[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.

[923] 2x vs 1x Groupsets

Yes, another post about bicycle drivetrains. I've been thinking about 1x vs 2x drivetrains yet again, specifically when I was riding my bike earlier this morning.

Before I continue forgive me for using non-cyclist terms, I still get confused with them. So when I say fastest gears that means the smallest cog on the cassette, and easiest gear the biggest cog on the cassette. Anyway...

I'm not going to talk about the weight difference between 1x and 2x since I'm not a weight weenie and I don't really plan on racing anytime soon. I'm more focused on what will give me a more comfortable ride if I eventually do get brave enough to ride around the city OR I bring my bike to the province.

My thinking is that you can have the similar gear ratios for the fastest and the easiest gears. Fastest being the gear you use on downhill and flat roads, and easiest the gears you use in climbs.

The biggest difference I can see between 1x and 2x would be the smoothness in gears. Having a 2x setup allows you to have a cassette with smaller teeth difference, while a 1x setup will have compromises with the difference in number of teeth per gear.

Let's compare my current Sunshine MTB cassette with a Shimano CS-HG700-11 road cassette.

• 11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32-36-42-50T (Sunshine MTB cassette)
• 11-13-15-17-19-21-23-25-27-30-34T (Shimano Road cassette)

Looking at the differences in the number of teeth per cog you can see that the Shimano cassette has a smoother increase, with the biggest gap being three and four teeth, and only at the biggest cog. Meanwhile the Sunshine cassette has four, six, and eight teeth gaps for the biggest cogs.

This basically means that you will struggle finding a sweet spot changing gears for the easier gears with the 1x. Chances are one gear will be too hard and one will be too easy. With a 2x it isn't that bad.

Cassettes don't tell the whole story. Now let's add in the chainrings and calculate the smallest and biggest gear ratios. My bike is currently using a Deckas 42T narrow wide oval chainring, and let's put that up against a Shimano GRX FC-RX600-11 46/30T chainring.

• 42/11 = 3.82, 42/50 = 0.84
• 46/11 = 4.18, 30/34 = 0.88

So as you can see the 1x might be a bit "slower" in high speeds but it could in theory be "easier" in climbs. Meanwhile the 2x will "struggle" in climbs but be faster in flats. I'm saying these in quotation marks because I haven't factored in fitness levels and other intangibles.

Which brings me back to why I wrote this in the first place. I'm still not sure what kind of groupset I want. I'm happy with what I have right now, and I'm hoping I will be able to ride long enough to enjoy my bike. My biggest question now is, let's say I can upgrade my bike in the future... do I want to try a 2x setup? Is it worth it? Or should I just get a smaller range cassette for the rear so I gear differences won't be as harsh?

I wish I could afford to find out.

Out.

[913] Bike Gear

There are plenty of things I wish I could afford for my current cycling hobby. While it may be true that I'm still too scared to go far because of the motorists, fellow cyclists, and pedestrians here in the Philippines and specifically Metro Manila, that still isn't stopping me from doing some online window shopping. So here are some wearables I wouldn't mind getting for my bike.

1. POC Omne Air MIPS helmet in white/orange. This helmet seems pretty visible and stylish while having the MIPS technology that helps make your helmet even safer. The reason why I like POC is because it's the same brand of helmet that Team EF Pro Cycling use, and I'm a big fan of them since I started getting into cycling.
2. adidas Five Ten Hellcat Pro Mountain Bike Shoes. These shoes also look great and being mountain bike shoes makes them easier to walk in than road bike shoes for the simple reason that the cleats aren't protruding from the sole. Basically I can walk around wearing these shoes and nobody would probably notice that they're cycling shoes. I was actually considering Crankbrothers' Mallet Speed Lace but then my tastes changed.
3. Shimano PD-M9020 pedals. Now I know I'm not planning on using cleats anytime soon but since this is just a wishlist then we can include these pedals. I was originally thinking of using the Crankbrothers Candy 2 pedals but right now my preferences are leaning towards Shimano.

That's it. Basically just want a nice helmet and shoes that can have cleats in case I decide to go clipless pedals.

Out.

[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.

