Which Abus lock held up to the abuse out of interest?

Granit plus 51. I’ll post some pics when I get a chance. There’s not much left of the housing but it doesn’t look like they came close to breaking it in an assault brutal enough to bend my frame. I suppose it is quite satisfying to know they were ultimately beaten.

I had a car recovered about a week prior to the insurance paying out on the theft and because I’d got it back the insurance company decided that there was nothing to pay. I had to spend about £1,500 on repairs to the car to get it back into the condition it was in before it was stolen.

I guess it’s because so little of the bikes were recovered really. If your car had just been recovered as a shell, the insurance co. would have declared a total loss and paid out.

The car insurance model seems to be built around only paying out if absolutely necessary. Thankfully home insurance still works on the basis of new for old in the most part.

Either way, I’m sorry to hear about your bad luck.

Yup, all insured through M&S who have referred it to their specialists. I’m waiting for them to call now to see if they can source replacements, if not I’ll get a cash settlement.

LOL at allthepies. :lol:

What did you expect?

Not really a criticism of the Police, in the grand scheme of human effluent they have to wade through every day, I dare say it’s not high on anyone’s priority list. It just frustrates me that so long as you don’t get caught in the act, you will almost certainly get away with this type of crime, which in turn makes more of us likely to be victims of it. I don’t have any answers, it just saddens me a little. As for who the mugs are, I wouldn’t swap any aspect of their lives for mine.

Probably not worth it TBH. What the photo doesn’t show is all the other dents and gouges. You can just about see some on the down tube logo. Prob a write off. :(

Thanks guy’s. We are insured but it’s the massive ballache suddenly having no bikes creates. Swinley next weekend is now off and the Mrs has a Dales Bike Centre course booked for the 26th that we will have to beg/borrow/hire her a bike for, as it was a Christmas present for her and her sister. Honestly, seeing a big empty space where your pride and joy is meant to be is just sickening. What gets me is that someone who mountainbikes will buy them, knowing full well they are moody. All these bikes must go somewhere. Thieves will always thieve, but without the market for them, it wouldn’t be worth their while. Just a thought. :|

Pub quiz knowledge-tastic!

Someone from CRC called me today in response to an email I sent them yesterday. They said they were investigating but weren’t sure it was definitely their issue. I suggested they take a look on here as the anecdotal evidence is pretty compelling! What did irritate me slightly was that the chap suggested using paypal in the future as it was more secure. I pointed out if you are a company that sells exclusively on the net all of the methods of payment should be secure really. Anyhoo, he has said he would let me know the results of their investigation and I will relay them on here. If you have been nobbled and haven’t done so already, ping them an email.

Yup, and another one here. £30 on O2 Prepay Slough. Or Sloog as the chap at Barclays fraud dept. pronounced it.

I guess finding something new to say about bikes month in, month outs, must be a challenge. The sweeping statements do irritate though and I challenge anyone to ride the Monkey Trail with 760mm bars. :D

There is no difference between HP and personal loans with regards to your credit rating. HP gives you more legal protection than a personal loan as it is a a regulated purchase (a bit like credit card purchases). Ask the Business manager at the dealership to match the bank quote, they will be able to subsidise below their base rate to match the payment but take into account any arrangement fees for HP. Settling an HP agreement early is also better than with personal loans as most of the cheap rates will charge three months interest to pay off before the end. Of course, you could buy a four grand car, but as you’re an adult, you will have doubtless weighed up the pro’s and cons and will be able to make up your own mind. :-)

Salmon Risotto and a bottle of Pinot Grigio for us when the Heart of England NHS Trust finally gets it’s evil, understaffed claws off Mrs LJ. Our first weekend off together in ages. Wooo hooo!!

Mrs LJ is a renal dietitian and has said coffee is not always definite no-no if your potassium levels are under control. It’s not caffeine thats the issue, it’s potassium, so tea is fine for example. You may get input from a dietician who will point you in the right direction and hopefully you won’t have to make too much of an adjustment. All the best anyway.

As others have said, I’d pass on that one. There are plenty of Focuses out there and a generally shabby car with an incomplete history can probably be taken at face value. Could be ex-rental, ex-motability, anything. Pay a little more and look for something that looks like it’s been treated sympathetically and make sure you get a decent warranty. Buy a good car not a good deal! Good luck.

Just thought – that £13500 would include interest too I guess.

How many miles has the Beemer done? £13500 seems reasonable for an 07 320d if the mileage isn’t silly.

Took my 456 to Morzine in July, used it for the first day then hired a Froggy. It was the blisters on my hands that did for me, as well as the braking bumps. There are plenty of fantastic XC trails but even they have got very long descents and being out all day for several days doing bigger scarier stuff than you are used to means only a Johnny Concrete type will get by on a hardtail.

Cat D’s are cars that were deemed uneconomical to repair by an insurance company, normally cosmetic damage. Bodyshop charges are so high these days cars like the ones suggested get written off for suprisingly minor damage. It then gets marked on a HPI report and becomes less desirable as most people just see ‘write off’ therefore they are cheaper for what you get. Just check with your insurer, they don’t have an issue before buying.

