Rear View 2012: The Last Third

September kicked off with the weather still pretty dry, but the heat had backed off a wee bit at least. Still, the effects of all that dryness were everywhere to be seen, and the gravel roads and dirt trails were crazy dusty and cracked.

Well, I was in the throes of trying to get two things accomplished before Interbike. One was getting my Clement USH tires to set up tubeless. After weeks, (literally), of trying, it finally did happen. However; the other deal was not going as fast as I wanted it to go. Getting everything together for a sub 24hr overnight bikepacking gig sounded easy, but it turned out to be something that took too long.

I went to Las Vegas again, for the last Interbike in the Sands Convention Center. It was a good show, by most accounts, and I did get around to see almost everyone I wanted to see. Big trips always kind of freak me out though, so I was super happy to set foot back in Iowa afterward and find out it was in the 50's and raining. Whew! Fall was showing up after a long, dry, hot summer.

The bikepacking thing was just coming together when illness struck our household and I had to put all those plans on hold to take care of things that needed done at the time. By the time everyone was well again, it was November and too cold to really do anything with the warm weather gear I had accumulated to use for this. Next year.....

One really cool thing I got to do in this period was to ride in the Moonlight Metric. Craig, one of the guys who had been showing up off and on for the 3GR's was putting this on, and I went down with Robert, (another 3GR rider), and we got our night time gravel on.

A crazy moon over Iowa in October

It was super dusty! The worst dust I'd ever seen out riding gravel roads day or night. The dirt B Maintenance roads were like cocoa powder 4 to 5 inches deep. Weird stuff! But this was a very fun and enjoyable ride I won't soon forget. Craig hosted a great ride with an after party that featured enough to eat and drink for five times the amount of folks that did show up. Very awesome and very much appreciated.

That was my last big organized event for the year. Closing out October, I was very busy getting testing and reviewing done on several things while still doing the weekly 3GR events. The gravel Saturdays were a favorite part of my week, and even though I had days where it was hard to get out of the sack to do those rides, I miss them now a lot. 3GR went up into November before I shut it down for the season. These rides will pick back up again in the spring.

The next big deal on the horizon was registration for Trans Iowa V9. It started in early November with the Finishers claiming their spots, then the Veterans, then finally the Rookies got their shot.

The registration was "okay" from my standpoint. I got some nice things, which I appreciate, but what I really mean is the registration has lost a bit of the frenzied atmosphere it used to engender in years past. Hmm.....probably has something to do with how I've tweaked it out these days, so I can only blame myself!

I decided to allow 120 registrants this time and the roster did fill up, so we'll see how many are left when I toot the horn at 4am April 27th, 2013. Usually there is a precipitous fall off in roster population before any Trans Iowa occurs.

Another surprise came in mid-November when I learned that the documentary film about Trans Iowa V7 called "300 Miles of Gravel" won a regional Emmy for "Best Sports Programming- One Time Event". That was kind of exciting to learn that I was a part of an Emmy winning project. In other T.I. related goings on, the recon was completely finished by December when in two separate shots, Jeremy and I got it done. It was the quickest, easiest recon of a Trans Iowa course yet.

Winter....what?

December arrived and I sort of held my breath thinking Winter would hit at any minute. The first couple of weeks went by and I snuck in several "last rides" for the year before a big blizzard, the first in several years, hit and dumped a ton of snow all in one hit.

I signed on for another Triple D event, and commenced training even before the snows came. All the family birthdays, Christmas, and my up coming 14th wedding anniversary were all consuming parts of my time and mind in this period, but it has all been pretty good this season.

Looking Ahead: So, that's that. 2012 is shot and another year is about to begin. I have lots of things gelling around in my mind that are fun, exciting possibilities for 2013, but ya know what? I'll likely get swept away in a totally different, fun, and exciting direction than I think I will. We'll see, won't we?

2012 was a banner year for this blog, by the way. More hits, more readers, and the second highest post count I've ever had for a one year period. First- thank you to each and everyone of you that has ever landed here and read anything. I appreciate it very much, and I am humbled by that fact. Secondly, I guess I still like to write a lot, eh? That was one of the main reasons for firing up this blog in the Spring of 2005 in the first place. Onward then.....

Happy New Year!

Rear View 2012: The Last Third

September kicked off with the weather still pretty dry, but the heat had backed off a wee bit at least. Still, the effects of all that dryness were everywhere to be seen, and the gravel roads and dirt trails were crazy dusty and cracked.

Well, I was in the throes of trying to get two things accomplished before Interbike. One was getting my Clement USH tires to set up tubeless. After weeks, (literally), of trying, it finally did happen. However; the other deal was not going as fast as I wanted it to go. Getting everything together for a sub 24hr overnight bikepacking gig sounded easy, but it turned out to be something that took too long.

I went to Las Vegas again, for the last Interbike in the Sands Convention Center. It was a good show, by most accounts, and I did get around to see almost everyone I wanted to see. Big trips always kind of freak me out though, so I was super happy to set foot back in Iowa afterward and find out it was in the 50's and raining. Whew! Fall was showing up after a long, dry, hot summer.

The bikepacking thing was just coming together when illness struck our household and I had to put all those plans on hold to take care of things that needed done at the time. By the time everyone was well again, it was November and too cold to really do anything with the warm weather gear I had accumulated to use for this. Next year.....

One really cool thing I got to do in this period was to ride in the Moonlight Metric. Craig, one of the guys who had been showing up off and on for the 3GR's was putting this on, and I went down with Robert, (another 3GR rider), and we got our night time gravel on.

A crazy moon over Iowa in October

It was super dusty! The worst dust I'd ever seen out riding gravel roads day or night. The dirt B Maintenance roads were like cocoa powder 4 to 5 inches deep. Weird stuff! But this was a very fun and enjoyable ride I won't soon forget. Craig hosted a great ride with an after party that featured enough to eat and drink for five times the amount of folks that did show up. Very awesome and very much appreciated.

That was my last big organized event for the year. Closing out October, I was very busy getting testing and reviewing done on several things while still doing the weekly 3GR events. The gravel Saturdays were a favorite part of my week, and even though I had days where it was hard to get out of the sack to do those rides, I miss them now a lot. 3GR went up into November before I shut it down for the season. These rides will pick back up again in the spring.

