Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of SRAM

 Zipp Wheels "Revised For Gravel Compatibility"

On Tuesday of this past week, Zipp (SRAM) announced the "revised for gravel compatibility" 303 SW and 353 NSW wheels.  

Essentially, SRAM is saying you can use up to a 49mm tire on the 353 NSW and up to a 55mm tire on the 303 SW..

Both come with the integrated air pressure sensors allowing monitoring of air pressure in real time.  

Comments: The wheel sets are still really best used with road tires as SRAM freely admits the aero optimization is best with narrower tires than anyone runs on gravel nowadays.  

And of course, these wheels are quite pricey. So, this may not be of much import to many of you. But it is worth noting that SRAM is trying to capitalize on the popularity, (real or perceived) of gravel racing in 2026-2027.  

Virtual Turkey Burn Reminder:

In ten days you can start your Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge rides! I can hardly believe I'm writing these words. That came up quickly! I know I've been looking at the extended forecasts with anticipation. 

Oh....I'm sorry. You are not aware of this challenge? Well, the outline for participation can be seen by clicking HERE. It is a free to enter challenge and there is no reward but a sense of accomplishment and seeing your words and images here afterward. 

The weather looks to be iffy here. The prognosticators cannot decide on whether it will be frigid cold or warmer than normal I'll go ahead and help them out by saying that it will, of course,  be horribly cold, windy, and unpleasant. Why wouldn't it be that? This is about the time of year when Winter makes an announcement of its coming and it has been quite impactful here the last few years. 

So, I'm guessing it will be a chore here to log a metric century and I'll be hard pressed to get it done. But then, why would we want it any other way?  Good luck to any of you taking this challenge on for 2026! 

Image courtesy of The Traka website

CORE4 Moves To Traka World Series Events:

CORE4, which had been a part of the Gravel Earth Series is now being shown as an addition to the Traka World Series. The Traka and a couple of the other events in the Gravel Earth Series are also now a part of The Traka World Series. According to a post on the Gravel Earth Series home page, it appears the Gravel Earth Series is no longer going to occur. 

The Traka, based out of Girona, Spain, has become the "Unbound of Europe", bringing more competition and attendance than most any other gravel event in Europe. The Traka started adding events a couple of years ago, but now will have a "World Series" event schedule featuring one event per month starting in February of 2027 with the only exception being June.and July.  (June is when Unbound happens)

The event series will consist of  seven events so far. The last being held in October. The April and October events have yet to be announced. Most events are based in Spain while as of now, CORE4 is the only one based out of the USA.  Another event, "The River", is based out of Belgium.

Image courtesy of Life Time Events

Life Time Ups The Ante For Grand Prix Series:

In other series news, Life Time Events revealed this week that they have raised the prize pool for the Grand Prix events significantly. 

The overall series purse has been raised from $350,000 to $400,000 and the events will now pay to tenth place over paying down to 5th this season. 

Here is a breakdown, provided by Life Time Events:

"Overall Series (top 10): 1st $40,000 · 2nd $30,000 · 3rd $24,000 · 4th $21,000 · 5th $19,000 · 6th $17,000 · 7th $15,000 · 8th $13,000 · 9th $11,000 · 10th $10,000

UNBOUND Gravel, Leadville Trail 100 MTB and Life Time Big Sugar Classic (top 10): 1st $10,000 · 2nd $7,000 · 3rd $6,000 · 4th $5,000 · 5th $4,000 · 6th $3,000 · 7th $2,000 · 8th $1,500 · 9th $1,000 · 10th $500

Sea Otter Classic, Chequamegon MTB Festival, The Rad Dirt Fest and Little Sugar MTB (top 10): 1st $5,000 · 2nd $3,500 · 3rd $3,000 · 4th $2,500 · 5th $2,000 · 6th $1,500 · 7th $1,000 · 8th $750 · 9th $500 · 10th $250"

Comments: That's a lot of 'moolah' right there. Obviously Life Time is trying to set itself apart from the UCI Gravel World Series and series like The Traka World Series. Life Time speaks of an effort to"...support a wider pool of elite talent.", which can be translated as "more of the existing elite talents will choose our series." Trying to make it seem as though this will grow gravel events, or interest in gravel events is hollow as far less than 1% of the overall gravel event participation is going to be represented by Life Time Grand Prix athletes. 

