finally I’m in

I guess Entry Central is run on a server in someone’s cupboard generating a few quid and it isn’t sized for 1000+ STWers trying to enter!

Too many connections grrrrrr

+1 for Tigersheds, I bought one 4.5 years ago and service was great as is the shed.

What is considered a good healthy breakfast that contributes to weight loss? My perception of healthy is 3 weetabix with chopped banana in lieu of sugar and semi skimmed milk, would I be better off with porridge?

I’m in… Please!

6ft 1 and 14 stone 3; target is 13 stone

Do you have any experience of the off road maps? I’ve read various threads about open source / mtb communities developing maps for the Garmins.

I plan to use it on both my road and MTB for every ride rather than using the iPhone or my old heart rate monitor.

What forks are they for? If they have the power bulge Rockshox will say replace the whole lower, loco or TF Tuned could probably replace.

I spoke to SRAM Tech and they replaced my lowers free of charge as it should be a lifetime item

Agree with JonEdwards – headlights can be a bit crap, better if kept clean but reminds me I need try and adjust them.

A good point above – if the chosen model doesn’t come with the Loudspeaker Business or above sound option you can have the alpine kit retrofitted for few hundred quid.

Wheel alignment good point, once the new tyres were fitted I had the tyre place check and adjust the wheel alignment – the car didn’t feel right so I bit the bullet and took it to BMW £150 later and I had a car that felt perfect. Whilst I’m not saying don’t use am independent just make sure they know what they are doing and set it up properly according to right specs for the exact model and wheel size.

Going back to the OPs post – if you are looking at cars with 60k the pads and discs will have probably been change already – if not BMW charge £200ish for front pads and £200 ish for front brake discs – Indys are 40 to 50% cheaper – trick is to make sure they use genuine sensor wires to avoid faults and misreadings.

I’ve had my E90 320d M Sport for two years now, its the 163 and going strong at 70000 miles (as you’d expect). To be honest I absolutely love it, its 6 years old, 70k on the clock and feels very tight with no squeaks or rattles.

Rather than going on about how great it is below are my thoughts on things to keep in mind / be aware of before buying:

1) The M Sport suspension is very hard, particularly with 18″ inch run flat tyres; you will end up driving like a road cyclist looking to avoid potholes etc (Despite it being very hard I would buy another M Sport although my colleagues tell me their children complain when in the back of their M Sports)

2) The M Sport is known to destroy the inside edge of the front tyres; run flats are very pressure sensitive. In fairness my fronts had done 20 to 30K but whilst having 4mm remaining across most of the tyre the insides were almost on the canvas.

3) Tyres are expensive – 18″ runflats (Front 225/40/18; Rear 255/35/18) are £200 each for the fronts and £250 for the rears. Whislt the 18s look very pretty I find myself wishing I had the standard 17s on non run flat rubber to improve the ride and reduce costs.

4) As already said the front bumper is very low – be careful when parking in car parks etc.

5) A small point but headlight / indicator bulbs are a pain in the arse to change via a small removable flap in the wheel arch (yes the wheel arch!!)

6) If buying an approved used or from a.n.other garage request that the windscreen washer tank is removed and cleaned before you buy it – another common fault where gunk builds up and stops the washer yets working. It is considered wear and tear therefore not covered by warranty.

7) I’ve read some reports of the 177BHP engines developing timing chain issues; in short I think whilst it is supposed to be a item that lasts the lifetime of the car some engines have been destroyed because the chain jumped a tooth.

8 ) Main dealer servicing costs can be expensive and service intervals come around quicker than you might think. Whilst the 320d will do 20K between oil changes usually something like a filter change or inspection or something else will flash up on the computer! Also be aware every 3rd oil service is significantly more expensive due additional filters etc being required.

When looking for cars with optional extras I really recommend the Loudspeaker Business upgrade (cars with this extra have speaker grilles at the bottom of the window surround by the wing mirror) as it gives an amp in the boot and subs under the seats; and folding / dimming wing mirrors.

