[Toshi]

Popped an off-brand "Omac" set of crossbars on the EQB. Not the most quality of engineering but I think they'll suffice for holding the ski rack on. (And Thule and Yakima stuff is really expensive, as the all in one Railbar design that I like is discontinued and instead one must get towers/feet and bars separately.)

 

[Westy]

You might want to have a talk with that kid.

Start with talking about a 5.49% car loan.

 

[Toshi]

Popped an off-brand "Omac" set of crossbars on the EQB. Not the most quality of engineering but I think they'll suffice for holding the ski rack on. (And Thule and Yakima stuff is really expensive, as the all in one Railbar design that I like is discontinued and instead one must get towers/feet and bars separately.)

Update: returning them. Worst wind noise ever. Hearing all the overtones from a G tonic dependent on speed is mildly entertaining but very annoying.

 

[Nick]

Popped an off-brand "Omac" set of crossbars on the EQB. Not the most quality of engineering but I think they'll suffice for holding the ski rack on. (And Thule and Yakima stuff is really expensive, as the all in one Railbar design that I like is discontinued and instead one must get towers/feet and bars separately.)

ROLF! As if you'll still have this vehicle in 6 months when ski season returns ....

 

[Toshi]

ROLF! As if you'll still have this vehicle in 6 months when ski season returns ....

Since I still have All of the Cars hanging around, I probably shouldn't bother with the roof rack. Not because I'm going to ditch the EQB before winter but because I should reserve it for me alone or me + 1 or two other occupant trips, in which case ski bag(s) inside the car +/- folded down center second row seat would work fine.

Current plan of the moment is to keep all 3 cars around until Chrysler's promised but not unveiled BEV Pacifica makes its appearance. Then the EQB and PacHy get traded towards ElectroPac. Land Cruiser stays around as the extra-use vehicle for when ElectroPac is being used by the wife-bot, at least until I pay down my large piles of debt.

 

[Toshi]

Going to LotB and back took me from 80% to 52% SOC. In theory that's 12.0 kWh used, so perhaps 13 kWh input from the wall due to charger inefficiency. Somehow the EVSE at home claims that it absorbed 22.0 kWh over 4h 28m. This doesn't make any sense, in particular because charging power is (40A EVSE limited) 9.5-9.6 kW. 9.6 kW * 4.5 hrs >> 22 kWh.



Probably a charger reporting bug.

 

[Nick]

Going to LotB ...

did you ride the new trail, and if so what do you think?

 

[Toshi]

did you ride the new trail, and if so what do you think?

I rode the new trail, Rutabega, earlier this week. It's fun. Flow trail but with a few rock gardens and little poppers. One rock spine was a bit sketchy in the wet as when I rode it. Have you ridden it? Thoughts?

With Mariko I elected to have us turn right around at the Rutabega gate and descend LotB proper. Figured that'd be better for her, especially without potential impatient adult bikers breathing down her back.

 

[Nick]

LotB is a fun ride mid-week, too busy on weekends. And no, I haven't ridden the new trail yet. I'll get there some day.

 

[Toshi]

LotB is a fun ride mid-week, too busy on weekends. And no, I haven't ridden the new trail yet. I'll get there some day.

there was a whole gaggle of camp kids + their counselors out on the trail today. 5 groups? must have been 25+ kids total. we watched one of the counselors session the steep up to the left climb (with the built up rock line on left) until he racked his balls on his seat from looping out.

I am proud to note that I (e-)pedaled myself up that section until the turn, making me champion of that section for the day.

 

[SkaredShtles]

LotB is a fun ride mid-week, too busy on weekends. And no, I haven't ridden the new trail yet. I'll get there some day.

Lemme know when you think about going. I should ride that new trail some time as well. I should also try to ride Floyd Hill and Maryland Mountain some time...

 

[Toshi]

Lemme know when you think about going. I should ride that new trail some time as well. I should also try to ride Floyd Hill and Maryland Mountain some time...

You haven't ridden Sluice at Floyd Hill yet? It is also ok. Attracts too many people and I'd frankly rather ride Mountain Lion. as I do, again and again.

 

[SkaredShtles]

You haven't ridden Sluice at Floyd Hill yet? It is also ok. Attracts too many people and I'd frankly rather ride Mountain Lion. as I do, again and again.

No Floyd, no Maryland... I really should ride these new trails. They're practically not new any more.

