Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of State Bicycle Co.

 State Bicycle Co. Announces Monster Fork v2:

On Tuesday of this past week, State Bicycle Co. announced a version two of their Carbon Monster Fork. The new version features an all-carbon construction with a tapered steer tube. The eye-catcher here is the adjustable drop out to attain two different off sets for the fork. 

The off sets are 49mm and 55.5mm. More on this in a minute, but the user can change the offset by flipping a "chip" in the drop out cavity. The fork is compatible with 27.5" tires and 700c tires. Maximum tire size allowable is determined by the offset chosen. So, for the 49mm offset you can go up to 27.5 X 2.3" or 700 X 55mm. In the longer, 55.5mm offset you can go to a 27.5 X 2.45" or 700 X 58mm tire. The Monster Fork also has rack and fender mounts along with the triple boss sets of accessory mounting points on each fork leg. Maximum load is set at 25Kg or 55lbs. Axle to crown is 396 in the short offset and 404mm in the longer offset. The price for the Monster Fork is set at $299.99 USD.

Comments: Now, let's get back to the offset options this fork provides. The marketing copy on State's site gets this wrong, which is a commonly made mistake. I wrote an offset explainer in 2007 for the blog which you can read HERE. That was written concerning 29"ers, but the same principles apply for any wheel size and geometry. The short version is that, all else remaining the same, your shorter off sets are going to bring more stability while your longer offsets bring less stability. Many people feel that a longer offset is more stable, but that is not how bicycle front end geometry works. 

The other bit State doesn't point out is that due to the chip being at an angle to the ground when mounted to a bicycle, the flipping of the chip will minutely change your bottom bracket height, head tube angle, handle bar height, seat angle, and all that may be noticeable to some folks. Some may not ever notice it. The changes would be minimal, but it is worth noting that any axle to crown variances, which are called out in the differing axle to crown specs, will change all that other stuff as well. 

I love the idea here, of course, being a nerd about geometry. But typically swapping stuff around like offset chips isn't really a big deal to most riders, and additionally, humans are so adept at adapting, (ha!), that most riders probably would feel fine either way you set the fork up after two or three rides. (I know, I've run an experiment concerning this.)

Image courtesy of  Fusion Media.

Six USA Athletes To Compete In eSports Championships in Abu Dhabi:

Coming up on October 26th, the top 20 male and top 20 female eSports riders are convening in Abu Dhabi for the World Championship eSports sanctioned by the UCI. 

The event consists of three parts, or "races", in which the contestants will accumulate points based upon finishes. The riders with the most points at the end of the day will be crowned as World Champions. 

Six riders, three male and three female, are included from the USA. They are Kristen Kulchinsky, Jacqueline Godbe, Ellexi Snover, Hayden Pucker, Neal Fryett and Zach Nehr. 

Comments: Would this even be a thing had it not been for COVID? I wonder about that. Anyway, kudos to any athlete that competed in this format. I cannot stand indoor cycling myself, but "trainer rides to no-where" are a staple of some folks riding. I know, I know....You can do courses, compete against others, yada, yada, yada.... But the fact remains that you are still sitting in the same spot where you began at the end. I'm not down with that. 

Not that I haven't tried. I used to own Krietler rollers, I've had various stationary trainers, and I even have a "smart trainer" in the house I've never used. Probably won't ever use it. Maybe I'll donate that to someone.....or the Collective, but in the two and a half plus years I've worked there we cannot give a trainer away and we have several nice ones. Says something there to me.... 

But I'm not dissing on anyone that gets into this stuff. You do you! I'll cheer you on from outside. Literally! 

Image courtesy of Brompton Bicycle USA.

Brompton Bicycles Offers New Folding Gravel Bike:

News came out this week, and was all over the internet and social channels, concerning Brompton's new "G Line" folding 20" wheeled bicycle. It has an 8 speed Alfine internally geared hub, beefy 20" wheels, and a "revised geomeyrty" for all-road riding. Plus you can stuff the claimed 30+ lbs bike into the back of almost any car or truck for easy transportation to adventures. 

The G Line will cost $2,399.00 USD when it becomes available in 2025. There also will be an electrified version of the bike coming as well. 

Comments: Okay, neat, I guess. Here's what I know to be true. Smaller diameter wheels are at a disadvantage to larger diameter wheels. It is a physics thing. Alfine hubs are limited in gearing range and require frequent servicing to keep them alive. 

