Since snow tires are legally required in Sweden anyways, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The heat works very well and as long as the top is in good condition, the elements are kept out. I don't believe they use salt there either so rust should be avoidable. Just keep in mind that if temps get below around 10C (as they do much of winter there) you shouldn't be putting the top down. It's bad for the vinyl long term but I LOVE top down driving in 0 degree weather with the heat blasting. My only recommendation is to find one with an LSD as traction will be greatly improved. 

If you run the AC with the top up that tends to help. The leather feels pretty nice if you get the cabin nice and cool. But I hardly ever do that since the top is down any time I drive the car. Generally I just accept the sweating as part of the experience. Aftermarket seat is the best permanent solution, makes the car more fun anyways!

Spigen rugged armor is the only case I have sworn by for my last two phones over the last ~6 years so I again went with that for my Pixel 8. Its basically the standard/mid tier of protection with lighter and heavier ones also available from Spigen. I think the black looks very clean, the case holds up over time, and ive never broken a phone with that case. I always run tempered glass screen protectors and while ive cracked those with drops, screen itself always fine after years of abuse. I intend to keep this phone for a long time, long enough to do a battery replacement before I retire it (barring no major advancement in battery tech in the next 5 years). Plus its only $20 for the case, a quality deal.

You can have that cake, and eat it too!

Yes, that would be the case if it didn't explicitly also state "No parking 6pm to 8am" like it does at the top. 

I've got the spigen rugged armor since I wanted something a little lighter and can manage to not throw my phone at a brick wall. Still offers great protection and I just love how well the thing fits, especially for how cheap it was ($20). 

I have had a Spigen rugged armor case on both of my previous phones (LG G6, Pixel 4a) so I just went with the same for my Pixel 8. I think the fake carbon thing is dumb but I love the fitment of these plus the protection to weight ratio is perfect. Both the other phones went 3 years with no physical issues which is not a thing I could say about any previous phone. So I very much trust the case! I do lots of mountain biking and downhill skiing with the phones in my pocket always getting a bit roughed up. 

If that is ignoring saving for retirement, emergency savings, moving to a cheaper place, giving up all hobbies that cost more than $0, and just bike to work every day then yes I could do it. But that is an immense cost! Most of it would still go to rent anyways, housing is expensive.

To add to this, all other factor being equal then weight will be be the biggest game changer for climbing efficiency of a given set of bikes to compare. A lighter bike will be easier to climb faster with. Concur that it's a moot point compared to tires but it's pretty noticable how much easier it is to fight gravity when you have less weight to contend with. I've demo'd carbon FS trail bikes (Yeti SB130, Revel Ranger) that were quite a bit lighter than my aluminum hardtail (Salsa Timberjack). And those absolutely had a climbing advantage that I could not refute. I was running the same tires, gearing ratios, and all forks/shocks locked out to compare.

my STi has never NOT leaked or burned some oil. But I've also never had to get it towed home or to a shop in the 100k miles I've driven it (currently at 225k). Just replace stuff when it's due, fix the occasional broken thing when convenient, go through a ton of gas and oil, and keep on trucking. Most reliable car I've ever owned, never come out to a car that doesn't start or strands me someplace. Can't say that about any other car I've owned, even just pedestrian economy cars with low mileage. Key is to not mod it! Engine is bone stock. I'd happily put a new motor in it when it's finally time and keep driving it another couple decades.

I have been very happy with my handlebar setup of a Aeroe front rack and dry bag. I am currently using a 13L sea to summit dry bag but anything of similar size works well for clothing there. I have fit this rack on both my flat bar MTB and my drop bar road bike without issue, its a tighter fit on drop bars but it works.

You should look into fork mounts for a couple of gear cages (standard bottle cage mounts) that you should be able to pick up at the LBS. If you dont have time to order a set of "universal" type mounts, you can just build them with hose clamps. Something fancy like this would be neat too: https://www.tailfin.cc/product/cargo-cage-system/suspension-fork-mount/?v=7516fd43adaa

But I just bought much simpler ones similar to these: https://sks-us.com/products/anywhere-adapter

That will push some of the weight forward to distribute it. Definitely do a custom frame bag eventually for more options. Bottom and top tube are good places to put stuff too.

The FE is also a gigantic phone. Makes it not possible to compare if you care about phone size. The regular S23 is more comparable in size but is $700+

It can certainly "work" but it won't be as bulletproof as a wheelset designed for tubeless from the start. I've done it on an older MTB, just make sure to use a good set of tubeless tires and tape the rim well. I always lost air quickly in storage but it made it through rides just fine. With a bike designed for tubeless now, I don't really ever lose air outside of temperature fluctuations. 