Things I don’t have that I really wish I did have: Factory fitted USB /IPOD integration, factory fitted bluetooth and auto lights / wipers (these are not standard on the M Sport)

If the funds allowed I’d buy a facelifted 3 series (new bonnet / headlamps / tail lights) on a 59/60/61 plate but rather than a 320d I’d ideally have the 330d but would compromise on a 325d for slightly more poke.

Thanks – will check the jockey wheel. Gears are indexed properly and no issues when shifting

For commuting / fitness you may be better off with a Synapse over the CAAD8 as its got a more relaxed geometry

Think they are all the same travel and can be reduced with spacers

You won’t regret going for the Stumpjumper, I have a 26″ Alu Comp (not EVO) and I love it.

Carbon vs Alu I guess is a simple question of how much do you want to spend? My Alu was about 28lbs before I fitted a droppy seat post and wheels that weren’t made out of cheese.

There are a few 2012 SJs popping up in the sales – guess it depends if you want the latest and greatest or want to save a few quid! (I’m assuming if you are considering the carbon version budget isn’t a problem!)

what about an approved used 4 or 5 year old 1 Series? Drives nicely, comfortable, looks nice and will do well on retaining some of its value.

Not had the vomiting bug but had food poising three whole days of endless diarrhea, a week before I could break wind with confidence and two more before I had regular consistency. Recommend avoiding that…

I don’t have the brain fitted on mine, maybe I don’t know what I’m missing out on but bike feels great with a regular shock.

From reading the SJ EVO reviews they like the fact that the EVO doesn’t have a brain. Demo both!

Yep – although I maybe able to get away with preserving some of the carpet.

There will be other costs like relocating lights, switches, having an additional radiator fitted, moving fitted wardrobes, coving, phone socket etc.

Thanks for the replies, really helps to have an idea of cost and what’s involved – I will contact a few builders in the New Year for them to provide detailed estimates.

It will be far cheaper than moving house and given that most of the three beds in our budget are only marginally bigger than what we currently have now there seems little point in moving until we can afford something much bigger.

For transmission depends if you care about weight or not, having used SLX mechs and shifters for 6 months + I can’t really justify buying anything above SLX now (unless it’s going cheap on here!)

For the forks RS REVs were standard fit on the 2011 Comp; I have the basic RLs and they seem perfect to me. I don’t have travel adjust and find the bike climbs perfectly on steep techincal ascents with 140mm. You may be better of with 2011 / 2012 forks that have postive and negative air inputs rather than the latest Revs with only one air input as the newer forks in my opinion lack adjustability and feel somewhat dead.

Maybe 15mph was too fast… but 18″ low profile summer tyres on snow / ice provide very little grip.

Front tyres are important but I would argue the rears are just as important. It’s personal opinion / preference. I’ve read many articles stating new tyres should always be fitted to the rear to minimlise the risk of oversteer – i.e. put the best grip on the back.

To repeat it is personal opinion and I’m not saying thay my opinion is the right one.

Why don’t drivers understand fog lights are only to be used when visibility drops below 100 metres, or more to the point do drivers even know how far away 100 metres is?

From personal experience I would recommend not mixing winter and normal tyres.

Last year I fitted snow socks to the rear of my RWD car, got to a roundabout and almost hit another car as couldn’t turn or stop (got out and fitted the extra pair to the front) So I imagine the same will happen with winter tyres on only one axle. Also – IIRC the speed ratings are usually lower for winter tyres, not sure what the insurance company’s view is on mixed speed ratings / and potentially load indexes.

I have put a full set of Dunlop Wintersports 4D on the car this winter; whilst I’ve not had any snow yet there is no doubt they provide significantly more grip in wet / cold / icy conditions and stopping distances feel like they are reduced.

As a DIY’er (and not the best one at that!) I followed this guide on the YouTube…

I tried making do with a small filling knife and failed miserably; was almost easy with a 10 inch blade.

