You failed the lender's credit score. Being married and in the same, owned address for more than three years have the greatest weighting on a scorecard (IIRC) and you don't tick either of these boxes. Pre credit crunch you would have perhaps been OK but most scorecards have been re -written in the last 12 months.

The Experian credit report is a waste of time and most banks/lenders don't use it, Equifax is the most popular but also Call Credit. http://www.checkmyfile.com is pretty good if you want to check your credit rating

I was a lodge member when I lived in the UK. Bit like the rotary club, but slightly weirder, in a nice sort of way

I'm Bi and so is my wife

Can't believe nobody has mentioned Animal Watches on a MTB forum!

From what I remember, back in the day it seemed to be mandatory to wear one if you wanted to work in bike shop. Still got mine from 1997 and it's still going strong.

Oh dear I'm stuck in 1990's time warp aren't I.

Biking -MTB and Road
Shooting – Clay and Game
Fishing – Sea, fly and coarse
Skiing – and snowboarding.

I hate niches

Mickasaki – YGM

Anything else is an excuse to sulk on the side of a dull lake in camo clothing…..

Guilty as charged. I've just spent 2 nights next to a lake and when I got back Mrs SP asked whether I had been fishing or invaded the Falklands.

Anyway, mickasaki, what have you got to sell?

So, act like you know what you're doing and you'll be fine.

Bad advice. I tried that and then got promoted! Now I'm really in trouble.

I used to own a cleaning company and would have to get my hands dirty on a very regular basis.

It never bothered me in the slightest but the number of people that would look and/or speak down to me used to P1ss me off big time. Almost without exception it was always the below average/average achievers that were guilty of this. 9-5 workers that whose idea of risk was eating last nights chicken.

I used to console my self by drawing a very large salary and selling for six figures after just 18 months

Crash

Utter, utter shite. Full of the most obvious cliches and cheesy cinematography. I have never forgiven Mark Kermode after he recommended that pile of crap.

much as brant – he was a legend in my eyes a long time ago.

Brant's a legend!?

I used to have one of them ^^^.

Now I've got one of these

I prefer the Park Tool but see it has gone up in price, quite a bit, since I bought mine.

10m 49secs of comedy gold

I used to live in Peterborough and once went out with a girl from Shepeau Stow.

She thought I was sophisticated because I sometimes we would go out for dinner on a week night.

Good shag though

Slough and Luton. Grantham is pretty shite too.

Lived in Peterborough and quite liked it actually

Who would live to tell the tale in a real survival situation between Bear Gryllis and Ray Mears do you think?

My money is on Ray

ps i dont think we get suckered into it at all. it just works better

Sucker! 😉

As he paid via BACS can ebay knock me up for the dosh if he pushes it?

Nope

I will be taking them off the bike this weekend ready to post to wherever you say bananaworld

Agree with loddrik. I've gone back to a rigid Mtb with 1.5 slicks, flat bar and bar ends. Not as quick in a straight line as my road bike but easier to weave in and out of traffic, plus accelerates quicker from the lights and up short climbs. I did put road gears on it – 38/50 chainrings and 12-25 cassette

I got involved in one through my GF. Seemingly legit but turned out to be a right pile of shite. It cost me a year off work to sort out and sell – to somebody else who went bust, 'coz the franchisor was shite.

Who are you looking at – I may have some first hand experience I can share.

Can donate a new 9 speed cassette and chain and an old but perfectly functional XTR bottom bracket

The woods behind the Nationwide in Swindon

**waves** Hello Mum! **waves**

Shooterman – Have you thought of going in-house and specialising? I swapped private practice for banking several years ago, and it proved to be a turning point in my life. Nor did I encounter any problems returning to banking just over a year ago after taking a year long sabbatical.

Whilst banking may not be a popular profession at the moment, God knows we need good lawyers!

"That ton must be a really sad tw4t"

What bugs me is that I've got ernie mixed up with someone else and now I don't know who I sent a map to, and whether they got it, and if they tried the ride, and how they found it.

The whole thing is a big, **** cock up.

Moots Rigormootis?

Addiscombe CC? – I thought you lived in Peterborough? Didn't I send you a map when you were Grizzly Gus?

Bear with me on this one, it sounds weird but it does work.

Find the run and place some small glass bottles in it with the lip of the bottle about 2 inches above the ground. When the wind blows across the bottle opening the noise it makes drives the moles away.

Intro to this one still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up
Mr Ferry and Ms Hall

Oh FFS I've only just got in!

My fave

Visage

2 years ago things were looking shite. Business was going down the tubes and my house along with it.

Sold the business to a bigger mug (he went bust within a year) moved to the Channel Islands, and things are looking a lot rosier.

The whole thing turned around in a matter of weeks. It is amazing what you can do when you stop feeling sorry for yourself

I've got a Moots hardtail and I've never seen another. It's got 80mm forks and that's even rarer

Cannon and Ball

Hey Ho – Marin and Orange both found other retailers before I could find new premises and after that I decided it wasn't worth it. Marin was a top selling brand back then, not sure if it still is now though

Came close about 12 years ago. Had premises lined up, supply agreements sorted with Giant, Orange and Marin plus a couple of others in the wings. Got terms sorted with Madison et al and went on week long cycle mechanic course. Had a 'proper' mechanic lined up and decorators booked.

Landlord let me down at the last minute though and I ended up flogging all the stock I had bought down the local market and to other bike stores.

Just about managed to make enough to come out financially unscathed. Luckily the bikes were sale or return – though I did keep a nice Ti Frame I got at trade. Still got the business plan somewhere – probably on a floppy disk

I leave my job at the end of November and started counting down the remaining 8 most tedious Friday morning meetings you can imagine.

Then my boss announces there is going to be one every Wednesday AS WELL!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

No, the Channel Islands have finance ministers.

We do. I know one of them. He considers himself a socialist!

A car on my Amex card. The dealer was livid but had ripped me off for about £400 on my part exchange. The car was £15,000 and I got 3% cash back from Amex. So sorted