NOTE: As of July 2025, this list is mostly depreciated. With there being a new Revised Fitness Wishlist. The exception is the money section below, and the car section near the bottom. Car is technically number one need at the moment though…

Before buying things here myself, money would be used to be ready for any potential financial emergencies, such as much needed replacement ca, home repairs, and especially for paying things off, etc., then the items below. But if one wants, money can be given via PayPal and credit card donations can be made here, though there is a fee (not sure the percentage), also generally 10% of all donations I get there I give to The Trevor Project (suicide prevention and crisis intervention for LGBTQIA+ youth) since that is part of my commitment for donations to my Twitch streams, if it is noted that this is for wish list / bills, I might skip the donation if you want. Or there is my Venmo, I’m not sure how much they take in fees. The main use of money right now would be to pay things down, and towards a much needed new to me car.

As most of this is for my fitness wishes, so here’s my Strava profile, so when, if, I get this stuff, one can see how I do. I also believe this is my Zwift profile. My Twitch and YouTube where I will upload rides from Zwift and the like should be in the bar to the left. I’ll also likely blog about my progress here.

NOTE, as of April 2025: The prices below are almost all before any of Trump’s Tariffs go into effect, and were accurate when they were originally written, between March of 2023 and some additions in 2025. Obviously Trump’s tariffs will make things far more expensive. Also, while a new car is posted much further down the list, that likely has to be number one, as my current car has over 200k miles on it, and it’s a Ford, not some super reliable Honda, Toyota or something like that, so back to the cash above, or the list further down (or search for like Crosstrek on the page, it should take you to that part of the list).

Primary Wants

The long and short of it is that the item wish list order is (with all these, see their related sections below): [Car, things paid down], New Watch, Power Meter Pedals and cycling shoes to use said pedals, bike computer. Note the trainer is both the number 1, number 3, and end points on that, just depends on when/where, etc.

Some of the below are on this Amazon wish list, though many of the cheaper more preferred choices, such as the cheaper bike trainer (even the Wahoo trainer on there are not as cheap as they are direct from Wahoo or Zwift), aren’t available from Amazon. However, to make it easier on some people, I put on the Amazon list what I could.

Oh, and a car. Really, car, then computer, watch, power meters and shoes.

Power Meter Pedals and Proper Bike Shoes for the Bike

See new Revised Fitness Wishlist for the updated version of this part.

Cleaning Supplies and Chain Wax

See new Revised Fitness Wishlist for the updated version of this part.

Secondary Wishes

We now get into more specialized items. Here we go with a multi tool for bike maintenance (I’ll probably get on my own anyhow), proper bike shoes/peddles, a bike radar (for greatly enhanced safety on the road), a battery operated portable power washer, and new headphones.

Multi Tool for Bike Maintenance

See new Revised Fitness Wishlist for the updated version of this part.

Warmer gear

I need warmer base layers for going out in the cold. I don’t have what size I am in these yet. The idea is to have some of the ECWCS Gen III layers. These are mostly for outdoors in the winter, or cold spring/fall days, and some could be called for work and the like. But these are last on the “primary wants” list for a reason.

The one that seems most recommended is Brynje Wool Thermo Mesh, at least for just going outside period, not necessarily cycling. Then one wears a regular Merino Wool Base Layer with a zipper part way down, then one can do other layers over that. The Brynje can also be wore by itself in summer to keep cool. Again, that might not be best for cycling, not sure. This would be more for work, walking, range days, hiking, anything that isn’t super aerobic I guess.

The best cycling specific base layer seems to be Spatwear Basez 2 ($89.99) which would be a bit better if it had a zipper to the sternum or so.

Those two items, or the regular Merino Wool Base Layer would be the Level 1 on the ECWCS list. Level 2 would be used mostly for at home, or standing type situations.

Winter level bibs might be a bit of a more tricky find. Assos Mille GT Winter Bibs ($175), Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights ($200), or local Aero Tech has some Fleece tights ($199), not sure of sizes on those.

Cycling jacket would be the Castelli Men’s Alpha RoS 2 ($299.99), which has layers built in, so you can open each layer itself. This is basically a Level 3.

For regular days, not exercise the Level 3 would be done with either a warm fleece or sherpa. Though sherpa is more used as a lining and is harder to keep clean, which is probably why ECWCS specifies fleece.

I’m less sure about the soft shell jacket, more a wind breaker, water coat thing, Level 4 on the ECWCS scale. Near the end I do talk about one waterproof option.

