The Spine

http://www.ridingthespine.com

The Great Italian Motorcycle Display

Watch this, you can't but be impressed. In fact go and watch it on YouTube, that way my blog loads faster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTYGmjgSMv8

Just watch it.

Organically grown, hand-picked, sun-dried, ripe apricots

No poisons, no sulphur, no Woolworths packaging, no transport, dried apricots. In fact, none of the bullshit normally associated with dried fruit. The only catch is that you need to come here by bike to collect your sample!

So that is one of the reasons the blog has been a bit dry lately. Another reason is that these lovely little apricots have siblings, large numbers of siblings who have been turned into jam, chutney and sweet chili apricot sauce (to braai your snoek wif or to baste your Sunday roast). Again, all clean, packed in re-usable, recyclable glass.

So, in the local idiom, I am "op ge-jam". Tastings by appointment. Samples available to cyclists who arrive by bike.

Gaan ons Saterdag ry?

As with anything new, small steps can be frustrating and I'm not the kind of person to take small steps! Rather rush off in a direction, crash, bash, re-orientate, rush off again, crash, bash, re-orientate, run off again. Not for me the thoughtful, well-planned, carefully orchestrated.

Well, you could say that I waste a lot of energy in all this crashing and bashing, but at least the energy has less than @#$#-all to do with Eksdom.

So, Prince Albert Wheelers is a bit unusual for me, small steps, carefully considered ones too.

Our group of "development cyclists" (what a disgusting, patronising, racist, bullshit term), hereinafter referred to as the PA Wheelers, is coming together. Two Saturday rides later and we are beginning to attract the attention where it counts - amongst young, local cyclists.

The last ride on Saturday was a small affair, with yours truly being the clan elder (by far, and I'm still a youngster).

We have a warning to issue to one Burry Stander: Watch your back, Bull is on his way.

And I'm going to hit the criticism for a six before I even get it....yes, in the group were two boys on bikes with no brakes and no helmets. I do not have it in me to tell two laaities that they can't ride with us because they don't have helmets or brakes.

So we rode up to Eerstewater. And back. The exciting bit was Bull doing his Burry Stander imitation back down the pass. No brakes.No helmet. No fear.

I was the one crapping myself as I went round the corner expecting to find bloed, kak en hare smeared on the rock face. Only to find Bull with a huge smile on his face and eyes like saucers.

The most telling bit was the 50 metre skid mark he made on the road - with his bare right foot.

Bull demonstrating the fine art of braking

On a more serious note: If you have any spare cycling kit (helmets and gloves for now) Bull and his mates could put it to good use. Oh yes, and components. Maybe some brakes!

I refuse to believe

I refuse to believe that I am the only person in this country who thinks the bikes shown on the http://www.sunrace-sturmeyarcher.blogspot.com/ are beautiful.

Am I wrong?

I'll take all four, thanks!

Denial is not just a river in Egypt

....it flows pretty strongly through Prince Albert too.

Why is it that people are so offended when you tell them that their computer has a virus? Why do they fluff up and deny frantically?

I got whacked by a virus about 3 years ago and then went serious on anti-virus software (Panda, top product and even better live (human) service. And NOTHING gets through.

So happens I insert a clean, scanned memory stick into a local office computer (no names no pack drill) and when I plug it into my laptop again, Panda goes wild. Yup, not one, but two viruses off the other computer.

Now for the funny bit. I informed the IT person who looks after the computer that they have a virus, politely, very politely. Holy shit, it might have been easier if I suggested that they personally had the big H. They have the latest free antivirus software installed, so it's impossible.......

Denial flows through it.

By the way, the "free" antivirus software failed to stop the virus (W32/AutoRun.APJ.worm)

Mobility

Gert Swarts and his trailer

Mobility can mean different things, depends on your situation, I suppose.

One of the greatest limitations of bicycle transport is humping your "stuff" along with you, and that stuff can be anything from your slinky little Apple to a whole pile of garden tools and pretty much anything in between. Well, Gert Swarts is one step closer to overcoming that hurdle.

Bike trailers are nothing new and there are a host of variations on the theme; single wheel, double wheel, short, long, light, heavy, side hitch, top hitch..........
The only thing is that they appear to be few and far between (I only know of one person who has one) and I have never seen one in this neck of the vlaktes.

So that's probably what motivated me to make this trailer for Gert.

Appropriate branding !

The detail of how I made it is in an earlier post, with some rather poor quality pictures, but you'll get the general idea. If there are any "rules" then they must be:

• weight centred over the axle
• strength over weight
• made of locally repairable materials

For the rest, the trailer can be made to order, depending on what's available. Some of the Northern Hemisphere sites talk of using wood (but with Black X SA Pine rather not!)

Interesting to note that both of these frames were about to go off the scrap recycling depot in Oudtshoorn, talk about saved from the knackers!

And what has it meant to me?

Quite a lot in fact, to take two scrap frames and fabricate a pretty decent trailer is very satisfying. And helped along by the legendary Jame Marshall Hendrix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ_Kip3FP0Q

and.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCwCBh0z3Hs&feature=related

... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GydN5VDDBMM&feature=related

So, if you have two old steel frames in sight, you'd better tie them down or they could just end up in the Karoo as a trailer. If you have two old steel road bike frames even better. (In fact we've closed in on the old steel frame futures market!)

Hasta la vista, Gert