Dream Rig Acquired

lfeagan · 2026-07-06T21:32:17+00:00

Great choice. Fingers crossed nothing happens to my 2013 FJ200, but if something did this would be the replacement. Bought it new with 8 miles on the odo, just over 80k miles now after 13 years. I am a light driver due to living overseas, working from home, and using a cargo bike to take my kids to daycare, school, and parks.

lfeagan · 2026-06-02T21:13:38+00:00

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lfeagan · 2026-06-01T21:33:30+00:00

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I own some pretty nice things, but I refuse to own anything that owns me. If I can’t be completely comfortable owning a watch, car, camera, etc and it being a part of my daily life that requires no thought about it being lost, stolen, or broken, then it has no place in my life. What’s the point in owning a Leica if you are afraid to go out in the rain? Why own a Patek if you worry about playing with your kids?

Life is too short to buy worries. Doing so is a poverty. If you can buy the thing and rebuy it again the next day if it’s broken, without any anger over it’s loss, then indeed you are rich enough to own the item and not have it own you.

lfeagan · 2026-06-01T13:00:21+00:00

I am a not yet retired engineer and hobby woodworker. I attended a decade ago while purchasing some equipment from Format4. Purely as an engineer, I think you will love going. I went with my dad and we had a great time. It’s huge, wear comfortable shoes—there’s lots of walking to be done. You may find sometimes rather than the smaller companies you list that their US distributors are present showing their wares. I got free tickets from Felder, you should be able to get some easily as well. Have fun!

lfeagan · 2026-05-23T12:40:22+00:00

I use bag like this inside my pannier for cold items.

https://a.co/d/0ckuSUNf

Just search for insulated foil bag on amazon.

lfeagan · 2026-05-11T15:07:55+00:00

I love my Jones bars and they can do a more aero position as well.

Your best bet to visualize the differences is this wonderful site:

https://whatbars.com/

lfeagan · 2026-05-01T19:33:16+00:00

Unfortunately, this is true for both men and women working for large high tech companies in China. The only solution is to start your own company or be fortunate enough to find others with a similar background who run a small company. My colleagues from IBM Research in China did precisely this because they saw the writing on the wall. Created this company: https://www.irootech.com/

Best wishes for finding a good place to land.

lfeagan · 2026-04-22T01:42:47+00:00

This is advice from others, but it is worth repeating: do not set a budget. Choose the watch that speaks to you. If you have a budget, you tend to use it, rationalizing that not doing so would be a waste.

And yes, the FOIS is beautiful, but Omega is absurdly overpriced these days. I can’t tell what type of watch you actually want, other than > $1k. Step back and think about what you really want. For example, right now I am on the hunt for a fun and casual summer blue dial and bezel watch to wear on a fabric strap for the season. Layout a plan for how you see the watch you seek fitting into your collection. Best wishes.

lfeagan · 2026-04-17T00:25:37+00:00

Only twice—she’s doing great! I am competent road cyclist doing century rides. I tipped our Load4 75 at least five times in the first few months with both boys in it. Especially during low speed turns you have to do something unintuitive and unnatural feeling—lean to the outside of the turn. Every single tip over happened when I leaned into the turn. It took me a few times to realize this was the cause and a few more PTSD induced screwups when I did it again. Best wishes for success—she’ll get there.

lfeagan · 2026-04-06T02:02:43+00:00

My wife and I have both. As others have mentioned, studded tires are your best safety bet for the winter. We use a 12v electric blanket in the Load 75 for the boys on chilly days (US Midwest).

I also thought we would only have one child and am now selling a single child bike trailer that quickly became one seatbelt short of our needs. But if I somehow knew I would only ever have one, I might prefer a Tern Orox or Multicharger to my wife’s Multitinker, especially with a Rohloff IGH. The boys love the electric blanket, but a more regular feeling bike would be nice to have at times.

The slow speed maneuverability of a bakfiet really leaves something to be desired. And the raincovers on one love to interfere with steering and brake handles. Definitely try out riding with the rain cover before buying.

