Full Of Win

Lookin' Good At The Camp

Yesterday was a busy day. It was good, but it was busy. I did manage to sneak in a nice little ride at Camp Ingawanis in the afternoon in between building an $8000.00 tandem for a customer at the shop, getting the car serviced, and picking up my kids from their summer camp/day care deal.

The Camp's south side is where the next IMBCS event will be held at the end of July. It is looking pretty good out there right now. All the trails have been maintained, the new re-routes are coming in, and some offending logs were removed, along with weeds alongside the sides of the trail.

The trails are actually pretty dry, and hard, like they get in summertime. I did find a lot of offending sticks though. Pesky 3/8ths to 3/4's inch diameter dead stick/branches that were getting caught in my spokes, rotors, and nearly de-derailleuring my bike at one spot. Bah! Sticks......   Shoulda brought out a single speed, that's what I shoulda done! Single speed devices would show those sticks who's boss, they would!

Other than that, it was fun flying around on the bike I did take out, a Specialized Epic Marathon. I was supposed to have ridden that down in Texas, but my little adventure with my knee kind of put a damper on that plan. I wish I could get back there and test this rig in the rocks, but that will have to wait.

We do have plenty of exposed roots, busted up embedded limestone, and logs to cross, which amount to their own unique challenges here. Not to mention the sandy corners, and off camber bits which always keep me on my toes.

In Other News: Did ya see where "Bicycling" announced their "Editor's Choice Awards"? They gave the nod to 29"ers outside the 29"er categories in a couple of key areas, I  thought. Best value went to Salsa Cycles El Mariachi, and "Best Of The Best" went to the Santa Cruz Tall Boy.

One of these ol' days, that mag and others will cease to distinguish between wheel sizes, since I feel more and more rigs will be 29"ers, and all off road bikes will be "mountain bikes", and that's that.But I still wish they would have stuck with "all terrain bikes". Sounds more to the point, and more fun! Still, for this time and place, having a mainstream magazine say that the best value off roader is a 29"er, and the best overall mtb is a 29"er is really saying something. That couldn't have happened even just three years ago.

That's a lot of "win" right there!

Full Of Win

Lookin' Good At The Camp

Yesterday was a busy day. It was good, but it was busy. I did manage to sneak in a nice little ride at Camp Ingawanis in the afternoon in between building an $8000.00 tandem for a customer at the shop, getting the car serviced, and picking up my kids from their summer camp/day care deal.

The Camp's south side is where the next IMBCS event will be held at the end of July. It is looking pretty good out there right now. All the trails have been maintained, the new re-routes are coming in, and some offending logs were removed, along with weeds alongside the sides of the trail.

The trails are actually pretty dry, and hard, like they get in summertime. I did find a lot of offending sticks though. Pesky 3/8ths to 3/4's inch diameter dead stick/branches that were getting caught in my spokes, rotors, and nearly de-derailleuring my bike at one spot. Bah! Sticks......   Shoulda brought out a single speed, that's what I shoulda done! Single speed devices would show those sticks who's boss, they would!

Other than that, it was fun flying around on the bike I did take out, a Specialized Epic Marathon. I was supposed to have ridden that down in Texas, but my little adventure with my knee kind of put a damper on that plan. I wish I could get back there and test this rig in the rocks, but that will have to wait.

We do have plenty of exposed roots, busted up embedded limestone, and logs to cross, which amount to their own unique challenges here. Not to mention the sandy corners, and off camber bits which always keep me on my toes.

In Other News: Did ya see where "Bicycling" announced their "Editor's Choice Awards"? They gave the nod to 29"ers outside the 29"er categories in a couple of key areas, I  thought. Best value went to Salsa Cycles El Mariachi, and "Best Of The Best" went to the Santa Cruz Tall Boy.

One of these ol' days, that mag and others will cease to distinguish between wheel sizes, since I feel more and more rigs will be 29"ers, and all off road bikes will be "mountain bikes", and that's that.But I still wish they would have stuck with "all terrain bikes". Sounds more to the point, and more fun! Still, for this time and place, having a mainstream magazine say that the best value off roader is a 29"er, and the best overall mtb is a 29"er is really saying something. That couldn't have happened even just three years ago.

That's a lot of "win" right there!

British Mud And Minnesota Pavement

British Mud: I was recently contacted by one David Atkinson regarding a little film project he recently finished up. It was about the 29"er company, Singular Cycles and their experiences racing at the 2010 "Dusk 'Til Dawn" event in the U.K.

I've often heard about how it can be very wet, very muddy, and messy for off roaders in Britain. I think David's film shows us that don't know a bit of how it really is there....


Singular at Dusk 'Til Dawn from David Atkinson on Vimeo.


This also is about Sam at Singular Cycles too, and since I own a Singular Gryphon, it maybe is a bit more interesting to me from that perspective. At any rate, hope ya enjoy that....

Minnesota Pavement: My good friend in Minnesota, Ben Witt, runs Milltown Cycles, and every 4th Of July, his shop sponsors a criterium on the streets of Ben's hometown of Northfield, Minnesota.

Race Flyer- Click To Enlarge

I needed to get myself and Mrs. Guitar Ted up to visit Ben and his wife, so I thought, "Hey! Why not volunteer to help out with this deal?"

So, I called Ben and asked if he needed some help. He obviously said yes, and so I will be doing something in Northfield on the 4th of July to help out with this thing.

It can't be all bad, I mean, it has to do with bicycles, right? Plus, I figured it was another good way to give something back to the sport of cycling, which I love.

Now, while watching grown men and women go speeding around a closed course is very fun to watch, I wouldn't want to be "them". Just sayin'. I have adopted the saying of my old co-worker, Jeff Kerkove, who used to say all the time: "The Road Is The Devil." Yup, and I'd go along with that, at least for my tastes in cycling, but it is cool if ya'all like it out there. I get that. I might like it better if they'd get rid of those pesky cars and trucks, what clogs up the works, and get used as weapons......

Cowards.

But I digress... I'll be looking forward to seeing my friends, and if you have a mind to grind some gravel, I am bringing a bike, and maybe....... We'll see. It should be a blast either way.

British Mud And Minnesota Pavement

British Mud: I was recently contacted by one David Atkinson regarding a little film project he recently finished up. It was about the 29"er company, Singular Cycles and their experiences racing at the 2010 "Dusk 'Til Dawn" event in the U.K.

