Cashback sites - earning money for shopping online

For a few years I had heard about cashback sites, but didn't really believe that you could earn free money, so ignored them, thinking it was probably a scam or there would be a catch.  Then a friend told me more and I looked into it and tried one.  Yes it does work - you can earn money from your normal shopping online!
Basically a cashback website allows you to earn cashback on your normal purchases, as long as that retailer/website is listed on the cashback site. You follow the link and make your purchase as normal.  Then sometime later (normally about 2 months) you get your cashback and then this can either be paid into your bank account or to a PayPal account, or you can get it back in the form of Amazon vouchers.


The two cashback sites I've used are TopCashBack and Quidco.  Over the last 5 years, I've earned a total of £1,940!!  Well you haven't really earned it, it should really be considered as a discount or refund back on the purchases you've made.


How it works?
In basic terms, you create an account with the cashback site and then find the retailer you wish to purchase from.   Click the link and it then takes you to the retailer's website. You make your purchase and then this is tracked by the cashback site and later your cashback is given.


How much cashback can you get?
Typically the cashback is around 1-5% of your purchase, but this depends on the merchant.  Some offer a fixed price cashback and some only offer cashback on certain product lines.
The big ones are things like new mobile phone contracts where you can get around £100 cashback.  Or insurance policies pay quite well, so typically I would get £20-£30 cashback on my annual motor and buildings insurances if I change provider.  And this is of course on top of any savings I make from changing.


But what retailers?
I've found that about 60-70% of all my purchases I make online can generate cashback.  Often this is only pennies, but it's added up to £1,940 over the last five years.  Even some websites that offer a free service, like insurance comparison websites can generate a cashback.  And even all my eBay purchases generate a small cashback.


How do they work?
The tracking of your online purchases is done via 'cookies'.  These are files that are stored on your computer when you visit websites.  This is how websites can remember who you are or remember what you've got in the shopping cart.  They can also record where you came from or who referred you to the website.  Retailers give cashback for other referring or generating new business for them, and then the cashback sites pass some of this back to you.



So how do I start?
I would recommend starting with TopCashBack.  They have over 3,200 retailers onboard and it costs you nothing to use them.  It's likely that most of your normal retailers you use online are on the cashback websites and you've been missing out.
Create a free account and follow links to your chosen retailers.


What's the difference between TopCashBack and Quidco?
Not a great deal now.  Most retailers are on both, but TopCashBack often have a slightly better cashback percentage.  But it is worth having an account with both and checking both out and seeing who is offering the best cashback and the retailer you want.
Quidco does cost £5 per year, but this comes out of your earned cashback.  You may find that Quidco has a retailer that TopCashBack doesn't and therefore it might be worth the £5 annual fee.  Also Quidco pays cashback on some High Street purchases.  If you register your debit and credit cards with them, then when you make purchases in certain Hight Street stores (e.g. Halfords, Debenhams, NCP, Blockbuster and more) you also get cashback on this, so it's well worth forfeiting the £5 annual fee for this free cashback.


Therefore, my recommendation is use setup an account with both, follow my tips below and start getting money back.




Tips for successful cashback transactions
Not all cashback transactions will work.  Sometimes the retailer might not validate it and not pay, or sometimes the tracking might not work.
To get the best results you need to make sure the tracking between the cashback site and the retailer where you're making the purchase is recorded properly.  The easiest way to achieve this is to delete your web browser's cookies before starting the transaction and then login to the cashback site and find your retailer.  For help on how do to this go here.
My preferred method is to use two web browsers.  I use Chrome for all my normal internet surfing and to research the products I want to buy.  Then when I'm ready to make that purchase, I jump to Firefox, then login to TopCashBack and then find the retailer.  In Firefox I set it to automatically delete all cookies and history on exit, so it's always ready to good reliable cashback transactions.

HouseNetwork - the future of estate agency

If anyone is selling or letting a property, try HouseNetwork - the online estate agency. They advertise on Rightmove, Prime Location and all the other sites.  I've found their service and operation is so much better than traditional estate agents and their fees are just amazing. They come out and do the photos, floor plans, EPC and so on. They only thing they don't do is the onsite viewings, which we've always preferred to do anyway as you get a better idea of the clients. But then do all the bookings, follow ups, negotiations etc.

We used them to sell our house two years ago and now again to rent out our flat. I can't rate them highly enough.  They've been fantastic and much more efficient and effective than normal highstreet agents we've used in the past.

