[901] Bike Upgrade Wishlist

I'm noticing some things I'd love to upgrade or replace on my bike. Here's a quick list of the stuff I'd like to change, in possibly no order of priority.

1. New front rigid fork. I'd like it to be black aluminum alloy with the aerodynamic shape. The biggest reason I'd like this is aesthetics. I've been seeing plenty of gravel bikes on social media that have the alloy colored frame with the black fork, though those bikes are usually titanium with a carbon fiber fork. Second reason I'd want a new fork would be to hopefully increase the wheelbase of my bike to hopefully improve the handling. Aside from this I do want to mount some old school fenders on my bike and with the current fork it just doesn't seem possible because with my current 700x38C tire there is probably less than 10mm of clearance already. It would also be nice if the front fork had mounting holes for bottle cages or bags or racks in the event that I actually end up going on bikepacking trips.
2. New tubeless presta valve stems. Hopefully something better than my current valves. My previous post was about my tires losing air and I'm still not sure if it was because of the sealant drying up or the valves or the fact that I actually converted non-tubeless ready rims.
3. Front and rear hubs. A front dynamo hub so I can have a steady power source for bike lights. I've also done a 180 on my opinion and I'd rather have a relatively more quiet rear hub. I used to like noisy freewheels like Chris King hubs but now I'd rather have quieter hubs.
4. Better front and rear lights. Busch + Muller have these nice dynamo front and rear lights that both look good and have great visibility and illumination. Now I may not be brave enough to ride too far right now but I do want to eventually be able to ride long distances. Also I do have a front light and rear light but I'm not that happy with my front light, while it may be bright (200, 400, and 800 lumens) the focus of the beam isn't that great and I'm always concerned they may blind oncoming motorists and pedestrians.
5. Old school fenders. For what? Again, primarily look and secondary function. Besides, the rainy season here in the Philippines nowadays accounts for almost half the year so at least I can still go out riding.
6. A new saddle. The very first saddle I got was around 25cm and I was uncomfortable riding on my bike with it. The new saddle is better because it is longer, but it's just a wee bit too padded for me. Plus it looks dumpy like a marshmallow, yes a very shallow reason.
7. A cyclocomputer with speed, cadence, and heart rate sensors. I want a way to track if I'm improving my performance on my bike. At the moment I'm using the adidas Running app and while it does log my distance, average speed, and average pace I would like to know more data so I know how much more I am improving.
8. Bikepacking gear. Most likely a rear bike rack and panniers. Just enough to hold clothes, toiletries, and gadgets for a few days trip. I already have a handlebar mounted bag that contains tools and an air pump anyway.

And those are some of the upgrades I would like to get for my bike. My current goal is the cyclocomputer. Then maybe either the front fork or presta valves. Anything can change though, so we shall see.

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.

[899] Stress

It has been a relatively stressful start to the year 2022. Too many things happening out of my control, and despite the fact that I consciously try to not worry about these things, I always end up finding ways to connect these things to my own life.

I won't be giving examples of it of course, this is too public a forum. Let's just say that I'm challenging myself to start worrying less and acting more. We shall see where this goes.

Also, obligatory I just need two more posts to reach 900 posts for this blog.

Out.

[898] Bug Post

I can't believe I'm still curious about classic VW Beetles. It seems like a nice hobby to learn how to take care of one, simply because it's a very analog car. The biggest downside I can see is the lack of safety features. Then the lack of air conditioning.

I've already posted countless times about it so I guess this is just another filler post. Or more likely I'm just rambling here to let out some stress and/or anxiety, I honestly don't know.

I have my priorities straight on my Beetle plan, if I ever do get to own one. First is to have the engine overhauled so it runs reliably. Have the body work fixed to get rid of dents and rust at the same time. It would also be a good idea to install modern three-point seat belts and update the sound system during this time as well. That should ideally take care of reliability and basic safety concerns.

Once all those are done a front wheel disc brake upgrade is up next just to make the car stop better. That would be followed up by a complete wiring harness upgrade. These things would probably take a few years to achieve since I'd have to save up for each upgrade, but these are the non-negotiables I see in owning a Beetle. It has to be reliable and safer than before.

Lately I've been reading again about single and dual carb setups. Maybe if I do learn to take care of the car myself, only going to shops as a last resort, I can see myself using a dual carb setup even on a stock engine. I've read that they help improve the performance of the engine if tuned properly.

Then again, it's not as if I actually own a Beetle at the moment, nor can I afford one as a hobby. All honesty it would be more practical to just find a more modern second-hand car with better safety features and air conditioning.

Out.

[897] Shoe Game

I'm not saying I need these shoes now, since I honestly think I still have enough shoes that I can use at the moment, but in the event that I need to replace my shoes I'll probably be going for these shoes I'll be blogging about.

First off, let's start with my requirements for my shoes. I need them to be relatively inexpensive, durable, practical, and they would have to also look good for my standards. Basically I plan to use them when I go out, I need to be able to drive with them, ride my bike with them, and if the weather is bad they should at least have decent grip on the pavement.

So my first choice would be Merrell's Tideriser Lace. It looks nice, I can probably get it really wet and it wouldn't break, and I've been hearing good things about Merrell as a brand. I can probably go walking with this as well, but if I really need a dedicated running shoe I'm probably picking Merrell's Agility Synthesis Flex.

Now you're probably wondering why I need a shoe that I can accidentally submerge in water. Well I've experienced times when it suddenly rained so hard that relatively deep puddles form on the ground and there are times you have no choice but to take the plunge. How deep is relatively deep? Enough to soak the inside of your foot.

My next choice isn't as weather-ready as the first one but I like it for aesthetic purposes. It's the New Balance 574. Why this pair? Initial D. Yep, I've read some stuff online saying that the 574s are one of the pairs of shoes Takumi wore in the series. Now I'm not saying I drive as well as Takumi, I just like the shoes.

Actually that's it. I just need two pairs of casual shoes I can use most of the time. Ideally I should also have a pair of black leather shoes I can use for casual and formal occasions. Plus I think I'm too old to play basketball seriously so I don't think I need a dedicated pair of basketball shoes.

Oh and I also want a pair of all-around sandals similar to what I have now. I used to like Birkenstock sandals, I still do. Unfortunately they're very limited in purpose and getting them really wet usually guarantees they break sooner than later. Meanwhile the Sandugo SD1201 sandals I have are still going strong. I probably just need to get either a smaller size or a different model because I'm not as comfortable using it when I drive. The only other Sandugo sandal is the Sinai Adventure Sandal, that has a toe loop which might be what I'm looking for. The only problem is the sandals are so durable that I don't think I need to replace mine anytime soon, and I've had them for well over a decade already.

Out.