Why have an internally geared hub design and a tensioner that hangs down like a derailleur waiting to get ripped off in the next muddy section? This seems to be a disadvantage when internally geared hubs are a great idea partially because they allow the riddance of "dangly bits"

At 30 plus pounds (non-electrified) and at twenty-four hundred bucks? Ahh..... No. Maybe for certain people this opens up possibilities, and for them I am happy. But for most riders, in my opinion, this seems pricey and not very well thought out.

Bicycle Retail Continues To Struggle:

Getting into the last quarter of 2024 now and it seems that bicycle retail is still struggling to find its footing two years post-COVID. There are many reasons why this is happening. Among the many reasons is the anachronistic way bicycle retail is handled in the 21st Century. 

I began my journey in bicycle retail and repair in the early 1990's. I can honestly say that not much has changed in the thirty-plus  years since then. That doesn't reflect the massive change in riders, buying habits, and desires of riders in 2024 and beyond. 

I find, and have found, that certain issues have stymied advancement of bicycle retail and now that alternatives exist, bicycle retail as we have known it may on its way to becoming extinct, leaving nothing in its wake to replace it. At least nothing at scale or worthy of servicing the riders in this country. 

Of course, there are some bright spots, but they are few and far between. How will those spots be able to survive without the backing of the industry or without revolutionary changes, I am not sure. Right now the industry has done what it has done for many years, and that is to hook up its wagon to whatever trend can be the horse to pull that wagon, as broken and busted up as it is, lurching forward into the next phase of cycling that takes off. Then the industry will hitch itself to that trend and hope for better days again, like it has for a half a century. 

Here's what I see as the deficiencies of bicycle retail in 2024:

• Employee training and retention. With rampant employee turnover, it is impossible to build a knowledgeable, trustworthy employee people will want to lean on.  
• Poor Compensation: The industry practically guarantees employee turnover with its poor wages and benefits. 
• Focus on Racing: The high-end support of brands on racing in all disciplines is misplaced and takes away from what the largest portion of potential riders needs and wants. Practical bicycle safety in routes and in bicycles for everyday riding is something most brands give lip service to only, and nothing gets done in reality because of this. The response of the average citizen is predictably poor. Shops can only do so much against this and many don't do a thing at all. 

I could go on. There is a good perspective on this subject from a former colleague of mine, Arleigh Jenkins, which can be listened to on her YouTube channel HERE. 

Image courtesy of Pivot Cycles

New Pivot Vault Version Now On Offer:

Pivot Cycles announced on Thursday that a new version of their Vault model is now available. The bike has more tire clearance and more capability to carry water and accessories than before while still coming in at a lighter weight than the outgoing version. 

The frame features a decoupled seat post/seat tube arrangement which Pivot calls "ISO FLEX", which provides more rider comfort. New also is Pivot's "TOOL SHED", a cable management and storage system allowing riders to stash items inside the frame. There is also cable guides through the frame to prevent rattling over rough surfaces. There are several accessory mounting points and the frame can hold two water bottles on the top of the down tube, one underneath, and one on the seat tube. 

The frame is 2X front derailleur capable, has dropper post routing, and the frame is also suspension corrected for 40mm travel gravel suspension forks. The new Vault carbon rigid fork is designed for better compliance as well. Tire clearance is a generous 50mm in 1X mode and 47mm with a 2X crankset. 

The geometry is a bit different with sizing running longer top tube measurements than what you might be used to. Pivot advises using a short stem. The bottom bracket is not on the low side, but is pretty decent, striking a good middle ground for current gravel geometry. The head tube angle is on the slacker side with models in their five size range checking in at 70° for a small to 71° for the XL. Sizes in between range accordingly between those two extremes. The chain stay length is a tight 420mm, which is on the short side for gravel. 

Prices range from $5,649.00 to $6,149.00 using Pivot's specs for complete bikes. 

Comments: This is an interesting bike. Pivot's Vault model was originally a cyclo cross bike but now is a fully MTB influenced gravel bike design. Pivot has infused several interesting features with their water bottle capacity and that short rear end. I like that they thought of a way to introduce some compliance in the seat post area and that they thought about the fork compliance as well. And the price isn't bad compared to many other brand's high-end gravel offerings.

That's all for this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out and ride those bikes!

