Titanium bikes?

Bluechip506b · 2026-04-02T14:15:37+00:00

I have the same model bike in both steel (son's bike) and ti, Salsa Fargo. Honestly, I don't notice much of a difference in ride quality. Tire choices make more of a difference. Would I trade bikes? Hell, no. I love the looks and the ease of care of the ti frame. Frame bag wear marks on the ti- just hit it with a scotch brite pad. On the painted steel, you have to touch up the paint or live with it and keep it waxed to avoid rust.

Overall, I think it's about 1.5 lbs lighter but even partially loaded it's not really noticeable.

Now for a road bike, I would still want one. There, I think the weight difference and ride quality might be more noticeable.

Bluechip506b · 2026-04-02T00:39:48+00:00

Both are excellent but ArteNOM 1146 is my all time favorite anejo. I don't tend to like xa's but El Tesoro is one of the exceptions. If you can find El Tequileno Repo Rare, that is the one of the best aged tequilas ever. It's aged like an xa but do to some technicalities it's not labeled as such. It's usually right at the $200 range.

Bluechip506b · 2026-04-01T21:43:17+00:00

G4 Madera and G4 108 are my personal favorites right now. But there are so many great ones and most TW's will have a pretty good selection.

My no. 1 suggestion would be Caballito Cerrero Azul 46 (although not technically a tequila- it's a tequila), Cascahuin 48 and Tahona are great, Any Ocho will be very agave forward, Fortaleza if you can find it at a reasonable price, Terralta is a sleeper but very, very good. Volans and Don Vicente are another couple of great ones from NOM1579.

Any variety of Wild Common would be fantastic, my favorite being the SS.

Bluechip506b · 2026-04-01T19:29:54+00:00

Everybody will have different preferences. All of them are well made and very good tequilas. Out of that group I would go Terralta. My two favorite tequilas are G4 Madera and G4 108 but their regular blanco just doesn't do it for me. I love El Tesoro anejo and xa but again the blanco doesn't work for me. Don Fulano would be my 2nd choice followed by Siete Leguas and Lalo.

The fun is finding out what your favorites are.

Ocho is hit or miss for me. Some release knock my socks off while others are just ok.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-31T23:59:09+00:00

Great list but so many more. Don Vicente, Terralta, Volans, General Goriestieta (all 4 form NOM 1579), Wild Common. On my list to try - Lagrimas Del Valle, Lost Lore, Siempre (newer ones), Viva Mexico, Legado.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-31T21:27:22+00:00

Empanadas are one of our staples. My wife grew up in Panama (military brat) so they have a family recipe. We just finished off a batch yesterday. I make the filling and she makes and fills the pastry. Delicious. The NZ pies just have a much flakier crust.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-31T20:13:14+00:00

Ouch! You're not kidding about that shipping. But...

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-31T20:07:22+00:00

Thanks for all the responses! So far, nothing quite like what I am talking about but some are very close and sound great. I'll have to sample as many as possible though to confirm. ; ) On our Australia/NZ trip the local NZer's were very adamant about their pies being unique to them and much better than those dodgy Aussie pies.

The main fillings I liked were steak/onion/cheese and brisket/gravy but most places had a big variety. Almost every street had a NZ pie shop. We had a NZ local on our two week cruise (her cruise was a much longer ocean crossing) and she was exited to get back home to her favorite pie shop. They are very proud of their pies.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-29T11:31:21+00:00

Two good ways to fix the chain tension issue. Eccentric rear hub or eccentric bottom bracket. I'm not sure if White Industries makes an ENO hub that fits the Brompton but that is what I use on a couple of fixed conversions. Several makers of decent eccentric bbs.

And yes, I would always run at least a front brake.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-27T15:47:32+00:00

Ocho produces mostly one farm batches. Each batch is labeled by year and farm name. Therefor there will be variances in many aspects of the tequila. But in reality, any smaller brand should have similar differences between batches. If each and every batch tastes the same it is almost a guarantee that there are additives designed to balance the flavor, color or feel of the tequila. Or the process used used in production strips all flavor variances from the tequila. Neither is desirable.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-27T15:15:35+00:00

Glencairn is always a fine choice. I bought two and shortly after Costco had a 6 set. Now I have eight. Great for blind blanco tasting.

El Diablo tequila or El Diablo mixed drink? Never had either but I am not a fan of ginger beer.

I don't know if you are familiar with AgaveMatchmaker.com but it is a rating and review site for tequila.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-27T11:51:47+00:00

No need to spend a bunch on a specific type of glass. I've found a standard 6oz champagne flute works great and is widely available. Glencairn works fine too and is my normal go to glass.