Their inferred references to growing the sport doesn't add up. My observations are that most gravel folk could barely tell you who is even doing these "elite events" anyway. so, mostly this seems to be a clanging gong. 

The thing is that this tiny part of the gravel riding populace garners most of the attention from media and drives product development which affects everyone. Adding more money to this only fuels that fire. My opinion is this only ends up affecting most gravel riders negatively. Both in terms of what is relevant to gravel riders as a whole and in terms of what is offered at retail for average people out on gravel rides who do not need all-out racing bikes or the accessories that accompany this discipline. It's what ended up tanking XC MTB and road categories/events, which have taken years to recover from, and some facets have never recovered from that all-out racing influence

That's it for this week! Get out there and ride those bicycles, folks. And as always, thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions. 

Veterans Day Ride

Escape Route: Park Avenue North

N.Y. Roll called me up the other day and part of the conversation went like this: "So...... We're doing a ride on Veterans Day, right?"

Before this question nothing had been said about a Veterans Day Ride, at least not in a concrete sense. I answered him that we were doing a ride anyway. However; I informed him that this ride would need to be done in the morning. 

A little later he texted me to say he wanted to do the original 3GR route. I had actually been wanting to do this route after not having been on it for years. So, it was set. N.Y. Roll would swing by the house and we'd go off on a gravel grinder at 8:00am. 

Now, it is nearly mid-November and the Sun doesn't come up all that early now. So it was a bit dark in spots as we got going through downtown Waterloo. It also was chilly. 42°F to start out with a light Northerly breeze in our faces. I was glad I brought my Summer weight Hand Up gloves. I was wearing a Twin Six Thermo Cargo bib knickers with that old Bontrager wool jersey I have and the Twin Six wind vest over the top. I used the old shopping bag trick for my feet and wore my regular gravel shoes. On my head I had a bandana and my Bontrager Circuit helmet. It all worked to perfection. 

The Sun cam out in fits and Spurts. This is Moline Road

 

N.Y. Roll had to stop to get some real estate info here. 

The old 3GR route went out from Gates Park swimming pool parking lot (no longer there), went a mile East on Donald Street, and then turned Left onto Moline Road which turns to gravel in about a half mile. Then it is straight North until you get just to the East of Denver, Iowa. 

We were going at a decent clip, but Moline Road was covered in deep loose gravel all across the roadway making going up hill or on the flats a real chore. Fortunately the roads were just the opposite once we crossed over into Bremer County. Smooth and fast dirt due to the gravel having been pushed down into the road base.  

Still in Black Hawk County here.

 

And here in Bremer County. Notice the lack of loose gravel. 

A little over ten years ago houses were being built along the gravel road on the East side of Denver. There was a street next to the gravel, but I was telling anyone who'd listen back then that this was going to end up getting paved. Well, now, ten years later, it is chip seal, as is the next mile North across the blacktop. 

Hate to see it, but not surprised. 

We were nearing a left turn to go West and Northwest on my favorite part of this route. It is a road off-grid called Ivanhoe Road. I believe it was a stage coach/wagon road from Denver Iowa to Waverly, but I could have that wrong. At any rate, I believe it is the most scenic, fun bit of gravel around. 

 

Ivanhoe Road meanders off to the Northwest over rolling hills. 

This section was why I wanted to do the 3GR rides. I thought this bit of road was inspiring, beautiful, and unique. There really is not much around like it. Hopefully those folks who get to ride it now are appreciating how special this road is. 

 Ivanhoe eventually ends and you head West over to Hilton Avenue to go back South again. The road was still buttery smooth but now we had to traverse those rollers heading down past Camp Ingawanis. If you hit this section just right, you can roll several of these hills without pedaling. It's fun, and the descents are fast. 

On the way down we came across two other riders heading North. Neither N.Y. Roll or I recognized them, but they did wave back. 

Headed South on Hilton.

Hilton near Camp Ingawanis (right)

Hilton ends at a "T" intersection where the 3GR routes split off. When the ride was being held out of Cedar Falls, we stair-stepped North from Garden Avenue.and then went past the South section of Camp Ingawanis. We turned onto Hilton at that "T" intersection. That 3GR route went clockwise and the second, Waterloo based 3GR was anticlockwise. However; the Waterloo 3GR turned left at the "T" intersection, went past a rock quarry, and turned South on Ivory Road. 

