Ideas for finding some extra cash. Defiantly start with tightening up some of the rules around shell companies and the reporting of accounts. The ultimate beneficial owner should always be easily traceable. Petrol prices have dropped from their peak in 2022, so a small increase in fuel duty could be introduced. I’d like to see the council tax bands a valuations get a shake up (how many people are sitting in extended or refurbished properties in a lower band), this would be politically painful as there will be a percentage of households who look like they get unfairly treated.

I think the government will go for an increase/change to capital gains tax as an “easy” option.

Not a change that would necessarily raise money, but if you have a personal electric car for business use you can claim the full 45p mile tax free. At the same time, it’s possible to pay a low rate for charging your EV at work for business trips and for that not to be a benefit in kind. Some small businesses may be letting staff charge for free as a perk and it’s unlikely to be investigated?  I suspect only a small number of people are exploiting this, but as EV usage increases the confusing guidance on this will need to be resolved.

I think his posts on X are generated by AI to create as much controversy and engagement  as possible

For somebody at 75kg, 200 – 250watts steady output is enough to enjoy your riding. A pro rider at that weight would have an FTP of 400watts, so would be able to ride like you on an e-bike!

The building is what distinguishes a trail centre from a basic riding spot. Clearly the sport has evolved to more technical “bike park” venues, but there must still be a demand for a venue with waymarked routes accessible to a range of abilities? Coed y Brenin Visitor Centre’s building is going to be expensive to run and maintain, so is probably a bad model for how to run a “trail centre”.

Labour didn’t campaign on a platform of radical reform, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that it’s mostly a case of steady as she goes. Even if the ship is sinking!

The government spending on health continues to increase. In the past this has been covered by a certain extent by cuts in other areas, particularly defence. There isn’t much left to squeeze, so surely something has to give?

Cancelling major infrastructure projects isn’t going to help the countries productivity problem.

Modern “aero” bikes and clothing alongside improved/increased nutrition during the races is a reasonable explanation for improved average speed in the pro peloton. The case for improved speeds up an 8% plus mountain climb seem less plausible. Sure there is an element of aero gains, but Pantani/Lance era bikes were marginally lighter than modern bikes and the drivetrain efficiency is basically unchanged.

It would also be naive to believe that there isn’t a single downhill racer not taking some sort of steroid, especially to build muscle after an injury.

Enduro just doesn’t seem to be a great format for the screen. The UCI XC and downhill races, despite some dodgy camera work and editing have been really exciting viewing. Enduro is probably the most popular/accessible form of racing for most average MTBers.

First past the post for MPs and then proportional representation for a reformed second house (Lords).  Parties would be able to select members based on the proportion of vote. You would normally have a scenario where by a party could win a majority of MPs and form a government, but not have over 50% of the popular vote and not control the second house.

I’ve noticed the same. My two issues with SRAM is that the 12 speed cassettes are silly money and the DUB bottom bracket system is shit.

Agree with a lot of the comments here.

I’m constantly frustrated by a series of blocked drains on a short stretch of A road during my cycle commute. The road in question is constantly being patched and often has standing water, causing cars to brake, causing more damage. It’s actually been shut this week for more substantial repairs. All potentially mitigated by regular drain clearing.

Getting utility companies to resurface areas they work on sounds like a good idea, but would add significant cost and delays to an industry where costs are high already. On smaller works, these works are often contestable and carried out by third parties rather than the actual utility company.

Clearly the weight and volume of traffic is having an effect, but I don’t see this changing in the near future despite the fact that more people are working from home. In fact is this making things worse, with the people popping out to the shops or lunch by car during the work day?

I had an SLX rear mech that repeatedly dropped the chain when back pedalling, eventually bending the cage. Replaced with an XT mech that works really well.

Vitus Escarpe 290 arrived yesterday. 50% discount on what was already a good value bike. Looks good and comes with full protective frame coverings preinstalled. Seems to have been put together with care and checked properly before dispatch.

My youngest has a VR. Really pleased and great value. Fitted with a dropper, the bar setup is a bit cluttered because of the fork lock out. It seems to handle everything that’s thrown it and the frame seems well finished. The seat stay bridge is slightly annoying as it acts as ledge for mud and has a small gap that grit and mud gets lodged in. The wheels are OK, despite the rather poor hubs. The SID fork is really very good at this price point and more than good enough for a lighter rider or XC duties. Finishing kit is harmless, brakes are good and the 11 speed deore works perfectly, if not particularly light. Not sure what options are available for a lighter compatible cassette upgrade?

