Trans Iowa Stories: After All Was Said And Done

 

Goofing around at the end of T.I.v8 on Slender Fungus member Gumby's Pugs.

"This is the final entry in the Trans Iowa Stories series which ran every Sunday from mid-2019 until now on the blog. Thanks for reading Trans Iowa Stories and look for a new series to start next week!" 

It was a Wednesday in late February of this year, 2022. I was about to drive my daughter to her job. You know, she never took after me in regard to cycling, but she also never has learned how to drive a car......yet! Anyway, it was an ordinary day. I was about to walk out to that old truck I used to use for Trans Iowa recon when the phone pinged me. The now familiar 'ping' of a text message. It was an unexpected message from an old acquaintance about something that had ended years ago.

Ending things. I sometimes would stop to consider how I was going to end this series. I have had difficulty doing that in regard to Trans Iowa. Even this series was an excuse, in may ways, for me to relive the past. Writing about Trans Iowa events flowed from one into another these past three years. I delved back into the archives and felt those old emotions again. I was reminded of things forgotten, and things that stung. I was reminded of stress and worry, and I was reminded of good times and memories. Memories I will cherish 'forever'. At least as long as I am able to conjure those memories back up again. 

 I was reminded of great people. Athletes, volunteers, friends, family. I was reminded of Life. How it changes constantly. This whole experience writing up these stories seemed like a nostalgic high that would never end. 

But it is ending. While I wasn't ready for it to end, Life has reminded me that endings are a part of the journey. This was made manifest in other 'endings'. Many more than just the ending of this event. I had important family members die during Trans Iowa's run of events, and shortly after - My grandmother, my father in law, my own mother and father. I lost some Trans Iowa related people to death. Bill Pontious, Joe Mann, Kyle Platts, and Paul Black come to mind. Trans Iowa and Trans Iowa's ending is nothing in comparison to the losses of those lives to many of us.  

A comment from Joe Partridge, a two-time finisher of Trans Iowa.

In light of those things, when it came to writing a post to end this series, I was a bit hesitant. Trans Iowa..... Yeah, it was important. I get that. Many lives were changed, relationships were formed, and Trans Iowa was a stepping stone to even greater heights for many of those who came to Iowa to participate in my silly little gravel event for bicycles. So, on the one hand, I cannot belittle what Trans Iowa was to many of you. That isn't for me to explain or define. 

And I believe there is something to all of that. It's just that I do have issues with accepting gratitude shown for what I did to provide this platform for the people that came to Trans Iowa, to be shaped by it and all. But I try to be gracious. I struggle with it. Sometimes I think at the "End of It All", maybe none of it will matter, but for you? I cannot say.

 So, as I set that task of writing up this closing piece on the back-burner, I tried to stay grounded. I tried not to let this get too emotional or puffed up. I didn't want to get down and melancholy. Things haven't been better or worse since Trans Iowa ended. I believe every day is a blessing, and even more so when I get pinged by an unexpected text, like I did that late February day I mentioned above. It was no ordinary text message....

For some people, like Al Brunner, Trans Iowa literally left its mark in more ways than one.

In fact, that text solved a problem for me. It pretty much sums up everything Trans Iowa was all about in a nutshell. Here's what it said:

 "GT, I drove to Cedar Rapids today and came across the road that crosses HWY 30 that was on TIv5. I want to thank you again for the memories. It is one of the top ten accomplishments of my life and I thank you."

Memories and experiences that changed, and still change, lives. Even after 13 years, this fellow named Paul Jacobson felt compelled to let me know how this affected him. I think there are many more folks who did Trans Iowa that probably would be nodding in agreement with Paul here. Maybe, in a manner of speaking, Trans Iowa's effects never have an ending.

From my perspective?  Here's what I thought in early 2006, after we'd only run one Trans Iowa:

"It's all about people and what relationships you build. It's about the stories, the lessons, and the inspiration you receive and give away during the process. .............I got to meet a ton of really interesting and inspiring people through this event. I cherish that. That's why I am involved in Trans Iowa.

Of course, Trans Iowa will end some day, just like it started. Nothing like that lasts forever. Maybe it'll be this year. I don't know. I just know that I'm glad I got to do it from the standpoint of dividends that I reaped from the people involved. That's what makes it worth it...... It's about the people. 

 At the end of it all, it was worth the effort. It was, and it still is, about the People. I was really - really blessed to have known and worked with the people I had the privilege to come into contact with because of Trans Iowa. I'm sure glad I didn't shrink away and say "no" to Jeff that day in 2004 when he said, "Let's do it!". I am so happy and glad today that I said "Yes." And now I can look back and say, "I did do that". 

It's all over now, but it isn't. The Journey continues. There is no more Trans Iowa for me, but it will never cease to be an influence on me as long as I live. 

Thank you for reading this series.

Trans Iowa Stories: After All Was Said And Done

 

Goofing around at the end of T.I.v8 on Slender Fungus member Gumby's Pugs.

"This is the final entry in the Trans Iowa Stories series which ran every Sunday from mid-2019 until now on the blog. Thanks for reading Trans Iowa Stories and look for a new series to start next week!" 

It was a Wednesday in late February of this year, 2022. I was about to drive my daughter to her job. You know, she never took after me in regard to cycling, but she also never has learned how to drive a car......yet! Anyway, it was an ordinary day. I was about to walk out to that old truck I used to use for Trans Iowa recon when the phone pinged me. The now familiar 'ping' of a text message. It was an unexpected message from an old acquaintance about something that had ended years ago.