The next big deal on the horizon was registration for Trans Iowa V9. It started in early November with the Finishers claiming their spots, then the Veterans, then finally the Rookies got their shot.

The registration was "okay" from my standpoint. I got some nice things, which I appreciate, but what I really mean is the registration has lost a bit of the frenzied atmosphere it used to engender in years past. Hmm.....probably has something to do with how I've tweaked it out these days, so I can only blame myself!

I decided to allow 120 registrants this time and the roster did fill up, so we'll see how many are left when I toot the horn at 4am April 27th, 2013. Usually there is a precipitous fall off in roster population before any Trans Iowa occurs.

Another surprise came in mid-November when I learned that the documentary film about Trans Iowa V7 called "300 Miles of Gravel" won a regional Emmy for "Best Sports Programming- One Time Event". That was kind of exciting to learn that I was a part of an Emmy winning project. In other T.I. related goings on, the recon was completely finished by December when in two separate shots, Jeremy and I got it done. It was the quickest, easiest recon of a Trans Iowa course yet.

Winter....what?

December arrived and I sort of held my breath thinking Winter would hit at any minute. The first couple of weeks went by and I snuck in several "last rides" for the year before a big blizzard, the first in several years, hit and dumped a ton of snow all in one hit.

I signed on for another Triple D event, and commenced training even before the snows came. All the family birthdays, Christmas, and my up coming 14th wedding anniversary were all consuming parts of my time and mind in this period, but it has all been pretty good this season.

Looking Ahead: So, that's that. 2012 is shot and another year is about to begin. I have lots of things gelling around in my mind that are fun, exciting possibilities for 2013, but ya know what? I'll likely get swept away in a totally different, fun, and exciting direction than I think I will. We'll see, won't we?

2012 was a banner year for this blog, by the way. More hits, more readers, and the second highest post count I've ever had for a one year period. First- thank you to each and everyone of you that has ever landed here and read anything. I appreciate it very much, and I am humbled by that fact. Secondly, I guess I still like to write a lot, eh? That was one of the main reasons for firing up this blog in the Spring of 2005 in the first place. Onward then.....

Happy New Year!

Triple D Winter Race: Training Log 5: Firming Up

Snow Dog in its element

The snow around these parts has been down now for about a week and a half, and it still mostly stinks for riding on. Well, except for where it has been pummeled into firmness against its will. Because this snow seems to fight being compacted.

I saw a post on CVAST's Facebook page, (local cycling promoters), that a path was suitable for fat biking in North Hartman Reserve. That's great, but ya gotta get there first! So I devised a route over there and back. The snow was better in spots, but just as bad as ever in others. Still, far more riding than pushing this day. That was good, since it bumped the needle on the fun-o-meter higher than last week's big ride, (er....push fest), did.

The route took me around the back side of the National Cattle Congress along the backwaters of the Cedar River, high up on a dike. It was windy, but the wind had scoured off the sand-like snow and left a good crust in most places. The sheltered bits proved more difficult, but were still rideable. After dumping down off the bike to back streets along the Cedar, the going got quicker.

This leads me down to Hartman Reserve, and the specified trail. It was as advertised. Nicely packed in by foot traffic, apparently, because it was pretty bumpy. Packed, but bumpy, which was good, since it was single track in the woods, and this is hard to come by right now.

Rare trail these days in these parts for fat biking.

Well, that didn't last long and I was headed back to Waterloo on old Shirey Way, (The gravel through North Hartman), which proved to be almost....almost....unrideable. It was tough going, but I managed the section with one rest stop. My heart rate was pretty pegged through here. Burned some matches there, but it was a good test of skill and handling.

Then it was a bit of easy stuff to the Trolley Car Trail. This was total hike-a-bike from North Hackett to Green Hill. Then it got rideable again because of a lone passing of a snowmobile. It was tough going, but doable, and I popped out the other side to run across an old acquaintance from my first shop days. We chatted for a minute or two then I set off for home by way of alleys and city streets. 

I tried a different clothing combination today, and although one worked, I am going to go back to a previous set up on another set of layers. One new thing was a pair of Answer "Sleestak" mittens.   (Answer sent these to Twenty Nine Inches for test and review at no charge.) The site says they are rated down to 20F, but I was riding in the mid-teens for 2.5hrs and was perfectly fine. They seem to be windproof, but the site doesn't claim this feature. I will say that the rubbery grip application to the palm and "finger" area is really tacky and grippy with my Ergon Grips. I think these matched up with a thin glove liner would take you well down into the deep freeze on most any ride. We'll have to see how these hold up over the long haul though.

Okay, that's a wrap on the ride. I'm going to detail my set up in a post soon, once I dial it in here.

Triple D Winter Race: Training Log 5: Firming Up

Snow Dog in its element

The snow around these parts has been down now for about a week and a half, and it still mostly stinks for riding on. Well, except for where it has been pummeled into firmness against its will. Because this snow seems to fight being compacted.

I saw a post on CVAST's Facebook page, (local cycling promoters), that a path was suitable for fat biking in North Hartman Reserve. That's great, but ya gotta get there first! So I devised a route over there and back. The snow was better in spots, but just as bad as ever in others. Still, far more riding than pushing this day. That was good, since it bumped the needle on the fun-o-meter higher than last week's big ride, (er....push fest), did.

The route took me around the back side of the National Cattle Congress along the backwaters of the Cedar River, high up on a dike. It was windy, but the wind had scoured off the sand-like snow and left a good crust in most places. The sheltered bits proved more difficult, but were still rideable. After dumping down off the bike to back streets along the Cedar, the going got quicker.

This leads me down to Hartman Reserve, and the specified trail. It was as advertised. Nicely packed in by foot traffic, apparently, because it was pretty bumpy. Packed, but bumpy, which was good, since it was single track in the woods, and this is hard to come by right now.

Rare trail these days in these parts for fat biking.

Well, that didn't last long and I was headed back to Waterloo on old Shirey Way, (The gravel through North Hartman), which proved to be almost....almost....unrideable. It was tough going, but I managed the section with one rest stop. My heart rate was pretty pegged through here. Burned some matches there, but it was a good test of skill and handling.