[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.

[903] Coping

It's been pretty stressful these past few weeks, and I'm not sure why. I'd rather not explore it further and post about it online. I just want whoever is reading this to know that I am trying my best to cope and overcome my stress.

Out. 

[900] My Bike's Tubeless Tires

I had to refill the tubeless sealant to both my tires this past January. Now I did my research before and I do know that you will have to do this, but I wasn't expecting it to be this soon.

It started with the rear tire. I inflated it once in preparation for the next day's ride. Luckily for me I used the bike trainer that afternoon because after using the trainer I saw that the rear tire had no air pressure left. So I checked and there were lots of leaks.

Two days ago it happened to my front tire as well. I inflated it for a ride the next day, got around to riding and went home. The next day it had no air left.

When I re-filled it with sealant I decided to use more sealant than before. Just taking precautions. Also with the front tire after applying sealant it was still steadily leaking from somewhere. So I unscrewed the Presta valve core and poured some more sealant through the valve stem. After that the tire held air.

So after this past month's experience I've decided that next time I need to re-fill the tire with sealant my new process will involve:

1. Unseating the tire and pouring the sealant directly into the tire by removing one side of the tire from the rim. Then I'll use lots of sealant, because the sealant I'm using might need more instead of the recommended.
2. Once the sealant fills the gaps and sets I'll fill it with air and do the usual ritual involved with having new sealant in the tire.
3. Remove the air, remove the valve core, then pour some sealant through the valve stem. This is just in case there are gaps near the stem that the sealant didn't get.
4. Refill with air and check if it holds pressure.

Anyway I've gotten suggestions of just switching to tubed tires since it would save me money in the long run. I'll be thinking about that but I already have the tubeless tire repair kit. And I do have two spare inner tubes, one in my bike's bag.

I do like the fact that I was able to upgrade my bike to tubeless tires even if the rims weren't tubeless ready.

Out.

[894] A Bike Trainer and Other Bike Thoughts

I recently bought a bike trainer from one of our local and well-known online shopping apps. My logic for buying a trainer is I can do HIIT or high cadence rides on it since I don't think it would be safe for me to ride fast either inside or outside the subdivision.

Before the trainer arrived I noticed the pace of my morning rides was getting faster. Not insanely fast, but faster than usual. I usually average around 14 - 15 kmh inside the subdivision. The past three or four sessions before the trainer arrived I averaged well over that, peaking at 17 kmh.

I rode around again this morning after spending the weekend trying to do HIIT and high cadence cycling on the trainer. This morning I got around 15.3 kmh, but that probably had to do with me continuously stopping to wipe my fogged up glasses.

Anyway back to the bike trainer. I tried doing HIIT last Saturday and I was only able to do 4 reps of 30-sec effort 30-sec rest before stopping. I have no idea if I'm exerting too much or not but it was a fun challenge. Then Sunday I tried riding at high cadence and was able to do maybe eight minutes overall. The reason why I stopped was I increased the seat post height by around 5 mm. When I did high cadence before raising the seat post I felt discomfort on my knees. After raising it disappeared.

Sadly I also got bored staring at the wall which is the biggest reason why I stopped after a total of ten minutes including the time needed to raise the seat post height. Besides, I was excited to try out the raised seat height in an actual ride and this morning I did just that.

It felt great this morning. I just rode and couldn't hear my Runtastic app notifying me how far I'd gone so I just rode around and around the subdivision. I ended up going around 9 km, about 2 km farther than my usual morning rounds.

I'm planning on using actual rides as my "recovery" ride or relaxed ride, and using the trainer for higher cadence and HIIT, like I said earlier. Hopefully I can get used to riding inside the house on a trainer that I can increase the number of HIIT cycles to maybe 3 or 4 30/30 efforts. Then if I can consistently do that I'll probably shift efforts to 40/20 or so. Of course the resistance of the trainer is also a factor but as of the moment I'm happy doing my efforts on 3/6 resistance.

I honestly wish I had a speed sensor to mount on the rear tire so I have an idea how "fast" I go on the trainer. A cadence sensor would also be nice so I also know just how high my high cadence pedaling is. For all I know I could just be doing 60 rpm.

