MintSauce

Nice Daemon....I like!

I'm almost afraid to restart this thread, but I reckon I should add this. I had a cup of coffee and a bit of a catchup with Meurant this morning. I raised my concerns regarding parts of the trail being dumbed down and he adressed every specific area that I mentioned getting down to specifics as to why it was done. What it basically boils down to is that in most cases the work being done was to prevent errosion and keep the trails looking neat. Those weren't his exact words, but my interpretation. As he pointed out, when the environmental managers walk up the trail and see a tech section with 4 different lines through it, it looks a mess. For this reason, some areas were neatened up. I can understand this becoming a problem specifically on the DH and technical trails seeing as these obstacles naturally will develop several lines. Do I like it...? No....not really.....I love the technical lines. But at the same time, the powers that be need to be satisfied that the trails are kept in good condition and errosion prevented because if they're not happy, we'll lose our trails all together. So, for the privilege of riding at Tokai forest, I for one am prepared to forsake some nice sections in order to keep the forest open in the long run. W.R.T. the bridge in question, he pointed out as some others have, that the trail was originally constructed as a green route to allow easy access to singletrck for beginner riders at the bottom of the mountain. As such all parts of the route HAVE to fit within the green rating. I reckon if the landowners wanted a harder route, they would've never built it there to begin with. Also, to be honest, there are many sections at Tokai that give me far more pleasure to ride than that single river crossing. So again, is it really that big a deal to sacrifice it for the sake of the greater good? I think not. As for certain comments made about our rights to the forest because we pay to ride there, he raised some very thought-provoking ideas(for me anyway). Here are my thoughts on this....not Meurant's We're paying R20 per ride(or annual Wildcard fees) to ride there. These fees go to an organisation that doesn't make a profit. Noone is putting this money into their pockets. Of all the parks in SA there are in fact very, very few that actually make money. Most of them from a business point of view, run at a loss. In other words, the government is subsidising our recreational activities. Perhaps we need to rethink how we see our usage of these areas. In a first world country things might be different, but in a country where there are far more pressing needs, do we really have the right to insist on our rights to these areas...? I'm not saying it's not our right, because as citizens the natural spoils of this country are ours to be enjoyed. But perhaps it would be better to view it as a privilege and be a bit more thankful that we can still use them at all...?

There's some at Delvera(Dirtopia) in Stellenbosch. They're adding little bits at a time.

That's a pretty nifty chain tension system and a beautiful frame Like the belt drive too

All the models mentioned above are different and all still in production. None replaced any of the others Anthem 3.5inches travel Anthem X 4in Trance 4.2in Trance X 5in In terms of geometry the angles get a little bit slacker as you move up the travel ladder. The Anthem X was introduced to be a bit plusher than the stock Anthem but still be race worthy, whereas the Trance's geometry is a bit slacker and not as snappy/racy.

Mmm....somehow 'The Bikes That XC Built' just doesn't have the same ring to it....maybe that's just me

Just downloaded the latest Dave Matthews band single called 'Funny How It Is' from the forthcoming album 'Big Whisky And The Groogrux King' I think it's BRILLIANT! It's available for FREE download for the week on www.davematthewsband.com

I guess the marketing department had the last say after all

'MTB' and 'effortless' to not go together OMG. How selfish can one be? The same could be said of those wanting the trails to be dumbed down. Really now....how much effort is it to climb off your bike and walk 3m 'over' and obstacle? My question is....is the effort saved from the lazy, funriders worth the cost of the enjoyment the skilled riders have lost? Is it fair to take enjoyment from those riders who in all likelyhood visit the trails more often and ride for longer in order to make a trail rideable to a select few weekend warriors?

