luftruessel

TL;DR: This is a ramble about my old and new keyboards, with some finger pain along the way.

• Hotswap has it's drawbacks
• QMK is nice
• I like macro keys

Due to my job and love for gaming, I spend quite a bit of time in front of a keyboard. With that in mind (and also some enabling colleagues) I went on a big long search for the perfect keyboard. Quickly I became interested in split designs and finally pulled the trigger on a Mistel Barocco MD770. It's now 1.5 years later, and this text was not typed on the Mistel.

The old

The Mistel Barocco MD770 is a super nice keyboard. I like the clean look, the split form factor and the fact that I can 'merge' it into a 'normal' keyboard. This saves me from messing with the whole keymap when gaming. What I had to fiddle with however, was the keybinds while not gaming. There is no GUI for that and you have to do it by combinations of key presses. It worked, but I had to check the manual every time I wanted to change something. Also the bluetooth connection often took some time (no issues when wired) to get going. So it had it's minor drawbacks, but not enough for me to go out searching again. After over a year with the board however, an issue pressing enough came up.

The issue

Being a gamer all my life, I never really had issues with hand or finger pain. But getting older and/or really diving into FPS about half a year ago messed with that. After longer gaming sessions I started to notice pain in the fingers of my left hand. Since I also do climbing, it took quite some time for me to figure out, that in fact the gaming is the issue. It seems I press WASD like a mad man when running around. Press less hard then - duhhh! I tried, but the MX Brown switches just didn't give the feedback my fingers needed.

I like climbing, I like gaming and I wanted this fixed quickly. My best idea, apart from tying to press less hard, was to find switches with a clearer feedback. This is when I discovered, that the Mistel sadly does NOT have a hotswap PCB. Which leads us to chapter three.

The new

With virtually endless options for keyboards and some money to throw at the problem, I was not quite ready to desolder my whole keyboard. So I went out there with my requirements figured out:

• split layout that can mesh together (for the reason above)
• hotswap (because that's what made me end up here)
• staggered is fine
• QMK support
• (macro keys)

The rest was mostly a gut decision - I found the Keychron Q11, liked the mostly clean look and the macro keys and just went with it.

With it I ordered some Cherry MX ERGO CLEAR, some cheapish keycaps that at least support this split layout and some O-rings. Most important answer first: Yes it helped with the finger pain! The actuation point is way more recognizable and the O-rings make the bottom out a lot less hard. I love the switches and also the sound is quite nice. The dedicated macro keys including a GUI to set them all up are also a major improvement in my books. I use them for media management and some undo-redo action which is super convenient. The keyboard itself is also quite beefy with its aluminuim body - not a super big deal but it feels nice. Last thing I want to talk about are the hotswap sockets: You just push in your switches and are ready to go - sounds super easy. And it is. Unless you don't have any feeling in your fingers (duhhh again) and just smash them in. I broke some sockets. Nothing that could not be fixed with some solder, but I was not even aware that this is an option. My fault but still something to watch out for at least.

This year I did my first bike packing trip. For starting out I had rented some equipment, but with the goal of doing more trips in the future, getting some bags of my own was clearly on the list. With the idea of using panniers for my main storage, I wanted to add some fork bags to balance out the weight a little. Also they are the least obstructive (other than frame bag maybe) from my POV. Somewhat enjoying DIY, the idea of designing the cages myself grew on me.

What this is

Some insights and thoughts on the process of designing and making some aluminium cargo cages for a bike.

What this isn't

A guide on how to design and make aluminium cargo cages for a bike. I have no professional training on anything I did here. This is my first time doing something like this.

Designing

After making some sketches on paper, I quickly jumped into 3D modelling on the PC.

The software

The software I choose was OpenSCAD. Reasoning was that I like open source software and I don't know any CAD software anyway. With it being a non-interactive tool, I hoped to somewhat make use of my coding knowledge/background. You write a script and the tool compiles it into a 3D model.

This however, did not work out very well. Going into it without much of a plan, I ended up with a very confusing file with loads of duplicate code and lots of guessing when trying to figure out dimensions. This was not the fault of the tool, but only my own. Not saying I'll never go back to it, but for the next job I will try some more interactive tooling. Some more structure and thought out process would benefit any tool however, so that's a learning I'll take with me.

The looks

Hard requirements were the screw positions for mounting to the fork and space for some straps where the bag is attached. In the middle of designing I noticed, that I might want some material running from the screw attachment points across the whole width of the piece (this might not have been required since the 3mm aluminium I used was plenty strong).

The whole design evolved around these requirements and some hexagons I wanted to add. Everything was kept symmetric and I tried to pick up the angles from the hexagons in the other angled pieces.