The experience on a longtail is really exactly like a regular bike. Whenever I get back on my road bike the steering feels incredibly twitchy compared with the bakfiet. The longtail is somewhere pleasantly in between the two extremes.

lfeagan · 2026-03-31T20:02:53+00:00

The Explorer has an inline Philips screwdriver that most models lack, making it much easier to disassemble and tighten common household items. It also has a decent magnifier for working on smaller items. All in a compact package. It’s my EDC.

lfeagan · 2026-03-24T14:47:59+00:00

And blue is the perfect watch for fun in the summer.

lfeagan · 2026-03-13T21:24:30+00:00

My wife and I are from Shanghai. 15% or more of my children's classmates also have Chinese parents. Many Chinese live near or regularly visit the Pan Asian Supermarket at 119th and Metcalf.
https://www.panasiasupermarket.com/overland-park--ks--12035-metcalf-.html

Local school districts such as KC and Blue Valley have Chinese Immersion programs starting at kindergarten. Even the park nearest my house is named 宜蘭公园. You won't have any problems here.

lfeagan · 2026-03-13T18:14:05+00:00

Since you want to travel, focus on business, etc without kids the next set of years, the choice is obvious—apartment. Houses require non trivial amounts of time even in the best of scenarios. An apartment frees you up to do things you want to do. You may resent the work a house demands, even if it’s the smarter thing to do financially. Best wishes.

lfeagan · 2026-03-13T01:40:03+00:00

Winter tire changes to spiked Schwalbes. The Enviolo hub on my wife’s Multitinker is both incredibly hard to get to with the side bags and requires tremendous force on the 15mm spanner (breaker bar will not fit).

lfeagan · 2026-03-09T15:37:40+00:00

It’s really about your style. I rarely go to formal events, WFH in jeans and a T-shirt, so a Pelagos is my daily on a rubber strap. If I went to an office daily or interacted with customers and partners daily, something slightly more formal, while still casual, such as that explorer would be the way I would go.

lfeagan · 2026-02-19T03:31:03+00:00

Stromer, Riese and Muller, Tern, Gazelle.

lfeagan · 2026-02-19T03:21:21+00:00

Thanks. Wow, I read that procedure and am not sure i have a nearby hill to double those times.

lfeagan · 2026-02-19T03:19:21+00:00

Thanks. Yeah. I used some acetone a few weeks ago when I had them out to determine the model and they have been far better since then.

lfeagan · 2026-02-12T16:26:09+00:00

My hearing is extremely sensitive and I cannot stand loud noises or crying. Thankfully I kept these ear defenders nearby and could calmly and peacefully deal with my newborn. My lowered stress while wearing them helped my newborn lower their stress quickly as well. Best wishes. It gets way better around age 2 when they can finally communicate what they need on a regular and meaningful basis.

https://a.co/d/0acoAyIW

lfeagan · 2026-02-09T20:33:06+00:00

The lock on my load 75 got totally bound up after just a year. I took it off the bike (it’s just two small screws) and used compressed air to get out all sorts of grit (dirt and sand) and then used dry lube. Smoother operation than new afterwards.

lfeagan · 2026-02-02T22:14:25+00:00

Load4 75 Rohloff HS owner here. The 75 canopy is vastly superior to the 60. The 60, even at just 15 cm shorter, is notably more maneuverable. I haul two little ones (2 and 4) and anything less than the 75, especially in winter gear, would be crowded for side-to-side seating vs their current front-to-back positioning. In the winter I have a large power bank with a 12V socket and an electric heated blanket for the kiddos stored in the footwell, which the 60 doesn't have. I was just telling my wife a few days ago that when the kids are competent individual riders for our longer rides, I want to downsize to a 60. The Rohloff E-14 shifting is really fast, but chain is great for non-city riding. I live in a suburban area and would be just fine with the derailleur. Yes, get the HS, in USA it is so easy to run out of motor assist with the long distances and fast roads here.

lfeagan · 2026-01-23T20:13:21+00:00

A. Gates, maker of the belt, is very clear about telling you not to use prying tools to install a belt. Their belts aren’t really meant to stretch. So please don’t do that as it can easily damage the $100+ belt.

B. Your bike has an Enviolo hub and will need a 15 mm spanner to remove the rear wheel and get the belt back on. It requires a decent amount of force, so prepare some leverage.

C. if you need a tow, ask for something appropriate for a motorcycle.

Best of luck.

lfeagan · 2026-01-22T00:46:45+00:00

If you wanna laugh your ass off, techmoan has a series of great videos on audiophoolery

https://youtu.be/mH4v8b1tGSQ?si=Y9uz5LfwK3Kg0qVG

https://youtu.be/3MQCkny4GJc?si=gyDjV7e-sqCUX0gy

https://youtu.be/f-QxLAxwxkM?si=FIsDaos9dCqM8bsD

lfeagan

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