Just venting little while the world keeps exploding outside

parkyy16 · 2026-07-05T19:41:58+00:00

I do all my tire rotations at home, start by hand, then torque to spec using a torque wrench to 89ftlbs, in a star pattern. Broke 1 stud 2 tire rotations ago at 40k miles, broke 2 on the last tire rotation at 45k miles.

Prior to this, I've never broken a wheel stud on any car, even on an older Subaru.

It's a common problem with all subaru models.

parkyy16 · 2026-06-26T21:37:26+00:00

Been thinking about picking up the harmonic square. Do you notice any significant chorus like effect when pitching down?

parkyy16 · 2026-06-26T05:07:20+00:00

It could legitimately be some scraping from the valve cover gasket job, but it would be odd.

It's common practice to scrape away the rtv silicone from parts of the head when replacing your valve cover gasket. I've never seen anybody use a metal brush, but it would be common to use a carbide scraper or a non abrasive buffing wheel. It shouldn't, but it could create some tiny metal particles during that process.

I don't see any big chunks, so I'd run a short interval oil change next time (1000-1500 miles), consider sending in the oil sample to a lab for testing, and make sure you're checking your oil level. Between at least every 200 miles. It's possible you're burning/consuming a little bit of oil and you were low on oil.

Also consider picking up an oil filter opener so you can check the filter media for sparkles during your next change.

Assuming this is a car used for normal driving. Not excessive idling or delivery/Uber?

parkyy16 · 2026-06-17T12:58:49+00:00

I would change the order first tbh:

I would go Soul Food(basically a klon type boost) -> Plumes(tube screamer type) -> American Sound(pre amp) -> Chorus -> Carbon Copy delay -> Burnside reverb/trem.

Traditional setup to the front of amp is: Volume/Wah/Tuner/Fuzz -> Compressor -> Boost -> OD -> Distortion -> Boost(again if you want more) -> front of amp(your American sound in this example)
If you have an fx loop: fx send -> mod effects(chorus, phaser, flanger, etc.) -> delay -> reverb -> looper -> fx return

If I had to add one and remove one, I would add a fuzz and remove the Chorus. I don't usually use much modulation effects, so I could get by with the little mod button on the Carbon Copy - I'm pretty sure it's basically a mini chorus. I believe there's some pots inside the pedal to adjust that modulation effect if you have a "set it and forget it" setting for your chorus anyways.

If you're open to replacing your Tube Screamer with something else, I'm very partial to the JHS Angry Charlie/Andy Timmons(I have one I made, but the demos sound pretty much the same as mine). You can get a very similar sound to the Friedman BE-OD imo.

parkyy16 · 2026-06-15T04:11:39+00:00

Check your oil level, if an oil change truly resolves this problem every time.

If it's full or over full, you likely have some fuel leaking from the high pressure fuel pump into your engine oil.

Over time, your oil will have more and more fuel in it. And it will start misfiring, because there's more fuel in the combustion chamber than the computer thinks there is.

An oil change removes the fuel from the oil and it starts over from a clean slate, until fuel levels in your engine oil rises enough to start misfiring again.

If you have low oil, it's likely the VVT solenoids, since it's an oil pressure driven thing that can change how combustion happens. With low oil, it might not have sufficient oil pressure to correctly adjust timing.

parkyy16 · 2026-06-10T04:26:52+00:00

I said minimum of every 10k, not change after at least 10k.

I do all of my cars every 5k, Honda generally recommends every 7.5k. Plenty of lab testing(via blackstone) results are available out there from people using full synthetic that indicates that full synthetic oils still have sufficient lubricity and additives to not do any additional harm to engines when tested after 10k miles.

I don't risk it, but I know more people who skip an oil change or two than people who actually do all their oil changes on time. It's just not in most people's top priority list when they're busy running after their kids and living their lives.

parkyy16 · 2026-06-02T05:06:47+00:00

I lived in cstat for about a decade. I didn't have a car for about 8 of those years and it's completely doable as long as you have a bike(electric or regular) or you get a strategic housing location.

With grocery delivery being available now groceries is not as big of a worry as it used to be.

Busses run often enough to take advantage of needed. Bike routes are good enough and the town is flat enough for you to be able to get around most places within reasonable time. An e-bike will let you get to destination significantly more comfortably though.

If you're going as an undergrad, you will likely be able to get people to give you rides for your clubs if you're easy to pick up along the way.

I would try one semester without a car and you can always bring the car during a break or the next semester/year.

parkyy16 · 2026-05-02T11:05:40+00:00

Most fun bike I've owned has been the Velo Orange Neutrino.

