Yeah I might have to start frequenting briskoda now but as I’ve only been driving 3 weeks I feel like I’m not worthy somehow!

Munkster – mine’s an ABS sensor which is about £70 but 2.5 hrs labour as I think it’s one of the rear ones which are a bit of a b!tch apparently.. it cost me £37 for the ABS diagnostics.

Cheers all, so not a definitive answer then … hmm why won’t Google help me!?

Thanks Project, how did you know about my being made an honest woman then?

Oh, that’ll be my honeymoon post or some such thing …

Thanks guys, I’m aware that it can be driven untaxed to and from the MOT testing centre. However, it’s finding somewhere that will insure an un-MOT’d car I’m having trouble with (I’ve bought day-insurance previously for a friends car whilst learning).

I think the Octavia had a FSH before my father left it to fester on the drive…

Thanks guys. For info i think it’s a 1998/99 Octavia (S reg)

Um, this may sound like a stupid question but how can I tell if the tyres are shot?

They’re round, have loads of tread on them and no cracks, bulges, dents or flat bits. Is it just that the compound perishes?

ta

Well the emmissions were only just outside the limits by some crazy small degree. I’ve read that a lot people with similar issues have just used that engine cleaning gunk, given their cars good run and seen them pass!

The suspension bushings failure I’m suspicious about as the same garage failed my father’s 2 year old Accord on the same thing. It then sailed through a test at a Honda specialist….

The problem is I can’t really get the car to a bit of private road or carpark in order to get a feel for how it is. It’s really quite hard to tell what’s what when you’re bumping along a bumpy field in 2nd gear..

My brother has a V12 XJS.

It decided to not start as he and new wife left the church en route to their wedding reception..

It’s now in a garage , covered up and unloved at my parents house… A lovely car in a straight line by all accounts, when it worked …

Hora – the insurance isnt actually too bad, I posted a page or two ago the comparative quotes for a corsa, Octavia and rx-8.

The thing is though, for 4k it’d be a pretty old 3 series coupe!

Rx-8’s are crazy cheap!

Hmmm, this is making me wonder – just how over zealous do you have to be to bin a RWD car?

My brother in law installed his mx-5 on a roundabout , via a very solid lamppost…. 12 years or so experience but then he always did seem a little er ‘enthusiastic’ with his right foot…

Ah yes but you’re an IT geek whereas I’m an IT nerd.

That makes a huge difference.

Probably

Thanks for the response guys.

I have no intention of driving how I ride a bike so am less concerned about handling at the ragged edge.

However, I do like the idea of track days in order to learn where the limits are.

For info, the Honda S2000, Elise’s , M3’s etc are in a different league altogether with regards to insurance!

The mx-5 does make sense but then an rx-8’s so much cheaper and could be kept if and when sprogs arrive on the scene..

Think of it as the difference between trying to pick your way down a rocky mountain-side on a nice bouncy full susser or a steep and twitchy XC bike.

But I enjoy both of those! :D

I should point out that it won’t be my very first car as I hope to be on the road in January but the funds for anything other than a banger won’t be available until March/April – so I might get a few months of mincing about in something nasty.

With regards to insurance, because I won’t be driving to work for example and probably doing less than 2K miles a year I’ve had some ‘reasonable’ quotes.

For example, fully comp a Corsa was £1100 , an Octavia £1300 and believe or not an RX-8 £1450!

For the sake of £300 a year you can perhaps see why I’m tempted to get something ‘nice’…

As for requirements, currently I don’t ‘need’ four seats but if I did get something sporty ish it’d be nice not to have to flog it in a year when the Mrs wants sprogs (hence the rx-8 thought).

Oh yes, not a huge budget btw – maybe £4k tops.

I was thinking mx-5 but then you know…. as I won’t be doing many miles…..

…Rx-8’s are sooooo cheap and have 4 seats so far easier to jusstify to the wife who will want mini-RRR’s at some point.

As I’ll be doing naff all milege I might be able to cope with the 20mpg ….

(and yes RWD but has traction control, might help?).

Hi, thanks for the response! There does seem to be a bit of confusion on the web with regards XTR cranks and bashguards though.

