I work in the EV industry and I don’t understand the battery rental, the amount you’d pay for fuel in a small diesel is similar to the rental plus charging. You’ve then got all the downsides of an EV without the benefit of it being cheaper to run and with the limited range. Of course you could use this argument with all EV as none are as cheap to run as their ICE equivalent.
But they do drive well 😁

The 1090 adventure can go off road I’ll be putting suitable tyres on mine soon for this, the 1090 motor is also for me a nicer unit than the 1290, freer revving and still enough power to pull proper wheelies in 3rd gear. In normal riding is also amazingly economical, regularly 200+ miles from a tankful. As a road bike that can do a bit of off road and the occasional Trackday I can’t think of much better and certainly not for £8800 brand new

My car I use for work which I get allowance for is about 25% of my income but it’s on lease so not really applicable. The one I own for family use is 10% of my income and the wife’s is prob 33% of hers.

No rules if you want a nice car get one but not sure what it’ll do better than a cheaper one ?

Should add the 1090 was £8800 new OTR. some still around at that price

I had the Africa twin for 2 years and changed it for the 1090 adventure. Would go back to an AT though lol

Different bikes tbh, the AT is much better off road. The 1090 is much better on road and track. I’ve used both off road, road and track.

KTM engine is much stronger and genuinely fast, the AT not so much if that matters. Decide what use it’s for, if it’s all road go for the KTM. If off road comes into it then the Honda wins.

Here’s some daftness

Get one, the only people that take the piss or make comments are cyclists. Nobody gives a shit what cyclists think so it doesn’t matter :)

At that budget all are a risky buy, I’d go for newest van. The relay/boxer vans are not cool so you’ll get a better one than a transit. None are as reliable as a hiace, the only van we’ve had that needed nothing. The VW we had were the worst reliability wise. After that all the others and we’ve had most were the same.

Set autotrader to Honda and Toyota and petrol only and see what it throws up. This is the advice of a mate that works for the AA whenever anyone asks what to buy

Get out in the fresh air and exercise, bikes are great for this. CBT helps but you have to buy into it and practice it. Go see doc and get help

Buy a 3 year old Kia it’ll still have 4 yrs warranty left, or buy a 1yr old from a main dealer and they’ll give you 7 yrs warranty

TBH tents and VW ‘campers’ have more in common than folk think, build quality for one although in most cases the tent edges it 😁
You also can’t impress middle aged men in animal t shirts as much in a tent as you can in a VW….

This thread is epic, I prefer to live my life in a live and let live way. If someone isn’t bothering me I don’t bother them. As an ebiker I’ve had some abuse from non ebikers, personally I’d never speak angrily and abuse people I don’t know but I guess some folk like provoking others.

I also am a very polite ebiker and my preference for overtaking is on downhill sections, I’d rather wait on the uphill as I don’t want to add to ebike haters ammunition thinking we can’t ride. Passing on a downhill section is better as it screws with their views as to how a bike 10kg heavier can overtake them downhill when they were convinced their pedals that are 10grams lighter saved them some time :)

‘ Oh you’re one of “them” *shudders. I agree biking is for fun. But it used to be fun when I was a kid of riding my crappy BMX and first MTB my mom and dad got me. It was a sport for the people, not just the people who wanna spunk 5k on an ebike. I’m not saying they aren’t fun.
Motocross is also fun but I wouldn’t ride one through the woods for funs sake. ‘

I couldn’t afford a bmx I had an old Raleigh while all the cool kids had bmx’s, yup motocross is fun on an Mx bike and I too wouldn’t ride one through the woods, are you thinking an ebike is like an Mx bike ?

But as you’re One of “them” *shudder cyclists You’ll never understand, it’s another problem with trail centres they let poor people in and they get angry and jealous, enough to moan about it on the internet 😁

It’s all about the speed bro, derestricted you can sit behind roadies too it’s entertaining. Biking for me is about fun not fitness, however lost 1 1/2 stone since started ebiking, it must do something or that wouldn’t have happened. Downside is negativity and sometimes abuse from normal cyclists, I prefer to live and let live but some folk are so far up their own arses they have to share their opinion, if it makes them happy it’s all good cos they obviously need to vent 😁

I love the extra speed my battery powered bike gives me, its epic as I get all the fun of the downhill with none of the slow uphill, in fact the uphill becomes a speed fest too. As a bonus if you don’t change strava settings you can claim loads of KOMs too, result 😁🍰

How do you ride your clockwork bike with that huge chip on your shoulder ?

Thanks, think I’ll push docs for an MRI scan and see about an op if possible as soon as possible. Until I have a definite there I’ll keep riding my full suss bike just a bit slower !