Atomik/BERD Wheels: Long Term Review

NOTE: Back in 2020 I received a set of Atomik/BERD wheels for test and review while I was writing for Riding Gravel. I did not pay for these wheels and was allowed to keep them after the review period. Since then I have seen a little interest in the wheels due to my mention of them during my recent WTB tire reviews. I thought it would be good to give everyone a long-term review of the wheels and talk a little more about the technical aspects behind the BERD spokes, which you might not be familiar with.  

Atomik and BERD have no idea I am writing this, they have no influence on what I am saying in this article, and all opinions are mine. I will be quoting liberally from my previous writings on these wheels. Some of the material will be new views since 2020. Let's dig in.....

Obviously the 'star' of this show is the BERD spoke. BERD spokes are not made from metal. In fact, if I were to show one not under tension it might look to you like a rope or braided thread. (See image below)  It would be limp and pliable. Not what you might think of for a good spoke! Here's what BERD has to say from their site:

"Berd spokes are made with Dyneema® (also known as ultra high molecular weight polyethylene). Dyneema® has 15 times the strength-to-weight ratio of steel and floats on water. Berd spokes have an improved fatigue life over steel and are impervious to the elements. This is what makes Berd spokes the lightest, strongest, and most durable spokes ever invented."

Well, now what do you think? Pretty impressive! But how do you make this stuff into a spoke and then lace it into a wheel? That's a special skill set. BERD trains wheel builders to use their spokes and how to tension a wheel set using them to provide long-term results. So, not just anyone can do this, but more wheel builders are getting certified as BERD wheel builders all the time, so these are not rare anymore. For any technical questions on BERD spokes, click that link above and read all their data and FAQ. I'll just say here that the claims and tech data is VERY impressive and I have no qualms whatsoever about riding these wheels. 

One of those claims is that BERD spokes can reduce vibrations to the rider by up to 200%. Whoa! That sounds too good to be true, and I was super suspicious of that upon first reading the claim. Here is what I wrote in November of 2020 about my feelings on this after riding the wheels for several months:

" The Atomik/Berd Ultimate wheels do damp vibrations. Is it 200% better? That’s the big question. I have to say that over a standard type of through axle wheel, such as the all aluminum construction with steel spoked Shimano GRX wheels, yes- The Atomik/Berd Ultimate wheels are definitely approaching a massive amount of wheel vibration reduction here. Compared to a stiff carbon wheel though, the sensation of vibration reduction, while still there, is not as great. "

Image courtesy of BERD.

 So, "it depends", is the actual answer. The point is, however, that the BERD spokes will definitely be noticeably nicer riding wheels, and will always be better in that regard compared with anything else. One unique quality in the Atomik/BERD wheels I noted, and one BERD doesn't even mention, is how the wheels feel "softer" over certain ruts and depressions in the roadway. Here again is what I wrote back in 2020 concerning this:

" I also noted how this wheel set was capable of smoothing out dips and depressions, transitions from pavement to gravel, or lumpy chip sealed roads. There is a vertical compliance component to these wheels which is remarkable. But that isn’t to say that the Atomik/Berd Ultimate wheels have anything approaching a bump damping/absorbing characteristic because anything sharper edged, like a rail road crossing, or a pot hole, is still going to zing you a bit. Quick, sharp hits are still going to be an issue. "

So when I was first riding the Vulpine S tires I was feeling this "smoothing effect" and forgetting that it was the BERD spokes and it was not the tires. Coupled with the notable vibration reductions and you can see how maybe a wheel set like this is not a good platform for tire reviews! My bad!

Over The Long Haul:

Now four years down the line I can say that the Atomik/BERD wheel set has been no problem at all and if it weren't for how light they are (1400 grams for the pair with 28 spokes each) and how nicely they ride, I wouldn't have anything to report. I did 'de-sticker' them, as I did not care for the "billboard" decals, but otherwise they are unmodified and I have not lifted a finger to maintain these other than cleaning and using new rim tape now and again. So, they are pretty reliable spokes and the Industry 9 hubs have been perfect so far. 

Are they worth the money? Well, BERD spokes are not cheap. At eight bucks a shot times 56 holes to fill that's $448.00 just in spokes alone! Add in carbon rims, a set of Industry 9 hubs, and labor, and you can see how the price for these wheels adds up in a hurry. 