Out.

[889] Cycling Progress Report

Yesterday was the very first time I had ever ridden along the East Service Road. Ever. And today I did it again, going through a loop where I turned somewhere about two kilometers from here and taking a road that led me to the back of our subdivision. I used my gravel bike.

It was pretty thrilling to actually finally ride outside the subdivision. I treat myself as a total beginner in cycling basically because I stopped biking after a crash I had in grade school and only started seriously cycling a few months ago, when I made it a goal to assemble a gravel bike.

It's basically a 3.5km loop that I do, something that takes me around 12 to 15 minutes inside the subdivision. Outside it's much faster since there are almost no humps and almost everyone outside is going way faster than me. I probably average around 15-16kmh inside the subdivision, but outside whenever I get the chance to check my cyclocomputer I ride at around 20kmh or so.

Yesterday when I finished my ride my hands were numb and sore. Today I felt like I cracked on the way home. I've been trying to adjust my bike's setup as well as my own fitness levels to avoid these things, and I'm glad that riding outside gave a reality check of the stuff I need to improve on.

My core strength needs improving so I don't lean too much on the bike. I've seen countless bike videos on youtube of bike fitters and cycling channels saying that engaging the core is important. I've also read a few articles from what I believe are legitimate and trusted sites that do say that one of the most important factors in riding well is the core strength.

My stamina also needs improving. I think the reason why I felt like I cracked in this morning's ride was because I tried pedaling on smaller gears today. Maintaining a high cadence with more effort is of course draining, and since I'm doing intermittent fasting I'm basically running on "empty" whenever I ride in the morning. Lesson learned, at my current fitness level I should go use the bigger gears.

I also need to work on my balance and spatial awareness. Cycling on public roads is very different here in the Philippines. You've got public transportation, motorcycles, other cyclists, and other vehicles sharing the road with you and they're not really bike friendly. So I need to constantly remind myself to ride at a slow but decent pace, stay on the right, keep a cool head, and make sure I'm riding properly.

Overall I'm quite happy and motivated at what I have done. I'm realizing a lot of things I need to improve as a cyclist, and I'm feeling a level of freedom. I do know I need a lot more training to do before I can even ride further than what I'm doing now.

I'll probably ride inside the subdivision again this week and ride outside on Sundays, when there are hopefully less vehicles on the road.

Out.

[888] Things I Need

There are two things I really need right now. New prescription glasses and a haircut.

I think I last had my eyes checked in 2018 or 2019. Since then I've noticed I can't really read while wearing my glasses, which apparently comes with old age. I'll need those two-way lenses where the lower half is for reading the the upper half is for normal needs.

Apparently if you're near sighted you won't be needing reading glasses as you get older. However your normal prescription lenses do affect what you can see up close, and up close I can't really read anything anymore unless I remove my glasses.

As for the haircut, I've been trimming my hair since the pandemic lockdown started way back in March 15, 2020. I've gone through different styles, from fully shaved, a mohawk, to figuring out a nice fade. Sadly I've decided to grow my hair long, in a style similar to an undercut. I don't know how to trim the long parts of my hair so I probably look pretty weird right now. I need a pro to fix my hair so it can grow and look the way I want it to look.

Out.

[887] So I Built A Gravel Bike

My gravel bike is finally done. All I need to do is buy some miscellaneous stuff I will be needing, like chainstay guard, maybe reflective tape, and maybe a clear protective sticker to protect the bike's clear coat from dings, some of which I've already done.

I'm not going to pretend that I did it all myself. The major part of the build I had loads of help from Coven, my mom's long time chauffeur (or known colloquially as 'driver' here in the Philippines). Coven's been riding bikes for the longest time and he does have experience building them. Without tools, even.

Here's the thing though, I don't agree with some of his methods. He did tune the rear derailleur but I want to tune it again since I did see some very good Park Tool videos on youtube. In other words, I really want a "best of both worlds" scenario where I will be fine tuning stuff based on videos I've seen online but I will be doing some things based on what experience, and Coven, has taught me.