Ending things. I sometimes would stop to consider how I was going to end this series. I have had difficulty doing that in regard to Trans Iowa. Even this series was an excuse, in may ways, for me to relive the past. Writing about Trans Iowa events flowed from one into another these past three years. I delved back into the archives and felt those old emotions again. I was reminded of things forgotten, and things that stung. I was reminded of stress and worry, and I was reminded of good times and memories. Memories I will cherish 'forever'. At least as long as I am able to conjure those memories back up again. 

 I was reminded of great people. Athletes, volunteers, friends, family. I was reminded of Life. How it changes constantly. This whole experience writing up these stories seemed like a nostalgic high that would never end. 

But it is ending. While I wasn't ready for it to end, Life has reminded me that endings are a part of the journey. This was made manifest in other 'endings'. Many more than just the ending of this event. I had important family members die during Trans Iowa's run of events, and shortly after - My grandmother, my father in law, my own mother and father. I lost some Trans Iowa related people to death. Bill Pontious, Joe Mann, Kyle Platts, and Paul Black come to mind. Trans Iowa and Trans Iowa's ending is nothing in comparison to the losses of those lives to many of us.  

A comment from Joe Partridge, a two-time finisher of Trans Iowa.

In light of those things, when it came to writing a post to end this series, I was a bit hesitant. Trans Iowa..... Yeah, it was important. I get that. Many lives were changed, relationships were formed, and Trans Iowa was a stepping stone to even greater heights for many of those who came to Iowa to participate in my silly little gravel event for bicycles. So, on the one hand, I cannot belittle what Trans Iowa was to many of you. That isn't for me to explain or define. 

And I believe there is something to all of that. It's just that I do have issues with accepting gratitude shown for what I did to provide this platform for the people that came to Trans Iowa, to be shaped by it and all. But I try to be gracious. I struggle with it. Sometimes I think at the "End of It All", maybe none of it will matter, but for you? I cannot say.

 So, as I set that task of writing up this closing piece on the back-burner, I tried to stay grounded. I tried not to let this get too emotional or puffed up. I didn't want to get down and melancholy. Things haven't been better or worse since Trans Iowa ended. I believe every day is a blessing, and even more so when I get pinged by an unexpected text, like I did that late February day I mentioned above. It was no ordinary text message....

For some people, like Al Brunner, Trans Iowa literally left its mark in more ways than one.

In fact, that text solved a problem for me. It pretty much sums up everything Trans Iowa was all about in a nutshell. Here's what it said:

 "GT, I drove to Cedar Rapids today and came across the road that crosses HWY 30 that was on TIv5. I want to thank you again for the memories. It is one of the top ten accomplishments of my life and I thank you."

Memories and experiences that changed, and still change, lives. Even after 13 years, this fellow named Paul Jacobson felt compelled to let me know how this affected him. I think there are many more folks who did Trans Iowa that probably would be nodding in agreement with Paul here. Maybe, in a manner of speaking, Trans Iowa's effects never have an ending.

From my perspective?  Here's what I thought in early 2006, after we'd only run one Trans Iowa:

"It's all about people and what relationships you build. It's about the stories, the lessons, and the inspiration you receive and give away during the process. .............I got to meet a ton of really interesting and inspiring people through this event. I cherish that. That's why I am involved in Trans Iowa.

Of course, Trans Iowa will end some day, just like it started. Nothing like that lasts forever. Maybe it'll be this year. I don't know. I just know that I'm glad I got to do it from the standpoint of dividends that I reaped from the people involved. That's what makes it worth it...... It's about the people. 

 At the end of it all, it was worth the effort. It was, and it still is, about the People. I was really - really blessed to have known and worked with the people I had the privilege to come into contact with because of Trans Iowa. I'm sure glad I didn't shrink away and say "no" to Jeff that day in 2004 when he said, "Let's do it!". I am so happy and glad today that I said "Yes." And now I can look back and say, "I did do that". 

It's all over now, but it isn't. The Journey continues. There is no more Trans Iowa for me, but it will never cease to be an influence on me as long as I live. 

Thank you for reading this series.

Karoo 2 Take 2: Part 1

Forget the past- This is a new unit = new review.

 At the end of June I fired off my original Hammerhead Karoo 2 unit back to the Mothership because I had been frustrated beyond belief with the device and was at my wits end. You can read why that happened here if you missed that. In the return box I sent along a hand written note detailing my frustrations and advising them that they 'could' send a new unit out if they wanted to, but that I would not be upset in the least if I never saw one of their products again. 

Yes. I was upset.

Anyway, a nice representative got in touch with us and spoke to my wife on one occasion, (because she actually purchased the unit as a gift for me, so they talked with her) and she explained to them that she thought the unit was defective. So, the Hammerhead rep said that a new unit would be shipped out ASAP and that he would like to walk through the new one with me when we got it. 

Well, that was uncommonly fair and a pleasant interaction, which I totally appreciate. Hammerhead didn't have to do anything. So, kudos to their customer service and willingness to make things right.

However; as I stated in the linked post above, I don't think it is fair in terms of what anyone should expect from a device from any company to be asked to do a walk-through with a representative unless you require that of every new user of your device. Hammerhead does not require this, or even suggest this as being an option, when you receive their device.  So, if it is supposed to work without technical advisers, then it should work. Period. Therefore I did not contact the representative for a "walk-through" this time. I am taking this as a 100% reset as if I never had a Karoo 2 before. That's where we're starting off things here....

There were some set-up issues.

Okay, out of the box and the first thing I noted was that the USB cord was a completely different version of the same format USB connector the old unit had. This cord was a definite upgrade. It is a cloth covered cord with what feels like a much more robust wiring. It was much longer than the previous USB connector as well. Okay then. That was nice.

