Brown Season: Harvest Coming To A Close

Escape Route: The new (not yet open) Park Avenue Bridge.

Tuesday was a great looking day. Windy, but great looking. And it was cooler. It struggled to get into the 50's here all morning, so I waited until after lunch to attempt a ride. With the stiff Northeasterly wind, I went North out of town. 

I rode the Noble GX5 with that new State Bicycle Co. Monster Fork and boy! Did it get an early test! I deadheaded a curb at slow speed and I heard a "crack!" that made me think I broke something carbon. I've heard carbon break before and it has a distinctive sound when it does. 

Was it the rim? That was my first thought, but my tire wasn't leaking and I couldn't feel any irregularities with my gloved hand. Did I break the head tube? I felt around but found nothing. The fork seemed rock solid and there was no play in anything. 

I slow rolled it a ways down some side streets, listening and hoping that nothing catastrophic would happen. Nothing seemed amiss, so I kept going and I decided it was too noisy in the city, what with the added noise of the wind, to hear anything, so I waited until I reached the gravel to do another inspection. If anything was wrong, it was pretty minor, but that sound I heard. That was something. 

Those big puffy clouds were hustling along with the wind.

A little Fall color here on Airline Highway

I got off the bike eventually and made a further inspection. Hmm.....the front brake was dragging. That seems odd! Then it hit me. I knew what I had heard and I was relieved. The Monster Fork has those aluminum inserts which you can 'flip' for a different offset and get more or less wheel clearance. One, or both of those, moved when I hit the curb. The result was that now the axle was in a very slightly different position, and brake rub was the result. A little time with a multi-tool and I had it figured out. 

The harvest of corn is finishing up now. It won't be long and every field will be gleaned and laid bare. I saw some harvesting activity and got passed by a semi-tractor trailer full of freshly harvested grain at one point during the ride. It was really dusty and the winds were blowing the dust all over. The roads were a weird mix of moon dust and chunky rock. My tires were whitish-grey the entire ride due to all the dust I was riding through. 

I had decided to make this a fairly short ride. Not just because the Northerly winds were really tough, but because I had waited to ride until it had warmed up somewhat. I am still getting acclimated to it being this chilly. I was riding in 80 and 90 degree weather just a week prior and we just dumped forty degrees with no slow roll down of temperatures.  This has been such an odd Fall and by the end of the week we are to be back into the 70's again. 

I would have loved to have been out longer, but with that wind and my time limitation, I couldn't take the risk. But despite the wind and chill the Sun felt great and the views were spectacular. At least I thought so.

There is just something about the landscape at harvest time when we get a blue-sky day, puffy white clouds, and the contrast in colors and with light. It was a magical day and even though I only rode about twenty miles, it was a great twenty miles. Well, with the possible exception of that worrisome cracking sound! At least I figured that out and it ended up being nothing that stopped me from riding.

Blurred Lines

The Nordest Super Albarda. (Image courtesy of Nordest)

Big tires, slacker head tube angles, longer top tubes, shorter stems. This seems to be a trend in certain circles of the "gravel" cycling design world. 

Today I wanted to explore where I think this idea is coming from and why I think it is a design idea that is trying to fill a niche that is not being served by many brands currently. 

First of all, the "all-roads" part of "gravel bikes" is not going away, but there is an element of the gravel cycling movement that isn't about roads, necessarily, and has its roots going way back into the earlier years of mountain biking. 

Some of this has cross-over to bikepacking/adventure bikes, but I feel like what we are seeing with some of these more "mountain-bikish" drop bar rigs is not tied to touring/bike packing, but to what the style of riding was back in the late 1980's and early 1990's. A time when riding off-road was done on fully-rigid, and yes, sometimes drop bar equipped bicycles. 

Bikes like the featured Nordest Super Albarda, shown above, have a lot more in common with the late 1980's than most mountain bikes from the 2020's do. Although many elements of current design thought are integrated into these new bikes, like the longer top tube/short stem, lower bottom bracket, and steeper seat tube angles. Of course, the wheel size is completely different, being based upon 700c instead of balloon-tired Schwinn cruiser wheels, and having nearly 29"er wheel diameters.

