The longer the fender, the better. Looking at the photo, that front fender isn't doing much for your sneakers since it’s way too short—and honestly, the rear one should probably be longer too. If you're riding in the rain, investing in a decent fender is actually worth it—you won't regret it.
What kind of consumer base are we talking about here—and does this actually offer total energy independence? For instance, you’re building a house and instead of paying for a standard utility hookup, you just rely on one of these "kits."
Off-topic: I own some land and I'm pretty much certain I can build a tiny passive house—maybe 350 sq ft on the ground floor plus another 350 up top—with solar panels on the roof for both water and electricity. That's why I'm asking: how much actual independence could I realistically achieve with a setup like that? I'd probably still tap into the city water supply just to be safe, though I know I'd likely need a well for things like cooling and whatnot.
Jamie Cox47 said:I was hoping someone would just drop me off there and I could ride back—but now... can I actually cross the border on the bike I’m trying to get a tax refund for? Or should I just skip the VAT since I'm driving? A friend once tried to claim VAT on a jacket she was already wearing when she hit customs, and they gave her hell because the goods have to be unused to cross the border. Anyway, the bike is Scottish 🙂
Sure, you can ride home and declare the bike at the crossing, but if you're already in a car, why not just toss the bike in the trunk? You have to declare it anyway. 🤷 You end up paying a 25% import duty on the bike just to get about 16.8% back in Canadian tax. It's a way to stay totally legal and move wherever you want without looking over your shoulder. 😂 Reminded me of those old road trips through the Midwest 😂😂 There's also the option of buying parts separately with individual receipts. One receipt per person in the car, one item per person. You'd have to make multiple trips for one bike, but you dodge that 25% import fee and still get the tax back. On a $1,000 bike, you'd get roughly $170 back—minus your time and gas. I'd say you're still walking away with a hundred bucks. 😉
Isn't that just amateur hour? If the mass was supposedly 10oz, they should have checked the dimensions, calculated the volume, and then basically used math to figure out the weight—you know, like you don't have a scale sitting right there. I'm no expert, but I highly doubt two metals with identical dimensions would actually weigh the same. We're talking about grams here—even tenths of a gram matter. ... Either someone got seriously rich off this, though I'm pretty sure tungsten or Wolfram isn't exactly cheap. Nice little hustle, LOL.
Paul Peterson4 said:That was my initial thought process—grab a condo, put down 50% cash, finance the other half, and keep a solid liquidity cushion. I'm looking at a fixed interest rate around 2-2.5% for a 10-year term. If inflation actually kicks in, my win is simply seeing the real value of that debt evaporate.
The catch, obviously, is that I’d be carrying debt. Besides, I'm not even convinced we’ll see massive inflation—if things went that far off the rails, this whole economy would basically cease to function. We might see 5%, maybe 7% or 10% if things get messy, but anything higher is hard to wrap my head around. The big banks have way too much sway over policy to let hyperinflation destroy everything.
And besides, prices in Germany have already hit historic highs. It doesn't feel like a smart play to buy into something that's clearly overpriced. Real estate is already so bloated that buying right now feels like a losing game.
Anyway, I don't buy into those doomsday scenarios about running out of groceries or electricity. If society actually collapses to that level, you aren't going to need a vegetable garden or a generator—you're going to need an AK-47 or an MP5.
A 2.5% fixed rate??? Take it immediately if anyone offers you that—even if you have to move your money to another bank just to put it in a CD at 4% or higher. 😂
I'm looking into buying more, stacking cash, but this garbage keeps climbing. Just waiting on when that dip/correction/manipulation/Ben—whatever we're calling it—finally happens so we can all fix our stacks. 😉
Nancy is such a complete airhead, it’s actually ridiculous. I just watched that clip where she gets into it with the weatherman—honestly, I couldn't believe my eyes.
Then I scrolled down to the comments and realized everyone else feels the exact same way. LOL
quiettrucker12 said:It’s honestly mind-blowing how many people are obsessed with the idea that the biggest investment institutions on Wall Street are somehow too incompetent to realize they're shorting the greatest Wall Street run in history—a run that’s already been going for 12 years. This whole manipulation conspiracy theory fits perfectly into the playbook for those "analysts" online; it gives them a built-in excuse whenever their predictions fail. Sure, there’s manipulation in every market at certain stages—big players nudging prices or algorithms hunting retail stop-losses—but being obsessed with downward manipulation in an uptrend that has lasted 12 years is just absurd.
Let me say it again: if Franjo acts as an analyst and predicts things will go up (which they have for 12 years straight), then if they don't go up, he just blames "manipulation" so he isn't wrong.
If you look at charts from other similar Wall Street runs that lasted about 15 years (and by the way, this one looks like it'll blow past 15), you'll see corrections that look almost identical to what we're seeing now. The whole "point" of these massive corrections is to reset investor sentiment—basically to convince everyone that the Wall Street run is over. That’s why even smart people on this forum right now think the party is finished. It’s a classic battle of emotion versus knowledge.
Trimmed it down to get to the point. couldn't agree more
I can’t go again after that trip to Miami. My knees and back are absolutely trashed—taking a break now to play it safe. I just hope everything feels normal when I get back from the coast in August, because if I’ve actually done permanent damage to my body, I’m going to be pretty devastated. :-(((((
What's the capital gains tax on silver investments in the USA versus what we deal with here? Silver seems like a pretty solid way to park some cash 😁 I'll probably pull the trigger this Thursday 😉
So you aren't carrying your bike up those stairs—you're riding it—but you managed to dodge the roundabout if I caught that right. In my book, that’s also the best way to go.
Donna Wells74 said:Can someone please give me a mantra so my bike doesn't get swiped? 😁 A coworker's bike was stolen just ten days ago—if mine survives the night, I'll go grab another Master Lock, though I'm not sure what else would help...😢
Are you leaving your bike out there on purpose just to have it stolen??? 🙂🙂🙂
What do you mean, "IF IT SURVIVES"????
I'm speechless 🤷
EDIT: Just realized the last part. Tell me you aren't leaving it completely unsecured????? If you don't lock it, you're going to lose it—some kid will just grab it because they're bored and cruising the neighborhood, not even because they need the cash. You won't have any other choice.