Someone should tell her about Strava. 😉

Now that would make her blood boil!

Another article written in February 2010 by the same writer. Her mother should really look before she steps in the road. In 2010 she cut her head open and yet again the cyclist didn’t stop.

Wouldnt you mention the 2010 incident in your latest article, especially if your mother was hurt in that accident as well? Unfortunately Petronella Wyatt loses all credibility and I’m slightly suspicious that these events ever happened?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1250746/Beware-rogue-bicycles–Petronella-Wyatt-attacks-cult-cycling-frail-mother-knocked-down.html

I’ve experienced the same problem with Garmin Connect for the last couple of weeks. I’ve now given up as I’ve tried to upload via a Laptop and a MacBook. I’ve tried Internet Explorer, Safari and Chrome. All to no avail.

However the unit is working and I’ve had no problem uploading to Strava.

He is after some Maxxis UST tyres and a new bike (well he has some cash to spare).

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wtd-full-suss-mtb-26-or-29er-1

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/wtd-maxxis-ust-tyres

Maybe you could and try to scam him back?

I can’t seem to upload my rides!

What am I doing wrong? 😉

Well has he hasn’t actually been using the gym, it would be more like me demanding payment from my employer even though I never turned up.

Excellent! So if I don’t use my car for weeks or months, I obviously don’t need to make the finance payments or when I go on holiday, I don’t need to pay my mortgage? After all I’m not using the house when I’m on holiday.

It is no different to signing up to a new mobile contract or Sky TV contract (Other TV suppliers are available).

A contract is a contract. If you want out of it you need to find a mutually agreeable way out.

Unfortunately gyms know when they sign new members, many have the best intentions of using the facilities every week but most people fall back into their lazy habits very quickly. This is why the gyms sign you into a long term contract. That way once you fall into the bad habit of not going, they are guaranteed their income for a period of time.

Unfortunately the engine isnt listed any where yet so can not do the calculations. It doesnt look like its a simple calc to do to work out if it woud be any cheaper per month.

Its not a strightforward agreement either. Its basically allowing me as an employer of the NHS to lease a company car by making a salary sacrifice to pay for the lease cost.

I’ve currently been quoted £270 per month which is way less than I coud get a personal lease for the same car, especially when adding in Insurance, Servicing etc etc.

I guess there is no easy way to calculate what the 109 g/km car would cost…. or does any one know of tables that have the % for this?

It is a simple calculation. Click onto the HMRC website and enter the details. You don’t need to know anything about the car apart from the list price and CO2 levels. I’ve had a quick play and without knowing the list price of the A1, I entered £15,000 and got a difference of about £10 per month between 126g/km and 109g/km (Petrol).

However you mention salary sacrifice. If the £270 per month, is the amount of your salary sacrifice, you probably won’t have to pay any additional income tax as your contribution will reduce your BIK liability.

The calculator also lets you enter your contribution.

http://cccfcalculator.hmrc.gov.uk/CCF0.aspx

I received the Manic Monday email offer at 7.30pm. At 8.30 I tried to make a purchase but keep getting “Coupon code not valid”. I’m guessing the email was sent before the voucher code has been entered into the system?

I’ve got a 16GB wifi only iPad . I felt that I didn’t need 3G and it is fine with Wifi only. To be fair it only leaves the house on holidays or when the kids want to play games on it.

The only thing I would do is get the biggest capacity (64GB). That’s my only regret that I bought a 16GB. Music isn’t a problem as it is stored in iCloud and I play it directly from there via wifi. Same with films/TV. The only issue I have is that when I went on holiday last (the place didn’t have wifi), I had to be selective about the music and films I loaded as 16GB doesn’t go far.

I also occasionally need to delete stuff from the iPad to enable me to download something new.

If there are no kids involved and as long as it remains amicable, you should try and agree the split without lawyers.

My brother did this. They put the house on the market and once it was sold, they used the equity to settle all their debts and then the remaining equity was split between then. It was all straight forward. They even used a DIY divorce pack from Amazon.

