Two Things

Image courtesy of Continental Tire

 Continental Previews 32" Dubnital Tires:

 First of all, don't get too excited. These will not be available until April 2027. However; it is definitely noteworthy to see Continental doing a 32" tire. 

Continental didn't divulge too much technical information on these tires just yet. They did not even hint at width, or whether or not there would be multiple widths of the 32" Dubnital. They only mentioned it is for XC MTB and Gravel.

Like the image Conti shared, there are a lot of shadows which need to be enlightened. But also, one should take note of this development in light of Continentals history with new sizes of bicycle tires in the past.  

Particularly with regard to 29" tires. Conti was slow to develop wider, more aggressive 29"er tires when other companies were already in the marketplace with them. I was told by a high placed Conti rep at the time that the Germans were slow and conservative when it comes to new ideas. Certainly it would seem this has changed somewhat with their tease of a 32" Dubnital. 

Another German based bicycle tire manufacturer, Schwalbe, has also announced future availability of 'gravel sized' G-One RS Pro and G-One RX Pro level tires in the 686 (32") x 50mm and 55mm sizes.  

These are a prime examples of when a respected leaders in the bicycle tire field show a premium product in a new size indicating the bicycles with these tires as OE spec are coming. Continental and Schwalbe are not banking on aftermarket sales to pay for the research and development, tooling, and marketing of a new 32" tire. No, they have already sold a big order to some company, or companies, which are footing the bills. 

It's looking more and more like 2027 is going to be the Year of the 32" Wheel. 

Trenton Raygor in the white jersey here from T.I.v12. Image by Celeste Mathias

The Gravels Are Alright:

I was cruising Facebook, as I often do, and came across a great post by Trenton Raygor. 

Trenton was the race director for the Day Across Minnesota event (DAMn), and the Filthy 50 event, which happened just a week ago. 

Trenton has "retired" from RD duties and was attending the Filthy 50 as a rider with his two sons. In the post he wrote eloquently on the subject of where Gravel had been and where it is at now. In a word, his thoughts might be summed up by saying that Gravel is "healthy". 

Trenton's take is a good one because it is based on experience. He was there at the beginnings of Modern Gravel, and he saw its early growth. He participated in the seminal early events, and he created a couple of classic ones as well. I also know Trenton is passionate about the genre', and he cares deeply about it. His desire to tell the story of gravel is strong, though you may not know this about him. So, when I saw his post, and how he so succinctly expressed his ideas tying together gravels past and it's present, it gave me hope for gravels future. 

Apologies to The Who, but The Gravels Are Alright.

It Is A Road Bike

What the heck is "Gravel™" anyway?

Okay, I know I have written thousands of words regarding what I am about to write about here ((again!) today. The thing is, I've seen some things on the internet lately which points to the fact that the cycling industry and the mainstream cycling media has lost its way. Especially when it comes to "Gravel" as a category. 

First up is a video I saw from "Velo", I believe it was, that was so poorly done and out of touch with reality I could only make it through about a quarter of the way into the piece. 

In the video this media outlet purported to be testing six "gravel bikes" to see what the future of gravel cycling could be. Apparently it should be something other than real gravel road riding because everything they were doing was pointing to off-roading, or in the common person''s parlance, mountain biking. 

Get this: Gravel ROAD cycling is done on ROADS. Not on single track fellas! Man! I was astounded when I saw them riding an aero focused road bike on rocky, rooty single track after the narrator tried to say these bikes were not going to be tested on "real mountain biking terrain". 

Look, we're not stupid. That was mountain biking. Mountain biking with bicycles meant for roads. Dumb. Just really dumb. 

An "All-Roads" bike - Image courtesy of Trek Bicycles

Next thing I see we're talking about an "all-roads" bike which has come out from Moots with 42mm tire clearance which is meant to tackle any type of road surface. 

Oh! You mean like a gravel bike does? No..... The brands think they are inventing a "new category" which is an outgrowth of the "Endurance road bike" niche because, well, "not everyone wants a gravel bike". 

Because gravel bikes are mountain bikes, only less capable and without suspension, right? Like an all-road bike, only with MTB tires stuffed in there? 

Again, dumb. 

See, here's what the brands don't seem to understand. Gravel bikes are ROAD bikes. The term "gravel" refers to "gravel roads", and was not the ideal terminology, but hey! The industry adopted it, so you only have yourselves (speaking to the cycling industry here), to blame for this stupid situation we see where confusion reigns and people try to test a road bike on MTB terrain and think they are discovering "The Future" of something. 

Fools......

