Watching with interest as I am after something like this!

@Daffy. This is the bit that I don’t get – my mate has just got the fast X5.. the one with the nearly 600bhp M5 engine. It is an absolutely absurd vehicle. Think he’s getting about 10mpg round the doors.. 😳. I drive a hot hatch mind, so maybe I need to have a look at myself before judging others on the climate change front.. I just fundamentally don’t like SUVs, especially the “sporty” ones.

Oh and the comment above about Yaris’ doesn’t hold true round here. There’s one gets driven everywhere on its door handles! And the white Evoque gets my vote – like the delightful lady who tailgated me for about a mile while playing on her phone.

That first sip after a month off was deeee-lightful! Cheers all

Ha! Aye – his statement was factually accurate when you put it like that. Thing is, I assume he was just about to join the MASSIVE taxi rank queue round the corner of other taxis so nothing really to gain by being one car length ahead (not that there normally is in other scenarios mind)

Ha! Aye, will power tends to fall by the wayside once I’m a few deep too.. I haven’t really replaced lager with anything fizzy and I’ve even started drinking lemon and ginger tea FFS! I need to have a good long look in the mirror

Aye, wish I’d got a pic of him. All happened too quick though and I think if I’d got my phone out it would have pushed him over the edge!

I’m still hanging in there.. not long now. On 2nd October I went on a leadership course with work for 3 days in Barcelona.. and there was free drink from 6pm EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. to the point where there were about 10 pumps with different lagers and beers dotted around the place and a pile of glasses to help yourself. Once I had abstained from alcohol for those three days the rest of the month was a doddle!

I really do think I’ll cut back in the long-term. As a few have noted above, the mid-week pick 4 bottles/cans up after a busy day are going to stop and I’m going to try and cut down drinking in the house generally. I’ve lost a couple of pounds but at 15 stone that could just be normal fluctuations.. I do feel much better in myself though – took maybe a fortnight but definitely easier getting up and not as tired during the day etc.

I’m not even that bothered about having a few beers tomorrow.. what have I become?!

He’s an absolute cock end. Just watched the interview. The way he just says “doesn’t seem like it does it” after being asked if he slowed then just giggled is infuriating. There was a car stuffed in the barrier and he could not have give less of a shit. Lucky to get just get a grid drop IMO.

When I was there a few weeks ago there was a sign saying DH/Descend parking only. That was a Saturday but assume it applies all the time

Thank you Yak. £150 rings a bell for the 3 days which stacks up if it was £70 for the Sunday.

Thanks for the info Happybiker. I thought that may be the case. I think mine was one of the better ones at the time and cost about 350-400 but the new versions from Thule seem to be around the 500+ quid mark..

Just finished watching it now. I thought it was really thought provoking. When I read the above post I thought it was 2400ml not 2400l!! Mind. Blown. Thought the ex sniper helping the rangers was class.

Thanks Happybiker! That’s great – which exact rack have you got? Is it fine for these new fangled long/low bikes? I’ve got a lovely Thule Euro LED something or other that is rendered almost useless for modern geo bike..

I need to work out how to tell my wife I could have had the towbar on my car all along.. and not got hers covered in mud every other weekend.. 😬

Happy biker – which rack have you got on the back of your M135i? I ended up getting roof bars after dealer saying towbar was not possible on that car.
Thanks

I agree with the points above re. Traction and LSD. Unfortunately the M135i is only a “good “RWD up to about 7/10ths. Above that it is quite prickly – I think a combo of open diff, poorly damped/sprung and short wheelbase. There’s not a lot of fun or finesse to be had in the twistys with the traction on/off/in-between. The open diff will just spin an inside rear before cutting power on/off (depending on TC). As above it’s about £4,000 away from being a proper drivers car.. it’s not the “weapon” some people make out. It’s very fast but not loads of fun..

Mdavids – glad to hear it, my local BMW Indie said the N52 is a much stronger and better engine than the N53. 👍 Think that means you also don’t have any of that direct injection nonsense which made mine sound like a diesel on tickover!

Mdavids – if it’s the same N53 engine I had in a 325i (2009) unfortunately (after much digging) I found out that there is new hardware required to get up to 30i power not just remap. The 330i of the same ilk has a trick 3-stage/length intake manifold that opens and shuts valves at different rpm creating a mild forced induction effect.

Mind you it might be a totally different engine as mine was not reliable at all and treated injectors as a consumable, in which case please ignore me!

