Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Surly Bikes

 Okay....we're back with a regular FN&I. Finally! This week I'm kicking things off with some items which happened while I was away and reporting on BRAN. 

Surly Brings Back The Steamroller:

After a 23 year run starting in the year 2000, the Surly Steamroller was allowed to pass into the annals of Surly's archives. However, as of June 23rd, you can order a new Steamroller for a limited time. 

Surly didn't mess with the format too much. You still get track bike geometry and clearance for up to a 700 x 38mm tire, but the legal issues surrounding production of brakeless bikes has forced Surly to put cable stops on the frame for brakes. 

Surly says, "once they're gone, they're gone", so if the Anxious Lavender hue appeals to you and you always wanted a new Steamroller, well ya better get on it! $699.00 USD. (What?! Not $666.00?) 

Image courtesy of Thamus Bikes

The 32" Watch: Not Going Anywhere Soon

If you haven't noticed lately, 32" wheels are popping up everywhere. A 32" wheeled bike recently placed top three at a World Cup XC MTB event. Canyon is showing a radical 32"er at Eurobike with a weird, bi-plane handlebar. Esker Cycles is releasing its Lorax model with 32" wheels. Trek reportedly inadvertently showed a 32"er MTB racing bike in its latest documentary film. 

Meanwhile more small builders are producing 32" wheeled bikes for upcoming shows and for customers. 

As noted on these digital pages, we have seen prototype suspension forks for 32" wheels and as of now not many of those forks have shown up yet. This means more 32"ers are coming. (There may be a good reason for the no-show as of now. See below)

My prediction? Many of you readers will see a 32"er by this time next year near you, and many of you will have tried one.The 32"er isn't going anywhere soon, but this doesn't mean they are here to stay either. Think about how entrenched 26"ers were, or how many companies were jumping on 27.5"ers fifteen years ago. The 27.5"er is still hanging on, but I think it is obvious that it is a dead wheel size in gravel and nearly an obscure choice for MTB. The 32" wheel could find itself in a similar situation as these other wheel sizes five years from now. 

Gary Fisher's response to a BikeRumor post about the possible Trek 32"er in the video.

Or not. Time will tell. But I think it is safe to say 32" is an alternative choice which will soon be readily available to anyone soon. So, pretending it is an upcoming trend or curiosity is disingenuous now. So, no more "The 32" Watch" segments. I'll just report on these bikes as another choice from here on out.  

Image courtesy of Shimano

Shimano Keeps Mechanical Shifting Alive:

Shimano recently released news on their Deore and Deore XT level MTB components in a mechanical shifting format.  

XT now features a long cage or short cage rear derailleur in 12 speed for various sized cassettes or a LinkGlide 11 speed version. 

The rear derailleur is also advanced in its abilities to take on hits from trail debris. Manufactured to be able to be mounted on "modern hangars", the Deore XT rear derailleur can be used on any bike meant for derailleur drive trains. The rear pulleys are of a solid design which eliminates debris from catching in the pulleys and causing damage. 

 The rear derailleur now has a dual sprung design which Shimano says increases tension on the chain by 70% helping prevent chain drops and allowing for good shifts even on a worn cassette and chain. 

Deore features much the same upgrades as the XT version with less cost. 

Brakes were also addressed in this news where Shimano has now produced rotors with a 2.2mm thickness. This should provide more robust braking performance over a longer period of time than with the thinner rotors. This is especially critical with regard to modern e-MTB bikes.  

Comments: While SRAM continues to push proprietary electronic groups at least Shimano is keeping the versatility/mechanical shift crowd somewhat happy. XT stuff is impressive and with a mechanical 12 speed option now it should appeal to those who don't want to have batteries to charge or unfixable failures in the field due to software malfunctions. (Which have been reported on SRAM systems by some on social media). 