Been looking at these so I’ll check out the cheaper options.

Last weekend out with my 6 yr old on a local trial and a guy came by doing 10-15mph towing his young lad with a solid rope….you can guess the rest he swerved round some walkers and pulled the bars straight out the poor kids hands. Really felt for the kid and once he had calmed down and brushed him off they carried on without the rope.

I’ve had a Nissan Elgrand for 4 years, with 4 or 5 seated I can get 4 bikes and loads of kit in the back with wheels on the bikes. A half decent one will cost you £5k, very reliable but they like to drink fuel, approx 24mpg since I’ve owned it.However it hasn’t depreciated much if at all which offsets the fuel cost. Great comfy bus and miles better than driving a van. Here’s a pic of how much space is in the rear

Why do folk always suggest the building trades and a quick one year course, a good apprenticeship was 4 years and a further 2 if a sparky to get approved status. A boil in the bag course may get you some domestic work which isn’t real sparkying anyway and that may earn you a nice living driving round in a shiny van. There is good money for good sparks in commercial and industrial but it does go up and down with work. Don’t expect good money or work with a one year course though, need to add some experience and away you go. But early mornings, driving and cold building sites aren’t for everyone.

You don’t know me fella as I’m new here but I’ve read some of your threads, same thing happened to me but 10 years ago, it’s amazing how time goes and as you’re finding it does get easier to deal with as time goes by. Still catches you out some days so be wary of that. Take care of you and your family it’s good to read the good stuff 😁

The future isn’t car ownership at all, the times we are in of owning your own car will be looked back on as a tiny blip in human history. Not too far off will be all electric vehicles called to your home with an app or similar to take you on your journey. Driving yourself will be a hobby for the rich. I work in the EV industry and after EV cars comes autonomous cars, it’s no more than 50 years away before private ownership is a thing of the past.

‘Or install an electric car charger. Most of them include a standard 3-pin socket, so could be used for bikes.’

My business has installed 200+ electric car chargers in the last year in commercial environments and not one has a 3 pin socket…..

Def take a look a the Korean offerings, we’ve just bought for work a pair of 1 year old Kia hatchbacks, they come with a 7 year warranty even at one year old ! 135hp 1.6 diesels and they drive great.
I can’t see any reason to buy any other 5 door diesel hatchback unless image means something to you, then again if it does you wouldn’t be buying a 5 door diesel hatchback 😁
They do several SUV models, if you buy a 3 year old you still have 4 years warranty cover, it’s an easy decision.

‘Yes, I said that an eBike on flat and down hill is not faster but again, on a 3 mile climb where the fastest riders in the area are going at under 15mph average speed then the eBike is quicker. It is only uphill where eBikes are taking any KoMs.‘

If I change my ebike rides at my local trail centre to normal rides I can take a KOM on the red route, 8 miles or so of flat, uphill and downhill. All that proves is a 50yr old novice has bought the speed of young skilled and fit riders. For me personally when ridden back to back with my normal bike the ebike is faster everywhere including downhill, tbh I’ve taken it to bpw and followed experienced riders downhill and not been left. There’s also a few online tests with pro riders and the difference in downhill is minimal if at all, the weight of an ebike isn’t the problem on downhills that non ebike riders assume it would be

Wow if you genuinely care about a KOM on strava that’s pretty damn sad, if winning matters it needs to be a level playing field so go enter a race and get a proper trophy. I get using strava for personal use it’s a great tool for that but really no one gives a shit about it lol

I do use both my ebike and normal bike on strava and do remember most of the time to change the ebike ride to the proper setting, however it may get missed at times as it’s just not that important. I do also like to see the comparison between the two and I can only do that if they are set as the same ride, and as above I’d like strava to move the sections over as there are very few for ebikes still. I do add some as I go along but there’s way too many to do them all.

But ultimately it’s just strava, I guess people like to gain recognition from people they don’t know and in that respect it’s no different to any other social media platform

People wanting more laws and less freedom because of ebikes, sad sad folk tbh

Why buy a 12yr old car with 127k on the clock? Many newer cars for same money, it’s not like a 12yr old car will have any prestige about it or image that anyone will care about. At this budget surely all that matters is reliability and a VAG group car isn’t high on that list

A lot of none ebikers seem to assume ebikers can’t ride too, no idea why as I’ve passed loads of non ebikes on downhill sections. Maybe it’s an ego thing because they got passed going uphill they need to tell everyone else it’s ok guys I passed them going downhill.

However not sure a Kid should be on one they’ve got time to ride a normal bike, of course there’s the other myth that an ebike won’t get you fitter or lose weight, if you’re gonna ride at a normal bike pace then it takes little effort but you can still ride an ebike and try as hard as you can physically.

