Recent content by Jack Watts

I mean, I guess it depends on one's definition of "compact"... A 2002 CRV looks like a "compact suv" to me. Today's CRV looks about like a late 90's Passport in size. Cars in the US just keep getting bigger and bigger... A new CRV or Rav4 don't seem all that compact to me. Neither does this...

Compact car? I can only assume you've never seen one in the flesh. It is not that compact... Size wise it's roughly the same as a a Rav4 or CRV. Personally, I'm not feeling the "Lost in Space Robot meets DeLorean" styling, the but the sister car (Kia EV6) looks really good to me. It also looks...

A while back my wife had a nasty sidewall cut, probably 7-8mm wide. She installed 2 Dynaplugs (the big round ones) in the sidewall and was able to limp it home on about 40 psi. This was on a 5000S, 32mm. It held well enough that she wanted to keep riding it. Dental work being more expensive than...

yeah, there is a really significant difference, and the XX1 chains are the most durable 11 and 12 speed chains out there--by a pretty wide margin. When you factor in the cost of 11 and 12 speed cassettes and the potential for premature wear on the cassette with a worn chain, I think it's a bad...

I just got back from a pretty long trip to Europe, through Spain and Portugal. Without a doubt, the biggest pita was getting back into the US and dealing with customs. It was also they only place I actually needed a covid test (and the window is really short, 24 hours before boarding a plane...

Tesla is not in kickstarter mode! If they're relying on these deposits to start production, then they have some serious structural issues.... Of course no on "knows" except upper management at Tesla, but I would find it hard (read: impossible) to believe that they're dependent upon deposits to...

I think the deposit is now 50K. He put it in years ago, when they first announced it, and I think he had to actually pay the entire amount upfront. It was some 'founder's edition' thing, so he'll be among the first to get it. And obviously it goes without saying, but if you can afford to plunk...

let's be real, the timing of the announcement has nothing to do with the actual truck production, and everything to do w/the current status of Tesla. Not a Tesla hater here, but that's reality. Between Tesla stock prices, twitter funding and crytpo prices, Elon wants a boost. This is it. An...

When you start talking about tire width and fitment on road bikes, you have to a bit careful, because there's "published width" and actual width, and the actual width can vary widely depending on internal rim width. A 30/32 will fit on an older Roubaix Comp with the stock wheels; if you have a...

I own both, but if I had to have one, I would just have a gravel bike. The gearing is a little lower but with my road wheels and 28mm tires, I have absolutely no problem hanging in fast group rides, and I wouldn't hesitate to use it for weekday races. Think of it this way: you can always put a...

Large sedans are like Sasquatch around here. I'm not surprised they aren't selling it in the US. What does surprise me: that this isn't available here: https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/feu/en/products/suv/puma/puma.html These are all over Spain and Portugal, and it looks tailor-made...

come on now... facts don't matter. It's all about using twisting whatever is happening to fit the narrative I want to believe!

you must watch a LOT of TV, because you seem absolutely obsessed with it. 98% of your posts seem to involve TV. Maybe you should watch less of it?

I don't think most people are actually understanding the question being asked here. It's not "are cars of today better build than those 20 years ago", it's "have the supply shortages and supply chain issues impacted quality". Working in a somewhat parallel industry and dealing first-hand with...

This car is FWD so it's a 6 speed Aisin box, but I have an '07 Freestyle w/200K on it and the CVT has been great. It's actually nice to drive, and it's been completely reliable for me (and there a lot of these out there w/>200K on them). There were some input shaft failures on some--mine has...