{ "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1", "title": "mangochutney", "icon": "https://micro.blog/mangochutney/avatar.jpg", "home_page_url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/", "feed_url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/feed.json", "items": [ { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/03/06/holy-wow-thats.html", "content_html": "
Holy wow, that’s great chocolate.
\nFinally tried this one, @scottlougheed@hachyderm.io
Frischer Stoff.
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-03-05T15:56:38+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/03/05/frischer-stoff.html", "tags": ["Photos","auf Deutsch"] }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/03/03/not-gonna-lie.html", "content_html": "Not gonna lie, I get a bit of grim enjoyment seeing so many scalpers reducing the prices of their Fujifilm X100V now that the X100VI hits the market soon. Prices are still too high for what ostensibly are 3+ years old cameras but at least not above MSRP anymore.
\n", "date_published": "2024-03-03T23:12:12+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/03/03/not-gonna-lie.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/03/01/fucking-hell-for.html", "content_html": "Fucking hell, „For All Mankind“ is such an amazing TV series.
\n", "date_published": "2024-03-01T23:32:03+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/03/01/fucking-hell-for.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/02/29/this-us-politics.html", "content_html": "\n⚠️ U.S. politics and Trump.
\n", "date_published": "2024-02-29T20:09:02+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/02/29/this-us-politics.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/02/25/i-can-never.html", "content_html": "I can never look at these „iris art shops“ and not see them as a biometric data harvesting operation. This one’s in Basel but they can be found in many cities.
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-25T12:44:00+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/02/25/i-can-never.html", "tags": ["Photos"] }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/02/23/been-having-a.html", "content_html": "Been having a confusing experience with the AirPods Pro 2 I bought two weeks ago constantly falling out of my ears. They’re supposed to have a secure fit. Turns out I couldn’t use conventional wisdom for the ear tips: typically I wear medium or small, here I needed large. 🤷🏻♂️
\n", "date_published": "2024-02-23T13:52:33+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/02/23/been-having-a.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/02/19/just-opened-prime.html", "content_html": "Just opened Prime Video on my TV and saw the notification that there will now be ads in shows unless I pay more. Decided to close the app again without hesitating for even a fraction of a second. There is too much content easily accessible to waste time on ads or pay Amazon‘s ransom.
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-02-19T18:05:26+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/02/19/just-opened-prime.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/02/13/just-absolutely-love.html", "content_html": "Just absolutely love watching John Oliver interact with a tired Stephen Colbert. I have to say, though: the Bugler in me wants to see John appear on the Bugle again now and then just because The Bugle has come into its own so much over the past few years.
\n", "date_published": "2024-02-13T11:15:23+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/02/13/just-absolutely-love.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/02/08/wooo-there-was.html", "content_html": "WOOO! 🥳 There was a new “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell”!
\n\nFor the 2023/2024 winter season I had promised myself to ride outside whenever possible. Two pieces of clothing really helped me with this, keeping me warm and comfortable for longer, even in very cold and wet weather:
\nI bought this shirt on a hunch during the 2023 Black Friday discount frenzy. I didn’t specifically want this for cycling, expecting that at a 235 g/m² weight it would be too warm for me during strenuous activities but it turned out to be perfect.
\nI pretty much always have the problem of the upper outsides of my thighs, the outsides of my butt and lower back getting cold while cycling. I mostly blame cycling garb manufacturers for not putting enough isolating material or even weatherproof material in these areas.
\nThis shirt solves the issue for me because of its long cut. It properly covers the upper 2/3 of my butt which results in me staying warm even in temperatures below zero.
\n\nThe other cool thing about this shirt is the magic that Devold has woven into it. I’ve never owned a merino wool base layer that regulates body temperature and sweat as well as this one. It’s become my go-to at home under hoodies and flannel shirts, when hiking, walking the dog, and cycling.
\nI have three of these shirts now.
\nThese things are amazing for layering. Plain and simple.
