Minus Ten Review- 13

We saw some beautiful roads during T.I.v8 recon

Ten years ago on the blog I was recovering from the big trip to the desert and looking at another Trans Iowa recon. That would have been for Trans Iowa v4, and it was another stressful run up to the big event. I learned a few things in 2008, and one of them was to NOT pack in four big events in life within five weeks time.

It didn't help that Trans Iowa recon was a wash when we tried doing it in December the year before. I learned that it was best to get the initial recon done in Fall when the weather and roads were at their best, generally speaking. Waiting until less than a month remained before Trans Iowa was.........not good. 

The other thing I recall was that this course was absolutely gorgeous. Too bad the Winter was so rough on the roads that year, because T.I.v4 was truncated and we didn't get to see what I considered to be the best parts of that course. There was one particular view that sticks with me to this very day. I'll have to get back up that way in Summer and plot out a route that encompasses that descent and some other areas around there that would be good to see by bicycle.

The amount of snow left piled along many stretches of the route was amazing for so late into the year. This was "almost April" and we passed by several 10 to 20 foot high drifts of snow along the road. We wondered aloud whether snow patches might still exist when we ran Trans Iowa. Of course, we didn't really believe that we would, but then again, we hadn't expected so many drifts of snow either. This melting of snow which occurred later was part of the undoing of T.I.v4, by the way.

This also marked the first time I had a cohort involved in recon since Jeff Kerkove and I did the T.I.v1 recon together. That was nice and David Pals was a great asset to me during his tenure as a Trans Iowa co-director. Without his help I am pretty sure Trans Iowa would have stopped a long time ago.

Minus Ten Review- 13

We saw some beautiful roads during T.I.v8 recon

Ten years ago on the blog I was recovering from the big trip to the desert and looking at another Trans Iowa recon. That would have been for Trans Iowa v4, and it was another stressful run up to the big event. I learned a few things in 2008, and one of them was to NOT pack in four big events in life within five weeks time.

It didn't help that Trans Iowa recon was a wash when we tried doing it in December the year before. I learned that it was best to get the initial recon done in Fall when the weather and roads were at their best, generally speaking. Waiting until less than a month remained before Trans Iowa was.........not good. 

The other thing I recall was that this course was absolutely gorgeous. Too bad the Winter was so rough on the roads that year, because T.I.v4 was truncated and we didn't get to see what I considered to be the best parts of that course. There was one particular view that sticks with me to this very day. I'll have to get back up that way in Summer and plot out a route that encompasses that descent and some other areas around there that would be good to see by bicycle.

The amount of snow left piled along many stretches of the route was amazing for so late into the year. This was "almost April" and we passed by several 10 to 20 foot high drifts of snow along the road. We wondered aloud whether snow patches might still exist when we ran Trans Iowa. Of course, we didn't really believe that we would, but then again, we hadn't expected so many drifts of snow either. This melting of snow which occurred later was part of the undoing of T.I.v4, by the way.

This also marked the first time I had a cohort involved in recon since Jeff Kerkove and I did the T.I.v1 recon together. That was nice and David Pals was a great asset to me during his tenure as a Trans Iowa co-director. Without his help I am pretty sure Trans Iowa would have stopped a long time ago.

Friday News And Views

Tight fit- Note the snow build up on the fork

Its All About The Clearance, Clarence:

You know, when this whole gravel deal kicked into gear back about six years ago, I figured that the tires would all be, you know, not that big. I figured what we needed were good choices from 35mm to 40mm in size. That about 38mm tires would be the "normal" size.

Why wouldn't I have thought this? Previous to 2012, you couldn't get a "gravel tire". None really existed unless you counted Bruce Gordon's Rock & Road tire, which has a pretty aggressive tread, and is more "ATB" than "all-roads". Hybrid bike tires would work, width-wise, but the quality was awful. Touring tires existed in this size range, but they were heavy and had all this puncture protection stuff in them that made them ride terribly on gravel. A lot of people used Schwalbe Marathon tires previous to 2010, and those were mostly 35mm-40mm in size. It was what we had at hand to use at the time.

The widths seemed to work well. I took a survey of riders, maybe for T.I.v5 or v6, and this would have been 2009-2010, when the riders surveyed said 35mm tires were the best choice in width for them. So, what happened? Where did all the puffy, 42mm-45mm tires come from?

You may say, "Well, most tires are actually 40mm, aren't they?" Technically speaking, they should be, but in reality, they are anything but that. In years past, with 29"er tires, I got very used to finding out the newest 2.4" tire might make 2.25" in reality. Nothing, and I mean no tire, was ever the size the casing said it was for years. All narrower. Now with gravel tires, it is the complete opposite! 

Even on skinny rims these supposed 40's are actually 42mm wide.

 I don't know, maybe tire manufacturers are in a giving mood these last several years because almost no tire I have tested is actually the width it says on the hot patch. They almost all are bigger, and in some cases, waaaay bigger! 

Maybe you are okay with that. Maybe you like getting "more" for your money. But in the case of bicycles meant to handle 40's and no larger, it can be an issue. Take my Twin Six Standard Rando, for instance. A 40mm tire is about as large as I'd run on this bike with any confidence that I would not be jamming small stones between the top of the tread and the mono-stay end on the bike. I know- Twin Six says it will fit a Rock & Road, and while you can get one under there, there ain't much room. This is really a 40mm tire bike, or smaller.

I'm going to run the 700's on here for a bit, but 650B tires are going back on real soon, and it will be interesting to see if the wider Irwin wheels I am testing allow the WTB Byway's to pass between the stays and fork legs. They worked with the narrower Velocity Aileron rims, but we will see......

Renegade Gents Race Rig.........most likely.

Workin' On Being A Renegade:

Next weekend is the Renegade Gents Race. I've often said that this is the funnest, good time bicycle ride/event I do all year. This also will mark the 8th consecutive year I've done this deal. All with the same bunch of Renegades, by the way.

It's a special event for me because I made good friends at this event that I would not have today otherwise. I marvel at what this event has become and I am sure it is a big deal now for the folks in Slater, Iowa where we will descend with about 350 riders or so. I think the first year there were way less than 100!

Anyway, I plan on riding the Raleigh Tamland with the 650B wheel set I have been testing on there. Our team captain is riding a fat bike this year and said to, "plan your pace accordingly", so I'll probably be over-biked for this, but then again- Our team captain is a very strong rider and is getting tuned up for Trans Iowa, so yeah..... We'll see about that easy pace! 

