NORBA - Colorado, Aussies crash right in to the top placings in the DH and Mtn Cross as usual.
Sid T - 30 mins back in the XC.
Ladies?

Superweek, Menzies owned it.

For all you guys down under, I was wondering if you have any commericals about the U.S.A. down their. For example, throughout the TDF their were commericals that we had here that showed a guy putting up his house for sale, just then a jeep drives by, the announcer then says, "how long does it take for an Australian to buy his dream home?" The jeep backs up and to the house for sale and says,"I'll take it!" The camera then pans away and right next store is a bar with a big Fosters beer banner on it. The funny thing is, in the commerical the driver is on the right side of the road, don't you guys drive on the left. Another commerical shows a guy standing outside a small apartment building while his girlfriend is throwing his stuff out a second story window. The announcer comes on and says,"How long does it take for Australian's to make up." The boyfriend then throws a Fosters Lager up into the window just as the girl (who is inside and can't be seen) is saying, "I never want to see you again." Once the beer goes in the window, we see her a few seconds later and she is smiling and holding the Fosters and says to her boyfriend, "Okay, I forgive you." Fosters had some of the greatest commericals here in the USofA. Do they have any commericals like that of the U.S. downunder.

we definitely DO drive on the left :)

Also, I don't know anyone who drinks Fosters :p
I don't think I've seen a can of Fosters for 10 years!!

I am so ashamed.

Sydney is a large place. Whereabouts in Sydney and what sort of riding (commute/road training/MTB/tandem BMX halfpipe)?

Fosters is long gone here but in the US it's quite common, AND disgusting :)

Ads? no ads here, except George W on telly with our 'mate' Johnny every so often.

We have lots of ads for USA down here. Usually during the news segments. For example: "Man shoots 16 in quiet Mississippi suburb", "Dramatic pictures of the latest schoolyard shooting tragedy", and "Life returns to normal in sleepy Punxsutawney after Phil makes his prediction of an early spring this year".

LOL

:lol: Jock, you're evil.

What you have to understand Bike Nut is that there is nothing in the US for us. I mean, sarcasm and taking the p¡ss is outlawed, your beer is crap, and your women all have bleached teeth and fake boobs.

:D

But seriously, no, I can't remember the last time I saw a US based advert, except for this annoying habit where insurance companies or whatever just run complete US adverts and keep the American voice-over becuase they're too farken cheap to pay a couple of hundered bucks to get it changed.

THAT really p¡sses me off.

Anyway, this is the 50whatever state of the US anyway. There's enough KFC, Coke, SUV's and baseball caps floatin' 'round, the only way you'd know you weren't in the US would be the funny accents.

No offense to bike nut intended. I'm just in one of those cheeky, childish moods today. You know, the state of mind where most of your thoughts revolve around the most efficient method of inserting bidons or bike pumps into front wheels. :D

Geez, that's me everyday

Hate to throw a break in the merriment, but I need a quick answer to a simple question if you fellas would be so kind.

So, 2 year old Trek 1200, supposedly good nick. $500. Is that a good deal? Before you ask what happened to the Roubaix, it's for a mate, he's in PR, and he's cheap. :p

$500 sounds pretty decent, aren't they at least $1,500 new?

EDIT --- seems they are, here's the current model.

http://www.cyclery.com.au/page/1200.html

Cool. Thanks for that climbo.

[Edit] Actually, it's a 2002 model. Does that make any differrence to whther it's a good buy or not?

Here the component spec from the trek museum:

Trek 1200 (2002 model)
FRAME Alpha™ SL Aluminum.
FORK Aluminum aero.
WHEELS Aurora rims.
COMPONENTS Shimano Tiagra crank and 9-speed shifting. Triple chainring for wider gear options on longer rides.


The latest model is 105 [edit (can't read!)] rear dereilleur. Everything else is still Tiagra.

Full specs on the 2002 model available at http://www.trekbikes.com/bikes/2002/road/1200.html

1/3 of original price, still a good deal for a 3 year old bike if it hasn't been used much.

Thanks fellas. Well, he's buying it off a fella at a triathlon club. Guess that doesn't neccessarily mean something but chances are...

Anything to look at if determining whether it's been around Australia a few times and is about to fall apart?

Check the paintwerk over for cracks, particularly at the joints. Be sure to tip the bike upside down. Check the rear dereilleur for evidence of a heavy impact with the road.

Look at the forks from side on and make sure they aren't bent back or forwards from what you would expect to be normal.

Rotate the wheels looking for buckles or dips. Listen for grit in the bearings (sound of crunching sand in your teeth) or totally shot bearings (loud noise of any kind).

Make sure all the cables are in reasonable condition. Lift the rear wheel and make sure the rear dereilleur functions across all cogs on the cluster.

Check the brake pads are not too badly worn, and are properly align with the rims. Test the brakes while off the bike. Make sure that the calipers centre properly.

Grab the handlebars and make sure they are fixed firmly. Same with the brake levers.

If you are happy that it's not going to crumble then jump on and ride hard, checking for chain-slip. Most 9 speed gear doesn't last much more than 6000-8000km of hard riding, 9 speed chains 3000km. Give the brakes a good workout too.

Listen for obvious creaks, clicks, rattles, clunks and other unwanted noise.

Bob Carr resigns, effective Wed 3 Aug!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...7/s1423278.htm

WTF is up with that? A few skelletons about to come out.

That's heaps for those tips munchie. They'll lead him down the straight and narrow for sure. In your frist paragraph you say to turn the bike over. Why's that?

Doggie style gets boring after.... oops, wrong forum! :D

Nah, it just gives you a completely different perspective, and can often reveal hidden problems.

lol. Good point. ;)

My mate's very grateful for those tips btw.

The other noticable US news is all the unusual weather & climate disasters that seem to take place ,has no one had the nowse to put 2&2 together & link it with global warming & the USA' s #one spot as global polluter ??

Wow! I just won the EURO LOTTO INTERNATIONAL DRAW.

Whooop over $2 MILLION. What's that? Scam? Did you say scam? Bugger.

Maybe I should write to them anyway. "Dear Randy, I am the convener of a very successful Nigerian email scam and as such have become filthy rich over the last few years. I won't be needing any of the lottery winnings from the EURO LOTTO INTERNATIONAL DRAW, so please donate them all to charity."

Or maybe I couldn't be arsed.

Accent? I don't have an accent. You do. As far as commercials go, they really do have some good ones over there. I think the thing Bike Nut doesn't understand is that Foster's is not an Aussie brand. My folks insisted we take my wife to the "Outback Steakhouse" for her birthday. It was tragic. No bucket of prawns and a stubby for entree. No beetroot anywhere either. I've never seen a fried onion since I've been here, but they seem to think that's an Aussie favorite. Of course, they serve Fosters in the big can.