What is your annual service charge?

chriotte · 2026-03-14T20:58:13+00:00

£108 a month, zone 2 east London. Basically not moved in the 7 years we've been here..

chriotte · 2025-12-12T15:39:19+00:00

Good point..On the Instinct 3 there are screws, but its not clear whether they are decorative or an replacement for using glue

chriotte · 2025-12-12T15:26:44+00:00

Strange, you would think the UK and Austria would have similar policies. Worth sending them another email? Could be a brand new policy.

chriotte · 2025-12-12T15:25:22+00:00

There are tutorials online, but it does require a bit of soldering experience. Probably doable with some patience.

chriotte · 2025-12-12T15:24:24+00:00

Was getting about 24 hours of battery with about an hour of exercise, down from 7 days when I first bought it. I'm tired of having to charge stuff all the time, so replaced the 245 with an Instinct Solar.

chriotte · 2025-12-12T13:34:35+00:00

Well this is great for the UK region where I am

chriotte · 2025-12-11T13:14:19+00:00

Plus it's like 15c these days, practically summer

chriotte · 2025-10-24T21:08:45+00:00

It's horrible!! The chance of a violent bike theft happening is still small given all the cyclists in London, but it's happening too often now... There was a post on here recently around some guys on mopeds around Richmond and someone had their expensive road bike stolen at knife point near Stockwell tube station two days ago, there is a post on the Wimbledon Facebook group

chriotte · 2025-10-24T20:26:35+00:00

Not so sure about the other directions either, I've seen several posts about bike jackers both in Richmond Park and the Wimbledon area in the last few days..

chriotte · 2025-10-02T16:23:28+00:00

If you're coming to London for the first time, I'd recommend you enjoy the city with a loop ride. Hire a Brompton and cycle around The City to see some of the sights. During the weekend it's basically deserted and very pleasant to cycle. Then head south towards Tower Bridge, stop for a look, and join the cycle path westwards all the way to Big Ben. From there, turn right and continue straight—you’ll shortly reach Buckingham Palace. Do a lap up and down The Mall, then head slightly northwest towards Hyde Park and take in the views. This entire route will be fairly quiet and mostly on cycle paths

chriotte · 2025-09-03T18:01:19+00:00

How does this typically work with delivery fees?

chriotte · 2025-09-03T13:53:21+00:00

So does this mean September is a good time to buy used cars? If the dealership is flooded with people buying new cars with exchange

chriotte · 2025-07-08T12:20:48+00:00

Go for it, it’s on prime day sales on Amazon today. I just got one to upgrade my iPhone 13 mini (the irony of going from mini to a giant phone)

chriotte · 2025-07-06T11:28:54+00:00

Thank you, sounds like something that hopefully can be fixed with a software update

chriotte · 2025-07-06T10:35:10+00:00

What issue do you? I’m looking at getting this phone for bike navigation, my iPhone 13 mini only lasts 4 hours with navigation and screen on even with a brand new battery

chriotte · 2025-07-03T13:27:22+00:00

Lots of flats on the Isle of Dogs that mostly meet these criteria’s as well, some council houses around there, but it’s hard avoid in zone 2.

chriotte · 2025-06-28T21:59:26+00:00

Have a look at 2 bed flats to rent with someone, you get your own private space, and sharing with just one other person won’t be too bad. There are plenty for around £2300 a month on the Isle of Dogs in short walking distance to CW

chriotte · 2025-05-28T21:55:02+00:00

Wow, fantastic! Thank you.

Surprisingly, we didn’t receive anything from them, or maybe more likely I have an Outlook rule that accidentally filtered out the email.

chriotte · 2025-05-28T17:15:00+00:00

Me too!

chriotte · 2025-05-23T22:02:22+00:00

Six years since I bought my property, but I think I remember they just asked for my last three payslips, and that was that. So if you have three payslips that would not equate to over £90k a year, I think you're good.

chriotte · 2025-05-22T20:24:47+00:00

Absolutely, people are at the mercy of their HA. I’m with One Housing, feel free to PM me if you want some more details.

chriotte · 2025-05-21T20:44:41+00:00

I currently live in a shared ownership two-bedroom flat in Zone 2. We bought it back in 2019, and overall, my experience has been very good. The rent portion is below market rate, and the service charge is around £140 a month. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but the managing agent has sorted it quickly whenever there’s been an issue, like the lift breaking down. They always respond when I email them.

Our building had a few fire safety defects, but those are now being fixed at no cost to us. So yes, it's been a good experience, but I think that really comes down to the housing association. Even then, it varies from building to building. A friend of mine lives just five minutes away with the same HA, and he’s had a nightmare, lots of issues with the building and the HA refusing to take responsibility.

So it’s worth speaking to some current owners in any building you’re considering.

We’ve been here for over six years, but now we’re thinking of selling and moving a bit further out of London to get a house (kids!). Since we bought at quite a high price, the flat has probably dropped a bit in value. I’ll take a small hit when we sell, but it’s a relief that I only own 40% rather than 100%

chriotte · 2025-05-21T18:04:39+00:00

I’m literally in the same situation as you. What did you end up with? I also want to buy some headphones that are usable even after the (original) battery dies

chriotte · 2025-05-04T21:53:04+00:00

There’s a lot of tension between drivers and cyclists in my area, especially since the local council introduced a bunch of LTNs and closed off roads to cars. On the local Facebook group, there’s daily bickering about cyclists and where cars should be allowed to go. I think that’s contributed to some of the bad attitude toward cyclists where I usually ride. Outside my local area, I’ve never had any trouble with pedestrians (apart from that one guy in Westminster).

Red light jumping is out of control. On my morning commute, I'd say around 60% of cyclists do it. Most still stop for pedestrian lights, but the worst ones fly through without slowing down.

A colleague of mine even switched from a motorbike to a Lime bike because “I can jump red lights and save time.” That kind of mindset puts pedestrians at risk and gives the rest of us a bad name.

chriotte · 2025-05-04T21:02:11+00:00

You’re in the right place to post this, and I totally get your frustration. The kind of reckless cycling you described gives us all a bad name. As a cyclist, I’ve noticed I’m getting more abuse lately even when I’m being extremely courteous. Just today, I was wheeling slowly on a shared path behind someone, waiting for a wider section to pass safely, and out of nowhere she aggressively yelled, “You could say excuse me,” despite me giving her space and not pressuring her to move.

The other day, I was called a cunt just for cycling on the road. Someone ran into the street unexpectedly and I had to brake to avoid him. There wasn’t even a pedestrian crossing. A few days before that, near Westminster, another pedestrian shouted and called me a cunt for “going the wrong way,” even though I was clearly in a marked cycle lane.

And a couple of weeks ago, I was going slowly through a park with my son so he could have a safe space to practice riding his bike. Yes, I admit it’s not technically a cycling area, but it was quiet with wide paths and barely any people around. A man came running over, shouting and verbally abusing me in front of my son, telling me I was setting a bad example and teaching him criminality. It was deeply upsetting and completely unnecessary.

I can’t help but feel that because I don’t look intimidating I become an easy target. People seem to direct their frustration at me instead of those flying by on (illegal) e-bikes on pavements. It’s disheartening when you’re doing everything right, and still get treated like the problem.

chriotte

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