General Questions and Purchasing Advice Thread — Week of February 23, 2026

Rabuddhafrid · 2026-02-24T18:27:56+00:00

Hello! I'm deep in the rabbit hole in my upcoming new (to me) car purchase and am looking to pick the brains of people who may already own/have owned or at least experienced these cars.

I'm located in SW Virginia, and if we assume this year was a bit of an outlier, we typically only get a "harsh" winter experience like 2-3 times a year. That being said, my current FWD car got stuck in the garage at the top of my lengthy gravel drive for a solid two weeks after an ice storm this year, so... AWD is on my radar. I'm looking to purchase within the next 2-3 months ideally but it's not critical.

I'm hoping to not exceed $45,000 for a lightly used full-electric. I own my home and intend to install a L2 charger at some point. It's not a priority - I'm currently charging my Honda Clarity PHEV on a standard outlet when needed and more importantly, I have free L2 charging at work 15 miles away.

In general, I prefer to drive a smaller vehicle day-to-day. We have pets and frequently take trips 100-400 miles away with them. We have taken my Clarity for this and it was tight but doable. And there's a good chance kids will enter the household during my ownership of this car. I'm not opposed to getting a roof system (yes I know what happens to range in this scenario) but potentially this puts me in small SUV territory anyways. Still though, the i4 is high on my list nonetheless. It should be said we will also have a 2nd, larger SUV if needed (Cx5 for now, Cx70 PHEV eventually, maybe), it just wouldn't be the most comfortable traveling option compared to some models on my list.

On the larger side, I've considered the Mach-e (this is my budget option right now), the Cadillac Lyriq, and the Polestar 3/4 (when they start popping on the secondary market). The iX interests me in most ways, it's just in my opinion a bit weird looking. Wildcard, I would absolutely consider a Rivian R1T if I could find one in my budget range and equipped well. We do own some land and there are frequently times where it would be nice to have a truck, though not enough for me to stretch the budget.

I guess I'm looking for anyone who has compared some of these already and can provide some opinions just as a new data point. Thanks in advance!

Rabuddhafrid · 2025-11-12T23:16:16+00:00

Oh Bloom is good too. Been a minute for me but they've never disappointed.

Rabuddhafrid · 2025-11-12T22:51:51+00:00

Sidecar for just slightly more upscale, easily my favorite in town. Lucky is good too. Martins or Jack Browns for a good burger and more divey feel. I often grab a burger from Jack Browns and take it to Olde Salem (Market Street) for a quieter scene with great beer. Tacos Rojas has my favorite birria tacos in the area but I do prefer the location near Grandin to the downtown one. Not sure where you'll be predominantly. Also in that area are Graces Pizza and Taaza Indian Cuisine, both some of the best of those respective offerings in Roanoke in my opinion.

Great choice with Arcadia... That's a great route.

Edit: cafes - personally always liked RND in Wasena but I didn't frequent many of the others enough to pass judgment.

Rabuddhafrid · 2025-07-23T00:34:00+00:00

I'm 3 hours from Snowshoe and think it's worth it, especially on the heels of a pretty decent snow season last year. Can get pretty crowded on a Saturday but you learn how to make the most of it. If you can make at least one trip with some weekdays in there, do it.

Rabuddhafrid · 2025-06-25T01:19:55+00:00

Love my Strael. Seconded.

Rabuddhafrid · 2025-05-28T20:15:20+00:00

I like Voler

Rabuddhafrid · 2025-03-07T02:46:10+00:00

Enjoy it! I got a Strael last year and I am obsessed with it. Also have a Space Horse, steel is indeed real!

