Search found 61 matches

by gadgetmind
15 Feb 2013, 4:31pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Poynton regeneration scheme
Replies: 49
Views: 7332

Re: Poynton regeneration scheme

Feedback on the Poynton forum is mostly positive and the traffic statistics show there are just as many vehicles passing through but they are going slower and there are fewer accidents.
by gadgetmind
21 Aug 2010, 10:10am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Bike to work scheme changes
Replies: 97
Views: 13437

Re: Bike to work scheme changes

Some of my guys who used to only cycle occasionally have got shiny new bikes via CTW and now cycle pretty much every day. Then one chap who hadn't cycled for ten years, and was building up a correspondingly fine layer of lard, saw how much fun they were having and has now got back into it.

Would this have happened without CTW? Maybe, maybe not, and it would have certainly taken longer.

Anyway, HMG allow our drivers to have a 100% tax and NI free parking space that's worth £1500 pa, so why shouldn't cyclists also get the odd tax break?

Ian
by gadgetmind
20 Aug 2010, 1:36pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Bike to work scheme changes
Replies: 97
Views: 13437

Re: Bike to work scheme changes

It gets worse. Anyone who's done the CTW scheme via vouchers should (according to HMG) have been charged VAT on the voucher.

http://tinyurl.com/34kkqkt

What's happened is that HMG at the top level have brought in a fairly sensible scheme, but the mandarins have then chopped it off at the knees.

Without a big campaign, some decent press, and some letters to MPs, Cycle To Work is as dead as a dead thing.

Ian
by gadgetmind
5 Jul 2010, 3:51pm
Forum: Touring & Expedition
Topic: A lumpy 55 miles
Replies: 0
Views: 335

A lumpy 55 miles

I'm commuter and leisure rider, so leave the hard stuff to the pros. OK, so I've done the odd flatish century, and 70-80 mile rides in the Yorkshire Dales with maybe 5000-5500 feet of climbing during the day.

Then we had a day trip to see the Panopticons (wee wikipedia) in Lancashire, and it's right lumpy around there! We use the train from Leeds for part of the outward trip (planned) and also to get back from Hebden Bridge (unplanned) and so covered only 55 miles by bicycle. However, the 6500 feet of climbing made it a *hard* day; one chap did a 400km Audax last weekend and he said our 55 miler was much harder!

Anyway, I recommend a visit to the Panopticons but perhaps not when there are gale force winds and horizontal rain. Oh, did I forget to mention those. Silly me.

I also did it on my recumbent, and they don't climb hills, everybody says so. :-)

Ian
by gadgetmind
21 Jun 2010, 9:57pm
Forum: Non-standard, Human Powered Vehicles
Topic: Grasshopper or something else?
Replies: 22
Views: 3080

Re: Grasshopper or something else?

The width restrictions hereabouts are theoretically designed to stop motorbikes using bridleways. In reality, they block trikes, trailers, wheelchairs, prams, and pushchairs. They make life hard for uprights and IMO even harder for 'bents. The bars of the 'hopper have to be threaded through them at 0.1mph, which gets tedious after the first dozen of the buggers.
Ian
by gadgetmind
21 Jun 2010, 2:35pm
Forum: Non-standard, Human Powered Vehicles
Topic: Grasshopper or something else?
Replies: 22
Views: 3080

Re: Grasshopper or something else?

For the record, I now have a Grasshopper fx and it's brilliant. Superb engineering, very comfortable and very fast, even climbs hills well, which I wasn't expecting. It definitely gets very positive reactions wherever I go and from all age groups!

I did 70 miles on it yesterday (Leed to York for the CTC show) and was utterly comfortable at every stage. Some of the width restrictions and chicanes on bike paths were a challenge, and it all went wrong a couple of times, but I'm sure it will get easier with practice. At one point on the ride, we went through an old rail tunnel, that was pitch black and curved so you couldn't see the end. It was a hoot when I cycled in about six back and my B&M sensor lights came on and lit the whole thing up!

Ian
by gadgetmind
6 Jun 2010, 4:34pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Insurance Question
Replies: 8
Views: 541

Re: Insurance Question

BTW, I'm pleased to say that the last few years have been crash free. Has my riding got more defensive? Maybe. Does the fact there are more bikes on the roads of Leeds make it safer? Maybe.

The last woman to hit me spotted the road she wanted and did a sudden left turn across a cycle lane despite me being to her left. The front bumper and valance of her Fiesta was ripped off, my RH pedal was torn free, and I landed in the heap on top of my bike. She apologised profusely, admitted full liability, and had a little sob. She explained that she wasn't used to there being bicycles on the road as she was from Brentford.