The Noble GX5 bike with the Atomik/BERD wheels

 But here's where I would point to my Noble GX5 and tell you it is one of the only bikes I own without a Redshift ShockStop stem on it and that my hands are relatively okay with that. As I get on in age my hands have become even more sensitive to vibrations and I would not ride a bike long without something to damp down the gravel vibrations. The BERD spokes help me do that as well as the Whisky carbon handle bar, the carbon seat post, and that excellent Ergon bar tape and saddle. 

If I were racing longer distance gravel events or if I craved a smoother ride without adding a suspension fork or stem, these wheels would be well worth the extra cash. They are durable and well made. The spokes may seem weird, but they have been around a while and they look like they will be around for a while longer, judging by the buzz these BERD spokes are getting lately. So, it depends upon what you value in wheels, but I will only say that they work and ride like nothing else I've ever tried. 

I don't plan on taking them off my bike anytime soon either!

When It Gets Old

Shimano FC-RS510 crank (Image courtesy of the internet)

 I think some of you who are regular readers here might recall that I had been having troubles with a wheel set which I had been using on my Tamland Two gravel bike. It is a carbon Irwin Cycles wheel set and I was having, what I thought was, issues with the free hub. As it seems to be turning out now, that is not the case.

Apologies to Irwin Cycles.

You might also recall how I had recently installed a DT Swiss hubbed Roval carbon wheel set on the Tamland Two, thinking that I had eliminated the issue with the free hub on the Irwin wheels, which, as it seems to be now, was not what was going on. 

I had been toying with the idea of blowing apart that Irwin rear wheel, getting a new rear hub, and relacing the new hub to the old carbon hoop. However; every time I picked up that wheel and spun the free hub it felt perfect. I happen to have two other Irwin wheels with similar rear hubs with a LOT less miles on them and they felt exactly the same. I also did not see any evidence of wear or damage inside the hub I suspected of causing my issues. So, I was reticent to blow up the wheel if it was still in good operable condition. 

And now I am happy I did not blow that wheel apart. 

Late into last week's ride I started to get similar "skipping" issues, but as I was feeling before with the Irwin wheels, it was now getting worse. I immediately knew I misdiagnosed the issue and I knew what was going on. 

My drive train was shot.

Specifically the crank chain rings. I thought about this as I shifted to the big ring for the remainder of the ride, and remembered that these chain rings were installed in late 2014! 

Doh! No wonder that small chain ring was allowing the chain to jump teeth! So, a complete swap of chain rings, chain, and cassette (although the cassette isn't all that old, I probably should swap it out), is in order. Time to research!

I found many times when a customer at the bike shops I used to haunt as a mechanic would need chain rings it was actually cheaper  to buy a crank set than it was to buy separate chain rings. Crazy, but true, and in my case, that still is true. I was able to source my preference in gearing, which is 46T/36T in a Shimano FC-RS510 crank for under 100 bucks. Two chain rings in those sizes would cost well over 100 bucks! Especially the Shimano ones which I would necessarily have to buy to fit the original Ultegra crank set on the Tamland. 

I also opted to try an experiment. The new fad is to go shorter on cranks. Now, I do not have any extenuating circumstances that would point me to using shorter cranks. No knee pains, nothing like that. So, maybe this won't matter, but I ordered 170mm cranks to try them out. Some folks rave about the shorter cranks and they have gone waaaay shorter with 165's or less. I'm not into radical changes because my belief is that minor changes can make huge differences. Let's take a "baby step" and see.... 

The RS-510's are a heavy crank set, since they are not made in the HollowTech manner, but are hot-forged aluminum and solid in nature. If the shorter cranks are 'meh!' or if I see no reasons to keep them on the bike, I will swap the chain rings to the older Ultegra crank set and donate the RS-510's to the Collective. I figure I am getting the arms for free anyway. 

So, are you a 'short crank' devotee?  N.Y. Roll already is singing the praises of shorter cranks, so I've heard a bit of The Hype. Let me know in the comments.

Review: 700 X 45mm Vulpine S - Final Word

 Note: WTB sent over one set each of the Vulpine S, Vulpine, and Resolute tires for testing and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost. I was not paid nor bribed for this review and I will always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

The Vulpine S  tires are WTB's newest tread design for gravel riding. They are a modification of the Vulpine design, with a slick central tread and the Vulpine's smaller knobs out on the shoulders. If you have missed my previous posts on this review, you can start catching up by clicking HERE. 