For socks, there are these Keecow Merino Wool Ski Socks ($15.99). Other Merino Wool would likely be fine too, such as the lightweight and heavyweight ones from Aero Tech Designs (more on them later).

Overshoes, which would go over the bike shoes noted below… Spatz ‘Roadman 3’ Super-Thermo Hi-Viz Reflective Overshoes with Kevlar ($76.99).

In the unlikely event I wanted to go out in the rain and cold… then there are waterproof wind breakers to consider. At the high end there’s a C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Jacket ($300). Though I’m sure there are far more affordable options…

A Merino Wool hat to wear under the cycling helmet.

Core Body Temperature Sensor

The CORE Body Temperature Sensor does what it says… That said, I’m not sure I have a real reason to use it, it’s expensive, and I’m not heat training…Just would be more data to have on hand for training overall.

Sleeping Earbuds

Soundcore Sleep A20 ($104 now, retail later will be $149) are sleep ear buds that act like a sound machine that is highly customizable, and has sound blocking.

New TV

Hisense U7K ($449) is the semi-affordable TV to replace the current TV. This U7K TV is a rather decent TV, and a good bang for the buck. This is 55″ or 65″. Can’t really go much bigger than that in our current space. Though if I was getting a dream TV, I’d go LG G4 at either 55″ ($2,499.99) or 65″ ($3299.99) as best TVs one can get. Note, that’s to replace our main TV, not the one for patio use which as noted above would be a basic 32″, so long as it was 1080p, or 1440p monitor…

Books

The Ninth House series by Leigh Bardugo, starts with Ninth House ($13.48), then Hell Bent ($12.73) is the second book in the series (the 3rd and last book isn’t out yet). She’s got a new book out, but not in the Ninth House series. The Familiar ($17.98).

Rest of the Saga graphic novel series. I have book one. Saga Book Two ($33.94), Saga Book Three ($34.42)

S. ($23.72) by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst.

The Electric State ($24.49) by Simon Stålenhag, then maybe their book Labyrinth ($29.14).

Tertiary Wishes

Now we’re getting to true wishes. Most of the above can be a bit more justified, but these still have their place. The video card might be first here, but it is far more expensive. The power meter peddles for the bike are actually secondary (nearly primary), but they are sort of expensive to justify putting them up there.

A New Video Card

Technically this would be a secondary wish list item, but the issues I was having with the current card seem to have been fixed a bit, plus it’s expensive. The card here is a GeForce RTX 4080 (aprox $1200 – $1400+). There are better graphics cards out now, but the price/value sort of drops off, at least without going for 4k gaming… and really, the 5070, 5080, and 5090 likely will be out by Q3 2024, which will have a far greater improvement over the current 4000 series… and that’s not counting AMD’s offerings… but the 4080 sort of hits what I need and want from a video card, and unless it’s near the Q3 2024 launch of the 5000 series cards, it’s likely to be the main choice until then.

A New Monitor

The above graphics card would be far overkill for my current monitor. ASUS TUF Gaming 27″ – VG27AQL1A ($410 last check) is the monitor of choice… problem is as I run a dual monitor setup, I’d need another1440 monitor for the second one, though wouldn’t have to be as high end. That is about the best I can do on my current graphics card (I’d probably have to turn some things down), and near the top end of what the graphics card I want above can do without turning graphic options down. Sure, I’d prefer a 4k monitor, but that does require a much higher end graphics card than I have, and even the one above would be hard pressed to do 4K properly.

New Wheels and Group Sets for the Bike

EDIT: For the groupset, See new Revised Fitness Wishlist for the updated version of this part.

So one of the main problems with a Gravel Bike is that the tires are a bit too big and knobbly for efficient road use. The wheel set that comes with the bikes are a general middle of the road between road and gravel (gravel being part way to a proper mountain bike). The first wheel set I’d want would be more specific to road, then after having those, then if I was serious about gravel racing, then perhaps gravel specific, but that would be way down the line. Road set would be high on the list… now a wheel set includes the wheels, tires, and in the case of the rear wheel, a cassette that would work with whatever bike I have (technically road cassettes and gravel cassettes are a bit different, so long as the derailleur could handle it… and that’s where I’d have to see the bike dealer, otherwise just get a matching cassette) . So obviously this all depends on what bike I had.

As far as the groupset, I’m currently thinking upgrade to SRAM Force AXS (preferably with the dual-sided Quarq power meter crankset), then an SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS rear derailer, and a SRAM X01 Eagle, 10-52t cassette, and SRAM Force AXS brakes).

