Looking Ahead At 2018

Heading toward my 14th complete year of blogging in 2018.

Well, another stellar year of posting ends today for this blog. I am amazed that anyone still cares enough to actually read this blog at all, but you do. To all of you, a hearty "thank you!" and may you all have a Happy and Joyous New Year!

As for me, I have plans! (Insert evil laugh) Many of you will be surprised by at least one of the plans I have in store. Some of you will be nodding in agreement and understanding. Some of you won't give a rip. Some will deride me and say derogatory things. Nothing new about any of that!

Things concerning the blog will stay stable as long as I am around to punch keyboards out here. So, don't expect any big changes there. The blog should live on. That's my intention for now, at any rate.

Personally I am taking a different approach to my events. In the past I had a mix of competitive and "fun" riding. This coming year I am going to cut back on the competitive bits. I will be doing the Renegade Gent's race, but for all intents and purposes that is a fun ride. So, I am not counting that event as competition. There may be an excursion in Minnesota I will be on. That isn't set in stone just yet. Trans Iowa will take up the rest of my Spring's efforts along with just riding around here for fun.

June will be left completely wide open. There was some talk about riding three days in Odin's territory, but that is not solid as of now. It could happen though. Then the GTDRI will happen again probably the last weekend in July. Somewhere in the Spring I may still do a Geezer Ride. That will happen as part of a local, "get folks out on gravel" thing.

Summer won't have any other scheduled riding other than the Gravel Worlds, which is one I won't miss. Then that's it. Nothing else competitive at all is on my radar. Everything else I am leaving wide open to interpretation. I may want to go ride in Jackson County, Iowa, as an example, or along the Mississippi River somewhere, or out in the Loess Hills. I probably will go to the Northfield area, Des Moines area, and maybe some other places where I have friends to ride next year.

So yeah, the Renegade Gent's Race, GTDRI, and Gravel Worlds. That's all I am planning on for sure. The rest will be filled in with riding for fun, with friends, hopefully, and in some different places. I hope to get my 100 mile rides in on my single speed, gravel bikes, and maybe even a fat bike century too.

I look forward to this coming year. Less stress, less "big deals", and more fun with friends. That's my outlook right now.

Goodbye 2017......

Looking Ahead At 2018

Heading toward my 14th complete year of blogging in 2018.

Well, another stellar year of posting ends today for this blog. I am amazed that anyone still cares enough to actually read this blog at all, but you do. To all of you, a hearty "thank you!" and may you all have a Happy and Joyous New Year!

As for me, I have plans! (Insert evil laugh) Many of you will be surprised by at least one of the plans I have in store. Some of you will be nodding in agreement and understanding. Some of you won't give a rip. Some will deride me and say derogatory things. Nothing new about any of that!

Things concerning the blog will stay stable as long as I am around to punch keyboards out here. So, don't expect any big changes there. The blog should live on. That's my intention for now, at any rate.

Personally I am taking a different approach to my events. In the past I had a mix of competitive and "fun" riding. This coming year I am going to cut back on the competitive bits. I will be doing the Renegade Gent's race, but for all intents and purposes that is a fun ride. So, I am not counting that event as competition. There may be an excursion in Minnesota I will be on. That isn't set in stone just yet. Trans Iowa will take up the rest of my Spring's efforts along with just riding around here for fun.

June will be left completely wide open. There was some talk about riding three days in Odin's territory, but that is not solid as of now. It could happen though. Then the GTDRI will happen again probably the last weekend in July. Somewhere in the Spring I may still do a Geezer Ride. That will happen as part of a local, "get folks out on gravel" thing.

Summer won't have any other scheduled riding other than the Gravel Worlds, which is one I won't miss. Then that's it. Nothing else competitive at all is on my radar. Everything else I am leaving wide open to interpretation. I may want to go ride in Jackson County, Iowa, as an example, or along the Mississippi River somewhere, or out in the Loess Hills. I probably will go to the Northfield area, Des Moines area, and maybe some other places where I have friends to ride next year.

So yeah, the Renegade Gent's Race, GTDRI, and Gravel Worlds. That's all I am planning on for sure. The rest will be filled in with riding for fun, with friends, hopefully, and in some different places. I hope to get my 100 mile rides in on my single speed, gravel bikes, and maybe even a fat bike century too.

I look forward to this coming year. Less stress, less "big deals", and more fun with friends. That's my outlook right now.

Goodbye 2017......

Minus Ten Review- 52

I got sponsored by Twin Six ten years ago.

Ten years ago on the blog here I was wrapping things up for the third time for "Guitar Ted Productions". That week I received a package from Twin Six which contained all sorts of clothing and accessories. Those guys at Twin Six are all right by me. Always have been. They also make some fine gear. (I'm typing this out while wearing a wool hoodie I purchased from them.) I haven't been disappointed too many times by their stuff. There has been the occasional flop, but whenever there was something amiss, they always have been attentive and have gone way above their duty in taking care of me.

So, while I am no longer "sponsored" by T-6 I still buy stuff from them, at full pop, mind you, because it is good stuff and looks great. So, all that to say that I've been a T-6 fan since way back.

Otherwise it was a cold, icy week ten years ago and not much cycling was done. I hinted at maybe how things might change with the blog due to my involvement in the now defunct Twenty Nine Inches site. I thought and was led to believe that I would be seeing some significant income from that site, and, of course, it never materialized and well...... So much for all of that!

It's kind of funny to reflect on this now as the TNI gig did have many residual blessings and things happened to me and for me during that stint that I am forever thankful for. Things worth far more than money. However; it is hard to not pick up the bitter sword and take a stab at what caused several years of frustrations and stress. That's the danger in looking at the past! You may find out you haven't let go as much as you need to.

But I am learning to let it go. Onward to the next year's worth of "Minus Ten" reviews..... I'll begin looking back at 2008 next weekend.

