Trans Iowa v14: More On The Black Mountain Cycles Sponsorship

Purveyor of fine steel framed bicycles and more.

A while back I announced that Black Mountain Cycles was going to sponsor Trans Iowa v14 this year by offering a frame and fork to the rider who puts in "The Grittiest Ride". (Must be in TIv14 to be eligible)

I made my social media and website posts, updated the T.I.v14 site's sidebar where I highlight the current version's sponsors, and went about my business. But low and behold, unbeknownst to me, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles went and posted this on his blog. That was uncommonly nice of him to say those things, but more interestingly, it gives us some insight as to why sponsorships should happen- be they for an event like Trans Iowa or for an athlete.

Mike said that he hears a lot of people say that they first heard about Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross frames from this source. Ya know, I have had several folks tell me that as well. So, that motivated this sponsorship. I certainly didn't seek this, but I am very grateful for it. 

Secondly, Mike really did a great job of explaining "The Grittiest Ride" and how the T.I.v14 volunteers and I will be judging for this prize, so please check that out in his post, linked above. And finally, I want to personally thank Mike and Black Mountain Cycles here for sponsoring T.I.v14. It is an honor to have such a great sponsor for this event. If you feel led, you can send Mike a word thanks as well by sending an e-mail via Black Mountain Cycles contact page here. Or if you have a question about any of his frames/forks, you can use the same link there.

Trans Iowa v14: More On The Black Mountain Cycles Sponsorship

Purveyor of fine steel framed bicycles and more.

A while back I announced that Black Mountain Cycles was going to sponsor Trans Iowa v14 this year by offering a frame and fork to the rider who puts in "The Grittiest Ride". (Must be in TIv14 to be eligible)

I made my social media and website posts, updated the T.I.v14 site's sidebar where I highlight the current version's sponsors, and went about my business. But low and behold, unbeknownst to me, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles went and posted this on his blog. That was uncommonly nice of him to say those things, but more interestingly, it gives us some insight as to why sponsorships should happen- be they for an event like Trans Iowa or for an athlete.

Mike said that he hears a lot of people say that they first heard about Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross frames from this source. Ya know, I have had several folks tell me that as well. So, that motivated this sponsorship. I certainly didn't seek this, but I am very grateful for it. 

Secondly, Mike really did a great job of explaining "The Grittiest Ride" and how the T.I.v14 volunteers and I will be judging for this prize, so please check that out in his post, linked above. And finally, I want to personally thank Mike and Black Mountain Cycles here for sponsoring T.I.v14. It is an honor to have such a great sponsor for this event. If you feel led, you can send Mike a word thanks as well by sending an e-mail via Black Mountain Cycles contact page here. Or if you have a question about any of his frames/forks, you can use the same link there.

We Always Knew You Would Come Back Again!

The rebooted Pugsley. Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

Background: It was sometime in the mid-2000's. My bossman took me to Frostbike, (back when it was relevant) and we rounded the corner to the view of QBP's front door, There it was. I could see it as plain as day from a city block away. A purple steel frame with these enormous, cartoonish skinwall tires parked in the snow bank just outside Q's front doors. I busted out laughing. My bossman wondered at this and I pointed at this bike with the gargantuan tires stuffed in it. Of course, it was Dave Gray's prototype Pugsley with skinwall Endomorph 26 X 3.8" tires.

Fast forward about five years. QBP announces via Salsa Cycles that fat bikes will be available as complete rigs in a box for the first time. Surly quickly follows suit with a complete Pugsley offering. Fat bikes were hitting the trails and unridden paths all over. Stock was preciously slim and the bikes and accessories specific to fat bikes were hard to get. Technology raced ahead leaving old standards in the dust. Then everyone and their brother had fat bikes by 2015. The "bubble burst" and even the poor, barely changed Pugs with its 135OD spaced frame was being "closed out". Surly introduced the Wednesday, but despite all appearances to the contrary, Surly said that the dear old Pugs would someday come back, albeit in a new form.

Well folks, the day has come. Pugsley 2.0 has arrived. Some things have indeed changed, and some things haven't, but the basic premise of the bike remains- the swappable front to rear wheels and back country, expedition intentions of the original Pugs are still here with version 2.0.

Hey Doode! I think yer fork is bent! Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

The magic lies in the fact that anyone with two rear hubs, a bunch of spare parts, and the ability to lace up some special wheels and that can buy a special crank set can still put together their own fat bike. Or you can buy a complete Pugs 2.0. Either way, the focus is still on redundancy, versatility, and capability with a new dash of fat tire clearances.

You can read up on all the changes here on Surly's post on this bike. I won't delve into all that nitty gritty here, but I wanted to talk about why this bike appeals to my mind.

First off, Surly doesn't necessarily buy into the term "fat bike", and now they feel "Omni-terra" is a bad  description too. (The Pugs is now part of the "Dirt Touring" category.........yeah, that'll work! )  Although, they liberally sprinkled the description for this bike with the term "fat bike", so maybe they are just foolin' with us. Dunno.....

And frankly, I don't care, and probably neither do you! Anyway..... The whole "bombproof" survive-the-apocalypse nature of the Pugsley is pretty cool. The idea with the offset "bend" in the frame allows the wheels to be dished in such a way that the cassette is pushed outward enough that the chain can clear a big fatty-fat tire and still be using all 11 speeds back there. The offset also helps you use standard 135mmOD or through axle 142OD hubs, which are a dime a dozen, not special, and easily sourced the world over. The front fork takes the same set up, only if you are smart, you lace up your single speed hub there and put a cog on it. If/when you blow up your free hub body, or rip off your derailleur, you can bail yourself out by swapping wheels, shortening your chain, and using the track end tips on the rear to tension the chain all proper-like. Then you pedal home, not walk. Single speed, yes, but mobile!

Surly also did something long necessary to the Pugs- they finally tweaked the geometry. Thankfully they did not make another trail bike with fat tires. (Yawn!) They actually made an expedition worthy geometry which I think has been overlooked by almost every fat bike design since 2015. The head angle was only slackened by a degree, so front loading the bike won't be adversely affected. The rear chain stays were lengthened by a whopping 12mm. This gives your heels clearance with panniers, but it also gives a fat bike more stability in looser terrain. It helps keep the rear tire from "punching through" delicate top crust on snow as well. I think longer wheel based fat bikes are better "trail busters" too.

Previously limited to maybe a 4.0"er on 80mm rims, the new Pugs can handle 4.8"s!

Another sore spot for the old Pugs, and honestly, this is why I never got one, was that those older Pugs were limited to a 4.0" tire, and for this big guy, that ain't gonna cut it! I need float and I need float now! Ha!

