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niterider minewt mini-usb - packed in completely, 11 months old.
Contacted supplier (wheelies) who were very helpful asking me to return it so they can get it back to the distributor for examination and finger crossed repair or replacement.
fwiw, I liked it while it was working, only gripe is that the headunit casing has a kind of hood around the lens which shields it from view by the rider - means that it if cuts out (as mine did) or if you just run out of battery power - you may not even notice immediately (e.g. if riding on well lit streets where your own lights throw may be less evident).
thought i'd take a chance on a magicshine from dealextreme (the single lamp one) - got an email last night saying it was shipped, hope it doesn't take too long from that point, as I'm having to use a blinky light of one of my kids bikes at the moment which is not filling me with confidence (although i guess I should now question why I'm happy to let them ride with it...)
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- pajamas
- Joe Smiff
- Wibble
- TheorySwine
- Dov aka Dov
- Coppi
- mick mccarthy
- kattiep
- ivandaterrible
- bainbridge
- ms.chris
- Fox
- golgol
- ian (conker)
- truli
- cafewanda
- serk
- moog
- crumb
- brakerrr
- Oliver Schick
- Blue Quinns
23.Gav86 - middlofnowhere
- furious tiles
- laner
- jcgarcia
- betty
- IDoNothing
- Fussball
- t®um
- supersonik-zlad
- Nigel182
- ondine
- FridayOctober29th
- spybot
- Wiesia
- Markyboy
- hamsandwich
- nneil
- veLLo
- 6pt
- diapo
- quaddie
- mashton
- Jogger
- wools
- ziska
- yeh731
- michaeln
Reserves:
- hartxander
- dublinkevin
- fade
- fluff
5.George Sportif - Sumo
- lardboy
- LittleHeather
- T4
- stevo_com
- Digger
- plastic pedals
- cV
- superjoe who can't be arsed to copy+paste on his iPhone
- bodieanddoyle
- BenJam
17.JD (might be lucky you never know!) - somebody
- Velocio
- dimi3
- kboy
- tika
- marcom
- mickey moomoo
- simonw7
- pajamas
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not sure who's responsibility it is to determine how and when to implement the changes - I got an end of scheme notice this week, informing me that I can make one further payment equal to one monthly payment (i.e. about 8% of total cost of package) to take ownership, so this is fine with me.
spoke with HR today - they said that the scheme provider had written to them about the new HMRC guidelines and stated that they were not making any changes, so HR has just gone along with that...
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Hey, anyone recommend some nice mudguars, silver, for 27inch wheels with 32mm tyres, classic brake hole ones? Having real trouble finding some, they all seem to be for 700's.
Freshtripe have a number of mudguards designated as compatible with both 700 and 27", noticed several were out of stock a few weeks ago last time I looked but may have changed now.
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...sale started today on these, some good reductions on already keen pricing for these things.
http://www.alpkit.com/sleeping-mats/offer_b/
Just ordered myself a fatty for car camping and a Base 180 for a much lighter and smaller pack size in case I ever go camping somewhere on my bike which has somehow remained a distant dream for me since I was about 18 years old (20 years ago!) -
Changing a flat should be simple. Alas it appears I can't do it right.
Recently I have twice had the tube bubble out from between the rim edge and tire thread and go pop mid ride. It looks like I have done it right, but the first I notice is when I'm out riding and for a few seconds before it goes pop the ride feels a little lumpy.*
thought I would point out in case it is relevant to your situation - this happens if you are using older (non-clincher) rims, when run above a certain pressure. This problem is often seen on 27" rims which are still in use on a lot of bikes from 1970s and earlier and were generally AFAIK non-clincher (mine are).
I solved it for myself (after searching on here, credit where credits due) by just running at a lower pressure, i.e. not going over 60psi at front and 50 at rear, and have not had the problem since. Happened to me during or just after inflating, would not have wanted it to happen while riding.
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Is now formally under dibs and pending collection.
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Had this on ebay for 10 days with no takers, despite a £0.99 reserve, so it's up for grabs here rather than taking it to the tip...collection in West Ealing if anyone's interested:
"Please note that this seat, when bought new, includes the Blackburn Expedition Plus Rack / Blackburn EX1 rack necessary to fit the seat to the bicycle.
This seat is being sold without the rack however these can be purchased new easily for around £25, check Google
It is in excellent condition, in original packaging with instructions, and has not been used that much at all.
