Now that December is here, it’s time for our monthly Q & A episode and this one has a truly varied set of questions covering everything from gravel bikes to clip-on compasses, travel food, tools for tough bracelet changes, and the future of press trips in the watch space.
I have ordered my springbar pliers from aliexpress for around $10... took almost a month to arrive, but it works perfectly... I dare to say, quality is not much worse then Horofix or even Bergeon. https://cutt.ly/hYVOnTO
I would say that the cost of a good set of pliers would not make economic sense for the guys. If you take the ones that are mentioned on the show at even a bulk cost of $60 that doesn't leave a lot left to use for show costs.
Morning all from wet and claggy Ireland.... loved the recipes question. After moving to rural Ireland from Manchester UK, realised that if we ever wanted good curry, we would have to learn to cook it ourselves - so we did :) However my fave recipie for the past couple of years comes from from North Africa/Middle East - Shakshuka :) A delicious spicy tomatoes dish with loads of veg and eggs baked on top. Easy enough to do once you have done it a couple of times and adaptable - IE add more veg, leave out the meat etc;
rukmini Iyer Roasting tin series - series of books where you through everything in a roasting tin/pot and shove it in the oven - simple delicious cooking;
I am not a good cook, but I have learned some recipes and use these 2 books all the time for quick and health dinners.
Maybe you could both do a short cook book together James and Jason - along with Kishani? would love to learn Sri Lankan recipes. James I seem to remember you liked making the occasional soup :)
On gravel bikes. I highly recommend Thesis. I have a Thesis OB1. Love the 2-wheel option, but for now just running 650x47 WTB byways, which are basically slicks, with a bit of knob on the outside. So fine for road and trail. But will likely get a set of 700x30 on separate wheelset one day for better road riding, and add a bit more aggressive tire on the 650s. 1x drivetrain for the win as well.
Flatlander training for mountains: The one piece of training that people often miss is the cardio. I’ve trained people and gone climbing, and the people who did the best by far were those who did cardio (bikers actually). Climbing at altitude is a VO2 max experience – your heart and lungs are desperately trying to feed oxygen to your muscles. You can be a weightlifter, but if your cardio system can’t deliver oxygen, your muscles won’t work well on a mountain. Personally, I do intervals on a bike to push my VO2 max and cardio system. Also - This should be obvious, but many people fail at it: Make sure your body has calluses in the right places. Wear your shoes and backpack as much as you can. There isn’t much worse than being in a gorgeous place in the best shape of your life, and having your trip cut short because you have blisters from your backpack or shoes!
I think you said you are down in Texas(?) If so, I am guessing there are some pretty sizable football stadiums around. Doing stadium climbs in the pack will be helpful (many reps). Going up and down is helpful. Going down can be punishing on untrained knees depending on the grade if you only train on a Stairmaster. If you can, I would also book some trips that are smaller in scale but more affordable to see if you even like it. For example, a trip to climb Katahdin in Maine or Mount Washington in New Hampshire in February or March will give you a good taste of ice, cold and vertical gain without the altitude. It is a good way to get in some training where help isn't too far away if it is needed. International Mountain Equipment is a good place to look at for NH and Acadia Mountain Guides for ME.
Omg please don’t sell that Explorer dial sub. A grail for sub collectors, that will be a 400-500k watch soon. Vintage Rolex is being outshined by independent brands at present but that will shift back sometime soon.
I keep an eye on these out of interest as I inherited a similar watch from my father who purchased it for 75 GBP in ‘63. Unfortunately (according to him anyway) it returned from a Rolex service with a fogged dial and they were kind enough to update the dial to the latest (non-Explorer) version when replacing the damaged parts. At least it takes any question of will I/won’t I on selling it — as it’s worth much more in sentimental value.
It’s funny you mention Ramen, James, because figuring out ramen opened up my world of home cooking. So I’d be glad to share some best practices for that! And the good news is that, while yes it is a lot of work, a lot of it freezes well for quick access later on so I find it’s worth it. Before that though, I’m very excited to try Chicken Jalfrasie and Parippu Dal! I wasn’t familiar with either of those dishes.
