Friday, July 17, 2020

Friday News And Views

New Radio Ranch podcasts out this week.
The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Branches Out:

With this week's podcast posts, we have done 14 new podcasts this year, which is 2/3rds of the output of the podcast up to 2020. We've been busy!  If you want to listen to the latest episodes, check them out here, or find them on your favorite podcast feeds.

Not only are we doing more consistent downloads, we are branching out to now include interviews via the phone. We now have a podcaster outfit which will Bluetooth a cell phone to its recording capabilities so we can get remote interview subjects as part of the podcast. The first of these has already been recorded with one of the RD's for this Fall's unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. Dave Pryor's interview will be published soon. Stay tuned for that one.

I'm pretty stoked about this as I've known Dave for several years. He's the "Guy With The Bacon Suit", seen at many East Coast CX events and elsewhere. He is a great guy and as a fellow event promoter, we kind of have a certain bond there.

I am also excited now that we can have people call in to the show and we can take the show on the road, which opens up a ton of possibilities for future episodes. I've already utilized both possibilities this year and I look forward to doing more of those things. Stay tuned for updates.....

Kinekt Suspension Stem Test/Review:

Wednesday the Kinekt Suspension Stem arrived at Andy's Bike Shop so I can test/review it for RidingGravel.com. This is a direct competitor to the Redshift Sports ShockStop stem which I have on a couple of bikes here.

I've also spent a lot of time on Kinekt's own seat post, often called the Body Float Post. I had a previous generation Body Float post on my original Ti Muk fat bike and I used one for a while on my Gen I Fargo. So, it will be interesting to see how their stem works, not only in terms of how it might pair with the Kinekt seatpost, but as a competitor to the ShockStop stem. I've often thought that components like the stems and seat posts offered by Kineckt and Redshift Sports were the way to go because these parts are removable, transferable, and tunable. Unlike proprietary features on some bikes, like rear suspended bits, flexing bits, or special integrated stem/suspension bits, these components are more traditional looking and offer more versatility.

Stay tuned as I get this stem on a bike and get rolling on it. I think the test mule for this one will be the Twin Six Standard Rando v2. But that could change tomorrow depending on the appearance of an "aha! moment" which may end up being a better idea.

'Events' Update: 

I haven't forgotten about my 'events' which I have set up for myself to attempt yet this Summer. I recently pretty much dialed in the Ti Muk 2 for the Fat Bike Century attempt, and now I will be looking for an opportune time to take a day off everything else and go.

And to be honest, that time is hard to come by. With this pandemic thing, we just end up spending time with the immediate family. The kids don't really see anyone but Mrs Guitar Ted and I. This means that if one of us is gone, it REALLY is a bad deal for the kids because they need people to do stuff with. The guilt when I go for a ride is more real than ever these days.

But I'm intending on doing both the Fat Bike Century and a solo GTDRI ride later this month or early in August. I'd like to sneak both of those in before fall kicks in, if I can. If that happens, I have a couple ideas I want to pursue after that which may or may not be century rides, but will certainly be rides in other parts of Iowa that I have wanted to get around to riding for some time now.   

That's a wrap for this week. get out and ride! Summer will be gone before we know it! 

2 comments:

tntmoriv said...

GT, I think you nailed it for folks with families at home who are doing the right thing right now: “The guilt when I go for a ride is more real than ever these days.” I feel it, too. Many people probably do.
It shows real care and empathy for those around you, and honestly that is the undercurrent that keeps me reading your blog regularly instead of any of the hundreds of other bike or adventure blogs. I can get bike information or stories anywhere, but the vast majority of it is too industrial, unattainable, and synthetic for me to really get into and spend my own precious time consuming, You keep it real, honest, direct, and relatable for many of us. I like it and enjoy it, and I always seem to learn something new about Iowa, or plants, or barns, or the weather, or even bikes. Thanks for all that you do, and know that this daily garden you tend is appreciated!

Guitar Ted said...

@tntmoriv - Thank you. I really appreciate your comments and thanks for reading the blog!