In that last update I speculated that the reason I may have been feeling that the Vulpine S was smoother and more forgiving than the Vulpine, (also being tested), was that the Vulpine S tires were mounted to my BERD spoked carbon wheel set. Those BERD spokes are claimed to have a 200% better damping capability than a stainless steel spoke does. So I figured I had better swap out tires to make sure that the wheels weren't what was coloring my impressions of the Vulpine S. 

I decided to swap the tires then and chose a set of Roval carbon wheels which have a narrower inner rim dimension than the previous wheel set. At about 21mm inner rim width, I was expecting the tires to be measuring out narrower on these rims than the almost 46mm that they measured out to on the wider rims. However; the difference was negligible at 45.3mm. Slightly narrower, but nothing to concern myself over.

Now I was running the Vulpine S on wheels more akin to what many folks might be using. Especially due to the more traditional spoke choice. These wheels are not particularly forgiving either, and in total, with all the changes, the ride quality was different. Now these tires feel more like the Vulpine tires, which I happened to have swapped over to the BERD wheel set. I'll have the results on that swap in my final Vulpine review coming up, but you might guess the outcome already!

Back to the Vulpine S. It is a fast tire no matter what rim you use the tire on, as long as it is a reasonable choice. The tire spins up fast, coasts a long way on harder surfaces, and is decently smooth, but it was really quite apparent that those BERD spokes have a very pronounced effect on ride quality. The Roval wheels feel harsh in comparison and the tires cannot be blamed for that. 

I see no alarming wear issues and I think this aspect of the Vulpine S is normal. So, is this a good tire? The answer to that is, as always, dependent upon what your expectations are. If you are looking for a tire that does gravel well, is fast, and excels (for a gravel tire) on pavement, then yes - the WTB Vulpine S is a good tire. If, however, you are looking for a gravel tire for what amounts to XC MTB riding, then no - the WTB Vulpine S is not a good tire. 

Final Word: 

The Vulpine S is a great tire for Mid-West gravel if it isn't fresh and deep all across the road. Even then it will handle it and my only complaint there is that the tire has a tendency to lose lateral grip a bit more than some other more treaded tires. 

WTB positions this tire as its gravel racing choice. I think that is right on for many courses and roads, but there are some events where this tire may not be good from a grip and cornering standpoint due to its minimal tread design. I would have no problems running this tire anywhere in the Mid-West, at Mid-South, or on roads that were mostly smoother dirt as far as racing goes. 

However; I think another excellent use case for the Vulpine S is for that rider that does a lot of mixed surface roads where pavement is a large portion of the riding. This is the tire that will get you out of town efficiently and once out on the dirt roads, it will handle fine. As long as fast cornering on looser dirt or loose gravel is not a big part of the ride, I think the Vulpine S is a tire to consider strongly for all-road use. 

And just to close out here, yes - Those BERD spokes are the real deal. They are eye-wateringly expensive but I have not ridden anything else that comes close to damping out vibrations like BERD spokes do in a wheel set. Highly recommended.

Review: SILCA Terra Floor Pump - Update

(L-R) SILCA Pista Plus, Topeak Joe Blow, SILCA Terra

 Note: Guitar Ted purchased a SILCA Terra Floor Pump with his own money to test and review on Guitar Ted Productions. SILCA has had no prior knowledge of this review and has neither paid nor bribed Guitar Ted for these posts. 

Last Monday I introduced the SILCA Terra floor pump as my next review. Check that link for that article in case you missed it. In this post I am going to compare and contrast my experiences with the SILCA Pista Plus and Terra, (so far), and with the Topeak Joe Blow pump. 

A little background on the Pista Plus and Joe Blow now for context. The Joe Blow pump was not a considered purchase when I bought it. It was an 'emergency' purchase when I was on vacation in El Paso, Texas and realized I had forgotten my floor pump when I left Iowa. As I recall, this would have been around 2007, so I've had this pump for around seventeen years now! 

The Pista Plus I received as an item to review for "Riding Gravel.com" in 2018. I did not pay for the pump and I was allowed to keep it after the review was completed. I wrote up a long follow-up review on the Pista Plus for this site in 2022 which you can check out HERE if you like. 

Both the SILCA Pista Plus and the Topeak Joe Blow pump have been used extensively in day-to-day operations here at Guitar Ted Productions. Hardly a day goes by where I don't use one or both of those pumps. So, I have a very intimate knowledge of what they can do and what their durability is over a long time period. Of course, I just purchased the SILCA Terra floor pump, so I do not know how it will go over the long haul with that pump just yet, but judging from other SILCA products I have owned and used in the past, I am expecting a long use cycle for the Terra with little to no issues. 