I probably would love to say I did 80% of the work, but without that crucial 20% the bike would still not be done. Coven saw that part of the frame where the rear wheel would sit needed filing. He was also crucial in installing the star fangled nut into the steerer tube. I did try to do the install myself but I honestly couldn't hammer the thing in and I did not want to risk breaking anything.

Coven also checked the brake cable installations I did, he tuned the RD, and he adjusted the rotors, that seem misaligned. Aside from that he also gave me some shifter cable end housings because all I bought were for brake cables, which were too big.

The fit is great. I am not experiencing any of the aches I felt riding Coven's (formerly my Dad's but he gave it to Coven) road bike. I do believe geometry wise my bike has a shorter effective top tube, which is probably why I don't feel the aches.

Youtube and the internet is a great source of information for bike fit, bike maintenance, and bike assembly. However experience is still one hell of a teacher.

Out.

[885] My Current Top Three Attainable Dream Cars (As of Now)

You guessed it! It's time to start posting about cars yet again! I'm going to write about the top three attainable dream cars I want in order of practicality. So here we go.

1. Honda Jazz GE/Gen 2. It has four doors. It has an amazing interior that can fold flat and fit almost anything. It has an air conditioning system. It has airbags. So yes, this is the top choice I would love to own. Other generations of the Jazz are also welcome but the GD/Gen 1 had possible issues with the CVT and the newer ones are just too expensive. The most important mods I would add to this Jazz would be roof rails, a roof cargo basket, and roof mounted bike racks.
2. Honda Civic EG Hatchback. Another Honda? Yeah I really like this hatchback as well. Similar to the Jazz just add roof rails for extra cargo.
3. Volkswagen Super Beetle. This is the least practical of the three for plenty reasons. No aircon, lack of safety features, and possibly reliability issues. Still, I really, really love the classic VW Beetle. I'm picking the Super Beetle because the MacPherson suspension gives it a better ride plus with all the restomods I have planned it would just be better to work on a Super Beetle. And yes, roof rails, cargo basket, bike rack.
4. Classic Mini Cooper. This gets a special mention. I'm not talking about the modern looking ones. I'm looking for the ones that look like the classic Mini Cooper. With the roof cargo accessories as always. Also heavily retromodded.

As always in the event that I'm fortunate enough to own a car I will have a checklist off stuff I will do before I even start modifying it. Stuff like making sure it is reliable, rust free, and safe.

Out.

[884] Daydreaming of Cars

I've been reading a lot about cars again lately, not that I can afford one. I was looking at what kind of cars would be practical in our current situation and two cars come to mind. The Toyota Rush E A/T and the Kia Picanto EX A/T.

Let's explain why first. The Toyota Rush has decent ground clearance, can seat 5 to 7 people, and has decent cargo room. Sure some people might probably complain about it being underpowered, having only a 1.5L engine. To be honest the way my dad and I drive we don't really feel the need for speed anymore. We can just go with the flow. This car would be great not only for driving around Metro Manila but also for going to the province while bringing along a lot of stuff. Worst case scenario you can spend extra money, add roof rails and a roof cargo basket or roof cargo carrier for even more storage.

For the Picanto, it's small enough to be able to fit in most parking spaces in Metro Manila. The rear seats are 60/40 folding so you can still have 3 passengers and carry some luggage. Sure it has a relatively lower ground clearance versus the Rush, but then again you would be smart enough to consider your routes to avoid either big potholes or flood prone areas when you do drive around. Plus the engine is decent enough that you can still confidently bring this car on long distance road trips. Similar to my idea with the Rush, you can spend extra to add roof rails, and either roof storage or roof mounted bike racks.

What happened to the Suzuki Ertiga? I still like it because it is cheaper than the Rush and similarly sized. However it does have a slightly lower ground clearance and the Rush has more air bags compared to it. And if you regularly go on road trips then having more safety measures will always be the better option.

So what's my point in this post? Well my preferences for a two car garage have changed. It would be a Rush and a Picanto so you have a smaller car to use daily when just driving around Metro Manila and the Rush for coding days and when you need to transport more people. If it becomes a three car garage, then it would definitely be a Picanto, a Rush, and an Ertiga. So you still have two haulers and one city car.