For every easy divorce there is also a horrible one. A mate of mine had a house with over a £100k in equity when he met his ex (He received over £100k in compensation from a near death car accident in his 20’s). When they got married in 1999 he got her to sign a pre nuptial, so that his equity was protected! 6 years later she had an affair and was eventually caught (the classic text message scenario) and that started a lengthy and messy divorce. Over the next 3 years my mate paid over £60k in legal fees. She still got a sizeable chuck from the divorce.

Even today she still messes him around (1 kid) and he still pays legal and private investigator fees. She often moves to random areas of the country and doesn’t tell him. He then doesn’t see his kid for months, until he finds them again. Although the kid in now 10 and that happens less and less. Every time something changes in his life (ie last year he got a new BMW 335 – company car) she gets onto the Child Support Agency claiming that he doesn’t pay enough and that he must be earning extra megabucks!

So if you can do it amicably, you would save a fortune.

Good Morning Mrs Brown
God bless your heart and soul
I tried to **** your daughter
But I couldn’t find the hole

At last I found the hole
Beneath a frilly frock
Believe it or believe it not
I could not find my c***

At last I found my c***
All hairy and all thin
Believe it or believe it not
I could not get it in

At last I got it in
And twiddled it about
Believe it or believe it not
I could not get it out

At last I got it out
All batched up and sore
Believe it or believe it not
The b*****d wanted more

Three months later all went well
Six months later bloody hell
Nine months later the belly went pop
And out came a b*****d with a paralysed c***

Ladies and Gentleman
That is not all
The poor little b*****d
Only had one ball

@PP – I was living in Camberley and working in Aldershot in the mid 90’s and I remember when the Blackwater Valley Relief Road opened.

From memory the Northern section between the M3 and North Camp opened a year or so before the Southern section. When the Southern section opened and as you described, the road asphalt (I must remember not to call it tarmac anymore) was quiet, smooth and sprayless. You would drive from one surface onto another and the road noise would almost disappear. I thought the differences in the surfaces were due to different contractors and that some day all road surfaces would go that way.

Now I have read your post, I realise why all road surfaces haven’t gone that way!

Did you pay the deposit by *credit card?

Is so and if the retailer refuses to play ball, you can contact your credit card company and legally they have to refund you for breach of contract (debtor – creditor – supplier agreement).

The credit card company would they claim the money back from the retailer.

Edited Bit: *Credit cards only. If you paid by debit card, you would need to claim the money back from the retailer yourself.

My mate once took his wife by mistake!

She complained the whole time and needless to say he has never taken her riding again. Her brand new bike has sat in the garage for at least the last 2 years.

Ennis won the 800m event and the gold in front of a television audience of millions last night. When Wiggins won the TDF and then the TT gold, it was in the middle of the afternoon, when the viewing figures would have been substantially less.

When it comes to voting, Mrs Edna Rowbottom from Eastbourne will only remember the Saturday night prime time “Ennis” moment and therefore the majority of the public will probably vote for that moment!

Wiggins achievements this year have been phenomenal but the public won’t remember those, when it comes to voting.

I also also think that if Murray beats Federer, then he would then pick up a big chuck of the public vote. Well finishing as Wimbledon runner up and then winning an Olympic gold, is more of an accomplishment that winning the TDF and then a gold 😉

Edited bit: I’m guessing Cav won last year, as no other sports person won anything of significance?

120 Miles To The Gallon Which Cost Just  £3

I’m paying about £5.90 a gallon, so I’d like to where he is buying from?

Out of curiosity why do people still use the VAG acronym?

VAG was used as an abbreviation of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft until 1992. In Germany Aktiengesellschaft is abbreviated as AG and this has the same meaning as PLC in the UK. Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft (known on the German Stock Exchange as Volkswagen AG) is the parent company of the Volkswagen Group.

The Volkswagen Group consists of 342 companies, which are involved in either vehicle production or other related automotive services.

I don’t know if your budget will stretch to it but consider a Golf R rather than a R32. They have been available since late 2009/early 2010.

