Friday News And Views

5 Retro-tastic Ideas That Should Never Go Away, Or Should Come Back: 

1. Quick release rear wheels on hard tail mountain bikes: The industry is going whole hog for 142mm X 12mm  rear through axles on hard tail mountain bikes. Really? Does anyone truly believe their current hard tail is laterally flexy to the point that a through axle rear wheel will help fix that on their next bike? I get the idea for a full suspension rig, but this hard tail, through axle idea is dumb. We do not need it.
2. Square Tapered Crank Sets That Are Not For Rando Bikes: In the world of cycling, there hasn't been a component much better than the cartridge square tapered bottom bracket. (I have several 1990's era Shimano BB's that are still spinning strong) You can still buy nice UN series cartridge BB's from Shimano to this very day. However; there aren't any really nice crank sets to go with them. How about someone out there getting the old original XTR crank dies and making them again? Tell me you wouldn't look real hard at a Race Face Turbine LP with a square tapered interface if they were to make those again. And even the roadies could stand some of those old Record and Dura Ace beauties that were so classy.
3. European Bottom Brackets: While we're on the subject of cranks and bottom bracket cartridges, how about those good old threaded Euro bottom brackets? PF-30? BB-Whatchamacallit? Whatever! Keep yer mitts offa the bottom bracket stuff and stop enginerding something that works just fine, thank you very much.
4. Really Nice Steel Frames: While we are blessed to still have some choices, (especially custom, or small mass produced run options), there is a distinct lack of really freakin' rad TIG welded steel frames out there these days. I was reminded of such as I worked on a mid-90's mid-range Univega Alpina 500 at the shop the other day. It had double butted tubes, bi-axially squished joints in key spots, and a cool chain stay set up for maximum mud clearances. It even had a chain hangar. Yeah.....we've got steel frames, but the same ol' boring, round tubed fare, and heavier than sin, most often than not. (Yeah...CEN standards, blah,blah,blah....  These 90's frames are still kickin' around, ya know?)
5. Skin Wall MTB Tires: Okay- this is a personal favorite of mine, but I loved the look of old skool mtb tires. I miss skin walls. I see some Onza, and maybe WTB tires, but they are rare as hen's teeth. Maybe I'm an odd one out here, but give me some good lookin' high end skinwall tires on dark colored frames, (TIG welded steel, of course.) Man! That's a good look right there. (And while we're at it, how about some re-issue Endomorphs with skin walls, eh?)

And that's a wrap for today. Hey! The 3GR will be happening Saturday at 8:30am starting at the Gateway Park lot in Cedar Falls. Hope to see some folks there. It'll be a good, warm one!

Otherwise have a safe, fun, and bicycle filled Labor Day Weekend!

Friday News And Views

5 Retro-tastic Ideas That Should Never Go Away, Or Should Come Back: 

1. Quick release rear wheels on hard tail mountain bikes: The industry is going whole hog for 142mm X 12mm  rear through axles on hard tail mountain bikes. Really? Does anyone truly believe their current hard tail is laterally flexy to the point that a through axle rear wheel will help fix that on their next bike? I get the idea for a full suspension rig, but this hard tail, through axle idea is dumb. We do not need it.
2. Square Tapered Crank Sets That Are Not For Rando Bikes: In the world of cycling, there hasn't been a component much better than the cartridge square tapered bottom bracket. (I have several 1990's era Shimano BB's that are still spinning strong) You can still buy nice UN series cartridge BB's from Shimano to this very day. However; there aren't any really nice crank sets to go with them. How about someone out there getting the old original XTR crank dies and making them again? Tell me you wouldn't look real hard at a Race Face Turbine LP with a square tapered interface if they were to make those again. And even the roadies could stand some of those old Record and Dura Ace beauties that were so classy.
3. European Bottom Brackets: While we're on the subject of cranks and bottom bracket cartridges, how about those good old threaded Euro bottom brackets? PF-30? BB-Whatchamacallit? Whatever! Keep yer mitts offa the bottom bracket stuff and stop enginerding something that works just fine, thank you very much.
4. Really Nice Steel Frames: While we are blessed to still have some choices, (especially custom, or small mass produced run options), there is a distinct lack of really freakin' rad TIG welded steel frames out there these days. I was reminded of such as I worked on a mid-90's mid-range Univega Alpina 500 at the shop the other day. It had double butted tubes, bi-axially squished joints in key spots, and a cool chain stay set up for maximum mud clearances. It even had a chain hangar. Yeah.....we've got steel frames, but the same ol' boring, round tubed fare, and heavier than sin, most often than not. (Yeah...CEN standards, blah,blah,blah....  These 90's frames are still kickin' around, ya know?)
5. Skin Wall MTB Tires: Okay- this is a personal favorite of mine, but I loved the look of old skool mtb tires. I miss skin walls. I see some Onza, and maybe WTB tires, but they are rare as hen's teeth. Maybe I'm an odd one out here, but give me some good lookin' high end skinwall tires on dark colored frames, (TIG welded steel, of course.) Man! That's a good look right there. (And while we're at it, how about some re-issue Endomorphs with skin walls, eh?)

And that's a wrap for today. Hey! The 3GR will be happening Saturday at 8:30am starting at the Gateway Park lot in Cedar Falls. Hope to see some folks there. It'll be a good, warm one!

Otherwise have a safe, fun, and bicycle filled Labor Day Weekend!

Making Plans To Go: Part IV- Fire!

Moments before a near catastrophe occurred!

Okay, things are starting to come to a head here with regard to making a stab at a sub-24 over-nighter. I had the Guinness last weekend, (it was merely okay, there are much better stouts out there), and along with a Diet Coke can, I had the stove done in amazingly little time.

The parts fit together as if they were meant to be used as a stove. I modified the plan a touch by leaving the top in the base, which makes the unit a bit more rigid and gives it more mass to absorb heat. The end product is pretty solid and you could bash it around a bit and I think it would be none the worse for wear. Quite unlike my first stove attempt, by the way, which was really fragile, in my opinion.

So, you guys that are "fire bugs" will enjoy this- it was time to fire this dog up and see just what it would do. I researched fuels a bit, and Heet in the yellow container was a recommended fuel, so I grabbed a container at the convenience store. A scrap of the first stove attempt made for a perfect wind screen. I fabbed a very quick and rather shoddy pot stand out of stainless steel spokes and went outside to try it all out.

I had a stainless steel container meant for mixing martinis and filled it a third of the way with water. I filled the stove with Heet and lit that candle. Holy cow! The heat generated was instantaneous and immediately warped the wind screen. I thought it was going to actually melt there for a second. The heat was intense, I could feel wafts of it as the afternoon was quite windy out.

In my fervor to play with fire, I took a big chance using zip ties to bind the pot stand together. It held weight just fine, that wasn't where I failed. It was the intensity of the heat which I hadn't figured on that did me in. Moments after this image was shot the stainless steel canister fell over because the pot stand zip ties were melting. Duh! I know.....but I was in an excited hurry, and I figured it wasn't going to work this well! 

In fact, this stove is amazing. It went on burning for well over a half an hour. I easily could have made a dinner with the thing. So- now that I have that behind me, I just need to get a decent pot stand together using wire, and I'm set.  I do have some concerns though.

The major one is that the flames from the stove are completely invisible. I couldn't see them in daylight, at any rate. I have a remedy for that though, and I will report on that after I have revisited some old knowledge I have.

