[1115] Initial D

I've recently started re-watching Initial D and am now up to the 4th Stage (aka Season 4). It's interesting to watch it again through a set of eyes that have a different perspective in life since I first watched it around twenty years ago.

I still stand by my opinion that Initial D would have been more epic had Takumi lost a few races. You can argue he "lost" some races when his car broke down against Emperor's Sudo and his Evo 3. Or when his father, Bunta, outraced him on the Subaru Impreza WRX STi. That really doesn't count for me either.

Takumi is too much of a Mary Sue (or a Marty Stu as a friend terms male overpowered characters). I think it would have made him more human and more relatable if he lost some races and used those losses to grow as both a street racer and as a character.

However his wins have been heavily influenced by "divine intervention" so to speak. Accidents to the opponents or surprise road obstacles always lead them to slow down or give Takumi the opportunity to pull off a really amazing overtaking maneuver.

I still enjoy it and I guess re-watching this will get me excited for the second season of MF Ghost.

Out.

[1114] Tong Yang Review

My wife, daughter, and myself had lunch yesterday with my in-laws at Tong Yang's One Ayala branch. I must say, I was very happy eating there.

Tong Yang, basically, is an all-you-can-eat hot pot/grill buffet. Your table has individual induction stoves and one big centralized grill in the middle. You get your ingredients from a buffet table and cook them. You have different choices of what broth you want for your soup base.

It's basically a complete meal in the restaurant. Aside from the ingredients for the grill and hot pot, you also have some choices of sushi rolls, some cooked side dishes like vegetable, pancit, and rice, and you also have different desserts. There were also cold fruit drinks, beer, and coffee available.

Price was relatively affordable at around PhP878 per person, excluding taxes and service charge (I think, I didn't pay).

Would I eat there again? Sure, I enjoyed the experience and since I got what I wanted to eat I feel that I got my money's worth of food. However, I also realize that at my age I'm not really the type to "enjoy" all-you-can-eat places since I don't really like eating that much anymore,

Out.

[1113] Random Filler Post

Nothing new to blog, I've been relatively busy lately. I'm trying to wrap things up as the Christmas and New Year break is approaching.

I need a break, and not necessarily a vacation. I need to break the monotony of my daily routine and I have no idea how or what to do.

I'm hoping I can ride my bike during Christmas week. Hopefully less cars on the road and more time for me to go out and just face my fears. We shall see.

One thing I need to maintain are my morning exercises. I need to keep doing them because my portion control for eating is really gone at the moment. I know I'm making excuses but my discipline and willpower really aren't strengths of mine.

Out.

[1112] New Bike Build

So I mentioned I have a new dream bike frame in a recent post, the Ritchey Outback Break-away frame that you can disassemble and store a lot easier for travel. Here's my latest gravel/all-road bike build list, including some explanation why I chose these parts. Take note that since you can disassemble the frame this bike will be using cable actuated brakes (and shifting since I'm not a hardcore cyclist who can see the value in wireless shifting).

I'll be adding the price of the product as of today.

1. Frameset, Ritchey Outback Break-away USD 2399. On sale for USD 1999. Like I said, the biggest reason I'm liking this frame now is because it's collapsible and thus easier to pack for travel. Not that I travel. Based on their website my size would be small because I subscribe to Bikefit James' thinking of getting one size smaller. If not, medium is my recommended frame size. Though at my age, flexibility, and proportions small might be safer. I can always buy longer stems and seat posts but I can't shrink a bigger frame.
2. Wheelset, Mavic Allroad Disc USD 350. On sale for USD 294.98. I was originally thinking of getting the Allroad S but that only has the centerlock option for brake rotors. I'd rather have six bolt locking. The 23mm inner rim width would be more than enough to handle the tires I want.
3. Tires, Panaracer Gravel King SK USD 65 each, I think. I'm a fan of Panaracers. I'm not a gravel racer. I just want to ride a bike with a tire capable of handling both road and off-road. 35mm width would be a good balance for road and off-road, I think. With tan sidewalls.
4. Inner tubes, Tubolity X-Tubo-CX/Gravel-All USD 26.40. Tubeless set up is pricey and needs constant maintenance. I rarely ride my bike so it's not practical to go tubeless. Tubolitos will hopefully be durable enough to avoid flats.
5. Handlebar, Salsa Cowchipper USD 55. 38mm Cowchipper gives me a relatively narrow top with a flared drop that's wider than the Salsa Cowbell.
6. Stem and seatpost, Redshift ShockStop Suspension System USD USD 333.98 - USD 463.96. One of my "luxury" components simply because I'd like to have some form of suspension should I go through patches of bumpy surfaces. I think the Redshift system would be enough for me. I would most likely need a shim for the handlebar if I read the Cowchipper's specs right.
7. Brake calipers, TRP HY/RD flat mounts USD 149.99. I was also considering the Yokozuna Ultimo but they're almost, or over double the price of the TRP. Plus like I said, I don't ride that fast so this should be fine.
8. Brake rotors, Shimano RT66 6-bolt 160mm USD 29.99. On sale USD 23.99. Stopping is important but honestly I think these will do.
9. Groupset, Microshift Sword 1x10 no price on their website. Ideally 165 mm cranks, 42T chainring, and 11/48 cassette. I saw one being sold locally for PhP 19,500. That one though has 170 mm cranks, 40T chainring, and 11/48 cassette.
10. Pedals, Shimano PD-T421 USD 80. This might be a good compromise between a flat pedal and a clipless pedal. It doesn't look too flashy and might pass for a normal plastic flat pedal.
11. Cleats, Shimano SM-SH56 SPD Multi-release Cleat w/o Cleat Nut USD 19. Of course you'd need Shimano cleats to work with the pedals.
12. Saddle, Ritchey WCS Cabrillo Saddle USD 100. From the bike fitters I follow I do know that Selle Italia saddles are their go-to. But as far as I know they're expensive. So hopefully the Cabrillo will do. It does seem shorter than my saddle now but hopefully it is more than enough.

And there you go. A more detailed bike build that basically covers everything you need for a functioning bike. I'm not including accessories like bike lights, bottle cages, and bags.

Out.

[1111] New Dream Bike Frame

You read it here first. I have yet again changed my mind on what my dream bike frame is. This time it's back to Ritchey and their Ritchey Outback Break-away frame.

Why the Outback Break-away? Well, the biggest reason would be portability. It's already designed to be collapsible. It comes with its own carrying case that doesn't look like a bike carrying case, and it's a Ritchey Outback similar to my earlier dream bike frame. Only this time, you can dismantle the frame for easier transport.

This would lessen the need for having a rear or roof mounted bike rack. You would just need to disassemble the bike and keep it in the case and put it in either the trunk or second row of your vehicle. I've seen a few videos how to disassemble the bike. It looks challenging but probably worth it in the event I need to travel with my bike.

The biggest downside to this would be the price. It's currently priced as USD 2399 for the frame set alone. I'd need to spend even more to get other components like the groupset, brakes, handlebars, wheelset, tires, and so many other things.

However that doesn't mean I can't dream, right? I may just make another blog post with a more detailed build centered around the Ritchey Outback Break-away.

Out.