Ian
by gadgetmind
6 Jun 2010, 4:33pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Insurance Question
Replies: 8
Views: 541

Re: Insurance Question

I guess the CTC are handling everything for you, so all I can really do is comment on what's happened for my claims. I've completed a statement, listed damage to clothing and equipment, given brief details of injuries and loss of work time, etc., and have presented it to the other party's insurance company via my lawyer. She has also obtained statements directly from other witnesses. I've then got to see all of this, and also the statement from the other party, but the latter only generally if they are arguing liability. Let's just say that the statement from the other party usually differs somewhat from that of everyone else. Thank goodness for independent witnesses! In the only case where a driver pushed back, my best independent witness was in the car behind me, and she was a primary school headmistress. Gold plated!

I've then had a cheque for the non-injury parts, and then there's a period of time for injuries to settle down (usually three months, but can be longer) and then I've had a short medical. I've then had further cheques for between £750 (a few bruises and scrapes, aches a pains for a few days) to £2750 (cracked rib, bad bruising, off bike for a month)

Ian
by gadgetmind
6 Jun 2010, 3:43pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Insurance Question
Replies: 8
Views: 541

Re: Insurance Question

Was this crash as a result of an RTA and will there be issues with the other driver being found at fault?

I have never used my CTC insurance and have instead used a personal injury lawyer. Yes, I know they have a bad reputation, but she does a very good job and she's never encouraged me to "talk up" my injuries at all. She now sends me a Christmas card every year! She's also the one who's split the claim between bike+clothing (pretty much immediate payment) and the injury side of things.

Ian
by gadgetmind
4 Jun 2010, 2:19pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: cyclescheme.co.uk questions
Replies: 34
Views: 3178

Re: cyclescheme.co.uk questions

The tax advantage for the employee is that they avoid 17.5% of VAT, a few % NI, and 20/40/50/60% tax depending on their marginal rate. The advantage for the employer is that they avoid employer's NI of over 13%.

All the above assumes that the bike is paid for by the employee via salary sacrifice. Note that this and the employee finally getting title (usually via a 5% charge) all has to be handled correctly. Quite a lot of it *cannot* be put in writing, and the deal (or variant) has to be offered to *all* staff, even those who can't do salary sacrifice due to being on/close-to minimum wage.

Ian
by gadgetmind
4 Jun 2010, 2:13pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: cyclescheme.co.uk questions
Replies: 34
Views: 3178

Re: cyclescheme.co.uk questions

I tried suggestion the "employer just buys it" approach, but there was a huge fear of admin. It's taken FIVE YEARS for us to get the scheme going, and it's nearly fallen at every hurdle, so we needed to ensure there were no arguments that could be used to quash it at the last one.

Evans came through in the end, with only their initial refusal to handle Bespoke Bromptons, and a few people finding bikes going out of stock at the last minute, as downsides that I know of. And let's face it, anything is better than Halfords!

Ian
by gadgetmind
4 Jun 2010, 7:41am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: cyclescheme.co.uk questions
Replies: 34
Views: 3178

Re: cyclescheme.co.uk questions

The CycleScheme boys are clearly making money like bandits, which is OK by me, but it does seem a shame that it's the bike shops who are the only real losers. As it happens, I'd have much preferred to go with CycleScheme rather than Evans partly because the latter have always tended to have higher prices than other places (often much higher but I have seen signs recently that this is changing), but also because Evans have a pretty limited range. For a couple of weeks, it looked like I was going to have to take a Brompton with the bars I didn't want, a rack I don't need, gearing that was too high, a saddle stem so low that I couldn't ride the bike, and I didn't even like the colour!

I am pleased to report that this has changed, and I'm now getting *exactly* what I want, other than the colour: Brompton have discontinued the raw lacquer finish. Oh well.

Ian
by gadgetmind
3 Jun 2010, 3:45pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: Insurance Question
Replies: 8
Views: 541

Re: Insurance Question

When I was in a similar situation, my lawyer claimed for my bike and clothing immediately, and the payment came though within just 1-2 weeks. We then claimed for my injuries once everything had settled down and the long term effect (not much) could be judged.

I have had cars drive into me three times in ten years. Each time the claim has been enough to buy a new flat screen TV and I have named each after the driver in question. Nicola and Margaret are smaller TVs in the kitchen and bedroom whereas Julie is a far better one that lives in the lounge as she cracked a rib for me.
by gadgetmind
3 Jun 2010, 3:42pm
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: cyclescheme.co.uk questions
Replies: 34
Views: 3178

Re: cyclescheme.co.uk questions

They make their money by skimming 10% off the cost of the bike: they charge you 100% but only pay the retailer 90%. Retailers don't like this, so won't discount at all, and some charge a premium.

Many retailers (Halfords, Evans, Bikefix, etc.) therefore do their own schemes, but this can restrict what bike you can get.

Ian
by gadgetmind
3 Jun 2010, 9:58am
Forum: Bikes & Bits – Technical section
Topic: Swapping hydraulic brake levers
Replies: 7
Views: 979

Re: Swapping hydraulic brake levers

What about olive reuse? A bad idea?
Ian