Just drop it off at your local powder coaters down the industrial estate.

Most will blast and coat for £40 (colour choice might be limited to what they have in but look at the RAL charts for inspiration).

Just remember to talk them through masking the BB, seatpost entry and headtube if they aren’t used to doing bike frames.

Better finish and cheaper than rattle cans. You can apply decals then spray lacquer over the top if you like.

seriously…. why not just get a bunch of frames chrome plated? People like the shiny shiny.

Why did people stop chroming bike frames – it was good enough for 80’s BMXers

I had a nickel P7 in 1994… hmmm chrome…

Who the hell buys this stuff?

The same people that sell to CC in the first place.

I have one of these:

http://flyxii.com/products_1.asp?menuid=308&id=330

Its more comfy and compliant than my previous bike which was a 90’s Giant 4130 cromo frame.

http://www.parker-international.co.uk/5084/Shimano-SP41-Outer-Casing-4-mm-x-10-m.html

or fatter stuff

http://www.parker-international.co.uk/9327/Shimano-SIS-SP51-Outer-Casing.html

How is it even worth it for them to do that?

I didn’t get any choice in when my order was delivered. It was delivered when the Jewsons truck was delivering to a large site nearby.

950 for a Defender? Wow, shagged engines or mechanics?!! Thats cheap!

Both shagged. And then some.

They were selling them for £119.95 last year so I suspect they’ve put that price on as they are waiting for stock and didn’t want to have to end the listing. Instead they’ve bumped the price up so no-one buys one and will change it back when they have stock. Just my guess.

This

Ah:

Idd to do with emissions. Outside the EU, have less stringent rules. But you can easily customize a car to the EU requirements. There were then several loopholes. Auto adapt and implement to NL. Then you get a temporary badge for inspection. Then back to UK with a temporary license plate. Car on British number plates, as already in the EU has a badge.

from http://landrover.startpagina.nl/prikbord/14453175/14626056/re-please-notethese-vehicles-are-for-export-outside-the-eu-only#msg-14626056

They might be missing some emissions kit / designed to run on lower grade fuel etc.

One idea: register it in Croatia – they don’t conform the EU emissions rules. Then when they join the EU in 2013, simply transfer the registration here :) Will probably still be worth what you paid then.

I assume as it was built for export Land Rover wouldn’t be forthcoming with a certificate of conformity for it.

However can you just take it for an IVA test (like you would a kit car) and register it?!

http://www.dft.gov.uk/vca/other/importing-a-vehicle-common-questions.asp

2. Obtaining a European Certificate of Conformity (CoC)
Depending on a number of factors, such as the build specifications and age, the vehicle manufacturer may be able to issue this document. Please note that VCA is not able to issue CoCs.

3. I am unable to obtain a European Certificate of Conformity
Depending on the age and type of vehicle you may be required to have the vehicle physically inspected by VOSA under the Individual Vehicle Approval scheme (IVA) or Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval scheme (MSVA).

I sent a smallish box to Denmark last week.

I booked DPD via these guys:

http://www.interlinkdirect.co.uk/interlink_direct_5_pound.jsp

worked out cheapest given the £5 off first order code.

a previous car:

everytime I see a 350 or 370Z it makes me want to run out and buy one… what a lovely looking motor.

Its just a crying shame they put that sodding strut brace in the rear, and the plastic speaker / glove box setup behind the seats making the boot almost useless. I’ve been tempted to get one of these hitches from the states $85 curt trailer hitch and a rack to fit.

They are very cheap now to buy now… fuel prices have hit hard. Mine does 26mpg, £260 tax and £400 insurance so not that bad really.

LHS – WINNER!

My setup is like this:

Bike goes on passenger seat wrapped in sheet if I’m driving alone.

A bike will fit in the boot…….

Here you go much less hassle and no risk of death by wheelie or dirtying your posh car interior:
25kg bags £1.70 ea ex VAT delivered free total £20.40 inc vat:

http://www.builditsecurepayment.co.uk/acatalog/25kg_Bags_of_Building_Sand.html

I’ve used them for big sheets of plasterboard, usually comes on a Jewsons truck.

With an anthem you don’t need a fancy shock. I had an RP23 on my anthem advanced and never used the propedal mode.

Get that one for £900 and flog all the stuff on ebay.

I would do nothing except safety checks then book it into a cheap MOT place. My local Honda dealer does them for £27

Get some insurance (one with a 14 day full refund cooling off period).

Drive to the MOT station, get it nicely warmed up first. Explain explicitly to the tester that you do all your own work on the car and will be fixing it yourself so please show you any problems they find. You are allowed by law to observe the MOT test but people don’t like being watched so maybe just go for the full debrief – its fairly unusual for people to be so interested so you might have to pester the MOT person.

Get on EuroCarParts and cost up the parts needed – if you think its reasonable then fix it, if not drive it to the scrapyard.

ABS light likely a wheel sensor (cheap) get a cheap bay VAG-COM lead for your laptop – this will tell you any fault codes and which ABS wheel sensor it is causing the light to come on.

I’ve had 3 cars that initially failed the MOT test on emissions. One (Audi TT) had a temp sensor out causing it to run in cold start enrichment mode (£7.50), one a VW corrado VR6 that I fitted new plugs (old were a bit fouled) and I gave a spanking to it immediately before a retest (get the CAT really hot – some people even heat them with a blow lamp right before the retest) and the other an RX8 that we put a cheap CAT on (http://www.cats2u.co.uk/).

Bad emissions can be difficult to diagnose, but so long as sensors, cat, coils and spark plugs work then it should be fine.

Comic Sans goes well everywhere I feel.

Seriously just use a WordPress gallery theme. Lay folk won’t know its a boggo theme adopted by you, only web developers will.