Image courtesy of Salty & Stupid Cycling

So why would anyone want to mix a style of riding from the last century with modern hard tail design cues and use drop bars? That may be too difficult a question to answer here, but I would say it has a lot to do with the lack of gravel roads in most places. 

Most areas of the world do not have gravel roads like Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. Roads that are predominantly crushed rock, usually limestone, and criss-cross the prairies and rolling hills in a network of confusing patterns for thousands of miles.

But many parts of the world do have dirt roads. Some have rocky dirt, some smoother, but most places have unpaved byways, and many have paths and "singletrack" to ride off of those roads. Places like the mountain West of the USA, or the Appalachians, or even in Europe and elsewhere where crushed rock is rare and rougher tracks exist that don't necessarily require a full-suspension "enduro" bike to ride across. 

These "in between" areas are perfect places for fully rigid bicycles and lend themselves to drop bars due to some connecting roads and more open, wind-prone areas. Gravel bikes, in the traditional sense, are perhaps a bit too disadvantaged in some of these areas, but given a bike with the capabilities of some of these MTB/gravel hybrids, with bigger tires, 700c diameter, and modern geometry for MTB hard tails, and that sort of "under-bike" is maybe appealing in a way that a more traditional, suspended hardtail is not. They would definitely be more agile and lighter than a fully suspended MTB. 

Some of these drop-bar "underbike" design cues can be traced back to early 29"ers, like this Fisher prototype. (Image courtesy of Gary Fisher)

This type of riding was once served by the average MTB from the 1990's, but when things morphed to "long-travel" and then "enduro", the type of simple bike that was once the meat of off-road riding was no longer available. Big, long travel suspension forks also were a reason why hard tail bikes went a certain direction, forcing geometry choices that were not conducive to drop bar use, and made hard tail MTB bikes into more downhill oriented machines rather than the all-around off-roader. 

Pushing gravel bikes into this category of more off-road capable geometry and tire size was then seen as an appealing thing for many cyclists that wanted the light weight, snappier feel of gravel bikes and drop bars as well. Not necessarily a bike festooned with accessory mounts either, but a good, all-around bike that was simple, lower maintenance, and forced a bit of skill and challenge to the forefront of riding. 

All this has served to blur the lines between "gravel" and "off-road" cycling to the point that perhaps someday most drop bar bikes with larger than 45mm tires will be more like the Nordest bike than not. We will see, but it is an interesting development in "gravel" cycling.

Chasing Colors

Monday was the first "real" taste of Fall weather here. This past weekend we went from the 90's to it being 40°F when I stepped out the door to ride on Monday morning. The brisk Northwest wind made it really feel like the seasons had changed. 

It is about this time of year when I get that feeling that I need to do my "pilgrimage" ride. The ride through the Green Belt which I do every year to mark three things in my life. 

One is the recognition of my introduction to mountain bikes. The Green Belt is where I learned to off-road and it is where I took my first mountain bike to ride it in the late 1980's. 

The second reason I feel the need to do this ride is to enjoy the peak Fall colors. I don't always hit on the perfect time, but I try! I also very much enjoy riding single track in the Fall, so that tracks for me as well.

Finally, I use this ride to assess the condition of the Marky-Mark Trail, a single track connector trail I helped put in the Green Belt with an assist from another friend named Mark. While I did the bulk of the work, I didn't do all of it. Still, I consider this trail to be my work up until this day, 27 years after it was put in. The once or twice a year check is done just to make sure the trail is passable and still there. (Sometimes I do a Spring checkup on Marky-Mark also)

The colors weren't too impressive in the Green Belt until I started coming up on the maple grove.

A little better color here.

This year the maples are popping but everything else is kind of muted. I think the drier latter half of Summer and all of Fall has had a poor effect on some trees and therefore the colors have been negatively affected. Just a guess on my part there, but many trees have dried up leaves and they just are not getting much beyond a pale yellow or brown for color this Fall. 

A monster branch which probably blew down over the weekend.

