mountain_lion

You don't always need the brightest possible light to have fun doing a night ride. The lights we used 10 years ago to ride single track with might be "torches" by todays standards, but they worked and we had fun. By all means compare products (in the same price range) and give reasons why one is better than another, but just calling a product cr@p without any motivation does not add any value here in the Tech Shack. There are other forums for chit-chat and rant & rave.

I have also mostly used the Canary trails for going up. Rode it in its virgin state a few days after it was completed. Many of the corners have since become much more difficult to ride going up due to damage by down hill riders. Meurant had a discussion with MTO yesterday and all the Canary trails (lower, middle and upper) will be signed one-way, UP hill only. His team has also started construction on a new section of single track in Jonkershoek... he did not say exactly where...

Do a search. Lights have been discussed several times on the Hub. Like this thread: https://www.bikehub.co.za/forum_posts.asp?TID=22510

KCNC = Pimp my Ride I got the shop to do a tubeless conversion and put the Crossmarks on. Wise move going tubeless and I love my Crossmarks in the dry. Problem is that winter in the Cape is not dry... and the Crossmarks just don't shed the mud. Saw that again on Saturday in Majik forest. There were a few of us riding Crossmarks, and they all looked like mud slicks at the end. Mrs moutain_lion is riding Kenda Karmas and they were completely clean. I need to top up Stans anyway and will be fitting a pair of Karmas for the winter at the same time.

What is best will depend on the situation, and normally what works is that the down hill rider slows down to allow the uphill rider time to get into a position where the downhill rider can go round him. i.e. the downhill rider should not expect the uphill rider to just get off the track and out of his way! mountain_lion2008-05-26 03:49:56

Some people seem to think that the single track in Jonkershoek have direction restrictions. As far as I know this has never been the case in Jonkershoek (and as a local, I have been riding there for 10+ years). While one way traffic might make sense on some trails, this does not apply to the tracks designed and built by Meurant in Jonkershoek . He specifically intended the tracks to be ridden in both directions. There are almost no blind corners and it does not take much skill to pass. Even if you cannot do this without one or both riders putting a foot down, so what? This is recreational riding. When I started riding MTB 10+ years ago, the general rule was that the rider going uphill has right of way. Reasoning being that the downhill rider has speed and can easily manoeuvre, but the uphill rider cannot. Of course both riders should make it as easy as possible for the other to pass. Has this changed??

Being local, we know better than to set off at 08:30 in Jonkershoek in winter! We did a 40km loop from home through Jonkers (also ended up doing a short hike-a-bike due to the unexpected harvesting over middle Canary. Then went up upper Canary. Some people seem to think this is a one way down?? I tested this trail with Meurant and he designed it specifically to be ridden both ways! The trail has no blind corners and it is easy to give way. I have been cycling in Jonkershoek for more than 10 years and never has any of the single track been one way AFAIK. Riders going down have speed and maneuverability on their side and thus when I started riding a MTB 10+years ago, the rider going up had right of way, if it was not possible to pass without stopping, but of course both riders should make it as easy as possible for the other to pass. Anyway, then over to and down Never-ending-story (that is what us locals call it) and back via middle and lower Canary and back home again taking in some single track along the 1ste rivier. mountain_lion2008-05-25 11:06:58

Dankie vir die organise BMC, was nice gewees om nog 'n paar Hubbers te ontmoet! en om na vele omswerwinge uiteindelik iewers koffie te drink... Nou het ek darem ook in Majik forest gery. Lekker single track.

I have not got the helmet yet; planning to go pick it up after the ride on Saturday morning. Not sure if the cycling gods will approve if I wear that thing on the MTB...

Mrs mountain_lion said she might join us, IF it is not going to be a race. You are not exactly helping here... You are scaring all the ladies away with your race talk!

There are various companies offering devices and services like this. Google will find them. e.g. http://www.sportstrack.net which is specifically aimed at sports like cycling. More expensive device, although the website says it includes a 2 year data contract with no monthly charge. Although not as accurate as GPS, if you just want to be able to get the current location of someone, a cell phone with the "look for me" function enabled is a cheaper option. You will however not get a track history (without some additional software).

Or you could use a plastic bottle... Who knows, you might even win something by doing that ...

Interesting read! I think I have seen this once on my Anthem 2 equipped with Rockshock Recon fork and Juicy 3 brakes. The skewer worked loose to the extent where I noticed the wheel moving in the fork. NOt 100% sure, but I seem to remember thinking that the skewer rotated. Fortunately the fork lips prevented the wheel from falling out. At the time I was a bit puzzled about it, since I always install the wheels myself and always double check the QRs. It has not happened again since, at least not to the extend that I noticed it, so I eventually put it down to poor wheel installation on my side at the time. Will keep an eye out for it now!

BMC Fan, wanneer is hierdie koffie event van jou nou eintlik? Die thread topic s? 26 Mei, maar dit is Maandag!

Looks like email notification is back, but you have to re-subscribe to all the topics you want to watch.

Where are you meeting? I have not ridden in Majik Forest, so might just join you. Will speak to Mrs mountain_lion, perhaps she will come too if you are not going to make a race out of it

I don't care how it looks, I use my MTB shoes on the road as well. Road work is just alternative training for MTB in any case

It is not the clicking that you should be worried about most. Rather the ability to walk over rough terrain with your shoes, which you will do if you get into the MTB thing properly. Also think about how well your road cleats will work when covered in mud. Most MTB pedals you can clip on 2 (or more sides), which helps a lot since you clip in and out much more often on the MTB.

My dad snapped his at 70 years young in the Cederberg about 6 months ago. With a good exercise and stretch program worked out by professionals, he is almost walking normal on the level now. The younger you are, the quicker the recovery. Key is to get to a good physio / biokineticist the day the doctor gets you out of the fixed cast. A lot can be done by massage straight away and then build up the exercise load gradually. Swimming is excellent exercise that you can do almost immediately. mountain_lion2008-05-19 14:23:15

With electricity being a hot topic of late in SA, some non-engineers might also want to understand a bit more about it. See The electrical system as a tandem bicycle

yes, but why would you want to route like that? surly you know the way

Auto-routable maps are a lot of work to do. I got City Navigator SA v6 (US$100) when I ordered my new Legend from USA, but I do not use it often.