u/TwoIsle

We’ve narrowed things down to 4 potential vehicles: Rav4, CRV, Sportage, and CX-50. We’re looking at whatever trim gets you into some fake leather seats (got a dog that sheds like a MFer). I feel like the first three are pretty similar, the Mazda is the one we’ve yet to drive, but I assume it’ll have a better driving experience—offset by a fair less cargo space.

Bemusingly , one issue is tongue weight capacity. We’re both about hit 60 and we’ve talked about giving ourselves eBikes in the next 5 years. Those weigh a lot. The CRV and CX-50 have very low ratings for that. It’s hard to imagine you can safely put two eBikes on the back of a CRV… but I’d hate to void a warranty. The RAV4 and the Sportage can handle it.

The CRV has, so far, had the nicest interior (though the Sportage was close). The Sportage is nice, but I sense it’s 3-4 MPG in the hole compared to the RAV4. The RAV4 has the stupidest interior, but it definitely seems the most capable of the bunch. I felt like the interior driver space was nicest in the Sportage and the Rav4 (I’m 6’2”).

Technically we’d be fine with a smaller car (e.g., the Niro). But I think we’re going to travel a TON in this thing I think a little extra space would be nice (bit of conflict here between me and my wife! Friendly conflict, to be sure).

We’re in Minnesota so we’d like AWD (our other car is a 2017 Prius, which does do fine with snow tires).

Anywho… any thoughts/advice? Thanks in advance.

So we’re in the market for a new car. But, we’re also approaching 60 and seriously thinking about eBikes. A little research seems to show that the Hybrid CR-Vs have a tongue weight capacity of 100-150 lbs (weird to have a range). eBikes can range from 40-70 lbs. Plus, the actual tray rack that holds them. We’re likely to be above the 150 lb. mark.

But, I can’t believe there aren’t a ton of people hauling around eBikes on CR-Vs. I get that we can install a Tier 3 hitch and the hitch will have a much higher capacity, but my understanding is that doesn’t matter if the car’s rating is lower.

Any thoughts/advice?

I have Keylab Essentials 49 that has a dead key. Has anyone successfully repaired such a thing at home?

Any advice?

As I approach my 60th bd (yikes) I find myself looking at eMTBs. I currently ride a hardtail when mountain biking. I’m in Minnesota, I prioritize flow vs. technical when mountain biking. I like my hardtail because when my wife and go on trips, it’s a jack-of-all trades. I can toss a clamp-on bag on it (heck I used to just have a rear rack on it which was fine). It rides efficiently on gravel and pavement, etc.

It seems like eMTBs skew full squish. I get that for pure mountain biking, that would be a preference. But if I’m aiming for a swiss-army knife, wouldn’t a hardtail still be better?

Am I missing something? Not considering something?

Hi there, I’m looking to improve the audio quality of my old stereo when using it to listen to Apple Music. I have a NAD C715 receiver/CD combo hooked up to a pair of Epos bookshelf speakers. I currently use a Harman Kardon BTA-10 bluetooth adaptor to stream music from my iPhone (Hi-res Lossless when available).

Would I achieve any improvements by getting a newer/better DAC? I’d be fine foregoing bluetooth/streaming (I could connect an older phone and just leave it there), but of course, it would be nice to still be wireless.

I don’t want to spend more than $250 USD (and less is welcome of course). I’m seeing things like: WiiM Pro Plus for streaming (it’s also a DAC I believe) and the Aiyama DAC-A7.

Thanks in advance!