We were doing the Ivory Road bit, so we were now heading East and South. There wasn't much wind, but what there was of it blew against our backs now so were were feeling fast, despite my now feeling tired. I hadn't ridden this far in quite some time!

There was still some harvesting going on. 

Now Ivory turns into Streeter Road in Black Hawk County. We were headed South on it until we reached Bennington Road where we went Left. This would have been the road back to Moline Road and the eventual end of the Waterloo based 3GR, but N.Y. Roll and I decided to come back on Burton Avenue instead..

Back in Waterloo heading through Exchange Park

 

We utilized the bike path along the Cedar River to Park Avenue and then back home. 

Eventually we made it back to Waterloo, and I got back home again. I had 40 miles and done in 3.5 hours total time. I was toast when I got back home and then I had to work as well.But spending time with my friend was worth it all, and what a great day! We may not see a day like this until next year. 

Winterizing: Ti Muk 2 - Part 2

You might remember my post on maintenance a week or so ago on the Ti Muk 2. It's HERE in case you need a refresher. I was awaiting a chain to replace the severely rusted chain which was on the bike from last year. 

My good friend Ari sent over a couple of those zinc-coated Rustbuster chains and I used one to get the Ti Muk 2 going again. After measuring the old chain (48 outer links), I cut the new chain and used the included snap link to secure it on the Ti Muk's drive train. 

Then I stripped the chain with Finishline degreaser, dried it as best I could, and applied Stan's BioBased Wet Lube. I figured I'd give that a try since this bike is set to get me through the worst of Winter conditions. Sloppy slush being the worst as it usually is infused with the latest chemical sauce the City can afford to splooge onto our streets. 

Sheesh.... I remember sand and rock salt for Winter road treatments. Guess those were "the good old days", Ha!But this newer stew kills steel and chains are made of steel, so I went with the Rustbuster and wet lube hoping I'll get some mileage out of this chain before it to succumbs to the rust disease. 

After the chain had been installed and oiled up I went ahead and stuck some more sealant in the tires. Then I aired those up to around 8psi and left the bike to sit while the chain marinated in its Stan's Wet Lube. 

The next day I got out for a short test ride

Got that fancy Coroplast splash guard and a new chain giving the bike a new look.

I did some deep sand, I splooshed through a few water crossings, and I climbed the dike. Good test run! The chain pops with its zinc coating. The bike looks different with the Coroplast splash guard I made. Overall I am pleased with the bike again and it is good to go for another Winter of commuting

Review: Ergon SR Allroad Pro Saddle & BT Orthocell Road Tape: Final Verdicts

  Note: Ergon sent the SR Allroad saddle and the BT OrthoCell Road handle bar tape to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost for test and review. Ergon has not paid for, nor bribed Guitar Ted for these reviews. All opinions and images, unless noted, belong to Guitar Ted/Guitar Ted Productions.

 Catching Up:

A long overdue review verdict comes at you today. This started back in February of this year!  And when other life happenings pushed this aside, I was lax in getting back to finishing up with the reviews of the handle bar tape and this saddle. My apologies to anyone I left hanging for the conclusion of these reviews!

With that mea culpa out of the way, let's remind ourselves where we've already been. The introductory article can be read HERE. This article will tell you all the specs, pricing, and other features of the SR Allroad Saddle and the BT Orthocell Road Tape. 

The initial impressions article on both items can be seen HERE. I had an update on the handle bar tape which you can read HERE. Since then I have been doing rides of shorter distances and over varied terrain. I have a few country gravel rides on this set up since that last update as well. 

Okay, with all of that covered and with the links back for you to catch up to where I am at today, let's dive intoeach item separately. I will give final verdicts on each item as well. First up, let's look at how the SR Allroad Saddle fared since Spring. 

SR Allroad Saddle:

As I would have guessed, I ended up being very happy with this saddle. It really is the only short-nosed design I get on with, along with Ergon's very similar SR PRO Men's saddle.  

I've spoken to how saddles are very personal choices because human anatomy varies so greatly. The Ergon SR series is a home run with me. I am not you, but you very well may love this saddle. Maybe you'll hate it. Maybe you will not be impressed either way. Hard for me to say here. 

I will let you know I've tried a couple of WTB's short-nosed saddles and haven't found them to be more comfortable riding than the Ergon saddles I've tried in the SR range. So, if you haven't gotten along with WTB's short-nosed range, maybe the Ergon will hit you right. 