Regarding Ramen, it’s made up of 5 components: Bone Broth (vegan options do exist), Alkaline noodles (this is what makes it “Ramen”), Tare (seasoning), toppings (proteins/vegetables), and aromatic oil. Being a Japanese dish, all of these factors can be endlessly refined and scrutinized, but for my 80-20 home use I found that making a basic broth and focusing on the Tare and toppings is really what makes a very satisfying dish. If anyone wants to go deep on making it, I highly recommend using Ramen_Lord’s book on it as a reference.
(1) Bone Broth is simple, I believe you’ve even talked about making it, James. Just simmer a collection of leftover bones in a pot of filtered water and maybe some chicken or pigs feet for the collagen. For Ramen broth, omit the western mirepoix of carrots and celery and focus on the onion/garlic/ginger for it’s flavoring. Adding mushrooms and seaweed can help add richness too. Yes, you’ll make a lot of it, but it freezes great! I like to freeze them a cup at a time and pull one out when I want it. I recently found something called “souper cubes” that works great for this.
(2) Aromatic oil is one of those small things that elevates the experience. Just simmer some lard or oil or a mixture of the two with some scallions, garlic, and ginger and then let it sit in the fridge until you’re ready. All this really does is amplify your sense of smell which makes the dish taste richer. You can use toasted sesame oil or chili oil too if you want something pre-made.
(3) Tare: The three main types of tare are Shoyu (soy sauce based), Miso (obviously miso based), and shio (salt based). These can get complex fast and it’s probably the most intimidating part. The first few times I made ramen I just used soy sauce and mirin for flavoring and I liked it well enough, but it is worth making a more complex one since it’s pulling most of the weight of the dish’s flavor. I recommend referring to ramen lords book for basic recipes for these. They store forever in the fridge so it’s worth making a batch. I don’t worry too much about specific miso’s or soy sauces he names, just getting a decent mixture of white/red/sweet miso’s or dark/light soy sauces does a great job 80-20’ing the tare.
(4) Toppings are the most varied. However I feel a proper ajitama (ramen egg) is a must, and chashu is my preferred topping (that’s the sliced meat I believe you’re referring to). A winter squash (like acorn or butternut) is great too. The key to these is to cook/marinate them with a mixture of the traditional Japanese seasonings: Soy sauce, mirin, sugar, sake, dashi.
(a) Chashu: can use any cut of meat (port belly is most common). You can tie it up and put it in a pot on the stove filled with 1 part water, ½ part soy sauce, and ¼ part mirin and a little sugar. Cover it and bring it up to 160°F to 180°F range and turn the stove down to it’s lowest setting so it stays there. Then let it sit there until it’s done (145°F for pork takes 1 – 3 hours depending on size). If you want to make it a little fancier, throw it in the oven under the broiler for a couple minutes to caramelize the outside (just watch it carefully!). Store it in the fridge, slice off what you want and heat a couple pieces up as you make a bowl.
(b) Ajitama: bring a pot up to boil and drop an egg in for exactly 7 minutes then pull it out and cool it in an ice bath. Break open the shell and marinate it in a bath of 1 part water, ½ part soy sauce, and ¼ part mirin and a little sugar for two to five days. (Yes this is the same as the chashu so you can just use the cooking liquid from the meat after that’s done)
(c) Squash: cut up the squash and coat it in a mixture of 1 TBSP EVOO, 1 TBSP miso, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sugar then roast it for 20-25 minutes or so until tender. Great vegetarian option!
(5) Noodles…. This can get complicated, so I’ll offer a couple levels for this.
(a) First option is a real cheat. You can get ramen-ish noodles by cooking spaghetti in 1 quart of water spiked with 2-3 tsp of baking soda (2 for a delicate broth, 3 for a richer broth). That alkalizes the water and makes the noodles bouncier, emulating ramen noodles to some degree (don’t knock it til you try it; figuring this out started me down this rabbit hole).
(b) Second is to buy fresh ramen noodles wherever you can find them. If you can find some from a company called Sun Noodles, that’s a great option (I’m not sure if they have them in Canada).
