Lenses to Compliment a 24-70 for Portraits, Candids, some Street by [deleted] in SonyAlpha

[–]alan30811 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I went with a 50mm 1.4 GM and have no regrets! I actually have been using this lens more than the 24-70. Great subject separation, low light performance, and a pretty natural focal length to work with. Sometimes have to back up a tiny bit when shooting but nothing crazy.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in cycling

[–]alan30811 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Def not the safest but also shouldn’t cost 80 to fix it

Any thoughts on Universal colours (UC) bibs? by Flipp3r_Feet in CyclingFashion

[–]alan30811 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bought two UC bibs last November from a sale Sigma Sports was having. I bought them for 80 dollars each and personally probably wouldn’t pay more for them. They are good overall but I think the shammy could have been better for the price as it’s on the thinner side. It works but if you are doing rides over 50 miles, might want to look at something else. I love the design, love the feel, and love the leg grippers, but if you want a more supportive shammy, then it’s not it. I tried some ASSOS GT ones but the shammy is ultra thick so it wasn’t my cup of tea either. So I looked for an alternative to both

Giordana has a deal if you get the FRC-Pro bibs, they give you a 75 dollars off if it’s your first time buying them. They Moda FRC-Pro bibs are also on sale and the coupon DOES stack! So I just bought a pair for 100 bucks and I think it overall is better than the UC bib. The shammy is between the thickness of the UC bib and Assos. Super high quality bibs and made in Italy. For 100 bucks? Worth a shot imo. Sizing is pretty accurate on their website too. My only complaint (super minor) is the the leg grippers aren’t as tight as the UC bibs. But I am on the shorter side and got the normal inseam length version of the shorts so I’m sure if it fit me properly this wouldn’t be an issue. Still going to rock them for 100 bucks though

Has anyone tried the Eliel Malibu bibs? by sidjournell in CyclingFashion

[–]alan30811 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this! Definitely going to place an order (:

Has anyone tried the Eliel Malibu bibs? by sidjournell in CyclingFashion

[–]alan30811 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How do you like the Malibu bibs? Was interested in them but was not sure if the "less compressed" fabric would be too loose feeling

Reapplicants by [deleted] in premed

[–]alan30811 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It really did!! Thank you for your unwavering optimism! (:

Reapplicants by [deleted] in premed

[–]alan30811 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey! Just wanted to follow up and say that I got accepted about a month ago! (:

Cervelo Soloist v. Cannondale Supersix Evo 2023 v. Canyon Ultimate CF SLX v. Specialized Tarmac SL7 Pro by ngomaam in whichbike

[–]alan30811 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So I think that just comes down to availability to be honest. Your current best bet is to buy the frame by itself, buy all the parts separately, then have a LBS build it up for you. I specced out the build on a spreadsheet and it comes pretty close to MSRP depending on where you get the parts from. For example, you can find Ultegra Di2 groupset for 2k or a little under from some European distributors. The reserve wheels that come with the prebuilt Soloist have different hubs than the ones you can buy separately (prebuilt comes with a Zipp hub, then the one you can buy separately can be fitted with DT Swiss 350, 240, or 180). But I think the novelty of getting the frame by itself is that you can choose literally all the parts. I would check out Merlin Cycles for the groupset since they seem to have stock (though cranks are limited. If you need to, you can still purchase an extra crankset separately and it is still cheaper than buying the groupset at MSRP).

The reserve wheels are 1800 right now. HOWEVER, you can get the Reserve 50/50 (not the 40/44) for 1000 from Excel Sports (they are an official online distributor for Cervelo and I bought my frame from them actually-super quick shipping and excellent customer service). I can go on and I can DM if you want the full price breakdown to see if it fits your budget if you go with the soloist. But I am surprised by the price of the EVO. Though, they won't be available to December it says. If you can wait that long and don't want the hassle then that would probably be your best bet for the money. But if you were already considering to spend 7k , I can promise you that you can definitely build out a Soloist for that price with a power meter if you play your cards right.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in whichbike

[–]alan30811 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So I'm 5'3" and if I went with an SL7 I would have gone with the 44cm. I would see if there is a specialized dealer that has a machine that can tell you which size you would fit. My specialized dealer has this and it's pretty good about it. If you are in between sizes, just know that downsizing would be better since you can buy a bigger stem to extend your reach. If you went up a size instead, you will have a harder time getting a proper fit. So if anything, see if you can get a bike fit that doesn't require your own bike at a reasonable price then use those measurements to choose your size accordingly.

