Friday News And Views

Apologies:

The 32”er wheel news was a mistake on my part and I apologize for the mistake  

Thanks for the folks in the comments who set me straight  I appreciate you all  

New Podcast With Dark Reader Questions:

We like reader questions and Josh, (a local rider. Hello Josh!), loves sending us questions. He sent one in recently which gave rise to the title of our latest episode, "The Death Bike"

Without giving too much away, the premise of the main question was this: You have five good, healthy years left. Then you die. You have ONE bike to ride these last five years, and price is no barrier. What would you build? 

We jokingly called this our "death bike" dream build. So, that is why we named the episode as we have. At any rate, it is Halloween weekend! Please enjoy the new episode, and there is a lot more in there than just that topic to listen to. 

We're closing in on the end of Season 4 of the Guitar 
Ted Podcast. Four seasons and we have already recorded 122 episodes. Thirty-Two just this year alone. The total output of the Guitar Ted Podcast has already outstripped the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch's output in less than half the amount of time. As I look back the decision to take control of the production was a wise one from a podcast production standpoint. 

Hopefully you listeners are enjoying the podcast and we still like doing it. New things are in the works for 2027. Stay tuned....

I Get No Respect:

In the annals of gravel event history in the Modern Era, Barry-Roubaix is often forgotten or ignored for some reason. 

I'm not sure why this is. The event has perennially been one of the largest gravel events anywhere with 5,700 riders annually now. It boasts a prize pool worth $40,000 dollars. It is well sponsored by the cycling industry and is one of the best run events anywhere in cycling. 

But do you ever read or hear anything about this event? If you do, it is rare to see it mentioned in mainstream media that covers cycling. And maybe that is a good thing. Maybe it helps preserve the feel of this event. But the importance and influence this event has, and still does, cannot be denied. 

That influence is important to gravel cycling history. Co-founders of Barry-Roubaix, Rick Plite and his wife, Cathy Plite probably should have already been in the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame by this point. (PLEASE, someone nominate them HERE) They not only deserve being in the Hall, they are a glaring omission from it. 

And by the way, you can register for the 2027 Barry-Roubaix, scheduled for April 17th, 2027, on November 14th on BIKEREG. Barry-Roubaix Homepage HERE.  

Not Much Happening:

Typically I have to edit out several stories from appearing here on the FN&V. However; this week has been a slow news week,and so this FN&V will be a brief one this week. 

There is another circumstance which may be affecting this shorter FN&V if anything breaks news-wise on Thursday. But to learn why that is, you'll have to come back here on Saturday and read that day's entry. 

There are a few things percolating in the background here which I cannot discuss just yet. That all should get announced soon. 

Reviews are all starting to be wrapped up. I think I have something like three more to go before I can put the 2026 review season in the rear view mirror. Speaking of rear view mirrors.... 

I'll be working up my end-of-year stuff soon too. 2026 is quickly coming to a close. Meanwhile we tied a record for temperature here on Wednesday at 79°. 

Ridiculous. 

Okay folks.....go ride those bicycles!

Review: Aeron TPU Tubes Final Word

 Note: Guitar Ted received Aeron TPU tubes and a patch kit at no charge for test and review from Aeron. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

The Aeron TPU tubes ended up in this wheel set. 

 
 It is time to put the Aeron TPU tube test to rest. As I had intended to do, I put the Aeron tubes in the Rene Herse tires I have and set those up on an old set of HED Ardennes + wheels I had laying around with a quick release interface. That worked out to test the wheels on the Fargo. The last update can be seen HERE. 

During the test we found out that these tubes can be transferred successfully from one tire to another. I thought this was a good thing to learn because some of us change out tires more than others, and if the Aeron tubes were okay with moving from one tire size to another, I thought this might help alleviate anyone's concerns who might be thinking about making the switch to TPU tubes. 

Image courtesy of Aeron

I know a few folks who are converting bikes from tubeless to TPU tube set ups. It is a great idea if you have multiple bikes and tubeless maintenance is driving you mad. Setting up a few bikes that do not get ridden often with TPU tubes instead will save on that maintenance and get you riding faster when the time comes to ride. 