The thing is , I really do need one as most of my riding is ploughing through rock gardens in the Dark Peak(s) ..

Thisisnotaspoon – indeed but people do seem to bang on about black box a lot!

I don’t ‘need’ Mission Control DH but it’s got me out of some very sticky moments where’ve I’ve hit very lumpy things very hard and was braced ready to go over the bars!

It’s funny how everyone thinks BlackBox is RS’s best damping system.

All of the high end long travel forks use Mission Control DH don’t they?

My Lyrik RC2DH’s have MiCo DH and personally I think it blows FIT on a 36 out of the water..

A novice (5 runs) and overweight runner writes:

” should I wear under crackers under my lined running shorts? I don’t wish to do an Alan Partidge and ahem … Come free at the sides”

:-/

Looks nice Si! :-)

Eighteen Bikes today stripped, lowered and performed a lower leg service on my Lyriks within 3 hours of dropping them off, and for an amazing price too.

They’re also genuinely nice and helpful guys!

Anyone??!

Does the clutch thing actually work well?

Just that I bought a dual ring chainguide and have since realised that no dual ring systems fit the Intense Tracer … Hence looking at the mech as an option to keep the chain on (bike gets used for occasional DH and rough trail riding).

Ta

The Peak District, Wharncliffe and Greno Woods (lots of DH tracks and a few that are perfectly minceable with a trail bike and / or little talent!)

The west side of Sheffield is definitely better in my opinion – greener, closer to the Peaks and generally fabber. I live on the west side, am 1 mile from the edge of the Peaks and yet have a only a 3.5 mile commute to the city centre. Ace.

Personally I find the city centre pretty boring but then again in some ways that’s the appeal as it’s nowhere near as busy/built up as say Manchester or Leeds..

Well it sounds interesting if nothing else!

I may have possibly just booked it, maybe.

Oh well, as I say it is our honeymoon so if nothing else we have a nice hotel room :D

Cheers guys, it’s the resort (sort of) of Kololi that we’re considering for a last minute honeymoon!

..oh and yes spending money covered by wedding gifts (hopefully)..

Just in case anyone else is looking, we ended up booking a cabin at Hartsop Fold.

Highly recommended – great location, nice cabins, cheap too (about £50 each for 3 nights, based on 6)and we hardly noticed the other people on site..

Thanks Clubber!

Replied and vague map attached!

Moses – yep no probs

+1 for Fulwood

(PM if you like, I live there and my street is very quiet)

Although with regard to the student areas – I don’t think these places are prone to vandalism in particular, more that your camper might have a traffic cone on it when you return…

There’s not a lot next to the 02 but as has already been said – all of the city centre is within a 10 minute walk.

The Old Mank is indeed a good footy sort of pub and not too rowdy.

Other than that – as everyone above said.

Pleased to be of help :D

Clubber – did you guys actually tell them it was for a Stag Do?!

Ours is also, sort of, ish

rickmeister – thanks for that. The yurts look rather nice and may be more than my mates are willing to pay but I’ll certainly look into it, thanks!

ton, thanks – just looked and it’s booked out for when I need it.

I’ve left it quite late but then again the Yurt-guy has been promising to call be back every day for 2 weeks..

Grrr

(1/2/3rd July required)

Stumpyjon, I agree that it’s not an ideal beginners location but there’s not much that isn’t rollable at a slow speed. Like you say though it is exposed and that’s where I think the risk comes in.

Obviously it’s all quite subjective but I’m used to fast technical descents in the Dark Peak and the occasional (twice a year) DH day.

Well I can’t really jump at all but what I mean is that it’s all rollable and there’s few unavoidable obstacles.

I agree that some things could look quite intimidating but arent actually that hard to ride ( a friends newbie aunt came with us, she’s about 60 and was terrified of the berms but once she’d rolled them a few times she realised that they weren’t that bad)

There’s nothing that technical up there but like you say, it only takes a gust of wind to send you over the edge…

Nope, however when we were there last autumn somebody had fallen down a big cliff. Lots of search and rescue typed and Police cordoning off the paths.

It does seem to have a lot of incidents..