Minus Ten Review- 52

I got sponsored by Twin Six ten years ago.

Ten years ago on the blog here I was wrapping things up for the third time for "Guitar Ted Productions". That week I received a package from Twin Six which contained all sorts of clothing and accessories. Those guys at Twin Six are all right by me. Always have been. They also make some fine gear. (I'm typing this out while wearing a wool hoodie I purchased from them.) I haven't been disappointed too many times by their stuff. There has been the occasional flop, but whenever there was something amiss, they always have been attentive and have gone way above their duty in taking care of me.

So, while I am no longer "sponsored" by T-6 I still buy stuff from them, at full pop, mind you, because it is good stuff and looks great. So, all that to say that I've been a T-6 fan since way back.

Otherwise it was a cold, icy week ten years ago and not much cycling was done. I hinted at maybe how things might change with the blog due to my involvement in the now defunct Twenty Nine Inches site. I thought and was led to believe that I would be seeing some significant income from that site, and, of course, it never materialized and well...... So much for all of that!

It's kind of funny to reflect on this now as the TNI gig did have many residual blessings and things happened to me and for me during that stint that I am forever thankful for. Things worth far more than money. However; it is hard to not pick up the bitter sword and take a stab at what caused several years of frustrations and stress. That's the danger in looking at the past! You may find out you haven't let go as much as you need to.

But I am learning to let it go. Onward to the next year's worth of "Minus Ten" reviews..... I'll begin looking back at 2008 next weekend.

Friday News And Views

It Wasn't Always On Friday:

This post, "Friday News And Views", has become one of the most popular posts on my site. Week after week the numbers for Friday are way bigger than any other day on average. It's interesting to me that these posts tend to get a lot of attention.

Since this is the last "FN&V" post for the year, I thought it might be fun to note that this regular weekly post didn't always land on a Friday. I used to publish bits as soon as I got them, so the "News And Views" posts have hit on just about every day of the week at some time or another. Since placing the newsy bits and my pithy commentary on those bits on Fridays, I have only done a few, non-Friday newsy bits. Usually it has to be a pretty big deal for me not to hold off till Friday anymore.

I don't plan on changing anything with regard to this blog in the near term, so if you are one of those folks that only comes here on Fridays, don't worry about this going away anytime soon. I'll be continuing on right into 2018.

I met Craig at Odin's Revenge in 2013. That's him up ahead grinding out his single gear.

Kind Words:

Trans Iowa has had the unique situation of having had not to call out for volunteers. I may have asked once or twice, so sue me if I have forgotten, but typically, no- I never have to ask for help and I generally end up turning people away.

I know that is very unusual for any event. I get it. I am super-blessed and I don't take it lightly. So, when I get a shout out from someone even before they have volunteered, well, that's some unprecedented territory right there! But that's just what happened when Craig Groseth figured out he could get the time off from work and family to come out and be a volunteer for Trans Iowa. He even was so stoked he wrote about it here.

I am blown away by Craig's kind words on his blog. I know he isn't the only one that feels like being a Trans Iowa volunteer is special, because others have said as much, but the way Craig has put it is very eloquent. So, a public "thank you" goes out to Craig here and I certainly hope his experience in Iowa doing Trans Iowa volunteering lives up to his lofty expectations! I have some work to do to make sure I have my end as good as it can get. That's for sure!

A mysterious package arrived the other day with this bag inside of it.

Lezyne XL Caddy Rear Seat Pack:

So the day after Christmas I got a package with this bag inside of it from Lezyne. Apparently the seat pack deal is all the rage these days. These kind of things happen like they do because of popularity and the ease of getting bags made. "Bikepacking" is all the rage now so companies that are not known for bags are jumping in "just so they have a foothold in the market". Kind of like when every rock band made a disco record in the 70's because.........well, disco! So, this isn't anything new.

Anyway, the Lezyne XL Seat Caddy is something relatively new in form, but not in name. Lezyne had a similarly named product that was nothing like this in the past. It seems pretty well built with thick fabrics, P.U. coated underneath for weather protection, and it also has some structural side panels to give it some form. The back end is a roll top type closure with a nice rubbery strip of material that has lots of horizontally placed slits for the attachment of a rear light at about any angle you want.

I'll give it a whirl on my bikes and I should have a word or two to say more about this seat pack later on in Winter.

Happy New Year! If you are bugging out for the weekend to go someplace to see in the New Year, I just wanted to say "Happy New Year" to you and thank you for your continued stopping by to check out the "Guitar Ted Productions" blog during 2017. I really appreciate all of you and hope that you all will continue to check in next year.

Friday News And Views

It Wasn't Always On Friday:

This post, "Friday News And Views", has become one of the most popular posts on my site. Week after week the numbers for Friday are way bigger than any other day on average. It's interesting to me that these posts tend to get a lot of attention.

Since this is the last "FN&V" post for the year, I thought it might be fun to note that this regular weekly post didn't always land on a Friday. I used to publish bits as soon as I got them, so the "News And Views" posts have hit on just about every day of the week at some time or another. Since placing the newsy bits and my pithy commentary on those bits on Fridays, I have only done a few, non-Friday newsy bits. Usually it has to be a pretty big deal for me not to hold off till Friday anymore.

I don't plan on changing anything with regard to this blog in the near term, so if you are one of those folks that only comes here on Fridays, don't worry about this going away anytime soon. I'll be continuing on right into 2018.

I met Craig at Odin's Revenge in 2013. That's him up ahead grinding out his single gear.

Kind Words:

Trans Iowa has had the unique situation of having had not to call out for volunteers. I may have asked once or twice, so sue me if I have forgotten, but typically, no- I never have to ask for help and I generally end up turning people away.