New tires that are more appropriate for gravel and roads. Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M (about $90 each, Amazon link will be later) in 45mm wide. My existing wheels (wheels here I’m referring to what the tires are mounted to, then to the bike itself, the part in between the two) are 700c, and I’m not 100% sure it’d let me put these on, though in theory that shouldn’t be the main issue. Not sure if it would be worth going for 650b size wheels, or sticking with the 700c size wheels… but new wheels would likely be in the cards with the new tires, though that’s where it gets expensive… 650b might be the best choice overall. Wheels get very expensive though, and most wheel sets would require changing which gears I use too… which I’d want to do anyhow. Like these Mason & Hunt wheels are fairly cheap at $419.30 for the full set (front and back). I’d probably switch to the Sram Red XPLR AXS (however, that’s over $3500 for the full groupset)… that is if that groupset is compatible with the bike’s hanger… Like this assumes sticking with the current bike, which is a good enough bike. If I upgraded, I’d probably want a Titanium, but for more “affordable” I’d go with Lauf Seigla Ultimate (about $6k), and if stuck with a mainstream brand dream bikes, I’d go with either the Specizlized Crux (S-Works), or Trek Checkpoint SLR 9… but at those price points (near $12k), may as well go with a Titanium dream bike either No. 22, or Sage, which get into full on dream territory… No. 22 being slightly more into dream territory as then the bike is custom built to one’s exact size, as in you have to go to a special bike fitter and get the sizing absolutely correct.

Quaternary Wishes

The fourth, but not last section of this wish list probably should have the cash and games near the top. The AirPods are more the luxury item…. Well, so is the Headwind… The hitch and rack being the most sensible item after the cash. The SUP is sort of like a… would be nice, but don’t know if I’d use it enough to justify…

Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board

The SUP section of the Fitness Wish List is still mostly accurate. With the SereneLife Inflatable Stand Up Paddle Board ($389.99, though on sale 44% off while typing this 27 May, for $219.99) still being plenty for my use, though I’d need a PFD and electric pump still, as noted on the aforementioned Fitness Wish List. This is here more for giggles than being serious… but still would be somewhat fun to have, though wouldn’t be used as much as much of the stuff even below it…

Go Pro Hero 11

To record rides, a Go Pro Hero 11 ($399.99 @ Amazon)… more coming later… Also, this Hover Camera X1 ($329 or $469 when it goes retail), is a pocket sized drone that would help make sweet videos of rides. Or more likely for the action cam, an Insta360 ONE X2, which I’d need to add mounting stuff, but probably the better camera for what I’d be doing. As of February 2024, I’m less sure about a camera, like cool, but I might move this down the list.

Hitch for the Car and Tray Bike Hauler

So right now the only way I have of moving a bike around is a removable thing that mounts to the trunk of my car. That isn’t very secure, and is easy to steal a bike off of. A hitch mount is far more secure, safe… and well secure in lowering theft as well. If I were to go to U-Haul and have them install a trailer hitch, that would be $288.75 to $308.75 (depending on which hitch). Then one needs a rack to install in said hitch, here there’s a few choices, but the best long term investment there is a tray mount as it’s best not to hold a bike by the frame, and if you have a carbon frame, you have to use a tray mount. At the pricier end is the Thule T2 Pro XTR ($639.96), down to the RockyMounts MonoRail ($499.99). You can go much more expensive, but not much cheaper, and those are about the best two of the bunch. Of course who knows how long my current car is good for (it’s costing about $1k in repairs each inspection), so while the tray mount could be moved once a new car had a hitch, the money spent on the hitch itself might be wasted. Might be best to wait on this until a new car…

More Bike Stuff…

I also own a basic pair of bibs shorts with a cheaper chamois, and it functions okay. I might pickup a basic bike shirt if I get a bike again, the local Pro Bike Run has a good sale on their named gear… Ideally, down the line I’d get better bibs and shirts from Aero Tech Designs, a local place, known nationally, that actually designs, and sews their cycling apparel here in Pittsburgh, and was part of the original fitness wish list way back in July 2020. They also do custom designs for clubs, and others, like if someone wanted to sponsor me… lol… Seriously though, my basic bib shorts are okay for now, I’d just buy on of the sale shirts and should be good to go for a while, then upgrade to the better gear.

And one last also, apparently helmets are really only good for 5 years. Then the foam like material in them starts to degrade. Mine is about 3 years old (as of 2023), so it’s got a couple to a few more years. I might get another year or so out of it past the 5, but something to think about down the line. The important thing is it is MIPS, and is highly visible. Bonus points for having a retention system (a knob on the back), and extra points for that retention system having height adjustability.

