I have a Superb with the older 1.8 TSI engine and I have used it for towing a caravan. Looking at the bhp and torque figures for the 1.5 and 1.8 they are pretty close.
Only towed a small 2 berth caravan and it did that easily so it could cope with something a bit bigger.

Is it a petrol or diesel ? If it’s diesel did it have the oil changed in the gearbox at 40k miles ? I have an older DSG box in a petrol so no oil changes but VAG did swop and change oil types because of problems.

Could this aggression actually be down to the British race ? I have cycled regularly for the past 20 years in France and Spain,and apart from the odd occasion in these countries,UK drivers really are the most aggressive and angry. Doesn’t mean the roads here are the most dangerous though.

Maybe we need a psychologist along to explain why a normally amiable person turns into seething red faced lunatic once they get in a vehicle and come across a cyclist.

A guy called Mike Carter did it years ago and wrote a book ” One man and his bike “.Not a bad read.

I have just changed the the SRAM GXP one on my road bike.Six years old with plenty of mileage on it but this winter saw it off.
Bought a pressfit tool off ebay for SRAM and Shimano for £20. New BB pressed in perfectly with just a smear of bearing fix round it. No creaks or play.

Just over 3 weeks ago I had the first jab. Felt fine until about a week ago. Very slight constant headache/neckache and feel as if I have a head cold.No problems out on hardish road rides but I do feel more tired at night and go to bed earlier.

A friend of mine is a Professor of Communicable diseases of many years standing.
He volunteered in vaccine trials for a US drug company and was given 2 doses of the the experimental vaccine then had his first jab of the AZ.He’s continuing to have blood tests to see the effects of the two vaccines.
He had no reaction to the experimental vaccine,actually thinking he’d been given a placebo,but a mild reaction to the AZ.
He was happy to have a reaction as he believed that it showed the vaccine was actually effective.

I use a vets in Spain every year and they are much cheaper,very efficient and in a newly built unit that is immaculate. Obviously the lower costs must mean they are all unqualified.
When we see the vet in Spain the first thing they don’t say is ” the dogs teeth need cleaning,he’s got a small hernia,etc,etc “.
Instead of the pet passport there is now a health certificate required for pets to enter the EU. Some vets quotes are incredible. Up to £150 to fill in a form .These forms only last 4 months.But i can get a Spanish passport for the dog with the rabies booster for 50 euros or less and that will mean he can travel back and forth without being held to ransom by UK vets.

If there is play on the cassette then the freehub bearings will be worn. The outer bearing has no shield from muck apart from its seal. The inner on mine didn’t even have a seal on the outer face.I’m just replacing the pair on my Fulcrum 3’s.
I’ve never had a problem with the adjuster. Just tightened it by hand and nipped it up.Have you backed off the adjuster then tried tapping the axle on the nds to make sure it’s seated into the hub.

I have let properties,commercial and residential,for about 35 years.
Letting through an agent is easier but they will do as little as possible for their commission.They will also lodge the deposit with the Govts scheme,which is required by law.
I sort out gas/ electrical certificates and any work that needs doing myself. It’s better to build up a relationship with a local trusted tradesman than rely on the ones sent round by the agent.Also for speed of sorting out problems I deal with the tenant directly even though that is really the job of the agent.Its better to speak to the tradesman than through the agent .
For the gas boiler services I use the boiler manufacturers as they are cheaper and have all the spares in the ‘van.
Continuity of letting is imperative. Someone moving out every 6 months,redecorating,then a delay in reletting eats into your income.I’ve found it’s younger people who move on quickly.If the property is close to you ,and you have the time, do as much maintenance work yourself as possible.

Could someone define for me what is a ” poor ” area ? Income,house prices,number of people on benefit ?
I live in what would be described as a poor area of the North East if £60k buys you a 2 bedroomed house.But I don’t see poverty here.
In fact over the last 10 years I can say that my neighbours,working and retired, seem to have actually more money coming in looking at the new cars and house improvements.Has the area drifted away from the Labour Party or has the party stagnated and only appeals to an eroded core vote.
Talking to neighbours Labour are just seen as a party for people on benefits with nothing to offer the working majority.Its difficult during the present situation but Labour need to put some hard and fast long term easily understood policies on the table .

Have a look on Motorhomefun website. There isn’t really any motorhome/campervan subject thats not covered on the forums.

On my racing 3’s you remove the nut on the drive side and it comes off clockwise.Put an Allen key in the other end to hold it.When it’s off you can slide the short metal sleeve off then the freehub will pull away.