I know that is very unusual for any event. I get it. I am super-blessed and I don't take it lightly. So, when I get a shout out from someone even before they have volunteered, well, that's some unprecedented territory right there! But that's just what happened when Craig Groseth figured out he could get the time off from work and family to come out and be a volunteer for Trans Iowa. He even was so stoked he wrote about it here.

I am blown away by Craig's kind words on his blog. I know he isn't the only one that feels like being a Trans Iowa volunteer is special, because others have said as much, but the way Craig has put it is very eloquent. So, a public "thank you" goes out to Craig here and I certainly hope his experience in Iowa doing Trans Iowa volunteering lives up to his lofty expectations! I have some work to do to make sure I have my end as good as it can get. That's for sure!

A mysterious package arrived the other day with this bag inside of it.

Lezyne XL Caddy Rear Seat Pack:

So the day after Christmas I got a package with this bag inside of it from Lezyne. Apparently the seat pack deal is all the rage these days. These kind of things happen like they do because of popularity and the ease of getting bags made. "Bikepacking" is all the rage now so companies that are not known for bags are jumping in "just so they have a foothold in the market". Kind of like when every rock band made a disco record in the 70's because.........well, disco! So, this isn't anything new.

Anyway, the Lezyne XL Seat Caddy is something relatively new in form, but not in name. Lezyne had a similarly named product that was nothing like this in the past. It seems pretty well built with thick fabrics, P.U. coated underneath for weather protection, and it also has some structural side panels to give it some form. The back end is a roll top type closure with a nice rubbery strip of material that has lots of horizontally placed slits for the attachment of a rear light at about any angle you want.

I'll give it a whirl on my bikes and I should have a word or two to say more about this seat pack later on in Winter.

Happy New Year! If you are bugging out for the weekend to go someplace to see in the New Year, I just wanted to say "Happy New Year" to you and thank you for your continued stopping by to check out the "Guitar Ted Productions" blog during 2017. I really appreciate all of you and hope that you all will continue to check in next year.

Rear View '17: Part 4

The look back on the year for 2017- dubbed "Rear View", is a traditional year ending series on the blog each year here. This is the final installment- Part 4. I'll have a forward looking post to end the year on. Stay tuned.....

September started off with me contracting a really bad cold/flu thing and my riding went in the tank right along with the fitness I built up over the Summer. I was hopeful it was only a 10-12 day thing, but it stretched out to two weeks. Then I was gone on a vacation for a week, which did not include cycling at all. Then I returned and so did the cold.

I called it the "Bummer Stretch". It basically killed any thoughts of doing the Spotted Horse gravel event, so I sent a note to the race director, Sarah Cooper, and asked that I be taken off the roster. That was a big downer for me.

Trans Iowa registration went off without a hitch in October, but I still hadn't worked up a solid idea on where those people were going to be riding. Meanwhile, my route finding partner of the last several years, Jeremy Fry, decided to enter the event again. That meant I was either doing the route alone, or that I needed to find a new route finding partner.

Another downer stemming from the illness was that I was planning a century ride on my single speed but with my health, it was getting postponed. Every time an open date came up I was either too weak to go or I had other things going on. Then the weather turned and that plan got shelved until 2018. I did get out for a half century on my single speed though. I did that ride with Martin who was also on a single speed.

The "Bummer Stretch" of events took another turn when in early October I learned of Christopher Van Ooyen's passing. Better known in Lincoln cycling circles as "CVO", his death was another blow to that community that had far too much bad news already in 2017. I only knew CVO a little, but he was definitely an influence on some of my experiences on gravel in the Lincoln area.

Trans Iowa recon eventually did happen

December 1st brought more bummer news when I dropped my TG-3 camera while commuting and it smashed into the pavement at about 20mph. Dead camera resulted and I had to start thinking about purchasing a new one. Well, that's when the bummer stretch started to ease up when a good friend offered a brand new TG-5 at a great price. So, camera issue solved!

Then Trans Iowa recon actually happened. I got inspiration for the route in November, my friend Tony agreed to do recon driving with me, and an open date with perfect weather all came together. The recon was not without its reroute issues, but they are minor and I think it should all go off without a hitch now.

Of course, the usual recapping of things started happening in late November. That stretch of great weather during that month saw a ton of review test riding going on which was great. I almost squeezed in everything for 2017, but I have a few things which will carry over to early 2018 when, hopefully, the weather breaks and I can get out on gravel roads again.

So, there is a quick recapping of the year here on "Guitar Ted Productions". I want to thank all of you for reading here. It means a lot to me to hear and read the comments about how this site is a favorite, or that it is a regular stop in many morning routines. I am humbled to have gained your trust and I hope that next year I can continue to do you all right.

Rear View '17: Part 4

The look back on the year for 2017- dubbed "Rear View", is a traditional year ending series on the blog each year here. This is the final installment- Part 4. I'll have a forward looking post to end the year on. Stay tuned.....

September started off with me contracting a really bad cold/flu thing and my riding went in the tank right along with the fitness I built up over the Summer. I was hopeful it was only a 10-12 day thing, but it stretched out to two weeks. Then I was gone on a vacation for a week, which did not include cycling at all. Then I returned and so did the cold.

I called it the "Bummer Stretch". It basically killed any thoughts of doing the Spotted Horse gravel event, so I sent a note to the race director, Sarah Cooper, and asked that I be taken off the roster. That was a big downer for me.

Trans Iowa registration went off without a hitch in October, but I still hadn't worked up a solid idea on where those people were going to be riding. Meanwhile, my route finding partner of the last several years, Jeremy Fry, decided to enter the event again. That meant I was either doing the route alone, or that I needed to find a new route finding partner.

Another downer stemming from the illness was that I was planning a century ride on my single speed but with my health, it was getting postponed. Every time an open date came up I was either too weak to go or I had other things going on. Then the weather turned and that plan got shelved until 2018. I did get out for a half century on my single speed though. I did that ride with Martin who was also on a single speed.