(c) Third option is to make them yourself. This is by far the best, but also by far the most work. I recommend Way of Ramen’s basic noodle recipe below. It’s pretty easy and makes a good noodle. Nice thing is they freeze well, so I double the amount in that recipe which gets me 12 servings and freeze what I don’t use.
So yeah. Since the broth and noodles freeze well and the Tare and aromatic oil last forever in the fridge, it’s actually not hard to put together a respectable bowl pretty quickly once you have those put together. The toppings listed above require a little planning, but there are other faster options too like karaage chicken or tofu. Hope this helps if anyone is interested in making their own Ramen.
For the gentleman who asked about other watch websites; I love Watchville, because it collects all the major and even some minor sites in one place. I have found a lot of new voices through the Watchville app. They have a website, but I usually use the iPad app. Definitely second all of J&J's recommendations for individual sites; Fratelli, W&W, T&T, Q&P, Monochrome, etc.
Another thought on training for mountaineering trips - besides the technical aspects of staying alive and healthy in extreme environments, mountaineering is about “grinding it out”. You’ll spend hours at a time in a state of exertion, which is really different mental and physical territory from 45 minutes on a stairmaster 3x per week.
One easy-to-access way to train for this kind of exertion is to take long bike rides. You can get on a bike and ride at an elevated heart rate for several hours at a time, which is hard for most people to do with running (knees, back, ankles, shins, feet…). If you work your way up to 2+ hour rides on both weekend days, you’ll also train your body to handle back-to-back exertion, which also helps. Maybe you can train for a century ride - that will give you motivation and you’ll prove that you can crank along for maybe 7 hours at a go. It’s not the same exact muscle groups you’ll exercise with stair climbing but it is the same lungs and head.
As someone who has done several ski mountaineering trips with extra belly-weight, I can also say that staying light plays to your advantage.
I highly agree. Riding a century ride and mountaineering are oddly similar - at least on the aerobic effort from your heart and lungs. That is something people training often overlook.
On Bikes, I think Jason's personal solution is best. :-) yes, one bike that can take tires up to 40mm (or more) is ideal for road biking for most of us. Two questions to ask yourself: Do you need tread, and do you want to sprint? For most people, one set of tires in the 35-40mm range will be light and fast enough for anything. James’ Rene Herse tires are a great choice (for high end tires). I like to tinker, and have a set of “race” wheels/tires in the 28-32mm range, and a set of more comfortable “gravel” tires/wheels in the 40mm range. I tend to use the fast tires in the summer (commuting and fast group rides), and the 40mm tires in the winter/spring when I’m not so concerned about going fast (more solo rides) – and when the roads require a larger tire. Start with a slick in the 35-40mm range (Gravel King Slicks or Rene Herse) and see if that does it for you. If you are the perfectionist type, two sized tires (and wheels) is a great solution – but I think most people (unlike me) just don’t want to faff around with changing wheels for a specific ride.
I happen to have a "gravel bike" (a Ritchey Swiss Cross canti with some 700x38 tires). Being a racier geo (it's a cx bike), the Ritchey feels just at home on tarmac as on gravel. Worth considering is whether you really needs knobbies or you can do with just having larger slicks. If you're in inclement weather a lot, knobbies are great. Otherwise knobbies are overkill for most terrains and simply reducing the air pressure in your tires works. I'm in San Francisco and I think the caller was in Lafayette? If so, no need for big mudcrawler tires. I might recommend a 3T Exploro if you want to spend top dollar. Otherwise I would suggest a cx bike set up with beefier tires that roll fast on pavement, too. I'm a one bike household and this works for me very, very well.
I have ordered my springbar pliers from aliexpress for around $10... took almost a month to arrive, but it works perfectly... I dare to say, quality is not much worse then Horofix or even Bergeon. https://cutt.ly/hYVOnTO
Great minds think alike I guess. Just ordered the exact same one :))
Suggestion for next year's backer gift: Strap changing tool. I have the lovely TGN signed NATO strap but no tool to use...
I would say that the cost of a good set of pliers would not make economic sense for the guys. If you take the ones that are mentioned on the show at even a bulk cost of $60 that doesn't leave a lot left to use for show costs.