Firing up the unit revealed the next difference. The welcome screen image was of a rider going down a road in a rural area. It was animated, and I know the old unit did not have this. Okay, that's different as well.

Then I had to have Mrs. Guitar Ted enter the top-secret, "no-one-else-can-know-it" WiFi password for the house here. Man! If something happens to her we're screwed when it comes to a LOT of things, and WiFi is just one of them! Talk about closely guarded secrets! 

Now, on to the set up. After entering my password like three times (Arrgh!) I get in to my dashboard and the set-up procedure. I had to download maps according to the unit. No surprise there as Karoo 2 units don't come pre-set with maps downloaded. I chose my preferred maps from the menu and continued to download them. Okay, so far, so good.

Now on to measuring preferences. Easy-peasy.  Next- Bluetooth pairing with my iPhone. Hmm..... Would not do it. Tried several ways. No-go. After 15 minutes of that I decided, "You know what? I don't HAVE to have a phone tethered to this thing." Moving on then, but noted that I could not get the iPhone and the Karoo 2 Bluetoothed together. (Note: I don't really need to have push notifications on my GPS device. In fact, I'd rather not. So, if it doesn't matter for anything else, I won't pursue this. You may find that to be a negative here though.)

Okay, on to checking routes. Obviously there was nothing there and the unit asked that I login to the Hammerhead dashboard on the unit. More wrasslin' with the login procedure (Arrgh!) Okay, now it wants me to download maps again?!! Whatever. I do this and wait. Then the routes I had saved previously show up. 

Allrighty then! We'll see how this goes....

Okay, so that all took 45 minutes and I did not get a Bluetooth connection to my iPhone. Honestly, that is the least of my worries, but I still note that as a bit of a concern for the device as a whole. 

Next up will be a ride test of the Black Hawk County route I tried to use on the last unit I had. That should happen soon, (if it hasn't by the time this posts), and I'll be back next week with some more news on how it went.

Keep in mind that the number one reason I even wanted this sort of a device is to be able to follow GPS file routes from others. Events use these almost exclusively now, and many popular rides are in this format. Unless I have a GPS enabled device that allows turn-by-turn navigation, I will be effectively shut out of several events and routes without doing some of my own cue sheet research. That may or may not be possible with many events now days.

Many people get these to instantly share data on social media, or to monitor sensor driven data from power meters, or heart rate monitors. I don't do any of these things currently, (although, at my age, monitoring heart rate might be a thing to consider). So, I'm "over-deviced", you could say. To be completely honest, this isn't a thing I necessarily would get if it weren't for GPS routing. Because of this you are going to find a lot of "I don't care" when it comes to things like Bluetoothing my iPhone and similar things when it comes to the Hammerhead Karoo 2. 

Basically, the success or failure of this device is founded on how it performs in the expected manner for me, and that's a narrow range. So, there are the expectations and we'll see how this new unit holds up.

Karoo 2 Take 2: Part 1

Forget the past- This is a new unit = new review.

 At the end of June I fired off my original Hammerhead Karoo 2 unit back to the Mothership because I had been frustrated beyond belief with the device and was at my wits end. You can read why that happened here if you missed that. In the return box I sent along a hand written note detailing my frustrations and advising them that they 'could' send a new unit out if they wanted to, but that I would not be upset in the least if I never saw one of their products again. 

Yes. I was upset.

Anyway, a nice representative got in touch with us and spoke to my wife on one occasion, (because she actually purchased the unit as a gift for me, so they talked with her) and she explained to them that she thought the unit was defective. So, the Hammerhead rep said that a new unit would be shipped out ASAP and that he would like to walk through the new one with me when we got it. 

Well, that was uncommonly fair and a pleasant interaction, which I totally appreciate. Hammerhead didn't have to do anything. So, kudos to their customer service and willingness to make things right.

However; as I stated in the linked post above, I don't think it is fair in terms of what anyone should expect from a device from any company to be asked to do a walk-through with a representative unless you require that of every new user of your device. Hammerhead does not require this, or even suggest this as being an option, when you receive their device.  So, if it is supposed to work without technical advisers, then it should work. Period. Therefore I did not contact the representative for a "walk-through" this time. I am taking this as a 100% reset as if I never had a Karoo 2 before. That's where we're starting off things here....

There were some set-up issues.

Okay, out of the box and the first thing I noted was that the USB cord was a completely different version of the same format USB connector the old unit had. This cord was a definite upgrade. It is a cloth covered cord with what feels like a much more robust wiring. It was much longer than the previous USB connector as well. Okay then. That was nice.

Firing up the unit revealed the next difference. The welcome screen image was of a rider going down a road in a rural area. It was animated, and I know the old unit did not have this. Okay, that's different as well.

Then I had to have Mrs. Guitar Ted enter the top-secret, "no-one-else-can-know-it" WiFi password for the house here. Man! If something happens to her we're screwed when it comes to a LOT of things, and WiFi is just one of them! Talk about closely guarded secrets! 

Now, on to the set up. After entering my password like three times (Arrgh!) I get in to my dashboard and the set-up procedure. I had to download maps according to the unit. No surprise there as Karoo 2 units don't come pre-set with maps downloaded. I chose my preferred maps from the menu and continued to download them. Okay, so far, so good.

