are no problem.

I specialize in the biggest cause of bike handling difficulties and discomfort- setup. I'll ensure the bike fit's properly and your cockpit is right for you. The difference something as small as shifter placement and brake lever angle can make is HUGE.

I guarantee complete satisfaction with the work or I'll charge nothing.

Give me a shot! You've nothing to lose.
stescrivoATgmail.com
0861653925

2012

This year is different. It’s going to be different. I’m determined to do well and although I can foresee a couple of months off (well not off but not training enough) in March/April for finals, I’m putting down what I think is a solid(ish) base now. I started as soon as I got back from a weeks boardin’ and boozin’ in Les Arcs about a three weeks ago.

Although I’ve always known it, this is the first time I’ve put in a real consistent effort on the road. My weakness has always been my aerobic fitness, I could blag my way through the anaerobic stuff through adrenaline and being young (I think) but once the hard effort had to last over a few minutes, I’d crumple. With this in mind, I’ve been trying to do a couple of hundred km a week. I’ve been reading up on training more and have identified over gearing as something that could benefit me. Basically it requires going at least one gear too hard at a slower cadence in order to build more leg strength. The high-end anaerobic stuff has a fairly short effort-time no matter how much you train it so it’s gotta be all about he aerobic fitness.

With this being my final year as a student and my season going well so far, I’ve targeted two early races to try and do well in. The national inter-varisty champs are being run over a lap of Ballinastoe on February 19 and I’m hoping to travel to the British inter-varsities in March/ April (date not finalized) (http://www.bucsmountainbikechamps.co.uk) Last years course looks sketchy as….. Just up my alley!!!



I did a Vo2 max test during the week which was as I expected, was a fairly sick experience. You start at 120watts and go up 30watts every 3 minutes until you fall apart. I just managed to get into 360w and then fell apart very quickly. So a lot more base miles are needed so I don’t get the red head of death so quickly! Interestingly, Bernard in the TCD Pysiology department was saying that a big night out boozing can wipe out up to the last 6 days of training! At the moment that could be 12hours of bike riding gone down a urinal! This has certainly put going drinking into perspective.

This weekend has been a writeoff bike wise. I had planned on doing a long spin on Saturday and Sunday but got held up with college work yesterday and the weather was manky today. I know, I know- harden the fuck up… The forecast tomorrow is still brutal so I’m gonna do a spinning class in the morning in college and then maybe a road spin tomorrow evening if the weather has picked up any. Tuesday is either a three hour mtb spin or 3 hours road. I’ll hold off to see what the craic with Wednesday and Thursday is and then definitely a long 3 or 4 hour spin on Friday as I’m off college.

Between a training plan from Niall Davis last year and the results from the Vo2 max test, I know what I need to do. It’s just a case of getting on with it and making it happen now!