Morning all from wet and claggy Ireland.... loved the recipes question. After moving to rural Ireland from Manchester UK, realised that if we ever wanted good curry, we would have to learn to cook it ourselves - so we did :) However my fave recipie for the past couple of years comes from from North Africa/Middle East - Shakshuka :) A delicious spicy tomatoes dish with loads of veg and eggs baked on top. Easy enough to do once you have done it a couple of times and adaptable - IE add more veg, leave out the meat etc;
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/shakshuka/
I add extra peppers, onions and garlic - and chorizo and carroway seeds a really cracking supper :)
also love the following two recipe books - really easy - even for someone like me whom has had to learn everything from my good wife;
Jamie Oliver 5 ingredients - Does what it says on the tin, 5 additional ingredfiants and some bits that you probably keep in the cupboards ;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/5-Ingredients-Quick-Easy-Food/dp/0718187725/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=5+ingredients&qid=1639225295&sr=8-1
rukmini Iyer Roasting tin series - series of books where you through everything in a roasting tin/pot and shove it in the oven - simple delicious cooking;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roasting-Tin-Around-World-Dinners/dp/1529110130/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2TPAYC9MXFV57&keywords=roasting+tin+cookbook&qid=1639225409&sprefix=roasting+tin+coo%2Caps%2C331&sr=8-5
I am not a good cook, but I have learned some recipes and use these 2 books all the time for quick and health dinners.
Maybe you could both do a short cook book together James and Jason - along with Kishani? would love to learn Sri Lankan recipes. James I seem to remember you liked making the occasional soup :)
On gravel bikes. I highly recommend Thesis. I have a Thesis OB1. Love the 2-wheel option, but for now just running 650x47 WTB byways, which are basically slicks, with a bit of knob on the outside. So fine for road and trail. But will likely get a set of 700x30 on separate wheelset one day for better road riding, and add a bit more aggressive tire on the 650s. 1x drivetrain for the win as well.
Flatlander training for mountains: The one piece of training that people often miss is the cardio. I’ve trained people and gone climbing, and the people who did the best by far were those who did cardio (bikers actually). Climbing at altitude is a VO2 max experience – your heart and lungs are desperately trying to feed oxygen to your muscles. You can be a weightlifter, but if your cardio system can’t deliver oxygen, your muscles won’t work well on a mountain. Personally, I do intervals on a bike to push my VO2 max and cardio system. Also - This should be obvious, but many people fail at it: Make sure your body has calluses in the right places. Wear your shoes and backpack as much as you can. There isn’t much worse than being in a gorgeous place in the best shape of your life, and having your trip cut short because you have blisters from your backpack or shoes!
Thanks for the extra answer Charles! - definitely have some preparation to do, but now have some good places to start
I think you said you are down in Texas(?) If so, I am guessing there are some pretty sizable football stadiums around. Doing stadium climbs in the pack will be helpful (many reps). Going up and down is helpful. Going down can be punishing on untrained knees depending on the grade if you only train on a Stairmaster. If you can, I would also book some trips that are smaller in scale but more affordable to see if you even like it. For example, a trip to climb Katahdin in Maine or Mount Washington in New Hampshire in February or March will give you a good taste of ice, cold and vertical gain without the altitude. It is a good way to get in some training where help isn't too far away if it is needed. International Mountain Equipment is a good place to look at for NH and Acadia Mountain Guides for ME.
Good point about going down!
Omg please don’t sell that Explorer dial sub. A grail for sub collectors, that will be a 400-500k watch soon. Vintage Rolex is being outshined by independent brands at present but that will shift back sometime soon.
To Nick regarding the Explorer dial Sub, they’re worth more like $265k at auction these days (see https://www.watchpro.com/rare-3-6-9-dial-rolex-submariner-expected-to-sell-for-200000-this-week/) so the dealer was clearly hoping for a steal 😅
I keep an eye on these out of interest as I inherited a similar watch from my father who purchased it for 75 GBP in ‘63. Unfortunately (according to him anyway) it returned from a Rolex service with a fogged dial and they were kind enough to update the dial to the latest (non-Explorer) version when replacing the damaged parts. At least it takes any question of will I/won’t I on selling it — as it’s worth much more in sentimental value.
What a find though!