Then it was a bit of easy stuff to the Trolley Car Trail. This was total hike-a-bike from North Hackett to Green Hill. Then it got rideable again because of a lone passing of a snowmobile. It was tough going, but doable, and I popped out the other side to run across an old acquaintance from my first shop days. We chatted for a minute or two then I set off for home by way of alleys and city streets. 

I tried a different clothing combination today, and although one worked, I am going to go back to a previous set up on another set of layers. One new thing was a pair of Answer "Sleestak" mittens.   (Answer sent these to Twenty Nine Inches for test and review at no charge.) The site says they are rated down to 20F, but I was riding in the mid-teens for 2.5hrs and was perfectly fine. They seem to be windproof, but the site doesn't claim this feature. I will say that the rubbery grip application to the palm and "finger" area is really tacky and grippy with my Ergon Grips. I think these matched up with a thin glove liner would take you well down into the deep freeze on most any ride. We'll have to see how these hold up over the long haul though.

Okay, that's a wrap on the ride. I'm going to detail my set up in a post soon, once I dial it in here.

Trans Iowa V9: Thoughts On The Past, Present, & Future

So, since the "end of the year" stuff is running rampant all across the internet, I may as well fall in line with a version of that concerning Trans Iowa.

T.I.V1 Gnome: Sitting on some guy's mantle these days...

The next year's Trans Iowa is #9, of course, and that means I've been dinking around out in the rural countryside of Iowa in search of Iowa's most interesting gravel roads for nearly a decade now. Why is that even something that matters? Why would anyone want to do that for nearly 10 years?

Well, I think it goes back to when I was a kid, bouncing around in the back seat of a '66 Dodge Coronet. Most all of my relatives lived on gravel roads. The seemingly endless ribbon of crushed rock was mysterious, and I wanted to know more back then. Where could you go? What could you see?

It even goes back to my first out of town rides on an old ten speed. The vastness of the countryside at slow motion was intriguing to my mind. Then came the over the road, self contained tours, which were another building block on my way to route finding, riding over long distances, and organizing that for others.

Along the way there were detours for college, a career in jewelry repair and construction, rock and roll, mountain biking, and working on automobiles. But finally I found myself back out on the gravel back roads, and I remembered what I had a passion for years earlier.

T.I.V8: Image by W. Kilburg

Okay, so that's what motivated me to start out, but what keeps me going? Honestly, I still enjoy putting the race together. Seeing it go off, with the flaws and successes, makes it interesting yet. I am challenged to tweak it out better, make less mistakes, and become better at Trans Iowa than I was the year before. I like the challenge, and it drives me to become better in ways many of you will never know.

I call it "Endurance Promoting", tongue in cheek, but in many ways, that has a ring of truth to it. There are some super-fans of Trans Iowa, some very passionately committed folks to the event, but beyond that small cadre of folks, this is an event that is just an oddity on the cycling landscape. (At least, that is what I perceive.) Trans Iowa is mostly an unknown, under the radar cycling event that most folks have never heard of, and never ever will. So, the "normal" modes of motivation to do this are not there. I really am okay with that, because I never got into this gig for those "normal" rewards. One must have the endurance of passion for this sort of weirdness, (be that good or bad, I'll let you be the judge), and that paired with the actual physical and mental demands does make this sort of an "endurance event" for me.

But maybe that is stretching things a bit? Hmm......

Re-route: T.I.V4

The low key, oddness of Trans Iowa is intentional too. You see, one day there will not be a Trans Iowa anymore. Things will change. If the structure of the event is more akin to the local gang's sprint to the corner stop sign, it will be a lot easier to dismantle this beast and walk away from it. I won't owe anyone, I won't have too many things left over that are not already used up, and I won't have anything I have to sell off.

Not that I do now. Many folks may find it amusing to know that all of my Trans Iowa stuff would easily fit into one big storage tub. Hmm......come to think of it, maybe even a medium sized tub would do. That includes everything from the first one to the eighth one. There isn't much I want or need to do a Trans Iowa. I don't want it to be bigger, badder, better, or more popular for those and other reasons. Low key. Small. Easy.

And in the future I hope it stays that way until the day I make the announcement on the internet that I am folding up the card table and putting T.I. away for good. I know a lot of folks do not want to see that day, but that is being unrealistic, now isn't it? Besides, there are things I want to do. Changes that will be good to have happen, and if Trans Iowa is holding me back from those, that is not a good thing.

I've got something up my sleeve that I want to pursue, and it has something to do with gravel road riding. So, I won't stop having things to do with gravel road cycling. I just will not be doing the organization of a major event like Trans Iowa. Someday. I'm not stopping this T.I. stuff just yet. But I've had a plan for several years now, and I am sticking to it. You'll all hear about it when it happens.

But that's in the future. For now....

Happy New Year!

Trans Iowa V9: Thoughts On The Past, Present, & Future

So, since the "end of the year" stuff is running rampant all across the internet, I may as well fall in line with a version of that concerning Trans Iowa.

T.I.V1 Gnome: Sitting on some guy's mantle these days...

The next year's Trans Iowa is #9, of course, and that means I've been dinking around out in the rural countryside of Iowa in search of Iowa's most interesting gravel roads for nearly a decade now. Why is that even something that matters? Why would anyone want to do that for nearly 10 years?

Well, I think it goes back to when I was a kid, bouncing around in the back seat of a '66 Dodge Coronet. Most all of my relatives lived on gravel roads. The seemingly endless ribbon of crushed rock was mysterious, and I wanted to know more back then. Where could you go? What could you see?

It even goes back to my first out of town rides on an old ten speed. The vastness of the countryside at slow motion was intriguing to my mind. Then came the over the road, self contained tours, which were another building block on my way to route finding, riding over long distances, and organizing that for others.

Along the way there were detours for college, a career in jewelry repair and construction, rock and roll, mountain biking, and working on automobiles. But finally I found myself back out on the gravel back roads, and I remembered what I had a passion for years earlier.

T.I.V8: Image by W. Kilburg

Okay, so that's what motivated me to start out, but what keeps me going? Honestly, I still enjoy putting the race together. Seeing it go off, with the flaws and successes, makes it interesting yet. I am challenged to tweak it out better, make less mistakes, and become better at Trans Iowa than I was the year before. I like the challenge, and it drives me to become better in ways many of you will never know.

