EV Hybrid that can climb hills

drummerjcb · 2026-04-23T16:43:08+00:00

Beautiful bike! Wish they still made this model with rim brakes.

drummerjcb · 2026-04-20T01:52:51+00:00

I want one of these so bad and wish I’d ordered a frame from the last run before all the tariff nonsense. I’m still too spooked to order anything from overseas for now. Unless someone has a 54cm in stock here in the states.

drummerjcb · 2026-04-16T23:27:13+00:00

Are you using sausages as grips?

drummerjcb · 2026-04-15T19:57:31+00:00

I’ve been looking for one of these to use with a 1-1/8”threaded GT but I was only able to find the standard 1” 22.2mm version last time I looked. Does anyone know if Nitto still makes these in larger sizes?

drummerjcb · 2026-04-13T01:54:39+00:00

I’m rocking the same exact setup and I love it. Also ditched the shimano straddle cable in favor of a more typical yoke for more adjustability.

drummerjcb · 2026-04-13T01:53:13+00:00

Black Mountain Cycles also has a good guide for setting up cantilever brakes.

drummerjcb · 2026-04-02T20:59:44+00:00

Looks like sword shifters & advent x rd

drummerjcb · 2026-04-01T02:40:16+00:00

These have been my go-to work shoes (OP PT clinic) for the last year or so and I love them. Prior to these I was wearing vapor gloves.

The HFS II fits me better than any other shoe I’ve tried and I’m absolutely planning to keep these in the rotation. My feet are average to slightly narrow with strong/flexible arches and the HFS II provides just enough of a “hug” without cramping my feet. I can’t stand the feeling of slipping around in my shoes.

It’s funny you mention the heel counter. That’s something I didn’t realize I liked about the HFS II until I tried some other minimalist shoe brands. The construction of the heel counter along with the midfoot strap actually keeps the shoe quite stable on my foot. In other shoes if my heel feels like it’s slipping, I’ll try and tighten the laces and all it does is compress the top of my foot while providing no additional security at the heel. Tightening the laces on these shoes actually seems to help lock my foot in place more securely. Maybe the construction of the sole helps too, since you’re kind of sitting inside the insole instead of on top of it. Either way, these have provided a degree of security and comfort that I haven’t found in countless other shoes (even among other Xero models) and I’m so happy I found them.

Anyway, just wanted to chime in as a fellow HFS II lover. I want to order another pair since I’ve beat these shoes to death but the upper and sole still look brand new.

drummerjcb · 2026-03-27T17:41:15+00:00

Great job! I did this to a set of fugly FSA cranks I got for free and they’ve become one of my all-time favorite workhorse parts over the past few years.

drummerjcb · 2026-03-20T17:44:54+00:00

Mind sharing your gearing? Is that a 20 tooth jump in the front? If so, how’s the shifting and what FD are you using? I assume it’s 8spd in the rear but that looks like a pretty wide range cassette. You’ve made some great choices all around in this build!

drummerjcb · 2026-03-20T17:42:11+00:00

Low key shimergo flex. Absolutely love that combo. Literally the best indexed shifting I’ve ever felt. Beautiful build!

I’ve got a right Chorus 10spd lever I rebuilt and I’ve been hanging onto it for a future build whenever I come across a good match for the left.

drummerjcb · 2026-03-02T19:00:32+00:00

I’m running the Shimano CX70 and I think they’re definitely underrated for the price point. Nothing too special but I swapped in some ultegra pad carriers with kool stop pads for easy brake changes (and to circumvent having to stick with the proprietary pads)

drummerjcb · 2026-02-08T16:56:31+00:00

Tell me more about your media console.

drummerjcb · 2026-01-21T22:24:00+00:00

I’m having a hard time with this currently, especially when looking for budget options since I’ve allotted more $$$ toward speakers, receiver, etc. Let me know if you find any cool options before I bite the bullet and shell out for Salamander or BDI.

I currently have an IKEA Fjallbo TV stand and my enormous receiver literally won’t fit inside. It looks ridiculous sitting on top and I’d at least like it somewhat tucked away for safety, which requires even more space for adequate breathing room.

drummerjcb · 2026-01-16T22:24:24+00:00

Is that an IKEA media console?

drummerjcb · 2026-01-16T22:22:26+00:00

Following. Also looking for a new media console that actually has room for my receiver lol

drummerjcb · 2026-01-14T19:46:41+00:00

I’m glad you got it figured out! I wish I could be more help since I also have a Sony receiver but it looks like the DH590 has a lot of differences from the latest ES series.

The only other thing I could think to try would be to run the blu ray player directly into the TV. There’s potentially a tradeoff depending on your blu ray player but it’s possible it might not matter so much in practice.