Now on to measuring preferences. Easy-peasy.  Next- Bluetooth pairing with my iPhone. Hmm..... Would not do it. Tried several ways. No-go. After 15 minutes of that I decided, "You know what? I don't HAVE to have a phone tethered to this thing." Moving on then, but noted that I could not get the iPhone and the Karoo 2 Bluetoothed together. (Note: I don't really need to have push notifications on my GPS device. In fact, I'd rather not. So, if it doesn't matter for anything else, I won't pursue this. You may find that to be a negative here though.)

Okay, on to checking routes. Obviously there was nothing there and the unit asked that I login to the Hammerhead dashboard on the unit. More wrasslin' with the login procedure (Arrgh!) Okay, now it wants me to download maps again?!! Whatever. I do this and wait. Then the routes I had saved previously show up. 

Allrighty then! We'll see how this goes....

Okay, so that all took 45 minutes and I did not get a Bluetooth connection to my iPhone. Honestly, that is the least of my worries, but I still note that as a bit of a concern for the device as a whole. 

Next up will be a ride test of the Black Hawk County route I tried to use on the last unit I had. That should happen soon, (if it hasn't by the time this posts), and I'll be back next week with some more news on how it went.

Keep in mind that the number one reason I even wanted this sort of a device is to be able to follow GPS file routes from others. Events use these almost exclusively now, and many popular rides are in this format. Unless I have a GPS enabled device that allows turn-by-turn navigation, I will be effectively shut out of several events and routes without doing some of my own cue sheet research. That may or may not be possible with many events now days.

Many people get these to instantly share data on social media, or to monitor sensor driven data from power meters, or heart rate monitors. I don't do any of these things currently, (although, at my age, monitoring heart rate might be a thing to consider). So, I'm "over-deviced", you could say. To be completely honest, this isn't a thing I necessarily would get if it weren't for GPS routing. Because of this you are going to find a lot of "I don't care" when it comes to things like Bluetoothing my iPhone and similar things when it comes to the Hammerhead Karoo 2. 

Basically, the success or failure of this device is founded on how it performs in the expected manner for me, and that's a narrow range. So, there are the expectations and we'll see how this new unit holds up.

Friday News And Views

 NAHBS Show Canceled For 2022:

In a reecent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, it was revelaed last week that the North American Handmade Bicycle show was not going to happen in 2022. The show, scheduled to occur in Denver Colorado, was cancelled by the organizer due to a claimed "lack of interest by the vendors ". 

A long Facebook thread was posted afterword, mostly bemoaning the cancellation of the show, but there were several interesting comments. Some claimed that they were interested in showing at NAHBS and had tried to get information on the show, but were left with dead ends and unanswered e-mails. The show's director, Don Walker, claimed to have been having health issues which were also making it difficult to put on a show of such magnitude.

MADE To Occur September 2023:

As if on cue, a new gathering of frame builders and attendant cycling component and accessories brands have committed to a new "show" called MADE. This hasn't been 'officially' announced as of this past Wednesday when I found a mention of the gathering on Instagram stories. 

The show site claims the following:(Note- Use of shouty all-caps is from their site)

• MADE CELEBRATES THE ART OF BUILDING
• MADE SERVES BUILDERS, MAKERS, MEDIA AND THE CUSTOM COMMUNITY
• MADE LIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIKE AND CULTURE
• MADE IS DEDICATED TO SHARING STORIES OF BUILDERS AND MAKERS TO THE WORLD

Furthermore the site informs us that this is a 'multi-day trade event" and that there will be consumer and 'industry-only' days where media can gain access to brands for content creation and 'community building'. 

The gathering is set for Portland, Oregon and the site claims that this will be mostly held outdoors. UPDATED: Story on MADE appeared on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" site HERE.

Comments: The timing of this comes at a point right after the NAHBS announcement. Make of that what you will. However; in the previously mentioned Facebook thread, there were mentions of a possible "alternative" to NAHBS, or that there should be one. This appears to be that alternative. It also is highly likely that the Portland custom builder scene had a hand in getting this off the ground, since the event is in Portland, Oregon. 

There were a lot of criticisms leveled at Don Walker's NAHBS organization, and well, now you have people setting up a show which I am sure they feel addresses all of those concerns.One of the big criticisms of NAHBS was that it got away from the custom builder/component cottage industry types and became a de facto Big Corporate show where the "little guy" was overshadowed by the bigger entities like SRAM, Shimano, and more. That's my take from what I read about this situation. If I have that wrong, I'm all ears..... Time will tell all. I'm keeping an eye on this. 

Sarah Cooper and myself at Trans Iowa v12

Trans Iowa Stories Series Ends:

This coming Sunday the Epilogue for the Trans Iowa Stories will post marking the end of the series I have run every Sunday since June of 2019.

The idea was sparked at the close of Trans Iowa v14 by a commenter here that suggested that I probably had a lot of good stories from 'behind the scenes' about the event over its 14 year run. 

It's been difficult in many ways to tell anything 'new' about Trans Iowa. The Trans Iowa related posts here on the blog probably number into the 100's. But the thing is, after a decade plus of posts, you cannot assume that everyone has read the blog that diligently all these years. So, while it is true that the Trans Iowa Stories series has a lot of 're-told' stories, it does have a fair amount of stuff in there I never told before the series. 

I tried to be conscious of that all throughout the writing process. I hope that some of that was noticed. And now the writing process is through. Now what? 

Hmm.......that's a great question. Initially the idea was to make this a book. The thing is, there is just far too much material here. You have no idea, for example, how many images I have that I collected for the series which have not been used, and deserve to be seen. The visual history of Trans Iowa could literally fill volumes. Then there is the written text....... Whoa! That would be a pretty thick book if I were to publish this series in its entirety as a book. 

