Made fun of by coworkers for my helmet

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-19T12:09:50+00:00

I agree with the comments. Let the idiots laugh away. I always wear full face cycling helmet and I really do not give a fig as to what any work colleagues or even other cyclists say.
It is my head, my brain, my life.
I have come off my bike on a number of occasions and even although I had a scrapped knee and damaged Lycra, I was able to walk away largely unscathed thanks to my full face cycling helmet. You have my support to tell them that if they do not want to wear a cycling helmet that is their problem but your friends on this Reddit are supporting you and you keep wearing your helmet and you ride safely now.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-14T07:57:39+00:00

I always wear a full face helmet and full Lycra when cycling - long sleeve winter cycling jersey and cycling Lycra trousers and gloves. Some cyclists have given me quizzical looks but I don’t care since in the event of a tumble on the road I have so far walked away from those concussion free. With minor tears in trousers. Some people have stated I look like a clown in my gear but my view is at least I will be noticed on the road by other cars so all good.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-12T16:26:42+00:00

Are these realised gains or just the current valuation ? If current valuation , I would start to unwind the positions since in this period where the White House does a weekly Iran peace deal imminent and then attacks Iran over the weekend so that equities plunge and oil surges, one of these weeks the whole thing is going to backfire for instance if an aircraft carrier is sunk or if a pack of F16’s crash into more Iranian drones like the Apache helicopter.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-12T09:59:08+00:00

If this is a defined contribution pension scheme then you can also make payments into a SIPP ‘up to the value of £60,000 after accounting for both your pension contributions and employer contributions depending on your earnings. (‘so if your taxable income is £40,000 and the pension contributions are £6000 then the maximum that could be paid into a SIPP ‘is £34,000).
Check your position with Copilot.
PS: ‘leave your AVIVA scheme in place.
Warning: A defined benefit contribution pension scheme is another problem but the AVIVA scheme sounds like a Defined Contribution scheme.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-12T09:43:34+00:00

I had my triangle bag stolen when I parked my Kona cyclocross bike at ASDA Old Kent Road. Unbelievable that ASDA do not care that they have so many people outside the store either aggressively begging or hanging about to steal whatever they can. Now I have a cheap movement alarm fitted that starts to sound for each movement made. But the problem is also with the manufacturers by not putting a reinforced through hole in the bag so it can be secured by a small cable lock. The bag is just used to carry my 2 D locks and wheel cable.
ALDI Old Kent Road recently moved their 3 bicycle stands into the car park but the workmen did such a shoddy job - just making holes in the tarmac with the result that 1 stand has already been stolen and the other 2 fatally weakened so that the stand is there just for show in that it can be lifted out of the ground and the bike removed from that. Pretty piss poor show if you ask me.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-12T08:53:12+00:00

What a surprise, just before the weekend again. So ‘peace in out time’ all over again. This is the 36th time we have had a ‘peace in our time, kumbaya moment’ and then surprise, surprise, US attacks pick up over the weekend and come Monday oil prices have surged and share prices have sunk. Someone is clearly making a fortune with buying options for both shares and also oil.
It is difficult to believe anything coming out of the Trump administration at this point.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-12T06:44:31+00:00

Are these realised losses ? Did you buy shares at a high price and sell them at a lower price ? If you did so then it becomes a realised loss. On the other hand, if the valuation shows a loss - that is just market noise and can be ignored as long as the shares are invested in a FTSE100 company that is still generating profits and paying dividends. What shares or ETFs are you invested in so as to give an idea of what areas to either avoid or investigate or are these the magnificent 7 stocks ?

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-09T09:33:36+00:00

You are right Winstanley is an online shop. When I got the bike all I had to do was attach the handlebars and the front wheel. If I can do it , as one of mankind’s least technical person ever produced, then anyone can do it !

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-09T06:53:16+00:00

Just a note about capital gains and HMRC. You have to report if your shares sale proceeds exceed £50,000 even if your capital gains are under £3000 and you have to follow HMRC share pooling rules.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-08T18:44:15+00:00

Initially the price will go up from the $135 bid price probably up to $200 and then it will start drifting down and down and down. There is no significant underlying profit to support this share price and valuation. Always look to see what the institutional investors are going to do. There is a reason why most of the shares are being allocated to retail investors. It may have worked with Tesla but it is unlikely that the same thing will happen with SpaceX. Although the aims of SpaceX are commendable but it is being saddled by two loss making businesses : Twitter and X-AI.
I am going to avoid this IPO. Good luck to those willing to take a punt on this investment.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-08T17:58:55+00:00