I've often heard about how it can be very wet, very muddy, and messy for off roaders in Britain. I think David's film shows us that don't know a bit of how it really is there....


Singular at Dusk 'Til Dawn from David Atkinson on Vimeo.


This also is about Sam at Singular Cycles too, and since I own a Singular Gryphon, it maybe is a bit more interesting to me from that perspective. At any rate, hope ya enjoy that....

Minnesota Pavement: My good friend in Minnesota, Ben Witt, runs Milltown Cycles, and every 4th Of July, his shop sponsors a criterium on the streets of Ben's hometown of Northfield, Minnesota.

Race Flyer- Click To Enlarge

I needed to get myself and Mrs. Guitar Ted up to visit Ben and his wife, so I thought, "Hey! Why not volunteer to help out with this deal?"

So, I called Ben and asked if he needed some help. He obviously said yes, and so I will be doing something in Northfield on the 4th of July to help out with this thing.

It can't be all bad, I mean, it has to do with bicycles, right? Plus, I figured it was another good way to give something back to the sport of cycling, which I love.

Now, while watching grown men and women go speeding around a closed course is very fun to watch, I wouldn't want to be "them". Just sayin'. I have adopted the saying of my old co-worker, Jeff Kerkove, who used to say all the time: "The Road Is The Devil." Yup, and I'd go along with that, at least for my tastes in cycling, but it is cool if ya'all like it out there. I get that. I might like it better if they'd get rid of those pesky cars and trucks, what clogs up the works, and get used as weapons......

Cowards.

But I digress... I'll be looking forward to seeing my friends, and if you have a mind to grind some gravel, I am bringing a bike, and maybe....... We'll see. It should be a blast either way.

Back To The Country

I mentioned it when I was in El Paso. I was going to be looking for a gravel road ride soon after my return. Well, I got it Saturday. We have friends that live north of town several miles away, and they had invited us to dinner. I asked Mrs. Guitar Ted to drive up with the children, and I made my way up on my BMC "Orange Crush" rig.

Another country church find.

I have to admit that I am a bit of a closet history geek. Since we've returned from Texas, I have been delving into Texas history, and also some of the more colorful characters that are woven in and out of the Southwest's wild history. Folks like Sam Houston, Billy the Kid, and Stephen F Austin.

So I always get a kick from learning about my own "back yard", as it were. During my little ride, I stumbled upon another old country church, and a couple of other interesting tidbits.

Black Hawk County, in which I live, is unique in Iowa since it doesn't use the typical alphanumeric system for naming gravel roads like the rest of the state does. Here the roads bear the names they have had since before the 911 Emergency Plan was established which re-named, or named for the first time, every road in the State of Iowa. I've always wondered what the origin of many of these names was.

Bennington School

For instance, there is a road just north of town that runs East-West named "Big Rock Road". Pretty obvious, but I've never seen a "big rock" on this road, or anywhere near enough to it for me to get the impression that "this is that rock".

Well, Saturday, I rode right past "that rock"! It's pretty obvious when you see it. (I won't spoil it for the locals. You need to ride around and find this one yourselves.)

Another road name up north of us is "Bennington Road". Now sometimes I figure that perhaps an important person, or a figure in Black Hawk County history might be accountable for road names such as this, so I never think about stumbling upon an obvious answer to my questions about names like that. However; Saturday, to my great surprise, I rode right past Bennington School, and a small grouping of homes. Perhaps a place known in the past as Bennington? Maybe. But it was obvious that the road that ran East-West right by the school got its name from here.

That was fun, but getting out and riding was better. My knee is at about 90% now of normal. The wound is still healing, but the swelling is now all but gone, and the pain has subsided to a large degree. Only hurts if I bump it now.

Peaceful....

Our friends farm is set back from the road about a quarter of a mile and in the back of the property, there is a large, open space that is a third of the way into the middle of a mile square section where it can get so quiet and peaceful you want the evening to last forever. The cooing of Mourning Doves just amps up the feeling even more.

The whole property is surrounded by our friends fields where they raise corn and beans. Typical Iowa farm stuff, I suppose, but I enjoy just sitting here at times and not doing a single thing but breathe. Sometimes I think the world could use a major injection of "slow down and sit fer awhile", if ya know what I mean.

Fortunately, our hosts are of much the same mind. It is nice to visit here, and they always treat us like kings when we come up. My children just love the big dog and riding on the four wheeler. It sure is nice to see that kids can get a kick out of something that doesn't need to have its batteries recharged and has ear buds attached to it.

Bishop In The Bean Field

We sat and chatted around an open fire pit with flames blazing until the stars were all twinkling in the sky above our heads. We saw a shooting star, and told the kids about the Big Dipper and The North Star.

What a great day! (Well, maybe not so much the afternoon, where I got rained on while mowing the yard that had been neglected for three weeks!) It was one of those great summer evenings that seem to last forever.

I was just super blessed to have had a great ride back into the country and have it end on such a fine farm with great friends, food, drink, and conversation. Sometimes it is just a welcome diversion to be riding without any race, big adventure plans, or purpose other than recreation. I highly recommend it.

(As always, click on any image to make it bigger!)

Back To The Country

I mentioned it when I was in El Paso. I was going to be looking for a gravel road ride soon after my return. Well, I got it Saturday. We have friends that live north of town several miles away, and they had invited us to dinner. I asked Mrs. Guitar Ted to drive up with the children, and I made my way up on my BMC "Orange Crush" rig.

Another country church find.

I have to admit that I am a bit of a closet history geek. Since we've returned from Texas, I have been delving into Texas history, and also some of the more colorful characters that are woven in and out of the Southwest's wild history. Folks like Sam Houston, Billy the Kid, and Stephen F Austin.

So I always get a kick from learning about my own "back yard", as it were. During my little ride, I stumbled upon another old country church, and a couple of other interesting tidbits.

Black Hawk County, in which I live, is unique in Iowa since it doesn't use the typical alphanumeric system for naming gravel roads like the rest of the state does. Here the roads bear the names they have had since before the 911 Emergency Plan was established which re-named, or named for the first time, every road in the State of Iowa. I've always wondered what the origin of many of these names was.

Bennington School

For instance, there is a road just north of town that runs East-West named "Big Rock Road". Pretty obvious, but I've never seen a "big rock" on this road, or anywhere near enough to it for me to get the impression that "this is that rock".