I’ve watched a couple of EWS  highlight programs this year and it’s just not as engaging as Downhill or XC. Watching a stream of riders ridding the same section at what is perceptively the same speed just doesn’t do it. I’ve seen some local Enduro races and found it exciting to watch in person. Downhill is great to watch on screen either live or as a highlights package. XC is better live, watching the whole race.

Agree with all the other comments on the website, using google seems to be the best way to find a specific product. Their pricing generally seems competitive, but no longer the go site for components.

The whole enterprise seems to be unfocused. CRC is MTB biased, but still has the same huge random clearance stock that wiggle has. Wiggle is trying to be more generally outdoors, fitness and road, but misses the focus of Alpkit.

The inhouse brands, Vitus, Nukeproof, DHB, Föhn all seem good value and well thought out and to me it seems strange that they don’t focus more on these instead of stocking alongside brands such as Orro.

For those looking for a more contemporary style, this one just up the coast, might be more your cup of tea.

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/133543913?utm_campaign=property-details&utm_content=buying&utm_medium=sharing&utm_source=copytoclipboard#/&channel=RES_BUY

OK, so most people on this thread seem to accept that we are in for a rough ride due to climate change. Just to cheer everyone up we could have bigger problems from soil degradation and erosion, antimicrobial resistance or another global pandemic.

Vingegaard sprinting like it was a 4k pursuit at the start. Couldn’t believe that he didn’t slow down on the climb…

The food inflation caused by the Ukraine war will be insignificant compared to the effect of severe draught.

Maybe not a popular view, but some additional taxation would affect peoples spending power in a similar way to increased mortgage payments and allow a reduction in government deficit. Drop the additional rate to say 60k.

Income tax
Straight percentage for income by any means. No NI. Capital gains or inheritance over 100k can be spread over 2years.

Personal allowance – 10k
Basic (25%) 10k to 50k
High (50%) 50k to 150k
Additional (60%) over 150k

Example: Bob earns 40k per year (10k tax free and pays 25% on 30k). He has 10k income from property and pays 25% on this. He inherits 200k and pays 50% on this by spreading the income over 2 years.
Bill is unemployed and inherits 100k. He pays 25% tax on this by spreading over 2 years
Ben earns 150k a year. He sells a property for 200k, gets a dividend for 20k and inherits 800k. He has to 60% on all this additional income.

Consumption Tax (VAT) for goods based on harm done. No VAT for services. Figures for illustration.
Petrol/Diesel – 60%
Alcohol/Tobacco – 50%
Plastic Tat / single use – 40%
Sugary processed foods – 30%
Current reduced rate and goods wholly produced within UK – 5%

Council tax – re value houses and make more progressive.

20k per year = just getting by (poor)
40k per year = comfortable (average)
80k per year = very comfortable (above average)
160k per year = more comfortable that a full suss e bike (well above average, but not rich)
320k per year = rich. I’d also say that most “rich” people often come into their money on an irregular basis and may not actually “earn” a significant wage year on year.

For those on a higher rate of tax, the schemes offer a significant saving. If you receive child benefit and earn slightly over 50k, you could potential get your purchase for next nothing. I picked up a discounted MT500 Waterproof with my C2W scheme.

It does seem like an unfair tax break that benefits middle earners. There’s a certain amount of hassle sorting out the voucher and your employers scheme might not be accepted at your local/preferred bike shop. There is also the potential problem of being half way through paying for your 4k bike and changing jobs.

Council tax revaluation should be a priority. The top band is currently taxed three times that of lowest band. There is significant scope to add bands and increase the spread to make it less regressive. I suspect there are also large numbers of extended or improved properties that have a low band.

I’d agree that there are a lot of “middle class” people with very tight finances. Plenty of people with large mortgages not only on their main residence, but also a buy to let where the rent only matches the interest only mortgage payments. As these mortgages come to the end of fixed terms things will get sticky and the Range Rover Sport that’s on finance might have to go.

CX course. Pidcock just finished his warm up and starting to make the others look decidedly average.

One solution would be to introduce inverted tier rates for energy bills. You pay a lower unit rate for your initial usage, say your first 5,000kWH per year, and then a higher rate after that. You could also have a third or fourth rate that would impact those people with large houses, indoor swimming pools and gaudy Christmas light displays.