So, the bike will be as seen here with the bar tape switched out. I have this new stuff which is pretty rad and I cannot wait to try it out. It is kind of rubbery-tacky, and very cushioned. It comes from a company named "Marque" so I'll be gabbing about that later on. I may also have to clean and lube the drive train. It probably needs replacing, but you know what they say not to do just before an event, right? Hopefully it holds up. I am confident that it will.

Okay, Happy Easter, if you do that, and otherwise have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

Tight fit- Note the snow build up on the fork

Its All About The Clearance, Clarence:

You know, when this whole gravel deal kicked into gear back about six years ago, I figured that the tires would all be, you know, not that big. I figured what we needed were good choices from 35mm to 40mm in size. That about 38mm tires would be the "normal" size.

Why wouldn't I have thought this? Previous to 2012, you couldn't get a "gravel tire". None really existed unless you counted Bruce Gordon's Rock & Road tire, which has a pretty aggressive tread, and is more "ATB" than "all-roads". Hybrid bike tires would work, width-wise, but the quality was awful. Touring tires existed in this size range, but they were heavy and had all this puncture protection stuff in them that made them ride terribly on gravel. A lot of people used Schwalbe Marathon tires previous to 2010, and those were mostly 35mm-40mm in size. It was what we had at hand to use at the time.

The widths seemed to work well. I took a survey of riders, maybe for T.I.v5 or v6, and this would have been 2009-2010, when the riders surveyed said 35mm tires were the best choice in width for them. So, what happened? Where did all the puffy, 42mm-45mm tires come from?

You may say, "Well, most tires are actually 40mm, aren't they?" Technically speaking, they should be, but in reality, they are anything but that. In years past, with 29"er tires, I got very used to finding out the newest 2.4" tire might make 2.25" in reality. Nothing, and I mean no tire, was ever the size the casing said it was for years. All narrower. Now with gravel tires, it is the complete opposite! 

Even on skinny rims these supposed 40's are actually 42mm wide.

 I don't know, maybe tire manufacturers are in a giving mood these last several years because almost no tire I have tested is actually the width it says on the hot patch. They almost all are bigger, and in some cases, waaaay bigger! 

Maybe you are okay with that. Maybe you like getting "more" for your money. But in the case of bicycles meant to handle 40's and no larger, it can be an issue. Take my Twin Six Standard Rando, for instance. A 40mm tire is about as large as I'd run on this bike with any confidence that I would not be jamming small stones between the top of the tread and the mono-stay end on the bike. I know- Twin Six says it will fit a Rock & Road, and while you can get one under there, there ain't much room. This is really a 40mm tire bike, or smaller.

I'm going to run the 700's on here for a bit, but 650B tires are going back on real soon, and it will be interesting to see if the wider Irwin wheels I am testing allow the WTB Byway's to pass between the stays and fork legs. They worked with the narrower Velocity Aileron rims, but we will see......

Renegade Gents Race Rig.........most likely.

Workin' On Being A Renegade:

Next weekend is the Renegade Gents Race. I've often said that this is the funnest, good time bicycle ride/event I do all year. This also will mark the 8th consecutive year I've done this deal. All with the same bunch of Renegades, by the way.

It's a special event for me because I made good friends at this event that I would not have today otherwise. I marvel at what this event has become and I am sure it is a big deal now for the folks in Slater, Iowa where we will descend with about 350 riders or so. I think the first year there were way less than 100!

Anyway, I plan on riding the Raleigh Tamland with the 650B wheel set I have been testing on there. Our team captain is riding a fat bike this year and said to, "plan your pace accordingly", so I'll probably be over-biked for this, but then again- Our team captain is a very strong rider and is getting tuned up for Trans Iowa, so yeah..... We'll see about that easy pace! 

So, the bike will be as seen here with the bar tape switched out. I have this new stuff which is pretty rad and I cannot wait to try it out. It is kind of rubbery-tacky, and very cushioned. It comes from a company named "Marque" so I'll be gabbing about that later on. I may also have to clean and lube the drive train. It probably needs replacing, but you know what they say not to do just before an event, right? Hopefully it holds up. I am confident that it will.

Okay, Happy Easter, if you do that, and otherwise have a great weekend!

Ergon ST Core Saddle Review

The several layers of the Ergon ST Core Prime saddle

Bicycle saddles are one of the contact points for a rider and arguably the most important one. If you get on a bad-for-you saddle, then you won't be riding long, or at the very least, you will be in pain. Who wants to be in pain? (WAIT! Don't answer that! I don't want to know!)

Anyway, pain in the butt, (literally) saddles are no fun. I think we can all agree on that point. So, saddle technology has been something that has been changing a lot over the last 30 years. The segment has seen a ton of changes and it has made certain company's names and broken others. Ergon is one company that kind of hangs its hat on the the saddles it makes, and their newest one is unusual, but no less an Ergon than the others in the line.

Ergon USA made an offer to me and many other "social media influencers" to try out this new saddle. Now I wasn't paid or anything for this, and in fact, they told me I didn't have to say anything if I didn't want to. But I am, and here is what I'm going to say for now....... But first- The specs from the Ergon site:

• CroMo rails,  7x7
• Core made of Closed Cell Particle Foam (E-TPU)
• MicroFiber cover
• Padding made of Orthopedic Comfort Foam
• Gender specific shapes and relief channels
• Available in 2 sizes
• Gender specific designs
• S/M fit sit-bone width of 9-12 cm
• M/L fits sit-bone width of 12-16 cm

I requested a M/L which fell in my range for fit. Once it arrived I noted the white "E-TPU" core and the nice MicroFiber cover. The saddle appears to be heavy, but in the hand it is remarkably light. I did not weigh it, so I will have to do that at some point.

Besides the cut out which isn't really a "cut out", more of a relief channel, the saddle has a flat profile when viewed from the side. I will say up front that flat profile saddles have not been my favorites in years past. I generally find that a slight "bucket shape" or "sagged center" saddle type is more my jam. Saddles like WTB's, for instance. My favorite being the discontinued SST and the Pure series saddles. I generally run those "nose up" a bit and that tends to keep me from pedaling off the nose of a saddle.

So, now that you have a background in what I prefer, you can gauge the rest of this based upon my personal peccadilloes. Obviously everyone has unique physiology, so I wanted to make some statement of where I am coming from in that regard.

The set up of the ST Core saddle was straight forward. I had no issues getting the saddle in the clamp of my Salsa Shaft seat post and then getting my old Carousel Designs seat pack on there as well. There is nothing non-standard underneath this saddle that would prevent you from using most any accessory meant for under the saddle mounting. With the initial saddle set up being dead level, I tried it for a few rides, but as I anticipated, I needed to "nose it up" to keep myself from feeling like I was going to slide off the front of this saddle and also to hopefully be more comfortable. As I say- personal peccadilloes. Once the saddle was tilted up a hair all was in a happy place for me, so I continued the testing.