Okay, so that's the stove! One more bit checked off the list. Oh yeah.....still have not found that cook set. Ya know- the minute I buy another one, I'll find the original. Oh well.......

Note: Here is the link for the stove plans I used, if anyone is interested. Thanks Jonathan!

Making Plans To Go: Part IV- Fire!

Moments before a near catastrophe occurred!

Okay, things are starting to come to a head here with regard to making a stab at a sub-24 over-nighter. I had the Guinness last weekend, (it was merely okay, there are much better stouts out there), and along with a Diet Coke can, I had the stove done in amazingly little time.

The parts fit together as if they were meant to be used as a stove. I modified the plan a touch by leaving the top in the base, which makes the unit a bit more rigid and gives it more mass to absorb heat. The end product is pretty solid and you could bash it around a bit and I think it would be none the worse for wear. Quite unlike my first stove attempt, by the way, which was really fragile, in my opinion.

So, you guys that are "fire bugs" will enjoy this- it was time to fire this dog up and see just what it would do. I researched fuels a bit, and Heet in the yellow container was a recommended fuel, so I grabbed a container at the convenience store. A scrap of the first stove attempt made for a perfect wind screen. I fabbed a very quick and rather shoddy pot stand out of stainless steel spokes and went outside to try it all out.

I had a stainless steel container meant for mixing martinis and filled it a third of the way with water. I filled the stove with Heet and lit that candle. Holy cow! The heat generated was instantaneous and immediately warped the wind screen. I thought it was going to actually melt there for a second. The heat was intense, I could feel wafts of it as the afternoon was quite windy out.

In my fervor to play with fire, I took a big chance using zip ties to bind the pot stand together. It held weight just fine, that wasn't where I failed. It was the intensity of the heat which I hadn't figured on that did me in. Moments after this image was shot the stainless steel canister fell over because the pot stand zip ties were melting. Duh! I know.....but I was in an excited hurry, and I figured it wasn't going to work this well! 

In fact, this stove is amazing. It went on burning for well over a half an hour. I easily could have made a dinner with the thing. So- now that I have that behind me, I just need to get a decent pot stand together using wire, and I'm set.  I do have some concerns though.

The major one is that the flames from the stove are completely invisible. I couldn't see them in daylight, at any rate. I have a remedy for that though, and I will report on that after I have revisited some old knowledge I have.

Okay, so that's the stove! One more bit checked off the list. Oh yeah.....still have not found that cook set. Ya know- the minute I buy another one, I'll find the original. Oh well.......

Note: Here is the link for the stove plans I used, if anyone is interested. Thanks Jonathan!

Move Over 26"ers- Here Comes The 27.5"ers

Continental Announces 27.5"er tires at Eurobike '12

Back when 29"ers were a niche, (remember that?), there was a lot of comment made from different sources about how 29"ers would one day wipe out 26"ers and how 26"ers would never go away by others. What they all didn't know was that 26"ers maybe were going away, but not because of 29"ers, no- it was another tire size that would be proposed as the replacement for the "standard" 26 inch wheel mtb.

I've already pontificated on this subject here. But I'll make a few more observations based upon what is happening right now in Europe at the annual Eurobike show.

First- I never thought 27.5"ers were "the best of both 26 and 29 inch attributes", although you'll hear that a lot from the marketing wonks moving forward. 27.5"ers are different, but they can not do near what a 29"er can do. In fact, this is something of an issue for marketers, who feel that once 27.5"er product gets out there, it won't impress the 29"er folks, and won't get much traction there. Of course, this is why the 27.5"er will be heavily invested into over in Europe. There 29"ers are still very new, not entrenched, and marketers feel that the 27.5"er, being less of a jump from 26", has a better chance of becoming "the next big thing".

Tires, wheels, and forks are all going to be unleashed this very week at Eurobike to prove my point here. Brands will also introduce new 27.5"er bikes, (mostly in the longer travel categories, which are selling flat of late), which will further the reach for this wheel size.

Rocky Mountain recently intro'ed a whole new line of 27.5"ers

But what will become of 26"? Many see the 27.5"er as a replacement, more having to do with that it is "new" and has a "new story to tell" behind it than anything else. But be that as it may, the industry would love nothing more than to make your current AM/FR/DH sled obsolete. You know what they would have in store for you to replace that "aging 26"er platform" with too.

In the end, as I have always said, the riders will vote with their dollars, as long as there is a choice. That seems to be the case as long as the "Big Three", (Giant, Specialized, and Trek), don't capitulate and in one fell swoop, relegate 26 inch wheels to the dustbin of mtb history. Will that happen? Not anytime soon, that's for sure.

For now this will be an experiment for mid-level companies looking to capitalize on a "new trend" that they may have missed out on, (read: 29 inch wheels), last time. Make no mistake- this is an exercise in marketing, and we'll see if it pans out in the long run.

How can I say this? Well, 27.5"ers have been around at retail stores since 2007, and they haven't done diddly squat in the marketplace. That's six years ago in model year terms. Six years into the 29"er becoming available at retail stores the wheel size was well on its way to becoming more than a niche. All without marketing driven hoo-ha. (In fact, marketing departments resisted 29"ers like the plague in the early years, for the most part.)

Want another example? Try fat bikes, which have had little to no industry horsepower behind them, yet are a growing segment that shows no sign of stopping yet. Why? Because these are rider driven demand products, not "top down" marketed platforms. Again- I am not saying 27.5"ers will not be any good. No- this has to do with marketing. Maybe it'll work, but I haven't seen this sort of success in a product category in my years in the cycling business. That's what I am saying.

Again- I may well eat my words here, and that is fine, but I do not think 26"ers are going anywhere soon. But the mtb segment will have to make some room for these upstart 27.5"ers at any rate, whatever you may think of them.

Move Over 26"ers- Here Comes The 27.5"ers

Continental Announces 27.5"er tires at Eurobike '12

Back when 29"ers were a niche, (remember that?), there was a lot of comment made from different sources about how 29"ers would one day wipe out 26"ers and how 26"ers would never go away by others. What they all didn't know was that 26"ers maybe were going away, but not because of 29"ers, no- it was another tire size that would be proposed as the replacement for the "standard" 26 inch wheel mtb.

I've already pontificated on this subject here. But I'll make a few more observations based upon what is happening right now in Europe at the annual Eurobike show.

First- I never thought 27.5"ers were "the best of both 26 and 29 inch attributes", although you'll hear that a lot from the marketing wonks moving forward. 27.5"ers are different, but they can not do near what a 29"er can do. In fact, this is something of an issue for marketers, who feel that once 27.5"er product gets out there, it won't impress the 29"er folks, and won't get much traction there. Of course, this is why the 27.5"er will be heavily invested into over in Europe. There 29"ers are still very new, not entrenched, and marketers feel that the 27.5"er, being less of a jump from 26", has a better chance of becoming "the next big thing".

Tires, wheels, and forks are all going to be unleashed this very week at Eurobike to prove my point here. Brands will also introduce new 27.5"er bikes, (mostly in the longer travel categories, which are selling flat of late), which will further the reach for this wheel size.

Rocky Mountain recently intro'ed a whole new line of 27.5"ers

But what will become of 26"? Many see the 27.5"er as a replacement, more having to do with that it is "new" and has a "new story to tell" behind it than anything else. But be that as it may, the industry would love nothing more than to make your current AM/FR/DH sled obsolete. You know what they would have in store for you to replace that "aging 26"er platform" with too.

