1249 - My Dream Bike Build (18 July 2026 Edition)

With the Tour de France 2026 ongoing my focus on bikes has returned yet again. Yes, I still don't ride but hey I can dream right? This blog won't be super detailed yet again, I'll probably try to be as specific as I can with the components but not so specific that I'll be saying the exact part number or something. Also considering my age and how often I ride, I'll be focusing on comfort more than speed. So no internal routing, no weight weenie stuff, which is pretty obvious considering the frame I want.

• Ritchey Outback Steel Break-Away frameset. I'll probably go a size below recommended so it'll be small. Still my dream frameset because you can disassemble it and store it in the Ritchey Break-Away Travel case, something I'd definitely get as well to store the bike in. The Outback Break-Away I'll be building will be more all-road oriented than gravel.
• Shimano groupset and brakeset. Most likely mechanical groupset and hydraulic brakes, using Zeno Q-Connector V2 hydraulic quick coupler. My usual bias for simple and relatively easy to repair bleeds over to bicycles, where I'd rather have a mechanical 1x groupset. I've also changed my mind with regards to hydraulic brakes, mostly because I've discovered that there are couplers for hydraulic bike lines that do a great job. I'll go with the 42T chainring and an 11-42T cassette. 160 mm brake rotors for both front and rear wheels.
• Salsa Cowchipper 380 mm alloy handlebar. Nothing fancy, no internal routing, just a simple, flared handlebar.
• Redshift ShockStop Suspension System handlebar stem and seatpost. I've been very curious about these for the longest time. There are pros and cons about the stem but if they help with comfort then I'm all for it.
• Pro Stealth Offroad saddle. I'm not too familiar with the best saddles available, and I haven't watched GCN or bike fitting Youtube channels lately so I'll settle for this saddle, which seems to be wider than some of the saddles I've seen.
• Shimano PD-ME7000 Trail SPD Pedals. Pretty specific here, but I've also always been curious about clipless pedals. I'm not going for road bike pedals, but rather with gravel/MTB pedals so that the cleats (do I still remember the terms right?) won't be interfering with how I walk when I'm off the bicycle.
• DT Swiss ER 1600 SPLINE db 30 12/142 mm Shimano wheelset. Again, I don't know much about wheelsets so a quick google search led me to this article from Cycling Weekly. I just looked for the alloy wheelset since I don't really want carbon fiber.
• Panaracer Gravel King SK + 35 mm brown sidewall tires. These Gravel King SK + tires are supposedly the most durable of the SKs, and the knobby tires will be good for some off-road usage. This is where the all-road aspect comes into play. While the Outback can support up to 48 mm wide tires, I'm perfectly happy with 35 mm. I think the width of the tires are enough to handle some gravel.
• Three Ritchey Classic Water Bottle Cages. The Outback has three bottle cage mounts. Two will hold water bottle cages and the third can carry bike tools.

And those are the basic components I'd need for a bike. I'll see if I have the energy to blog about the additional stuff I'd add to that bike, like bike computers, bags, fenders, and other things.

Out.

1248 - Two-Car Garage

It's that time again when I blog about my latest dream two-car garage. As always I will give you some scenarios and what two cars I would want in that scenario. Take note that most, if not all, of the cars I'm picking are Toyotas since I'm really, really biased for them. Also even if I say it's my dream garage, I'm still pretty realistic and I still live in the Philippines so the "expensive" choices I will write are still not as expensive as you would think. Don't expect any Ferraris or Lamborghinis here.

• The practical garage, a Toyota Wigo and a Toyota Avanza. We already have the Wigo, so the other car would be the 1.5L Toyota Avanza G CVT. It's spacious, practical, and relatively affordable.
• The riding-the-hybrid-craze garage, a Toyota Zenix 2.0 Q HEV CVT and the Toyota Yaris Cross 1.5 SE HEV CVT. I'm still not confident in the EV charger infrastructure in the Philippines. And honestly I'd still put my faith in a hybrid than a full EV. A possible alternative to the Toyota Yaris Cross is the Honda RS e:HEV E-CVT since that's also a hybrid and more importantly, it has the magic seats similar to the Honda Jazz.
• The money-is-not-really-an-object garage. Toyota Alphard 2.5 HEV CVT and the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ. I was tempted to pick the GR Corolla, but that doesn't have a spare tire, and it's too fast and too low for my age. The Alphard could be the daily, and would be for those times there will be a lot of people or cargo to move, and the FJ would be the toy car.
• The hauler garage. A Toyota Zenix 2.0 Q HEV CVT and a Toyota Hilux 2.4 G AT. I really don't want, nor need, the top-of-the-line Hilux. I just need a people hauler (the Zenix) and a cargo hauler (the Hilux). Plus considering the size (and fuel efficiency) of these two vehicles I'm guessing the Zenix would be the main vehicle.

