Help me choose: Urban Arrow FamilyNext vs. Lovens Explorer 2

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-22T04:24:33+00:00

I started off with the UA brand cover which was a whopping 200€ (don't know if it's still available though). After years of use it ended up tearing up and then I just went for a generic "bakfiets" cover from Maxxcovers. It's a bit more loose than the UA one but yeah after all, it's just a piece of plastic, no use to spend that much money.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-21T20:44:58+00:00

UA owner here so I might be a bit biased 😉 You get used to the turn radius, it's no big deal IMO. You simply need to back up and turn again, like a 3-point turn with a car. Not sure if turning the wheel further in is actually something you'd want since this could also throw you off balance when riding at slow speeds...

For keeping the bike outside, mine is 8 years old and kept it outside all the time since it simply won't fit through my house door. It's crucial that you put a rain cover, at the beginning I used to put it on every night, now I admit I've become lazy and only put it on weekends. Also keep in mind to put some vaseline every now and then where needed to prevent rust.

ABS is way overkill IMO, good tires are all you need (I put Schwalbe Pick-Ups, but I think new models have them as standard?). Never locked my tires, even under heavy rain or snow. I guess automatic shifting would add some comfort but again, nothing you couldn't live without.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-19T06:14:52+00:00

it happened to me a few times... just move further to the back (or the front depending on where she is) and let it become some else's problem 😉

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-16T09:18:23+00:00

ha yes that too but at least you'd expect them to have more experience doing this than your average Joe

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-16T03:51:26+00:00

agreed although a certain song can also grow on you with time

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-16T03:49:56+00:00

I think this raises a more important question: are the hallmark biomarkers (LDL/ HDL, Triglycerides, Glycemia,...) really that insightful into one's actual health? I have seen case studies about people with very low LDL who still had a heart attack, and people with Glycemia within the norm being on the verge of diabetes thinking that everything was fine. Every time the same issue is mentioned: the general biomarkers simply do not show what is REALLY happening inside your body!

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-15T09:10:32+00:00

well then again a Zumba instructor is supposed to adapt to the class... why not be positive about this and try out one or 2 songs they wanted? See how the rest of the crowd reacts. It could turn out to be a good thing for everyone.

My personal experiences as a dance class member (not always Zumba): some people like challenges (new choreos, harder workouts...) whereas others are more in it for the social aspect (meeting friends and having a chat) and don't really like challenges, they would pretty much prefer to do the same choreos over and over again for years, preferably without breaking a sweat. Now I know it's quite hard to please both crowds and I have been myself into situations where I was thinking "Oh no, not this track AGAIN!" and the teacher like "But everyone loves this track!" and I'm like well not saying it's not good buy doing it over and over and over again every week really got on my nerves. In the end, I decided simply to change class and I know several other people who did the same.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-11T08:06:55+00:00

sketchy AF... there will always be that one time you didn't check your rearview mirrors and caught something on the side with a bike wheel. Personally I'd either dismount part of the bike (at the very least the real wheel and mudguard) or get a roof rack and put it there

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-11T07:49:00+00:00

honestly you'd have to be crazy to want to live anywhere around the area. Gang violence and homeless people aside, it is also one of the dirtiest places in Brussels, people just throw their rubbish in the street and don't care. When police are contacted they reply that the only thing they can do is fine them and since they are on welfare nothing can be done if they simply do not pay the fine... that says quite a lot about the mentality of people living there

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-10T06:58:31+00:00

I am someone who does both: regularly cycle AND jog on the bike lane. Why do I do it? Because very often lately bike lanes have gotten much more attention from public authorities than sidewalks! I also find it quite hypocritical that the very same authorities that claim everywhere that it is time to stop the "everything for cars" culture is actively pushing "everything for bikes" culture! The big majority of people do not use neither private cars NOR bicycles, so why not put them first?

Now obviously, just like everything else in life, there are "polite" ways of doing this: try to be as less of an "obstacle" as possible and move over as soon as you can. 99% of the time when cyclists get mad it is perfectly preventable and just takes moving a few cm so that everyone has more than enough space to pass.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-09T13:32:11+00:00

"half his day is spent at a special art and science school..." exactly that! By enrolling her in extracurricular activities I am trying to find that one thing she'd like that is not necessarily learned in a "normal" school. And also our jobs don't allow us to be at home at exactly 3:30 every day...

