Hard to judge people these days. I look like a badly dressed scarecrow most days but doesn’t mean I’m skint. Just lucky enough not to have to dress smartly for anyone 😉

If you take her to the shop then it’s not going to be much of a surprise! Plus if she’s anything like my daughter she will insist on choosing a pink one regardless of whether it fits or not.

In reality, any decent 16″ wheeler aimed at 4 year olds should fit well enough unless she’s extremely tall or short for her age. My 5 year old still tools around happily on her 12″ balance bike which is clearly now too small for her, but she really doesn’t give a monkeys.

A small minority are impeccable with their words – they tend to be engineers

I’m an engineer, but I always thought I was the odd one out being able to read and write reasonably well! Honestly most of my (very bright) colleagues can’t write for shit!

I once brought a book about stuff like this.

I really cannot understand this “brought” mistake that shed loads of people seem to make these days. Do these people actually say brought instead of bought in conversation?

When you plant your front wheel down the top of a rocky descent it shouldn’t be an experiment

This is my view too and so I never take unnecessary risks with tyres. For that reason I’ve always used UST tyres on UST rims and never had a problem. I would also be equally happy with tubeless ready tyres/rims but wouldn’t risk experimenting with any that weren’t even if someone on the internet said it was okay!

Main point is that it’s not really a good idea to buy a Porsche from a mainstream garage like EH.

Competitor are they? 😉

Actually went there once to look at a car and wasn’t that impressed with it. They said it was fully prepped to main dealer (or better) standard but I picked up on several obvious faults including a badly re-sprayed rear quarter. Walked away. But they do seem to have a good reputation on the Porsche forums who are a notoriously harsh bunch. How about JZM then?

I suspect it’s going to be a bit of a drag for the 90% of the time when you’re not descending or hitting rock gardens.

That was my first thought too, but detailed reviews and most owners say it actually climbs pretty well. I hope they’re right as mine is arriving soon! It’s all a compromise of course, so I guess you have to decide what part of the ride is most important to you. The Camber Evo is almost certainly going to be the fastest and most involving A-B weapon on average UK trails and the Enduro will offer the plushest ride and more capability in the really gnarly stuff. Stumpy somewhere in between the two.

Only personal preference can make this sort of decision. What sort of trails do you ride? Do you like a plush ride or more feedback from the ground? Are you into fast technical climbing or just happy to plod up to the top? Are you aggressive or cautious on the downhills? These are the questions to ask yourself and then the choice should become a bit clearer.

Those are all fairly common issues with used Boxsters/911s (except the missing spoiler switch) and can cost a good few grand to put right, making your apparent bargain suddenly look quite expensive. I would only buy one from a reputable Porsche Indy (eg. 911 Virgin, RSJ, Paragon) or selective Porsche main dealers for a newer car. You pay a fair bit more up front but the cars are well prepped and warranties actually worth having.

Boxsters are amazing value for money, but neglected ones are an expensive pain in the arse.

I’ve just been through exactly the same thought process and decided on the Enduro in the end as I’m not too bothered about the extra weight and slower climbing. Incidentally why not the Stumpy 29er? As JCL said, the 650b is a bit of a bodge.

I posted earlier that petrol Mazda 6’s, 2008/2009 are that price.

That would be a great choice if they really are that cheap. I’m surprised they are not more expensive to be honest.

The problem is you are still buying a 10 year old car and so it won’t have the same strength as the new ones tested. If you want high safety then a 10 year old car doesn’t cut it.

Yeah I was thinking that too, but £3K is the budget so it’s going to be a significant compromise. There are not many sensible options for newer cars in that price range.

Yep, love the sound of a quality free hub. It would seem odd without it.

I think it helps resale with Islabikes that they don’t change their models or graphics very often, so they don’t date much.

Well, given a free reign, my daughter would choose something like this

Yes they do seem lighter, but is the extra cost worth it?

Yeah I think so. Quality is top notch too and great resale. Our eldest daughter has been on an Islabikes Rothan since 2 and still rides it now at 5 (with the longer seat post) although it does look too small now. Just bought her an Earlyrider Belter, which looks awesome and is also very light for its size. The Rothan is going to her 2 year old sister and still looks like new.

I think lighter the better, especially when they have to start pedalling.

to quote Phoenix Nights “It’s a six foot cock and balls!”

ianpv – seems like a good choice for the budget. Drive safe!

Merc was small honda was big both similar age?

Where does that fit into your stats?

We know individual crashes are very unpredictable, but still doesn’t mean all cars are equal as you seem to be implying.

Think I give up on this thread. I’m sure the OP can decide for themselves whether or not there is a safer alternative to a Berlingo.

You’re not selling me on this one jimjam 😉

I put some Amtico left over from a job into our toilet and some cheap B&Q tiles into the kitchen just to get something down. The Amtico is about 100 times better than B&Q cheapies. Probably would have about 5 times price at retail.

This ^
Karndean is really good too IF fitted properly. Also very easy to replace if there is local damage, although it’s as tough as nails so unlikely to need replacing. There are also several grades available and the more expensive are much thicker and hard wearing.

Given the choice of laminate v Amtico/Karndean I’d choose the latter every time.

2007 onward Mondeo would be a good choice too for £3K. Again large and 5 star rated. Earlier ones (2002) are 4 star, but still quite large. I think long Estates are better in a rearward shunt too, especially for the rear passengers.

Yeah, that was my point really, given that particular set of circumstances it turned out that the undeniably dangerous car was his saviour.