Like many newer TPU tubes, Aeron is using an aluminum valve stem and they have a removable core. Technology moves fast though and some TPU tubes now feature fully threaded aluminum vale stems. I like that idea a little better than the partial threaded stem Aeron employs. 

Aeron uses a 'multi-layer TPU'' in their TPU tube construction which I felt was a boon to durability and for successful transfer of an Aeron TPU tube from one tire to another. 

As previously mentioned, Aeron makes this tube to work with a 650B size rim and tire. This makes mounting an Aeron TPU tube in a 700c wheel and tire a chore. More than it should be. I'd rather see Aeron go with separate sizes for both wheel diameters. 

Final Word: The ride quality is fine. Again, it isn't tubeless smooth, but it is close and you may have trouble telling any difference. It's that close. I feel it, but I admit it is a subtle difference. I wouldn't trade off tubeless for any brand of TPU tubes if I lived in an area with puncture problems like sharp rocks or thorns/goat heads and the like.  But for riding anywhere else I do not see a disadvantage to TPU. It certainly eliminates the hassles of tubeless maintenance and TPU outperforms butyl rubber in several ways. 

Would I go with the Aeron TPU tubes? They are very good, but with new TPU tubes having fully threaded valve stems and with other brands offering dedicated 700c sizing, I would spend my money elsewhere. Aeron is just a tic off with this offering, and if they corrected the sizing issue, and upgraded the valve stem I would be totally fine with this brand. The TPU tube itself is very good. 

Find Aeron TPU Tubes HERE.  

No Sir, I Do Not Like It

Singular Pterodactyl (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

So, as I've hinted here previously, there is an opportunity for myself to partake in an adventure which will be an unpaved trek. This particular possibility would be a prime candidate for a 32"er. Obviously, I do not own one. I do not need another bicycle, but I am curious about a larger diameter wheel on unpaved roads. 

To that end I've been looking at some currently available 32" wheeled bicycles. My focus has been on the Singular Pterodactyl, the Salsa Cycles Fargo, and the Twin Six 3x2 bike. 

Of course, there are other 32" wheeled options out there, most of which are custom and very expensive. Leaving prices aside, availability is not great, and if I decide to go custom you always run the risk of being let down, which I've experienced first hand with custom bikes. So, I think I'd rather not go that route, both from my experiences and from the price standpoint. 

Salsa Cycles Fargo 32"ers. (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

I checked out each of the three 32 inch wheeled bikes mentioned above and I was not 100% sold on the decisions made on each bike. There is something about each one which kind of puts me off on pursuing getting one of the three. Of all of these, the Singular comes the closest to what I'd do, but it is not really all that different than the others as far as things which bug me. And to be fair, some of this stuff would probably bug me about any 32"er. 

Things like the seat tube length. Maybe I am not accounting for how seat tube length has to be different for a 32"er. I am not sure about that. However; any seat tube shorter than 53cm is going to have a boatload of exposed seat post for my preferred fit. Two of these choices fall well short of 53cm, so this kind of concerns me. Again, maybe I just don't understand the geometry on 32 inch wheels, but it seems to me that I would definitely not be happy with a short seat tube and a ton of exposed seat post. Been there, done that on an early 29"er. The Pterodactyl I'd fit best on (Size Large) has a 55cm seat tube. That's great.

Secondly, bottom bracket drop is all over the place. I like what Salsa Cycles has done on the Fargo, dropping the bottom bracket below the axles at 106mm, while the other two bikes seem to have quite a bit less drop than this. I don't like high bottom brackets on 700 c bikes, so this concerns me as well. 

The head angle on the Twin Six 3x2 is 69.5°, but the Fargo's is even slacker at 67° and the Pterodactyl seems steep at 71°. Of course, fork offset can be altered to get handling dialed in and the Fargo has 51mm, which seems like not quite enough for that slack a head angle and 32" wheels. Then the T-6 has a flip chip, so you can set their fork at 52mm or 59mm. Seems like a better deal with the unknown of 32" wheels. The Pterodactyl offset is 50mm, which seems like not enough to avoid toe overlap with a steeper head angle, but the trail is already stated to be at 88mm, so.... 

Twin Six 3x2 (Image courtesy of Twin Six)

And finally, the fit is odd for myself. I either have "okay" stand over and maybe a tiny bit too short a front center, or barely any stand over and good to almost too much front center distance. Stack height on any of these is ridiculously tall, so this explains all the negative rise stems you are seeing on 32"ers. 