Image courtesy of Avinox

Avinox Shows Gearbox/E-Motor:

The days when a bicycle becomes more moto are coming sooner than not. The new Avinox E-Bike motor now showing at Eurobike is another step in the full-moto direction. The new motor/gear box eliminates the need for derailleurs and perhaps even traditional shifters. 

While Avinox would likely not agree with my assessment, one has to wonder is this  a step toward full-moto MTB's or is it not? Answering this question is subjective, perhaps, but elimination of key traditional bicycle components and adding more electronic controls and assists - to my way of thinking - is less "bicycle" and "more moto". 

Yes, you will still have to pedal the bike, however, it is getting easier and easier to do so, and at some point, we have to decide if pedals are just another way to have a throttle without having a throttle. 

At any rate, this new Avinox system eliminates the need for a derailleur and shifting can be programmed by the rider. Lots of MTB brands are jumping on this now, so it will be a thing soon out on the trails. See HERE for a list of manufacturers offering this motor and for more details. 

Cannondale Announces Factory MTB Team To Cease At End Of 2026:

Cannondale's Factory Race Teams have competed in MTB events for over three decades but will cease to be after the 2026 season concludes later this year. This according to a news release sent out to Cannondale dealers and the press on Wednesday. 

In its place, Cannondale will introduce a new "Rogues Program". This program will "... bring together professional racers, content creators, community leaders, and emerging voices - a roster larger and more varied than a traditional factory race team" according to Cannondale's release. 

Cannondale seeks to bring its rider experience to more everyday cyclists and to more events by having Rogue Program riders show up at events, group rides, and shops across the USA. Cannondale is also stating it will make a more concerted effort to bring demo rides and event activations to riders which they hope will put more riders on Cannondale bicycles to try them out, and buy them, of course. 

In the release Cannondale states that it still supports the EF cycling team and the women's St. Michaels program. 

Comments: Racing isn't selling bicycles, or so it would seem from this news release. Cannondale is taking a more direct to consumer approach in marketing using influencers, social media, and demo ride experiences instead.  

This will be embraced by the promoters of events as something like a Cannondale expo/demo adds value to their events. Shops also should benefit likewise. As riders, it is a boon to decision making as being able to actually ride a bike before buying is a big deal and should allay concerns over buying consumer direct where there is always that risk that the bike won't be quite what you expected. 

My take ultimately is that this could be a smart marketing decision if implemented correctly. And if it does pan out for Cannondale, look for other brands to follow suit. This should be interesting, but we will have to wait until 2027 to see if it flies or if it dies.  

Hey, Thanks Folks!

A special "thank you" to all who read through the BRAN coverage recently. I was quite amazed by the amount of readers who checked in during the week of BRAN and the week afterward when I did the ride recap. 

I even received advice on how to get my Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM to behave which made the remainder of the week a lot better. So, I really do appreciate those of you who have read the blog and give your feedback on it. 

You never know how odd things like BRAN are going to be received by the audience out there and I was a bit concerned how that would all go over with you all. Apparently it was a good thing. I don't know if I will ever get another opportunity like that, so I had to take it and I am very happy I did on several fronts. 

Thanks again and now it is time to get out there and ride those bicycles! 

Singular Switch-Up: Part 2

Well......That Didn't Take Long!

After I determined the frame would fit and my stem choice was good, I then decided to make a switch to the old, long discontinued Luxy Bar. Ironically, the Luxy Bar is the key to making this whole swap successful (so far). I also went geared. 

A little backing up with this story is in order here, I think, to give context to why the Luxy Bar is the key to the build. So, this entire group, the GRX Limited Edition silver group, was originally on the Twin Six Standard Rando. 

The GRX Limited Silver group on the Standard Rando in September of 2025

 The switch over to the Peregrine Mk4 included a switch to silver Cowchipper alloy handle bars. The slight differences in geometry between the Cowchipper and whatever bar I had on the Standard Rando was in reach and stack. The Cowchipper being ever so slightly longer/taller. This in turn made the rear brake hose appear to be too short. The Peregrine also had a short cockpit area, and it just didn't feel quite 'right'. 

