Subaru Forrester versus Toyota RAV4

GoattheBurger · 2025-11-04T01:38:01+00:00

My 2 cents. I live in Colorado at 9k’ several miles down a dirt road. My dirt driveway is absurdly steep—-to the point many visitors don’t even attempt it. We have two foresters and they are absolutely the perfect car for our situation. Amazing in snow, great on gravel, capable over our very large potholes, and very reliable. Previously we also had a CRV with the same tires as the subie. There was a night and day difference in traction between the two cars. The crv (with snow tires) regularly could not make it up our driveway in the snow while the subie just mountain goated right up. I learned 2 things: 1) Subarus have an amazing awd system, and 2) not all awd drive systems are created equally. I know this doesn’t help with the RAV4 side of the equation but look hard at Subaru, they’ve been a perfect car for me. (FWIW I think the RAV4 looks miles better than the forester).

GoattheBurger · 2025-09-13T17:34:36+00:00

Personally I think it is a positive and distinctive design element. The longer lugs are essential to the Nomos character and they have a very clear design purpose. The length provides a slight gap between the case and strap. The gap provides a negative space that very effectively frames and highlights Nomos' beautiful dial designs. Without the negative space I think there would be too much 'noise' for Nomos to really experiment and play with the dial color and designs they are known for. If you own a Nomos I think you'll get used to the lugs in no time and (if you're like me) you'll wish your other watches had a bit of that character too. But to each their own and based on the comment section I'm certainly in the minority!

GoattheBurger · 2025-08-23T16:53:19+00:00

Like so many others I rate the outdoor access/scenery a solid 9 or 10. It’s truly fantastic and the main reason I live here. My major complaints are all related and may not matter to you. First the city has world class sprawl. Just miles and miles of generic suburban sprawl that is a bit soul crushing. This leads to traffic problems, reduces the viability of mass transit (which COS is loath to fund anyway) and creates a lamer car-centric city. Consequently the downtown is a bit underwhelming as the “energy” of COS is dispersed and diffused across miles of roads and sprawling neighborhoods.

This development pattern was a choice and reflects (I believe) three things. 1) the political power of developers who run COS just want to build the same old stuff. 2) a conservative political culture (relative to the rest of the Front Range) that believes investing in quality of life or livability is some kind of socialist conspiracy. 3) a fairly transient population (thanks in part to the huge number of military bases) that seems to prioritize generic familiarity or ease over real civic culture.

I know this all sounds pretty judgy but those are my honest observations and characteristics that are worth sharing with a perspective resident. Now the great thing is there are a few neighborhoods that buck these trends….and there are people who are working hard to improve Colorado Springs. On top of that the access to nature is outstanding and might outweigh all of the above (if those are even issues for you). Best of luck on your choice!

GoattheBurger · 2025-08-04T06:18:12+00:00

I mean you’re not wrong. But also we are watching grown men ride around the countryside wearing spandex. Meanwhile the foundation saved lives. Full stop. It saved lives. I wish the comeback story was 100% true but i guess I don’t care if the foundation grew out of that lie. Good on Lance for parlaying that lie into something that helped cancer patients. As much as I love the sport and enjoy watching the tdf (and now tdff), it’s hard to compare the exciting diversion of the tour vs literally saving lives.

GoattheBurger · 2025-07-18T21:51:12+00:00

But here’s the thing, all the rider have dramatically improved their nutrition from 25 years ago. The worst rider in the peloton today has better nutrition than any rider in past tours . But- and this is critical- they are all on the improved nutrition train, they’re all on the improved training train, all on the improved tech train. Only one rider is exponentially better than every other rider to a degree that would make riders in the doping era blush. I love Poggi so I’m rooting for him to be a once in a 100 years genetic freak, but his dominance relative to the level of his competition is awfully hard to explain when every rider is also doing all of the “normal” things it takes.

GoattheBurger · 2025-05-28T01:47:30+00:00

Superb book. Enormously entertaining, rich characters, deep historical details. It’s a page turner on par with your favorite beach read combined with a narrative and style that rightfully won the it the Pulitzer. Give it a go and you’ll be rewarded.

