Civil rights are the core of our society. What sort of society or any institution blackmails you into participation by saying "You can participate, but I'm sorry, you have to waive some of your basic rights. I hope that's okay."

?

It's an awfully slippery slope. With that logic, theoretically your parents or legal guardian could sign a 'contract' on your behalf when you were a child that effectively waives all your rights. By your understanding, that would be 'okay' because it would be 'legal'.

Personally, I don't have that much faith in the legal system, our reactionary popularist leaders, OR anyone else for that matter.

This man has put all his faith in steel!

actually, after our brief discussion on AT@BFR (1)....and seeing that very smick machine of his....he got me hankering for another steel frame myself....I'm about to take the plunge....details soon

Hitchy

Singin' gospel at the Chapel of Steel.....yup, that's me.

Hitchy, sell that KG666 and I'll make ya a frame that'll make grown men weep :D

Oh yeah, you'll become irresistable to the opposite sex, too.

Did I forget anything? *burp*

track night was wild tonight - 2 crashes, one in C/D grade (1 rider), one in A (3 riders). Likely tally of 2 broken collarbones and 1 broken arm and a bunch of sore bodies tomorrow.

On a better note I won my first B race, the Win and Out. Also figured out I SUCK at starts, 1 lap handicap and I couldn't even get on the last wheel after starting at scratch.

You blokes are a collective pile of steaming turd. For two days we've had nothing. Nay, less than nothing. And now a solid thread of thought with basis for more than a single sided argument on several fronts, and you don't have the decency to bring it up when I'm around? :p Well I might be conceited, but at least I'm opinionated :D

So here's my vain effort to catch up with the current state of the thread:

Expat, stop doing crack (s in your handlebars), Thylacine says it'll bring you down, mayhap, maybe, but soon.

According to the latest opinion polls (which have never been influenced by the media, or Rupert I'm Such a Dork Murdoch) the Australian public supports our athletes being subjected to drug tests, random or not. So it must be good for sport.

And steel still seems to be the unjustified rage. Sure it has a nice set of properties amongst its failings, but only underlings would use them to convert the masses or for their own benefit. I have a beautiful steel bike, and compared to my crappy training bike it's a total piece of *****. AMEN. Steel sucks in a modern world. Get over it.

Oh yeah, training was cancelled tonite due to unforseen smoke from fires many miles away. It was so thick you could have made a sandwich out of each lungful. Hope they cancelled the track meet.

It must have been the smoke :) COUGH.... COUGH... ******** ...COUGH... GOOD....ENOUGH....

Congrats on the Win and Out, whatever that is!

[Edit] Sounds like an elimination trial... (ie. last rider eliminated until two left to sprint for glory)

First post in the worlds biggest thread... felt I had to contribute.
Well got my bike back tonight, they swapped my 1999 Lemond Zurich for a 2004 MJClassic so I'm pretty chuffed, apart from the $440 bill from LBS, NY res, must take crash course in bike mechanics!

Anway, went out for an hour before dark, sunburnt my arms yesterday so resorted to my Scottish winter cycling jersey, longsleeve with fleece lining. Quick stint to terrigal and back almost revealed the contents of lunch! How unfit can you get after a couple of weeks off the bike.
Oh i get it 10% of 0 is still 0... Apply that to my fitness & I understand...

Damn, Wish I'd read that last post telling me my new bike sucks!!!!!!!!!!

:lol: All bikes suck regardless of make, model, construction, drivetrain, etc. Get used to it.

Only chains suck ;)

Modern chains are truly the BIGGEST pieces of ***** I have ever met. They aren't able to last the distance and they are triple the price they should be. And they have a habit of flogging a cluster to death when they are borderline worn.

But then again anything that fatigues sucks. Steel, Al, Ti, rubber grommets, self.... take your pick

I feel compelled to moan....
On the subject of price, how expensive are bikes/parts in Aus?

I paid $5600 for a Klein palomino race, RRP $6600, A buddy back home bought one for 1200 pounds, even at a crap exchange rate thats only $3600!!!

Next: LBS tried to sell me a carbon bidon cage, $120... mate back home bought one last month, $30, again only $90 at the worlds worst rate....!

Next: Nike shoes, 100 pounds in UK, $650 in Aus....

Anyone know why?

BTW, Friday will be ultra-hot, so recovery ride is in the morning before breakfast. Flat, Slow, but Early. :) You're welcome to join use if you want Mr climbo, but there'll be no sleeping in this time. :D

I blame the triathletes :D The 'elite' cyclist of the world would never force prices up like that. Not just to be l33t, no way. :eek:

what time, where, how long?

I'll see...what time?

That's miss and out, win and out is backwards, winner of the first sprint after 4 laps wins the race (and can quit), every lap after that, the winner gets 2nd, 3rd, then 4th place. 2 guys went out fast and everyone let them go, I waited until lap 4 and chased them down and passed them in the last turn. :D

I'm gunnin for 5:00am start from somewhere TBA, then home or at a railway station by 6:00-6:30.

Well done gungadin. :D How woz that smoke? It woz thick as blazes around 6:00pm. Couln't see across the bay, and it was clearly visible within 5m! total BS.

[QUOTE=Thylacine][obligatory road bike speak] I think my next road frame will be steel, with carbon stays, carbon seat tube, and pearl white paint with gold pearl in the clearcoat. [/obligatory road bike speak]
QUOTE]
Wait a minute......my bike is steel and pearl white.......oh....no carbon though....Sounds like an unreal bike to me!!

I had a w@nker yelling out to me on Monday night saying "if I were premier of the state i'd charge $7.50 for you blokes to ride on the road...blah blah blah"........I told him he would have a few hundred cyclists sticking $7.50 up his @rse if he did........got to love those motorists!!

No one is forcing them to play. But if they want to play they have to follow certain rules. As was proved by the 'Bosman' case in Europe if the rules contravene existing laws then they can be struck down in a court of law. We may see an AFL player who tests positive taking it to court in the near future.

One of the problems with drugs in sport is that most of the athletes are young and dumb - there was a survey done a few years ago where athletes were asked he question "if taking performance enhancing drugs enabled you to win an olympic gold medal but significantly shortened your lifespan would you take them?" The majority of them said they would. Some people need to be protected from themselves.

It seems that the AFL crackdown is for recreational drugs which seems a bit odd.

And no, parents can not sign contracts signing away civil and human rights as that would be an illegal contract and unenforceable. Also you would assume that a parent generally knows what best for their kids whilst they are still minors.

If I remember I'll take it to work and scan in it and post it tomorrow.

testing

http://vmartin.bigpondhosting.com/th...vel_logo_d.jpg


http://vmartin.bigpondhosting.com/photos/dsc00840a.jpg

for some reason the bigpond host site is sometimes shrinking my pics, but other times not


http://vmartin.bigpondhosting.com/photos.htm


one moment the pics are this size:

http://vmartin.bigpondhosting.com/photos/dsc00836a.jpg

Next time I look on the host site, they're this size:

http://vmartin.bigpondhosting.com/thumbs/dsc00836a.jpg


any photo loading experts out there?

[imgwidth=80height=40]http://vmartin.bigpondhosting.com/thumbs/dsc00836a.jpg[/img]