Slave

A few more of my favourite smileys. The sniper is for taking down dumbasses and the oops is for when one recognises that, for once, one is THE dumbass that will get flamed. So, how does one talk to admin?

I got them off a wild life forum I sometimes go and rant and rave on. I love this one.

Damn, when I get a chance to do this I dig it man. Thing is, I been commuting a lot by bike and there is just a leedle imbalance with that equasion. 100 Kg of me and bike is not equal to 2000 kg of taxi full of cargo.

Someone mention popcorn. Why don't we have a pocorn smiley? And while we are about it, why not one of these?

This seems to me to be a general pervasive problem of modern society. Bad attitudes abound every where. Cycling though is a pretty agressive sport. Not a contact agressive like Rugby, but still agressive. All this talk of attackes, counter attacks and stuff, it's no wonder cyclists, in general are agressive. Also gets back to respect. Some folk lack self respect and are therefore unable to repsect anyone else. I think this is the root cause of many problems. Like Trubie said, we need to understand that we are dealing with opinions here and everyone has the right to voice his or her opinion. But then some see the expression of an opinion as a personal attack and become very defensive. In chess, the best defence is attack. Agression and bad attitude, it's every where. If you doubt that try to tell some tjop doing 90 in the emergency lane when everyone else is stopped during the peak traffic, that he is wrong. Just give me fair warning, this could be an interesting spectacle.

The fact that you have taken the time to try and address the issues speaks well of the club and your commitment to safe cycling. Respect man. This type of behaviour is very prevalent in most any walk of life today. The way "we" (the collective "we" and very generalised) drive. The way "we" interact with each other when we are called on our mistakes. "We" no longer apologise and say sorry, we get agro and want to bash someones brain in. And the really strange thing, our cycling safety is in our own hands. In any collision, the cyclist is likely to be hurt, maimed or even killed. You'd think with odds like that, we would have more self respect. How can we respect others when we lack this basic fundamental? I'd like to suggest that as penance for riding like tjops, once exposed, peeps should be expelled from the clubs they ride for. But like that's just my opinion. Ash, dude, get your junk together and meet the man. If you are afraid, call in for backup. It is important to many that we get the attiudes of many cyclists sorted. Maybe this would be a good example.

The wind is your training partner.

Just as an aside to what I said earlier. The prices are what they are because we pay them. The sponsored teams don't help to keep them down, but I think we all fall for this marketing mumbo jumbo. Got to have the best of everything you know.... Keep up appearances, with the Jones' and all that rot. Collectively, if we band together, and boycott some of the high priced stores, they may soon be forced to reduce their prices to stay in business. Speaking of high priced stores, I see a new cycle shop will be opening in Melrose soon. Concept Cyclery. I will just have to satisfy myself that I can't even afford to window shop there. Doesn't say when they will be opening, just that it will be soon. And if soon is anything like the travel shop (Emmirates) opening up next door to us, soon could be in five of six months.

Well done Joe. You did a good thing and I am proud to be a fellow cyclist and friend.

Another problem is that from Alberton, to get to Malvern, you have to go through City Deep and there are hundreds of those container trucks that use that section of road. Firghtening stuff indeed. At least Melrose is only about 30 km from Alberton (at least the ay I ride home which is a slightly different route. Hey Danger Dassie. I used to live in Parkhurst as a young boy. 15th street. Used to ride from there to Rosebank and Sandton city for fun with my mates. For fun one day try riding up Bompass.

What Technology???? With the exception of the comapct frame design, bike geomoetry has pretty much been the same for the last 50 years or so. No technology there. So maybe the development of carbon frames but how does that justify the price of new ally frames, and steel ones when you you can stil get them. I hear peeps talking about how deep sections make you go faster. REALLY? Does nothing for an average to below average Joe like me. No way will I even get deep section, never mind yupperware ones. (Read as carbon.) One goo pothole and that's pretty much the ball game as far as those very expensive wheels go. Really, they look sweet, and maybe they do help some go faster and that's great of they do. But what about "normal" wheels. HTF do they justify the price of those? And cycle tyres? Freaking heck. They cost more than my car tyres and get less than 10% of the mileage I get on the car. Got to be the biggest rip of all. In my not at all humble opinion..... We are being ripped. I was quite appalled at the price I heard peeps are paying for a groupset like SRAM and Campag. Even Shimano. Nay, mense, ek weetie...... I thinks maybe we's stoopid.

I go along Swatkoppies to Klipriver, up over butchers. Along Klipriver (at the Engen before Southdale, I turn right then immediately left. Wander down Bellavista and then right up to Eloff Street Extention. Go left up to Frederick and then left to Rissik. Up past the Civic centre and down Hospital hill along to the top of Oxford. At Empire you could turn right and get to Luis Botha, but like that route is full of taxis man. (But then again, so is Oxford and it gets a bit hairy going down that steep section paralel to the M1 because you have that Oxford offramp and the cars merge at speed. I have found most of the route I use to be relatively safe. Safer than most any other route available. I can give you a few ideas to get onto Louis Botha over Silvias pass, but like to get there is a bit hectic going through Malvern.

Er, no, I was crossing against the light, I think I was jay-cycling.

I was riding along Riviera Road (Killarny) the other morning and after stopping to check there were no cars, slipped a traffic light only to find a pedestrian crossing on the other side of the intersection. So I gestured for her to "carry on", thinking it was polite and correct since I was going ah=gainst the traffic light. Silly tart raved and ranted at me like I was commiting murder. Yep, I was wrong, but hey, there were no cars and I didn't even come close to running her down. In hindsight ........

I am just down the road from you at Melrose. Commute from Alberton fairly regulalrly. Go through Houghton all the time.