The saddle was mounted to my fixed gear Surly 1X1 and used for daily commuting

The bike I used this on to begin with was the Surly 1X1 commuter rig which I have currently set up in the fixed gear mode. The theory being here that with fixed gear, you pedal every inch of the way, so a shorter commute could reflect as much pedaling one might do in a longer ride. Anyway, I figured that this bike would be a good test mule because of the amount of pedaling I do when I ride it and pedaling can amplify issues with saddles. Plus, this saddle is touted as something that will move with the rider. What better way to find this out?

So, now after a solid month with this saddle pedaling over grassy fields, bike paths, broken up pavement, and "normal" city streets, I can say that, yes, there is something going on here.

My initial reaction was that I had forgotten to pump up my tires the day I first had this saddle on the bike. But I was mistaken, because it was the give of the saddle that was to blame. The rocking motion one makes while pedaling has no resistance since the saddle moves with the rider. When expected resistance isn't there, I almost always blame a low tire, because generally speaking, that's what is causing that sensation. However; my tires were pumped up, and then I knew the saddle was actually working as advertised. After the initial "nose up" adjustment, I have had no discomfort or numbness issues with this saddle either.

After a month of solid use, the Ergon ST Core looks "good" yet.

My first impressions of the saddle's core material was that it looked a little like a cheap gas station coffee cup, or cottage cheese. I like cottage cheese, so I am going with that. Anyway, I was very skeptical of the material's performance claims and even more so of how it would hold up. Obviously I feel like it works for riding, and it does smooth out road chatter and takes the edge off big bumps, but how did it hold up so far? Well, pretty well, actually.

Obviously there is some bonding agent that holds things together, so I was looking for signs of separation, or any degrading of the E-TPU material, maybe a little discoloration after being exposed to the elements. However; so far, I have noted nothing of the sort. I will continue to monitor this as I keep riding the saddle throughout the Spring.

Plans are to move this saddle over to another rig. Obviously, this is a shape that is meant for a more upright position, so one of my gravel bikes would be the wrong place to try it out. However; I am wanting to do another Fat Bike Century soon, and this saddle is a perfect fit for that activity since I have the proper position on a fat bike for this saddle.

The Ergon ST Core isn't an inexpensive saddle, despite it's "replacement saddle" looks. This is touted as a serious cyclist's saddle on par with touring saddles meant for longer rides. So, the Fat Bike Century idea fits this bill. Look for that to happen probably after Trans Iowa. Until then I'll continue on with the fixed gear Surly and see how it goes. Stay tuned for more soon.......Part Two HERE

Note: Ergon USA  sent over the Ergon ST Core saddle at no charge for testing and I was not paid nor bribed for this review.

Ergon ST Core Saddle Review

The several layers of the Ergon ST Core Prime saddle

Bicycle saddles are one of the contact points for a rider and arguably the most important one. If you get on a bad-for-you saddle, then you won't be riding long, or at the very least, you will be in pain. Who wants to be in pain? (WAIT! Don't answer that! I don't want to know!)

Anyway, pain in the butt, (literally) saddles are no fun. I think we can all agree on that point. So, saddle technology has been something that has been changing a lot over the last 30 years. The segment has seen a ton of changes and it has made certain company's names and broken others. Ergon is one company that kind of hangs its hat on the the saddles it makes, and their newest one is unusual, but no less an Ergon than the others in the line.

Ergon USA made an offer to me and many other "social media influencers" to try out this new saddle. Now I wasn't paid or anything for this, and in fact, they told me I didn't have to say anything if I didn't want to. But I am, and here is what I'm going to say for now....... But first- The specs from the Ergon site:

• CroMo rails,  7x7
• Core made of Closed Cell Particle Foam (E-TPU)
• MicroFiber cover
• Padding made of Orthopedic Comfort Foam
• Gender specific shapes and relief channels
• Available in 2 sizes
• Gender specific designs
• S/M fit sit-bone width of 9-12 cm
• M/L fits sit-bone width of 12-16 cm

I requested a M/L which fell in my range for fit. Once it arrived I noted the white "E-TPU" core and the nice MicroFiber cover. The saddle appears to be heavy, but in the hand it is remarkably light. I did not weigh it, so I will have to do that at some point.

Besides the cut out which isn't really a "cut out", more of a relief channel, the saddle has a flat profile when viewed from the side. I will say up front that flat profile saddles have not been my favorites in years past. I generally find that a slight "bucket shape" or "sagged center" saddle type is more my jam. Saddles like WTB's, for instance. My favorite being the discontinued SST and the Pure series saddles. I generally run those "nose up" a bit and that tends to keep me from pedaling off the nose of a saddle.

So, now that you have a background in what I prefer, you can gauge the rest of this based upon my personal peccadilloes. Obviously everyone has unique physiology, so I wanted to make some statement of where I am coming from in that regard.

The set up of the ST Core saddle was straight forward. I had no issues getting the saddle in the clamp of my Salsa Shaft seat post and then getting my old Carousel Designs seat pack on there as well. There is nothing non-standard underneath this saddle that would prevent you from using most any accessory meant for under the saddle mounting. With the initial saddle set up being dead level, I tried it for a few rides, but as I anticipated, I needed to "nose it up" to keep myself from feeling like I was going to slide off the front of this saddle and also to hopefully be more comfortable. As I say- personal peccadilloes. Once the saddle was tilted up a hair all was in a happy place for me, so I continued the testing.

The saddle was mounted to my fixed gear Surly 1X1 and used for daily commuting

The bike I used this on to begin with was the Surly 1X1 commuter rig which I have currently set up in the fixed gear mode. The theory being here that with fixed gear, you pedal every inch of the way, so a shorter commute could reflect as much pedaling one might do in a longer ride. Anyway, I figured that this bike would be a good test mule because of the amount of pedaling I do when I ride it and pedaling can amplify issues with saddles. Plus, this saddle is touted as something that will move with the rider. What better way to find this out?

So, now after a solid month with this saddle pedaling over grassy fields, bike paths, broken up pavement, and "normal" city streets, I can say that, yes, there is something going on here.

My initial reaction was that I had forgotten to pump up my tires the day I first had this saddle on the bike. But I was mistaken, because it was the give of the saddle that was to blame. The rocking motion one makes while pedaling has no resistance since the saddle moves with the rider. When expected resistance isn't there, I almost always blame a low tire, because generally speaking, that's what is causing that sensation. However; my tires were pumped up, and then I knew the saddle was actually working as advertised. After the initial "nose up" adjustment, I have had no discomfort or numbness issues with this saddle either.