Soo.... What with the expense, the unknowns, having to downsize my fleet, and parts acquisitions, (wheels?!!) this idea seems like a really tough pill to swallow right now. I guess where I am at is that I really don't want a bike that has several compromises just to experience 32" wheels. Not for what it would cost, or from my perspective of being where I am at in life. 

N.Y. Roll is getting the Twin Six 3x2. I may get to spin that around the block, if he is kind enough to allow me to try it out. But the others would be totally on faith and by the numbers. And right now, I'd say,"No sir, I do not like it."  

And it isn't as if I don't have bicycles. Right? I'd be fine with the Fargo Gen I, or the Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3, which is a fantastic, versatile bike. I have the Black Mountain Cycles MCD, a very fine rig, and the Singular Peregrine Mk4, which is also a capable bike. 

No shade on anyone who has a 32"er or is jonesing for one. I get it. I just don't think the cake is fully baked yet, and I want to see some refinement in geometry and sizing before I'd be willing to jump in. And again, I may never jump in. But if something like this ever came around, I might change my mind. 

Winterizing: Ti Muk 2

 Today I'm going to walk you through my first stages of the Winterizing of my Ti Muk 2, the 2015 titanium Mukluk I have. This is my main commuter and adventure rig during the 'Dark Days'. 

Let's look at the image here of the back end of my Ti Muk 2. The Salsa Alternator Plus Rack  is the basis for mounting the Schmidt rear tail light which runs off the front SON generator hub. Note the red arrow. (You can click on the image to enlarge it). I ran the wires for the rear tail light through an old section of floor pump hose, using that hose as a conduit to protect the wires from the elements and from accidental snagging or scuffing which could damage the wires and render the tail light inoperable. 

Because I chose to route that conduit under the deck of the rack, my "fender" solutions have to go over the top of the rack. This worked okay for several years. However; the Dave's Mud Shovel rear flap cracked badly and I had to scrap it when I got the Ti Muk 2 out for this maintenance.  I decided to try a coroplast sign as a basis for making a rear mudguard. I've noted several other folks do this and those signs are cheap (usually free), and plentiful. Mine was a sign sourced from a roofing company. 

The yellow arrow shows a rusty chain. This will be getting replaced as well. More on that in a bit...

I cut down a strip of coroplast material for my rear mudguard. 

 Please understand I am not concerned about aesthetics when it comes to my commuter bikes. They just have to be functional. So, this bit of coroplast is going on there with all the signage intact and the slightly trashy look is fine with me. It'll keep the wet slush off me and the bike, for the most part, and this is the main goal here. 

Coroplast is tough, but easily cut, bent, and punctured with an awl. That last attribute is handy when trying to affix the strip I cut to the rack deck. I used zip ties through the holes I poked through the material and attached the new mudguard securely. 

This now allows me protection from the elements, helps keep the bike cleaner, and matches up nearly perfectly with the previously installed bit of mud guard mounted off the seat tube. (Yellow arrow)

I didn't want to extend the tail of the mudguard too far as it already shrouds the tail light to a degree, but that light will reflect off the coroplast some and possibly keep the eyes of drivers from being blinded behind me. I may end up with a trunk bag and if I do I may install an auxiliary light on the bag which would be higher up and not obstructed by my mud guard. 

Yeah....That chain is toast!

I had a pretty good run with a KMC Rustbuster chain which came stock on my 2014 Blackborow. That now needs replacing, so I may try to track down two of those chains to get the fat bikes squared away for chains for the near future. 

After the chains come in I will also do a sealant refresh. Last year I totally went through these tires and scraped out about five years worth of old sealant, so this year I'll just inject more sealant and be done with it. I'll likely make my own, in case you are wondering what brand I'm going with. No 'brand'. Just "MG's Secret Formula". (Put it in the blog search if you really want to know about it.)

After all of that I think I'll need to get around to addressing the 45NRTH pogies I use with this bike. The "gaskets" those came with weren't a good design, as they were too thin and flipped off while I was riding last Winter. I ended up stuffing rags in the openings to get by, but now it is time to come up with a better solution. 

And that should about cover everything I need to do on the Ti Muk 2. Stay tuned for further updates.....  