I call it "Endurance Promoting", tongue in cheek, but in many ways, that has a ring of truth to it. There are some super-fans of Trans Iowa, some very passionately committed folks to the event, but beyond that small cadre of folks, this is an event that is just an oddity on the cycling landscape. (At least, that is what I perceive.) Trans Iowa is mostly an unknown, under the radar cycling event that most folks have never heard of, and never ever will. So, the "normal" modes of motivation to do this are not there. I really am okay with that, because I never got into this gig for those "normal" rewards. One must have the endurance of passion for this sort of weirdness, (be that good or bad, I'll let you be the judge), and that paired with the actual physical and mental demands does make this sort of an "endurance event" for me.

But maybe that is stretching things a bit? Hmm......

Re-route: T.I.V4

The low key, oddness of Trans Iowa is intentional too. You see, one day there will not be a Trans Iowa anymore. Things will change. If the structure of the event is more akin to the local gang's sprint to the corner stop sign, it will be a lot easier to dismantle this beast and walk away from it. I won't owe anyone, I won't have too many things left over that are not already used up, and I won't have anything I have to sell off.

Not that I do now. Many folks may find it amusing to know that all of my Trans Iowa stuff would easily fit into one big storage tub. Hmm......come to think of it, maybe even a medium sized tub would do. That includes everything from the first one to the eighth one. There isn't much I want or need to do a Trans Iowa. I don't want it to be bigger, badder, better, or more popular for those and other reasons. Low key. Small. Easy.

And in the future I hope it stays that way until the day I make the announcement on the internet that I am folding up the card table and putting T.I. away for good. I know a lot of folks do not want to see that day, but that is being unrealistic, now isn't it? Besides, there are things I want to do. Changes that will be good to have happen, and if Trans Iowa is holding me back from those, that is not a good thing.

I've got something up my sleeve that I want to pursue, and it has something to do with gravel road riding. So, I won't stop having things to do with gravel road cycling. I just will not be doing the organization of a major event like Trans Iowa. Someday. I'm not stopping this T.I. stuff just yet. But I've had a plan for several years now, and I am sticking to it. You'll all hear about it when it happens.

But that's in the future. For now....

Happy New Year!

Friday News And Views

We interrupt the "Rear View 2012" series for your regular Friday screed......

By-Tor sheds his gears...

I wasn't very sure about this idea, but I was game to give it a go. The single speed gearing was a bit of a guesstimate as well. I decided to go 32 X 22, and after trying it on a dry commute a while back, I was a bit afraid that it was a mistake.

However; I now have ridden it in the conditions it was intended for, and I must say, it is nearly- if not spot on. I can power through the drifts, and get slow speed maneuvering down without feeling way over-geared.  Some of the icy spots were tricky, but the 3.8" Larrys did okay. It might be nice to have those super-spendy Dillingers in a pinch, but I find that the asking price is too extravagant for a need that seldom seems worth having studs for here. Others may find those tires a god-send. Not I.

But the main point here is that the single speed should be great in the traffic induced slop-snow and icier times when drive train issues could crop up. Like the beginning of the big snow storm here last week, when The Snow Dog was suffering from icy build up on the cassette.

I'll give this a few good runs off road as well before passing final judgement. Hopefully the trails firm up a bit from a week ago. Then it was super shifty, sand-like, and not very rideable. If I think the gearing is still too low, I may opt for a slightly larger chain ring up front. I'm getting due for a new one anyway.

Fargo Gen II- Off Road Ready

Last September I did an "Experimental Vehicles" post where I slapped on a G2 offset 100mm travel Fox fork on this Fargo to see what I thought about doing something like this as a permanent installation for the Gen II Fargo.

As stated back then, I liked the feel and the idea. I ended up not getting back to the finding of a fork until just recently though. I was able to track down this new 80mm Reba RL with G2 offset and a 9mm quick release front drop out. I really was hoping for a 15mm through axle, but oh well..... This should do fine.

With the Cane Creek ST ThudBuster seat post, I think this will prove to be a super versatile rig for most average mountain bike trails anywhere. Plus- I can do gravel road riding in a pinch as well. Heck- this might even end up being a great Dirty Kanza 200 rig with a wheel/tire swap.

After a short spin around the block, the platform seems pretty tunable. It is going to be a bit odd at first to have a Fargo with some give up front, but it will be something I'll quickly get used too. This gives me two completely different Fargos. The Gen I is the ultimate gravel travel exploration machine. The Gen II is the ultimate drop bar off road exploration machine. Either one could do the other, but they are tuned to their specific tasks now.

My Son is at the top of the hill....

And in some family related- non-cycling news: I got a nice, long-ish plastic toboggan for my Son, (and in the end, for me too), so we could do some good, long sledding. We hit the local dike and checked it out. This is going to work out great. The snow.....well, not to sound ungrateful, but the snow we got has to be about the worst type of snow for winter sports you can imagine, besides the really wet stuff. It is like sledding in sugar. Of course, it sucks for fat biking too, but hopefully this will eventually form a good base and we'll see some better snow dump on top of this....or it will get warm and turn to slop. Whichever!

But back to sledding. This is an activity I have always loved. I just never kept up with it. Then too- finding a decent sled is really not easy. This plastic toboggan is.....well, it barely cuts the mustard, compared to what we used to be able to get, but at least it seems like it'll hold up for more than a few sledding sessions.

I'm looking forward to getting into some more sledding with my Son soon. If things hold out snow-wise, I know of a good hill south of town that should be a speedy little good time. It might even scare us just a bit. But as long as we don't get any broken bones, it'll all be good!

That's a wrap for today. Have a great weekend and ride those bikes if ya can.

Friday News And Views

We interrupt the "Rear View 2012" series for your regular Friday screed......

By-Tor sheds his gears...

I wasn't very sure about this idea, but I was game to give it a go. The single speed gearing was a bit of a guesstimate as well. I decided to go 32 X 22, and after trying it on a dry commute a while back, I was a bit afraid that it was a mistake.

