Life from an outsider’s perspective… Life from an outsider’s perspective… The life of an expat Australian starting a new life in Spain. A former research scientist now runs a pro road bike hire business. Cycling in a place with no flat roads! The importance of Mental and Physical health in todays society... 
Articles
?Tenergrief?
2008-08-06 16:00:00 The rate of construction taking place in Tenerife is mind-boggling. Just 50 years ago, before mass-tourism, the whole La Orotava valley was cultivated land. Today, pretty much every space below about 500m altitude has already been urbanised to some extent. It has one of the highest population densities of anywhere; the average figure is now 400-500 ... More About: Island Life
Bicycle cargo carrier: Pletscher ORION seatpost-mount rack.
2008-07-14 15:26:00 Just when life seems too oppressing to continue, along comes this nifty little invention. In 15 years of perusing bike products, this is the first bike rack I’ve ever seen that made me want to voluntarily attach it to my own personal bike; most of them all look like identical taiwanese copies with equal ‘functions’ ... More About: Rack , Cargo , Mount , Orion , Bicycle
Introducing ?Bike Node?, a new cycling links directory.
2008-07-05 18:45:00 Hello blog readers, You might have noticed that I haven’t written many new articles in the past fortnight. That’s because I’ve been working behind the scenes on a few new simultaneous projects. One of them is called “www.bikenode.com“, a new global cycling links directory. It took almost a full day to crete the Bike Node ... More About: Business , Cycling , Links , Directory
Mountainbikes vs Road Bikes
2008-07-04 01:04:00 I must admit that before I moved to Tenerife, I really didn’t fully understand this whole mountainbiking phenomenon. I mean, why would anyone intentionally choose to ride a bike on dirty, bumpy surfaces, in the middle of nowhere? They’re heavier than road bikes for a start. MTB drivetrains wear out quicker. Complex suspension components demand more maintenance. ... More About: Bikes , Road
Best client photo competition: winner announced!
2008-06-26 13:50:00 A while back I sent out a Newsletter, which you can read here in case you missed it. One of the sections went as follows: Send your photos & win! If you’d like to appear on the Guestbook Page, please send me any photos you may have taken while cycling in Tenerife. High-resolution photos are preferred, in any format. ... More About: Photo , Competition , Winner , Client , Sales Pitch
Budget seatpost recommendation
2008-06-23 01:44:00 I’ve tried and tested many seatposts over the years in all price ranges. The only purpose of a seatpost is provide support for the saddle & to offer simple adjustments of the saddle (vertical & horizontal seat position plus saddle angle). Some seatposts costing hundreds of dollars do not even meet these simple requirements! More About: Budget , Recommendation
Overstimulation, ADHD & physical exercise.
2008-06-20 20:21:00 Is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) simply an extreme degree of hyperactivity, brought about by many complex contributing factors? We’re stimulated (visually) by television and seemingly limitless internet possibilities. Outwardly, we appear to have adapted in various ways to this fast pace of life. But what happens to our brain when we stop all this ... More About: Exercise , Physical
The top Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs); list of 100% electric cars.
2008-06-19 15:03:00 With the petrol prices rising, the energy crisis looming, and the state of the environment deteriorating, I thought it was time to compile a list of zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). First I’d like to say that I’m pretty pissed of that the internal combustion engine is still with us today. I remember when the Australian ... More About: Business , Cars , Inspiration , Vehicles , List
The future of humanity?
2008-06-17 01:18:00 Our current civilisation is growing at an exponential rate. But anyone with an ounce of common sense knows that exponential growth in a finite space is a physical impossibility. So I sometimes wonder how many people this planet can support. More About: Future , The Future , Humanity
?Who speaks for Earth??
2008-06-16 19:03:00 If there’s one thing that has plagued or doomed all human civilisations, it their blatant ignorance during the time in which they prosper. But if you look back on some former civilisations, history reveals they only made relatively minor mistakes (as far as their long-term survival was concerned). It’s no secret that most people in today’s ... More About: Earth
Roadworks near Aguamansa!