 

[Toshi]

No Floyd, no Maryland... I really should ride these new trails. They're practically not new any more.

I have not been out to Maryland Mountain. Let us all go out and sample it. I will bring my GoPro to document off trail shenanigans

oh wait, @stoney won't come so there may be no off trail shenanigans

Maryland Mountain (Blackhawk) | COMBA

www.comba.org

 

[Nick]

No Floyd, no Maryland... I really should ride these new trails. They're practically not new any more.

you really should, as both of those spots are fun.
Friday morning?

 

[SkaredShtles]

you really should, as both of those spots are fun.
Friday morning?

Got an engagement Friday already... perhaps next week?

 

[Toshi]

I could do Wed mid day, Thurs morning to late morning, and/or Friday morning next week

 

[Toshi]

We all doing pano down on Sunday btw?

 

[6thElement]

We all doing pano down on Sunday btw?

Was going to try and work out numbers/ logistics on Saturday.

 

[Toshi]

In other projects:

- hot tub building permit still not issued pending clarification on build details requested by the county guy from the slow to respond engineer

still no building permit application number let alone a building permit. and no price or build timeline from the very slow to respond but at least well priced engineer (he discounted $150, probably for tardiness).

At this point I'm actually thinking of getting a concrete pad poured for it here in Denver and installing it here. no building permits required for above ground installations per my reading here and I got a referral from the hot tub dealer for a concrete outfit.

Then if the slow engineer + building permit process up in the mountains ever finishes then the reinforcement could be built without any time pressure, and then I'd get (the same) hot tub for there next spring.

 

[Toshi]

the credit score gods do not like that I drew on one of the HELOCs and opened up an auto loan (coincidentally each about the same amounts) right around the same time

 

[Toshi]

thus I shall be headed to Japan

 

[Toshi]

42k-Mile 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo

Bid for the chance to own a 42k-Mile 1996 Porsche 911 Turbo at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #110,861.

bringatrailer.com

Gorgeous color combo

 

[Toshi]

shit's hitting the fan for some people?!

632 Sunset Dr, Tabernash, CO 80478 | Zillow

632 Sunset Dr, Tabernash CO, is a Single Family home that contains 2000 sq ft.It contains 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $786,100, which has increased by $45,855 in the last 30 days.The Rent Zestimate for this Single Family is $2,562/mo, which has decreased...

www.zillow.com

 

[SkaredShtles]

View attachment 195162

shit's hitting the fan for some people?!

632 Sunset Dr, Tabernash, CO 80478 | Zillow

632 Sunset Dr, Tabernash CO, is a Single Family home that contains 2000 sq ft.It contains 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $786,100, which has increased by $45,855 in the last 30 days.The Rent Zestimate for this Single Family is $2,562/mo, which has decreased...

www.zillow.com

 

[Toshi]

Popped this on

View attachment 194339View attachment 194340View attachment 194341

How ScaleBlaster Works, Stop Limescale Formation, Electronic Descaling

An oscillating electronic field changes the shape, size and charge of the calcium molecules (the cause of hard water and lime scale formation).

www.scaleblaster.com

If it doesn’t make an appreciable difference I shall yeet it back to Costco

I returned this yesterday. ain't nobody got time for pseudoscience wrapped around mah PEX


another update from before, I think I posted this house:

https://www.redfin.com/CO/Denver/8925-E-Prairie-Meadow-Dr-80238/home/107533204

listed $950k, sold $930k. my neighborhood, same builder with similar but not identical layout, significantly smaller/less desireable lot. so my house even in this interest rate climate should still be $1mm+.

 

[Toshi]

Baby Aya pickup from bike camp via e-cargo bike

Juiced chain was very stretched out per my meter, which makes much sense since I have about 1,750 miles on it now. Grabbed a 9 speed chain from my LBS but need moar linkz (huge chainring) so will get two more while at REI tomorrow so as to have another one long enough as well.

I then used my snazzy hollow center wrench to undo the hub motor’s axle nuts so as to replace the cassette with a road one (for nice 12-13-14-15 gears at the high end, which is all I use). But my Park lockring tool clearly won’t work with a hub axle and motor leads. Ordered a generic one with a big void in the center from Amazon that should work.

 

[Toshi]

Another bellwether. 2,336 sq ft, half duplex, in Tabernash across the creek from my house: I can see it from my porch.

