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Bike Lore

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  1. aaa looks like they got sued https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/consumer-live/2019-09-23-hope-for-alleged-victims-as-class-action-launched-against-online-loan-company/ That would explain why there adverts stop showing. pity it was incredibly staffing draining there Google Adword Accounts
  2. Well at the end they blacklisted me with TransUnion which is a credit bureau of some sort. I took the opportunity to learn what this implies. There are multiple levels of "Blacklisting" and only the ones where you are found guilty by a court of law should concern you. And in that case the blacklisting will be the least of your worries. I filed a dispute with TU and send them the required documents( Affidavit, ID and dispute forum). My argument was that I never signed a debit order. TU gave them a grace period to provide the required documents. Obviously they could not nor too my knowledge did they respond and the entry on my credit records where removed. I never paid.
  3. I stupidly typed it in on the application forum. I retrospect I should have scrolled down to the t&C and searched the 10-page document to find the section about costing. That is how their role. They know people don't do that
  4. sure. They will if it was just me from one PC. Not if I use all 7 PC i can team view into and use 3 different browsers once every 3 -5 days. That is why I encourage everyone to do it when they get time. R30x 5 clicks x 10 people = R1500 wasted. do that 3 times a month and it counts up fast. Most people have a phone that can browse and a PC. So the more people that does this the more it will cut into their Adwords budget.
  5. My story is the same as most of the victims from Lifestyle Legal: Last year December I went online to compare loans. Their google advert lead me to believe they will provide quotes(Same as Hippo.co.za). So I clicked on the advert and went to their site. I Applied online with no cost indicated on the page. I did not read the T&C, Big Mistake!!! I got an email with an application forum which was too much hassle to complete so I did not. A few months later I noticed they were deducting money from my bank account. I contacted them and realised what was going on. I did not sign any debit order but yet they got enough information to request a debit order. I went to the bank and reversed the last few months. Later I started getting email letters of demands. They threatened to blacklist me. Well, Lifestyle Legal Go to hell! I would rather be blacklisted than pay you. So now every time they contact me I go on google and search for their adverts. My google Adwords keyword planner shows that their adverts will cost on average R30, between R10-R100 for each click. I use the keywords "Loans Africa, Loans bad, Loans blacklist" Join me and click on their adverts as well. Make sure you click on the green flag result. There is a facebook group against Lifestyle Group (Damien Malander) Join “Action A gainst Loan Match - Loan Connector - Lifestyle Legal” here is an incomplete list of all the sites that is owned by Lifestyle Legal www.loanfindersa.co.za www.loanspottersa.co.za www.loanlocatorsa.co.za www.loanmatchsa.co.za www.loanscoutsa.co.za www.loanhuntersa.co.za www.ltracersa.co.za www.loanpickersa.co.za www.loanchoice.co.za www.LoanQuest.co.za www.LoanConnector.co.za www.LoanTracer.co.za www.LoanHub.co.za www.ldsa.co.za
  6. I wonder what a fake Pinarello is really worth.
  7. Well on the upside CS will have some good looking bikes for sale at very very good prices. Anyone been there yet?
  8. Only if Cycle Science said sorry in the beginning and gave the refund. All this would have gone unnoticed.
  9. Winter is fast approaching and as a cyclist the time before and after work is shrinking. A good cyclist knows that the pain of getting off the saddle is worst than staying on. There is no other option other than getting equipment that would allow you to safely extend your ride time in to the twilight zone and beyond. Welcome to the exciting world of night cycling. http://www.extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2014/02/MTB-Bicycle-Night-Light-1024x404.jpg The following article explains more about the different technologies that addresses the requirements for various cycling stiles. Read the full article: "Best Bicycle Light- Which LED and Which battery? LED’s and Battery technology have improved dramatically over the last few years. Notably the most has been the battery technology. Even though it is very hard to see from casual inspection which is a good or bad battery pack. It is worth investing in quality. A good battery pack can dramatically extend the runtime and life time of the light. It can also reduce the overall weight and improve the reliability. The cyclist needs to decide which type of cycling they do most and buy equipment that is best suited to address their needs. This article hopes to provide more information to allow you to make an informed choice.
  10. I always ride with a helmet mounted light. A good single LED light works great. Single LED lights have both side spill and hot spot. The sharper the hot spot the better. It extends your visible distances. It is better to have a wide beam/flood on your handle bar. It should be between equal or 2x of the headlight not more. If the differences is to big in brightness then your eyes adjust to the brightens of the combined lights but when you turn in the switch back you can't see much because the helmet light is to week. In other words you are blinded by your own lights. I like the Extreme1200 it has 900 Real lumen for 4h and comes with a head band and tail light. The Extreme1400 is the upgrade of the 1200. It weights about the same and produces 1100 lumen for over 7h. Both comes with head bands that works for both the helmet and the head. The Extreme 1000 is an integrated version of the 1200. The mount works well with helmet also http://extremelights.gocommerce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2014/02/Brackenfell-20120816-00073.jpg
  11. for that price you must go Dual suspension!!!! your but is going to thank you later if you do.
