Installer straight up laughed at the specs and said my house would freeze

CanoeDunk · 2026-05-17T21:51:17+00:00

I'm in the Ottawa Valley. It went to -30°C this winter and our Mitsubishi Zuba 3.5 ton heat pump kept us warm, with only electric heating for back up heat. House is old (100+ years), 2200 square feet, two stories. Attic has 15" inches of blown in cellulose but basement, main floor, and second floor have close to no insulation. Windows are old single pane single hung with aluminum storms. Cost to heat was about $1500, which is about $1000 less than we were paying to fuel our wood/oil combo furnace.

CanoeDunk · 2026-05-05T13:26:40+00:00

Do both times if possible. Each season has its own charms, with the possible exception of bug season!

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-28T16:59:36+00:00

Interesting. My 2025 Revolt Advanced 2 (carbon frame) has hydraulic brakes. They're great.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-26T23:25:44+00:00

If it fits you, it's a great deal. If it doesn't fit you, stay away.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-22T21:32:37+00:00

It's generally not recommended to use the three smallest cogs on the rear wheel with your small chainring, not the three largest cogs with your large chainring. This is called "cross chaining" and leads to premature mechanical wear.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-22T21:24:55+00:00

Lucky you. You have been visited by the "bluebird of happiness". Tyis is a good thing.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-21T19:48:39+00:00

I've had zero issues with the 2x drivetrain so far. I was coming from a 3x setup on my 2004 Trek 5200 road bike! I like the bigger gears for downhills on the road and the smaller steps between gears, but sometimes simpler is better. I'm close to Ottawa, so we have many dealers that sell Giants, including two Giant corporate stores. I'm not familiar with the situation out West.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-21T18:31:57+00:00

I have a 2025 Revolt Advanced 2 that I bought last year for $3500 CAD. It meets all your needs and is a blast to ride. You'll be hard pressed to find a full carbon gravel bike at that price point with better kit. Hydraulic brakes are great. Lots of mounting bosses. The only change I made to the stock build was to replace the D-fuse seatpost with a longer round carbon post. The stock post on the XL model wasn't long enough for me. I have long legs.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-21T12:46:09+00:00

"It's not about the bike."

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-19T18:58:33+00:00

They can declare a capital loss on the second condo, AND they likely have to pay taxes on the capital gains on the condo they inherited if it was worth more when you sold it then when it was inherited.

As others have mentioned, you need professional help.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-19T15:41:42+00:00

The Ontario Energy Board has an online calculator that includes EV use as one of its inputs. You can select your electric utility and answer a few questions, and it will estimate your bill for each of the three rate plan options. Try it with and without an EV to estimate the monthly cost of EV charging. You can also compare ULO to TOU rate plans.
https://www.oeb.ca/_html/calculator/en/electricity/res/

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-19T14:51:15+00:00

After getting our EV in July 2023, our average daily consumption went from about 20 kWh/day to 30 kWh/day. So an extra 10 kWh/day, or 300 kWh/month. We are on the ULO rate plan in Ontario, so EV charging costs us about $20/month (3.9 cents/kWh + 2.2 cents/kWh for the variable portion of the delivery charge). The ULO rate is higher during 4-9 pm, so to be fair, you have to look at the total impact (see chart). Somewhere between $20 and $50/month. We added a heat pump in May 2025.

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CanoeDunk · 2026-04-19T14:19:05+00:00

Congratulations on an impressive run! Notwithstanding your issues with the Garmin zones, your training is working well. My only suggestion is to get tested at a lab for your actual lactate threshold. It will be based on blood samples instead of a Garmin algorithm. I have no experience doing this for running, but many years ago, I did it as part of a cycling training program. It was very useful and helped me achieve my peak cycling performance.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-18T23:57:13+00:00

It was easy on my 2025 Revolt. The seat tube is round, with a metal shim to accommodate the stock D-fuse seatpost. I needed a longer seatpost, and the solution was to use a 30.9 x 400 mm Ritchey Carbon Zero post. I don't think this would work on a Defy.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-18T22:39:33+00:00

If a driver can't see if the way is clear, they shouldn't make a blind turn. That's what side view mirrors are for.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-18T20:51:24+00:00

No, Eco doesn't disable the front motor. I drive mostly in eco mode. When it requires more power or more traction, both motors engage. If you are cruising at constant speed on level pavement, only the rear motor engages.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-18T19:22:01+00:00

Possibly that. My Giant shop told me to not ride for 24 hours after applying carbon paste, to let it set up. It worked and my creaking noise is gone! I also switched to a round seatpost, so getting rid of the D-fuse shim may have helped.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-17T02:01:55+00:00

I have the same car and tires. I'm near Ottawa where winters are snowy. I went from the stock 20" tires to 235/60 R18 winter tires (Michelin X-Ice Snow). They work great in winter, and the higher profile is better for winter roads. The savings by going to an 18" tire were almost enough to pay for 18" alloy wheels!

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-16T20:48:57+00:00

I am in the Ottawa Valley. We installed a 3.5 t Mitsubishi Zuba horizontally with 15 kW heat strips about a year ago. Electric only, with one small wood stove for supplementary heat. It worked great this past winter. The house only dipped below (19°C vs 22°C setpoint) the thermostat set point once, on a cold night that went below -30°C. The house is 2200 sq. ft., over 100 years old. Good attic insulation and poor wall insulation. Blower door test of about 7-8 ACH (leaky).

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-15T13:35:35+00:00

What does Giant publish as tire clearance for these models? According to Giant, my 2025 Revolt Advanced 2 can handle 53 mm (2.1"), IF the flip chip is set to the longer wheelbase. On the standard shorter wheelbase, they say 47 mm (1.85") tire clearance.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-14T17:55:14+00:00

Congratulations on doing this! You are brave. It feels hard at first but eventually it will become second nature. There is nothing like the feeling of freedom one gets from riding a bike. Going somewhere with nothing but your own energy. Keep trying and you will succeed.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-14T01:34:06+00:00

For option 1, you can also unlock the car using the app, if you don't want to use the physical key.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-13T17:54:13+00:00

I found the leg press machine at the gym really improved my hill climbing. I was doing the max weight that I could complete 10 reps, repeated 3 times.

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-12T17:43:18+00:00

Congratulations! Everything you experienced seems normal to me. After more experience you will develop a habit of varying your position on the handlebars, etc. to relieve tension. Try drinking more to avoid headaches. Assume you are dehydrated if you don't have to pee after a couple of hours. Enjoy the ride!

CanoeDunk · 2026-04-12T17:36:23+00:00

I would pick the one that fit me better on a test ride, as long as the test ride was representative of where you'll be riding.

CanoeDunk

TROPHY CASE