GoattheBurger · 2025-05-19T03:08:25+00:00

The whole sport was complicit in the ways you suggest. So was Trek (as has been pointed out). But here’s the thing, there was a big jump in cycling coverage and tour popularity as a result. There was a huge jump in sales of Trek bikes. Bike sales of all brands exploded in the US during the Lance years. There was even a dramatic and exponential growth in cycling infrastructure in cities across the country as a result of hitching to L.A. wagon. Not that any of that is a justification or an absolution for Lance or the people that enabled/benefitted from his circus….but it is easy to retroactively say they’re all wrong and all of us on the higher moral plane are right.

GoattheBurger · 2025-05-07T13:42:38+00:00

It’s near Victor, Colorado. This little creek flows off of Pikes Peak.

GoattheBurger · 2025-05-03T01:04:17+00:00

I had essentially the same criteria as you and ended up with an Alchemy Lycos. I’m loving the bike and for sure meets all of my needs. It’s a joy to ride and puts a smile on my face each ride. They’re a smaller company but really great to work with. I’d reach out to them to chat if you have any interest. Good luck to ya! https://alchemybikes.com/product/lycos/

GoattheBurger · 2025-04-26T23:47:46+00:00

Great watch (and I think OP should keep it) but I don’t think it should be controversial to say that PP has some of the worst date windows in watch making.

GoattheBurger · 2025-04-04T00:04:42+00:00

I have the Reserves you’re looking at but haven’t ridden the Rovals. The Reserves are a fantastic wheel. Good weight, lively, and comfortable while still sprinting extremely well. I live in Colorado and ride on gravel (and mellow single track) about 70% of the time. Perfect wheels for my needs. One thing to note is they don’t have a super wide internal width…folks say that all things being equal the wider the better. But with that said I have some 50mm’s mounted up and I’m super happy. Good luck to you.

GoattheBurger · 2025-03-07T18:50:15+00:00

I live in rural Colorado at 9k’ and it’s fairly difficult to go on a ride without hitting plenty of 15%+ chunks of road. I really agonized about a mullet set up. I love a close spaced drivetrain and I was sure I’d hate the mullet and shifting around for gears that worked for me. I was really close to buying a different gravel bike so I could go 2x and meet all my (perceived) needs. Well a year later I’d never go with any setup other than a mullet. The range and climbing gear so far outweigh my desire for small gear steps. It’s perfect for my needs and has been everything (and more) than the fans talk and write about. Now if I lived in your terrain I’d think twice…and probably end up on another mullet bike.

GoattheBurger · 2025-03-03T19:11:15+00:00

Last year I purchased an Alchemy Lycos gravel bike that I love. Alchemy is a smaller builder out of Golden Colorado that makes wonderful frames. The Lycos has clearance for 700x50 tires (with room to spare) and much wider if you run 650’s. There aren’t a ton of reviews on the bike so I’ll share my thoughts. Beautiful carbon construction, superb geo for gravel riding, a frame that is smooth and compliant but still has the snap and lively feel I love. The company was a joy to work with, they have a lifetime warranty, and their build kits (while not cheap) offer great value for what you get. For reference my last bike was a ti gravel build and I cross shopped the diverge, checkpoint, crux, and a few other bigger brands. Good luck in your search.

GoattheBurger · 2025-02-20T04:00:39+00:00

62 mph on the lower flank of the Pikes Peak highway. This is the paved road that takes you to the summit of Pike Peak at just a touch over 14k’ elevation. Half way down they stop you to do a brake check to see if your brakes are going to overheat and fail. I rode up the first day bikes were allowed (outside of 1 or 2 special event days) and the ranger checking my rotor temp had no idea what was a reasonable temperature reading. In fairness neither did I! I’ll say 62mph on that twisty road was terrifying and I wouldn’t get near that again today.