  12. I would have fallen for this scam also because the second number where not from a ZA number. Less than a week after the new banknotes were issued I had a fake R200 note in my hands that looked indistinguishable from the real ones. Only reason I found out was because the ATM did not want to accept it. Turned out to be fake when I took it in to the bank to deposit. It had all the watermarks and glitter it needed. So CASH CASH CASH??? I was scammed last year when someone deposited a cheque in to my account and it showed on the bank statements. It bounced a few days later. I am not sure how they managed to do it but I did not know it was a cheque deposit. I thought thay did an EFT or paid it cash in to my account from at ATM. I always checked the bank statements before I shipped and it showed the right amount with correct order reference number. I pick it up a few months later when the income statement did not match the balance. Bank said sorry bounced cheque and owner of the cheque claimed it was a stolen cheque book. So good luck finding a scam proof method of payment.
  13. Legit in the sense that you get the cheapest light/battery possible. Check the site. No name, No number, no address. Only 90 day warranty. He really doesn't want to take responsibly for the items he sells. And that is understandable. Selling the cheapest possible china light with unapproved chargers or lower grade batteries is bound to have consequences. I have gone down that rout a few years ago. The majority of cost is not in the light itself it is in the battery. The cost differences are huge between good quality safe cells and low grade cells. Li-ion is very unstable and there is a lot of energy in a small packet. Check this video 2 years ago a battery pack when off in someone car. It was a wakeup call for me hence why we opted for better safer batteries. Extremelights still get returns but we give a year warranty and the batteries are now a lot safer. here is a little Cycle Light batteries comparison. http://extremelights.gocommerce.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/11/Slide-Battriers.jpg Going to cheap will have a very high cost at the end. Not just dieing on a downhill but it could set your house alight at night. And buying form one that really does not want you to contact them is a bit risky.
  14. it really depends on what you define as best head light.
  15. I get this question over and over: Which cycle light do I prefer and why? There is no easy definitive answer. It comes down to what you use your light for. In cycling there are two camps of thought. Maximum amount light output that shine as wide and far as possible vs small, light weight and preference to endurance. The latter can be found with both types. If you do MTB the first should appeal to you, if you do more road cycling the latter. These factors use to be mutually exclusive but technology has really improved over the last 2 years. Not just with LED’s getting more efficient, but notably in battery technology as well. Interestingly the cost of quality batteries is the largest contributor to the price of a light, more than the light itself. The advances in LED light and battery technology is very exciting. My preferred setup is as follows http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/07/Compare.jpg Extreme 2K on the handle bars and Extreme 1400(whit Panasonic cells) on the helmet. The combination of these two lights are incredible. Both of the lights are part of Extreme Lights K range which comes standard with the latest Cree XM-L2 and the most advanced Panasonic battery pack. http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/10/Side-view.jpg Extreme 2k As handle bar mount light The small size and wide beam of the Extreme 2k make it ideal for both helmet – and handle bar mount. It has sufficient light output but comes to its own right in regards to runtime and weight. http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/07/Extreme2k-Front-502x502.gif Modes / Light Output / Runtime (4 Cell 6800mAh) High 1800 4h Low 400 20h Strobe 1800 10h Light and 4 cell, high capacity, battery pack weighs 399g Extreme 1400K as helmet mount The Extreme 1400K has a nice hot spot which gives ample throw. The side spill is nice and wide which give excellent peripheral vision. We took what was good in the Extreme1200 and made it better. Most of the light is in the hot spot but it has sufficient amount of light to use as a handlebar/primary light or helmet/secondary light. Interestingly the hot spot of the Extreme 1400 makes it look as bright or brighter even than the Extreme 2k. There is a very good reason for this. You need exponentially more light the wider and more even the beam is. And the Extreme 2k is very wide. http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/05/Extreme1400-front4-502x502.jpg Output Lumen / Runtime High +1000 Lumen / 9h Low 250 Lumen / 42h Strobe 400 Lumen / 13h Weight with battery: 395g Both the lights come with the advance high quality 4 cell Panasonic battery pack . The advances of these batteries can be seen in the runtime. The Extreme 1400 uses less power and therefore can run much longer. This makes it a number one choice for all-night endurance events. Here is a beam comparison showing the difference. http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/11/New-Cycle-animation.gif Why two lights? http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/06/peartree_16.jpg I really prefer having a dual setup. There are a few reasons for this. Having two lights mean you won’t be stranded in the dark if one fail. Secondly, It gives me flexibility. When cornering a single track you can trace the path with the hot spot while your handlebar mounted light is negotiating the turn, effectively pointing the other direction. I have tried a lot of combinations and have found that the two lights should have little difference in effective brightness. In other words the one which has a larger hot spot should illuminates about the same as the more concentrated light. That is not that easy to achieve. http://extremelights.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/66/2013/11/BeamPattern.jpg The above picture shows very clearly the exponential effect of increasing width of the beam. 3A has 3 x more area as 1A. Therefor if you want the area to be the same brightness you will effectively need 3 x more light! The Extreme 2k and Extreme 1400 makes an excellent pair because they complement each other. The Extreme 1400 sharp hot spot gives you much further throw than the Extreme 2k. But where the Extreme 1400 lack in side spill the Extreme 2k’s wide beam makes up for. Original post
  16. Johannes you are a propper dip stick! Why can't you pickup the phone an give them a call before high jack another ones thread. For all you know your email has a low reliability rating so it could get flagged as spam. The joke is that people at buycycle thought I was you. So now I have to go and explain. Not funny!