So, I want to skip to some pertinent (to me) differences between these pumps and remind you that two of the three are rebuildable. I expect all three will last a long time if cared for properly. Now, I will say that I don't do anything in particular to maintain the pumps I have had with the exception of replacing worn parts when necessary and that only once so far with the Joe Blow. 

Gauges: A floor pump should have a clear, accurate gauge which is durable and reliable. I would say that out of the three here that the Joe Blow is not my favorite due to its tiny numerals and while it isn't terrible in accuracy, the SILCA pumps are better when checked against digital gauges I have. 

Now, "accuracy" in a pump gauge is relative, in my opinion. These are not scientific, high-grade instruments, so the accuracy of them is what it is. If I can get consistent results over a long period of time, then the gauge, whatever it says, is "good". The Joe Blow was, and is still, consistently "good". So is the Pista Plus. The Terra gauge should prove to be similar, but with its dedicated lower range readout, it rises above the other two in readability.

It is more about how well I can read the darn things when I am pumping up a tire in a dimly lit basement in a 100 plus year old home. I've added lights, but my environment down there is tough. So out of the three  gauges, in my estimation, the new Terra pump wins because I can actually see the thing easily. Especially in the range I typically pump tires to, which is under 40psi. 

Pump Heads: The other critical aspect which I deem as very important in a pump is the pump head. How easy is it to use? Does it work equally as well on Schrader and Presta valves? 

The Joe Blow pump has a dual-headed design. You push the head on and flip the locking lever appropriately to the position pointing away from the valve. Grey is the Schrader side, black is the Presta side. 

The Joe Blow never worked well on the Schrader side, and many pumps like this, including many so-called "Smart Head" designs, which I have used in the past, are garbage. You have to work very hard to get a positive attachment to a Schrader valve with the Joe Blow and many times I just couldn't get it to work. 

So, subsequently I end up just using this pump for Presta valves. It does those quite well, but so do a LOT of other pumps. It is always the Schrader valve that trips up many floor pumps and it can become quite a frustration. 

On the plus side, as mentioned, the Joe Blow can be rebuilt, and usually that means the pump head has replacement parts. That pump head is subjected to a lot of wear, especially with regard to the rubber inserts under the plastic caps on the head. I thought it was pretty amazing in 2019 when I was able to get parts for a pump which was over ten years old from Topeak.

The Pista Plus has what looks like, at first glance, to be a traditional track pump head for Presta only. In fact, I did not realize the Pista Plus could be used on a Schrader valve for a long time! 

But of course you can do this with the Pista Plus. It is a brilliant pump head. It unscrews where you see the knurled, larger diameter portion of the head, leaving the Schrader attachment exposed, which then screws on to your valve. 

I like that the pump head actually screws on because having to use a friction sealed head, like the Joe Blow, often pushes the valve stem back into the rim, or causes stress to the base of a Schrader valve tube where the stem meets the tube. This can cause tube failures. At the very least the valve getting pushed back into the rim well is frustrating. So, I give high marks to the Pista Plus for the Schrader valve interface. 

The Presta interface is much like any other SILCA track pump and relies on friction created by a rubber insert to stay on and seal the head to the valve. These typically wear out over a period of time. Of course, the whole pump head and pump itself is rebuildable via SILCA's admirable dedication to spare parts stock. However; I might have preferred a screw on head for Presta as well as the Schrader side which would eliminate the friction interface, which, honestly, can be a pain to push on and off on some valve stems. 

The Terra pump head is actually straight off the Tattico mini-pump SILCA designed and sells, which is an excellent mini-pump, by the way. The head slips on easily to a Presta valve and the lever locks on to the valve stem with great force. I do have somewhat of an issue with how tough the locking lever cams over, but perhaps that will relax with time and use. We will see. 

Schrader interface is also just as easy and to access the Schrader side you simply unscrew the bronze colored end and flip it 180°, screw it back in, and that's the Schrader interface which works just like the Presta side does. Each end is also marked in case you cannot tell which end is which, and this is a nice touch. 

Out of the three then the Terra is the nicest in terms of pump head and ease of use. Longevity and parts replacement isn't known at this point, so I cannot speak to that. Currently SILCA does not show parts for the Terra or Tattico pump head. That may be something SILCA provides as these pumps age, but as for now the rebuildable aspect for Terra pumps does not seem possible. That gives the Pista Plus and Joe Blow the edge there. 

