Lookin' Ahead

Last day of 2011. Ah........buh-bye now!  On to next year and new changes and new challenges. Here's a few things I know that fit those categories right now. I'm sure more things will pop up along the way.

Old look fading away......

In the not-to-distant future, as in, within days, there will be an update to Twenty Nine Inches. The site hasn't seen a change to the page in almost six years, so it was beyond time to do some refreshing, updating, and spruce up the place a bit.

I can't take much of any credit here for the new look coming, because I am basically computer illiterate, but fortunately, I have a great help in Grannygear. (Thanks man!). Don't know what I'd do without some smart people helping me out.

I'll  be back....

Besides the Triple D event coming in a couple of weeks, (will we have any snow?), I am now reg'd up for another shot at CIRREM. This gravelly grinder down southwest of Des Moines will be a metric century of hills on February 25th. Last year was cold and snowy. This year? I may need a snow bike, or I could be getting sprayed with peanut buttery gravel on my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush".

Then I'll be lining up in early April for the Renegade Gents Race with four other team mates. (Hopefully all sporting some facial hair!) So that's three events in the span of three months time to kick off the season. Top that off with a tentatively planned trip for two weeks to El Paso, Texas in March. I will be a busy boy!

But right now I have some other pressing business to take care of. Like finishing a titanium Mukluk, getting recon for T.I.V8 done, and riding sometime to get ready for all of this stuff happening in the first part of the year.

Oh yeah.......Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2012! 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Lookin' Ahead

Last day of 2011. Ah........buh-bye now!  On to next year and new changes and new challenges. Here's a few things I know that fit those categories right now. I'm sure more things will pop up along the way.

Old look fading away......

In the not-to-distant future, as in, within days, there will be an update to Twenty Nine Inches. The site hasn't seen a change to the page in almost six years, so it was beyond time to do some refreshing, updating, and spruce up the place a bit.

I can't take much of any credit here for the new look coming, because I am basically computer illiterate, but fortunately, I have a great help in Grannygear. (Thanks man!). Don't know what I'd do without some smart people helping me out.

I'll  be back....

Besides the Triple D event coming in a couple of weeks, (will we have any snow?), I am now reg'd up for another shot at CIRREM. This gravelly grinder down southwest of Des Moines will be a metric century of hills on February 25th. Last year was cold and snowy. This year? I may need a snow bike, or I could be getting sprayed with peanut buttery gravel on my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush".

Then I'll be lining up in early April for the Renegade Gents Race with four other team mates. (Hopefully all sporting some facial hair!) So that's three events in the span of three months time to kick off the season. Top that off with a tentatively planned trip for two weeks to El Paso, Texas in March. I will be a busy boy!

But right now I have some other pressing business to take care of. Like finishing a titanium Mukluk, getting recon for T.I.V8 done, and riding sometime to get ready for all of this stuff happening in the first part of the year.

Oh yeah.......Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2012! 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011: Part IV

Continuing on with the remembrances from the last year that impressed me, we move on to the end of 2011...

Northfield Trip #2: Labor Day weekend was another time I had a blast up in Northfield, Minnesota with Ben Witt and his lovely wife. Mrs. Guitar Ted and Ben's wife like to shop, which left Ben, Curtis, and I all day to goof off on fat bikes, and we literally did take the whole day to do just that.

In the morning I built up my new Salsa Cycles hubs to my Rolling Darryls, replacing the bad hubs I had before. It didn't take me long to find out that the Salsa hubs were vastly superior, since we were doing stunts over rocks, down cement stair cases, and up and over twisty single track right outta the box.

We did urban stuff, we did single track in the woods, we did gravel roads, and bicycle paths. We ended the day by cruising a cemetery and a few dark, dim single track trails before it was just too dark to see. It was the perfect cap off to a sultry, hot summer of riding.

I learned a few things about fat bikes that day as well. I learned that they can do a lot more than you think, (snow), and are grin inducing, fun machines. In fact, it is largely due to this experience that I now cringe when I hear people refer to these bikes as "snow bikes".  That's selling them way too short.

Weird. Rain at Interbike.

Interbike: Of course, I went out to Interbike again. Last year I thought it would be my last time in Las Vegas, since Interbike had planned to move to Anaheim, California, but noooooo!

So, we found ourselves in the desert where.....it rained! That was a new experience, and the weather seemed to have the same subdued feel to the desert that the lack of attendance at Interbike had on the show.

There was a weird, almost lackadaisical feel to the show, which was totally different from the near hyper-activity level I normally experience here. I was completely okay with this, but it definitely wasn't the same as in years past. People had more time to talk, to actually relate to you. It was a nice change, but I don't think the folks running the show could have been very happy with the overall attendance numbers.

Interbike also marked the end of Summer for Iowa. By the time I got back, I could feel Fall had settled over the land, and I was going to be super busy doing testing for Twenty Nine Inches.

Trans Iowa V8: So, along with all the bicycle riding I was doing, I had to get Trans Iowa up and chugging along again. The Registration happened, and the roster filled up, while in the meantime, I was lining up stuff in Grinnell.

I also had to get the route planned, and to actually lay eyes to it. This will be the first time in a long time that I will be the one laying eyes to the entire course. I haven't had to do that for awhile.

So, fall progressed into what should have been winter, and no snow, with above average temperatures. Trying to get ready for riding next year hasn't been an issue, and Trans Iowa preparations have not been hindered. Trouble is, in December I always have the big birthdays, Christmas, and then my anniversary right after New Years. Added to that is all the other social gatherings, and Holiday time isn't the best for recon. But then again.....who would have guessed that I could do recon at all now?!.

So there are my highlights from 2011. It has been quite a year full of goings on, great people, and some bummers along the way. But for the most part, it was a great year. Awesome really. I hope yours was just as fun filled and action packed.

And now on to "next year". I'll go over some goals and thoughts about 2012 tomorrow. Stay tuned.........

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011: Part IV

Continuing on with the remembrances from the last year that impressed me, we move on to the end of 2011...

