What are the most important things when buying a bike?



On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 16:05:08 +0000, Brian G <[email protected]>
wrote in message <[email protected]>:

>I haven't suggested someone else should pay. I supported both of them
>substantially through their undergraduate years and continue to support
>them to a fair extent now. The reality however is that the costs
>involved in university education (in particular the punitive rentals
>charged by many private landlords in our cities) have meant that they
>have had to enter into significant loan deals in addition.


This is an Excellent Thing as it gets them into the habits of debt
which will make them such valuable members of the consumer society
right up to their early death from alcoholism brought on by the stress
of all that debt, saving the nation a fortune in pensions...

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 16:05:08 +0000, Brian G <[email protected]>
> wrote in message <[email protected]>:
>
>
>>I haven't suggested someone else should pay. I supported both of them
>>substantially through their undergraduate years and continue to support
>>them to a fair extent now. The reality however is that the costs
>>involved in university education (in particular the punitive rentals
>>charged by many private landlords in our cities) have meant that they
>>have had to enter into significant loan deals in addition.

>
>
> This is an Excellent Thing as it gets them into the habits of debt
> which will make them such valuable members of the consumer society
> right up to their early death from alcoholism brought on by the stress
> of all that debt, saving the nation a fortune in pensions...


And best of luck to your family too...


--
Brian G
 
aquaplex2004 wrote:

> Im currently undertaking a project on the bike industry in the Uk for a
> University course and to be honest I have no clue whatso ever about
> bikes!
>
> I'm just wondering if some of you could let me know what things you
> consider to be important when buying a bicycle (price, brand, features,
> performance etc) please, and to also rank them in order of importance


A threaded headset and a chromolly steel frame.
 
On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 18:26:38 +0000, Brian G <[email protected]>
wrote in message <[email protected]>:

>> This is an Excellent Thing as it gets them into the habits of debt
>> which will make them such valuable members of the consumer society
>> right up to their early death from alcoholism brought on by the stress
>> of all that debt, saving the nation a fortune in pensions...


>And best of luck to your family too...


Hey, I was just expressing my cynicism about the institutionalised
debt caused by student loans. One of the reasons we are still paying
our old mortgage endowment premiums after switching to a One Account
is so that we will actually be able to afford to help the kids through
uni. There is no way I could have gone to uni without a full grant -
my dad was a college lecturer, permanently skint.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 19:33:48 GMT, "Steven M. Scharf"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>A threaded headset and a chromolly steel frame.


Or not, depending.

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 19:58:04 +0000, Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

>>A threaded headset and a chromolly steel frame.

>
> Or not, depending.


Lusting after a carbon-fibre Windcheetah, eh Guy?


Me too!



Mike
 
"Tumbleweed" <[email protected]> writes:

>"Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> Tumbleweed wrote:


>>> Werent they all employed in soem respect by their
>>> universities.professors, teaching assistants etc?


>> And where does University funding come from?


>Some from the tax paper, some from patronage, some from industry. All a
>fixed amount rather than an open ended sum available to anyone who'd like to
>study indefinitely.


You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
to. There are necessary qualifications, which ensures that only a few
unusually clever and well educated folk are allowed in. And you don't
get to study indefinitely. If you muck about you get thrown out. If
you try hard but can't make the grade you get thrown out. And if you
do make reasonable progress, but slowly, after a certain reasonable
amount of time you're thrown on your own resources. After a certain
further time, you're thrown out.
--
Chris Malcolm [email protected] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
 
On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 20:04:30 GMT, Mike Causer
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>>>A threaded headset and a chromolly steel frame.

>> Or not, depending.

>Lusting after a carbon-fibre Windcheetah, eh Guy?


Curses! Rumbled! ;-)

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 21:34:21 +0000, Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

>>Lusting after a carbon-fibre Windcheetah, eh Guy?

>
> Curses! Rumbled! ;-)


But have you noticed that the top of the line model now features a
"hyperactive seat suspension system"?

Boing boing boing boing boing boing boing boing .......


Mike
 
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 18:26:38 +0000, Brian G <[email protected]>
> wrote in message <[email protected]>:
>
>
>>>This is an Excellent Thing as it gets them into the habits of debt
>>>which will make them such valuable members of the consumer society
>>>right up to their early death from alcoholism brought on by the stress
>>>of all that debt, saving the nation a fortune in pensions...

>
>
>>And best of luck to your family too...

>
>
> Hey, I was just expressing my cynicism about the institutionalised
> debt caused by student loans. One of the reasons we are still paying
> our old mortgage endowment premiums after switching to a One Account
> is so that we will actually be able to afford to help the kids through
> uni. There is no way I could have gone to uni without a full grant -
> my dad was a college lecturer, permanently skint.