It’s funny you mention Ramen, James, because figuring out ramen opened up my world of home cooking. So I’d be glad to share some best practices for that! And the good news is that, while yes it is a lot of work, a lot of it freezes well for quick access later on so I find it’s worth it. Before that though, I’m very excited to try Chicken Jalfrasie and Parippu Dal! I wasn’t familiar with either of those dishes.
Regarding Ramen, it’s made up of 5 components: Bone Broth (vegan options do exist), Alkaline noodles (this is what makes it “Ramen”), Tare (seasoning), toppings (proteins/vegetables), and aromatic oil. Being a Japanese dish, all of these factors can be endlessly refined and scrutinized, but for my 80-20 home use I found that making a basic broth and focusing on the Tare and toppings is really what makes a very satisfying dish. If anyone wants to go deep on making it, I highly recommend using Ramen_Lord’s book on it as a reference.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qLPoLxek3WLQJDtU6i3300_0nNioqeYXi7vESrtNvjQ/edit
(1) Bone Broth is simple, I believe you’ve even talked about making it, James. Just simmer a collection of leftover bones in a pot of filtered water and maybe some chicken or pigs feet for the collagen. For Ramen broth, omit the western mirepoix of carrots and celery and focus on the onion/garlic/ginger for it’s flavoring. Adding mushrooms and seaweed can help add richness too. Yes, you’ll make a lot of it, but it freezes great! I like to freeze them a cup at a time and pull one out when I want it. I recently found something called “souper cubes” that works great for this.
(2) Aromatic oil is one of those small things that elevates the experience. Just simmer some lard or oil or a mixture of the two with some scallions, garlic, and ginger and then let it sit in the fridge until you’re ready. All this really does is amplify your sense of smell which makes the dish taste richer. You can use toasted sesame oil or chili oil too if you want something pre-made.
(3) Tare: The three main types of tare are Shoyu (soy sauce based), Miso (obviously miso based), and shio (salt based). These can get complex fast and it’s probably the most intimidating part. The first few times I made ramen I just used soy sauce and mirin for flavoring and I liked it well enough, but it is worth making a more complex one since it’s pulling most of the weight of the dish’s flavor. I recommend referring to ramen lords book for basic recipes for these. They store forever in the fridge so it’s worth making a batch. I don’t worry too much about specific miso’s or soy sauces he names, just getting a decent mixture of white/red/sweet miso’s or dark/light soy sauces does a great job 80-20’ing the tare.
(4) Toppings are the most varied. However I feel a proper ajitama (ramen egg) is a must, and chashu is my preferred topping (that’s the sliced meat I believe you’re referring to). A winter squash (like acorn or butternut) is great too. The key to these is to cook/marinate them with a mixture of the traditional Japanese seasonings: Soy sauce, mirin, sugar, sake, dashi.
(a) Chashu: can use any cut of meat (port belly is most common). You can tie it up and put it in a pot on the stove filled with 1 part water, ½ part soy sauce, and ¼ part mirin and a little sugar. Cover it and bring it up to 160°F to 180°F range and turn the stove down to it’s lowest setting so it stays there. Then let it sit there until it’s done (145°F for pork takes 1 – 3 hours depending on size). If you want to make it a little fancier, throw it in the oven under the broiler for a couple minutes to caramelize the outside (just watch it carefully!). Store it in the fridge, slice off what you want and heat a couple pieces up as you make a bowl.
(b) Ajitama: bring a pot up to boil and drop an egg in for exactly 7 minutes then pull it out and cool it in an ice bath. Break open the shell and marinate it in a bath of 1 part water, ½ part soy sauce, and ¼ part mirin and a little sugar for two to five days. (Yes this is the same as the chashu so you can just use the cooking liquid from the meat after that’s done)
(c) Squash: cut up the squash and coat it in a mixture of 1 TBSP EVOO, 1 TBSP miso, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sugar then roast it for 20-25 minutes or so until tender. Great vegetarian option!
(5) Noodles…. This can get complicated, so I’ll offer a couple levels for this.