Northfield Trip #2: Labor Day weekend was another time I had a blast up in Northfield, Minnesota with Ben Witt and his lovely wife. Mrs. Guitar Ted and Ben's wife like to shop, which left Ben, Curtis, and I all day to goof off on fat bikes, and we literally did take the whole day to do just that.

In the morning I built up my new Salsa Cycles hubs to my Rolling Darryls, replacing the bad hubs I had before. It didn't take me long to find out that the Salsa hubs were vastly superior, since we were doing stunts over rocks, down cement stair cases, and up and over twisty single track right outta the box.

We did urban stuff, we did single track in the woods, we did gravel roads, and bicycle paths. We ended the day by cruising a cemetery and a few dark, dim single track trails before it was just too dark to see. It was the perfect cap off to a sultry, hot summer of riding.

I learned a few things about fat bikes that day as well. I learned that they can do a lot more than you think, (snow), and are grin inducing, fun machines. In fact, it is largely due to this experience that I now cringe when I hear people refer to these bikes as "snow bikes".  That's selling them way too short.

Weird. Rain at Interbike.

Interbike: Of course, I went out to Interbike again. Last year I thought it would be my last time in Las Vegas, since Interbike had planned to move to Anaheim, California, but noooooo!

So, we found ourselves in the desert where.....it rained! That was a new experience, and the weather seemed to have the same subdued feel to the desert that the lack of attendance at Interbike had on the show.

There was a weird, almost lackadaisical feel to the show, which was totally different from the near hyper-activity level I normally experience here. I was completely okay with this, but it definitely wasn't the same as in years past. People had more time to talk, to actually relate to you. It was a nice change, but I don't think the folks running the show could have been very happy with the overall attendance numbers.

Interbike also marked the end of Summer for Iowa. By the time I got back, I could feel Fall had settled over the land, and I was going to be super busy doing testing for Twenty Nine Inches.

Trans Iowa V8: So, along with all the bicycle riding I was doing, I had to get Trans Iowa up and chugging along again. The Registration happened, and the roster filled up, while in the meantime, I was lining up stuff in Grinnell.

I also had to get the route planned, and to actually lay eyes to it. This will be the first time in a long time that I will be the one laying eyes to the entire course. I haven't had to do that for awhile.

So, fall progressed into what should have been winter, and no snow, with above average temperatures. Trying to get ready for riding next year hasn't been an issue, and Trans Iowa preparations have not been hindered. Trouble is, in December I always have the big birthdays, Christmas, and then my anniversary right after New Years. Added to that is all the other social gatherings, and Holiday time isn't the best for recon. But then again.....who would have guessed that I could do recon at all now?!.

So there are my highlights from 2011. It has been quite a year full of goings on, great people, and some bummers along the way. But for the most part, it was a great year. Awesome really. I hope yours was just as fun filled and action packed.

And now on to "next year". I'll go over some goals and thoughts about 2012 tomorrow. Stay tuned.........

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011; Part III

In the continuing process of closing out the year with my best memories from 2011, I have a few more events to talk about......

Annual Frostbike pilgrimage to Mike's Bikes

Frostbike: This "dealer only" show in Quality Bicycle Products Bloomington, Minnesota warehouse/headquarters is a fun get together where I get to hang out with several folks I get to see all too rarely. It also includes getting together with Ben Witt and making a pilgrimage to Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota.

This is always a very special time for me. This past year was no different. Ben had just gotten his Pofahl custom snow bike together, we did hot laps around Mike's Bikes shop on a modified pre-war Schwinn cruiser, and skidded fat bikes around corners to the point that we had "rubbered in" the corners in Mike's cement floor.

Mike's is a special little chunk of bicycle shop heaven that is rare and disappearing across the nation. I am honored and thrilled to have been there and to have seen the things I have. Mike was one of the original Marin "klunker" guys, and the heritage and history of mountain biking he brought back with him to Northfield is a small treasure I count myself lucky to have been able to experience. Thanks Mike! Thanks Ben!

Frostbike was fun, and a bit anti-climatic, since we ended up coming home early to beat out a wicked winter storm that stranded a lot of folks up there. (Maybe we should have stayed and gotten stranded with everyone else!)

Boo-boo.

El Paso, Texas: My summertime trip to El Paso, Texas to visit my relatives usually involves some riding in the Franklin Mountain State Park, and this year was to be a great, two week trip with plenty of opportunities to ride. I brought two bikes and gear and was all ready to do some desert riding.

On my first ride there, I endoed and smashed a rock into my knee cap, splitting open the skin down to the bone. I was alone, it was in the 90's in the desert, I was unable to see, and didn't know if I could walk. The pain was incredible. I was scared.

Well, obviously I made it back to talk about it again, but suffice it to say, I learned a thing or three about myself and about what I needed to do for the next attempt there. I also learned to appreciate what I have: Family, friends, and my own life. Seriously- this was a big eye opener, and even though I was disappointed in not being able to ride anymore down there, (or for about two weeks), I would not have learned what I did without that experience. I've got a scar to remind me too.

Summertime ride with Ben, Curtis, and Jason B.

Northfield Trip #1: In July I went up to help with a criterium Ben Witt was helping put on, and I also got to ride with Ben, Curtis, and Jason B, which was one of my favorite rides of the year.

These guys are a blast to ride with, and I count them as friends. To be out on the rural Minnesota gravel roads in such beauty only enhanced the experience more.

I also got to hang out with Ben's Dad, Mark, and we drove classic cars around in the sun, drank soda from a 50 year old vending machine dispensing 10 ounce bottles, and hung out at a beach on a lake for a bit. That and Mrs. Guitar Ted and I got lost on bicycles in Northfield, plus we stayed at a great Hotel in downtown Northfield. This was a highlight of the entire summer for me. What a great time!

So much happened in one weekend that it is hard to express how much this trip meant to me and my wife. Thanks to all who were a part of this one.

GTDRI: Toledo, Iowa stop.

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational: Well, here was a cooker of a ride! It started out foggy, wet, damp, and cool-ish, and ended up becoming a sweltering death march of a ride at the end of the day, but we (almost) all completed a dirty century.

This was a great ride from several standpoints. The people were fantastic. I had folks come in from further abroad than I had ever had- (North Dakota, Michigan), and had more folks on the ride, (13 individuals at different points in the ride), and had a spectacular course to share with them.

