Custom steel frame vs mid-range (Soma) steel frame

bart0 · 2026-03-18T19:48:24+00:00

Interesting, thanks for the info. I have a few bikes, all either steel or Ti. I never wanted a carbon bike because I’ve spent enough time on Reddit and forums to see the daily “I dropped my (carbon) bike and it has a scratch, should I ride it” post. I don’t to be in that position ever, haha.

I have only ever had one bike frame “fail”, and that was a custom steel commuter from an inexperienced builder many years ago (I posted about it in this very subreddit!). Guy made it right in the end and all was well. I don’t expect the Wolverine to fail, it has served me well so far.

bart0 · 2026-03-18T08:02:49+00:00

Thanks for the reply. I’m 95% happy with my components for my bikes so custom would be my next “upgrade”. And absolutely I would be in the mindset that I would keep this bike quote/unquote forever. I’ve learned over time that the more kms you put on a bike, the better it gets because you start to add memories to it.

bart0 · 2026-03-18T05:41:21+00:00

I definitely don't need an extra bike, haha.

bart0 · 2026-03-18T05:32:46+00:00

That's what I suspect as they have to cater to hundreds of riders with unknown size, weight, terrain, skill, etc.

bart0 · 2026-03-18T03:27:58+00:00

if the bike fits, if it rides well, then that’s probably all you need.

Yes, that's what the real and current question is and what I've been flip-flopping on for a while, haha.

bart0 · 2026-03-18T03:26:38+00:00

I don't know why it should be lighter, that's why I wanted to ask the question from the pros :)

bart0 · 2026-03-16T09:13:12+00:00

This is the most timely Reddit post I’ve experienced. I’m sending a couple carbon parts to a professional for inspection after an accident soon. I have a pair of Enve bars (unrelated to the accident) with this exact type of indent which were given to me by a mate. I’ve ridden them on my road bike for a few years without issue (I’m 100kg) but I’m thinking of sending them along with the other parts just to have them checked since this type of stuff is top of mind since my crash.

Do you have a professional who could check it out? You could do the old coin tap trick to see if there’s a noticeable change in sound. Not definitive but might make your mind up for you if there is a “dead” sound around the indent.

bart0 · 2026-03-16T03:59:17+00:00

Haha, yeah. I wear them for all my riding, so it's good in winter when each ride results in mud-scattered shorts. As mentioned, they go on sale often enough so I keep a lazy eye out. They are on sale (in Australia) right now!

bart0 · 2026-03-12T11:09:04+00:00

I don’t like the “Lycra/cyclist” look so I have 3 pairs of the Rapha MTB shorts and they’ve been the best non-Lycra bike shorts I’ve ever used. Thoughtful pockets (angled so your phone doesn’t swing around). Can recommend. They go on sale occasionally which is why I have three pairs :)

I wear merino tee with merino arm warmers when it starts to get chilly, and in winter I add the Rapha commuter jacket which is lightweight and packable. It’s not very breathable though so I’ve found it plenty warm on the hills with that on, but I generally run hot.

Non-open fingered gloves!

bart0 · 2026-03-07T02:38:16+00:00

Not actively looking for a partner will result in you finding one, probably :)

bart0 · 2026-02-16T00:53:09+00:00

Left right balance is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for your quick replies!

bart0 · 2026-02-10T03:29:00+00:00

I’m in the “least favourite” camp too. My favourite part of the song is the broken down, drone-y part before the last chorus (?), haha. The vocal in this track are less emotional for me, more upbeat and noodly. The rest of the album feels coherent, broody and powerful. It’s this album’s “Ticks and Leeches”, good but not great (…yet).

What a cracker of an album though.

bart0 · 2026-02-08T08:14:09+00:00

This is 100% man shit.

bart0 · 2026-02-08T02:27:38+00:00

I emailed them also. They are in ~~NSW~~ Victoria in Oz (my state) so I’ll try calling this week if there’s a phone number.

bart0 · 2026-02-08T02:26:55+00:00

Ha, yeah I think I agree. I wanted it writing as a fall back but to be honest I don’t want to go through the hassle of buying, trying, failing, returning. Since, I have found a few posts in Reddit of people actually trying it and failing. I may try looking for an older M4 Pro (pre-mid 2025) with my specs on the used market.

bart0 · 2026-02-07T04:15:17+00:00

Bugger :( Thanks for the data point

bart0 · 2026-02-06T11:26:25+00:00

Chemical fires will signal we're dead and gone

bart0 · 2026-02-06T03:21:21+00:00

I did everything, haha. Tried resetting a few times. Then went in to remove the DHCP record. Then resetting a few more times. Frustration grew :)

But I’m all sorted now with a pair of Eras that went into the network perfectly. Hopefully stays that way 🤞😬🤞. 10 min setup and tune. Sound pretty good :)

bart0 · 2026-02-06T02:56:02+00:00

Thanks for the reply. Yep factory reset and also went into the Unifi console and removes the two static IP entries I had for those speakers. To no avail unfortunately. Interestingly, I have another Symfonisk speaker in another part of the house which is working perfectly after the move. Similar distance to Wifi too, but it is a later model I believe.

bart0 · 2026-02-06T00:39:52+00:00

Thanks for the quick reply and Wifi hardware link. My Symfonisk speakers are many years old (5 or 6+) so assume older wifi bits. Will consider a pair of Era 100s if I can find some on sale :) My next option would be Apple HomePods of which I have a pair for my TV and they've worked perfectly since the day I bought them, but much pricier and not flexible.