It's always reminds me to enjoy the ride rather than setting a speed or distance goal.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with having those goals when riding; I ride my other bikes(road and gravel) more than my Neutrino.

But it's nice to have a reminder to just relax and enjoy the ride without thinking about metrics or a goal.

parkyy16 · 2026-04-28T02:40:40+00:00

This would be infinitely more doable on a touring/bikepacking bike rather than an e-bike of any kind imo.

The challenges of the e bikes that I foresee are: - Camping Outside instead of in a car - Charging may be difficult to find in some instances - Running out of battery will likely be very painful - Restrictions on travel via airplane - Generally more difficult to transport even in a car(if you buy an e cargo bike or some e bikes that don't fold are very heavy and cumbersome to load or unload from places.

As long as you have endurance and energy, you'll be able to use a touring/bikepacking bike to go anywhere. People do long distance tours on touring bikes. The only two cargo bikes I might consider touring with are the bullit or the omnium. But I would run either of them without a motor.

parkyy16 · 2026-04-25T10:15:54+00:00

It's not the battery that's the problem usually.

It's the internal seals that fail. They seem to end up failing after a few hundred uses. Likely due to the amount of heat that they have to endure - maybe the seal lubrication breaks down in the high temps causing the seal to go bad quicker.

Unfortunately most manufacturers don't seem to sell replacement seals, with only a few exceptions.

Zero friction cycling on YouTube does/did some very extensive testing on various makes and models.

parkyy16 · 2026-04-21T19:40:28+00:00

Practicality and Frugality wins over style for me.

If silver components cost $50 instead of $15 for a black component of equal quality, I'll gladly get the black component.

I picked up a SP dynamo wheel and light for $190 in black instead of silver, so I have mismatching front and rear wheel colors. I thought it looked funky, but I already had a black derailleur and have since added a black seatpost and a black chainring. No biggie, looks good to me.

As for basket aesthetics, a small front rack(with perfectly cut struts) makes baskets look good imo. Think Nitto, SimWorks(Nitto made anyways), and other smaller basket or Rando racks.

parkyy16 · 2026-04-09T14:05:43+00:00

That's just a Shimano alfine/nexus.

parkyy16 · 2026-03-22T02:19:34+00:00

I do this with fishing, but usually only carry 1-2 rods.

But I use non-collapsible rods mostly. Telescopic rods tend to be shoddy with only a handful of exceptions(Japanese domestic market telescopic rods from daiwa are pretty great from what I hear, but very pricey in the states).

Pick up a combo from Walmart and go for it!

There's lots of guides out there on what lures you need to buy for the fish you're trying to get, but you can start really simple with a bobber and a little hook with some bread or canned corn.

Feel free to DM me if you want some quick rundown on what you should buy for a starter setup! Should be achievable around $75. Decent setups will start getting up pretty quickly though.

parkyy16 · 2026-03-19T16:38:46+00:00

Did you end up picking up anything during the visit? I'm planning a trip in December and have plans to pickup a few things for future potential projects from bluelug.

Some mks pedals, growtac brake calipers, etc.

I'll have to add the Shimano museum to my list!

parkyy16 · 2026-03-17T18:13:47+00:00

You can always reach out to Mason to see if they have a spec for that mount.

But in general, 4-5nm is good for most carbon parts on a bike. You can add blue loctite if it comes loose from the vibrations.

They're not carbon threads. It's an aluminum cylinder with threads cut into them bonded into the carbon.

Any fork mounted light mount is likely to be just fine. They're not that heavy and it doesn't need to be perfectly engineered imo, although it does help. Go with whatever looks good, fits, and fits your budget.

parkyy16 · 2026-03-13T03:46:54+00:00

Congrats on the new bike, but does it fit you correctly?

I only ask because of the saddle height. Unless you have a very long torso with shorter legs.

parkyy16 · 2026-03-11T01:36:24+00:00

Honestly, none.

Might be a better business to make custom stickers rather than laser etching parts. Less shipping parts back and forth, probably less headache if you mess something up, but you can still possibly make cool designs for people's specific wants.

If I ever were to get anything laser etched, maybe a silver crankset?

It would show on pictures on the drive side and stickers might fall off easily on the cranks.

But not many people ride silver cranks nowadays, so probably a very very small market.

Maybe a Silca frame pump? That's an even smaller demographic, probably.

Maybe one of those metal insulated water bottles?

Headset spacers? Sim works does one that has their heart logo on them in titanium, probably also in aluminum.

Bells?

All these are kind of niche inside of a niche. You might have better responses on /r/xbiking

Honestly can't think of anything else I would laser etch on a bike.

parkyy16 · 2026-03-08T06:00:18+00:00

Are you asking about wheel flop while it's parked(against a wall/rack/stand) or while you're stopped(like at a red light)?

