Upon Further Review

The rain.... Well, there is no need to go over all that again. I've been forced into different decisions of late though. One of those was grabbing a bike with fenders so I could at least get some sort of cycling in outdoors. 

This meant that I had one choice. My fixed gear, Twin Six Standard Rando v2. I've actually put a fair amount of time on this bike over 2026. But there has been a bit of a break in between where I had not ridden it much. 

The last time I reviewed this bike was about nine months ago. But I've ridden it a bunch since then. Mostly around town, but there have been a few longer rides thrown in around the city here. 

One thing which may seem weird here is the stem. It is a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem. Seems weird on a fixie, but it works and since you can get caught out running over stuff and not in a position to unweight the saddle, it sure comes in handy. In fact, maybe I should put on a suspension seat post.... 

Anyway, I've gotten used to the gearing. That took me a while. The Dura Ace 16T cog can be a bear at times. But in the beginning of this builds riding I was hurting every time I rode it. Now? I seem to be getting on with it fine. 

I'm spoiled by big, poofy tires. So much so that these 37mm Panaracer tires seem too harsh to me. But with fenders, this is about a big a tire I can squeeze in there. I used to ride that old 1X1 Surly I had as a fixed gear bike with Extraterrestrials on the wheels. 2.5" of nice, smooth tire makes riding fixed a lot nicer experience. But this bike is not that bike. It is fine for what it is and I'm not planning any changes soon. Except for one thing. 

Riding fixed is hard on things which you wouldn't think about on a geared bike. Things like saddles. I think I may have broken the one on this bike. I'll likely change it out for one of my spare Brooks saddles soon. 

On My Plate....

There are three more days in September and then we're in arguably the last month of the year I can consistently expect to get out in the country. Maybe, if I am blessed, I can see good weather to start out November. But by Thanksgiving time the chances of good riding weather in the country go way down. 

So, I might have four weeks - maybe six - to get a LOT of stuff done. The loose ends list is ridiculous. This post is pretty much for myself. It will be a list of things I need to get to. 

I have several reviews undone yet. Ergon bar tape and saddle being perhaps the longest in terms of waiting to complete. I wanted to do a nice review of the SMP saddle as well, and that has been in limbo for weeks. There are also those Aeron TPU tubes I need to wrap up. Of course, the new WTB tires are the latest on the plate to get completed. 

Then there is the Guitar Ted Lube-Off to get through. I'll tell ya, this stretch of wet weather has really thrown a wrench into this whole Lube-Off for 2026. Hopefully this weather will cooperate now so I can at least get some drier, dustier rides in before Thanksgiving. That is, if I can dodge what will certainly be a mad rush to harvest corn and beans. 

Hang on.....it's gonna be crazy around here for a few weeks if the weather holds up.  

 

Feeling Cranky

Image courtesy of MRCC social media

Feeling cranky and you live in the Mid-West? Maybe you haven't ridden enough in the last two months. Gee.....I wonder why? 

Well, this map I saw the other day from the Midwest Regional Climate Center may help you understand why. In the last 134 years in the time period between August 1st and September 23rd, Iowa has had the 7th most rainy precipitation ranking. 

Which translates into a lot of cloudy, rainy days which you probably did not ride. Lightning is not listed in this data, but yeah.... A lot of those days were filled with lightning as well. 

This also does not list the days it was brutally hot and humid with "feels like" temperatures over 100°. Those are days I do not ride as well since I am prone to heat related issues. 

So, as I sat here the other day watching it rain (again!), I was somewhat consoled by the fact that I wasn't crazy. It hasn't been the greatest end to Summer or beginning of Fall here. 

Two months of hit or miss riding opportunities has hurt in many ways, I certainly am hoping October pans out a bit differently, because, well.....After that, it's going to be Winter, and getting any meaningful rides in the country in November and December is never a good bet. 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Whaleroad

Fourteen Sprockets:

Almost ten years ago now I posted concerning the stir a story caused back then about a patent drawing for a 14 speed Shimano cassette. I wrote about that HERE. It was something Shimano had in its back pocket for years already by that time. So, I knew it was only a matter of time till we saw this in reality. 

But to see it first from a Chinese company called Whaleroad? I did not have this on my 2026 bingo card, as the saying goes. And how about the name of the company? Gotta hand it to the Chinese. When they try to hit on an English language name for a company it doesn't always make sense. It makes for some interesting reactions. 

Anyway - the point Guitar Ted? Ah! Yes...... The point being that I wonder how Whaleroad can pull this off without Shimano having some sort of legal reaction to it. Then my second thought is concerning the "why do this?" question which I am sure many of you are thinking about as well.  

The cassette is an 11T - 46T. The cassette is part of the R7 road group. My feeling is Whaleroad is trying to reduce the differential in tooth count between cogs and to allow a 1X road drivetrain to be competitive with a 2X set up with a similar range of gearing. It is wireless, of course, with the rear derailleur having a removable battery. (SRAM nay have something to say about this as well.) The cassette fits on a standard HG free hub body (Shimano). 

Comments: This may be pointless now, because you probably cannot easily get this stuff, and taking a chance on a new drive train with little track record of success can seem like a bad decision now. And maybe you cannot fathom ever wanting or needing 14 speed cassettes. I get that. We thought 10 speed was crazy in 2010 too.  

But this is coming. Someday new bicycles will have 14 speed cassettes and it will be commonplace. Where it goes from there? I do not know, and maybe more importantly, I do not care. I'm still using 11 speed cassettes and I see no reason to get more than 11 sprockets back there. In fact, two of my bicycles are 9 speed. Think about this - It's 2026 and you can still buy good quality 9 speed components. So, I guess the bottom line here is don't let 14 speed stuff upset your apple cart. You do not have to buy into it. 

Podcast Update:

Just a reminder that the "Guitar Ted Podcast" has been pumping out a new episode about every two weeks. In case you haven't checked out this content, the two latest episodes can be accessed HERE and HERE (Spotify), or from any podcast outlet. 

N.Y. Roll has the new SILCA tires in reserve for his upcoming Twin Six 3X2 32"er build. We talk about our opinions on the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, cycling in general, and on other subjects as well. We've gotten some great feedback on the episodes so far this year, and we thank you listeners for the encouragement. 

The next and newest episode is one where we talk about the lack of marketing focus on fun and community by cycling brands.I also share my wheel building thoughts.  

It's almost October already! That means we will be coming up on our traditional December mini-break soon. I suspect we will have about 5-6 more episodes before we call it an end to Season #4. If you have any suggestions for content you'd like to hear us speak on, please let me know either in the comments or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. We listen to any and all feedback and would welcome any suggestions or comments you may have. 

We're having a banner year so far with as many episodes in the can already as we had all of last year. Thanks for the support, and if you are a new listener, Welcome!

Image courtesy of Tailfin

Tailfin Acquired By MVC Group:

It was announced Thursday on several online outlets that the bike packing rack company, Tailfin, had been acquired by the MVC group, a family owned business out of Italy. 

The MVC Group, according to its Linkedin profile, also owns Sportful, Karpos, Castelli and the triathlon brand Zoot. The MVC Group - according to its own press release, is backed by the private equity fund, Equinox.

Comments: I normally do not report on business transactions in the world of cycling, but I was made aware recently that there are some of you folks out there who really do not like "private equity" getting involved in companies you support. or used to support. 

It also dawned on me that the entire thought of private equity funds being involved in a bike packing company acquisition is kind of weird. Bike packing might be the ultimate expression in these times of an independent, self-governed life style. Private equity is seen by some to be one of the things that is wrong with business today and a thing that sucks the life out of brands which were started as family businesses. 

To be fair, the MVC Group is a family business, and maybe this acquisition is a good thing. I do not know. I only point this out since I have found there is a subset of people who find private equity distasteful. At the very least, this high-level business decision seems like an uncomfortable bedfellow with bike packing.

Image courtesy of Teravail 

QBP Brands To Be Sold On Amazon:

Earlier this week news spread across the internet regarding a letter sent to QBP (Quality Bicycle Products) dealers which detailed a strategy QBP would be implementing on the Amazon platform. 

In the communication QBP stated it would become an seller of record and would be offering proprietary brands on Amazon for sale to consumers. A list of those brands included Teravail and 45NRTH amongst others. 

Comments: This should not be a surprise. Independent bicycle shops are becoming scarcer and consumers buying habits have changed dramatically. Amazon is open 24-7, 365. Your local bike shop is not. It is the way it is and this move is, I think, due in part to this new reality. 

By the way, Teravail is blowing out tires at about half price right now on their site. If you are in need of some tires this might be a good time to shop. 

 That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride those bicycles!

Review: WTB Course & Byway Aero Gravel Tires - First Impressions

 Note: WTB sent over a pair of the 700 x 50mm Byway tires and a pair of the 700 x 52mm Course tires for test and review. Guitar Ted Productions was neither paid or bribed for this review. All thoughts and opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

Singular Peregrine Mk4 with WTB Course tires

The WTB aero gravel tires are being put to the test here - that is when it isn't raining buckets and lightning outside. Whew! It's been a rough September here so far. 

But be that as it may, I have some impressions of these tires to share so far, So, this post will be about sharing those thoughts. If you missed the technical stats and measurement articles, please go back and read those articles HERE and HERE. 

As a reminder, the two tire sets I received to be reviewed are the 700 X 50mm Byway and the 700 X 52mm Course tires. While getting "real gravel riding" in has been next to impossible, I do have rides on many surfaces including decomposed gravel, dirt, broken pavement, and regular paved streets and bike paths. 

700 x 50mm WTB Byway tires on the BMC MCD

Impressions:

Visually the two models of WTB aero gravel tires look very rounded. I don't think I've run a tire with such a round casing since I had the Challenge Tire Getaway model  on for review back in 2020. 

Rounded off tires seem to be a good idea if you are trying to make things more aero, I would guess. But however this was decided upon at WTB, it does do certain things to handling. Things like less tire hitting the surface you are riding on. There is one other trait here which I will touch upon when I speak to the Byway specifically. For now, I want to focus in on the speed aspect. 

Less tire hitting paved surfaces means a fast roll, and that is great. However; I remember looking at that Challenge Getaway and thinking it was going to act like a prow of a boat and try to push its way through loose gravel instead of rolling up and over the loose rocks. I'm not sure how the WTB tires will hndle this yet. With the 120TPI casings the hope is the tire will be supple enough that it will be like the Getaway and absorb the rocks, go over them, and not plow through them. We shall see. 

The Byway essentially is a slick

Now, getting to the Byway. This tire is essentially a road slick. Sure, there are some tread blocks....kind of, but I'm not leaning over that far to find out whether they will work or not. 

You might think, "Well, air it down and see if you can get tread block engagement that way>" Okay, I did this. First of all, it did not help with traction. The tire is sketchy on anything slick, muddy, or wet. It acts like it looks. I'm not surprised by this at all. 

What I was surprised by was the self-steer in the front and how much drag I was feeling compared to when the tire was at 35psi - 40psi. I was running a little above 20psi, and well, this tire doesn't work well down that low. Not for myself. I'll try something closer to 30psi next time and see if I can find a sweet spot. The point was that the Byway doesn't gain much, if any, traction at lower psi settings. It is just going to act like a slick tire, in my opinion. 

The Course is very happy at 35 psi and rolls fast. The tread on this tire does lend traction and I found going through corners on decomposed gravel, dirt, and even on pavement was fun. 

This tire is also very fast feeling. I've not run the pressures down on this tire yet, and given how the Byway responded to very low pressure, I'll likely stick to something around 30psi for that test. 

I think both tires have a nice, damped ride quality. It isn't super impressive in this regard, but it is very good, I think. 

Both have held air well enough and I see no concerns with that. There has been no signs of casing weep, nothing negative at all in this regard, and I think the short term outlook is great with these tires. Whatever WTB did with materials and construction has been proven to be good....so far. 

In the next post I will have some "real gravel rides" logged in and then we will learn even more about these new tires from WTB. 

Getting Excited About Wheel Sizes: A Cautionary Tale

Janis 650B FS from the 2009 Interbike

 I just watched some YouTube coverage concerning the recent Sea Otter Europe bike gathering. (Yes - Sea Otter Europe) There was supposedly going to be a big buzz concerning the new 32" wheels over there. So I wanted to gauge what the online media was harping on about. 

First of all, 32" wheel bikes did show there, but I think this was more 'click-bait' than any real trend making when it comes to that wheel size and the future of cycling. There is still a ton of skepticism surrounding this wheel size and the bikes? Many look kind of goofy, like an adolescent teenager. Negative rise stems, and geometry tweaked to fit around those gargantuan hoops. 

Maybe it is just a shock from the norm and we'd get used to it all eventually. But I will say some 32 inch wheeled bikes look completely normal as well. So I'm not sure the shock and awe is all there is to that.  

I will say that while some think 32"ers are inevitably going to "be a thing" in the future, I would caution against having this opinion. Why? Because 17 years ago another wheel size was purportedly going to "take over the market". Many bikes were made and sold to make one feel that "this is an inevitable thing". And then, a mere six years later? 

It was over.

Lenz "Lunch Box" 6" travel 29"er in 2008

I'm talking about the 650B/27.5"er "revolution" in long travel mountain biking. Supposedly the thinking was that 29"er wheels would never make a viable long travel full suspension bike. Anything beyond three inches of travel was going to be too goofy in terms of geometry, too ungainly, and no fun to ride. 

Companies invested in the nascent "enduro" MTB scene were all onboard with promoting 5"- 6" travel 27.5 wheeled machines and the industry went whole-hog with the idea for a few years. This was purportedly going to be the realm of 650B wheels for the foreseeable future. All Enduro and DH bikes were going to be this wheel size. But....

That didn't happen. Meanwhile, as the industry geared up for the "next big thing" in wheels starting around 2010-2011, there were companies proving that 29"ers were completely viable long-travel MTB bikes. They just needed the proper components, (forks, wheels, tires) to get the job done. Geometry was a little bit of a problem, but with the advent of 1X and the elimination of front derailleurs, this became an easily fixed problem for full-suspension 29"ers.  

Then it was discovered that 29"ers actually rolled over stuff better, and still could be made to fit almost everyone. Dropper posts were another boon to bringing bigger wheels to Enduro and DH courses. By 2017-2018, the 29"er wheel had pretty much put the kibosh on any future 27.5"er advancements. 

So....what's the lesson here? Couldn't 32"ers follow the same path as 29"ers? Possibly. However; as I've stated before, now with this larger diameter wheel, you are cutting off a lot of people on the shorter end of the scale in terms of who can ride 32". Marketing 32" as "The Next Big Thing", (no pun intended), is made a lot more difficult when a large portion of your potential sales won't ever fit on that wheel size. 

Every so-called scientific test of 32" wheels points to a gain in speed and grip, but perhaps we've reached a point of diminishing returns when it comes to who can actually benefit from this. And weight matters. 32"ers are never going to be as light as 700c based wheels. The logical fall off of benefit versus an increase in negatives starts to become more apparent as we reach 32" diameters and larger wheels. 

So, based on what you see, you'd think, "Well, this 32" thing has some legs!". But don't forget what happened to 27.5"ers. Just because there is activity in the industry that doesn't always indicate success in sales. I'd stay wary of any predictions regarding the success of 32"ers in the future. It might stick, but then again, it might be just a little bit too much for many people to accept or even be able to use.  

Nicky Brooks: Saved

Nicky Brooks before restoration....

 You may remember a "Two Things" post recently where I showed an old Brooks saddle I was going to restore. Well, this post will cover the results of the restoration and what I did to achieve the results I got. 

If you missed the first post I have an image here of the "before" and you can go re-read the post HERE in case you feel so inclined.  

This saddle wasn't in too bad a shape, really. I dusted it off and cleaned up the rust from the frame. Then I applied Proofide, Brooks' own product for preserving and restoration of Brooks leather saddles, and I applied a good amount on top and underneath. I worked it in with a clean, dry cloth and then I let that marinate for several days. 

Once I was convinced the Proofide was dry enough, I hit the saddle with a rag, polishing it up, and then finished that off with a shoe-shine brush. I took my Dremel tool and cleaned up those risty rivets, (they are indeed silver) , and I got this result......

 

I also tensioned it up, just a touch, because whomever rode it previous to the saddle falling into my hands had sagged the top,out a bit. I maybe only put a few turns on the adjusting nut, but it seemed to straighten up the shape a bit. Then I had to find a seat post, mount Nicky Brooks to it, and slide that post into my Karate Monkey to go for a test ride. 

I used a Salsa seat post, the one designed by Ross Shafer. It is, to my way of thinking, the smartest seat post design ever. So easy to use. And it is strong. It is too bad this design has been shelved by QBP. 

So, there you go! Nicky Brooks has been saved. Now it is time to get some miles on this saddle and see how it holds up. It sure is nice to start out with a broken in Brooks saddle! And I think it looks the part on the Karate Monkey since the saddle is nicked up a bit, just like the bike is.