R2S2

H, I suppose Shimano is probably not that bad either! I still want your spoon though!

Seems like as long as we avoid Shimano vs Campagnolo, we actually agree on a lot H. I would in any case much rather pay a yearly licence fee, and carry a number (like the frame numbers the pro's use) than to pay for a Cyclosport lisence!

No he isn't - you either can't read' date=' or apply deductive reasoning. If you refer to cyclists stationary at a red light yes, if not, then the road traffic act is available from www.gov.za. Download it, read it and show me where you found that drivel. The truck driver has no other option than to keep in the leftmost lane. If he is slow' date=' but still within the confines of the law so be it. If there are two lanes, and he sticks to the right hand lane for reasons other than to turn right, he deserves to be hooted at, and I would most certainly not expect to be threatened in any way by the driver for doing so. Cyclists swarming over the same lane, have the option to keep left and not be an obstacle. In doing so they too are within the confines of the law, and that is where they need to be. The only exception to not keeping left, is if they want to turn right. If from a single lane, they are entitled to move across the lane and turn. If from a double lane, they may move to the right-hand lane, but are still expected to keep to the left thereof. Safer yes, perhaps a slight irritation, but as they are within the law, it is their right. It in any case only becomes an issue if you have hundreds of cyclists, and most clubrides are not that big. While stationary at a red light' date=' I would agree. Under no other circumstances. Again not true (see my point on the road traffic act). Cyclists are required to keep as far to the left as safe, and must always keep in single file. If the road is therefore clear of any obviously visible obstacles, such as potholes, broken glass etc, the rider has to keep right on the shoulder (within a meter from it), and may only deviate from this to avoid obstacles. When passing, this needs to be done in the fastest time possible, with the passing rider then returning to the shoulder as soon as it is safe to do so. As for the guys skipping lights; Find a safer route. If you can't, then stop at the lights - simple isn't it? f you then still feel threatened fine - though I would be hard pressed to believe that a ride as big as the one pictured needs feel threatened at all, ever.R2S22007-03-20 08:28:19

I battled for a long time to get mine to work properly, being messed around by every single bicycle shop I tried - even the guys that sold it to me! Ultimately, out of deparation I read the instructions and applied what it said METICULOUSLY. I have never missed a shift since, on either double or triple sets.

Yet again my little built in bullsh*t meter goes right into the red... I wonder if any single one of these companies now using "nano-" in their marketing have any idea what it really is about?!

Christie, Yep, that I have heard too, though I believe that if the structural problems were significant, they would have done a recall by now! (On the same note, a popular expensive brand recently had a recall if I'm not mistaken?) I in any case doubt that structural issues will come to the fore in any bikes other than those ridden really hard by folks of professional ability. The average Joe, and I count myself amongst them will probably, excluding abuse) never be able to take a frame beyond its limits. As for the subjec tive side of your note, I can only agree - I don't have to be fast to feel fast!

That's what I keep telling him, but he recons the coarse paint works like sharkskin!

BM, Thanx for the support! I have soooooo had my fill of people with big pockets taking pot shots at other peoples choices on this forum! Had a nice long chat with Sir Fred a while back. He played in the professional ranks in Europe in the past, and recently came 7th in the World Tri champs in Australia. He did this on a steel bike no less, painted with a "rattle can". To me, that says a lot about ability vs wallet size!

Quinton, You are opening yourself up here to a lot of people (I call them snobs)who will have a lot to say about Raleigh, and it not being at the level of brand x or y. My unbiased opinion: The fact is that what you buy is determined by your personal needs and budget. Most mass market carbon frames (including Raleigh) come from the same factory in Taiwan in any case, and ultimately price is often determined more by branding (the stickers on it) and marketing hype than anything else. Raleigh make fine bikes, that present excellent value for money, and unless you are riding wth the pros, you will experience no difference between that and any other more expensive carbon bike. If the price is right, go for it!

The price of raw titanium and aluminium has virtually nothing to do with the production cost of these or any other cycle bits. I think plain old supply and demand (or lack of people with silly money) is what is probably rather putting the squeeze on them. They still are nice though...

I absolutely agree with SV! DO NOT DRILL! Stainless steel work hardens when you machine it, and all you'll do is create a lot of heat, blunt a few drill bits, and destroy any part of the bolt that can be used to coax it out with. Apply penetrating oil overnight (Wurth makes the best there is!) The next morning, heat the bolt with a hairdryer, and then try to "snap" it loose, by giving the allen key (i assume this is an allen-type bolt) a quick rap with a small hammer or other object. Don't overcook this, and if it doesn't work in th efirst one or two raps, then rather use slow constant force on the allen key. Oh yes - remember loose is anti-clockwise, otherwise you might end up with a real mess! If that doesn't work, go to your nearest friendly engineering workshop! Point to remember: Do not use stainless steel bolts mixed with other metals, as it is a sure-fire receipe for seized bolts! If you have to, then at least apply some anti-seize compound.

They are freely available but seemed to be more expensive than I thought they'd be. Got the best deal at Cajees in the end.

Moderators, you're welcome to move this to chit-chat if you want... ...BUT now knowing what many do for a living, what some of you look like, and what many of you ride, how about sharing what your favourite music/song/band is? I am a huge Depeche Mode devotee, though I have a wide range of other (lesser) music that I listen to as well. I do however like dark stuff with meaning, more than just silly mindless tunes. On the bikes hardtrance, techno and dance is what I torture my ears with. My favourite track of all times is "My ruin", by a band called "Terror". So how about the rest of you then?

Slowpoke - I'm with you!

The main difference lies in the fork. The one on the team issue is around 80gr lighter than those on "lesser" frames. The rest of the weight difference (I was told) lies in the fact that the team issue frames are hand selected from the production line. BTW Slowpoke, I see from your signature that we have another DM fan on board...

Sorry Fanie - didn't intend to sound like a real d@@s in my previous post, but managed to anyway. My humblest apologies!

As die persoon 'n paar grade en experience het, dan sal hulle weet dat BMI net 'n guide is, en nie as gospel gevat moet word nie. Ek het self 'n paar grade, maar common sense het my al 'n hele paar embarrasing lesse geleer!

Fanie, Iewers die quote gesien, wat ek gebruik wanneer mense met vreeslike grade opinies lewer: "Education teaches you that a tomato is a fruit. Experience teaches you not to use it in fruit salad." Vat haar BMI met meer as net 'n knippie sout!

M.Phil? In what?

Given that an electric current is used, and the resistance of tissue used as a measuer, I think varying electrolyte levels in the body can have quite an effect on these machines. This is in any case the argument I have heard leveled against them.

BMI is an estimate figure only, as it does not take build into consderation - only height and weight. You'll find that many bodybuilders for instance, carrying virtually no fat at all, land up with very high BMI's too. I have been told by a couple of sources that the electronic measurement of bodyfat is not quite as accurate as pinch measuring. If this is true or not, I can't say...

Used to ride on GP3000, and got really fed up with the cracking issue, even though they were always replaced free of charge. Now ride Schwalbe Stelvios and am very happy.