Ottocs

Yeh interesting - after explaining symptoms to anyone you have this feeling that people looking at you like you just told them you have been abducted and molested by aliens. Dr Retief wanted the Brain MRI, but medical aid only cover 1 MRI a year and at 12k a pop, yeh. I will track it down in the next 3 months and get it right. The theory from the bio is that hip and glute are providing no stabilisation and therefore the pelvis is not aligned (something to that effect), and therefore, this squashes nerve endings and creates numbness and the back pain? Damnit, I was hoping for some positivity, this is depressing me. But should the bio fail ... ill seek out a neurologist and hopefully put this thing to sleep. Thanks anyways.

Yeh look its an unusual case, which everyone I see tells me. Right hand side dominance to a degree that Iast week I could do maybe 2 calf raises (no weights) second one shakey and could not hop on just my left leg. Stand on my left leg and bend my knee, and come back up ... not possible. I`m feeling like this is gonna come right, but Rome wasn't built in a day. There is no question that my left leg is a problem as well as my core, so ill address what I know and hopefully take it from there..

Not too much investigation work done to be honest, I had a MRI at Sunninghill - Dr Retief, which he said nothing looked too much out of the ordinary. EEG was recommended, which I will possibly looking into. I`ve only been with the bio a week and I can actually feel a shift, which I have not got from anyone else, so im gonna give it a month or two, worst case, back to the drawing board, but I feel positive, things seem to be looking up. Just seems like this has never happened to anyone else... which makes it a little harder to remain positive, I`m gonna head out for a ride today see how it feels, in the last two years my longest ENJOYABLE ride has probably been about 15km. So I don't expect miracles, but ... it would have been nice to know anyone else has experienced something remotely similar so that I know its not just psychological.

I'm saying that I was progressively getting weaker. The diagnosis now makes sense and things seem to be improving, i was told by the bio not to overdo it as the muscles have been sitting in an almost dormant state for a while. Essentially if someone says "hey i experienced this try swimming, its great for you spine" that would help, rather than "hey man go bang out 100 calve raises because your leg is well rested" essentially ... if anyone has recommendations that are mild in nature, but will help, or what i can expect. Like i don't understand why my right lower back is sore, because i'm only exercising my left hand side? Is that normal ?

Hi Guys, I just wanted to see if anyone else has experienced what I am experiencing at the moment, just so that I have a heads up as to what to expect? & possibly what I could do to speed up the rehab process? Initially I thought I was just unfit, I noticed when I was riding with some mates, the switchbacks I used to have no problem on, on my bmx were now almost impossible to ride, my bunny hop wasn’t working out too well, in fact almost not existent, overall control was not great so I decided to start riding more frequently – as this should build my strength. Quite the opposite, I actually starting hating riding, walking running, pretty much everything. The more I did the weaker I got ...the last “race” I did was the 94.7 30km MTB, I came off 7 or 8 times – On none of these occasions was I actually moving, I would stop, put my leg down and it would just cave in. I could barely walk when I finished. I have been to neuro surgeons, chiropractors, podiatrists and a randomly, out there herbal healer. No one really diagnosed anything, the podiatrist said I had drop foot – at least that’s what the symptoms looked like, MRI told the neuro there was nothing wrong with my spine except for an old injury that had pretty much healed. My chiropractor after a while diagnosed that it is a possibility that I have piriformis syndrome, and he believes that this could have been aggravated by a fall off the roof two years ago (don’t ask). He then recommended that I go and see a biokineticist as he felt my right hand side of my body was dominating all movements. I’m my head I realised that this hypothesis made sense- Basically everything I was doing was with one leg - so I went to the bio – not telling her anything – just hoping she would have some answers, she said that my core muscles are almost not existent and my right hand side had dominated movements to such a degree that my left calf and quad was even slightly smaller than my right... Anyways she gave me some exercises to do, very basic exercises, however I almost cry when I do them, not because they hurt, just because I guess these were movements I had always taken for granted, and now I’m shaking like a old man when I do them. I’m experiencing some pain in my right lower back, but the bio believes this is my body realigning (something to that extent) ... I’ve been like this for two years so I don’t expect to heal overnight, but just the exercises she has given me are giving me huge confidence and I feel like my left leg is now reconnected to my body. It would be nice to know what to expect from someone whom has experienced something similar?

One day when im big ... or something...

I think a skills clinic (Tread one spoken about) gives you a good solid basis to build on, you not going to walk in not knowing how to pedal and walk out a Chris Akrigg, but lets get real. I`m trying to get my wife to go and do one, not that she needs it but even so, its a good confidence builder. A lot of people who do the courses wont ride the drop offs, bridges and so on, but its almost like this mob mentality kicks in and they do it. I think if you are starting out, its a good starting point, and if your skills are good already there are still small things that you might pick up on and do better in the future. & if you have never been to Cycle Park (if you in JHB) you still have entrance and you can cruise about and go and check out some of the other stuff there. I like it there ... although recently maintenance has not been a strong point, apparently they sold the place ... anyone ?

http://vimeo.com/74449652

I dunno if i would be too stoked with my mates if they posted a clip of me doing this ... But different strokes. Hope you heal quick man.

Yeh i unfortunately have a problem too ... I have 5 Bialettis - with the exception of the funky looking machine (the one which got left behind) The most expensive bialetti you can get in Italy is about 39 euro... Mukka express 2 cup - the only 1 i dont like.