Note: The latest Guitar Ted Podcast also covers this and more HERE.  

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of DT Swiss

DT Swiss Offers Gravel Suspension Forks Aftermarket:

Previous to this announcement the only way you could get a DT Swiss gravel suspension fork was to buy a complete bicycle spec'ed with it. Now this has changed with DT Swiss offering two versions of the fork for sale to anyone wanting them. 

There are two versions of DT Swiss' F-132 gravel suspension fork. The base F 132 with no lock-out feature and the F 132 One with remote lock-out. (Shown in image here) 

The forks both feature 40mm of air-sprung travel with PLAINGAIN (f 132 One) or OPENFLOW (F 132) hydraulic damping.  The F 132 One also has adjustable rebound. 

There are three offset options and an offset finder to best match an offset to your gravel bike's geometry. Both forks can also be fitted with the bike packing adapters allowing up to 3Kg of cargo on each leg.  

Prices for the forks are $1,269.00 USD for the F 132 One and  $893.00 USD for the F 132. You can learn more about these forks on DT Swiss' page on the forks HERE. 

Comments: Okay, up front I will remind you dear readers that I am not at all a fan of "gravel suspension forks" of the telescopic type. (Lauf's fork is fine with me) Why? Because the telescopic forks weigh a lot. A Redshift Sports ShockStop stem weighs under 300 grams, in most instances. A suspension fork weighs up to 4 times that amount or more depending on the model. A gravel suspension fork adds a lot of weight over their rigid, carbon siblings. A typical carbon gravel fork weighs around 600 grams, or over half as much as most telescopic gravel suspension forks. A Redshift ShockStop stem only adds about 160 grams to a typical stem weight (aluminum). 

Then you have the maintenance. Fork maintenance intervals for these DT Swiss forks are better than the competition, but a light service after one year (recommended) and a full servicing after two years (recommended), is probably enough labor cost to buy two more ShockStop stems. And those stems require zero maintenance.  

Finally, you might add that 40mm of travel is better than what the ShockStop offers. Yes, in terms of just the numbers, it is. However; it is what those components are meant to do that matters. I want vibration reduction. I don't use a gravel bike as a mountain bike. Your mileage may vary, but "gravel" should really be called "all-roads" with an emphasis on the ROAD part.  Anything OFF-ROAD is mountain biking. Period. If your riding is more OFF-ROAD than a real suspension fork with at least 100mm of travel is what you should probably be running. Rigid fork riders notwithstanding, but this 40mm of travel stuff is not doing what gravel riders need (excessive weight, more maintenance, little benefit) and it is not doing what MTB riders need (too little travel). A suspension stem like the Redshift example reduces vibrations tremendously. I'm much more interested in the vibration reduction myself. 

But that is MY opinion. Certainly, you do not have to agree.  

Image courtesy of Clik Valve

Clik Valve Offers TPU Tubes:

Clik Valve now offers AeroBlue TPU tubes for road, gravel, MTB, and fat bike uses. The AeroBlue TPU tubes also are e-pump safe having been tested to 130°C/266°F. The metal reinforced composite valve stem stays stable and will take repeated e-pump usage no problem. 

The road/gravel AeroBlue TPU tubes are $24.00 USD each and can be seen HERE.  

 Comments: Clik Valve is so easy to use that this application with TPU tubes is a combination which is so right it cannot be wrong. Connecting a Clik Valve pump is so easy and takes so little effort that there is pretty much no way you'll damage a valve stem. 

"But Guitar Ted, my e-pump doesn't have a Clik Valve adapter!" Gotcha covered!  

I just converted one of my tubeless set ups to Clik Valve recently and I am now looking to add more bikes with these TPU options available now. I want to get a set of these tubes in for a test first, but I have little doubt I'll be happy with these as opposed to a straight up old Presta Valve TPU tube.  

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth

Wolf Tooth Chooses Unique Marketing Strategy With Pedals:

Wolf Tooth announced on Wednesday that they are making a special run of 150 pairs of Shift pedals in a camo anodized finish. But you can only buy them at select bicycle shops. 

The $290.00 USD pedals for Enduro, Downhill, or extreme MTB will be available through 46 selected bicycle shops in store, or you might get a set if you are lucky from an authorized Wolf Tooth dealer as Wolf Tooth held back 20 pairs for dealers who reach out to them. 

Comments: The product aside, this is an interesting way to market product.  For one thing, Wolf Tooth says this is the "first" offering of a limited edition product through its dealer network. Obviously this leaves the door open for other things. 

