Buzzillions Blogs

Great pack for large loads

Reviewer Comments: HOW I’VE USED IT: Several one to two night trips, and 2 longer (5 night trips). I’ve owned this pack for 3 years, and camp mainly with the boy scouts. (I’m a scoutmaster.)

I’ve also taken my kids backpacking, and was able to carry all the gear (including sleeping bags and tents) myself.

PROS:
1) It’s HUGE! Great for heavy and/or bulky loads.

2) Very comfortable! The hip strap is one of the best I’ve used. (NOTE: I don’t think it would really fit a 28 inch waist — I’m a 32, and I cinch it down nearly all the way. A 30 would be ok, but a 28 is iffy.)

3) I like external frames because they are cooler — my back doesn’t sweat. However, they are not as stable when going over rough terrain. This pack is best on established trails — not for bushwacking or scrambling up and down rocky hillsides.

CONS:
1) It’s Huge!! (Larger and heavier than necessary for most short trips, especially if your other gear (sleeping bag, tent, stove, clothes) is not bulky.
2) The side pockets are not attached to the body like you think they would be. Instead, they are attached by a piece of fabric that goes around the frame and is sewn to the back seam of the pack. The top two compression straps are attached to the pockets, holding the pockets to the side of the pack when then straps are attached across the front. I think they reason they did this was to avoid putting any tension on the zippers. The problem with it is the side pockets fall away when you undo the straps. Not a huge deal, but mildly annoying if you’re getting in to your pack via the front a lot.
3) It weights almost 5 pounds. But you get a lot of comfort and carrying capacity for that weight.

NOTES:
1) The hydration bladder is external to the main pack — it hangs down between the pack and the frame, and it’s not easy to get a bladder in there, especially if the pack is full.
2) The side pockets are large enough to hold a 2 liter bladder, so it may be easier to use one the them for hydration. (I use a 2 liter soda bottle and a SmarTube, which REI doesn’t appear to carry anymore.)

SUMMARY:
THIS PACK IS HUGE!! If you’re looking for a large capacity external frame pack, this is about the best out there that I’ve seen. If you don’t need all that room, there are lighter choices out there.

Originally posted at REI (legalese)

Great, not perfect.

Reviewer Comments: To begin, let me state that I do not own a car. My bike is my transportation as well as a leisure thing. I received my Soho in early July and I’ve ridden it a minimum of ~45 miles a week, rain or shine; on sidewalks, grass, road, smooth/semi-rough gravel trails and a lot of hills. This means I have somewhere around 675 miles on my Soho if I only count my trips to and from work. I don’t use a rack, panniers, the fenders or even the bottle cage. Just me, the bike, and a back-pack.

Brakes :
I would have chosen disc brakes over the drum brakes that are installed on the Soho, but I don’t have any real complaints. I do usually have to make quick stops going downhill and they definitely do not perform as well in those situations. An emergency downhill stop could have the potential to be dangerous. I will be looking into replacing the front brake with a disc brake. Though, the brakes do seem to function just as effectively regardless of the weather conditions, i.e. dry, wet, muddy etc.

Handling :
The Soho handles fine for the most part. Due to the difference in the weight from the rear to the front, the front can seem wobbly or not as stable when riding in a standing position or hitting bumps. I wouldn’t really say it is a problem, as I don’t feel less confident riding it, rather, it just took a little time adjusting to it. Friends who have ridden it have made similar remarks. It might partially be due to the handle bars being swept back.

Belt Drive :
The belt drive has been great so far. It is smooth and quiet and I have yet to run into any serious problems. The belt did come off once while on the road, but after tightening the tension of the belt a little and aligning the rear wheel, it hasn’t happened again. I believe Trek should have shipped a tension-testing tool with each bike though, as even the manual states that setting the correct tension on the belt is critical to achieving optimal performance and avoiding possible damage.