After a month of solid use, the Ergon ST Core looks "good" yet.

My first impressions of the saddle's core material was that it looked a little like a cheap gas station coffee cup, or cottage cheese. I like cottage cheese, so I am going with that. Anyway, I was very skeptical of the material's performance claims and even more so of how it would hold up. Obviously I feel like it works for riding, and it does smooth out road chatter and takes the edge off big bumps, but how did it hold up so far? Well, pretty well, actually.

Obviously there is some bonding agent that holds things together, so I was looking for signs of separation, or any degrading of the E-TPU material, maybe a little discoloration after being exposed to the elements. However; so far, I have noted nothing of the sort. I will continue to monitor this as I keep riding the saddle throughout the Spring.

Plans are to move this saddle over to another rig. Obviously, this is a shape that is meant for a more upright position, so one of my gravel bikes would be the wrong place to try it out. However; I am wanting to do another Fat Bike Century soon, and this saddle is a perfect fit for that activity since I have the proper position on a fat bike for this saddle.

The Ergon ST Core isn't an inexpensive saddle, despite it's "replacement saddle" looks. This is touted as a serious cyclist's saddle on par with touring saddles meant for longer rides. So, the Fat Bike Century idea fits this bill. Look for that to happen probably after Trans Iowa. Until then I'll continue on with the fixed gear Surly and see how it goes. Stay tuned for more soon.......Part Two HERE

Note: Ergon USA  sent over the Ergon ST Core saddle at no charge for testing and I was not paid nor bribed for this review.

Trans Iowa v14: Numbers And Stuff

Who will get the #1 plate?

Numbers Are In:

Trans Iowa number plates are in at HQ now and I get to sort through them and assign numbers to people. But before I get too far, there are some rules for the riders concerning these numbers.

• Number plates MUST be VISIBLE at all times. So, if you have your number pinned to a jacket to start out, and later it gets warm enough to take off that jacket, you MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO YOUR JERSEY. If, for instance, you have your number on your jersey and put on a jacket, YOU MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO THE JACKET, But wouldn't it be just easier all around if you stuck the number on your bike and made sure it was secured so it wasn't blown off? Then you can swap around clothing at will without running afoul of this rule. If we cannot see your number you will be DQ'ed, so be careful! I have several observers that will be planted at certain points on course, so we will be watching you! Numbers should be on the handle bars for best compliance to this rule. 
• Numbers Can Not Be Cut Or Modified In Any Way!
• We will provide pins and twist ties which will be available at the Pre-Race Meat-Up.
• Numbers will be picked up at sign in at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. 

Numbers are assigned in such a way that they will make sense to the volunteers and to myself, so beyond that there is no special significance to which number plate you receive. Yes......I have a #1 plate, but I do not have to use it, so there is that.....

My hope is that something will come through soon so that I can customize each plate, but time is running short, so that may or may not happen. We will see. I still plan on writing everyone's name on their plate and that will carry on the tradition I have started several Trans Iowas ago.

Three Q-Pro cue sheet holders specially customized for TIv14.

Special Customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet Holders From Bar Yak:

Bar Yak really outdid themselves this year with some super special customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet holders which are emblazoned with "Trans Iowa v14" on each.

This is something too cool not to be used in the event, so if you are on the roster, you should have gotten an e-mail from me Monday evening detailing how you can get in on the drawing for one of these. The entry period runs through till this coming Monday, April 2nd, at which time I am going to draw three names and get these out to those three lucky riders. That way they will have a chance to dial in the cue sheet holders and be able to use them at Trans Iowa v14.

Bar Yak is a rider driven company and this latest version of the Q-Pro incorporates several updates over previous versions. I have a version of this system and it really makes cue sheets an easy thing to use in any weather condition.

If you are on the T.I.v14 roster and you did not see the e-mail just comment below and I will make sure you get that. Thanks! Winners will be notified April 2nd by e-mail and I will be asking for a shipping address. Packages should go out then the following Tuesday, or at the latest, Wednesday. No purchase necessary, must be on the TIv14 roster to be eligible. Decisions of Guitar Ted regarding the drawing and shipping of these prizes will be final.

Book Raffle:

I also received five copies of Nick Legan's "Gravel Cycling" to be raffled off at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. Whomever shows up at the Grinnell Steakhouse Friday, April 27th and is signed on to ride in Trans Iowa will be eligible for this book.

I also talked about this in the e-mail I sent out and the publisher allowed me to share a special link which shows a bit of the book. The part I got to share was Nick's pre-event checklist, which is timely for the Trans Iowa rider. Again- If you are on the roster and you did not get the e-mail, let me know and I will forward you that.

Okay, that's about it for this update. Recon for the course will happen soon, and then I will print cue sheets and after that I will be customizing number plates for each rider. Then it will be the final stretch to T.I.v14 and another whirlwind of a weekend.

Stay tuned for more soon.......

Trans Iowa v14: Numbers And Stuff

Who will get the #1 plate?

Numbers Are In:

Trans Iowa number plates are in at HQ now and I get to sort through them and assign numbers to people. But before I get too far, there are some rules for the riders concerning these numbers.

• Number plates MUST be VISIBLE at all times. So, if you have your number pinned to a jacket to start out, and later it gets warm enough to take off that jacket, you MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO YOUR JERSEY. If, for instance, you have your number on your jersey and put on a jacket, YOU MUST MOVE THE NUMBER TO THE JACKET, But wouldn't it be just easier all around if you stuck the number on your bike and made sure it was secured so it wasn't blown off? Then you can swap around clothing at will without running afoul of this rule. If we cannot see your number you will be DQ'ed, so be careful! I have several observers that will be planted at certain points on course, so we will be watching you! Numbers should be on the handle bars for best compliance to this rule. 
• Numbers Can Not Be Cut Or Modified In Any Way!
• We will provide pins and twist ties which will be available at the Pre-Race Meat-Up.
• Numbers will be picked up at sign in at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. 

Numbers are assigned in such a way that they will make sense to the volunteers and to myself, so beyond that there is no special significance to which number plate you receive. Yes......I have a #1 plate, but I do not have to use it, so there is that.....

My hope is that something will come through soon so that I can customize each plate, but time is running short, so that may or may not happen. We will see. I still plan on writing everyone's name on their plate and that will carry on the tradition I have started several Trans Iowas ago.

Three Q-Pro cue sheet holders specially customized for TIv14.

