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Irrespective of who is right and who is wrong,who did this and who said that, mitigating circumstances and the road law, the fact remains the cyclists took a pre determined decision to kick the door, the motive here was none other than to cause financial loss for the owner of the vehicle. PERIOD.! Personally, I dont think its the first time they have done this either, the way they rode on TRUE NORTH ROAD which is a single laned twisty road with a bit of a climb from "THE GLEN" the lack of reaction to a string of motorists behind them, the fact they appear to have been insulting and their quick and effective getaway makes me think it was not a "spur of the moment decision". I trust the relevant persons will take action here, criminally, and socially.

Grief, well there you are!!. Thanks BB, I seldom if ever visit cycle shops so probably why I havent seen one before. .............but I shall pay Cajees a visit later and pick a few up.

if anybody knew if there was a kind of "valve extender" available.? What I mean is an extension so that a short stem valve can be used on a deep section wheel. I ask because I cant see it as been very difficult to manufacture (although I am not very technical, it dont appear to be rocket science) it cant weigh a lot, and surely it would be quite usefull, I have seen a few cyclists lately with deep section wheels and short stem tubes - Problem.!

I know there are people (even on this board) who will read these posts, "ignore the sentiment" pooh - pooh the theory behind it and continue jumping lights and stop streets because it suits them.! Thats just a forgone fact, we all know it. Nothing we can do. ............so you may ask, "why continue with the discussion" - well, its because I believe most people are inherently honest and want to obey the law as it stands, sometimes, just sometimes they get a little sidetracked by those who dont have the same objectives and if we can show they are NOT the majority, we will have won the battle. .........or dont you agree.? widget2008-02-22 04:34:06

I dont have an issue with your points Bruce, I well understand the resource and manpower issue the police have. But, how can ever move forward if there are always excuses, how can we ever say, this has to change, if we keep moving the goal posts, how can we ever have a law abiding society (which EVERYONE wants and harps on about at length - just read the I am emigrating due to crime posts) if we dont try and start somewhere.?? You know the old saying "The journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step." If we cant look to the police to keep law, (as you point out and I agree), then WE must police ourselves, or else, in my opinion, we are just as bad as any Nigerian drug lord. I dont think its a waste of time discussing it either, the more its brought out and the more folk made aware "THAT IT IS AN ISSUE" possibly, the sooner we will have a more law abiding society.

If you allow small violations to go unpunished just because they are minor, it breeds an enviroment of contempt for the law, and people will push the envelope as far as possible, after all define "small violation". We need a clean up like they did in New York in the 90 s - it was dubbed the "broken window" action. Previously Tmes Square was a hell hole, of pimps, escourt palours, strip joints and kids selling crack cocaine on street corners, it was hardly a place of tourism. Mayor Guillani put his foot down and said, "Right, thats it, if you break the law, you will be arrested and prosecuted, no exceptions. The implication was that even if you committed a crime as minor as breaking a window, you will be prosecuted. The police took up the challenge and it worked. Today Times square is a great tourist attraction, its safe, its fine for families to stroll around in (you wont be accosted by a pimp or a "pavement worker") and to this day, the police maintain law and order, jumping the underground without paying your $2.00 ticket will get you a night in jail, thats how serious they are. The problem here is, people KNOW FULL WELL THEY CAN GET AWAY WITH IT - so of course they will do it. Start prosecuting and jailing cyclists for jumping lights, and it will soon stop. ..............and dont cry, thats using too much force, its not, the law is the law, stick to it or face the unpleasant consequences. widget2008-02-22 03:36:13

Yah Scotty, I hadnt thought about that!! - back to the drawing board I guess.

I dont see why your number cant be e-mailed to you. If you dont have internet access, well ya gotta pick it up, but use the technology available for heavens sake. I know there can be "the Paper issue" but why cant you just buy a few of those small plastic pockets (they come in A4 and A5 size, slip the preprinted number in seal it up with some tape and pin the whole pocket to your jersey.? Then again with some of the fellas here, they will consider that too much weight. Methinks the idea of number collection is nothing more than a cunning way to get you into a participating retail outlet where they can hopefully sell you something extra.

You are quite right' date=' but this is only because of the racing being coupled to funrides. Previously racing was for all age categories on circuit type routes. It was very much a family activity and the spectating was great.[/quote'] You have a point there.!