Well, Saturday, I rode right past "that rock"! It's pretty obvious when you see it. (I won't spoil it for the locals. You need to ride around and find this one yourselves.)

Another road name up north of us is "Bennington Road". Now sometimes I figure that perhaps an important person, or a figure in Black Hawk County history might be accountable for road names such as this, so I never think about stumbling upon an obvious answer to my questions about names like that. However; Saturday, to my great surprise, I rode right past Bennington School, and a small grouping of homes. Perhaps a place known in the past as Bennington? Maybe. But it was obvious that the road that ran East-West right by the school got its name from here.

That was fun, but getting out and riding was better. My knee is at about 90% now of normal. The wound is still healing, but the swelling is now all but gone, and the pain has subsided to a large degree. Only hurts if I bump it now.

Peaceful....

Our friends farm is set back from the road about a quarter of a mile and in the back of the property, there is a large, open space that is a third of the way into the middle of a mile square section where it can get so quiet and peaceful you want the evening to last forever. The cooing of Mourning Doves just amps up the feeling even more.

The whole property is surrounded by our friends fields where they raise corn and beans. Typical Iowa farm stuff, I suppose, but I enjoy just sitting here at times and not doing a single thing but breathe. Sometimes I think the world could use a major injection of "slow down and sit fer awhile", if ya know what I mean.

Fortunately, our hosts are of much the same mind. It is nice to visit here, and they always treat us like kings when we come up. My children just love the big dog and riding on the four wheeler. It sure is nice to see that kids can get a kick out of something that doesn't need to have its batteries recharged and has ear buds attached to it.

Bishop In The Bean Field

We sat and chatted around an open fire pit with flames blazing until the stars were all twinkling in the sky above our heads. We saw a shooting star, and told the kids about the Big Dipper and The North Star.

What a great day! (Well, maybe not so much the afternoon, where I got rained on while mowing the yard that had been neglected for three weeks!) It was one of those great summer evenings that seem to last forever.

I was just super blessed to have had a great ride back into the country and have it end on such a fine farm with great friends, food, drink, and conversation. Sometimes it is just a welcome diversion to be riding without any race, big adventure plans, or purpose other than recreation. I highly recommend it.

(As always, click on any image to make it bigger!)

The Saga Of The Snow Dog And The Phil Wood Hub

Whelp......this isn't a post I ever wanted to write, but.......I feel that I have lost patience, and that I am well within bounds to tell it: The story of my Snow Dog and the Phil Wood hub. The "Snow Dog" is what I called my Salsa Cycles Mukluk, which has a special meaning for me. I think this part of the story is the most disappointing part for me. You see, a lot of people went out of their way to make a surprise birthday gift of the frame and fork, which I had fully intended to purchase on my own. I was flabbergasted, obviously, and suddenly the Mukluk meant a bit more to me than "just a bike" might.

The Snow Dog with the original rear wheel.

So, when I got everything together for this bike, a few days before my birthday, you can imagine my dismay when something wasn't right. A popping noise, which could be felt through the cranks, was occurring with regularity. In fact, after the second ride, I determined that it was getting worse. I had tracked it down to the drive train, and eventually, the rear hub.

After only two rides, I knew something was seriously wrong, however; the next day was my birthday, and I was bound and determined to ride the bike on my birthday, January 23rd, and then I would send the hub, or complete wheel in for servicing. That last ride was a doozy! The hub was really, really bad.

I looked at the cassette and ring gear before sending it off. One of the pawls wasn't engaging at all, while the ring gear was absolutely torn up. I knew at this point that the wheel would either have to be torn apart, or the whole wheel would need to go back to Phil Wood for servicing. I e-mailed Phil Wood on January 24th, and cordially told them about my issues.

I got a reply January 26th with a return authorization number, address, and a promise they would get to the wheel as soon as possible. I sent the wheel off that day, and on February 4th, got a message that servicing was complete, and the wheel would be coming back to me.

Ben Witt's loaner wheel worked perfectly.

In the meantime, I was loaned a rear wheel for the Snow Dog by Ben Witt. It was to be for his own snow bike project, and had a Phil Wood hub like mine laced up to a Rolling Darryl. His wheel never once gave me any problems, leading me to believe that my Phil Wood hub would eventually be good to go.

On February 10th, I got the wheel back. I sent a thank you e-mail to Phil Wood and Co, and then got to swapping out wheels. I was going to ride the Snow Dog to work and see how they did on the warranty work. Phil Wood's invoice showed they replaced the free hub and ring gear. No charge. I was stuck with the shipping bill out only.

Unfortunately, the very next day I had to send Phil Wood another e-mail in which I wrote the following:

"Once again, I wanted to compliment you on you and your teams quick service. However; the hub is still failing.

I went to work and back on the bike today, a round trip of 10 miles, and the hub engagement was making noises and I could feel the vibrations through the cranks. It seems after every time I coasted, it would almost always "pop" loudly after the first revolution, and every so often, in the middle of pedaling. Once the crank freely rotated a half a revolution, as if the pawls slipped again, like last time.

I counted 24 instances of loud popping noises just on my return trip home, which is approximately double the amount from the morning trip into work.

It is my opinion that this hub will fail again completely.

Just to cover everything: I did not touch the hub other than to install the tire, tube, rotor and cassette last evening. It also should be noted that I have been riding Ben Witt's rear wheel, (a blue anodized Phil Wood hub), on the bike for the last week plus, and it has never made a single peep, or acted anything other than normal. So, that eliminates anything to do with the rest of the bike. It definitely is an issue with this particular hub.

I can not trust this hub. I am going to cease riding it immediately."

I got a response the same day:

"Gadzooks!! That is certainly a first since I've been servicing hubs at Phil Wood. I don't blame you
   for your disappointment. I too feel your pain. I will speak to the upper management on how we are
   going to rectify the issue for you unfortunately it will not be until Monday as everyone has pretty much
   left for the weekend. Hang tight and I will get back with you ASAP on Monday."

Happier days with Ben's wheel

That was a Friday, the 11th, and on the 14th, I got a message saying that they would send out a shipping label to get the wheel back to me, and a promise that their engineering department would be taking a look at the issue and making sure it never happens again.

Well, Frostbike was happening that next weekend, and I also had to return Ben's rear wheel, so he could get his bike up and running. When I got back, I packed up the wheel again, and sent it off. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the U.S.P.S. label Phil Wood sent out to cover the shipping:(from my e-mail to Phil Wood dated 2/23/11

"I received the shipping label here Saturday while I was gone at Frostbike. I got the wheel off to you finally today.