Well, Surly must have thought similarly because the bike can easily handle 4.3" Ednas on 80mm rims and with a bit of gear tweakage and axle placement, along with a proper fork, the bike could run 4.8"ers if you so wanted, on 80mm rims. That's wheel versatility, and that is something I could live with.

Of course you get rack mounts, Three-pack bosses, and full run cable housings. Front derailleurs are a possibility with skinnier tires, maybe with 4.0" fat tires? Not sure Ednas would clear, Surly isn't 100% clear there as yet. But no matter, the point is versatility is built in and expected to be made use of.

In fact, 29+, 27.5 fat, 27.5+ and obviously 26 fat should all be possibilities with this new frame. (Note- 29+ has been confirmed as a fit by Surly.) I like that, as one bike with many wheel sets can be a thing that might be useful to me. Yes, I said, "to me", as I am seriously considering this rig as my Snow Dog replacement bike now.

I was thinking about a Wednesday frame/fork and swapping over parts off the Snow Dog, but now I think the plan is to let my son ride the Snow Dog because he is quickly outgrowing his newest fat bike, which will end up becoming Mrs. Guitar Ted's after he's done with it. I'll talk more about this later.....

Interestingly the new Pugs 2.0 is being ridden in the Arrowhead 135 now, so we should get a read on how it does with that soon. Until then, you can check out this brief report on Bikepacking.com here.

We Always Knew You Would Come Back Again!

The rebooted Pugsley. Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

Background: It was sometime in the mid-2000's. My bossman took me to Frostbike, (back when it was relevant) and we rounded the corner to the view of QBP's front door, There it was. I could see it as plain as day from a city block away. A purple steel frame with these enormous, cartoonish skinwall tires parked in the snow bank just outside Q's front doors. I busted out laughing. My bossman wondered at this and I pointed at this bike with the gargantuan tires stuffed in it. Of course, it was Dave Gray's prototype Pugsley with skinwall Endomorph 26 X 3.8" tires.

Fast forward about five years. QBP announces via Salsa Cycles that fat bikes will be available as complete rigs in a box for the first time. Surly quickly follows suit with a complete Pugsley offering. Fat bikes were hitting the trails and unridden paths all over. Stock was preciously slim and the bikes and accessories specific to fat bikes were hard to get. Technology raced ahead leaving old standards in the dust. Then everyone and their brother had fat bikes by 2015. The "bubble burst" and even the poor, barely changed Pugs with its 135OD spaced frame was being "closed out". Surly introduced the Wednesday, but despite all appearances to the contrary, Surly said that the dear old Pugs would someday come back, albeit in a new form.

Well folks, the day has come. Pugsley 2.0 has arrived. Some things have indeed changed, and some things haven't, but the basic premise of the bike remains- the swappable front to rear wheels and back country, expedition intentions of the original Pugs are still here with version 2.0.

Hey Doode! I think yer fork is bent! Image pinched from Surly Bikes Blog

The magic lies in the fact that anyone with two rear hubs, a bunch of spare parts, and the ability to lace up some special wheels and that can buy a special crank set can still put together their own fat bike. Or you can buy a complete Pugs 2.0. Either way, the focus is still on redundancy, versatility, and capability with a new dash of fat tire clearances.

You can read up on all the changes here on Surly's post on this bike. I won't delve into all that nitty gritty here, but I wanted to talk about why this bike appeals to my mind.

First off, Surly doesn't necessarily buy into the term "fat bike", and now they feel "Omni-terra" is a bad  description too. (The Pugs is now part of the "Dirt Touring" category.........yeah, that'll work! )  Although, they liberally sprinkled the description for this bike with the term "fat bike", so maybe they are just foolin' with us. Dunno.....

And frankly, I don't care, and probably neither do you! Anyway..... The whole "bombproof" survive-the-apocalypse nature of the Pugsley is pretty cool. The idea with the offset "bend" in the frame allows the wheels to be dished in such a way that the cassette is pushed outward enough that the chain can clear a big fatty-fat tire and still be using all 11 speeds back there. The offset also helps you use standard 135mmOD or through axle 142OD hubs, which are a dime a dozen, not special, and easily sourced the world over. The front fork takes the same set up, only if you are smart, you lace up your single speed hub there and put a cog on it. If/when you blow up your free hub body, or rip off your derailleur, you can bail yourself out by swapping wheels, shortening your chain, and using the track end tips on the rear to tension the chain all proper-like. Then you pedal home, not walk. Single speed, yes, but mobile!

Surly also did something long necessary to the Pugs- they finally tweaked the geometry. Thankfully they did not make another trail bike with fat tires. (Yawn!) They actually made an expedition worthy geometry which I think has been overlooked by almost every fat bike design since 2015. The head angle was only slackened by a degree, so front loading the bike won't be adversely affected. The rear chain stays were lengthened by a whopping 12mm. This gives your heels clearance with panniers, but it also gives a fat bike more stability in looser terrain. It helps keep the rear tire from "punching through" delicate top crust on snow as well. I think longer wheel based fat bikes are better "trail busters" too.

Previously limited to maybe a 4.0"er on 80mm rims, the new Pugs can handle 4.8"s!

Another sore spot for the old Pugs, and honestly, this is why I never got one, was that those older Pugs were limited to a 4.0" tire, and for this big guy, that ain't gonna cut it! I need float and I need float now! Ha!

Well, Surly must have thought similarly because the bike can easily handle 4.3" Ednas on 80mm rims and with a bit of gear tweakage and axle placement, along with a proper fork, the bike could run 4.8"ers if you so wanted, on 80mm rims. That's wheel versatility, and that is something I could live with.

Of course you get rack mounts, Three-pack bosses, and full run cable housings. Front derailleurs are a possibility with skinnier tires, maybe with 4.0" fat tires? Not sure Ednas would clear, Surly isn't 100% clear there as yet. But no matter, the point is versatility is built in and expected to be made use of.

In fact, 29+, 27.5 fat, 27.5+ and obviously 26 fat should all be possibilities with this new frame. (Note- 29+ has been confirmed as a fit by Surly.) I like that, as one bike with many wheel sets can be a thing that might be useful to me. Yes, I said, "to me", as I am seriously considering this rig as my Snow Dog replacement bike now.

I was thinking about a Wednesday frame/fork and swapping over parts off the Snow Dog, but now I think the plan is to let my son ride the Snow Dog because he is quickly outgrowing his newest fat bike, which will end up becoming Mrs. Guitar Ted's after he's done with it. I'll talk more about this later.....

Interestingly the new Pugs 2.0 is being ridden in the Arrowhead 135 now, so we should get a read on how it does with that soon. Until then, you can check out this brief report on Bikepacking.com here.

Registration Weekend

A look at the ice jam on Black Hawk Creek from Falls Avenue Friday

Last week we lost all of our snow and we are back to "Brown Season" again. So, since the weather had warmed up I decided that Saturday would be my first foray of 2018 out on the gravel roads.