The "Bummer Stretch" of events took another turn when in early October I learned of Christopher Van Ooyen's passing. Better known in Lincoln cycling circles as "CVO", his death was another blow to that community that had far too much bad news already in 2017. I only knew CVO a little, but he was definitely an influence on some of my experiences on gravel in the Lincoln area.

Trans Iowa recon eventually did happen

December 1st brought more bummer news when I dropped my TG-3 camera while commuting and it smashed into the pavement at about 20mph. Dead camera resulted and I had to start thinking about purchasing a new one. Well, that's when the bummer stretch started to ease up when a good friend offered a brand new TG-5 at a great price. So, camera issue solved!

Then Trans Iowa recon actually happened. I got inspiration for the route in November, my friend Tony agreed to do recon driving with me, and an open date with perfect weather all came together. The recon was not without its reroute issues, but they are minor and I think it should all go off without a hitch now.

Of course, the usual recapping of things started happening in late November. That stretch of great weather during that month saw a ton of review test riding going on which was great. I almost squeezed in everything for 2017, but I have a few things which will carry over to early 2018 when, hopefully, the weather breaks and I can get out on gravel roads again.

So, there is a quick recapping of the year here on "Guitar Ted Productions". I want to thank all of you for reading here. It means a lot to me to hear and read the comments about how this site is a favorite, or that it is a regular stop in many morning routines. I am humbled to have gained your trust and I hope that next year I can continue to do you all right.

Trans Iowa v14: Update On Recon

From December 20th's recon drive for T.I.v14

This is an update to the recon post from last week. I wanted to cover the reroutes and what they have done to mileage over all. Plus I have a tentative breakdown on the three sections, which if you were paying attention were released on the Trans Iowa site last week. 

Anyway, one of the reroutes we were forced into since a bridge had been removed. This reroute was done in the field so it is verified and it should not be an issue for the event.

The other reroute was not necessary. I could have left in the originally reconned section, but here are the reasons why I did not leave that section in. I know many of you are automatically going to think the only reason is that the section I didn't like wasn't hard enough. Well, who knows? The thing is even a really hilly section isn't too bad if the wind is raging at your back. Then again, everything could be hard if we have another T.I.v11 situation, right? So, I cannot say I don't like a section due to it being too flat, or whatever. If that were the main priority, I would have a lot more to reroute than I did. 

No, I prioritize what makes a "good section" by its usefulness in regard to resupply, technical features, visual appeal, and cultural impact. Hills could be a part of that, of course, but the other stuff weighs just as heavily. So, for instance, if a flat section with easy roads is going through a highly significant cultural or visually stimulating feature, it gets included. A good example would be the High Trestle Bridge which was on the route last time. It wasn't hilly, technical, or hard in any way. However; the visual and historical/cultural impact was huge, so it was put into the course.

The section I replaced wasn't good in any of my categories. It was just plain "blah", which isn't what I wanted to have. So, I did a little digging and placed the route on roads that should be more interesting. Of course, I still have to go out and look at them. Things may get changed even more after that recon, or maybe not. I don't know yet, but the possibility that my reroute also sucks is there.

Okay, enough about that. The pertinent information most of you want to know now has to do with mileages. I did end up having to add about 7 miles to my previously posted total. Right now I am at 345.2 miles. That's about the longest Trans Iowa ever proposed, if I am not mistaken. I may have to trim off a few miles somewhere else to get it back under 340 again. So, there is that possibility hanging out there as well.

But, if everything were to be a go the way it sits now, here are the mileages to checkpoints: From the start to CP#1 will be 44.2 miles. There will be a time limit to get there and I am thinking like last year it will be  8:30am. Then the distance from CP#1 to CP#2 as it sits now is 163.7 miles. That's about 30 miles into the event further than I traditionally have it, and maybe that's about what it was last year. So, without modification to that section we're thinking along the lines of cutting off the time to reach that checkpoint at 11:00pm. The distance from CP#2 until the finish line is set at 137.3 miles. Of course, you'll have till 2:00pm on Sunday to get there if you are in Trans Iowa.

I'm thinking sectors 1 and 3 are pretty solid. If I carve a bit out of the route to get under 340 miles total it would be from the middle section. Stay tuned on that front..... It may not happen and this may be what the final numbers are. At any rate, this is as close to gospel as it gets at this point.

Stay tuned to the Trans Iowa site for further updates.....

Trans Iowa v14: Update On Recon

From December 20th's recon drive for T.I.v14

This is an update to the recon post from last week. I wanted to cover the reroutes and what they have done to mileage over all. Plus I have a tentative breakdown on the three sections, which if you were paying attention were released on the Trans Iowa site last week. 

Anyway, one of the reroutes we were forced into since a bridge had been removed. This reroute was done in the field so it is verified and it should not be an issue for the event.

The other reroute was not necessary. I could have left in the originally reconned section, but here are the reasons why I did not leave that section in. I know many of you are automatically going to think the only reason is that the section I didn't like wasn't hard enough. Well, who knows? The thing is even a really hilly section isn't too bad if the wind is raging at your back. Then again, everything could be hard if we have another T.I.v11 situation, right? So, I cannot say I don't like a section due to it being too flat, or whatever. If that were the main priority, I would have a lot more to reroute than I did. 

No, I prioritize what makes a "good section" by its usefulness in regard to resupply, technical features, visual appeal, and cultural impact. Hills could be a part of that, of course, but the other stuff weighs just as heavily. So, for instance, if a flat section with easy roads is going through a highly significant cultural or visually stimulating feature, it gets included. A good example would be the High Trestle Bridge which was on the route last time. It wasn't hilly, technical, or hard in any way. However; the visual and historical/cultural impact was huge, so it was put into the course.