Special Customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet Holders From Bar Yak:

Bar Yak really outdid themselves this year with some super special customized Q-Pro Cue Sheet holders which are emblazoned with "Trans Iowa v14" on each.

This is something too cool not to be used in the event, so if you are on the roster, you should have gotten an e-mail from me Monday evening detailing how you can get in on the drawing for one of these. The entry period runs through till this coming Monday, April 2nd, at which time I am going to draw three names and get these out to those three lucky riders. That way they will have a chance to dial in the cue sheet holders and be able to use them at Trans Iowa v14.

Bar Yak is a rider driven company and this latest version of the Q-Pro incorporates several updates over previous versions. I have a version of this system and it really makes cue sheets an easy thing to use in any weather condition.

If you are on the T.I.v14 roster and you did not see the e-mail just comment below and I will make sure you get that. Thanks! Winners will be notified April 2nd by e-mail and I will be asking for a shipping address. Packages should go out then the following Tuesday, or at the latest, Wednesday. No purchase necessary, must be on the TIv14 roster to be eligible. Decisions of Guitar Ted regarding the drawing and shipping of these prizes will be final.

Book Raffle:

I also received five copies of Nick Legan's "Gravel Cycling" to be raffled off at the Pre-Race Meat-Up. Whomever shows up at the Grinnell Steakhouse Friday, April 27th and is signed on to ride in Trans Iowa will be eligible for this book.

I also talked about this in the e-mail I sent out and the publisher allowed me to share a special link which shows a bit of the book. The part I got to share was Nick's pre-event checklist, which is timely for the Trans Iowa rider. Again- If you are on the roster and you did not get the e-mail, let me know and I will forward you that.

Okay, that's about it for this update. Recon for the course will happen soon, and then I will print cue sheets and after that I will be customizing number plates for each rider. Then it will be the final stretch to T.I.v14 and another whirlwind of a weekend.

Stay tuned for more soon.......

State Of Tubelessness: Ten Years Down The Road- Part 2

So, yesterday I hit on the overall historical background for tubeless tires, focusing on why there is no single standard and why certain tires do not fit certain rims. before I go much further, I also wanted to point out that this issue- tires marked the same size as rims but do not fit well with each other, is not the sole domain of tubeless/tubeless ready tires. There have been certain combinations of clincher rims and tires throughout the decades that were tough, or nigh unto impossible, to mount to each other. One famous example of that is Continental Gatorskin tires and Trek matrix rims. Mechanics shudder with disdain when presented with this combination to work on.

So, moving on from there, I wanted to get more in to what I have experienced personally within the last several years in terms of tubeless tire usage. I am pretty much "tube free" when it comes to gravel bikes. I cannot remember the last time I rolled tubed tires on gravel. It's been a couple of years at least. Mountain bikes are generally tubeless for me, but a couple of my single speeds have been reverted back to tubed set ups just because they get ridden so rarely anymore. Fat bikes are all tubed here, and my utilitarian bikes are tubed for the most part, with the exception of my Surly 1X1.

Despite the casing failure, we were able to limp the bike back to Emporia!

So, I spend a fair amount of time using both types of tires. But for this post, I'll stick to my tubeless stories. One of the standout situations I have been involved with was my DK200 experience in 2016. Back when I was doing mtb tire reviews, I got a set of Maxxis Ikon tires. The really expensive ones. (Note- I actually paid out of pocket for those tires.) Anyway, they were full on XC geek tires, were really light, and were not tubeless rated. Keep in mind that the lightest set ups, still in 2018, are folding bead tires set up tubeless on Stan's rims. This is exactly what I did with the Ikons. They were mounted to Sun Ringle' Black Flag wheels, which used Stan's dimension bead seats. (In fact, many say Stan's rims are made by Sun Ringle') Anyway, I wasn't too keen on removing those tires because I wanted to wear them out. I paid a lot for them and nothing else that big rolled that well on my Fargo at the time.

So it was that at the DK200 I was on a pre-ride and the casing gave up the ghost. (See image to the left) Well, you can read all about it here, but the point was that tires were needed ASAP and I found some Teravail Sparwoods that would fit the bill, but maybe not my rims! The mechanic couldn't get the tires to fit on the Stan's dimension rims because the Sparwoods must have been made closer to a UST dimension. I ended up having to lever both tires on myself, and I knew that if I cut one on the flint the next day during my own ride, I was going to be dead in the water because there was no field servicing that set up!

Fortunately I was able to complete that ride and I actually left those Sparwoods on until last year when I replaced the tires for some Terrene test tires I had to review. At that point the Sparwoods came off, but they required a pair of tire levers and some muscle to dismount.

The Teravail Sparwood and Black Flag wheel combo was almost a no-go as far as fit went.

 Then there is the opposite end of the spectrum- tires that won't mount for various reasons. I have had trouble with tires that seem to be a good fit but will refuse to mount up, or that require "special techniques" to mount tubeless. I'm specifically NOT referring to tires that are fat bike tires, mtb tires, or non-tubeless rated rims or tires. These have been tires in the 40mm range, meant to be tubeless, and just are really stubborn about being set up.

Of these tires, there is one common thread- they all had some sort of puncture protection layer or an anti-stretch bead technology. This made the airing up/bead seating process very difficult, if not impossible. The sidewalls of the tires didn't want  to be moved by air blasts from compressors, and therefore a temporary seal was hard to get initiated, which is critical for a successful tubeless tire installation.

Another critical feature is the valve stem. Tubeless valve stems are one of the biggest reasons tubeless installations are difficult or why tubeless set ups sometimes fail. There are good stems and really bad ones. Then the valve hole is another possibility for failure. If the stem cannot effectively seal at the hole it passes through, you will have a headache on your hands. Also worth noting is that after a time tubeless valve stems get corroded by sealant, and this mainly where the core seats into the outer portion of the stem. Replacing cores often will help with this.

Sealants are another ongoing development in the tubeless marketplace. There are basically two kinds of sealant. You either use a glycol based sealant, like the trucking, ag, and industrial industries use, or a latex based sealant like most bicycle sealants have used since Stan's developed his basic latex formula back in the 90's. Glycol based sealants have also been used in bicycle tires. You may know Slime, and that is a glycol based sealant that typically doesn't dry up in tires. Latex works faster and is lighter, (usually) than glycol based sealants for the same volume, but these sealants dry out faster.

These carbon rims made by Irwin Cycling are so precisely made they make going tubeless a breeze.

I've tried just about all of them, and some that you haven't heard of. Glycol has been the worst of the two types for me, with the notable exception of Slime. Latex sealants perform best from my standpoint. Stan's, Orange Seal, GEAX, (Maybe no longer made?), Caffe Latex, and MG's home brew sealant have been my best.

