antimony I’m in the same position. Went to my doctor on an unrelated issue in late November and a blood test was taken. I was called back after a few days to discuss my cholesterol. Im 43 with and my level is 7.2. Doctor said a heart attack waiting to happen. I’m fit (fairly), cycle for 3 to 4 hours every week. The advice I was given sounds similar to yours. I was told to reduce the consumption of biscuits, cakes, crisps, chocolate cheese, red meat, reduce saturated fat. I was told to increase fibre and oily fish. I’ve always eaten porridge for breakfast, but I now alternate with Fruit and Fibre (Other brands are available). I have benecol spread on bread. Rather than eat crisps or biscuits, I now eat a Banana, Apple, Orange etc. Eat sardines on toast for lunch one day a week, have salmon for dinner once a week. I still eat my evening meal as normal, but rather than pile grated cheese onto a baked potato, I sprinkle some on. Anyway in the first 4 weeks, I lost 7lb’s and strangely I also felt that I had more energy on the bike. Don’t get me wrong, life is for the living, so if I want a packet of crisps etc, I’ll eat some, but I don’t eat a packet or chocolate bar every day. I’m due back in April for my next test.

What about an Offshore account in say the Channel Islands? Offshore banks are geared towards expats and UK residents who find it useful to have an account in another currency. On this basis and as many expat couldn’t/wouldn’t physically get to say Jersey or Guernsey it should be fairly straight forward to open? Although you may be required to deposit a minimum amount into the account?

As others have said it is about affordability. Society has changed over the last decade or so and we are becoming more inclined to rent (or pay a subscription) rather than own. We pay monthly for Netflicks, we rent Boris bikes as we use them, we rent power tools etc. The UK is the exception but in the rest of Europe people tend to rent property rather than buy it. This is what is now happening in the motor industry.

Last year there were approximately 2.3 million new cars registered in the UK. About 50% of these were Company cars and the other 50% to retail customers. 80% of people who buy a new car use somebody else’s money (i.e. Mostly dealer finance but some people get personal loans). I certainly couldn’t afford to walk into a dealer and handover £20,000 and if I did I certainly wouldn’t want to invest it in a depreciating asset.

The car manufacturers have to sell cars and clearly 80% of us couldn’t buy one for cash. So they offer PCP to make the vehicle affordable. You pay say a 10% deposit, they set a Guaranteed Future Value and then you pay the difference between the deposit and future value (plus interest) back over two or three years. This works for the manufacturers because at the end of the term you either pay off the future value and keep the car or you order a new car using the equity as a deposit and you start over again. It’s also great for the dealers as they sell a new car every two or three years and it gives them a steady supply to good quality used car stock.

This is so important now that the manufacturers now target the dealers on the number of customers they retain or renew, as it is clearly cheaper to keep an existing customer than it is to get a new customer. Many dealers now employ Loyalty Specialists/Managers, whose job it is, is to identify when it is the optimum time to change and then call the customer (They use equity software). When they identity that you can change for a similar monthly payment and no additional deposit (apart from the equity), the will contact the customer to tell them that they can upgrade. A bit like the mobile phone companies do.

For text messages I use Hector Salamanca’s bell from Breaking Bad. It only tIngs once through.

And the mud mansion man

I haven’t seen many of these but I do remember this one. Although I didn’t see the end! I remember that it kept raining and the mud/straw blocks wouldn’t dry.

Did he ever finish the mud mansion?

can horses climb stiles?

Red Rum wouldn’t have had any problems 😉

These events are organised by UK Cycling Events and and sponsored by Wiggle (Wiggle also facilitate the processing of payment), so I’m not sure as what this has to do with British Cycling? Although technically speaking, your contract is probably with Wiggle as you paid them, but they will probably argue that they only process the payment on behalf of UKCE.

Looking at the terms on the UKCE website, it states clearly, that entry fees are non refundable.

17 – Event entry fees can not be refunded or transferred under any circumstances.

http://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/terms/

Also on the Wiggle website

Delivery Information
Your ticket for this event will be sent to you automatically by E-mail. Please print it out and present it on the day as proof of entry, you will not be delivered a material copy.

