Friday News and Views

RAGBRAI Comes To Town: Well, they did it. Cedar Falls got the nod as one of the overnight stops on RAGBRAI. It's been about six or seven years since the event last appeared on our door step. This time around, I expect a lot more watered down atmousphere, what with all the cracking down that the new administrators of the event are employing. A lot of that will depend upon the plans of Sir Lance, as he is expected to ride the event from tip to tail this year. Funny how it all worked out. Back in '02 and '03 when I worked as a wrench on RAGBRAI you had a hard time finding anybody who knew or cared about him. Strange..........

And Now....For A REAL Ride... Dave Nice, a Trans Iowa veteran and the guy who got his rig poached on the GDR last year, is putting on a gravel grinder, backroad type of event called the Colorado Gonzo Ride. It's slated to happen in October, so you've got plenty of time to figure out your logistics! It's another "Curiak Rules" event, so it's not for the faint of heart. Don't look for any Kum and Go stores on that route!

Tire News And Rumors: Looks like the first tiny batch of Kenda Smallblock 8 29"er tires have been snatched up already. Still waiting to see a posting on actual weights on these. With most of the nation under crummy conditions for riding, I don't expect any good feedback on performance for awhile. Continental is rumored to have two different 29"er tires in developement now. One is to be a 2.1" and the other a 2.4" width, which in reality will be an actual 1.9" and a 2.2" since Conti tires are notoriously undersized for their size designations. Conti would also do well to put "29er" on the hot patch instead of "28 inch", which pretty much insures nobody will find your tires when doing a search on the internet. How many of you know that Conti already does a 29"er Vapor? See what I mean? I'm also hearing that a true, tough casing DH worthy 29"er tire is moving from the developement stage into pre-production. Western "huckers" will rejoice and shod their Behemoths with these new shoes with joy upon their arrival, I'm sure.

Mary Makes Her Debut: Look for a few pictures of my Haro Mary to show up here and there this weekend. I should be able to put the finishing touches on it today sometime. Wahoo!

Have a great weekend and stay warm! If you can ride..........do it!