jitenshakun profile

I can relate to the vintage car thing.  The problem is once you buy one you'll probably want a 2nd one.  It's a known fact that these cars get lonely and need a garage companion.

In reference to the original article I'd like to point out the inaccuracy of the name "Tercedes". Anyone that has owned one knows the accurate name is "Turdcel".

I bought a set of these before seeing this ad and I can say they are the real deal.  They are actually cooler on the knees than around the ankles and fit better than any soft pads I've had in the last 10 years.

No - my riding position is from 1996.

My pack has a very similar load out (I even pack the velcro!) but one thing I add is a long'ish ski strap.  It's my tourniquet-in-a-pinch and can hold clunkier things together.

Are the sleeves long and the torso slim fitting?  You know, for a cyclist that reaches for their handlebars and doesn't have a gut because of all the pedalling.

The FB29 in the pictures makes me think someone there has some positive ape index....

My long standing view of Norco is a Norco will weigh more and cost less.

That you're comparing to Minions is really helpful.  Thank you for the review Cam!

My first aid has pain killers, fire starter, an emergency blanket, stuff to try and stop a bad bleed, and a SPOT.  It isn't that big and doesn't weigh much at all. Overall, I figure you can ride it out, or you're in the s**t and need to do something drastic while you wait for the chopper.  

The exception are big chunks of flesh being open.  You aren't hitting S.O.S., you aren't bleeding to death, nor do you want to drip all the way back to the trailhead.  I've had and seen a few of these over the years and have appreciated having my first aid every time.

I'm a lifelong pack wearer and I often lend people my full tool after they've fiddled with their EDC enough.  If I encounter and advanced rider that didn't pack anything at all I don't even offer them a tool anymore.  Beginners or people that just had something bad happen always get my help.

Manufacturers will definitely make more of these if they can sell tools for 4x the price so long as they include a plastic attachment.

$206 CAD for an allen key, chain tool, bacon plugs, and a CO2.  From MEC you could buy the same tools for $15, $23.50, $12, and $18, respectively.  $68.50 vs. $206.  I think I can carry something in a pocket or rummage through a bag for the price difference.

I carry it, but I'm a packhorse and also ride with first aid.  A friend of a friend in Fernie this summer had to multi deploy on a bear that charged them a few times on the way off the trail.  Seems like it worked for him.

Posted by: oldmanbuilder

So this is a mini-bullshit review of the Firebird 29. ...

This thing seriously kills it. Anyone looking for a long-travel 29er would do well to consider it.

Thank you for the review!

Posted by: KenN

Is a poor family poor because they don't work hard enough?

If a person works 12 hours a day carrying rocks up a hill on their back (super hard work) are they poor because they work hard?  Of course not, they are poor because they are trying to make money carrying rocks on their back.  Is rock carrying the only job they can get?  Is it a job they love?  Is it the only skill they have in life.  I think someone is poor because of the choices they make AND because of all the things that make up the context that they live in.

I also think a person has a better shot at making change by working on all the things they can control (what they have to offer the job market, what market they participate in, etc.) rather than waiting for everything else to get better.

Posted by: KenN

Must be nice to easily slot people into one box or another.  So nobody in Alberta has ever had a leg up on education or finances from family that maybe a poorer family couldn't afford?  Is the poor family poor because they don't work hard enough?

I know more than a few Albertans that started off poor, didn't have any family money, didn't get an education - yet worked hard their whole lives at a business and did well for themselves and their family.  Same type of people exist in BC and across Canada.

Canada has a boatload of opportunity compared to a lot of the world and I believe that your choices lead you to where you are.   Help at the start helps - just as much as bad advice will hurt someone.

My view is that when someone in AB makes money another Albertan will say "Huh, must have worked hard and good on them." When someone in BC makes money it seems like they must be a crook or some villain that screwed over the people of BC in some way.

I love the distinctly BC opinion on markets.  

I'm genuinely interested to see what would happen if the tax comes in.  Specifically, if it "fixes" the BC housing market.

I have no idea what it'd bring in, but I assume a boatload of money.

If non-BC resident ownership is driving the price of homes, then chasing it away would drive down prices.  I wonder what that'd do to BC owners that have mortgages?  When they get reassessed and suddenly have a house worth less than the mortgage? Will the government step in and guarantee these mortgages?

What's NSMB's take on the BC government's proposed annual 2% of home value tax on out of province owners in the lower mainland and Okanagan?

Solution to rental rates in Van and Kelowna? Great way to drive down home prices and values for everyone?  BC for BC born and nobody else?  Way to get people to move primary residences and cash in on more income tax?

CRC has been my go to for Shimano for years, but Shimano has closed a good chunk of the pricing gap.  To top it off Shimano is donating 1% of your LBS sales to local trail societies this year, so a reason to buy local if the price is close.

Bending prongs is great, but I can't avoid clay laden mud on my home mountain :(