The hills were less brutal than they are in Northeast Iowa, but still- they were not easy! We took in the "Wolf Creek Wall", which I had in T.I.V7, and is featured in the film trailer for "300 Miles of Gravel", (see if you can spot it!), which leads into a mile and a half section of hills that suck the life out of you after 75 miles of previous hills.

At any rate, it turned out to be a killer fun ride, and I didn't make the mistake of drinking too much the night before either! Plus I made a few new friends, which is always a good time. Thanks all who came out for that ride!

Okay, look for another Rear View 2011 post tomorrow.

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011; Part III

In the continuing process of closing out the year with my best memories from 2011, I have a few more events to talk about......

Annual Frostbike pilgrimage to Mike's Bikes

Frostbike: This "dealer only" show in Quality Bicycle Products Bloomington, Minnesota warehouse/headquarters is a fun get together where I get to hang out with several folks I get to see all too rarely. It also includes getting together with Ben Witt and making a pilgrimage to Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota.

This is always a very special time for me. This past year was no different. Ben had just gotten his Pofahl custom snow bike together, we did hot laps around Mike's Bikes shop on a modified pre-war Schwinn cruiser, and skidded fat bikes around corners to the point that we had "rubbered in" the corners in Mike's cement floor.

Mike's is a special little chunk of bicycle shop heaven that is rare and disappearing across the nation. I am honored and thrilled to have been there and to have seen the things I have. Mike was one of the original Marin "klunker" guys, and the heritage and history of mountain biking he brought back with him to Northfield is a small treasure I count myself lucky to have been able to experience. Thanks Mike! Thanks Ben!

Frostbike was fun, and a bit anti-climatic, since we ended up coming home early to beat out a wicked winter storm that stranded a lot of folks up there. (Maybe we should have stayed and gotten stranded with everyone else!)

Boo-boo.

El Paso, Texas: My summertime trip to El Paso, Texas to visit my relatives usually involves some riding in the Franklin Mountain State Park, and this year was to be a great, two week trip with plenty of opportunities to ride. I brought two bikes and gear and was all ready to do some desert riding.

On my first ride there, I endoed and smashed a rock into my knee cap, splitting open the skin down to the bone. I was alone, it was in the 90's in the desert, I was unable to see, and didn't know if I could walk. The pain was incredible. I was scared.

Well, obviously I made it back to talk about it again, but suffice it to say, I learned a thing or three about myself and about what I needed to do for the next attempt there. I also learned to appreciate what I have: Family, friends, and my own life. Seriously- this was a big eye opener, and even though I was disappointed in not being able to ride anymore down there, (or for about two weeks), I would not have learned what I did without that experience. I've got a scar to remind me too.

Summertime ride with Ben, Curtis, and Jason B.

Northfield Trip #1: In July I went up to help with a criterium Ben Witt was helping put on, and I also got to ride with Ben, Curtis, and Jason B, which was one of my favorite rides of the year.

These guys are a blast to ride with, and I count them as friends. To be out on the rural Minnesota gravel roads in such beauty only enhanced the experience more.

I also got to hang out with Ben's Dad, Mark, and we drove classic cars around in the sun, drank soda from a 50 year old vending machine dispensing 10 ounce bottles, and hung out at a beach on a lake for a bit. That and Mrs. Guitar Ted and I got lost on bicycles in Northfield, plus we stayed at a great Hotel in downtown Northfield. This was a highlight of the entire summer for me. What a great time!

So much happened in one weekend that it is hard to express how much this trip meant to me and my wife. Thanks to all who were a part of this one.

GTDRI: Toledo, Iowa stop.

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational: Well, here was a cooker of a ride! It started out foggy, wet, damp, and cool-ish, and ended up becoming a sweltering death march of a ride at the end of the day, but we (almost) all completed a dirty century.

This was a great ride from several standpoints. The people were fantastic. I had folks come in from further abroad than I had ever had- (North Dakota, Michigan), and had more folks on the ride, (13 individuals at different points in the ride), and had a spectacular course to share with them.

The hills were less brutal than they are in Northeast Iowa, but still- they were not easy! We took in the "Wolf Creek Wall", which I had in T.I.V7, and is featured in the film trailer for "300 Miles of Gravel", (see if you can spot it!), which leads into a mile and a half section of hills that suck the life out of you after 75 miles of previous hills.

At any rate, it turned out to be a killer fun ride, and I didn't make the mistake of drinking too much the night before either! Plus I made a few new friends, which is always a good time. Thanks all who came out for that ride!

Okay, look for another Rear View 2011 post tomorrow.

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011: Part II

CIRREM: Ice Beard. Fun.

Moving on with the look back at 2011 and what I thought were some of the highlights....This time focusing on the events I was in.

CIRREM 2011: For those that are not familiar, CIRREM, (or "Central Iowa Rock Road Endurance Metric"), is a gravel road race/ social gathering on bikes in late February. It's as likely to be muddy and wet as it is cold and snowy. You just never know. Sometimes it is all of those wrapped up in one big, wet, nasty mess.

Well, coming off a disappointing 2010 where I failed to finish most every ride I attempted, the finishing of CIRREM on a cold, snowy, frozen course was imminently satisfying. (Even though I about froze my feet off that day!) I even rode the old Badger I have, squealing brakes and all, and it was fun. Lots of fun.

The event, (which is probably at its field limit for 2012 by the time you are reading this), is based out of Cumming Tap, a prototypical Iowa bar in a small town. The event has that fun, loose feel that doesn't take itself too seriously. I like that. Besides, it takes in some crazy hilly, beautiful Iowa countryside. This kind of event is right up my alley, as far as "races" go, and the people are fun and friendly. I may not get to go again in 2012, but if I do, I will enjoy the ride.

Renegade "Gentleman"

Renegade Gents Race: Not long after CIRREM, I found out about the "Renegade Gents Race", a five man team style event. Five folks had to start together, get through a checkpoint together, and finish together. In between, you could do as you liked, but it was encouraged to stick together as a team.

