Friday News And Views

Twin Six 3X2 32"er frame set (Image courtesy of Twin Six)

 Order Up! 32"er Companies Pushing Big Wheels:

You may have noted some promotions over the past week, week and a half, by several small purveyors of 32"ers. The orders are going in and minimums must be met to get production started. 

Esker, Twin Six, Curve Cycling, and others were pushing social media posts hard recently in hopes of getting riders to bite on this enticing, (for taller folks, mostly) technology.  

I know someone who has an order in, and I'm sure many of you out there are either in line to get one, or are considering it. One thing to note here: 32 inch wheels will probably not have the "gen I issues" 29"ers had. So, biting on the 32'er bait shouldn't get you an obsolete rig in five years. 

Hopefully..... 

 I'm very curious about 32"ers. But I do not need another bicycle. Plus, I'm willing to wait to see how things shake out. If this is all that and a bag of chips, I can get one whenever I want in the near future. And this means that if things change in regard to geometry, etc with 32"ers, I will not have bought into something that will be obsolete. 

Maybe....

Seeing on social media that Trek will have hard tail and FS 32"ers out in February 2027. (Heard they were taking orders now.) Specialized, Pivot, and Ari Cycles are rumored to be doing 32"ers as well. So, perhaps it won't be obsolete right away.  

Probably..... 

Guitar Ted Approved:

Well folks, I found a silver seat post and a saddle and now the Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4 is all finished (for the near future - I make no guarantees!)

The seat post is an old Campagnolo aero post. If you are familiar with those, you know they are not very long! I was able to get the correct seat height and still have the minimum insertion mark inside the seat tube, but only just! 

The saddle is a tried and true WTB Silverado, which has been my 'go-to' saddle of late. The two pieces cap of the build and now everything is ready to go for a longer gravel ride. 

The final 'approved by Guitar Ted' action was to sticker the frame up with a Trans Iowa sticker and a 'Jacob' sticker in honor of my late son. So I'm pleased with the switcheroo and all systems are go for gravel travel now. 

Image courtesy of Giant Bicycles

Giant Announces Revolt Advance SL Model With Carbon Hub/Spoke Wheel System

On Tuesday of this week online sites were going ga-ga over Giant's newest gravel bikes. The Revolt Advance SL is the range topper with racing focused geometry and parts. 

And how about those wheels? Carbon hubs and spokes with a wheel weight under 1,300 grams total for front and rear wheels.  

Comments: Fun stuff for the bike nerds to geek out over, but dive into the marketing, specs, and geometry and really let it sink in. This is a bike for the less than 1% of gravel riders. It is a Pro level racing bike and much of the "feature list" descriptions could have been pulled directly from marketing of Tour de France bikes from the 2000's. "Stiffer", "feedback from racers". and  aero everything, of course. 

Is this a bike for The Every-person? No. It is not. But that is who will end up buying this bike because "weight", "aero", and "Pro racing" sells bikes to.....I guess some folks? Anyway, congratulations on race-ifying gravel bikes, Giant.  

And is it just me, or does this bike resemble every Chinese brand gravel bike I've seen recently? Hmm.... 

Date Set For GT's Ride For Jacob:

Thanks to Nick from the Board of the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, I have secured a date for GT's Ride For Jacob. We will be riding from the North parking lot at Big Woods Lake starting at 8:00am on Saturday, July 25th. 

The ride will consist of a loop from the parking lot at Big Woods Lake to gravel North of Waterloo, Iowa. We will pass through Janesville, Iowa, cross the Cedar River, then we will go on to cross the Shell Rock River and travel through Shell Rock, Iowa. From this most Northern point of the loop we will head West and South towards New Hartford, our last pass-through town. 

The ride will end by coming into Cedar Falls from the West toward downtown on mostly bike path. There could be a stop downtown if folks are so inclined. The ride from downtown to the parking lot at Big Woods Lake is a short one all on bicycle path.  

Stay tuned for any further updates here or on the ride site.  

Image courtesy of WTB

WTB Teases New Unreleased Hub, Hints At New Wheels To Come:

A press release from WTB on Wednesday pointed out a new hub WTB has designed which is being used by the Cannondale Factory Race Team and won with at a recent Elite XCO World Cup event.

Looking through the release I was able to glean out that the rear hub will use a "DLC ratchet ring-drive system". It may be similar to DT Swiss' ratcheting drive design. This is a fairly commonplace move since the patent ran out on the design formerly held by DT Swiss. 