But what is interesting to me is that this could lead to a "co-op" approach for LBS dealers. Imagine 20 independent bike shops getting a run of gravel bikes from a Chinese brand. Or a run of clothing, exclusive to certain brick and mortar shops. 

Getting individual bike shops to coordinate a project like I am suggesting may seem laughable to many, but imagine what could happen if dealers decided to band together on mass ordering certain products. There is great potential there. This could be done in a pre-order style, so there would be no overstock issues and exclusivity would make buying in for customers a bit more enticing.  

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Nominations Open For 2027:

The next class of Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame folks will be inducted into the hall next June. The nominations for this class are open now and will be accepted through to November 30th. 

To learn how you should nominate someone for inclusion in the GCHoF see THIS PAGE. 

Image courtesy of SILCA

SILCA Offers Omata 'Mechatronic' Cycling Computer:

 You are riding in a group and about 150 yards from your next turn everyone's GPS device starts beeping and squawking as though there were a raft of droids along for the adventure. Maybe this is accepted "cycling culture" in the 2020's, but SILCA now offers an alternative to the digital interference. 

SILCA offers what they claim is the "world's first mechatronic cycling computer" which silently shows speed, distance, and elevation. All while collecting data internally for later consumption. It features an all-analog display using a dial indicator type of look.

The Omata mounts on a typical Garmin or Wahoo cleat mounting standard and is USB rechargeable. It is housed in an aluminum case with a rotating bezel for mode selection. The unit is also ANT+ compatible so power data, heart rate, and cadence can be collected for later reference. 

The Omata is available now and costs an expensive $800.00 USD. You can check out the Imperial version HERE. There is a metric version available as well.  

Comments: I love the idea of a simple, basic computer. I love the no-LED read-out. The form factor is cool. But the price? Yikes! 

Don't get me wrong, it is most likely a very fair price, (see the video for the Omata HERE),  but I am disappointed in the cost as it is prohibitive and I am unlikely to get this for myself. 

That's a wrap on this week. Get out there and ride those bikes! 

Review: WTB Course & Byway Aero Gravel Tires - Update On The Course Tire

 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. 

It is finally time to give a ride update on the WTB Course 700 X 52mm tire set I am testing. Earlier I gave my update on the Byway 700 X 50mm tires and you can check that out HERE. 

In my First Impressions article on the new WTB aero gravel tires, I noted that the Course was being run at 35psi. I did lower the pressure to around 30psi and for my last run I was in the upper 20's psi. I'll get to what this did for the ride quality and performance of this tire shortly. 

I have run this tire on similar roads and terrain as I have the Byway. That being decomposed gravel, dirt, pavement, broken up pavement, and gravel. Something a little different from the Byway test was an addition of some dirt single track and deep, fresh gravel which was ridden with the Course tires. 

Conditions were mostly dry to very dry. I haven't run this tire through any mud to speak of, but I have found that the rounded profile of this tire has a very pronounced effect on handling in looser terrain. So, what little wet ground was ridden over provided me with a hint as to how this tire will handle mud. 

The rounded profile, an integral part of this tire's aero performance, does cause this tire to be predisposed to lack lateral stability. The knobs are there, yes, but in my testing, even at lower pressures, you are only riding on the central strip of tread. Those side knobs?...

Oh! Wait, aren't those "side knobs" actually those aero doohickeys?  Yes, those are the aero features which are supposed to help detach the air flow over the tire. So, in reality, there aren't really any side knobs for cornering here. Besides, the way those are arranged on the casing, you'd have to lean over pretty far to get them engaged in the surface anyway. .

So, these tires are really about volume and aero. The Byway and this Course tire do ride nicely, that much I'll give them. The aero part? Again, I have no way to quantify this aspect of these tires. Maybe there is something to this. 

I need to report on the current width of these tires which is 51.3mm on the WTB CGR i23 rims. Yes, the slightly narrower rim seems to hold back a true 52mm measurement, but not by much. A wider rim internally might prove to be a better fit here, this is true, but these are the wheels I had available at the time for testing. 

Now, as far as ride quality goes on gravel I will say again that the tire is damped well. It is not the best at this quality, but the Course and Byway are near the top of tires I have tried in this regard. The Course is also fast rolling, maybe a tic off the Byway. In my roll down test the Course did not fare as well as the Byway on the paved portion, but it did just as well on the gravel portion of the test. The Course is a better rolling tire than most gravel tires I have tested. 

On really rough, deep, loose gravel this tire tended to want to dance around a bit. Note: The Byway wasn't ridden on gravel this challenging. This would be the kind of gravel conditions which would make most riders not want to ride, for reference. It was tough sledding. Here in Iowa, you can run across a few miles of this type of deep, loose gravel on any given ride. 