With bridges and ladders it's such a fine line for me personally. I also lean to the more technical side of riding and love riding ladders and skinnies. At the same time I like keeping trails as natural as possible. Originally bridges and ladders were built as means of protecting the natural environment in wet areas or for crossing genuinely unrideable areas. Thus if they serve a genuine, environmental purpose or make a obstacle(rut, gorge, rock formation) that was totally unbreachable rideable in order to link up a trail, then I'm all for it. While I understand that some form of bridge might have been necessary to protect the stream in this particular instance, why build such a behemoth...? A wider version of the railway sleepers that preceded the current bridge would've served the same purpose without completely disrupting the line. It's simply too much bridge for this particular situation. As for errosion, the only part that got seriously eroded ie the entrance/exit on the gate side is still in the same eroded state and is still subjected to the exact same forces as before ie riders trying to ride up/down it. The funny thing is that we're talking of a shallow(5-10cm deep) stream that is in some areas not even half a meter wide. Walking it required stepping off your bike, stepping accross the stream with a single step and pushing your bike up a 2m long slope. Several areas in Tokai have been dumbed down in the last few months and I must say I find this very disheartening. Especially that section JR refers to. How often do you find a technical section including several drops with numerous lines to choose from...? Now there's just one single non-technical line down and it involves a straightforward bridge. And as Johnny mentioned, there was an easy line around this drop-off section. Why then dumb down the technical line when there is already an option for the beginners...?

Anyone else watch the live broadcast on www.freecaster.tv...? Rob Warner's commentary was hilarious. During one of the riders' runs(might've been Greg....can't remember) he exclaimed "If he was any smoother he'd be liquidised!" He also referred to Sam Hill as "Christ on a bike"

Throw a very big rock into a pool and see how long it takes to reach the bottom.....that's roughly how fast bikes depreciate

I don't have time to do the research now, but try and find out if White Industries makes a fixed version of it's Uno Eccentric hub. I'm pretty sure it's only available with a freewheel though. It's your only hope. It's designed to allow you to tension the chain on vertical dropout frames. The hub axle and the bolt are off center allowing it to swivel in the frame to tension the chain before you tighten it.....that doesn't quite explain it properly but you'll see what I mean.

Those dropouts are horizontal....they're just not reversed like a trackbike's

Thanks for the incentive....or not You can replace the internal organs with 10 goos' date=' 6 bananas and some other pick me ups [/quote'] I'll need at least 8 bananas....GUs are overrated

A combination of tar and gravel and park will get you from Rhodes Mem to Tokai, but I'd get you hopelessly lost if I tried to explain it to you....might not even find the way if I had to try it myself

Hoping to be there all week, so Harkerville will definitely see us at least once I plan on hitting the 78km so hard that I'll most likely be dragging any number of my internal organs on the ground behind me by the time I hit the finish line. Not sure I'll get up on Sunday at all!

slowbee....MTB only Ti....parking off with shebeen for the week(assuming the GF's leave is confirmed in writing as opposed to the current verbal). You guys...?

I baulked at the cost as well, but entered anyway....I really enjoy the event. Write them and complain, but as you say, they know there are plenty of people willing to pay the high fees.

Carpal Tunner Syndrone will generally cause numbness stretching from the thumb to the middle of the ring finger. Whenever you mention numb fingers someone will inevitably immediately think 'carpal' since it's a more common condition. However, if the numbness affects the lower half of the ring finger, the pinky and the lower part of the palm, it's as a result of Cubital Tunnel Syndrome. It's as a result of the ulnar nerve being compressed where it passes through the cubital tunnel on the outside of the elbow. I can't find the website where I got my initial info a few months ago, but this should help http://www.handuniversity.com/topics.asp?Topic_ID=8 I'm pretty close to booking an appointment with a doc as I get it OFF the bike. I tend to sleep with my arms bent and sometimes wake up in the middle of the night with zero feeling or movement of any kind in my lower arms. Short term effects are minor since feeling returns within 30 seconds of straightening my arm/s, but there can be longterm problems in that it's possible I might sleep for an hour or two in said position and the long periods of numbness can over time lead to muscle degeneration. Not a comforting thought. It is highly likely that since you only experience it on the bike that you would just need to change position on the bars. You could also do exercises to improve the ability of the nerve to slide through the cubital tunnel. This basically entails extending your arm ahead of you and using your other hand to stretch the hand down as far as it will go for a few seconds and then stretching it as far as it will go in the opposite direction. To 10 reps 3-4 times a day. If it persists you should obviously see a doc.

No you're not the only one....happens all the time and it's one of my pet-hates! People just don't think when they get on/off a bike.