just posting a link for OP to look at for reference. I remember catching this on reddit a bit ago and was very surprised to see a 3rd party wheel advertised as fanatec and console compatible, but that definitely appears to be the case. neat, even if they only list PS4/5 compatibility! open question though: playstation compatibility is still dependent on the base being PS compatible, right?

https://www.reddit.com/r/simracing/comments/1c183qp/leoxz_xgt_pro_in_fanatec_mode/ 

you can find it by either googling the title of this along with the word "bikepacking" or you can just check it out on bikepacking.com

checking either of those two methods will usually work if it sounds like the route has an established name.

If you're in SF, then the standard "trying it out" "bikepacking" trip is riding out to Samuel P. Taylor and doing an overnighter. Quotes are only on the second term because most people make this trip via roads, but you can always findangle some dirt into the route. Regardless, there are lots of routes online that you can find with a tiny bit of effort and google-fu. I think Henry Coe might be another reasonable dirt-forward option, but the elevation you can hit there might be pretty intense if you're also starting to get into cycling that has a lot of climbing.

That park has hiker/biker campspots and you do not need reservations for those specific spots. A lot of state parks offer this sort of thing and you can generally determine if they are offered at a specific location by going online and checking that location's website or by calling one of the listed numbers therein. The one drawback here is that when you and other groups want access to the same hiker/biker campsites, then you need to share. might not be a downside if you're a social person, however.

Also, when you're checking for parks or other locales to see if you can camp whenever you set your bike down, search for the term "dispersed camping." This is the type of camping that you can usually stop and do wherever, though there are usually rules about your distance from roads, water sources, and all that stuff. Again, you can find this info online. State and national parks usually have available dispersed camping (though you might need to obtain a permit), along with maps outlining where you can and cannot do that. BLM land also allows for this in some cases as well.

Anyways, a lot of people live and die by the posted routes on bikepacking.com or strava or whatever. While I'd definitely suggest getting into the hobby with those as suggestions, I'd also like to suggest that after some time spent getting more familiar with camping via bicycle, it can be pretty cool to build your own route. This can be as simple as mapping between campsites if you're trying to keep it tame, or pulling up some forest service maps and routing through fireroads and singletrack to less-visited lakes in the sierras.

hey, cool attempt there! I like the idea.

keep an eye on it though. while I don't think that the means of securing this thing are suspect, I do think it's worth mentioning that quality QR axles are heat treated. not sure if this is, but without that it's likely to bend more quickly. so yeah, it might make sense to take off periodically and inspect just in case it starts to bend in such a way that will make removing it more difficult.

there isn't a pack of mods to make the game look modern. the game looks best on it's newer stages, and that's about it. if you're using a modern version/plugin of the game (RSF, for example), then you're already at the bleeding edge.

each stage is designed and built in such a way that sweeping changes through things like reshade only benefit a small subset of stages, whereas the changes will look a lot less optimal on every other stage. per-stage or per-stage-type reshade settings might make more sense, but that's a crapton of effort for the smallest imaginable amount gained.

there are a few "launchers" and other plugins that claim to have modern graphics options enabled. fooling around with those in the past, I only really saw things that made the game look worse to me, imo. your milage may vary, but you can search the subreddit for "launchers" and might find something. that said, there aren't many people who can help you with troubleshooting once you go down that route, so keep that in mind.

I hate to be a bummer if you were hoping for more, but this really is a case of: it is what it is.

for sure! tbh, just wanted to head off the "but that's not pv!" comments before they started.

a lot of things have come and gone since "powerviolence" came around, and to act like it too hasn't changed and broadened is wild imo. most fast music is fun music imo.

DYSML and Due Crimes are two recent bands worth checking out if you're into that stuff.

Punch is/was the good word.

+1 for Nothing Lasts and Push/Pull. Other works they've put out are good too, but I've had those on repeat for years. It's debatable that they actually played PV (as opposed to fastcore) but debating what is and isn't PV is boring and trite. directly or tangentially related to the scene, they are 100% worth listening to regardless of the classification.

When you do find an interest in rally, just know that RallySimFans' Richard Burns Rally (plugin and game come together) is free and has loads more content and better VR support than any other of the rally options. It's an old game, but the community is alive and well. That said, this isn't a free-for-all with mod content and you'll be stuck with the 100ish cars and 400ish+ stages they have available at the moment, but thankfully those aren't exactly small numbers to begin with and updates happen regularly.

oh yeah, and it's free.

not the answer you're looking for buuuuut:

if you can't find any saddlebags that fit your requirements, you can always organize your gear into waterproof stuff sacks before you toss them into your saddlebag for waterproofing. As an alternative, I usually just line my saddlebag with a trash bag but I honestly can't say I've had experience in/with "torrential" rains.

I've ridden in pretty heavy rains with non-waterproof panniers using the trashbag setup about a decade ago and it worked well enough. To each their own, of course, as I'm sure a lot of people will feel weird using a trash bag for utility purposes. That said, it's worth noting that if your bag is waterproof it'll also do a pretty good job of keeping the water that gets inside, inside.

the only time you'll have "too much weight in the front" is when you don't enjoy riding your bike with whatever amount of weight in the front. have you ridden with some heavy loads up there? that might be a good thing to try out to see how things pan out for you.

personally, I like a lot of weight up front. a lot of people do not, but it does give me small flash-backs to the steering-damper days of early 00's DH so I've convinced myself that it works for me. that said, if you're riding a route that has some overly technical singletrack on it, you will have to move that weight regularly so expect the extra work involved to compound a bit.

anyways, an overnighter is an excuse to underpack (within reason) and try this out without involving too much risk. why not give it a try, or at least a test run with your gear set up?

most of these will be fine. I ran a pair of Juin Tech GT (an off-brand version of the yokozunas) that worked out pretty decently for me. I came from a set of TRP Spyres that were only ok until one of the pistons broke mid-descent a few years after putting them on. that said, I found both of my hybrid mechanical disc brake experiences a bit fiddly and moved to Paul Klampers a little more than a year ago.

