Absalon is a machine.

Nice foot work.

Ouch!

Skills!

Men’s race on now.

4and_b – you beat me to it!

No bike is stealthy silent all the time. Have you checked that the front skewer is tight? If you have shimano hubs you might need to tighten the cone/axle nut. Your rotor might need straightening or the calipers need re- aligning.

More speed with less skill? Yes, count me in.

atlaz -the men’s race is at 14:00 CET and will last for about 90 min. You could still make it. Looks like a great course for spectators.

trailmonkey –

have to concentrate on a comparison between decolnisation in india and the collapse of the habsburg empire.

One jumped, the other was pushed – the end.

On now at http://www.redbull.com . Amazing how much track you can fit into a small hillside. Can’t wait to see the men tackle the DH sections

I guess there is no chance of Rockshox producing 650b lowers that can be retrofitted to 2011/2012 forks. A lot of rigid forks should have space…

Just been looking at Mrs R’s medium camber and I can’t see how it can be done. Definately no space upfront with the REBAs 🙁

+1 Stanley knife – I did MrsR’s one a couple of weeks ago. Keep the control higher than the post, cut neatly and hold the end as upright as possible – didn’t have to bleed it. Worked a treat.

It appears that there are only 2,200 drivers supplying forecourts in the UK. Do they own there own tankers?

Oh, and tyres can make a big difference.

I reckon it costs about £1 to save 1g. Based on that assumption cassettes are a good place to save weight. SLX are reasonably light, but often not much cheaper than XT.

What responsibility has a driver got in case of a accident – assuming they survive or are are not injured? I guess full fuel or chemical tankers could be a security threat.

Tanker driver on the M1 gets £45k. Tanker driver in Helmand, under enemy fire, and IED threat get what? £18k?

amt27 and taff – Yes, 1345g. Rocket Ron + Racing Ralph + XTR 11-34 + Stan’s strips/valves/latex = 3,180g

I’ve had no problems with Schwalbe TR tyres or Stan’s Raven and Crows. Great wheelset. I’ve using them for about 9 mths incl 3 weeks solid riding in South Africa last December. They’ve not required truing at all. I’m 70kg and ride XC. In fact I did GT’s spooky wood and super g fives times this morning on them.

ZTR Crests are about 1575g. They go for about £375 when they are in stock. Hope Hoops/Crests are about 1800g.

Dragons!?!? There are Dragons?

2130g !? With tyres surely? I’ve been using Stan’s Gold 29ers 1345g without tyres – no problems yet. Look at Just Riding Along for light wheels.

Good choice. We’ve got two Evoc after the bags they replaced let us down.

Lots of US kit from GW1 was stored in Oman and mainted by civilian contractors – just in case… It’s interesting that the Spitfires were stored rather than destroyed…someone clearly wanted to keep their options open.

Handlebar level with saddle…which is why I have an inverted stem on my 29er.

Perhaps it could be a Time Team special dig…and just three days to do it! Please, let it be true.

Remember this http://englishrussia.com/2006/09/17/russian-tank-recovered-from-the-lake-after-50-years-been-there/ ?

The Indian National Army (INA) was formed by the Japanese and consisted of Indian Army deserters and POWs. They were the first to fly India’s current flag. They continued to fight the British in Burma in 1945. It would make good sense to prevent them getting their hands on any weapons.

Edit: They numbered 40,000 in 1945.

Perhaps the British were afraid that they would fall into the hands of Indian nationalists or other anti-colonial forces?

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_National_Army

I’m interested. Pentlands is OK when dry. Some groups meet at the corner store in Bonaly. I’ve now done GT at night several times solo, but always keen for company. Also very keen to do Innerleithen which I’ve not plucked up the courage for yet.

BigEaredBiker – thanks!

Anyone got a metal detector that I could borrow? Looking at costs of flights now…

Bump

Konnabunny- you make some good points. I agree that MK/ANC can be proud of its pre 94 history. To my shame I was not part of it. I was facinated to watch a recent documentary on the BBC on the anti-apartheid struggle – it was the first time that I’d seen any footage of Oliver Tambo speaking as a young man – very moving and put a lump in my throut.

I still feel that singing ‘Bring me my machine gun’ and ‘shoot the boer’ are pretty inflammatory and certainly intimidates white South Africans even if that is not the intent. Perhaps in a few decades it will be as innocuous as some lines in the English or Scottish athems or even La Marseilliase. However, right now it’s not exactly fostering Madiba’s legacy of the rainbow nation. It scares me now just as much as it did when sung by Toyi-toying masses in the 1980s.

It’s has been interesting to see how Zuma has toned down his rhetoric now that he is in power. Sadly, it may mean that having, as you put it, their noses in the trough has actually defused some racial tension. As distasteful as it may be, this could be a pragmatic model when dealing with Mugabe’s successors. Foreign investors in South Africa are pretty influential and persuasive – continued corruption may the price of peace.

* wonders off to fit new Chris King BB to his bike*

I’m 70 kg and mostly do XC. +120, -100 with red nob in the middle. I like a firm ride with only 80mm travel on my 29er and use the crown lock on climbs.

ernie_lynch. Very interesting stuff – I didn’t know a lot of this. Thanks for taking the time to explain it in such detail and clarity. I value your experience and perpectives. Do you need to be so condescending?

I tested 32 and 11-34 around Glentress Red twice this morning – actually surprised how good it was.

I’m going – HT 29er 80mm travel will be my weapon of choice.

yossarian – Hi there! Thanks for the advice. I know that it is impossible to have a discussion with the ‘big hitters’ who are ernie and TJ. I’m not interested in winning – I’d like a dialogue, not an argument.

TJ – there are 12.5 million Zimbabweans. If only 20% support ZANU-PF then we are already in the millions. I’ve personally encountered people in the countries listed previously who praised Mugabe for his leadership largely based on his anti-colonial struggles. You don’t have to go far in South Africa to find people who think that his land reform policies are a good idea. I revile Mugabe and hope that all Zimbabweans, black, white, Shona and matabele can work together to secure a peaceful and prosperous future. However, we must not underestimate the power of the corrosive anti-colonial narrative spouted by Mugabe for 3 decades which have exerted an influence far beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.

ernie_lynch Did you read any of the other threads? Do you want to discuss how we can help Zimbabwe or are you purposefully trolling?