I came across a branch which had busted off an old ,maple about 25feet up in the air and which had fallen across the trail. We had major gusty winds Sunday, so I am betting that this was felled by a nasty gust then. The tree it came off of had already been damaged previously, and by the looks of it, the tree wasn't well internally. I am no tree doctor, but I have slept in a Holiday Inn before! (IYKYK)

I bet that branch made a mighty crashing noise when it came down from the approximately 25feet high place on the tree where it broke off. Glad I was nowhere near when it did come down! 

The West end of Marky-Mark is looking swell here.

As is the East end of Marky-Mark!

Marky-Mark isn't the name I gave this bit of trail that might be what? A half a mile long, maybe? I don't know, as I've never measured it that I recall. Anyway, I did not name it. Another former resident of the area did that, and I have come to use that name as it fits the trail well, I think. 

I found the trail in remarkably great condition. I moved one small blow-down and there is another that is no big deal, but too big to move on my own. There is also one other place where a dead fall is hanging about ten feet above the trail that should be taken down. A half an hour and a saw would do wonders to clear that up. There are a few tiny branches that could use some trimming back, but honestly, I was surprised at how good everything looked! 

Fall colors on the shores of Green Belt Lake.

I ended up making a partial lap around the Green Belt Lake and then heading home. I may have to throw the axe and a nipper in the Big Dummy and go see about taking down that dead fall and doing a bit of clean-up in Marky-Mark, but I also have to get on some review work before it really gets cold and riding in the country is difficult or impossible. 

More soon....

Goodbye TWNN!

Back when I needed this....

On Saturday I left the "Truck With No Name" at a dealer's lot. It wasn't mine anymore. It isn't a huge deal, as I am not emotionally attached to that vehicle, although maybe I should be? I mean, I only had it for the bulk of Trans Iowa's run and used it for the purpose of putting on that event. 

And it isn't important to most of you except perhaps maybe to a few of you who had done Trans Iowa and remember that truck leading you out to the gravel, or whatever. 

Of course, I'll have my memories. Like the time during T.I.v8 when I suddenly found myself in the midst of a Level B road after cresting a hill. It was muddy, of course, and I was going about 40-45mph and the back end came around. I had to stand on the accelerator, counter steer  holding the wheel at the limit, and I went about a half mile like that. Mud flinging everywhere, and when I came to the end of the mile I got it straightened out without it whipping to the other way, and there was a crossing at a county road. I had to hold it wide open to get up the incline to the intersection just to make it and so there would be no stopping. Fortunately I had split two crossing vehicles and there was no crashing. Yeah.... that was close!

I put in many miles of this sort of driving in the TWNN.

There were a lot of Level B Roads traversed in that two-wheel drive truck. I also had many other Trans Iowa related memories with recons, driving to and from recon starting points, and just hauling the stuff for a Trans Iowa to Grinnell and back again. 

But there were also the times that my son, Jacob, would play in the bed of that truck when he was young. Once I was looking for him all over the house. He would have been about ten or eleven then. I finally found him standing in the back of the truck. I asked him what the heck he was doing out there, and he said to me in a calm, assured tone of voice, "Someday this is going to be my truck, Dad."

I laughed then, but you know what? It really did pretty much become his truck this last couple of years. He needed it to finish college, to do his part time job as a security guard at a casino, and then as he transitioned into his full-time job as a CNC machinist. I pretty much have not had a vehicle, in all honesty, since February of this year, but since Jacob needed a vehicle with four wheel drive for Winter driving, we decided to trade the TWNN off and now I really do not have a vehicle since the 4Runner Jacob got is in his name. 

47 years ago I did not have a vehicle either, and now I don't again! Some might try to read into that, but all it means is that I chose to sacrifice my driving my own vehicle so that my son can get his career off the ground and so he did not have to spend more than his means to get this vehicle. I have a bicycle and I know how to use it, so I am fine. 

Anyway, good bye old truck! You were a good one.

Gravel Was Young and Fat Bikes Were Hot!

 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!

