 |
| Postponed, deferred, or cancelled. Most 2020 events I signed up for are not happening. |
Yeah......first world problems. I get it. But I was looking forward to seeing my brother MG down in Lincoln, seeing that new course, and just getting away from here for a while. Now that this event, the Solstice 100, by the way, is off my calendar, I only have Gravel Worlds to look forward to in mid-August, and who knows if that will even be allowed to happen? I'm going to say 'nope', I really would be surprised if we were allowed to do any big gatherings at that time.
So, I have a plan, and I think it aligns with much of what many events are doing too. I am setting up my own adventures, and planning to do those, and while it'll be just me, that's fine. I generally almost always end up on my own at events anyway. What's different? Well, the pre-event and post-event fun with friends, but I'll have to make do. So, here are my plans for 'events' now that regularly scheduled programming has been postponed, cancelled, and deferred.
- Single Speed Century: I have been digging riding the Salsa Cycles Stormchaser single speed and that has me stoked to do a century on a single speed. I had planned on doing this at some point anyway, and I even went so far as to draw up a course, so I don't even have to plan that part out. This will likely be my first 'event' this year.
- Fat Bike Century: My friend Tony and I were going to do this again. We did one several years ago now, and while it was tough, it was a heck of a lot of fun. I have the bike lined up and all I need is to get a course for this and I'm off.
- Guitar Ted Death Ride- Solo Version: I called off the GTDRI, but this whole "death ride" deal started with me doing solo crazy road rides, so I thought I could just revisit that, only on gravel. I have a route too.
 |
| I probably won't get to use the Stormchaser on my single speed century ride, but that's okay. |
So, here's where I separate the pretenders from the contenders. Whatever one I choose, I have to make sure I can carry enough water and food to make it and this cannot include a hydration pack. So, I think it comes down to the Pofahl or the Orange Crush. both have 180mm cranks and both are pretty comfy, but I'd likely give the edge, at least now, to the Pofahl.
For the Fat Bike Century I am thinking about giving the nod to my 50th birthday present, The Snow Dog. (The OG Mukluk for those of you who aren't longtime readers here.) That old thing has the perfect gravel tires for a fat bike, the OG Larry 3.8's, and it has all the bottle mounts, plus it is set up 1X9, so I have gear enough for most anything on gravel. I also have a Cane Creek Thudbuster on there and that should make things pretty comfy for the long haul.
The solo version of the GTDRI will be on one of my more comfortable gravel bikes, of course. Probably either the MCD or the Fargo. I'll get great comfort and performance out of either one of those, the difference being the tire size on the Fargo.
Stay tuned for more on these special 'events' here on the blog in the upcoming weeks and months.
7 comments:
Just got to wondering about your Surly 1x1 for your gravel century. I can imagine you have more suitable options in the MCD and Fargo. All the best for you as you go for this goal.
@graveldoc - I actually have considered using that 1X1 for the Single Speed Century, however, it does not have much for water carrying capacity - So, bags would need to be fitted to carry water, and fiddling around with positioning for a more comfortable 100 miles, and those old drive train parts need refreshing, and on and on. So, you can see that it would take a lot more to make that one work for me.
Like you, I've been thinking of doing a single speed century when my fitness comes back up. I've looked into the cranktank, have you had any experience with it?
https://adventurehydration.com/
@x3speed - No, I didn't know about this until you pointed it out. Wow! Is that expensive! I think I'd opt for the Tangle bag/bladder approach, if it were me. I've done that before and it works just fine. Plus you have a usable bag if you don't need the extra water. (Two if you steal a bladder from a hydration pack) Sure, it sits higher on the bike, but in my experience that is no biggie.
It also would seem like you'd have more of a hassle getting that thing filled up anywhere but at home. With a bladder you can easily take it into a store or wherever to refill it while the bag stays on the bike. the Cranktank looks a bit more complicated than that. Also- I suppose the thing is tough enough, but without the extra neoprene protector you are maybe playing with fire when it comes to scuffing it, or potentially making a leakage point. Sure, the protector is a great idea, but now we're talking over a 150 bucks. ouch!
It's a cool idea though. I'd do it for a big, week long, or more, bike tour for sure. Not worth that cabbage to me for a single purpose solution.
That' some very good insight, I'll stick with the bag and bladder. Thanks!
I'm bummed about the Solstice 100 too… I was looking forward to seeing you, but I'm hopeful Gravel Worlds will still go forward, so we'll plan to see you then!
Cheers!!
@MG - Yeah....that's another bummer about it. Anyway, yeah. Let's hope Gravel Worlds happens and I'll be down there for that. Cheers!!
Post a Comment