In the end, as I have always said, the riders will vote with their dollars, as long as there is a choice. That seems to be the case as long as the "Big Three", (Giant, Specialized, and Trek), don't capitulate and in one fell swoop, relegate 26 inch wheels to the dustbin of mtb history. Will that happen? Not anytime soon, that's for sure.

For now this will be an experiment for mid-level companies looking to capitalize on a "new trend" that they may have missed out on, (read: 29 inch wheels), last time. Make no mistake- this is an exercise in marketing, and we'll see if it pans out in the long run.

How can I say this? Well, 27.5"ers have been around at retail stores since 2007, and they haven't done diddly squat in the marketplace. That's six years ago in model year terms. Six years into the 29"er becoming available at retail stores the wheel size was well on its way to becoming more than a niche. All without marketing driven hoo-ha. (In fact, marketing departments resisted 29"ers like the plague in the early years, for the most part.)

Want another example? Try fat bikes, which have had little to no industry horsepower behind them, yet are a growing segment that shows no sign of stopping yet. Why? Because these are rider driven demand products, not "top down" marketed platforms. Again- I am not saying 27.5"ers will not be any good. No- this has to do with marketing. Maybe it'll work, but I haven't seen this sort of success in a product category in my years in the cycling business. That's what I am saying.

Again- I may well eat my words here, and that is fine, but I do not think 26"ers are going anywhere soon. But the mtb segment will have to make some room for these upstart 27.5"ers at any rate, whatever you may think of them.

A Discussion On Suspension: Fat Bikes

Yesterday I discussed my thoughts and gave some background on what may make an "all-road"/ gravel road bike better when you consider tires and other means of suspension. Today I am going to turn my focus on suspension to another area where common sense seems to dictate that suspension isn't necessary- that being on fat bikes.

Suspension is rarely seen as a foolish thing on mountain bikes, but fat bikes seem to have "built in" suspension in their tires, so why on earth would anyone want to use suspension here? That and the typical low speed travel these bikes seem best for doesn't really call out for a squishy solution to rider comfort and control.

Of course, that has not prevented the tinkerers and visionaries from trying it anyway. Following are some ideas to consider when it comes to fat bikes and suspension.

While it is true that the pneumatic suspension available from using a 3.8-4.7 inch tire on a bicycle is plenty for most, there are times when suspension would be nice. Why? Well, the number one reason would have to do with damping the tires proclivity to bounce. Take any bicycle wheel out of a frame, and drop it from a foot or more in the air on the tire. You know what will happen. The wheel will bounce a few times wildly and careen out of control to the ground. This is because the energy caused by dropping the wheel against the ground is returned and until that energy is dissipated, or damped, it will bounce around out of control. Fat bike tires like to bounce. A lot. Especially when you add in speed to the equation with successive bumps.  

And the speeds do not have to be high for this to occur. Take for instance the image here which shows some severely post-holed snow. This stuff was pretty rough to ride through, making control harder to maintain, even though it wasn't frozen solid, and I was going at walking speeds. A supple front fork would have tamed the bigger hits and jarring, making keeping control and maintaining speed much easier.

Outside the box.

 Now consider that fat bikes are also being pressed into service as all terrain vehicles. The wide footprint these tires lend a rider mean more traction. More traction means you can go even faster, and with no suspension on most fat bikes, the bouncing, undamped tires become uncontrollable very quickly at these sort of speeds in off road conditions.

I was feeling this just yesterday on my Mukluk. I have 4.7" Big Fat Larrys on Rolling Darryls at less than 10psi, and hitting some ruts induced some serious arm pump to keep the front tire in contact with the trail. A suspension fork would have saved me from absorbing those impacts, giving me more control and expending less energy.

And I'm not the only one who thinks so. I have not had the opportunity to ride a fat bike with suspension, but I have spoken with a few people who have done so, and I have read others take on it on-line. The overwhelming majority of those who have tried it say something similar to what I was told recently by someone whose opinion I trust: "...it, (fat bike suspension), is game changing."  And if this is true, it will be akin to what happened when off roaders went suspended in the early 90's.

There will be detractors, and those who will cry foul, but I think in the end it will happen and become accepted. Rigid fat bikes will never go away, especially those aimed at the fullest amount of flotation on sand or snow. With the ever widening field of play for fat bikes; however, I can see a front suspension fork coming sooner than later that will accommodate wide tires and rims.

A Discussion On Suspension: Fat Bikes

Yesterday I discussed my thoughts and gave some background on what may make an "all-road"/ gravel road bike better when you consider tires and other means of suspension. Today I am going to turn my focus on suspension to another area where common sense seems to dictate that suspension isn't necessary- that being on fat bikes.

Suspension is rarely seen as a foolish thing on mountain bikes, but fat bikes seem to have "built in" suspension in their tires, so why on earth would anyone want to use suspension here? That and the typical low speed travel these bikes seem best for doesn't really call out for a squishy solution to rider comfort and control.

Of course, that has not prevented the tinkerers and visionaries from trying it anyway. Following are some ideas to consider when it comes to fat bikes and suspension.

While it is true that the pneumatic suspension available from using a 3.8-4.7 inch tire on a bicycle is plenty for most, there are times when suspension would be nice. Why? Well, the number one reason would have to do with damping the tires proclivity to bounce. Take any bicycle wheel out of a frame, and drop it from a foot or more in the air on the tire. You know what will happen. The wheel will bounce a few times wildly and careen out of control to the ground. This is because the energy caused by dropping the wheel against the ground is returned and until that energy is dissipated, or damped, it will bounce around out of control. Fat bike tires like to bounce. A lot. Especially when you add in speed to the equation with successive bumps.  

And the speeds do not have to be high for this to occur. Take for instance the image here which shows some severely post-holed snow. This stuff was pretty rough to ride through, making control harder to maintain, even though it wasn't frozen solid, and I was going at walking speeds. A supple front fork would have tamed the bigger hits and jarring, making keeping control and maintaining speed much easier.

Outside the box.

 Now consider that fat bikes are also being pressed into service as all terrain vehicles. The wide footprint these tires lend a rider mean more traction. More traction means you can go even faster, and with no suspension on most fat bikes, the bouncing, undamped tires become uncontrollable very quickly at these sort of speeds in off road conditions.

I was feeling this just yesterday on my Mukluk. I have 4.7" Big Fat Larrys on Rolling Darryls at less than 10psi, and hitting some ruts induced some serious arm pump to keep the front tire in contact with the trail. A suspension fork would have saved me from absorbing those impacts, giving me more control and expending less energy.

And I'm not the only one who thinks so. I have not had the opportunity to ride a fat bike with suspension, but I have spoken with a few people who have done so, and I have read others take on it on-line. The overwhelming majority of those who have tried it say something similar to what I was told recently by someone whose opinion I trust: "...it, (fat bike suspension), is game changing."  And if this is true, it will be akin to what happened when off roaders went suspended in the early 90's.

There will be detractors, and those who will cry foul, but I think in the end it will happen and become accepted. Rigid fat bikes will never go away, especially those aimed at the fullest amount of flotation on sand or snow. With the ever widening field of play for fat bikes; however, I can see a front suspension fork coming sooner than later that will accommodate wide tires and rims.