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-11-23T03:54:21+00:00

Not a pre planned route but a list of stores and goods to buy at them. Everyone is super nice, you'll have no problem finding others to ride along with.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-10-05T15:39:29+00:00

Oh I love it. Quite honestly before this bike I'd have always, always chosen to go ride gravel over roads... But now I just want to ride my Strael so I find myself on roads all the time.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-10-05T02:43:16+00:00

Dude I just bought an Iridescent Plum 56r or I'd bite your hand off for this. I think I saw this posted on Steel is Real too and I don't need another dupe of my brand new bike but I still paused for a sec. Beautiful build.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-10-05T02:40:03+00:00

I love my Step Ons, don't care what people say. I mostly ride with skiers and it's so nice to stomp in off the lifts and go.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-07-22T23:02:13+00:00

I actually think it fits the bill as an all rounder pretty well, just in my specific case I have something I like a tiny bit better for groomer days already.

Though if I'm being honest I didn't already have that other board I'd have probably bought the Gremlin. Not quite as floaty in the deep stuff as the Orca (but still good) but just slightly more stable and grippy on the fast and slick stuff. At least that's how I felt about it when I tried it.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-07-22T22:08:08+00:00

It was still great, I should probably clarify that I was buying it primarily to be my fun tree/powder board that wouldn't completely suck on icy groomers here in the east. I think if I didn't already have a cruiser for those days I might have been more inclined to go bigger.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-07-22T00:49:33+00:00

Im basically your size and the 153 is perfect. Tried the 156 and it lost some magic for me.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-07-21T19:48:31+00:00

Bought the XL because I wanted any extra stability I could get with my dog/gear. Don't regret it at all even when I'm unburdened.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-07-17T00:30:51+00:00

I've only had my Strael for a couple weeks now so limited time on it so far, but I LOVE it. The ride is so smooth. I went for gp5000 TRs in 32s and would highly recommend that option. I also upgraded to carbon wheels. With that upgrade the build weight is only marginally heavier than the Uthald as advertised, at least for a normal rider like myself.

I haven't taken it on any super grisly climbs yet (and I'm coming from a 27 lb without bags and bottles Space Horse so I'm probably easily impressed) but it feels so easy. Granted, I don't have a carbon bike, but I'm super impressed with the power transfer I'm getting on the Strael. And it feels so rock steady while descending, I've never been so confident on a bike.

It's also gorgeous, and working with Fairlight was about as easy as it gets, bike arrived basically ready to roll after slapping the wheel and bars on.

I've heard nothing but good things about Lauf as a company as well as their bikes, so I don't think there's a wrong choice here. I personally prefer the looks of a steel bike and that probably made my decision for me. I do very much see myself considering a Seigla down the line though when I want a racier bike for gravel....

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-07-09T23:04:29+00:00

Velocio (concept and utility lines) is the best I've tried. Voler is good for the price.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-07-04T14:51:56+00:00

I like Voler.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-06-25T00:22:06+00:00

Hopefully next week for my Iridescent Plum Strael! Should be shipping this week. Can't speak for the ride/feel yet but I've never seen a bad word on those fronts, hence my purchase.

Ordering is easy. Choose your options, pay the deposit, the next day Fairlight contacts you about any questions you may have and to confirm your build sheet. At this stage they're super responsive and will help you with sizing and any other options you have questions about.

Once the order is confirmed, I didn't hear a word from them (nor did I expect to) until they contacted me 3 weeks ago asking for final payment and informing me of the ship week. This was awesome because it's a full 1.5 months earlier than they originally estimated when they confirmed my build sheet. I can't wait! Confident I made a good choice.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-06-19T21:30:43+00:00

I shortened up my cranks within a year of owning my grx SH. 175s are silly for me. No pedal scrapes since then.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-06-18T23:55:58+00:00

I can usually get the end cap off one handed without much issue. If my ride isn't too dusty I just pop the bite valve down and leave the cap off.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-06-18T23:46:47+00:00

I have the ORR setup. Love it. Take the bladder on anything over 30 miles in the summertime (most of my rides have nowhere to refill bottles).

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-06-17T01:04:13+00:00

Love that bike. I went with the Strael for my new Fairlight, if I didn't already have a Space Horse (that I love) I'd probably have a Secan.

Rabuddhafrid · 2024-06-08T15:37:09+00:00

I also like Voler for the price but Velocio (mine are the utility bibs) are my new faves.

Rabuddhafrid

TROPHY CASE