[909] Bike Musings

I've had my gravel bike for a few months now. I can safely say I've learned my lesson riding it, and of course hindsight is 20/20. So with my experiences riding it (unfortunately mostly inside the subdivision because I'm still deathly afraid of riding on public roads here in Metro Manila) I can say what stuff I would have changed from the very beginning when I was buying parts to build it.

1. 11-42 max cassette, maybe as low as 11-34. I currently have an 11-speed 11-50 cassette. I honestly can't remember when I've gone to the biggest gear, because in our area there are no really steep climbs. I only got this because I had "delusions" that I would eventually be riding my bike for long distances to visit friends/family in the province and go trail riding where I would need gear ratios lower than 1:1. In truth I'm still stuck riding around the subdivision where I usually use the 21T or 24T cog paired my with 42T oval chainring. That's why I think the biggest cog I should have gotten was a 42T since that would still give me a 1:1 ratio gearing.
2. Saddle. I've already replaced the saddle with a foam saddle that's longer, but if I just read the details a bit better I probably should have bought the correct one from the very start. The current saddle I use is pretty comfortable but I'm not a fan of how it looks. Yes I still have issues with looking cool despite my age.
3. Fork. The frame came with a front fork but for aesthetics, and a longer wheelbase so it's not purely aesthetic, I should have probably gotten a separate rigid for for the bike. I'm probably going to push through with this soon.
4. Wheelset. I probably should have tried building one from ground up instead of buying the cheaper, pre-made ones from China. The reason for this is because I may have converted the current wheelset I have to tubeless, but having tubeless ready gear would probably have been better to begin with.
5. Tires. I got 700x38 and while I am happy with them and how they look on the bike, part of me is wondering if getting 700x35 would have been enough. I haven't even gone on trails but I'm really hoping I can eventually go somewhere with trails to go biking.

I'm not saying I'm not happy with my bike. I really am happy and proud that I was able to assemble it with lots of help from people. Experience is really a great teacher.

Out.

[908] More Car Musings

I was reading some articles online about the Toyota Rush and I discovered that the fuel consumption isn't that great. Safety features are still there though, so there's that to consider.

Checking out Suzuki's XL7 you can see that it does have better fuel economy than the Rush, though it does have less airbags.

Basically I guess you have to decide what your priority is when picking a car. In all honesty with how things are going now I'm actually leaning more on the XL7 than the Rush. Those few extra kilometers per liter you can get is a big deal considering the soaring fuel costs, inflation, and all other things.

There are other factors to consider when picking a car, like maintenance costs, reliability, and re-sale value. I guess what I'm trying to say is fuel economy and safety are the two biggest factors for me. This is probably why with my budget my top three picks are the Kia Picanto 1.2L, Suzuki S-Presso, and the Toyota Wigo.

Out.

[907] Cars Yet Again

I've been doing some thinking since I wrote the previous post. While the fuel economy figures of the previous hatchbacks I blogged about are indeed great, I'm worried that they only did the fuel economy test with one adult and no other cargo.

What does this mean? Basically that fuel economy might not be that great if I use those hatchbacks to drive my wife and daughter to their respective places of work and study. I have no idea how much it will be affected by having two more people in the car along with the things they need to bring. I've tried doing casual research on google but so far I haven't found anything concrete about fuel performance.

That brings me to this, maybe I should aim for the slightly bigger cars with the bigger engines. I'm talking about the Toyota Yaris or Vios, the Kia Rio, or even the Hyundai Accent Hatchback. The smallest engine among those cars I mentioned would be on the Yaris and the Vios with a 1.3L engine. The Rio has a 1.4L engine and the Accent has a 1.6L diesel engine if I'm not mistaken.

I should also consider just how safe and stable those small hatchbacks are on the highway.

Out.

[906] Rising Fuel Costs

With the rising fuel costs going on right now (I think just this week gasoline went up by around PhP3.60/liter while diesel was at PhP5.60/liter) it's time once again to blog about what cars I would love to have as a daily driver.

The answer is simple and involves two words: small hatchback.

I've got a few hatchbacks I've always liked not just because of their size, but also because of their looks. So I'll post them here based on order of preference. For categories it's basically reliability, practicality, looks, and possible maintenance costs.

1. Toyota Wigo. What I don't like about the Wigo is that it has a 1.0L engine, which is probably okay for city driving but in the event I want to go out of town we're at a big disadvantage on the highways, specifically when trying to overtake slower trucks along provincial roads. This is still my first choice just because of the Toyota reputation of reliability and readily available parts.
2. Kia Picanto. This was originally my first choice, the Picanto with the 1.2L engine, split folding rear seats, better looking than the Wigo. However I really have no idea how readily available the Kia Picanto's parts are, and how easy they are to maintain outside of the casa.
3. Mitsubishi Mirage. This is also another car I'm considering. I've seen plenty of these on the road and they're starting to grow on me. The reason why the Mirage is third is because I've never been a Mitsubishi fan outside of their sports cars.
4. Suzuki S-Presso. I really like how the S-Presso looks aside from having great ground clearance. My one big issue is they didn't release one here with automatic transmission. Sure I can drive manuals, but the ease of driving around with automatics causes the S-Presso to drop in my ranking.

Those are my top four choices for a small hatchback, not that I can afford one now. Special mentions go to the Honda Brio, Honda Jazz, Hyundai Accent Hatchback, Suzuki Swift, and the Toyota Yaris. Come to think of it, slightly bigger hatchbacks might be more practical to own as both a daily driver and an out-of-town car. They're just a wee bit more expensive than those cars I listed, both purchase price and maintenance costs.

Out.

[905] First Quarter Thoughts

I know it's still technically the first quarter and it will only be over after March, but it has been a very interesting first quarter for me.

I will just speak vaguely on the matter but I've been thinking a lot more about more serious stuff since the new year started. I've also noticed some changes in my line of thinking that I'm not sure is for better or worse.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this is a filler blog post.

In all seriousness though, some stuff that happened during this first quarter has been shaping my thinking and my priorities in life, and I think that's a good thing. Some things I've encountered are also seemingly signs that are telling me to start prioritizing other things. So we shall see.

Out.