If you have any questions regarding delivery please email martin@ukcyclingevents.co.uk

Returns Information
Event entry fees cannot be refunded or transferred under any circumstances.

UK Cycling Events reserves the right to cancel any event, due to extreme weather conditions. In such a event, each participants entry with be automatically moved to the rescheduled event. If a Participant cannot make this event, they can carry their entry to another event of a equal or lower ticket value within the following 6 month period. No refunds will be issued.

I am a recent convert (January this year) but when looking at vacuum cleaners there is no competition. Get a Sebo!

We bought a Dyson in 2000, which lasted for 10 years. When it died we replaced it in late 2010 or early 2011 with another. Big mistake, the quality is not was it used to be and within 6 months, I was convinced I’d bought a duff one. However friends and colleagues were also complaining about theirs. We continued to use this Dyson for 3 years but in the end we admitted defeat.

After speaking to a few friends, the only recommendation was Sebo. I was unaware but my mum and my MIL had one, as did a few of my friends. In the end and despite it being a brand, that I’d never heard of, I took the plunge and bought the Sebo X4. Eight months in, it is fantastic and in truth they aren’t much more expensive than Dyson’s!

Universal acquired Muddy Fox around 2001 and turned them into a low quality brand. Mike Ashley/Sports Direct then acquired 80% of Universal Cycles around 2008 and they managed to turn them into a lower quality brand.

People in their 30’s and 40’s remember the brand as it was and when they need to buy a bike for their kids, they see a £99 full susser and they believe it is the deal of the century. A Muddy Fox for £100. What a bargain!

Mike Ashley owns so many brand names (both retailers and manufacturers) now a days and every brand he owns produces rubbish. From memory some of his recent acquisitions include USC, Republic, M and M Direct, Firetrap, etc.

When Volkswagen bought Skoda in the 90’s they turned them into a decent brand over time, so much do that the old Skoda stigma has more or less disappeared. When Ashley buys a brand he turns them to rubbish.

LOVED BY ONLY 6 OWNERS FROM NEW,

.

7.5 year old car owned by 6 people? In other words “trashed to an inch of its life” by 6 people until they got bored and sold it.

Ratners
Index
Woolworths

The Box has an interesting idea to start with and seems to be going somewhere. Would you press a button in the box for $1,000,000 but a stranger dies? Then is goes bat shit crazy – It involves NASA, the NSA, floating cubes of water, a wedding, kidnap, aliens, Sophie’s choice, possible extermination of the human race. And finishes like this –

This was on TV last night – I stayed up and watched it but it was truly awful.

I’d also like to add “Frozen” not the Disney film but a 2010 horror film. Basically take the Open Water plot but put the people on a stuck chairlift overnight. Replace the Sharks with Wolves and voila a rubbish film. The film was that bad that I thought I had dreamt it!

See, what I don’t understand is why would I enter into a credit agreement (even a very favourable one) to buy a bike, with no guarantee that I’ll get to keep the bike at the end of it.

All the info on the C2W website (see the link posted on first page of this thread) – says that either C2W or the employer ‘may’ offer the bike to the employee. May Offer? Why the ambiguity?

I asked my employer what happens at the end of the scheme – they had no idea.

For that reason, I’m out.

There isn’t any ambiguity. It is common for cycles provided under salary sacrifice arrangements to be sold or transferred to employees after the end of a period of loan. The income tax and NI exemption for certain loaned cycles will be prevented from applying if any agreement builds in from the outset an automatic transfer of ownership to the employee at the end of a loan or hire period . However, where this is not the case, there is no contradiction in an earlier exempt loan being followed by a decision by the employee to buy the cycle.

I’ve used http://www.web-blinds.com. You measure and fit but prices are reasonable. I ordered 6 luxury gloss wooden Venetian blinds from them last year and fitted them no problem. As well as aluminium, they do a wood effect (faux wood) blind for bathrooms.

The Land Registry figures have a place but you need to bear in mind that the sale data could be 6-9 months old. For example the data from January could be for a house that was marketed and had a offer accepted in June of last year.