All the factors above are valid, but lets just step back a bit. Last night I was out doing a half hearted ride when in front I saw someone I thought I knew, I made a semi effort to catch him, and when I did, I recognised him from a few years back when we used to see each other every weekend at the races, I considered him a friend, even though I had never met his family or been to his house. We chatted about this very thing, he said he dosnt race anymore, he got tired of leaving the house at 5am every weekend and leaving his family alone until 12 am when he returned, so last year he bought a boat and now gos water skiing with the family on weekends. Said he has no interest in joining a club, getting a license, he just gos out three times a week and enjoys a ride, he wont be raceing again. I feel the same, for 8 odd years I raced vets at least every second weekend, last year I didnt license, I did 5 races, half heartedly, this year I will buy a day license (if I have to) for the three races I intend doing - the Argus, the Shova and the 94.7. As for the rest - I have no real interest. I am not alone, I used to see the same faces every week at races, we chatted had a beer afterwards and laughed about how good or bad we were on the day. Now I dont see any of the old faces, they just dont race anymore for whatever reason, moved away, took up another pastime, lost interest, lack of funds, couldnt be bothered with the Club/ License issue whatever, they are gone. ................and it donst appear as if anyone is filling their / our places. widget2008-02-19 01:44:10

I assume one should use the right stuff straight off the bat, mixing compounds is out of the question for me, I am far too lazy and have no clue about ratios between the compounds etc. ...........But for a technical person I guess it would be fine and relatively inexpensive. That said, we use a lot of copper slip in the workshop, the technicians tell me its great stuff, - I wouldnt know, - but what I do know is we battle to get it commercially in the smaller 100g tubes like we used to, now we have to buy it in 500g tubs which for a private person is way too much, you use so little of the stuff it would celebrate 40 birthdays in your garage and you would still have 400g left. Maybe the Auto retailers like Midas sell it in smaller retail tubes, I dont know, but dont buy 500g of the stuff, its just a waste.

I have em on one of my bikes Wolverine. Weight - dunno Price - came with the bike so......................dunno. Weight limit - dunno. I am not technically minded Wolverine so it dont really interest me, I put em on and ride em and it works for me, but I can say, they have never given me any problems, never broken spokes, stay fairly true etc,etc - in my opinion as a lay man, they are fine. I am sure there will be someone who knows app the technical info tho.!

We cant understand Gods ways, he is not like us slowpoke, we just need to trust and believe. I did not know him but God did and thats all that matters. God bless.

When you go on national TV dress appropriately thats all I am saying. How many people watch the show?? - millions. How many people know Mr Lemmer?? - very few, maybe a few hundred. How many people will look at his image on TV and say - "sheesh", how can I take this guy seriously?? - ?????????????? Do you people honestly think its only the informed who WATCH THE SHOW, do you honestly think its only those people who see Mr Lemmer riding around with a smile on his face who watch the show - Wake up man, most viewers dont know the CSA from the local green grocer, they form an opinion from appearance and information. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MR LEMMER PERSONALLY OR WHAT HE DOS OR DOS NOT DO FOR CYCLING, I WILL REPEAT, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MR LEMMER PERSONALLY OR WHAT HE DOS OR DOS NOT DO FOR CYCLING,........................................its about portraying an image of professionalism, and if he is important enough to go on THE ONLY CYCLING SHOW ON TV in my opinion he should dress appropriately. Thats it,.........................I will say no more on the matter.

Hmm, I dont watch SC, I dont know Carinus, I have never met the man and I dont even know if I would recognize him, however I have heard he has a rather "unemployed varsity student" appearance, which may not worry us here, but I do think it is a factor when you hold a rather high position in an organisation looking for respect from business and government. The most successfull business in the world "DISNEY" has one of the most strict dress and appearance codes in the world if you want to work for them - they demand an image and that image is respected and looked highly upon all over the world. Without a doubt dress and appearance code is important, First impressions are vital in todays world, and you only get one chance at it!!.

Depends on whats the matter medically with his back. If its a lack of joint movement due to fusions, mechanical issues or poor lumbar disc mobility, vertebral issues or any kind of orthopedic problem, he would FIRST need to speak to a doctor for advice, and then yes, he will need a specialist set up with a more upright position - I dont think the spanner jockey at the local retailer can do this set up, best he consults a biokinetisist. If its lower back pain due to either poor muscle conditioning or pain with no spinal mechanical problems, he could probably ride a normal set up and just improve his tone which will improve his muscle conditioning. I would be very wary (as someone who has spinal issues I know the complications which can arise) of just popping in to the local shop for a set up.

- Yup, time to lighten up.

Hmmm, I am with you Konafan, but some issues are bigger than you and I, some issues cant be resolved with a nice platitude and a few positive words on a white paper, too much anger, too much guilt, too much resentment. I am all for starting small and doing what you can, but I really fear we are too late my friend, to late!. widget2008-01-28 08:21:23

Sometimes I just wonder why SA should be any differant to the begging bowl of poverty, starvation, tribal war, genocide, gross human rights violations, corruption and nepotism - that is the rest of Africa.? The apple never falls far from the tree.