Much more livelier than the 32 and with better fuel consumption. Seriously quick though. From memory about 270bhp

I’m currently driving a Mk6 GTI, which is quick (210bhp), but the R must be like a rocketship.

There is quite a bit of paint damage in the dropout. I suspect that the QR was in the open position and probably bounced in and out of the dropout a few times, damaging the paint as it did so. Eventually the QR/skewer bounced out of the dropout and at the same moment the skewer moved further into the hub. As the weight of the rider, bike, forks pushed down towards the skewer again, it caught the QR level, which was now closer to the hub and bent it back into the disc. At this point the disc got bent, the wheel jammed and the skewer couldn’t drop back into the dropout as the QR lever was now stopping any further movement.

I don’t believe that the lever has been pulled around by the disc. The weight of the bike on the lever has just bent the lever into the disc.

Well that’s what Miss Marple thinks!

Edited bit: Now I have seen Timb34’s post above, I also think that is totally plausible.

Is your frame orange? Wiggle have Charge Spoon’s with orange stitching and Charge in orange for £14.99.

And you can get some orange Superstar grips for £7.99

Happy Birthday Four Teas

Although it wouldn’t be suitable for an 8 year old, when I watched the “Pacific” a couple of years ago, it really made me realise what a pointless act War is. Such a waste of human life! And this is from someone who loves war films. The Pacific really made me think about what the men in WW2 went through.

The OP mentions that the parents are divorced.

What relationship do the kids have with their Dad?
Where does the Dad live?
Is he aware of the problem?

Before you do anything else, you should contact him.

No hoverboards, power laces or auto-fit jackets with drying function ala Back To The Future II. Flying conversion & a Mr Fusion would have been nice too

Dont worry, hoverboards, power laces & auto-fit jackets with drying function will be on sale by 2015

The girlfriend is probably some type of bunny boiler. She probably wears the trousers and the boyfriend is s*** scared of her! He probably left yours and either ended up in the pub or bookies. After blowing all the cash he ended up at home and because he couldn’t come clean, he told her that you wouldn’t pay! So now she starts harassing you.

Legally trained? Yeah right – that will be the reason she is asking for a court number! Call her bluff, which is exactly what she is trying with you. She is hoping her “legally trained” text message will force you into submisssion. Tell her you owe nothing and if she disputes that, she will have to see you in court. At the same time tell her you will be contacting the police about her continual harassment. That in itself may be enough to stop her texting you but if not then go to the police. Although I suspect if she is a bunny boiler the texts won’t stop!

Keep all the texts as evidence and that will give the police something to work with.

When I was about 10, I filled up a milk bottle with petrol from my Dads lawn mower. I placed an old rag in it and went down to the canal bridge behind my house. I placed the bottle under the bridge ( the canal went under the road) and I lit (or thought I’d lit) the rag and then ran at a speed comparable to Red Rum. After an hour or so nothing had happened but I couldn’t risk going back!

A couple of hours later there was a knock at the door and it was the 13 year old girl who lived next door. She explained that she had seen what I had done and that if I provided her with a regular supply of cigarettes (my Mum used to buy them in the 200 cartons) then my Mum and Dad wouldn’t find out. I used to sneak a cigarette or two out each day, but eventually she upped the ante and started to demand packets. As requested I started to give her a couple of packets a week. Unfortunately it didn’t take long for my Mum to twig, as she was probably loosing 40 cigarettes a week. I was questioned and my Mum went off to speak to the blackmailers parents.

I don’t think my parents found out about the milk bottle!

But thats when I started to look at the feedback, and there’s been 1 sale, of a G2, so far. but when I looked into that, it struck me as odd that the buyer of a new G2, has just sold a s/h G2.

And the reason for selling the 2nd hand G2

“It is not being used and I have bought a Dahon folding mountain bike to pedal around the reservoirs”

Strange as his feedback indicates that he sold his 2nd hand G2 on the 12th May, yet he bought the “NEW” G2 on the 4th May!

All benefits and social housing for single teenage mums – BANNED

Additional info

Don’t ever accept the 1st quote they offer. Whatever monthly payment they offer, haggle it down a bit.