Many agents in many areas pray on the vendor greed to win the instruction and inflate the marketing price accordingly. After all we would all say yes to another £5000, £10000 or £25000! If the property doesn’t generate any interest or sell the agent will then advise the vendor to reduce.

In November 2012, I went to look at a 4 bedroom house that was overvalued by around £50,000. It had last sold 16 months earlier for £290,000 but the vendor wanted £375,000. Looking at other properties in the area I believed it to be worth no more than £325,000. The marketing price would have been right for a large 4 bed but this was a small 4 bed. It was the same agent that sold it 16 months earlier and after my viewing, I told him the property was over valued. His response was that the vendor was chancing it. The price was never reduced and in June or July last year the vendor took it off the market.

Greedy vendors and sly agents who over value push up prices.

Remember a property is only worth what people are prepared to pay.

PLC’s are shareholder owned so directors have no direct liability for company liabilities, infact a PLC doesn’t need a ‘director’ as within a plc its just a job title.

PLC’s are Public Limited companies that are owned by shareholders. Whilst some businesses will have directors that are only job titles ie Sales Director, they still have a board of directors who have the same legal responsibilities as directors of private limited companies. The directors of private limited companies are normally (not always) the shareholders as well, where as PLC shares are owned by thousands or millions. These shareholders have the power to decide who the board of directors are.

The board of directors at a PLC will normally have a shareholding and their bonuses may be paid in shares. So whilst their house may not be at risk if the PLC goes wrong, they could still loose hundreds of thousands. For example the Lloyds Bank chief executive Antonio Horta-Osorio received a bonus of £1.7m in shares, which are deferred until 2019. If the business did fail he would loose all of that.

I don’t understand the moaning? Cotic and Cy haven’t announced that the 26 is now obsolete. They are just making a new size to cater for more of the market. The 26er ain’t dead is clever marketing and was probably released because they knew the 275 was coming. They wanted to reassure their loyal riders and fans to their 26 commitment. As long as people buy 26 in suitable numbers, I’m sure BML and Cotic will continue to make them.

To be honest I currently ride 26ers and the 29er has been on no interest due to my short height/inside leg. However the 275 might be something to consider.

The strap line should now read #26aintdeadwejustgiveyoumorechoice

I tend to re-mortgage every 3 years and tie myself in for another 3 year. I normally go the fee option and when I remortgaged last year I selected a mortgage product with a £500 fee. This fee mean’t a got a lower fixed rate, which saved about £1700 over the 3 years. Once I took off the fee, my net saving will be about £1200 over the 3 year fixed period.

About 10 years ago I paid a £1500 fee for a 3 year fixed product and the net saving over the 3 years was £2000.

My advise would be to look at the small print and then calculate the total amount you will pay over the introductory/tied in period, including the fee. If you end up with a net saving and can afford the fee, it may be the way to go.

I think I may be able to help.

I’m going to set up a compensation claim company to claim for the inconvenience caused by companies who constantly call re insurance, PPI, loans interest etc..

Joking aside about a year ago a colleague of mine damaged the side of her car against one of the large concrete supports in a multistory. No one else was involved but it needed an insurance repair. Within 48 hours she was receiving compensation calls. She told them nobody else was involved and it was her fault but they don’t stop and a year later she still gets one or two a week.

I plugged an old fax machine into the home line during the day time and over a couple of months the PPI calls have stopped. Looks like they update their database when a fax keeps screeching at you!

Not all bikes are measured in the same way , but just go back and have a chat.

What does the top tube measure on a 52 orange

TT = 525
ETT = 540

All the PPI claims companies

I tend to run auction style listings with a buy it now price. However some idiot always asks what the price is to end early? Errr that will be the Buy it Now price.

Last year in a clear out, I sold about 100 minichamp 1/43 formula 1 models (individually). My comments stated that I was having a clear out, yet I had a couple of people approach me and ask if I wanted to buy theirs?

I hadn’t ridden at all for the last 3 month, due to the weather and DIY after moving house. Last week I decided it was time to get out on the bike.

