I have one of those keys in my CamalBak but I bought it direct from Canal and River trust, cost about £7.

They are used at the service areas on the canal network and allow access to the standpipes and the toilets.

Handy to have but you do get some strange looks off the boaters who think you are trying to break into the loos…..

My house is on this at 1:54, does that count 😀

Well I picked up a pair of Marathon pluses today and have just fitted them.

I followed that Spa Cycies video but used zip ties to secure the bottom of the rim and the rest of the tyre just slid in without using levers.

Not ridden yet so will have to see how they feel tommorow. They are a tiny bit taller than the Kendras they replaced as I’ve had to adjust my mudguards slightly as the front wheel wouldn’t go round….

Evans didn’t leave much space when fitting the mudguards. Should have fitted them myself but it was free fitting with a new bike so thought why should I. Wish I had now.

Like everyone else said.

Junkyard is correct about the one way system, it’s horrible but they are building a bypass between the M6 and Heysham which will take away most of the east – west traffic.

Some really good road riding and its on the Way of the Roses route.

Completely different circumstances here using a Fiesta for 25 – 30 k per year but the leasing company used to fit really really rubbish tyres.

When I bought the car off them, I put Dunlops on it. It feels like a different car, grips stupidly well and stops a hell of a lot better,

I had done a few different jobs, car salesman, delivery driver. Got to the age of 30 and decided now or never so trained as a Driving Instructor.

It was a struggle at first and it cost me about £5k to get qualified and out on the road but now I’m turning business away as I’m really busy.

Money wise, it’s not brilliant but it could be a real money spinner if I put loads of hours in but I love the work life balance.

I’m also a Bikeabilty instructor which I do one day a week.

Thanks for all the replies.

They are going on the Hybrid which I use for commuting and long rides so, like I said, I want reliability.

I am never going to catch roadies with the panniers on with heavy D lock, lunch and another pannier full of Bikeability gear anyway.

In fact I had an old bloke on a reebok bso pass me the other day….. 😳

This is well time thread as I was actually talking about depression with one of my students tonight and she was amazed that I suffer.

When I asked her why she was amazed, she said ” well you just don’t seem the type ” well what is the type ?

Someone stuck in a corner in a dark room ?? Someone in hospital for it ??

No it’s a illness, there should be no more stigma to it than someone walking down the road with an arm in plaster or limping because they have gout.

I can now tell when it’s coming on and I use winston churchills definition of the black dog so my mates know when I say the dog is barking they know what I mean. They know if I need them to let them know, likewise I may just want to be alone.

I’m finding its crap but manageable.

I have a Swann system I got from Maplin a few years ago. It’s not bad, not the quality you would get if you had a system installed by ADT or someone but it’s obviously not that price.

The night vision is quite good. If you know who it is passing on camera, you know it’s them. It would be difficult identifying a stranger or getting a number plate etc.

The daylight is fine, gets number plates, can spot strangers and get a description.

It downloads onto a app on my I phone, easy to set up, get the app from the App Store and there is a QR sticker on the CCTV box so just scan that and away you go. It’s brill, I can check what’s going on from anywhere I’ve a 3 or 4 g connection.

Overall, not a bad system. We have had a couple of instances in the past were the local PCSO and Police have been in and viewed my system, once was a break in at a local shop and another was a neighbour had his car nicked and the police said it was a lot better system than a lot they had seen.

The PCSO recognised the guy breaking into the shop by viewing my system.

I’ve just done a quick ride before going work. Found myself singing to myself on the flat bits.

No one within earshot so no one to scare with my dreadful singing. Great fun.

Solo.

Only time I ride with other people is on a STW pootle.

MCTD, Mikey, I agree. Scary when you can scroll the page and know what’s coming…..

Like has been said, San Marino to Belmont road then I’ve been through Belmont village and keep to the right and drop onto the dam where the 50 mph sign is.

Keep left, through a farm and between the buildings push up the footpath onto witton weavers,

Onto the road then either drop down left into the woods and come back out onto the road near the pub or stay on the road till the pub.

At the side of the pub, there is a bridle way which takes up towards Darwen Tower. Can’t remember exactly the way, but think I went near a United Utilities compound.

Focus RS just started production and looking at the last RS, the values stay up.

I had a bit of spare money a few years ago and looked at buying a Sapphire RS. They were going for £ 8-9 k for a good one, now they are upto £ 13-15 k. Spent the money on my house instead so didn’t just blow it on Coke and……

I think the high spec cars of ” normal ” cars will appreciate. Like had been said, try to find a Renault 5 GT Turbo these days. Fiat Uno Turbo, Fiesta RS, XR3i always go up in value.

If I had any spare cash, I’d be looking Corsa VXR, Fiesta ST etc.

Probably completely wrong and this list just proves I’m a chav boy racer at heart. 😀

Being sold by Cash Generators ?!?!?

Beeping at random pedestrians is my favourite game.

They tend to wave back more at the van than the car. Guess everyone knows someone who has a white van.

When they have waved then do a double take as if to say ” who the ….. ” is priceless.

I’ve only just got in from work and really couldnt be bothered cooking anything so my tea has been 3 packs of walkers crisp on butties.

Binners, my mates mum has a cafe and stocks every single flavour of that brand. I love that woman 😀

I’ve got a Blackvue 650 something or other.

Front and rear cameras, wifi so it downloads instantly to an app on my phone. Really useful as I can replay it straight away when a student does something wrong.

Very discreet. Front camera hides behind the interior mirror and the rear camera is tiny at the top of the rear window.

Not cheap, about £280, but worth every penny to me. I’ve caught some right idiots on it recently including 2 guys fighting at 6 pm on a main road…… 😀

My Ex cheated on me with one of her mates, a female mate…….

