Well, take a sip of that coffee and congratulate yourself for making it through another entire year of the 'FN&V", your weekly, end-of-week review of news, thoughts, and opinions here on "Guitar Ted Productions".
I've cooked up a special one for y'all today, so I hope that you enjoy this. But first, a bit of trivia concerning this staple of my blog over the years.
This wasn't planned to be on Fridays. In fact, I think a 'news and views' type of post has appeared on every day but Sunday here on this blog since 2005. The Friday slot wasn't a weekly thing until recently, in terms of this blog, as well, which may surprise some of you.
But now the "FN&V" has become, on average, the most read post I do every week. There are posts that get a lot more hits than my Friday missives, but on average, more of you dear readers are here today than any other day of the week. So, a tip-o-the-cup to your reading neighbors and cheers!
New Site Seeks To Be Gravel Event Calendar Hub:
Back in 2008 I was asked by readers of this blog to start a "gravel event calendar", which I did, hosting it on the sidebar of this very blog throughout 2008. There weren't many events back then!
But things changed, I started a calendar in 2009 on a separate site, that morphed into the Riding Gravel Events Calendar in 2014, and by 2019 I had over 600 events which I had listed on the site, most of which I had researched and found out about on my own time. That's right, I would estimate that less than ten percent of those 600+ events were submitted to be on that old calendar.
As you might imagine then, I was very busy with updating that calendar throughout the year. It took probably ten hours a week to maintain it. That's on top of doing all the other stuff I did. It wasn't tenable, and when COVID came along, I took the cue to stop and that was that. Along the way I made a great resource for many for several years. I unwittingly also contributed to some other 'gravel oriented sites' calendars as well, with many of my event descriptions getting copied and pasted word for word into these other "calendar of events".
That's why when I came across this last week that I smiled. I wish this man good will and fortunes on his efforts. It won't be easy, or very sustainable, to simply rely on submissions and word of mouth to get events put on that calendar. (Ask anyone who has compiled events about that) Especially when sites like BikeReg are a de-facto event calendar with major reach and influence. That's why I'd be shocked if this "Gravel Calendar" isn't drawing dates off BikeReg,, or the massive Gran Fondo gravel calendar of events.by the way.
The calendar is also probably getting data from its partners. The Gravel Calendar has partnered with the Gravel Cyclist website and the Pure Gravel site to "help bolster their calendars", which I take to mean that they are sharing information across their websites to gather more events. That should ease things a tiny bit.
Again- best of luck to all involved.
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| Dream Engine in steel (Image courtesy of Wilde Bikes) |
Wilde Bikes Introduces The "Dream Engine" In Steel, Titanium:
In case you missed this last week, Wilde Bikes debuted a new "Fargo-like" adventure bike dubbed the Dream Engine. The bike, available as a frame set or built to various spec, is going to be offered in steel and titanium.
Interestingly, the bike uses a Cutthroat carbon fork by Salsa Cycles, further tying the comparison to the venerable Fargo, which itself is offered in steel and titanium versions.
These Dream Engine bikes have clearance for 29" X 2.6" tires. The frames also feature stealth dropper routing, and all the accessory mounting points that you would expect on an adventure bike nowadays. Prices are $2,600.00 for the steel frame set and $4,900.00 for the titanium frame set, both coming with custom Jen Green head tube badges.
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| Dream Engine in titanium (Image courtesy of Wilde Bikes) |
Comments: Well, I have to admit that these are beautiful and well executed examples of a bike with the Fargo influence. They are US built, (but the presser doesn't say by whom), so the pricing is understandable. You are going to pay a premium price for what is essentially a small batch custom frame.
My only beef with this bike's design is that it cannot be single speed due to the lack of any tensioning system being designed into the frame. (You could use an eccentric bottom bracket, I suppose.) I know, big whoop! You probably are not a single speeder. But you do not have to have a desire to be a one gear person to appreciate the ability to single speed a bike if the derailleur gets destroyed in an incident while you are miles away from anything.