This was a fun set up, but more than that, I only had ever met one of my "team mates" before toeing the line! That's right- I got to know three new folks by riding in a race with them. For 60 plus miles.

Well, it could have been a complete disaster, but it turned out to become one of the best rides I'd been on in a long time. I made some new acquaintances and our team finished the event together well, albeit not as high up the rankings as we would have liked. Still, I think it was an undeniable fact that we all had a great day out on the bikes with some fantastic people. What more is there than that? (Well, other than drinking a Bud, some Four Loko, and eating a killer chicken Caesar wrap with Sam at the checkpoint). 

This event may happen again for me in 2012. Keeping that option open, and growing my beard in anticipation of this event!

David Pals speaking with Eric Brunt at T.I.V7

Trans Iowa V7: And of course, I can not leave without a mention of the seventh running of Trans Iowa. We had 18 finishers, and the weather was pretty decent this time. Can't really complain there.

We had the biggest roll out of Rookies ever, we had a nice turn out, with 76 riders total, (the biggest field to take the start in T.I. history),and we finally had a Women's Open finisher in Janna Vavre.

We had the event filmed, which should come out in early 2012, as "300 Miles of Gravel", by Jeff Frings, and Steve Fuller took some awesome images for the event which have been published in "Dirt Rag" and "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News".  Grinnell was an awesome host city again, and overall, the event was seen to be a success.

It wasn't without stress and some turmoil, but that seems to be par for the course most years I have been involved with Trans Iowa. In the end, it was a bit of a bittersweet event, looking back, as it was the last with my co-director, David Pals on board.

Okay, there are more events to talk about, so hang on for more reminiscing tomorrow as I continue the "Rear View of 2011" . 

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011: Part II

CIRREM: Ice Beard. Fun.

Moving on with the look back at 2011 and what I thought were some of the highlights....This time focusing on the events I was in.

CIRREM 2011: For those that are not familiar, CIRREM, (or "Central Iowa Rock Road Endurance Metric"), is a gravel road race/ social gathering on bikes in late February. It's as likely to be muddy and wet as it is cold and snowy. You just never know. Sometimes it is all of those wrapped up in one big, wet, nasty mess.

Well, coming off a disappointing 2010 where I failed to finish most every ride I attempted, the finishing of CIRREM on a cold, snowy, frozen course was imminently satisfying. (Even though I about froze my feet off that day!) I even rode the old Badger I have, squealing brakes and all, and it was fun. Lots of fun.

The event, (which is probably at its field limit for 2012 by the time you are reading this), is based out of Cumming Tap, a prototypical Iowa bar in a small town. The event has that fun, loose feel that doesn't take itself too seriously. I like that. Besides, it takes in some crazy hilly, beautiful Iowa countryside. This kind of event is right up my alley, as far as "races" go, and the people are fun and friendly. I may not get to go again in 2012, but if I do, I will enjoy the ride.

Renegade "Gentleman"

Renegade Gents Race: Not long after CIRREM, I found out about the "Renegade Gents Race", a five man team style event. Five folks had to start together, get through a checkpoint together, and finish together. In between, you could do as you liked, but it was encouraged to stick together as a team.

This was a fun set up, but more than that, I only had ever met one of my "team mates" before toeing the line! That's right- I got to know three new folks by riding in a race with them. For 60 plus miles.

Well, it could have been a complete disaster, but it turned out to become one of the best rides I'd been on in a long time. I made some new acquaintances and our team finished the event together well, albeit not as high up the rankings as we would have liked. Still, I think it was an undeniable fact that we all had a great day out on the bikes with some fantastic people. What more is there than that? (Well, other than drinking a Bud, some Four Loko, and eating a killer chicken Caesar wrap with Sam at the checkpoint). 

This event may happen again for me in 2012. Keeping that option open, and growing my beard in anticipation of this event!

David Pals speaking with Eric Brunt at T.I.V7

Trans Iowa V7: And of course, I can not leave without a mention of the seventh running of Trans Iowa. We had 18 finishers, and the weather was pretty decent this time. Can't really complain there.

We had the biggest roll out of Rookies ever, we had a nice turn out, with 76 riders total, (the biggest field to take the start in T.I. history),and we finally had a Women's Open finisher in Janna Vavre.

We had the event filmed, which should come out in early 2012, as "300 Miles of Gravel", by Jeff Frings, and Steve Fuller took some awesome images for the event which have been published in "Dirt Rag" and "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News".  Grinnell was an awesome host city again, and overall, the event was seen to be a success.

It wasn't without stress and some turmoil, but that seems to be par for the course most years I have been involved with Trans Iowa. In the end, it was a bit of a bittersweet event, looking back, as it was the last with my co-director, David Pals on board.

Okay, there are more events to talk about, so hang on for more reminiscing tomorrow as I continue the "Rear View of 2011" . 

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011

Yes.......the dreaded, self examination at years end!  Oh the horror! Well, this year I am going to just muse on a few things that I felt were significant to me that others might possibly be able to relate to.

That's right- no month-by-month recounting of crap you don't care about! 

Today, I am going to spout off about fat bikes. The whole fat bike thing has always intrigued me and while I thought they would be fun, I never knew how fun they really would/could be until I finally got mine last January.

I was riding in weather I never would have rode in before, and I was loving every minute of it. Fat bikes made winter fun again. Then there was that dratted Phil Wood hub.......meh! That squandered a lot of my potential riding in winter. Thanks to Ben Witt,  I got a lot more rides in on snow than I would have otherwise.

Finally though, I had to give his wheel back, and I was snow-bike-less until August. Then the whole Phil thing fell apart and I went with Salsa Cycles hubs, which have been great, and I found out fat bikes do great on lots of things besides snow. It has been a ton of fun, and to let you know how much fun it has been, I went all in on another fat bike, (the titanium Mukluk), and I hope to ride fat bikes a whole lot more in 2012.

And as long as I am talking about bicycles.....let's not forget the other one I got this past year that has been just awesome for me- The Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross", (but I call mine "Orange Crush") which was used extensively throughout the year.

This one got me home on the Renegade Gents Race, the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, and countless gravel adventures and commutes.