James, I think you need new wheels dude. Just make sure you donate yours to a worthy cause (me) when you replace them.

Get well soon Captain. Hope all the cuts and bruises heal up real well. I commute fairly regulalry and still in two minds about the taxi drivers. Seriously, they have, more often than not, been the most polite to me when I need a gap. Some of them have almost wiped me out as well, but in the main, I'd say they are generally better to share the road with than women drivers. (I sh!t you not.) Bus drivers, I have had few issues with but then I don't see too many busses on the route I use. If you are going to do anything about the issue, you stand a better chance getting anything out of council than out of a taxi driver.

Er, that would be to all of the above. But I did enjoy my little moment of Narcisism. I do have a car, but I still commute to work regularly. It takes about ten minutes longer by bike because of traffic. So I pay licnce fees, and I guess I do pay road taxes because I pay the odd bit on tax now and then. Depends on how you define "noxious fumes" of my own. Like everyone else, I do fart from time to time. I would not exactly classify that as noxious fumes. More like Ozone guzzling toxic waste. I just wish I could save up all that gas for climbing up butchers hill. That would be handy. IQ, what, a dumbass like me. I think I have astounded science by being the only person with a sngle digit IQ to have surviced past ten years. If that makes me a geniuus, then I must be one.

Maybe my big crash in January was actually a blessing in disguise. It was the day that my wife decided she couldn't beat us and decided to join us. She was out having a gentle ride around the hood when I was out time trialing and fell rather badly. That was the last time she went anywhere near a bike and I have got back into the saddle.Scared the whatits out of her. (Me too but that's another story for another thread.) Now my sacred time is still MY sacred time. B) My great escape from reality when I disappear into the sunrise and got out riding for several hours. No nagging, no bitchin'. Just the awsome sound of tyres on tar, the wind in my ears and every now and then, the chirping of the birds in the trees. Man I do love cycling. Such a pity we have to share the roads with dumbass motorists that ruin the ambience with their gas guzzling, pollution emmitting metal boxes.

But Muxie. Having a nap after a ride is spending quality time with the family after a ride. At least my rides may only last a few hours. On weekends, I leave usually when they are still asleep. By the time I get back home, the ball and chain is up and about. If she gets onto the PC and starts playing Mahjong, it goes on all day. Best time for me to have a nap. The teenagers are usually still busy catching up on their sleep when I return.

Dude, I can so relate to this one. The bike never says "No" or "I have a headache." I am secretly wishing that she would leave with the milkman so I can get out of it without a messy custody battle. I think though in this modern SA of ours that the bike stands a better chance of leaving with the milkman and leaving me with her.

You bunch of prima donnas. Spoilt rotten I say. Bikes are all pretty much of a muchness and any bike you ride will be one you grow to like. One person who frequesnts the hallowed passages (the Hub) said Trek was the best and he wouldn't change it. The he got a Specialised. Now he swears by that. Compared to my Petini, the Trek SLR I am riding (on loan from another fellow hubber) is actaully a magic ride.I'd seriously consider buying it if it came up for sale. Although I only rode my Colnago for two rides before I broke it in an accident, that was also a magic bike to ride. Right now, I'd ride anything that works. Really fellas, there is no such thing as a bad bike these days. (Except my other mates Madone 5.1. Sheeesh, that frame flex would have me take up road running again before riding that. Hooters and motorists are enough hassle to deal with while cycling..... Who needs the additional brown stuff overflow from a flexible frame.

Er, I see no difference between them being on strike or not. A whole lot of babies died recently when they wre at work. What exactly is the problem here? Nothing has changed excpet they are outside doing the "vakbond vastrap". Being on strike just makes the "non work" more official.

How much are you paying? For the right fee, I can be anyone's cycling buddy? Go ahead, make me an offer I can't understand.

And the amazing thing about this is that "we never ride more than one abreast" and it's ok because "bugger the motorists anyway". All this narcisim is working on my shifters. The attitudes on both sides are often wrong and that also creates a loto of aggro. Fact is that regardless of whether we are right or wrong, in a collision with a motorised vehicle, we come a very distant second in a two horse race. It's bad enough I gotta have eyes in the back of my head and my own safety, I can look after, but when other dimwits make matters worse by having a *** houding, then I tend to lose my sense of humour. And all this because now I have to be extra vigilant because the motorised peeps are getting very pissed off with our behaviour. One gripe from my bud was that often on weekends, when we are out training and having fun, he is on his way to work. By the time he gets past the cyclists, he is often late and irate. I would not want to be flying in a plane with a pissed off pilot. Not that he will crash the thing, but his frame of mind may be impacted by some dumbass on a bike and then if an emergency happens, he is not calmly in control and may be open to making a mistake. But that's all just supposition and conjecture. I mean how could a mere cyclist have such a far reaching effect on the lives of so many, so far awy? The possibilities are endless. Fact is, it's long past time to clean up our act. We whinge and whine about all the motorists who do not follow the rules of the road. What gives us the right to do the same when we so clearly are unable to do the same thing? Is this just a case of hypocritical "do as I say and not as I do?" And who died and made us the guardians of the road anyway? If we want others to respect the road rules, then we should be the first to be making sure we do it. It is after all, our own safety at stake here. Besides the fact that it's just plain rude to be a moron whether motorised or pedal powered. To reduce the number of morons on the roads, we can only change our own behaviour. Let's try to be more considerate and maybe make a difference. And maybe we should be trying to make sure that we keep our buds in line as well. Anyone know this chop? Have a quiet word with hime will ya? That attitude sucks and has potentially disaterous consequences for us. (If Ken from the Cradle is anything to go by.)