However; I now have ridden it in the conditions it was intended for, and I must say, it is nearly- if not spot on. I can power through the drifts, and get slow speed maneuvering down without feeling way over-geared.  Some of the icy spots were tricky, but the 3.8" Larrys did okay. It might be nice to have those super-spendy Dillingers in a pinch, but I find that the asking price is too extravagant for a need that seldom seems worth having studs for here. Others may find those tires a god-send. Not I.

But the main point here is that the single speed should be great in the traffic induced slop-snow and icier times when drive train issues could crop up. Like the beginning of the big snow storm here last week, when The Snow Dog was suffering from icy build up on the cassette.

I'll give this a few good runs off road as well before passing final judgement. Hopefully the trails firm up a bit from a week ago. Then it was super shifty, sand-like, and not very rideable. If I think the gearing is still too low, I may opt for a slightly larger chain ring up front. I'm getting due for a new one anyway.

Fargo Gen II- Off Road Ready

Last September I did an "Experimental Vehicles" post where I slapped on a G2 offset 100mm travel Fox fork on this Fargo to see what I thought about doing something like this as a permanent installation for the Gen II Fargo.

As stated back then, I liked the feel and the idea. I ended up not getting back to the finding of a fork until just recently though. I was able to track down this new 80mm Reba RL with G2 offset and a 9mm quick release front drop out. I really was hoping for a 15mm through axle, but oh well..... This should do fine.

With the Cane Creek ST ThudBuster seat post, I think this will prove to be a super versatile rig for most average mountain bike trails anywhere. Plus- I can do gravel road riding in a pinch as well. Heck- this might even end up being a great Dirty Kanza 200 rig with a wheel/tire swap.

After a short spin around the block, the platform seems pretty tunable. It is going to be a bit odd at first to have a Fargo with some give up front, but it will be something I'll quickly get used too. This gives me two completely different Fargos. The Gen I is the ultimate gravel travel exploration machine. The Gen II is the ultimate drop bar off road exploration machine. Either one could do the other, but they are tuned to their specific tasks now.

My Son is at the top of the hill....

And in some family related- non-cycling news: I got a nice, long-ish plastic toboggan for my Son, (and in the end, for me too), so we could do some good, long sledding. We hit the local dike and checked it out. This is going to work out great. The snow.....well, not to sound ungrateful, but the snow we got has to be about the worst type of snow for winter sports you can imagine, besides the really wet stuff. It is like sledding in sugar. Of course, it sucks for fat biking too, but hopefully this will eventually form a good base and we'll see some better snow dump on top of this....or it will get warm and turn to slop. Whichever!

But back to sledding. This is an activity I have always loved. I just never kept up with it. Then too- finding a decent sled is really not easy. This plastic toboggan is.....well, it barely cuts the mustard, compared to what we used to be able to get, but at least it seems like it'll hold up for more than a few sledding sessions.

I'm looking forward to getting into some more sledding with my Son soon. If things hold out snow-wise, I know of a good hill south of town that should be a speedy little good time. It might even scare us just a bit. But as long as we don't get any broken bones, it'll all be good!

That's a wrap for today. Have a great weekend and ride those bikes if ya can.

Rear View 2012: The Middle Third

Looking at the middle part of the year, I am reminded that I put in a lot of riding this year. The big push came from the 3GR. That is a ride I started on Friday evenings, but moved to Saturday mornings after a few Friday runs at it.

The moniker stands for "Gravel Grinder Group Ride". Three "g's" and an "r"- get it? Ha.......well then... Anyway, besides my attempt at a clever name, the ride eventually became a success, although I wasn't sure about that a few weeks into it.

It ended up proving to be more than just a way for me to get better fitness. It became a way for me to get to know some guys and gals better and I hope that they all got something out of it in that regard as well.

There were fat bikes ridden a few times, and I even got a few folks out for their very first gravel grinders. A couple folks even signed up for Trans Iowa V8 because of this ride, at least in part, so that's pretty cool. In the end, I was in a groove and looked forward to Saturday rides. I probably became a better rider for it, and I had a ton of fun doing it.

Towards the end of May one of those niggling failures in riding was put to rest when I ascended the hills, and in particular, one hill, on the way south out of Traer on an older gravel route I used to do a lot. The big fail always came at "Frank Brothers Hill", so called because of the mail box at the top of the climb with that name on it. Oh....and this had to be done on a single speed. 

Well, I overcame that challenge, finally, and on a tough day with a stiff head wind on fresher gravel. 

June came, it got real hot and dry, and I was busy trying to get ready for two things: One was a Salsa Cycles Demo Tour appearance at the end of the month, and the other was the "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", which would happen in mid-July.

GTDRI 2012: Image by C. Matthias

I also got the old Fargo back up and running again. It had been awhile since I had been using it on any kind of "regular" basis. In fact, some parts had been pilfered from it for other builds. That wasn't cool, because I really like that rig, so I got it back out on the gravel roads this summer.

The Salsa Demo went really well and I got a lot of good feedback from it. I think this is definitely something we'll be doing again.

The weather continued to be beastly hot, and it looked as though things were getting a bit too dry, but no end was in sight. We got progressively dirtier on every 3GR ride, which a few I did on my own in this stretch.

The real kicker came in mid-July though as we set off from Grinnell on the GTDRI. It was a 120 mile course with lots of challenges awaiting us. 9 guys showed up to start, and 6 of us finished. But not before it went from 57°F to 104°F and not before we were rained on, did a "C Maintenance Road", and many B Roads as well. It was a big milestone for me, since I don't usually do very well at all in that sort of heat. In fact, it was a very "Dirty Kanza"-like heat that day, just without the extreme of the wind thrown in.

Summertime is Saddledrive time for QBP, and their brands- Salsa Cycles and Surly. Big news came out of that, and one of the things I pontificated upon got me into some passionate discussions with certain individuals close to a certain gravel road bike project, (specifically, the Warbird). Be that as it may, (I still hold to my concerns on that rig), the news was awesome and excitement abounded for the new fat bikes and Surly's new Krampus 29+ model.

Two friends on gravel: What could be better?