A couple of things of note:

1: The wheel was sent intact, as instructed by you.

2: The shipping label, a Priority Mail one, had a value of seven dollars and change. The local Post Office told me that in order to send the wheel to you Priority Mail in the box I had to pack it in would cost $72.00. I had them change it to regular post, which cost me $15.00 and change. I now am out approximately $60.00 in shipping the wheel to you twice.

3: I tested the wheel one last time before pulling it down, static, while seated, I could get it to pop loudly, as if the pawls were not fully engaging, several times."

I also went on to say that I didn't think I could ever trust that particular hub, and requested that they swap out for a completely new one. 

That's been the last time I saw my wheel......

On March 16th, I sent a followup e-mail asking for a progress update. The next day I received an answer telling me free hub bodies were not available from their supplier and that they should be showing up "next week" , and that they would be keeping me informed as to the progress on the matter. 

On April 20th, I sent an e-mail again, since I had heard nothing from Phil Wood in the ensuing 33 days since my last communication with them. I simply asked for an update. On April 21st, I received the following:

  "Well, unfortunately the free hub bodies are STILL on back order from our
          supplier. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will see them next
          week. I will let you know as soon as I see them hit the door."


On May 23rd, after hearing nothing for 32 days, I simply fired off this; "What's the latest?" I got the following reply....


 " We just received the back ordered freehub bodies from our supplier.
            Our hub/wheel is currently being inspected by our engineering department
            per their request just to double check that everything is within spec in order
            to prevent any further issues in the future. From what they tell me they should
            be finish with the inspection by Friday at which time will ship the wheel back
            to you right away."

Well, as of this writing, on June 27th, I have neither received the wheel back, nor heard from Phil Wood and Co. Now I have pretty much lost all faith in the situation. While I may get the wheel back at some point, I have purposed to move along, since there isn't really any way at this point that I (a) would want to run a Phil Wood hub, and (b) I can't trust this company. 

I post this as my story to those who went out of their way to make the Snow Dog possible for me, and to let anyone who might be wondering what happened with this situation know what has went down. I am not a person who wishes to "bring Phil Wood and Co. down", or "get revenge" for this situation by putting out any negative spew about the company. It is what it is. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is bad customer service. 

Finally, I want to make it clear that this hub was something I purchased with my own money. I wasn't given the hub, and it wasn't a review/test deal for Phil Wood. It was an honestly purchased hub for my personal use. 

Where am I going from here? Well, as I understand it, a matched set of snow bike hubs is due out later in the fall from a company I do trust, which I may wait for. If that looks like it might be delayed, I will have to pursue other options, but for now, that's the sad story of the Snow Dog and the Phil Wood hub. 

Now ya know....

The Saga Of The Snow Dog And The Phil Wood Hub

Whelp......this isn't a post I ever wanted to write, but.......I feel that I have lost patience, and that I am well within bounds to tell it: The story of my Snow Dog and the Phil Wood hub. The "Snow Dog" is what I called my Salsa Cycles Mukluk, which has a special meaning for me. I think this part of the story is the most disappointing part for me. You see, a lot of people went out of their way to make a surprise birthday gift of the frame and fork, which I had fully intended to purchase on my own. I was flabbergasted, obviously, and suddenly the Mukluk meant a bit more to me than "just a bike" might.

The Snow Dog with the original rear wheel.

So, when I got everything together for this bike, a few days before my birthday, you can imagine my dismay when something wasn't right. A popping noise, which could be felt through the cranks, was occurring with regularity. In fact, after the second ride, I determined that it was getting worse. I had tracked it down to the drive train, and eventually, the rear hub.

After only two rides, I knew something was seriously wrong, however; the next day was my birthday, and I was bound and determined to ride the bike on my birthday, January 23rd, and then I would send the hub, or complete wheel in for servicing. That last ride was a doozy! The hub was really, really bad.

I looked at the cassette and ring gear before sending it off. One of the pawls wasn't engaging at all, while the ring gear was absolutely torn up. I knew at this point that the wheel would either have to be torn apart, or the whole wheel would need to go back to Phil Wood for servicing. I e-mailed Phil Wood on January 24th, and cordially told them about my issues.

I got a reply January 26th with a return authorization number, address, and a promise they would get to the wheel as soon as possible. I sent the wheel off that day, and on February 4th, got a message that servicing was complete, and the wheel would be coming back to me.

Ben Witt's loaner wheel worked perfectly.

In the meantime, I was loaned a rear wheel for the Snow Dog by Ben Witt. It was to be for his own snow bike project, and had a Phil Wood hub like mine laced up to a Rolling Darryl. His wheel never once gave me any problems, leading me to believe that my Phil Wood hub would eventually be good to go.

On February 10th, I got the wheel back. I sent a thank you e-mail to Phil Wood and Co, and then got to swapping out wheels. I was going to ride the Snow Dog to work and see how they did on the warranty work. Phil Wood's invoice showed they replaced the free hub and ring gear. No charge. I was stuck with the shipping bill out only.

Unfortunately, the very next day I had to send Phil Wood another e-mail in which I wrote the following:

"Once again, I wanted to compliment you on you and your teams quick service. However; the hub is still failing.

I went to work and back on the bike today, a round trip of 10 miles, and the hub engagement was making noises and I could feel the vibrations through the cranks. It seems after every time I coasted, it would almost always "pop" loudly after the first revolution, and every so often, in the middle of pedaling. Once the crank freely rotated a half a revolution, as if the pawls slipped again, like last time.

I counted 24 instances of loud popping noises just on my return trip home, which is approximately double the amount from the morning trip into work.

It is my opinion that this hub will fail again completely.

Just to cover everything: I did not touch the hub other than to install the tire, tube, rotor and cassette last evening. It also should be noted that I have been riding Ben Witt's rear wheel, (a blue anodized Phil Wood hub), on the bike for the last week plus, and it has never made a single peep, or acted anything other than normal. So, that eliminates anything to do with the rest of the bike. It definitely is an issue with this particular hub.

I can not trust this hub. I am going to cease riding it immediately."

