Captain Fastbastard Mayhem

based on what I've read, mate. Could be as factual as a sea-borne giraffe.

until you show them some water. Or roots. Or sand. Anything other than hardpack, actually. Then they whimper and try to get away from the general area as fast as possible. Which generally leaves you on your head, with a mouthful of sand/rock/root/mud. Not ideal. Stay far away...

Dedicated tubeless tires are generally endowed with thicker sidewalls to prevent any air leaking out, where there would normally be a tube doing the same. I would definately get myself a set of UST tires for that. And some STANS, as well. As for tires - I have the WTB Wolverines and have to say that they are AWESOME. Wanted to get the Weirwolves (Weirwolf for singular) as they had a more aggressive tread pattern and more prominent knobs, but the Wolverine should be perfect for you up there in the big dirt... They've been dealing with all Tokai can throw at them, which is quite a varying amount of terrain - rock, hardpack, sand, mud, shale etc...

Zula, I still think they're staying true to their original roots of fantastic hand-built machines. They're still doing all their DH/FR rigs in house, by hand. That was the original area of business for them, and I don't think that they'll be giving up their mark of hand-built quality on that side of things. However, business being business, they were wanting to expand into different areas of MTB'ing, in order to get a bigger footprint in the marketplace. This meant that they would have to expand into different supply and manufacturing areas for the new bikes, as expanding that fast and that far, whilst retaining the same "hand built" moniker for ALL their frames was just a step too far if they wanted their quality and attention to detail to remain. Farming out the production on the "new" frames, whilst still keeping their "hand built" approach on the core of their business seems the right thing to do, and I think they have to be applauded for doing so. In addition, they would have had a wealth of experience to draw from overseas. HTereby giving us the best of both worlds. Yes, we might not like it, but hell... At least we have a home-grown legend providing us with stunning bikes. And they're still all designed in house by our friendly Maritzburgers...

101. Majority of that is cane & coke.

Nope, wet it is for me! Just makes it so much more FUN! Anmd settles all the *** onm the trail as well...

weight update to come later today...

how much did you pay for it, Moto-moto-moto? Mushroom mushroom!

I wonder ifd his Ghey dar is broken. And the Daleks would have won the war had we all been riding those like such asses.

but oh so bad... I'm not drinking any for the next 3 months. Personal decision. Wine only, and then a spirit or 2 on the odd occasion (when there's a braai happening)

Yeah, I saw Snake Eyes yesterday and it wasn't looking pretty! Bring on winter and the rain!

I think the 120 would suit my riding style better, seeing as I like to bomb it down the hills a bit, and prefer a more relaxed set-up to a full race one. However, I'd probably go for a GT Force / Sensor, Giant Trance over the Merida...

Sup fellas... Has anyone else noticed the sudden affluence of large sandy deposits at the bottom end of DH1/Vasbyt, just after the bridge and smack bang in the landing zone of the bridge's drop-off? Was showing the lady around there yesterday and my front wheel got schnaffed by the sand, which resulted in a dis-honourable dismount in a place that has never before troubled me... Took it in the face, elbow and shoulder... Okay - I was going slower than normal owing to the guided tour I was giving, but not so much that it would have made a difference in normal circumstances.

Merida is sexy... but a helluva lot of them on the trails! You don't see that many Silverback Mercuries, and that might be a defining factor if I were looking at them, and the spec sheet were very similar... on an impulse buy though, I'd go for the Merida. 120, that is...

Control.... Must. Take. Control!

Okay - BMI is apparently 30.864 Targeting BMI of 26...

Yep, I need to lose weight for a very good reason - wedding and honeymoon! I'm 1.8m & 100kg. Resting HR (last measurement) was 55. Cholesterol, BP and RBSC is all pristine. Want to get back down to a fighting weight of 85. The challenge began yesterday.

Azonic - that's just wrong, in so many ways... I'm with C_W_65... breakfast just came back up. Yeuck! Having said that though, I very much need to get back in the rhythm set before the christmas break. Been going to gym semi regularly over the last 3 weeks (in Durbs wihtout a bike and not being able to run...) and find a burning need to get back on the bike and make the most of it. Best way to curb appetite - don't eat when you've got those hunger pangs. Drink water, and coffee. I need to practice that a bit more often though, but that's what new years' resolutions are for, right?

did a 2hr gym training session on Friday and again this morning. After swimming at uShaka beach for an hour.

Still raining here in Durbs. Just got up here from CT for our christmas holidays... Looking pretty glum at the moment!

On those things, it's normally ACE. But yeah, I agree with you on the distance factor. I know I can run 3 metres faster than a car can cross 50...

Erm, maybe they do? And it's just that the idjits happen to be far away at initial time of crossing, traffic light is red etc and the assumption is that the car will stop as per normal... Are you going to wait for every car to stop before you cross the road at an intersection controlled by traffic lights?

Truly the best vid I have seen of this kind, as a reminder of road safety. Remember to drive carefully, and considerately. Remember to always take into consideration your surroundings and to assess the road at all times... Especially in these festive times. Very, very hard hitting. No pun intended, nor should one be drawn from the words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC2SBX2nnUw

Yeah, I am trying to get into it again. Unfortunately, anything over 4k and my knee aches like a sunavabeetch. Need to ease myself into it. Far more entertaining than road running, and makes you fitter faster. Also means you have to think about where you put your feet. Funny that I used to race my mates down Berg trails when I was a lightie though. In veld-skoene nogal!

Hmmm... Quite tricky, I agree. My MTB has the stock-standard Felt saddle on it, that kinda looks like a Tundra but is slightly softer & with a thinner cushion. Very nice, but hard to maneuver unless it's lowered by 3 inches. But that might just be my inexperience. My road saddle is a hard, thin (in both cushioning and width) specimen, which is great for long rides. Both of them are fantastic, although the road saddle was a bit too hard to begin with, it has bedded in nicely. The Felt saddle, though, is the comfiest I have sat on. And I assume it would cost approx R 250 to replace..