501 Paintbrush Terrace, Tabernash, CO 80478 | Zillow

501 Paintbrush Terrace, Tabernash CO, is a Townhouse home that contains 2336 sq ft and was built in 2007.It contains 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.This home last sold for $825,000 in November 2023. The Zestimate for this Townhouse is $826,600, which has increased by $17,381 in the last 30...

www.zillow.com

they’re asking $950k

 

[Toshi]

Grabbed a 9 speed chain from my LBS but need moar linkz (huge chainring) so will get two more while at REI tomorrow so as to have another one long enough as well.

said chains are 114 links. it appears I need 121 for the Juiced.

so I will be set for the next 15 chain replacements wrt extra links now

 

[Toshi]

re the hot tub, the engineer emerged from radio silence

I still don't have a building permit application # because the county permit handling dude doesn't have all the details from the engineer. I put them in contact with each other but that doesn't work if they guy's offline for a month. Anyway, without a permit application # I don't have HOA approval either, let alone a lead on a contractor to build this once approved or a price tag for said build.

thus getting a concrete guy here in Denver to give me a price on a hot tub pad (+ concreting over some gravel walkway areas that are just weed central in practice) for the Denver house this evening.

 

[Nick]

said chains are 114 links. it appears I need 121 for the Juiced.

so I will be set for the next 15 chain replacements wrt extra links now

I have a new 9-sp chain you can have.

 

[Toshi]

renovation work update:

Hi Toshi and Jessica - great news! We picked up your permit today!!

I emailed the permit to Nick and his crew to have the electricians pull the state electrical permit and let me know when they will be arriving at the house to start their work.

Now I will order the cabinets with the changes you mentioned, the plumbing, and the tile for the baths, and maybe the lighting.

I will have samples for you for carpet and flooring hopefully this week. I can mail them or we can meet up, depending on your schedule.

Here's the permit for your records. Have a great day and now we start in earnest!! So excited!!

I don't know who this Nick is, for the record.

 

[Toshi]

View attachment 194894

the credit score gods do not like that I drew on one of the HELOCs and opened up an auto loan (coincidentally each about the same amounts) right around the same time

said credit score gods have forgiven me in part for this transgression, apparently

 

[Toshi]

Current plan of the moment is to keep all 3 cars around until Chrysler's promised but not unveiled BEV Pacifica makes its appearance. Then the EQB and PacHy get traded towards ElectroPac. Land Cruiser stays around as the extra-use vehicle for when ElectroPac is being used by the wife-bot, at least until I pay down my large piles of debt.

thoughts for this long down the road (7 years maybe? depends on the pace of my debt-payment project) Land Cruiser replacement:

- our PacHy is really the benchmark for interior volume for comfortably-garage-sized vehicles. it has 32.3 cu ft behind the 3rd row, 87.5 cu ft behind the second row with the 3rd row stowed into the floor as it so cleverly does, and 140.5 (!) cu ft with the second row pulled and the third row stowed. (2nd row must be pulled in the hybrid as the battery lives where the gas one's seats fold into the floor a la the 3rd row).

- I don't want anything smaller inside than my Land Cruiser, which would rule out newer Land Cruisers actually! anyway, my 100 has 20.8 cu ft behind the third row, 59.7 cu ft behind the second row (unclear if third row seats folded up or removed for this), and 90.8 cu ft behind the front seats with the second row either tumbled or just folded.

- no more Stealth Hitches for me, ever, after the excessive movement about its securing pin with the 4 bike Thule rack. factory 2" class 3+ hitch mandatory.

- AWD, BEV are musts as well, and I'll hold out for at least 300 miles of range. I also would quite like ventilated seats.

- I'd be ok with a big electric pickup provided it's comfortable 3 across in the back, even if it didn't have goofy in-a-pinch 3rd row seating like the Ram Revolution concept, if said electric pickup gave exceptional range, towing capacity, V2G/V2H capability, articulation or some other thing to sweeten the deal and hook me.