I got a response the same day:

"Gadzooks!! That is certainly a first since I've been servicing hubs at Phil Wood. I don't blame you
   for your disappointment. I too feel your pain. I will speak to the upper management on how we are
   going to rectify the issue for you unfortunately it will not be until Monday as everyone has pretty much
   left for the weekend. Hang tight and I will get back with you ASAP on Monday."

Happier days with Ben's wheel

That was a Friday, the 11th, and on the 14th, I got a message saying that they would send out a shipping label to get the wheel back to me, and a promise that their engineering department would be taking a look at the issue and making sure it never happens again.

Well, Frostbike was happening that next weekend, and I also had to return Ben's rear wheel, so he could get his bike up and running. When I got back, I packed up the wheel again, and sent it off. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the U.S.P.S. label Phil Wood sent out to cover the shipping:(from my e-mail to Phil Wood dated 2/23/11

"I received the shipping label here Saturday while I was gone at Frostbike. I got the wheel off to you finally today.

A couple of things of note:

1: The wheel was sent intact, as instructed by you.

2: The shipping label, a Priority Mail one, had a value of seven dollars and change. The local Post Office told me that in order to send the wheel to you Priority Mail in the box I had to pack it in would cost $72.00. I had them change it to regular post, which cost me $15.00 and change. I now am out approximately $60.00 in shipping the wheel to you twice.

3: I tested the wheel one last time before pulling it down, static, while seated, I could get it to pop loudly, as if the pawls were not fully engaging, several times."

I also went on to say that I didn't think I could ever trust that particular hub, and requested that they swap out for a completely new one. 

That's been the last time I saw my wheel......

On March 16th, I sent a followup e-mail asking for a progress update. The next day I received an answer telling me free hub bodies were not available from their supplier and that they should be showing up "next week" , and that they would be keeping me informed as to the progress on the matter. 

On April 20th, I sent an e-mail again, since I had heard nothing from Phil Wood in the ensuing 33 days since my last communication with them. I simply asked for an update. On April 21st, I received the following:

  "Well, unfortunately the free hub bodies are STILL on back order from our
          supplier. We are keeping our fingers crossed that we will see them next
          week. I will let you know as soon as I see them hit the door."


On May 23rd, after hearing nothing for 32 days, I simply fired off this; "What's the latest?" I got the following reply....


 " We just received the back ordered freehub bodies from our supplier.
            Our hub/wheel is currently being inspected by our engineering department
            per their request just to double check that everything is within spec in order
            to prevent any further issues in the future. From what they tell me they should
            be finish with the inspection by Friday at which time will ship the wheel back
            to you right away."

Well, as of this writing, on June 27th, I have neither received the wheel back, nor heard from Phil Wood and Co. Now I have pretty much lost all faith in the situation. While I may get the wheel back at some point, I have purposed to move along, since there isn't really any way at this point that I (a) would want to run a Phil Wood hub, and (b) I can't trust this company. 

I post this as my story to those who went out of their way to make the Snow Dog possible for me, and to let anyone who might be wondering what happened with this situation know what has went down. I am not a person who wishes to "bring Phil Wood and Co. down", or "get revenge" for this situation by putting out any negative spew about the company. It is what it is. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is bad customer service. 

Finally, I want to make it clear that this hub was something I purchased with my own money. I wasn't given the hub, and it wasn't a review/test deal for Phil Wood. It was an honestly purchased hub for my personal use. 

Where am I going from here? Well, as I understand it, a matched set of snow bike hubs is due out later in the fall from a company I do trust, which I may wait for. If that looks like it might be delayed, I will have to pursue other options, but for now, that's the sad story of the Snow Dog and the Phil Wood hub. 

Now ya know....

Gear Try-Outs

Throwin' the Horns

Recently I got a couple of new items to check out. These will be getting reviewed on The Cyclistsite in short order, so stay tuned for that. For now, here is some information and my initial impressions on these two cycling items.

First up, we have Ergon's new glove, the "HE2". Ergon has four new gloves for different mountain biking disciplines. The HE2 is geared for DH and Enduro type riding where the rider would likely be using a GE1 or GA1 grip. (Although in reality, you can use these with any Ergon grip, or any other grip, for that matter.)

The gloves came on an environmentally friendly, 100% recycled/recyclable cardboard display hangar. This is great, but the fine, faded looking print on it was hard to read! Good thing Ergon has a great website!

And on that website, you'll find Ergon's description of the gloves. I won't get all into that here. (Look for details on The Cyclistsite), but I will say a few comments about them right away here.

These gloves look very well made. Lots of stitching going on with the white panels against black, and the heel of the palm protector, in case you biff! One glaring omission here: No terry cloth sweat wiper. Weird! I though every cycling glove had that feature. Guess not anymore!

I've had one ride on them so far, and it is obvious they are still breaking in, so I'll wait for any performance judgments for a bit.

Mrs. Guitar Ted and the Alpha by Spy Optics

Spy Optics has re-entered the "performance eyewear" category with this new Alpha model and three others which are new for 2011.

The Alpha eyewear I received has a gray polarized lens on a matte black, semi-rimmed frame made from Grilamid which is crazy flexible, light, and holds its shape really well. Just perfect for the rough and tumble mountain biker!

There are all sorts of technologies going on here with the Alpha, which I will get into in my review pieces on The Cyclistsite, but for now, I have to say that these are impressive.

Haven't heard of Spy Optics? Well, these are not "cheap sunglasses", by any stretch. These are competitive with some brands you are familiar with, and have similar treatments and performance attributes. My initial testing shows that Spy Optics Alpha is a top notch piece of equipment. Right up there with my favorite eyewear. This should be a good test.

Well, that is if I can pry them out of Mrs. Guitar Ted's hands! She looks better in them than I do anyway! (Well, I think I look "okay" in them too, don't get me wrong!)

Gear Try-Outs

Throwin' the Horns

Recently I got a couple of new items to check out. These will be getting reviewed on The Cyclistsite in short order, so stay tuned for that. For now, here is some information and my initial impressions on these two cycling items.

First up, we have Ergon's new glove, the "HE2". Ergon has four new gloves for different mountain biking disciplines. The HE2 is geared for DH and Enduro type riding where the rider would likely be using a GE1 or GA1 grip. (Although in reality, you can use these with any Ergon grip, or any other grip, for that matter.)

The gloves came on an environmentally friendly, 100% recycled/recyclable cardboard display hangar. This is great, but the fine, faded looking print on it was hard to read! Good thing Ergon has a great website!