Fits securely onto the rack with an easy release mechanism for quick fitting and removal
40 lbs / 18 kg maximum recommended weight limit
Plastic reflector on back
High back and sides protect kids and support head and body
Secure foot wells with straps provide support for legs and keep them safely out of harms way
3 point harness for ultimate security, with washable straps and pads
Washable padding increases comfort and is sculpted for the optimum shape
Front grab bar for support and safety
Manual supplied" -
Just hoping our (now pollinated) courgette also performs. We pollinated it by keeping a male flower in the fridge for a day or two then sticking the male flower into the female, it was like some kind of weird plant based porn film.
ahem...I'd be interested in getting a copy, you know, only for scientific research reasons and the like...
anyway back on topic - i had a shit year allotment wise - was scuppered by having to go to the US for most of May and June, basically the day before I flew i just threw a load of seeds in the (badly prepared) ground and then crossed my fingers and waited 5 weeks till i got back - amazingly got some sort of crop (Rooster potatoes-fantastic roasties, Charlotte potatoes, a whole bunch of Crown Prince Squash, Butternut Squash, and some other sort that I don't remember the (japanese) name of, nice leeks, purple and white sprouting broccolis, red russian kale, black kale.
and a shitload of weeds that i am still battling with
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thanks, checked it out, definitely same ones.
(the one time I thought I could get away without needing to UTFS....the forum is becoming all encompassing as a knowledge repository, wikipedia watch out)
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Just got referred to this thread, originally posted in the allotment thread - little bastards are still around...in w7 anyway
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At my allotment, got bitten yesterday on back of both lower calves by a small black fly, thin, 3-4mm long, didn't think much of it.
Woke up this morning and both ankles are swelled up horribly and is painful to walk. By midday there were small blisters developing around the bites, and they have been constantly seeping yellow pus since then (see attached). According to the limited info on the web, can take a few weeks to get better.
Googled it as this is not what usually happens when I get bitten, and it appears that what bit me is a Blandford fly, which is not really supposed to live in London, but apparently is spreading...
Anyway - don't think it is likely to be widespread in London, but have painful evidence that it is living in West London allotment sites.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A6756519
I shall be wearing long trousers there for the foreseeable, or insect repellent on lower limbs...although it should be too cold for them soon.
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Employers may still 'tweak' their schemes to adapt to the new rules. The 1 year Rolls Royce scheme has just had an optional free hire period added to the end of it. This is where you sign a second agreement and continue to hire your bike for another couple of years but with no monthly cost. Then you transfer ownership after three years rather than one at a lower market value.
Looks like HMRC have sanctioned this type of tweak, from Guardian last Saturday:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/blog/2010/aug/28/cycle-to-work-scheme
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]"The statutory exemption for cycles loaned to employees is not subject to any time limit and will continue to apply as long as the conditions about use and availability are satisfied … HMRC sees no difficulty in the employee being offered the opportunity to buy the bike at a later date than had originally been expected, and using the market value percentage that applies at that later date." After three years, a £500 bike's fair market value is 12% of the original price, falling to 2% after five years, says HMRC.[/SIZE][/FONT]
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Thanks Velocio - and Ramaye that is an interesting point
the only other tweak i can think that may be appropriate is that the 12 monthly payments (which in my case = £1000 in total) could be reduced so that the monthly payments = 75% of the value of the package, then the 25% payable at the end makes it up to the total amount that the 'loan' was for, so the employer does not lose out, and meets the requirements for appropriately valuing the asset for the purchase of the used equipment.
Not aware of any requirement that says the monthly payments must equal the amount of the loan? Surely the employer can 'rent' the equipment out for whatever they want?
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I'm 8 months thru a 12 month scheme on a £1000 worth of bike plus equipment...looks like I'll have an expensive month at end of year now (just in time for christmas, yay!)
what i fail to understand, forgive me for my ignorance - is who exactly is going to benefit from this extra money I will now have to pay at the end - presumably my employer (as they own the bike, and the final payment is to transfer ownership to me based on residual value)...if so, why the fuck does HMRC care? Nothing in it for them, not therefore a 'tax loophole'? I'm sure I have this wrong somehow, but would just like to understand the motive behind this from HMRC perspective.
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Am in Dana Point for a couple of days, on the Pacific Coast between LA and San Diego, just got back from an evening stroll around, and saw this lady with mad handlebars, sitting by the roadside. Then a Bus pulls up, and she proceeds to stick her bike on a bike carrier sticking out from the front of the bus (next to another mad bandlebar bike).
Can't see it catching on in London, but this place seems to bring out the love in everyone, including bus drivers, it's already climbing well up up my favourite places in the world list.
Lots of teens on fixies - but most folk here are on serious road machines, there are tons of them around, hilly like cornwall.
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Time for an upgrade.
