Okay, so the niche thing was a bit tongue in cheek :-)
What is it precisely about the Countryman’s aesthetic that makes it less functional? Two different issues, shirley?

Having worked at MINI for three years, I can say that the average MINI buyer doesn’t really inhabit the STW world where;

1.You are some kind of idiot if you spend any more than £3000 on a car.
2. Even that’s a rip off unless you got at least 50% off by using your superior haggling skills.
3. It’s absolutely imperative to keep a car until it’s done at least 150000 miles.

One man’s gopping is another’s ‘actually, I quite like that’ and thank god there’s the choice. Before the likes of the New Beetle and MINI the nineties were awash with acres of dull, miserable monobox lumps authorised by accountants. The reason that the Countryman exists is that it fills a hole in the range that BMW believes they can sell to. It’s kind of ironic that something so niche is getting a pasting on here of all places.

Now, if someone could help me down from this high horse…..

Food for thought.

The potential application of this stuff is terrifying. Imagine packets of bacon that are even harder to open!

Ha, I remember those from 80’s Argos catalogues. I reckon the resistance it generates would stop you getting the needle even half way round. :-)

Drilling holes in a stressed aluminum tube = Fireball of Death. HTH :-)

That’s really sad. Sounds like his wife is the only thing between him and a park bench.

Giz a go on ya bike mister! :D

Saw one of those at Llandegla on Monday and it is indeed an eyeball haemorrhaging thing of beauty. My only concern would be that bling of that magnitude would amplify my lack of mad skillz. Well done sir!

I’ve just replaced my nicked 456 with a Whyte T120 S and I have to say it is very good. The geometry is very 456-like, long, slack and low but pedals way better than the Five that I tried. Not sure how it would work though with a longer fork, but I haven’t missed the 140mm forks on the 456.

Generic valuation websites and publications are pretty useless when it comes to working out what a car should retail for, there are just too many variables. They are based on advertised prices anyway. I would be more concerned with lots and lots of history on a £5K car as well as its overall condition.

Oh, and never ever buy a copy of Parkers again. Really. Never.

I would be a bit wary of any dealer who would knock a grand off a £5K car these days. It would mean either it was insanely overpriced in the first place or it’s a pup that he really wants rid of. All too often, people get way too carried away about ‘how much money off mate’ and only realise what they’ve bought after the dust has settled. If the car is worth buying, anything you get off is a bonus. Good luck. :-)

Maybe he was a dyslexic cat person.

G-Shock for biking, camping and stuff.

Nixon for work and disco dancing.

Late Grandads 35 year old Rotary for posh.

All good suggestions so far, it’s a brilliant city and you’ll have a great time. I can wholeheartedly recommend Les Quinze Nits in the Placa Reial. Get there early and join the long queue (they don’t take reservations) which clears pretty quickly once they open. The food is some of the best we’ve had anywhere and it is insanely cheap (9 Euros for a bottle of rioca reserva) especially for somewhere so touristy.

Classic Viz Top Tip;
Confuse Daily Mail readers by telling them Gypsies are the natural predators of Paedophiles. :D

Distance selling regs. do apply, it’s absolutely this sort of situation they were created for. There’s absolutely no point in the expense of an independent mechanical check if its part of an Approved programme as the car will be warranted and will have been prepped to a decent standard.

What is a good idea is to get the dealer to photograph the car thoroughly and send you pics and also ask the salesman directly about the cosmetic condition of the car. When the car arrives, inspect it thoroughly and in good light, as you would if you were collecting in person. If there is anything that you weren’t made aware of get straight onto them and make the delivery driver aware of it.

Be realistic in your expectations though, a used car can never be made to look like a new one. Fine/small scratches and stone chips are a fact of life and although they can be touched in or polished, they can’t vanish.

Now for the controversial bit. It is absolutely in the dealers best interests that you are happy with your purchase. Despite what a lot of people will tell you, they are not out to fiddle you or sell ropey tat and so long as you make your expectations clear, they will do their best to fulfil them.

Good luck and happy shopping! :-)

Uriniate en sus zapatos! :-)

@ Keva, They were XMC130’s but they got stolen unfortunately. I had 32 Talas’s before which were great but the DT’s were just awesome.