And on that website, you'll find Ergon's description of the gloves. I won't get all into that here. (Look for details on The Cyclistsite), but I will say a few comments about them right away here.

These gloves look very well made. Lots of stitching going on with the white panels against black, and the heel of the palm protector, in case you biff! One glaring omission here: No terry cloth sweat wiper. Weird! I though every cycling glove had that feature. Guess not anymore!

I've had one ride on them so far, and it is obvious they are still breaking in, so I'll wait for any performance judgments for a bit.

Mrs. Guitar Ted and the Alpha by Spy Optics

Spy Optics has re-entered the "performance eyewear" category with this new Alpha model and three others which are new for 2011.

The Alpha eyewear I received has a gray polarized lens on a matte black, semi-rimmed frame made from Grilamid which is crazy flexible, light, and holds its shape really well. Just perfect for the rough and tumble mountain biker!

There are all sorts of technologies going on here with the Alpha, which I will get into in my review pieces on The Cyclistsite, but for now, I have to say that these are impressive.

Haven't heard of Spy Optics? Well, these are not "cheap sunglasses", by any stretch. These are competitive with some brands you are familiar with, and have similar treatments and performance attributes. My initial testing shows that Spy Optics Alpha is a top notch piece of equipment. Right up there with my favorite eyewear. This should be a good test.

Well, that is if I can pry them out of Mrs. Guitar Ted's hands! She looks better in them than I do anyway! (Well, I think I look "okay" in them too, don't get me wrong!)

The Strobe Effect

Sawyer In George Wyth

Friday I got the shop work done early. So, I left an hour earlier than usual, and went over to see how George Wyth State Park was doing.

The trails there are now under the watchful eye of CVAST, and they are mown and cleared for the most part. They do a good job with what they have to work with.  And let's be honest, Geo Wyth is essentially low-land, backwaters of the Cedar River flood plain. Flat. Silty. When it gets wet, it is the worst slickery, snotty, greasy mud you'll ever run across. And.......it was more wet than not. 

At any rate, there I was, slogging through the mud pits, and having to gingerly pilot the Sawyer through the single track due to the slick trails and packed up tires. Oh yeah, did I mention that this mud sticks to everything?

The Sawyer, being as stable as it is, was a perfect sled for these conditions. Even though the tires were a terrible choice! I wished plenty of times that I had the Mud X on there yet. I don't mean to complain. It isn't like I haven't seen this before out there. In fact, it was what I would cal "typical Geo Wyth" conditions.

It was still lots of fun, and beat working an extra hour hands down. It was good to get over there, see the old place, and reminisce about the old days when I was just learning the ropes and these trails were all new, and very different.

One thing that hadn't changed, and that was the "strobe effect" you get when speeding through the single track under the canopy of foliage with the sunlight trying to pierce through every now and then. This dappled sunlight can play tricks on your mind, and if you aren't careful, you can wreck. The on again, off again light makes it hard to see just when you really need to at times!

On the way back home, I went around  East Lake, which has water up over the trail in three spots. I motored right through hub deep water on the single speed, much to the amazement of a couple of young fishermen at one spot.

It was a good ride, but I won't be back that way for awhile now. A little bit of the Geo Wyth goes a long way for me. We've got history, me and that park!

The Strobe Effect

Sawyer In George Wyth

Friday I got the shop work done early. So, I left an hour earlier than usual, and went over to see how George Wyth State Park was doing.

The trails there are now under the watchful eye of CVAST, and they are mown and cleared for the most part. They do a good job with what they have to work with.  And let's be honest, Geo Wyth is essentially low-land, backwaters of the Cedar River flood plain. Flat. Silty. When it gets wet, it is the worst slickery, snotty, greasy mud you'll ever run across. And.......it was more wet than not. 

At any rate, there I was, slogging through the mud pits, and having to gingerly pilot the Sawyer through the single track due to the slick trails and packed up tires. Oh yeah, did I mention that this mud sticks to everything?

The Sawyer, being as stable as it is, was a perfect sled for these conditions. Even though the tires were a terrible choice! I wished plenty of times that I had the Mud X on there yet. I don't mean to complain. It isn't like I haven't seen this before out there. In fact, it was what I would cal "typical Geo Wyth" conditions.

It was still lots of fun, and beat working an extra hour hands down. It was good to get over there, see the old place, and reminisce about the old days when I was just learning the ropes and these trails were all new, and very different.

One thing that hadn't changed, and that was the "strobe effect" you get when speeding through the single track under the canopy of foliage with the sunlight trying to pierce through every now and then. This dappled sunlight can play tricks on your mind, and if you aren't careful, you can wreck. The on again, off again light makes it hard to see just when you really need to at times!

On the way back home, I went around  East Lake, which has water up over the trail in three spots. I motored right through hub deep water on the single speed, much to the amazement of a couple of young fishermen at one spot.

It was a good ride, but I won't be back that way for awhile now. A little bit of the Geo Wyth goes a long way for me. We've got history, me and that park!

Salsa Cycles Cowbell II Handle Bar: First Impressions

Salsa Cowbell 2 On The BMC "Orange Crush"

The new Salsa Cycles Cowbell 2 has been getting some rave comments from folks I trust and respect lately. Now I know why.

I've got my 46cm Salsa Cycles Cowbell 2 bars mounted and ridden and here are my impressions of the bar so far.

Mounting And Taping: Unlike some other off-road drop bars, the Cowbell drops are pretty typical road-like fare to deal with, in as far as how you will want to have them set up. I like "traditional" placement of the levers and drop extensions- Meaning, level drop section, parallel to the ground, and lever tips hanging just below the drop section. Call me "old skool", but I think it looks far better and not only that, it rides better in all hand positions. I'll get to that later, but just know that these bars will be familiar to set up and tape for anyone that has done road bike bars before. No funky "point-the-drop-extensions-at-the-rear-axle", no weird sweep, and no weird lever angles.

Salsa put some sweet graduated lines on each hook on the outer side of the curve to help with lever placement. Ever obsessed about which lever was higher? Yeah......me too! With these simple graphics on the bar, the guess work is gone. Thanks Salsa for that thoughtful touch! Saved a bunch of fretting and time for me, I know that much.

Looks pretty normal from here

Ride Feel: Okay, I've a confession to make: I don't like traditional road bars at all. They feel all wrong to me, and not comfortable at all in the drops. (No wonder people never use their drops on road bikes. It feels all constricted down there, at least to me.)

