[953] Reflections

I've been sick these past few days and for some unknown reason it has left me a bit introspective. Probably because I've been sleeping or resting and my mind was wandering.

I'd like to think I'd found my focus again. I guess that's what being sick makes me.

Out.

[952] Full Hydraulic Disk Brakes for My Bike?

I recently found out that L-TWOO will be releasing a hydraulic brake groupset for road/gravel bikes. There will be a 1x groupset and it will be relatively cheaper than groupsets from more well-known brands that also offer hydraulic brake groupsets.

Now I know I've blogged before about L-TWOO and how curious I am about their road bike shifters since they're similar to how Campagnolo shifters work, and the fact that most, if not all, brifters in the four seasons of Yowamushi Pedal anime all had similar shifters. Quick summary, a lever behind the brake lever is used to shift to a bigger gear and a thumb lever is used to shift to a lower gear.

Now I've heard some complaints about L-TWOO's system since they say it's a bit of a challenge to shift to smaller gears when you're in the drops, specially if you have small hands. Well, I have small hands and I am a bit concerned about this since I do occasionally use the drops on my gravel bike.

I also wrote before about how I'm already happy with my Sensah SRX Pro brifters. However if this gives me a chance to upgrade my brakes to full hydraulic then I am really interested in a potential change of groupsets in the future. I must admit the braking power on my bike has improved a lot and I'm still using my hybrid cable-pulled hydraulic calipers. I've read so many interesting things about full hydraulic brakes that I'm really curious about it.

It will also be a great chance to change components in my bike. In the event I do save up and change groupsets I'll probably get an 11-42 cassette, adapters for flat mount brake calipers, and better brake rotors. Then my next problem would be what to do with my older components.

Out.

[951] A New Computer

I've been saying I need a new computer since 2019, and up to now I still haven't bought one. I've always been "waiting since there's a new processor/GPU coming out so current prices will drop or I can get the latest parts."

Problem is up to now a) I can't decide whether I would rather go back to a desktop computer or stay with a laptop, b) I really hate spending big amounts of money, and c) every time I plan on buying something new comes out.

Problem a isn't really an issue since it looks like I'll be sticking to laptops, probably just upgrade the RAM and storage when I buy a laptop. I definitely need those to help with what I do, and as an added bonus it'll hopefully help run the games I like a lot faster.

I originally had a laptop I was going to buy a few months ago, it was reasonably priced but I kept holding back. Now it's sold out and a similar laptop with similar specs is available but it's around PhP10,000.00 more expensive. That price difference could have been the RAM upgrade.

So now I'm again waiting in case they stock up on that laptop again, or I can just buy the more expensive laptop and bite the added cost. Or most likely I'll still not buy anything and make do with my five-year old laptop. Sadly this last option is slowly becoming less and less possible each day. My system drive is almost full and I don't think it's worth it to invest in a new M.2 SSD and clone the old one considering how old my laptop is. We shall see instead.

Out.

[950] Car Stuff

I just realized that most of the posts I wrote here about what I would do if I could own a classic VW Beetle or Super Beetle could also be applied should I manage to buy a second-hand modern car.

Of course I would do all the due diligence before purchasing it, but I'd still probably bring it to a trusted car shop just to give it yet another go over, maybe give it preventive maintenance service just in case the fluids have been staying too long in whatever car that is. I'd also have them check for any possible rust spots and check the brake pads, rotors, and drums.

After that the next thing would be upgrades, starting with an Android/CarPlay ready head unit and hopefully a reverse camera and a dash cam. I'd rather have the ability to sync my phone to the head unit in case I need to use a navigation app. Speakers are optional.

Rims and tires would be next. I'd still keep it with the stock specifications but I'd definitely try to upgrade the tires. I'd also upgrade the brake pads and rotors.

Then I'd probably add some window tint. Nothing too dark, just a nice almost clear layer to reduce UV heat coming in to the car. I'd also add rain visors to the windows because you never know when you might need to leave the window open a small bit.

Finally, and this is a total luxury mod, a roof rail system so I can add a cargo basket and/or  a bike carrier on the roof.

Out.

[949] RIP Tita Susie

Earlier today I found out my paternal grandfather's sister passed away. I always called her "Tita Susie" (which basically means Aunt Susie) when I probably should have called her Lola (for Grandmother) instead.

I'm not sure how old she was or what her real name was. I just know that she was the last sibling of my grandfather that was alive. For context my grandfather passed away back in 1989.

All I remember about Tita Susie was that she was a voice coach, and a good one at that. She and her husband, Tito Tony, had a small dog named Panda that stayed with us for a few months back in the early 1990s when they went to the US for a vacation.

Rest in peace, Tita Susie. Say hello to Lolo Pabling for me.

Out.

[948] Bicycle Brakes

I've been chatting with my friend who also has a gravel bike. We've been talking about brakes and I told him that I really want to invest in good quality brakes, specifically the SRAM Avid BB7 Road calipers. It was either that or the TRP Spyre post mount calipers.

I'm not really curious about full hydraulic brakes, and the cheap hybrid brake calipers I have aren't really cutting it for me. I asked an acquaintance to check my bike out and he adjusted my calipers, which improved braking power a bit. However I'm still not sold on these brakes.

Stopping is one of the most important things in a bike and if I'm not confident in it then I really need to invest in excellent brakes. There are some things I've been considering though.

Brake mounts. My Tsunami Seaboard CX02 frame has an IS mount in the front and post mount on the rear. Since I've been buying cheap parts online the only calipers I've gotten are most likely fit for mountain bike brake levers and not road levers. At least that's what I've been forming in my head, specially after reading about the aforementioned Avid BB7 road calipers. They sell road and mountain bike specific calipers because of the pull of the levers.

Brake mount adapters. They're pretty expensive online, but I've been seriously considering buying IS to flat and post to flat mount adapters specifically to get flat mount brake calipers that more than likely will be a better match to my road bike brake levers.

Brake pads. I think I'm getting what I paid for with these cheap resin brake pads I got online. I honestly think I should buy legitimate branded brake pads.

Brake rotors. I'm also not sure if the rotors I have are good or not, and I've been tempted to buy some "branded" rotors but I'm also not sure if those are legitimate products or just replicas that carry the brand.

Anyway my continuing experience with my bike is helping me understand things about bikes, and as I wrote before these experiences are helping me form my own opinions about bike builds and what things I want. My problem now is finding the money for these new "wants."

And yes, I've considered selling my bike but I don't want to deal with strangers.

Out.