WalksOn2Wheels

For sure, some of it is fitness. But I did have that moment of using a real power meter where I found out that I had been setting up my wahoo kickr snap incorrectly. That actually made a big boost i power for zwift rides. I'm thinking my FTP might have been closer to 200 when I did that test, but it's all a guess. I'm just happy it's going up!

Now if I could just get skinnier... At 217 watts up the zwift climb, that's only 2 w/kg for me right now. If I could get down to a reasonable 185-190 pounds, that would be 2.5 w/kg for the climb.

rjones28 

Exciting.

BillyD

I used to routinely change my own oil until they made it too hard to get to the drain plug. That was the 5,000 mi interval car. Now with the 10,000 mi interval car I'm spoiled, even if I could reach the drain plug, so I assume they're using OEM oil, Toyo maybe.

Speaking of which, it's time to dispose of those nasty used oil containers that have been accumulating in the basement.

WhyFi

Steeper gains early in training aren't terribly uncommon. Part of it is the low baseline that Mo mentioned. I'm convinced that two other significant factors are re-learning how to pace and how to suffer.

Keep chipping away at the weight - you'll get there and it'll be worth it. A couple years ago, I was hitting the 220+ region over the winters. Last year I topped out at 212. This year I was disappointed to slide to a little over 190 (but given the circumstances, essentially 7 weeks on the road, I'm not going to be too hard on myself). Climbing, as you would imagine, still sucks, but it's significantly faster. My stretch goal for this year is 175.

Velo Vol 

Putting aside the immune system disaster, one of my legs is longer than the other one.

WhyFi

After we were out of the warranty oil change period on the VW, I looked in to changing the oil myself, as I used to on my vehicles pre-2000. As soon as I saw stuff about wrenches to hit torque specs for screwing in the oil filter, I was like, "yeah - I'm out. I'll keep paying someone."

WhyFi

That's gotta make the hamster wheel a PITA.

bampilot06

maybe we’re related.

Velo Vol 

If Composer Jones wants to build her brand, a powerful Knoxville Community Band performance is out there if she sends us a quality song.

bampilot06

my uncle owns an oil shop that I have worked at off and on in my younger years. Never used a torque wrench on a filter. That’s a new one to me, I’ll have to ask him about that. The thing that would kill me was all the skid plates on the newer vehicals. VW was by far the worst. 10 min oil change would turn into 50 mins because you would have to remove all 32 torque bit screws just to drain the oil.

WhyFi

I don't know if it's screwing a plastic filter in to a plastic housing or what, but yeah, they had a torque spec on it.

On a related note, during the Dec VA trip, the housing that the oil filter screws in to was the area that caused the oil leak. And yeah, I had to remove a bunch of torx screws just to see where the leak was - my FIL didn't have the proper bit, but my handy-dandy cycling multi-tool did,

rjones28 

She has a few...

Wind Ensemble & Concert Band

WalksOn2Wheels

I know when I briefly owned a BMW that the oil filter housing was on top. There was a threaded plastic cap that held a paper element and that had a torque spec. I think all drain bolts technically have a torque spec, but that's usually because many more pans are aluminum these days and it's easy to strip threads if you go king kong on them.

When I bought my Mazda a while back, I only went to the dealer because it still had a factory drivetrain warranty and I had found a decent leak somewhere. They sorted it out very professionally without brushing me off, and actually told me I had a free oil change at the first 5K miles after purchase that the sales guy hadn't told me about. I kind of kept going there out of convenience after many years of changing my own oil. They do a full checkup and tell you when other service intervals are due, etc. I of course still do things like brake pads and spark plugs myself, but getting an oil change and having them check all the stuff I would never check is awesome.

abshipp 

I change the oil in my truck myself probably 1/3 of the times that it get changed.

It's a 2011 Chevy Colorado work truck, so it doesn't exactly stand tall off the ground, but there is just enough room that I can shimmy underneath and drain the oil and replace the filter without having to lift it on to jack stands. Plus, the oil filter isn't in some god-awful inaccessible crevice. I'll give the design team kudos any day for making a home oil change about as easy as it can be. There's even some plastic channeling underneath the oil filter on the frame so that the oil from the old filter doesn't just drip all over the place!

Velo Vol 

Need a new one so you can come to the premiere.

bampilot06

mazda miatas are fun......# sarcasm.

BillyD

When I was a struggling johnny lunchpail 800 mi/wk commuter it was too expensive to pay for an oil change once a month, PLUS there was the ever-present danger that some distracted jerk might screw it up and cause me a breakdown on the road. I felt way more comfortable doing it myself, plus I could use those extra bucks I saved for something else, like fuel, tires or brake pads. lol

#CommutingRatRace

rjones28 

Everything on the Jeep is easy to get to and there's plenty of clearance underneath. But I have a dirt floor garage and a gravel driveway. Plus, the mechanic's shop has coffee, wifi, and comfy chairs.

Velo Vol 

I do.

Is it usually easy to get boat motor work done on short notice?

rjones28 

Since the Jeep has retired from daily-driver status, I do most of my own work. But, I'm a fair-weather mechanic these days. If it needs attention in the winter months, it goes to the pros.

abshipp 

abshipp 

For real though.

kissTheApex

So, I’ve contacted manufacturer if my handlebar to inquire about the stem and bar profile mismatch, expecting a “yeah it is of no consequence, just follow the torque specifications and install it” (because I’m impatient) and they had me measure the vertical and horizontal distance at the mounting surface with a caliper.

it turns out, the bar is 31.8 mm on the horizontal and 32.25 mm on the vertical, which makes it more of an ellipse . They’re telling me it’s “a bit on the large side” from what they’re used to seeing and telling me if I’d like to, I can ship it to them and they’d check if everything’s ok with it.

never thought less than half a millimeter would be problematic. And the fizik stem I ordered hasn’t arrived yet so I can’t even check if it will fit better than the one I have or not...

MoAlpha

No It takes weeks and during the seasons you may have to ask multiple people if you don't want to wait a month. Routine engine work is one of the few boat things I have the skills to do.

WhyFi

Someone in QC was sleepin' on the clock.