Dubbed "Frequency 7X" hubs, the set for MTB usage is a claimed sub 300 grams for the pair. These hubs spin on "oversized Enduro bearings" and are claimed to be tough enough for World Cup MTB while being amazingly light. 

The press release hinted that these, as yet unreleased hubs, will appear with new carbon rims for MTB and gravel use. So, look for some news on the wheel front from WTB in the near future. Another tidbit I gleaned from a thread on social media is that WTB is also working on an aero gravel tire design. Could it be that the new rims, hubs, and tire will be presented as a racing wheel system for gravel which is very aero? 

Could be a thing. 

That's a wrap on this week! If you are a US citizen, enjoy a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend! Get out there and ride some bicycles! 

Do That Again (At Least Once)

I have been saying for several years that I wanted to do a sub24 trip and...... I haven't done one. I don't know why, exactly, it's just that other stuff took precedence, or I let it do so, and I never got around to it. 

But the BRAN trip taught me that I can do this, and it also showed me I had better do it sooner than later or I won't ever do it. 

The gear is all there. I may as well use it. I know it works. There is only one thing I might have to change and that is the sleeping pad. The Thermarest Basecamp is flipping huge. I'd have to find an alternative which wasn't so massive so it did not take up so much space on the bike. Honestly, my old, ancient Thermarest pas might be okay from that standpoint. 

But no excuses. This has to happen at least once more this year. That's the goal. Small, I know, but it would be better than zero. And I have places I can go local to me as well. Maybe they are not that exciting, but that is my perspective. And in the end, it is the options that matter not "how cool/uncool" those places may seem to me. 

So, I better get on this. It's now or maybe never.....
 

What Is Up With With Selle SMP Saddles?

 Note: This review is of a used Selle SMP saddle Guitar Ted purchased from the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. Selle SMP is not aware of this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

Looking at saddles over the years a strange looking choice popped up which has always intrigued me. The Selle SMP saddles looked......weird compared to everything else I was seeing. I couldn't wrap my mind around the shape. It looked broken. And the huge cut-out section was odd too. Everything about the saddle seemed a bit off to my eyes. Plus, they weren't inexpensive either. 

Then a friend of mine showed up with a well worn one on his bike. He had purchased it new, so it was obvious he liked it and had a lot of time on it. So, of course, I had to ask. "How is that thing to ride?" He said it was the most comfortable saddle he'd ever used. It did not make him numb, and that was a big issue for him in the past. 

Okay.....sample of one. I filed that away in the brain trust, and then kept on riding. 

We're gonna get to the bottom of this....

Then on the recent BRAN ride I noted Jayme had these Growtac shifters on his bike and he offered me a quick test ride on his bike to try them out. (Another subject for another time) I then noted he had a Selle SMP saddle on his bike. So, I also got to see how this saddle felt. 

And you know what? It may look weird, but that short ride told me there was something to this oddball of the cycling saddle world. It just so happened that not long before BRAN a Selle SMP Pro saddle was donated to the Collective. So, when I returned from BRAN, I purchased the saddle and well......here we are!

What It Is: The Selle SMP Pro is their intermediate level saddle for MTB, gravel, or road for both Men or Women. It has a real leather cover, (in black only), or a MicroFiber cover in several different colors. The rails are made of AISI Stainless steel. A carbon railed version is also available. The shell is made of carbon reinforced Nylon 12. The padding is a foamed elastomer. 

The overal width of the SMP Pro is 148mm and the length is 278mm. Claimed weight is 350gm with the stainless steel rails and drops to 295gms with carbon rails. Cost for the Selle SMP Pro is $269.00USD with stainless steel rails and $449.00 with the carbon rails. 

Intentions: The intent of this review is to find out if the Selle SMP works for me at all. I want to see how it feels on longer rides. Is it the bees knees like many say it is, or just an oddball saddle that is merely different and works okay? Is it worth the asking price? How well is it made? How hard is it to set up correctly? 

That last point was something Jayme shared with me. He straight up told me if I set it up incorrectly it won't work for me. He pointed out his saddle and asked me to note how much tilt it had nose-downward. He claimed if I set it up level, with a "bucket/dip in the mid section, it would be bad. "You'll want it tipped down in the nose more than you'd think", he instructed. Although it should be noted that Selle SMP says to start out at level and the nose tilt can be anywhere from +10° to -25° after adjustments. 