I do notice a little less bite compared to when the hybrids were working their best, but I am confident that I can make any of the needed adjustments on these brakes out in the field, by myself. that's not something I felt totally comfortable with on the other brakes. to each their own, of course.

regarding short vs long pull: just make sure you match your levers with the same pull ratio and you should be fine. you don't need to match manufacturers or anything like that. no need to overthink things.

This one is probably a bit out-there for most people, but if you are packing/camping somewhere with lots of exposure, a packable umbrella with UV protection can be a game changer. granted, you want sun protection for when you're on the bike too, but I really enjoy lounging under one of my compact sun umbrellas for lunch knowing that I don't have to wait for the perfect shaded spot before stopping.

If you don't find the answers you're looking for here, keep in mind that you can always search this sub for similar questions! You'll likely find a few responses that you might not get here.

good luck and have fun!

analysis paralysis and you're only looking at a single brand?

I'm sure you've arrived where you are for a reason, so take the following with a grain of salt: my experiences have led me to favor organizational features over absolute "waterproofness" when looking for panniers. wet stuff in those sealed roll top panniers don't tend to dry off, and if you get water inside the bags it tends to stay inside. for me (doesn't mean this has to apply to you), I line my panniers with plastic bags to ensure waterproofness on items that need it, while leaving other items un-protected if they could use the air.

if you're interested in more pockets and other features, I'd definitely check outside of ortleib for more options. Arkel is another big brand that has a few more options to look into before you start going down the cottage route.

so long as you don't intend to travel on anything more involved than some gravel or some incredibly well maintained single-track, this should be fine.

where you're riding is an important of a question to answer. maybe even more important than "can I mount bags on this?"

practice more. that's literally all you can do.

that, or find a frog wizard down in the gully near the goblin huts, trade 15 bottle caps for a book of stories, and then go talk to the king goblin. they'll give you some advice that will change absolutely everything and you wont have to practice anything anymore ever again.

both, though I tend to shift my weight forward as I'm initiating and push the bars a little sideways for the table-esque bit to encourage breaking traction. it's not a static position though.

also worth noting that the slides work better if you give 'em a quick little carve during setup and into the move itself. also, the less you lift your back wheel the better.

it's going to take a bit of time to really figure this one out if you don't already skid a bunch. be patient with yourself.

if you want it to skid more than just bump, then you need to change how you're weighting the bike. obviously, this is loads more complicated than we can make it sound with just a few words, but when I do longer skids to the side like this, it's generally done with more of my weight over the front wheel and a little bit of "table"-esque motion to the kick-out.

it's going to take a while to figure out, like everything else on the bike. keep with it and try changing up your technique whenever you feel like you aren't making much progress. the more things you try, the more info you'll have to inform your next approaches.

I've forgotten bits of minor gear here and there before, but my trips are usually short enough where I can make do just fine. Usually it's half of my stakes, bug spray, or something silly like that. I've forgotten my lighter more times than I can count, but I have backup fire sources (matches, flint) so that's usually fine unless I've got a handful of joints rolled up.

The biggest miss I've experienced was on this solo 4-day mountain circumnavigation route I had plotted out. I had brought a book for entertainment and was REALLY excited to read it next to the campfire. Ended up leaving it out on top of my car (along with a compact sun umbrella) when I was loading up the bike and getting ready to head out near the start of the route. I was out of cell phone service for 95% of that trip, so I just ended up whittling sticks and thinking about things instead of desperately trying to get an eBook alternative.

as someone who has been riding for a while and used to pride myself for being open to change, I could never really feel comfortable any lower than 13.2"ish on the rear end. couldn't get used to popping manual 180s, but I could see how you might figure that out and favor it with a shorter rear end. to each their own, of course!

good thing 13.5" is still plenty usable and available!

It's got nylon/molle webbing on the top, right?

step 1: get paracord
step 2: wrap paracord through the nylon webbing and around your top tube, using whatever patterns you like.
step 3: after wrapping the length of your frame bag, tie a knot to keep the paracord from coming undone.
step 4: finish however you like.

have you considered doing work for various people in your neighborhood? if you've got lawns, then mowing lawns. or taking dogs on walks? cleaning? something like that?

your parents aren't failing you for not buying you video game stuff. it would be nice if they allowed you a means to save more money, however.

It's cross-threaded, not crooked. if you use that term when you're googling ways to remove the bolt, you'll find better resources and instructions for doing so.

Let's hope that the threads are the only damaged on the bolts and not where it threads into. Otherwise, you might need help from someone with know-how to re-tap some threads in there and figure out a workaround.

Just had my wisdoms (welp, the remaining three of them) pulled under local anesthesia. The doc asked if I had plans for the rest of the day because he could hook me up with enough where I'd be numb into the evening and we were starting at nine in the morning. the numbness lasted until a little bit after noon and then dropped off significantly after that until I felt nothing by around two. I was really surprised/worried by this, but I am red-head-adjacent and have always had anesthesia issues as a child (before smoking) so I always just figured it was that.

had no idea my weed intake had anything to do with it, but that definitely tracks with my other more recent dentist experiences. wow. gonna' start taking t-breaks before dental work now, lol