Cnoc 14 up for grabs at the end of may. On Hold.Not sure what to go for next, either the Beinn 20 http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/beinn20.html or maybe the fixie skidder option http://www.islabikes.co.uk/bike_pages/reis.html
I just bought Beinn 20 small for my 5yr old daughter direct from their showroom last saturday, big step up from a 12" wheel, but when i sat her on the 16" CNOC (which i had thought i would end up buying) she only had a couple cm growth left in seatpost so would need replacing in a year. Beinn 20 is a stretch for her but she is safe on it, and has been happily going to school and back on it this week.
tried my son on the luath 24 (roadie) and Reis 24 (track) but he wasn't tall enough to be safe on them, although he was plenty tall enough for the 24" beinn. So he got nothing and will continue to ride around on his home built single speed dumpster dipped beater...
anyway not sure where you are but if you don't want to go all the way to ludlow (3 hours in car! but i was going past there anyway) and wanted to sit your kid on a 20" beinn and see how it fits, try before you buy etc, then your welcome to come round (am in ealing area) just send me a PM and we can sort something out
incidentally, also just got hold of a beater for my daughter so she does not have to take the expensive new bike somewhere it might get nicked or trashed, so she will also have a 1968 16" wheel rod brake 'Mayflower' british built bike, which will now be my next restoration project to keep me from getting bored.
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The chrome clips are and should've been supplied with the bike, complete with clear sticky plastic to protect the paintwork underneath where they clamp onto the toptube. I'm guessing the mechanic who built it was in a bit of a hurry (or lazy) and opted for the quick and easy zip-tie method instead. Send me a pm with your address if you want the chrome clips and I'll stick a set in the post for you as we've got loads in the office.
Hi Alb, saw what you wrote above - thought i would add that my 2010 flyer also came with black zipties holding the rear cable outer (from wheelies.co.uk). They do look shit, and also the cable outer is not well secured with them and is itself damaging the paintwork on one side of the top tube where it is slapping around. If you're happy to extend your random acts of kindness to another stranger I would love to get the chrome clips, to see if they can improve this. tbh as i run it on the fixed side of the hub, I'l l be removing the rear brake at some undetermined point in the future when i can be bothered to mess about with changing handlebars or at least swapping the levers on current handlebars for a cross top lever, but until then I would love to have it set up in a way that is not going to damage the paint. ok if I PM you my address? If so let me know if you want anything for postage/hassle etc.
Cheers
Simon -
- |³|MA3K
- joe smiff
- Betty
- Rob
- John H
- Ricochet
- jcgarcia
- izgard
- Kirth
- dimi3
- mc_nebula
- Sumo
- AcidHaus1
- Simonw7
- |³|MA3K
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I have an appointment to try out a couple of different isla bikes at their site in ludlow in a weeks time for my 5yr old and also to try out my 10 year old on a drop bar.
Having looked at what else is available, they are looking like an attractive option, especially given the high resale values on ebay.
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we raised well over £1000 for bikes for africa, which is enough to refurbish and send an entire shipping container of bicycles to africa! i'll post the final amount once all the counting and tallying's been done, but well done, chaps!
Hi Teddy that's excellent news well done! If anyone wanted to make any further contribution to the total prior to the final amount being sent off then could they get that to you somehow?
I have a charity account which gets money put into it from gross salary, and which can only be used then to make contributions to registered charities - so if i could write a charity cheque from it for bikes for africa and get it to you to add to the total that would be great, if its possible then please send me a PM to let me know how to get that to you. In all the excitement I forgot to bring it with me to the ride as i had planned.
One thing I will definitely not skimp on next time is garters and might even push the boat out for some of those dangly things...
(found on flickr)
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Amazing day yesterday thanks to everyone for impeccable organisation and impeccable conduct throughout.
Went to get an icecream from the kiosk in Kensington gardens when the tea ran out and heard a bunch of people saying "the weed run, what the hell is that?" realised when I got up this morning that the zip tie was covering up the letter T on my bike number. That's probably another ride for another day.
Anyway special thanks to chuck from Amsterdam who saved me at the start by tying my bowtie for me, which I had spent a sweary hour at home trying and failing to do before setting off-lovely to meet you and eva, congratulations on winning the bike hope you get it home ok!
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socket. yes.
bit. yes.but most hardware stores stop at 6 mm bits. where to get 8 mm bit?
I picked up a 3/8" square drive 8mm hex bit from halfords
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I've had cats fall from greater heights and not even limp afterwards...
This could be seen as a worrying pattern.
LFGSS
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This site is supported almost exclusively by donations. Please consider donating a small amount regularly.
Also just got my magicshine from DX this morning - also took one month, incredibly bright, and feels good quality also - I had also ordered a power adapter with it for about £2 so I could charge the battery pack with the supplied US charger plug, haven't tried that yet but looks ok.