The minimal sweep and flare of the Cowbell bars is so subtle, you almost can not see it when the bars are mounted and taped up. (Salsa claims 12 degrees of flare) That said, it was "just enough" to make me not hate on these bars.

My first ride was not all hearts and roses. I felt the Cowbell was too roadie-ish for my tastes. (This may be all you need to read to be a fan of these!) However; I knew I was coming off some pretty radical drops in the Ragely Luxy Bar, and anything with less sweep than those was going to be a huge departure for me. So, I gave it some time.

The Cowbell does have an excellent transition from the ramp section to the hoods. Very comfy place to grip there. The variable radius bend of the drops was great too. This is something I would like to see more of in the swept, flared off road drop bars. Variable radius bars just fit into the hand better, with a great perch for the butt of the palms to sit into. Super comfy and secure grip there. The drops reach to the levers is perfect. I could easily brake and shift from the drops at will.

The tops have a wide enough section that makes it feel good to climb there and cruise there without making you feel that your grip is too narrow. Going from up top to the drops is easy since the drop is shallow. Overall, every traditional hand position is very useable with this handle bar.

Traditional set up: There is a reason this works...

On rough stuff, like grass, and pot holed, cracked pavement, the bar felt reasonably smooth. Salsa says the Cowbell 2 is double butted. If I push hard into the drops, the bars flex a bit. Nothing radical. I can't discern it while climbing and honking on the levers. That said, it feels smoother than the Luxy Bar that came off the "Orange Crush", so I'm going to say it is the double butted stock and design of these that gives them a bit of a sweet ride feel.

Conclusions: What about that "roadie-ish feel"? Well, I did have some of that sensation disappear. On the last ride before I wrote this, I found myself shooting up a steep embankment in the drops. Rocking the bike slightly from side to side, out of the saddle. Then it dawned on me. "Hey- these are not all that bad for being so "straight" in the drops!"  The minimal sweep and flare seems to be "just enough" to make them work for off road, and yet they don't look "nontraditional" in the sense that they have a very normal drop bar look and feel for most riding.

I won't be rocking these on my mountain bike, but I do like these for gravel, and if I were a cyclo cross kind of guy, I would seriously look at these. They afford much more control in the drops than a traditional road bar can when descending, and you can power up climbs and short chutes while in the drops and not break your wrists. The variable radius bend is great for your grip as well.

These bars can accept bar end shifters too. "Brifters" should set up really well for folks on the Cowbell bars, and if you need to mount gadgets, there is plenty of room on the tops for that non-sense.

I think Salsa has designed another great product in the Cowbell 2 bars, and I'll be sticking with these for the "Orange Crush" for a long time. I just wish they came in silver! (There! A criticism!) I'm not much on these for real rough off roading, but they weren't really aimed at that activity either. Road bikers, tourists, and anyone not satisfied with wonky drop bar designs prevalent today should look hard at these.

Happy Trails all! Have a great weekend!

UPDATED: I've gotten some questions about what the difference is between the Cowbell 2 and Cowbell 3 bars is. I e-mailed Salsa Cycles for an explanation Here is what they shared with me.....



Here is the skinny on our naming. This is new for the future and these are the first products coming under our new format.



1 = BEST (equate to product like Pro Moto Carbon bars and Pro Moto Ti stem)
2 = BETTER (equate to product such as aluminum Pro Moto bars)
3 = GOOD (equate to product formerly known as Moto Ace)

Each of these levels will be differentiated by features, materials and finish quality. All of our core components will come this way eventually. We will have 3 level of components in bars, stems and seat posts. 



So, there ya have it folks! Thanks for the comments and for checking out Guitar Ted Productions!

Salsa Cycles Cowbell II Handle Bar: First Impressions

Salsa Cowbell 2 On The BMC "Orange Crush"

The new Salsa Cycles Cowbell 2 has been getting some rave comments from folks I trust and respect lately. Now I know why.

I've got my 46cm Salsa Cycles Cowbell 2 bars mounted and ridden and here are my impressions of the bar so far.

Mounting And Taping: Unlike some other off-road drop bars, the Cowbell drops are pretty typical road-like fare to deal with, in as far as how you will want to have them set up. I like "traditional" placement of the levers and drop extensions- Meaning, level drop section, parallel to the ground, and lever tips hanging just below the drop section. Call me "old skool", but I think it looks far better and not only that, it rides better in all hand positions. I'll get to that later, but just know that these bars will be familiar to set up and tape for anyone that has done road bike bars before. No funky "point-the-drop-extensions-at-the-rear-axle", no weird sweep, and no weird lever angles.

Salsa put some sweet graduated lines on each hook on the outer side of the curve to help with lever placement. Ever obsessed about which lever was higher? Yeah......me too! With these simple graphics on the bar, the guess work is gone. Thanks Salsa for that thoughtful touch! Saved a bunch of fretting and time for me, I know that much.

Looks pretty normal from here

Ride Feel: Okay, I've a confession to make: I don't like traditional road bars at all. They feel all wrong to me, and not comfortable at all in the drops. (No wonder people never use their drops on road bikes. It feels all constricted down there, at least to me.)

The minimal sweep and flare of the Cowbell bars is so subtle, you almost can not see it when the bars are mounted and taped up. (Salsa claims 12 degrees of flare) That said, it was "just enough" to make me not hate on these bars.

My first ride was not all hearts and roses. I felt the Cowbell was too roadie-ish for my tastes. (This may be all you need to read to be a fan of these!) However; I knew I was coming off some pretty radical drops in the Ragely Luxy Bar, and anything with less sweep than those was going to be a huge departure for me. So, I gave it some time.

The Cowbell does have an excellent transition from the ramp section to the hoods. Very comfy place to grip there. The variable radius bend of the drops was great too. This is something I would like to see more of in the swept, flared off road drop bars. Variable radius bars just fit into the hand better, with a great perch for the butt of the palms to sit into. Super comfy and secure grip there. The drops reach to the levers is perfect. I could easily brake and shift from the drops at will.

The tops have a wide enough section that makes it feel good to climb there and cruise there without making you feel that your grip is too narrow. Going from up top to the drops is easy since the drop is shallow. Overall, every traditional hand position is very useable with this handle bar.

Traditional set up: There is a reason this works...