1) Tuesday – all went well
2) Thursday – rear calliper seized on my FS after 5 miles ( I’ll fix it over the weekend!)
3) Saturday – front puncture on my tubeless HT (the sealant had dried up – I’ll fix it over the weekend!)
4) Sunday – walked to the pub and no maintenance carried out
5) Monday – snapped a spoke on my road bike

So I’ve decided that 3 isn’t enough as all 3 were working last Monday but by this Monday they are all out of use. I’ll be busy this weekend.

I’ve used Centauro Car Hire at both Malaga and Alicante for the last 4 years. They are in the terminal building in Alicante but off site in Malaga.

They always charge for a full tank plus a bit on collection (Think it was €96 for a Citroen C4 last year) and they tell you that they will refund you on return, providing the car has a full tank. I always fill the car up but in every instance they have always refunded the full amount that they charged me at collection. Last year I put €35 in the tank only 5 miles from the airport and I received a full (€96) refund within 2 or 3 days of handing the car back.

I keep using them because they don’t do the fuel scam, but every year I think they will start.

I moved to Basingstoke in 1998 and admittedly it was a pretty grim place. I’ve now been here for 16 years and I’ve seen significant change since then. The town centre was totally redeveloped in 2002 and the old concrete town has been replaced by the standard UK spec identikit town centre. There are still some grim parts but overall the place is better. I’ve lived in Lychpit, Hatch Warren and now Beggarwood. My kids were born here and go to school here. As others have mentioned the villages all around are great and most of them are linked by a bridleway network. This very bridleway network introduced me to mountain biking the year I moved here. You can cycle for hours and you will only see the odd cyclist, horse rider or rambler. The bridleways are not technical but the network is vast. You can ride from Cliddesden, Farleigh Wallop Ellisfield, The Candovers down to Alresford or Micheldever or go North up through North Waltham to Oakley and Kingsclere. I’ve ridden 1000’s of miles over the years. The villages are more expensive but I’d recommend Hatch Warren, Kempshott, Lychpit, Old Basing or Chineham as the estates to consider. In my opinion I’d avoid parts of Brighton Hill, Popley, Buckskin, Winklebury. These areas probably have a higher number of benefit salaries. It really is no different to most other towns, and I certainly didn’t like Basingstoke until I moved here. And finally everybody moans about the roundabouts but the ring road network is pretty good.

I wouldn’t be surprised if other VW key fobs also open your neighbours car.

Although I know it is a slight security risk but his car should re-lock itself within 30 seconds if a door/boot isn’t opened.

Before either of you go to a dealer, it might be worth speaking to Volkswagen Customer Care (0800 0833 914 ). At least that way neither you or your neighbour will waste your time going to a dealer. Especially when they will probably want to charge for investigating.

I was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in December last year (between c4 and c5). The pain was in my shoulder and it started one morning in October and got worse over the next week or so. I was eventually prescribed tramadol which took the edge off the pain. After toing and froing between GP, hospital (because the pain was in my shoulder), I eventually saw a consultant. He diagnosed straight away and physio started the next day. After 1 session the pain was gone (and I was free of tramadol). 5 further sessions were required and I was instructed to do certain neck exercises daily. I have been fine since January with only with the odd twinge but that only acts as a reminder to do my neck exercises and not become complacent.

The other things the consultant recommended was only to use 1 pillow on the bed and not to look down at the iPad the whole time. Apparently my kind on injury is getting more common due to tablet usage.

I will probably need top up Physio for the rest of my life as the bone at c5 is badly worn, so there is a good chance that the disk will eventually push against the nerves again. And the most annoying thing – the consultant believes that the worn bone could be the result of whiplash. The only accident I’ve had was in 1998 – I really should have pursued a whiplash claim. 😉

Skoda have a reputation for being better built than VW.

The Up, Citigo and Mii are all built in the same factory (Bratislava), so build qualify will be the same.

The Up will be slightly more expensive, but it will also hold its value better.

In 2012 there were approximately 2,000,000 new cars registered in the UK
1,000.000 were company cars (50%)
800,000 were retail sales (40%) – 80% of these customers borrow the money to buy these cars (ie HP/PCP/bank loan/family loan etc)
200,000 were Motability cars (10%) or 20% of the retail market.

