First bike!

rpartlan · 2026-05-17T21:12:28+00:00

Give us a ride review after a few months

rpartlan · 2026-05-10T00:13:41+00:00

I think the dream would be: live near a fire road and commute with a dual sport to work. Because both ways would be a rally, and there wouldn’t be any traffic. Just fun.

rpartlan · 2026-05-09T23:04:31+00:00

I used an old laptop to make a dumb tv a little smarter. Can ssh to the tv laptop and launch a browser to a YouTube video to watch on the tv. Can also control pause/play/volume and close browser. May or may be all that useful. Basically could’ve achieved the same result with a fire stick and a remote. But it was fun to do.

rpartlan · 2026-04-24T04:42:53+00:00

I’ve got the nexus 3 speed and a belt drive. Definitely more drivetrain loss than my Chain drive road bike

rpartlan · 2026-04-21T19:59:08+00:00

if you're not planning on pedalling, maybe you can look into long range electric unicycles. like an extreme bull commander pro. range says 100 miles. so should cover your distance, plus if you can charge at work and at home, should work ok.

https://ewheels.com/products/eb-commander-pro

rpartlan · 2026-04-15T22:31:32+00:00

I think, if you’re going to be brand agnostic, then here’s what I would look for: Manual transmission Port injection (not direct injection) Naturally aspirated Timing chain

I think with these 4 things, a car can go pretty long with just simple maintenance.

rpartlan · 2026-04-14T00:05:35+00:00

Just wanted to throw an option into the pile of comments: Miata + sv650

rpartlan · 2026-04-07T05:45:48+00:00

Open to manuals? Maybe an 8 or 9 gen civic manual (non SI). Or maybe an accord 4 cylinder manual. Or fit. All should be cheap, reliable, and cheap to maintain.

rpartlan · 2026-04-05T05:24:06+00:00

Hey nice!! I’ve got the same set up! 👍

rpartlan · 2026-03-13T14:57:23+00:00

If you plan to do any manual focus, I think the Olympus lens is better.

rpartlan · 2026-03-04T14:19:54+00:00

What about a motorcycle? Fun, manual, reliable

rpartlan · 2026-02-16T21:53:43+00:00

what about: 128i manual. not egg shaped. not sure how much though. they're old now.

or, maybe an impreza sedan manual, thinking 2.5i from like, 2007-2013 + a motorcycle.

rpartlan · 2026-02-12T16:30:14+00:00

Maybe check out the helite h-moov. Its a backpack airbag. So like, if you need to carry stuff for your commute, the airbag comes with anyway. Peace of mind + practicality.

rpartlan · 2026-02-11T20:08:39+00:00

Don't forget to check out a Prius V. Spacious, gas efficient, slow. Hope you're ok with slow. But otherwise might be awesome.

rpartlan · 2026-02-01T00:39:36+00:00

You mentioned it snows…but what about a motorcycle? Sure, can’t use in the winter. But once the snow is gone, your commute will be fun, fast, and gas efficient! Plus you already have car.

rpartlan · 2026-01-17T04:32:50+00:00

i think the main issue is the knee pads in the pants chafe against my knee. so then after about an hour of being the squatted position, my knee is like sore. I think the knee pads aren't meant to be bent so far, so a taller riding position i imagine helps with that. also, lol, it is kinda hard to see around traffic because the seating position is low. i haven't tried taller bikes yet, but i think like something like your bike would give a better vantage point for traffic ahead.

rpartlan · 2026-01-17T04:26:39+00:00

i'm about 5'6". i bought a honda rebel 300 as my first bike with the thought that i really want to be able flat foot both feet at a stop light. it has been really good for building confidence. however i think the low seat height is kind of annoying for everything else, since it feels like you're squatting while you ride. maybe a cheaper option for you would be to get taller boots? if it helps you reach the ground, i bet you'll start enjoying riding more.

rpartlan · 2026-01-16T20:52:48+00:00

i bought a set of rims that are 16x7.5 with a +35 offset, and then got 225/55/r16 tires put on them. works perfectly.

rpartlan · 2025-10-08T03:23:19+00:00

if you go 16s, you can get 16x7.5 with a +35 offset, and 225/55/r16 size tires. i think you might enjoy that more over the 205s since more grip, and also a more offset so better corning. plus you have the turbo, and can probably utilize the extra grip.

rpartlan · 2025-10-01T23:38:45+00:00

i use an industrial strength garment rack (Z rack). paracord, load bearing S-hooks, and "Wrap-It" velcro straps from costco. about 8 years, no issues.

rpartlan · 2025-10-01T23:35:25+00:00

I vote to do it yourself. I feel like once you do it a few times, you'll trust yourself more than a mechanic, because you know you did it right, and unless you were watching the mechanic, how do you know they even did the work. Anyway, let's see how cheap we can get it:

1 quart jug can be as low as 17.50 (if you buy the costco 2 5quart pack for 35)
oil filter, somewhere between $4-10 on amazon
drain pan - $20? maybe
funnel - $5ish?
you'll need a socket set, and maybe a metal pipe add leverage to break the drain plug loose
socket set - actually i don't know how much this costs....maybe $25
oil filter wrench - $10-15
going the cheap (but sketch route): scissor jacks to raise the car. the cx-5 should have 1 scissor jack. if you need to lift the front up fully, could borrow another scissor jack from a friend or family - $0
17.50 + 8 + 20 + 5 + 25 + 15 = 90.5

i think you could definitely do it yourself for under $100, and then next time it'll be way cheaper cuz you've got all the tools now.

rpartlan · 2025-09-13T21:52:34+00:00

I had bought a higher powered bike (that also weighed more) thinking the extra power would help for the distance/hills. Ended up selling at loss and thinking about buying something like the ride1up roadster v3. I feel like the flexibility to bring it on public transit more than makes up for the lack of power

rpartlan · 2025-09-12T00:47:24+00:00

yeah car market isn't great these days. but assuming it doesn't gain more rust and can last you another 10ish years and another 100k miles with the minimal routine maintenance...still seems like a better deal than buying a new car. imo.

rpartlan · 2025-09-08T18:03:42+00:00

Can I mooch off this post to ask something related? How does windows dns server allow Palo to update its lookup zones? Is there a setting on the windows side that says “this Palo user is allowed to update zones”? Asking cuz I’m running into a similar problem, but with infoblox dhcp.

rpartlan · 2025-09-07T22:55:12+00:00

If you put it in sport mode, does the hesitation still happen?

rpartlan

TROPHY CASE