In 2013 we were experiencing huge growth in two areas: Fat bikes and gravel events. One could say that 2013 was the "heyday" of both things. On fat bikes because this was the zenith of their popularity. The almost rabid appetite for any news on fat bikes was amazing. On gravel events because there was a plethora of what I would say were the "adventure/experiential/grassroots/altruist" type of events which were being fueled by passion and an appetite for adventure and experiences.

I was enamored of fat bikes, like many were and I already had two in my stable. Keep in mind that a turnkey fat bike wasn't available three years prior to this. So, my owning an aluminum and a titanium framed fat bike in 2013 was saying something.

Saying "you were nuts!", most likely, and maybe that was correct. I had done two Triple D fat bike events by January of 2013 and was headed for one more in 2014. I managed to finish all three which are accomplishments I am proud of yet today. 

It is funny when I look back at things because, as it is with many things we do the first time, there was a lot of "pioneering" going on. I had a few posts on the blog here dealing with how to set up fat bike wheels tubeless. I even had one of the first tubeless wheel sets and tires for a fat bike, which I used for the 2015 Triple D. (Thanks Velocity USA!) 

Finishing up the 2013 Triple D. Michael Lemberger clapping.

Things were so new to me that I decided to just ride the Triple D like I did for all my training rides and commuting, with a messenger bag! Hey! It worked great. 

Fat bikes were changing about as fast as PC's in the 2000's with new stuff being rumored about and coming out all year. What is crazy is that by 2015 my four year old Mukluk was outdated already! 

Even my titanium Mukluk, a year newer than my original, was outdated and trying to keep up with all the carbon frames, tubeless options, and the front suspension craze, (remember that?) was just too much. I bought a 2014 Blackborow DS which, at that time, took the biggest tires and rims you could get, and decided I was done. Well, I did get the 2015 Ti Muk, but that was a special deal. More about that in an upcoming post. 

2013 Odin's Revenge

Gravel cycling arguably reached the pinnacle of its "early era" during this time. The range and quality of experiences on offer at gravel events was never more varied and exciting. Now days you expect chip timing, a finish line arch, yada, yada, yada. Go to another event? Same thing, different time and place. But nothing could have been further from the truth during those early days of gravel grinding. 

It was an adventure which involved all aspects of the event experience. Getting there, meeting people, seeing how things were (or were not) organized. Getting out into country you'd never have dreamed of seeing, and of course, having that along with weather, friends, and whatever circumstances popped up throughout a day on a bicycle were just outstanding. Many of these event experiences were the way they were because the events were new, or not very old. The "word" hadn't gotten out about them, and mainstream cycling media turned their noses up at gravel cycling then. They thought it was "not racing" so it wasn't worthy of any coverage. 

Of course, my "Gravel Grinder News" website and this blog did cover these things and traffic here was growing exponentially because of the way things were back then. People were hungry for this style of riding and competing. It was so obvious, but the pride that mainstream cycling media had and their dogged stance that only a UCI-type event was "legitimate racing", stymied what could have been a huge sea change in the way we see competitive events today. Of course, gravel cycling got so big that they eventually had to pay attention, and that is why you hear about Unbound, SBT GRVL, Gravel Worlds, and other US events on unpaved roads. 

More soon....

Fall Views: Test Riding

The trees are just starting to pop with color here.

Friday I decided to take a multi-surface test ride to get going on my review of the State Bicycle Co. Monster Fork v2. So, I came up with a plan and headed out on Friday morning. It was cool-ish when I started but we were headed for near record temperatures which was to be around 85°F. The ironic thing about this is the way 85 degrees feels so much different in October than it does in August. It is a completely different experience. 

That is due to how much drier the air is, which is why it can go from being in the low 50's to 70's in an hour's time! It makes dressing for a ride challenging. I wore my new Twin Six Thermal Cargo Bib Knickers, a Pirate Cycling League jersey over a Twin Six base layer, and my Twin Six floral patterned vest. I used a buff rag on my head and wore my Lazer helmet. I had on some cycling socks and Shimano RX801 shoes. I was comfortable the entire ride, but by the end I could tell it was a lot warmer than when I started out!

