The mini driving ones near us have the most places for sale but are particlurly un helpfull and usless. We have found howerever that there agents out there who are good and do listen to what you want rather than just sending you anything near your price braket.

Trailers are better for carring odd shaped loads and heavy loads if you are in stop start traffic/roads as that is where they are easier to control. You can not ride out of the saddle with a trailer attached at the axel unless you keep the bike still as you get feed back form the trailer. I use my trailer to take my daughter to nursary and find that the trailer is better for her on those trips as she can see better and has room to take soem of her things with her. Panniers are much better if you are riding with normal loads and dont really effect the bike in any kind of wind unlike the trailer its also easier to stop with panniers than the trailer.

nickf – Member
lodious – my trip computer (checked every so often on a brim-to-brim basis) shows 34.3 at the moment. That’s over the last few months, when the longest the car’s done is a trip of 40 miles or so, and there’s a fair amount of urban running in that. Long trips to the Alps (fully loaded with 4 bikes on a the back and a roofbox) still show about 36mpg
It helps that it’s a manual, mind you – the autos do about 5mpg less.

Mines the auto and is currently showing 33.8 on the trip. That includes a fair bit of urban driving which does drive the mpg down as it’s a 2.4 5 cylinder engine. They are very good for transporting people as you can take 7 adults of 2 of them are under 5 foot 10. You can get 2 bikes in the boot minus the wheels with just the rear 2 seats down. I bought mine for the fact you can seat 3 kids in the middle row as the middle seat has a built in booster seat and room for the kids seats on in the outer 2. You can also fit a buggy behind the third row seats. I would have preferred it if it was a normal estate car but can’t complain at the cars go anywhere ability.
I ment to say that on the last long trip I got 38 mpg.

If your not worried about petrol costs then you can get bigger engines cheaper than the more economical ones.

I get around the smae as nickf out of my xc90. The xc70 gets better mpg and is normally cheaper to buy. The awd system works very well.

As you have said you are near the New Forest have a look here for some way marked routes around hampshire. They are a good base to start from.

fannybaws – Member
great thread.
must have bumped into some of you guys in the cornerhouse at scottish.
owenfackrell – how big is your refurb project? i recently bought a miracle but have only had it out a couple of times. still trying to figure out if something is missing for rigging the outhaul, dont suppose you have any pics?

It is a full strip down of the paint and varnish and a couple of minor repairs. So one in her past used a thick slight red varnish on the deck and cockpit which made her very dark and hid the beauty of the wood so I have been stripping it off and it’s defiantly a slow process. I do have some picks if you drop me an email I can send you a couple that may help.

I’m currently renovating my miracle but have plans to get a dart 15 or 18 in the future. One day I would like a cruiser but that will have to be in the future. I saw velsheda when she was first renovated and have admired her ever since. I recently saw one of her sisters but could read her name she had a blue hull.

With my wife as our son was being born. (which is also the reason I haven’t been out on my bike for the last few weeks as I haven’t wanted to be to far away.

I have no problem with them if they are riding sensibly it’s when they go every where at full throttle spinning the back wheel and chewing up the trails.

Can you give a bit more detail on how to do it as I cant see any way In the app to do it.

BUt that guide also use the word should which maens that they dont have to.

There are the normal load of I accuracy’s in this thread then.
First of the whole reason the spitfire was such a good fitter was its racing pedigree. And the us used atomic bombs in japan not nuclear there is a big difference between them and not just the amount of destruction caused.
Things like the spitfire and the merlin straight 12 will always be iconic in this country due to what happened but the reason it’s the spitfire that is iconic and not the hurricane is due to how it looks and it looks just right.
I’m with PP on that there are a few things in the last 100 odd years that will make you just stop and stare at them when you see them.

thomthumb – Member
my 05 plate clio 1.4 dci returns 60mpg if i commute to work 5 miles each way.
does 70-80 on the m way.
60mpg is pretty good going, just thought i'd throw that in.

thisisnotaspoon – Member
yes, but what would you get out of a similar petrol, and how many fuel tanks of petrol could you buy for the price differential between the petrol and diesel versions?

We had a 1.6 Clio and that would do 39mpg.

I would like to k ow how people think a diesel cost more to service.
You change oil, oil filter, air filter every other service and fuel every so often. So that would be the same as a petrol then with out needing any spark plugs.

trickydisco – Member
I've heard a few kids say 'LOL' when they think something is funny. Really gets on my nerves.

