[947] Gravel Bike Musings

Just a quick post about stuff I would change if I were to suddenly find a budget for a new gravel bike.

Wait a minute, why another gravel bike? Well at my age it appears to be the best all-around bike for my taste. It can let you have aero positions for riding at faster speeds yet it has thick and knobbly tires that can handle off-road stuff. For me that makes it a jack of all trades, and also allows me to hopefully be able to bring my bike to almost any place so I can ride in almost any terrain. Plus I'm not really a big fan of the current mountain bikes with the really wide handlebars, and honestly I've grown to like riding my current gravel bike.

Anyway there are only two crucial things I really want should I have an opportunity to change frames.

1. Thru-axles. They're supposedly easier to attach and remove versus quick release. I'm currently using QRs for my bike and there are times that I install them wrong and that's basically bad for the rotors and for my safety.
2. Flat mounts. My brakes currently aren't that great, and I have no idea if it's because the hybrid calipers I got are also used for e-scooters or if the pads I'm using aren't good. One thing I do know is that there are plenty of good quality brake options available that are post mounted. Should I keep my current bike with the IS front mount and rear post mount I would need to buy flat mount adapters for them, and these adapters alone cost as much as some of the decent brake systems I've seen online. And by decent brake system I'm not even talking about Shimano or other globally known brands.

The cheapest frame that has these two requirements of mine are also from the same brand as my current frame. The Tsunami Gravel GR02 frames have both TA and flat mount. Not only that, the frame is aluminum and the fork is carbon fiber.

Anyway since I'm also being realistic I doubt I'd be changing frames or bikes any time soon. Unless I suddenly meet someone who's looking for a gravel bike and would gladly buy my current bike from me. Realistically I'd probably just be better off saving and upgrading my bike one component at a time.

Maybe start with brakes and getting some flat mount adapters...

Out.

[946] Tired

I'm tired. I need a vacation. A long one, a vacation where I don't have to do anything I normally do every day.

I want to miss doing 3D. I want that feeling of excitement of working on something again and being able to focus on my task so much that I lose track of time and when I snap out of it, a few hours have passed.

I used to experience that before, I think people called it hyperfocusing or something. I'd just put on my headset, set a playlist, dive into work. Next thing I know I'd been working straight for three or four hours. And it was amazing.

I need a break. A long break. Or else I'll break.

Out.

[945] Second-Hand Car

With the fuel prices and inflation peaking I've been doing a lot of online window shopping for second-hand cars. My previous plan was to get one of the smaller, 1.2L hatchbacks that boast great fuel economy in city conditions. This plan has sort of changed, though.

First of all the fuel economy reports of those said hatchbacks do have a big caveat. They were tested with only one person in the car with minimal gear. So I have no idea how much lower the fuel consumption will be with three to four people and cargo.

My second reason for changing parameters is driving on the highway. Sure those cars can go for long road trips, but I'm not sure how strained the engine would be when you do overtaking maneuvers. I think I'd rather get a slightly bigger car with at most a 1.5L engine that is a bit more powerful.

This is why I mentioned previously that my search has spread to both the Honda Jazz and Toyota Yaris. Now though I've included non-hatchbacks in my search. I just need to make sure I find the best choice I can find. My biggest factors are:

1. Fuel economy. Has to be at worst 7-8km/L in heavy traffic in the city while carrying three to four passengers and cargo. This buys me 1-2km/L for gas, so extends the range a bit. Plus it won't be me doing the driving most of the time. I do know I can improve fuel efficiency of the Rav4 when I drive because the one or two times I drove that Rav4 the fuel consumption went up above 7km/L when we topped it up.
2. Reliability. I don't want to buy a second-hand car that starts breaking down the moment I start driving it. We have that problem already with one of my mom's cars. I can't afford getting a second-hand car that needs constant maintenance.
3. Maintenance costs and parts availability. I won't be a total cheapskate and buy the cheapest replacement parts available. I've always had a mindset of using original parts or OEM spec parts made by reliable brands for car repairs/maintenance.
4. Looks. Just because I can only afford a second-hand car doesn't mean I can't get a car I want, so I really want to get a car I can grow to love like how I treat the Rav4 I use.