Shimano Nexus 8 Internal Hub :
This is my first bike with an internal hub, so I was a little interested/concerned about the gearing ratios. There are 8 gears and the ratios appear to be paired; e.g. there is a low ratio going from 1 & 2, 3 & 4, 5 & 6, 7 & 8 – with a larger jump going from one “pair” to the next. In my opinion the gearing is really well done. It isn’t perfect, so if you’re a fanatic about always “finding the right gear”, well, I don’t know why you would even be considering a bike with only 8 gears. There are moments I find myself thinking it would be nice to have a gear in between 6 and 7, but, seriously, the Nexus hub performs far better than my expectations. I rarely even go below 5th. The shifters are good and easy to use. I don’t know how common it may or may not be but, the bike will shift gears automatically on occasion if I hit a large enough bump. Not something I really worry about though.

Summary :
I am happy with my Soho. It isn’t perfect and I’ve had problems, but I don’t have any regrets buying it. I wish it was set up for a little more of an aggressive riding style, but that is just personal taste. The bike is still quick, a joy to ride, and hands down, the quietest bike I have even ridden. Before you buy though, do take in consideration that the belt drive is new and there are not a lot of bike mechanics out there that are at all familiar with it. So if you are uncomfortable with the idea of doing some of your own tinkering with the bike, you may want to skip over this until, hopefully, belt drives and internal hubs become more common.

Take care and ride safe.

Originally posted at Trek (legalese)

Tricks to avoid ‘fishy taste’

Reviewer Comments: I started taking the fish oil for chronic dry eye and was severely irritated by the ‘fishy’ taste in my mouth through out the day. It completely went away when I started storing the pills in the fridge and taking them right before bedtime. Hope this helps!

Originally posted at Walgreens (legalese)

Good attempt at a pretty work shoe

Reviewer Comments: This is the “little black dress” of shoes. I love the styling. I love ballerina shoes and the patent leather accents are pretty. The inside support is outstanding. This is making the first tier of my work wardrobe and probably first tier on my Sunday selections as well.

Sketchers still has work to go though. The big toe and little toes are a bit too tight and the suede will not wear evenly when those areas stretch into a comfortable shape (as I hope they will–they haven’t yet). The light gray tennis shoe accents along the bottom are completely unnecessary and distract from a genuinely beautiful style. I’m still trying to figure out how to get the big “S” off the outside of the back side of the shoe. I have gotten several comments about how attractive the front of the shoe is and I’ll advertise it enough. The extra logo is self-serving and doesn’t fit the style. I prefer my accessories to complement me, rather than advertise. Finally, the vertical sides near the back are a little too stiff along the edge and it was a struggle to keep from creating a blister the first few days. A little more padding in that area or a softer edge would benefit the shoe greatly.

All in all, I’ll be wearing this shoe probably 4 out of 5 days of the week from dawn to bedtime and it is the best they’ve come up with yet from a style standpoint. If they pay attention and keep creating attractive, sturdy, comfortable shoes I’ll keep buying them. I’d also love to have a pair in navy and white.

Originally posted at SKECHERS (legalese)

Makes the best 100% whole grain bread!

: The technology behind the zoji is the best on the market, in my opinion. I bake with 100% whole grains (whole spelt, amaranth, quinoa, kamut, buckwheat, rye, 10-grain flour mix, oat flour, oatmeal and more.) The trick is to add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of wheat gluten flour (which is all protein, no starch) to get bread that has a lighter and spongier texture. (Don’t confuse this with vital wheat gluten – the wheat gluten flour which is ground from the endosperm.) The zoji is mechanically stronger than the Cuisinart and takes up less space on the countertop. It is quieter, (doesn’t dance on the counter, the mixing paddles don’t bog down or get stuck) mixes the dough faster and the bread turns out much lighter, taller, and has better texture because of the precise ramping of the temperatures. Plus, it doesn’t burn the crust like my Cuisinart does.I have been making bread with bread machines for many years and I am totally please with the zoji. I turned the machine off accidentally during the add cycle (thought I was pausing the machine), but I was able to use the manual program to put the bread baking back on course. The zoji makes a larger loaf and I am experimenting with making smaller loaves that use 3 cups of flour instead of 4-5 cups of flour. But the larger loaves do go farther.I am enjoying the zoji very much and it is wonderful to make 100% whole grain bread that has the light and spongy consistency of store-bought or bakery-bought bread.Thank you JR for offering the zoji supreme bread machine at a fabulous price [...]and a great bread recipe book as well.

J&R Electronics ()