I would definately concur with regard to the Micra or Civic. Look for a car that has history though, I regularly auction 10-12 year old ex-old duffer cars which, whilst a bit battered have been serviced at a main dealer every year. Look for something in the local press rather than a dealer as you will be paying for unecessary cosmetic prep and a very lightweight 3 month warranty. Insist on a thorough test drive and even if you are not mechanically minded, listen for coughs, splutters or any other general odd noises. Be patient, look at lots, there is a peach out there somewhere with your name on it! Also as an aside, do not necessarily discount Cat D (only Cat D though) write offs at this price.

My Rush was fantastic for seated climbing, far superior to the 456, although I found as I got used to it and adapted my technique it got much better. Bear in mind though that the retail price of your bike was just over £2000, nowadays an XT and Fox equipped carbon framed FS would be well north of three grand to replace if you changed your mind back again. I reckon you could cobble together a hardtail from 2nd hand, spares and sale bits for not much more than £500 which would be a better comprimise. If funds/space preclude that, then I would stick with what you’ve got.

I swapped all the bits off my Rush onto a Ti456 a year ago and TBH it’s different rather than way better. After really long rides I miss the comfort of the Rush but as the vast majority of the riding I do is less than three hours and trail centre blasts, a light, chuckable hardtail is the right bike for me. I would suggest demoing something before taking the plunge as a modern, trail hardtail is a very different proposition from that Scott. Hope that helps.

Isn’t it annoying when someone breaks the rules of the internet? :roll:

I got a Bern helmet for Austria last year and wouldn’t be without it now. Way more comfortable and warmer than a beanie. Makes me fasterer too. What prompted me to get one, was seeing some poor chap with a nasty head gash caused by someone elses ski edge. Blood soaked snow is certainly a sobering sight. I would say last year more people than not were wearing them in Austria.

Sorry to hear that Mark, I hope you can find a way of making sense of stuff.

Looking at those acronyms, can’t see EWCM cropping up here much. 8O

Just had a peep out of morbid curiosity – they certainly like their abbreviations don’t they? AIBU? seems to be a favourite, to which the answer is invariably, no, of course not sweetie, you go girl, chuck him out etc. etc. I can’t help feeling if someone posted on here with a serious, partner related, whinge it would take about three posts before someone said ‘errm, talk it through with them?’ Posting a similar issue on mumsnet seems like metaphorically tossing them to a pack of hysterical, bitter hyenas. May be the garden fence of the cyber age.

By the standards of special77 I am indeed a failure. I have been a success in the past but at some point I failed. I have an interview tomorrow and if it goes well, I could be a success again instead of a failure. To think, I have been reflecting on so many variables as a judge of success when all this time it’s been so simple. :roll:

That article is hilarious and depressing in equal measure. Someone should sort her out with a STW logon so she could be declared Queen of the Trolls. The fact that she seems to be ashamed of the depths to which she has plunged and the misery it will bestow on her offspring tells you something about the vacuous, materialistic world people with her kind of affluence inhabit.

Due to a bit of a disaster this week, I won’t get the chance to meet you all :( . Please have such a brilliant time, another one is organised so I can come then.

I can confirm it definitely does not cost £30 however.

It’s good on a newish car and prevents stuff like tree sap and bird poo marking the paint. Having seen the results of a customer trying to remove the latter with a scouring pad I think there is some value in it :roll: .As Surf-Mat says the mark up is high so if it’s part of a car purchase, ask for a bit of a deal.

“Hello, is that French Polishers? It’s just possible you could save my life….” :-)

Swingers, either of the Kill Bills and Frantic all get an airing when Mrs Limbo is out.

So long as my work rota doesn’t change it’s a def from me. It’s time I stopped lurking and started socialising!

Sounds like a bit of me. As it’s darn sarf, I shall expect dry, dusty trails mind. :D

Guy’s, before everyone gets their knickers in a knot, there is not a hard and fast rule as to whether it’s best to p/x or not as there are too many variables involved. Dealers will aim to break even on true ‘Trade’ as generally low balling costs deals and high balling costs margin. Trade through auction is notoriously fickle and anyone who ‘knows’ what cars are worth is a better man than me and my years of experience. My advice as always, is to buy the car not the deal. Do your research, get a couple of opinions, check the history and if it seems like a good deal, fine. Also, as cars go wrong, ask yourself would I be confident I would be looked after.

Ahh, I see :-)

uplink, how do you buy an ’11’ and avoid the VAT? 11 plate is not due ’til March. Anyone ordering new now for March is being quoted 20% VAT anyway.

Now. VAT makes no difference to used cars as far as the punter is concerned. January is one of the busiest months in used cars so demand and therefore prices are strongest, Glass’s guide actually goes up. Don’t leave it ’til the last day of the month for the best deal though, 4-5 days is best as salesmen are targeted on cars delivered, not sold.

Hora, YGM. :-)