[906] Rising Fuel Costs

With the rising fuel costs going on right now (I think just this week gasoline went up by around PhP3.60/liter while diesel was at PhP5.60/liter) it's time once again to blog about what cars I would love to have as a daily driver.

The answer is simple and involves two words: small hatchback.

I've got a few hatchbacks I've always liked not just because of their size, but also because of their looks. So I'll post them here based on order of preference. For categories it's basically reliability, practicality, looks, and possible maintenance costs.

1. Toyota Wigo. What I don't like about the Wigo is that it has a 1.0L engine, which is probably okay for city driving but in the event I want to go out of town we're at a big disadvantage on the highways, specifically when trying to overtake slower trucks along provincial roads. This is still my first choice just because of the Toyota reputation of reliability and readily available parts.
2. Kia Picanto. This was originally my first choice, the Picanto with the 1.2L engine, split folding rear seats, better looking than the Wigo. However I really have no idea how readily available the Kia Picanto's parts are, and how easy they are to maintain outside of the casa.
3. Mitsubishi Mirage. This is also another car I'm considering. I've seen plenty of these on the road and they're starting to grow on me. The reason why the Mirage is third is because I've never been a Mitsubishi fan outside of their sports cars.
4. Suzuki S-Presso. I really like how the S-Presso looks aside from having great ground clearance. My one big issue is they didn't release one here with automatic transmission. Sure I can drive manuals, but the ease of driving around with automatics causes the S-Presso to drop in my ranking.

Those are my top four choices for a small hatchback, not that I can afford one now. Special mentions go to the Honda Brio, Honda Jazz, Hyundai Accent Hatchback, Suzuki Swift, and the Toyota Yaris. Come to think of it, slightly bigger hatchbacks might be more practical to own as both a daily driver and an out-of-town car. They're just a wee bit more expensive than those cars I listed, both purchase price and maintenance costs.

Out.

[905] First Quarter Thoughts

I know it's still technically the first quarter and it will only be over after March, but it has been a very interesting first quarter for me.

I will just speak vaguely on the matter but I've been thinking a lot more about more serious stuff since the new year started. I've also noticed some changes in my line of thinking that I'm not sure is for better or worse.

I guess what I'm trying to say is this is a filler blog post.

In all seriousness though, some stuff that happened during this first quarter has been shaping my thinking and my priorities in life, and I think that's a good thing. Some things I've encountered are also seemingly signs that are telling me to start prioritizing other things. So we shall see.

Out.

[904] Gravel Bike Updates

Yeah, you could say I'm just filling this blog up with stuff so I don't leave it too bare. At the same time I will say that since I'm doing my best to keep my personal stuff off the internet I'll just blog about the things I feel safe to post about. So on with the bike updates.

I've fiddled with the hoods and drop bar yet again. Instead of making the tops parallel to the ground I've lowered them slightly, then moved the hoods upwards, or closer to me. I used a method I saw on Park Tool's youtube video on how to install hoods to make sure both the left and right were the same height. As I did before, I pointed them inwards Remco Evenepoel / Marianne Vos style.

The reason I adjust them again was because I was feeling discomfort on my left palm, sort of like I was putting too much weight on my arms instead of like before. So why did I even bother moving the hoods farther if it caused discomfort? Well for one thing, I'm not sure I was holding the hoods right. Another was that the hoods might have been pointing too far upwards. So I'd rather move them forward a bit so they get a bit lower and I'll try to adjust my pose again while riding the bike.

I did move my saddle a few millimeters forward to hopefully compensate for the longer reach. To be honest I haven't been feeling any discomfort with my lower body. It's all in the hands. 

Speaking of hands, the new adjustments feel much better, but I've only gone on one ride so far. Some slight discomfort on the right hand, and I'm not sure why. Also, I can't seem to get both hoods to point inwards the same amount no matter how hard I try. I can't tell if it's because of the lighting or what but something always seems off.

