Celebrating Ten Years Of Gravel Worlds

Sportin' my brand new Gravel Worlds Special Jersey I received yesterday.

Doing an event for ten years straight is quite the accomplishment. But putting on an event that long is quite another thing altogether. I may know a thing or two about why that is....... Anyway, I am happy to say that the Gravel Worlds event turns ten this year in August and that the guys and gals behind this stellar event are top notch folks.

I say that for several reasons, but one of those reasons is that the Lincoln Crew, (as I named them back in the day) were stout supporters of Trans Iowa. I think a bunch of them got wind of Trans Iowa after v1 and they showed up for the second version and every year since then, a fair number of Lincoln area gravel grinders have graced Trans Iowa with their presence. Right up until the end, they were there last year too. There are a lot of great stories involving the Lincoln Crew and Trans Iowa. But I would have to say that having gained a Brother out of the deal in MG is the best story of them all regarding those folks. That's something for another time though.....

I have always thought Gravel Worlds embodied the full essence of what a grassroots gravel event was all about. Somehow or another the Pirate Cycling League, (PCL), has managed the tightrope of being able to attract Pros and the regular adventure seekers without alienating either group. They have found a way to keep the event a legit competition, but they also have found a way to make it an event where the local citizen can feel like they are a part of the hoopla. Even to the point of allowing hand-ups, making certain residences "oasis stops", and involving the local charities and groups in the area. It's like a "real race" and a gravel RAGBRAI all rolled into one tasty treat. Roll it as a tour, or race it until your heart rate is pegged. Whatever. Everyone is welcome.

Anyway, the PCL almost always offers a special jersey every year. Usually they are specifically PCL themed, but this year they also offered a Gravel Worlds Tenth Year Anniversary Jersey. That's what I got. I wanted to throw my support their way by flying the colors.

Thanks for all you do, PCL! See ya in August!

Celebrating Ten Years Of Gravel Worlds

Sportin' my brand new Gravel Worlds Special Jersey I received yesterday.

Doing an event for ten years straight is quite the accomplishment. But putting on an event that long is quite another thing altogether. I may know a thing or two about why that is....... Anyway, I am happy to say that the Gravel Worlds event turns ten this year in August and that the guys and gals behind this stellar event are top notch folks.

I say that for several reasons, but one of those reasons is that the Lincoln Crew, (as I named them back in the day) were stout supporters of Trans Iowa. I think a bunch of them got wind of Trans Iowa after v1 and they showed up for the second version and every year since then, a fair number of Lincoln area gravel grinders have graced Trans Iowa with their presence. Right up until the end, they were there last year too. There are a lot of great stories involving the Lincoln Crew and Trans Iowa. But I would have to say that having gained a Brother out of the deal in MG is the best story of them all regarding those folks. That's something for another time though.....

I have always thought Gravel Worlds embodied the full essence of what a grassroots gravel event was all about. Somehow or another the Pirate Cycling League, (PCL), has managed the tightrope of being able to attract Pros and the regular adventure seekers without alienating either group. They have found a way to keep the event a legit competition, but they also have found a way to make it an event where the local citizen can feel like they are a part of the hoopla. Even to the point of allowing hand-ups, making certain residences "oasis stops", and involving the local charities and groups in the area. It's like a "real race" and a gravel RAGBRAI all rolled into one tasty treat. Roll it as a tour, or race it until your heart rate is pegged. Whatever. Everyone is welcome.

Anyway, the PCL almost always offers a special jersey every year. Usually they are specifically PCL themed, but this year they also offered a Gravel Worlds Tenth Year Anniversary Jersey. That's what I got. I wanted to throw my support their way by flying the colors.

Thanks for all you do, PCL! See ya in August!

You Can't Do This

You aren't seeing those wheels on this bike. Really.

As a bicycle mechanic, you learn pretty quickly that there is an unspoken tradition of doing things you aren't supposed to be able to do. Components deemed not compatible being used together successfully, techniques for doing things that sound incredibly questionable, and "bending of rules" that would be frowned upon by manufacturers, brands, and marketing firms.

I have tons of examples, and many of those things are also done by consumers. So, mechanics aren't the only ones, but we tend to be the most successful at things of this nature. Take for instance my use of 80's era Shimano aero brake levers and Avid MTB BB-7 disc brakes. Technically, this is a no-go. Impossible. You cannot make it work at all. But I rode my Karate Monkey with that exact set up for years and had great braking. Tricksy, it was. I've done the long cage Ultegra 11 speed derailleur with an 11-36T cassette for years too. That's another no-no. Cannot do that! But.......I do all the time. 