Ideally I'd still love to eventually find a reliable Honda Jazz but to be honest I'm also a bit worried how much replacement parts cost. Whenever I do make my purchase I do hope I make the right decision because I plan on owning that car long term.

... So a classic Volkswagen Beetle? Just kidding, I think.

Out.

[944] Challenge Myself

I calculated the distance to travel from here to my folks' place in the province via bike using https://onthegomap.com/#/create . Roughly 124km far and not as bad with climbs and descents as I thought.

I'm not sure about the accuracy of the gradients though. From what I've seen it's relatively smooth riding with maybe 6% as the worst. I'd love to share the route here but then you'd know where I live and where my folks live, so nevermind.

It's a challenge that has interested me for the longest time. Here are my reasons why I hope I can do this.

1. I'm scared to ride in public roads. What better way to beat that than riding to a far away place. Just need to ride relatively steady pace and keep my lights on all the time.
2. It's over 100km far. The farthest I've ridden here in the subdivision is 14km. I have no idea if my stamina can hold out, but what I do know is I'll most likely be taking multiple stops to rest, use the bathroom, and eat.
3. This seems like an adventure I'd love to experience. I've never pushed myself to do something this crazy, yet here I am.

If I ride at a minimum pace of around 15kmh it will take me over 8 hours. Factor in my breaks and there's a big chance it will balloon to 12 hours total time. This means I would have to start my ride as early as 4am or so so that I have enough time to get there before the sun sets.

Summer / dry season would also be the ideal time to try this out so that the sun is out longer. Plus less chances of rain. Maybe I will try this out next year.

Out.

[943] Home Appliances I'd Love to Have

I need to de-stress and blogging is one of the ways I can do this. I've been thinking about this topic for the past few days and I guess I've come up with maybe a Top Five home appliances I'd love to buy and have in the house. So here we go.

1. Front loading washing machine. This would save us me a lot of time handwashing my clothes every night. Plus it would hopefully save us money spent having our sheets laundered elsewhere. Plus scheduling laundry nights during the week would be a nice break I would love to take responsibility for. Maybe two or three nights a week, depending on how much laundry there is.
2. Air fryer. I've watched a lot of healthy meal prep videos from this one youtuber, Josh Cortis. He usually uses an air fryer to cook his food I guess to make it healthier since you use less oil.
3. Microwave oven. You need a way to re-heat or defrost your food and this is the best/fastest solution. If people are afraid of "radiation" from the microwave, then set the timer, press start, and run away until you hear it beep.
4. Bigger LCD/LED television. We may not have cable anymore but I still have my second-hand bought Chromecast. The TVs we're using here are relatively old and have issues with the screen already so a newer, bigger, and louder television would be a very welcome addition to the house.
5. A good quality blender. This would help a lot with making fruit shakes, creamy soups, and other cooking related stuff. Ideally a blender that can crush ice.

And those are the appliances I'd love to start buying and using for the house. In order of prioritiy.

Out.

[942] Weight Loss

A few months ago I was back to around 89 to 90kg. I knew that that weight wasn't that acceptable to me, so I decided to try to do something about it.

I'm now back to 85 to 87kg. I did this mostly by being disciplined enough to do portion control and improving the quality of my daily exercises.

Instead of aiming for 1 hr and 30 min a week of walking and 20 km a week of cycling, I decided to simplify my goal to 20 km a week of activity. Then I focused on walking because of the brake issue on my bike. I also wanted to keep my pace at around 10 minutes per kilometer.

These things helped but the biggest thing that helped me was the portion control. It is very challenging because I love to eat, but I needed to "check myself before I wreck myself." Yes, I did just quote Ice Cube.

I do set cheat days for me, where I'll eat more than what I usually do. And I do sometimes do it more than once a week, because I'm human and there are times that I do want to eat to cope. I just have to remember that the discipline days should be more often than the cheat days.

Out.