Or how about adopting tumblr or or such “social” type platform to make a more informal showcase.

LOL, I can advertise it though in case someone can make use of it rather than bin it.

:)

Brilliant! Thanks Jimm!

If he is going round europe, I’d be looking for a left hand drive model which may be worth less in the UK than a right hand drive equivalent. Especially if he is “flying solo” and has no one to look out when overtaking tractors or negotiating tiny city streets.

Left hand drive “euro” imports might be a better bet, although will probably have some weird spec choices.

Euro models will have euro spec electrics and water connections etc etc not sure if there any difference to UK.

I’d be tempted to fly to Germany and buy one there instead.

Thanks njee20, seems there’s no true bolt through system for standard frames.

How about these then?

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/WPOOMAX/on_one_max_adaptable_maxle_wheelset_

OR

http://superstar.tibolts.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=40&products_id=348

They seem to be able to run a 9mm big QR up front and a 10mm big QR in the rear – will those fit my frame and forks?

I know they aren’t bolt through as I asked for! but its the kind of thing I was thinking off to stiffen things up a little. will i notice ANY difference!?!

I’ll have to weigh my current wheels (XT on x317) to see if there’s any weight difference.

Am I looking for MAXLE? That appears to be a big QR.

Can you get these for the rear?

Just finished my budget build (with the stem upside down):

FlyXii FLX-FR-R02 frame (very very similar to the £699 Comtat Sablet frame from a couple of years ago).
Planet-X pro carbon forks from their sale
Tiagra hubs on Omega Rims from Planet X sale
Bargain Sora Groupset from somone upgrading a brand new bike

I will upgrade to carbon post and bars, better group and perhaps some china direct carbon wheels when the bug bites…In the meantime this far outstrips any other bike I could get for £450

PS Is it acceptable in road circles to cross over the inner gear cables on their way down the down tube? I used to build my MTBs like this BITD for better outer routing from the shifters but have never built a road bike before.

Take your old battery to the scrapyard and weigh it in, I got a tenner for my last one (was a big battery off a VR6 though).

Ask your lender!

You may be able to overpay your current mortgage right now (I think mine allows me to over pay 10% of the outstanding each year) without incurring penalties.

You might be better off going with a new lender at the end of your 3 year deal (rather than renewing) and you can pay as much off as you like when you renegotiate a mortgage..

Either:

Buy a 90’s explosif, add a disc mount get it powder coated and build with 80mm floats and lightweight kit. I would try to get as much XTR M950 as possible as new stuff looks too “chunky” to my eyes.

Or get something custom built with the same geo, unlikely to be as cheap.

Perhaps you are looking bnack with rose tinted glasses. On a 90’s explosif with 60mm elastomer forks you ain’t gonna keep up with the pack on modern bikes unless you are fitter!

Unless you are rebuilding the damper unit you can use car oil in the lowers. Its just for lubrication of the lowers.

This is from the Enduro sSeals instructions for the Fox 36 talas rc2. Not sure what fork you have but you should check out the tech section here…

Enduro Tech

“32) Inject 15cc of multi-viscosity fully
synthetic motor oil into the bottom of
the TALAS side fork leg…

…The multi-viscosity, fully synthetic
motor oil we chose to use is made by
Amzoil®. Any other reputable brand is
acceptable. Note that Fox recommends
damper oil. Damper oil is OK, but does
not stick to the parts as well as the
mulit-viscosity synthetic motor oil.”

So enduro seems to think it is fine, even preferable.

You only need to use fine tuned weights of fork oil in the damper unit itself. Are you rebuilding the damper unit?

alibaba link says 600 mm but the image is printed 620 mm. neither of these are ‘official’ lengths. mmm suspect.

Indeed. Do you think Easton would be happy for the factory to flogging them direct?

Probably just some reasonably light bars that someone has logo’d up knowing its almost impossible to be busted for it.

I bet most people wouldn’t be able to tell any difference in ride quality anyway….

It can be done, this guy did it:
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/replacement-chris-king-headset-bearings

Also have a search on MTBR

http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/504273082/Easton_EA70_aluminum_bicycle_flat_handlebar.html

Can you not just chase the pipe into the wall?

What is the wall made of?

EN BB 68 is a standard english thread 68mm bottom bracket shell.

105 group should be fine!

AFAIK just put 2 spacers on the drive side (they will come with the BB)

EDIT: Not sure if road BBs need the spacers (on MTBs they come with 2 to account for 73mm shells and e type mechs) – but it will come with them if needed.

I’m building my China frame (kuota-alike) up this week with a Sora group.

Try a different browser.

If you start again and go to quotemehappy via quidco you will get another tenner back.

Do people park there and walk into the town centre?

wow saved your self a fiver there binners!

That will teach me to jump in with my credit card.

Mojo have sent me one out.

Nice one.

Found 3 euro sellers:

http://www.bikeonlineshop.at/Daempfer/Ersatzteile/Fox/Aufkleber-f-11-Float-RP23-%3E165mm::39636.html
http://www.toxoholics.de/xtcommerce2/product_info.php/info/p1373_Decal–2011-Float-RP23–6-5–.html
http://www.rtechsuspension.fi/product_info.php?products_id=7655&language=en&osCsid=rimd5ondea637svhp24t8muha0

Unfortunately they all want lots of postage €17!!

Any UK places sell fox parts out there?

What do all of these have in common?

I’ve never had a Shimano mech break like that.

I bought a road frame from flyxii – just built it up so no long term experience. Looks great though and the layup is fairly neat when looking down the head tube. Mine looks a lot like a Kuota Kreda without the taper headtube.

They do bars as well: http://flyxii.com/products.asp?menuid=326