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. 

 

The Guitar Ted Lube-Off: Super-Secret 2.0 Update 2

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

Hey all! It is time for a quick update on the Super-Secret v2 lube. The last update on this lube can be seen HERE. 

In this update I will show you the chain and cassette and discuss how things were done throughout a very rainy period of time here in Iowa. My aim is to discover how this updated lube does in dry conditions, so I had to pick and choose when I could actually ride the bike this lube is on so I would not contaminate the process with rain or moisture. Let me tell ya....it wasn't easy!

I also am going to do a bit of a bonus side bar to the Lube-Off which I typically would not do. However; a situation arose in the comments which prompted me to investigate a couple of things more deeply. 

First of all, my mechanic friend in Chicago had mentioned he had read the articles on the Super-Secret v2. He had already used the V1 product and was familiar with it. But he was excited about the V2 product, so he purchased some to try out. Interestingly, he mentioned he thought the V2 did not cure/dry out as quickly as the V1 product did. 

So, I ran a test on this which I will share at the end of this article. I also will address how I apply Super-Secret in both of its versions and show why my method is valid. 

Now, on to the update on how this lube is doing, (V2) and what I expect going forward into the final stage of the Lube-Off. 

As stated, it hasn't been easy finding dry, dusty terrain around here! But I have been making miles on the lube and I have a couple observation.Firstly, and most importantly, it seems to have cured completely. This now is acting like I thought it should quite a while ago. Now, I have thoughts on this, so I'll hold off until later in this article. 

Secondly, the bike shifts really well, and the chain is not super-noisy, as it can be with some dry lubricants. Oiled chains, or wet lube chains are generally much quieter. Drip wax chains vary in this manner, and some other lubes, like DuMonde Tech, are really noisy. I don't mind Super-Secret V2, as it is on the quieter end of the scale, but it is not 'silent' either. 

Okay, you can see above here that the chain is pretty clean. It is 'gunk-free' and the cassette looks fine. Again, I haven't been in any "severe" dust yet, but I should get that done soon. But with that left, I still am pretty impressed by this lube so far. 

But why did it not cure right away? Yeah, the only thing I can come up with is that Stan's degreaser, which I was sure I got off the chain, but..... Maybe even a tiny amount of this degreaser keeps the drip wax from curing 100% for a while.  

Now, I wanted to get into a very nit-picky lubricant application discussion where the placement of the drip lube on the chain is coming into debate. SILCA says you should apply lube while backpedaling the chain and by dripping the lube on top of the chain where it is about to interface with the cassette. 

I disagree with this and adhere to applying lube on the inner run of the chain between the lower jockey wheel and where the chain interfaces with the lower part of a front chain ring. I could get into all the minutiae of the reasons why, but suffice it to say that I believe in gravity, centrifugal forces, and using the least amount of lube possible. 

SILCA claims their method is better and proven by "science", but hasn't proffered up any evidence other than to say, "we said so".  SILCA also dismisses my using minimal amounts of Super-Secret so it does not "just drip off onto the floor", and does not address where the lubricant drips off to by using their method. Maybe they will. But here is what I did.... 

I took two spare lengths of new chain which were cut off when installing on other bicycles. I cleaned the living daylights out of both using a degreaser first, then some Dawn dish soap followed up by a water rinse and drying. 

I then applied one drop of Super Secret V1 on the longer length of chain on top of each roller and one drop of the V2 on the shorter length of chain on each roller.  

I noted the time and waited 24 hours to check and see how they cured. This would prove out whether or not V2 was slower to cure than V1. I also was looking to see if gravity would wick the lubricant through the rollers and on to the absorbent shop towel I had the chains on. This would prove, without any mechanical manipulation of the chain, whether or not my chain lubrication method was a valid way to do a drip wax application or not. 

After 24 hours you can see how the lubricants both worked their way through the chain and on to the shop rag. Interestingly, I noted straight away upon application that V1 was much less viscous than the V2. By the way, I shook both bottles several minutes before applying the lubes. 

This is why there is more absorbed residue from the V1 chain, but both did show that the drip wax made it through the chain side plates, rollers, and pins, to get on to the shop rag and be absorbed before they cured. 

Finally, I could find no discernible wetness from either chain. Both seemed to have fully cured in 24 hours, which is my standard, not SILCA's, by the way. 

Both chains were very slightly discolored and both were very slippery! So, I think our curing issues are an anomaly, and I will not hold what I experienced with the V2 curing against it. However; I am also fully convinced my chain lubrication method is perfectly fine as well. 

Keep in mind that what you see soaked into the shop rag is all the work of gravity, and was evident not long after I applied the lubricants. Had I been working on a drive train installation, the cogs, chain rings, and gravity all would have worked to wick the lube through to the inner parts of the chain with no issues at all. 

I'm not going to say SILCA is wrong about how they do their drip wax application, but I also can see how I have been applying lubricant is not inferior to their way of doing things. Full stop. I also can see how V1 works through the chain, due to it being less viscous, easier than V2 does, but both end up getting where you need it. 