But Jayme has a point. I did not catch that my WTB Silverado had slipped back in the seat post clamp at BRAN until Day Two and by then I had already done some nerve damage and caused saddle sores I only just recently have overcome. Set-up means everything with a saddle. So I am prepared to be open to different saddle set ups than I would normally think of doing. 

Initial Impressions: This saddle is not light. So, anyone looking to cut weight on a build probably wouldn't look at this saddle as an option. One likely is looking here at an SMP for relief from numbness or for comfort - or both.  

 It is well made. Very well made. I am impressed with the build quality of this saddle and there are not many saddles I've seen which rival the SMP. The leather is soft, pliable, and has a very even grain. Of course, there is every possibility this saddle is "broken in" already. But it does not appear to have many miles on it as the cover looks pristine and I don't see any marring, wear areas, or scratches. 

In the next post I will talk about set up and have a ride impression for you.  

So, here we go..... Stay tuned. 

Fleet Review: Part 1

I get a lot of ideas for posts from the comments section of this blog. Such was the case last week when I received a comment asking to show all my bicycles. So, since I don't think I've done that - ever - I thought, why not? The thing is, there are a LOT of bicycles and parts of bicycles around here and one post won't cut it. So, this may be a recurring series of sorts spread across several posts. We will see how it all develops.  

My first batch will be my gravel bikes. Anything I primarily use for gravel riding will be included here. Future posts will cover mountain/fat bike, urban/commuter, and "Parts Bikes", which will be a category showing frames and partial bikes I have here. 

Okay, now on with the show.... 

Pofahl Signature Custom

 2007 Pofahl Signature Custom

A design I dreamed up and that Ben Witt refined and had Mike Pofahl braze up. There is guaranteed no other example like this anywhere. Modeled loosely on a first generation Karate Monkey this bike has a loooooong set of chain stays and a taller stack height than a Karate Monkey. It is single speed specific. 

I've ridden this bike at Gravel Worlds, and on several local gravel rides but it doesn't get used as much as I like to see. Some of the parts are special to me like the seat post, a Syncros 27.0 mm post I had on my 1992 Klein Attitude. The Race Face 180mm cranks were from my 1996 Diamond Back V-Link FS 26"er. It's got a Redshift ShockStop stem and a Luxy Bar, of course. 

Raleigh Tamland Two

2014 Raleigh Tamland Two

Long-time blog readers know this bike well. My "OG" gravel specific bike. Many folks forget this was one of the very first gravel specific bikes available and it was, if I dare say so myself, way ahead of its day when it comes to geometry, tire clearance, and overall handling. 

I'm probably going to ride this for the 4th this year as it is a red, white, and blue paint scheme. I've written reams about this bike, its history, and how I'm tied into that, many times, so I won't delve into that again here. But you may see a post again on this bike soon, so stay tuned. 

2008 Salsa Cycles Fargo

2008 Salsa Cycles Fargo 

One of the very first production samples of the Fargo Gen I model, I've had this bike since November 2008. You've likely seen this on the site if you've been around enough reading my posts. There isn't much to say about this bike which hasn't already been said. 

This Fargo has been on more adventures and in more events than any other bike I own. So, it is a very special bicycle to me and I still plan on riding in more events and on more adventures with this Fargo in the future. 

Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3

2023 Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3

The quest for a 29+ wheeled gravel bike finally was achieved when I got hold of this Gryphon Mk3 model from Singular Cycles. It is a unique bike with a unique set-up. 

I stuck not only a front derailleur on this supposed 1X only bike, but I used a triple crank set and 9 speed components as well. So, this bike has a weird, 1990's meets modern drop bar MTB look to it. I think it is perfect for chunky gravel, or dirt roads, where smooth riding is valued. The bike is heavy, no doubt, but it handles rough stuff really well. 

2018 Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross Disc (MCD)

2018 Black Mountain Cycles MCD

This pink beast was the bike I took on my recent BRAN trip and has been a great gravel bike  for me for many years now. Black Mountain Cycles no longer offers this model, but the nearest equivalent is their Mod Zero, which has many of this bike's attributes and more. 

This bike is what I refer to as my "skinny Fargo". It isn't a Vaya, which some of you may think of in a similar vein, but it is set up and feels like my Gen I Fargo. Just lighter. And it is pink, so there is that as well. 

