Deposit contribution from the manufacturer on a new car is better than 0%. It is free money. I got £1500 from Ford because I bought my car on finance. Paid off the loan a year later with no penalty as it is illegal to charge early repayment fees. Loan only cost me around £100 as I borrowed the minimum amount.

Thanks for the replies
So…

1 vote for 30T
1 vote for 32T
and 1 vote for 34T

I may as well just get going as it comes with the 30T. Cheapest way to do it as the budget has really gone.

Must admit I did look at the Gore tops in the store and thought they are definitely summer tops. I have used the shorts and they are fine. They had a price tag of £59.99 but I would not have paid that much for them.

Lusso Pro Gel 2 shorts I got from Merlin recently are much nicer.

No USP at all. 🙁

Collected my stuff last night. Got the British Cycling extra 10% off as well 😀

“Turn your Grannys face to the wall”

“Hold on to your hats”

Specialized Camber Evo

Thanks for the reply. I am on my second one actually. I had a lot of problems with the chain dropping because the front mech was set too high. It is a direct mount and the sram mech was set as low as it could go. changed it for an XT one and it has been OK. Whyte did give me a new one then but they are actually £15!

There must be a generic part or sheet of the stuff.Only a thin piece of aluminium with a sticky pad.

I had a Coppi like that one, but mine was Fuschia (not pink!) and it was made of Columbus Genius tubing. Built by Masciagi or someone in Italy. My mate told me they also made prams.

Broke during a sprint finish in a race in Belgium. Big spiral crack nearly all round the down tube at the gear lever bosses.

No go on any of the fronts it seems.

Wrote to the driver’s insurance company and explained about the driver having a working relationship with the witness, the witness lying about his address and the fact that no one saw the witness at the scene. They basically said tough, our driver will stand by his statement.

Reported to the Insurance Fraud Bureau which uses Crimestoppers to handle the calls. They are interested in fraud that costs them money so no response at all.

Reported to the local police who told me I had to report it through the Action Fraud website. I did and got a crime number and it will be referred to the national fraud body but I think won’t get anywhere.

Tried another solicitor and they said it is too much of a risk. I suppose it is not a simple personal injury case.

So, if you have an accident, and happen to have no morals, get a friend to be a witness, make up a story between yourselves and the other side have no chance.

Check brake blocks aren’t set too high and touching the tyre.

Shimano XT QR +1

They just work, especially on my Swift with rigid forks.
All to do with internal cam.

Hope ones would undo on their own on rough stuff. Fail.

I bought one from Merlin last week

This is all great stuff.

I think antigee’s template is the way forward. I have been sent the whole file from the solicitor. I had a medical report done and it was all sent to the insurance company so they know the score.

Even if they don’t offer to settle straight away, they will be probably give the driver grief which will be a bonus.

I think the police report will be a good next step if it drags on.

Hopefully won’t have to go to county court but it is an option.

I feel quite a lot better about it now. Cheers!

Thanks for the replies.

The fraud aspect is a good one. There seem to be plenty of Insurance Company sponsored websites that encourage you to report insurance fraud. Works both ways.

So making a report to police or insurance fraud agency is a potential stick to hit them with. Good to have something that they will hopefully not want to happen.

I did think about what might happen to the driver if the insurance company get fed up with his actions. They may cancel his insurance that is true. But I did look up his policy documents and the insurance company said in that situation they would settle with the third party and may look to recover the costs from him!

My wife had an excellent bike fit from Doctor D in Sutton. He certainly knows his stuff.

http://doctord.co.uk/

During one of our weekly group rides a guy who hadn’t been out for a while says his feet have started rubbing on the front wheel as he turns. He is a big guy with big feet so I think well maybe that’s how it is. Then he says it didn’t use to do it. We then point out that his forks are round the wrong way. Turned out he had changed his stem a few weeks before and the wheel must have swung round without him noticing. Stopped on the trail and fixed it there and then. Bit embarrassing for him but we are a nice bunch and didn’t take the mickey too much.

A few Italian Pro’s have it same way round as us.
Gianni Bugno for example

Google “Easy Out”

I got mine from screwfix but they don’t sell the same ones anymore.
Removed the bolt from my oven element and also the bolt from an Time pedal cleat.

As mentioned above Traser are very similar if not made by the same company. I just got myself a Traser Commander on ebay. Very pleased with it.

