[980] Possible Filler Car Post Errata

I've been doing some reading over at autodeal's website about the Mitsubishi Mirage versus the Suzuki Celerio. I guess this has something to do with yesterday's blog post where I chose the Celerio over the Mirage.

Anyway I re-read autodeal's Mitsubishi Mirage review as well as their review of the Suzuki Celerio. Aside from the reviews I've also checked out the comparison between the two cars. I'm suddenly not so sure about my choice.

The Celerio is the newer model with the newer look and it is more fuel efficient around the city. However from what I've read it is a bit underpowered when trying to overtake in the highway. Now I'm not planning on going on road trips too much and I don't really drive like a bat out of hell when I do go on the highway so this shouldn't be a big deal.

The Mirage does have a bigger engine so it has more power and more torque, which makes it a bit more practical on highways, while making it a bit less fuel efficient in both city and highway drives.

Is that really a great big deal though? I'm guessing I won't be achieving the reported fuel economy figures anyway since there's a big chance the car will have more passengers and cargo plus a different driving style from the person that reviewed the two cars.

While the Mirage is more expensive than the Celerio, I'm starting to lean more on the former than the latter. One of the biggest reasons is bang for the buck. From what I've read while the Celerio has these new modern features like an engine start/stop system and the hill-climb assist system it also mentioned that the start/stop system wasn't as advanced as in other cars.

One more concern I realized I have is that the more high tech features a car has it could also mean it has more chances to break, so maybe a simpler car might be the better choice long term. Specially if the  high tech features are relatively new and not as refined.

So what am I saying? I'm basically saying I can't make up my mind, but the Mirage is now inching the Celerio out of the spot of cars I'd get if I could afford them. The Wigo still stays there just because of the price.

Out.

[979] Filler Car Post

Note: At this point in time all my posts are filler because of how I've decided not to divulge too many personal things about me on this blog.

I've recently had a thought exercise about options for cars with a budget below PhP900k and only automatics. Don't ask me why, I just gave myself those parameters. I'm also doing this with the thought of owning a forever car, or at least a car I'll be owning and maintaining for the next decade or two (similar to how we still own and maintain our 2001 Toyota Rav4).

I narrowed down my options by choosing mostly Japanese brands. Reasons for this are parts availability, reputation, and the fact that most Japanese brands have been here since way back when. I basically narrowed it down to these three cars, in order of priority.

1. Toyota Wigo 1.0 VVT-i G A/T (aka the Wigo G A/T). This isn't the current top-of-the-line TRD Wigo. I chose this particular variant because it's cheaper than PhP700k, it's got the automatic transmission, and it's very practical and fuel efficient. Take note that the newest Wigo still hasn't been released here in the Philippines as of writing this blog so we're talking about the... first generation second facelift variant?
2. Suzuki Celerio GL - AGS. This is the third generation I'm writing about. This comes in second because it is way more expensive than the Wigo, but the looks and performance are probably better? I'll be honest, the reason this comes second is it's around PhP764k for the automatic variant, and I'm not considering manuals because of traffic here in Metro Manila.
3. Toyota Raize 1.2 E CVT (aka Raize E). From way out of nowhere, I chose this vehicle. Coming in at almost PhP850k the biggest reason why this made my list is because I've gotten used to driving around in our 2nd gen 2001 Toyota Rav4 and I probably wouldn't have too much difficulty acclimating myself to the Raize's dimensions. I've also heard positive things about this non-turbo variant, including space and fuel efficiency.

Obviously there are other cars I've considered but did not choose here are some of them that deserve a special mention.

• Mitsubishi Mirage GLX CVT. It's more expensive than the Celerio. That's the biggest reason why this didn't make the cut. Heck, from what I've heard from others this is a better car than the Wigo. It's just that there are other cheaper options than the Mirage. Plus I'm not so sure I can trust the Mitsubishi brand as much as Toyotas. Or Suzukis for that matter.
• Chery Tiggo 2 Pro. It looks better than the Raize and has better features, but it's also more expensive. I'm not too confident about the brand either. They were here before, then they disappeared, and now they're back again. So what happens to the car if Chery closes shop in the Philippines again?
• Chevrolet Spark LTZ CVT. It's cheaper than the Celerio and has a more powerful engine than the Mirage. But it's a Chevy and I have no idea about their reliability nor their parts availability. I mean, there's a reason I don't see too many Chevy Sparks on our roads, unless I'm missing out on something? Might as well do more research.

Anyway I guess you could say this is an update to the car decision matrix blog post I did earlier, except this one is all about brand new cars.

Out.

[978] Serious Filler Bike Post

I think I've finally decided on the priorities I have for my bike upgrades. This has been done with great consideration on lots of things, and I will blog about it right now. Here are the upgrades in order of priority.

1. Brake calipers. Safety is my biggest priority right now, and I really want to get a set of good brake calipers than can help me stop a lot better than the brake calipers I have right now. As of writing my two main targets are either the SRAM Avid BB7 Road Calipers or the TRP Spyre post mount caliper. I honestly think both will give me the stopping power I am looking for as long as I buy good quality brake pads as well. A distant third option would be Juintech just because I have no idea where to buy their hybrid brake calipers and be assured that I got actual Juintechs and not some knock off.
2. Wheelset and tires. Again with safety in mind. I want a lighter, more durable wheelset with better tires than what I have at the moment. I'd rather assemble my own wheels, buying rims, spokes, and hubs separately. However I'd rather not buy these online, if you catch my drift. As for tires, I honestly think since I'm just a casual cyclist I will be fine with a 35mm wide all-around gravel tire. I have no idea what brands as of yet, I just know I'd like to have original components for these.

Come to think of it I only have these two as priority upgrades I want. The new fork I want is mostly for aesthetics.