My only concern was that maybe it might be a bit mushy, but I have fenders on the Orange Crush, so no worries. I would just take that bike out. By the way, Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders are awesome.

But before I was to get out there and do some gravel riding I wanted to get registered for Gravel Worlds. I almost forgot about doing that too! It's kind of ironic, at least to me, that a fine event like Gravel Worlds, which has a killer vibe, a Friday get together with beer at a bike shop, and in all likelihood a tougher course than the DK200, doesn't sell out pronto like the DK200 did when they had online registration. I guess that Gravel Worlds isn't a "bucket list" event and doesn't get the media publishing spotlight like the DK200 does, or maybe it would be that way.

On second thought, I'm glad it is the way it is........anyway.

I got into the event, that's the main thing. So mid-August I'll be driving back down to Lincoln to get my gravel on again. Hopefully I learned the lesson from last year and I utilize that knowledge to at least avoid the issues I had which prevented me from finishing. If my guts actually functioned the way they were supposed to last year I know I could have finished. Oh well.......

Then I registered for another event. Same area as Gravel Worlds, just a couple months  (almost) earlier. This one is called the Solstice 100. I'm pretty stoked to try out this second running of that event. I know....... I wasn't going to load up the calendar, but I couldn't help myself! So sue me...... Maybe I can talk my buddy MG into doing that one. It starts in his home town of Malcom, Nebraska, after all.

No worries about mushy gravel out here! Hard, fast, and dry was the order of the day.

Then after lunch time I headed out for a little gravel action. The wind was out of the Southwest, so I headed South to my usual routes. I wasn't going to go very far because I didn't know how good of shape I might be in after coming back from the flu a couple of weeks ago. The wind wasn't supposed to be very strong, but, of course, the weatherman was wrong! 

I managed to punch out a little more than two hours of work Saturday. A good start to the base miles.

 The wind was tough, but I have to get used to it. I managed some good efforts, but my main goal was to just roll. I wasn't pushing real hard now since I need to get a base under me and have some decent fitness before I go nuts and put myself through the wringer. Miles. Miles and more miles. That's what I need to do now.

I'm not sure how many chances I'll get through February. The weatherman is saying it is going to revert back to cold and we are supposed to get a lot of snow throughout the month. February is typically our snowiest month in Iowa, but the way it has been going this year?

I'll be surprised if we get a whole lot of the white stuff. We'll see.......

Registration Weekend

A look at the ice jam on Black Hawk Creek from Falls Avenue Friday

Last week we lost all of our snow and we are back to "Brown Season" again. So, since the weather had warmed up I decided that Saturday would be my first foray of 2018 out on the gravel roads.

My only concern was that maybe it might be a bit mushy, but I have fenders on the Orange Crush, so no worries. I would just take that bike out. By the way, Planet Bike Cascadia ALX fenders are awesome.

But before I was to get out there and do some gravel riding I wanted to get registered for Gravel Worlds. I almost forgot about doing that too! It's kind of ironic, at least to me, that a fine event like Gravel Worlds, which has a killer vibe, a Friday get together with beer at a bike shop, and in all likelihood a tougher course than the DK200, doesn't sell out pronto like the DK200 did when they had online registration. I guess that Gravel Worlds isn't a "bucket list" event and doesn't get the media publishing spotlight like the DK200 does, or maybe it would be that way.

On second thought, I'm glad it is the way it is........anyway.

I got into the event, that's the main thing. So mid-August I'll be driving back down to Lincoln to get my gravel on again. Hopefully I learned the lesson from last year and I utilize that knowledge to at least avoid the issues I had which prevented me from finishing. If my guts actually functioned the way they were supposed to last year I know I could have finished. Oh well.......

Then I registered for another event. Same area as Gravel Worlds, just a couple months  (almost) earlier. This one is called the Solstice 100. I'm pretty stoked to try out this second running of that event. I know....... I wasn't going to load up the calendar, but I couldn't help myself! So sue me...... Maybe I can talk my buddy MG into doing that one. It starts in his home town of Malcom, Nebraska, after all.

No worries about mushy gravel out here! Hard, fast, and dry was the order of the day.

Then after lunch time I headed out for a little gravel action. The wind was out of the Southwest, so I headed South to my usual routes. I wasn't going to go very far because I didn't know how good of shape I might be in after coming back from the flu a couple of weeks ago. The wind wasn't supposed to be very strong, but, of course, the weatherman was wrong! 

I managed to punch out a little more than two hours of work Saturday. A good start to the base miles.

 The wind was tough, but I have to get used to it. I managed some good efforts, but my main goal was to just roll. I wasn't pushing real hard now since I need to get a base under me and have some decent fitness before I go nuts and put myself through the wringer. Miles. Miles and more miles. That's what I need to do now.

I'm not sure how many chances I'll get through February. The weatherman is saying it is going to revert back to cold and we are supposed to get a lot of snow throughout the month. February is typically our snowiest month in Iowa, but the way it has been going this year?

I'll be surprised if we get a whole lot of the white stuff. We'll see.......

The Touring Series: Introduction

A Guitar Ted Productions series

In 1994, I was only about a year into my career as a mechanic/cyclist, at least in earnest. While I had been an off-road cyclist since 1989, and while I had been a fan of cycling, and maybe more serious about cycling than many, I was far from being "good" at anything on two wheels yet. I knew very little about cycling techniques and road riding was absolutely alien to me. I had taken a mechanics class, and my year of wrenching had taught me loads, but I was far from being "accomplished" at the mechanics and definitely far from an accomplished cyclist as I could be.

Welcome to "The Touring Series". This series is a re-posting of a story I told here on this blog in 2008. The story is about what I named the "Beg, Borrow, and Bastard Tour". This was a fully loaded, self-supported bicycle tour from just Northeast of Waterloo, Iowa starting in a little village named Dewar and the goal was to get to Sault Ste. Marie, Canada in one week's time. The plan called for us to be picked up there and taken home by car.

When I returned home from this tour I wrote a rough draft manuscript of about half of the trip. It is 27 pages of hand written stuff, front and back, and this is what I will be posting to begin with. You'll be able to identify the 1994 manuscript material by my using italics to post it here. After the manuscript information ends, the rest of the story will be picked up from memories written down in 2008. That will appear as regular text here. As mentioned last week, cameras, smart phones, and the like did not exist for us in 1994, so images will be few. There are some though, and I will sprinkle those in when they are relevant.

Following will be the first bit of this story. I suspect this series, which will appear on Sundays, will take just about the better part of this year to get out there. Thanks for reading! Now, on with the story.........