So, a lot of decisions are needing to be made. The direction of the book, if there is to be one, needs to be determined first. Should it be culled down to the most amazing stories? Maybe 30? That would be a long read in itself. Or, maybe this is best told in images, so a photographic piece, which would have some captions, maybe some light commentary. As I have said, I couldn't possibly even use all the images, so again- use maybe 30-ish? 

Lots of questions, no answers yet. Stay tuned..........

And Don't Forget: The "GTDRI Stories" series kicks off on Sundays starting in August.

EVOC shows new bikepacking range: Image courtesy of ©EVOC / Baschi Bender

EVOC Shows New Bikepacking Range:

Late this year EVOC will have a new range of bikepacking bags on hand which have been improved over the outgoing range. 

Improvements include an upgrade to the BOA closures, new hidden vents which allow roll-top bags to close easier, and the range is now fully waterproof with waterproofed zippers, welded seams,and waterproofed  materials.Velcro straps have been replaced with cut-to-size hypalon Velcro straps.

The range consists of two different sizes of seat packs, a half-frame bag, top tube bags, and a  handle bar bag. They come in two colors, a "steel" and a "carbon grey". These EVOC bags should be available this Fall. Prices range from $40.00 for the smaller items in the range to $150.00USD. https://evocsports.us/

Comments: I have not used EVOC bags before, but they seem to be very popular with some of the ultra-endurance cyclists in Europe, in particular. I imagine that they are now fully waterproof that their popularity will only increase. Good looking colors that should appeal to most riders and look fine with most paint schemes. The pricing seems fair as well. 

Personally, I have not ever liked the look of a half-frame bag when it hangs down away from the frame. I don't have any technical or performance reasons for that, it's just my personal opinion. So, that makes the EVOC half-frame bag not very appealing to me. But maybe you don't care about that? Then this might be a good deal. The rest of the range looks fine to me.  

Patent drawing image from www.wheelbased.com

 SRAM Patent On New Rotor Design:

The "wheelbased.com" Instagram page which showed patent drawings submitted by different bicycle companies had been dormant for some time. However; suddenly it is back again and boy! Have the floodgates opened! If you like to ferret out tech and future developments in bicycle design, this account is worth a follow.

Well, one of the more recent postings that seems realistic for production is this new composite rotor from SRAM. It uses a "spray-on" steel coating over an aluminum core. The advantages are that brake temperatures can be reduced. Shimano has been doing something similar with their "IceTech" for several years already. 

There are some other pretty far-out electronic things happening which may or may not come about. But this brake rotor deal will likely be produced for SRAM's higher end brakes in the near future, I would think. Anyway, check out "wheelbased" on Instagram if you haven't already. It is a good account to 'nerd-out' on, if you are in to such things.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and we'll see ya back here soon, I hope. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

Friday News And Views

 NAHBS Show Canceled For 2022:

In a reecent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, it was revelaed last week that the North American Handmade Bicycle show was not going to happen in 2022. The show, scheduled to occur in Denver Colorado, was cancelled by the organizer due to a claimed "lack of interest by the vendors ". 

A long Facebook thread was posted afterword, mostly bemoaning the cancellation of the show, but there were several interesting comments. Some claimed that they were interested in showing at NAHBS and had tried to get information on the show, but were left with dead ends and unanswered e-mails. The show's director, Don Walker, claimed to have been having health issues which were also making it difficult to put on a show of such magnitude.

MADE To Occur September 2023:

As if on cue, a new gathering of frame builders and attendant cycling component and accessories brands have committed to a new "show" called MADE. This hasn't been 'officially' announced as of this past Wednesday when I found a mention of the gathering on Instagram stories. 

The show site claims the following:(Note- Use of shouty all-caps is from their site)

• MADE CELEBRATES THE ART OF BUILDING
• MADE SERVES BUILDERS, MAKERS, MEDIA AND THE CUSTOM COMMUNITY
• MADE LIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIKE AND CULTURE
• MADE IS DEDICATED TO SHARING STORIES OF BUILDERS AND MAKERS TO THE WORLD

Furthermore the site informs us that this is a 'multi-day trade event" and that there will be consumer and 'industry-only' days where media can gain access to brands for content creation and 'community building'. 

The gathering is set for Portland, Oregon and the site claims that this will be mostly held outdoors. UPDATED: Story on MADE appeared on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" site HERE.

Comments: The timing of this comes at a point right after the NAHBS announcement. Make of that what you will. However; in the previously mentioned Facebook thread, there were mentions of a possible "alternative" to NAHBS, or that there should be one. This appears to be that alternative. It also is highly likely that the Portland custom builder scene had a hand in getting this off the ground, since the event is in Portland, Oregon. 

There were a lot of criticisms leveled at Don Walker's NAHBS organization, and well, now you have people setting up a show which I am sure they feel addresses all of those concerns.One of the big criticisms of NAHBS was that it got away from the custom builder/component cottage industry types and became a de facto Big Corporate show where the "little guy" was overshadowed by the bigger entities like SRAM, Shimano, and more. That's my take from what I read about this situation. If I have that wrong, I'm all ears..... Time will tell all. I'm keeping an eye on this. 

Sarah Cooper and myself at Trans Iowa v12

Trans Iowa Stories Series Ends:

This coming Sunday the Epilogue for the Trans Iowa Stories will post marking the end of the series I have run every Sunday since June of 2019.

The idea was sparked at the close of Trans Iowa v14 by a commenter here that suggested that I probably had a lot of good stories from 'behind the scenes' about the event over its 14 year run. 