In fact, this coming year, I plan on using this bike more, and it will get a few upgrades along the way. I will get a new Chris King head set and bottom bracket in this. Maybe a couple more finer details, like TRP brakes, then it should be done.

I do have to say that I may not be the biggest fan of compact doubles though. Not on gravel, anyway. I think I need a cyclocross ring set up, and that may happen here soon.

So, these two bikes were a big, big deal for me this year. I had a ton of fun on both of them, and I am still stoked that both of these are still in my stable. There are other bikes I got that are awesome as well. Like the new Fargo Gen II, but not any others that have stoked the ride fire like the Mukluk and the Orange Crush.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more Guitar Ted Productions Rear View.

Guitar Ted Productions Rear View 2011

Yes.......the dreaded, self examination at years end!  Oh the horror! Well, this year I am going to just muse on a few things that I felt were significant to me that others might possibly be able to relate to.

That's right- no month-by-month recounting of crap you don't care about! 

Today, I am going to spout off about fat bikes. The whole fat bike thing has always intrigued me and while I thought they would be fun, I never knew how fun they really would/could be until I finally got mine last January.

I was riding in weather I never would have rode in before, and I was loving every minute of it. Fat bikes made winter fun again. Then there was that dratted Phil Wood hub.......meh! That squandered a lot of my potential riding in winter. Thanks to Ben Witt,  I got a lot more rides in on snow than I would have otherwise.

Finally though, I had to give his wheel back, and I was snow-bike-less until August. Then the whole Phil thing fell apart and I went with Salsa Cycles hubs, which have been great, and I found out fat bikes do great on lots of things besides snow. It has been a ton of fun, and to let you know how much fun it has been, I went all in on another fat bike, (the titanium Mukluk), and I hope to ride fat bikes a whole lot more in 2012.

And as long as I am talking about bicycles.....let's not forget the other one I got this past year that has been just awesome for me- The Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross", (but I call mine "Orange Crush") which was used extensively throughout the year.

This one got me home on the Renegade Gents Race, the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, and countless gravel adventures and commutes.

In fact, this coming year, I plan on using this bike more, and it will get a few upgrades along the way. I will get a new Chris King head set and bottom bracket in this. Maybe a couple more finer details, like TRP brakes, then it should be done.

I do have to say that I may not be the biggest fan of compact doubles though. Not on gravel, anyway. I think I need a cyclocross ring set up, and that may happen here soon.

So, these two bikes were a big, big deal for me this year. I had a ton of fun on both of them, and I am still stoked that both of these are still in my stable. There are other bikes I got that are awesome as well. Like the new Fargo Gen II, but not any others that have stoked the ride fire like the Mukluk and the Orange Crush.

I'll be back tomorrow with some more Guitar Ted Productions Rear View.

Where Is The Snow?

Well, I am not going to complain too much, because there are certainly benefits to not having all the white stuff around, but when you have a fat-bike, it seems a bit of a let down.

The temperatures have been uncanny here, and i know that they have been weird elsewhere too. My relatives in El Paso, Texas have had more snow so far than we have had. Heck.....they even had a white Christmas, while we were brown all the way through.

Strange days indeed, and especially so when you consider that the last four years have been really snowy. I think we have short term memories though, because if you go further past the last four years, the winters before that were not very snowy at all.

But that was the past, and this year seems odd at best. One thing it helps is with regard to T.I.V8 recon. I hope to be out there doing that today, actually. A report to follow if I am successful. In the meantime, I will share some more on the build of the titanium Mukluk, which has been dubbed "By-Tor".

I decided to go with these SRAM TT 10 speed shifters and Paul Thumbies. The end result will be a 10 speed rear thumb shifters that are SRAM compatible with my SRAM rear derailleur and 10 speed rear cassette.

Of course, some assembly was required. You have a few bolts to mess with to get the thumb shifters you desire, but it really isn't too hard a process. Give yourself about tem minutes and you will get there. Choice of beverage is optional. I went with "The Black Goodness" for this project, as I was feeling kind of tired.

Viola! Thumb shifters!

Of course, I won't be using the front/left shifter right off. That will be held in reserve for now, but I figured I may as well just swap out both at the same time.

I gotta say that the SRAM shift action is stiff! I wonder if that will break in a bit smoother after use, but right now it is a hard lever to move and when you do, it gives a solid "ker-chunk" when it goes into the next gear position.

My next task is to prepare the crank set. I have quite a bit of cleaning to do, and then I need to source a 32 or 34 tooth chain ring that will work with a 10 speed chain. I may have something, but I may not. Some digging around down in the Lab may turn something up, we'll see.

Until next time.....

Where Is The Snow?

Well, I am not going to complain too much, because there are certainly benefits to not having all the white stuff around, but when you have a fat-bike, it seems a bit of a let down.

The temperatures have been uncanny here, and i know that they have been weird elsewhere too. My relatives in El Paso, Texas have had more snow so far than we have had. Heck.....they even had a white Christmas, while we were brown all the way through.

Strange days indeed, and especially so when you consider that the last four years have been really snowy. I think we have short term memories though, because if you go further past the last four years, the winters before that were not very snowy at all.

But that was the past, and this year seems odd at best. One thing it helps is with regard to T.I.V8 recon. I hope to be out there doing that today, actually. A report to follow if I am successful. In the meantime, I will share some more on the build of the titanium Mukluk, which has been dubbed "By-Tor".

I decided to go with these SRAM TT 10 speed shifters and Paul Thumbies. The end result will be a 10 speed rear thumb shifters that are SRAM compatible with my SRAM rear derailleur and 10 speed rear cassette.

Of course, some assembly was required. You have a few bolts to mess with to get the thumb shifters you desire, but it really isn't too hard a process. Give yourself about tem minutes and you will get there. Choice of beverage is optional. I went with "The Black Goodness" for this project, as I was feeling kind of tired.

Viola! Thumb shifters!

Of course, I won't be using the front/left shifter right off. That will be held in reserve for now, but I figured I may as well just swap out both at the same time.

I gotta say that the SRAM shift action is stiff! I wonder if that will break in a bit smoother after use, but right now it is a hard lever to move and when you do, it gives a solid "ker-chunk" when it goes into the next gear position.