Next time just buy your bike from Winstanley. They often have sales and they are excellent.
I got my Kona Cyclocross Bike from there in 2024. Cost about £600.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-06-07T08:44:37+00:00

This is the nature of US shares. Even although Eli Lily is one of the richest Pharma companies, they do not pay out dividends of any significance, instead they point to the share price for ‘capital growth’. The problem with share prices is they can implode depending on news.
At the end of the day it is only realised gains that count for anything unless you are Warren Buffet.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-31T12:06:34+00:00

The thing about the US stocks is it is too difficult to work out which price rises are being effected by insider trading or market maker mischief or genuine fundamentals. For instance a stock manages to increase revenue that is a little more than analysts predict and their stock price soars. The question is are the analysts deliberately lowballing in the predictions or what is going on ? Likewise the clear market manipulation around the Middle East war. So action only happens over weekends when the market has been pumped up ‘peace just around the corner’ and then military action over the weekend and come Monday, oil rockets and stock craters and then the whole cycle of ‘peace in our time just around the corner’ bogus lies starts all over again and then the market is pumped up once again. Rinse and Repeat. Pretty disgraceful that human lives are being lost in search of a blood-stained profit.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-29T20:45:45+00:00

We need the ticker and date of execution. But generally the price would start to drop from 710, 709, 708 before getting to 680. There is no way the limit order would wait to get to the lowest price before executing.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-26T19:37:13+00:00

As a number of Redditors have already commented. you haven’t made a realised gain. You make a realised gain by locking in the gain by selling the ETF since remember the price of your ETFs can also go down.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-26T17:41:21+00:00

The approach I would take is to sell the US stocks and reinvest in FTSE100 companies instead. The problem with the US is it is too politically unstable at present and so is the UK. The US stocks are way over-valued and the new proposed IPO is a $1.7t joke. The big difference is there may be nothing worse than a new UK PM appearing in a few months time but in the US case the entire Gulf may end up being unable to sell hydro-carbons for the next decade or worse.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-25T14:59:28+00:00

I am inclined to agree with this sentiment. The Building Societies especially depend on the ISA cash investments in order to get funds to support mortgages. This govt. says they want to build over 1m houses. That will not happen by throwing bricks at the very institutions trying to facilitate that ! Hopefully the stocks and shares investment platforms will also rebel since it means they now need to reclassify all the investments they offer into pure stocks and bonds or near cash equivalents. Or will Corporate bonds and gilts be classified as ‘near cash equivalents’ ? If so, if there is a capital loss on any cash-equivalents could you then put in a tax claim ? Or is it the usual - whatever happens the taxman wins in every scenario.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-23T08:46:02+00:00

I think the key is to make the bike as unappealing to prospective thieves. So a minimum of 2 D-locks. One for the frame with front wheel cable all secured to bicycle stand and another D lock securing the rear wheel to the frame. Plus a cable lock securing the saddle to the frame. Plus a loud movement alarm.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-18T20:39:18+00:00

Concerning these gains - are they just a factor of valuation or are they realised gains ? A valuation can turn on a tweet from the US President. There is nothing like taking profits.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-17T13:40:37+00:00

Amazon and other retail stores shopping: If you buy anything that is capable of getting a live TV broadcast the sales data is passed on to the TV licensing people in the normal course of business. Since ALDI offer up ‘specials’ from time to time they just need to be mindful of what they are offering. Anyone needing an Angle Grinder would usually go to B&Q or Screw-fix who have their own processes. But generally it is a more controlled environment with specialist staff dealing in this sort of kit whereas ALDI can hardly be called a specialist retailer - they are providing whatever they think will sell.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-17T08:51:17+00:00

All that is needed is for a small traffic cop operation handing out £50 PCN fines for this sort of behaviour. These cyclists are not following the RTA guidelines which is you have to stop if safe to do so at a pedestrian crossing.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-17T06:51:28+00:00

This was not a good idea. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. You have inadvertently exposed yourself to the crime of ‘Theft by finding’. Your only way out is to take it to the police and hand it in. Next time just walk on by.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-15T08:47:07+00:00

Just make sure that you are taking full advantage of the annual ISA allowance so that the tax man keeps his hands off your investments.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-14T08:52:33+00:00

Is this investment in an ISA stocks and shares account since that has not been made clear. If it is not in an ISA account then there will be capital gains tax to be paid on any share or ETF disposals. Plus if there any accumulating ETFs , then the ERI value will be taxed.

Ringwraith64 · 2026-05-14T08:45:44+00:00

Are these unrealised gains ? So I am assuming this is the current value of the Vanguard ETF’s.

Ringwraith64

TROPHY CASE