 I guess we mechanics just like to see what we can get away with. Now to be sure, some of these tricksy, false things don't work perfectly. A customer would never put up with the functionality of some things we do. But mechanics seem to know when to over shift a hair, or when you have to do something a "certain way" to make it "work". I'm not saying any of this is a good thing, mind you, but it happens. Experimentation. Tinkering. Basically being a mechanic means you have a proclivity for this sort of behavior.

So, today's example- Wrong wheels with tires not rated for the bike because "they do not fit and screw up the geometry", and a cassette from Shimano on a SRAM 1X chain and rear derailleur. It's not supposed to be. You aren't seeing this. It does not work at all. You cannot do this.

Except when it does for me........but I am a bike mechanic, after all.

You Can't Do This

You aren't seeing those wheels on this bike. Really.

As a bicycle mechanic, you learn pretty quickly that there is an unspoken tradition of doing things you aren't supposed to be able to do. Components deemed not compatible being used together successfully, techniques for doing things that sound incredibly questionable, and "bending of rules" that would be frowned upon by manufacturers, brands, and marketing firms.

I have tons of examples, and many of those things are also done by consumers. So, mechanics aren't the only ones, but we tend to be the most successful at things of this nature. Take for instance my use of 80's era Shimano aero brake levers and Avid MTB BB-7 disc brakes. Technically, this is a no-go. Impossible. You cannot make it work at all. But I rode my Karate Monkey with that exact set up for years and had great braking. Tricksy, it was. I've done the long cage Ultegra 11 speed derailleur with an 11-36T cassette for years too. That's another no-no. Cannot do that! But.......I do all the time. 

 I guess we mechanics just like to see what we can get away with. Now to be sure, some of these tricksy, false things don't work perfectly. A customer would never put up with the functionality of some things we do. But mechanics seem to know when to over shift a hair, or when you have to do something a "certain way" to make it "work". I'm not saying any of this is a good thing, mind you, but it happens. Experimentation. Tinkering. Basically being a mechanic means you have a proclivity for this sort of behavior.

So, today's example- Wrong wheels with tires not rated for the bike because "they do not fit and screw up the geometry", and a cassette from Shimano on a SRAM 1X chain and rear derailleur. It's not supposed to be. You aren't seeing this. It does not work at all. You cannot do this.

Except when it does for me........but I am a bike mechanic, after all.

The Story Of Guitar Ted: Staying In Touch

A Guitar Ted Productions series.

Welcome to a brand new series on G-Ted Productions! This series will jump off from the time where the "Race Against Death Tour" ended and will take you up to the beginnings of Trans Iowa in late 2004. This is an eight year period where my life was transformed. You could say it was metamorphosed from the old to something quite new.

This won't have a lot of bicycle stuff in it at times, but it is all essential to the story of "Guitar Ted". This isn't about where the name came from. That's all here. No, this is about the person. 
 
As with previous historical series on the blog, images will be a rarity. Cell phones, social media, and digital images were not available to take advantage of in those last days of analog living.

While I was now a car mechanic the bicycle stuff never let go of me. Here we find out how I was never that far away......

Staying In Touch: While working at Sherm's seemed like the death of my bicycling life, it wasn't to be. There were a couple of things that happened that ended up drawing me back, and a couple of things that happened that stuck with me for a long time afterward.

The first thing was that a customer of the old Advantage shop, Mark, had a road bike and he stayed in touch with me after the shop closed. He also was friends with Tom, the old owner of Advantage, who now was doing construction jobs and doing well, from all accounts. Tom never contacted me in any way after the closing of Advantage. Mark thought that was very strange. He also marveled at how I managed to handle the closing of Advantage and that I did not take advantage of Tom's situation, which I easily could have done.

Thinking about it, I did find it strange that Tom hadn't said anything, or even acknowledged my handling of affairs- good or bad- but whatever. Life was going on, and I could not look back. I did see Tom at the back of the old shop as I drove by one day, and I waved. He waved back.

Mark and I then started riding road bikes together on weekends. Short rides, and we'd almost always end up back at Mark's house for a beer or something. Mark told me that Tom had the shop's tools and stuff stored in a shed in Waterloo, not far from his house. He asked if I wanted anything from it. I said, well, yeah, but I didn't know what to ask for. It really wasn't my stuff anyway.

