[1059] Random Bike Blog

I've recently started riding my bike again. While it may just be for a few kilometers inside the subdivision I still think it's a big deal that I've actually started to ride again.

Anyway my bike is seeing wear and tear, basically a "you get what you paid for" scenario. My saddle is cracking, but it's basically a budget padded saddle I got from an international "home and life improvement retailer" for less than USD10. It still works but there is cracking on the nose section of the saddle, and I think it's due for a replacement soon.

To be honest I still want to upgrade my bike. Nothing expensive or major, just upgrades that'll improve safety and quality of ride. The saddle is one of them, and to be honest I think I'd rather go to a bike shop and buy a saddle there than getting some budget saddle.

First things first though, I really want to upgrade my wheelset, cassette, and tires. I don't want carbon fiber rims but I do want tubeless ready rims. And a better brand 11-speed cassette. I don't even mind sticking to my current cassette configuration since based on how I've been riding I do need the really easy gears.

Tires, as I've written before, will be narrower but still for "gravel" even though I don't ride gravel. I don't want slicks, and I don't think the cyclocross tires I've seen online would be useful. I've thought about mountain bike tires but from what I've read they're all wide now and even now at 38mm my tire clearance is already pretty tight. 32 to 35 is what I think is the sweet spot.

I'm also seriously considering getting a bike computer with speed and cadence sensors. Maybe those would help me ride longer when I use the bike on the trainer.

Sadly all of these upgrades I want will just stay in my want list until some amazing things happen in life financially speaking. As it stands now I have more important things I can spend whatever small amount of money I can use for personal needs.

Out.

[1058] Thoughts

Yesterday, March 16, 2024, I gave an online presentation via Zoom a little past 8pm. The topic was an intro to Blender Video Editing.

I don't usually do this, probably never had done it before yesterday. I don't count teaching colleagues at work because that is with people I know. Yesterday was different since this was with people I don't know. Total strangers.

It was something a good friend of mine invited me to do. He was working with someone who has this goal of empowering Filipinos with skills they can use to do online freelance work. I thought it was a good idea so I volunteered my time.

I also chose Blender video editing because it was a) free and b) I don't think I can teach the basics of 3D in an hour. I think, and I hope, I was able to at least give the people who attended the call an idea of how to start out editing videos in Blender.

I do have my "issues" with Blender but I still think it is a very powerful tool that is also open source.

I do feel good about what I did. I guess sometimes I need to do things out of my comfort zone just so I can keep moving forward.

Out.

[1057] Two Car Garage

I've blogged about this countless times before but I need a filler blog post. Er, I mean I've made my decision now. As of this moment I'm choosing the Suzuki S-Presso AGS and the Toyota Veloz 1.5 V CVT Platinum White Pearl. Combined cost of both cars won't exceed PhP 2 million.

I initially compared the S-Presso with the similarly prized Toyota Wigo 1.0 E CVT Yellow SE (because I really, really like high vis colors). I decided on the former for the simple reason that it is smaller overall while having a slightly taller ground clearance than the latter. This gives the S-Presso the advantage in city driving and parking because hopefully you'll have more free space when you park. They may just be around 10 to 20 centimeters but that's still a big deal. At least for me.

As for the Veloz, I compared it to the Toyota Avanza 1.5 G CVT and the Suzuki Ertiga 1.5 GLX AT Hybrid. I originally liked (and still do) the Avanza but checking the comparison I think it's worth the additional cost for a few features the Avanza doesn't have. Like the lane departure warning sensor and the roof rack.

Again, I'm picking these two from a practical standpoint. The S-Presso would be the daily driver and the Veloz would be the weekend getaway car and alternate ride on the day the S-Presso is coding. Or the Veloz can be used when the folks are here and we need a more spacious car.

Out.

[1056] Material Things

I'll be doing a "daydream" post where I'll be listing down some "small" material things I'd love to buy if I had the disposable income to actually get them. Technically I could probably afford some of these, but considering the price they're being sold here I'd rather look for a cheaper, more bang for the buck alternative.

• Uniqlo clothes. Don't get me wrong, I have a good amount of Uniqlo branded clothes, but I usually only buy them when they drop below a certain amount. The shorts I saw yesterday are way over that amount. I'd also love to get a few of their Airism and DRY-EX shirts as well as some athletic shorts.
• A mid-level mirrorless camera with two lenses. One would be a prime lens and the other would be a decent zoom lens. Most likely use the prime more often and maybe the zoom when needed. I honestly would be happy with a high end point-and-shoot camera, but when I saw how much the Fujifilm X100VI was being sold I think it would be more practical to get a good mirrorless camera. Something like the Fujifilm X-E4.
• A great pair of sneakers. Low cut basketball shoes that I can wear when I go out. I don't play basketball anymore but I still like the shoes. Who knows, maybe I'll try shooting if I get another pair.
• A new work table. I've been seeing those posts on reddit's battlestation subreddit and most of the nice work tables are just a few Ikea drawers and a heavy, wooden board as the table itself. One Alex drawer unit and another Alex storage unit as the "legs" and find a nice board for the table. Isn't Ikea supposed to be this budget brand in other countries? It's a luxury brand here in the Philippines.

That's it. I think I can actually buy these things but it would definitely take a long time since I'd need to save for a few months (or even years) before being able to purchase whatever it is I want to purchase.

Out.

[1055] Blender's Video Editor

I've recently started dabbling with Blender's video editor again, for personal stuff.

I think it's still not as easy to use as Adobe After Effects, but Blender's video editor does get the job done. I guess experience using it has helped me also figure some things out, as well as thinking outside the box.

One thing is for sure, if I do plan on heavily using this moving forward I do need more tools aside both in and out of Blender. A tool to make sure all source video and audio are at the same fps, for one thing. Another thing I need to learn is how to mask things in Blender.

So hopefully I get the motivation and the time to learn these things.

Out.

[1054] Another n+1 Bicycle Idea

I recently saw some videos on youtube about long tail cargo bikes, specifically the Surly Big Dummy. Now if you know me you know I'm not a fan of Surly for personal reasons I'd rather not tell you, but may include price.

Anyway I saw this video from Berm Peak about how he customized his Big Dummy and it got me thinking about it. A cargo bike would be a nice n+1 bike if you can ride to the grocery or market and safely park it somewhere. It got me thinking what I would do if I managed to get a long tail cargo bike frame.

I'll most likely stick to a 1x with low gearing since speed isn't a necessity for this. I'm guessing I'll need better gearing for climbs or heavy loads. So maybe an 11-speed 1x with a 36T chainring and 11-42 cassette would be a good compromise. Gear jumps would be a bit big but hopefully the ratios would be enough to handle said heavy loads and possible climbs.

Actually the only component I'm sure I want to place on this theoretical cargo bike would be the Velo Orange Klunker handlebars. Everything else I haven't given much thought.

So now my n+1 bike list consists of my main (gravel/cx) bike, a folding drop bar bicycle, and now this long tail cargo bike.

Out.

[1053] Journaling

I recently spoke with a good friend of mine and he suggested to me, among other things, to start journaling. So I'm trying to.

This is not the same as blogging, at least not anymore. I'm keeping my thoughts private and whatever stuff I share here are things I don't mind letting out in public.

It's only been one day so hopefully I can make a habit out of it. Plus it gives my really old college notebooks a second lease in life. What will I do with the notebooks when they're filled up? Most likely throw them, to be honest. I just need an outlet for my private thoughts.

Out.