It's been difficult in many ways to tell anything 'new' about Trans Iowa. The Trans Iowa related posts here on the blog probably number into the 100's. But the thing is, after a decade plus of posts, you cannot assume that everyone has read the blog that diligently all these years. So, while it is true that the Trans Iowa Stories series has a lot of 're-told' stories, it does have a fair amount of stuff in there I never told before the series. 

I tried to be conscious of that all throughout the writing process. I hope that some of that was noticed. And now the writing process is through. Now what? 

Hmm.......that's a great question. Initially the idea was to make this a book. The thing is, there is just far too much material here. You have no idea, for example, how many images I have that I collected for the series which have not been used, and deserve to be seen. The visual history of Trans Iowa could literally fill volumes. Then there is the written text....... Whoa! That would be a pretty thick book if I were to publish this series in its entirety as a book. 

So, a lot of decisions are needing to be made. The direction of the book, if there is to be one, needs to be determined first. Should it be culled down to the most amazing stories? Maybe 30? That would be a long read in itself. Or, maybe this is best told in images, so a photographic piece, which would have some captions, maybe some light commentary. As I have said, I couldn't possibly even use all the images, so again- use maybe 30-ish? 

Lots of questions, no answers yet. Stay tuned..........

And Don't Forget: The "GTDRI Stories" series kicks off on Sundays starting in August.

EVOC shows new bikepacking range: Image courtesy of ©EVOC / Baschi Bender

EVOC Shows New Bikepacking Range:

Late this year EVOC will have a new range of bikepacking bags on hand which have been improved over the outgoing range. 

Improvements include an upgrade to the BOA closures, new hidden vents which allow roll-top bags to close easier, and the range is now fully waterproof with waterproofed zippers, welded seams,and waterproofed  materials.Velcro straps have been replaced with cut-to-size hypalon Velcro straps.

The range consists of two different sizes of seat packs, a half-frame bag, top tube bags, and a  handle bar bag. They come in two colors, a "steel" and a "carbon grey". These EVOC bags should be available this Fall. Prices range from $40.00 for the smaller items in the range to $150.00USD. https://evocsports.us/

Comments: I have not used EVOC bags before, but they seem to be very popular with some of the ultra-endurance cyclists in Europe, in particular. I imagine that they are now fully waterproof that their popularity will only increase. Good looking colors that should appeal to most riders and look fine with most paint schemes. The pricing seems fair as well. 

Personally, I have not ever liked the look of a half-frame bag when it hangs down away from the frame. I don't have any technical or performance reasons for that, it's just my personal opinion. So, that makes the EVOC half-frame bag not very appealing to me. But maybe you don't care about that? Then this might be a good deal. The rest of the range looks fine to me.  

Patent drawing image from www.wheelbased.com

 SRAM Patent On New Rotor Design:

The "wheelbased.com" Instagram page which showed patent drawings submitted by different bicycle companies had been dormant for some time. However; suddenly it is back again and boy! Have the floodgates opened! If you like to ferret out tech and future developments in bicycle design, this account is worth a follow.

Well, one of the more recent postings that seems realistic for production is this new composite rotor from SRAM. It uses a "spray-on" steel coating over an aluminum core. The advantages are that brake temperatures can be reduced. Shimano has been doing something similar with their "IceTech" for several years already. 

There are some other pretty far-out electronic things happening which may or may not come about. But this brake rotor deal will likely be produced for SRAM's higher end brakes in the near future, I would think. Anyway, check out "wheelbased" on Instagram if you haven't already. It is a good account to 'nerd-out' on, if you are in to such things.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and we'll see ya back here soon, I hope. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

Crank-Crankity-Crank-Crank: Revisted

I'd run this crank on my Gen I Fargo for what? A decade?

 Last year one of my most read posts was one I did in January titled "Crank-Crankity-Crank-Crank". In my review of the most popular posts for 2021, it ranked #7. I said about it at the time: "This is a paean to the triple crank, on one hand, and a severe criticism of 1X drive trains on the other, all tied up at the end with a whimsical prediction for the future".

 Well, being a strong believer in triple crank sets, I am always on the lookout for them. We had a road bike, mind you, come in with a total mish-mash of parts on it down at the Collective. It was obvious that it was going to have to undergo a complete transformation, because, amongst other things, you simply do not put a MTB triple crankset on a road bike. 

Whilst tearing the bike down, I noted that the crankset was an XT from around the late 90's, maybe. 110 BCD, 5 bolt, square taper kind of gives it away as something not from this century. Anyway... As I took it off I noted that it was in great shape for such an old crank set. Maybe some marring due to bouncing around in various bins over the years, but no heel marks or snubbed crank ends like you'd expect to find on a well-loved MTB crankset that is around 25 years old. 

Huh! I'd forgotten that my old crankset was a 170mm!

Then I flipped it around looking it over. "Hmm....I wonder what the length is.....HOLD ON! 180mm?!!"

Yes, a super-rare 180mm triple crank from the halcyon days of 26"er MTB. How these escaped being converted into a single speed crankset, I will never know, but I am betting these were bought on close-out and then never put to use. Well, until they ended up on this 80's era Vitus! Ha ha! What a deal!

So, I purchased them from the Collective and brought the set home. At first I did not have a plan for them, but since they were square taper compatible, that led me in a certain direction.

I knew that my Gen I Fargo was overdue for a drive train maintenance. Everything was pretty old on it. The 9 speed chain was tired, the cassette, an old one from the late 00's, needed swapping. That old chain set I was using, a rare Deore cassette style with a square taper interface, (most of this series of Shimano crank sets were Octalink), had been in service for at least a decade. This better condition, XT 180mm armed crank set was a shoe-in to replace that old Deore one. Plus, the XT has the far more commonplace 110/74BCD pattern chainrings.