Weight: I know that weight of a floor pump might not be top of mind or even a concern at all for most folks, but perhaps someone will find this interesting. The weight of the Joe Blow is 1.75kg or 3.86lbs. The Pista Plus comes in at 1.55kg or 3.42lbs. The weight of the Terra Floor Pump is 1.11kg or 2.45lbs. That may make a difference if you are flying and taking a floor pump, or you might just like the fact that the Terra is easy to grab and carry due to its weight, or lack thereof. 

I'll have a final look at the SILCA Terra Floor Pump coming soon.

Gravel, Single Track, and Windsheild Time

 In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

I mentioned last week in this recurring series of posts about happenings from this blog's past that there was a weekend that was pretty crazy at the end of August 2009. This weekend was a snapshot of my entire year of '09 and is a perfect example of how nuts things were at that time. 

The weekend in question was started out by working at my old bike mechanic position at Europa Cycle & Ski. I got off probably around 3:00pm or maybe 4:00pm back then, I don't recall now, and had to get my ducks in a row for a four-plus hour long drive to Omaha, Nebraska. The trip was arranged so that my wife and two kids could stay with friends we had living there who also had children and the parents were longtime friends of my wife. So, it was agreed that I could go do a gravel race Saturday and then check out a venue for the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo I was involved in putting on near Brady, Nebraska.
 

This was how the Pofahl Signature single speed was set up for the Good Life Gravel Adventure.

Unfortunately my camera which I had at that time needed recharging but I had zero extra time for that. So images are either from previous to that weekend or from others. This bites because the Good Life Gravel Adventure, which I partook in, was a blast and one of the original gravel grinders in the nation. 

After getting to Omaha I spent a little time with the family and friends there and then drove solo to Lincoln, Nebraska in the dark and found what was then known as the "D Street Hotel" where Corey Godfrey was waiting for me. But before that I had stopped at Matt Gersib's house and chatted up some folks staying with him to ride the next day's event. They were Joel Dyke and Joe Fox. I did not6 remember this until I read a passing sentence about it in my brief pre-report report on the Good Life Gravel Adventure. 

Now this is a good thing, but it is a reminder that I have regrets. On the one hand, I mentioned this meeting with MG, Joel Dyke, and Joe Fox which otherwise I would have completely forgotten about. The regret is that I did not get any images and no record of the time spent with those three other than that brief mention of our time together. Joel is dead and I rarely see Joe Fox anymore, although I did get to see him in March when I went to Mid-South. This is a reminder to make a record when I see someone because I may not ever see them again. 

The regrets continue with the lack of images from the GLGA, meeting Corey at midnight as he waited on the porch at the D Street house. Riding with Matt Wills, Troy Krause, and I think one other as we sped through back yards and across streets to the MOPAC Trail and the event's start. No images of Ben and Oliver whom I rode a big chunk of the event with. No images of Troy Krause, the winner of that year's GLGA, picking my worn out body and bike in Courtland where I DNF'ed. 

But - I do have vivid memories of events from that weekend. So there is that. Ironically I was half out of my mind with lack of sleep and my typical for then lack of proper nutrition and hydration. I fell asleep on the bike three times too. It is amazing I lived through it all! 

Me riding at Potters Pasture on the Horseshoe Loop. Image by "Llama".

After the GLGA, the afternoon it ended, MG and I hopped in my car and drove to Gothenburg, Nebraska and drank Red Bull Cola to keep awake, as we did not arrive there until well after dark. The black top road out to Potter's Pasture, where we were to meet a few people to ride the following day, was black as night with the only light coming from our headlights. 

On the way out I wrote that I was "hallucinating" seeing myself riding down a gravel road and then realizing Matt was driving us down an interstate highway. Weird! But I was so into sleep deprivation and exhausted physically from riding all day that it was no wonder. And then there was that Red Bull Cola....

The next day was a blur. We rode some and then I had to get back to Waterloo, Iowa, which was over 500 miles away and seven hours straight through. But I had to stop in Lincoln and in Omaha, so my travel time was longer by three hours. 

That was but one weekend in my life during 2009. There was a lot more with family illnesses, work, vacation, and trips for the Twenty Nine Inches site. Trans Iowa was looming, and that all would be a big time suck also. How I found any time to write a daily blog and do all that stuff was amazing. All I can do is shake my head and remember what I did write down, which, as I said, wasn't enough looking back. 

