I’ve now switched to GB Energy partly based on the comments on this thread

Agree with the comments about the sports where the Olympics isn’t the biggest thing to win.

For me I’d drop: –
Football
Golf
Tennis
Basketball

I’d also drop equestrian – I found the dressage to be particularly pretty dull viewing

I’d definitely like to see Squash added

Would never have npower again though – they tried to charge me for the previous owners bills – eventually (after about 9 months) I managed to get them to resolve the situation, though that was after they tried to send round the debt collectors twice

Currently considering a switch myself

I am with SSE at the moment (1 year) – they’ve been fine – no issues with billing – not had to call them to resolve any problems

I was with Scottish Power before SSE for about 18 months – they were also fine

I used MoneySavingExpert to do a comparison & a number of providers come out as cheaper for me – the only thing which is putting me off them is pretty much all come back with poor reviews

Yeah – I bought one – the ones of me were very much a mixed bag, but with around 30 of me there were a couple of pretty decent ones :D

For me the difficulty of the course was pretty much spot on – I certainly wouldn’t want it made any easier next year.

There’s footage on the website which should provide an idea of the technical difficulty to allow you to make a decision on whether the event is for you or not.

I pretty much only buy from Superstar or Disco nowerdays (probably had 30+ sets) – performance & life has been on a par with OEM ones – I am yet to have any issues

Saturday main event for me – got round with no mechanicals, punctures (tubeless thicker sidewalls), crashes or offs – passed a few people, didn’t get passed myself & finished in the middle of my group of about a dozen mates (about 19:30 in masters).

I chased & nearly caught mates on stages 1 & 5
I got a little held up by a couple of other riders on stage 3, but managed to get past eventually
I chased & caught one of my mates on stage 4 – gave him a little gentle encouragement when I did, which resulted in a faster pace to the finish

I’ll be back next year assuming I can get an entry

Currently this is my 12th day in a row – all being well I’ll be riding for the next 8 in a row too :D

For me it would be New Zealand – if I’ve got a month then I might as well travel as far as I can

Europe can easily be visited for a week, so I’d save that for a shorter trip

Agree about the time of year though – for a biking trip I wouldn’t want to head to NZ in say July

I order a narrow wide on Tuesday evening this week – arrived on Thursday

I get 25 + Bank Holidays, though we do have compulsory shutdown over Christmas which comes out of the 25 days.

Management seem to always want to make the compulsory time longer than I want so I have to argue to take less every year.

We get started on 20 & acrue a day for every year worked up to a maximum of 5 extra.

Try http://travelmoney.moneysavingexpert.com/

Last time Debenhams worked out best for me

Put a new bike build on hold – frame landed on the day the result was announced

All other non essentials I was considering (new TV & phone) are also now on hold for the foreseeable future

When I went last year I had to decide whether to take my DH bike or my trail bike (160mm travel) – definitely made the right choice with the trail bike.

The best trails are outside the bike park for sure (I did 5 days in the park), though I’m not sure I’d recommend comfortably numb though – it was an experience, but not one I’d want to repeat again.

Try & get down to Squamish – some great riding there – when I go back thats one place I’ll be going back to for sure

I’ve had plenty of trips to the Alps, but hit Whistler for the first time last summer.

I went for a little over a fortnight, which cost me about £2k all in. I did a 5 day bike park pass, with the remainder being trail riding outside the park. IMHO the better riding is outside the bike park & I certainly wouldn’t want to book a full fortnight in the park. I was lucky enough to have a mate guide me outside the park & he put together an excellent riding plan. I did a couple of days in Squamish, which is well worth a trip – the trails are more flowing there than Whistler.

As others have said Whistler Village is on the pricey side of things – especially since the exchange rate isn’t as favourable any more (I was getting $2 to the pound when I went).

I’m going back next year & will probably aim for 3-4 days in the park & the rest elsewhere.

I’ve been pretty dismayed by the attitude of some of the people I’ve spoken to

One guy I know voted to leave because “he didn’t like the government spending money on a leaflet telling us to remain”

Quite a few people seem to think negotiating trade deals will be easy now 8O

No change as yet for me – small (mostly) software company – our management are very pro EU & we do some business in the EU – only one person I work with voted leave, the other dozen or so of us all voted remain

When we were up there a couple of weeks ago we were told that Sticks Pass had been damaged by the flooding so gave it a miss (don’t know if anyone can confirm this)

We decided to go up/down a different route, parked at Wythburn (southern end of Thirlmere) then went straight up the BW to the top (climb is hardest at the bottom where it’s hike a bike but steadily gets easier).