Singular Peregrine Mk4 size Large. 

 Now the Luxy Bar has a entirely unique layout. Of all the flared drop bars, it is a unicorn in that it has a severe flare and swept extensions. The only other flared drop bar that ever came close was the Salsa Cycles Woodchipper and in reality, the Woodchipper is not even in the same zip code as the Luxy Bar. 

One thing about the Luxy Bar which is unique which doesn't strike you upon first seeing it is how narrow the bar sets the hoods apart from each other. The difference between the Luxy Bar and, say the Cowchipper, is tremendous.  This closer positioning of the hoods, and the canted position of the levers, makes the cable runs shorter than if you use a conventional flared drop bar. 

So, my too short rear brake cable? It is perfect with the Luxy Bar, and on an XL frame with a longer top tube. Additionally I am running a longer stem than before as well. But that's not all. The stack height on the XL is taller also, which should make the rear brake hose too short, but nope! 

Sat on the bike the XL now shows me the classic "bars hide the front axle" thing, which I know, bike fitters and younger folk think is dumb. The 1.25" of spacers I removed also helps things look cleaner and more classic, in my opinion. I should mention the new frame did come with a new fork, but I retained the old one because it was cut to length and already had a star nut installed.  

Singular Peregrine Mk4 XL

So, you can compare and contrast the two set ups here. They are radically different. You can see on the Large I biased everything rearward as far as how I was sat on the bike. The XL allowed me to push everything forward a bit more. 

You can also see how radically different a Luxy Bar is compared to a Cowchipper. Very different. Big different. The levers lay over a LOT with Luxy Bars and some folks don't like that for various reasons. I happen to like it a lot and I find it to work well ergonomically. Pushing more downward with your hands (to shift) is more natural than pushing inward laterally compared to your body. Try it by sticking your arm out and when you push inward you'll feel more tension in your forearms. 

As I stated earlier, the seat post and saddle are placeholders for the time being. However; I used to love SST's, so maybe it stays. I have test rides to do so we shall see about this. I may swap back to the GRX wheels and 50mm tires as well. But the Irwins are fast wheels and the Conti tires are very smooth. I have options, so that is nice. 

So, now all that is left is to ride. I will see if this is a smart move or not, but so far I have been happier with this XL frame. Stay tuned.....
 

Singular Switch-Up: Part 1

Okay, now that BRAN is in the rear view I can get back to more varied topics here. The first order of business is to catch up on a project which hit the porch just before BRAN happened. 

I posted about this early in the month HERE, so I am not going to go over the "how" this is happening again now. Go hit the link if you want to refresh your memory or find out how this switcheroo came about. 

The sizing of bicycles in stock runs sometimes leaves one as a "tweener". I've experienced this before. Salsa Cycles in the 2000's was a prime example of my "tweener" status as I could ride their Medium or Large El Mariachi bike. Fisher was another brand where a 19.5" or a 21" could work for me. 

Singular seems to be my next "tweener brand" as the size Large Peregrine Mk4 was a tiny bit too small. I never would have ordered a Size XL, but here I am. The modern bike buying experience seems to be shooting in the dark, to a degree, when trying on a bike for size, and sometimes you miss slightly. That's just the way it is for many of us these days. 

The new XL Peregrine also offers me a chance to switch up my set up. I've been contemplating a few changes and one is to go single speed. I know.....I have single speed gravel bikes. It's just that I like single speeds. What can I say? 

But first, I needed to mock up where this bike was going to set me. Literally, as in how I would sit on it. To get there, I needed to swap over the fork from the old one and the head set, of course. This meant I got to use the Park Tools cutting and facing tools I have. This does not happen often anymore!

Once I had the head set in, the fork installed, and a stem and bars installed, I needed to find a placeholder seat post and stem. Digging around, I found this short, carbon fiber two-bolt seat post which for the life of me I could not remember where it came from. Anyway, that was set up with an ancient WTB SST leather saddle, None of this will likely be final choices, but these will help me gauge where I am at with fit on an XL.