I can say the padding on the SR Allroad Pro saddle is very nice. It is supportive, it doesn't allow your body weight to compress it in a way that you get soreness/bruising, and  it holds up well. The cover is grippy, but if you want to move, sliding back and forth is not a chore either. I do not notice the cut-out but I also do not get numbness with this saddle and that is telling, I think. 

Another interesting point, in my opinion, is that I can ride this saddle with no chamois padded shorts/bibs and I am comfortable. I cannot say this about other saddles with the exception of my Brooks B-17's. 

Final Words: Finding a saddle can be depressing and you may go through several before finding "The One" for you. I think the SR Allroad is quickly becoming "The One" for me, and perhaps my posterior has found some version of bicycle saddle Nirvana for the time being. Perhaps it will please you in a similar manner. 

BT Orthocell Road Tape:

Here is a product I was ready to love at first. Then I came to loathe it. Later? I came back around to loving it again. 

Why?

Well, it all has to do with perspiration. Sweat. Slippery grip. Not good! See, I have the unenviable trait of sweating profusely down my forearms while cycling in hot, humid weather. A time when I am not wanting to wear gloves, or much of anything, really. 

That perspiration runs into the palms of my hands while riding drop bars and then it soaks into the handle bar tape. Some handle bar tapes resist getting slippery. Unfortunately the BT Orthocell Tape is not one of those handle bar tapes that resists getting slimy and slippery. 

So, I avoided riding this bicycle during our humid months as a result. When things are cooler and drier though, this tape is so comfortable and easy on my hands that I want to ride this bike and have relief from numbness and pain in my hands. 

I guess I need to wear those sweat bands around my wrists like tennis players did at one time. This is really my only issue with the BT Orthocell Tape. I imagine rainy, wet weather is also an issue with this handlebar tape, but I never tried it in the rain or snow. Obviously, if you are a full-time gove wearer this may not even be an issue for you. 

Final Words: The BT OrthoCell Tape is a winner when it comes to grip, vibration reduction, and pain relief. As I stated in a previous update, this handle bar tape won't eliminate vibrations, but it will greatly reduce them, and that is worth a lot, in my opinion. Besides getting slippery when soaked with perspiration, I can find no fault with this tape. It holds up very well and I suspect I'd get a lot of mileage out of the tape before having to replace it. 

You can find these products and all of Ergon's grips, saddles, and more at www.ergonbike.com

30.5 Inch Wheels: A Developing Story

 Early in October I saw a few rumblings concerning 30.5" wheels, a wheel size slightly larger in diameter than 29" wheels. This diameter sits at an ISO measurement of 654, which is exactly halfway between 29" (622ISO) and the new 32" wheel size (686ISO) 

Some may remember WTB's 750D effort and think it is the same thing as 30.5". In effect it probably is, but technically 750D is an ISO660, so not the same fit, and would not work on a 30.5" platform. I know the difference looks minimal, but such is the (fickle) way of the bicycle industry. Instead of working on a size already baked into existence, they start all over again. 

This does not play well in Peoria. (Meaning with the masses for those unfamiliar with the saying) The whole thing comes off as a 'money grab' to many, but there are reasons for this which do make sense. From a racer's viewpoint, 30.5" gains an advantage but fits more people better. Larger diameter wheels are proven to be faster and more stable. Mountain bikers benefit most. This is where you are going to see the development take place first. 

There is a great post on PinkBike.com which gives a few takes on this from some manufacturers and brand viewpoint. (See it HERE). It is plain to see from the reading of the post that 30.5" wheels will happen, and already are. Racers are already testing and racing this wheel size.  

So, will you be ditching all your 29"er MTB stuff for 30.5"ers soon? I would not get too excited now about this. There is a lot of ground to cover before consumers need to be moving on from 29"ers, if they ever do. 30.5" wheels may find a home in some garages, but until the UCI weighs in, and until the bicycle industry decides upon where they are going to go, I would sit on my credit card. 

In my opinion, a world where there is 29", 30.5", and 32" is an unsustainable one which will probably not happen. If it does, it won't be for very long. Think about when we had 27.5", 26", 29" all coexisting at the same time in the early 2010's. Or when 27.5" 29", and Plus sized tires were all being pushed as "The New Thing". In gravel we had two wheel sizes (27.5"/650B and 700c) and one fell out of favor there. 