The XT crank is appealing for its more common chain ring sizes.

While that XT crank very well could be an 8 speed model, a 9 speed chain will work on it just fine. Well....for me it will. Your mileage may vary. I seem to get away with mismatched stuff far better than most. That's not a brag, it's a warning. I don't want anyone coming back here and blaming me for their mismatched components failure. So, don't do this...

Anyway, the main point here is that I had 170mm cranks and now I will have 180mm cranks. Many, many theories exist concerning crank length. I'm not doing this for anyone else's benefit, but I am sharing my experiences as I go along.  Once all the parts are replaced in my drive train, I'll let you all know how it goes. If you find crank length discussions interesting, well this could be for you.

The proof.

Another interesting nugget here is that the ring sizes are 48T/36T/26T. This replaces my 42T/36T/28T set up. I checked the chain length and while it goes into "big-big", it should really have one more link than the current, worn out chain has. Making a note here....

So, I'm going to end up with a wider range than I had before, and a longer crank by 10mm, which an old school touring jockey would tell you affects the gearing range too. Yeah..... That's over my head. If I had to guess I'd say longer = more gear inches/higher speed and shorter would = lower geared/slower speed. 

All I can say now is that a longer crank set articulates my legs more, makes for a slower cadence, and a more relaxed heart rate. That's just me maybe. I just notice this with my 180mm crank set single speed bikes, which I have three of, at least, maybe four. I also have one single speed set up with 170mm cranks and I can spin faster than all get-out on that bike. (Just rode that one two days ago)

As installed on the Gen I Fargo.

So, I have to source a good 9 speed cassette and a chain, then I'll be good to go. I'm excited to give a geared set up a whirl with 180mm cranks again. I had a similar set up on a 26"er back in the 1990's when I used to race MTB. I loved that set up and I am hoping it works out on the Fargo. 

I'm even more excited that my Fargo will be good to go in terms of drive train stuff for quite a while again. I probably should redo the brakes and get new pads installed, but that can wait as the brakes are okay right now. 

Interestingly, the stock gearing on the Fargo was similar to this old XT set up. That too was an XT crank, but a HollowTech one with a 104BCD four bolt set up. I still have that crankset, by the way. 

If you are thinking I have a 180mm triple crank in silver from earlier, you would be correct. That is the one that Steve Fuller gifted me this past Spring, so that one is destined for the upcoming Gryphon build, which probably won't happen now until next year. The Gryphon frames and forks have been pushed back to December now.  

Yes, I like my 180mm crank sets, but I use all lengths. Most of my gravel bikes stuff is 172.5, I have some 175mm arm stuff, and then the 170mm and 180mm stuff. Got any questions? let me know, otherwise, stay tuned....

Crank-Crankity-Crank-Crank: Revisted

I'd run this crank on my Gen I Fargo for what? A decade?

 Last year one of my most read posts was one I did in January titled "Crank-Crankity-Crank-Crank". In my review of the most popular posts for 2021, it ranked #7. I said about it at the time: "This is a paean to the triple crank, on one hand, and a severe criticism of 1X drive trains on the other, all tied up at the end with a whimsical prediction for the future".

 Well, being a strong believer in triple crank sets, I am always on the lookout for them. We had a road bike, mind you, come in with a total mish-mash of parts on it down at the Collective. It was obvious that it was going to have to undergo a complete transformation, because, amongst other things, you simply do not put a MTB triple crankset on a road bike. 

Whilst tearing the bike down, I noted that the crankset was an XT from around the late 90's, maybe. 110 BCD, 5 bolt, square taper kind of gives it away as something not from this century. Anyway... As I took it off I noted that it was in great shape for such an old crank set. Maybe some marring due to bouncing around in various bins over the years, but no heel marks or snubbed crank ends like you'd expect to find on a well-loved MTB crankset that is around 25 years old. 

Huh! I'd forgotten that my old crankset was a 170mm!

Then I flipped it around looking it over. "Hmm....I wonder what the length is.....HOLD ON! 180mm?!!"

Yes, a super-rare 180mm triple crank from the halcyon days of 26"er MTB. How these escaped being converted into a single speed crankset, I will never know, but I am betting these were bought on close-out and then never put to use. Well, until they ended up on this 80's era Vitus! Ha ha! What a deal!

So, I purchased them from the Collective and brought the set home. At first I did not have a plan for them, but since they were square taper compatible, that led me in a certain direction.

I knew that my Gen I Fargo was overdue for a drive train maintenance. Everything was pretty old on it. The 9 speed chain was tired, the cassette, an old one from the late 00's, needed swapping. That old chain set I was using, a rare Deore cassette style with a square taper interface, (most of this series of Shimano crank sets were Octalink), had been in service for at least a decade. This better condition, XT 180mm armed crank set was a shoe-in to replace that old Deore one. Plus, the XT has the far more commonplace 110/74BCD pattern chainrings.

The XT crank is appealing for its more common chain ring sizes.

While that XT crank very well could be an 8 speed model, a 9 speed chain will work on it just fine. Well....for me it will. Your mileage may vary. I seem to get away with mismatched stuff far better than most. That's not a brag, it's a warning. I don't want anyone coming back here and blaming me for their mismatched components failure. So, don't do this...

Anyway, the main point here is that I had 170mm cranks and now I will have 180mm cranks. Many, many theories exist concerning crank length. I'm not doing this for anyone else's benefit, but I am sharing my experiences as I go along.  Once all the parts are replaced in my drive train, I'll let you all know how it goes. If you find crank length discussions interesting, well this could be for you.