My next task is to prepare the crank set. I have quite a bit of cleaning to do, and then I need to source a 32 or 34 tooth chain ring that will work with a 10 speed chain. I may have something, but I may not. Some digging around down in the Lab may turn something up, we'll see.

Until next time.....

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing all you out there, where ever you are, a very Merry Christmas.

I wish you all the best, and thanks for coming around to read my scribes.

I'll be back Monday with another post, till then, have a safe, joyous, and happy holiday.

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing all you out there, where ever you are, a very Merry Christmas.

I wish you all the best, and thanks for coming around to read my scribes.

I'll be back Monday with another post, till then, have a safe, joyous, and happy holiday.

Friday News And Views

Made In The U.S.A.: I came across this article written by Bruce Gordon, he of frame building fame, on his "SOPWAMTOS" blog. He laments the fact that frame building, (and I assume components as well, since he brings up stems, etc), have been "out-sourced", or in other words- stuff isn't being made in the U.S. anymore. The main point of the piece being that if we do not support those who do make stuff here in the U.S., it will all wither and die and go away.

In terms of bicycles, one has to keep reminding themselves that a complete bicycle  is a system of parts originating from all over the place, (but yes- mostly from Asia), and that by merely making the frame in the U.S, it isn't really accomplishing all that much. It is something to be sure, but come on...... Made in the U.S.A. means "all of it made here" to most folks. That isn't going to happen anytime soon.

There was a time when a "Made in the U.S.A." drive train was done here. In the mid-90's, the 'CNC machine craze" was full on in mountain biking, and the dream of a full U.S. manufactured drive train was quickly becoming a reality. Riders were into it too, regardless of the high price of entry. Most of the parts costing 3 times what comparable Asian manufactured drive train parts cost.

However; poor quality and Shimano's introduction of XTR pretty much knocked that idea right outta the ring. U.S. made or not- the stuff needed to work well, and Shimano just killed the CNC guys with their forging technology and engineering. So it has been ever since.

I like Bruce Gordon's idea, and his heart is in the right place, but reality has a long way to go before this kind of "Made in the U.S.A", "people that make their own shit" idea ever becomes feasible for riders. Making more than just frames would be a good start. That said, support those guys that do try.

Surly "Big Dummy"

Cargo Bike Dilemma: I have been bouncing ideas back and forth concerning what I wanted to do about a cargo bike. I have an "Xtracycled" Schwinn Sierra from the 80's, and well.......I find it to be sub-optimal for my needs.

It does have all of the nice Xtracycle accessories though, so I just didn't want to switch to something that I couldn't make use of those accessories with. That meant the excellent Fisher Collection Transport was out of the running. I really, really like that bike, but it doesn't play with my stuff. So, the next apparent choice was the Sun Atlas cargo bike, but I found out that it also does not accept all of the accessories I have already.

That leaves the Big Dummy, which isn't a bad choice at all. It obviously will take on all of my accessories from Xtracycle, and it is smartly designed. I look forward to building that rig out next spring.

Image Credit: W. Kilburg

Trans Iowa V8: So, this "non-snow" event we're having looks to be playing into my hands now in regard to Trans Iowa recon. I usually am stuck just sitting around thinking about stuff this time of year. Not this year.

I haven't had the opportunity to get out yet for a couple weeks due to illness and then family obligations, but I look forward to scooting out and doing some more recon very soon.

I have a certain section to get at that should be the end of any speculation on my part for the course. A big part of the last bits I am already quite familiar with, and I only need to string it together and drive it to verify the roads. All told, there is about a 150 miles to drive yet, and then it will all be in the bag.

Then it will be all detail work. Cue sheets, getting the finish line setting squared away, number plates, or not, and drumming up some volunteers for the Checkpoint #1 duty and one other checkpoint. Want to volunteer? Give me a shout and I'll get you on my list.

Okay, that's a wrap. If you are traveling, have a safe trip, and Merry Christmas from Guitar Ted Productions! I'll be checking in here this weekend at least once, otherwise, see ya next week!

A Fat, Magic Carpet Ride: Part II

Puuuurple!

The Salsa Cycles Mukluk Ti is coming together, slow but sure, and most of the parts to build it up are in, or being prepared to be installed.

Here you can see my "one of the last ones" Chris King head set in purple. Looks mighty fine on there, no? I did forget to order a new crown race, so that will get done post-Christmas. You can also see the nice re-enforcement rings on each end of the head tube here too.

The front end will also be graced by that Surly rear single speed hub in purple ano, which should bring a little "pop" to the bike in terms of color. Most of my components will be grey or black, so a few points of color will make the bike visually more stimulating. (At least I think so!)

One question came up earlier in the comments, and it had to do with the fork. I gave a lot of thought to switching the fork over to a White Brothers Snow Pack fork, but in the end there were a few considerations that made me choose to stick with the Enabler Fork instead. Here they are....

1. The White Brothers fork is made to accept a front hub disc brake mount standard. This means you have to use a 135OLD front specific hub, like the Jones, Paul WHUB, or a couple of others. That also means that the wheel one builds for such a fork is dedicated to that fork only. Kind of limiting when you already have a fat bike with a rear hub standard front hub. 
2. Another thing about the White Brothers fork is that it is a "one trick pony". It holds a front wheel, and that is all. No mounts for anything. The Enabler can do racks, water bottles, or the versatile Anything Cage. It also has fender mounts!
3. The White Brothers fork is very expensive, and only saves about a half pound of weight. 

When taken in aggregate, the choice became obvious to me. Use the Enabler fork!

Moar puuuurple!

Here you go- a look at the seat post clamp. I swapped out the provided pewter clamp for this, more eye catching one, and again- it will tie into the purple theme. Three purple parts hardly makes a "Barney-bike" outta this, but it does give the bike less of a "grey scale" look had I stuck with black components.

Here also you see a glimpse of the FSA seat post from the SLK series. The unidirectional carbon fiber does catch the light and makes for some more visually stimulating places for the eye to rest on here. I was a bit anxious about this post, as it is only a 350mm one and needs 100mm of that inserted into the seat tube. At minimum insertion, I am just at my proper seat height with the WTB SST saddle.