In August things continued to be hot, there was a fat bike 3GR, and I went to a Salsa Cycles Demo in Minnesota while making a side trip to visit Ben and Jason on a gravel ride. It had been way too long since we all had ridden together. A memorable ride, as well, since we had to push Ben about 7 miles after he whacked his derailleur. Good times!

I had a bit of fun when I saw an article I had penned printed in "Dirt Rag". It was about the history of the modern 29"er. A longer version of the idea is available if you look under the header here and click the link to the "Beginnings Of The Modern 29"er A History" page. The page will have a lot more detail than the DR piece, but you'll get the same idea, I hope.

I started a couple of "sagas" in terms of projects. One got finished, the other got derailed. My tubeless Velocity A23/ Clement USH experiment started, and so did a bikepacking project. I'll get into those things and more in my last third of 2012 report tomorrow.

Otherwise the next big deal on the horizon was Interbike and oh yeah.....in early August I announced that I'd be doing this silly little event again in 2013 called Trans Iowa. Preparations started in earnest soon after...

Rear View 2012: The Middle Third

Looking at the middle part of the year, I am reminded that I put in a lot of riding this year. The big push came from the 3GR. That is a ride I started on Friday evenings, but moved to Saturday mornings after a few Friday runs at it.

The moniker stands for "Gravel Grinder Group Ride". Three "g's" and an "r"- get it? Ha.......well then... Anyway, besides my attempt at a clever name, the ride eventually became a success, although I wasn't sure about that a few weeks into it.

It ended up proving to be more than just a way for me to get better fitness. It became a way for me to get to know some guys and gals better and I hope that they all got something out of it in that regard as well.

There were fat bikes ridden a few times, and I even got a few folks out for their very first gravel grinders. A couple folks even signed up for Trans Iowa V8 because of this ride, at least in part, so that's pretty cool. In the end, I was in a groove and looked forward to Saturday rides. I probably became a better rider for it, and I had a ton of fun doing it.

Towards the end of May one of those niggling failures in riding was put to rest when I ascended the hills, and in particular, one hill, on the way south out of Traer on an older gravel route I used to do a lot. The big fail always came at "Frank Brothers Hill", so called because of the mail box at the top of the climb with that name on it. Oh....and this had to be done on a single speed. 

Well, I overcame that challenge, finally, and on a tough day with a stiff head wind on fresher gravel. 

June came, it got real hot and dry, and I was busy trying to get ready for two things: One was a Salsa Cycles Demo Tour appearance at the end of the month, and the other was the "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", which would happen in mid-July.

GTDRI 2012: Image by C. Matthias

I also got the old Fargo back up and running again. It had been awhile since I had been using it on any kind of "regular" basis. In fact, some parts had been pilfered from it for other builds. That wasn't cool, because I really like that rig, so I got it back out on the gravel roads this summer.

The Salsa Demo went really well and I got a lot of good feedback from it. I think this is definitely something we'll be doing again.

The weather continued to be beastly hot, and it looked as though things were getting a bit too dry, but no end was in sight. We got progressively dirtier on every 3GR ride, which a few I did on my own in this stretch.

The real kicker came in mid-July though as we set off from Grinnell on the GTDRI. It was a 120 mile course with lots of challenges awaiting us. 9 guys showed up to start, and 6 of us finished. But not before it went from 57°F to 104°F and not before we were rained on, did a "C Maintenance Road", and many B Roads as well. It was a big milestone for me, since I don't usually do very well at all in that sort of heat. In fact, it was a very "Dirty Kanza"-like heat that day, just without the extreme of the wind thrown in.

Summertime is Saddledrive time for QBP, and their brands- Salsa Cycles and Surly. Big news came out of that, and one of the things I pontificated upon got me into some passionate discussions with certain individuals close to a certain gravel road bike project, (specifically, the Warbird). Be that as it may, (I still hold to my concerns on that rig), the news was awesome and excitement abounded for the new fat bikes and Surly's new Krampus 29+ model.

Two friends on gravel: What could be better?

In August things continued to be hot, there was a fat bike 3GR, and I went to a Salsa Cycles Demo in Minnesota while making a side trip to visit Ben and Jason on a gravel ride. It had been way too long since we all had ridden together. A memorable ride, as well, since we had to push Ben about 7 miles after he whacked his derailleur. Good times!

I had a bit of fun when I saw an article I had penned printed in "Dirt Rag". It was about the history of the modern 29"er. A longer version of the idea is available if you look under the header here and click the link to the "Beginnings Of The Modern 29"er A History" page. The page will have a lot more detail than the DR piece, but you'll get the same idea, I hope.

I started a couple of "sagas" in terms of projects. One got finished, the other got derailed. My tubeless Velocity A23/ Clement USH experiment started, and so did a bikepacking project. I'll get into those things and more in my last third of 2012 report tomorrow.

Otherwise the next big deal on the horizon was Interbike and oh yeah.....in early August I announced that I'd be doing this silly little event again in 2013 called Trans Iowa. Preparations started in earnest soon after...

Rear View 2012: The First Third

Yes readers- it is that time again. The annual year end review.

2012 started off with the continuing "non-winter" conditions that allowed for a glorious day of Trans Iowa V8 recon in Southern Iowa. It was a huge break to be able to get away and have gotten almost the entire recon done after an initial 170 miles had been knocked out previously in Fall of 2011. I found all but about the last 20 or so miles of the course that day, and then was able to move on to doing cue sheets.

The next big deal for me was doing the Triple D Winter Race, (which I am scheduled to do again next month.) I was wondering if I would be taking a mountain bike, but a few days before the event, Winter actually showed up and dumped out a fair amount of snow, which made the course a true winter course. I went with By-Tor, the Titanium Mukluk, and scored a finish at 22nd place. It was a great learning experience and I am looking forward to this next one.

Then the annual Frostbike trip happened again. I went to Northfield, Minnesota, hooked up with Ben and other regular characters, and went back to do some hot laps inside of Mike's Bikes. Frostbike itself was a good event, as always, and it was fantastic to hang with old friends and new at the show.

Later in the month of February I was scheduled to attend CIRREM and try my hand at that event again. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented my getting there and riding. That was a bit of a bummer. Winter had started to fade in a big hurry by this time and sloppy, wet conditions prevailed. I still got in several wet, mushy fat bike rides and started to ride some gravel by early March.