Rolling Thunder

I got one of these from Amazon. Great so far

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BBB-Aircontrol-Bfp-35-2-949-643-501-Track/dp/B00A88N6IW

Bike mechanic friend has the all alloy version and really rates it

I already have a Hope BB. Can’t I reuse the tube from the current bracket to replace the 83mm version on a new one?

When I was a kid my mum asked me and my Dad to take some clothes back for a refund after Christmas. Off we went with our British Home Stores bag and queued for an age. When we got to the desk, the woman immediately point blank refused to take them back. She went on to explain that although my mum had given us a BHS bag, the clothes were from Marks and Spencer…

On a road trip down to the Alps about 20 years ago, it is my job as the passenger to pay the tolls. It was also my job to look after all the petrol receipts as well. Coming to the end of the last stretch, I paid as normal and we accelerated up to speed. I then decided to open the glove box to put the latest receipt in. I had forgotten to close the window and all the receipts and bills were instantly sucked out. Saved us adding it all up I suppose. 😀

Cheer for the replies.
You can see the shareholders on the accounts docs at companies house.

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//wcframe?name=accessCompanyInfo

£1 a document.

But I think there is another database that has some extra info where the 2 websites I listed got the owner details from

My stop cock was under the floor of a broom cupboard. I left it there and installed one of these after it.

http://www.surestop.co.uk/

It is a remote controlled stop valve. You have a remote button with an air tube to the valve itself. Mine is on the wall of the cupboard and I just press it to turn off all the water in the house.

Think regulations say you must have a stop cock so I left mine in.

Screwfix sell them.

I have just changed from an Octavia Mk 2 estate to a new Focus estate.

Focus estate boot is smaller but the Octavia wheel arches intrude internally which restricts the width, making it harder to put a bike in with both wheels on.

Focus has no wheel intrusion and a nice square boot without a lip.

Cheers for the replies.

Driver says the witness was at the scene after I left. But lots of other details don’t add up. My solicitor says it is very unlikely but not impossible that the witness’ story could be true. Judge’s don’t like people being accused of lying without proof.

Crankboy – you are correct. The 50/50 chance of success was mentioned. An enquiry agent does sound like a good idea. I have been in contact with another cycling solicitor who seemed helpful, but I need something more. Maybe they could recommend an agent for me. Thanks for the advice.

My original solicitor was provided by a well known cycling organisation.
I can imagine that another one would see the same risk as they did.

I am trying to reduce that risk by seeing if I can find out anything dodgy about the witness.

I have used 192.com so far. Think it was just electoral role.

Anyone from the Hair Bare Bunch so I wouldn’t have to worry about going bald

I have been wondering this recently. I have bled both my SLX and XT brakes and the front ones are great. But both back ones are not quite as sharp. I tried bleeding them again and still can’t get them as good as the front.

Given up now, just riding them as they are.

Lots of quality bikes have an extra tapped hole at right angles to the brake bridge to fit a rear mudguard. Just be careful when you drill the hole in the guard!

My Planet X Ti has one. Good job really, the first thing to break on a mudguard is normally the brake bridge clamp.

No lip in the Focus.

Plus I have the Ford reversible fold out mat. It folds out all the way to the back of the front seats and has straps to attach to the headrests. When folded out it is rubber faced. Folded back up it has carpet. It also has a fold out bumper protector.

My Octavia was 2009 so still fairly recent. The boot carpet in that was just a piece of thin crap. The Focus standard carpet is about an inch thick. The Focus is a much quieter car. The Focus is an all round much better designed car. I din’t try the new Octavia though.

I have the Focus estate Titanium X 182hp and I am chuffed to bits with it. Love the way it drives. My old Skoda Octavia 1.4 TSI was pretty dull in comparison.

The Skoda had a bit more volume inside but the Focus has a much wider boot as the wheel arches don’t intrude. Can easily fit a 29er in there with out taking the wheels off. On the Skoda it was a bit tight.

SKS +1

Crud Raceguards – such a relief when I threw them in the bin after a few weeks. Really poor product.

Annoying when you fall between sizes.
I would really like an 18″ frame.
Lots of bikes either come in 17″ or 19″

Brannigan. John Wayne jumps tower bridge in a Ford Capri.

Singletrack descent off Box Hill called “The Wife” because it goes on and on…

Track from top of Winey Hill is called “Vampire Ride” because you can here the screams from Chessigton World of Adventures on the other side of the fence.