Late one evening, I do not recall exactly when, Troy was longing for a vacation. A much needed respite from the daily grind of the bike shop at which he and I were employed. This vacation, ironically, must include cycling. This was Troy's only stipulation. A vacation mounted on a two wheeled steel horse off to anywhere. Wind in your face, freedom from daily drudgery.

The easy solution was RAGBRAI. Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, that's what it stands for, you know. A week long extravaganza spanning the state from West to East taking in a great number of small villages and towns along the way. Its reputation is well known nationwide. Drinking and dancing along the way. A veritable bacchanalian bike ride for the behaviourally challenged. This is; however, NOT Troy's idea of a bicycle vacation.

Troy was on RAGBRAI once. Once. He did not relish the experience. Troy hated it then and I know he really hates it now. Not just because the weeks before RAGBRAI are insane at our bike shop. No, he also dislikes the attitude of people associated with it. It reminds me of the day a cyclist came into the bike shop and says," Don't you go on RAGBRAI?" To which Troy flatly replied, "No." Then this man retorts back with, "Well, do you race any other time of the year?"

This boiled Troy's blood. You see, Troy is an accomplished racer by all accounts. Therefore and here after, Troy has dubbed RAGBRAI as the "bike ride from which all cyclists are judged." I suppose that this sarcastic description is what I think as well.

Since RAGBRAI was now out of the question, Troy declared that this vacation must be something epic. A trip that would be understood by even the simplest of cycling fools as a great challenge. No beer sodden ride through Iowa pasture land for Troy! He must make a fully self supported effort. Full bagged and loaded type touring.

A worthy destination was needed. How about Canada? Could Canada be reached within a week? Some muddled late night computations were done in our minds. The answer? Hell yes! But with whom? Troy was not willing to go it alone.

I did not offer up myself as a companion, as I did not have the bike or the base miles to do such a thing. I instead offered up the name of Steve. I knew him as a touring nut and a RAGBRAI trooper. Troy was stoked and when he asked Steve a couple of days later he said "Yes"! The trip was on! 
______________________________________________________________________

Notes: Troy was a racer/ex-college student/bike mechanic I worked with at Advantage Cycles. For the locals- Troy also was the founder of the "Bike Tech" shop in Cedar Falls. "Steve" was/is a local school teacher, and ironically ended up becoming my son's Principal  at the elementary school level years after this tour. At the time of this tour Steve was a die-hard RAGBRAI fan and had just come off the '94 RAGBRAI.


Next week on "The Touring Series": I Had No Business Going- But I Did!

The Touring Series: Introduction

A Guitar Ted Productions series

In 1994, I was only about a year into my career as a mechanic/cyclist, at least in earnest. While I had been an off-road cyclist since 1989, and while I had been a fan of cycling, and maybe more serious about cycling than many, I was far from being "good" at anything on two wheels yet. I knew very little about cycling techniques and road riding was absolutely alien to me. I had taken a mechanics class, and my year of wrenching had taught me loads, but I was far from being "accomplished" at the mechanics and definitely far from an accomplished cyclist as I could be.

Welcome to "The Touring Series". This series is a re-posting of a story I told here on this blog in 2008. The story is about what I named the "Beg, Borrow, and Bastard Tour". This was a fully loaded, self-supported bicycle tour from just Northeast of Waterloo, Iowa starting in a little village named Dewar and the goal was to get to Sault Ste. Marie, Canada in one week's time. The plan called for us to be picked up there and taken home by car.

When I returned home from this tour I wrote a rough draft manuscript of about half of the trip. It is 27 pages of hand written stuff, front and back, and this is what I will be posting to begin with. You'll be able to identify the 1994 manuscript material by my using italics to post it here. After the manuscript information ends, the rest of the story will be picked up from memories written down in 2008. That will appear as regular text here. As mentioned last week, cameras, smart phones, and the like did not exist for us in 1994, so images will be few. There are some though, and I will sprinkle those in when they are relevant.

Following will be the first bit of this story. I suspect this series, which will appear on Sundays, will take just about the better part of this year to get out there. Thanks for reading! Now, on with the story.........

Late one evening, I do not recall exactly when, Troy was longing for a vacation. A much needed respite from the daily grind of the bike shop at which he and I were employed. This vacation, ironically, must include cycling. This was Troy's only stipulation. A vacation mounted on a two wheeled steel horse off to anywhere. Wind in your face, freedom from daily drudgery.

The easy solution was RAGBRAI. Registers Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, that's what it stands for, you know. A week long extravaganza spanning the state from West to East taking in a great number of small villages and towns along the way. Its reputation is well known nationwide. Drinking and dancing along the way. A veritable bacchanalian bike ride for the behaviourally challenged. This is; however, NOT Troy's idea of a bicycle vacation.

Troy was on RAGBRAI once. Once. He did not relish the experience. Troy hated it then and I know he really hates it now. Not just because the weeks before RAGBRAI are insane at our bike shop. No, he also dislikes the attitude of people associated with it. It reminds me of the day a cyclist came into the bike shop and says," Don't you go on RAGBRAI?" To which Troy flatly replied, "No." Then this man retorts back with, "Well, do you race any other time of the year?"

This boiled Troy's blood. You see, Troy is an accomplished racer by all accounts. Therefore and here after, Troy has dubbed RAGBRAI as the "bike ride from which all cyclists are judged." I suppose that this sarcastic description is what I think as well.

Since RAGBRAI was now out of the question, Troy declared that this vacation must be something epic. A trip that would be understood by even the simplest of cycling fools as a great challenge. No beer sodden ride through Iowa pasture land for Troy! He must make a fully self supported effort. Full bagged and loaded type touring.

A worthy destination was needed. How about Canada? Could Canada be reached within a week? Some muddled late night computations were done in our minds. The answer? Hell yes! But with whom? Troy was not willing to go it alone.

I did not offer up myself as a companion, as I did not have the bike or the base miles to do such a thing. I instead offered up the name of Steve. I knew him as a touring nut and a RAGBRAI trooper. Troy was stoked and when he asked Steve a couple of days later he said "Yes"! The trip was on! 
______________________________________________________________________

Notes: Troy was a racer/ex-college student/bike mechanic I worked with at Advantage Cycles. For the locals- Troy also was the founder of the "Bike Tech" shop in Cedar Falls. "Steve" was/is a local school teacher, and ironically ended up becoming my son's Principal  at the elementary school level years after this tour. At the time of this tour Steve was a die-hard RAGBRAI fan and had just come off the '94 RAGBRAI.


Next week on "The Touring Series": I Had No Business Going- But I Did!

Minus Ten Review - 4

We used to ride in the snow here in January......once....long ago!

Ten years ago here on the blog I was talking about feeling better and getting out for a ride in the snow. Not on a fat bike, of course. Not that you couldn't get one, but to get one you had to build it from scratch via Surly or have a custom fat bike made by one of a few builders making rigs for Iditarod riders in Alaska. Neither option was inexpensive.

