Knee’s fine :-)

Bit of massage revealed hideously tight thigh/hip/ITB on same side as ‘knee’ pain (other side is fine).

Bit of massage and some extra strengthening for my glutes and I should be free from discomfort.

My Wife’s diagnosis of ‘are you sure you haven’t just banged your knee and forgotten about it?’ was equally helpful.

In normal circumstances I would probably just rest it for a week or two, but I’m <8 weeks from a triathlon. Physio tomorrow, who will probably prescribe none-impact exercise and conditioning. Hopefully, I’ll still be able to cycle and swim front crawl while it gets sorted.

If it’s the earliest MkIV 1.8T with the AGU engine, then these are great engines (four a 4-pot). Very over-engineered compared to later iterations.

I had one in a A3 Sport that was still driving very well at 10 years old and 100K. I’d had it remapped to about 180 bhp and it absolutely flew.

I did uprate the springs, dampers, brakes and bushes plus a couple of other ancillary components as well as sticking decent tyres on it.

In standard guise it was a pretty dull euro box, but the modifications made it much more enjoyable.

At <£1000, the difference between a focus and golf is how well it’s been looked after.

Well, it’ll certainly rust

OP mentioned ‘sealing’. Not sure what method he proposed, but I suspect anything you try will end up looking fairly agricultural.

Possibly a clear PU coat might be ok?

As already mentioned, you’ll get an awful finish doing what you propose.

Media blasting or a chemical strip are the realistic options.

However, the ‘raw’ finish still may look crap. I’m not sure the unfinished steel will ever look good. The alloy may polish up but will tarnish rather quickly. Raw alloy frames are usually ball-burnished to preserve their surface. A frame that was intended for powder coating may not have had much in the way of surface treatment.

@TheBrick, to an extent I do apply the same logic to a myriad of situations. However, with cycling a large proportion of the risk is out of your control. I could ride sensibly, wear visible clothing, have a well maintained bike and still another road user could cause me to have an off. I don’t actually worry about any sort of accident, least of all one caused by my own neglect or stupidity. Such an iostensibly reasonable step in mitigating risk really doesn’t take much thought or effort.

I also fail to see where the debate is warranted. The wearing of a helmet, just like riding at all is personal choice. I don’t judge others or question their motivations. But I’m happy to discuss my own.

Anyone got any good stats on the incidence of head injury in reported cycling accidents where the rider wore a helmet versus those that didn’t?

Some people do seem to miss the difference between probability and risk. Yes, you are very, very unlikely to be involved in an accident that could result in a head injury. However, common sense suggests the risk of injury to your head if you are and weren’t wearing a helmet is high. Does this have any basis in fact? The stats would help, but my instinct still says wear a helmet.

Anecdotally, I know of two people involved in road cycling accidents where their head met the tarmac. The one with a helmet got up and dusted himself off, the other spent a week in a Coma.

When I had a big off and punctured a lung, the Doctors were more concerned about whether I’d been wearing a helmet. The obvious injury I presented was relatively easy to treat, their concern lay with ‘hidden’ damage from possible head trauma. I was wearing a lid, I have no idea if I hit my head – the lid was scuffed but everything hurt, the Doctors were satisfied I’d done no damage. I’m glad I had it on.

Ok, cheers for the suggestions

Oof, AnyVan weighed in at £61.

ParcelForce seems like the simplest way then.

I like Golf’s.

My Mk5 2.0 petrol went to 100k with no problems apart from one coil pack and an exhaust sensor. Everything else I replaced was a consumable. The interior still looked like new when I chopped it in (if it were a 5 door I wouldn’t have let it go).

The FIL loved his Mk6 and just traded in for a Mk7.

A work colleague has had each version from the Mk4 to 7 and again, no complaints.

People get their knickers in a twist about cam-belts. On the Mk4, the water pump was made of cheese and would jam snapping the belt. VW now use a bullet proof pump that doesn’t need changing. If the belt is replaced before it wears, the tensioners are fine too. A cambelt change is £250 and just another consumable which should be factored in to the running cost of any belt driven car.

Chain cams aren’t without there issues! My 320d is going in to BMW today for a replacement under their ‘quality enhancement’ recall of the N46 engine.

Buy the Golf, it’s much nicer than a Focus, Civic or Astra.

Look out for 2014 Giant TCR Composite 1 or 2. Both are 10sp, either Ultegra or 105 respectively, but don’t get swayed by 11sp and an inferior frame from a 2015 model at the same price.

You will struggle to get a decent Ultegra bike for <£1000, but it’s worth finding an extra £200 to get it. Even though 105 is great, and you won’t notice the difference when riding, you’ll always wish you had Ultegra.

Plus, whatever you buy, you’ll want to change the wheels within 5 minutes, So there’s another £300+. Basically, you need to spend £1500.

Bottom line, £1000 seems like enough to get a great carbon bike. But it’s not :lol:

eBay sales suggest about £1500. So, factoring auction and Paypal fees, you’ll pocket about £1300.

This is the quickest way to make a guaranteed sale. I’m not sure where else you can go to sell high value items these days. AV Forums? But that used to be a PITA. I wouldn’t touch Gumtree for something like this.

Personal choice, innit?

If you want them but not had them yet, the constant ‘when are you having kids?’ questions was annoying – especially for Mrs TP. I think it’s a well meaning question, especially from older generations.