For sizing, I tested my dimensions on some cardboard cutouts and went with what felt right.

The issues

• The lower part was meant to be bent around and then welded at the seams. However I failed to provide additional material for the bending, therefor it was cut of and completely welded in the final product.
• The lower part is too wide. Instead of taking a second to think about it, I just kept the lower piece wide with the idea of grinding of the excess. I should have made the diagonal piece of the notch the same length as the vertical line it will get welded to.
• The straps of my chosen bags do not line up perfectly with the cutouts on the cage. There is enough space to make it work and not look super off, but it would be smarter to get the 'target bag' first.

Also I think it turned out a little like any cage you can buy in a shop. Wish I had made it a little more unique, maybe carry the hexagon idea along the edges...

Fabricating

Having access to at least some of the tools required for fabrication made the project seem somewhat reasonable in the first place. I would not know how to go about this, if you don't have a welder (other than designing a part that does not require welding).

Laser cutting

The whole idea heavily evolved around the idea of using a laser to cut my model from some aluminium sheet. However the laser I planned to use was not available anymore by the time the design was finished. No big deal I thought, there are ordering services for just about anything online. Which there are. But many of them ask a heavy fee for low part counts. To a level that would shut down the whole idea. It took quite some searching until I found someone willing to do the job for a feasible price. Had I not found a laser, filling and cutting with a saw would have been my last resort. Luckily it didn't come to that.

Other than the design issues mentioned above, it turned out just like I wanted!

Welding

You should find someone else to tell you about TIG welding. On the photo you can see the lower base that turned out too wide and never got ground off. Also the lower base that was cut off instead of bend due to missing clearance.

Painting

3 base coats, 3 top coats of matt black. Some deburing beforehand would have helped the final look as well. I always underestimate how much all these details show up after painting.

Bags

For bags, I decided on Cube ACID PACK PRO 3 (which are 3 liter bags). Even though I bought these, this was not the super easy part. Going into this project my thought was that it will be super easy to find fitting bags. But I had to do quite some digging to find something I liked. 3 liters per site are plenty for my setup, since I just want to spread some weight forward. I have seen these cages used with 5 liter bags, which worked fine as well. The straps do not line up perfectly with the cage, but there is enough wiggle room to make it work.

Final thoughts

It was a fun project and I will hopefully get to enjoy these cages for a long time. Without having done most of the things required to tackle this project, it took me quite some time to do. But I learned a lot and will surely go into my next CAD/metal/fabrication project with more of a plan!

I hope someone can get something out of my post. This checklist should help if you consider doing a similar project (maybe even any DIY project at all)

Don't do this if you

• want to save money
• need some cages quickly

Do this if you

• enjoy making stuff!

Recently I quit Strava and started using OsmAnd to do my routing and also recording of bike trips.

I can store and view the tracks fine, but the interface really is just for viewing single tracks. I would like to organize my recorded trips a little better, in a fashion that e.g. Strava allows:

• add some meta information
• compare tracks and all the related info
• extract some further data from the tracks and compare them (something like "your fastest 2k")

Is something like this out there? (I did not deep dive into GPX itself, maybe I am looking for something that is not even in the data)

Happy usenet user for while but finding german content has been somewhat hard. I would be happy to receive a DunkenSlug invite and will be happy to share back!

Review of my bikepacking gear I brought on a 5-day trip around northern Germany. Starting at the end of March, temps were still kind of low (from 7 to 15 degrees Celsius during the day), no prediction for rain. Weight of the bike was around 10 kg, with gear I hit a total of 23 kg - so 13 kg worth of gear.

Handlebar bag

• Naturehike 2-person tent

The space it gave me was worth the extra size/weight. Especially with it being kind of cold, I rested in the tent quite a bit. Never used any other light tents, so no clear reference there. I was happy with my choice: It's kind of stealthy, has some decent ventilation (which I didn't need), and I can take it down from the inside out (which is nice with rainy days).

Fork bag 1

• Sponge and soap bar
• Air pump (never had to use it)
• Lights
• MSR Fuel bottle

Not much to say here, soap might be replaced with something smaller next time. Never used the lights or the pump, but would always bring them. The fuel bottle was transported with the pump installed; the normal lit stayed at home.

Fork bag 2

• Sea to Summit ultralight sleeping pad

Had to get it for the trip and loved it! Due to space issues, I had to leave my foam sleeping pad at home, which had me concerned about the cold and comfort, but these were no issue whatsoever. Would still like to bring the foam pad next time, to just throw it somewhere on the ground and lay down for a minute.