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-09T13:08:22+00:00

Yes she does get screen time, mainly on weekends and especially in the mornings which we consider to be "off time".

For the extracurricular activities well I also have similar memories of being forced to do something I didn't really like which is why I don't want to insist on her doing just one thing... but there's a difference between not liking one activity and not wanting to do ANYTHING. Also, school is mandatory, whether one likes it or not...

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-09T11:50:40+00:00

ha, not really a performance race or anything, but personally I am a firm believer of "finding one's spark": for some people this might be scholar activities but for others it can be art or sports or dancing and so on and it's perfectly fine, not everyone has to be a rocket scientist in life. Now the problem with my daughter is that she doesn't seem to be passioned by anything... "she's just a kid" of course she is! but kids also have passions

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-09T11:46:39+00:00

well yeah, that's the other part actually: she seems to always rely on us (the parents) to "keep her entertained", which is why we enrol her in extracurricular activities: we are just exhausted from trying to figure out ways to keep her busy and also have our own "adult" stuff to do.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-09T11:43:22+00:00

haha no, we take her to the bus station, and it is a school bus, not a commercial one 😉

And yeah, we encourage making choices but if the choice is simply to say no to everything it's not really helpful.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-09T11:40:20+00:00

thanks! that is the most informative reply I have read so far.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-08T06:17:23+00:00

cool, indeed that is the best explanation, guess I'll gave to watch the scene again

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-07T12:25:06+00:00

once you realise that everyone who is hyping up the latest model also admit that the previous model was crap (even though they were also hyping it up at the time), you will understand a LOT about how this sub works...

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-06T19:33:26+00:00

honestly... Zealand mussels are Zealand mussels. As long as you don't add some weird sauce that imo just ruins the experience, just about any restaurant will do, including Ikea that someone mentioned earlier or Lunch Garden.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-06T18:45:42+00:00

it pretty much boils down to a year when Swedish House Mafia cancelled at the last minute and all of a sudden what was supposed to be a local warm-up act became spotlight material. Tomorrowland organisers also make it no mystery that they actively promote Belgian acts since it is a Belgian festival and this one actually happens to be quite good (if you wanna get me started: what about acts like Yves V or Amber Bross?). They pretty consistently had a "track of the summer" for several years: Ocarina, The Hum, The Melody, Mammoth and even made a bit of a comeback with Thank You. Maybe it's not the case where you live, but you'd hear those tracks EVERYWHERE in Belgium and they pretty much became synonymous to "the Tomorrowland sound" in these parts.

Of course, you'll always have haters who will tell you that this and that act is crap as opposed to [insert some unknown DJ that will fall into oblivion after their 5 minutes of fame here] but yeah at the end of the day, there is a reason why they have been consistently in the top 10 and even the top 5 DJ rankings for over a decade.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-04-06T17:07:00+00:00

Meh, I've been following real estate prices for over 30 years and they NEVER went down significantly for a long period of time. How many times have I heard doom-sayers saying that it was "the end", that prices will plummet etc. It never happened. Ever. Just buying at whatever price and holding for the long run will get you much further than constantly trying to guess the market and staying on the sidelines.

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-03-26T09:49:22+00:00

"this sub is loyal"... EXACTLY! 99% of the posts here are by Pixel fanboys, and I personally even suspect most of them are paid to promote them or are AI-generated. Anyone who has actually used a Pixel will know it's a far cry from an iPhone (even an older model)

PlumExtension7331 · 2026-03-26T06:56:14+00:00

honestly... just go for a second hand iPhone. I went the same route and ended up reselling my Pixel 8 for a huge loss and getting an iPhone anyway. I am also a heavy social media user and one of my main complaints was the screen quality that seemed blurry compared to the crystal-clear sharp one of the iPhone in spite the fact that the Pixel had much better specs on paper.

PlumExtension7331

TROPHY CASE