I didn’t know whether to feel relieved that she had not gone with another bloke or feel that I must be so bad I’d put her off men for life 🙄 😀

Turns out it was just a phase she was going through and she is now single.

Hora, I don’t know what your career was mate, but could you not do both for example start somewhere then gradually move away to working alone ?

May be complete different to you, if so I apologise, but I started working with a driving school then as I built my client base went completely independent.

Simmy, I’d need to get my vaccinations up to date first.

😀

CFH, it’s 2 pigeons for a quids worth of electricity actually 😀

If you ever come to the north, be careful because the M6 is still cobbled at Wigan 😉

I went self employed after getting fed up working for a idiot who had no respect for anyone. Seeing 34 other people come and go in the 5 1/2 years I was there was a warning sign, only a couple got sacked the rest walked out.

I’m a Driving Instructor and Started qualifying whilst in my last job. Got my provisional licence and jumped ship, initially franchising to a local school then going on my own. The first 12-18 months were quiet but now it’s ridiculously busy.

At the start of the year, I decided to cut my hours back a bit as 3 x 12 hour, 2 x 8 hour and a 6 hour day per week were killing me. Doesn’t sound much, but after doing 6 hours my concentration started going so it wasn’t fair to the students as I couldn’t be bothered telling them time and time again what they were doing wrong.

I now average 6 teaching hours 3 days a week and 3 teaching hours 2 days a week.

I’m also a Bikeability instructor which I do 1 day per week. At the moment, I’m turning more students away than I’m taking on as I’m definatly not going back to those long hours again.

I will never be a millionaire doing this but I can ( more or less ) set my own hours, holidays, and decide which areas I want to cover and basically do what I want.

Yeah, and I’m unemployable as well 😀

Quick google suggest he is in ICU.

From what I’ve read, he had a crash and was struck whilst either still lying on the ground or getting back on his feet.

Prayers and thoughts are with him and his family.

Sober here.

Just going through a packet of Custard Creams sharing with the Dogs so going on a sugar rush instead.

@ simmy

I like the look of the Pinnacle lithium for a reasonable priced tourer how fat can the tires go?

Mines got standard tyres on at the moment and I’m running SKS full guards and there is 3-4 MM between each side of the tyre and the guard.

Looks like there is loads of room on the frame so it depends which guards you use.

I wouldn’t want to go wider with my guards.

Edit :- jameso knows a little bit more about them than I do 😀 😉

Pinnacle Litium 3.

I prefer the straight bars rather than the drops on a long distance bike. It’s got SKS full guards and a Topeak DX super tourist rear rack. Using Altura Arran panniers.

I’ve not toured on it yet but I’ve commuted on it. The panniers easily carry all my Bikeability stuff. In the pic I’m at Shap summit just with 1 pannier, hit 37 mph on the descent and felt really stable.

I’d like to think a second pannier wouldn’t upset the balance.

That’s just bull, I’ve had lease cars in the past and they are registered to the leasing company and insured to me at my address.

Don’t let it drop. Either that or post the reg and details here and we can do a critical mass on them 😉

My thoughts are with you Danny.

I agree about deleting the account.

Facebook is great for business as it’s the modern Yellow Pages and I get a lot of work via my Facebook Page but I would happily delete my personal page if I didn’t have to have it as admin for my page.

Knowing what someone is doing, eating, feeling, banging is something I’m not interested in.

Older less complex diesels are not a problem, stuff that doesn’t have ERG valves and DPF just run forever.

Older Passats and stuff just go and go. My Escort was running on cooking oil when I got it. I use diesel as I was constantly looking around for used chippy wrappers, it stank.

I remember doing some work on one of my cars which had run out of MOT.

I went to insure it to take it for the MOT and the insurance were really funny about it. They said that it is fine to drive it to the MOT station for the pre booked appointment and the insurance would be fine but if it failed the MOT, they would not insure it to be driven home as it was unroadworthy.

Obviously this vehicle had no MOT at all to fall back onto and in the end I didn’t bother and scrapped it as I found more things wrong.

The fail doesn’t invalidate the MOT, like has been said its a bit of a grey area if you are pulled over or have a bump.

On your MOT, it will have a date that you can’t take it in before so book it in after that and see what happens. It then gives you a month or so to get the welding done or whatever else it may need.

Do it, it will give you an enormous feeling of well being, safe in the knowledge there will always be a bit of your heart devoted to it.

As we do with the 3 year olds, pedals off, stabilisers off, use it as a balance bike 😀

I’m extremely cautious when filtering since I had a women passenger fling open the door of a Transit as I was creeping up the nearside.

The lights had just gone red so I knew no one was going to move off and I didn’t hit the door, but she scared the **** out of me.

I’ve a loan with about £2.5k left and a credit card with £1k on it. No mortgage, own home outright thanks to Grandad who passed it to Mum and then Me.

I hate owing. I’m aiming to get the Credit Card mostly paid off this month then carry on paying off the loan.

Depending on the time your gig or show starts, parking is free on street in the northern quarter after 8pm, usually plenty of space round Newton street and then it’s a 10 min walk to the arena.

My Fiesta is 3 1/2 years old and just turned 92k.

Vans 15 years old and just turned 123k. Been nowhere compared to the Fiesta.

Just realised I was the last poster on the previous thread.

Fed up of it now. Think the last one cleared then this one started.

Felt rotten about 10 days ago, thought it was a migraine, fine day after then got sore throat, unbelievable snot, blocked right ear. Now feel fine but left with a partial blocked left ear which is really annoying.

Not been on the bike much or been to the gym so feel weaker but that may be psychological.