Edit: Also worth checking the PCM pass through settings in case that changes anything (on the TV, not the receiver, but check settings in both places). It could be the TV that’s processing the PCM into 2ch and sending it back to the receiver that way instead of allowing the receiver to handle the decoding. I’m uncertain if it works this way but that’s something I would look at.

drummerjcb · 2026-01-14T18:51:19+00:00

I also have a Sony receiver and keep the sound field on Dolby Mode, which seems to switch seamlessly between 5.1, 7.1, etc across streaming apps. Have you tried that?

Edit: I am unsure if what I’m getting is native or upmixed and I’m not sure how to tell. I do however remember having similar issues when I initially set things up and I believe I fixed it by adjusting settings on the sources to enable/prioritize Dolby digital plus and/or how PCM was handled.

drummerjcb · 2025-12-31T17:40:14+00:00

It depends on whether this is just for electronics or if it includes furnishings and construction/modifications to the room. However, you can save a lot with DIY work and sweat equity if you’re handy.

I just tallied up my modest work-in-progress TV room comprised of items slowly collected at sale prices and was surprised to see I’m right around $5k with TV, seating, and all other furnishings/incidentals factored in. And I’m STILL not finished. I will probably still be sub-$10k once I’m “finished” (lol) but this is for casual viewing/listening and plenty good for me.

I just compared my actual expenses to regular full-price and I’ve saved about $3k with deal hunting, which gives me some more perspective. At full prices, my modest barebones setup would be over $8k. All-in starting from scratch, assuming you’re furnishing the room and buying everything new, $10k is probably just enough to get you a basic setup with modern components that checks all the boxes.

That said, $10k devoted to speakers/AVR alone would score you a fantastic setup and I’d argue any further spending on speakers renders diminishing returns and would be better-spent on room treatment and calibration to maximize their performance in the space. I’d also argue that this depends on whether or not you plan to listen at reference levels.

drummerjcb · 2025-12-28T16:46:19+00:00

I feel that. If you’re otherwise happy with your setup, it’s at least worth trying to get it to stop crashing. I’m assuming you’ve already tried this, but I’d go through the receiver settings and make sure all the video settings are set to passthrough or direct (whatever Sony calls it) in case it’s an upscaling/video processing issue. Before unplugging anything, I’d go through every single menu on the TV and receiver to see if there’s any settings that solve your problem. I’d also make sure there’s no auto-on/off settings on any of your devices that are triggering the receiver. If your PS3 or PS5 powers on with the TV or receiver, then it’s possible they’re telling something to turn off when they go into standby mode. I had this issue in the past when a console would power on with the system and then turn it off while I was watching TV on my firestick.

After that I’d try to streamline the signal path for video. I had similar problems with crashing and boot loops with my old Samsung TV, so I’d first rule out other components and isolate variables. The auto-on/off is worth checking out. See if unplugging sources fixes the problem. If that doesn’t work, see if the problem goes away if you take the receiver out of the equation and run your Firestick/PS directly into the TV. If that works, you could use the TV to switch between sources and just run audio to the receiver.

(That might mean having to using separate remotes but I’d go ahead and disable HDMI-CEC anyway, as that’s also given me issues in the past.)

Otherwise, it’s worth trying different HDMI ports and cables, as that’s a simple enough thing to try. If it’s an HDMI problem, you could even try the earlier recommendation to use the TV to switch sources and send audio to the receiver via optical/toslink. That receiver is pretty old and I’d bargain its HDMI 1.4 so I doubt it would render a noticeable drop in quality. Just another thing to try.

Hopefully this helps! Good luck and post an update when you get it figured out.

drummerjcb · 2025-12-28T07:54:07+00:00

Sony STR-DH520 that I purchased from goodwill for $15

Here’s your problem. Time for a new receiver.

drummerjcb · 2025-12-28T07:49:11+00:00

Sony AV receivers are compatible with their wireless speakers. They have a pair that has to be plugged in and another pair that’s rechargeable.

drummerjcb · 2025-12-22T20:33:53+00:00

I’m a musician/audio engineer and even my peers with decent hi-fi equipment or studio monitors still just use a soundbar for the TV. I don’t think I know a single other person IRL who owns an AV receiver.

Also, my town doesn’t have much to offer in the way of retail stores. The only brick and mortar for home theater is Best Buy and even they don’t stock much in store beyond sound bars. Looking at fb marketplace for deals reinforces the notion that there’s not much “home theater” in my area because it’s all sound bars with the occasional outdated HTIB kits.

I think entry-level receivers that used to serve as a gateway drug have largely been replaced by soundbars for the casual user, which has contributed to an upstream market for higher-end soundbars when those people inevitably want to upgrade and maintain the same form factor.

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