 Then it was off to El Paso, Texas again where I visited family and rode some killer off road trails in the Chihuahuan Desert at Franklin Mountain State Park. 

The desert is an awesome place to ride, and it didn't disappoint, but the best was the last ride where I took a look at the East side of the mountain where I had never ridden before. It was an eye opener! The trails over there are so much more flowy, and burned in much better than the West side trails are.

The weather was perfect, until our last full day there when we experienced a full on dust storm, which is not unlike a blizzard in Iowa, only warmer, with sand!

March then closed out with a full recon of Trans Iowa V8's course by the cue sheet drafts. We found a few mistakes, and one closed down section of road! I came back with some minor work to get the cues straightened out, but then got squared away with near perfect cues for the event. Printing ensued, and by mid-April cue sheets were all done and ready to go.

Then with all the Trans Iowa preparations going on, I took some time out to do what has become one of my favorite events I've taken part in, The Renegade Gents Race.

It's a different gravel grinder in that you compete on a team of five riders. All riders must start, go through a checkpoint, and finish together, team time trial style. Teams are handicapped based on the promoters decision on who has the weakest team. Slower teams go first, final starters are the fast guys. I think there were 29 teams in 2012's running of this event!

It was a lot of fun to get hooked up with the same four guys as last year, and just as we were about to head out, we got a full on dump of heavy rain to ride into. That cleared up after a bit, but it was a soggy, gray, chunky, windy event. Still, we all had a lot of fun, and I think we didn't do too badly. At least we beat the fat bike team!

Funny, but I think that was the last major rain before Trans Iowa V8, which had 67 starters this year. The event was marked by bookends of rain and a heavy East wind. Fresh gravel at the end, and a surprise B Road played hell with a few of the riders, but the event saw 19 finishers and a few came in outside the time limit as well. Commentary post race was very positive, and as you all know by now, T.I.V9 is set to happen again next April.

That takes us to the end of the first third of 2012 when I started doing the weekly 3GR. Summer came, it got hot. Gravel and dirt was ridden, and more. Stay tuned....

Rear View 2012: The First Third

Yes readers- it is that time again. The annual year end review.

2012 started off with the continuing "non-winter" conditions that allowed for a glorious day of Trans Iowa V8 recon in Southern Iowa. It was a huge break to be able to get away and have gotten almost the entire recon done after an initial 170 miles had been knocked out previously in Fall of 2011. I found all but about the last 20 or so miles of the course that day, and then was able to move on to doing cue sheets.

The next big deal for me was doing the Triple D Winter Race, (which I am scheduled to do again next month.) I was wondering if I would be taking a mountain bike, but a few days before the event, Winter actually showed up and dumped out a fair amount of snow, which made the course a true winter course. I went with By-Tor, the Titanium Mukluk, and scored a finish at 22nd place. It was a great learning experience and I am looking forward to this next one.

Then the annual Frostbike trip happened again. I went to Northfield, Minnesota, hooked up with Ben and other regular characters, and went back to do some hot laps inside of Mike's Bikes. Frostbike itself was a good event, as always, and it was fantastic to hang with old friends and new at the show.

Later in the month of February I was scheduled to attend CIRREM and try my hand at that event again. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented my getting there and riding. That was a bit of a bummer. Winter had started to fade in a big hurry by this time and sloppy, wet conditions prevailed. I still got in several wet, mushy fat bike rides and started to ride some gravel by early March.

 Then it was off to El Paso, Texas again where I visited family and rode some killer off road trails in the Chihuahuan Desert at Franklin Mountain State Park. 

The desert is an awesome place to ride, and it didn't disappoint, but the best was the last ride where I took a look at the East side of the mountain where I had never ridden before. It was an eye opener! The trails over there are so much more flowy, and burned in much better than the West side trails are.

The weather was perfect, until our last full day there when we experienced a full on dust storm, which is not unlike a blizzard in Iowa, only warmer, with sand!

March then closed out with a full recon of Trans Iowa V8's course by the cue sheet drafts. We found a few mistakes, and one closed down section of road! I came back with some minor work to get the cues straightened out, but then got squared away with near perfect cues for the event. Printing ensued, and by mid-April cue sheets were all done and ready to go.

Then with all the Trans Iowa preparations going on, I took some time out to do what has become one of my favorite events I've taken part in, The Renegade Gents Race.

It's a different gravel grinder in that you compete on a team of five riders. All riders must start, go through a checkpoint, and finish together, team time trial style. Teams are handicapped based on the promoters decision on who has the weakest team. Slower teams go first, final starters are the fast guys. I think there were 29 teams in 2012's running of this event!

It was a lot of fun to get hooked up with the same four guys as last year, and just as we were about to head out, we got a full on dump of heavy rain to ride into. That cleared up after a bit, but it was a soggy, gray, chunky, windy event. Still, we all had a lot of fun, and I think we didn't do too badly. At least we beat the fat bike team!

Funny, but I think that was the last major rain before Trans Iowa V8, which had 67 starters this year. The event was marked by bookends of rain and a heavy East wind. Fresh gravel at the end, and a surprise B Road played hell with a few of the riders, but the event saw 19 finishers and a few came in outside the time limit as well. Commentary post race was very positive, and as you all know by now, T.I.V9 is set to happen again next April.

That takes us to the end of the first third of 2012 when I started doing the weekly 3GR. Summer came, it got hot. Gravel and dirt was ridden, and more. Stay tuned....

Merry Christmas!!

Today is Christmas and I hope that if you are with family and friends that you have a Merry time.

Thanks for coming to read the blog and look at my images. I appreciate that very much.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

Today is Christmas and I hope that if you are with family and friends that you have a Merry time.

Thanks for coming to read the blog and look at my images. I appreciate that very much.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cheer

The weekend saw a great lowering of cycling buzz out there on the internet. No wonder- Christmas is a day away.

Most folks traveled over the weekend, if that's what they had to do, or were out getting that last bit of shopping done before the big day.

Mrs. Guitar Ted took me out to the local store where she led me to the wine and spirits section and told me to "pick two...just don't make it too expensive."

So there are my two picks. While this sort of adult beverage may not be your cup-o-tea, I have no issues being responsible with this sort of thing, and I was tickled that she even thought about this as a gift idea for me. So to my wonderful wife: Thanks!

