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  • Two more days to enter the Secret Santa!

    Entries must be in by midnight on November 29th. We're kicking off the 2024 Secret Santa! Exchange gifts with other monkeys - from beer and snacks, to bike gear, to custom machined holiday decorations and tools by our more talented members, there's something for everyone.

    Click here for details and to learn how to participate.

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,940
16,565
where the trails are

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Yeah, he did take the dedication to the yellow bit a bit too far. As well as buying everything in the Tech-EFX catalogue.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
But, those turbo twist wheels are an iconic look on the 993, and they are to be silver. NO YELLOW! :mad:
a fair point, a fair point

I like the RUF monobloc looking ones even more



not that I will ever have a 993 :derp:
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Bases nicely repaired.

4F421DB5-6F04-45A3-AEBE-220F0F55F5D3.jpeg


Cast system with the Look Pivot 15s installed. The metal toe 15s plus the extra Cast plate make for noticeably more weight now.

B8863BB5-08D4-485E-8383-C128A8ED239F.jpeg


I’m glad I had them show me how to use the tech toe (to allow for which you remove the regular toe), as it was not engaging right

edit: turned out to be some metal pieces in the tech toe needed to be bent to clear properly. Apparently this is a thing described on the Cast website. Engages fine now.
 
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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
I also chatted with several shop guys/gals at Powder7 while waiting on my skis to be tested with my boots, etc. Our conclusions:

- Rustler 11 is a great ski by all accounts but is too close to my 108 Tis to justify as a more powder-oriented option: at my 180 cm length it'd be 140/112/130 whereas my Mindbenders are 136/108/125.

- Dispatch 120 is very light! They brought out a pair in 178 cm and they are very light, stiff to bend, and very straight in sidecut as advertised. 139/120/130.

- one of the shop dudes said he skis Volkl Revolt 121s as do a few other techs, some with Cast. At 177 cm that'd be a 143/121/135 ski with a 17 m radius. At 2200 gm I'm not sure they're what I'm after but they look like a fun but odd tool.

- they didn't have any new-year Mindbender 116Cs in stock, only the old less stiff model that I'm not interested in.
I really would like to get out and demo some Dispatches and/or the new Mindbender 116Cs. But worst case, if I can't find 'em anywhere (@Nick do you have either of these in your library of skis?!) then I could always buy them from Powder7 +/- as a mounted demo and then resell to them if I don't like 'em, only eating the depreciation + transaction cost, if you will.

I will be a good boy and just try to demo things for the remainder of this season, and do the buy/sell thing next fall if that doesn't pan out.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
listings.PNG


People listing places now that ski season is winding down a bit. (Although it technically will be on for many more weeks yet given good snowpack this year.) Much nicer finishes and newer kitchens, etc. in these than in my weird house but in terms of $/sq ft these are much, much more expensive.

Recall I paid $206/sq ft albeit am putting in a lot of money into the place. Probably will be in the $300-325 sq/ft range by the time all is said and done, but that's still significantly lower than what these people are asking: $358-500ish/sq ft.

In other news as per the edit to the last hot tub post on the last page I officially ordered a Bullfrog R8L. No swim spa. Still waiting on drawings from the structural engineer for the relatively minor (one post/caisson, small structure atop it supporting the hot tub through the deck surface) reinforcement, and then getting that done.

the L in R8L denotes a lounger seat. 8 is dimensions along the side. Non-L would seat 8, L will seat 7, and I think the lounger would be nice so that's that.

 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Re price comparisons:

- $325/sq ft will be after all the renovation work is done on my place and it's comparable in finish quality and the like
- too lazy to do the specific math but the interest rate spread between rates available now and what I have locked in (2.375% fixed x 30 yrs) is also huge
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
this would be satisfying to operate

4C5417D9-AEB6-4D40-98EF-AF5B71CCDCD1.jpeg
 
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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Only the half moon piece seems to have broken (this the intact one). $28.54 shipped for a pair of half moons from a Breckenridge shop.

So I definitely got upsold. And I’m ok with it as the excuse to go to Cast.

42B8420A-1572-4685-88AC-5AB44F2CEB53.jpeg
6BDE30CF-BC71-467E-B373-54FB5D6D2158.jpeg


:)

These will live on on different skis.
 
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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
too lazy to do the specific math but the interest rate spread between rates available now and what I have locked in (2.375% fixed x 30 yrs) is also huge
did the math:

My Tabernash mortgage is $3,593.66/mo. But that's PITI: $922.69 is to escrow, so PI alone is $2,670.97 (for a head to head comparison to what bankrate's calculator will spit out).

When I plugged in some numbers for a jumbo conventional 30 year fixed mortgage on bankrate they came up with precisely 0 automatic offers when I put in it for a second house. Put in as primary and then Sage comes back at 6.375% fixed x 30 yrs for 0 points. Let's be optimistic (!) and assume that rate would be available for a second house.