To my way of thinking, self-extraction from your situation is a prized attribute, and having that ability in a frame set which could be a single speed is a good thing to have in your back pocket, you know, just in case. You may never use that feature, but then again, you may have to.
So, for that singular reason I would pass on this choice. You are spending a lot of coin to have a bike without a feature that, in my opinion, is a definite "must have" for an off-pavement adventure. Too bad too, it is a beautiful bike. As a gravel pounder? Yeah....I could live without that single speed thing, but not if I am going way off the beaten track.
Big Changes In Store For Shimano Components?
Last Thursday I noted a Tweet far down in a thread I was involved in that perked up my ears. It was written by noted cycling journalist, Carlton Reid, who is from the U.K. and has a lot of connections in the cycling business world. In that Tweet, he drops a hint that could signal big changes coming in terms of Shimano group sets in the future.
The context for this Tweet was that "model years" for bicycles are a poor idea, but Shimano, who pretty much steers the ship from behind a curtain when it comes to industry practices, dictates that a model year change shall exist. It does this by introducing new component features and new components nearly every year in March, generally speaking, although Shimano has made introductions in the Fall as well in the past.
These announcements are years in the making. Component manufacturers and bicycle brands are privy to what is coming out, so that spec can be solidified and parts can be accumulated for production before the public knows about the "new stuff' coming. This is why Mr. Reid probably has some knowledge of what is about to be introduced in March. Someone or another passed along some rather big news along to him, which I believe Mr. Reid is hinting at in his Tweet here.
On Friday last week, a few news sources were showing a patent drawing filed by Shimano dated November 2022 that showed a design for a 9 tooth sprocket and lockring. Shimano currently does not support 9 tooth sprockets.
What Could It Mean? Knowing what I know about Shimano, this has probably got something to do with a complete overhaul of either road components, mountain components, or both simultaneously. I doubt they change GRX, but..... Maybe.
Does this signal a new standard for free hubs? I would guess that it does, but will Shimano make this compatible with MicroSpline, the newer MTB free hub format they introduced a few years ago? My inclination is that yes- All Shimano rear wheels from 2023 forward will be MicroSpline, 9 tooth cassette compatible.
That opens up a LOT of possibilities on every front. 1X gravel, MTB, adventure wide range gearing, etc. 13 and 14 speed groups. I know Shimano has had working 14 speed prototype groups since before 2010, so it is not a pipe dream to say that we're headed in that direction.
Shimano isn't going to produce "new-name" group sets without there being some pretty big changes in those mechanisms. GRX is a new group, relatively speaking, so it would surprise me if they rebrand that after such a short period. But if wholesale changes in either road or MTB happen I could see where that might warrant a new name(s). And Mr. Reid says "several group sets", so I expect a whole nomenclature for group-sets to be retired.
Would that mean no more Dura-Ace, or Ultegra? Or would that mean no more XT or Deore? It's hard to fathom that that sort of legacy would be retired, but reading the Tweet, I don't see any other way to interpret that. (Unless it is an additional group set, but that's not how I read the Tweet) I guess we will find out in March, won't we?
Well, that's a wrap on Friday News And Views for today, and for 2022! Once again, THANK YOU for reading these and I'll be back again next week with the start of another year of FN&V posts!
8 comments:
Happy friday, GT!
That Dream Engine is beautiful, but I also agree that they missed the mark by not implementing some sort of dropout that allows for horizontal travel. Looking at their catalog, they've used paragon and rocker dropouts on other framesets in their lineup.
But then again, that really got me thinking. If I found myself in a situation where my derailleur broke, but didn't have horizontal travel dropouts, would I really need to have perfect chain tension? I've never found myself in that situation (given that I don't really use derailleurs all that often :P) but I'd imagine if I did, I'd probably try to search for a "magic" gear ratio and roll it home/back to civilization with sub-optimal/slack chain tension. Kind of reflecting on this, if I did ever purchase a bike like this Wilde Dream Engine, I might try to play around with figuring out how I could singlespeed it in the event that my derailleur broke.