Anyway.....I hope you all have a wonderful time ahead of you. The holidays can be rather stressful, and many lose sight of what is important now.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cheer

The weekend saw a great lowering of cycling buzz out there on the internet. No wonder- Christmas is a day away.

Most folks traveled over the weekend, if that's what they had to do, or were out getting that last bit of shopping done before the big day.

Mrs. Guitar Ted took me out to the local store where she led me to the wine and spirits section and told me to "pick two...just don't make it too expensive."

So there are my two picks. While this sort of adult beverage may not be your cup-o-tea, I have no issues being responsible with this sort of thing, and I was tickled that she even thought about this as a gift idea for me. So to my wonderful wife: Thanks!

Anyway.....I hope you all have a wonderful time ahead of you. The holidays can be rather stressful, and many lose sight of what is important now.

Merry Christmas!

Triple D Winter Race: Training Log 4- Humble Pie

Last time I posted concerning the training I was nursing a bruised knee back to health. Well, that has not been an issue again, thankfully, so the riding continues unabated. Since that last entry we also have finally received some snow. Well....saying "some snow" is a bit misleading. We got dumped on, and a blizzard came along with that.

I'm not sure what the "official" totals were for our area, but I do know that I shoveled a good ten inches of white stuff off my sidewalk. I also know that it blew like the Dickens and when it was all said and done, we had gone from late fall to deep winter in 24 hours. It's all good for fat biking, and especially for getting a heads up on what to run for Triple D. This time I took out The Snow Dog.

I also have By-Tor the Titanium Mukluk, but he is a single speed rig these days. I wasn't sure I wanted to hit the, (what would most likely be), loose trails with only one gear. I was right not to do the single speed, as it turned out, but then again, it wouldn't have made all that much difference in the end due to the conditions.

The blessing of the snow was great, but there are several different kinds of snow, and we got a whole lot of the not so great type. This snow is really broken down by the crazy winds we had, which in turn has made for a very loose, almost hour glass sand-like consistency for this snow which is very difficult to pack down or get a grip in. Top this off with the oddity of the front end of the storm, which brought wet, heavy, very packable snow in, but the water content sure dropped off in a hurry after the initial three inches or so!

Gettin' started.

The first bit of my training ride had me on some bike path. This turned out to be a quick lesson on how the entire ride would go for me. It wasn't the best to follow snowmobile tracks, human tracks, or even dog tracks! Busting my own line worked best everywhere. Secondly, getting any lateral motion under the tires was going to doom your forward motion. Lean over a bit too much, hit a sudden harder patch or softer patch, or turn the bars too much and it was over. This made for really slow, technical going. Finally, there were a lot of drifts, and they were too deep to ride through 80% of the time.

I ended up getting as far down the bike path along Sergeant Road as the Martin Road turn off to the little lake over there. I thought maybe there may be a way to ride around that. Well, I was wrong, and this proved to be a frustrating bit for me. The snow had been beaten down by snow shoers, but the base was still unconsolidated, and I couldn't even begin to ride on this. That ended up in a lame attempt at riding on the shoreline, which met with some success, but eventually I abandoned the loop for the near by dike.

I had already been pushing as much as I had been riding. The dike top was clear though, and here I got a stretch of ,(mostly), rideable terrain that was very demanding. The old lessons were coming back to mind, and as I rode, I was able to practice getting better at these deep, loose snow techniques.

But still I was getting stymied by the very deep drifts and there I would be back to hike-a-bike for a bit. Then back at it with just a slow, steady pace.

It's funny, but if you learn not to react too quickly, this actually helps you ride more difficult snow conditions. The bike might start to go into a mini-slide/turning off line, and if you just let it roll, and meet that with a very subtle, gentle correction, you stay on top of the bike and keep on truckin'. The thing is though, we're conditioned as mountain bikers to react quickly before we lose control, and that doesn't often work on a fat bike in the loose stuff.

Snowplow scree.

I continued riding the dike top until I reached University Avenue, then down, back up, then down, under a bridge, and back up. Each ascent was walking/pushing/post holing which is great training. The Triple D will start out with a salvo of just this sort of terrain along highways going out of Dubuque. Getting used to pushing and ramping up the heart rate will be good. Or....so I was thinking along about this point!

Well, as I worked my way along Black Hawk Creek, I came up to the downtown area of Waterloo. Here I turned back west along the buried bike path along the Cedar River, which was mostly rideable. It was a rough ride though since most of the way it was covered in nuggets of semi-rock hard snow which had been flung up off the snowplow's blade. Missing here was the deeper snow, since the wicked winds had seemingly pushed off the top layers of snow leaving the now frozen solid first three inches which were very wet when they fell.   I figured I'd cross back over the river and hit the bike path on the other side going back the way I came along the opposite bank of the Cedar.

Cutting a deep slot.

I was feeling pretty stoked when I descended the embankment, turned onto the path on the North side of the river, and was cruising almost effortlessly through a pretty deep drifted in section of snow. Then it got too deep and that was that.

I had to walk almost all of a mile if it wasn't a mile. This was the worst part for me. I could have bailed off at any of several points to clear pavement, but I said, "no". I had to crush the desire to take the easier way out and learn to suffer the hardship of slogging it out in calf high to knee high drifted snow and just push. Why? Because Triple D will have something like this at some point. There will be that section that totally sucks the mental lifeblood out of your mind and you'll want to stop. But......

I ended up gutting it out till I got to another dike and ascended it to clear riding. Man! It felt great to just be pedaling again, and the efficiency of that activity was awesome to feel at that point. Now it was on to the last bit of urban traversing and up the hill into my neighborhood.

I don't know how far I went, (it wasn't all that much in terms of mileage), but the level of difficulty was high, and I was out for 3.5 hours, which was awesome. I felt pretty okay afterward too, which is amazing since I was totally beat down the previous day from all the shoveling required from the blizzard.

Hopefully this is something I can build on. I was using some clothing as a test, and I was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it was. Then it was only in the low 20's too, with little wind. More to contemplate there. More on all the Triple D training soon. Room is reserved for the weekend of the race and all systems are go now....