If you enter our referral reference "ECKQOOHILL" in the shopping cart or inform the phone agent, then you'll get a additional 5% discount on their already cheap fees!!


In fact they are so cheap, the initial view could be that there's a catch or they can't be up to much.  But far from it.  From my experience the service is far superior than highstreet agents and they have good well trained staff.  In fact I really can't see how they can do this for the money!


Here's how efficient they are with our last property....guy came to survey and take photos on the Friday.  Did the room plans, details, photos and EPC survey.  This was all complete my mid morning on the Monday.  I then signed them off after making some minor changes.  The details were live on the HouseNetwork site within minutes and then live on Rightmove (and the others) in about an hour.  Got the first call for a viewing within minutes of it being on Rightmove!  After 3 days of viewings and many calls, flat was let and the new tenant moved in the following Friday.  All this for £195+VAT.  And for that I've got the EPC that is valid for the next 10 years and another 12 months marketing if I need it.


I'll never use a local agent again.  The difference in price just doesn't justify the presence of the walk in office and the chance that they might put your house in their local newspaper adverts.  The majority use the internet now.  Our property appeared in 1,728 Rightmove searches in just the 6 days it was live!!


For more info, see House Sales or House Lettings.

Not impressed with Life-Cycles mail order

I wanted to buy some Endura clothing and after a few searches on the net, I discovered that Life-Cycles had pretty much the best pricing and seem to show the most extensive Endura range of any online retailer.  On the 10th October I placed an order for a Windchill jacket and some undershorts.  I ordered early in the morning and was assuming the gear would be dispatched that day.
After a few days I emailed them to ask when it was getting dispatched, but no answer.  After a few further days I telephoned and the guy blamed it on someone being on holiday the previous week and said he'll look into it and email me - and again no answer.  I left it another few days and then emailed asking for an update.  Yet again I didn't get a reply and now today after 18 days the package arrived - sent by first class recorded.


So I'm very disappointed in this companies lack of communications appalling speed they have taken to deliver my goods.  I would accept a delay if I was informed that items were out of stock and or informed of problems - but nothing!


In the last month I have purchased other bike bits from outside the UK and the speed I've received these has been fantastic.  I purchased an two Ergon BC1 backpacks from Israel on eBay - they arrived 2 days later (and with no VAT or import duty demand either)!!  I then purchased two Ergon bladders from Rose Bikes in Germany and again these arrived only 2 days later.  I then purchased some torches from Lightmalls in China and these only took 10 days.  And Lightmalls reply to their emails.


I think I'll be buying outside the UK more often!

Panaracer Flat-Away puncture resistance tyre liner

I've just brought a set of Panaracer Flat-Away tyre liners and because there is little information about this product on the net, I thought I'd add this, to help others.

Each box contains enough tape for one 26" MTB tyre and costs around £10-12 each.  There is also a road tyre version.  It's a self adhesive felt tape, made from Kevlar, that sticks inside your tyre and hopefully stops thorns puncturing the innertube.

The MTB version is 40mm wide and 2150mm long.
It's also very light.  Out of the box it weighed only 42g, but after trimming it to the correct length and removing the backing sheet, the final installed weight is only 29g.

I did some tests with the sharpest nail I could find.  This little nail was very sharp for a nail - it would easily cut you.  See the video here.

I've fitted the Flat-Aways, so now time will tell if they do really work.  The reviews on the net from owners are generally very good and it seems this product is the best of the tyre liners.  What it isn't going to do is stop punctures in the side wall, as the tape only covers the tread area of your tyre.

The only downside I can see is that this felt does absorb water and there always is a little bit of water and muck gets inside my tyres, so I do wonder if over time this felt will just add extra weight.

SRAM rear derailleur model changes

Following recent investigations in to replacement jockey wheels for my SRAM X9 rear derailleur, I found that there was lot of confusion as to what jockey wheels fit which SRAM derailleurs.  For example, some suppliers might say "not X9", but there 4 different X9 model changes and also the short cage versions can have different jockey wheels to the long and medium cage models.
This SRAM parts list will help.
Basically, this is when the model year changes on SRAM rear derailleurs...

9 speed
X0 2006-2011
X9/X7 2010-2011
X9 2007-2009
X7 2007-2009
X9/X7 2005-2006
X9/X7 >2004
X5 2008-2011

10 speed
XX 2010-2011
X0/X9/X7 2011

So based on this, the KCNC jockey wheels should fit the following 9-speed derailleurs (pictured below): X0 2006-2011, X9 2010-2011, X7 2010-2011, but possibly not the short cage versions.