Stan's Rolled Gold Sealant Review: Final Word

 NOTE: Stan's sent over some of their new Rolled Gold sealant for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions. We were not paid, nor bribed for this review. All opinions are N.Y. Roll's and Guitar Ted's

The Stan's Rolled Gold sealant was sent to us back in August. I shared some of the sealant with N.Y. Roll who used it in his road bike set up at a higher pressure than I was using. I used around 35psi to 40 psi in my testing. 

If you missed the introduction to this product, please see the article HERE. 

I was most interested in hearing how things went for N.Y. Roll. Although he used the sealant on a few longer rides, there were no puncture stories to share, so unfortunately we do not have anything to relate to you dear readers on that front. I know N.Y. Roll said everything was fairly normal from his standpoint. 

I rode my set up on gravel and around town here some. Again - No puncture stories to tell. However; N.Y. Roll and I did note that the Rolled Gold, for whatever reasons, kept air pressure very well. 

Final Verdict: This is a good sealant, just from a daily usage standpoint, because it holds air pressure so well. It actually outperformed another TPU set up I am testing in this regard. Punctures? Well, Stan's has a pretty good reputation in regard to sealing punctures, so I expect this Rolled Gold will do the job. But again, 'no soup for us' when it came to experiencing a natural puncture. 

Rolled Gold inside. Still sloshing around after two months. 

 Keeping in mind that I used about 60ml of sealant in each tire, where I generally use 100+ in each tire, I was worried this sealant would dry out quickly. Well, after two months it is still running wet inside each tire, and can hear sealant sloshing around in each tire. No worries there. I would expect this sealant to run about as long as Stan's normal sealant does, which for me is around six months or so. 

Okay, well that's about it for Rolled Gold. I think if you are riding one of these newer endurance/all-road bikes with the 30mm - 38mm tires this sealant would do wonders there. Otherwise, for myself, I'll be running my typical sealants for lower pressure gravel travel from here on out. 

Two Things

Image courtesy of Rene Herse Cycles

 New Rene Herse 32" Tires And Thoughts On 32" Gravel:

 News this week broke on several new 32" tires, but the one new entry into 32" which I found intriguing is the one from Rene Herse Cycles. They announced a 32" Indiana Pass tire which is a semi-slick central treaded tire meant for bike packing and all-road usage. 

My take on Rene Herse tires are you either really like them or you just do not like them at all. They can be problematic for some folks and the negatives are all over the internet for anyone to find if you look for those comments. Others rave about these tires and love them. I'm not in either camp, and yes - I do have a set. 

None of this matters to me, but what I do find interesting is the fact that Rene Herse is doing a 32"er at all. I think it is pretty well known that Panaracer makes Rene Herse tires, so first off, you have to think that a Gravel King 32" tire is coming at some point.  

But I also find it interesting that Rene Herse is not known as an OEM type of business. Rene Herse is almost exclusively an aftermarket brand. So, if Rene Herse finds 32" a thing they need to address, they must feel the demand is going to be there in the aftermarket for their tire. 

But it also probably points to Panaracer having an OE order and that some company (or companies) are going to have a 32" Panaracer tire spec on 32" bikes. My guess its a Gravel King, because why not? Panaracer has made the Gravel King name its Golden Goose for over a decade now. No reason to stop using that name. Well....unless they think up something 'better'. 

Personally I am still on the fence concerning a 32"er. But I do have something in mind which I feel a 32"er would be great at. So....maybe. We'll see.... 

Charles City, Iowa social media post

Electric Bikes, Scooters Ordinance Example

Readers may know and perhaps remember me bringing up how many Iowa communities were wrestling with the issue of electrified bicycles, scooters, and other electric powered vehicles with two wheels. 

Some of these communities are now placing ordinances into effect to regulate these devices and I have an example from one such community here to share today. This is from the town I was born and raised in, Charles City, Iowa. 

Note: You can click on the image to emlarge it a bit. 

Key highlights are that Charles City calls scooters and the like "PTV" vehicles. Interesting... 

Then there are the speed limits. 8mph on sidewalks, (where permitted), and 15mph on trails. Plus, all things not a bicycle are prohibited on streets with a speed limit of 30mph or above. 