This is the kind of road surface where aero has no bearing, but a supple casing and a good design will shine. The Course was above average in these conditions. Again, like the Byway, these tires did not squirt out rocks sideways as many tires will do in these conditions. I feel this speaks to the casing design and construction being above the average for gravel tires. 

On smoother gravel the tire's speed was quite noticeable. Again, whether the aero factor played into this I cannot say. I just know these tires seemed very free to roll and I was able to sustain speed and coasting to a greater degree than I would see with many other gravel tires I have tried. 

Other soft surfaces were simply average on these tires. Dirt is fine, as long as it isn't loamy. loose over hard pack, or sandy. The roundness of the casing just is not going to allow you to put down a very large contact patch given the girth of the casing. Add in how these tires do not do well at the lower end of the pressure range and it all points to a tire which is really about speed over dry, harder gravel and dirt surfaces. 

Okay, the next time I update this review it will be a final look at both the Byway and the Course tires. Stay tuned....

Country Views: Harvest Begins

Escape Route: Rainbow Avenue

The weather has been nicer of late, but really hot for October. We've had several 80 degree days nearly touching on 90 degrees. Not normal! 

But there has been little to no rain, the humidity has backed way off, and some days have been near perfect for cycling. Tuesday was one of those days. 

It was only in the 70's! Not too hot at all, and the wind was light. I decided to go do the "Northwest Passage" route. It takes me Northwest along the Cedar River until I get to Cedar Falls where I cross the river to the North side and then take a combination of bike trail, black top, and chip seal to get to the gravel North of town. 

This might have been the last time I wear just a Summer kit for the year as it is forecast to be actual Fall temperatures by the weekend. We'll see...... Next week might get warm again. Anyway, it felt odd to be wearing just a jersey and shorts on October 13th! 

I rode the XLBird since it has some chain lube on it I am testing along with those WTB tires. (More on those things coming soon) I regretted riding that bike afterward. You'll see why soon... 

Trolley Car Trail in Cedar Falls.

One of my favorite views in Black Hawk County

I got over to Cedar Falls alright and as I started up Big Woods Lake Trail I passed by a couple of casual e-Bikers. I turned my head back a second and out of the side of my eye I caught something bearing down on me faster than I was going. I waited and then a few seconds later I heard the tell-tale sound of an electric motor, squeaky suspension bits, and fat tires coming. E-moto kid passed me by doing at least 20 something mph. At least he had a motorcycle helmet on....

Big views

Big Chunk

With all that nearly perfect road I had last time out I knew I was not going to get that type of road surface again soon. Nope. And I was correct in my assumptions as the County had been out very recently and poured some deep, fresh gravel carpet out there to welcome me. 

One thing I noted was how differently the yellowish gravel rode compared to the whiter stuff.  It's all limestone, crushed to a certain size, and dumped across the roadway. But my wheels reacted to each type slightly differently. I thought this was interesting. By the way, it seemed Western Mount Vernon Road was of the yellow type and Eastern was the whiter, grayer type. Different quarry sources results in different types of gravel. 

At any rate, both types were rattling the crap out of me and my right shoulder was aching. Now I do not have a ShockStop stem on this bike because I don't want a black stem. The stem must be silver. I have requested a silver ShockStop stem from Redshift, by the way. Who else would buy a silver ShockStop stem? Let me know in the comments. 

 

The chunky goodness was slowing me down and working me harder. I tried getting over on the edges of the roadway where the fresh gravel stopped and there was maybe five or six inches before the grass started. But this was mostly soft. I suppose because of the recent heavy rains. The end result was that there was just no relief and I would have to power through it anyway. 

I was a bit surprised also by the lack of fields harvested. Perhaps the rains made the fields too wet and they just are not quite dried enough yet? I could see that being the case for the corn. I would imagine the soybean fields dry out more quickly. Maybe.... I don't know. I'm not a farmer. I just observe them! 

A pumpkin patch

Once I started back South again the roads were much better. I soon learned why. Harvesting traffic! The big semi-tractor trailers and these behemoth machines used to carry corn and beans were the reason why. Those vehicles just pulverize crushed rock and turn it into dust. Lots of dust!

The roads going South were much smoother.

I had to stop to let the light breeze clear the air after a behemoth machine passed me by. 

Some bizarre contraption John Deere has created passed by me and the dust storm folowing it was so thick I could not make out the road. I actually had to stop and wait several minutes for the light breeze from the Northwest to clear the air. I was glad for how the big heavy machines had crushed up the chunk, but the dust was extreme! I was a bit surprised it was this bad, to be honest. 