The thing was, back then I figured I would only need a fat bike for what? Maybe two months? Then I would be back on my mountain bikes and forgetting those fat bikes for 10 months out of the year. I couldn't justify the thousands of dollars it would take to get something I thought I would use so little.

Of course, I hadn't ever ridden one nor had I considered uses outside the box of Winter riding in snow. Sand and mud are big deals here in the woods at times and a fat bike can traverse that sort of  terrain with ease. They also work as "just a mountain bike", and of course, many folks use them on gravel, so there ya go. I wasn't considering any of those options. Had that made sense to me in '07 or '08 I may have had a Pugs a long time ago.

But I was getting along on 29"ers better than I ever had with 26"ers. I used the widest rims and tires I could. I'm pretty sure those are WTB Stouts on some wider rims in that image there, probably 28mm rims. Later I ran 2.4" Ardents on 35mm Blunts and that was even better. It is why I feel that now a 29 inch by three inch tire on a 50mm rim would be the bees knees. But who knows? It doesn't really snow that much any more!

New frame, borrowed parts from another.

I also revealed a new rig I got near the end of 2007. An OS Bikes Blackbuck frame and fork was purchased from Mark Slate, who ran that venture but is better known as one of the pioneers of mtb and a tire designer extraordinaire at WTB.

I still have this frame and the steel fork that came with it. Here in its first iteration I did not use that fork, but the Bontrager Swicthblade I moved over from the On One Inbred. In fact, everything in the picture came off the Inbred.

This single speed is a real nice single track sled. I probably will never get rid of it. I haven't done a lot of riding on it the last several years, but in the beginning I spent a ton of time riding this bicycle. I used it most famously in my fork test for this blog and TNI where I used something like 8 or 9 different forks on it to see what they all did to the handling of the bike.

Mr. Slate apparently was fond most of all of the steel fork he deigned for this frame. It had a really short axle to crown measurement. Something like 425mm or close to that. (For reference, a typical 29"er suspension fork now is around 500mm or longer) Slate also used a 51mm offset. So with that fork and a typical 29"er tire the trail figure was around 52mm. (For reference a typical XC 29"er these days has about 90-ish millimeters of trail. You can check trail figures by plugging in the info here.)

Anyway, the result of the Blackbuck with its steel fork was nothing short of being like a razor sharp steering missile. You had better pay attention or the bike was going to cause you to crash! I could ride it, but the concentration necessary to do so, and do so fast, was draining. I ended up taking it off and using longer forks which were more forgiving. I still have that fork, of course, but I don't know when, if ever, I'd actually use it! Maybe for bike packing where you carry a weight on the front? Anyway.....

Minus Ten Review - 4

We used to ride in the snow here in January......once....long ago!

Ten years ago here on the blog I was talking about feeling better and getting out for a ride in the snow. Not on a fat bike, of course. Not that you couldn't get one, but to get one you had to build it from scratch via Surly or have a custom fat bike made by one of a few builders making rigs for Iditarod riders in Alaska. Neither option was inexpensive.

The thing was, back then I figured I would only need a fat bike for what? Maybe two months? Then I would be back on my mountain bikes and forgetting those fat bikes for 10 months out of the year. I couldn't justify the thousands of dollars it would take to get something I thought I would use so little.

Of course, I hadn't ever ridden one nor had I considered uses outside the box of Winter riding in snow. Sand and mud are big deals here in the woods at times and a fat bike can traverse that sort of  terrain with ease. They also work as "just a mountain bike", and of course, many folks use them on gravel, so there ya go. I wasn't considering any of those options. Had that made sense to me in '07 or '08 I may have had a Pugs a long time ago.

But I was getting along on 29"ers better than I ever had with 26"ers. I used the widest rims and tires I could. I'm pretty sure those are WTB Stouts on some wider rims in that image there, probably 28mm rims. Later I ran 2.4" Ardents on 35mm Blunts and that was even better. It is why I feel that now a 29 inch by three inch tire on a 50mm rim would be the bees knees. But who knows? It doesn't really snow that much any more!

New frame, borrowed parts from another.

I also revealed a new rig I got near the end of 2007. An OS Bikes Blackbuck frame and fork was purchased from Mark Slate, who ran that venture but is better known as one of the pioneers of mtb and a tire designer extraordinaire at WTB.

I still have this frame and the steel fork that came with it. Here in its first iteration I did not use that fork, but the Bontrager Swicthblade I moved over from the On One Inbred. In fact, everything in the picture came off the Inbred.

This single speed is a real nice single track sled. I probably will never get rid of it. I haven't done a lot of riding on it the last several years, but in the beginning I spent a ton of time riding this bicycle. I used it most famously in my fork test for this blog and TNI where I used something like 8 or 9 different forks on it to see what they all did to the handling of the bike.

Mr. Slate apparently was fond most of all of the steel fork he deigned for this frame. It had a really short axle to crown measurement. Something like 425mm or close to that. (For reference, a typical 29"er suspension fork now is around 500mm or longer) Slate also used a 51mm offset. So with that fork and a typical 29"er tire the trail figure was around 52mm. (For reference a typical XC 29"er these days has about 90-ish millimeters of trail. You can check trail figures by plugging in the info here.)

Anyway, the result of the Blackbuck with its steel fork was nothing short of being like a razor sharp steering missile. You had better pay attention or the bike was going to cause you to crash! I could ride it, but the concentration necessary to do so, and do so fast, was draining. I ended up taking it off and using longer forks which were more forgiving. I still have that fork, of course, but I don't know when, if ever, I'd actually use it! Maybe for bike packing where you carry a weight on the front? Anyway.....

Friday News And Views

Stans carbon wheels or just the carbon rims- Available now.

Stan's Carbon Wheel Sets And Rims:

 Stan's announced new carbon Crest based and Arch based wheel sets and rims available for purchase earlier this week. The wheels feature all the usual wheel "blah-blah" and the Stan's BST bead socket technology, yada-yada.....

 The thing I realized when checking out this was that carbon rim prices are coming down.......finally. 

When I got some Enve rims over ten years ago now, (they were Epic  Edge rims then), the rims were $800.00 per rim. Since that time carbon rims from China came along at about half that price and the competition heated up. There were those Derby rims, then another smaller company I cannot recall, then other companies like Whiskey and Stan's started coming along with their stuff. All of this has driven down the cost where you can now get some great product at about half of what those Enve rims would have cost in today's money in some cases.

I think it is also a reflection of the competitive nature of this segment that more rim only offerings are coming. This Stan's rim is now available as a rim only, albeit somewhat reluctantly offered, judging from the response a Stan's rep gave on their Facebook page.