So, you can see how so many standards, choices, and ways of doing things can add up to situations that could be awesome or somewhat less than satisfying. In my opinion, if you stick to a system- using true tubeless components, and/or a one brand solution, (tire/rim) the issues can be put to rest. For instance, a WTB TCS set up is pretty bomber. So is the Bontrager one. There are others.

I have also noted that many rim and tire manufacturers are really stepping up their game in regard to precision molding techniques which have really made things fit and seal so much better than before. I think the trend is toward more uniformity, but it has been a slow road.

You'd think by now we'd have it figured out!

That's it for this "State Of Tubelessness" series. Hit me with any questions in the comments. 

State Of Tubelessness: Ten Years Down The Road- Part 2

So, yesterday I hit on the overall historical background for tubeless tires, focusing on why there is no single standard and why certain tires do not fit certain rims. before I go much further, I also wanted to point out that this issue- tires marked the same size as rims but do not fit well with each other, is not the sole domain of tubeless/tubeless ready tires. There have been certain combinations of clincher rims and tires throughout the decades that were tough, or nigh unto impossible, to mount to each other. One famous example of that is Continental Gatorskin tires and Trek matrix rims. Mechanics shudder with disdain when presented with this combination to work on.

So, moving on from there, I wanted to get more in to what I have experienced personally within the last several years in terms of tubeless tire usage. I am pretty much "tube free" when it comes to gravel bikes. I cannot remember the last time I rolled tubed tires on gravel. It's been a couple of years at least. Mountain bikes are generally tubeless for me, but a couple of my single speeds have been reverted back to tubed set ups just because they get ridden so rarely anymore. Fat bikes are all tubed here, and my utilitarian bikes are tubed for the most part, with the exception of my Surly 1X1.

Despite the casing failure, we were able to limp the bike back to Emporia!

So, I spend a fair amount of time using both types of tires. But for this post, I'll stick to my tubeless stories. One of the standout situations I have been involved with was my DK200 experience in 2016. Back when I was doing mtb tire reviews, I got a set of Maxxis Ikon tires. The really expensive ones. (Note- I actually paid out of pocket for those tires.) Anyway, they were full on XC geek tires, were really light, and were not tubeless rated. Keep in mind that the lightest set ups, still in 2018, are folding bead tires set up tubeless on Stan's rims. This is exactly what I did with the Ikons. They were mounted to Sun Ringle' Black Flag wheels, which used Stan's dimension bead seats. (In fact, many say Stan's rims are made by Sun Ringle') Anyway, I wasn't too keen on removing those tires because I wanted to wear them out. I paid a lot for them and nothing else that big rolled that well on my Fargo at the time.

So it was that at the DK200 I was on a pre-ride and the casing gave up the ghost. (See image to the left) Well, you can read all about it here, but the point was that tires were needed ASAP and I found some Teravail Sparwoods that would fit the bill, but maybe not my rims! The mechanic couldn't get the tires to fit on the Stan's dimension rims because the Sparwoods must have been made closer to a UST dimension. I ended up having to lever both tires on myself, and I knew that if I cut one on the flint the next day during my own ride, I was going to be dead in the water because there was no field servicing that set up!

Fortunately I was able to complete that ride and I actually left those Sparwoods on until last year when I replaced the tires for some Terrene test tires I had to review. At that point the Sparwoods came off, but they required a pair of tire levers and some muscle to dismount.

The Teravail Sparwood and Black Flag wheel combo was almost a no-go as far as fit went.

 Then there is the opposite end of the spectrum- tires that won't mount for various reasons. I have had trouble with tires that seem to be a good fit but will refuse to mount up, or that require "special techniques" to mount tubeless. I'm specifically NOT referring to tires that are fat bike tires, mtb tires, or non-tubeless rated rims or tires. These have been tires in the 40mm range, meant to be tubeless, and just are really stubborn about being set up.

Of these tires, there is one common thread- they all had some sort of puncture protection layer or an anti-stretch bead technology. This made the airing up/bead seating process very difficult, if not impossible. The sidewalls of the tires didn't want  to be moved by air blasts from compressors, and therefore a temporary seal was hard to get initiated, which is critical for a successful tubeless tire installation.

Another critical feature is the valve stem. Tubeless valve stems are one of the biggest reasons tubeless installations are difficult or why tubeless set ups sometimes fail. There are good stems and really bad ones. Then the valve hole is another possibility for failure. If the stem cannot effectively seal at the hole it passes through, you will have a headache on your hands. Also worth noting is that after a time tubeless valve stems get corroded by sealant, and this mainly where the core seats into the outer portion of the stem. Replacing cores often will help with this.

Sealants are another ongoing development in the tubeless marketplace. There are basically two kinds of sealant. You either use a glycol based sealant, like the trucking, ag, and industrial industries use, or a latex based sealant like most bicycle sealants have used since Stan's developed his basic latex formula back in the 90's. Glycol based sealants have also been used in bicycle tires. You may know Slime, and that is a glycol based sealant that typically doesn't dry up in tires. Latex works faster and is lighter, (usually) than glycol based sealants for the same volume, but these sealants dry out faster.

These carbon rims made by Irwin Cycling are so precisely made they make going tubeless a breeze.

I've tried just about all of them, and some that you haven't heard of. Glycol has been the worst of the two types for me, with the notable exception of Slime. Latex sealants perform best from my standpoint. Stan's, Orange Seal, GEAX, (Maybe no longer made?), Caffe Latex, and MG's home brew sealant have been my best.

So, you can see how so many standards, choices, and ways of doing things can add up to situations that could be awesome or somewhat less than satisfying. In my opinion, if you stick to a system- using true tubeless components, and/or a one brand solution, (tire/rim) the issues can be put to rest. For instance, a WTB TCS set up is pretty bomber. So is the Bontrager one. There are others.

I have also noted that many rim and tire manufacturers are really stepping up their game in regard to precision molding techniques which have really made things fit and seal so much better than before. I think the trend is toward more uniformity, but it has been a slow road.

You'd think by now we'd have it figured out!

That's it for this "State Of Tubelessness" series. Hit me with any questions in the comments. 

State Of Tubelessness: Ten Years Down The Road- Part 1

Some wheels, like these Irwin Cycling wheels here, make going tubeless super easy.

The other day I noted a thread in the RidingGravel.com forum that was started by someone a bit befuddled by the terminologies and what they meant when it comes to gravel tires. What rims fit which tires? What is UST? and more.