\n\nI have a pair of Shimano SH-MW702 GoreTex shoes with a wide toe box for cold/foul weather cycling. Sadly even with thick wool socks, I sometimes got cold feet on longer rides once my feet have become properly sweaty once.
\nThese liner socks have fixed that for me. Separating out my toes + the effects of layering other socks on top has been amazing. It’s easier to pick the right combination of socks depending on the conditions I’m going to be riding in and I often opt for a thinner pair of wool socks on top of these liners and bring a thicker pair with me on longer rides in the cold in case I’ve misjudged the temperatures.
\n", "date_published": "2024-02-02T22:36:20+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/02/02/two-gamechanging-cycling.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/01/31/woohoo-production-on.html", "content_html": "WOOHOO! 🤩🥳😍
\nProduction on the „Section 31“ movie has begun. #StarTrek 🖖
Damn. Now I want fried rice with an omelet. Also definitely stick around for the bonus bit at the end.
\n\nRecently almost every shop or brand I ordered from decided it was ok to subscribe me to their newsletter after. 😠 I think I‘m going to start immediately deleting the Fastmail masked email address after receiving ordered goods. Hopefully this will inconvenience these people at least a little.
\n", "date_published": "2024-01-19T11:20:04+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/01/19/recently-almost-every.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/01/15/went-for-a.html", "content_html": "Went for a ride yesterday that ended up including a bunch of serious underbiking. It left me very impressed with the Specialized S-Works Mondo tires, which offered more grip on a mix of wet or frozen dirt, snow and gravel than the tread pattern would suggest. 🚲
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-15T08:23:07+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/01/15/went-for-a.html", "tags": ["Cycling"] }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/01/08/hey-people-im.html", "content_html": "Hey people, I’m moving my Mastodon stuff to my new profile on social.lol. Please follow me there if you’re so inclined.
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-08T09:54:24+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/01/08/hey-people-im.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/01/08/ganz-tolle-illustration.html", "content_html": "Ganz tolle Illustration von Watson. Heute demonstrieren Landwirte bundesweit. Wo sind die Forderungen nach Präventivhaft, wie bei Klimaprotesten?
\nAber Spaß beiseite. Für einen tollen Überblick, warum die Bauern protestieren, einfach mal bei Ann-Kathrin Büüsker nachlesen.
\n\n", "date_published": "2024-01-08T09:51:28+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2024/01/08/ganz-tolle-illustration.html", "tags": ["auf Deutsch"] }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2024/01/05/fuck-fuck-fuck.html", "content_html": "Fuck fuck fuck fuck, fuck!
\nI’m in the mood to turn my downcountry hardtail into a drop bar hardtail with a super wide drop bar and the 12-speed GRX group. 🚲
I’m three rides in and so far I have only good things to say about the pants. Seems like a solid piece of gear with a single caveat: when worn in heavy rain, waterproof shoes with a high cuff are a must (more on that in the ride impressions).
\nYeah, that was my reaction when I first saw reports on a few cycling websites I read. The bad thing is that I was in the market for a new pair of waterproof pants because I had lost enough mass over the past few months that my Vaude pants simply didn’t fit anymore.
\nWhat I set out to find were pants that wouldn’t be used over jeans or chinos, allowing for a tighter fit suitable for foul weather road and off-road cycling and without a zippered leg cuff if possible.
\nAfter some research the contenders were the Raphas I ended up buying, the Q36.5 Rain Overpants, and the Fox Defend 3-Layer Water Pants. The Q36.5 were not advertised as off-road-worthy so despite the nice looks, I opted to order the Rapha and Fox pants because both were discounted around Black Friday.
\nI was honestly hoping that the Fox would come out on top because really, I didn’t see enough of a difference in quality of construction to justify the Rapha pants being more than 2× the price but … nope, that typical Fox cut that works so well for me in fair weather pants and shorts ended up a mixture of sagging on the back, constricting beneath my belly. The almost customary lack of a crotch zipper felt stupid on pants that are supposed to be waterproof. Oh and I quickly found that the elastic cuff of the Fox Defend 3L pants was tight enough to not fit over the cuff of my Shimano SH-MW702 waterproof shoes.