I still think these rims are astronomically priced when you consider aluminum rims are going for about a C note or a little more. I'd be willing to pay more for carbon, but not four to six times more money. Your mileage may vary........

Gravel Worlds Registration Opens Tomorrow!

Set your alarm clocks for 6:00am tomorrow, January 27th, and register for this awesome event. Gravel Worlds will happen August 18th and it has two options- the "full course" option is the 150 miler and the "Privateer" option is the 75 mile course. 

Registration will be held on Athlinks.com which can be accessed via a link on the Gravel Worlds site. For your $80.00 shekels you get a commemorative t-shirt, and some other schwag. It's a very well run event with great people and a nice course. I plan on registering again. This event along with the Renegade Gent's race are two of my favorite events ever.

Solstice 100: If August doesn't work for you to ride Gravel Worlds, well maybe this event that happens in the same area would. Starting out of Malcom, Nebraska, (the General Store there is a must see), this event will be on June 23rd. Registration for this event is also tomorrow at 7:00am. Click here to get to the registration page.

I suspect this will be a very cool event since I heard really good reports about its inaugural running last year. Check it out. $45.00 ducats for a century of Nebraska gravelly goodness with a bunch of rad friends. (Because gravel grinders are your friends, you just may not know them yet!)


 

Silca Tattico pump- High tech heavy metal

High Tech Pump:

When Silca announced this I was...... Well, let's say I was a bit dismissive. I mean, a Bluetooth mini-pump? Really? Then I moved on. But then I was contacted by the rep for this brand and the rep had some sensible points about the pump.

So, let's say that you have had a bit of a puncture, maybe you lost a bit of sealant before the tire quit leaking, and now your tire is under presure, or softer than you'd prefer. Yeah, okay.....time to pump it back up, right? But to what? Most of us are not packing a gauge, and if we are, it isn't really all that accurate. Think about it- before the ride you were careful to set your tires up precisely. Are you going to tell me that no longer matters if you have to pump up your tire mid-ride?

Okay........I get it.

So here's the deal- The Silca Tattico pump has a battery, (CR2032 coin type) and it sends a Bluetooth signal to a free to download app on your smart phone. This will tell you with an accuracy of 2% or less what your psi is. That's better than many floor pump's accuracy, by the way. Okay, so that may be a valuable asset to many of us riding tubeless or that have to have tires set within a certain psi range which is narrow in scope, like say for fat bikes, or plus sized tires, which are notoriously sensitive to air pressure changes.


I showed the image of this pump on my scale because it is made from aluminum. All aluminum. No plastic parts here, dude! It has a heft to it and the parts seem pretty precisely made, much more so than most mini pumps.

There is a lot more to this, and I'll have a lot more to say about it after I review it for RidingGravel.com soon. So stay tuned. This isn't as silly a thing as I first thought, I'll say that much now.

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and get in some riding if you can!

Friday News And Views

Stans carbon wheels or just the carbon rims- Available now.

Stan's Carbon Wheel Sets And Rims:

 Stan's announced new carbon Crest based and Arch based wheel sets and rims available for purchase earlier this week. The wheels feature all the usual wheel "blah-blah" and the Stan's BST bead socket technology, yada-yada.....

 The thing I realized when checking out this was that carbon rim prices are coming down.......finally. 

When I got some Enve rims over ten years ago now, (they were Epic  Edge rims then), the rims were $800.00 per rim. Since that time carbon rims from China came along at about half that price and the competition heated up. There were those Derby rims, then another smaller company I cannot recall, then other companies like Whiskey and Stan's started coming along with their stuff. All of this has driven down the cost where you can now get some great product at about half of what those Enve rims would have cost in today's money in some cases.

I think it is also a reflection of the competitive nature of this segment that more rim only offerings are coming. This Stan's rim is now available as a rim only, albeit somewhat reluctantly offered, judging from the response a Stan's rep gave on their Facebook page.

I still think these rims are astronomically priced when you consider aluminum rims are going for about a C note or a little more. I'd be willing to pay more for carbon, but not four to six times more money. Your mileage may vary........

Gravel Worlds Registration Opens Tomorrow!

Set your alarm clocks for 6:00am tomorrow, January 27th, and register for this awesome event. Gravel Worlds will happen August 18th and it has two options- the "full course" option is the 150 miler and the "Privateer" option is the 75 mile course. 

Registration will be held on Athlinks.com which can be accessed via a link on the Gravel Worlds site. For your $80.00 shekels you get a commemorative t-shirt, and some other schwag. It's a very well run event with great people and a nice course. I plan on registering again. This event along with the Renegade Gent's race are two of my favorite events ever.

Solstice 100: If August doesn't work for you to ride Gravel Worlds, well maybe this event that happens in the same area would. Starting out of Malcom, Nebraska, (the General Store there is a must see), this event will be on June 23rd. Registration for this event is also tomorrow at 7:00am. Click here to get to the registration page.

I suspect this will be a very cool event since I heard really good reports about its inaugural running last year. Check it out. $45.00 ducats for a century of Nebraska gravelly goodness with a bunch of rad friends. (Because gravel grinders are your friends, you just may not know them yet!)


 

Silca Tattico pump- High tech heavy metal

High Tech Pump:

When Silca announced this I was...... Well, let's say I was a bit dismissive. I mean, a Bluetooth mini-pump? Really? Then I moved on. But then I was contacted by the rep for this brand and the rep had some sensible points about the pump.

So, let's say that you have had a bit of a puncture, maybe you lost a bit of sealant before the tire quit leaking, and now your tire is under presure, or softer than you'd prefer. Yeah, okay.....time to pump it back up, right? But to what? Most of us are not packing a gauge, and if we are, it isn't really all that accurate. Think about it- before the ride you were careful to set your tires up precisely. Are you going to tell me that no longer matters if you have to pump up your tire mid-ride?

Okay........I get it.

So here's the deal- The Silca Tattico pump has a battery, (CR2032 coin type) and it sends a Bluetooth signal to a free to download app on your smart phone. This will tell you with an accuracy of 2% or less what your psi is. That's better than many floor pump's accuracy, by the way. Okay, so that may be a valuable asset to many of us riding tubeless or that have to have tires set within a certain psi range which is narrow in scope, like say for fat bikes, or plus sized tires, which are notoriously sensitive to air pressure changes.


I showed the image of this pump on my scale because it is made from aluminum. All aluminum. No plastic parts here, dude! It has a heft to it and the parts seem pretty precisely made, much more so than most mini pumps.

There is a lot more to this, and I'll have a lot more to say about it after I review it for RidingGravel.com soon. So stay tuned. This isn't as silly a thing as I first thought, I'll say that much now.

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and get in some riding if you can!

What's In A Name?

From the mountain to the smooth paved surfaces- a bike like this can cover a lot of ground.

