Seemingly trivial things that intrigue you

TheBigBean

Mountain biking is pretty much the only thing I miss from the area I grew up.

webboo

Stevo_666 said:

webboo said:

I once won a mountain bike race with a bike with rim brakes.

What year was that?

Last century

morstar

Re brakes:
Not wearing through rims is a genuine issue where I am.
Lots of steep descents and riding in all weathers takes a significant toll.
I am on the fence. I prefer the simplicity and maintenance of rim brakes but the rim wear is expensive. I’d be more likely to stump up for better wheels if I knew they would last longer.
Braking power vs noise is another debate to be had.

Stevo_666

webboo said:

Stevo_666 said:

webboo said:

I once won a mountain bike race with a bike with rim brakes.

What year was that?

Last century

You mean before mountain bikes had disc brakes?

capt_slog

briantrumpet said:

TheBigBean said:

I can't see the point of disc brakes on a road bike, but I can on a mountain bike. Brakes always used to get clogged up with mud.

Unless it's really tipping down, I've not had problems stopping using rim brakes either - if anything, usually I have to be cautious, especially in dry weather, that I don't grab them too hard.

Ah yes, riding in the rain. I've heard of that.

webboo

Stevo_666 said:

webboo said:

Stevo_666 said:

webboo said:

I once won a mountain bike race with a bike with rim brakes.

What year was that?

Last century

You mean before mountain bikes had disc brakes?

I think they might have been V brakes which came after cantilevers. They were followed by hydraulic rim brakes before it ended up with discs. We must imagined going mountain biking in the Alps as clearly it wouldn’t have been possible without discs.

veronese68

webboo said:

Stevo_666 said:

webboo said:

Stevo_666 said:

webboo said:

I once won a mountain bike race with a bike with rim brakes.

What year was that?

Last century

You mean before mountain bikes had disc brakes?

I think they might have been V brakes which came after cantilevers. They were followed by hydraulic rim brakes before it ended up with discs. We must imagined going mountain biking in the Alps as clearly it wouldn’t have been possible without discs.

Made me think of this woman I met that ran an ice cream shop near my cousin's gaff in Italy, women's downhill champ in 91 and 93. Never mind the brakes look how spindly the forks are!

Try not to look at it from a style point of view. The ice cream was really good so definitely multi-talented.

dennisn

I'm a USA Cycling official and during the Spring, Summer, and Fall I attend at least one race a week in an official capacity. I find it intriguing that I never seem to see a piece of equipment among the racers, with the exception of jerseys and shorts, that is the same. I see this at ski resorts too. All those people, and all of them seem to have different gear.

orraloon

Witnessed my first full on magpie fight today. Assume some sort of territorial argy bargy. Often hear the chattering call, but this was a proper set to, 4 of them with 2 getting their claws into each other and falling to the ground, lots of action and noise. Ended up with the 4 up on separate nearby roofs and trees shouting at max volume until they packed it in. Fascinating.

First.Aspect

orraloon said:

Witnessed my first full on magpie fight today. Assume some sort of territorial argy bargy. Often hear the chattering call, but this was a proper set to, 4 of them with 2 getting their claws into each other and falling to the ground, lots of action and noise. Ended up with the 4 up on separate nearby roofs and trees shouting at max volume until they packed it in. Fascinating.

We saw a hedgehog fight earlier in the year.

shortfall

First.Aspect said:

orraloon said:

Witnessed my first full on magpie fight today. Assume some sort of territorial argy bargy. Often hear the chattering call, but this was a proper set to, 4 of them with 2 getting their claws into each other and falling to the ground, lots of action and noise. Ended up with the 4 up on separate nearby roofs and trees shouting at max volume until they packed it in. Fascinating.

We saw a hedgehog fight earlier in the year.

Is this the one that went to a "points" decision?

Pross

I've always wondered why large birds of prey put up with smaller birds like crows hassling them. You'd think a buzzard or red kite would be big enough and hard enough to teach them a lesson. I guess their weaponry isn't designed for aerial fighting.

First.Aspect

shortfall said:

First.Aspect said:

orraloon said:

Witnessed my first full on magpie fight today. Assume some sort of territorial argy bargy. Often hear the chattering call, but this was a proper set to, 4 of them with 2 getting their claws into each other and falling to the ground, lots of action and noise. Ended up with the 4 up on separate nearby roofs and trees shouting at max volume until they packed it in. Fascinating.

We saw a hedgehog fight earlier in the year.

Is this the one that went to a "points" decision?

The prize was peanuts.

briantrumpet

Pross said:

I've always wondered why large birds of prey put up with smaller birds like crows hassling them. You'd think a buzzard or red kite would be big enough and hard enough to teach them a lesson. I guess their weaponry isn't designed for aerial fighting.

Indeed so - I was trying to get one or two more shots of this red kite last week, and a solitary crow seemed to make a point of going out of its way to come over and harass the kite, until the kite gave up and flew away.

webboo

The house where I grew up had two very large trees in the garden. Every year there was a battle between the squirrels and the magpies for the nest in them. They seemed to change hands every year.

pinno

Hen harrier. Fantastic bird. After watching many a bird of prey being chased by crows, I witnessed a bird of prey harassing a whole flock of crows and I mean harassing, very aggressively.
I talked to a local twitcher who said they weren't listed in the local guides because they are quite rare. There was an investigation where 2 Germans were caught with Hen Harrier eggs plus some other eggs. They were doing the job on behalf of some Arab.

surrey_commuter

Pross said:

I've always wondered why large birds of prey put up with smaller birds like crows hassling them. You'd think a buzzard or red kite would be big enough and hard enough to teach them a lesson. I guess their weaponry isn't designed for aerial fighting.