Out of these I'd honestly really want the second garage, the one with the hybrids. That really seems to be the direction my family and I should consider going with the rising cost of living. Aside from being fuel efficient, supposedly hybrids only require maintenance once a year.

Second would be the hauler garage if I'm being honest. I'd have two different vehicles that can haul a lot of people or cargo and would still be decent in size to fit in most parking areas.

Out.

1247 - (Post) Birthday Wishlist Part 3

Things are a bit light on my end right now so let's do yet another wishlist blog. Here we go.

• Yamaha Revstar electric guitar. I used to play the guitar. There are days when I feel like I want to play it again. The easiest solution would be to buy some strings for my electric guitar here, just so I can play it. I don't even know if it still works. Aside from the Revstar, it would also be nice to get a decent amplifier and a few cables so I can connect the guitar to my distortion and then to the amp. I don't even want a pedal board or whatever.
• Toyota Land Cruiser FJ. This hasn't been released yet here, and also it sort of contradicts my earlier wish for either a Zenix Hybrid or the 9-seater Staria Hybrid. (Apparently the 9-seater is now the cheapest Staria Hybrid variant, so I have no idea if I misread the earlier websites or they changed it.) Still, if I can't have either of those, I wouldn't mind having this as our second car. Yes, it isn't spacious and practical. But it looks like it's ready to brave flash floods in Metro Manila. Also, Land Cruiser.
• Funds for a new house complete with furnishings and other "mods." I'll be honest, the interest to live in a condo unit has disappeared from me. I think now the best case scenario I can imagine is to have the funds to have a new house built where our current house is. So modernize and improve the house, add solar power, make it more environment friendly and self-sustaining, and make sure it can survive for another 50 or so years. I'm not sure how old our current house is but I'm guessing it's that old.
• Funds for my dream bike build. Basically it's still based on the Ritchey Break-away Outback frameset, and the carrying case for this. I'd probably splurge a bit with some components, like doing mechanical Shimano GRX groupset and brake set. I will try to avoid any carbon fiber components. Hydraulic braking is also an option as long as I can find excellent decouplers for the brake hoses and shifting cables.
• Funds for a new desktop setup. I've finally decided laptops just aren't as bang for the buck for me, so I've decided my next workstation will be a desktop. There are decent solutions to make them portable, in the event I do need to lug them around. So we shall see.

And that's it. (Post) Birthday Wishlist Part 3.

Out.

1246 - Forty-six

Today is the 12th of July, and today I turn forty-six years of age. Talk about coincidence, I wasn't even thinking of the number of blog posts I've written.

It's my birthday but as I grow older each birthday just feels like any other day. Nothing special, nothing fancy about today. I can celebrate how I want.

This doesn't mean I am ungrateful for the things I have experienced in my life.

Out.

1245 - Birthday Wishlist 2026 Part 2

The Hyundai Staria Hybrid was recently released in the Philippines. It's noticeably bigger than the Toyota Zenix Hybrid, but the cheapest Staria Hybrid (the 11-seater) is around the same price as the Toyota. It's bigger, it can carry more people, and if the seats can fold, it can carry more cargo inside.

It may be more challenging to drive around Metro Manila but using this for road trips, and as an alternate car when the Wigo is number coding, would be the primary purpose for this car.

Yes, I know it sounds crazy since I hate driving in Metro Manila traffic. And yes, I do not like driving bigger vehicles. Then again, sometimes you need to break out of your comfort zone in order to grow as a human being.

So, what would I rather have between the Zenix and the Staria? I'm really not so sure anymore. They both have pros and cons, and at the moment I'm leaning more toward the Staria. As long as I can probably modify it a bit, like adding a front, rear, and interior dash cam. According to the Staria Hybrid brochure the 11-seater HEV GL variant does have rear cameras so I don't have to worry about that anymore.

Out.