Using my Irwin carbon wheels which are set up with 700 X 45mm Continental tires, I found the top tube is going to be a wee bit cozy in terms of stand over. 

But the rest of it looks far better. It is a similar set up to the old Twin Six Standard Rando. Longer top tube by a little, but the stack height is better. I got rid of an inch and a quarter's worth of spacers by going with the larger frame. 

So, now I have to get the old frame stripped down and sent back to Singular. Then I can contemplate how this one will be built. I already have made a switch to a silver Luxy Bar. 

Stay tuned.... 

BRAN Gear Review

Now that the experience has been documented and my final thoughts on BRAN have been shared, it's time to check out what worked for me and what did not work. 

I'm going to cover a lot of stuff here since I did tent camp and that is another layer on top of the normal cycling gear I review. So, these won't be in-depth reviews of items. I don't have the space here to deep-dive everything I used. I will give a brief take on all the things that stood out negatively or positively to me throughout the week. 

I'll start off with the cycling specific stuff and end with the camping gear. If I miss anything, or if you want me to provide some clarity on any item I mention here, please hit me up in the comment section. I read every comment left and will answer every question to the best of my abilities. 

The Black Mountain Cycles MCD

Black Mountain Cycles MCD: 

This bike is a great bike for BRAN and I am really happy I decided to take it out there for this tour. It handled all the gravel, climbs, descents, and long hours without any failures or concerns.  The capability to run 700 X 50mm tires was definitely a plus out on the sandier, looser pea gravel sections. The ride quality and handling are spot on. Now you cannot buy a MCD anymore, but the bike which replaced this in Black Mountain Cycles' range is the Mod Zero, and I can definitely recommend this model as well. 

My gearing was 46T/36T crank with an 11 -40T cassette. I was in the 40 quite a bit. Newer GRX runs a 48/31T crank and that may actually have been just enough lower gearing to make some of those climbs nicer. That said, I only had to get off and walk once.  

Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem:

Get one. That is all you need to know. I would not ride without this component. It makes all the difference in the world in hand comfort, lack of fatigue, and handling, especially when you are dealing with the kind of washboard road surfaces we were seeing.  

Ritchey Venturemax Carbon handlebars:

Again, these saved my hands and upper body from a lot of pain and fatigue. Expensive but worth the upgrade. Caveat: You have to like the "bio-bump" in the drops, but if you get on with that these are top-notch gravel handle bars.  

Bike Bag Dude Top Tube Garage:

I LOVE this bag and I have several of them. Bike Bag Dude is from Australia, but he does ship to the USA. Worth checking out.  

Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM GPS Device:

Once the auto-reroute feature was turned off, this device behaved well. I had someone tell me they thought GPS devices for bicycles still are not all that great, but Wahoo seems to work well considering this. I like the climb feature a lot. Final word: It's okay.  

Schwalbe G-One Overland Tires 700 X 50mm:

I wasn't super impressed with these tires initially but they seem to have broken in (finally!), and they roll very fast on paved sections. From an all-around usage standpoint, it is hard to beat the G-One Overlands. They did sandy gravel and paved roads equally well and they held air pressure very well all week long.  

Sierra Designs Full Moon

Camping Gear:

Since I had to tent camp, I needed to upgrade and buy additional gear for camping. Following are some quick takes on what I got and whether or not it worked. 

Sierra Designs Full Moon: My old Sierra Designs tent was great, so I had high expectations for the new one. I was not let down. I rode out a gusty thunderstorm with heavy rain, light rain, high winds, and just every day usage with the Full Moon tent. 

I had enough room for myself and my gear, which included a humongous duffel bag, and venting was easily done. I mean, it is still a tent, so somethings are going to be what they are with any tent. That said, set up and tear down was fast, easy, and the tent packed up well every day. I'd recommend this one for the casual bike packer and occasional back packer. It's probably a little heavy for serious usage, but the tent is well made and holds up in weather well. 