I’ve always had a mtb but not really used it, so last October at 50 years old I bought an ebike, cycling for me is about the speed and Adrenalin, it’s not done to get fit or lose weight and I have zero interest in doing it for those reasons. This being one thing ‘cyclists’ struggle to understand and plenty dislike as they like to see people suffer to get the reward. I wasn’t overweight or unfit but I wasn’t fit enough to enjoy a normal bike ride at the speeds I wanted too. The ebike changed all that and I’m out on it 3 or 4 times a week at the local trail centre and further afield once a month. I have gained a lot of fitness and sometimes take the normal bike but there’s no substitute for the speed an ebike gives. To compare that speed at the local trail centre red route I am quicker than every normal cycle time on strava, there’s some much younger and fitter riders and me as a newbie 50yr old is quicker and as such I get the Adrenalin kick of going this speed. In simple terms it’s epic 😁

I’ve got a camelbak one, protector 10 I think. It’s very comfy to wear. Tested it 2 weeks ago went over the bars at 17.7mph and landed flat on back in middle of trail, coccyx hit something and it’s proper bruised but rest of back is fine, convinced it helped save me from more damage, I’m old enough to know better but glad I had it on. Did squash my biscuits though 😁

Unreasonable yup, little couch is 6 and we’ve never had a night away from her as no one to have her, wife’s parents both dead, my dad too old but my mum does a bit, will babysit once every couple of months and do a school pick up once a fortnight or month, also has her one day in half term if asked but she does find it hard at 70. Dunno why you’d need a babysitter once a week if times are hard, can’t be for going out. We both work part time as it’s the only way both of us can work and sort the child care without paying for it. I guess it’s a case of suck it up.

If you’re happy with 1.5 according to the on-site guide then fill yer boots,there’s more factors to it than just the reference method though. As a designer I don’t use the on site guide I prefer to use the regs as they hold more info and you do need that info. I wouldn’t use 1.5 😀

The 1.5 cable to the double socket what type of 1.5 cable is it ?, what breaker is backing it up in the DB ?

Assuming it’s a 16A or 20A mcb and the cable is in the fabric of the vehicle for the installation reference method you’re gonna struggle to get the circuit to comply for overload protection, stick 2.5mm in. 😁

The Bosch motor in mine is IP54, I wouldn’t go submerging it completely. In addition I add waterproof grease around the outer case seals every couple of months when I take them off to clean it properly. Despite using it all through winter on the muddiest of trails with puddles at times over the over motor there has been no sign of water inside the casings. Within the outer casings are the motor casing and that always seems dry.

However if river crossings are your thing I wouldn’t recommend an electric bike :)

Lol unfortunately not you keep winding them up for years but they never get completely wound up, after a while you get fit enough to make them go fairly quickly and with it you gain a great superiority complex, then you see someone on an ebike going faster without doing the hard work to get there, you then get abusive and moan about them. It’s not just ebikes though as cyclists seem to moan about everything and how much everything costs, a more miserable bunch of folk it’s hard to find 😁

Me me me I’ll bite. I have an ebike I bought in October to start mountain biking. I mountain bike for the adrenalin buzz only whereas it seems a lot of cyclists ride for the fitness. This is where they don’t understand the difference and think anyone that gets the speed without the pain is in their words ‘cheating’. You still do get fit on an ebike if you use the motor to go faster rather than go the same speed as you would on a clockwork bike. How much extra speed you get is pretty phenomenal, I’m a novice and on my local red route I’m quicker than every clockwork bike, this means at 50yrs old I’ve just bought the fitness of the fittest people in the country and the speed that brings too, of course I still have to ride at a good level to be able to control the bike at those speeds. The added bonus of the speed is I want to get out there more for my fix as it’s addictive, I’ve lost a stone in weight and gained a huge amount of fitness. So much so I’ve now bought a clockwork bike as well, a few more months and I’ll have the attitude of a seasoned cyclist so I’ll be able to sneer at anyone who hasn’t spent years puffing out their arse up hills getting fit. Just got to grow the beard and get some too tight lycra and moan about every **** thing then I’m a proper cyclist :)

There’s a car version too with the rear properly lined that’s worth a look

Took mine on a couple of trackdays they are quite good tbh

Earlier this year I decided to get 2 normal cars for the business, I walked into a Kia dealer and came away with 2 one year old diesel cee’ds. They renewed the 7 year warranty again so they will have had 8 years under warranty cover. They’re not a bad place to be either and average 50mpg. It’s an easy hassle free way to own a car