A Discussion on Suspension: Gravel Bikes

Hey there! Hope you all had a great weekend. Today I'm kicking off a two part series on suspension. Today's discussion will focus on suspension for the gravel road rider.

Suspension can be derived in two different ways for anyone on a bicycle. First is pneumatic- suspension from the tires. The other way is to use a mechanical means to absorb vibrations, either passively, by way of frame flex or component flex, or by an active, purposeful means involving some form of moving parts.

Either way, absorbing vibrations is the order of the day. Vibrations are important to consider, because if the energy causing the rider to feel vibrations is not absorbed by the tires, frame, or a passive/active mechanical means, then the rider has to absorb those vibrations which eventually can cause fatigue, numbness, and other issues.

It's not just about width, it's about volume.

Without getting overly technical here, I want to explore why a rider on gravel roads would want to consider suspension. Obviously- everybody is going to run tires, so let's start there.

Tires are essentially air springs. Whether you choose tubed, tubeless, or tubulars, your tires are springs that can be adjusted. Furthermore, the tire casing, tube, (if any), and tread pattern also affect the way the "spring" will work.

Springs can be stiff, soft, linear, or they can "ramp up" in spring rate quickly due to volume available and/or tire pressures used. You as a rider can greatly affect the ride quality of your bicycle in a number of ways by your tire choices and tire pressures that you choose.  Go to a higher pressure and you get a stiffer spring rate. Use a lower volume/narrower tire and you may also have to move pressures higher and the volume of that tire will affect the ramping up of the spring rate as well.

Typically, you would not want to run maximum pressures as rated on a tire on rough roads because this affects how your tires can absorb vibrations. Higher pressures in tires make vibrations that the tire could normally absorb go past the tires and into the frame/rider.Likewise, the narrower/lower volume your tires are also affects the way you can adjust your spring rate, (ie; tire pressure), and this may affect your ride quality. Finally, things like frame clearances, terrain demands, rider weight, tire construction, and more will start to narrow down choices.

If you don't remember anything else though, remember this- a tire with a reasonable amount of air, but still at a point where it can conform to road irregularities, will be faster and provide more rider comfort and control than a tire at maximum, or close to that, pressures. (I would only add that a higher volume tire provides the rider with a wider range of adjustability in this respect.) A tire at higher pressures has to bounce up and over trail/road irregularities instead of conforming to, and rolling over them. Those little bounces have to be absorbed, and don't forget- overcome by- the rider. Yes, higher pressures result in more rolling resistance on rough roads.

The smoothest line is less fatiguing

 Obviously, tires should be a component of your ride that you pay close attention to. Especially on the longer events. They are your first, (and in most cases- only), line of defense against vibrations that can steal away your energy, cause you to be slower, and possibly cause longer lasting side effects like numbness or other physical maladies. Not only that, but a wider, more voluminous tire can also ward off pinch flats that would otherwise cause a skinnier tire to flat. Spend less time fixing flats, or use a tire that is lighter, but may flat more often. Oh the decisions!

Mechanical Suspension: Oddly enough, mountain bikers would never think twice about accepting the benefits of suspension, yet gravel/back road/rough road riders almost never consider such things. Too heavy? Too complex? Not worth the trouble? At one time, the answer to these questions was no. The proving ground was the cobbles of Europe, specifically the course of Paris-Roubaix.

Early 90's road suspension bike

Many folks may remember Rock Shox foray into the realm of road bike suspension. The overgrown Mag 21 specimen was called the "Ruby", and was actually used to win Paris-Roubaix. Many say Greg LeMond was at the fore front of the use of a suspended road bike for these cobbled races.

Probably the most outlandish example of suspended road bike design has to be the Bianchi piloted by Johan Museeuw at Paris-Roubaix, which you can read all about here. Said to have cost $20,000.00 to produce, the bike did not reach the final desired result when a flat tire ended Museeuw's chances near the end of the course.

So much for road bike full suspension, right? Well, the idea has not gone away entirely. Just take a look at Trek's Domane bike which has already won events like Strade Bianchi, a stage in this year's Tour de France, and most recently won at Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Domane takes a subtler approach than the overtly suspended bikes from the early to mid-90's, and hides the suspended component for the most part at the junction of the seat tube and top tube. (Which are in fact, decoupled) The fork is made to flex more, and in so doing this, Trek has retained a traditional look to the road bike, at a fantastic light weight, without resorting to an offensive assault on the eyes and sensitivities to bicycle overall weight.

Is there a place for such a beast on the dusty gravel roads? Is it even necessary to go that far with suspension, or are voluminous tires enough? It'll be interesting to see if folks can even envision needing such a device, much less having the option.

Okay, tomorrow I will explore the opposite end of the spectrum regarding suspension with fat bikes.

A Discussion on Suspension: Gravel Bikes

Hey there! Hope you all had a great weekend. Today I'm kicking off a two part series on suspension. Today's discussion will focus on suspension for the gravel road rider.

Suspension can be derived in two different ways for anyone on a bicycle. First is pneumatic- suspension from the tires. The other way is to use a mechanical means to absorb vibrations, either passively, by way of frame flex or component flex, or by an active, purposeful means involving some form of moving parts.

Either way, absorbing vibrations is the order of the day. Vibrations are important to consider, because if the energy causing the rider to feel vibrations is not absorbed by the tires, frame, or a passive/active mechanical means, then the rider has to absorb those vibrations which eventually can cause fatigue, numbness, and other issues.

It's not just about width, it's about volume.

Without getting overly technical here, I want to explore why a rider on gravel roads would want to consider suspension. Obviously- everybody is going to run tires, so let's start there.

Tires are essentially air springs. Whether you choose tubed, tubeless, or tubulars, your tires are springs that can be adjusted. Furthermore, the tire casing, tube, (if any), and tread pattern also affect the way the "spring" will work.

Springs can be stiff, soft, linear, or they can "ramp up" in spring rate quickly due to volume available and/or tire pressures used. You as a rider can greatly affect the ride quality of your bicycle in a number of ways by your tire choices and tire pressures that you choose.  Go to a higher pressure and you get a stiffer spring rate. Use a lower volume/narrower tire and you may also have to move pressures higher and the volume of that tire will affect the ramping up of the spring rate as well.

Typically, you would not want to run maximum pressures as rated on a tire on rough roads because this affects how your tires can absorb vibrations. Higher pressures in tires make vibrations that the tire could normally absorb go past the tires and into the frame/rider.Likewise, the narrower/lower volume your tires are also affects the way you can adjust your spring rate, (ie; tire pressure), and this may affect your ride quality. Finally, things like frame clearances, terrain demands, rider weight, tire construction, and more will start to narrow down choices.

If you don't remember anything else though, remember this- a tire with a reasonable amount of air, but still at a point where it can conform to road irregularities, will be faster and provide more rider comfort and control than a tire at maximum, or close to that, pressures. (I would only add that a higher volume tire provides the rider with a wider range of adjustability in this respect.) A tire at higher pressures has to bounce up and over trail/road irregularities instead of conforming to, and rolling over them. Those little bounces have to be absorbed, and don't forget- overcome by- the rider. Yes, higher pressures result in more rolling resistance on rough roads.