So when you see a new car, remember 5 out of 10 are company cars, 1 out of 10 is a Motability car. Out of the remaining 4 new cars, 3 are funded!

We had a pension company visit us to discuss managing our company pension. They turned up in a BMW 7 series. We turned them down on the basis that if that was their company car, they were taking too much commission.

It’s funny how everybodies perception varies – about 15 years ago I worked at a Telemarketing company. The MD drove a 911 and he would always go to his client meetings in the 911. The 911 was a sales tool. It showed that he had a successful business. As the saying goes if you want to be successful, surround yourself with successful people! He sold the business a few years later for a couple of million.

The truth was he was paying about £600 per month for the 911 on a PCP, but his clients didn’t know that!

I’d not buy brand new though but I guess the whole PCP thing rules out second hand

PCP is also available on used cars up to 5 years old. I’m sure VW have a maximum start age of 5 years and a maximum end age of 7 years.

Neither of us really have a clue how to proceed

No you don’t know how to proceed. She is hoping that she gets away with it. Which at the moment she is!

Ask her either for the value of the bike or her insurance details. If she refuses to provide her insurance details go to the police.

I was hoping to get some money from her without resorting to the lawyers (which will only add to her bill)

Remember it isn’t her bill. It’s her insurance companies bill.

What are insurance companies for? You damage somebodies property. You can’t afford to repair the damage. The insurance steps in and pays for/repairs the damage. Simple!

As others have said, try Boots.

Mine, nothing on Saturday, but Sunday is an epic! (For an old fat bloke like me!)

A 15 mile off road dash to the ferry to the Isle Of Wight, 35 miles over there, with lunch at a very nice pub, followed by the inevitable 15 mile slog home across the New Forest home, after the return crossing….

I love summer

What are you doing?

Are you doing the Wiggle Event?

What a fantastic idea.

It is totally different from what you normally get, so I suspect most people will love it and probably remember it for some time. I.E. Do you remember the BBQ we had at Rickon’s wedding? If professionals are cooking, at least you know you won’t end up with the UK standard of burnt burgers/mobile burger vans etc. Just remember the veggie options.

Remember its YOUR wedding, so do what YOU want!

Edited bit: There is nothing to stop you having the BBQ and sit down formalities. Collect your food and back to the table you go.

See, I’m all for equality, and not making your wife take your surname, and giving your kids double barreled names, but where does it stop? They can’t do the same when they marry or they’ll have 3 surnames (4 if the bloke already has 2).

The Spanish and Portuguese have it sussed. A person born into a Spanish/Portuguese-speaking family is given two surnames, the first being your fathers surname (which he gained from his father) and the second being your mother’s surname (which she gained from her father).

For example – Alberto Contador Velasco, Joaquim Rodríguez Oliver & Ayrton Senna de Silva

Occasionally you end up with 2 surnames the same ie Rigoberto Uran Uran

You don’t need to be trained in negotiation. Build up rapport with the member of staff and just before you get to the point where you will commit, assumptively ask “what deal will you do for me today?”

Don’t mention cash, credit cards, discounts etc.

Let them come back with an offer. The good sales people will throw your question back at you and they should ask you, what deal you are looking for? Remember their 1st offer won’t always be their best.

Haggling is fun. Enjoy it.

But remember, if their best offer doesn’t match your realistic expectation, just walk away.

I’ve not read through the whole thread but to put the boot on the other foot.

How would you feel if the checkout operator was gassing away on their mobile whilst serving you? If its not acceptable for the shop staff to do it, then it certainly isn’t acceptable for customers to do it.

I’m home/field based and all of my work calls are via mobiles. If I’m busy, meeting with a customer or talking to somebody, I never answer my phone in those situations. However I’m shocked at the number of times other people answer when I ring and then tell me that its not convenient or that they are in a meeting. If its not convenient don’t answer, I’m more than capable of leaving a message!

And yes at 41 years of age, I really can see the Grumpy Old Man syndrome sneaking in! 😉

A colleague of mine was knocked off his bike last year and fortunately he had British Cycling Ride membership. They dealt with his claim as part of his membership package. He pays £28 a year for his membership.