Thermarest pad: The one I got was the Base Camp pad. It's way too big for serious bike packing/back packing, but it was VERY comfortable and easy to regulate for softness/stiffness to dial in the best sleep experience I could have hoped for. 

Amazon Inflatable Pillow: I know this pillow is packable, light, and easy to use. I used it one night. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I ended up using either my sleeping bag in its stuff sack as a pillow, (excellent, by the way), or a bag with dirty laundry inside of it. Hey! I'm not fussy and I like a big pillow! 

Sleeping Bag: I don't even know what brand it is, but it is the lightest bag I could get and only rated down to 40°F. Perfect for this hot blooded guy in Summer. Like I said, several nights it didn't even come out of its stuff sack. 

DuPont Tyvek Ground Cloth: IYKYK.

Miscellaneous: As stated, everything went into a monstrous duffel bag and much of the smaller items, electronics, cords, etc went into a messenger bag. BRAN allows two bags and these bags were leveraged to the hilt, being stuffed as they were. Both held up to being tossed around and handled roughly well. 

I brought enough bibs and jerseys for the week, as there is no laundry. You can rinse out your gear in the showers, which I did, as did several others. You could see shirts and shorts hung all over flapping in the breeze in camp daily. I brought three changes of street clothes for the week, using each set twice. Maybe three times, I guess, because we were there for parts of nine days total. Anyway. I stretched the street clothes out over that time period and used liberal amounts of body spray to smell okay. Ha! 

I think I got by with $30.00 - $40.00 a day spending money and this covered food, beverages, and an occasional extra thing or two. BRAN doesn't provide meals, but they do have excellent on-ride aid stations with water and snacks of various types. 

Okay, like i said, I'm probably forgetting a lot, but hit me up with any and all questions. I'm happy to answer in the comments or a follow-up post if necessary. 
 

BRAN Epilogue

BRAN 44 was an interesting experience for me personally. I was in need of a distraction coming into Summer. This provided the perfect antidote to just slowly approaching some anniversary dates and ruminate on loss. 

But my mission on this gig was to spread the word about BRAN and specifically their gravel offering. So, I wanted to tie that thought up here as I do have some views on BRAN, Nebraska in general, and what opportunities await those who want to check out gravel roads out in a state with a very misunderstood story.

I think my recap shows, if nothing else, the vast variety of scenes and terrain types Nebraska has on offer. Of course, this particular BRAN route ran along the Niobrara River, the Missouri River, and cut down across Eastern Nebraska near the end of the route. It is but a small slice of what Nebraska has to offer the adventurous gravel rider. 

So, if you wanted to experience the Great Plains, or rural farmland, or both, Nebraska has this. I know from experience in West Central Nebraska that there are canyons and wide expanses of grasslands dotted with ranches and farms with amazing views. BRAN actually moves its route every year, so it would be worth keeping an eye on their site to see where they take things next year. 

One thing I thought about BRAN, and which we touched upon in the "Bran Recap" on the Guitar Ted Podcast, was how BRAN could serve as a bike packing test ground for anyone considering Tour Divide, or other bike packing adventures. The way BRAN creates the gravel routes helps provide bail-out opportunities. Considering Pork Belly Adventures support, one could even leverage the baggage cartage as a way to provide relief if needed. 

BRAN also provides many ways to consume the event. Besides the choices between paved and road routes, you can choose other options. You can do one, two, three days, the whole week, or become a volunteer and ride a couple of days as well. There are so many ways to get your toes dipped into the event it is fascinating to consider the possibilities. 

From an event production standpoint it was evident to me that BRAN is striving to evolve and become the best it can possibly be. This is all based on volunteers who are passionate about the ride. I don't think it can be stressed enough how no one is making bank off this ride. To my way of thinking, this means those who are working the aid stations, creating the routes, doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes, and dotting "I's" and crossing "T's" really care.  I believe if you were to go on BRAN in 2027, you'd quickly see and feel this passion. BRAN folks care about the ride and the riders. Period, end of story. 