The smoothest line is less fatiguing

 Obviously, tires should be a component of your ride that you pay close attention to. Especially on the longer events. They are your first, (and in most cases- only), line of defense against vibrations that can steal away your energy, cause you to be slower, and possibly cause longer lasting side effects like numbness or other physical maladies. Not only that, but a wider, more voluminous tire can also ward off pinch flats that would otherwise cause a skinnier tire to flat. Spend less time fixing flats, or use a tire that is lighter, but may flat more often. Oh the decisions!

Mechanical Suspension: Oddly enough, mountain bikers would never think twice about accepting the benefits of suspension, yet gravel/back road/rough road riders almost never consider such things. Too heavy? Too complex? Not worth the trouble? At one time, the answer to these questions was no. The proving ground was the cobbles of Europe, specifically the course of Paris-Roubaix.

Early 90's road suspension bike

Many folks may remember Rock Shox foray into the realm of road bike suspension. The overgrown Mag 21 specimen was called the "Ruby", and was actually used to win Paris-Roubaix. Many say Greg LeMond was at the fore front of the use of a suspended road bike for these cobbled races.

Probably the most outlandish example of suspended road bike design has to be the Bianchi piloted by Johan Museeuw at Paris-Roubaix, which you can read all about here. Said to have cost $20,000.00 to produce, the bike did not reach the final desired result when a flat tire ended Museeuw's chances near the end of the course.

So much for road bike full suspension, right? Well, the idea has not gone away entirely. Just take a look at Trek's Domane bike which has already won events like Strade Bianchi, a stage in this year's Tour de France, and most recently won at Gravel Worlds in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Domane takes a subtler approach than the overtly suspended bikes from the early to mid-90's, and hides the suspended component for the most part at the junction of the seat tube and top tube. (Which are in fact, decoupled) The fork is made to flex more, and in so doing this, Trek has retained a traditional look to the road bike, at a fantastic light weight, without resorting to an offensive assault on the eyes and sensitivities to bicycle overall weight.

Is there a place for such a beast on the dusty gravel roads? Is it even necessary to go that far with suspension, or are voluminous tires enough? It'll be interesting to see if folks can even envision needing such a device, much less having the option.

Okay, tomorrow I will explore the opposite end of the spectrum regarding suspension with fat bikes.

3GR Report: Birds Of Prey

Ron making a dramatic point to Mike. Craig on the Right.

Once again, the 3GR was on a day with a good chance for rain. However; we didn't experience any of the wet stuff on our outing. This time we had Ron, Mike, and Craig along for the 8:30-ish start.

The weather was fine, low wind, sunny, but not too hot or humid. The shadows are getting longer at the start though, so you can tell summer is fading quickly into fall.

Things of note: The corn- if it wasn't already totally burned up by the sun, is very quickly turning brown now. I suspect the fields will be totally dried down by mid-September, and the harvesting should commence soon. I can't remember a summer and now going into fall where things were like this.

Then there is the gravel. It was noted and agreed upon by the riders that the gravel appears to be breaking down further, as in the base for the road- like it is turning to powder. The roads showed a lot of sections where the gravel had lost its hard pack nature and was getting deeper with dust and finer gravel. It has been one of the dustiest gravel seasons that I can remember.

A Hawk silhouetted on top of a pole.

This will affect Trans Iowa V9 if it continues to be a season of fall and winter with little precipitation. Just how it will affect it, I am not certain now. Heck- how would I know? I've never seen anything quite like this before.

Craig suddenly called out that he had a flat tire. So, we all stopped and gathered round as Mike and Craig began to take things apart and replace the tube Craig had in the front tire. I loaned Craig my Blackburn frame pump, vintage 1996, and it made short work of the airing up of the new tube. Meanwhile, Mike looked a bit puzzled as he examined the old tube.

Apparently, it was decided that the tube wasn't actually flat, but the removable valve core had loosened. No worries. We were chatting and being entertained by two hawks that were screeching up a storm. We surmised that there may be a nest there and that there may be little ones.

We got going again, but it wasn't but a mile or two when Ron announced he was peeling off and heading back to Cedar Falls. We bid him adieu, and then we made our way over to our South-bound turn and into the roller section of the route.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. We rode back up the rollers at an ever increasing pace, as if unsaid words were spoken that provoked us to race to the crest of each successive hill top. Then we rolled back in on the busy bike path and to the coffee shop. The coffee shop was super busy too. We could barely get inside to get some of the black goodness.

Things are going to get dicy for the 3GR in September. Here is the lowdown- Next Saturday is on Labor Day Weekend, and there will be a ride at the regular time and place. On September 22nd, there will be no 3GR on Saturday morning. I am going to attend the Moonshine Metric on Saturday night. (As long as my flight back from Interbike successfully lands me back in Iowa on Friday!) Anyway, you should consider riding in this too. It is a fun, laid back, all night time gravel road ride.

Then on September 29th, I am slating another fat bike 3GR. So put that on yer calendars!

Oh- and by the way, it did end up raining in the afternoon, which we desperately needed.

3GR Report: Birds Of Prey

Ron making a dramatic point to Mike. Craig on the Right.

Once again, the 3GR was on a day with a good chance for rain. However; we didn't experience any of the wet stuff on our outing. This time we had Ron, Mike, and Craig along for the 8:30-ish start.

The weather was fine, low wind, sunny, but not too hot or humid. The shadows are getting longer at the start though, so you can tell summer is fading quickly into fall.

Things of note: The corn- if it wasn't already totally burned up by the sun, is very quickly turning brown now. I suspect the fields will be totally dried down by mid-September, and the harvesting should commence soon. I can't remember a summer and now going into fall where things were like this.

Then there is the gravel. It was noted and agreed upon by the riders that the gravel appears to be breaking down further, as in the base for the road- like it is turning to powder. The roads showed a lot of sections where the gravel had lost its hard pack nature and was getting deeper with dust and finer gravel. It has been one of the dustiest gravel seasons that I can remember.

A Hawk silhouetted on top of a pole.

This will affect Trans Iowa V9 if it continues to be a season of fall and winter with little precipitation. Just how it will affect it, I am not certain now. Heck- how would I know? I've never seen anything quite like this before.

Craig suddenly called out that he had a flat tire. So, we all stopped and gathered round as Mike and Craig began to take things apart and replace the tube Craig had in the front tire. I loaned Craig my Blackburn frame pump, vintage 1996, and it made short work of the airing up of the new tube. Meanwhile, Mike looked a bit puzzled as he examined the old tube.

Apparently, it was decided that the tube wasn't actually flat, but the removable valve core had loosened. No worries. We were chatting and being entertained by two hawks that were screeching up a storm. We surmised that there may be a nest there and that there may be little ones.

We got going again, but it wasn't but a mile or two when Ron announced he was peeling off and heading back to Cedar Falls. We bid him adieu, and then we made our way over to our South-bound turn and into the roller section of the route.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful. We rode back up the rollers at an ever increasing pace, as if unsaid words were spoken that provoked us to race to the crest of each successive hill top. Then we rolled back in on the busy bike path and to the coffee shop. The coffee shop was super busy too. We could barely get inside to get some of the black goodness.

Things are going to get dicy for the 3GR in September. Here is the lowdown- Next Saturday is on Labor Day Weekend, and there will be a ride at the regular time and place. On September 22nd, there will be no 3GR on Saturday morning. I am going to attend the Moonshine Metric on Saturday night. (As long as my flight back from Interbike successfully lands me back in Iowa on Friday!) Anyway, you should consider riding in this too. It is a fun, laid back, all night time gravel road ride.

