Friday, January 31, 2014

Friday News And Views

The Rooster- A bicycle, not Alice In Chains
More 29+

The whole "29+" format, which Surly invented when it came out with the Krampus, and furthered with the ECR, hasn't really caught on as fast as I thought it might. Some custom and very small brands aside, Surly has pretty much had this to itself since the dawning of the green, sparkly Krampus trail rig. 

Not anymore though. A prototype Singular, dubbed the Rooster, is going to be "Kickstarted" soon and I suspect many folks will be very interested in this frame/fork. By the way, the image shows a regular 29"er tire in the back, but this bike will take the full 29X3" rubber with no issues. (I have seen other, unpublished images which confirm this.) An eccentric bottom bracket, which is typical for Singular, is also on tap for your single speeding pleasure.

The hopes are that the Singular will be easy to set up with a front derailleur and 2X cranks. If that is the case, and with Surly's Dirt Wizard tires soon to come in 29+ sizing, I could see this as the choice for most Mid-western single track. I can also see this as a great bike packing platform. I hope to be getting a closer look at this soon. Stay tuned.....

T.I.v10 News:

This week I am glad to have made contact with my two Springtime recon partners, Wally & George, who are planning on coming out again to verify the cue sheets as they drive by the cues across the proposed course. This has proven to be the final check before the cues are locked in and readied for printing the past two Trans Iowas that I've done and it has helped me get the cue sheet errors down to zero. 

With 84 days left to the start of Trans Iowa, I am going to be starting to ask about riders not being able to make it. I like to weed out potential "no-shows" because it cuts down on a lot of wasted effort and materials on my end. So- if you are in Trans Iowa, but it looks like you won't be making it for any reason, please let me know. It does make a big difference.

There is some concern this Winter with the very cold weather we've had that frost will damage the gravel roadways. While this may very well happen, the big thing to remember here is that it depends on when Spring comes! If we transition slowly into Spring, there will be less of a worry here. Especially if it starts to cycle up to warmer temperatures sooner than later. In the end, it's anybody's guess as to just how it will go!

Winter still holds court
More Fat Biking:

The fat biking has been really outstanding of late. The really cold weather firmed up the trails and I got out Wednesday for a good two hours along with the regular forays to work and back. I hope to slip out at some point this weekend, possibly with my son in tow, to grab a bit more of this primo fat biking weather before it all goes away in about a month. 

One thing I've noticed is that the Dually wheels are not really holding me back from doing what I want in regards to "bushwhacking" my way through the trail system. I suppose a more accurate term would be "sno-whacking". I don't mind post holing a bit, or even busting my way through a drift here and there. Which is good because I did a healthy amount of both on Wednesday. I think a recon of the Mitchell Avenue area is in order soon. I usually make a pilgrimage out that way every Winter to have a bit of an adventure, since I've had a fat bike.

By the way, there is a fat bike race out at George Wyth State Park this weekend, but I have plans that afternoon to be with my son, who is looking forward to an adventure. Race or adventure with my son? I do not even see a question about how that is answered! Good luck to all who toe that line though.

That's all for this edition. Have a safe weekend and get outside!

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