Granted- I could go with a saddle that had a higher profile than the SST, or I could get 180mm cranks, or do both, and get a bit more insertion, but as it is, it should work! If it doesn't, I have a 12K weave Origin 8 carbon post waiting in the wings that is longer. Come to think of it, I've got an old uni-directional carbon Tamer post somewhere too. (Remember those?)

Chain guide, DH Platinum FSA BB

 Finally, we have this shot showing the FSA Platinum DH ISIS bottom bracket in the 100mm shell width, of course. The set up I will be using is a "1 X" set up, so without a front derailleur, I needed a chain guide. In with the MRP part seen here, which should tame any unwanted chain jump and keep my chain on the chain wheel.

The crank set and ring will be an older Bontrager crank, the very one I used on the Snow Dog at first, set up with a Salsa Cycles chain ring.

The reasons for this set up come from my experiences on The Snow Dog. I rarely if ever used anything but the middle ring riding everywhere I did this past year. I almost never used the two largest cogs on the cassette- a 32 and a 36T- and that leads me to believe that for most of my riding, this 1X10 set up should do me just right around the Mid-West.

This also allows me to fine tune the gearing a bit with chain ring sizes, but I think most of the time I will be using a 32T or a 34T front ring. This also makes tire clearances a non-issue with respect to ever using 100mm rims and the largest tires. (I don't necessarily plan to run rims that big, but I could.)

The crank spec could also change here at some point to a White Industries 180mm and then I would use a Phil Wood bottom bracket. This would look cooler, be a shade lighter, and be better for the aforementioned seat post insertion and single speeding.

I also may swap in a granny gear on the Bontrager crank at times for mountain rock crawling, at which point I will need to get an XT high direct mount front derailleur, but that can wait.

That's all for now. More on the build as I get to it.

Merry Christmas!

A Fat, Magic Carpet Ride: Part II

Puuuurple!

The Salsa Cycles Mukluk Ti is coming together, slow but sure, and most of the parts to build it up are in, or being prepared to be installed.

Here you can see my "one of the last ones" Chris King head set in purple. Looks mighty fine on there, no? I did forget to order a new crown race, so that will get done post-Christmas. You can also see the nice re-enforcement rings on each end of the head tube here too.

The front end will also be graced by that Surly rear single speed hub in purple ano, which should bring a little "pop" to the bike in terms of color. Most of my components will be grey or black, so a few points of color will make the bike visually more stimulating. (At least I think so!)

One question came up earlier in the comments, and it had to do with the fork. I gave a lot of thought to switching the fork over to a White Brothers Snow Pack fork, but in the end there were a few considerations that made me choose to stick with the Enabler Fork instead. Here they are....

1. The White Brothers fork is made to accept a front hub disc brake mount standard. This means you have to use a 135OLD front specific hub, like the Jones, Paul WHUB, or a couple of others. That also means that the wheel one builds for such a fork is dedicated to that fork only. Kind of limiting when you already have a fat bike with a rear hub standard front hub. 
2. Another thing about the White Brothers fork is that it is a "one trick pony". It holds a front wheel, and that is all. No mounts for anything. The Enabler can do racks, water bottles, or the versatile Anything Cage. It also has fender mounts!
3. The White Brothers fork is very expensive, and only saves about a half pound of weight. 

When taken in aggregate, the choice became obvious to me. Use the Enabler fork!

Moar puuuurple!

Here you go- a look at the seat post clamp. I swapped out the provided pewter clamp for this, more eye catching one, and again- it will tie into the purple theme. Three purple parts hardly makes a "Barney-bike" outta this, but it does give the bike less of a "grey scale" look had I stuck with black components.

Here also you see a glimpse of the FSA seat post from the SLK series. The unidirectional carbon fiber does catch the light and makes for some more visually stimulating places for the eye to rest on here. I was a bit anxious about this post, as it is only a 350mm one and needs 100mm of that inserted into the seat tube. At minimum insertion, I am just at my proper seat height with the WTB SST saddle.

Granted- I could go with a saddle that had a higher profile than the SST, or I could get 180mm cranks, or do both, and get a bit more insertion, but as it is, it should work! If it doesn't, I have a 12K weave Origin 8 carbon post waiting in the wings that is longer. Come to think of it, I've got an old uni-directional carbon Tamer post somewhere too. (Remember those?)

Chain guide, DH Platinum FSA BB

 Finally, we have this shot showing the FSA Platinum DH ISIS bottom bracket in the 100mm shell width, of course. The set up I will be using is a "1 X" set up, so without a front derailleur, I needed a chain guide. In with the MRP part seen here, which should tame any unwanted chain jump and keep my chain on the chain wheel.

The crank set and ring will be an older Bontrager crank, the very one I used on the Snow Dog at first, set up with a Salsa Cycles chain ring.

The reasons for this set up come from my experiences on The Snow Dog. I rarely if ever used anything but the middle ring riding everywhere I did this past year. I almost never used the two largest cogs on the cassette- a 32 and a 36T- and that leads me to believe that for most of my riding, this 1X10 set up should do me just right around the Mid-West.

This also allows me to fine tune the gearing a bit with chain ring sizes, but I think most of the time I will be using a 32T or a 34T front ring. This also makes tire clearances a non-issue with respect to ever using 100mm rims and the largest tires. (I don't necessarily plan to run rims that big, but I could.)

The crank spec could also change here at some point to a White Industries 180mm and then I would use a Phil Wood bottom bracket. This would look cooler, be a shade lighter, and be better for the aforementioned seat post insertion and single speeding.

I also may swap in a granny gear on the Bontrager crank at times for mountain rock crawling, at which point I will need to get an XT high direct mount front derailleur, but that can wait.

That's all for now. More on the build as I get to it.

Merry Christmas!

Friday News And Views

Made In The U.S.A.: I came across this article written by Bruce Gordon, he of frame building fame, on his "SOPWAMTOS" blog. He laments the fact that frame building, (and I assume components as well, since he brings up stems, etc), have been "out-sourced", or in other words- stuff isn't being made in the U.S. anymore. The main point of the piece being that if we do not support those who do make stuff here in the U.S., it will all wither and die and go away.