Fair enough. It's such a difficult thing for a parent to watch without
feeling a lot of guilt which is really not necessary. The most annoying
part is that the kids themselves shrug their shoulders at the debt
situation; old fogeys like me were brought up to regard debt as just
about as acceptable as a recurring dose of clap.

--
Brian G
 
On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 22:47:23 +0000, Brian G <[email protected]>
wrote in message <[email protected]>:

>Fair enough. It's such a difficult thing for a parent to watch without
>feeling a lot of guilt which is really not necessary. The most annoying
>part is that the kids themselves shrug their shoulders at the debt
>situation; old fogeys like me were brought up to regard debt as just
>about as acceptable as a recurring dose of clap.


Ain't that the truth. When did debt suddenly become a good thing? I
suppose about the time that house price inflation became property
investment ;-)

Guy
--
"then came ye chavves, theyre cartes girded wyth candels
blue, and theyre beastes wyth straynge horn-lyke thyngs
onn theyre arses that theyre fartes be herde from myles
around." Chaucer, the Sheppey Tales
 
Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
>
>
> Ain't that the truth. When did debt suddenly become a good thing?


When there was a realistic prospect of us becoming third world country
and having some kindly rich nation wipe out all our debt for us ;-)

Tony
 
> Ain't that the truth. When did debt suddenly become a good thing?

Probably about the time that the government listened to the banks ideas for
replacing the grant.
 
"Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
<snip>
>>

> I haven't suggested someone else should pay. I supported both of them
> substantially through their undergraduate years and continue to support
> them to a fair extent now. The reality however is that the costs involved
> in university education (in particular the punitive rentals charged by
> many private landlords in our cities) have meant that they have had to
> enter into significant loan deals in addition.
>


Since rents are now returning the same level of income as if the money had
just been invested in a b soc account, say 4 or 5%, I dont think 'punitive'
is a good choice of phrase.

--
Tumbleweed

email replies not necessary but to contact use;
tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com
 
Tumbleweed wrote:
> Since rents are now returning the same level of income as if the money had
> just been invested in a b soc account, say 4 or 5%, I dont think 'punitive'
> is a good choice of phrase.


You sound like you have had no experience of student accommodation in
university cities in some time.

In Sheffield there was a completely separate student housing market
which did it's utmost to charge to excess for a bare minimum. The house
I lived in for my last year in the city was several cuts above all other
student accommodation because the girl who owned it was a student in the
city.

Jon
 
Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:

: You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
: to.

Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
 
Tumbleweed wrote:
> "Brian G" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> <snip>
>
>>I haven't suggested someone else should pay. I supported both of them
>>substantially through their undergraduate years and continue to support
>>them to a fair extent now. The reality however is that the costs involved
>>in university education (in particular the punitive rentals charged by
>>many private landlords in our cities) have meant that they have had to
>>enter into significant loan deals in addition.
>>

>
>
> Since rents are now returning the same level of income as if the money had
> just been invested in a b soc account, say 4 or 5%, I dont think 'punitive'
> is a good choice of phrase.

In my relatively recent experiences of student accommodation,
particularly in Edinburgh, "punitive" is precisely correct. I obviously
don't know for certain that large returns are being made, although it is
generally felt to be the case. However, spending three or four years in
the type of accommodation on offer for very large sums is punishment indeed.


--
Brian G
 
Just zis Guy, you know? <[email protected]> wrote:

: Ain't that the truth. When did debt suddenly become a good thing? I

About the time that student loans where introduced....

It's very easy to get the "well, I'm 9 grand in debt, another 50 quid on
the card won't make any difference" attitude.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune PGP/GPG Key: http://www.clune.org/pubkey.txt
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness
 
"Arthur Clune" <[email protected]> writes:

>Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:


>: You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
>: to.


>Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
>longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
>once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.


They may well do that in some of these rubbish modern "universities"
the Govt created as a prelude to stuffing half the population through
"university".
--
Chris Malcolm [email protected] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]
 
Arthur Clune wrote:
> Chris Malcolm <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> : You don't get accepted to do a postgrad degree just because you want
> : to.
>
> Really? That may still be true for a PhD course, but it's definatly no
> longer true for a MSc. Pay the money and you get let on the course. And
> once you've paid, you'll have to really, really, really try to fail.
>
> Arthur
>

You're saying that British universities are now offering Masters degrees
for sale, a practice hitherto thought to be confined to Certain Other
Countries. Is there an age limit for purchasers? I never did get
around to doing a Masters when young. :)

--
Brian G
 

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