My 17 year old sister inlaw did that whilst laughing.

You wieght CO2, the weight should be stamped on the bottle and with powder the needle on the guage should be in the green zone. the annual checks do this and re tag them (I look after the fire extinguishers here at the hospital).
You only normaly need to replace the cartridge on a powder extingisher where as the CO2 have to be internal inspected as they are pressure vessels.

As your speedo takes it's info from the final drive it is all done on the tyre circumference and as a trey wears this changes but quite some size. Think about it the difference in tread hight from new to worn of 8 mm per side plus most. Cars have 2 pressure settings depending on the cars usage or if it's fully loaded.
I have seen plenty of people pull on the m27 an go straight in to the middle lane even though the only other car is me and I'm going faster than them.

Cheers for the suggestions. Not to worried about driving to them as it will be shorter than the 7 hour + drive to get to his house in the first place.

Good on you. I did it a few years back around this time of year and it is stunning but that last climb to the golf course is a painful by the time you get there. I sat on the beach when i got there and its amazing how conffy pebbels are after doing that. It also took me around the 13 hours mark.

When we went through this we ended up getting a Volvo XC90. even with all 7 seats in use there is still a boot that is usable and the fuel comsuption on the D5 is no worse than the petrol estate i used to have. They feel very much like an estate to sit in as you sit in them rather than on them like a lot of the people carriers plus you can lots of toys if you want them as mine has an uprated dolby pro logic stereo, sat nav, RSE etc.

Downside? It's heavy, only 30mpg, dull handling,

My xc90 does better than that.
Hora's point about wanting a car thats done 10k per annum vers one thats done 30k is fine aslong as you either don't mind paying a lot more for it or getting one thats a lot older.
I have owned a few ex company cars now and think they make great bargins. One of them used to regulary drive from bournemouth to scotland and had receipts in the car for tyres and other bits in it.
A company will service the car and knowing people who have had company cars they can get penalised if they let the car miss a service as the car is an asset to the company and they need to maintaine its value.

Her position – one key issue on costs is consultants – seemingly a law unto themselves – expensive, inefficient and more money grabbing than any banker when it comes down to it – reporting their surgeries are 'full', miraculously finding diary space when waiting list incentives (additional payments) so the trust can meet it's target, come available…

Both my wife and i work in the NHS and she works in HR. She has also points out that they get a lot more than the board or even chief ecxutive. They doctors arent much better demanding money for this and that such as moving expensise and things like child care if they come for an interview. This is the area where hundreds of thousands are wasted.

Kids don't read it they just click on things. My 3 year old almost did it with a 80k boat i was just looking at whilst she sat on my lap and jus started clicking things on things.

Last time I had a lorry pull back in on me to soon I chased after him as I knew he would have to stop up ahead and when I did catch up with him and pointed out that he'd pulled back in on me he was very apologetic which completely through me. So there are some good lorry drivers who like the rest of us miss judge things and are ready to say sorry.

Back to the original topic though, I think a lot of autos effectively de-clutch when you lift off, which would be an advantage

Correct for mine any way other than if the road speed is above 50mph as the gear box will be locked at that speed. I can use the manual override to lock the lower gears if I wish and is in fact recommend in the owners manual for driving and towing in mountainous regions.

molgrips – Member
I don't think autos are ideal for towing either (traditional ones) as it puts strain on the torque converter, and you need an oil cooler fitted I think too.

I think that may depend on the car but large 4×4/SUV are autos and are picked for towing. I know that most people who buy a car like mine (XC90) buy them for towing. You can get an oil cooler fitted but its only recomened if you are towing in mountains regions ( though they do recomend changing the gear box oil ever 2 years if towing lots).

Edukator – Member
It wasn't unpredictable if you provoked it. It's also easier to balance a car you've deliberately set up sideways than one you've pushed just past the point slip angles increase dramatically.

Which bit of unpredictable do you get in my post? i wasn't talking about getting it side ways on a rally stage but when you do things like driving round a bend when some thing UNEXPECTIED happens and you lift of the throttle.

Edukator – Member
Anyhow, autos are pants and I'm off to fête de la musique.

like i said it depends on th ecar and its use. for towing an auto is great as there is no clutch to burn out or to replace.

Well if the recent news that the UCI have lifted the ban on discs in cyclo cross doesnt speed upo the development of hydro drop bar disc levers then it will be when they lift it on the road world.