This prompted me to read through the thread and I did stop and add some context to it. But that said, it appears that there are a lot of confused individuals out there yet in 2018 when it comes to tubeless tires for bicycles.

I have, on occasion here on this blog, written a "State Of Tubelessness" post. The first one I could dig up was from 2010, but I had been writing about my trials and tribulations with tubeless tires almost from the onset of the blog in 2005. But for all intents and purposes, my real pursuit of going tubeless started in 2007, so I figured why not detail briefly what has happened over the past ten years in terms of tubeless tires for bicycles.

Obviously somewhere this all started and the beginnings of tubeless tires in our era started in the late 90's with a guy by the name of Stan Koziak. You know his company by the name of "Stan's", but the full name of the company is "Stan's NoTubes", which should give you a clue as to what sort of tires his system are meant for. Stan's was, and still is, a system for converting non-tubeless tires to tubeless usage. That specifically means folding bead and wire bead performance tires that were never meant to be tubeless. Of course, you can run tubeless tires on Stan's rims, but not all will fit.

A set of ZTR Flow rims I still have were tried with many tires in the past.

Once tubeless ready tires came to market, Stan's didn't push the conversion thing too hard. In fact, they dabbled in their own tires for a bit, but even that went by the wayside. Stan's just kept being Stan's and they kept growing as a company, mainly because tire and rim manufacturers couldn't get together on a single standard for tubeless tires. Not that it wasn't tried, or successful, because there is a standard, but it requires a licensing fee. Not something many companies are willing to pay for.

Of course, that standard is UST, or Uniform System Tubeless, which Mavic, Hutchinson, and Michelin first developed in 1999. Later a few other companies would adopt the standard, most notably GEAX/Vittoria, but for the most part, the stringent dimensions and testing protocol of UST wasn't adopted by the industry universally. This caused UST to be pretty much pigeonholed to the XC racer set, and most average mountain bikers were not getting into UST in the early 00's. The fact that true, air-tight tubeless tires were a lot heavier than their folding bead counterparts was also a part of this.

 Meanwhile, 29"ers were becoming a thing, and the rim and tire manufacturers were standing off from adopting any single standard until things shook themselves out. This sort of played into the hands of Stan's who were the "average person's" tubeless "system" of choice. Obviously, Stan's made for a lighter weight set up, because you used a folding bead tire, which in some cases could be well over 200 grams lighter than a UST tire. The trouble with Stan's was that non-tubeless, folding bead tires were difficult to get sealed, didn't last long, and some were failing spectacularly due to the added stresses present without a tube to reinforce the bead and sidewall.

That all began to change in the late 00's as Trek/Bontrager/Fisher began to push for tubeless systems that they could use on their bikes. Since Bontrager sold tires, a system where tire, plastic "TLR" rim strip, and rim was developed which was very user friendly and worked tremendously well. But like UST before it, this was not an "open standard", so other companies were developing their own systems to compete. Specialized had "2Bliss", WTB developed "TCS", and rim manufacturers that did not make tires and tire manufacturers that did not make rims were left wondering what to do.

Rim companies, like Velocity, kind of shot for a :middle ground" in terms of design.

Many companies did not want to err so far toward the UST dimensions that other components would not fit and vice versa. Some of the systems, like WTB's TCS,were close to UST, but some were not. The companies whose tires were not right on the UST mark did so to fit Stan's rims, which were very slightly oversized. But these tires would still fit some other companies rims, which were somewhere in between the UST and the older. standard climcher/tube variances. Rims, like Velocity USA's, were made to fit a broader range of tires as well. Other companies adopted Stan's dimensions, while others erred closer to UST.

So, in 2018, you can probably see why it is that people get confused. Fit issues exist, and remember, tolerances don't need to vary much so that very small variances can mean that some components will not be compatible with others, despite the labels saying 700c, or 622ISO. This gives people fits, because if labels match up, components should as well, or so the thinking goes. However, saying 622ISO is the "fine measurement all should be at", is like thinking every square mile in the country is the same size. They are not, and neither is everyone's rims and tires. That may sound weird, but if you've ever tried mounting a Michelin tubeless tire on a Stan's rim, you know what I mean. You might get the two mounted to one another, but woe be to you if you have a catastrophic failure on a ride and you think you are getting a tube in there.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow....

State Of Tubelessness: Ten Years Down The Road- Part 1

Some wheels, like these Irwin Cycling wheels here, make going tubeless super easy.

The other day I noted a thread in the RidingGravel.com forum that was started by someone a bit befuddled by the terminologies and what they meant when it comes to gravel tires. What rims fit which tires? What is UST? and more.

This prompted me to read through the thread and I did stop and add some context to it. But that said, it appears that there are a lot of confused individuals out there yet in 2018 when it comes to tubeless tires for bicycles.

I have, on occasion here on this blog, written a "State Of Tubelessness" post. The first one I could dig up was from 2010, but I had been writing about my trials and tribulations with tubeless tires almost from the onset of the blog in 2005. But for all intents and purposes, my real pursuit of going tubeless started in 2007, so I figured why not detail briefly what has happened over the past ten years in terms of tubeless tires for bicycles.

Obviously somewhere this all started and the beginnings of tubeless tires in our era started in the late 90's with a guy by the name of Stan Koziak. You know his company by the name of "Stan's", but the full name of the company is "Stan's NoTubes", which should give you a clue as to what sort of tires his system are meant for. Stan's was, and still is, a system for converting non-tubeless tires to tubeless usage. That specifically means folding bead and wire bead performance tires that were never meant to be tubeless. Of course, you can run tubeless tires on Stan's rims, but not all will fit.

A set of ZTR Flow rims I still have were tried with many tires in the past.

Once tubeless ready tires came to market, Stan's didn't push the conversion thing too hard. In fact, they dabbled in their own tires for a bit, but even that went by the wayside. Stan's just kept being Stan's and they kept growing as a company, mainly because tire and rim manufacturers couldn't get together on a single standard for tubeless tires. Not that it wasn't tried, or successful, because there is a standard, but it requires a licensing fee. Not something many companies are willing to pay for.

Of course, that standard is UST, or Uniform System Tubeless, which Mavic, Hutchinson, and Michelin first developed in 1999. Later a few other companies would adopt the standard, most notably GEAX/Vittoria, but for the most part, the stringent dimensions and testing protocol of UST wasn't adopted by the industry universally. This caused UST to be pretty much pigeonholed to the XC racer set, and most average mountain bikers were not getting into UST in the early 00's. The fact that true, air-tight tubeless tires were a lot heavier than their folding bead counterparts was also a part of this.