2010-2011 X7 9-speed

2010-2011 X9 9-speed

2006-2011 X0 9-speed
(although colour/materials shown here may be only on later models)

Replacement jockey wheels for SRAM X9 rear derailleur

When looking for replacement jockey wheels for SRAM derailleurs, there is a lot of conflicting compatibility details, particularly for SRAM X9.  I've written this to help X9 owners.

SRAM X9 (2009/2010) jockey wheels

My X9 (2009 model) jockey wheels were seizing up after every winter ride.  I had to remove the wheels, clean them (where I noticed that that rust would come from the bearing), and grease them after every ride.  I found the bearings on the X9 wheels would give problems after just a few weeks from new.  I only ride at weekends, so I found that after just 2 or 3 rides, the bearings went stiff.  I tried greasing them or just using TF2 spray and neither helped.  Some people recommend not greasing as this can attract dirt and make it worse.   I had to buy a new derailleur (for another reason)  and  got another X9, but a 2010 model.  This was exactly the same and again the jockey wheels then went stiff and were seizing after just two rides.

Genuine SRAM jockey wheels are £23 from CRC.  I started looking for alternatives, as I'd proved that the SRAM bearings were hopeless, but soon found that none seemed to be compatible with the X9 derailleur.

Then a fellow BikeRader forum user (thanks 'glennpro09') confirmed that the KCNC wheels fitted his 2010 X9 long cage derailleur, even though sites list the KCNC's for only SRAM X0 and some specifically say "not X9".

The KCNC jockey wheels get excellent reviews, but are quite expensive.  They do 10,11,12 & 13 teeth versions and all available with either a stainless steal bearing or a ceramic bearing.  I opted for the ceramic version of the 11T at £37.99 (delivered) from Ready to Ride Cycles via eBay.   The benefits of a ceramic bearing may be wasted in a jockey wheel, but for the £11 premium I decided it was worth buying the 'best'.

They are a perfect fit for the 2009/2010 X9, as you can see from these photos...

They've now been fitted on my bike for last four rides and so far are still running as smooth as they were when new (and the ceramic bearing is soooo much smoother than the SRAM wheels were when new) and not needed cleaning, apart from the normal hose down I give my bike after each muddy ride.  My new SRAM wheels were stiff by this time, so so far they've proved to be superior.  Only time will tell, but build quality and the way the bearings are sealed, these look like they will work and prove to be far better than buying genuine SRAM jockey wheels.  By fitting these, the time I need to spend cleaning the bike has certainly reduced considerably.  Although these KCNC wheels were expensive, it was money well spent.  Just wish SRAM could make their bearings cope with the UK conditions.

Update: My 2009 X9 rear derailleur is stamped 'DEC2009', is actually a 2010 model.  After referring to the SRAM parts lists, it seems that these KCNC jockey wheels will fit the following SRAM 3x9 models:

• X0 2006-2011
• X9 2010-2011
• X7 2010-2011

Check first though.  See the SRAM parts list here before you buy.

Endura Singletrack E8007 pants

I've never liked lycra trousers.  I look silly in them.  Then one day after getting in from a ride my wife made a comment like "you can't go out looking like that again" after seeing my 'package' on show, so I decided some better trousers were needed.  After reading the reviews, I called into an Evans store to check out the Endura Singletrack pants.

At £64.99 these are expensive trousers.  But I'm so glad I got these!
I'm also glad I tried them on in a store, rather than buying online.  There's a lot of comments online that the Endura sizing is a bit hit and miss and they are certainly right.  The Endura sizing chart indicates that I should need a size M, being a 34-35" waist.  I tried these in the store and they were too tight.  Then tried a size L and these fit perfectly (even quite snug), even though the Eudura size L is 36-38".  I don't know who Endura uses for modelling, but the Scottish aren't known for being a slim lot!