BRAN provides a unique experience due to its size as well. You never get the feeling you are overwhelmed, or unseen on BRAN due to large crowds or lack of being able to connect with other riders. It's rather easy to disappear into the blur of the human circus in Iowa the last week of July doing "that ride", and perhaps this is what you like. But if something a bit more intimate and less stressful is your bag, you should check out BRAN.

The gravel bit is great. I loved all of it, but difficulties and adventure is what I feel make gravel unique and a better option than pavement. Your mileage may vary. But I think this is a big reason why gravel appeals to so many riders. 

Now, BRAN is far from perfect. I think they know this as well. I think the average age of riders is creeping upward, just like it is for many events I am aware of on gravel and pavement. This is concerning overall and for rides like BRAN, it is vital that they figure out a way to reverse the trend. I also feel BRAN, and other rides as well, could be more diverse. But you cannot make people want to ride BRAN, or other rides. You have to present a package which is appealing and attractive. I think BRAN has a lot of what they need to be successful, but how this shakes out in the future is anyone's guess now. 

Hopefully my shining a light on this event will help. 

Now comes the big question: Would I do BRAN again? 

My answer is a qualified "Yes". I would do this ride again if I could take some other folks along to join me. I would do it again if it made financial sense at the time for me personally. I would do it again if I could find a way to integrate Mrs. Guitar Ted into the week's events. So, maybe it would all work out. I do know the ride is worth the money BRAN asks for it. No question about it. This is a killer value. There are ways to do it piecemeal if a whole week is too much. So you do have options, as discussed above. 

Ironically my favorite day of BRAN 44 was the day we rode the worst gravel, which was the day from Crofton to Wayne. That day was so fun, challenging, and had surprises along the way which kept me engaged and wanting more. My second favorite day was Springview to Spencer because the scenery was so different than anything I get around here. 

So, if BRAN could cook up another banger of a gravel route I'd be all-in, if the rest of my life was at a place that it would work. I think anyone who likes gravel riding should seriously consider this ride over something like, say, Unbound, which could cost you around the same amount of money overall. You'd get seven days versus one, and more experiences than you could ever imagine.  

I'm sure I am leaving some things out here, so if there are any questions or comments, feel free to chime in on the comment section. I always read all the comments and answer any questions presented there. 

Thanks for reading. Tomorrow will be the BRAN Gear Review. 

BRAN Report: Day Seven

A Sunrise in Oakland, Nebraska on Day Seven of BRAN 44

The last day of BRAN! What was supposed to be a quick, short run into Arlington, Nebraska of 34.7 miles turned into chaos. Weather reared its ugly head and what I thought would happen was the furthest thing from what actually happened. 

Per BRAN's urgings the evening before I was up before 5:00am and scuffling off to the porta-jon and to grab a cup of java to jump start my systems. On my way to fill water bottles I saw BRAN staff hurriedly moving through the camp and word spread quickly that thunderstorms were moving in from the Southwest which would have severe possibilities and at the least, lots of lightning. We were told to pack up as quick as possible and head inside Oakland High School.  

Fortunately Oakland citizens had planned an onsite breakfast so we did not have to go far for some biscuits and gravy. I sat munching my morning's fare wondering where this would end up. There was still hope we'd get to ride, but it would be later in the morning. Michael and Jayme informed me gravel was off the menu and IF we got to ride it would be pavement. 

With my baggage in the truck, I took my bicycle inside the high school, as did many others, and waited to see what might happen. Time slipped on and my gut was telling me this ride was probably over. 