 Meanwhile, 29"ers were becoming a thing, and the rim and tire manufacturers were standing off from adopting any single standard until things shook themselves out. This sort of played into the hands of Stan's who were the "average person's" tubeless "system" of choice. Obviously, Stan's made for a lighter weight set up, because you used a folding bead tire, which in some cases could be well over 200 grams lighter than a UST tire. The trouble with Stan's was that non-tubeless, folding bead tires were difficult to get sealed, didn't last long, and some were failing spectacularly due to the added stresses present without a tube to reinforce the bead and sidewall.

That all began to change in the late 00's as Trek/Bontrager/Fisher began to push for tubeless systems that they could use on their bikes. Since Bontrager sold tires, a system where tire, plastic "TLR" rim strip, and rim was developed which was very user friendly and worked tremendously well. But like UST before it, this was not an "open standard", so other companies were developing their own systems to compete. Specialized had "2Bliss", WTB developed "TCS", and rim manufacturers that did not make tires and tire manufacturers that did not make rims were left wondering what to do.

Rim companies, like Velocity, kind of shot for a :middle ground" in terms of design.

Many companies did not want to err so far toward the UST dimensions that other components would not fit and vice versa. Some of the systems, like WTB's TCS,were close to UST, but some were not. The companies whose tires were not right on the UST mark did so to fit Stan's rims, which were very slightly oversized. But these tires would still fit some other companies rims, which were somewhere in between the UST and the older. standard climcher/tube variances. Rims, like Velocity USA's, were made to fit a broader range of tires as well. Other companies adopted Stan's dimensions, while others erred closer to UST.

So, in 2018, you can probably see why it is that people get confused. Fit issues exist, and remember, tolerances don't need to vary much so that very small variances can mean that some components will not be compatible with others, despite the labels saying 700c, or 622ISO. This gives people fits, because if labels match up, components should as well, or so the thinking goes. However, saying 622ISO is the "fine measurement all should be at", is like thinking every square mile in the country is the same size. They are not, and neither is everyone's rims and tires. That may sound weird, but if you've ever tried mounting a Michelin tubeless tire on a Stan's rim, you know what I mean. You might get the two mounted to one another, but woe be to you if you have a catastrophic failure on a ride and you think you are getting a tube in there.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow....

The Touring Series: To The Mighty Miss'!

A Guitar Ted Productions Series

 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, 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.
_______________________________________________________________________________

We rejoin the "Beg, Borrow, and Bastard Tour" as it rolls into Rushford, Minnesota.....

Here the Root River Trail ended. We were in the first "real city" we had been in all day. We could see bluffs all around us. That brought one thing straight into our minds: That the road ahead would be anything but level. For now though, we gave our full attention to the local grocery store.

Here I was instructed to get Pop Tarts, the "manna" of the tour. We once again parked ourselves on the curb in front and ate our fill. Disconcerted shoppers scurried by us, not quite knowing what to make of vagabonds of our sort.

We decided to leave town eastwards, on State 16 towards Houston. We found that the road had a paved shoulder, which was good. We also found a supply of hills. These hills were quite challenging for me and I often found myself off the back going up. Coming down though, gravity was my friend. Outweighing my companions by a good 75 pounds gave me a distinct gravity assisted boost. This allowed me to keep up with the other two; although I didn't enjoy my yo-yo pace much.

Houston, and many bluff towns along the Mighty Miss', have their name spelled out for you on the Bluffs

We were entering Houston, Minnesota, and we could tell, since they had a brightly painted sign at the edge of town proclaiming their burg as "the entrance to Bluff Country". Ha! The irony was not lost on us, and we stopped and took our pictures under the sign that bright, partly cloudy day. Afterwards, we found a convenience store to raid for early afternoon refueling.
As I pointed out earlier, children were always very curious of us and our doings. Always willing to talk. Such was the case with Andrew of Houston. It seemed that Andrew's brother was a lazy lout, as he was reported to be still sleeping, and Andrew's dad worked in a local turkey processing plant. He also informed us that there wasn't much to do in Houston, Minnesota. The one thing Andrew told us that we were particularly interested in, I didn't like hearing.

"How are the hills east of town here?", Steve asked of the young man.

He promptly replied, "They're hilly."

"That's not the right answer, son.", I told him with a smile. "Try again. I think you know a better answer!"

Actually, Andrew did say that there was one doozy of a hill just outside of town, then it was pretty much going to be okay until the halfway point to Hokah. There he claimed there was another great hill. You know what? That little shaver was right!

That second hill- the one halfway to Hokah? Oh My! But I made it okay. Overall, I wasn't a hindrance to the others as I feared. maybe just a nuisance, or possibly a pest, but I made it. In fact, I felt in a groove, going my own pace up those hills.

Well, there isn't much to say about Hokah except that we went through it and pushed onwards towards Le Crescent where we would cross the Mississippi. Troy was anxious to put in some miles now. He was regretting all the morning stops. At Hokah, we were obliged to turn northwards and into a headwind. Troy let me draft behind him, and the Steve switched off with him and led me for awhile. Our pace was fast and we did not stop at Le Crescent. Well, except for traffic lights. Traffic was heavy here, as it is around all bridges leading over the "Mighty Miss".
We pushed on now towards the bridge and we were cruising on the right hand lane of a four lane highway. No headwind and a steady downhill to the river gave some slight relief to me here. We finally reached the bridge over the main channel, a two lane affair high above the river itself. I noticed that the bridge had an adjoining sidewalk which I desired to take. I noticed that Steve took no interest in getting on it and Troy was following him on a string. I yelled out, "Hey! Aren't we taking the...." Too late! The din of traffic drowned me out.

The sound of the car tires was very distinct and brought to mind one thing- Open grating! I don't like high places at all, so I kept my gaze fixed straight ahead and pedaled like a madman. Fear is a great motivator! I sped across and actually caught up with Troy and Steve. The steel knobs sticking up at each intersection of grating was a little tough to negotiate though. Apparently they are a reverse form of studded tires. This is what accounted for the loud noise of the tires all around me.

The bridge was past us now, but it was out of the frying pan and into the fire. Traffic was thick and loud. We did not have any clear idea of where we should go. 
_______________________________________________________________________

Remember back a couple of installments ago when I thought I was going to have to die for being so stupid to think I could ride a whole week in hills? Well, the hills east of Houston made those hills seem like little rises. I wasn't doing too badly, considering the day I had before, but I wasn't doing well! I remember a few times feeling rather desperate, having lost sight of my two companions, and not knowing exactly where I was. Coming into Houston was one of those times I remember that being  the case. I was still a rank beginner at this, so anxiety levels were perhaps understandably high. 

Next :The Bastard Trail