The section I replaced wasn't good in any of my categories. It was just plain "blah", which isn't what I wanted to have. So, I did a little digging and placed the route on roads that should be more interesting. Of course, I still have to go out and look at them. Things may get changed even more after that recon, or maybe not. I don't know yet, but the possibility that my reroute also sucks is there.

Okay, enough about that. The pertinent information most of you want to know now has to do with mileages. I did end up having to add about 7 miles to my previously posted total. Right now I am at 345.2 miles. That's about the longest Trans Iowa ever proposed, if I am not mistaken. I may have to trim off a few miles somewhere else to get it back under 340 again. So, there is that possibility hanging out there as well.

But, if everything were to be a go the way it sits now, here are the mileages to checkpoints: From the start to CP#1 will be 44.2 miles. There will be a time limit to get there and I am thinking like last year it will be  8:30am. Then the distance from CP#1 to CP#2 as it sits now is 163.7 miles. That's about 30 miles into the event further than I traditionally have it, and maybe that's about what it was last year. So, without modification to that section we're thinking along the lines of cutting off the time to reach that checkpoint at 11:00pm. The distance from CP#2 until the finish line is set at 137.3 miles. Of course, you'll have till 2:00pm on Sunday to get there if you are in Trans Iowa.

I'm thinking sectors 1 and 3 are pretty solid. If I carve a bit out of the route to get under 340 miles total it would be from the middle section. Stay tuned on that front..... It may not happen and this may be what the final numbers are. At any rate, this is as close to gospel as it gets at this point.

Stay tuned to the Trans Iowa site for further updates.....

Rear View '17: Part 3

The look back on the year for 2017- dubbed "Rear View", is a traditional year ending series on the blog each year here. This is Part 3.

Looking on into June of this year things seemed to dry up. No more Wednesdays full of rain! This was good, but since it got more and more dry over the Summer, into Fall, and now Winter, it is looking not so great for next year unless we see a big turn around in the weather patterns here.

But back to June!

I really didn't have a whole lot going on as far as gravel events at this time. Odin's used to fill the spot in mid to late June but with that event ending its run I no longer have any big plans during June, so I went "just riding" a lot!

Some of that was to search out the course for my "Tour of Dirt Roads" style homage to the Pirate Cycling League who do a ride every year down around Lincoln, Nebraska where the search out all the good dirt roads. With the successful ending of the Geezer Ride at the Broad Street Brewing Company in Reinbeck, I decided we'd start and stop the GTDRI there as well. Road "O" figured heavily into my route plans. A ride long ago prompted me to put that stretch of dirt roads into the route, as well as some choice gems in Tama County, plus some others I knew about but had bypassed all these years for whatever reasons.

July saw many good rides and with the GTDRI the first weekend in August I didn't have anything going on all month to worry about. I got my old Badger custom drop bar bike rebuilt up for the third, and hopefully last, time and the addition of some skin wall Soma Cazaderos were the finishing touch there.

My Badger got up and running again this past Summer

On the gizmo front, I received a new Shimano action sport camera from being selected in a Tour de France contest I didn't know I was entered in. It was part of a module I completed on Shimano's "STEC" site which is for mechanics to learn more about Shimano technology.

I hate to admit it, but I am kind of a dud when it comes to technological gizmos. I have a Lezyne Super GPS review to finish that is coming up on a year now! This camera thing has failed to capture my imagination yet as well. I finally got a memory card for it and the battery charged up enough to take a short video of my son and I riding, but I have failed to upload it yet! Ha! Maybe someday......

I wrote a piece about the hullaballo being raised about events and how they are too dangerous, and how we need to "do something about it". I still think it rings true after reading it again for the research I did for this post.

Then the GTDRI happened and it went off without a hitch. I had a great ride, and the route was spectacular. In fact, it was so good I thnk the 2018 GTDRI will be the same exact route, barring any road closings that may happen between now and then.

That left Gravel Worlds. I had actually finished the beast in 2016, but it wasn't to be this time. The heat and humidity kicked in later into the event, but my issues weren't related to that. Mine were gastrointestinal related, and basically I did as much of the route as humanly possible for me under such circumstances. I was bummed but it is what it is.

September 5th came and the announcement of another Trans Iowa. The 14th running of the event will happen next April and although I had pretty quickly sketched out a route to checkpoint #1, I was finding motivation to do anything beyond that rather difficult. The registration process wouldn't happen for another month, so I moved on to other things in the month of September. Like getting sick....

That pretty much knocked me off my training for the Spotted Horse, which I wanted to do, and the only rides I was getting in were a few shorter single track rides. It was a rough ending to the month healthwise and I ended up calling off going to the Spotted Horse altogether by the first part of October. But that's coming in the last "Rear View" post for 2017 next time.....

Rear View '17: Part 3

The look back on the year for 2017- dubbed "Rear View", is a traditional year ending series on the blog each year here. This is Part 3.

Looking on into June of this year things seemed to dry up. No more Wednesdays full of rain! This was good, but since it got more and more dry over the Summer, into Fall, and now Winter, it is looking not so great for next year unless we see a big turn around in the weather patterns here.

But back to June!

I really didn't have a whole lot going on as far as gravel events at this time. Odin's used to fill the spot in mid to late June but with that event ending its run I no longer have any big plans during June, so I went "just riding" a lot!

Some of that was to search out the course for my "Tour of Dirt Roads" style homage to the Pirate Cycling League who do a ride every year down around Lincoln, Nebraska where the search out all the good dirt roads. With the successful ending of the Geezer Ride at the Broad Street Brewing Company in Reinbeck, I decided we'd start and stop the GTDRI there as well. Road "O" figured heavily into my route plans. A ride long ago prompted me to put that stretch of dirt roads into the route, as well as some choice gems in Tama County, plus some others I knew about but had bypassed all these years for whatever reasons.