Instead of a bicycle, I rode a high school bus to Arlington, Nebraska

 Inside the school word spread of some riders who dared to take off and try to beat the storms. They were pinned down in a small village between Oakland and Arlington and reporting heavy rain and lightning. Rain was falling in Arlington as well. Jayme then showed me a smoking field where a lightning strike from cloud to ground occurred which had been sent in by a rider minutes beforehand. I was convinced riding was out of the question. 

But what would BRAN do? I was standing near Jacquie Phelan and Michael when a BRAN staffer made an announcement that school busses would ferry us to Arlington while Pork Belly Adventures would transport our gear and bikes there as well. Jacquie looked around at us all and said, "Well, I guess this is farewell then Toodle-loo!". 

On the way to Arlington

 I walked out immediately, saw a buss pulling in, and when it stopped I hopped onboard. About 20 minutes later we were bouncing down a paved highway toward the end of BRAN. 

Once again I was alone. My thoughts were a mess. I cried. I felt sad. I wanted to get in my 4Runner and go home. This wasn't how this ride was supposed to end. Then I straightened up and a woman across the aisle from me offered to share the gravel rider's images we participated in at Oakland the evening before. BRAN invited all who took part of any of the gravel routes to be a part of a group photo. The woman was kind to share this with me, as I had no idea where the images resided at the time. 

The 2026 "Gravel Class" of BRAN 44

 Eventually we rolled into the Washington County Fairgrounds and I saw what a mess the dirt roads had become. It was a place swimming in sticky, gooey mud. I saw where Pork Belly had dumped out the baggage so I went and fetched my bags and slogged them over a couple hundred yards of wet, sticky mud to my 4Runner. By the time I reached my vehicle my feet looked like mud clown shoes. 

I tried to dress in street clothes and eventually decided I needed to just throw open the side doors, step in between them, and undress and dress like we used to do at XC races in the 1990's. Frankly, I didn't care who looked. I just wanted out of my kit and into the clothes I would be driving home in. 

 I had some cookies in the truck, so I "toasted" Michael, The Cookie King Of BRAN, and ate them. 

 

Eventually the bikes arrived and...... That was the end. 

Pork Belly arrived with the bikes a little before noon. By 12:30pm I was off to drive about 5 hours home. BRAN was over, just like that. 

It was not how anyone envisioned it to end, and it was a bit of a bummer. But I was ready to get home to my family, to rest up, and savor the week I just experienced. Of course, I was, and still am very grateful for the experience. A once-in-a-lifetime trip. I won't forget it. 

With the seventh day covered I will now do an epilogue for the event tomorrow.. The following day I will post my gear review of what worked, and what did not work. Then the BRAN coverage will come to a close with the possible exception of a podcast episode.  

Thanks for checking this recap out. I appreciate you readers more than you know.  

BRAN Report: Day Six

You go on with yer bad self then!

Day 6 of BRAN. Nearing the end of a week chock full of experiences and memories already, I awoke inside the cozy confines of one of Pork Belly Adventures' bunk houses made from a converted semi tractor trailer. The day would be shorter, only 53 miles, and would end up on another high school lawn, just like where it all started in Valentine. 

It was one of those mornings where, despite getting a head start due to my not having to break camp, we still didn't get going very early. Part of this was due to where we stopped for breakfast in Wayne. 

Michael and Jayme had been hankering for a "real" coffee stop for a few days now and Wayne offered a great option or two, probably having to do with it being a college town. We made our way down Main Street to HIS Bakery, a nice shop with really great coffee products and breakfast items on their menu. On this day it would be a foursome: Matt, Michael, Jayme, and myself. 

Looking pretty yummy here!

It was a hot day with no clouds and little wind to speak of. 

This bakery had a menu item called a "Kickin' Chicken Burrito". Now, I had been all about burritos for breakfast all week. So, my choice was an obvious one. The other guys got pastries or just coffee. Man.... Gotta fuel up when you get the chance, is what I'm thinking here, so I wondered about their choices a bit. 