2008-06-16 14:31:00 The main road TF21 to Las Cañadas is currently receiving an upgrade around the Aguamansa region, for a distance of approximately 300 metres. That brief section is currently not sealed. I feel obliged to point out that beyond the cafe’s in Aguamansa, the road to Mt Teide resumes as normal (just in case cyclists think that the horrible road ...
SR Suntour XCR suspension fork review.
2008-06-09 21:17:00 This budget model fork can be had for as little as ?120, so it is not intended for downhill or competition use. The model we tested boasted 120mm of travel, although at the softest setting, only about half of that was effectively utilised (even after a substantial break-in period). More About: Review , Suspension
Where do professional cyclists train for the Tour de France?
2008-06-08 23:24:00 Many famous names in professional cycling come to Tenerife, including Lance Armstrong, Marco Pantani and Miguel Indurain. A longer list of professional cyclists that have trained in Tenerife can be seen here. Tenerife is one of the seven Canary Islands, a volcanic island chain belonging to Spain. Tenerife is located in the Atlantic ocean, about 250km off the African coastline ... More About: France , Tour de France , Tour , Train , Professional
Who?s Diego Velázquez? And what?s up with Google ?special edition? logos?
2008-06-06 12:16:00 To date, there have been 185 “special edition” Google logos, which can be seen here. I, like many people, use Google to perform internet searches almost daily. I missed a lot of other trivial logos shown previously. So here’s my chance to comment on this one before it’s too late! In case you were wondering, Diego Velázquez ... More About: Special , Special Edition , Logos , Edition
Animal Intelligence.
2008-06-03 01:20:00 I recently watched this video of an elephant drawing a ’self portrait’. I was amazed. I was also amazed at some of the responses this video provoked on youtube. It really opened up a can of worms. People on one side were saying how cool it was, others were protesting everything from to “stop animal cruelty!” ... More About: Animal , Intelligence , Inspiration
Spanish food and eating customs:
2008-06-02 23:34:00 - A typical Spanish breaksfast consists of an expresso coffee … and that’s often all there is to it. - The main meal is usually served between 1:00 and 2:00pm in the afternoon. This is sometimes accompanied by a first course consisting of soup. Three course lunches are the norm for the all-important weekend family get-together. - Parsely is ... More About: Food , Eating , Island Life , Customs
In a world full of people there?s only some want to fly. Isn?t that crazy?
2008-05-30 15:18:00 Whenever I see this following video clip, I’m simply amazed at the intricacy of each animation scene. This is one of those things I look at and place into the “I couldn’t do this any better not even in my wildest dreams” category. I haven’t had the opportunity to see the movie yet though. Apparantly they’re ... More About: People , World , Inspiration , Crazy , Full
Safety ideas for night-time cycling
2008-05-29 03:41:00 Most motor vehicle accidents involving cyclists happen at dawn and dusk. The reason for this is that there are more commuters out there on the road at these times. At the same time, the road visibility is far less than during the day, so the chances of being hit are relatively high. I’ve taken the ... More About: Ideas , Safety , Cycling , Time , Night
How to turn your manuscript into a book.
2008-05-29 00:38:00 So, you’ve decided to Self Publish? For many months, I’ve considered turning parts of this blog (Vida Enigmática) into a book but I’ve often wondered how to do this. I recently discovered the website Wordclay, a DIY online self-publishing wizard which provides you with a step-by-step guide until your manuscript is a complete, self-published book. The steps to ... More About: Business , Book , That , Turn
The trouble with current science. Time for a new direction?
2008-05-28 14:39:00 As a former postgraduate research scientist, science is one subject I’m qualified to reflect upon. I completed my Doctorate in 2005. The way I look at it, current research science is a system of reliable information harnessing, data processing, followed by speculative interpretation based on well-founded principles & intense scrutiny by fellow peers. It is ... More About: Science , Time , Current , Direction
The link between physical & mental health: ADHD.