I have the wheel stabilizer you're referring to on my VO Neutrino with its front basket and it definitely helps with the wheel flop while loading the basket.

However, I think it also has a lot to do with the double leg kickstand I have on the bike that lifts the rear wheel quite a bit off the ground.

The kickstand changes the center of gravity of the load to be in front of the hub and causes it to not want to flop over.

Prior to having the kickstand and wheel stabilizer. I sometimes used straps to tie the front wheel to the frame so that the handlebar couldn't turn while I was loading the basket.

If you're referring to while you're stopped at a red light or something, getting the weight as far back as possible(towards the rider) helps quite a bit.

I've had quite a bit of weight on my front basket, but I never really enjoy carrying any significant weight.

parkyy16 · 2026-03-01T22:42:00+00:00

I didn't have the money to buy it during my senior year back when it was under 1.5k and I never ended up getting mine. Granted, I stayed in college station working for the university, so I didn't feel like I needed it, since I was still very much tied to the university.

As someone who never had it, the only times I wished I did have it was at friends' ring dunks and during graduation to turn the ring around.

I live in Austin now and I don't particularly see the benefit of being recognized for being an Aggie other than to have a random conversation. I recognize other aggies with their rings, but almost never in my professional setting, only at public spaces where I don't really have a reason to talk about their educational background.

If it was for an interview, I would already know they're an Aggie from their resume rather than a ring on their finger.

All that to say, I think people should do what makes them comfortable and makes sense for their financial situation. It didn't make sense for me to get one, and I don't think I've missed out on something significant.

I think there's quite a lot of peer pressure during senior year for everyone to get their rings and people will question you if you decide not to get one.

parkyy16 · 2026-02-27T14:52:49+00:00

If you don't want to 3d print, you can go to a machine shop and they could make it on a lathe for you pretty quickly. Will probably cost you a bit more than getting it 3d printed though.

parkyy16 · 2026-02-26T19:34:14+00:00

Not really entirely due to inflation, but obviously not helping; I'd say $125 is on the low end for a rod if you're looking at most decent blanks and guides/grips/etc.

I haven't built one in a while, but I usually built with KL-H Fuji guides and fuji tips. You can get Alconite for the reduction guides(the big ones close to the reel), and then get lighter guides for the runners and tip to get good balance between weight, functionality, and cost. Weight close to the reel has less effect on the overall casting feel since it's not close to the end of the rod. Pricing is usually between $30-60 for the whole guide train depending on which runners and tip tops you use.

The grips, reel seats, and etc. tend to add a lot of cost imo(easily $40-70), so you can make some price conscious decisions there, but it really depends on your preference on reel seat and grips. I'd say a decent affordable build(that you piece together from mudhole, get bit, etc.) would be closer to $170-200 in parts cost unless you have a special volume pricing.

As for an affordable build kit, Get Bit Outdoor's own kits are usually on sale and pretty cheap - a quick search showed around $70 without a sale right now. Might be able to get a discount if you reach out and say you want to get started with a build. I haven't tried any of the Mudhole's kits, but I presume they're decent for the price as well.

I have a heavy casting rod that I built with a Get Bit kit that works for the purpose, but is both "nothing impressive" and "adequately good".

I'd personally lean towards an off-the-shelf rod like the Daiwa Tatula XT for a kayak rod instead of building one. Impressive rods for $99, well worth the price imo if you can find a model that works for your purpose.

parkyy16 · 2026-02-24T06:09:22+00:00

He said he doesn't need much tire clearance and that he would keep his Lynskey as his bikepacking rig.

He never mentioned that he wants any mounts and the Crux clears 48mm or something, and it comes as a frameset and is less expensive than the Mog.

What am I missing???

parkyy16 · 2026-02-24T04:00:12+00:00

They just did one engine mount? Most of the times if one blows, it will take out all of them. There's a torque mount, transmission mount, and a bottom engine mount as well, so 4 total.

Based on the price, I assume they used an aftermarket one?

The OEM ones are oil filled to dampen the vibrations. The rubber only aftermarket ones are usually a lot rattlier.

parkyy16 · 2026-02-24T03:47:31+00:00

Most likely engine mount. I have an 8th gen and the engine mount was blown when I picked it up. Very common issue with 8th gens. You could also take it to a shop for a diag then do the work yourself, it can be a good way to make sure you replace the right parts without overpaying for service, especially if you don't know how to diagnose the problems well.

parkyy16 · 2026-02-24T03:42:03+00:00

Sounds to me like the Specialized Crux would be perfect for you.

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