July saw many good rides and with the GTDRI the first weekend in August I didn't have anything going on all month to worry about. I got my old Badger custom drop bar bike rebuilt up for the third, and hopefully last, time and the addition of some skin wall Soma Cazaderos were the finishing touch there.

My Badger got up and running again this past Summer

On the gizmo front, I received a new Shimano action sport camera from being selected in a Tour de France contest I didn't know I was entered in. It was part of a module I completed on Shimano's "STEC" site which is for mechanics to learn more about Shimano technology.

I hate to admit it, but I am kind of a dud when it comes to technological gizmos. I have a Lezyne Super GPS review to finish that is coming up on a year now! This camera thing has failed to capture my imagination yet as well. I finally got a memory card for it and the battery charged up enough to take a short video of my son and I riding, but I have failed to upload it yet! Ha! Maybe someday......

I wrote a piece about the hullaballo being raised about events and how they are too dangerous, and how we need to "do something about it". I still think it rings true after reading it again for the research I did for this post.

Then the GTDRI happened and it went off without a hitch. I had a great ride, and the route was spectacular. In fact, it was so good I thnk the 2018 GTDRI will be the same exact route, barring any road closings that may happen between now and then.

That left Gravel Worlds. I had actually finished the beast in 2016, but it wasn't to be this time. The heat and humidity kicked in later into the event, but my issues weren't related to that. Mine were gastrointestinal related, and basically I did as much of the route as humanly possible for me under such circumstances. I was bummed but it is what it is.

September 5th came and the announcement of another Trans Iowa. The 14th running of the event will happen next April and although I had pretty quickly sketched out a route to checkpoint #1, I was finding motivation to do anything beyond that rather difficult. The registration process wouldn't happen for another month, so I moved on to other things in the month of September. Like getting sick....

That pretty much knocked me off my training for the Spotted Horse, which I wanted to do, and the only rides I was getting in were a few shorter single track rides. It was a rough ending to the month healthwise and I ended up calling off going to the Spotted Horse altogether by the first part of October. But that's coming in the last "Rear View" post for 2017 next time.....

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and joyous holidays spent with family, friends, or doing whatever it is that brings you happiness this time of the season.  May you have safe travels and the best of times.

I'll be back tomorrow with a regularly scheduled dose of Guitar Ted musings for y'all.

All The Best From Guitar Ted Productions!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and joyous holidays spent with family, friends, or doing whatever it is that brings you happiness this time of the season.  May you have safe travels and the best of times.

I'll be back tomorrow with a regularly scheduled dose of Guitar Ted musings for y'all.

All The Best From Guitar Ted Productions!

Christmas Views '17

I have been on a walking kick for fitness for well over a year now. I walk around the neighborhoods a lot and see lots of things, obviously. The Christmas lights are something I look forward to enjoying now on my walks and I figured maybe all of you might like seeing some of the humble displays we have here.

Unfortunately it didn't snow until Christmas Eve morning so I don't have any shots to share with the fresh snow. But be that as it may, here are a few humble shots, all taken with the new Tough TG-5, by the way.

And the grand finale'!

Christmas Views '17

I have been on a walking kick for fitness for well over a year now. I walk around the neighborhoods a lot and see lots of things, obviously. The Christmas lights are something I look forward to enjoying now on my walks and I figured maybe all of you might like seeing some of the humble displays we have here.

Unfortunately it didn't snow until Christmas Eve morning so I don't have any shots to share with the fresh snow. But be that as it may, here are a few humble shots, all taken with the new Tough TG-5, by the way.

And the grand finale'!

Tires I Like

Some tires, like these Vittoria Terreno Mix tires, are just plain weird.

Saturday I posted an article on Riding Gravel which was about the top gravel tires I like that are available currently. You can check that out here.

To be completely honest, most tires are pretty decent. It would be a lot easier to talk about tires that are weird, aren't very good, or just downright bad. There are fewer of those than there are tires that are so-so, and definitely fewer of those than good, decent tires.

But I am talking about aftermarket performance tires in that regard, mind you. Not the ubiquitous "replacement tire", or the cheapo tires used on "mart bikes", or tires meant for entry level bike shop bikes. Those are mostly terrible tires. No, I'm talking about tires that purport to be performance enhancing, but for whatever reason, weren't. Tires costing more than $35.00-$40.00 dollars, typically.

Those tires, in my opinion, are tires that fell short of promises and performance was lacking. But enough about those tires. I don't like them, and that isn't what this post is about. This is about tires I like. Some were listed in that post linked above. Others are not there because they are not gravel tires.

Surly Lou's are nice. I like them a lot.

There are a lot of mountain bike tires I like, or used to like since maybe you cannot get them anymore. Tires from Michelin, the "Wildgripper" series of tires, those were great tires. The GEAX tires were all mostly pretty decent, and Bontrager made some killer tires, but many of these are no longer available.

I guess I still like the ol' Nanoraptor, or as WTB calls it now, the "Nano". It does a lot of things well. The Bontrager brand still is rolling out some great stuff. Maxxis, Specialized, and others do some fine treads.

Fat bike tires, now there is some weird stuff going on there! I'll tell ya that for flotation and traction that I look for, the Surly Bud and Lou are hard to beat. Yeah, yeah.......they aren't tubeless. Okay, that isn't a huge deal to me. While having a Bud or Lou tubeless might be better, I just don't have the time to maintain that set up by keeping the sealant up to date. My fat bikes see such limited use that having them set up tubeless would be a liability more than a benefit. My fat bikes can sit around for months at a time unused, so when I do want to use one, I don't want to have to dink around refreshing the sealant.