If you plan to change your car every two or three years, then yes it is worth considering.

PCP (Personal Contract Purchase) is a type of HP agreement but where a guaranteed future value (GFV) is set at the start, based on the term of the agreement and your annual mileage. This GFV is deferred until the end of the agreement. The benefit of this is that it gives you lower monthly payments than traditional HP because your are deferring the GFV.

At the end of the agreement, you have 3 options.

1) the 1st option is to take the car to ANY dealer (you are NOT tied to the original dealer) and part exchange it for a new car. If the vehicle is worth more than the GFV, the difference here will be your deposit for the next vehicle. For example if the car is worth £5000 and the GFV is £4000, the dealer will settle the PCP with £4000 and the £1000 equity will be your next deposit.
2) if the dealer value the car at less than the GFV you simple contact the finance company and hand it back. This will be subject to fair wear and tear. If the car is over the agreed annual mileage or if the vehicle is damaged, you may be liable for excess mileage charges or rectification costs.
3) the final option is to settle the GFV yourself and keep the vehicle. Although before you do this, you would need to get the dealer to value it. If the the car is worth more then pay off the GFV but if the car is worth less than the GFV then go back to option 2.

The trick to PCP is to put as small a deposit as you can get away with. You don’t want to put in more than 10% deposit as this can lead to deposit erosion. For example a 30% deposit (lets say £3000) may give you a nice low monthly payment today but if you only have £500 equity at the end, your monthly payments on your next car may jump up a bit. For this reason don’t put more than 10% deposit in.

So if you fancy changing your car every two or three years then PCP is certainly the way to go. If you then decide that you don’t want to change at the end you don’t have to. Just pay off the GFV.

All PCP’s are tri-party agreements that are regulated by the Consumer Credit Act and the Consumer Credit Directive. These will offer you the same protection you get on a credit card with regard to merchantabilty issues ( from memory it’s called Section 75 in the Act).

The idea of PCP is to get everybody into option 1, so that they change their cars every 2 or 3 years. This is what the dealers, car manufacturers and finance companies want. Lots of regular repeat business is the idea.

Balance bikes are here to stay, as they offer an alternative way to learn to ride. Although I suspect that the average man or women who has no interest in cycling will be more likely to buy a pedal bike over a balance bike. I guess the typical balance bike buyer will be a parent who has an interest in cycling themselves.

I am pro balance bike as they worked for my family. Although because I knew that the balance bike would only be used for a short time period, I bought a cheap one from Halfords (£35). TBH the quality was shocking but my eldest, who was 3 3/4’s at the time, used to scoot around the block, when we went for a walk. I guess it took her about 4 or 5 hours (over a couple of weeks) to truly master it. After 3 months she just took her 12″ Pedal bike into the garden and she just rode it. The balance bike was then given to my youngest and she was also riding a pedal bike by her 4th birthday.

My eldest is now 6 and my wife still gets asked by the other mums at the school gate how we managed to get them riding at that age. My wife tells them and they nearly always then ask “what’s a balance bike?”.

It just makes sense to me that we should be taught to steer and balance first and the learn to pedal later. I bet many of us were taught this way. We were sent off down a slope, just steering and balancing? Once we had that mastered we would then learn to pedal on the flat.

However in response to the OP’s question, one size doesn’t fit all. Some kids will just get BB’s whilst others won’t. If it isn’t working, ditch it and try the stabilishers route or put the BB away for a few months and then try again.

After the Astra Zenica court ruling last year and since the 1st January this year, the cycle to work schemes are no longer as attractive as they used to be. If you are a standard rate tax payer and are hiring a £1000 bike you will pay the following.

Cost of bike £1000
Gross salary sacrifice over 12 months £83.33 x 12 = £1000
Net salary sacrifice over 12 months £56.67 x 12 = £680 (This is after your tax and NI saving)

You don’t own the bike and you still have to make another decision at this point.