Out.

[883] Pandemic Musings

Today marks the last day of our ECQ (extended community quarantine) I believe this was done to help curb the rising rates of infection because of the Delta Variant of Covid-19. We spent about two weeks in this stricter version of our community quarantine.

Times have been really tough. I do feel bad for my daughter having to go through this pandemic. She hasn't been out of the house that often and I think she hasn't physically seen her friends in over a year.

Now I do know the line, "what does not kill you only makes you stronger," and while I try to be optimistic, it is still personally very draining for me to go through life as it has been happening. I am more than willing to admit that the pandemic has taken its toll on me mentally and emotionally, and no matter how I try to keep things together there are times that I just want to give up.

And to quote Metallica, "... that soothing light at the end of the tunnel is just a freight train coming your way." So while I try to remain optimistic about the future, I can't help but live in dread and anxiety about what's going on right now.

Everyone get vaccinated, stay safe, and be careful and hope for the best because that's all we can do now.

Out.

[882] Belated Birthday Wishlist

I've been pretty busy these past few weeks dealing with personal and work stuff that I totally forgot to write my annual birthday wishlist. So here's a belated one, that we can probably also consider as my Christmas gift wishlist. So here we go.

1. GoPro Standard Grill Mount 2.0 - I found out about this from one of the cycling youtubers I watch, Dustin Klein. Plus I also someone else using the same mount, if not another similar mount. I got my dad's old GoPro Hero (yes, the very first version) and I can use this while I cycle. If I can actually get the stamina and guts to cycle outside of my village.
2. A gravel bike that's actually a real gravel bike. I've noticed some budget gravel bikes being sold locally and while they are indeed affordable, I have a bad feeling they're just ordinary road bikes fitted with the thickest tires the frame and fork can allow. I'd rather bide my time to find the right gravel bike frame for myself rather than buying cheap, getting used to them, then replacing them.
3. A new gaming desktop (or laptop). Ideally a desktop since I can build it and if problems happen parts can be easily replaceable. Worst case scenario would be a gaming laptop but after everything I've experienced with my current gaming laptop, I'd rather have a desktop despite power consumption being higher and portability being an issue.
4. A new car! I'm not even wishing for really expensive cars. I just want a nice car that can have a roof-mounted bike rack. If you want really affordable it can be the Suzuki S-Presso, the bigger yet practical Suzuki Ertiga, or the Kia Stonic that would be the closest to look to the Rav4 I currently drive. Or if we're talking about any car then make it the Audi RS4 Avant.
5. Power tools. We can start with two basic power tools. A good friend of mine sent me that link and it seems like a good idea to start with a cordless drill and a circular saw. I'd probably be able to do a couple of DIY cabinets for the house.

That's it for now. I can't think of anything else I'd want right now.

Out.

[881] More Daydreaming About Beetles

I've been doing some daydreaming yet again about stuff I would do to customize a Volkswagen Beetle. This would be done after I do the basic that needs to be done should I manage to purchase a Bug. So here they are in order of priority, with explanations.