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IMG_0124[/url] by Required Listening[/url], on Flickr

Was about 24.5lbs until butchered by scummers. Shortly on it’s way back to Chattanooga, Tennessee for a new top tube.

Worst smell ever was a particular student basement flat in Bristol in 1998.

Best, brandy coffee immediately after getting off the last lift of the day.

Swinnerton Cycles at Cannock chase Have a 14″ Five Diva as far as I am aware. You can hire it for £30 for three hours and give it a proper test ride rather than the once-round-the-car park you would have got from Leisure Snakes. I have just done the same with a Five and they are proper lovely folk.

By signing up to 0% I wouldnt be surprised if the bike shop get a small commission off the finance company. The finance company hope that you fail to make all your payments on time so that they can sting you a masssive penalty charge or interest rate at the end of the agreement

Nope. Bike shop will have a subsidy to pay to the finance co. which is how the likes of Black Horse make their money. This is why last years discounted bikes often are not offered with 0%. The bike shops offer it as it increases sales volume. Interestingly, this type of consumer finance has some of the highest delinquency rates.

I believe it is, indeed a cake, whereas Mrs Limbo holds firmly held views to the contrary. Thank you very much for instigating, frankly unnecessary, marital strife in our household this evening.

If you post that on retrobike you may well cause the formation of a mob with pitchforks and flaming torches. :-)

Get a life FFS.

That’s not very public spirited now is it? :roll:

All those nicked bikes go somewhere and I’m betting ebay gets more than of it’s fair share of them. Poor spelling notwithstanding, it just stinks of dodgy. It may well be that someone on here has been relieved of their pride and joy or knows someone who has. If it was mine, I’d appreciate the heads up.

David Caruso is is pretty horrible to watch.
+1. He ruins CSI: Miami for me. And that blonde bint is no better.

You may think you’re smart elfin……

But I will hunt you dowwwn!

David Caruso is is pretty horrible to watch.

Like it or not, they were voted in democratically following an election run according to the law of the land at the time.

That does not mean however, that they should not be held to account. Democracy is not something to worry about every five years. The idea that we have collectively made our choice and should all be quiet and let them get on with it, doesn’t wash I’m afraid. How much of what they are doing was spelt out to the millions of Lib Dem voters before the election?

I’m sure that all those protesting in the public sector are not doing so in pure self interest. Those that work as health professionals, with the disadvantaged and disenfranchised have seen their ability to do their jobs and make a difference eroded by creeping cuts. Job freezes in the public sector have meant that those who’s responsibility it is to look after those most in need are stretched incredibly thinly. Dismissing protesters as loony lefty types is vacuous and patronising. The fact is we live in a country where an eleven year old can be a primary carer for a disabled parent and pensioners cannot afford to heat their homes, yet the mega rich employ companies with the express purpose of tax avoidance.

Social responsibility or the politics of envy? Hmmm.

I’d trust the now me with £118m, far more than the idiot 16 year old me with something as important as my future.

Baked beans in Solihull, on the telly and on my plate.

I’m currently going through a claim with them and they’ve been straight-forward to deal with so far. I would second the view about taking photographs, especially of any upgrades or if you have a custom build. Either that or keep the receipts for everything. I certainly couldn’t find any cover for the money that was better, so go for it.

This was mine before it got nicked and trashed. :(

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IMG_0124[/url] by Required Listening[/url], on Flickr

Taking a keen interest in this thread as I’m currently planning its replacement.

Bible in one hand, Dawkins, The God Delusion in the other. Hey Presto, Agnostic.

“I’m the last surviving Beatle” :lol:

Mount directly into the horizontal rotator sprocket and perpendicular to the flangle hinge, taking care not to foul the gruntle bracket when gurning it into place.

HTH.

That would fly in the face of convention.

The wheels had a cable threaded through them which was attached to the Abus. What is a bit strange was that they left the through axle in the front wheel, so look out on ebay for a DT Swiss XMC130 with no axle and a v.short steerer (Sorry- Downhil swiss Suspenshin fork with carbon. Sellin cos I am goin back too rigid)

I’d hate to get a call from the Police to say…

We’ve recovered your parrot, but some of the parts have been removed. 8O