Trelawney

Talking of warranties, a tyre that gave me problems was replaced today under warranty after 11 months of ownership, the first time a warranty has ever benefited me, wow, felt like winning the lotto. Hope you sort your warranty issues out.

I started a smoking thread a couple weeks back as a Poll, it also got quite heated, I see it is still alive, so if you want to read some more emotive smoking posts, head on over to : Smoking Poll Interesting to see that about 20% of the voters smoke.

I am both serious & confused ! The number boards I have used have an RF ID Tag in that gets read wirelessly and on events I've done (usually the 70 km marathon) that's all I've ever seen. My question is therefore ... what's the difference between the RF ID Tag system and these chips ? Technology wise, types of events etc ? Thanks.

What's the deal with Babaas Lodge ? They seem to have MTB events every couple of weeks ? How's that work ?

I have to agree with Leeu52, it would be good to have some sort of rating system in place for the technicality of the ride. It would mostly help the new riders and less experienced riders ... but what is the sport without a healthy number of new participants constantly streaming in ? Any one know of systems used elsewhere ?

I have had ITB when running for several years and have only gotten through it by stretching exercises. I have MTB'ed for 3 years without any ITB .. until recently when I bought new MTB shoes, suddenly its back. I have tried checking cleat alignment and all seems OK, for now I stretch & pray. In all that time I have never had an itchy sensation associated with ITB.

What kinds of timing chips are these ? I've only seen the board type that you cable tie to your handlebars.

No I don't ! My reason for asking is I have entered the Nissan Diamond Rush this weekend and was reading on the thread about what a killer set of hills we're in for (they call them 'mine dumps' out in Cullinan) and I was imagining how many bits of my lungs I might be coughing up by the end of the one mine dump (where Wessel said he may give a prize if anyone stays on their bike all the way to the top) ... and then I wondered how smokers feel on such long climbs. Kind of a zig-zagging thought process but that's what happens in my brain sometimes T.

Just wondering whether you can smoke and still climb mountains ? Trelawney.

Not wanting to distract anyone from the bun fight but ... I bought a Silverback Mercury 2 a year ago almost and have been quite happy with it. When you buy a bike you basically buy the frame as I see it as all the rest of it is Rockshocks and Fox Shocks and Shimano this and that which all the bikes have in any case and it all breaks after a while ... and you replace as you see fit. The frame seems really solid to me, not too heavy, the rear suspension mechanism is fine, my arse is in one piece after a year and I still have a sex life so something must be OK with it. My only real problem came when I fell off it :-( Oh, and I paid R20k for it in August 2009 from a FPC store, for R10k right now I would buy two and keep one for my Golden Years when the first one has broken. And by the way I don't work for Silverback or a bike shop of the FBI or Interpol. Yours independently, T.

I popped a Google Earth pic of the location here : Hijack Site

I plotted these coords into Google Earth to get the image below : http://www.chezwallis.com/MTB/MTB_Hijack_2010-06-19.jpg

Tell us more ?

OK, then I'm off to buy some full body Zip Lock bags !

OK, so we are talking a 'sandwich bag' (which was the original posting) or something a little bigger ? I tried on a sandwich bag earlier today and it covers half of my foot ... gave my wife a laugh if nothing else ! Are you talking perhaps a 'small freezer bag' that hangs out the top of your shoe ? Sorry, this conversation is sounding dafter by the minute but simple tips like this can seriously add to the experience on the day ! By the way, I went for a ride after work yesterday evening with the mercury sitting 6 degC to remind myself of how cold things can get in Gauteng in winter (in prep for Fast & Furious experience this Saturday where it is forecast at around 0 degC at dawn) and felt pain in the order of (1) fingers followed by (2) toes followed by (3) cheek bones ! My gloves are the Thermal Paw variety but still my fingers went numb. I am hoping that by having an extra layer on the arms will lead to warmer arms and hence some chance of my fingers not breaking off from frost (hate that when it happens). As for the cheek bones I assume a few more wors roll breakfasts should fatten me up in all the right places ! T.

Excuse my ignorance, what's meant by 'WW Type' ? I'm guessing Woolworths ? I've been thinking of using a thermal vest for the cold rides, one I got from Cape Union Mart that I use when we camp in winter. Is that the type you mean ? Also, any experience of whether they just get too hot ? Thanks, T.

I've had one serious crash, watching this brought it all back, that feeling just after it happens when you lie there dazed and wondering what happened, then reality sets in, you've no idea to start with what you've broken. Eina indeed.

Interesting debate this one ... I have recently been reading a book on communication which talks of a problem we ALL have called 'The Curse of Knowledge'. According to the book's authors (a couple of USA Profs who are coincidentally brothers) : 'Once we know something, we find it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has ?cursed? us. And it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others, because we can?t readily re-create our listener?s state of mind.' Which, brought back to MTB'ing ... means you need to try VERY HARD to remember what you felt like when you first started MTB'ing and forget how clever you are right now after months / years of experience. - If you can do this, you will not call anyone a cissy. - If you can't do it, you are on the road to arrogance and will consider others less able than yourselves to be cissys. Check an excerpt here : http://sourcesofinsight.com/2008/05/22/the-curse-of-knowledge/ (I cut & paste the above quote from here.) I work in the science & technology field and can assure you that its alive & well there ... and I suspect in every field of employment .. how easy is it to forget what it was like on your first day at anything ? So face the fact that we are all subject to the Curse ... and next time you're on the trail, give some encouragement to our newbies, could be all they need to keep trying T.

I see this thread has been quiet for 3 months, did anything come out of the local police patrol ideas ?