Helmets for younger riders and age restrictions on Class 3 e-bikes. Otherwise the "bicycle" part is largely left alone. Obviously, this ordinance is focused on scooters and e-moto devices. (PTV's)

One thing to keep in mind is that Charles City, Iowa is a small community. The population is 7,396 as of 2020. So, their regulation needs are perhaps quite different than say, a big urban area. That said, I think this ordinance will be easier for the authorities to enforce since it primarily focuses on the scooter issues. 

Country Views: Almost Finished

Escape Route: Shaulis Road bike trail.

This weather is nuts! It was nearly 80 degrees (Fahrenheit) on Thursday with a light Southerly breeze. Not a cloud in the sky. Perfect cycling weather for any given Summer day, only we are deep into Fall here. 

Weird!

So, while I have several Winterizing house projects begging to get done, I decided to roll out during the afternoon from Prairie Grove Park and see about that new bridge on Hoff Road which was under construction yet the last time I was down that way. 

I was riding the Noble GX5 and was dressed in typical Summer kit. This just is super rare air for Iowa. Usually I'd be wearing my long-sleeved wool and a vest by this point into the year. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but I know it is not 'right' either. 

New bridge rail lean

A view from the bridge looking South down Hoff Road

When I saw that the bridge was going to be replaced a while back I had visions of this spot getting changed so much I would no longer recognize it. But much to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. The County used a lot more cement in the construction of this bridge over the old bridge's mostly wooden underpinnings, but they kept the guard rails on posts for railings. That was a nice throw-back touch, but I am certain the County was not interested in keeping the vibe real here. I was just pleased it kind of turned out that way. 

A mostly shorn landscape now.

But not every field has been harvested yet

I noted how much the gravel had been pulverized by the monster harvesting machinery. My friend, Tony, was in to visit at the Collective on Wednesday and told me it was VERY dusty and dry out there. He was not wrong! The relative humidity has dropped a lot since our monsoon September and with little rain the past two weeks it has gotten decidedly drier. I didn't really have to worry about it at first, but later on the dust became a big issue.  Great for testing chain lube though!

 

Again, the weather was so spectacular. The only thing reminding me it wasn't Summer was how low the angle of the Sun is now. Well, that and the fields. So two things, really. But otherwise this ride could have been in June, if you'd have blindfolded me, and I could ride a bike blindfolded. Ha!

The gravel, besides being dry and pulverized in many spots, was fairly chunky and clean lines were rare. I ended up on the far right side a few times looking for smoother travel. But overall, it wasn't bad. It was more that I have a slight cold and my knees were roached from riding fixed gear recently that made riding a little harder on this day.  

Finishing up corn harvest here. 

There were three semi-tractor trailer rigs ferrying corn from this field. 

I finally came across some late harvesting action. It was a corn field and the semi-tractor trailer rigs were making the rounds ferrying corn as fast as they could. There were three that I saw and they were in a hurry too. Obviously, this kicked up a fair amount of dust. 

Once I turned on to Ansborough I was essentially riding through a fog of pulverized limestone. It was insane.  This is why I really try to avoid riding during the harvest. It is dangerous and farmers don't like seeing rando cyclists out with the potential to get in their way. They are kind, no doubt, I could tell because they were very cautious around me. However; it would be easy to get lost in the dusty haze and be squashed by some behemoth machinery. 

Traveling on an East-West road was not all that bad.....

 

...It was the North-South roads which could be treacherous. 

I hung as far back from vehicles, once they passed by, as I could, but Ansborough was like a county blacktop on this particular day what with all the traffic due to harvesting. I was not comfortable here, and I was happy to turn off on Washburn Road and to get away from all of that business. 

 Like I say, I don't like riding during the harvest, but since September was essentially a no-ride month, I am behind the eight ball, as the saying goes, to get stuff done. This ride helped me out a ton in making some progress and I feel better about that. But yeah....not a fan of riding out there when harvest is in full swing. 

The good news is that it looks as though the farmers will have wrapped up activities by the end of the weekend, I would guess. Then it will return to a more normal type of traffic count and I won't feel as though I am in the way out there. 

I don't know how long this weather will hold out, and maybe things will go swing hard the other way for a bit. I don't know, but I'll grab whatever rides I can until the weather says otherwise this Fall.