We then went down the BW which is directly opposite Sticks Pass. This comes out at the northern end of Thirlmere by Stybeck farm. Its pretty steep at the bottom but we all agreed a route we’d do again.

Just a quick warning regarding Gixen

I used it last weekend for the first time having read about it here

Yesterday EBay locked out my account following unauthorized access

While I can’t be certain this was the cause it’s the only thing I’ve used which is different in the recent past

I certainly wont be using it again

I live in MK (been here for about 2 1/2 years) & reckon it’s a very good place to live

Started out in Newport Pagnell then bought a house in MK

Areas to avoid: Fishermead, Coffee Hall, Netherfield, Conniburrow, Bradwell Common, Eaglestone, Peartree Bridge, some bits of Oldbrook aren’t great either, Lakes Estate (Bletchley) should also be avoided

More desirable areas: anything with Shenley in it, Loughton, Old Farm Park, Woolstone, Willen, Monkston Park, Oxley Park, Caldecotte, Kingsmead

Anywhere near one of the main lakes (Willen, Caldecotte) would probably be good for running – there’s also a couple of running clubs in MK (not a runner myself, but I have seen a few people out wear club running kit)

Santander have a couple of offices in MK, the main one being out west, but there’s also one in the centre near the station

If you live within the bounds of MK then I’d definitely recommend cycling to work – the redway network is pretty good (if a little bumpy at points) & keeps you properly away from the roads (I ride pretty much every day). Most of grid roads in MK are national speed limit & people tend to drive fairly fast around town, so although people do ride them I wouldn’t recommend it.

Thanks everyone for the replies :D, certainly sounds better than I had thought.

I’ll take another look at the frame when I see him next & see which solution would work best.

I know he wants to keep the bike going so hopefully we can get it running again.

Wickes & Screwfix are my main destinations of choice for DIY gear.

As I’ve been doing up my house I’ve spent a fair wedge in both over the last year.

Only issues I’ve ever had were with Wickes when they picked a slightly incorrect order for a click and collect (only realised when I got home)

Screwfix are especially cheap for ironmongery – screws in particular are excellent value (boxes of 200 between £1 – £2ish, which would be more than double that in Wickes etc.)

I recently had the same thing happen to me.

On my UPVC front door there is a small metal retention plate which stops the door being opened from outside without a key.

Part of this had broken away on mine, so I replaced it.

Basically the plate is something like this http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Avocet-Replacement-Centre-Latch-Keep-Striker-Plate-For-Upvc-Door-Lock-Keep-/281915390866

Assuming it is this, them remove the old plate (should be a couple of screws holding it in place) & measure it up to make sure you buy the right size

I’ve been about 6-8 times now & on the most recent trip the uplifts did seem to be running slower – I asked one of the drivers & he said they’d been asked to slow down as trailers kept breaking. There also seemed to be more stopping to wait for uplift vehicles coming in the opposite direction to pass, which I suspect was down to the increase in uplift vehicles they are now running.

I used to ride SPD’s all the time, but switched to flats about 4 years ago & haven’t wanted to go back.

I started out with a set of 5:10 freeriders & some DMR V8’s.

Having been used to being clipped in (I had been riding clipped in for about 8 years) I was concerned about coming off the pedals so switched during the spring when the trails were a bit drier so I reasoned my shoes would be less slippy on the pedals.

Part of the reason for the change was I had come unclipped while airborne & this was pretty unnerving for me (I did tighten the clamping of the cleats after this).

IMHO changing from flats to clipped or vice versa is one of the hardest things to get used to when going out for a ride. I reckon you’ve got to go for at least 5 decent length rides to properly get used to either.

Generally I get one new per year on average

The most I’ve bought in a single year has been two

Last purchase was June 2015 as I cracked a frame (bought a full build second hand & swapped some parts over from the old one)

Got a DH rig in June 2014 as I fancied one

Can’t see myself buying anything new for the foreseeable future due to the lack of new 26″ wheeled bikes & the constant changing of which wheel size is “the best” by manufacturers

From my recent experience there is still good demand for 26″ kit & I’ve got decent enough prices for stuff I’ve sold (3 sets of forks in the last 6 months, 3 wheelsets). The only thing I’ve found hard to shift has been tyres.