Noble Bikes GX5

 2019 Noble Bikes GX5

Another bike ahead of its time and another bike you cannot get anymore. This carbon fiber bike has been a lot of fun to ride and it reminds me a lot of the Tamland Two. It should since Noble Bikes was founded by a former Raleigh engineer who worked on the Tamland. 

Funny story behind this bike: The Noble Bikes founder was adamant that this bike had a 40mm tire clearance, maximum, which wasn't crazy in 2019. However, I've fitted 700 X 47's into the bike, and 45's are no big deal. So, it is a good thing the bike had this clearance when new or I'd have probably moved off of it by now.  

King Fabrications Custom Gravel Bike (Honeman Flyer)

 2024 King Fabrications Custom Gravel Bike (Honeman Flyer)

This is the bike that photographer/writer Erik Mathy made a reality by sheer force of his will to see me, this bike, and Mid-South come together as a story he could shoot and write up. The story never materialized, as far as I know, but the bicycle and Mid-South most certainly did. 

I had come across a 1936 geometry for a track bike and at the suggestion from Coconino Cycles' Steve Garro saying this was proto-gravel geometry, I decided he was right and wanted it made. It was a wish. I did not ever expect it to come true. 

But, as I said, Erik Mathy made sure it did, and I paid my money and had the bike done in time to ride the 2024 version of Mid-South bandit style. 

Love the bike, but I wish it had bigger tire clearances.  

 2025 Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4:

And of course, the bike shown yesterday is in this category. Nothing to add here other than this has to be counted and so here it is! 

Okay, that's it for gravel bikes. Next will be a much smaller category, MTB/Fat. Stay tuned. It may be a while before I can get this next batch photographed.  

The "XLBird" Passes Testing

 I was text messaging with Ari Andonopoulos last week concerning a rear brake issue with my XL Singular Peregrine Mk4. The mount had gotten painted and it needed facing and we were discussing options to get that done without spending hundreds on a disc brake facing tool. During the conversation Ari referred to the bike as the "XLBird". 

That stuck with me. 

So going forward the XLBird name will be attached to this Peregrine Mk4. I don't make the rules folks. When someone gives you a nick-name, that's it. 

Oh....so about that brake, I ended up doing some very careful, tedious hand filing with a steel file I have and it solved the problem. No more rear brake drag. That and a loose headset were the only two gremlins I had to battle after the initial build of the bike. I did my traditional grave yard test and then a wider ranged neighborhood test ride before these adjustments. 

 Once the initial short range test rides were done, and the rear brake was figured out, I decided I could range out a bit further afield and I did an hour long ride out to the Harold Getty Lake paths. I took alleys back home too. The bike was excellent. No mechanical issues at all. 

 The post previous to this concerning this bike had a comment saying that this bike looked long. It is definitely longer than the size Large Peregrine. You can feel it when you are riding as well. The frame and fork feel like a giant spring at times. The Large Peregrine was much stiffer in this regard. 

Handling was very stable, I thought. Right after a fast downhill I hit some rutted up dirt. The bike pitched sideways but due to the stability of the front end I was easily able to catch the bike, keep it going straight, and out of the rut. Steering around tighter corners was good. Not that this bike will see a lot of single track, but it is nice to understand the bike will carve a corner if I need to do this. 

No rattles, no misshifts, brakes worked, and everything felt good. Now I may have to dig up a silver post and maybe a saddle. Then this bike is good to go. I'm very happy with the outcome of the switch to the XL frame. 

Two Things

The second part of my BRAN experience on audio is HERE

 One Day vs One Week:

 This idea popped into my head as I was writing up all the BRAN recap posts. If you read those, you can attest to all the experiences, scenery, and riding which I was afforded the opportunity to enjoy. It was a lot packed into a full week of fun, challenges, and surprises. 

Considering all the things I was writing about I was made aware that gravel events are not generally like this. They are typically one-day events and you are in and out of there before you have any time to settle into things. 

And maybe the quick in-quick out thing works for you. There is a lot going on in most folks lives and carving out time to play gravel bikes is not easy. However; if you can get a week in Summer off, here is something to consider. 

Going to a single day event has obvious entry fee costs. You have travel expenses. Maybe you can get there and back without any lodging fees, but if you have to stay in a motel, or camp, it is going to cost even more. Obviously you have to eat, and maybe you bring your rations. Most folks are going to subsist on a diet of convenience store fare or go to a restaurant.  More money spent. 