Frame bag

• MSR whisperlite burner
• Repair stuff (for: tube, cooker, sleeping pad. Some rope)
• E-reader
• Zip-ties
• Folding lock
• Socks
• Toiletries
• First aid kit

The MSR whisperlite multifuel is totally overkill (for where I was at least) - I could save quite some space and weight here, but I love it! It just works; I don't have to buy tanks that get trashed after they are empty; it's cheap to run, and I love the thought that it will last me a lifetime (hopefully). Repair stuff speaks for itself, wish I had brought some tape though. E-reader instead of carrying 2 books. The folding lock might be replaced by something lighter later on. It's a fine lock, but it never gave me a feeling of safety when I left my bike and all my stuff somewhere. Something that really allows the bike to be locked around a pole might be better. I don't expect people to cut a lock in broad daylight here, and if they want my stuff or carry the bike away, a beefier lock is not stopping them. Thin socks were never used due to the cold. I wore some merino socks all the time and loved it. Had two pairs and might have gotten away with one. Toiletries and first aid kit.

Top tube and phone

• Phone for navigation
• Cables and charger
• Powerbank
• Cash

Photo of the top tube pack is missing, it's some random waterproof with a zipper. I don't love the access the zipper gives, but perfect for the price. For navigation, I only used my phone mounted with a Nite Ize squeeze. Great holder, no extra case or stuff you have to add; I never feared that my phone could come off. OSMand was the navigation software of my choice and it worked very well. Awesome because I could use what I had and did not have to buy some new tech that gets outdated in 2 years. Trip recording also worked fine. Some voice instructions got confusing, but I turned the screen on in cities, which helped a lot. Never used Google Maps or a bike computer for navigation, so no reference here. I made the conscious decision to not bring headphones, and it was fine with the speakers just turned up. Don't forget your coins when you end up on a German camping ground ;)

Seat pack

(filthy clothes not shown)

• Rain pants
• Rain jacket
• Shoe covers
• Sleeping bag (not compressed on the photo ;))
• 3 Shirts
• 2 pairs of socks
• Sweatpants
• Merino long sleeve

No rain on the trip, but the rain gear was used on the cold last day. The sleeping bag is a Cumulus 350 quilt. First time quilt and I had no issues with it whatsoever. One shirt for sleeping, two for riding. I could've gotten away with my one Merino shirt for riding maybe. Too much underwear as well. Was always riding with my bike shorts and showered before changing clothes, one or two pairs of underwear would be sufficient. Always wore shorts above the bike shorts as well, which I prefer when getting off the bike and walking around places. There was a hoodie I was wearing most of the time, as well as two buffs. Very important for comfort, even while sleeping.

Backpack / on top of seat pack

• Dry bag
• Adiletten
• Fork and spoon
• Toaks 1100 ml pot with bail handle
• Dishwashing detergent
• Spices
• Swiss army knife
• Tea
• Instant coffee
• Rain jacket

Due to space issues, all of this ended up in a backpack and later on in a dry bag strapped to the seat pack. Not fun, make sure everything fits before you take off! Some shoes to use while showering/the day is over. Bulky but a must have for me. Foldable fork and spoon, the SAK was the only knife I brought but never needed it. The Toaks titanium pot was something I had to buy and I am very happy with it. Perfect for some pasta, also used it as a cup multiple times a day. The instant coffee is something that might make me bring a mocka pot on the next trip. If you need coffee: bring it along. If you enjoy coffee: don't. Grab coffee somewhere or bring a dedicated setup. Tea became the warm beverage of my choice and it was very nice to sit on some bench in the forest and enjoy a nice warm cup of tea.

Bags

The bags were rented, which was an awesome opportunity to check it out without spending hundreds of euros on bags. And I am happy I did it that way! I guess it was a combination of my gear selection, packing skills and the weather, but space got super tight. And I know you are meant to squeeze the seat pack, but I just didn't like the packing and unpacking process and trying to get everything to fit. Panniers seem much more to my liking. Still, all the Apidura bags felt very well-made, sturdy, the zippers were good, and I am sure they could deal with some rain!

Final thoughts

For the gear, I tried to go with what I had and add as needed. Very happy with my selection all around and I don't see the need for any drastic changes (apart from the panniers!). Even without washing I could cut down on some clothing. On my next (warmer) trip, I will just bring some soap. Stove situation is also kind of bulky, but like I said: I just love it. Before departing on the trip, I made sure to take a long ride with cleats and decided against them. They caused me some knee pain, so I just went with normal shoes, which worked out perfect. Before the next trip I will get some bike fitting done, but even then I might just do my bikepacking with normal shoes!

That's about it, maybe this helps someone with their setup. It felt great to stop thinking and start riding!