We were there a while and now I was sure we were - once again - the tail end of the BRAN riders. No big deal. Michael even remarked how he was starting to see how the laid back, take it easier approach was perhaps a better way to ride BRAN than the typical rush to get to the next town and sit around way many folks employed as a tactic for the tour. 

Discussing options for the route with John from Berry Fast Cycles. 

This here road ain't big nuff fer the both of us!

Once we left Wayne, Nebraska I was struck immediately by how firm and fast the gravel was South of town versus how loose and shifty it was coming into town the day before. I thought it would be very loose, like it was to the North, but not so. Weird. At any rate, it was far superior riding in terms of gravel quality. I was pleased. 

We met John Berry early into the day and he reported the gravel was a bit shiftier a few miles ahead. Jayme and Michael conferred with each other and decided we should take a minimum maintenance dirt road they were aware of over to the paved route and go the three or four paved miles into Pender instead of chancing us running into loose gravel again. But before this we had a ways to go....

A good sign

 

This MMR was a bit rutted, but great to ride on. 

We had good gravel for quite a while though and we found some nice lines to ride. A MMR which started in shade had me a bit sketched out for a moment as I couldn't see anything and it was steeply pitched downhill. But I came out okay.   

 

Michael smiling about our alternative choice in routing.

The alternative route to Pender up the MMR and down on a paved road worked great and we think we avoided some looser gravel, at least this is what John Berry led us to believe. What we did not avoid was closed local businesses to eat at. Plus, there was debate about timing. Some felt it was too early and we should go to Bancroft. we ended up at a Cubies Convenience store where I had a quick bite to eat. 

There were a few impressive buildings in Pender, which this being but one example.

 

My Cubbies 'Big Dog' wasn't so big afterall. It was okay though. 

Ten more miles to Bancroft and hopefully a rest stop. It was as hot as it was the day I sagged in now and I was dogging it. However; I had ridden myself into better shape than I was on Day Three so I was holding my own. This was a good sign I was riding well and I was hopeful I would retain some of this fitness once I got back to Iowa. 

An old bridge heading out of Pender. 

Note the washboard in the road.bed. 

Between Pender and Bancroft I was catching up to the group as they waited at the top of a hill at a point we were to make a right hand turn. I tried unclipping my left foot but the pedal would not disengage and I fell heavily on my left elbow, hip, and knee. I bloodied my elbow and we had to stop for for a while to clean me up. I took my bandana off and Michael tied it around my left elbow to keep any blood from trickling down my arm. 

A bit of a scare there, but no real harm done. I think my spring was binding due to all the dry grit and sand we had been riding through all week so far. At any rate, the pedal worked fine after this!  Wouldn't you know it?

Getting the side eye in Bancroft.

 Bancroft proved to be a bust as well, so.....another ten miles to Lyons! Of we went in the heat and we pushed ourselves to get to Lyons and see what we could drum up for a place to stop and eat at. It was kind of ironic that Lyons was only about 7 or 8 miles from our overnight town of Oakland, but seeing as how hot it was, riding another ten was better than riding 17 or 18 miles to a rest! 

When we arrived in Lyons we were in between lunch hours and dinner hours, so nothing was open.....again! We happened to be standing in front of a Mexican restaurant when a young man popped his head out of the door and invited us in to cool down. That is when we discovered the ice cream and sodas which revived us and sent us flying into Oakland a little less worse for the wear. 

Michael posing by the town sign on the North end of Oakland, Nebraska. 

The run in to Oakland was along a busy highway and was not real pleasant, but once we were in town, it was all good. The high school was set up well to welcome us in and I set up camp and showered before we set off to find some grub. A shuttle van took us to downtown Oakland to a bar and grill which was serving prime rib and baked potatoes. I think our late arrival prompted the man cutting the meat to give me a double portion. It was good. I did not complain. 

Nightfall came with a directive from BRAN to plan on getting out of Oakland and into Arlington by noon the next day. There was to be a "goodbye feast" and then everyone would go their own ways. 

Or so we thought when we went to sleep.