Doesn’t often work like that though does it? I know at least one Mini driver who wasn’t quite so lucky. I cringe whenever I see youngsters driving Mk1 Minis today. There’s no way any of my children will be driving cars like that when they pass their test.

Irc ive cut up many cars over the years and removed many casualties and a lot of fatals. The car really doesn’t seem to make much of a difference in all honesty

Maybe you are just recalling the worst of the worst, where nothing would have made any difference. What about all those lesser (and much more common) accidents where people now tend to walk away, when 20 years ago they would have lost their legs or even lives in the same accident?

So it goes to show- if he was driving a modern and much bigger (even ‘small’ modern cars are huge compared to old Minis) the outcome could have been much more serious as he’d have driven into it rather than under…

The original Mini was a well known death trap. Your mate was just extremely lucky. If you were to have a crash in a Mini, especially today up against a modern car, I wouldn’t fancy your chances of walking again or even breathing. Even in a pretty tame accident. Those things have virtually zero crash protection. Yes they may be very small, but in most cases that would be a disadvantage.

All modern cars are much for much.

That’s not true. Even though there has been vast improvement across the board over the last 20 years, some cars are undeniably better than others in both passive and active safety. You do have control over what car you drive and a good choice here could make all the difference if the worst should happen.

I guess your point is that other factors – mainly how safely you drive – are more important. I would agree with that, but very few people change their driving style according to what car they drive. Some are naturally cautious, some are complete dicks behind the wheel.

Yep, had loads of arguments with the missus over it!

Its brilliant isn’t it – they don’t even need to pay for advertising, people just say these things for them. Volvo don’t make the safest cars, their rep for safety dates back to a time before NCAP when you could point to a square section tin bumper when everyone else had slim curved section bumpers and infer from that the whole car must be built like a tank. You need to look beyond manufacturers just sayin’ stuff. Certainly if you were looking at a 10 or 15 year old volvos plenty of their contemporaries were safer

True, but still 5* rating for the V70, even the older version. V40 and V60 were both rated best in class too, so there is some truth to the marketing.

A Volvo V70 is probably the answer. It’s 5* rated and pretty large plus Volvo do major on safety as one of their main selling points. Definitely be a step up on the Berlingo in crash safety. Unfortunately, it’s going to be a fairly ropey example for £3K!

hora – that’s just patronising and does not mean that cars should not be made safer. ABS alone has probably saved thousands of lives.

When I buy a car I do check the NCAP ratings in detail. You would be surprised how many modern cars are NOT 5 star rated e.g. Citroen Berlingo is only 3 star with a very low rating for Adult safety (56%). It’s all relative of course and will still be relatively safe compared to a lot of other older cars. But if crash safety is your priority then it’s obviously a poor choice.

hora – so do we ignore NCAP ratings then? What better suggestion have you got for comparisons?

hence why pretty much everything is 5* now,

Yes, but they do give an overall percentage score, so you can still differentiate between various 5 star alternatives. Some score better on child protection too. You have to read the details to make up your mind.

Older cars like the OP might be considering within budget are certainly not all 5 star rated.

NCAP ratings should be taken with a pinch of salt

What?? Have you got a better suggestion then for determining which cars are safest?

I’ve always found Marmot Goretex shells hardwearing. I have a Marmot Pro-shell mountaineering jacket that’s been going strong for around 6 or 7 years hard use. Also have one of their ski jackets which is great too.

Sweet Protection make some really nice jackets too. Pricey, but often available on sale.

Rosberg looking like another decent driver being flattered by a very good car – but when it’s not going his way he reverts to [dirty] tactics.

I had the misfortune of working with Rosberg for a couple of seasons (thankfully not as his race engineer). Arrogant little shit he was too. Not massively talented compared to some, but to be fair he does seem to have progressed and earned some respect from his peers.

so I need intermediate level boots for a heavy bloke,

First off it’s a really good idea to get your own boots. But as for type of boot, it’s more a matter of fit, weight and your range of ankle flex rather than beginner, intermediate or expert level boots. A good boot fitter will put you in the optimum boot for your foot shape, weight and ankle flex while taking account of your skill level. Basically there is a trade-off between comfort and close fit. An expert racer will demand a mega-close fit to the point of being uncomfortable for all day use. A more casual intermediate will be fine with a bit more boot volume in the right places.

EB is not generally the best place to get a decent boot fit, although some are better than others. EB is the Evans Cycles of the ski world.

Where do you live? I may be able to recommend a good boot fitter.

jfletch – I was an F1 race engineer in a previous life. They are very prone to aquaplaning when there is standing water around as explained very well by andyl above. Yes they can be driven extremely fast in the wet IF there is little or no standing water and hence low risk of aquaplaning. One time we were at Silverstone there was a sudden heavy downpour that caused standing water (actually more like a small stream) flowing across Becketts. The cars just spun off one after the other even when backing off massively.

Basically when it is wet enough to cause standing water on the track, the SC is out and the cars really have to concentrate on not falling off behind it. Wide tyres, low weight, low ride heights and massive power does not make for great aquaplaning protection!

We had a simple BT monitor for our first daughter (non-video). Worked very well, super clear microphone and could pick up the sound of a pin dropping on the highest sensitivity.

Didn’t bother using it at all for daughter no. 2!

You can waste loads of money on baby monitors, but the simple ones (providing they are digital to avoid interference) work fine. The BT ones were good 5 years ago when we were in the market.

In that case you should really consider the Enduro. If your priority is to get the most out of your gnarly weekend riding I would have thought an Enduro would be ideal. You can still ride it during the week, just a bit overkill that’s all.

As above, second hand hardtail