Its easy to drive a car spritedly down the right roads. There are some good roads for it near me if you go at the right time of day, so that they are not full of traffic. Its all about getting the flow right and with a powerfull car you can rapidly accelerate through bends and brake late for the corners.
I have had a 205 GTi and the lift of oversteer was terriffing as it was unprodictable as to when it would happen. I had it happen at relativley slow speeds as well as higher ones. In fact i regularly drive through a roundabout where it happened to me when a car pulled out in front of me and even in when this has happened in out big heavy high SUV its not stepped out like that.
I often have fun in out Megane driving between roundabouts (when i drive it) accelerating through them and out of them but never break the speed limit for that road (i also do this in the xc but its not as much fun).

Why do i drive an auto? Well its what the car had fitted by someone else when new and there are not very many manuals around (i found one when looking but it was a lower spec one) and the auto is very easy to drive. I can put it into manual over ride and select the gears and when doing this it will lock into gear which is usfull on steep hills other wise it can run away abit beloow 50mph as the box disengages the engine to save fuel. Its not much worse than the manual on fuel (2mpg or so) it has 5 gears and the newer ones have 6 so thats not less than the manual. you can knock it in to nutral with out even having to press the shift lock button but you can't take the key out with it in anything but park. Would i have had it as a manual over the auto given a choice the answer would depnd on when you asked me as there are odd times i would prefer a manual but i normal just use the manual over ride at this point. Oh and as for driving it on the twistys the car weighs over 2.5 tonnes so its not a car for that. Now our other car i would only have as a manual as its fun to drive but i wouldn't want to drive it over a long distance anyway.

konabunny – Member Some people try to disassemble their Ikea stuff in order to move it – it doesn't work out well.

I have done this with IKEA furniture/beds/tables etc but not tried it with a wardrobe. Not had any trouble at all with them and if you lose or brake any of the fittings IKEA will replace them for you.

Woo that's a little on the price side :)
I have a adventure at2 which is good for the price at £150. Mines done over 1000 miles so far. My duaghter finds it fum to be in and she has fallen a sleep in it often and when she does she tends to slump in the seat. I have also managed to tip it over once :oops: going around a roundabout to fast and whilst the trailer got a few scars my daughter thought it was funny.

It is a name as its been inuse since the 1700.
I take it you only ever call anyone by their full name?

Just to point out that it is a name rather than one of these made up ones and means medow/field of oak trees.
My 2 daughters names are Eleanor and Isabelle know as Ellie and Izzy.

Full fingered in winter and nowt in summer. I like the feeling of the brezze on the back of my hands plus it means i don't end up with white hand and brown arms. I do have some scars on the palms of my hands from craching on gravel with out gloves but i have only crashed like that once.
Oh and i also like the bramble scars.

There is some stuff but the forest is mostly flat. You can ride between lyndhurst and fawley easily. There is also a short easy ride on the hants web site starting in fawley, it's quite short but you can loop around it a few times. I use this if I don't have a lot of time for riding as I live in Blackfield and it more or less passes my front door.

what tosh! If there were significant efficiency loss in the shoe it would heat up

it will heat up YOU just wouldn't notice it happening.
I'm now feed up of talking to a argumentative sod like you who will just stick to his tiny little point of view and not accept anything with out arguing even TJ will accept things.
Oh and the op doesn't ask about how efficent they are for the general rider but just how efficent they are.

simonfbarnes – Member

but your feet dont do anything other than go around and around

I'm not sure where this is going – do you mean in that case that the pedals and feet are irrelevant ?

They are largly in terms of a smooth delivery. The stiffness of the sole of the shoe will have much more of an impact on effecent energy transfer and hence road riders and xc racers having stiff soles. Downhillers have a slightly different set of priorites and are not looking for just peadling effeciency which is why they chose to use differnt type of shoe.

if you want to go that why then riding in ridged spd shoes your feet dont move your legs do.

uh, if your feet don't move relative to the bike then neither would the pedals!

Your feet don't move relative to the pedals the pedals rotate about an axis.
Lots of bits of your body are moving relative to the bike but your feet dont do anything other than go around and around. Your ankles move both relative to the bike and your body as do your legs this is the bit that you have to smooth out to get effficent energy transferotherwise you are just wasting it.

Cougar – Member

Transformers can explode a bit

Very true, as well documented in the two movies.

We had an indoor one here at work explode a few years back. The roof developed a leak which allowed water in which shorted the sub staion resulting in a bang.
The sub staion building had to be pulled down and rebuilt afterwards.