Just checked & the post office is fee free for overseas purchases http://www.postoffice.co.uk/credit-card (platinum card – granted the 0% period is not long at all)

Canyon will only sell in sterling for shipping to the UK – I contacted them to see if I could pay in euros (which would have been about £300 cheaper on the bike I wanted) & they said purchases made in euros can only be shipped to euroland countries, so I took my money elsewhere

Post office credit card doesn’t make a charge for foreign currency purchases.

I’ve had one for a few years now & from experience I’ve found the exchange rate you get is consistently pretty good.

As mikekay mentions Halifax Clarity is also a good choice.

If you go for a YT it would be worth getting one of these cards.

Yep – I am still on 26″ for all my mountain bikes, Boardman Pro (hardtail), Intense Tracer & Canyon Torque

I have no desire to switch wheel size

Not good as far as I’m concerned

Had my bike for some suspension work & they removed the cranks as part of the work – when they re-assembled they added an extra bit of metal (about the size of a headset spacer) inside the cranks which caused them to jam – they couldn’t explain why when I went back in & I haven’t been back since

DIY accident last weekend meant no riding last weekend & none this.

Gonna try & get back on the bike to ride to work tomorrow.

I’ve been in pretty much a year to the day

It’s been a busy year during which I have…

Lounge: Painted walls, ceiling, skirting boards, mantlepiece, radiator & door. All plug sockets have been replaced, as have the light switches & ceiling roses. I’ve also laid a new floor.

Dining Room: Painted walls, ceiling, skirting boards, radiator & door. All plug sockets have been replaced, as have the light switches & ceiling roses. I’ve also laid a new floor.

Kitchen: Painted walls & ceiling (units are fine so no plans to replace any time soon)

All Bedrooms (of which there are four): Painted walls, ceiling, skirting boards, radiator & door(s). All plug sockets have been replaced, as have the light switches & ceiling roses. Two bedrooms had 80’s fitted wardrobes so I had to get rid of those. I also did coving in two bedrooms (two were aleady done). There was alot of making good to do in two bedrooms which previously had wallpaper and are now painted.

Hall, stairs & landing: Painted walls, ceiling, skirting boards, radiator & door(s). All plug sockets have been replaced, as have the light switches & ceiling roses.

I am currently fitting the new downstairs loo, after which I move on to the bathroom.

Then the new carpets go down in all bedrooms & on the stairs, the final job will be to lay the floor in the hallway.

The previous owner turned out to be a bit of a bodger, so I’ve had a bit more to do than I expected (very sloppy painting – some poor electricals)

I’ve done all the work myself so far, I’ve got a mate coming to do the carpets & another mate who’ll help a bit with the bathroom.

4 miles – 15 minutes pedal each way – all year round – the only rule is that if it’s peeing down in the morning I can drive – I reckon I’ve driven to work no more than 10 times in the last year

Just made mine this evening – worked perfectly, even without a track pump (I just used my trail pump) – cheers to the OP for posting this :D

Not too impressed myself – I bought a rear mech from them & the place where you normally attach the gear cable to with a bolt had no thread on it – as I didn’t fit the mech for a few weeks after I bought a refund wasn’t offered – I was told the best they could do was a bit of money off a future purchase – I haven’t been back since

I have one (owned it since July 2014) – very happy with it – its comfortable, gets used most weekends, the storage area is well thought out & access to your gear in it is good. I use a 3 litre bladder in mine rather than the supplied one as I prefer to carry a bit more liquid. I’m 5’9″ if that helps.

I have previously owned a Hydrapak Outland (was never really big enough – you could carry water or tools, but not really both), Deuter Speedlite (decent pack – straps could have been a bit more comfortable) & a deuter speedbike (great pack, but a bit big for general trail riding) – The Evoc has been a good buy & I’d buy the same one again if I had the choice.

I am more than happy to pay the licence fee for the quality of programming the BBC produces & the lack of adverts.

I watch the BBC daily, listen to BBC radio daily, all other TV channels are inferior.

I sold after three failed sales last year.

Agent 1 took the property on at the start of March & gave me the three failed sales. They got plenty of people through the door, but their follow up to ensure the sale completed was atrocious.

I switched to Agent 2 mid August, went on the market on Tuesday of that week, sold by the following Monday (I had 5 offers). The fee for this agent was higher than the first one, but they did deliver an appreciably higher sale price. They did actually follow through with the buyer to ensure the sale completed (which it did mid October).

Both agents were from large chains.

Sounds to me like the agent isn’t that brilliant, so I’d consider changing.