The proof.

Another interesting nugget here is that the ring sizes are 48T/36T/26T. This replaces my 42T/36T/28T set up. I checked the chain length and while it goes into "big-big", it should really have one more link than the current, worn out chain has. Making a note here....

So, I'm going to end up with a wider range than I had before, and a longer crank by 10mm, which an old school touring jockey would tell you affects the gearing range too. Yeah..... That's over my head. If I had to guess I'd say longer = more gear inches/higher speed and shorter would = lower geared/slower speed. 

All I can say now is that a longer crank set articulates my legs more, makes for a slower cadence, and a more relaxed heart rate. That's just me maybe. I just notice this with my 180mm crank set single speed bikes, which I have three of, at least, maybe four. I also have one single speed set up with 170mm cranks and I can spin faster than all get-out on that bike. (Just rode that one two days ago)

As installed on the Gen I Fargo.

So, I have to source a good 9 speed cassette and a chain, then I'll be good to go. I'm excited to give a geared set up a whirl with 180mm cranks again. I had a similar set up on a 26"er back in the 1990's when I used to race MTB. I loved that set up and I am hoping it works out on the Fargo. 

I'm even more excited that my Fargo will be good to go in terms of drive train stuff for quite a while again. I probably should redo the brakes and get new pads installed, but that can wait as the brakes are okay right now. 

Interestingly, the stock gearing on the Fargo was similar to this old XT set up. That too was an XT crank, but a HollowTech one with a 104BCD four bolt set up. I still have that crankset, by the way. 

If you are thinking I have a 180mm triple crank in silver from earlier, you would be correct. That is the one that Steve Fuller gifted me this past Spring, so that one is destined for the upcoming Gryphon build, which probably won't happen now until next year. The Gryphon frames and forks have been pushed back to December now.  

Yes, I like my 180mm crank sets, but I use all lengths. Most of my gravel bikes stuff is 172.5, I have some 175mm arm stuff, and then the 170mm and 180mm stuff. Got any questions? let me know, otherwise, stay tuned....

An Unpopular Opinion

From the last day I rode RAGBRAI ever. July 2005

Well, it's THAT time of the year again. And it is THAT time again after two years of really nothing going on. RAGBRAI is back full tilt, and my social media feeds are full of the goings on. 

I've escaped having to answer this question now for two whole years, and now that this certain question has come back into play again, I realize how nice it was to NOT have to answer it.

The question? "Why aren't you on RAGBRAI?" followed closely with the follow-up question, "Have you ever done RAGBRAI before?"

Well, about that...........

Yes:  I have ridden RAGBRAI before. The entire route twice in 1996 and 2002. I've ridden parts of other RAGBRAI's in 2000, 2001, and 2003-2005. I have also been a mechanic on two RAGBRAI's- 2002-2003. So, this opinion doesn't come from someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. I've been there, done that, and the answers to "The Questions" come from experience. 

Why don't I do RAGBRAI? Well, there is a very good reason for that. It isn't for me. That's why.
 

Long lines for you name it: Food, drink, toilets, everything. (Image from 2005)

Long Lines: Waiting....... You will do a lot of that at RAGBRAI. Long lines of sweaty people waiting. Waiting for food, drink, to use a Kybo (Porta-jon, or whatever you call them in your part of the world) Waiting is NOT fun. Especially under a hot Sun. You can have it. 

Pipped from the Des Moines Register's reporter, Kyle Munson's social media 2022

Traffic: Look, I love riding bicycles. I do not like traffic jams. I don't like living on the edge wondering if so-and-so ahead of me is going to suddenly swerve into my line or not. I don't like picking my way around riders who suddenly decide, You know what? This climb sucks! I'm getting off right here!. Which usually is right in front of you while you are climbing at 12mph. Brilliant! I LIVE for that! Why don't I go on RAGBRAI? (sarcasm alert)

A mechanic on location during RAGBRAI 2005.

Exorbitant Pricing & Regulations: RAGBRAI is not a bargain. In fact, it is very expensive. Try getting anything done on your bicycle, for instance. The licensed repair shops charge boosted fees, because, let's face it- they have to make hay while it is time to bale. I get it. I benefited from it, but that doesn't mean I would like being on the other end of that as a consumer. And of course, food and beverage is no different. 

True- you can score some sweet accommodation pricing during RAGBRAI, and it can be "free" if you are willing to compromise a bit on things, but otherwise, this isn't a budget friendly deal. I'm better off doing my own tour than doing a RAGBRAI. 

And while I am not affected by the authorities shutting down businesses and chasing riders up the road, that rubs me totally the wrong way. I do not like it, and I wouldn't support that activity by doing RAGBRAI.

Again, all of the above is MY OPINION. Your mileage probably varies. I am just putting this out there because I get asked a lot about RAGBRAI and my lack of participation in it. 

Let it also be known that I always tell people they should do it at least once. To me it is like going to Las Vegas. You should do that at least once as well. Then decide if it is for you or not. 

So, there you go. RAGBRAI has been tried. More than once. I don't get on with it. I've listed the reasons why that is. You? You do you. (You probably aren't reading this if you are a RAGBRAI fan anyway, since it is RAGBRAI week)

Oh, and one more thing. People used to get on me for criticizing RAGBRAI because "I benefited from it".  Well, I used to. Not anymore. So, that's not a valid criticism of my take now. And honestly, I am happy to be out of that rat-race of repairs for that ride. That had its own set of negatives. But that doesn't matter since I've left that sort of work behind.