Aye that’s my experience too WS. BMW 6 pots can be surprisingly frugal for their performance/size. I regularly get 40mpg on a run and often get better fuel economy than my wife’s 320i (although some of that is due to the 6 speed manual in hers vs my ZF8B auto). Top Gear reported that the new M135i wasn’t really any better on the juice than the old one..

Anyway – my little hot hatch will likely be my last IC car.. almost signed up for a Model 3 Performance last week but waiting for zero BIK in April before reassessing.

Aye it’s bloody awful on the eyes too. Like a Focus and an i30 made a baby..

I’ve got a facelift F20 M135 I’m keeping hold of as there’s no way I’m getting out a 6cyl RWD car for an ugly 4 banger 4 wheel drive.

As above, get a 6 month old M140?

No probs at all. It’s prompted me to have a clear out and I’m going to take a few boxes of bits to ‘recyke ya bike’, a local charitable organisation in Newcastle 👍
I’ll hang onto the wheel for a bit just in case tho.

This is what I’ve found. Seems to be running true but one of the 20mm caps has fallen off and I can’t find it.. think you’ll replace this with the QR adaptor anyway? You may want to wait on some of the other offers tho as if you can get a QR ready one it will be cheaper.

I might have one in the bicycle graveyard but think its a 20mm bolt.. so you’ll need an adaptor. I’ll post back up tonight if I find it. You can have it for postage if it works/I find it

Ha! Aye the auto wipers on both BMWs I’ve owned also disagree, absolute shite. Either too fast or too slow.. even with fine tuning the little dial thing. I really do pine for an old school intermittent wipers setting.

I’ve got a heed like a box of crisps (63cm) and have a Giro Hex. Onto my second one as fits very well.

Excellent thank you all. What’s tricky about mudguards and are there any tools/techniques to trim the stays?

So how does the dynamo work? Do you need a new wheel/tyre? The only experience I have of dynamo is on a 40 year old bike where a little roller would be driven off the side of the tyre wall!

Thank you for the responses all. Those wider gravel bars with the lift look good but out of stock. Will have a look around for something similar. With regards being a stretch I think the stem probably is too long and I’m probably right on the limit for what is a big frame. Hadn’t considered mudguards – any recommendations for something decent quality that won’t break the bank?

Thanks again

I got a Capra in the sale in the summer and just checked emails. It was in stock and after I got the “you’ve paid” email, 8 days later I got the “here’s your invoice” email, then 1 day got the DHL email, then another week after that I got the bike. Approx 2.5 weeks all in from payment to get bike. They’re not shite with comms but distinctly average.. that was my experience anyway.

Re. Sky, for whatever reason my box has never series linked the F1 live race or qualifying.. which is annoying as it seems fine to series link P1, 2 & 3. It even series links the F2 races FFS but not F1 so I have to remember to manually set it to record for the weekend.. this is not just today mind but for as long as I can remember.. anyone else get this? Qually was at at normal time today tho.

LeClercs lap was absolutely superb. Really interesting mix at the pointy end of the grid tomorrow for the race. Canny wait to watch it all unfold and see if the 100% safety car record is upheld. 😬

Absolutely horrific. I walked through that way the day after on my lunch break. Just reading the details now in that link. Stabbed through the heart with a screwdriver in the middle of the day in a busy shopping centre. Impossible for me to comprehend

Funniest thing I’ve watched in a long time. Proper laugh out loud funny. Reminds me of shameless. Great show and can’t wait for season 2!

Just be careful on engine choice with the e93. I assume you’re going petrol over diesel for al fresco motoring?

320i sound a bit crap and underpowered, earlier 325i (N52 engine) strong engine and sound much nicer, earlier 330i better still, later 325i and 330i (N53 engine both 3l capacity) shite – sounds rubbish (direct injection) and go through injectors like they’re a consumable (£200 a pop and 6 to go pop), 335i seriously quick and tuneable but issues with high pressure fuel pump and earlier twin turbo units… Sooooo you should probably get the V8 M3 I guess!

I think the 320i is a timing chain, even if it’s a belt it’s still a way off at 28,000 miles and 4 years. I should caveat the above by saying I have a very good local indie who I trust implicitly.

My understanding is that a lease is not flexible in terms of a change in circumstances and handing back. Neither is a PCP particularly but slightly more flexible in that respect.