1) I guess most people won’t choose this option but if you decide to buy the bike from your employer at this point you will need to pay the HMRC fair market valuation, which is 25% on bikes over £500. So add the 25% (£250) to your net salary sacrifice payments (£680) and you have paid a total of £930.

2) The other option available at this point is to take up the offer of the extended hire period and pay the future HMRC fair market value to the cycle to work operators.

So working on the basis that most people will will extend the hire period for the maximum period of 3 years, you would then pay the cycle to work operator a deposit based on the the fair market value of 7% (£70). If you add this to your net salary sacrifice (£680), you will have paid a total of £750, which is a 25% saving.

However you won’t have the option to buy the bike outright until the end of the extended rental period. If you decide to buy the bike at this point the cycle to work operator will keep your deposit.

So you will have paid £750 and 4 years later you will finally have legal title to the bike.

Other examples:

If a standard rate tax payer hires a £500 bike and takes up the 3 year extended hire option, they will pay a total of £355 (29% saving). This is broken down as follow
Net salary sacrifice £340 (£28.33 x 12)
Extended hire deposit £15 (3% fair market value)

If a high rate tax payer hires a £1000 bike and takes up the 3 year extended hire option, they will pay a total of £650 (35% saving). This is broken down as follow
Net salary sacrifice £580 (£48.33 x 12)
Extended hire deposit £70 (7% fair market value)

If a high rate tax payer hires a £500 bike and takes up the 3 year extended hire option, they will pay a total of £305 (39% saving). This is broken down as follow
Net salary sacrifice £290 (£24.17 x 12)
Extended hire deposit £15 (3% fair market value)

The HMRC don’t want employees to lose out when they doing something for their employer but sometimes their rules don’t always work and some people will lose out…

In 2007 I had a company car and I paid my own fuel and then claimed back the mileage based on the HMRC advisory rates. My company paid the advisory rates and not a penny more. At the time I had a car with a 1998cc engine. The advisory banding was from 1400cc to 2000cc and the pence per mile you could claim for that banding was 11p. Unfortunately the fuel cost was 13p per mile, so every time I drove the car for business it would cost me! 2p per mile might not seem a lot but I was driving nearly 1000 miles per week. So just doing what I was paid to do, was costing me nearly £80 per month!!. When I complained to HR that they should pay me more than the advisory rate, I was told that I should have ordered a smaller engined and/or a most efficient car!

FWIW – if the engine size had been 2001cc, I would have got 16p per mile.

Some you win, some you lose!

Out of curiosity what does the OP claim back per mile?

If you use your own car, HMRC allows 45p per mile for the 1st 10,000 miles per year and 25p thereafter. So if the employer lets the OP claim back say 25p per mile, the OP then would claim the difference between the two amounts in their tax return.

And by the same token if the employer pay 50p per mile the OP would then have a tax liability on the additional income.

The first review is done by What Mountain Bike and the second by Mountain Biker UK. So different riders/journalists with different opinions!

So no different to any of us. We all have different opinions with regard to different components.

Whilst I accept than many people were mis-sold PPI policies, I also feel that the ambulance chasers are really fuelling this claim culture in the UK. Firstly we had endowment policies, then bank charges and now PPI.

What annoys me is that many people were correctly sold PPI and fortunately for them they never needed make a claim on the policies but as they didn’t claim they now feel that they were mis-sold. Although this isn’t helped by the way the banks and assurance companies seem to be waving the white flag over PPI claims (When I mean white flag, I’m talking about the likes of Lloyds, who put a £3.5bn provision into their accounts last year)

I also accept that there are people out there that were mis-sold, who did then try to claim on the policy, only to be told that they weren’t eligible because of the terms and conditions/small print. These are the people that were really mis-sold and they should be able to claim the premiums plus any other costs/losses that resulted from the mis-sale. (ie lost a job, couldn’t pay the mortgage, house repossessed, etc etc)

I do wonder what financial products the ambulance chasers will focus on next (Once they have dried up the PPI pot)?

What about cigarette butts? 😉

I’ll retreat quickly……

It’s steel, so it must be as good as a Cotic/Ragley/On One etc 😉

Good spot tomtomr