Been a while since I posted. While there may be some stuff I would want to blog about, I’m not feeling “profound” these days.

Instead, I’ll just be my usual shallow self and talk about some stuff coming in this august (c/o my friend Arjay) – I’m stoked! So this is what it feels like to drool over stuff you technically already own; the wait is killing me!

Camera Stuff

Nothing for the D300, nor the LX3… not even really “photography.” What I got was a motion camera.

VholdR ContourHD high definition wearable camcorder

This is more of a result from my biking; while it would be nice to use still cameras for much more detailed pictures, it’s very difficult to keep on busting out and “setting up” when you’re busy negotiating terrain (let alone taking pictures while riding). The real thrill of Mountain Biking is in the paths you take… the more challenging the better. And the only way to capture that sort of thing is by video while in motion.

So I got the ContourHD, because it’s, if I’m not mistaken, the first and only high definition camera of its class¹ in the market today – at least as of this posting. I kinda got spoiled by the hi-def video on the LX3 that watching something on anything less than a 16:9/720p resolution looked “old.”

Helmet & bicycle handlebar mounts

I was supposed to get the helmet mount alone since that would be the best way to use the camera. But I remembered how much I hated wearing helmets especially when I start “overheating.” I didn’t want to be forced to wear the helmet for the sake of the camera… so I got handlebar mounts as well for those occasions. VholdR has got a wide range of mounts available, which I’m considering getting, but most of them weren’t released yet at the time I purchased the camera. Hopefully some smart entrepreneur would sell them here.

Extra battery, wall charger, and 16GB memory card

Given how video tends to suck the life out of cameras fairly quickly, plus the fact that it uses proprietary rechargable batteries, I bought an extra batt… thinking back, I should’ve gotten 2. Hopefully the two batteries would have enough juice to be able to fill up the 8 hours of footage the CountourHD is supposed to be able to take with a 16GB card.

Bicycle Stuff

I know, I know, the camera was ultimately for my biking (which constitutes as being part of the cycling stuff). But this “other batch” are literally parts for my bike.

Ergon GX2 carbon grips and HS100 bar-end plugs

With this puppy, I’ll finally solve that issue I had with hand-soreness whenever I would go on extended rides. Paired with the matching end-plugs, I’ll now have a perfect bar-end setup for my carbon handlebar (without worrying about compatibility and “cracking”).

Easton EC90 Zero seatpost

As I mentioned in my Orbea Alma post, the ideal cockpit I wanted was all Easton components. Now everything will finally match! Plus of course this is a zero setback post, which I would prefer to have especially given how I tackle uphills… I just hope it doesn’t mess with the bike’s geometry too much.

Fork boots

These are more of cosmetic thing, fork boots on a Fox fork just look sooooo sexy IMHO. But it does have the benefit of protecting the moving parts of shock-absorbing forks from the elements. A clean, well lubricated tube will most likely keep the seals in good condition.

Digressing a little; that last picture was taken from my friend’s photo stream. While browsing the other pictures he had… I found one really good reason why it’s better to have roof/top-mounting bike racks. The picture definitely says a thousand words… and these thousand words constitute the single reason why I now prefer top-mounting bike racks without exception over trunk-mounts – anyday (and twice on Sundays).

Conclusion

All in all, I’m very close to the “ideal,” nay; perfect bike setup. The only thing I can think of changing now are the saddle, tires, and pedals.² And even those are really just “optional.” For the most part, my bike’s pretty much tricked out as much as it could be.³

Oh I almost forgot, there’s always room to upgrade the headset, bolts (to titanium) and crank bearings, jockeys pulleys, etc. (to ceramic)… but just like the others, they’re way back in the priority list.