Well, then a day came when Mark said he was going to ask Tom what I should get out of the Advantage shop, because he thought I deserved something for my loyalty and for how I handled affairs at the end. Well, I was going to be satisfied with a screw driver, if that was all I got, because I felt I didn't really deserve a thing. However; apparently Mark was persuasive, and one day he told me that I needed to come over and get the tools I was gifted by Tom. It was an entire bike shop's worth of tools! Tom had three complete stations at Advantage, and I got one. The double arm Park stand and cutting tools, and wrenches.....everything. I was floored! It even included a Campy tool kit in a wooden box.

I set the stuff up in my basement and Ears, who I stayed in touch with after the bike shop was closed, helped me make a bench for my "bike shop" and we hauled it into the basement. It was a bench made from an 8ft section of bowling alley! It's pretty dang heavy, and I doubt it ever will come out of there!

The Campy tool kit I had little love, or use for. Troy, my old touring partner, co-worker at Advantage, and then owner of Bike Tech, learned about my having the kit. He knew what it was, of course, having seen it several times when he worked for Tom. So, he proposed a bargain. I ended up getting a roof rack system for the Accord Wagon, and a good bit of a 1996 Bontrager Race bike built up for it. So, that ended up becoming a pretty sweet deal, and I was all set to mountain bike anywhere with my Bonty and the Accord Wagon.

Next: Social Life Of A Car Mechanic

The Story Of Guitar Ted: Staying In Touch

A Guitar Ted Productions series.

Welcome to a brand new series on G-Ted Productions! This series will jump off from the time where the "Race Against Death Tour" ended and will take you up to the beginnings of Trans Iowa in late 2004. This is an eight year period where my life was transformed. You could say it was metamorphosed from the old to something quite new.

This won't have a lot of bicycle stuff in it at times, but it is all essential to the story of "Guitar Ted". This isn't about where the name came from. That's all here. No, this is about the person. 
 
As with previous historical series on the blog, images will be a rarity. Cell phones, social media, and digital images were not available to take advantage of in those last days of analog living.

While I was now a car mechanic the bicycle stuff never let go of me. Here we find out how I was never that far away......

Staying In Touch: While working at Sherm's seemed like the death of my bicycling life, it wasn't to be. There were a couple of things that happened that ended up drawing me back, and a couple of things that happened that stuck with me for a long time afterward.

The first thing was that a customer of the old Advantage shop, Mark, had a road bike and he stayed in touch with me after the shop closed. He also was friends with Tom, the old owner of Advantage, who now was doing construction jobs and doing well, from all accounts. Tom never contacted me in any way after the closing of Advantage. Mark thought that was very strange. He also marveled at how I managed to handle the closing of Advantage and that I did not take advantage of Tom's situation, which I easily could have done.

Thinking about it, I did find it strange that Tom hadn't said anything, or even acknowledged my handling of affairs- good or bad- but whatever. Life was going on, and I could not look back. I did see Tom at the back of the old shop as I drove by one day, and I waved. He waved back.

Mark and I then started riding road bikes together on weekends. Short rides, and we'd almost always end up back at Mark's house for a beer or something. Mark told me that Tom had the shop's tools and stuff stored in a shed in Waterloo, not far from his house. He asked if I wanted anything from it. I said, well, yeah, but I didn't know what to ask for. It really wasn't my stuff anyway.

Well, then a day came when Mark said he was going to ask Tom what I should get out of the Advantage shop, because he thought I deserved something for my loyalty and for how I handled affairs at the end. Well, I was going to be satisfied with a screw driver, if that was all I got, because I felt I didn't really deserve a thing. However; apparently Mark was persuasive, and one day he told me that I needed to come over and get the tools I was gifted by Tom. It was an entire bike shop's worth of tools! Tom had three complete stations at Advantage, and I got one. The double arm Park stand and cutting tools, and wrenches.....everything. I was floored! It even included a Campy tool kit in a wooden box.

I set the stuff up in my basement and Ears, who I stayed in touch with after the bike shop was closed, helped me make a bench for my "bike shop" and we hauled it into the basement. It was a bench made from an 8ft section of bowling alley! It's pretty dang heavy, and I doubt it ever will come out of there!

The Campy tool kit I had little love, or use for. Troy, my old touring partner, co-worker at Advantage, and then owner of Bike Tech, learned about my having the kit. He knew what it was, of course, having seen it several times when he worked for Tom. So, he proposed a bargain. I ended up getting a roof rack system for the Accord Wagon, and a good bit of a 1996 Bontrager Race bike built up for it. So, that ended up becoming a pretty sweet deal, and I was all set to mountain bike anywhere with my Bonty and the Accord Wagon.

Next: Social Life Of A Car Mechanic