In terms of bicycles, one has to keep reminding themselves that a complete bicycle  is a system of parts originating from all over the place, (but yes- mostly from Asia), and that by merely making the frame in the U.S, it isn't really accomplishing all that much. It is something to be sure, but come on...... Made in the U.S.A. means "all of it made here" to most folks. That isn't going to happen anytime soon.

There was a time when a "Made in the U.S.A." drive train was done here. In the mid-90's, the 'CNC machine craze" was full on in mountain biking, and the dream of a full U.S. manufactured drive train was quickly becoming a reality. Riders were into it too, regardless of the high price of entry. Most of the parts costing 3 times what comparable Asian manufactured drive train parts cost.

However; poor quality and Shimano's introduction of XTR pretty much knocked that idea right outta the ring. U.S. made or not- the stuff needed to work well, and Shimano just killed the CNC guys with their forging technology and engineering. So it has been ever since.

I like Bruce Gordon's idea, and his heart is in the right place, but reality has a long way to go before this kind of "Made in the U.S.A", "people that make their own shit" idea ever becomes feasible for riders. Making more than just frames would be a good start. That said, support those guys that do try.

Surly "Big Dummy"

Cargo Bike Dilemma: I have been bouncing ideas back and forth concerning what I wanted to do about a cargo bike. I have an "Xtracycled" Schwinn Sierra from the 80's, and well.......I find it to be sub-optimal for my needs.

It does have all of the nice Xtracycle accessories though, so I just didn't want to switch to something that I couldn't make use of those accessories with. That meant the excellent Fisher Collection Transport was out of the running. I really, really like that bike, but it doesn't play with my stuff. So, the next apparent choice was the Sun Atlas cargo bike, but I found out that it also does not accept all of the accessories I have already.

That leaves the Big Dummy, which isn't a bad choice at all. It obviously will take on all of my accessories from Xtracycle, and it is smartly designed. I look forward to building that rig out next spring.

Image Credit: W. Kilburg

Trans Iowa V8: So, this "non-snow" event we're having looks to be playing into my hands now in regard to Trans Iowa recon. I usually am stuck just sitting around thinking about stuff this time of year. Not this year.

I haven't had the opportunity to get out yet for a couple weeks due to illness and then family obligations, but I look forward to scooting out and doing some more recon very soon.

I have a certain section to get at that should be the end of any speculation on my part for the course. A big part of the last bits I am already quite familiar with, and I only need to string it together and drive it to verify the roads. All told, there is about a 150 miles to drive yet, and then it will all be in the bag.

Then it will be all detail work. Cue sheets, getting the finish line setting squared away, number plates, or not, and drumming up some volunteers for the Checkpoint #1 duty and one other checkpoint. Want to volunteer? Give me a shout and I'll get you on my list.

Okay, that's a wrap. If you are traveling, have a safe trip, and Merry Christmas from Guitar Ted Productions! I'll be checking in here this weekend at least once, otherwise, see ya next week!

Harvesting Parts.

You will donate your parts to my Ti awesomeness!

Okay....enough with all the teasers, here is the entire frame for ya'all to look over. This is the Salsa Cycles Mukluk Ti frame. (It comes with a pewter Lip-Loc seat collar, an Enabler front fork, the Problem Solvers front derailleur direct mount,  and a spare driveside drop out that has the derailleur hangar integral to it.)

Those sharp eyed amongst you will notice that the cables are not routed down the down tube on this one. They are run underneath the top tube and underneath each seat stay. No funky rear brake route.

The down tube is bi-axially ovalized for strength and stiffness, the head tube is reinforced, and is a 1 1/8th standard diameter. (Getting rather odd to see that these days) There are three bottle mounts on this size Large, with two more on the fork. The down tube and fork can also mount Salsa Cycles "Anything Cages", which are designed for canisters and dry bags. The rear drop outs are the Salsa Cycles "Altenator Drop Outs" which allow for single speed set up, or I suppose one could fine tune their wheel base with those as well. Again- there is a derailleur compatible Altenator plate also supplied with the frame, and that isn't shown here.

Also not shown is the Problem Solvers Direct Mount Adapter for the Mukluk. This allows for the fitment of a front derailleur, if desired. I'm not planning on using a front derailleur right away, so that part will be omitted from my build initially.

Some things were sacrificed along the way...

I've got a load of parts sitting at the shop waiting for me to pay for them so I can get started on this little project. I'll get into all of that later, but I will detail the parts I "harvested" yesterday to help with the completion of this rig.

I always like to incorporate a bit of the vintage or otherwise "old" into my new bike builds, and this one is no different. The specific parts that are old here will actually be some of the most notable/noticeable ones too.

First up, I have the Surly rear hub, which was one of the super rare purple anodized ones they did several years ago. This hub will become the center piece for the front wheel, and will be part of my theme, color-wise, for this build. I like purple. It is one of my favorite colors. That said, I won't be going overboard with it. Just a few highlights will be enough. By the way, the hub was laced to one of my 29"er wheels, which I sacrificed for this build.

Bead blasted panel

The next keystone to this theme is my  Chris King head set in purple ano, so graciously gifted to me by George over at Bike 29.com. This head set was amongst the very last three purple ano head sets ever made by Chris King. This head set was in my old '07 El Mariachi, which was torn down for this project.

There will be one other purple bit, but I will cover that in the new parts later.

Another harvested part here is the WTB SST leather covered saddle, which also came from my old El Mariachi. SST's or Pure V saddles are my favorites. I like Brooks B-17's as well, but this is going to be used as a mountain/trail bike, so I don't want a B-17 on there for that reason.

The grips, Ergon Bio-Kork models, were also ripped from the El Mariachi, and will provide a nice, comfy perch for the hands that shouldn't suck any heat out in the cold, but will work great in summer too.

Finally, there are the new, never before installed FSA SLK parts. The seat post, handle bar, and stem have been sitting on the hold shelf waiting for a special project, and this is it.

I'll have more on the parts for this titanium frame coming soon, which I suppose I should name "By-Tor", since the other Mukluk is named "The Snow Dog", eh?