 

N.Y. Roll needs to explain the existence of this monster green machine to me. He works for The Big Green Tractor Company.

By the way, I think I actually got a little sunburn from this ride. It was definitely bright out, until I got back to town, that is. Then I saw the eves of a rain storm on the way. I was glad I was not still out in the country yet. Perhaps the rain will settle the dust for a bit! 

What Cycling Is And What It Is Not

Image courtesy of Des Moines Street Collective

 The latest episode of the "Guitar Ted Podcast" has elicited possibly the strongest and the most commentary we have ever received after an episode. Some of the comments are the positive reinforcement types which one might expect fans of the podcast to return to us. However; a few have been centered around this issue which pervades cycling today. The question concerning eBikes and what is an eBike and what is not an eBike. 

The image here from the Des Moines Street Collective's social media earlier in this year is typical of the messaging which is being portrayed by much of the cycling advocacy and some brands as well. This is guidance for governments - both state and city - to help them formulate laws and ordinances. It is also there as a purported educational tool for cyclists, although I would offer that those who need to hear this message will never do so because they do not care to listen. 

That's a whole 'nuther nut to crack and discuss. 

What I feel is missing here is really more about a question I do not see being asked and an answer would go a long way, I think, in helping anyone make sense of this madness. The question? "What is cycling, and what is not cycling? 

In a sense, that is what the poster above is trying to answer. E-bike? Cycling. E-Moto? Not cycling. Pretty straightforward.....or is it? 

I would focus on the rider, not the machine. Cycling involves participation on the rider's part. In other words, cycling is pedaling.  If you do not have to pedal, it is not cycling and is something else. What you call "the something else" - moto, moped, just being a passenger - That's up to you, and frankly, I do not care what you call it. It is NOT cycling. That is what is important here. 

This shouldn't be vague, because e-scooters are not cycling. 

Anything which allows the rider to not pedal at all at any time is not a bicycle. Period, end of story. Those devices should be regulated and enforcement of rules and ordinances could be very simply enforced. An officer sees you just sitting, standing, or otherwise being moved without pedaling? Ticket. Citation. Maybe even confiscation. 

As a cyclist I can see the difference when I am out riding. I do not need to see what the machine is, I just have to observe what the rider is doing, or not doing. Now, you may say, "What about a normal bicycle and coasting? Fair question.

As I said, as a cyclist, I can see when a bicycle should be pedaled. Obviously up a hill is one such instance. But it also doesn't take a genius observer to see when an object is coasting further than it should be on flatter terrain. Speed is also a factor in this. A little training for officials - who have to make judgement calls on other vehicles already - shouldn't be all that difficult to communicate. To my mind, "cycling action" needs to occur or the device is not a bicycle.

So now all the so-called "pedal assist" bikes would be okay. Those must be pedaled to move the vehicle and its rider down a trail. There is pedaling going on. Scooters, e-motos, throttle equipped bikes? No-go. These are what would be - essentially - banned from the privileges actual cyclists enjoy. Those vehicles should require licenses and insurance.  And while we're at it, so should side-by-sides and ATV's..... But that is another issue. 

But the point is, enough with the three-class nonsense, enough with trying to decipher one machine from another. If the device does not REQUIRE pedaling to move, it is not a bicycle or a tricycle. 

Related Article: How New York City Is Proposing To Deal With Micro-Mobility Issues.  (Bicycle Retailer and Industry News)

The Replacement

Image courtesy of Cannondale Bikes

I am on the lookout for loose ends here on the blog. Things needing to be finished, (mostly reviews), stories untold, and stories I have to wrap up, or at least pick back up. 

One of those stories is dealing with what I will get to replace the Noble GX5 and probably the Tamland Two in my stable of bicycles. I was on this thread back in February. (See HERE for a refresher) I was close to pulling te triger on a Topstone Alloy from Cannondale, (like the one in the image), but I did not because I didn't like the color the bike available at the time came in. 

I know.....fickle! So, that was that as other things came up and I left the idea in limbo. That is, until recently, when I got a little intel from an undisclosed source which perked up my ears. Now I have reached out and have set something in motion which may happen at a later date. 

I know......vague-blogging! But all that to say that the idea for an alloy gravel bike to replace a couple of others I have is still on the table and now things are in motion. I wouldn't look for anything to happen right away. I just thought, you know, I'd kick this story back into gear and let you know something is in the works which may result in an actual bicycle in the near future.