These trousers seem to have flexibility in the right places with stretchy material on the knees, waist, crotch and down the sides.  There are pockets front and back, each with a central velcro pad to keep them closed.  But I find these pockets a little too tight and difficult to use while riding and and the velcro makes them difficult to remove something (like a handkerchief) with your gloves on.  One of the side pockets has an internal "zipped security pocket" for change.  This pocket is large (same size as outer pocket), but the zipped entry isn't wide.  I've got small hands and it's still tight.
There is a fixed belt on the front and side straps to adjust the waistband.  The front fastening is a single popper rather than a button.  At the bottom of each leg is a velco strap for keeping them tight at the ankles and away from your chain.  They also have a 13" long zip (with velcro tabs) up each leg, allowing them to open up enough to get on or off over shoes.
The best feature of these trousers is the 8" zipped vent panels on each leg, with stretchy mesh behind, allowing you to wear these in hot weather.  The vents really work well.
There's no padding inside, so you may need to wear padded underpants or lycra shorts underneath.  The trousers have poppers around the waist band (four panels with three poppers on each) to attach Endura "Clickfast" undershorts.


These trousers aren't fully waterproof.  I've been stuck out in bad rain and I still got soaked to the skin, but they are splash proof and fine for lighter showers.  They also aren't that warm, so during the recent cold weather, I'm still wearing my lycra trousers underneath.  But what they are, are a trouser you can wear all year round in the wet and dry, winter and summer.  They are also robust and offer great protection from brambles etc.  When the summer comes, I'm sure I'll still be wearing these, rather than my shorts.  If they get too hot, then I'll probably invest in a pair of the shorts or 3/4 length versions.


Overall, the best item of cycle clothing I've purchased so far.  


My rating: 9/10

Topeak Defender RX rear mudguard review

I purchased this mudguard from Halfords in Sept 2010 for £15.  I wanted a quick release as I intended to only use mudguards when absolutely necessary.
The guard looked well made and was very light - only 200g which is remarkable for it's size and construction.  Either end of the mudguard are clear plastic sections which have adjustable angles, so the mudguard can follow the wheel contour a little more.  The far end section is optional.  I didn't bother with it as the mudguard was large enough without it.


The mudguard did a very good job of keeping the spray and mud of my back.  However, the quick release system wasn't ideal.  It uses a fabric strap, which is clamped tight around the seat post and held tight by a levered handle holding a metal pin.  It can be done up very tight, but even, then the mudguard will still move if knocked - I often hit it with my foot when getting on and off bike.  And sometimes after coming down a rough track, I'd find the mudguard and swung out.


When the mudguard was only 5 weeks old, the stitching on the fabric strap broke, loosing the metal retaining pin on the end of the strap.  Yet another product in the bin after only a few weeks old!  It could be that I was doing the strap up too tight, but I had too to try to keep it in place.

Quick release broke after 5 weeks

I concluded that quick release systems are a waste of time.  How quick do you need to remove your mudguards?  You're not going to take them off mid-ride - you decide to fit them before you leave.  My new mudguard is a Cycraguard and it takes no longer to fit or remove than the quick release Topeak and only needs an allen key - and I always have one of these at base and in my saddlebag on rides - so no need for these quick release clamps which I'm sure never work as well as a traditional bolted clamp.


My rating: 4/10


You can view more product detail at the Topeak website.

Bikehut Travelling Track Bike Pump review

BikeHut Travelling Track pump - Halfords part no. 128283-0.  £19.99

I purchased this pump from Halfords in Sept 2010.  I wanted a small lightweight pump (with a hose) to mount to the frame of my bike and this was the smallest they had on the shelf.  It wasn't ideal, but the store had limited stocks.  It's intended for road bikes as it goes up to 120psi, so it should have no problem with normal MTB pressures.

It's a mini track pump and for it's tiny size, it has some good features, like the large folding foot support.  At the end of the hose is a universal adaptor which after unscrewing and reversing the internal rubber parts can go onto either presta or  schrader valves.  This arrangement is quite common on pumps, but a little fiddly and not ideal.  
I get a punctures fairly frequently, so soon after purchasing it, I was using the pump when out on the tracks.  It worked fine, but being a high pressure/low volume pump, it did take a while to pump up my MTB tyre. 
Then a week later on my next ride, I got another puncture.  Then went to use the pump and it didn't work.  It seemed the seals had gone.  It was only 5 weeks old and had only been used the once!  I could have been really caught out and had a long walk home, but luckily I was with someone who had a pump - a Lezyne pump.  So guess what I brought next?


Being only 5 weeks old, I could take it back to Halfords for a refund or replacement, but it wasn't worth the trip.  Instead it went in the bin and I wont buy BikeHut branded stuff again.


Overall then, nice design but quality isn't there.


My rating:  2/10