She is lovely.

Here’s my 2 when I popped back at lunch, don’t know why I bought them a bed each when they curl up together

I’m in the same boat.

No seriously, I used to own a Mk 2 Golf, have Dogs, love MTBing am T total only do ” disposable ” children ( Godaughter who I babysit sometimes ) and enjoy the simple life.

Can’t imagine there’s anyone like Me out there……

I’ve used XT on mine but it’s 9 speed and the cassette literally falls straight off with the retaining ring removed and shows no signs of chewing the Freehub.

Suggestions – go out more with MissStripes. The pass stats for people who are taught and presented for test by friends and relatives is significantly higher than those presented for test by driving instructors.

Have you a link to these stats ?

Cheers

If anything else apart from normal stuff needs replacing, it’s going.
Then you buy another old car that isn’t sound and explodes on the first outing.. you’ll wish you hadn’t sold your reliable Polo!

I know, it’s a difficult call with cars that have been reliable.

I’ve had the car since 2009 when it only had 48k on it, gave £1495 for it and it’s on 98k now. Apart from that wiper motor, which I replaced off a spare I had, it’s only needed servicing and usual stuff till this power steering pipe went.

£220, dealer only and the lad at the garage told me it would have been difficult to get one off a scrapper as it was very easy to damage getting it off. £50 for fitting it.

Hora’s post reminds me, check the drains under the scuttle panel, mine was blocked and ruined my wiper motor as it was sat in a bath of water when it was parked up.

D’oh. Yes Simmy, the actual mileage is normal, just the trip thing that’s going bananas. Thanks for pointing that out.

Edit: Not actually sure if it’s going up, best nip out and check.

To be honest, if it’s just the trip I wouldnt worry.

I’ve a 1997 Polo and I’ve just spent £270 on it for a power steering pipe. Tough call when the car is only worth £400 or so but it’s been a good car so gritted my teeth and paid it but I’ve said that’s it’s yellow card. If anything else apart from normal stuff needs replacing, it’s going.

I take by you saying Odometer, you actually mean the trip ? Either that or it’s the lowest mileage 2000 Polo around 😀

Is the actual mileage going up correctly ?

In Halfords, think it’s 5 for £9.99.

You can mix and match as well which is handy for different wheel sizes.

I went to BikeExpo this morning (by car), there is no way in hell I’d ride up there. It’s an easy enough ride – 20 miles or so but that whole area has woeful public transport links (very limited bus, no train or tram) and it’s designed to get everyone in and out by car. Massive expressways, 3 and 4-lane gyratory systems, 4-lane roundabouts, huge volumes of fast-moving traffic. It’s designed to cope with match-day and Saturday shopping traffic so when it’s quieter, like on a Sunday morning, it becomes a race-track.

I’m an experienced road rider but there’s not a chance I’d ride that lot. What little cycling provision that is there is woeful: gravel-strewn shared-use tracks that cease to exist at random points, no signage. Dreadful place.

I’m guessing you are approaching from the south / stockport side ?

I went to Bike Expo on my Bike, straight in, parked up in the inside compound so much easier than driving but I came from Bolton side which was down the NCN 55, then minor roads over Barton Swing Bridge then I use the footpath cycle lanes past Asda to Event City.

I wouldn’t like to tackle it from the south side though….

Riding in jeans and not getting the bottom of them in the chainrings.

I get this…my trailer is huge and white and very heavy, its always a difficult decision to go when invited as it takes a long time to get moving (and even longer if I want the horses to stay upright) and its rare that the ‘flasher’ has taken this into account. I can’t really get going out of 1st until its all in a vaguely straight line. Another is slip roads joining the motorway, it can be quite scary when you know the joiner hasn’t checked their blind spot and is trying to merge directly behind the van whilst I try to eek out another 2mph to pull the trailer into their view.

I saw a cracking example of a motorist not noticing / taking into account a trailer.

M6 junction 34 southbound is a horrible on slip as its short and uphill. I was in lane 2 behind a United Utilities Transit with trailer which had a little digger on it.

Some clown came on the motorway from the slip then, indicator on, moved into lane 2 right in front of the Transit which forced him into lane 3.

Obviously this is illegal with a trailer but it really was the only thing he could do else he would have Jack knifed if he had slammed on. The driver who moved out really didn’t care that the Transit had a trailer on it.

At this point there is normally just an overview map of the stages.

