Minus Ten Review- 31

Ten years ago this week I got the Badger out of its box.

Ten years ago here on the blog I was yakking about the potential pluses and minuses of the "new" 650B platform for mountain biking.

Essentially, what the advocates of this 650B size were saying was that the size would embody the "best of 26" and 29" wheels. Obviously, that is not possible. What it was in the end was a way for the industry to market a "new" thing and obsolete 26" mtb wheels, thus making sure folks would be looking at a "new" bike rather than continuing to upgrade an old one. It took about 4-5 more years to get there, by the way. Had the industry decided as a group not to do this, it is my belief that 650B mtb would be akin to fixed gear bikes today. It would have been a "thing" for a while, but it wouldn't have lasted.

Then I mentioned my condolences for the tragedy which occurred ten years ago when the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed.

The Badger frame and fork landed at the shop, so I had that to look forward to building up. Unfortunately, at that time, money was tight. I had already splurged on the Pofahl frame and fork as well. It would take ten years for me to get this bike built finally in the way that I had envisioned. Not affected in no small way by perceptions shortly after I received the frame about Badger as a company. That made me a bit reluctant to even ride the thing. But that is all behind me now.....

Walking a muddy B Road in a thunderstorm during the GTDRI #2

I just finished up the 12th GTDRI yesterday. Oddly enough, ten years ago the second one happened. This particular version was the master mind of David Pals, who was my co-director in Trans Iowa at the time.

It turned out to be a pretty epic afair. We got caught out in a thunderstorm, had to take refuge in a shelter house at a County Preserve, were caked in mud, and we finished up with a big headwind and heat and humidity that was stifling. Afterward we had a bit of a pizza party in David's kitchen in Marengo. It was a lot of fun, that's for sure.

It was a ride that included Paul Meyerman. He was the guy who worked tirelessly at making sure the Boy Scout Camp trails at Camp Ingawanis were always clear and open. You could find him up there on any given Summer day, covered in vegetation wielding his weed whacker, or chain sawing up dead falls, or manicuring a new section of trail. It was Paul who put in what is known as "The Bottoms" at Ingawanis Woodland.

I made a suggestion after Paul's death that the folks that were in charge of the naming of trails change "The Bottoms" to "Paul's Trail", but although I was told it was a good idea, nothing ever came of it. I find it a shame and tragic that any memory of a man's passionate work on those trails has been swept away, especially in light of the fact that another section of trail is named for its maker, who is another deserving individual.

Anyway.......maybe its just me.