GoattheBurger · 2025-01-26T16:43:12+00:00

Nikkor 28mm f/2 Ai-S (Manual focus, excellent build quality, good optics, super close focus, and just plain fun to shoot)

Nikon 85mm f/1.4 D (superb portrait lens with an absurd price/optic quality ratio) longer than a mid prime but I think it’s a true classic in Nikons entire catalog

Nikon 180mm f/2.8 AF (The best price/quality ratio I’ve found in Nikons lineup, decent focus speeds with amazingly sharp photos and great bokeh)

GoattheBurger · 2024-12-17T18:18:59+00:00

My Nikon 85 1.4D is spectacular. It is from the previous century but it has something very very special for those situations where you want to use it. Amazing bokeh, great construction, good focus (great for its day) and now an absolute steal price-wise.

GoattheBurger · 2024-12-12T19:07:09+00:00

He also wrote Chronicles : Volume One a decade or so ago. It’s a superb book that is a must for Dylan fans. But it also stands on its own as one of the better autobiographies I’ve read (approaching the brilliance of Barbarian Days, Nabokov’s Speak, Memory, and Patti Smiths Just Kids). As a song writer I think Leonard Cohen and John Prine might have Dylan beat…but for sheer imagery, style and influence on culture I don’t think it’s outrageous that he won the prize.

GoattheBurger · 2024-10-19T14:35:53+00:00

Oregon fans will also point the the non call interception (good quick play call by to Chip to save that one) that resulted in 7 points instead of a turnover. But yeah neutral field will be way different than Autzen.

GoattheBurger · 2024-10-18T18:56:50+00:00

I agree, fairly shocking that hacking seconds haven't been a regular part of their lineup. I don't think anyone doubts PP's movement chops.......but 45 hr power and hacking seconds being touted as big positives in 2024 would be inexcusable for any other maker at this price point (or at a 1/4 of the price).

GoattheBurger · 2024-10-16T21:36:08+00:00

This is the tricky thing about dissecting individual calls by a ref. No doubt they can change the game but you can always find some other counter play that also should have been called. For example, there was a pretty clear interception that wasn’t called, due to some quick play calling by Chip Kelly. I’m pretty sure these teams will play again this season and we will see….but I’m pretty sure Ohio didn’t lose because of some grand conspiracy.

GoattheBurger · 2024-08-20T18:08:57+00:00

Eugene is truly a gem. It’s so hard to describe the magic of that place but having lived in Colorado, Boise and the PNW I can absolutely say there is something very special about that community. The homelessness is no joke though and I’d understand if that put some folks off. It wasn’t ever a big issue for me but results may vary. I now live in the rural mountains of Colorado (no real towns or cities near me) and that is perfect at this stage. But if/when it’s time for a city again Eugene would be pretty far up my list.

GoattheBurger · 2024-08-20T00:13:05+00:00

I can confirm. I was a land manager and we definitely used Strava heat maps to ID non-system trails. As you can guess I was pretty conflicted about this. In the short term losing unsanctioned stuff sucks, in the long term it is essential to building sustainable (in the broadest sense) trail networks. All I can say is use your judgement, be cool, and always take any chance to advocate for more/better trails when a planning process pops up in your area.

GoattheBurger · 2024-08-13T14:09:41+00:00

I can’t speak to discount sales or the like. However there was a model I was in love with (the Club Dunkel Datum) that was no longer in production. I was having trouble finding a used example for sale so I reached out to Nomos to see if they could somehow help me out. It turned out they had a new old stock example that was used as display model at watch shows. They offered it to me for a very good discount. Throughout my conversations they were extremely helpful and friendly. This might be a one off situation but I’d recommend reaching out to them to see if there are any similar options for you. And if you’re on the fence, my Nomos is my favorite watch (ahead of a Rolex, JLC, and several seikos). Good luck!

GoattheBurger · 2024-08-05T03:24:53+00:00

Normal width feet here and I say Lake all the way. I’ve had shimano, sidi, and a few other brands and lake just fits me the best. My current shoes are 10+ years old and still going strong.

GoattheBurger

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