About 10 years ago we moved to a small ex mining village of County Durham. The mines closed decades ago but some people still live in those times.
As I started to talk to more people I was taken aback by the racist language being used.
Some of the comments wouldn’t have been out of place in Nazi Germany.
Violence in pubs was a normal Friday and Saturday night so after one visit to my ” local ” I never set foot in it again. The shouted obscenities were awful. Ironically it closed down and has recently been bought by an Asian family to convert to a house.
A lot of people see nothing more on the horizon than a trip to the WMC on a Saturday night for bingo and the “turn”. Holiday is drinking in Benidorm.
I am not in an area where I see poverty,but I do see people who have a poor education and that seems to give them a narrow outlook on life.
At the last general election a Labour heartland became Conservative.Why ? Immigration ? Yes. Labour thinking places like this will never be lost so just not being active enough. Did people like Boris Johnson ? Definitely not. But Corbyn was unelectable even to staunch Labour supporters.
Residents here are trying to change things by a Facebook page,tree planting,litter picking,etc. The response has come really from people who have moved into the area and the Asian family I mentioned earlier have had a warm welcome.

Had my jab Sunday morning and felt rough that night.Slight headache Monday morning but went out for a road ride.
Felt ok to start with but tired quickly and legs became very achey on the way back.Ached badly for quite a few hours afterwards but felt fine this morning.

About 2 years ago I was out walking my dog along a nearby disused railway line which is popular with walkers. Coming the other way was a group of school kids and adults who had been on a nature trail of the nearby wetlands.
My dog is really cute and friendly and 2 girls walked over to him.Suddenly one of the women in the group,only about 20 feet away,started screaming “don’t talk to strange men “.
It was like a punch to the stomach. I felt guilty.Everyone turned around and looked at me.I cut my walk short and went straight home.

I have ridden a lot in Spain over the past 20 years. Appearing to hold up vehicles doesn’t concern Spanish cyclists and clubs at all.I’ve seen them spread out across the road and force oncoming vehicles to stop. My local Spanish club actually have a motorcyclist out front with a siren.The only people I have heard moaning about their riding are the British ex pats !

Drive to Hamsterley if you want to. Loads of vans at weekends lining the roads up by the Downhill Descent car park.

Yes it is the ” travelling ” community.Brads has called it right. Most of them go about their ” business ” quietly so no one can see what they are up to.Footpaths around or through their property are blocked and one nearby even put notices up on a footpath saying their dogs are likely to attack you.
It has become the norm around here for them to buy farmland cheap then start moving caravans and mobile homes onto the land.They ignore council demands to remove them and that’s when the intimidation starts.My local councillor said the planning department were reluctant to become involved when they realised the background of the people.
It took the council 11 years of court cases to be able to demolish a nearby house built without permission.
If the guy nearby gets his way with the kennels and office block,which is a way in for housing,then I think we would seriously look at moving.
Anybody interested in a property in County Durham ? Close to Hamsterley !

There are people around here from a certain community who believe that any laws or regulations do not apply to them.The biggest most expensive houses in the area with the flashiest cars all belong to these people.Ours is not an isolated incident as 2 friends who live nearby have had ” visits” with regard to separate planning refusals,another kennels and a gypsy site.
A friend who is an ex councillor was followed home and threatened after taking photos of work going on at an illegal development. The man involved was later found guilty in court.

All the neighbours hope there is a successful court case following the police raid and one of those unexplained wealth orders is issued.

As I understand it intimidation cannot be taken into account when planning permission is decided.
Since he bought the property he has run an illegal tip with heavy wagons tipping in the fields. Then an unlicensed puppy farm which was closed down. He’s constructed a new driveway to the property in a totally different position to the permission he was granted.Last year the police blocked the road and there was a full on armed police raid followed by a forensic search team. It’s not a quiet life here !

Around 20 years ago I bought a house in Spain. I had some land to the front which gave me great views down the valley.
The day after I moved in the ex mayor,hated in the village as he was a Franco man,came down,pointed to my land and asked if I wanted to buy it. Obviously I told him it was mine but over the period of a year he persisted.
Then a woman turned up and told me to keep off the land as it was hers.She said she would build a house smack in front of mine and erected a fence across my gates.
Off we went down to the “catastro “,council deeds office,only to find boundaries had been redrawn and part of our land had been annexed.
The ex mayor had “arranged ” this then sold the plot on.The deeds office wouldn’t even look at our proof and said to take it further ,myself and 2 other neighbours would have to go to court. My neighbours refused as the fear of Franco men still lingers on.
After threats and police visits the fence was ” vandalised” over time and I think the woman was given her money back by the ex mayor’s family. It has calmed down but I will never be able to reclaim the land.

How are the drug barons and dealers going to manage in a cashless society ? I’d love to see it happen and force some of them around here out of their blacked out Range Rovers and fancy gated properties.