1. Modern 3-pt seat belts for the front and rear seats including middle. Old bugs used to have shoulder belts for the front and none for the rear. I'd really appreciate it if you could mount 3-pt seat belts everywhere. Plus our 20021 Rav4 has a ceiling mounted seat belt that you can pull down should you have someone sitting on the middle part of the rear set. It'll take lots of custom fabrication and upholstery work but this is something I seriously want to have in a really old car.
2. Dash cam and rear cam mounts. Again, custom fabrication for cameras, but again also very useful for safety purposes. I've seen some relatively cheap dash cams that are integrated into bigger and newer rear view mirrors. If those are reliable and easy to install then that would be my go-to option.
3. New in car entertainment system. It doesn't have to be those giant, 2-DIN LED infotainment systems. I would appreciate bluetooth connectivity and USB connectors. Also good quality speakers, a decent subwoofer, and tweeters.
4. Pop out rear passenger windows. To improve interior ventilation because I am not considering adding an air-conditioner. A swamp cooler could also be an option after finding out there is a local shop that still builds them for Beetles.
5. LED headlights and bumper mounted fog lamps. That youtube link I have above is basically what I would also want my Beetle to look like on the outside. fog lamps, roof rack, pop out windows. Nice peg. The LED headlights are something I've always wanted ever since I found out they would fit in Beetles (and Suzuki Samurais). They would improve visibility because of the daytime running lights option and the (hopefully) brighter beams at night.
6. LED bulbs for all lights. Brake lights, turn signals, cabin lights, plate number lights, if there's an LED bulb option for them I would love to replace the older bulbs. Probably use up less power too.
7. Third brake light OR rear LED chase light bar. This would help taller SUVs and buses be aware that there's a car in front of them. I'd prefer the LED chase light bar so that additional turn signal indicators would also be on it.
8. Roof rack with cargo basket. I'm aiming for the classic looking roof rack, but I would also love to have a provision for a roof mounted bike rack.
9. Custom front and rear seats for better comfort and support, easier to remove and fold down, and also so it can fit seat belt sockets.
10. Custom rims that looks like Fuchs or RS Watanabe rims. Color to be determined with whatever Beetle color I get.
11. 240Z style fender mounted bullet side mirrors. This is debatable, and will only be used if the Beetle a) looks good with it on the hood; and b) if the side mirrors actually do a good job of showing me what's behind. If it's just for looks, like those hot rod peep side mirrors, it will be a hard pass.
12. Tow hooks with proper labels and warnings. Beetles are rear-wheel driven cars. If it (knocks on wood) suddenly gets towed while I'm not there and they tow it like modern front-wheel drive cars I'm pretty sure they won't pay for the damage they'll do to that car.
13. Rear windshield wiper. I've never seen this done, I'm curious if it can be done. It would help so much with rear visibility.
14. Rear window spoiler and front bumper spoiler. They supposedly help with aerodynamics and fuel efficiency so why not.
15. Carbon fiber or fiberglass front and rear decklid. To reduce weight a bit. I don't plan on doing an engine swap or going twin-carbs. I just want a decent, reliable engine so I can cruise around. Adding all of the stuff I wrote here will add more weight to the car but they are things I honestly think I need for the Bug, so any weight savings would be great.

And there you have it. Another filler blog just so I can do more than one post a month. Mods I would do to a Beetle if I ever owned one. That youtube link above features a really great Beetle and I honestly am both jealous and happy for the owner at the same time.

Out.

[880] Mustache

I've recently started to grow a mustache. Probably started a week or so before June 11, 2021. I was probably trimming it until two weeks ago when I decided to let it grow. Maybe grow it long enough to have a handlebar mustache. We shall see.

The annoying part of growing the mustache was when it was around three weeks old. It was short and bristly and really annoying. After a while I have gotten used to it, and now it doesn't feel as bristly as before.

I've been combing it occasionally and I'm thinking of getting some beard wax for this. At the same time I don't really want to buy because it would be a waste of money to buy that then shave this off. I'll see how long I can live with my 'stache.

Out.

[879] Bike Goals

I've been having very good discussions about bikes with a friend of mine. He does a better job of researching about lots of bike things and is a bit more experienced with newer tech bikes. Let's just say, as an example, that all I know about bikes is frame size and cassettes and chainrings. Meanwhile he already knows about head angles, crank length, and other more important technical things.

My near daily conversations with him has made me realize that while yes, I still want a gravel bike, I need to be a bit more specific about things I want to have on my bike. And what my priorities are before I even start buying, and possibly building, my own bike. So in this blog post I'll try to write down my priorities when I build a bike.