Anyway, nitpicking. You do you. I'll stick to how I do this until I see a better way. 

Next I hope to put this all to bed after a few dustier rides. I'm pretty sure I have what I need from the Stan's Polar Drip, but the Triboflux and this Super-Secret v2 still need some more riding time. Stay tuned.....

Random Thoughts

Various Bicycle Research freewheel tools

A Few More Thoughts On Bicycle Mechanics:

This past week I posted an article concerning a report out of Europe that there is, and will continue to be, a shortage of bicycle mechanics. (See it HERE)

I had a client in at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective recently with a problem concerning the removal of a Positron gear cluster from an old Schwinn rear wheel. (27" natch!) 

The tool required to remove this bit is an arcane free wheel removal tool which, if you have been a mechanic for as long as I have, you might be familiar with. You will also find it difficult to source such a tool if you do not have this in your tool box. 

But regardless of the specifics, I doubt many younger folks would even know where to look for such a tool, nor would they want to bother. "Just get a new wheel", I can hear them saying, and this wouldn't be a bad idea at all. 

However; I feel as though the casual, tossing off of even trying to fix old stuff is related to how new stuff is made. Many items, especially electronic ones, are binned when they get damaged, or even before that, they are outdated. Just get a new one! 

Are we teaching mechanics to fix stuff, or just throw parts on a bike to get it rolling again? Are we relying on the app to make fine adjustments, and when the piece goes awry, we don't repair it, we replace it? When the wheel or bottom bracket get bad bearings, we just press out and press in. 

Then when something old comes in, which can be serviced, these newer mechanics.....will they know how to do the servicing? Will they even have the proper tools? Who will teach these young folks to do this stuff? Will young folks even want to learn the old ways? 

Just some random thoughts I had when dealing with that old Schwinn wheel the other day.  

Friday News And Views

LOOK G85 Cezal RS frameset (Image courtesy of LOOK Bicycles)

 LOOK Offers New Gravel Race Bike:

LOOK has a new gravel racing bike called the C85 Cezal RS. It has a focus on aero and rider comfort. 

Claiming the design reduces vibrations to the rider by 15%, LOOK says the rear clearance of 50mm is enough. They state in their marketing that LOOK's engineers feel that larger tires create issues with losses due to tire deformation and weigh more, slowing riders down. They claim this design helps gain back the rider comfort and efficiencies of the racer's body that the bigger rubber was trying to accomplish.  LOOK also claims their vibration reduction and smaller rear tire helps keep riders pedaling more, keeps the rear tire hooked up, resulting in faster times. 

A frame set like the one in the image here runs $3,290.00. USD. See this and the entire complete bike range on LOOK's site HERE.  

Comments: I like checking out what the current thinking is on gravel bicycles for racing since we all know this ends up trickling down the price ladder, even though racing tech and geometry is not what everyone really needs. That said, there often is good stuff in there which could be applied to the "average all-road" machines. 

I like that LOOK has addressed rider comfort with its upward flexing seat stay idea.  What a LOT of companies do not do is address rider vibration concerns with a front fork design that absorbs some chatter. This was especially true in the early days of gravel bikes with those chunky-legged carbon forks. (Looking at you, Enve!) 

This fork looks svelte, at least a little more slender than most, but LOOK doesn't specifically call this out in their marketing copy. Hmm..... I wonder if it is a better fork? Anyway, this is a main reason I run a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem. Most forks are jack hammering me on gravel. That is no fun. It is also why cutting edge gravel bikes are coming with monstrously fat tire clearances. I think this will change in the future once the fork gets figured out. 

Image courtesy of HAND-UP

Time For Cold Weather Gear:

I've been thinking about my cold weather gear recently and I am probably going to have to consider replacing and adding a few items to my kit for the upcoming months. One of those items is gloves. I happen to be a big HAND-UP glove fan, and I own several pairs of their gloves already. 

Sure - pogies are wonderful. They keep your hands warm and you do not necessarily need the most technical gloves to use underneath them. However; they are klunky, they restrict movement, and are a bit fussy when it comes to fitting them. I use pogies in the worst weather, but for most Winter rides, Fall rides, or early Spring rides a nice windproof, lightly insulated glove does me wonders. 

That is exactly what the HAND-UP Colder Plus line of gloves does for me. These layer with a jacket perfectly to seal out wind, and they still allow full-function of your hands which makes riding a pleasant proposition. 

I actually just purchased another pair, the one shown here, for the upcoming Winter season. I have found their gloves to wear well, feel comfortable, and look good. I like the brighter colors as they are easier to find in the pile of gear I have and they are more visible to traffic when I commute. 

Guitar Ted Lube-Off Update:

With the return of drier weather the Lube-Off has been kicked back into high gear. But that doesn't mean I haven't been doing whatever rides I could do in between rains and  the interruptions life and work presented. 

First of all, I have some good feedback from my mechanic friend Ari on the SILCA Super-Secret v2 lube which I will share in another update soon. There was also some debate in the comments regarding how to apply wax based lubricants which I think will prove interesting. 