At this point I'm actually thinking of getting a concrete pad poured for it here in Denver and installing it here. no building permits required for above ground installations per my reading here and I got a referral from the hot tub dealer for a concrete outfit.

still waiting on getting the (apparently very busy with day jobs!) concrete guy out for a quote. in the meantime I'm up to my usual trickery: I'll need a 240V 30A line for the hot tub heater and my garage subpanel is out of slots between the two solar systems' inverters feeding into it and the two 50A lines for the two current garage EVSE.

meanwhile Denver has EVSE related rebates (that sadly weren't implemented yet when I got the line run for EVSE 2):

EVSE wiring: 80% of project cost, rebate up to $1k
Electric service upgrade if necessary to support said EVSE wiring project: 80% of project cost, up to $2k

so I got a quote from Tipping Hat for running a line to the outside of my garage, ostensibly for a future EVSE out there (which may well happen down the road when we have 3+ drivers!). quote for this run + adding a subpanel that'd give room for this nominally EVSE-wiring's breaker as well as have one more open 240V slot that'd coincidentally be just perfect for a hot tub line is $4,800 before rebates, so a much more palatable $1,800 post rebates.

 

[6thElement]

I've never needed to use heated seats, but I was a big fan of the vented seats on our pickup when on long drives and in warmer weather.

What's your main panel feed? I'm sure I recall being told our feed was 200A and all of that was accounted for on the fuse panel when I asked about an EV drop :/

 

[Toshi]

I've never needed to use heated seats, but I was a big fan of the vented seats on our pickup when on long drives and in warmer weather.

What's your main panel feed? I'm sure I recall being told our feed was 200A and all of that was accounted for on the fuse panel when I asked about an EV drop :/

I love the heated wheel + seats anytime it's not hot. 'tis just nice

not sure re main panel. but the subpanel now is 150A! (albeit with some reverse-flowing traffic much of the day)

 

[Toshi]

I'd be ok with a big electric pickup provided it's comfortable 3 across in the back, even if it didn't have goofy in-a-pinch 3rd row seating like the Ram Revolution concept, if said electric pickup gave exceptional range, towing capacity, V2G/V2H capability, articulation or some other thing to sweeten the deal and hook me.

Chevy Silverado EV

How Much Can the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV Tow and Haul?

Electric vehicles tend to be heavy—especially if they’re expected to work hard and travel far. Does that hurt the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV's capabilities?

www.motortrend.com

Avalanche meets Tron. conventional interior, looks nice and wide. flexible rear wall/tailgate setup.

claiming 20k towing with a future Silverado variant (WT trim, 2025 model year so will be around Tesla NACS connector swapover time; 10k for non-special models), with 4WS like the monstrosity of the Hummer "pickup" that they came up with. no longer must one long after ye olde Quadrasteer. said Hummer only has a pitiful 1,300 lb payload (!) so it'll be interesting to see what the Silverado variants spec out at in that regard.

super cruise. 400-450 mile range, 754 hp/785 lb-ft torque, 0-60 in 4.5 s for a huge beast.

bidirectional charging with V2H/V2G promised, a la the Lightning.

 

[Toshi]

Ram 1500 REV

Ram 1500 REV | First-Ever Ram Electric Truck

Introducing the Ram 1500 REV electric truck. Explore estimated range, the innovative frunk, available home charging & more on this electric truck.

www.ramtrucks.com

like a Lightning-ified Ram 1500. but with tons of battery and motor

168 or 229 kWh packs (!!) for 350 or 500 miles of range. 0-60 in 4.4, 24" water fording depth for ****s and giggles, 14k towing but backed up by 2,700 lb payload.

conventional interior just with moar screenz.

makes me curious as to what FCA has planned for the Pacifica BEV wrt powertrain.

 

[Toshi]

Any of these—or a theoretical 2026+ 2nd gen Lightning—would be "live permanently outside on the driveway" size vehicles. which would actually make day to day bike-parking access from the garage easier for my routine commute. for hail I have insurance, and charging would actually be easy with that 100A line I'm having dropped soon.

with a 229 kWh pack and high energy consumption per mile one would really need such a fast EVSE to keep it topped up. 19.2 kW + charging inefficiency would mean 13+ hours from empty to full, double that for the current roster of 40A EVSE within my garage.

 

[Toshi]

the other thought bouncing around my head as of late I had was to list the EQB for daily rental on Turo. i should look into that again wrt special insurance needs for my policy (or not if they cover it for a percentage), etc.

i would not offer airport pickup or the like. just them picking it up from my place with a full charge, no other options, as my time is not best spent on this.


edit: all signed up with Turo now. Have some online orientation thing I’ll do on Wednesday to finalize the listing and will snap some more/better photos before then anyway.