In the past, I’ve roughly worked out the roads using a map and the towns / villages visited.

The Race Manual with detailed route, feed stops etc is usually out about 3 weeks before the race on the ToB website.

Healing vibes.

The cars in front probably didn’t wait around as the first one would have been brought into question as he flashed the other car over when a cycle was coming.

Good route this year.

They will always get some people’s back up by not going everywhere but the organisers, I feel, do really well getting round in the short space of time they have.

They seem to try to get various places over the space of a few years.

Is the Hartside summit that one with the Cafe on top ?

Could it be the 7 year warranty and customers thinking they have to stick with Kia to keep that warranty ?

Someone’s gotta pay.

My Fiesta will be due a ” big ” service at 75k ( on 69k now ) so in budgeting, I rang around various Ford dealers.

Bristol St £320, Evans Halshaw £275, local family owned Ford franchise £220

The lad who works on my van, fully VAT registered etc £155. Think I will go for the last one.

Someone phoned the other day to ask if I had ever worked in a noisy environment.

Kept asking them to speak up or repeat what they’d said. My kids laughing in the background gave it away.

I had the same people keep calling me so I did the same, pretending to be hard of hearing.

The guy who called me had heard it all before as he replied ” no problem mate, I will make you an appointment, is 6.30 Sunday morning OK ? “

I told him to **** Off at that point…..

My Goddaughter loves Mountain Biking but doesn’t have any decent riding near her so she comes to mine and either rides out with me or goes solo.

One Friday morning she had the day off college so rang me asking if I fancied a ride out. I was working so couldn’t but agreed that she could come to mine, leave her car here and ride out solo.

She had rung me about an hour and half before I had to leave for work so I told her to get a move on as I wanted to give her a door key in case she got back before me so she can get cleaned up etc and she lives an hour away.

In her haste she loaded her knee pads, helmet, Camalbak etc but forgot her bike…..

I did take pity on her and lent her mine but checked every Mark on it first 😀

Like andy4d said, the older Polos have a air fed system running off a pump behind the offside rear light.

That can fail but also the air lines to each door can get damaged.

The older Polos had a very distinctive whirring noise has they were locking rather than a positive ” click ” of modern cars, don’t know anything about your shape polo has I’ve only had 6n shape but my Mate had a Golf that had the previous mentioned steel skin inside the door so yours may be the same.

May be a PITA but the garage having it 3 Days, is that assessing then stripping and waiting for the parts, or 3 Days labour sorting it ?

If it’s waiting for parts, ask how many hours labour they are going to charge. May only be a few hours.

I’m glad GCN have started this channel as they have always focused mainly on Road and rarely mentioned MTB.

Most of the videos on GCN have been good so hopefully the MTB side will be the same.

Martyn and Rob seem to be having a blast doing the show.

Miley Cyrus, Wrecking Ball

Thought it went ” I came in like a rugby ball “

Taylor Swift’s latest apparently says ” got a long list of ex lovers ” not as I heard it ” got lonely Starbucks lovers ”

Gala’s freed from desire, I thought it said ” my lovers got no money he’s got his dungarees ”

I do but I don’t go very far from Home and just tend to do loops around the area.

I split between the Road bike and MTB at night but, with the MTB, I just go round the local cycle paths.

The road bike I only ride on Roads i know as I’m always worried about hitting potholes etc.

In fact, the last time I rode the Road bike at night I just went up and down our main road about 8 times, got 20 miles in just over an hour 😉

Yeah it’s normal, to me anyway.

I don’t like riding with anyone. My riding is my time, my relaxation, my space.

In a big group I always find there is someone who gets on my nerves so I just avoid it.

Take the wife to the Corrie set if thats her thing as its round the corner from MOSI
I’m assuming it’s a few years since you went then? It’s not there any more.

It’s reopened last year but it’s only the street set and backstage tour, not the big attraction it was in the late 80’s early 90’s

I went about a month ago and enjoyed it.

I’ve the older Triban 3, the red one, and I upgraded the wheels to Shimano R501’s from Merlin.

They are a bit lighter than stock, but the main thing strangly is the braking is better. Might be worth a punt at £60 for a pair.

Actually getting out was a victory.

I decided to change the cassette and chain on the road bike, I’d picked the parts up earlier in the week so expected a quick fix.

Never think that…….