So what principal amount could be financed such that the PI portion of the payment was ~$2,670.97 at today's assumed rate? Playing around with their page's built in calculator it turns out that works out to $417,000 in principal financed.

Big yikes. (At 2.375% and 0.875 point my transaction was for a $688k note!)
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Monthly expenses going away in the medium term:

- $1,600 for kid 3’s preschool, ending or going down radically via Denver Preschool Program subsidies May 2023, gone completely May 2024 as public kindergarten shall be up next for her by then

- $314 for the 0% interest 12 mo loan on the treadmill, January 2024. 0 interest is 0 interest.

- just under $2,700 for our combined student loans (fuzzy figure because they’re variable rate and rates have been floating up, thus they go up by a dollar or three each month as of late), Dec 2024.

- $941 for the 5 year self-loan from my 403(b) that I utilized in my financial shenanigans to swing the initial 10% down mountain house loan in May 2021 (since refinanced via magic increased appraised value after some improvements to a conventional jumbo @ 2.375%), April 2026.
Updated my debt tab on my multi-spreadsheet-o'-things, and decided that rates are high enough on enough debt that it's time to make some changes and pay the high rate debt down and deleverage my situation a bit.

Screenshot 2023-03-24 at 10.27.03 PM.png


Right now I'm holding about $1.3mm in debt, and that's with neither of the HELOCs drawn upon, and the EQB loan not having materialized yet. I also realized after making this screenshot that I didn't include two small accounts I'm floating 0% balance transfers on at the moment, one of which was used to pay off my wife's student loans. The headline total debt figure doesn't bother me so much as much of it is my lovely fixed, low rate mortgages. The low balance of my taxable slush fund after drawing it down to pay off the hot tub in particular is troubling to me, though, a marker that I'm getting close to having a problem with liquidity.

With the prime rate at 8.00% as of today and a substantial part of this debt/credit line tied to that (namely my student loan, pegged to LIBOR 1 mo, and especially the two HELOCs pegged to the prime rate) then we're looking at quite a bit of money ~8% rate. The S&P 500 returned 7.52% from 1992-2022, in comparison. Put all this together and I think it's time to deleverage.

Until I change my mind and feel more in control of the situation, I've zeroed out my 403(b), 457(b), and my wife's 403(b) monthly contributions*. That will free up some monthly cash flow as will preschool tuition going to 0 over the summer (and then low for the 2023-2024 school year due to Denver subsidies, and free from Kindergarten on). Then as per the quoted post some other monthly expenses will drop off as their underlying debts are paid off in the next year or three. Finally, after we get used to the EQB we'll decide whether my Land Cruiser or the PacHy are staying as its companion, and will sell the other car—both of them are paid off.

I will use this extra cashflow first to get my taxable account back to at least $60k where I feel more comfortable with it, then I will pay down debts. Contrary to strict math I think I will do it to maximize cashflow as they're of different durations. So first my student loan, then the 403(b) loan, then likely the EQB loan, the window loan, and leave the HELOCs for last as they're not only a long term but may well float down in rate in the future.

* I'll still be contributing to my mandatory participation 401(a) as well as re-contributing to my 403(b) via the self-loan payback, if you will.



Cliffs Notes: Toshi is comfortable juggling debt but has reached his mental limit after looking over the numbers, and shall deleverage for a few years.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
In the context of all this a pair of skis (or television shenanigans) is basically noise.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
So it begins: just made the first purchases for the to-be-redone kitchen, budget kept in mind:



Samsung oven with induction range built in, a Samsung dishwasher, and a generic 600 cfm range hood, all from Costco. Scheduled delivery for the first two on May 10.

(Thought about a double oven with the top one with a built in microwave + an induction cooktop but that's $1,500 more that I don't need to spend.)

Going to go with a fancy drawer microwave at the request of the designer, who is finally working on plans and the like this week after her winter break quiescence.

 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,940
16,565
where the trails are

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Yeah, I've got to clean up my balance sheet a bit. I'll report back in a year. Or you'll see me file and liquidate in the interim. :D

(How much the houses are actually worth in this low-purchasing-power-for-incoming-buyers-due-to-interest-rates environment is very much an open question. But in theory that debt is backed up by $2mm+ in property value. In theory. Best not to test those waters at all and just soldier on.)
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
how hard could it be to build an induction range and dishwasher

I trust the Koreans. a bit. and since they're from Costco they'll be well supported, I imagine.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
He also recommended adding some metal bolted plates on the facing towards and away from house interface of the outer beams as in this photo (so plates on all four sides ultimately):

61141E3E-0D25-46BF-AB01-4C4C79E544B8.jpeg
Looking back for my brake posts makes me realize I never did this. Got to source some plates and lag bolts.