I mean yeah the original motivation was autocross but it was noticeable on the street also. I did eventually do the rear one since it is was cheap enough and I wanted to balance the tiny bit of understeer. It just was more of a fine tuning mod. 

Front sway bar by far. Yes, coilovers and exhaust make a difference too, but they are incremental/minor compared to the sway bar. I autocrossed my NB completely stock for a couple of years. Got used to body roll that looked and felt crazy. But then with the front sway bar, it was an instant change in directness and flat cornering. Coilovers enhanced it a little further and exhaust is a nice little power bump but I was amazed at what just a sway bar can do.

Jay is on Indy Pass but that is a slightly different product with only 2 days at each hill. But can be a good addition to a local pass. Might be cost comparable to epic/ikon though at that point.

Feeling the rumbling of thunder while wearing noise canceling headphones. While not technically a sound, it's the lack of sound that is the unsettling part, it's still just a really wild experience. 

Second this! With enough voile straps, anything is possible. Backpack could just become a frame bag with three straps.

Hmm, theres an optmization to it for sure. Specific bag setups are better for single track than others. Frame bags center the weight really well, lower frame mounted stuff even better. Ideally the goal would be just to carry less the more technical the adventure is. Many ways to skin a cat though and im sure some backpacks are better suited than others.

Oh I know, and that is how I have always done it. Just a lot to commit to really if it sounds like OP isnt so sure about the activity. I find the camping just as important and rewarding as the riding on most of my trips. At the end of the day it is still more important to get the biking part right though in order to keep coming back to it. Everything else is just logistics of any given route.

I always ride with a hip pack for mountain biking in general since water bottles are hard to reach while riding trails anyways. I have been using it for bikepacking but even that feels like a bit much on long distances. After multiple 30-40 mile days in a row, it really wears on me. So Ive thought about relocating that 1.5L of water elsewhere on the bike just to avoid it. I could not imagine how bad an actual backpack with more weight would be, my shoulders hurt just thinking about it.

Honestly, I would just try out a bikepacking route where you dont need to bring lodging or much food with you. I.E can stay in a motel and eat at a restaurant in town for like an overnighter or something. That way you can get by with just some waterbottles and maybe just a seat pack to put some clothing in and a top tube bag for snacks. Then if you like the activity, just get the full gear setup with a frame bag and handlebar setup to carry everything. Really dont recommend carrying a backpack, it will ruin the experience more than skipping camping would. I just went out and bought everything ahead of my first trip, but honestly I spent more that way by buying things twice when I figured out what I really wanted in gear.

I have had my Pixel 4a since April 2021, so 3 years. The battery is shot on the phone so just upgraded to a Pixel 8. This is the first phone that has still been very functional at time of replacement. I love how smooth it runs and there are absolutely no software bugs nor hangups. Ive also got a crappy USB port, a sticking power button, and I am always out of storage space so it was just time. Other androids I have had just always broke or became unusable messes after 2-3 years (Motorola, Sony, LG).

I just passed year 3 on my 4a and have the following issues on it. Battery doesnt last through a day most of the time (used to end the day with 30-40% but now its single digits at best, usually have to charge it before dinner). The charging port doesnt keep a plug in very tightly, that has been an issue for over a year. My power button has gotten stuck on occassion, resulting in inescapable boot loops until I use some percussive maintenance. Still runs great though and is super quick/responsive and takes great photos.

I decided that it is time to replace it though primarily due to the battery. Since the current price of the Pixel 8 is likely going to go up when the 8a comes out (sale removed), I figured I would just buy one now. I have a hard requirement of a 256GB phone going forward since my 4a is always full and its not guaranteed an 8a will have that option. I bought from the google store so I have 2 weeks from delivery for return, so I figure if the 8a is somehow significantly better at release, I may swap it out. But I plan on keeping the phone a long time (those 7 years of updates really sold me vs other phones) and its a really good price ($609) for a P8 in 256 right now.

I intend on this being the last phone I buy for nearly a decade unless battery technology really leap frogs into the future. I strongly considered switching to Samsung but even the S23 is way more money and that wont have nearly the same software support. I really wanted an Asus Zenfone 10 for the battery, but that is even worse on software support, price, and is nearly impossible to find one for sale. Every other phone out there is way too big so the Pixel 8 just ticked enough boxes to win for me.