The chain splitter broke taking the old chain off so had to nip out and get another, then the gears where playing up so I changed the inners ( first time I’d done that on a road bike so took some sussing ) so only managed a quick 8 mile ride to check everything was working.

My Fiesta regens every couple of weeks or so.

I’m doing 400 – 500 mile a week mainly town stuff with the learners. It bounces all over the shop and the idle is awful when it regens.

Also kicks out loads of grey smoke. Depending on who I’m teaching, I wind them up and tell them they have broke the car 😉

I usually prevent it regening by taking the roofbox off and caning it between lessons, all within legal limits but you get some filthy looks when a learner car accelerates hard away from the lights so it’s better to take the roofbox sign off.

Another way is a blast down the motorway every 10 – 14 days. I know its natural for it to regen, but I worry if it did it on test and the examiner thought it was broke.

People are bloody stupid though. Once had a box of kittens dumped outside the surgery in the pouring rain one morning.
I was working at an RSPCA branch once, and it was an eye-opener. Very nearly every single phone call was “can you take a cat?” After being the 90th person to be told “sorry, we’re absolutely full”, one member of the intellectual proletariat decided to drive over anyway and dump a box of kittens in the car park. Suppose it’s a step up from the canal at least.

One of the staff members ended up taking them home overnight as there was nothing else they could do with them. What happened to them after that I’ve no idea.

This happens regular, Mum works for the RSPCA and it’s not uncommon for this to happen. Chances are they will have had to keep them at the member of staff’s home till a space came clear, they will have been rehomed.

I’m sure that through some silly legal loophole the morons can’t get prosecuted as they have left them ” in a place of safety ” unlike the idiots who dumped some Pups outside a supermarket few weeks ago and the froze to death.

Depression is a horrible thing to have to suffer, my Mum has it and I’m sure I have some of the same symptoms.

All the best OP, can’t say anything apart from thinking of you.

212 for me, not bad considering how busy I am at work.

Fitted them last night and they seem fine for what I need.

I’ve got a Triban 3 and they are a lot lighter than the standard wheels.

Weirdly, the brakes seem loads better With these wheels.

Mmmmm, going to be passing Merlin in about half an hour, think I’m going to be £60 lighter 😀

I have a Escort van, bought for £ 1100 as it was the straightest one I could find.

10,000 miles later it’s let me down once with the auxillary belt. 50 mpg at least.

Main issue with these are rust and plenty of it. I’ve booked a week off work next month to have a potter on the van doing welding and tidying up for its MOT.

It’s not for everyone, but I can do bodywork as I qualified at college so it’s cheap enough to DIY and keep it going.

First long road ride since November yesterday. Did a 40 mile ride in December, furthest ride of any sort since was 20, not had chance to even commute much so far this year.

Quite what made us think a 70 mile ride was a good idea, even a fairly flat one, I have no idea. And it was a bit breezy. Definitely a bit dehydrated and not eaten enough on the ride. Grovelled up the gentle hill home at the end.

Ate and drank fairly well yesterday afterwards, was expecting to be unable to move today but just heavy legs.

Sounds exactly the same as me, I’m guessing it’s just lack of mileage

I’m 37

Feel fine now and did last night, it’s just I don’t normally get that ache whilst actually riding. Occasionally after, but not during.

RSPCA for 3 years giving advice to scallies regarding how they treat their animals when they can’t look after themselves.

Car Salesman / Valeter for a idiot that couldnt organise a 2 ticket raffle and went on holiday without telling me leaving me responsible for the entire garage.

Van Driver delivering car spares, actually miss that job sometimes as it wasn’t too bad but they kept putting ridiculous routes on us making it impossible to get back in time.

Driving Instructor, self employed, no boss, no one apart from the students to have to deal with, day off when I want ( mostly ) think I like this one….

My Fiesta is white and the last one was.

I love cleaning Cars so I chose that colour 😉

But seriously it could do with a wash every Day at this time of year. I’m doing about 120 miles a Day and by that time is filthy.

It’s a lease Car so White is easy to get scratches out of and to make look decent when it goes back. That for me wins everytime over the pearlescent brown / black Fiesta I had a while back that scratched if you looked at it…..

I was only on the Corrie tour 2 weeks ago and it made me realise how many memories of the programme I have from growing up.

Don’t know if it’s just a northern thing but there is a character that everyone can relate to.

Anne Kirkbride was an absolute legend and is going to be sadly missed.