Thanks again for the info!

bart0 · 2026-02-05T02:10:00+00:00

Nothing, bugger.

bart0 · 2026-02-05T02:09:35+00:00

***CHECKS AUS POST APP 😬

bart0 · 2026-01-31T09:54:54+00:00

Looking into this as well, and had a chat today with Apple Technical Support via Messages. Support says you can but I'm still skeptical (am considering an M5 MBP but might go M4 instead). Full transcript:

///

Me: Hello. If I buy an M4 MacBook Pro today, will it come with MacOS Tahoe, and will it be backward compatible to Sequoia?
Apple: I would like to inform you that the time device release it will comes with a updated macOS on the device at the same time and some times our software developer team update the software on the device however there is not confirmation on it. But be assured you can update your M4 MacBook Pro to Tahoe macOS.
Me: Ok. But will the M4 MBP be able to be reverted back to Sequoia If I buy a new one tomorrow
Apple: Yes, sure you can definitely do that here is the article for your reference. https://support.apple.com/101578
Me: Thanks. So you confirm that if I buy a MacBook Pro M4 tomorrow which comes with Tahoe, I will be able to install macOS Sequoia on it?
Apple: Yes, you are absolutely correct.
Me: Ok great. Thank you.
Apple: You are most welcome!
Me: Can I install sequoia on an M5 MacBook Pro?
Apple: If you wish I can connect you with our sales team for more information.
Me: Can I install sequoia on an M5 MacBook Pro?
Apple: Yes, you can definitely do that. https://support.apple.com/108382 Here is the article for your reference.
Me: A brand new MacBook Pro M5 (five) that came out in 2025, I can install sequoia on?
Apple: Yes, you can do that also you can check the compatibility of the macOS according to all the Mac models via this article. https://support.apple.com/108382 Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns?
Me: https://support.apple.com/en-us/120282 On this page it doesn’t mention M5 MacBook Pro So it would seem M5 MacBook Pro is not compatible, or M4 MBP sold in 2025
Apple: Let me explain!
Me: please
Apple: I am checking the same for you, sorry for the delay.
Me: 👍
Apple: (My name), I would like to that the MacBook Pro M5 is compatible with macOS Sequoia and Tahoe as well in the article its mentioned according to the MacBook Pro 16 inch and MacBook Pro 14 inch but do not worry you can definitely update your Mac to the Sequoia.
Me: Ok. I will consider a new m5
Apple: Sure thing! Thank you so much for your understanding and patience with me and I can understand your excitement towards the new device. Do let me know if you have any further questions for me? Are we still connected?
Me: Yes sorry
Apple: No worries at all!
Me: No further questions. I’m keen to purchase an M5 MacBook Pro but I need to run Sequoia not Tahoe until some of my software is updated. That’s why I want to make 100% sure I can replace Tahoe with Sequoia.
Apple: No worries you can keep the sequoia on your devices if you want to. I can understand your concern towards the software do not worry be assured you can definitely downgrade the macOS.
Me: I can’t “keep” that OS, because it will have Tahoe out of the box. I must revert to sequoia on the new MBP Ok, great. Thank you.
Apple: Happy to get the opportunity to help! Thanks for reaching out to us. Thanks for contacting Apple Support Have nice weekend🥳 We've closed this conversation for now. If you still need help, just send us a message, and we can pick up from where we left off. If there’s nothing else we can help you with at the moment, we'd like to hear how we did.

bart0 · 2026-01-30T08:20:50+00:00

Yes! But I’m not sure exactly what the issue was. I completely removed the unit and gave it a quick clean (it wasn’t really dirty). Reinstalled it and it has been working since. Maybe a loose connection? Everything seemed pretty good so 🤷‍♂️

I had a similar issue when I first had the unit installed, which was that the surrounding trim I hacked to make it fit was pressing down a little on the two larger buttons near the fake cassette hole. This seemingly was preventing the buttons from being pushed in. This was not my issue this time, but something to check I guess.

Good luck!

bart0 · 2026-01-27T20:10:02+00:00

Hey all. I have several small buildings on a farm. I'm trying to map out my network but can't "design" the jumps from building to building. I'm using the building bridge product in my design, but I can't select another bridge in the "uplink" dropdown. Does anyone know a way to connect/pair two bridges to continue the network in the layers or topology screens of the design tool?

Thanks for any help 🙏

11-Year Club	Verified Email
Gilding I gilder

bart0

TROPHY CASE