 |
| Raleigh Roker Limited |
So this just happened" I was offered the opportunity to test ride the Raleigh Roker Limited. This is kind of a big deal and an honor. Here's why....
Long time readers here know the story, but for those newer here, the Roker is based off the Tamland steel bike Raleigh does, and that bike was influenced by myself. Raleigh asked my opinion on geometry and features, and that got implemented into the Tamland, and subsequently all the gravel/back road bikes Raleigh does. So, to have this, top of the range, cutting edge bike be based off some crazy ideas I have, well...... Anyway, that's pretty humbling. The other thing is that this is currently the only rideable sample Raleigh has available. So I am quite honored they felt compelled to let me check it out now. Thank you Raleigh!!
I am pretty excited about getting a chance to throw a leg over this. While it isn't "revolutionary" in terms of what I am used to with regard to geometry on the Tamland, it does have the carbon frame, and the bottom bracket is a touch lower even than what I am riding now with my Raleigh. Lighter weight, carbon, Di2..... This will be a fun ride, I think. Stay tuned here and at RidingGravel.com for updates.
Okay, this has been a big deal of a week from the standpoint of registration. The Rookies window to get cards in ends tomorrow. The Finishers/Winners window also ends tomorrow. The Vets window starts tomorrow. Lots going on!
That said, things should slow down once we get past Saturday. Then the Vets slots will likely fill up rather quickly, and I am betting the registration will be mostly over by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. Then all eyes will be on the lottery for the 40 Rookie spots. I have to announce a specific time that will occur on Saturday October 31st, but there is one thing I do know. The lottery will be broadcast. I tried Periscope and it broadcasts to Twitter live. So, if you are interested in seeing the drawing live, it will be on my account which is @guitarted1961 on Twitter.
The way it seems to work with Periscope is that you can hop on at anytime during the broadcast, but if you miss something, you can watch the broadcast in its entirety afterward. I'm not an expert on Periscope, far from it, but this should prove to be fun stuff for those interested.
And before anyone hops to the next level..... No. There will be no live Periscope from the course of Trans Iowa v12. While that sounds like a good thing, I think it steps over the line in regards to the spirit of the event. Nuff said.......
 |
| The Teravail Cannonball 38mm tire |
I just purchased some of these Teravail Cannonball tires with the tread design that is supposed to be good on "coarse gravel". That sounds like Iowa to me!
They are also supposed to be good as tubeless tires, which is what any new tire really should be these days. But what is really interesting to me is how these tires were designed.
It used to be that tires were pretty much well thought out guesses at best, or just fashionably good looking at worst. What really worked was anybody's best guess, and typically a simple square knob, file tread, or slick turned out to be all one really needed depending upon the conditions and/or bike used. The "science" of tread was mostly not a prerequisite for coming up with something new. That isn't the case with these Teravail tires, as I understand it.
I was told by one of the product designers on the project that they studied tread design and how that interacted with gravel. The idea was to get to a tread design that caused the least amount of "squirm" on loose gravel and had the lowest rolling resistance. The tread design is definitely something unlike any other tire out there. The width at 38mm is a pretty good place to be at and I'll have to see what the tire's profile is once I get these things mounted tubeless.
Will they be the schiznit? Well, we'll find out. Stay tuned......
That's all for this week. Stay healthy, get outside, and ride those bicycles!
The marketing for those new tires could use a little more grammar "science" in their ad writing.
ReplyDelete"Intentional tread design for maximum traction, rolling resistance and puncture protection"
So they have maximum rolling resistance? :) :) :)
@Jon BALER: Yeah.... I saw that as well. Pretty poor editing/proofreading there! Not saying I don't make mistakes, but that should have been caught.
ReplyDeleteSo THAT's where the Roker LTD went! I was just out there at the office and was hoping to take a closer look but didn't see it anywhere. Good to know that it is in good hands and I will look forward to reading your comments and impressions.
ReplyDeleteOrdered a Roker LTD on Friday. The next couple months are going to be hard waiting for it to arrive!
ReplyDelete