Moving on, I'll probably be buying new bar tape for my bike and my dad's bike in the province. He's using the old school mountain bike of ours there on a trainer, but he requested for bar tape instead of handlebar grips. Aside from that, I'll be needing a bottle or two of tire sealant for my tubeless setup. I have on bottle left here and I have a feeling I'll need to refill my tires by April or May.

Finally if budget permits I would also love to finally buy myself a new cycling computer. XOSS G+ is my primary choice, I've watched some great reviews and I think it's going to be a bang for the buck. I'm thinking of getting Combo 2, that has the G+ and two sensors I can use as cadence and speed sensors.

I'm also thinking of getting a heart rate monitor, but I'm not sure if I want to get the heart rate sensor from XOSS or saving up for a smart watch. I think I'd rather buy the latter in another day, mostly because I can go anywhere I want wearing a smart watch. Accuracy is my biggest concern though, I've been watching The Quantified Scientist's youtube channel. He has great reviews of not only high end smart watches, but budget smart watches as well. So far it's his review on the Huawei GT3 that seems most promising for me.

Finally I really, really want to get a new rigid fork for my bike. I wouldn't mind having a slightly longer wheelbase, plus better clearance for my 700x38C tires. And I really, really want the black aero looking rigid fork. It would look great with how my bike looks. It's just a shame the forks I'm looking at now don't have mounts on them for bags or bottle cages.

This also gives me more room to get some nice old school looking fenders, something like this Velo Orange 700c noir colored, hammered fenders. My biggest concern with getting fenders is will they fit the rear area. I'm already pushing the clearance with my 38 tires. I'd rather not get narrower tires, but if I have to I'll go as narrow as 35mm tires.

And that's it. I'm glad I can blog again about topics I like and topics I don't mind sharing. It feels good to be able to write again, get my creative juices flowing, and just overall find another outlet. Do I want to vlog? Sure, but I'm not sure if I'm photogenic.

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. 

[902] Stuff I'd Like to Own

I did a post about bike upgrades recently. Now I'm doing a post about stuff I'd like to own that might be useful for things around the house.

1. Mechanical vernier caliper. I'm currently having size doubts about my bike. I was originally planning on getting a quick release seat post clamp. Someone loaned me one that was supposedly for 27.2 seatposts, which is what my bike is supposed to have. The thing is, the clamp was way too big for my seat tube. So either my seat post isn't 27.2 or that clamp isn't for 27.2. Aside from that the vernier caliper would help a lot with accurate measurements of smaller things in the house.
2. Torque wrench with multiple adaptors. I'm thinking the big one that can be used for cars, though I really have no idea if that will work for the hex keys and stuff on my bike. If it doesn't then make it two torque wrenches - a big one for the car and a small one for my bike.
3. A new airbrush for scale models and smaller items. We already have an air compressor, might as well take advantage of it. Where will I use it? I still have a lot of plastic scale models I haven't worked on. I don't know if they're still okay or if the plastic is super brittle already, but they're still all here.
4. A paint spray gun. Again, we already have an air compressor, might as well take advantage of it. Where would I use this? Well the hood of the Rav4 needs a new paint job but I don't know if I'm crazy enough to try it.
5. A hydraulic jack. Having an extra jack in the house to use for all three cars here would be useful. Bonus points if the weight limit is high so it can lift even the Grandia.
6. At least two jack stands. Again, for the cars here. It'll be easier to rotate the wheels with the jack stands rather than grabbing multiple jacks and raising lowering the car multiple times. Also important to get at least a three-ton jack stand or higher. Just to be sure.
7. Cordless power drill. I watched a youtube vid of a DIY guy who said the two major power tools you'll need is a cordless power drill and...
8. A circular saw. Supposedly these two power tools are all I'll need to DIY some cabinets, shelves, beds, or whatever.

So those are some tools I'd like to eventually purchase for the house. I guess you can consider the vernier caliper as the highest priority and the power tools as the least important. The rest in between, well that'll depend on my mood on different days.

Out.