2008-05-27 19:33:00 Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder of which the primary symptom is the inability to concentrate. While the symptoms are widely accepted, the causes are disputed. Conventional studies of this disease have focused on brain’s ability to produce dopamine, food additives such as colourants, genetic research and environmental factors (including alcohol, in ... More About: Health , Mental , Inspiration , Physical , Mental Health
Choosing a web hosting company for your new business.
2008-05-25 20:47:00 If you’re reading this, the chances are that you want to manage your own website with a dedicated url address. Even though your internet service provider (ISP) may provide a free hosting service, a dedicated url domain name and web hosting package is the way to go. Before you can do anything else, one of the ... More About: Business , Hosting , Web Hosting , Company , That
Bicycle Training on a budget: How cyclists can save money!
2008-05-25 14:03:00 All cyclists know that cycling can be an expensive hobby, but it doesn’t have to be. Bicycles are the most efficient form of human transport that we know of. But if you’ve started to spend ridiculous amounts of money in this sport, you might want to re-analyse the situation; if you’re flaking out loads of cash on ... More About: Money , Save Money , Training , Budget , Save
Surprise the hell out of everyone with the new you!
2008-05-24 21:28:00 This is a special guest article written by Jonathan Donnelly of Northern Ireland. Late last year, he hired a road bike with us for 6 days here in Tenerife, successfully scaled the 2300m climb to the base of Mt Teide and was then keen to try out a mountainbike for the first time in his life! ... More About: Inspiration , Hell
Important gear selection tips for climbing in the mountains.
2008-05-23 17:41:00 The most important thing to remember if you haven’t ever cycled in mountainous terrain is APPROPRIATE GEARING. I can’t stress that enough. The best gearing for climbing are the following options: 1) 53/39/30 chainring with 12-25 cassette 2) 50/34 chainring with 12-28 cassette 3) 53/39 with 12-32 cassette All of these choices provide what I call “the magic 1.2 low ... More About: Mountains , Tips , Gear , Climbing , Selection
¡Ni Papas! (Not even potatoes!)
2008-05-22 13:55:00 For those of you who don’t know “ni papas” is a Canarian expression which literally translates as “not even potatoes” but really means “nothing” (I suppose because if you’re not even collecting potatoes, there’s nothing left). Usually it’s tacked on the end of a sentence; I’ve heard it used in the following phrase by my ... More About: Potatoes , Island Life
Bicycle maintenance, part III: everything else.
2008-05-22 12:10:00 Welcome to the third installment of “making a bombproof reliable bike”. Here I’m going to provide further tips on how to maintain your bike so that you can rely on it to get you through not just the best bike rides, but all of them. Don’t forget to read Part II: The Drivetrain and Part I: Wheels ... More About: Maintenance , Bicycle
Human Lemmings?
2008-05-21 15:49:00 Before I continue with this story, I wish to make it perfectly clear that I am in no way humouring this subject. On the contrary, I’m attempting to highlight this afflictive social dilemma, thereby drawing attention to it. In fact, the popular notion of that “Lemming commit mass suicide” is a misconception. It’s not helped by lemming ... More About: Human
Goodridge braided stainless steel brake lines
2008-05-21 11:04:00 I recently bought a set of braided stainless steel brake lines made by Goodridge . I’m using Hayes Nine HFX HD disc brakes with the more recent G2 calipers. Unfortunately, one part was missing from the new kit that I bought online from chain reaction cycles in the UK, so I had to go down to ... More About: Lines , Steel , Stainless Steel
Would you rent a triathlon or time trial bike in Tenerife?
More articles from this author:2008-05-17 16:52:00 I must admit that I’ve overlooked the needs of triathletes lately. In many respects, Tenerife would be an ideal location for European triathletes looking for triathlon training zones. Apart from several swimming pools & gymnasiums around the local resorts, there are many ocean swimming spots dotted around the coast. We have great weather all year round, and don’t ... More About: Time , Bike , Trial , Rent , Triathlon 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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