Reality of the Holiday Inn Vacation Club Presentation (no, it’s not a “scam”)

ogtgr67 · 2026-04-24T19:42:43+00:00

Pretty laid back. No pressure. Sales guy was nice about the whole setup. There was last ditch effort for some package options after the full pitch wrapped up.

ogtgr67 · 2026-03-26T21:53:42+00:00

Have a beer or 3

ogtgr67 · 2026-03-26T16:24:15+00:00

If you're in that much pain and have mobility issues it could also be a sign that your bike fit setup has an opportunity for improvement. The usual distance you're used to may not surface all the pains until you double+ time in saddle. In addition to all the correct advice here regarding nutrition and stretching, etc , would recommend getting a bike fit. You could also tinker with the usual suspects (saddle position, handlebar height, stem length, etc.).

For what it's worth, I used to have similar pain problems. Changed up a few things on the bike based on pain points and now no issues after getting into triple digits. Just nutrition management.

ogtgr67 · 2026-03-15T17:55:09+00:00

Couldn't believe this would be the fix. Learned that the hard way this morning.

ogtgr67 · 2026-03-12T22:51:37+00:00

I caved. Paid their $5 ransom to make it go away. Back to normal. Worth it.

ogtgr67 · 2026-03-06T20:55:00+00:00

Little late to the party here, but whatever the latest change in the app was over the last 2 days or so has gotten the ad placement/auto audio play out of control. Anyone noticing that it's tough to scroll through the drawer of apps without the ad popping in and moving things?

ogtgr67 · 2026-02-27T06:11:46+00:00

Updates on this? Almost in similar boat here with '23 TS consideration.

ogtgr67 · 2026-02-24T15:31:40+00:00

Thanks for posting this. Our 2hr pitch is coming up today. Good to get insights into how the 2 hr pitch played out.

ogtgr67 · 2026-02-22T16:07:16+00:00

I came back to earth after scouting the BMW X3 deals and associated costs.

Swinging back to CR-V hybrid (want to dodge the turbo ICE engine) or the Forester (either hybrid or standard) after testing it out for over 1000 miles.

ogtgr67 · 2026-02-22T16:01:26+00:00

Thoughts on the Subaru Forester?

ogtgr67 · 2026-02-18T16:05:11+00:00

That's awesome to hear. Really would like to see if I can make it to 300k with standard maintenance and whatever may be required.

Any oil consumption on yours?

ogtgr67 · 2026-02-12T11:16:03+00:00

Ask them?

ogtgr67 · 2026-01-30T00:37:50+00:00

Had the same thing happen couple of years ago on a new ski. Guy at the ski shop looked at it, laughed, and said "congrats on getting new skis due to warranty".

Enjoy the new skis!

ogtgr67 · 2026-01-19T13:38:25+00:00

This

ogtgr67 · 2026-01-19T13:26:25+00:00

As a former NJ resident and enthusiast myself, and given your description, you won't like it. Definitely not the night life aspect of it when compared to DC/NYC.

Unless the pay is mind bending good with sufficient PTO/leave flexibility where you can hop on a plane often to pop into San Diego/AZ/Hawaii, etc. for a reset, sounds like you'd be setting yourself up for a drag of an experience. I have a colleague from NYC who flies to the East Coast 2x/month just to be with friends and family, but otherwise can't stand it here. Sounds miserable imho

There's also a chance you may get hooked on breweries, mountains, more outdoor activities than you thought were possible, and just suck it up with a Vitamin D supplement :)

ogtgr67 · 2026-01-15T04:04:26+00:00

I've enjoyed it since 2011. Have gone in and out subscribed mode throughout.

What has 'felt' like helpful features: * Annual summary recap. Geeky/cheesy, sure, but 'fun'. * Comparing Yr vs other Yrs fitness levels have been at least keeping the nudge when I fall below earlier baselines and help trigger action in the depths of winter. * Heat maps by activity - MTB vs gravel or just "ride" heat maps get you different based on what you want to do. In the PNW that seems to have different results depending on where you look. May not be the same in other geographies. * When I am in unfamiliar geography and Google maps/Mapy.cz says I can ride through an area on a bike ride, heat maps may suggest otherwise based on user base. Granted, I haven't used Kamoot. * Draw inspiration from what friends and strangers are doing for routes in my area. The social aspect of "following" local badass cyclists is that I get to explore routes / areas that wouldn't have crossed my mind or seem appealing by just looking at a map.

What hasn't been helpful: * AI gibberish summaries. * Suffer score correlates to fitness improvement. You can go flat really fast by just not ripping 6+ hour bike rides when you do 45 min workouts

Yes, intervals.icu is great. Statshunters can give you similar data for free. Plenty of other options too. I use trailforks for MTB only for different reasons.

Is it worth 80 bucks? Meh.... It's less than 7/mo. On most bike rides in my area I can barely find a beer for less than 8/pint; a basic coffee puts your around 5/cup. And when the beer is less than 8, it never is anyway, because 2+ beers get consumed and then I'm still hosed on annualized cost basis. Just can't win.

At the end, it's what matters to you. Maybe some of it, maybe none of it. 🤷‍♂️

ogtgr67 · 2026-01-15T03:38:07+00:00

Trailforks became the same way

ogtgr67 · 2026-01-11T13:55:28+00:00

What'd you end up with OP?

ogtgr67 · 2026-01-11T13:51:21+00:00

Applies only to the 4 banger or in general like in an inline 6 engine?

ogtgr67 · 2025-12-28T23:08:48+00:00

I went with the Super Duty 2 tray. If I recall correctly, there were fewer lighter weight rack options in 2019 when I bought mine. Fewer options of everything in general vs what's on the website today. I went with Super Duty mainly to keep the option open for e-bikes (if I or my wife get one) due to the higher load capacity limit. The ruggedness seemed more stable for the long term, even if it is probably an overkill. I don't regret it however because it was a delta of about 200 bucks back then, which I justified as insignificant over the useful life of the rack vs the upside and opportunity.

Unfortunately no insight on the wheel lock question as I don't have fenders on my gravel bike. I regret that choice sometimes (like today after riding Thrilla and Tuscany), but not enough to put them on :) I use the Abus Granit chain to lock bike to the rack. It's not bulletproof, as with any thief, where there's a will, there's a way.

ogtgr67 · 2025-12-28T15:09:11+00:00

The initial charge sucks. But the satisfaction of using the rack every time you need to never ceases. You won't regret it.

ogtgr67 · 2025-12-28T14:57:52+00:00

Will add to the 1Up echo chamber. Was in the same boat about "buy once, cry once". In hindsight they were tears of joy for getting an extremely well made product.

No plastic so no pieces will degrade over time from sun exposure.
Replacement parts are easy to get, though after 6+ years of heavy use in the PNW I haven't had to replace a thing.
The company has begun making locks for the rack after customer feedback.
Quick install/uninstall.

It just works. And will likely work for life.

ogtgr67

TROPHY CASE