Then on September 29th, I am slating another fat bike 3GR. So put that on yer calendars!

Oh- and by the way, it did end up raining in the afternoon, which we desperately needed.

More Thoughts From The Salsa Demo

Vaya Travel: Stainless Steel

When I was going to the Carver Lake Salsa Cycles Demo Tour stop, I was asked a couple of times about which bike I was most excited about checking out. Neither time did I even answer that question, because, honestly, I didn't have a particular bike in mind.

I knew I needed to take a good, hard look at the Warbird, and I was curious about the Beargrease. I was also interested in the Vaya Travel, and the new Mukluks. But to pick one bike I was excited about?

I couldn't.

So it is now. I wasn't blown away overwhelmingly by any single model. That isn't to say I wasn't impressed, because I was. I've spouted off enough about the Warbird already, so here are some brief thoughts on the other rigs I was curious about.

Vaya Travel: I called this "...possibly the most interesting bike Salsa has made in a while.", and I stand behind that statement. Others are being wowed by the Warbird, or maybe the Colossal, but for me, this rig is outstanding. Stainless steel is much like titanium. Hard to work with, doesn't need a finish other than bare metal, and is pretty light. That right there is pretty cool. But for my money, the Altenator drop outs, (which should be on Fargos and all Vayas, as far as I am concerned), makes this especially interesting. I've seen my fair share of busted derailleurs on back roads, way more than I have mountain biking, and being able to single speed yourself out of a disaster is a good thing. Plus, you can run single speed on purpose, which I probably would on this bike. Add the S&S couplers and this just gets better. A negative: The Vaya I hefted at the demo, (they didn't have one big enough for me to ride), was disappointingly heavy, but it still looks like a great SS gravel rig to my eyes.

Muk 2 for 2013

Mukluks: 

 I like what Salsa did with the new Mukluks. 44mm head tube, Altenators, and nice crank sets that will work well on fat bikes in all gear combos.

I must say that when I saw the catalog pic of the Muk 2 in white with green and black I was let down. That is until I actually saw one. I am still not 100% down with the green rims, but the rest of it has grown on me to the point that it has bumped the needle off "Ugly" for me to "Okay".

It's pretty obvious that Salsa sees the fat bike as more than a snow/sand machine by the specs for the new models. No Grip Shift or thumbies here. Nope! It's traditional trigger shifting  which will definitely work better when doing mountain type cycling than the Grip Shift or thumbies, which work great under pogies in the cold. (Although I happen to be just fine with Grip Shift off road.)

Off road performance is also hinted at by the choice of hydraulic disc brakes and Nate 3.8"er tires. Grip and stopping power for fast off road action and climbing traction. Yes- they will work in the snow, but these items are not geared toward the snow factor so much.

Muk 3 in green for 2013

The Mukluk 3 gets two color choices for 2013, and I immediately loved the orange, but that color is great on almost any bicycle. The green rendering I first saw left me flat.

When I laid eyes on it at the demo I was blown away though. "Flat" indeed! The color is a flat green and looks killer. It went from being one of what I thought was a questionable choice by Salsa to an awesome one. I mean, who doesn't get the "military" angle here with regard to running over stuff with those knobbly Nates?

The spec on the Muk 3's is really good this year too. These will be a great value for a fat bike in 2013. Better crank sets, better cable routing, and the aforementioned frame attributes make this a better Mukluk than any before it. The Snow Dog is jealous for sure!

I haven't mentioned the Ti Muk because it will be exactly the same as last year, only offered in a complete though, and there will be limited numbers of these as well. Hmm.....makes one wonder what is around the corner for a Muk ti bike.....

Beargrease in pieces

 Of course, the most amazing new bike, to my mind, is the Beargrease. It comes with a really decent, solid spec, but the overall weight of this package is what will open a lot of folks eyes. Fat bikes have been known to not only have "fat" tires, but porky complete weights as well. It was considered the price you paid for flotation.

Not anymore!

This bike is incredibly light for a bike of this class. I hefted Salsa Cycles' employee, Bobby's bike, and my jaw hit the pavement. The thing is stupid light for a mountain bike with fat, fat tires. Seriously- there are stock single speed rigid 29"ers that weigh more than a Beargrease.

No- it doesn't have any rack mounts, no extra mounts on the all new aluminum fork, and no Altenator drop outs either, but for those who were thinking these bikes were porkers and they'd never ride one, you may want to take a close look at a Beargrease. Well- that is if you get a chance. My feeling is that these will fly out of shops faster than you might think. Fat bike guys and gals will be hip to this and those sitting on the sidelines kicking tires will be left wondering what the fuss is about. You heard it here first. I wouldn't fudge around if you think you want to check one of these out. Okay, I'll say this then stop- 28.5lbs complete. And that could be lowered more easily.

And those were the highlights. I also was found ogling the Spearfish 2, the Horsethief 1, and I was trying to get myself to like the brown Fargo 2, but I just can't. I just do not go for brown unless it is a really rich, dark hue, or has something like a bass boat sparkle to kick it into high gear. Meh! At least the Fargo 3 will be a nice blue.

But who am I kidding? The titanium Fargo is the only one I would seriously consider getting anyway!

And that' a wrap on the demo and my trip to the Twin Cities. Thanks to John, Aaron, Ben, Meg, Jason, Justin, Eric, and everyone else that made the weekend special.

 

More Thoughts From The Salsa Demo

Vaya Travel: Stainless Steel

When I was going to the Carver Lake Salsa Cycles Demo Tour stop, I was asked a couple of times about which bike I was most excited about checking out. Neither time did I even answer that question, because, honestly, I didn't have a particular bike in mind.

I knew I needed to take a good, hard look at the Warbird, and I was curious about the Beargrease. I was also interested in the Vaya Travel, and the new Mukluks. But to pick one bike I was excited about?

I couldn't.

So it is now. I wasn't blown away overwhelmingly by any single model. That isn't to say I wasn't impressed, because I was. I've spouted off enough about the Warbird already, so here are some brief thoughts on the other rigs I was curious about.

Vaya Travel: I called this "...possibly the most interesting bike Salsa has made in a while.", and I stand behind that statement. Others are being wowed by the Warbird, or maybe the Colossal, but for me, this rig is outstanding. Stainless steel is much like titanium. Hard to work with, doesn't need a finish other than bare metal, and is pretty light. That right there is pretty cool. But for my money, the Altenator drop outs, (which should be on Fargos and all Vayas, as far as I am concerned), makes this especially interesting. I've seen my fair share of busted derailleurs on back roads, way more than I have mountain biking, and being able to single speed yourself out of a disaster is a good thing. Plus, you can run single speed on purpose, which I probably would on this bike. Add the S&S couplers and this just gets better. A negative: The Vaya I hefted at the demo, (they didn't have one big enough for me to ride), was disappointingly heavy, but it still looks like a great SS gravel rig to my eyes.

Muk 2 for 2013

Mukluks: 

 I like what Salsa did with the new Mukluks. 44mm head tube, Altenators, and nice crank sets that will work well on fat bikes in all gear combos.

I must say that when I saw the catalog pic of the Muk 2 in white with green and black I was let down. That is until I actually saw one. I am still not 100% down with the green rims, but the rest of it has grown on me to the point that it has bumped the needle off "Ugly" for me to "Okay".