The cycling industry is hell bent on discovering the "next thing" in cycling to make a living off of. Currently those niche ideas are e-mtb's and the gravel bike category. However; I have had the opinion and still do, that the cycling industry is actually doing itself more harm than good by calling these bikes for any road, "gravel bikes".

I've been saying that since 2012-13 or so and I even went as far as "crowd sourcing" an idea for a different name for these bikes which came up with inconclusive results.  Why? Because calling these bikes "gravel bikes" is like calling fat bikes "snow bikes". If you don't get snow, or would never consider riding on/in it, then you are going to instantly eliminate such a bike as a possibility for you. That's what happens when we say "gravel bike". It is limiting and unnecessarily puts people off the idea of owning, for all intents and purposes, what is probably the smartest bicycle they could buy.

So, what name should we use? (Here we go again!) Well, I thought long and hard about this and I came up with something. It has to be easy, not really exclusive, but inclusive, and maybe the less understood it is the better. This name follows a similar convention to "mountain bike" which is often abbreviated as "mtb", although it is possible that a lot of folks really don't think what those three letters actually mean.

So, my idea is to call these bikes "All Purpose Bikes" or APB's in short. They serve the wide and varied gulf between mountain and road racing. The anywhere, do almost anything" bike that can be a gravel road going rig, a commuter, a light touring rig, a CX bike in a pinch, can do light single track, and also keep up on the club ride or Gran Fondo ride. RAGBRAI? A perfect bike for that. Skinny tires fit, but this bike would be defined by an ability to swallow 35mm tires at a minimum and 45's max, or then it becomes something else.

Okay, I've put that out there, that's my suggestion. What's yours?

What's In A Name?

From the mountain to the smooth paved surfaces- a bike like this can cover a lot of ground.

The cycling industry is hell bent on discovering the "next thing" in cycling to make a living off of. Currently those niche ideas are e-mtb's and the gravel bike category. However; I have had the opinion and still do, that the cycling industry is actually doing itself more harm than good by calling these bikes for any road, "gravel bikes".

I've been saying that since 2012-13 or so and I even went as far as "crowd sourcing" an idea for a different name for these bikes which came up with inconclusive results.  Why? Because calling these bikes "gravel bikes" is like calling fat bikes "snow bikes". If you don't get snow, or would never consider riding on/in it, then you are going to instantly eliminate such a bike as a possibility for you. That's what happens when we say "gravel bike". It is limiting and unnecessarily puts people off the idea of owning, for all intents and purposes, what is probably the smartest bicycle they could buy.

So, what name should we use? (Here we go again!) Well, I thought long and hard about this and I came up with something. It has to be easy, not really exclusive, but inclusive, and maybe the less understood it is the better. This name follows a similar convention to "mountain bike" which is often abbreviated as "mtb", although it is possible that a lot of folks really don't think what those three letters actually mean.

So, my idea is to call these bikes "All Purpose Bikes" or APB's in short. They serve the wide and varied gulf between mountain and road racing. The anywhere, do almost anything" bike that can be a gravel road going rig, a commuter, a light touring rig, a CX bike in a pinch, can do light single track, and also keep up on the club ride or Gran Fondo ride. RAGBRAI? A perfect bike for that. Skinny tires fit, but this bike would be defined by an ability to swallow 35mm tires at a minimum and 45's max, or then it becomes something else.

Okay, I've put that out there, that's my suggestion. What's yours?

The Wear And Tear

My hands feel about as worn and precise as that friction shifter some days.

First of all, thank you to everyone that sent along birthday good wishes yesterday. I appreciate that very much. I didn't do anything spectacular. I had to work and I had a band practice in the evening, so a regular day for me, really. I'll do something special with my family, and as far as a bicycle ride, this weekend, hopefully.

Anyway, this whole marking of time thing got me to thinking. I've been working with my hands since I was about 20 years old. That's nigh unto four decades, not quite, but close. That's a lot of wear and tear on the body. I think it really didn't ramp up until I got my first bike shop job in 1993, but ever since then, my hands have taken a beating. Especially for the five and a half years I was a car mechanic.

So, my digits pretty much hurt all the time now. Bicycle riding on gravel probably doesn't help things, but really, that isn't what bothers my hands at all. In fact, cycling seems to make things better the more I do it. The thing is, I am just wearing out. Plain and simple.

There was this show my kids used to watch on the Disney channel, or somewhere on cable, called "iCarly". there was one episode where this goofy character on the show had a language program that was trying to teach him how to speak Japanese which required him to wear a collar that shocked him if he pronounced a word incorrectly. When that happened the language program would say, "The pain helps you learn!". I think the pain I feel in my hands has really helped me learn a few things too.

Like how to use tools to your advantage. Leverage tricks, working with my left hand more, and using gloves more really has been a game changer. But that's not all. Even the work stand I use has to be handled in a way that eases the stress on the hands. Which reminds me of a great story about how to use a bicycle repair stand.

We get greenhorns in from time to time at the shop and it is comical how they try to use a bicycle repair stand. I try to gently nudge these people into seeing how the repair stand can make your life a lot easier. But there was one fellow that was stubborn. He was resistant to my suggestions that the Park repair stand could allow him to rotate the bicycle up so he wouldn't have to bend over double to work on a bottom bracket he was trying to repair. He claimed that since he was young, it was "good exercise". I told him to come back and tell me how that "good exercise"works out for him when he is 50 years old.

He didn't understand.

I figure someday the pain will help him learn!

The Wear And Tear

My hands feel about as worn and precise as that friction shifter some days.

First of all, thank you to everyone that sent along birthday good wishes yesterday. I appreciate that very much. I didn't do anything spectacular. I had to work and I had a band practice in the evening, so a regular day for me, really. I'll do something special with my family, and as far as a bicycle ride, this weekend, hopefully.

Anyway, this whole marking of time thing got me to thinking. I've been working with my hands since I was about 20 years old. That's nigh unto four decades, not quite, but close. That's a lot of wear and tear on the body. I think it really didn't ramp up until I got my first bike shop job in 1993, but ever since then, my hands have taken a beating. Especially for the five and a half years I was a car mechanic.

So, my digits pretty much hurt all the time now. Bicycle riding on gravel probably doesn't help things, but really, that isn't what bothers my hands at all. In fact, cycling seems to make things better the more I do it. The thing is, I am just wearing out. Plain and simple.

There was this show my kids used to watch on the Disney channel, or somewhere on cable, called "iCarly". there was one episode where this goofy character on the show had a language program that was trying to teach him how to speak Japanese which required him to wear a collar that shocked him if he pronounced a word incorrectly. When that happened the language program would say, "The pain helps you learn!". I think the pain I feel in my hands has really helped me learn a few things too.