It's historically been shown consumers will whittle choices in wheels and tires down to just a few offerings and businesses are not wanting more SKU's in inventory, wondering which wheels and tires to stock and which not to stock. Less choice is ideal for business. So, in my opinion, at least one of these sizes will go away in MTB, and I think you have to look at the extreme end as the most likely to be eliminated.  

I could be wrong, but I really believe this situation with three or four wheel diameters for MTB is unsustainable in the marketplace,  

The Freedom To Roam Free

 The latest "Guitar Ted Podcast" is a typically rambling affair, but towards the end of this episode N.Y. Roll and I got into a discussion concerning being lost, taking chances, and going "off-script" during a ride. 

I have seen a few things lately which made me think about this more. One was Jay Petervary's recent experience at an ultra-distance bike packing event where the event was called off due to weather and maybe some other circumstances. Another was a comment, which I reference in the podcast episode, about a rider wishing to explore a road off the group's GPS route files and the group not wanting to veer off their prescribed course. 

There are a couple of other examples I've seen lately making me feel as though we are losing our will to risk a little bit for adventure, exploration, and to stretch ourselves both mentally and physically. For myself, I find it all disappointing and disheartening. 

Of course, safety is a thing we are all concerned with. Unreasonable risks are to be avoided. However; at what point do we say that tying our ride strictly to a GPS route, (not a race event) with no other options to - you know - have some fun, is a bad thing? Is dealing with adversity in weather, equipment, or mental/physical states to be avoided at all costs, or do we explore the fringes of those areas to stretch ourselves a bit past our "Comfort Zones"?

And questions. What about asking questions? It means you have to "engage your brain" and maybe people are just too lazy to think things through anymore. It seems that way when some folks won't even think to go somewhere to ride without a "route" that has been sanitized and made so popular that there are "heat maps" guiding you to choosing those routes. 

Personally I get excited when I am not quite sure where I am at. I kind of like having to think through my next moves. I don't mind taking a road if it is something I've (a) never been on before or (b) something that looks interesting.  Yes- I've ended up in places which were not ideal, but then you get to solve more puzzles, and afterward I have a great feeling of having been 'alive' and having to work through things mentally and physically is a blessing, in my opinion. 

Following a beeping gps file is about as vanilla as it gets, if you want to know my opinion on gps routes. But I get it. You don't have to think about the next turn. Your waypoints lead you to resupplies without having to consider much. Easy. 

Easy but not very challenging. 

But you do you. This all is just my take on how I like rides to go.   

Three Decades Ago

Advantage Cyclery, October 1996

Thirty years ago I was looking into a Winter of uncertainty. The bicycle shop, where I learned how to be a bicycle mechanic, was obviously going to cease to exist soon. I had only been there since late 1993, and that after being let go from a decade long career in the jewelry business. 

I had been divorced the year before, and I was alone, I had no good leads on a new job, and it wasn't like I could move and get a new bike shop gig, because I was in the midst of buying a house. 

On top of it all, my truck was out of commission with a broken transfer case and my old station wagon wasn't running either. I was borrowing the shop's van to get to work and back at the time, or riding my bike on nicer days. 

The shop's owner was MIA. He felt so bad about things he couldn't face me anymore. I literally spent the last three plus months working there six days a week with no one else to tell me what to do. It was a very dark time in my life and I am thankful I was pulled through it all. 

God is good, and I was leaning on Him hard. I sure do not ever want to experience those kinds of days again. I never felt so badly as I did that Winter. 

Anyway, no apologies for the dark tone of today's post. Just was reminded of this as it has been 30 years now since those times. Things got a lot better after this, but it wasn't easy. Don't forget that there are folks all around us struggling. A smile, a kind word, anything positive could be all it takes to keep someone rolling through the valleys. 

Negativity abounds these days. Be different. Be a human being that cares. 

My fate turned when a former bike shop mechanic came in Advantage Cyclery late in January of 1997 and told me about a job opening at a car repair shop. He didn't have to do that. He barely knew me. But he did it, and that is what mattered. 

 I got the job. I then worked there for five and half years, was able to pay off the house, and I got a good, reliable car within months of working there that was such a screaming deal I couldn't believe it. 

All it takes is one person sometimes to turn a life around. 

Thanks Vance! I'll never forget what you did for me.