I don’t judge people who don’t want them (my brother and several close friends as examples). However, I knew an absolutely lovely guy – never had kids and lived with his wife and dogs. Didn’t see him for a few years but heard that his wife died of Cancer and left him alone. I bumped in to him one day and we had a long chat, he was clearly depressed and very lonely. His parting words were to ensure that I had children – not doing so was his only regret. He died a few weeks later. That encounter not only cemented by desire for kids, but not to leave it too late so that I could enjoy being a parent for as long as possible.

This may help frame the legislation – based on risk to public health both in terms of outright danger but also increased prevalence i.e. what used to be a small problem is getting bigger:

http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/attachements.cfm/att_235969_EN_A2%20Poster%20Psychoactive%20Substance%20V07_web.pdf

I’m not sure the ‘alcohol & tobacco are legal so why isn’t everything else’ argument is particularly helpful.

If they were invented today (as is effectively the case with some of these fully synthetic recreational drugs), would we want them banned or at least controlled?

I certainly would.

Criminalising those that continue to use them is certainly an issue. But not one that undermines the basic principle.

Where has the apparently widely held notion that legal highs are safe come from ?

There is nothing natural about many of the psychoactive compounds targeted by this legislation.

It strikes me that there is an almost romanticised, 60’s kinda free love view of acid/pot that is now applied to almost all recreational drug use.

I’m also bemused by the belief that the state wants to control these chemicals for reasons other than public health.

My guess is they’re offering nearer £2k…

If it’s really a nice car, I’d suspect £2.5k is a good offer. £3k for private sale?

I’d be looking at paying £200/day for good, skilled labour like this (from a VAT exempt tradesman). Add the cost of materials on top.

New, new or used? If the latter, what age/specification?

Lots of hate on here, but really a perfectly capable vehicle if it meets your requirements. If it doesn’t, other cars are available.

Clean the post, shim it with slices of coke can until you get a good fit, grease it and do it up tight. If the top of the tube is now ovalised, you may not be able get the correct size post in anyway.

Any idea if it’s open to business customers?

T&C’s say ‘consumers’, but nothing specifically excludes business users.

There’s an all you can eat Indian next to the Cinema on the leisure park… No? Ok then.

The Taj Tandoori on Cherry Hinton Road (<5 min) is meant to be good (recommended by a colleague).

Or, as said previously, the Curry Queen on Mill Road is absolutely fine.

Don’t bother repairing it. Certainly not with a new panel bought from eBay!

It’s 10 years old and done 125k. Buyers will expect some cosmetic problems.

The issue here is not the condition of the car, it’s the OP’s expectation on value. It’s not worth £4k. It’s probably worth £3k, but I’d be surprised if it sells quickly if you advertise it for more than this.

FYI, I just chopped in a 10 year old Golf Mk5 in GT spec but <100k miles. Same rust issue. It’s trade in value was £2k. Add £500 for private sale and 10% premium for the Audi badge and I’d be very surprised to see much more than £2750-£3000 for any A3 of the same age, irrespective of spec, unless it’s low mileage and/or MINT (of which the OP’s is neither).

Home

Tasty and cheap.

Have they ever offered £750k to anyone??

Amazing. Cheers!

My Parent’s still have this exact sandwich toaster in regular use. The removable plates and the fact it doesn’t halve the bread make it the perfect tool for the job. Is there a modern equivalent?

It might just be simple bronchitis due to inflammation of the airways caused by cold air. Have you tried Ibuprofen? It’s an anti-inflammatory and works just as well for bronchitis as it does for aches and pains.

Some spectacularly bad advice right there.

I don’t think a new Kitchen in a ‘normal’ 3 or 4 bed house will add anything to the value. It will make it easier to sell (e.g. the buy to let types are looking for houses they can stick tenants straight in to without much more than a lick of paint).

However, with the shortage of houses on the market in this area it wouldn’t make any difference there either! If it’s a well proportioned house in a decent area, it will just sell.

Petrol is slightly dangerous, so white spirit is probably best.

Klein.

Uber expensive, garish but actually built with some smart design features. Bought by Trek and ruined.

Chris King might still make them. Alternatively, NOS headsets from eBay (particularly .com) or put a wanted ad on retrobike.

The economics of a replaceable hanger are that it saves the frame not the mech!

It’s perfectly possible to lunch both the mech and hanger in the impact.

I’m assuming this is an alloy replaceable hanger?

If so, my money is on it snapping.

How much better are Marathon Plus than Marathon Racers?

I have the Racers on my Commuter and have had punctures from flint embedded in the tread. Sadly, the cycle-way from home to work is awash with such stones.

Cheers,

Paul

Oops, sorry. Yes, you can get a beer!

A small WH Smiths and a coffee/sandwich place. Seats are plentiful and comfy though, plus lots of plug sockets to use.

I assume you’re already logging the GPS of your cycling to Strava directly from your iPhone 4 and all you want to do is add a HRM?

If Bluetooth ones won’t work with an iPhone 4. Have you looked at getting an Ant+ adapter for the iPhone and using an Ant+ HRM?

If that won’t work either, you’re in to getting a combined GPS & HRM watch, logging to that then uploading to Strava later.

Nope, I just dialed 150 from the landline and asked what their best deal was currently. They ran through a few options, all of which would have saved me money. It turned out that by ‘upgrading’ to the 150mb broadband, my overall package would be cheaper than sticking with the previous 30mb!

After years of complaining about TiVo, I’ve decided that Virgin aren’t all that bad.

My latest call to them has resulted in my paying £50pcm for XL TiVo, 150 mb BB & Evening & Weekend landline calls.