In Canary Wharf a dude flies a bird of prey (hawk?) around to get rid of pigeons, the gulls fly in a spiral around it trying to knock it out of the air.

Pross

surrey_commuter said:

Pross said:

I've always wondered why large birds of prey put up with smaller birds like crows hassling them. You'd think a buzzard or red kite would be big enough and hard enough to teach them a lesson. I guess their weaponry isn't designed for aerial fighting.

In Canary Wharf a dude flies a bird of prey (hawk?) around to get rid of pigeons, the gulls fly in a spiral around it trying to knock it out of the air.

I saw a recent Countryfile with Peregrine falcons and all the birds keep away from them except a type of gull that spits something at them.

Other gulls know the falcon can kill them if they get a height advantage so try to keep them below apparently.

focuszing723

Look at the length of a strong Crows beak though. A Buzzard could have it's large eye out with that!

laurentian

focuszing723 said:

Look at the length of a strong Crows beak though. A Buzzard could have it's large eye out with that!

That's a raven isn't it? They are a big bird and could probably kick a buzzards 'arris on their own.

I think the principle is that a lot of smaller birds will intimidate a larger one if there are enough of them. I have seen crows being "mobbed" by starlings . . .

bompington

Isn't it the case that predators in general are surprisingly wimpish in confrontation? The point being that a predator needs to be on peak form at all times to survive: they can't risk injury because if they aren't fit, they can't catch their prey, so they die. As a consequence they tend to back off much more than you would expect when challenged.

I have actually seen a buzzard show its claws to a harrassing crow - the crow scarpered pretty fast

elbowloh

I watched this bald eagle get harassed by a single crow whilst eating shellfish in Alaska. It put up with it for a minute or so, but then snapped at the crow, which then scadaddled. The guide said he'd seen eagles take a crows head clean off.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By-88PfAul_nYmFJTkxoNFJpVVU/view?usp=sharing

orraloon

That it is 40 years ago today that John Bonham, the Led Zep drum thumper, died. Forty years! 😳

First.Aspect

elbowloh said:

I watched this bald eagle get harassed by a single crow whilst eating shellfish in Alaska. It put up with it for a minute or so, but then snapped at the crow, which then scadaddled. The guide said he'd seen eagles take a crows head clean off.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By-88PfAul_nYmFJTkxoNFJpVVU/view?usp=sharing

There is a short stretch of river in Squamish, British Columbia where you can see more bald eagles in one spot than are present in the entire continental US (I think that's how the stat goes).

That's intriguing.

Not sure if it's true if you include Alaska, mind you, but there are literally hundreds there some years picking up dying salmon

dennisn

For some reason it seems to me that all you really need to make it in the bicycle frame, component, and wheel world is to come up with a catchy name and new graphics. It seems that cyclists will buy pretty much anything with a cool name and fancy new artwork. After all that's what makes you faster.

shortfall

dennisn said:

For some reason it seems to me that all you really need to make it in the bicycle frame, component, and wheel world is to come up with a catchy name and new graphics. It seems that cyclists will buy pretty much anything with a cool name and fancy new artwork. After all that's what makes you faster.

All that and then charge more than a decent second hand family hatchback. Seems to be a lot of people out there with more money than sense.

orraloon

orraloon said:

That it is 40 years ago today that John Bonham, the Led Zep drum thumper, died. Forty years! 😳

And, because. Been seeking out videos of JB and Led Zeppelin. Bonham was just so good. Found one of a live Moby D^ck, childish forum software, which left me thinking how can someone do so many multiple rhythms, just such a good drummer.

Was too young for Led Zep, old enough to buy the albums but by the time I was old enough to be buying gig tickets they had gone stratospheric. 'kin A.

rjsterry

First.Aspect said:

elbowloh said:

I watched this bald eagle get harassed by a single crow whilst eating shellfish in Alaska. It put up with it for a minute or so, but then snapped at the crow, which then scadaddled. The guide said he'd seen eagles take a crows head clean off.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By-88PfAul_nYmFJTkxoNFJpVVU/view?usp=sharing

There is a short stretch of river in Squamish, British Columbia where you can see more bald eagles in one spot than are present in the entire continental US (I think that's how the stat goes).

That's intriguing.

Not sure if it's true if you include Alaska, mind you, but there are literally hundreds there some years picking up dying salmon

I can believe it. My brother has emigrated to Victoria BC. Seeing seals, otters and various assorted birds of prey seems to be an everyday occurrence. My urban foxes and sparrows seem a bit low rent.

First.Aspect

rjsterry said:

First.Aspect said:

elbowloh said:

I watched this bald eagle get harassed by a single crow whilst eating shellfish in Alaska. It put up with it for a minute or so, but then snapped at the crow, which then scadaddled. The guide said he'd seen eagles take a crows head clean off.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By-88PfAul_nYmFJTkxoNFJpVVU/view?usp=sharing

There is a short stretch of river in Squamish, British Columbia where you can see more bald eagles in one spot than are present in the entire continental US (I think that's how the stat goes).

That's intriguing.

Not sure if it's true if you include Alaska, mind you, but there are literally hundreds there some years picking up dying salmon

I can believe it. My brother has emigrated to Victoria BC. Seeing seals, otters and various assorted birds of prey seems to be an everyday occurrence. My urban foxes and sparrows seem a bit low rent.

Victoria is nice. But a retirement town pretty much. And Vancouver is a toy town. And both are pretty damn wet. But the island is almost empty north of that. Not sure I'd want to retire there, but the Canadians have a unique inheritance. Just wish they'd look after it a bit better. There shouldn't even be a question of any more old growth logging and yet even Haida Gwaii seems constantly under threat.

Jezyboy

Is there a cycling commentary school where you are forced to repeat that Nibali is a good descender