Breaker, The hub may also add a lot of confusion to your choices, don’t over think it TOO much, just go with what feels right. I’m not saying don’t shop about - take one of your mates that is realistic, knowledgeable & has a open mind (26 vs 29 debate) and go off to the bike store get him as well as the LBS to recommend a 29er and a 26er, ride them and see how u feel. The fact that u are looking at starting out and this is your first bit of exposure, you don’t need a full on, tricked out bike with all the bells and whistles. Stick you your budget - Its always very easy to exceed if you are tempted and know that no matter what you buy now, if you really get into the sport - you gonna want something else in 6-8 months. Don’t obsess with saving a few grams here and there ... that really doesn’t matter ... whatever you buy, you gonna have a good time! With the shoes, pants hydration - don’t stress too much about that right now. Hope you come right and let us know what you eventually purchase, and how you come along.

Bialetti just bought out a espresso machine + steam wand ... looks pretty cool. I know they also compatable with capsules & grounds.. (and it looks pretty damn funky) Bialetti stove top a must in every italian household ... very cool, and a nice way to drink coffee ... Its also not badly priced ... saw them in italy and didnt buy one ... Hind sight is .... not good.

Hey Guys, I seem to be having some issues with my back, i dont know if anyone else could point me in the right direction or recommend anyone? ive gone the route of MRIs, "specialists" and they all like, "yeh just give it time and it will heal" So basically its hard to pin point (either action cricket or Mtb/ bmx bails) but about 10 years ago i crushed or ruptured a disc in my lower back, which resulted in a pinched nerve... which as the specialist told me would heal no problems, after a while i gave up fighting with them... for the past few years i get this almost numb / hypersensative feeling in my arms, legs,and stomach, also when i move my head down and to the left i almost get this shock like feeling through my back ... which i can almost deal with but ... Whenever i ride my back hurts like a b*@&^$ ... Dunno if anyone experienced anything like this ...please lemme know, ta.

Yeh BMX for the past few years seem to somehow got you into Right Hand = Rear... Maybe thats cos the old brakes didnt stop diddly when wet and u needed to really crush that guy.

Yeh man, the whole point i was making ... If you are a unaware of pricing structures ... they gonna screw you on most items. A) You know what you looking for. B) You know what a good price should be. Thats besides the point ... im not arguing with you ... i was just saying that these rant n rave things are good for us all, it makes us aware of what to expect and the cycle shops are kept on their toes (the good ones anyways) Sound good ??

O that reminds me ... Thanks to whoever took a few links off the "floating bridge" at van gaalens ... it was riveting. Good times ...

Yeh i guess so. People need to learn to roll with the punches and hand them out where required. That said i started a "Cajees cycles" thread... I dont like feeling ripped off, and lets be honest - the majority of people walk into a shop and take whatever advise the proprietor is offering... look at the cash people are spending on here ... its insane... i dont want people to get ripped off and be left with a bitter taste, its just not good for anyone. & we can always say that the onus falls on the "buyer" to stomp their feet and get what they paid for, however in South Africa most people dont. Looking at some of the stores about these days, alot mentioned on this forum with take the constructive criticism and run with it, make a negative into a positive. On the other hand to the shops that do get flamed on the hub and do nothing about it ... its evident. "a ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

Kranswurm : what makes you such a positive little fella ? Forum - "rant n rave" - hence thats what people do here ...

Awesome, glad to hear, i will eventually get used to it and im not just SpEcIaL

Dude, Hence the question - have you ever had a little girl laugh in your face? I was having flash backs from "Children of the korn" - im still scarred

Tubehunter : Yeh bunny hop, maybe its in my head, but i just seemed to put in less effort with more height on the hard tail.

K this may be a really bad question to ask... I just switched from a HT to dualie ... WTF am i taking so much strain to Hop this thing with such minimal height?? is this normal? I love riding this bike, but this is a little depressing? Ta.

K so i looked about went to check out the Merida, its not bad.... but... Next to it was my first choice, which i eliminated based on ... well nothing, the Silverback Mercury 3 , Fox float rear and Rock Shock Recon - Silver front, remote lock out ... looks about the best for the components and value for money. Anyone got anything bad to mention about this bike ?? Thanks.

Hey, Thanks for the responses. Looks like everyone seems to be in favour of the Giant, i got a bit of time so ill wait and see what pops up. Ridin Dirty - yeh i havnt had any experience with Merida either, i hear good things .. ill check the bike out and see how it feels, thats possibly the best way to do this. Funny how the website doesnt mention weight at all, but the fork is like 3kgs alone. Anyways Ta.

Hi Guys, Ive been a little our of the loop for while, my bike is older than father time himself, im in the process of looking for a new one... i notice this question on here alot and hope not everyone looks at this thread and thinks "oh no another one of those" At the moment i have a hardtail and im not ruling out a dual sus. Problem is i havnt had much exposure to a dualie before. Ive always looked at it as "its a bike, that`ll do" reading all the articles on here has really messed with my head, im looking at all the technical info i can find, however the theoritical info doesnt always corrolate with the practical stuff, so i would appreciate some input. I realise that if you spend a minimal amount of money you can expect to get what you pay for, but lets get real im no Minnaar / Macaskill. I want a reliable bike that components are readily available for, that can be upgraded and is gonna withstand a decent beating, riding single track, some rough stuff and messing about on some larger jumps. Im looking at a few options at the moment, please be brutally honest and let me know what you think of the options that i do have and what would be a better option.? im looking at a budget of probably R8000 - R10000. Giant Trance X4 Merida One twenty 500d Merida Matts TFS 900d Scott Aspect 10 Thanks in advance, Ladas