Meanwhile that new Triboflux lubricant seems pretty impressive. There is also the Pedros Polar Drip which is in this round of testing and I am very close to rendering a final verdict on that particular lube soon. 

So, if the weather holds out and if I can dodge the elephant-sized wagons, tractors, and combines out there now, I should have a final verdict on the entire group of lubes very soon. Stay tuned..... 

Image courtesy of Van Rysel Bikes

Ford-Decathalon Team To Ride 32"ers In XC Events In 2027:

The big news on Thursday of this week was Van Rysel Bikes announcement that they are providing the Ford-Decathalon Team with 32" FS bikes for racing during the 2027 season. 

With a 130mm travel Rock Shox front fork, the bike has the travel and obvious roll-over capabilities of a larger diameter wheel. Van Rysel says their testing over a two year period has convinced them of the bigger wheel's benefits. 

But Van Rysel also went full-in with aero testing as well resulting in a bike which they claim will save team riders 15.5 watts at 35km/hr speeds over the team bike raced this past season. Most notable in the aero design are the deep section wheels and the wild, semi-drop, wing section handle bar. 

While regular folk cannot get this bike quite yet, Van Rysel has indicated a roll-out of the bike is possible sometime during 2027. You can learn more and see other images of the bike HERE. 

Comments: Technology advancements are always polarizing. The move from the traditional stem/handle bar system being two separate parts is one of those. While single piece bar/stem combinations are not anything new, (my 1992 Klein Attitude had this, for instance), the freedom to use different, non-standard shapes and configurations is new. I think this is fascinating. At first I was concerned about the stem being the highest point on the front of the bike and how this might be bad if one went over the bars in a crash. But then I remembered I ride drop bar bikes all the time, so..... Yeah. No worries. I'll just say this looks wild and are we almost at a point where off-road drop bars should be a thing? I mean, talk about aero.... 
 

 Okay, that is it for this week. Get out and ride those bicycles!

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

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. 

I've managed to get enough time on the Byways to give a pretty solid update on their performance. If you missed the last update, I will post a link HERE. Please go back to catch up on how things have gone before this article published. 

The Byway is WTB's race oriented aero gravel tire with a width of 50mm. I have these mounted on WTB CGR carbon wheels with an inner rim width of 23mm. The Byway did not quite achieve the stated 50mm width at first, but currently they measure out at 51.31mm at 30psi. This is very good. It also indicates to me that the tires are now broken in and are going to perform at their best now. 

As previously stated in the impressions post, I thought the Byway may have a tendency to want to dance around and plow through looser gravel, rather than float over it. This would not be a good thing if so, because when a tire plows through looser gravel or dirt it means the rider has to exert more influence over the steering which is sapping energy best used on the pedals. I'll get back to this in a bit, but first I wanted to discuss the smoother gravel and pavement performance of the Byway. 

"Gravel" doesn't get much faster or smoother than this. 

The Byway on pavement and smoother terrain is fast. Very fast. But it also has a very nice, smooth, damped ride quality which I enjoyed. In the previous article to this entry I told you about how the Byway did not like low, low pressure and that I would try something around 30 psi the next time. I went with 30psi rear/28psi front, and I was very happy with the results. 

The Byway rolled with little resistance. (Or was that the tire cutting through the air more efficiently?) Whether or not the aero is working, I did notice less impacts from seams in the pavement, broken up bits of pavement, and on smoother gravel. So, I would be very happy to ride the Byway on a course with smooth features, dirt, pavement, and the like. But what about chunky gravel, looser terrain, or mud? 

It doesn't get much chunkier than this!

I was able to find a couple miles of really fresh, chunky gravel recently. I was very pleasantly surprised by how the Byway handled this surface. Generally speaking, one can expect any gravel tire to spit out a rock sideways on such loose gravel. I also was expecting to have to herd the front end over this loose gravel as the casing points to a tire with little float. But the Byway just rode straight on and no rock pinging was noted at all. Very impressive! 

I also have had the Byway in looser dirt, uneven terrain, and in mud. I was not all that impressed when things got sketchy. On the loose dirt, the Byway simply lacked any grip, which shouldn't be a surprise for a tire with basically a slick tread. The rounded profile, while not a negative for loose gravel, did not work in fine dirt or sand. Washing out was a real possibility there. Finally, and again - not unexpected - the Byway is not good at all in mud. No traction or lateral grip there. 

So if you keep the Byway to drier, more stable terrain, with the exception here being loose, chunky gravel, where the Byway surprised me, you should be okay. It is a great pavement tire or solid dirt road tire. The Byway wants to roll and roll and roll. The ride quality is quite good as well. 

But keep this tire off any deeper terrain, really loose, big rocks, moist earth, and mud. The lack of knobs is a liability there, and the rounded casing is doing the rider no favors at all either when the going gets sketchy.  

Find out more about the WTB Byway by clicking  HERE.

I'll be back soon with an update on the 700 x 52mm WTB Course