Friday News And Views

Plotting the screen art

Schwag Update: 

Here's a look at how the artwork is coming along for the Trans Iowa v10 t-shirts. This is a graphic design I came up with myself. The idea was spawned from seeing a certain container company's logo a while back and how it fit my ideal for this design.

The wing motif is something that has meaning to me personally and is tied to Trans Iowa a bit. I won't be sharing anymore on that here, but if you are ever sitting around knocking back a few adult beverages with me someday and you remember to ask me, I may tell you why that is. Or not.

The "V" part is obviously for "version" but I did it in the style of an automotive hood badge which reflects a tiny slice of Trans Iowa history having to do with T.I.V8 and a "band aid" banner I used for a short period when the original design by Jeff Kerkove was found to be in poor taste by Campbell Food Inc. lawyers who didn't appreciate the "V8" juice reference in the design. Bah! Corporate culture! So I used a Ford "V8" badge for a very short time until the "Ploughboy" design was used to replace that.

The last time the "original" Trans Iowa logo was used on an event header for the site

The trucker hat will get a different logo. The "original" Trans Iowa "brand' logo developed by Jeff Kerkove, (as seen here on the old T.I.v6 header) will be printed in white on black on black hats. This was chosen to reflect on the origins of Trans Iowa and Jeff Kerkove in particular, because it is my opinion that without his vision and stature in the endurance community at the time of Trans Iowa's inception, this event would have never gotten to a "V10", much less a "V2".

It also will be good to bring back this logo which hasn't been used since T.I.v6. Versions 7-9 have used alternative logos and were used only for their particular event. In fact, every year's header was designed by Jeff until this year which I decided to do myself, and obviously, it isn't nearly as good!

Shirts and hats are paid for and on the way. Printing will commence shortly, and the next time I mention this I hope to be sharing the finished products with all of you.

The Age Before Fat Bikes: 

 I was considering today how easily I was bashing through a 3 foot high pile of snow and being able to continue to motor along on my fat bike. This brought to mind the days "BFB". (Before Fat Bikes) Maybe I should say "before I had a fat bike", but I think you all get the idea here.

While I can ride most any bicycle in the snow, the fat bike just raises the bar on what is possible for me to traverse. I know that when I finally spin out, wash the front wheel out, or lose traction, I've gone much, much further than I would have on any other bicycle. Now, I have been learning these last three years to handle these obese tired rigs with a steady hand and patience and I have been rewarded with even more territory cleaned without dabbing.

But really, do I need to have a fat bike? No, clearly I have cycled several years previous to this on 29"ers or skinnier tired fare with success. I even see other cyclists without 4 inch wide tires riding around just fine. However; I have found several times that I am riding instead of walking, getting frustrated, or freaking out that I may be going down at any second. The fat bike has brought another layer of capability and peace of mind that my other bicycles can not match on commutes in snowy weather. Is that worth having it for? I would say that the answer for me is yes. Definitely a "yes".

Off road it is a no brainer. A fat bike just does things you can not even begin to do with any other bicycle. Here it is at home, and when it comes to getting more fun, more activity in cold weather, and staying engaged with the outdoors, the fat bike rules. I used to do a lot of XC skiing, but I didn't touch them last season and I haven't gone looking for them this year yet either. Maybe I'll use the skis as a diversion to cycling. Maybe.....

Okay, that's a wrap for today. Stay warm and ride those bicycles if you can!