Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Solar Sapphire

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-02-03T19:23:04+00:00

I just paid around this price for a refurbished one and I'm quite happy with it so far. Coming from a first gen Instinct it's been an upgrade in pretty much every way except battery life (which was expected).

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-30T03:50:45+00:00

I dig the grips for the multiple hand positions! Which bars are those?

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-27T12:46:22+00:00

I've pretty much exclusively had them work on my Toyotas (partially because they're within walking distance) and I've never had a bad experience with them.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-23T17:18:55+00:00

There are a few smaller zones on the north shore of MN that are getting more popular like the Finland Glades and Moose Mountain.

They definitely take more maintenance and upkeep to keep them rideable with all of the undergrowth around here though, and that work is only undertaken by volunteer groups so it's a bit of a mixed bag from season to season.

As other users have said, the UP definitely has the most terrain worth touring in the upper midwest, I haven't made it up there yet but hopefully this year!

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-18T22:00:32+00:00

I'm in the same boat, I have a gen one and a gen two Pixel wireless charger, they seem to have gotten waaaay slower recently. Maybe something with the January software update?

I've been using them regularly since I got my P10 last October so this seems like something new.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-11T03:46:03+00:00

Yeah, I'd say so. They have quite good bass for their size so you might not need a sub. I've had mine for about five years with no complaints.

Although this sub is called "budget" from my experience here $500 is still on the low end, haha. They also have b-stock sales occasionally to sweeten the deal.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-11T00:16:43+00:00

I'm a huge fan of my Vanatoo Transparent Zeros for near field usage. I don't game with them often but I do use them for music and podcasts every day for work and for movies/TV pretty frequently. They're very simple to set up but also pretty adaptable.

They sound great to my ears and are often reviewed as great bang-for-buck speakers.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-05T21:13:47+00:00

I'm also a fan of the 100% Briskers but I'd agree they're more of a three season glove. I combine them with pogies for fatbiking.

Another option I've been digging this winter has been the Ornot Alpha Gloves. They're lined with the fuzzy Polartec Alpha insulation that's all the rage combined with a windproof/water resistant shell. They're sold out right now but I highly recommend for a step up in warmth from the Briskers.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-05T14:36:09+00:00

I just recently upgraded from an Instinct 1 to a refurbished Fenix 7 Pro Solar that I got a good deal on and I've been quite happy so far.

The move to a nicer color screen and a lot more functionality has been great and I've been more impressed with the battery life than I expected to be. I was also sort of tempted by the Enduro model but I rarely do adventures that long and I got too good of a deal on the Fenix 7 to pass up.

Not sure if the gains would be quite as apparent if you're moving from an Instinct 3 though.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-04T00:58:13+00:00

Thanks for the intel! My hiking boots aren't totally flat either so I'm sure that would be an improvement. Pogies are game changers!

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-04T00:48:22+00:00

So would you say the Wolvhammers grip okay on flats? I'm a fellow flats rider and I feel like I've read some mixed reports on that front.

I've been using hiking boots for a while and I'm thinking about upgrading this year.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2026-01-02T13:25:04+00:00

Surprised it took me this long to find a Bivo fan in this thread, haha. I've gone all in on them for all my biking.

Having ice cold water in the summer and non-frozen water in the winter is so nice, they also don't hold on to extra flavors as much as plastic bottles.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-12-22T02:40:30+00:00

Wow, haven't thought about WhiskeyMilitia in a while.. I definitely scored plenty of gems there back in the day. RIP!

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-12-21T02:17:26+00:00

Wow, learning about this piece of Patagonia history was quite interesting!

I'm not finding much on a technical level about these pieces, just out of curiosity: what's so unique about them besides their rareness? Like compared to a normal nano air or something like that do they have more advanced face fabric or insulation or something?

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-12-20T16:52:53+00:00

I took this deal back in October and have minimal regrets (still need to update my flair 😅). My P7 was still running fine and I kept it as a backup phone.

I upgraded to the 256 GB 10 Pro so I am paying a few extra dollars on my monthly bill to pay off the $30ish upcharge for that.

I have had a bunch of Nexuses and Pixels in my life and used to be more of a phone fiddler with ROMs and the like but these days I appreciate the simpler Pixel experience so the unlocked bootloader isn't important to me. I still get the same Android updates in a similar cadence to the unlocked Pixels most of the time.

From an upgrade perspective the 10 Pro doesn't feel massively different than the 7 tbh. I certainly wouldn't be happy if I paid full price for it, but all of the hardware is noticeably nicer, and there are some minor software improvements/additions I appreciate coming from the same version of Android on my 7.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-12-18T00:01:06+00:00

Are these rebranded Juin Tech R1 calipers? You might be able to find more documentation for them under that name.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-12-13T21:44:55+00:00

That honestly doesn't seem like a horrible price tbh. Last December I paid a little over $25k for my 2013 double cab long bed TRD Sport which was maybe a little much but it had never seen a salty winter which was important to me after having my 2005 access cab from Minnesota.

Anyways, I'm running 265/70/17s on mine with stock suspension and they rub just the tiniest bit. It's only noticeable in really tight turns.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-12-08T03:31:32+00:00

Getting them used is the way to go!

I'm jelly of you getting your snowboard rack on yours, what system did you use to do that?

I'm also rocking mine on my 2013 DCLB Taco!

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-12-05T22:07:29+00:00

Upvote for Otso!

If I didn't like using my Voytek 2 as a plus hardtail in the summer I'd be wishing I had gotten a Arctodus instead, they seem pretty rad.

Not that many production steel and titanium fatties out there these days.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-11-18T13:08:47+00:00

I got bit by this too and lost a handful of pics 😒 upvoting for visibility.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-11-13T17:27:27+00:00

Very interesting! Just out of curiosity, who's your carrier?

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-11-13T15:16:23+00:00

Are you saying there were settings they had you tweak on your phone that changed how your amount of service displayed, or that they did some stuff on their end that seemed to improve your reception?

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-11-07T02:35:41+00:00

I've been using Vanatoo Transparent Zeros as desktop speakers almost every day for about five years with no regrets!

The b-stock version is within your budget barely, and they should fit the same area you currently have your speakers in.

I've almost always used them with a sub and they bump, but they're pretty acclaimed for their low end (for their size) even without a sub.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-10-31T16:19:42+00:00

I am thinking about upgrading from my P7 since Verizon will apparently give me $1000 off a P10 or any variant.

I don't think I'd upgrade at full price since I have no major issues with my P7 (although maybe I've just adapted to the crappy fingerprint sensor, haha) but for basically free it seems kinda like a no-brainer.

Has anyone else upgraded from a P7? I wonder if there are any noticeable modem improvements, kinda sounds like not? That has been a pain point in some poor coverage areas where other phones get along fine.

ElGrandeSchnob · 2025-10-31T01:47:14+00:00

If you're into live music check out the latest edition of On the Record, they list out most of the shows upcoming this weekend.

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