This is the opposite of what happens now where large businesses have lower rates than households. The high standing charges also mean that lower energy users effectively pay a higher per unit rate.

I know Germany have almost reached their goal of filling up their gas reserves for the winter

does anyone know if the UK has done similar?

I understand that Germany are on track to fill their gas storage to 80% of capacity for October, but a lot could happen by then. We don’t have as much gas storage compared to other European countries, less than a weeks worth in the winter, but that storage is almost full.

The reduction of gas storage in this country is a major mistake. As we have increased reliance on wind and solar for electric generation you increase the need gas to pick up the short fall on windless days in the middle winter.

Don’t over race. With downhill events you accumulate a huge amount stress over a weekend with travel, being away from home and general pressure of performing. Your son may well progress better over a day or weekend at a bike park with lots of runs and sessioning sections than a downhill event where access to the track is constrained at he may not actually do that much riding.

Try different events, a local Enduro or even XC race may be better for developing overall skills and performance than travelling long distances for a DH event.

A lot of the pro downhill riders spend time on pump tracks on dirt or BMX bikes. Great way to really dial in the timing required on jumps and pumping.

If Russia took control of the South of Ukraine and cut off access to the black sea, the remaining country would be crippled economically.

There are a huge number of unnecessary car trips. At work, somebody has just been complaining how much it’s costing them to drive their BMW M3 to work for a 1 mile each way trip. The frustrating thing is they go to they go to the gym to walk/jog on a treadmill before work.

Whilst I don’t like the idea of a nanny state, high performance cars and large SUVs could be more heavily taxed or even restricted from being used on the public highway.

The government solutions, electric cars and heat pumps for new builds avoid tackling the underlying issues of poor public transport and poorly insulated housing stock.

I wonder what the exit strategy for Putin could be? Based on current events, even if the Russian army could take Kyiv and install a puppet leadership, it would take months to control the whole country and require hundreds of thousands of troops to police the country. Would recognition by Ukraine that Donetsk and Luhansk are independent be enough for Putin to backdown and declare a victory?

In Richard Dannatt’s autobiography, he discuses how during the cold war, the consensus was that the Soviet Union’s weight of numbers would allow them to overrun conventional NATO forces in almost any scenario. Putin’s strategical view, informed by cold war thinking, probably thought that weight of numbers and superior tanks would just roll over opposition. As others have commented, tanks on the modern battlefield are sitting targets for modern anti-tank rockets that can be carried on foot and are particularly vulnerable in urban environments.

It looks like he was training on a TT bike. I know pros need to ride the TTT bike to adapt to position, but after Froome’s accident you would have thought team INEOS would be selective about the roads and conditions used for TT training.

I’m guessing there will be a move by Russia to “secure” Donbas. Putin will try and sell this as protecting the Russian population and as a way of ending the ongoing conflict in the region. There will also be statements that Russia won’t go any further, limited operation, nothing to see here etc etc.

Longer reach and slacker head angles mean increased stress at the head tube. Bikes are just generally more capable with bigger wheels, tyres and brakes. Specialized Chisel is a nice light frame.

Surely he must be tempted to resign, just to avoid the shit show coming down the line. Inflation, fuel costs, continued Brexit costs, disruption and negotiations.

Why not sail off into the sunset, telling himself he got Brexit done, write a newspaper column and enjoy drinking himself into oblivion.

Check your TRVs downstairs aren’t fully open. Although not always very accurate, they shouldn’t be fully open..

When calling somebody it takes a millisecond to find the correct number, nobody has multiple attempts to unlock their phone or gets distracted by a random WhatsApp notification.

Asking the passenger to steer a car or HGV at high speed, even if they are a twelve year old who’s never driven before, results in a swerve that is easily brought under control.

Everybody rents warehouse space substantially larger than required. This includes everybody from government agencies to criminals planning their heist.

Use a step or chair to get you to the start position and lower yourself as slowly as possible. I find banded pull ups a poor exercise as the effort is reduced at the start of the pull, where you utilise your scapula muscles. For good shoulder health, just do some hanging at scapular pull ups.

Interesting how the UK has flatlined since 2006, yes it has collapsed because of Brexit, but it really hasn’t been healthy for a while.

Financial Crisis followed by austerity and capped off with Brexit. Even if the austerity policy had been successful in rebalancing the deficit, it was never going to create any growth in GDP. Again Brexit may be a path to sunny uplands, but it’s not going to create any economic growth in the short term.