On the other hand, if a gravel tire model comes out and it is not rated for tubeless, it is not going to be a tire I like. I insist on running tubeless on gravel anymore. It makes a big difference in ride quality, not to mention the elimination of pinch flats.  So, there are some gravel tire models I don't like for that reason. Tires like Challenge's Gravel Grinder, which would be a stellar tread pattern if it could be used tubeless.

So, there are a lot of tires I like, and I've been fortunate to have tried many so I know.

Tires I Like

Some tires, like these Vittoria Terreno Mix tires, are just plain weird.

Saturday I posted an article on Riding Gravel which was about the top gravel tires I like that are available currently. You can check that out here.

To be completely honest, most tires are pretty decent. It would be a lot easier to talk about tires that are weird, aren't very good, or just downright bad. There are fewer of those than there are tires that are so-so, and definitely fewer of those than good, decent tires.

But I am talking about aftermarket performance tires in that regard, mind you. Not the ubiquitous "replacement tire", or the cheapo tires used on "mart bikes", or tires meant for entry level bike shop bikes. Those are mostly terrible tires. No, I'm talking about tires that purport to be performance enhancing, but for whatever reason, weren't. Tires costing more than $35.00-$40.00 dollars, typically.

Those tires, in my opinion, are tires that fell short of promises and performance was lacking. But enough about those tires. I don't like them, and that isn't what this post is about. This is about tires I like. Some were listed in that post linked above. Others are not there because they are not gravel tires.

Surly Lou's are nice. I like them a lot.

There are a lot of mountain bike tires I like, or used to like since maybe you cannot get them anymore. Tires from Michelin, the "Wildgripper" series of tires, those were great tires. The GEAX tires were all mostly pretty decent, and Bontrager made some killer tires, but many of these are no longer available.

I guess I still like the ol' Nanoraptor, or as WTB calls it now, the "Nano". It does a lot of things well. The Bontrager brand still is rolling out some great stuff. Maxxis, Specialized, and others do some fine treads.

Fat bike tires, now there is some weird stuff going on there! I'll tell ya that for flotation and traction that I look for, the Surly Bud and Lou are hard to beat. Yeah, yeah.......they aren't tubeless. Okay, that isn't a huge deal to me. While having a Bud or Lou tubeless might be better, I just don't have the time to maintain that set up by keeping the sealant up to date. My fat bikes see such limited use that having them set up tubeless would be a liability more than a benefit. My fat bikes can sit around for months at a time unused, so when I do want to use one, I don't want to have to dink around refreshing the sealant.

On the other hand, if a gravel tire model comes out and it is not rated for tubeless, it is not going to be a tire I like. I insist on running tubeless on gravel anymore. It makes a big difference in ride quality, not to mention the elimination of pinch flats.  So, there are some gravel tire models I don't like for that reason. Tires like Challenge's Gravel Grinder, which would be a stellar tread pattern if it could be used tubeless.

So, there are a lot of tires I like, and I've been fortunate to have tried many so I know.

Minus Ten Review 51

Back when we used to actually get snow.

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking about the year in my now annual "Rear View" posts. But besides all that, I also was talking about commuting to work in ice and snow on my old Raleigh 29"er with what was then the widest, burliest tire we could get then.

Two things struck me as I went back to recap this week on the blog. The first was that I sure wished we had easy access to fat bikes back then. I sure could have used a Pugs or Mukluk with 3.8"s for Winter commutes back then.

But that said, I did get a long way with tires like the WTB Stout which had great traction on snow. I just lacked float, obviously. The Schwalbe Racing Ralphs from this period also were great in that regard. A pair of 2.4 Ardents on Blunt 35's was also one of the better snow tire set ups I used on a 29"er. I could imagine 29+ being really good at this as well.

The other thing I noted about things ten years ago was that Winter was actually a thing. We had snow, ice, and cold all at the same time! Amazing, right? I mean, the past several inters have really been kind of messed up as far as snow goes for the season. I kind of gauge this off how the shop I work at rents skis. Cross country skiing needs a good base of snow, so if the shop doesn't rent many days then it is indicative of a poor Winter, and we haven't rented a lot of skis the past several years.

Hmmm........ Thinking about these two things I wonder whether I shouldn't sell my fat bikes and just get a decent 29 plus rig and call it good!

Minus Ten Review 51

Back when we used to actually get snow.

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking about the year in my now annual "Rear View" posts. But besides all that, I also was talking about commuting to work in ice and snow on my old Raleigh 29"er with what was then the widest, burliest tire we could get then.

Two things struck me as I went back to recap this week on the blog. The first was that I sure wished we had easy access to fat bikes back then. I sure could have used a Pugs or Mukluk with 3.8"s for Winter commutes back then.

But that said, I did get a long way with tires like the WTB Stout which had great traction on snow. I just lacked float, obviously. The Schwalbe Racing Ralphs from this period also were great in that regard. A pair of 2.4 Ardents on Blunt 35's was also one of the better snow tire set ups I used on a 29"er. I could imagine 29+ being really good at this as well.

The other thing I noted about things ten years ago was that Winter was actually a thing. We had snow, ice, and cold all at the same time! Amazing, right? I mean, the past several inters have really been kind of messed up as far as snow goes for the season. I kind of gauge this off how the shop I work at rents skis. Cross country skiing needs a good base of snow, so if the shop doesn't rent many days then it is indicative of a poor Winter, and we haven't rented a lot of skis the past several years.

Hmmm........ Thinking about these two things I wonder whether I shouldn't sell my fat bikes and just get a decent 29 plus rig and call it good!

Friday News And Views

Hey, we should lace these old XC racing rims to road hubs and call it a gravel wheel!

Enve Wheels Debuts Gravel Wheel Set:

When I started messing around with disc wheels for gravel bikes I found that old 29"er wheels which were laced with narrow-ish mountain bike rims worked really well. Many of these early 29"er rims were maybe 25mm or if they were wide, 28mm on the outside. Of course, that's positively skinny now for even XC mtb bikes.