It's pretty obvious that Salsa sees the fat bike as more than a snow/sand machine by the specs for the new models. No Grip Shift or thumbies here. Nope! It's traditional trigger shifting  which will definitely work better when doing mountain type cycling than the Grip Shift or thumbies, which work great under pogies in the cold. (Although I happen to be just fine with Grip Shift off road.)

Off road performance is also hinted at by the choice of hydraulic disc brakes and Nate 3.8"er tires. Grip and stopping power for fast off road action and climbing traction. Yes- they will work in the snow, but these items are not geared toward the snow factor so much.

Muk 3 in green for 2013

The Mukluk 3 gets two color choices for 2013, and I immediately loved the orange, but that color is great on almost any bicycle. The green rendering I first saw left me flat.

When I laid eyes on it at the demo I was blown away though. "Flat" indeed! The color is a flat green and looks killer. It went from being one of what I thought was a questionable choice by Salsa to an awesome one. I mean, who doesn't get the "military" angle here with regard to running over stuff with those knobbly Nates?

The spec on the Muk 3's is really good this year too. These will be a great value for a fat bike in 2013. Better crank sets, better cable routing, and the aforementioned frame attributes make this a better Mukluk than any before it. The Snow Dog is jealous for sure!

I haven't mentioned the Ti Muk because it will be exactly the same as last year, only offered in a complete though, and there will be limited numbers of these as well. Hmm.....makes one wonder what is around the corner for a Muk ti bike.....

Beargrease in pieces

 Of course, the most amazing new bike, to my mind, is the Beargrease. It comes with a really decent, solid spec, but the overall weight of this package is what will open a lot of folks eyes. Fat bikes have been known to not only have "fat" tires, but porky complete weights as well. It was considered the price you paid for flotation.

Not anymore!

This bike is incredibly light for a bike of this class. I hefted Salsa Cycles' employee, Bobby's bike, and my jaw hit the pavement. The thing is stupid light for a mountain bike with fat, fat tires. Seriously- there are stock single speed rigid 29"ers that weigh more than a Beargrease.

No- it doesn't have any rack mounts, no extra mounts on the all new aluminum fork, and no Altenator drop outs either, but for those who were thinking these bikes were porkers and they'd never ride one, you may want to take a close look at a Beargrease. Well- that is if you get a chance. My feeling is that these will fly out of shops faster than you might think. Fat bike guys and gals will be hip to this and those sitting on the sidelines kicking tires will be left wondering what the fuss is about. You heard it here first. I wouldn't fudge around if you think you want to check one of these out. Okay, I'll say this then stop- 28.5lbs complete. And that could be lowered more easily.

And those were the highlights. I also was found ogling the Spearfish 2, the Horsethief 1, and I was trying to get myself to like the brown Fargo 2, but I just can't. I just do not go for brown unless it is a really rich, dark hue, or has something like a bass boat sparkle to kick it into high gear. Meh! At least the Fargo 3 will be a nice blue.

But who am I kidding? The titanium Fargo is the only one I would seriously consider getting anyway!

And that' a wrap on the demo and my trip to the Twin Cities. Thanks to John, Aaron, Ben, Meg, Jason, Justin, Eric, and everyone else that made the weekend special.

 

Friday News And Views

Getting Ready To Go Update: 

Well, here is the latest on the bikepacking set up. I got some dry bags for my sleeping bag, ground cloth, and sleeping pad. The bonus thing here is that the tent has its own dry bag, so I didn't need one for it, but just in case I ever get another tent, or go to a tarp, I purchased an extra dry bag.

Another thing I noted was that the lateral dry bag has loops where I could stash poles for a tarp in the future, which is nice. 

Next on the "to-do list". Find my cooking set. I know I have one, still in the box for a tour to New Orleans which never happened. Gotta track that down. I also fabbed up a stove, but since then I have seen another design I like better. It requires a Guinness can. Oh....I suppose I could force myself to get one of those! 

The dry bag on the bars is resting mostly on the brake lever master cylinders. Not an ideal situation, but the bag is light. I may let that go for now, but ideally I will probably get into a Minimalist rack for the fork. (My other bike I would use this on has plenty of room for the bag on the handle bars.)

I scouted out a place to do the S24O on Wednesday. I saw three good, out of the way, remote, (as remote as one can get here), spots. One borders on a bit of Cedar River backwater and would be awesome from a "view" angle, but I won't be too picky. At least one of these three will work, and all are within a mile of each other.

And In This Corner....

I also am getting this cute little chrome number for another project. This is a "Pass Hunter" rack from Velo Orange.  I have something else coming that goes onto this rack, but that will have to wait for a bit.

Oddly enough, I will not be "pass hunting" with this rack, but I will be hunting something else.  That would have to do with Trans Iowa V9 . I plan on getting this mounted and with the "other component" I will be getting, they will help with a long ride or two that I have planned to scout out the Trans Iowa V9 route.

We'll see how that turns out, and of course, a full report will follow. I am pretty stoked about the T.I.V9 route so far. I have things pretty firmed up as far as exact routing goes for the first third of the course. That could change, of course, depending upon what I find out there, but I am pretty hopeful there will be little if any trouble.

In other T.I.V9 news, I've got the request in to the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce's Sheryl Parmley and things should start happening later this year with regard to news on that front, but suffice it to say that they are pretty happy about our coming back again.

2013 Salsa Mukluk 2

A Dilemma:

A couple of years ago, some dear friends went way out of their way to hook me up with a 2011 Salsa Cycles Mukluk frame and fork. I ride that bike regularly, and I love it. However; those dastardly folks at Salsa don't sleep until they have improved upon a design, or so it would seem. Here we have a new 2013 example of a Mukluk. You may not see much of anything different here. Trust me- much has changed! 

I happen to like the 44mm head tube, the new Altenator drop outs, and ability to run a slightly shorter or longer wheel base with those Altenators than I can now. I don't like that my current Muk, The Snow Dog, is a special gift and replacing it with an "upgrade" seems kind of unsavory to my sense of sentimentality and loyalty.  

Meh!

Well, we're getting some of these Mukluks into the shop soon, and I will have to decide what to do. I do know that black with purple decals on the frame set only choice will be hard to resist!

3GR: I'll be at Gateway Park again at 8:30am to get some gravel on. Hope some of you can join in on the fun. Should be a good time.

Have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

Getting Ready To Go Update: 

Well, here is the latest on the bikepacking set up. I got some dry bags for my sleeping bag, ground cloth, and sleeping pad. The bonus thing here is that the tent has its own dry bag, so I didn't need one for it, but just in case I ever get another tent, or go to a tarp, I purchased an extra dry bag.

Another thing I noted was that the lateral dry bag has loops where I could stash poles for a tarp in the future, which is nice. 

Next on the "to-do list". Find my cooking set. I know I have one, still in the box for a tour to New Orleans which never happened. Gotta track that down. I also fabbed up a stove, but since then I have seen another design I like better. It requires a Guinness can. Oh....I suppose I could force myself to get one of those! 

The dry bag on the bars is resting mostly on the brake lever master cylinders. Not an ideal situation, but the bag is light. I may let that go for now, but ideally I will probably get into a Minimalist rack for the fork. (My other bike I would use this on has plenty of room for the bag on the handle bars.)

I scouted out a place to do the S24O on Wednesday. I saw three good, out of the way, remote, (as remote as one can get here), spots. One borders on a bit of Cedar River backwater and would be awesome from a "view" angle, but I won't be too picky. At least one of these three will work, and all are within a mile of each other.