All of this being said, I am in 100% alignment that horizontal dropouts would make all of the above a non-issue!
@Tomcat - Well, let's remember first off what I mentioned in the post. you 'could' get an eccentric bottom bracket, like the one Velo Orange is coming out with this Spring, and then you'd be good to go, assuming that bottom bracket is a good one, of course.
On "Magic Gears" - The trouble is that on modern 10. 11. and 12 speed cassettes, the spacing on the cassette is such that - even IF you get a perfect chain line - flex in the system (frame, wheel, crank) can cause the side plates of the chain to want to engage with the pick-up ramps of an adjacent cog and WHAM! The chain can break. This is compounded if your only choice is a slightly loose chain for a 'magic gear'. So, even IF you have a horizontal drop out, there is no guarantee you get out of trouble.
I've witnessed first hand via Trans Iowa, Odin's Revenge, and other events where that single speed set up on a geared bike with no tensioning option doesn't work well. I've seen it work out as well. The bad "mud year" at Odin's saw a guy rip his rear derailleur off, he single speeded the drive train, and finished something like second or third overall. (That was the year Sara Cooper won)
Anyway, there is at least a CHANCE of success with a horizontal drop out, sliding drop out, or eccentric bottom bracket, but very little to no chance without it when the derailleur takes a vacation from your frame.
Thanks for sharing your insight, Mark!
Also, thanks for sharing that Odin's Revenge experience with me. I was reading up on that. It was JEff Caldwell that broke his derailleur TEN MILES IN and then proceeded to singlespeed the entire route. People are incredible!
@Tomcat - Yeah, I remember it was pretty early on into the event. Just as we entered the big hills.
If you ever get a chance to ride around Gothenburg, NE, you should. It is spectacular territory.
Greets GT, a basic chain tensioner as emergency backup is another possibility. It does keep the chain away from the pickup teeth as it feeds up onto the cassette.
Just an FYI that the map-points on the global map at Gravel Calendar are not 100% reliable - do your research before you decide to register for an event!
To wit - I grew up in southwestern Ontario and was happy to see a pinpoint there for an event in Tilbury, Ontario, Canada (The Smoke Ring Challenge) - so close to where I am from and where I now live (Michigan). It called for a 200 mile route that circumnavigated the city of London - again, a huge ride, but not unreasonably described based on my geographical knowledge of the area, as there is the large city of London, Ontario, Canada, about 60 miles northeast of Tilbury, Ontario, Canada. When I clicked through, though, I was surprised to see that the actual event will be in the UK, and the London to be circumnavigated is London, England!
It's a glitch easily understood - if you ever visit southwestern Ontario, Canada, you can hardly miss the British heritage to the names of the villages (New Glasgow, Highgate, etc.), towns (West Lorne, Glencoe, Watford, and, *ahem* Tilbury, etc.), cities (London, Windsor, Chatham, Stratford, etc.), counties (Essex, Middlesex, Elgin, Kent, Lambton, etc.), and even rivers (Thames, Grand, Humber, Avon, etc.). All of which is to say...the calendar is useful, but mistakes happen and we should exercise some due diligence as riders to be certain of what we're clicking on.
Now...aside from that...such a ride in Canada from Tilbury sounds like an EPIC day on the bike, maybe even two or three...maybe the honest mistake could bear fruit in a Canadian gravel route circumnavigating "our London"? I will have to see!
@Skidmark - Great idea IF you don't bend/break a hangar in the process of destroying your rear mech. Of course, you probably also should have a new hangar, right?
@Jon Bakker - Duly noted and another reason calendars can be tricky to maintain and operate for the creator. I know that all too well!
Circumnavigation of London, Ontario Canada, you say? Sounds like a challenge that would be quite interesting. I encourage you to look into it!
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