I’ve almost got a perfect finish, when checking the finish before painting I suggest shining a bright light (riding lights work well!) over it to look for imperfections.

LoCo – this sounds just like what I’m looking to do! Do you supply the RP23 and if so what is the approximate cost to end up with a shock that works? (and stays working!!)

Or is it an option for me to source a donor RP23 and send you both for conversion? If so what size RP23 (eye to eye and stroke) do I need to be looking for? does it matter if it has a boost valve? and finally if supplying a donor RP23 does it matter what custom tune it currently has or are you able to sort all that stuff out and match what the Spesh SJ needs?

So many questions but I’m really keen to get rid of the Triad for something that doesn’t sound like it’s constantly sucking air and grating.

I bought the BETD tool a few years ago – whilst not the cheapest option it works very well and all you need in addition to it is a hammer and a hard surface.

I’ve used them for three rides now and they seem to be far improved on the pervious version – feels more powerful than deore m596, the levers suit my hands better and the integration with the reverb lever is fantastic.

Time will tell if the reliability issues are resolved.

Cleeve Hill is a good bet, plenty of options for riding up from Winchcombe. Plenty of trails, it’s a bit muddy up there but where isn’t at the moment?

Went for a night time pootle earlier and came home reasonably clean. It all depends what sort of riding you want.

So once bled they stay good? I had a set of 2010 Elixir Rs which tended to go off after a few weeks of riding hence wanting to know if the reliabilty has improved.

Reading the comments on the Volvo 340 takes me back… we had a 360GL as the family car when I was at school (it replaced our Morris Ital) – I think in a Clarkson tone it was “seriously uncool”, everyone took the piss.

As a car it was bloody brilliant, even had the black rubber rear spoiler that weighed almost as much as the car did. A ford escort van drove into us, the ford was written off whereas the Volvo suffered a broken head lamp and replacement headlight wiper (damn those things were expensive!)

Strangely I only seem to get these in in my Spesh tyres; I left a Maxxis tyre on the rim for almost 12 months and no monsters had formed.

I assumed it was something to do with the tyre but perhaps I am wrong!

It’s a mystery… My renewal has just come through, shopped around and when ringing up to cancel my renewal they are suddenly able to knock a huge chunk off.

FWIW I’m a similar age and NCB paying less than £400 on a 320d M sport, post code lottery…

Like a few others above get a house alarm fitted with an autodialler. I have the house as one zone and the shed as a separate zone. They are set independently so the shed remains armed when I’m in the house. With the autodialler you can activate the alarm when away from house if you think you forgot to set it.

It may cost around £500 but weighed against the cost of your possessions, bikes etc it’s nothing.

Pedros tyre lever and washing up liquid or muc off

When bleeding the rear I found it helps to either remove brake from bike or tilt bike in a stand to get a good fall from the lever to the calipper – gravity is your friend

As a thought why not place a high, but not over the top, bid on one of the items to ensure no one else wins the auction or agrees a buy-it now price outside of ebay?

plescostomus – I got mine from Tigersheds 4.5 years ago. it is still solid but the key is to have a decent base for the shed to sit on. You’ll also need to put some frosted plastic on the inside of the windows, some bars on the inside of the window and I’d recommend some decent padlocks along with hasp and clasps.beef up the locks with decent hasp and clasps – don’t skimp on these.

Pragmasis do a good range of anchors and chains.

Don’t forget to installed coach bolts in the hinges – you’ll need a decent drill and drill bit to get through.

Knowing a guy who recently had a bike stolen from inside the house I would suggest even if you are keeping them indoors they need to be bolted to a ground anchor and the property protected by an alarm…

Pragmasis 13mm chain and lock combo – they also do good anchors and also a shed shackle.

Good security is about layers, get a decent alarm too.

The Deore’s are truely excellent – I picked mine up for about £30-£35 each from Bike24.

Very easy to swap the hoses and performance is incredible.