Gambitdbn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtOToiIDNRA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BUEDXfY2WE

Great turnout this month, hopefully a sign of bigger and better things to come for CM Durban...

It's much more likely to be low blood sugar levels rather than BP (which is a good thing - you really don't want her blood pressure to drop when exercising). Any of the cardiovascular reasons for feeling faint when exercising are all pretty serious problems (usually problems with the heart valves in younger patients). If you're sure it's not hypoglycaemia then take her to a GP who can assess whether she needs to see a cardiologist for an echo or not.

You forgot about the one unicycle too...

Can't get enough of this band at the moment. Great album. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVeMiVU77wo

Stainbank's not a great place to try build up your endurance as the trails are quite short. That said, as Red pointed out it's a beautiful little reserve with quite a bit of fairly tame wildlife which makes for a really enjoyable ride. That coupled with the reasonable entrance fee (R15), accessibility and some great little stretches of singletrack makes it one of my favourite spots in Durban especially if my time is limited and I just want a quick ride. As regards safety, there have been a few incidents there, especially at the bottom near the river. Apparently however the guys were caught and there hasn't been anything for about a year now. I still probably wouldn't suggest riding alone though.

Do I look like a rapper? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxg2JbWA7Nk&feature=player_embedded

There are a couple of things to bear in mind. As SuperM correctly stated before, measurement of BP is done in a relaxed, seated patient (ideally someone who has been seated in a quiet room for 5-10 minutes). Your blood pressure will naturally rise and fall according to what activities you are doing and so a measurement not taken as described above (while rushing around at work) means very little by itself. If you are worried, make sure that it is taken correctly. Secondly, over the counter BP machines often give widely varying results. The worst offenders are the ones that fit around the wrist, although in my experience other upper-arm machines can also give quite markedly inaccurate readings. The best is to get your BP taken by your GP or a nursing sister (Clicks or Dischem). The values for normal BP are not age dependent. Assuming you are not diabetic they are: Dia 60-85, Sys <130 = Normal Dia 85-90, Sys <140 = High normal Dia >90, Sys >140 = Stage 1 hypertension Finally, one of the worst offenders in poor BP control is sodium, so cut out the salt.

I was also wondering about the same thing. From what I've read it isn't a problem to run a 10sp chain on a 9sp crank as both use the same cog/ring tooth widths, however there can be difficulties adjusting the front shifting if you use a 10sp front derailleur (the 10sp derailleur will under-shift slightly on a 9sp crank). The advice seems to be to match FD to crank and you'll be ok.

Rather go for the bike which feels comfortable and is the right size for you. It's like buying a pair of shoes which look really good but are the wrong size, they may be on sale but you'll still be wasting your money. The Scott's not a bad bike to start on anyway.

http://www.valentinamusic.co.uk/

Great track, I'm eagerly awaiting the new Hot Chip album coming out soon. As for unwatchable videos though, I don't know who can sit through this in its entirety (good tune though)...

I'm running the 2012 Racing Ralph snakeskin tubeless with no problems. The tubeless ready means the bead wont pop off the rim, the rubber of the tyre is not as thick as the full UST version though (meaning it weighs less but you have to use sealant). Snakeskin (reinforced sidewalls) is recommended however as RR have really thin sidewalls and you'll be taking a chance running the standard tyres without SS tubeless...

A cohort study looking at risk factors for cramping in 210 triathletes: RESULTS: 43 triathletes reported EAMC (cramping group) and were compared with the 166 who did not report EAMC (non-cramping group). There were no significant differences between groups in any pre-race-post-race serum electrolyte concentrations and body weight changes. The development of EAMC was associated with faster predicted race times and faster actual race times, despite similarly matched preparation and performance histories in subjects from both groups. A regression analysis identified faster overall race time (and cycling time) and a history of cramping (in the last 10 races) as the only two independent risk factors for EAMC. CONCLUSION: The results from this study add to the evidence thatdehydration and altered serum electrolyte balance are not causes for EAMC. Rather, endurance runnerscompeting at a fast pace, which suggests that they exercise at a high intensity, are at risk for EAMC.

Answering the original question, there have been lots of trials on all sorts of supplements and drugs from Vit E to calcium channel blockers (often used for BP control) and the only proven benefit seems to be from Quinine. It apparently works by inhibiting the motor end plate (where the nerve contacts the muscle fibers) to a certain degree preventing tetany (spasm) of the muscle. I cramp quite regularly and am pretty certain it's due to not training properly and not that my electrolytes are depleted. I tried Quinine pills for the first time this last weekend, 300mg night before and 300mg morning of the race and no cramps. That said, you do need a prescription and there are reported side effects (although admittedly very rare).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeM7s_0R4ww

Congratulations

The Ghost does look good, you have to love German engineering as well... The Ghost's are usually a bit on the heavy side though.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/news/article/video-workshop-how-to-align-your-disc-brake-calipers-32591

If you're on a limited budget be patient and check the Hub classifieds every day and you'll find a lot better bike for your money. A few grand won't buy you much new but will get you a decent starter bike 2nd hand if you look around...

Running a higher negative pressure definitely makes a huge difference to small bump compliance. I'm 78kg and run my Reba at 85+ 95-, if you run the negative more than about 10 more than the positive you lose a bit of travel as the fork gets sucked down a bit. Remember that the RockShox guides are just that, a guide. Rather tune your shock according to the amount of travel you end up using on your ride and your personal preference to how plush you like your shock - don't get hung up on the Rockshox values...

It's very difficult loosing a pet, at least 14 years was a good innings. Condolences.

An entry level bike that's only a few months old, the guy either loves the sport and rode it to death and is now upgrading, or didn't get in to it and maybe only rode it a few times. You may be lucky and pick something up that's hardly been used. The resale on bikes is terrible even if it has only a couple of hundred kilometers on it. If you have a limited budget then with a bit of patience secondhand is a good option.