\nPretty darn good.
\nImagine a well-fitting straight cut jeans crossed with contoured MTB pants and a fabric feel like your typical high-quality 3-layer laminated membrane.
\nThe fastening system works very well; it can be adjusted both very easily and precisely. The slightly elongated back is also a welcome design choice, reducing the chances of rain and wet, sloppy dirt from your back tire making its way up your spine.
\nThe legs are quite long and while that may seem an odd choice at first, it makes sense the second you get on the bike and start pedaling because it ensures that cuff can rest on or barely above your shoes when pedaling or moving around on the bike.
\nEven only three rides in, this is something I really appreciate because my posterior tibial arteries were always covered, reducing the chances of me feeling cold in strong winds and rain.
On each of the rides I did with the pants I tried testing something else. Two were done on my road bike, one on the MTB.
\nWore the Raphas over a my padded summer MTB bib shorts and full-length merino tights. I had mid-weight below-the-calf merino socks on my feet and my go-to cycling shoes, the Specialized S-Works Recon Lace combined with a wind-proof toe cover.
\nI typically suffer from my lower back and the sides of my butt becoming uncomfortably cool even in supposedly wind-proof bib tights. Not this time. The combination of merino mid-layer and properly wind-proof outer layer worked super well on this pretty long ride. The long leg meant no wind was cooling out my ankles and that added to the comfort.
\nI paired the pants with my padded summer MTB bib shorts, long, unpadded and insulated Assos bib longs, and knee-high merino winter socks, as well as the Shimano MW-702 shoes.
\nThe pants flowed well over the slick surface of the Assos tights and the aforementioned long legs meant that the pants stayed put over the cuff of my winter cycling shoes.
\nThroughout the ride I felt properly warm and didn’t overheat even on the hardest climbs of the route I chose despite a good amount of rain blocking evaporation on the membrane. Sure, I was sweaty when I got home but not wet from rain, snow, or road spray.
\nThis time I wore regular and slightly warmer padded bib shorts, no tights, some crew height mid-weight merino socks, my S-Works Recon Lace shoes + wind-proof toe cover. It was going to be a lot of climbing and sweating up the hills here and I also wanted to find out how the fabric of the pants felt on my skin and it wasn’t bad but also not as nice as with flowy non-membrane fabrics.
\nIt was supposed to rain that day but only later in the afternoon and that’s why I didn’t wear my waterproof shoes. Well, halfway up and not even halfway into the route it started to rain and then it poured.
\nThis is where I get back to the caveat I mentioned at the very beginning: when there’s rain, high-cuffed waterproof shoes are a must. The well-fitting elastic cuff of the pants funneled all of the rain, spray, and dirt into my shoes. Within minutes my cycling shoes were full of water and I was starting to get cold.
\nEven so: my legs stayed dry and comfortable and I got home in a good state, my feet being the exception. I rinsed off my waterproof jacket and pants in the shower and was glad that all of the muck and rain didn’t penetrate.
\nThe mixed surface ride and this very mucky trail ride covered the pants in dust and wet dirt and I’m happy that there’s no sign of abrasion so far. I’d be seriously alarmed if it were the case for a piece of gear so expensive but you never know.
\nThe great fit is inviting and I’ll be wearing them often this winter.
\n", "date_published": "2023-12-28T21:05:44+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2023/12/28/rapha-mens-trail.html" }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2023/12/23/wat-wie-ein.html", "content_html": "Wat wie? Ein öffentliches Verkehrsmittel kann nicht für Gewinn betrieben werden und dann sind die Züge pünktlicher? Un-ge-möglich!
\n(Quelle)
\n\n", "date_published": "2023-12-23T09:52:51+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2023/12/23/wat-wie-ein.html", "tags": ["auf Deutsch"] }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2023/12/18/whats-old-is.html", "title": "What‘s old is new again: road bike geometry edition", "content_html": "🚲 Just read a review of the Lauf Úthald road bike on Bikerumor. The editor talked at length about the novel approach to slacker head angles that Lauf is using to make their road bike fast and less twitchy. Tyler Benedict praised the bike for not just feeling fast because of it but being confident and stable at speed thanks to this geometry.