I have the same problem with reach to the levers. From experience a short reach and drop works best for me. I set my bars with an imaginary ball bearing in the open end that would slowly roll out. So,not parallel to the ground. Then hoods which would give as smooth a transition as possible from top of bar to top of hood.

I can second Vanguard Lifestrategy Funds and you can have them as an ISA. They won’t set your pants on fire but the ongoing charge is low,0.22% I think.

I have the same problem with a gas combi boiler. In the last 12 months it’s constantly lost pressure. Sometimes it takes 2 months to lose it or 2 days. Cannot see any evidence of a leak.
It’s in a rental property,which is 2 hours away from me,so the agent keeps sending round plumbers who just top it up at £40 a time. So far it’s been topped up 7 times.Every time they go and top it up I ask them to investigate it and the last one said to the tenant ” it’s normal,think of it as a tyre going down”.
The flat is only small with just 3 radiators so could it be getting just too hot. The tenant said the temperature controls on the boiler are both at maximum. It’s not old,only just over 2 years.

I bought a bike from Tredz on a Friday and it was delivered the following Monday.The packaging looked a bit hurried and the front mech wasn’t set up.

I get cramp towards the end of long,up to 100 mile,hilly road rides. I’m going to agree with the old wives tale and say tonic water.
I don’t start with it in my bottles but usually stop off around halfway and fill them with tonic.I haven’t had cramp since doing this.
Also,I think pushing too harder gear on the climbs makes me more susceptible to it. I’ve done long road rides with the club including plenty of long climbs,some steep,and at a bit more relaxed pace cramp has never come on.

Just an update on my neighbour with the lpg.
I think he has been a little economical with the truth as I’ve just seen him carrying a bucket of coal into the house !

I am pretty short of options because of siting issues both of the boiler and any tanks.
On radio 4 a few weeks ago was an article about heat pumps. The ” heating expert ” said that radiators do not need to be red hot to the touch and if they were then it’s wasting fuel.
I read an article that about 1.5 kw is needed per radiator. With 8 radiators that would be 12kw. Most boilers seem to be around 24 so that appears way over what’s required.
So,would turning down the temperature of the water on the heating side actually give greater efficiency ?
My wife’s eyes glaze over whenever I mention the subject of lpg Vs oil.

I have just spoken to a couple who live a few doors away that are running an lpg combi from the 47kg bottles. The 2 bottles fuelling now have been running from February.Same size house as ours.
He thought the gauge on the switching system was faulty because of the low gas use,but after inspection it’s not.The bottles are just over £60 each so he’s more than happy with the running costs.

Oil boilers are in the region of £3,000 plus fitting. I can buy a non condensing combi Baxi for about £750.
Due to regs,if I put a new oil boiler in then the tank must be moved,around 30 metres in my case.Also due to regs, the new oil boiler cannot go in the same place as the original.Putting another oil boiler in is just full of difficulties.There is no room for a gas tank so it will be the 47 kg bottles.
The house,I think,is pretty well insulated and my yearly oil consumption has only been around 500 litres for heating and hot water.

Some friends,in their 50’s,have categorically stated they won’t be having the vaccine.
They believe the vaccine,and lockdown rules,are just unnecessary state control.
Abiding to mixing , wearing a mask and travel restrictions are being ignored by them and they have said they are not concerned if they contract the virus. It is impossible to reason with them.

At the moment the oil boiler is underneath a window and according to what I have been told neither an oil or gas boiler is allowed to be positioned there. The oil tank is positioned close to the back door and again if a new oil boiler is fitted it has to be moved.
A neighbour has lpg and said the costs have been fairly reasonable.

I have a Fabia with the 1.0tsi 110bhp engine.
The pull from low revs is surprising and the 6th gear makes motorway running pretty quiet and relaxing.I have a Superb with a turbo petrol engine and this more or less matches it on quietness.About 50 mpg urban and closer to 60 on the motorway.
I had an engine light come on on the Fabia driving it away from the dealers. Skoda breakdown came out and it seems a common problem with a pivot on an actuator arm which operates the turbos wastegate. This can start to seize as it’s dry from the factory. The breakdown guy said he had done at least 30 of these and it was a 2 minute job to grease it up.

Litter.Roadside litter.Grass has been cut around here and the litter is awful.I feel embarrassed for the state of my area when I am out on the bike.
McDonald’s drive through customers.See above.

My wife had a total hip replacement a few years ago,together with 2 knee replacements( not at the same time ).
Her hip replacement caused her constant pain. The surgeon said that normally he cuts a tendon that rides over the hip but didn’t in my wife’s case and this caused constant inflammation. The best way she found of improving this was swimming. She does still get hip pain now and again but really only after a more strenuous walk.

Pick the club which has the most sites in the areas you would be most likely to visit.