And In This Corner....

I also am getting this cute little chrome number for another project. This is a "Pass Hunter" rack from Velo Orange.  I have something else coming that goes onto this rack, but that will have to wait for a bit.

Oddly enough, I will not be "pass hunting" with this rack, but I will be hunting something else.  That would have to do with Trans Iowa V9 . I plan on getting this mounted and with the "other component" I will be getting, they will help with a long ride or two that I have planned to scout out the Trans Iowa V9 route.

We'll see how that turns out, and of course, a full report will follow. I am pretty stoked about the T.I.V9 route so far. I have things pretty firmed up as far as exact routing goes for the first third of the course. That could change, of course, depending upon what I find out there, but I am pretty hopeful there will be little if any trouble.

In other T.I.V9 news, I've got the request in to the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce's Sheryl Parmley and things should start happening later this year with regard to news on that front, but suffice it to say that they are pretty happy about our coming back again.

2013 Salsa Mukluk 2

A Dilemma:

A couple of years ago, some dear friends went way out of their way to hook me up with a 2011 Salsa Cycles Mukluk frame and fork. I ride that bike regularly, and I love it. However; those dastardly folks at Salsa don't sleep until they have improved upon a design, or so it would seem. Here we have a new 2013 example of a Mukluk. You may not see much of anything different here. Trust me- much has changed! 

I happen to like the 44mm head tube, the new Altenator drop outs, and ability to run a slightly shorter or longer wheel base with those Altenators than I can now. I don't like that my current Muk, The Snow Dog, is a special gift and replacing it with an "upgrade" seems kind of unsavory to my sense of sentimentality and loyalty.  

Meh!

Well, we're getting some of these Mukluks into the shop soon, and I will have to decide what to do. I do know that black with purple decals on the frame set only choice will be hard to resist!

3GR: I'll be at Gateway Park again at 8:30am to get some gravel on. Hope some of you can join in on the fun. Should be a good time.

Have a great weekend!

Ride Impressions: Salsa Cycles Warbird

NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Okay, let's start out with some pertinent links for some perspective here: My initial reaction to the Salsa Cycles Warbird is here: My take on a gravel road rig- Musings On A Gravel Road Bike will give you some back ground on my position on what I feel makes a good gravel road bike. Okay, so with that, let's dive in...

This is not a review: I don't believe that ride tests, demos, or whatever you want to call them are in any way, shape, or form a "review" of a bicycle or component. This is merely more of an impression of mine regarding this Warbird rig. Want a review? See the guy that has ridden the bike in the heat of a race, or done significant time with a component for a long time, (my thinking is more than a couple months), and get his take. Obviously, there are very few that can say this about a Warbird now, and they are all Salsa Cycles sponsored riders and employees. (Not that they wouldn't know, but.....) I don't typically ever do a review here. I will give my opinion though. You may find something different, but be that as it may....

E-Fred's personal Ti Warbird (Note: Not to spec)

 Titanium Warbird:

I had the brief privilege of seeing a titanium Warbird prototype up close and in actual use at last spring's Trans Iowa V8. John Gorilla was the rider, and he let me take it for a parking lot spin at the finish line.

I kept that under my hat, as anything other than how it looked would have been speculation at the time being it wasn't known publicly how the bike would be positioned or spec'ed. But now I can say more, having actually ridden one on trails and on some pavement.

The Warbird I rode was a bike belonging to Salsa Cycles' Eric Fredrickson, or "E-Fred". The bike does not have the spec wheel set or fork, just so you know. (The fork is a Whiskey carbon number, as I was told.) E-Fred picked the 58cm size for his bike, which, for a 58, is quite rangy, even without the long tiller E-Fred uses. Note the seat height in the image which shows little post. That's 31" from the BB spindle to the top of the saddle for reference. The Warbird has a taller head tube, so the nearly slammed stem wasn't an issue at all from my view. I could make this size work easily with a zero offset post, centered saddle on the rails, and a shorter stem, but Salsa's next size down is a 56cm, which would look more "normal". Salsa went for a big main triangle to fit frame bags better, and to allow for easier portaging, when necessary. (More on that in a moment.)

Chain stay clearance with a Clement X'Plor MSO tire

A note on tire clearances: I made the comment early on that I felt the clearances for the Warbird marginalized the bike for a certain segment of the gravel riding fans out there. Let me say up front that I haven't been convinced otherwise. Salsa claims clearances for up to a 38mm tire, and I feel that is a very fair assessment of what you can expect to fit any Warbird- aluminum or Ti- that you see.

We had the chance to swap a Vaya Travel's wheels, shod with Clement's X'Plor MSO 40mm tires, (claimed width, actual width is slightly narrower), into the titanium Warbird and the fork, (remember- it was a Whiskey fork, not the Enve as spec'ed), cleared the tire fine, but the chainstays were tighter. Probably an okay set up for dry conditions, but obviously, not optimal for wet/mud. Well, take a look and judge for yourself.

Nuff said about that....

Ride Impression: The Warbird in titanium is a bit more like riding a steel bike than a titanium one. Salsa managed to make the titanium feel racy, not noodly, and for all out gravel assaults, you should find a solid feeling bottom bracket, but no "zing" in the seat stays that speaks of harshness. Despite the rangy frame, the front felt well composed, and even throwing it around the tight single track of Carver Lake didn't show up any flexiness, vagueness, or funny handling quirks. The geometry is really good for gravel, I think, and the Warbird is a stable feeling bike at speed and in the tight twisties, (likely where most folks won't ride it, but it holds its own there.) On the right course, a set of supple 32's at a sub 100psi pressure likely would feel like a magic carpet ride.

The ride positioning is race-like, but again, the tall head tube will preclude any Euro-racer boy extreme saddle to handle bar drop set ups unless you size down in frame size. That's as it should be anyway for gravel racing, and especially for longer events.The big triangle will certainly leave room for a Tangle Bag and bottle cages. Some have made a stink about the under the top tube cable routing making portaging painful. Well, I don't see a ton of that going on anyway, so I think it is a bit of a moot point here.

Warbird in aluminum

A Note On The Aluminum Warbird: Much of what I have written will transfer right over here to the aluminum model, but the ride feel is different. The aluminum Warbird was definitely stiffer feeling. Some may be looking for the efficient feeling, racy, no compromise transfer of power to the rear wheels and the Aluminum Warbird feels like "that bike" in spades. Tire choice and presure may mitigate that to a degree, but for those looking for a less sharp feeling ride, I would suggest the titanium bike over the aluminum one. I rode a smaller sized Warbird to get a feeling for fit here as well, and although I could have made it work, for gravel I would opt for the longer, rangier frame every time.

My Take: The Warbird is exactly as advertised- a mean, nasty gravel race bike, the likes of which hasn't been unleashed upon the public before. My feeling is the geometry is dialed, the execution is excellent, details abound which show Salsa has listened to gravel racers, but only on tire clearances has the Warbird maybe fallen a bit short. If you don't ever see the need for any tire bigger than a 35mm, then take a good hard look at this bike for gravel racing and training.

What would I like to see different? Obviously my take on tire clearances has been beaten to death, but besides that, how about a steel framed version of this?

Note: Thanks to Salsa Cycles and their employees at Carver Lake for the demo and information used in this post.