Cash and Games

Keeping some of this section from the original birthday list… Just moved way down…

Cold hard cash (PayPal and credit card donations can be made here, though add a note it’s for Birthday, as 10% of all donations I get there otherwise go to The Trevor Project).

Steam gift cards. Or direct off my Steam Wishlist. Also number one on that list is expensive enough ($649), that it is actually much further down the list, but it comes in 3 versions, the cheapest isn’t worth it at all, the midrange version comes close, but the lack of storage space and how slow it is makes the premium version worth the extra money… Unfortunately one can’t specify in the Steam wish list which one wants. The first few games are in order, but after that… so really a Steam Gift Card is probably best.

Proper VO2 Max and Heart Rate Zone Testing

So next on the list. Going to get my VO2 Max tested. While the watch is likely accurate for this, what’s more important is that while testing that and metabolic rate, they can find my actual heart rate zones.

There are times that according to my watch I’m past zone 5 and I feel I’m still well in max. In fact, I think that all my zones are off a tad. Likely because I used an age based calculator to find my heart rate zones.

My VO2 Max on my current watch, has me at a fitness age of 33, so nearly 20 years younger than I am… Now fitness age I wouldn’t put much stock in. It says my VO2 Max is in the top 15% of people my age and gender, and that might be more accurate.

The heart rate zones though, need a little more accuracy than a simple age based one.

Insurance likely doesn’t cover the costs of this. Though it’s normally around $100 or so anyhow.

Proper coaching

Not sure the costs to get a coach to help get my cycling better…

Quinary Wishes

Now we’re getting near to the end.

A New Car

So my car is getting older, nearly 10 years as I write this, and has nearly 190k miles. Any year specified is that or newer. As of April 2025, the car now has over 200k miles, and is over 11 years old. Also, as of 4 April 2025, the below list is sort of out of date. I’ll update someday…

Plug in hybrids would probably be main choice, but makes zero sense until I was in a house, with a garage, where I could plug it in overnight, so generally would be regular ICE car, then regular hybrid, then full EV, as I can still get to charging stations. I mostly note the regular version below, but if a Hybrid is available from that generation, then that would likely be preferred over the regular one.

Semi affordable: Chevy Trax (second generation, 2024 model year on, prior generation wasn’t as good). Hyundai Kona (2nd generation (2023+) preferred, but 1st generation from 2020 model year on okay). Subaru Crosstrek (3rd generation (2022+) preferred, but 2nd generation after 2021 on okay, prefer the the 3rd generation Wilderness. Toyota Prius (5th Gen 2023+, the Prius Prime same generation would be even better, but as noted, plug in hybrids make near no sense). Hyundai Tucson (4th gen 2020+).

More midsize: Subaru Outback (7th generation, especially Wilderness, very highly preferred, might be main car choice on list, but as of July 2025, not out yet, for 6th generation, 2024 Wilderness would be preferred, but most any 6th gen (2020+) would be good). Hyundai Santa Cruz 2025 XRT, though most any model is okay. Hyundai Santa Fe (5th gen (2023+) preferred, but 4th gen from 2021 on okay).

Full EV: Hyundai Ionic 9 (2025+), then Kia EV 9, then most of the rest of the Ionic or Kia EV range. Luxury end would be a Volvo XC 90, then Rivian.

Steam Deck

Remember what I said about it in the first section of this list about Steam wish list? This is where it’d go on this list.

Senary Wishes

We end things with the expense bikes… Though at this point I’d need a storage unit, and/or a new home. Lol.

Treadmill

This section will be revised soon, as of February 2024 it is out of date.

The main use of a treadmill is to use Zwift, and Zwift has a somewhat likely out of date list of Zwift Compatible Running Hardware. Again though, any basic treadmill can do if your watch, running pods, or heart rate monitor can send that data to Zwift.

Again, this would require a new house, with a fitness area (read “dry basement”), as I can’t put one at my current location (not only is there no space, seriously not allowed per the condo association rules). I mean, unless I could have internet and electricity at a storage unit and did the stuff there…

EDIT: February 2024, the no questions asked treadmill of choice would be the Wahoo Kickr Run, which runs about $5000, which seems insane, but given the level it is competing at, it actually apparently is a bargain. Again though, 100% impossible to use at current home.

Telescope

Celestron C9.25 ($1899.95) with either a CGEM II EQ Mount and Tripod ($1699) or CGX EQ Mount and Tripod ($2399). Near as I can tell, the CGX is smoother on tracking, and quieter. Not sure that unless one was getting super serious for astro-photography if it is worth the extra money, but it does sort of future proof that way…