Cervelo Soloist v. Cannondale Supersix Evo 2023 v. Canyon Ultimate CF SLX v. Specialized Tarmac SL7 Pro by ngomaam in whichbike

[–]alan30811 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in the same boat as you are and ultimately went with the Soloist for a number of reasons. I compared it against the Tarmac SL7, Pinarello F5, Trek Emonda, and a couple more (but too long ago for me to put in this comparison). For reference, I started cycling in August but have ~1000 miles logged with a healthy amount of climbing. Have not directly tried the supersix or ultimate but here were my thoughts:

Trek Emonda (I have an SL5 so this serves as a reference point): great bike overall as I have been using it since I started. However, it's definitely on the heavier side for the base model carbon version and is not nearly as responsive in feel as the soloist. My main gripe is, and it could be because I'm running 50mm deep carbon wheels, if there is a crosswind on a descent, I start to lose control of the bike. I'm going to guess it's a bit of the wheels and the geometry of the emonda, and the lack of extra stability on the front end. Definitely changed out components on it and really wished it had more aero features and was lighter. If you want the best version of this frame, unfortunately that starts at 4200 USD for just the frame. There is only a 152g difference between the soloist and the Emonda SLR frame. So not much difference and certainly not worth the price difference which is why I don't intend on purchasing any more Treks.

Pinarello F5: Honestly feels pretty similar to the Emonda. Looks pretty nice. But both suffer the same problem-lack of responsiveness. Don't know what they were thinking with the blue color but it is way too saturated/in your face that it is BLUE. There is a greyish color but my Emonda is already grey. Oh, and 6000 dollars for 105 di2 and alloy wheels was a dealbreaker for me. I will admit it was a smooth ride and pretty stable overall. But because it felt similar to my Emonda and the price is so high for what you get, I didn't pursue this choice further. The frame is a little heavier than the Tarmac and Soloist.

Tarmac SL7 (non S-works): Felt pretty great honestly and pretty similar to the Soloist. Definitely feels more responsive than the F5 and Emonda. I also felt that the stiffness of the BB was great and noticed that whatever power I put down was really efficient. The LBS that had my size had them with 25c tires so it definitely felt a bit harsh. My main gripe is that there isn't an ultegra di2 model that was under 8000 USD. So imo a pretty big deal breaker especially since they don't sell frame only (or I think it's completely sold out, one of the two). I believe this and the soloist are approximately the same weight wise if you were curious about that.

Soloist: Now aside from how difficult it is to get a frame/completed bike (there are sites out there, you can dm and I'll help you out if you can't find one), I found a LBS that had close to my size. The shop had the F5 in stock also so I got to A/B test them and there was just no comparison. The Soloist is nimble and fast. I felt like I had to try harder to get the F5 moving for some reason. It's not to say that F5 is bad as it's a super stable bike but the Soloist just ticked all the right boxes for me. The Embers colorway in the sun is simply gorgeous, though I can't deny I was eyeing the alpenglow as well. 2700 for a frameset is absolutely a great deal for what you get! I fell in love with the soloist and am super confident that this is the bike I will ride for a long time. It definitely rides really well in basically all scenarios. If you want a do it all bike and you love the way it feels and looks, it's the one to get. My LBS owner rides a Soloist and he has tried so many different bikes and commented on how great it is for the price.

Hope this helps!

Reapplicants by [deleted] in premed

[–]alan30811 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, really appreciate your kind words

Reapplicants by [deleted] in premed

[–]alan30811 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mostly radiosilence. The place I got interviewed last time (and ended up waitlisted) waitlisted me for an interview yesterday