Like how to use tools to your advantage. Leverage tricks, working with my left hand more, and using gloves more really has been a game changer. But that's not all. Even the work stand I use has to be handled in a way that eases the stress on the hands. Which reminds me of a great story about how to use a bicycle repair stand.

We get greenhorns in from time to time at the shop and it is comical how they try to use a bicycle repair stand. I try to gently nudge these people into seeing how the repair stand can make your life a lot easier. But there was one fellow that was stubborn. He was resistant to my suggestions that the Park repair stand could allow him to rotate the bicycle up so he wouldn't have to bend over double to work on a bottom bracket he was trying to repair. He claimed that since he was young, it was "good exercise". I told him to come back and tell me how that "good exercise"works out for him when he is 50 years old.

He didn't understand.

I figure someday the pain will help him learn!

Orbit #57

I may be old and battered, but I'm still kickin'! Image by A Jardon/G-Ted Productions

Completion of Orbit #57 happened today. That's right, today is that day. 

They say you are only as old as you feel. They say you are only as old as you act. I say I don't think about how old I am. Well, once in a while I do, but for the most part, I have to be reminded and then sometimes I am surprised at how old I am. I hope that doesn't change.....

That said, time marches on, and I have a limit to what is available to me. If you've been paying attention, around about the end of every year I get to thinking and say that I should be making changes in my life. For the most part, I have, and it has been good. But there are changes coming in lives close to me that are going to make changes (willing changes) on my part happen sooner than later. We must change or die. Even death is really just a change.... Better get used to change now.

Anyway, I think you'll notice some changes here soon, and those will be good all around. Stay tuned on that........

However; today is today. I wish you all the best. Thanks for reading, as always. Don't worry- I'll be celebrating today, and contemplating what Orbit #58 will bring to view. Till tomorrow......

Orbit #57

I may be old and battered, but I'm still kickin'! Image by A Jardon/G-Ted Productions

Completion of Orbit #57 happened today. That's right, today is that day. 

They say you are only as old as you feel. They say you are only as old as you act. I say I don't think about how old I am. Well, once in a while I do, but for the most part, I have to be reminded and then sometimes I am surprised at how old I am. I hope that doesn't change.....

That said, time marches on, and I have a limit to what is available to me. If you've been paying attention, around about the end of every year I get to thinking and say that I should be making changes in my life. For the most part, I have, and it has been good. But there are changes coming in lives close to me that are going to make changes (willing changes) on my part happen sooner than later. We must change or die. Even death is really just a change.... Better get used to change now.

Anyway, I think you'll notice some changes here soon, and those will be good all around. Stay tuned on that........

However; today is today. I wish you all the best. Thanks for reading, as always. Don't worry- I'll be celebrating today, and contemplating what Orbit #58 will bring to view. Till tomorrow......

Changing Times

Well, a week makes a big difference. One week ago we were just crawling out of the depths of a wicked cold snap and now we are flirting with 50°F and thunderstorms! Talk about "weather whiplash"!

Last week, I drove to work on Monday due to the below zero degree windchill and my just coming off being sick. Tuesday I didn't have to be to work till 10:00 am, so I took the long way into work on the still snowy trails. Granted, there was barely any snow, but there was still something to scrunch fat bike tires over.

Then the weather started getting warmer, and warmer. The Sun shone forth, and the snow retreated. Since there wasn't much snow to begin with, the trail conditions were pretty much toast after Wednesday. Then it was a watch to see if we might get lucky enough to get in on this storm we are having now and get snow. Well, you can see the radar for yourself. It's raining here.

But between then and now we had one, glorious, Sunny January Saturday, and I got out and had a three-fer: Two bike rides and a long walk. Yes, I made the most out of my one good day! 

On the way into work Tuesday last week.

Recycle by bicycle! A gloriously Sunny Saturday downtown along the river in Waterloo, Iowa.

I also got in some time on the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" testing out some mushy road.

So, Sunday went all dreary, misty, and then rainy. Despite the news of the big blizzard, we aren't even close to getting a whiff of the white stuff. The ground is bare in almost every sense, and the forecast for the rest of the month is bleak for snow lovers. Oh well! I can always try my luck on a local gravel road, as long as the winds aren't crazy and the temperatures hold up somewhat.

So, as of now it looks as though we are going into February here with zero snow and the prospects for any kind of "Winter" are pretty much washed up now. Sure- we could have four weeks of Winter yet, but all that would do now is make people mad. It's too late. Once you reach February with no snow you are thinking Spring, and it better come quick. Any additional jabs from Old Man Winter now are just going to put that off. It won't be anything but a sucker punch now.

That said, I'd take a few more weeks of decent snow and fat biking. The likelihood of that happening is pretty low now though! The times- they be a changing, and maybe now this is what our Winters will be like, more often than not.

Changing Times

Well, a week makes a big difference. One week ago we were just crawling out of the depths of a wicked cold snap and now we are flirting with 50°F and thunderstorms! Talk about "weather whiplash"!

Last week, I drove to work on Monday due to the below zero degree windchill and my just coming off being sick. Tuesday I didn't have to be to work till 10:00 am, so I took the long way into work on the still snowy trails. Granted, there was barely any snow, but there was still something to scrunch fat bike tires over.

Then the weather started getting warmer, and warmer. The Sun shone forth, and the snow retreated. Since there wasn't much snow to begin with, the trail conditions were pretty much toast after Wednesday. Then it was a watch to see if we might get lucky enough to get in on this storm we are having now and get snow. Well, you can see the radar for yourself. It's raining here.

But between then and now we had one, glorious, Sunny January Saturday, and I got out and had a three-fer: Two bike rides and a long walk. Yes, I made the most out of my one good day! 

On the way into work Tuesday last week.

Recycle by bicycle! A gloriously Sunny Saturday downtown along the river in Waterloo, Iowa.

I also got in some time on the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" testing out some mushy road.

So, Sunday went all dreary, misty, and then rainy. Despite the news of the big blizzard, we aren't even close to getting a whiff of the white stuff. The ground is bare in almost every sense, and the forecast for the rest of the month is bleak for snow lovers. Oh well! I can always try my luck on a local gravel road, as long as the winds aren't crazy and the temperatures hold up somewhat.

So, as of now it looks as though we are going into February here with zero snow and the prospects for any kind of "Winter" are pretty much washed up now. Sure- we could have four weeks of Winter yet, but all that would do now is make people mad. It's too late. Once you reach February with no snow you are thinking Spring, and it better come quick. Any additional jabs from Old Man Winter now are just going to put that off. It won't be anything but a sucker punch now.

That said, I'd take a few more weeks of decent snow and fat biking. The likelihood of that happening is pretty low now though! The times- they be a changing, and maybe now this is what our Winters will be like, more often than not.