Trolley Car Trail

I hit up Trolley Car Trail, which isn't paved.....yet, and I hope it never will be. How it is not paved at this time is amazing to me, what with the current thought being that every recreational trail needs paving. I don't get that train of thought, by the way, because pavement causes run-off, needs maintenance, which is not cheap, and encourages motorized traffic, despite that being illegal. Anyway....

Trolley Car Trail never needs maintaining, with the exception of tree and branch clearing after a windstorm. But what trail is immune to that? 

Shirey Way: The inter-city Level B Road.

I took the bike through Shirey Way. People call this "Lower Hartman" but they don't know their history. Most folks now probably don't recall when this was a public road, surfaced with gravel, and open to traffic. Nor do they likely remember that there were homes on this road. There were whispers in the 80's that this road was where the "devil worshipers" sacrificed animals. Crazy times....

I did a little single track in a couple of spots. Riding a drop bar gravel bike on single track is kind of a hoot. As long as things don't get too rowdy or technical, it is an experience you should give a try. Things have been so bone-dry here that there were no worries over mud or moist dirt that would give my tires a challenge. The dry dirt was perfect for the Vulpine S tires. 

I found out what I needed to know and high-tailed it back home. I had other chores to attend to and Winter is coming, so I could not put some things off any longer!

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Lapierre Bicycles.

 A "Fixed" FN&V!

Lapierre Debuts New Crosshill CF Gravel Bike:

Seen at last weekend's Gravel World Championships in Belgium, Lapierre's new gravel bike has stirred up some interest due to its design, specifically around the seat tube/seat stays area of its carbon fiber frame. 

The seat tube and seat stays are decoupled, with the seat stays making connection with the top tube just ahead of the seat tube. This is not a novel idea, but it is unusual looking, to be sure. Obviously the goal here is to provide more comfort to the rider with the longer seat stays and independent seat tube providing flex over small bumps and vibrations. 

Lapierre calls their seat tube design concept "Tubular Endurance" and the seat stays "Flexstays". Lapierre claims that at 40kph this design concept reduces vibrations by 12% over a traditional frame design. 

Image courtesy of Lapierre Bicycles

The Crosshill CF is designed to accept a 40mm gravel suspension fork and up to 45mm 700c tires. The geometry is said to be quite different from the current trends, (more on that in my comments), and several parameters of the geometry vary across the size range. 

The Crosshill CF comes in seven models with variants having 2X and 1X drive trains, both in mechanical and electronic groups. Prices range from approximately $3,075.00 to $7,685.00 USD (prices converted from Euros at the time of the press release) These bikes are also UCI approved, (If that matters to you, then there you go!)

Comments: Lapierre says this bike has a shorter top tube per size than you might be used to. (Note: As of this writing, Lapierre did not have the Crosshill CF on their site, so the following opinions are mine and the numbers came off their press release) I found the sizing to be strange with what would be my normal choice, a Large, being slightly small at a 52cm seat tube, a 601mm stack, and a 57cm top tube. The next size up, the XL, has a 55cm seat tube, 620mm stack, and a 58.5cm top tube. This leaves me in an in between state and I'd likely go for the XL, if I was dead set on the Crosshill CF. 

Other numbers weren't too inspired. "Normal", perhaps? The head angle is listed for my size at 71.5° and the bottom bracket has a 70mm drop. Kind of 2015-ish numbers there. So, with the all-internal routing, including the handle bar and stem, and along with the weird geometry, this doesn't strike me as a great option, but that's my opinion. 

Additionally, this effort has comfort/compliance built into the rear with no regard, (unless you get a front telescopic fork) for the front end vibration reduction. I rode a bike from a now defunct company that had a design much like this one that made a similar mistake. Again, this was like ten years ago. 

So, with this bike being strikingly different from "normal" designs, it may seem like an innovation, but in my opinion, this design is a bit dated. 

Ritchey Design Releases Limited Edition Garden City Fixed Gear Frameset:

A "true" track bike in design, (nothing like my 1930's inspired Honeman Flyer!), the Ritchey "Garden City" frame set is a fixed gear design with a bit of versatility mixed in. 