  17. I agree. But contrary to popular belief that is what engineering is. Engineer guess. granted it is based on theory and experience but at some point a guess/assumption is done. Even if you think you are measuring it is not real. To be fully truthful any measurement is wrong at some tolerance level. The actual act of measuring makes it wrong ironically. All manufactures good vary between batches. No matter how good the manufacturer quality control is. To state a single value is wrong by default. Let say a manufacture sells 1 meter poles. It is impossible to make a 1m pole that is exactly 1m. There is only one piece of material in the world that is 1 meter. No matter how accurate you work you can always be out at some scale. It may be out by 1/100000000000000 mm or less but that is not 1 meter. My point is and why I am really gutvol is that I think that being within an acceptable range it is ok but not what is happening now. I think an acceptable tolerance for light are within 20%. The reason is that when it comes to light you need to have the output double to even be able to see any change. But to be out by 300% or more is crazy. That is why don't worry about what happens after the LED. What happens after the LED will not effect the light more than 20%. Well not if it is relatively clear unit. I can be wrong but that is my call on it. You can peg your tolerance where you like but I am sure you agree that it is getting ridicules. To totally ignoring the power used and to then assume maximum theoretical output is pushing it. To then go an make it 50%- more is nuts. To claiming 1200 lumen from a light that has a theoretical max of 700 so really absurd!!!!. Or if we even measure the light 400 Lumen will be rounding up so how do one even get to 1200 lumen. or 6600 lumen. I Disagree. That is how it is done on most of not all reliable retail products. The manufacture measures a sample batch and then get a variation and average. The unit then get branded and ladled and at some point the best number is selected. Some base there claims on the actual products performance, which you are suggesting, others on some element of the product. But at some point there is truth in the claim I hope. If it is out 20% when it comes to light it does not really matter. i.m.o I don't think Cree them self-will risk over claiming. There tolerance is 7%. There datasheets provide the information that reflects their products. If you understand statistics you should be able to get very close to what is really happening. With in limits as you point out. Take for example alkaline batteries. 1.5V? or 1.2V? have you ever measured one? Or a litre of milk. Or even power supplies. Or light bulls: 40W, 60W, 200W all are within some value with some tolerance that is chosen by the manufacture at some point in time. The idea is to give the user some idea of what to expect. it does not have to be the real value but it should be close. I do my best and it looks like Extremelights are getting traction. In the process we had some learning experiences (mistakes). It is just very demoralizing when the competitors goes and deceives people so much. But as was stated I do the same at some level.
  18. To the best if my ability as an Engineering and flashlight fanatic. I have made my mistakes in the past but never nearly x3 out. My biggest hurdle is the manufacturer that some time change the light without letting me know. But I make it clear asap when I discover it. To calculate lumen I believe the power used should be taken in to consideration. I measure that and then Check what the LED manufacturer states on there datasheet. This year I had a bad run with batteries. And I have decided that I can't allow that to happen again. Lumen is one thing but selling a battery that is almost guaranty to not last more than a year is a mistake. The price difference is huge but worth every sent. I believe.
  19. True. Last week I was heading home from our holiday and travelling at a safe and legal 120km/h( cruse control locked to 125km/h) only to get buzzed by a Polo driver. I refused to give way and did not move to the yellow line. We where heading up a long hill so they just crossed the solid white line and attempted to overtake. His 1.4/1.6 was not doing very well so I slowed and gave some space but as I was thinking that he is nuts a BMW came zooming pass and over took us both!!! luckily nothing came over the hill. What I don't get is why they could not wait max 1 min to get to the top of the hill and then over take.
  20. Somehow it is ok to cycle and say you are gatfol for work.
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