I would like some 4 piston XT brakes with 203/180 rotors. Time to figure out the adapters.
Went 203/203. I think these are the right adapters.

View attachment 190584View attachment 190585
The (cheap off brand "Logan" hydraulic) discs on my commuter indeed do suck for a heavy thing that can do 30 mph if pedaled briskly. It does have a throttle but that's only until 20 mph and I only use it to get off the line at intersections now and then. Thus my pending XT 4 pot swap.
Indeed it appears I picked the correct adapters. Went from quite shitty 180 mm rotor Logan brakes to pulled-off-a-new-build 4 pot XTs sourced on eBay + 203 mm rotors. Haven’t tested them, only installed them in the living room and squeezed them after lifting a wheel.

D609311A-DB2C-4377-9E4B-DF0A77CB94C8.jpeg


00C87AF8-A0A4-41E4-A44C-FEF8E04D8735.jpeg


C7736865-27CA-4882-84DE-A724ED826508.jpeg


Also appears the geared hub motor has a freehub as this is a cassette per the inscription, I believe. (Some hub motors back during my prior e-bike build days only took screw on freewheels, quite awful.) At some point I might pop on a closer range cassette if such a thing exists in 9 speed. I only use gears 7-9 regularly, assuming the electric bits are working!

0C19D162-4E05-4B20-BABB-0DB466568A02.jpeg
 
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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Also appears the geared hub motor has a freehub as this is a cassette per the inscription, I believe. (Some hub motors back during my prior e-bike build days only took screw on freewheels, quite awful.) At some point I might pop on a closer range cassette if such a thing exists in 9 speed. I only use gears 7-9 regularly, assuming the electric bits are working!
So it is a cassette. Shimano’s options under that model designation:

11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32T
11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-34T
11-13-15-17-20-23-26-30-36T

All those share 11-13-15. What else exists in 9 speed Hyperglide these days? This would work, and 9 speed stuff is dirt cheap!

11-28t (11,12,13,14,16,18,21,24,28)

0E4BF11A-5818-4CC7-9575-6316953AFBAE.jpeg


I will wait until I decide whether to put a dropper and probably the same handlebar I went with on the commuter on the cargo bike and make one order. Getting the drive side axle nut off will be quite the pain in the ass as it’s nestled within a recess in the removable dropout plate, and the power and torque sensor leads emanate from within said hollow axle. Not really sure how I’d do it, actually.


edit: could go to a short cage rear derailleur as well, similarly cheap for 9 speed. Shimano only has medium and long cage in the 9 speed world.


but I am not 100% certain the cable pull ratio is the same! because stupidity.


it probably would work:

.

Shimano
6, 7, 8 and 9 speeds
Rear shift ratio is 1.7, that is for 1 mm of cable pull/release, RD is moved left/right by 1.7 mm. Shimano calls this 2:1 ratio for marketing reasons.

All these RDs are compatible and any 6 to 9 speed RD will work perfectly with either 6, 7, 8 or 9 speed shifter.
and the Sun Race listing says "2:1".
 
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Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,849
8,815
Getting the drive side axle nut off will be quite the pain in the ass as it’s nestled within a recess in the removable dropout plate, and the power and torque sensor leads emanate from within said hollow axle. Not really sure how I’d do it, actually.
Here’s the area. Note the power leads. 3 bolts up high secure the dropout plate on the far side of the frame’s plate (that actually doesn’t touch the axle at all on this side, all via the plate)

59BE1FD9-5219-4012-8060-A5A1A14066B3.jpeg


Anyway, this ingenious tool exists just for this purpose. Cut out for the motor leads!

87FEFD66-4DE6-4D35-8B57-5EFC9B020D6F.jpeg


On back order.
 
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canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
22,065
21,605
Canaderp
Maybe it was mentioned elsewhere, but how come you didn't put the hot tub on the concrete surface under the deck? The view from higher elevation?

Under the deck you'd get some shelter from the weather, from the deck. And you wouldn't have to worry about shoveling snow out of the way in the winter? Less wet people tracking across the kitchen or whatever too. :D
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
17,306
14,793
Maybe it was mentioned elsewhere, but how come you didn't put the hot tub on the concrete surface under the deck? The view from higher elevation?

Under the deck you'd get some shelter from the weather, from the deck. And you wouldn't have to worry about shoveling snow out of the way in the winter? Less wet people tracking across the kitchen or whatever too. :D
What's the point in having a giant ///deck if you can't make use of it in front of the entire neighborhood?
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
22,065
21,605
Canaderp
What's the point in having a giant ///deck if you can't make use of it in front of the entire neighborhood?
Forgive me, I had not considered that. Excellent point, it will be a great spot to look down to all the plebs in the valley below.

Next up is a glass railing, for that uninterrupted view. :busted: