One Year With Two Birds: Singular Peregrine Mk4

I received the first Peregrine September 13th, 2025.

 The Tale of Two Birds:

The Singular Peregrine Mk4 is my newest bike in the stable. I have written a lot about this bike over the past year. Well.....actually it has been about two bikes. Both Peregrine Mk4's. 

I'm not going to delve deep into the weeds on this post, because if you've been following along here you know most of the story already. For those of you who may have found this post in a search, or are new to this blog, see my review of the second Peregrine HERE and you will be able to catch up with the backstory. 

Now, I wanted to hit a few points here upon the anniversary of getting the size Large Peregrine Mk4. First and foremost which is germane to this discussion is how the Peregrine Mk4 fit works. The size Large Peregrine I first received, on paper, looked to be the correct fit for me. However, in practice, it was a bit off.

Now this is my opinion, and Sam Alison of Singular may disagree here, but the Peregrine fits like an 'old school' road bike would fit. A really old school road bike. Most of you dear readers may not understand what this means. I do not blame you. Road bikes haven't been fitted in this manner since the 1990's.Maybe the early 2000's. 

The size Large Peregrine as it appeared in January of 2026.

 It used to be said that if you had more seat post sticking out than what could be covered by a fist, you had too small a bike. Standover clearances weren't observed as being all that important for decades. It was all about how the bicycle fit you when you were riding it, that mattered most. Certainly tradition and early engineering dictated that a top tube be level. A "double-diamond" frame geometry was considered to be strongest. Materials technology - or the lack thereof - also comes into play here. 

Sam Alison is heavily influenced by classical road bike aesthetics. Part of this is the level top tube, double-diamond frame look. Lugged construction and box crown/plate crown fork designs also are a part of his stylistic choices. So, it maybe should not be a surprise here that the Singular Peregrine leans more toward that old way of fitting a cyclist than the new ways we do things in 2026. Take, for instance, seat tube lengths. 

The size Large Peregrine Mk4 seat tube length on the geometry chart for this bike is listed at 57cm, center to center. That is 1cm shorter than my classic size. (typically), but in today's sloping top-tube world, those old measurements do not add up. As an example, my Black Mountain Cycles MCD has a 53cm seat tube. But with this design, as with most modern bicycles, a lot of seat tube showing is generally expected.  Standover is almost not a thing anymore. Although, it can come into play with big tires.  We generally are looking at "Reach" and "Stack" now because modern geometry doesn't fit the old ways of sizing a bicycle. 

The current Peregrine Mk4, dubbed the "XLBird" by my friend Ari. 

The size XL Peregrine Mk4 has a seat tube of 58.5cm. A half a centimeter longer than what I would deem "right" for myself. This made the top tube come to a 59.8cm length, 1.8cm longer than "right" for me. The size Large top tube was 57.2cm, .8cm shorter than I'd typically go for. 

Again, in practice all this means something more than the raw numbers show. I never felt quite "right" on the Large Peregrine. The XL? It feels far better to me. Even if it has less standover clearance, which again, doesn't matter when you are riding. If anything, I may go with a slightly shorter stem on the XLBird as the stem swapped over from the Large Peregrine was retained for this version of the Peregrine. 

Actually, if Redshift Sports would make a silver ShockStop Stem, I'd put that on here. I just cannot bring myself to go with a black anodized stem. Not on this build. 

But all that aside, I am very happy on this XLBird and it should satisfy my cravings for a classically inspired bicycle which can take on big gravel tires.  

Review: WTB Course & Byway Aero Gravel Tires

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. 

The new aerodynamic, wide gravel tires from WTB were introduced last week. If you missed the introduction, you can go back and find it HERE. 

In this article I will break down the Byway and Course tires with impressions, how they mounted up, and I will give weights and measurements as well. 

Side Note: I did not request the widest tire introduced, the Macro, as I did not believe it would fit any of my gravel bikes. (Maybe I should have though. I'll explain later)

Why Aero?

Okay, so "aero gravel tires". What is up with that? In some ways it may seem silly. However; we are seeing wider road tires which take aero into consideration, and gravel tires are even wider. Aerodynamics do come into play and can be leveraged to benefit faster paced gravel riders. Wheels are starting to catch up with all the aero focus as well, so we may well see systemic approaches with tires and wheels mated for best performance attributes soon enough. All this to say that, while you may not care, aero matters. Best get used to it. 

WTB went to Sromm Cycles for research and development on these new gravel tires. They came up with what is called "trip strips" and "vortex generators". These are characteristics molded into the tire casing which break up the air flowing over the tire and which help reduce drag. Drag is bad. Less drag, less work to maintain a speed. (Again- See my introduction piece for details.)  

So, that is one big deal with these new tires, certainly. However; it will be something I will have a hard time demonstrating. It is my belief that this is something you can do only in a wind tunnel where drag and aerodynamic characteristics can be verified. Guitar Ted Productions does not have access to one of these facilities. So...  I'll just be taking Stromm's word on that, and I will focus on ride quality and other aspects of these tires. 

The Course:

This model is the 'all - arounder' in the three tire range. It has a compact pattern of low knobs concentrated on the central portion of the casing. These tread blocks become more sparse and wider spaced as you move to the casings shoulders. The outermost feature on the casing which looks like little "v" shaped tread blocks are actually the vortex generators. 

This tire and the Byway also feature the SG2 bead-to-bead puncture protection belt. Not only does this help prevent punctures and tears, but because the weave of the material is tighter, it also enhances air retention. 

The Byway:

You might recall "Byway" as a model name used by WTB before in its Road Plus line up. This new Byway is only similar in its name. The tread pattern is completely different. Add in the aero features and there is really no comparison to the old Byway. 

This new Byway is the all-out speed tire with minimal tread and a slick center section which would lead one to believe it also has the lowest rolling resistance of the trio of new tires. Like the other tires, the Byway has a 120TPI casing, Dual DNA rubber, and the SG2 belt discussed above. 

The Byway is the narrowest tire at 50mm claimed while the Course is claimed to be a 52mm tire. WTB recommends these be mounted on rims with inner rim widths of 25mm - 30mm. Recommended air pressures range from 25psi to 45psi. Both tires I received have the tan sidewalls, but black sidewalls are also an option. Of course, these are tubeless ready tires and they require sealant to be used tubeless, but you could also run tubes if you so desire. (But this more than likely would not be optimal from a benefit/performance aspect)

It is notable that - for now - there are no other widths available than the ones introduced and there are no 650B sizes available. Also notable: I searched the WTB site to see if these tires are recommended for hookless rims, but I could find no such recommendation on the pages for these models, in the Tire User manuals, or in the Rim User manuals. So....if you have hookless rims, you may want to contact WTB directly to clear this with them. 

Weights, Mounting, First Impressions:

WTB claims the Byway weighs approximately 620 grams. The Course is claimed to weigh approximately 635 grams. My samples weighed as follows: Byway - 592gm/598gm and Course - 634gm/625gm. 

The mounting procedure was a bit of a mixed bag experience. I used the Course on my WTB CGR i23 wheels. Yes.....2mm narrower than recommended. But my reasoning was these are matching brands. So, I went with those. It is a system with both rims and tires coming from WTB. The Byway tires went on a set of Irwin carbon rimmed wheels with an inner rim width of 25mm.  

One of the Course tires went on with no tools, fit snugly, and aired up with my SILCA floor pump without removing the valve core. Nice! However; the next Course tire required much more work. I had to lever the tire on, first of all. There was no way it was going on without a lever. In fact, both Byway tires fit this way as well. Very tight! I did have to use an air compressor on the second Course to seat the tire, but I chalked this up to an older valve stem with average air flow. The Byway tires were set up with Clik Valves and their high-flow stems proved to work great with my Clik Valve converted Topeak Joe Blow floor pump. No need to remove cores or use a compressor there. 

The Course model here.

 I was a bit disappointed in the Course after initial mounting as it only measured out at barely under 50mm at 49.8mm. This was at 40psi. However, after only a few hours it was measuring a little over 51mm and by the next day it was close to 52mm, but not quite there. Okay....I chalk that up to the narrower rims then. But I would not be at all surprised to see the Course stretch that little bit more to reach 52mm after break-in. So far, after a couple of days and some riding, the Course sits a 51.2mm @ 35psi. 

The Byways were very close to 50mm right away and were there by the following day. I'll monitor the widths as things move along during this review. 

Both sets held air very well besides one of the Byway tires.  I am pretty sure I did not get the new Clik Valve tight enough, and since correcting that, the tire pressure retention hasn't been an issue. My past experiences with SG2 equipped WTB tires has shown me that I should expect these to hold air very well.  

As of this writing I have only done a quick, short test loop on each set of tires. I feel a free-rolling characteristic immediately. The Byway test was on a windy day, so I had to throw those results out. However, on my roll-down test with the Course, it was a windless day, and this tire was at the top tier of results, even before the tires have broken in. Impressive! 

The Byway tires side blocks are so far down the shoulders as to be ineffective here. 

I will say both models are very rounded tires. I suppose the Course would be a little more rounded due to the 23mm inner rim width, but even the Byway looks very rounded. Almost a tubular tire look to both of these models. In fact, the way the Byway looks on the rim it is readily apparent the side knobs, what there is of them, are going to be ineffective.  This could be said of the Course model, but again, a wider inner rim width might mitigate what I am seeing with my examples. 

The Course tires are on my Singular Peregrine Mk4, and they fit with room to spare there. The Byways were tried on my Noble GX5, and while they did clear the stays, it was only by a millimeter or maybe less. I did not feel comfortable with running these tires with that little clearance, so I swapped over to the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD for those tires. I think the Macro, at 700 x 54, might have barely fit the Peregrine, but I won't worry about that now. All this to say that the very rounded profile of these tires on rims widths at the narrower end of the spectrum seem to allow for fit on bikes you might not think these tires would fit. With little tread blocks to worry about, as long as the casing will slide in your bike, these should work out, in dry conditions. I would not peg these tires as wet/mud tires anyway. 

After I get some "real riding" done on both sets I will return with an update. 

Two Things

Seen various places on the web: SRAM's new stem/head tube design

 Just Because You Can....

The 32" wheel thing is a bit of a problem for the bicycle industry. Yes - it has created buzz the industry has not seen since before the pandemic. However, it is a platform which excludes too many people based upon height. 

This has resulted in what we see here today- A 'solution' which would allow people to run their handle bars at a more appropriate height for them and still have the head tube length and height necessary to accommodate a 32" wheel and suspension travel.  

Notice how the lower part of the stem in the drawing penetrates the head tube and how the top of the stem barely is above the head tube. I mean....why not? We aren't really needing all that material in the middle of the head tube anyway.  (Actually, this is true)

Besides increasing complexity, I can see several other issues with this design. First and foremost is how steer tubes react to larger inputs from a trail obstacle or big suspension hit. They bend. 

You might think this is impossible, but it is true. The mid-point of a steer tube's length does flex slightly when you ride. The bottom, near the crown race, is a 'fulcrum point' where a lot of stress happens. The top of the steer tube, generally held in check by the top bearings in a head set, could also be a point of movement, but this does not erase the fact the the steer tube can and does flex.  

How a stem, which attaches to the mid-point and top of a steer tube, deals with those sometimes different stresses is a mystery now. But I can almost hear the squeaking and creaking from here.   

Perhaps It Is A Sign:

N.Y. Roll grew up in rural Western New York. He likes to send me Instagram reels about Buffalo N.Y. and Rochester N.Y. anytime he sees something relevant to those two cities. Or anything relating to Western New York, really. Apparently "The Algorithm' hits his feed consistently given the amount of New York related reels I get from him.

The Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective receives a lot of donated bicycles. Sometimes we get bikes with bags on them and then occasionally those bags have stuff in them. I've found bicycle tubes, patch kits, change, and other odds and ends. Recently I found an old combination wrench in a bag. 

I'm a sucker for tools, being a mechanic, so I took it to my bench for further examination. It was a Barco wrench with "Buffalo" stamped on it. Uhhh......Buffalo New York? 

Yes.....Buffalo New York. The Barco company, started in 1896, eventually bought out a tool manufacturer and started making tools in the late 1910's. Their line grew and was quite successful. This wrench would appear to have been from the early 1930's. 

Oh, and this company eventually made furniture you may have heard of like the Barcolounger. Yep! Same outfit. 

Maybe I ought to give this wrench to N.Y. Roll. Maybe it is a sign to me that I will somehow never escape Western New York. Maybe..... Or it is just an old, worn tool. 

Yeah....that's it!

Guitar Ted Lube-Off: Triboflux Bicycle Chain Lube

  NOTICE:  The Guitar Ted 'Lube-Off' is a comparison of different lubrication products for bicycle chains that is undertaken in 'real world' conditions in a set way. Then I compare and contrast the results with past 'Lube-Off' products to see "which one is best for me". This is done for entertainment purposes and the reader should apply their own reasoning and discernment while reading my 'Lube-Off' entries. What works for me may not work for you at all. Also, I did not receive this from the company but I did pay for it with my own money. 

Image courtesy of Triboflux

Another Drip Wax Chain Lube:

Triboflux came across my emails the other day and so I investigated the product. Was it worth my attention and time to test it? Over the course of years which I have conducted the Lube-Off, I have come across some pretty obscure, weird, and sometimes dismal products. Anything I try out takes time in preparation, riding time, and writing time. 

So, maybe I'm getting more picky with my choices, but I do not want to spend energy on a product unless it is (a) based on a general formula/principle I know works and (b) is from a brand which I feel has staying power in the marketplace. I'm certain there are great lubricants being concocted by genius chemists/cyclists/product developers which might blow me away, but will you be able to buy that product five years from now? 

Triboflux seemed to pass the sniff test. Maybe they won't be around long, but I get the feeling they will be if their claims hold up. What might those be? Well, here you go....

What It Is: 

Triboflux claims their lubricant is made with a proprietary wax formula and plant based oils in a water carrier format. They claim it will shed water, dirt, and grime, keeping your chain clean and extending drive train life. It is a PFAS free formula. There are corrosion inhibitors and emulsifiers and stabilizing agents in the lube. A 30ml bottle (What I am testing) costs $12.99 USD.  

Installation: 

Triboflux goes beyond asking the user to start with a clean chain and insists you clean your cassette, jockey wheels on the derailleur, and your chain rings to ensure you are not fouling the lube right out of the gate. I think this is brilliant advice, even if it entails more work than recommended by most chain lube brands for application. They also give realistic expectations for road usage and gravel usage in regard to reapplication intervals. I found all of this refreshing, as giving such specific information usually is not the case with other brands of chain lubrication products. 

Expectations & Test Bike:

The Noble GX5 is going to get the call-up for this test. I will strip the chain, cassette, and single front chain ring before installing the Triboflux product. After an overnight cure this bike will enter the rotation and be ridden throughout the Fall. 

Typically I test for only dry weather results, and to be fair to the other lubricants I am testing, I am going to stick to dry weather riding for this Lube-Off session. However; if Triboflux proves to be an outstanding lube, I may continue on into the Winter as long as I can and see about wet weather results. 

Beyond this, I expect to see a clean drive train, experience smooth, efficient drive train performance, and see Triboflux push SILCA and Stan's lubes back into the background. Will this happen?

Stay tuned.... 

Friday News And Views

New WTB Course and Byway aero gravel tires

WTB Course And Byway Review Coming Soon:

The announcement on Wednesday concerning the first ever aero designed gravel tires from WTB leads me into the news that I have a couple sets of these tires to test now. 

I requested the Byway and the Course models because they should both fit bikes I have. At least the appropriate bikes for reviewing such tires. The Macro is a 54mm wide tire, and while I have bikes which will accept such a wide gravel tire, (Fargo, Singular Gryphon), I deemed these bikes not really in the target market for use case. That would probably work if I had a bike capable of handling a tire this wide and was more of a modern take on a gravel bike, such as the one I suggested last weekend here. 

Unfortunately, I do not have 'that bike', so I did not request 'that tire'. 

I should have both tires set up now and the review will commence with a post going up Monday. Look for that to come, if you are curious as to what these tires are all about. 

Thanks to WTB for sending these over for test/review.  

Wheel Building To Commence:

Thanks to my good friend, Ari, I have hand-cut and threaded spokes to get my current wheel build project underway this weekend, (hopefully). I've had the old wheels apart for a while now, but I had to find new spokes and nipples for the switch to Chris King Hubs. 

Searching my stash showed me I had no appropriate spokes. I searched online and wow.... It is hard to find spokes online without paying an arm and a leg. So, I reached out to my friend Ari. He's a mechanic at a shop in the Chicago area. He hand cut and threaded this bundle of spokes and supplied me with nipples to build up the wheels I will eventually put on the Fargo Gen I. 

This project is not a front burner issue for me right now. I have a lot of riding I need to be doing. So, the building of this wheel set may not happen right away. That or I'll get excited about it and build them up this weekend! 

Stay tuned!  

Register For The Last Rodeo!

If you missed the announcement by Iowa Wind and Rock earlier this week, you can catch that HERE. But essentially the event is going to be put on one more time, and then that will be it. 

Well, since that announcement I have had a few communications with the race directors and they wanted me to let you all know that registration for the event will open on November 1st. Registering is free. How this will be accomplished will be disseminated by Iowa Wind and Rock on their website. 

Check there for details on this last chance at the most unique gravel event in the world. 
 

25 Year Anniversary of 9 - 11:

Twenty five years ago you had never heard of me and I was wrenching on cars in an independent car repair shop in Cedar Falls, Iowa. On the morning of September 11th, 2001, our receptionist came in the shop where I was doing an oil change on a car and said something about a plane hitting one of the Twin Towers. 

The rest of that day was awful. 

No need to recap the repercussions of that day, but I did want to mark this anniversary of an important US history event and say that my prayers today will include those who were most affected by this tragedy and are still grieving. 

Also I want to give my thanks to all the first responders who serve us today. Thank you for what you do. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Have a great weekend and get out and ride those bicycles. 

Guitar Ted Lube-Off: Polar Drip Wax Update

 NOTICE:  The Guitar Ted 'Lube-Off' is a comparison of different lubrication products for bicycle chains that is undertaken in 'real world' conditions in a set way. Then I compare and contrast the results with past 'Lube-Off' products to see "which one is best for me". This is done for entertainment purposes and the reader should apply their own reasoning and discernment while reading my 'Lube-Off' entries. What works for me may not work for you at all.

 NOTE: Stan's sent over a bottle of their Polar Drip Wax to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge for test and review purposes. Stan's is not bribing or paying Guitar Ted for this review. All opinions are Guitar Ted's.

Okay, I have a little housekeeping to do before we dive into this update on the new Stan's Polar Drip Wax lubricant. In a FN&V recently I stated I tried to remain independent from lubricant manufacturers by buying all my testing samples. This is in error because I forgot about this Stan's lube and Stan's previous BioBased Dry Lube I tested last year. Both were samples sent to me at no charge. So, I wanted you to understand this and assure you, dear readers, that I hold the Stan's lubes to the same standards as I would any other lube. 

I just wanted to clarify this point. Now, on with the update......

Update #2: 

With Stan's having sent the Polar Drip Wax ahead of the release date, I was able to ride this lube some amount beforehand. (Intro seen HERE in case you missed it) Since then I have been able to put in more miles but specifically I was able to get in some really demanding conditions. 

The recent Labor Day ride with N.Y. Roll featured several miles of dry dirt road with a fair amount of loose dirt on top of hard pack. For instance, when I was trailing N.Y. Roll I could see a small cloud of dirt/dust being generated off his tires. This was bathing our chains in a constant bath of dry dirt. The gravel sections were also very dusty in parts of the course. 

One example of the many dirt road miles we experienced

I knew this would be a very severe test of Stan's Polar Drip Wax. Stan's claims up to around 200 miles between applications. However; with all the bathing in dirt and dust during my most recent ride, I have decided it is already time to clean and re-apply the Stan's Polar Drip Wax. 

I felt the chain was at its limit from a lube perspective. The rollers are feeling dry, but there are no sounds of squeaking or grinding when I checked the chain immediately after the ride. After a wipe-down, I felt the chain still had some coating of wax on it. 

But with all the dirt stuck to the side plates of the chain, the jockey wheels, and to some lesser extent, the chain rings, I decided a full clean-up is in order.  My estimate is that I have probably less than 125 miles on this lubricant so far. That's not a lot of miles, but then again, the test conditions on the final ride before this update were, as I said, severe. 

Test Results: 

Images of the drive train and Touch-Test:

 

First off, apologies for the out-of-focus finger! But I think it is easy to see the rollers are free from gunk, but barely! The rest of the chain is pretty dirty, especially between the side plates. I decided to try wiping down the chain with a cloth and brushing the inner chain bits with a dry, clean brush. The following image is the result of this activity:

 I also brushed off the cassette, peeled a layer of gunk off the jockey wheels, and I brushed and wiped down the chain rings. I think you can see here that this looks a lot better. In fact, I could run the chain like this. It felt slick, but Pedros does recommend a second coating, if desired, after the initial application. By the way, this all took less time to do than taking the chain off, cleaning it, and dipping it in a wax pot, by far. No comparison there. 

So, I have done this, and we will test on from here. 

 So Far:

I'm not impressed with how things have gone so far. There was more dirt accumulation than I would have expected, especially between the side plates of the chain. The jockey wheel gunk was also not welcomed. I've had better results with other chain lube products in severe dust conditions.  

I was hoping to find this lube would push the SILCA Super Secret v1 in terms of results, but this is not the case. The SILCA v2 jury is still out, so I will wait to give my final thoughts on that lube until later. 

I think this lube has promise, and I still feel it may redeem itself after getting a cure/dried coating which this lube struggled to do at first. I think this is where all the gunk/dirt accumulation came from. But we will see after this second coating. So, while I am a little disappointed so far, I feel this situation may improve now going forward. 

Gravel Grinder News: WTB Announces New High-Volume, Aero Gravel Tires

WTB Byway, Course, Macro tires (L-R) 

Note: All Images and information in this article were provided to Guitar Ted Productions by Wilderness Trail Bikes. 

WTB Introduces A First In Gravel - Aero, High-Volume Gravel Tires: 

Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB) announced today that they have added high-volume, aerodynamically designed tires to their gravel tire range. There are three new designs in the range which consists of tires in widths measuring from 700 x 50mm, 700 x 52mm, and 700 x 54mm. The tires were designed in conjunction with Stromm Cycles, makers of the most aerodynamic road bike according to tests conducted by Tour Magazin. 

The tires, named Byway, Course, and Macro, were designed with a completely new manufacturing methodology utilizing "ultra-consistent production tolerances, and advanced material sourcing to establish a new benchmark for WTB casing suppleness and compound performance.", according to the press release. 

Features of the range include 120TPI casings, WTB's bead-to-bead SG2 puncture protection, and upgraded Dual DNA rubber compounds. 

The patent-pending aerodynamic features of the range include aerodynamic vortex generators and trip-strips along the tire sidewalls. These features are incorporated to manipulate airflow over the tire and wheel system. This controls boundary layer separation and reduces the low pressure wake which typically increases drag and slows you down. 

Stromm validated the testing using the Chung Method and real-world testing against identical tires without the aerodynamic features. 

Tests at a velodrome by Stromm's Chief Aerodynamicist, Ben Rothaker, verified the reduction of drag at typical gravel racing speeds. 

●5.8 watts at 30 km/h (18.6 mph)
●9.3 watts at 35 km/h (21.7 mph)
●13.8 watts at 40 km/h (24.8 mph)

Mr. Rothaker is quoted in the press release as follows:

"Stromm applied the same real-world applicable engineering that made the fastest road bike to this tire, designing in surface features that substantially improve aero over the tire/wheel even when dirty and with no compromise to the tread. We brought all our tools to bear, running what may be the largest CFD simulations in the cycling industry to date and then doing detailed CdA measurements of clean and dirty tires with and without surface treatments to make sure what we found on the computer is working on every ride." 

Tire Models For All Use Cases: 

Each tire in the range covers a different aspect of gravel riding. The 50mm wide Byway is the tire for all-out speed with its central slick tread. It still retains good cornering manners due to the side-knobs which give the rider stability in cornering situations. 

The 52mm wide Course is a tire for more all-around conditions. It features enough tread to give a rider confidence in all gravel conditions yet it retains a fast rolling performance. The slightly larger volume casing allows for better rider comfort and control as well. 

The 54mm wide Macro is the tire for the rougher stuff. Ideal for the adventurer, this model has deeper, widely spaced lugs which grab traction in rockier, looser conditions. The highest volume tire in the range also lends the best comfort and control. 

Availability:

The 700 X 50mm Byway, 700 X 52mm Course, and 700 X 54mm Macro will come in all black or black with tan sidewalls. Each tire will retail for $89.95 / €79.95. Tires are available from WTB retailers and authorized dealers world-wide now. 

As a side note, the CGR wheels shown in the images will become available soon. 

Comments:

The aero revolution in gravel reaches a new benchmark with these tires, the first of their kind in gravel. It is interesting to see there are no tires in a width less than 50mm, marking the new trend for higher volume gravel tires. At least for racing, this is a trend, but I would guess going forward that gravel bikes will be capable of wider tire fitments whether or not they are earmarked for racing. 

Look for a more detailed look at this range in another article posting soon. Guitar Ted Productions will be testing the Byway and Course tires. Images, weights, and impressions of the tires will come with this article. The Macro was not requested as I do not have a bicycle which is appropriate to test them with, but I will also include details for this model in the next article as well. 

Country Views: Labor Day Ride

Escape Route: N.Y. Roll's truck in Dysart, Iowa

August was a total bust for me and riding. Either it was blazing hot with "feel like" temperatures over 100°F, or it rained every day, or both on the same day. This has to be one of the hottest, wettest Augusts in memory. 

N.Y. Roll and I were supposed to go on a ride on Saturday, August 29th, but of course, it rained.  Bah! So we rescheduled for Labor Day, and as it turned out, it was one of the best days in weeks here. 

N.Y. Roll devised a route in Tama and Benton Counties he called "B Road Culture", in reference to these counties being in the top-three for dirt road mileage in Iowa. It was to be 40 miles, and we started a little before 9:00am from Dysart, Iowa, a small town about 23 miles South of Waterloo. 

It was cool, with a breeze from the Southeast, and threatening skies when we left. In fact, it looked like rain was coming in. I was game as long as it was a rain event with no lightning. 

Note: There will be a LOT of images in this post and more than a few "Barns For Jason". 

Heading out of Dysart. You can see the dark clouds in the West.

 

This wasn't looking good. Yes....N.Y. Roll went without a helmet on purpose. 

N.Y. Roll asked if I wanted to join him in a helmetless ride. I declined. Not that I wouldn't ever do that, but Mrs. Guitar Ted deserves some respect here, so.... Nuff said about this. Please direct any responses concerning helmet wear to N.Y. Roll! 

The further we went South the better the skies looked. 

Barns For Jason #1

I chose to ride my pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD for the ride. N.Y. Roll's dirt road idea made me decide to choose wider rubber and the MCD has those Schwalbe G-One Overlands on it. These are the same tires I used in Nebraska. I set the air pressures at about 35-ish psi fron and rear. However; as we were riding along I thought the rear tire felt really soft. Like not a 'squishy' soft, but the gravel was being erased by the tire's damping at this lower pressure. Hmm... I kept thinking I need to check this out next time we stop, but we weren't stopping much, so....

 

Stopping for a 'nature break' at the first Level B Road we encountered (I forgot to check the rear tire!)

Hey! Wait a minute! I've seen those monuments before!

As we reached the first Level B dirt road, N.Y. Roll pointed out a couple of fancy, cast cement property marking columns. He then wondered aloud if we were anywhere near that place which was once a farm and had all these weird monument columns in the yard. We had come across those on a Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational years before. 

Sure enough, we came across the same place! We briefly stopped and reminisced about that old ride, then we hit the gravel again, heading due South. Those monuments were cast cement by a couple of men who grew up on a farm which was once located here. They were artistic expressions, nothing more, but the way these look and how they are arranged around the property is kind of curious. It doesn't take much to think there might be some deeper meaning here. 

Images taken from the road. We did not trespass here. 

 

Barns For Jason #2

The gravel was a bit loose and finding the right lines to ride was paramount to getting less resistance. The further South we went the hillier it got. We were entering into a slice of the "Bohemian Alps" of Iowa. So named because of the Czech heritage around these parts and the hilly terrain found in Tama County. 

I was holding my own, but once I realized it would be up-down-up-down a lot here, I started to measure my efforts a bit more. Plus, I hadn't been on a longer ride for quite some time . 