My figuring at a minimal amount spent going to a 100 mile gravel event with an average cost of $1.50 per mile (figured from my gravel event cost survey I posted last January) , using an average cost for gas currently ($3.93/gallon), and throwing in a bit for food and small extras, I come up with around $300.00 for a one day event. That is with zero lodging fees and no restaurants, beer/liquor, entertainment, etc. 

The fee to ride BRAN this year was $425.00. You have to feed yourself, get there and back, and any extras are on you. My figure for the week would have been right around 1K. (Had I paid the $425.00 entry fee and the $110.00 bus trip out) That's for seven days of gravel riding WITH support. Seven days of single day events would be $2,100.00 minimum. Probably a lot more than 2K, and especially so if you attend a "bucket list" event in there like Unbound, Gravel Worlds, Mid-South, SBT GRVL, or a Belgium Waffle event. 

If you mechanical, bonk, crash out or anything like that in a single day event? You are done. Game over. Not so at a ride like BRAN, (are there any other rides like BRAN?), where you have mechanical support, sag support, and can recoup the next day and still ride. (Unless a severe crash or medical condition arises, which is an obvious ride ender no matter the format) Plus you get seven days worth of small town charm, meeting people, and lots of cool points of interest to explore. 

Sure, BRAN, or whatever ride there is like it on gravel, is not a competition, but it is a huge experience. Like Jimi said, "Are you experienced?" Or, are you racing to be another place on a finishing roster? Yes, I am biased, and maybe competition gives you something a tour cannot. Good, You know what to do. But if you haven't considered anything beyond the traditional one-day event on gravel, well perhaps this BRAN thing is of interest. That's all...... 

Riding shotgun on ride support for a kid's Summer program

Hope For The Future?

With my being employed by the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, I get opportunities to help with children's rides during the Summer via another organization which has us volunteer to do the safety checks and ride sweep for the rides. 

Sometimes I lament over the daily sightings in my neighborhood of kids on electric scooters zipping down roads and sidewals. Or kids on throttle-controlled electric two wheeled contraptions of various sorts. It is as though we are entering into the time of the movie "Wall-E" where humans never go outside and hover around on personalized craft instead of exercising. 

But a couple of these kids rides this Summer have given me hope. One in particular where we supported a ride consisting of about six boys of 10 - 11 years of age. All had 'quality' 24" wheeled bicycles in really good condition. They all rode with each other in a small Iowa town but for one young boy from another small town further away. 

These boys were amped to ride and as we went along it was a reminder of what it was that made cycling so fun when I was young. Speed, of course, but the adventure, camaraderie, and the occasional bout of competitiveness in equal parts. This was what drew me into cycling. 

There were no cell phones, stopping to take Instagram images, Snapchats, or the making of Tik-Toks. It was just pure joy and on a bicycle, outdoors, for 12 awesome miles. These boys were all about it. This experience was a shock to the system for me. 

Maybe there is a little hope after all. 

Ride For Jacob: Setting A Date

Things are getting on now and I feel it is time to start planning for my "Ride For Jacob". This is a gravel ride I'm doing this Summer in honor of my son, Jacob Stevenson who died suddenly of unknown causes on August 2nd, 2025. 

Last year I did a ride from Waterloo, Iowa through Janesville, Shell Rock, and then New Hartford before returning to Waterloo via Cedar Falls. 

I plan on doing the same route this Summer. It's a fairly easy route. No drastic climbing, nothing technical about it. Just a fun ride in the country. 

Here's what I am thinking now. My first choice is July 25th, which is a day after what would have been Jacob's birthday this year. My other choice is August 8th, also a Saturday. If I can get a volunteer to take my hours on either of those dates I will write it down in pen as the date. My preference is the July date. 

IF you want to join me, you can. This is not an "event", but if people show up, I will plan on riding a no-drop group ride with them. There will be a GPS file of the route available soon. Time will likely be around 8:00am for a start. The route when I rode it last year was 67 miles. I'd expect that, or near to that, for a total. 

I may start this ride in Cedar Falls, and if I do it will definitely be shorter for anyone joining me. I'm riding from my house so I'll have more miles, at least ten more. 

So, that's all I have for now.I just wanted to get this out there so if anyone wants to put this on their radar as a possible ride opportunity they can do that. I'll have more fine details here and on my alternate blog site for this ride HERE.

Stay tuned for more soon....