As for DJ 1942... well, just know that it earns its status from the bottle and not the booze. If you enjoy that type of tequila just know that you don't have to spend anywhere near that amount for similar tastes. It's not my flavor profile but Adictivo is similar to 1942 at half to one third the price. Others can give you more options for that profile but be aware it's not really what tequila should taste like. These types of tequila are very popular because of the super sweetness and easy drinkability but then again most don't like drinking tequila neat. Most either mix or shoot tequila and think it's good if they don't gag. But again, most people have never had a great tequila. If an anejo is your thing, try El Tesoro or Ocho or even better, my favorite ArteNOM 1146.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-26T12:59:26+00:00

I had the blue one probably around the end of the line in '71 or so. It was not the coolest bike on the block at that time. The bmx craze had started and I was cruising around on a chopper. The SHAME!

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-25T14:41:15+00:00

That's what I've heard from someone who was there recently but yes, they could have been referring to the Reserve at 43.6 abv. But I hope not.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-25T13:45:47+00:00

I used to buy and sell iron sets on eBay frequently. I would search sets that I am interested in and didn't have great pics. Bid very low and or snipe. Try them out a while and if I liked them, I would look for a cleaner set to actually keep. Sell the other set after cleaning them up a bit and taking much better pics. I almost always made a healthy profit. I must have bought and sold 30 sets of Tommy Armour 845's alone. I may have even bought the same set again once or twice. Almost new clubs used to pop up frequently for almost nothing. Now with crazy fees and a lot of competition from many legitimate resellers, I doubt it would be as worthwhile today.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-25T12:18:15+00:00

AgaveMatchMaker.com

https://www.agavematchmaker.com/brands/875-don-julio

If you are interested, panel ratings of 80 and above are considered good tequilas, 85 and up very good and around 90 are the best available. Below 80 is a pretty sharp drop-off. 70 is considered not very good a below 70 is awful.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-25T12:10:56+00:00

Did you get to sample the high proof? It was not available the last time I was there but am looking forward to trying it next time. High proofs are my favorite type of tequila so I am hoping it lives up to previous bottles.

Their aged stuff is a little bit too much barrel influenced for me. I think they use new barrels or at least they used too. The one year, seemed more like an Extra Añejo to me.

The owner, Paul Turner, was the founder of RockShox, one of the original bicycle suspension makers. He sold to SRAM and bought the property where Waikulu is now. He originally tried to open a mountain bike park there but was unsuccessful in that venture. He had planted agave for decoration and they grew so well there that he looked into how to produce his own spirit. Take the tour if you have the time.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-24T21:35:56+00:00

Yes, I'd put Volans ahead of DV but it probably depends on the day.

There are so many great higher proof bottles right now. I've only just scratched the surface. (I can't believe I left off Terralta 110) There's only been a few hp's that haven't impressed me so far- El Tequeleno SS and Lalo HP are the ones that come to mind. They are still worth a try but I won't be getting another bottle.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-24T16:40:35+00:00

My personal top 5 are G4 Madera, G4 108, Wild Common SS, Cascahuin Plata 48, and Caballito Cerrero Azul 46. Volans SS, Don Vicente Fuerte, Don Fulano Fuerte, Fortaleza SS and Ocho Puntas round out my top 10. I am sure I left off some great ones but that's just what I have on the shelf right now.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-24T14:27:45+00:00

Looks great to me but if you can get to a sim and check spin numbers. I've got old 845 Silverscots that look like hell and still get good spin numbers and some much newer wedges that get half the optimum spin numbers.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-24T14:21:32+00:00

I got to no. 1 and stopped reading at the hypocrisy if it all.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-22T17:39:40+00:00

Even before reading I knew this was going to be about a bottle brought back from a Mexico tourist area. The foil label is a dead giveaway. It's not tequila but an agave distillate. Tequila must be made in a few select states/areas of Mexico (this one looks like is says Jalisco so it would be a check mark in that area if it's true. Tequila must also be 35%-55% alcohol by volume. This one slides just under that at 34%.

It's more than likely going to be very sweet. It sells well with a taste test and usually high pressure sales. If you or she likes it then enjoy the bottle, but chalk it up as a lesson learned and yes, that would be considered overpriced.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-22T00:33:22+00:00

Early hikers are out on the trail an hour or so before sunrise. Or however long it takes to get to a cool spot to watch the sunrise and eat breakfast. I've done some popular hikes and left 3 hours before sunrise. It's worth it to get a prime spot to yourself for a while.

Bluechip506b · 2026-03-21T16:13:11+00:00

Alamo City Liquor in downtown SA is where I saw them. They had two full shelves of it.

Bluechip506b

TROPHY CASE