\nReading this is all made sense and I believe we‘re going to see more of it but when I arrived at the geometry table, the values seemed familiar. I opened the Van Nicholas home page, found the Yukon Disc and wouldn’t you know it: my bike has highly comparable values. So this audax bike, this long-distance endurance bike that’s been around for years and where the geometry hasn’t changed much over time is actually cutting edge. 😏
\nAnd hey, I can confirm Tyler‘s findings: a slightly slacker head angle and more fork rake makes for a very stable ride even at speed without letting the bike feel sluggish or unresponsive.
\n", "date_published": "2023-12-18T16:28:49+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2023/12/18/whats-old-is.html", "tags": ["Cycling"] }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2023/12/08/specialized-sworks-mondo.html", "title": "Specialized S-Works Mondo tires – first ride impression report", "content_html": "\nThe WTB Exposure 30 I had been running on Swift Wind (my titanium Van Nicholas Yukon Disc) have finally worn down to the point they needed replacing. I really liked these tires: they punch far above their weight and lasted a long time.
\nThe type of rubber I wanted to go with next needed to be lighter, faster, potentially narrower (for those all-important and marginal Aero Gains™) but still robust enough to survive excursions onto field and forest roads that I enjoy on my rides
\nThe Specialized S-Works Mondo piqued my interest when I saw the announcement and after reading a review on Rennrad News and a first look on Bikerumor, I decided to give them a try.
\nI bought the 700×28c version planning on running them with Schwalbe Aerothan tubes. Road tubeless may work for some people, for me it’s been nothing but frustrating, whereas the Aerothan tubes are no fuss and give me a similar ride feel.
\nI’m using a DT Swiss GRC 1600 wheel set (think: GRC 1400 rims but with 350-series hubs instead of 240). The rims are hookless with an inner width of 24 mm and an outer width of 32 mm.
\nGetting the tires onto these rims was an absolute pain in the butt.
\nConti GP 5000 are tough to install on my other DT Swiss rims, these Mondos were an exercise in patience and persistence.
\nOnce installed and inflated, they measured 29.86 mm, which is a smidge below the 30 mm minimum tire width DT Swiss specified for the rims but that’s fine. Specialized helpfully have a rim width/tire compatibility table on the packaging of the Mondos and not only is it within spec, the width came out almost exactly where Specialized projected it to be.
\n\nI read in a blog post somewhere that DT Swiss had tested these rims for road use and found that the best aerodynamic advantages are achieved with a 28 to 30 mm tire because that leaves the broadest part of the rim wider than the rubber.
\nI used the Silca tire pressure calculator to arrive at a recommended 70 psi for the front and 72 psi for the back and went for one of my regular training routes on road surfaces of varying smoothness, age, and quality. Weather was cold (around freezing) and road conditions were mostly wet.
\nFirst impressions are the following:
\nNot gonna lie, this looks amazing and I want to ride it. 🚴🏻♂️🚵🏻♂️
\nThe Ride with Ben Delaney: Stetina‘s Paydirt gravel racing event
\n\nDem wäre ich ja nicht abgeneigt. Ein kleiner Aufpreis auf mein Apple One-Abo und dafür Paramount+ mit drin haben klingt alles andere als schlecht.
\nHeise.de: “Kombiangebot: Tut sich Apple TV+ mit Paramount+ zusammen?"
\n", "date_published": "2023-12-01T16:55:24+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2023/12/01/dem-wre-ich.html", "tags": ["auf Deutsch"] }, { "id": "http://mangochutney.micro.blog/2023/12/01/i-enjoy-michelle.html", "content_html": "I enjoy Michelle Wolf‘s comedy and delivery so much. Her current stint on the Daily Show is excellent.
\n", "date_published": "2023-12-01T09:46:52+01:00", "url": "https://www.mangochutney.me/2023/12/01/i-enjoy-michelle.html" } ] }