Gravel tires have ballooned to the 45mm range now so a wider rim is totally necessary for tubeless use, and even for tubes, to be honest. The lower pressures you can use and the way the tires set on those wider rims make them more stable on rougher roads and dirt. So, I even played with 25mm inner rim widths and found that worked quite nicely. Then you hear about companies making "gravel" oriented wheel sets and you see something like the following from Enve's site:

"The M525 is a lightweight, full carbon tubeless compatible clincher that has been developed specifically for the demands of world cup cross country racing. Consequently, many of the same attributes that make for a great XC race wheel also deliver a ride quality that inspires confidence for off-road drop bar endeavors."

See? Even these wheel companies are catching on. Well, at least their marketing departments are seeing how this could work. That said, a claimed 1320 grams for the set is very attractive. Only cost ya $234.00 a month! (HA!) We used to, (and many of you still might be), riding wheel sets that cost $234.00 for the set! 

Old mtb wheels are the "new gravel wheels". 

 

The new camera would have been fast enough to get this shot.....O well!

  The New Camera Has Arrived!

 As I walked in the door Wednesday evening I was told by my son that about 15 minutes after I walked out of the door for Trans Iowa v14 recon my new camera showed up.

Dang it!

They say that you don't know what you got till it's gone, and boy howdy! Did I ever figure that out Wednesday! That Nikon point and shoot I used probably does okay for the family reunion and the odd image of the National Park one might be visiting, but for quick, on the fly shooting, it sucked! 

I missed quite a few shots just because the start up speed was so slow. Then the auto focus was bad as well. That caused a lot of unusable shots and the ones I kept were blurred, but I guess I have to take what I have. Had I been shooting with the TG-5, it would have all been cake. I would have nailed every shot. 

But the main thing is- I have the TG-5! I am pretty stoked. And it came to me in black, so it looks great as well. Personally I liked the red, but hey! For what I paid I cannot be choosy. So, black it is. It looks classy and more like a "serious camera guy's" camera, I suppose.  I plan on having a bit of a review up after I've used it some here.

 Merry Christmas!

Since Christmas falls on Monday this year many of you will be gone and not checking in here, so I wanted to say, "Merry Christmas!" before you all flew out for wherever it is that you may be headed to this weekend.  

I'll be around here posting, so you can always check in whenever you get a chance, but here is a challenge: "Tune out from social media this weekend!" Try it and tune in to your friends and family instead. You can always catch up on things next week. 

That includes this blog, so if you are off to see friends and family, well, be intentional and spend some good, attentive time with them. If you are just doing the "regular ol' things", well, I'll be around. Oh, and thanks for reading my scribin'.

So, with that, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! 

Friday News And Views

Hey, we should lace these old XC racing rims to road hubs and call it a gravel wheel!

Enve Wheels Debuts Gravel Wheel Set:

When I started messing around with disc wheels for gravel bikes I found that old 29"er wheels which were laced with narrow-ish mountain bike rims worked really well. Many of these early 29"er rims were maybe 25mm or if they were wide, 28mm on the outside. Of course, that's positively skinny now for even XC mtb bikes.

Gravel tires have ballooned to the 45mm range now so a wider rim is totally necessary for tubeless use, and even for tubes, to be honest. The lower pressures you can use and the way the tires set on those wider rims make them more stable on rougher roads and dirt. So, I even played with 25mm inner rim widths and found that worked quite nicely. Then you hear about companies making "gravel" oriented wheel sets and you see something like the following from Enve's site:

"The M525 is a lightweight, full carbon tubeless compatible clincher that has been developed specifically for the demands of world cup cross country racing. Consequently, many of the same attributes that make for a great XC race wheel also deliver a ride quality that inspires confidence for off-road drop bar endeavors."

See? Even these wheel companies are catching on. Well, at least their marketing departments are seeing how this could work. That said, a claimed 1320 grams for the set is very attractive. Only cost ya $234.00 a month! (HA!) We used to, (and many of you still might be), riding wheel sets that cost $234.00 for the set! 

Old mtb wheels are the "new gravel wheels". 

 

The new camera would have been fast enough to get this shot.....O well!

  The New Camera Has Arrived!

 As I walked in the door Wednesday evening I was told by my son that about 15 minutes after I walked out of the door for Trans Iowa v14 recon my new camera showed up.

Dang it!

They say that you don't know what you got till it's gone, and boy howdy! Did I ever figure that out Wednesday! That Nikon point and shoot I used probably does okay for the family reunion and the odd image of the National Park one might be visiting, but for quick, on the fly shooting, it sucked! 

I missed quite a few shots just because the start up speed was so slow. Then the auto focus was bad as well. That caused a lot of unusable shots and the ones I kept were blurred, but I guess I have to take what I have. Had I been shooting with the TG-5, it would have all been cake. I would have nailed every shot. 

But the main thing is- I have the TG-5! I am pretty stoked. And it came to me in black, so it looks great as well. Personally I liked the red, but hey! For what I paid I cannot be choosy. So, black it is. It looks classy and more like a "serious camera guy's" camera, I suppose.  I plan on having a bit of a review up after I've used it some here.

 Merry Christmas!

Since Christmas falls on Monday this year many of you will be gone and not checking in here, so I wanted to say, "Merry Christmas!" before you all flew out for wherever it is that you may be headed to this weekend.  

I'll be around here posting, so you can always check in whenever you get a chance, but here is a challenge: "Tune out from social media this weekend!" Try it and tune in to your friends and family instead. You can always catch up on things next week. 

That includes this blog, so if you are off to see friends and family, well, be intentional and spend some good, attentive time with them. If you are just doing the "regular ol' things", well, I'll be around. Oh, and thanks for reading my scribin'.

So, with that, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!