On rough stuff, like grass, and pot holed, cracked pavement, the bar felt reasonably smooth. Salsa says the Cowbell 2 is double butted. If I push hard into the drops, the bars flex a bit. Nothing radical. I can't discern it while climbing and honking on the levers. That said, it feels smoother than the Luxy Bar that came off the "Orange Crush", so I'm going to say it is the double butted stock and design of these that gives them a bit of a sweet ride feel.

Conclusions: What about that "roadie-ish feel"? Well, I did have some of that sensation disappear. On the last ride before I wrote this, I found myself shooting up a steep embankment in the drops. Rocking the bike slightly from side to side, out of the saddle. Then it dawned on me. "Hey- these are not all that bad for being so "straight" in the drops!"  The minimal sweep and flare seems to be "just enough" to make them work for off road, and yet they don't look "nontraditional" in the sense that they have a very normal drop bar look and feel for most riding.

I won't be rocking these on my mountain bike, but I do like these for gravel, and if I were a cyclo cross kind of guy, I would seriously look at these. They afford much more control in the drops than a traditional road bar can when descending, and you can power up climbs and short chutes while in the drops and not break your wrists. The variable radius bend is great for your grip as well.

These bars can accept bar end shifters too. "Brifters" should set up really well for folks on the Cowbell bars, and if you need to mount gadgets, there is plenty of room on the tops for that non-sense.

I think Salsa has designed another great product in the Cowbell 2 bars, and I'll be sticking with these for the "Orange Crush" for a long time. I just wish they came in silver! (There! A criticism!) I'm not much on these for real rough off roading, but they weren't really aimed at that activity either. Road bikers, tourists, and anyone not satisfied with wonky drop bar designs prevalent today should look hard at these.

Happy Trails all! Have a great weekend!

UPDATED: I've gotten some questions about what the difference is between the Cowbell 2 and Cowbell 3 bars is. I e-mailed Salsa Cycles for an explanation Here is what they shared with me.....



Here is the skinny on our naming. This is new for the future and these are the first products coming under our new format.



1 = BEST (equate to product like Pro Moto Carbon bars and Pro Moto Ti stem)
2 = BETTER (equate to product such as aluminum Pro Moto bars)
3 = GOOD (equate to product formerly known as Moto Ace)

Each of these levels will be differentiated by features, materials and finish quality. All of our core components will come this way eventually. We will have 3 level of components in bars, stems and seat posts. 



So, there ya have it folks! Thanks for the comments and for checking out Guitar Ted Productions!

The First Day Of Summer.....(Really?)

With yesterday being the first day of summer, you'd think we would be basking in sunshine, humidity, and mosquitoes. Well, you'd be wrong on all counts. It was anything but summer-like out there yesterday, but I had a good day anyway.

A Wet Muddy Goblin

I got an early start and headed up to Cedar Bend Park because of all the wet weather from the past days. It is the only place I  can ride near by that won't clag up the bike when it has been wet.

Well, it was wet, and in fact, it was drizzling all the way up there. The trails were holding up well though, even though there was some standing water in some spots. The sky was grey, the wind was blowing from the Northwest, and it was in the low 60's. Chilly.

It boggles my mind to think it was 45 degrees warmer where I was last week! The air was downright cold feeling as I went down the trail. No matter, it felt good to finally be mountain biking again after my biff in Texas. The knee? Well, it worked just fine, thank you. I think it is still a bit irritated and maybe a tad weak yet. Certainly stiff at full leg bend, but things look well on their way to full recovery.

Otherwise it was good to be back and riding familiar trails. The legs were still in good shape. The lungs seemed to be willing. I was a bit surprised, frankly. I thought I had lost more fitness than that from the rest necessary when I hurt my knee. 

All You Could Do Was Smile About It

Later, after doing laps at Cedar Bend, I decided to run an important errand on the Karate Monkey. I thought at the last second before leaving that I might pack my rain jacket. You know.....just in case. 

The wind was really kicking from the Northwest now, and going right into it on the single speed was a chore. Not even a mile from the house, I began to feel waves of mist hit my face. Then it became a constant spritz. A few hundred feet later......

Rain.

So I headed for the bike path that goes underneath the expressway. I stopped and pulled out that rain jacket, put it on, and then decided to goof around with the camera a bit. Maybe it would blow over, and I could continue on without the jacket. No such luck though. It rained all the way out to my destination.

It was all good. I was riding a bicycle, my knee wasn't an issue. Just those two things were enough to make it an awesome day. Rain or no.

The First Day Of Summer.....(Really?)

With yesterday being the first day of summer, you'd think we would be basking in sunshine, humidity, and mosquitoes. Well, you'd be wrong on all counts. It was anything but summer-like out there yesterday, but I had a good day anyway.

A Wet Muddy Goblin

I got an early start and headed up to Cedar Bend Park because of all the wet weather from the past days. It is the only place I  can ride near by that won't clag up the bike when it has been wet.

Well, it was wet, and in fact, it was drizzling all the way up there. The trails were holding up well though, even though there was some standing water in some spots. The sky was grey, the wind was blowing from the Northwest, and it was in the low 60's. Chilly.

It boggles my mind to think it was 45 degrees warmer where I was last week! The air was downright cold feeling as I went down the trail. No matter, it felt good to finally be mountain biking again after my biff in Texas. The knee? Well, it worked just fine, thank you. I think it is still a bit irritated and maybe a tad weak yet. Certainly stiff at full leg bend, but things look well on their way to full recovery.

Otherwise it was good to be back and riding familiar trails. The legs were still in good shape. The lungs seemed to be willing. I was a bit surprised, frankly. I thought I had lost more fitness than that from the rest necessary when I hurt my knee. 

All You Could Do Was Smile About It

Later, after doing laps at Cedar Bend, I decided to run an important errand on the Karate Monkey. I thought at the last second before leaving that I might pack my rain jacket. You know.....just in case. 

The wind was really kicking from the Northwest now, and going right into it on the single speed was a chore. Not even a mile from the house, I began to feel waves of mist hit my face. Then it became a constant spritz. A few hundred feet later......

Rain.

So I headed for the bike path that goes underneath the expressway. I stopped and pulled out that rain jacket, put it on, and then decided to goof around with the camera a bit. Maybe it would blow over, and I could continue on without the jacket. No such luck though. It rained all the way out to my destination.

It was all good. I was riding a bicycle, my knee wasn't an issue. Just those two things were enough to make it an awesome day. Rain or no.