Friday News And Views

My new cup

I have a new coffee cup. I know.....big deal. Well, it was a gift, and it is kind of a unique piece, so I am going to talk about it here.

I received it courtesy of Donnie at VeloDirt. Donnie and his crew have really got a cool scene going out there in Oregon where they have been riding gravel for several years and have put on some killer events. Their newest event, The Oregon Outback, generated a huge amount of interest from the grassroots riders and the cycling industry. Anyway, Donnie and I have e-mailed each other about events and how they are run and whatnot over the years. So, he sends me an e-mail the other day.....

Send me your address, I have something I want to send you. 

Okay, so I do that, and promptly forget that I did that. So, when a box shows up at the house, I am puzzled. What's in the box? I tear it open and find a very carefully wrapped ceramic coffee cup, as you see here. Thanks Donnie! (And thanks to Laura Cooke Ceramics)

I really should go visit Oregon......

This is fun.

B+ Update:

The fattish, large-ish wheels have made it over to the Sawyer for now. Suspension with mid-fat tires. Hmmm.......

I'm liking this even better with suspension and on this particular bike. The squishy tire and the squishy fork work in combination to erase bumps and the Sawyer is a nice riding rig anyway. The rear tire only enhances this.

Now the Sawyer, in its stock set up, was a nice bike. Heavy, but it rode very well, and I enjoyed it. The suspension fork was good. However; when I stripped the gears off, went with a belt, and changed a few other things, something went wrong with this bike. I never felt "right" on it after that. A switch to the taller stem and Carnegie's Bar helped immensely. It got my weight off the front. Now I see where an even shorter reach and a layback post will help even more.

But back to the wheels and tires- I don't think these can really be compared to 29+ wheels. This is just something different that is fun and should work on a lot of 29"ers. It has qualities of fat bike tires. I am running pressures in the teens with these. The absorption of bumps and the additional traction is there, but it feels much different than 29+. I'll be putting in more time on this set up, and maybe I'll resurrect an old full suspension bike here to see how that would feel. Maybe.

Nebraskan dirt

Omaha Jackrabbit:

On October 18th, I'm doing the Geezer Ride, but if I wasn't, I'd likely be going to this- The Omaha Jackrabbit. 

The fellows running the show over there are scouring the rural roads, leaving no stone unturned to find the most interesting roads to ride on that they can. This really appeals to me. I've been following along on their Facebook page and watching the puzzle pieces come together. Every image of a lonely dirt road makes me want to head Southwest and check it all out.

I've said it before here- Nebraska is not flat. The reputation for boring scenery is unwarranted. The Interstate route has been all most folks ever see of this awesome state. I'm telling ya again- Nebraska has more great scenery than you can shake a stick at. Get off that concrete ribbon and you'll find out I am right.

Now these brilliant Nebraskan crushed rock road rangers are contemplating a cross state gravel route and plan on riding it from West to East. I say it will be one of the coolest gravel road routes ever. 

 And I'm willing to bet I'll be right about that too.

Have a great weekend and ride those bikes!