I, personally wouldn’t have two cars on lease in 1 household. Nor would I have 2 on PCP for that matter. My wife and I have generally always bought 3 year old cars with a small deposit and unsecured personal loan not linked to the car in any way. My current car is PCP but it’s the 1st and last time I will ever get a new motor. Yes the warranty is nice but it’s still off the road when it breaks, and my experience has been arguing with dealerships and general aggro when doing warranty claims and arguing the toss with someone. Would rather just pay the local indie if it goes wrong.

I’ll be buying mine this month at the end of PCP as I do actually have £3-4K equity in the motor (lowish miles, good colour/spec/engine etc) so makes sense. But even in this relatively good position I’d still have been better off with a slightly older motor and bank loan. As long as you put a few grand down and buy sensibly after 12-24 months you could sell the car and have a chunk of cash for your next motor.

I’ve never had a problem finding good 2nd hand 3 year old cars. I’ve had to travel far and wide to pick them up mind, but they are out there. Wife’s 320i was about half what it cost new with 20k on clock – barely run in.

Now that I’ve said all of that I’m sure the engine on my wife’s car will implode this evening and we’ll be facing a £7k repair bill!!

I recently did my new Capra and would definitely recommend it. Not cheap though at £85 but compared to the cost of the bike, a worthwhile investment in my view. As above, don’t ride it until it is done! Use a good tar and glue remover to clean even a brand new bike (I had a bottle of Auto Finesse stuff in the garage that worked a treat). Autoglym stuff available in Halfords.

The johnson’s baby shampoo mixed with water works well too – it essentially slows down the adhesive bonding to give you time to position perfectly – if you want more time add more shampoo to the mix (and vice versa) but I found the ratio in the instructions was spot on.

After calling Invisiframe they said to remove any manufacturer frame protection and replace with the kit.. In hindsight I wish I hadn’t bothered doing this as the YT protection around the stays was actually thicker (but smaller area). It seemed a waste after paying so much money for some posh stickers, which is why I decided to remove and replace.

I got it pretty much spot on but took a good few hours.. missed a few little bubbles with it being a white frame but overall very happy with it.

Long shot but if you’re in the North East I just picked up a Berghaus Mera Peak Goretex jacket yesterday in Start Cycles for £99. There were a few left (S/M/XL/XXL) think I got the last L. Good price I thought and seems pretty tough

Verdict is in. Shop just called me and said there were two things going on:

1. Air spring side. Build up of pressure in the negative chamber that was not able to be resolved without the lowers coming off. Now fixed. Could have been like that from factory or at least YT (as already pressurised) or I could have done it when I was fannying about with them, releasing pressure, cycling fork etc etc. but considering they felt horrible on my first ride before I messed about with them, I’m inclined to think the former.

2. Damper side. When I explained I wasn’t getting full travel they looked at the damper side and said there was too much oil in there and something to do with a bladder..

Also lack of lubrication somewhere which can be common on new forks but wouldn’t show itself for a month or so as everything is shiny/new/smooth. This has apparently been sorted too.

Anyway, apparently they’re back together and feeling plush and I’ve been told that a test ride off a 3-4ft drop was achieving nearly full travel with a lighter rider than me… so hoping this is it sorted! Bit annoyed I’ve basically had to pay for someone to look at them out the box so probably worth a whinge to YT but not expecting much/anything.

Thanks for the responses and info everyone. I’m hoping when I pick it up it feels like a different fork!

Cheers

Deffo Goosed these like.. with zero psi there’s about 70mm of stanchion showing and if I compress to full travel they just come back up. Tried the cycling thing above but done nowt..

Off to the service centre tomorrow to drop em off. Gonna have a whinge to YT about this and the dodgy dropper/front wheel. See if I can get a little compo

Thank you for the continued detailed responses all. I spoke to the tech at the local RS servicing place and he was really helpful. He said there used to be an issue where the fork manufacturer put too much grease on the valve (groove?) that equalised pressure between the two chambers in the lower.. however he was of the view that this was all sorted and shouldn’t be happening anymore.

He reckons the fork was potentially pressurised without being properly cycled.. apparently there is a notch that achieves equilibrium that only works when you cycle them (more than 75% travel) with a small amount of pressure (25psi). I’m going to try that tonight as they were pressurised out the box.

He also said to check if I can compress completely with no air pressure in the fork. If it stops anywhere before leaving 10mm of stanchion showing there is definitely something wrong and I should take them in.

Cheers

Thanks Sir HC, yes something definitely not adding up here. Trip to the suspension place it is.

For the cable tie trick, is this a fix or something that will need to be done again if the root cause is not addressed. Do I do it with all of the air out of the fork?

Cheers