From the Potter's Pasture ride. Image by Llama

Ironically the weekend represented a new beginning and an ending. A transition was happening in my life, as I stated before. It was also represented in this crazy weekend. The Good Life Gravel Adventure saw 42 people toe the line. The following year, 2010, Corey and Craig Schmidt decided to call it Gravel Worlds and have rainbow jerseys for winners. The event saw over 100 people attend. Gravel was taking off.

Conversely the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo was a bit of a failure due to my not being able to attend as my father-in-law had to go in for emergency open heart surgery just days before the event was to happen. Then a freak snow storm dumped up to ten inches of snow on Potter's Pasture the night before the event was to happen. It would be the last mountain bike event I would be involved in. 29"ers became "just bikes" in the ensuing years, and my involvement in that scene faded as that acceptance of that wheel size became ubiquitous across the globe. I started Gravel Grinder News late in 2009, and the trajectory of my writing changed as a result for this blog.

More craziness from 2009 in future installments of this series will be coming. Stay tuned...

Country Views: These Are The Days

Escape Route: That's the new 11th Street bridge

The haze from wild fires out West was high in the skies here during the back end of the week, It also was really dry, as in very low humidity for this time of year. But it all started to change on Thursday as a tropical storm headed up the Mississippi Valley toward Iowa. I was able to get out and ride on Thursday afternoon for a bit and enjoy the day for a while from the saddle of my Tamland Two. 

I decided to head out East because the breezes were from the Southeast and I wanted to ride into it first and have the benefit of a tailwind later on. That meant a sojourn out to the Eastern side of Black Hawk County was on tap. 

The sky had a grey look as I left with a stiff breeze out of the Southeast and temperatures in the upper 80's. I decided to head out on Newell Road first and figure things out as I rode along. The Tamland Two doesn't have a Redshift ShockStop stem on it so I was leaving myself an "out" in case my shoulders and hands weren't up to it on the ride. This would depend on how the roads were. Too much fresh gravel would likely send me home sooner.

Newell Road looking East

This place had a nice batch of flowers near the road.

Fortunately the gravel was not super chunky or deep. As I traveled Eastward things got better from that aspect, but it was really dusty again. The lack of rain in August has caught up with us and it sounds like we are not going to see much at all from the tropical storm. 

I also found that the breeze was actually a stiff wind. Nice! Well.....it would be once I turned back toward home! But moving into it was a chore. I tried to get as small as I could and just kept spinning in my inner chain ring. 

Newell Road is a long one and due to this fact I was afforded a long time to try and find things to take my mind off the wind. I was thinking about how a lot of people now are getting drawn into the morass that is our political situation heading into a big election. I was thinking about how some folks are worried, angry, or otherwise bent out of shape. Maybe some of them are wishing that "the old days" would return. No social media, less "noise" and more straight talk, no fears every second about something. 

Well, that thinking about the "old days" is stinky. Those days are not coming back. The "good old days" are today. I was thinking about this, living in the moment, doing the best that I can now, not trying to teleport myself mentally backward to some cocked up "golden days" of yore. I like football and many times I hear the players say they have to do their best version of themselves every day. Be the best "one eleventh", and this is all anyone can ask for. Forget the last play, good or bad. The play you are about to make is all that matters. 

I happened to stop to take a look at my iPhone map app to judge what my options were to finish the ride off when I saw a message from an old friend. I messaged him back concerning what I had been thinking about. He messaged me back with the following:

"Don't look back. Don't worry about tomorrow. Live today."

Sometimes my friends are more efficient at saying what I am thinking than I am, so I hope that this person doesn't mind my sharing that here. It succinctly says everything. 

I may have had a tear in my eye as I rode off thinking about how awesome my life was right then and that I was alive and breathing to enjoy it. I do not take that for granted. Oh....and I figured out how to take advantage of the wind in the best way possible. This was very good as well.

Soon all the good spots to have a "nature break" will all be gone for the Winter.

This one will need some work before I take it out again.

My heart was full, the Sun came out, the wind was at my back, and while not everything was all roses, (it never is, is it?), I was grateful. These are the days. Every new day is another chance to make it one of those "good ol' days". 

I hope that you can find some good stuff to celebrate today and be your best in the time you are in. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!