Out.

[977] Zone 2 and the Art of Pacing

I think I've gotten three or four straight jogs where I've been able to have most of the jog at zone 2 (or the fat burning zone).

At first I thought the trick was to watch my heart rate so I could make sure it was always between around 132 to 142 bpm, but it wasn't the case. The key, at least for me, was pace per kilometer. I realized I should keep my pace in a certain range, around 8:45 to 9:00 minutes per kilometer.

So the past few jogs I've done I've been continuously monitoring my pace and making sure I stay within that range the whole jog, and the results have spoken for themselves. I usually start around zone 1 (warm up zone) for about 5 to 10 minutes then the rest of the jog is at zone 2.

That isn't to say much since I usually just jog around 2 km for less than 20 minutes per session. I do have days I can go to 3 km and I still spend most of the time in zone 2. I guess the big problem with jogging 3 km is my mood and mindset, because I honestly feel that that is the only one stopping me from jogging 3 km every time I go out.

Then again, I'm forty-two already and there are days I feel like I could go 3 km and there are days I just want to get my work out in.

Out.

[976] Gravel Bike Parts Wishlist and Musings

Yet another filler post, this time with new stuff I've seen online. Here we go...

1. Coefficient Cycling All Road Handlebar. I became aware of Coefficient Cycling in one youtube video I watched. A bikefitter was saying that the Road Race handlebar was his choice as one of the best handlebars available. I check out their website and see they have an all road variant. Both handlebars are carbon fiber but it's not like I can afford one to begin with.
2. TRP Spyre road brake caliper. DISP1010 is a post mount road bike caliper if I understand it right. This is a dual piston brake caliper that I'm hoping will be a lot better than the hybrid brake calipers I have on my bike right now. I'm more partial to this than the Avid BB7 Road calipers because the latter is still single piston. And I'm hoping that the Spyre's are of better build and quality than the "cheapo" hybrid calipers I have right now.
3. IRC Boken Plus gravel tires. The tread pattern looks eerily similar to the Panaracer Gravel King SS I have on my bike right now, and honestly speaking I'm pretty happy with my current tires. I just want to try narrower tires and these are available in 700x32C variants. Plus Peter Stetina uses IRC Tires and I am a big fan of him. If I can't get this I'm perfectly happy getting 700x35 Panaracer Gravel King SS like I have now.
4. Cannondale Topstone 4 Gravel Bike size SM (2023). The yellow frame and black fork also looks amazing. I'll be honest, I'm only interested in the frame and fork, and as far as I can tell they don't sell the frame only. Such a shame, not that I can afford it.

Anyway I find it funny that wheelsets and groupsets are something that isn't high on my radar. It's probably because I'm pretty happy with my current groupset, and that I can't afford a wheelset upgrade at the moment.

As it stands though, I do have plans to upgrade my gravel bike. I'm planning to start with the brakes if I can find a way to buy real TRP Spyres. Maybe upgrade the brake rotors as well.

Once that's done the next upgrade will definitely be with the wheelset and cassette. Either I assemble my own wheelset or buy a better quality wheelset, hopefully with the hubs having adapters for both QR and TA.

As for the cassette, I think I'm going to stick to 11-50 just because I'm not a gravel racer and the wide range will hopefully cover all bases for me. I'll probably source a better brand for this than the one I have right now. I'm okay with my 42T oval chainring, and I may end up regretting getting a bigger chainring because I'm not that strong as a cyclist anyway. If I do try a bigger chainring it will most likely be 46T.

I may consider upgrading the crankset as well because I honestly haven't ridden my bike that much since the left crank arm fell off. I bought a crank arm bolt but I messed up with sizing so I had to order two more bolts of different size to see what can fit and lock the crank arm in place. I'm not too confident with my bike at the moment.

Besides, I've been having good progress with jogging so my attention is there right now.

Out.

[975] Car Decision Matrix

Last January I blogged about creating a car decision matrix so that I can make an informed decisions once I decide to actually get a second-hand car. So what happened?

Life happened. Many unexpected factors happened that made me lessen the priority of looking for a practical used car. Don't get me wrong, I still hope to eventually get a practical second-hand car for daily use.

There are other, more important things going on right now that I need to focus on. Hopefully once I'm done with these I still have a budget for that second-hand car.

I also keep getting new opinions that are also affecting my ever-moving goalposts of what kind of car I want. I may have to include factoring in the car's age, as much as this will lessen my options. I've heard that with the current crop of cars most of the issues start showing up on five-year old cars and older.

So I may seriously consider narrowing my search to relatively newer cars, we shall see.

Out.

[974] Best Fuel Consumption Upgrade (In My Opinion)

The best upgrade you can do to improve your car's fuel consumption, in my opinion, is to improve your driving style.

The best proof for this is using our 2001 Rav4 AWD I can eke out around 7km/L or so doing city driving, basically driving my wife and daughter to their respective destinations and picking them up. Someone else driving the exact same car gets a little over 6km/L going the exact same route.

It all comes down to driving style. I like to be gentle on the throttle and anticipate when I should let up on it and get ready to brake. I've seen other people apply gas, lift off, apply gas, lift off, lather, rinse, and repeat. I've also seen people brake for no apparent reason, which will require you to increase RPMs on your car to get back up to speed.

Getting up to speed and coasting is a lot better than constantly speeding up and slowing down. You just need to be conscious of your driving style and aware of what you need to do to improve it.

I've also become more defensive as a driver because the number of "kamote motorists" (or idiot motorists for lack of a better term) has steadily increased. I drive slower now and make sure I'm in the correct lane most of the time just so I don't have to contend with them. I also control my temper now and prefer to let people do their crazy overtakes while trying to minimize my own lane changes or overtakes. Patience is the key.

Out.