1. Comfort for posture. I'm definitely aiming to get a frame that is the right size for my height. Then find a seat height, handlebar height, and stem length that will be more on the comfort side than the aero/aggressive side of gravel bikes. Another reason for this is I'll be another year older in a few weeks, so I'm not as flexible as I used to.
2. Comfort while pedaling. I'm not building my bike for speed. More than likely I'll be looking for an 11-speed cassette with 11T-38T cogs, with a 38T chainring up front. I won't be going as fast but at least I also won't be exerting as much effort pedaling. I just want to be able to cruise with my bike.
3. Safety. This means I'll need reliable wheels and brakes. I'm looking to use mechanical disk brakes, and this will, I think, be the first time I will be using disk brakes on a bike. For tires I'd think the minimum width I should have is maybe 38mm. It's not like I actually have grave trails nearby. I'll also be adding rear lights and front lights, even if have no plan of riding during the evening. Plus I also plan on buying reflective tape to add to the bike in key locations.
4. Weight. Frames are expensive. Even the chromoly steel frames here are priced at an amount that makes my eyebrow go up. Or maybe I'm just a solid cheapskate. Still, I have no plans to go racing on this bike, my biggest dream is to do long distance biking. I have no idea how much of a factor weight will be. Also the bike I'm using now is probably way heavier than modern bikes so I'm not really sure how big a factor weight is.

And there you have it. I guess I'll be going over this list again as I approach the day I decide to buy a bike, or bike parts. I still have a lot of things to learn about bikes before I decide to pull the trigger, but I'm slowly getting there.

Meanwhile I'll keep riding my old bike and gaining strength, stamina, and confidence.

Out.

[878] Bike Progress

Quick post about my biking progress. I'm using the same route I use when I walk, this is because I do a little over 1km per "lap" and this gives me a decent gauge of my progress.

Progress has been good so far, my stamina is getting better as well as my speed. I've been averaging over 13kph per session, which is a lot faster than when I started. I'm also able to do more laps, usually five or six, instead of just four. I'm trying to "offset" the fact that I can do four laps in less than twenty minutes and want to do a minimum of a twenty minute bike ride every MWF.

Legs still get sore when going up the steep part of the village but I'm now using the middle chainring. I also noticed that I'd rather pedal at a slower cadence but with more effort rather than a faster cadence with less effort. I guess I prefer to get the climb over with sooner rather than later. I can also recover from the climb faster than before.

In fact earlier this morning my average speed was up to 15kph, a far cry from my first few attempts. I should probably try to maintain 13kph to 15kph average speed and work on stamina next. Plus fix all the bad habits I have when biking. Off the top of my head the things I need to improve upon are:

1. Stretching my legs. Out of habit I always coast with my right leg at the 6 o'clock position, even when I can feel my left knee needing a stretch. So I always consciously need to have coasting periods where the left leg should be at the 6 o'clock position.
2. Better balance while biking with one hand, both hands. I can do well with my left hand solo but the right hand needs a lot of work. I still want to have even better balance and control.
3. Twisting my torso left and right to look back while maintaining balance. Right now I'm relying on the side mirror mounted on the left bar end of my bike to check my six but I really should start practicing twisting my body and head as well.

Anyway that's all for now. I still do my HIIT during TTh, and for that I've started doing double 20 pound kettlebell squats instead of a single kettlebell goblet squat. Hopefully that helps strengthen my quads, which I need for cycling. I'm also doing double kettlebell calf raises as well.

I've also started doing suitcase deadlifts instead of single or double kettlebell deadlifts.

Out.

[876] Size is Relative

Some of the videos I enjoy watching on youtube are about small houses or apartments. The way these people solve the storage and functionality challenges that arise from have a relatively small space.

In the Philippines a 50 square meter apartment or condominium is usually very expensive and already has maybe two bedrooms if it's one of those condominiums targeted for the middle class. I guess the higher end condominiums could have a one-bedroom 50 square meter floor area, but obviously I'm not the target market of those things, not that I can even afford the middle class units.

One of my favorite youtube channels have videos with titles like "Small Apartment 50 sq meter" or something similar. Then when I watch the video it's usually in some first world country in Europe or Australia. These apartments are usually big one bedroom units that they usually rent out as AirBNB units or something. The few videos that feature actual homes are interesting but I wouldn't be surprised if the homeowner was also renting out storage lockers because their house is so spartan.

Don't get me wrong, I like seeing their units and seeing some solutions they have for their relatively small spaces. I just don't see the practicality of some of the set ups. One man's small is another man's huge, I guess. I just wish they would feature more units that are compact and actual homes, not gorgeous AirBNB units with so much space but little storage.

Out.