 

The hills were working me. I was sure happy it wasn't blazing Sunshine and 90 degrees out or I know I would have been toast! As it was, I was laboring along but still not too badly. N.Y. Roll was so far up the road here I almost lost sight of him. 

We were on the long Southern leg of his route, but soon we would start a stair-stepping path East and South for a bit. I looked forward to the relief from a straight shot for miles. Once I caught back up with N.Y. Roll he assured me the climbing would ease up a lot later into the route. 

A surprise find. A roadside gravesite. 

 

N.Y. Roll said this was marked as a Level C Road on maps. We did not ride this.

We came up on a small clearing in the South side ditch at one point with a sign that said "Roadside"and two tombstones could be seen high up above the roadside. We decided to stop here and investigate. 

The graves were for two people, but we don't know the name of the elder of the two as the top of that headstone was broken off which likely had the name of the deceased on it. The graves dated from the late 1860's and 1870's. Most likely these were original settlers in the area. Pretty amazing to see these gravestones and the site still exist.  

Right about this time I remembered to check my rear tire. Indeed, it was very soft! I decided I'd pump it up with my SILCA Tattico hand pump. This was going smoothly until I unscrewed the head and it pulled the valve core out with it! Bah! Now I had NO AIR! 

N.Y. Roll offered up his mini-compressor pump, and once I had the valve core threaded back into the valve he pumped it up to....we don't know! It felt firm, so.... Off we went! 

Barns For Jason #3

 

The dirt roads were super-smooth, dry, and had a little 'cocoa-powder' to them.

By this point in the ride we found ourselves on a long Eastward stretch. N.Y. Roll was disappointed because the county map he looked at indicated this stretch was dirt road after dirt road. Instead it was just gravel. But it wasn't bad, the scenery was great, and the big climbs were behind us. There were two consecutive miles of Level B at the end of this stretch though.

Another stellar dirt road. There were two miles straight of this at the end of the Eastward leg. 

 

Finally there was more Sun than clouds, the wind got stronger, and the heat was turned up!

We reached our turn North and there were more dirt roads. We also had a pretty stiff Southern wind at our backs now. The roads were rolling and on the downhills you could coast at around 20mph or faster and on the flats you could do almost 20 easily. 

I kind of pushed myself and it bit me in the end, but there were some factors which played into this. One: I had been working out my shoulders and arms to strengthen my bad shoulders. So, I already had sore muscles to start. Second: I mowed the lawn the day before in some nasty humid conditions. This both amped up my shoulder pain and I was likely fatigued going into this ride. Third: I needed to eat! 

Look at that black dirt!

 

Barns For Jason #4

There were several dirt roads which were fast and fun. The dirt was so dry it was like cocoa powder on top of a firm base. Level B road riding is generally at its best in August, then up until the harvest. After that time the dirt roads are packed with harvesting equipment and after that, they have a lot of field trash on them, generally speaking. 

Barns For Jason #5

 

Level B after Level B! This was a fun section. 

At one point I think we went four miles on dirt, which was fun, and a bit rare in Iowa. There were so many great dirt roads on this back half that I have to say N.Y. Roll put together a really good route. Well.....if you like dirt roads. 

By the end of this long section my batteries were getting low and my right shoulder was in some pretty intense pain. We had to stop under the shade of some trees so I could cool down and take it easy for a few minutes. 

The view from our stop on a shaded Level B road. 

 

This downhill was steep and fast!

We finally moved on and after a few miles or so we contacted the Old Creamery Trail. This trail runs from Dysart to Vinton, Iowa, with a midway town of Garrison thrown in there. Once we reached this trail it was railroad grade until we got to the end. I'm not a big fan of rail trails because there are no coasting opportunities. I like rolling terrain better, but hey! If you are a rail trail fan, good on you! We have lots of them in Iowa. 

Lots of the Old Creamery Trail is shaded.

 

Half a mile to go!

The Old Creamery Trail is pretty rustic. You'll find ruts, sticks, and you'll have to dodge tree branches and weeds in Summer. But I like it a lot, for a rail trail. It was just that I was more than ready to be done with this ride and because of my shoulder pain I was not loving life there at the end. But I was happy I went on the ride. I need to push myself and - well, with our weather of late, you gotta take it while its there to be taken. 

We did just that. Thanks N.Y. Roll for the invitation to ride! 

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