For the bike fanatics amongst us

[Cymric]

If you are a bike fanatic, you know of the various cycling categories. You have the esteemed road category, the speedy and high-adrenalin indoor, zany antics with BMX, and so forth, and so forth. But all bow down to the daredevils (some would say 'brainless idiots') of freestyle downhill.

Not convinced? Well, check out this movie. I'm not going to say what it is about, but it sure is very impressive, very scary, and off-the-scale in the 'don't try this at home' category. Windows Media Player required (unfortunately).

[Cymric]

Ah... Yes, those bikes are quite flexible. They have to be, otherwise the shocks and vibrations will tear the frame apart. I'm considering buying a new hardtail bike myself---which will have a very simple (but very good quality) single crown fork (a Magura Asgard with just 80 mm of travel). In Holland, there is simply no terrain to really put a true MTB through its paces. And besides, I'd pee my pants first, although with training and decent supervision I think I'd be able to enjoy it. (If there is a bike large and strong enough to carry my 1.99m and 110 kg.)

[Cymric]

PMC wrote:
Try this website for bike related mayhem

http://www.pinkbike.com/modules/photo/

It gives an appreciation of the technology involved in keeping your face from the tarmac and the "Girls in action" gallery is compulsive viewing for red-blooded lady biker fans!

The section 'Carnage' is sometimes just painful to see. The rash and bleeding cuts don't bother me so much, nor the pins in broken arms and wrists. It's the photos of people who are nosediving which have me wonder how you can survive such crashes. Human bodies are apparently a lot sturdier than I thought... See this picture, for example.