The bike is steel, of course, with the Ritchey standard 1 1/8th steer tube and steel fork to match. Typically steep geometry and high bottom bracket allow for super quick handling and the ability to lean into corners without clipping a pedal. 

The "versatility" comes in the form of two bottle cage mounts. Most "true" track frames don't have any bottle mounts. The frame and fork are rated for 30mm tires so you won't have to run skinny tires on this one if you don't want to. (Yes, a Surly Steamroller can take a bigger tire. ) The Garden City could be your "never die" commuter, a training bike, or your first try at fixed gear. The frame set is $1,199,00USD and is available now. Check it out on Ritchey's site HERE.

Update On The Shogun Fixed Gear Bike:

The "No Coast" experiment is off to a great start with a major change now to the handlebar set up. I mentioned in my last update on this bike that I was probably going to put a mustache bar on the bike to alleviate my distaste for classic drop bar geometry. Plus the brake hoods of those old Shimano 600 levers were like trying to hold a knife edge compared to modern day hoods and levers. 

Well, I just so happen to have a Whisky Winston Bar, a carbon fiber mustache style bar that can take road or MTB standard controls. That went on via a stem insert that allowed me to use a threadless stem. That in turn allowed me to utilize the Winston Bar with its 31.8mm clamp diameter for a stem interface. 

This has simply transformed this bike from something I was tolerating to being a fun bicycle. I may flip the Winston to its "riser" position verses what I have now in its "drop" position, but besides that, this is a winning combination. The brake lever is a Velo Orange Grand Cru lever which I have a pair of, but am only using the one here due to clearance issues on the fork which preclude my use of two brake calipers. The bag is also from Velo Orange and is the Burrito Supreme bag. I added an old Blackburn frame pump, a Lezyne light set, and boom! A fixed gear commuter! 

I've used it a few times now for commutes and for just bombing around the neighborhood because it is a ton of fun. I recommend everyone at least try a fixed gear bike once. If you are a cyclist, you owe it to yourself to have this experience. It is unlike riding anything else. Just remember: no coasting! 

Gravel Grinder News

News On Life Time's Grand Prix & SBT GRVL:

Next year's dates are starting to get announced now and first up we have news from Life Time Fitness concerning next year's Grand Prix. 

Life Time is tweaking their event schedule by turning the opener at Sea Otter into a gravel event which previously was one of three MTB events. To counter that Life Time has added a "Little Sugar" MTB event in Northwestern Arkansas as a compliment to the required Big Sugar gravel event which rounds out the season. The series will be a best five of six events to determine a Men's and Women's overall winner. 

The series is also cutting back on the field roster limit by 10 riders, reducing the field from a maximum of 35 allowed in 2024 to 25 in 2025. It was noted that this season Life Time only saw approximately 25 women and 30 men take multiple starts in the series so far, so this reduction may be a reflection of a lack of demand for spots in the series. 

SBT GRVL, the embattled event held in Routt County, Colorado, has made some major changes to comply with Routt County Commissioner's recommendations and demands stemming from complaints from the ranching community there. This coming year the event will move out of its traditional August date to a two-day June affair on June 28th and 29th. The first date will see a non-competitive "fondo" event for up to 1,800 riders. The following day a competitive event with a field limitation of 750 riders will be held on a 37-mile gravel circuit with a rolling enclosure for both Elite (3 laps) and Amateur riders (2 laps) South of Hayden, Colorado. The dates were moved to avoid overlapping with Routt County haying season. 

Comments: I've noted small fields in Pro level events the last two years in the USA and seeing a reduction in the roster limit for Grand Prix events is no surprise then. It will be interesting to see if SBT GRVL has anywhere near 750 elite athletes showing up. The June date also is an interesting choice coming only approximately three weeks after Unbound and during peak Sun period for a high elevation event. 

What all this portends will be watched as the cycling industry, rightly or wrongly, bases its "barometer" of how things are going off of Pro racing and because gravel is the hot category now, that is where the focus is. 

Have a great weekend! Ride those bikes and peep some leaves!