(a) First option is a real cheat. You can get ramen-ish noodles by cooking spaghetti in 1 quart of water spiked with 2-3 tsp of baking soda (2 for a delicate broth, 3 for a richer broth). That alkalizes the water and makes the noodles bouncier, emulating ramen noodles to some degree (don’t knock it til you try it; figuring this out started me down this rabbit hole).
(b) Second is to buy fresh ramen noodles wherever you can find them. If you can find some from a company called Sun Noodles, that’s a great option (I’m not sure if they have them in Canada).
(c) Third option is to make them yourself. This is by far the best, but also by far the most work. I recommend Way of Ramen’s basic noodle recipe below. It’s pretty easy and makes a good noodle. Nice thing is they freeze well, so I double the amount in that recipe which gets me 12 servings and freeze what I don’t use.
Basic Ramen Noodles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8rsTkOsI2M
So yeah. Since the broth and noodles freeze well and the Tare and aromatic oil last forever in the fridge, it’s actually not hard to put together a respectable bowl pretty quickly once you have those put together. The toppings listed above require a little planning, but there are other faster options too like karaage chicken or tofu. Hope this helps if anyone is interested in making their own Ramen.
For the gentleman who asked about other watch websites; I love Watchville, because it collects all the major and even some minor sites in one place. I have found a lot of new voices through the Watchville app. They have a website, but I usually use the iPad app. Definitely second all of J&J's recommendations for individual sites; Fratelli, W&W, T&T, Q&P, Monochrome, etc.
Another thought on training for mountaineering trips - besides the technical aspects of staying alive and healthy in extreme environments, mountaineering is about “grinding it out”. You’ll spend hours at a time in a state of exertion, which is really different mental and physical territory from 45 minutes on a stairmaster 3x per week.
One easy-to-access way to train for this kind of exertion is to take long bike rides. You can get on a bike and ride at an elevated heart rate for several hours at a time, which is hard for most people to do with running (knees, back, ankles, shins, feet…). If you work your way up to 2+ hour rides on both weekend days, you’ll also train your body to handle back-to-back exertion, which also helps. Maybe you can train for a century ride - that will give you motivation and you’ll prove that you can crank along for maybe 7 hours at a go. It’s not the same exact muscle groups you’ll exercise with stair climbing but it is the same lungs and head.
As someone who has done several ski mountaineering trips with extra belly-weight, I can also say that staying light plays to your advantage.
I highly agree. Riding a century ride and mountaineering are oddly similar - at least on the aerobic effort from your heart and lungs. That is something people training often overlook.
Ah yes, the adjust-less clasp...the bane of my existence as an owner of a 1990s Seamaster...
On Bikes, I think Jason's personal solution is best. :-) yes, one bike that can take tires up to 40mm (or more) is ideal for road biking for most of us. Two questions to ask yourself: Do you need tread, and do you want to sprint? For most people, one set of tires in the 35-40mm range will be light and fast enough for anything. James’ Rene Herse tires are a great choice (for high end tires). I like to tinker, and have a set of “race” wheels/tires in the 28-32mm range, and a set of more comfortable “gravel” tires/wheels in the 40mm range. I tend to use the fast tires in the summer (commuting and fast group rides), and the 40mm tires in the winter/spring when I’m not so concerned about going fast (more solo rides) – and when the roads require a larger tire. Start with a slick in the 35-40mm range (Gravel King Slicks or Rene Herse) and see if that does it for you. If you are the perfectionist type, two sized tires (and wheels) is a great solution – but I think most people (unlike me) just don’t want to faff around with changing wheels for a specific ride.
I happen to have a "gravel bike" (a Ritchey Swiss Cross canti with some 700x38 tires). Being a racier geo (it's a cx bike), the Ritchey feels just at home on tarmac as on gravel. Worth considering is whether you really needs knobbies or you can do with just having larger slicks. If you're in inclement weather a lot, knobbies are great. Otherwise knobbies are overkill for most terrains and simply reducing the air pressure in your tires works. I'm in San Francisco and I think the caller was in Lafayette? If so, no need for big mudcrawler tires. I might recommend a 3T Exploro if you want to spend top dollar. Otherwise I would suggest a cx bike set up with beefier tires that roll fast on pavement, too. I'm a one bike household and this works for me very, very well.
*more racy (in lieu of "racier")