Singular Gryphon Mk3: Planning The Build

Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

 Well, February is on the doorstep and I've been sent an email saying that the Gryphon Mk3 frame set I ordered about a year ago is finally about to land in the UK. Then after a bit of time for turn-around, it should be headed over here. That means I have to get on the stick and start planning this build for real here. 

As I've said before, I have a lot of the parts necessary to get the bike most of the way there. I have identified those parts and I have noted a thing or two I need to get in to make this all work. I thought it might be fun to share where I am going on this build.

First of all, I have had to resist the temptation to go single speed. I have too many single speeds and this bike doesn't have to be another one. So, geared it is, and I am going to lean toward doing a 2X 11 speed system for a drive train.  

I have an older silver LX 104 BCD crank that is set up as a triple currently. Singular says that won't work, but a double will. So, I will likely shed the granny gear and go 2X. This will turn my rear XD cassette on the Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2. Note that if you click that link, the last paragraph states that, "I probably do not have the right bike for these wheels....", and I was contemplating blowing them apart to re-lace the rims to something else. But then the Gryphon Mk3 came along and.....everything fell into place. 

Detail of the paint job (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

So the wheels I have will work on that frame. That's a big deal, and since I already have them just hanging around, well, why not just go with them? 

The 30mm inside rim width should support the 29" X 2.8" Teravail Coronado tires I have already too, so the wheels are pretty much a done deal. 

Somewhere I have a set of TRP flat mount brakes sitting unused and I need to get those rounded up. They are cable pull, of course, which leads me to the levers I am using.

Those would be a set of Gevenalle levers in silver with the shifter mounts on them, in typical Gevenalle fashion. I have used Gevenalle shifters/levers for over ten years on various bikes, but most notably on the Fargo Gen I. So, I am very familiar with them. They offer a system that is configurable for 7/8/9/10/11/12 speed set ups, and I think I have the 9 speed Shimano lever on there currently. This leads me to the first thing I need to get.

That would be shifters compatible with the Gevenalle mounts. I could take a chance and use their road shifter which would be a direct replacement for the one I have on the lever I want to use already. However; I may have a bit of trouble getting a 42T large rear cog to work with a long cage Ultegra rear derailleur. So, I also have a Gevenalle GX MTB compatible lever with their 10speed MicroShift lever installed on there. I could do one of two things here, based upon the fact that the road and MTB mounts are not compatible with the opposite type shifter.

Side view. (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

I could swap mounts and use the MTB mount with a DynaSys 11 speed derailleur I already have. I would have to order in the appropriate 11 speed lever from Gevenalle. OR I could order a SRAM lever with shifter already mounted and use a SRAM derailleur I already have. 

I'm leaning going toward the Shimano route, just because I like Shimano. But I have to get something nailed down soon and get it coming. 

I have a bottom bracket, head set, stem, handle bars, seat post, stem spacers,rotors, and pedals all lined up. I will need cables and housings, which I can buy from my job at the Collective. Let's see.... That leaves a saddle, (got plenty of those) and handle bar tape. I think I'll get myself something nice in terms of handle bar tape soon, but with the build being mostly nuetral colors, (the "wheat" colored frame/fork, silver components, black rims, tan sidewall tires), I am thinking I may pull that silver-ish looking cloth tape from Grepp which is on the Orange Crush currently, or get some leather tape. Or I could order new Grepp tape as well. 

Stay tuned. This should be a fun build.

Singular Gryphon Mk3: Planning The Build

Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

 Well, February is on the doorstep and I've been sent an email saying that the Gryphon Mk3 frame set I ordered about a year ago is finally about to land in the UK. Then after a bit of time for turn-around, it should be headed over here. That means I have to get on the stick and start planning this build for real here. 

As I've said before, I have a lot of the parts necessary to get the bike most of the way there. I have identified those parts and I have noted a thing or two I need to get in to make this all work. I thought it might be fun to share where I am going on this build.

First of all, I have had to resist the temptation to go single speed. I have too many single speeds and this bike doesn't have to be another one. So, geared it is, and I am going to lean toward doing a 2X 11 speed system for a drive train.  

I have an older silver LX 104 BCD crank that is set up as a triple currently. Singular says that won't work, but a double will. So, I will likely shed the granny gear and go 2X. This will turn my rear XD cassette on the Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2. Note that if you click that link, the last paragraph states that, "I probably do not have the right bike for these wheels....", and I was contemplating blowing them apart to re-lace the rims to something else. But then the Gryphon Mk3 came along and.....everything fell into place. 

Detail of the paint job (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

So the wheels I have will work on that frame. That's a big deal, and since I already have them just hanging around, well, why not just go with them? 

The 30mm inside rim width should support the 29" X 2.8" Teravail Coronado tires I have already too, so the wheels are pretty much a done deal. 

Somewhere I have a set of TRP flat mount brakes sitting unused and I need to get those rounded up. They are cable pull, of course, which leads me to the levers I am using.

Those would be a set of Gevenalle levers in silver with the shifter mounts on them, in typical Gevenalle fashion. I have used Gevenalle shifters/levers for over ten years on various bikes, but most notably on the Fargo Gen I. So, I am very familiar with them. They offer a system that is configurable for 7/8/9/10/11/12 speed set ups, and I think I have the 9 speed Shimano lever on there currently. This leads me to the first thing I need to get.

That would be shifters compatible with the Gevenalle mounts. I could take a chance and use their road shifter which would be a direct replacement for the one I have on the lever I want to use already. However; I may have a bit of trouble getting a 42T large rear cog to work with a long cage Ultegra rear derailleur. So, I also have a Gevenalle GX MTB compatible lever with their 10speed MicroShift lever installed on there. I could do one of two things here, based upon the fact that the road and MTB mounts are not compatible with the opposite type shifter.

Side view. (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

I could swap mounts and use the MTB mount with a DynaSys 11 speed derailleur I already have. I would have to order in the appropriate 11 speed lever from Gevenalle. OR I could order a SRAM lever with shifter already mounted and use a SRAM derailleur I already have. 

I'm leaning going toward the Shimano route, just because I like Shimano. But I have to get something nailed down soon and get it coming. 

I have a bottom bracket, head set, stem, handle bars, seat post, stem spacers,rotors, and pedals all lined up. I will need cables and housings, which I can buy from my job at the Collective. Let's see.... That leaves a saddle, (got plenty of those) and handle bar tape. I think I'll get myself something nice in terms of handle bar tape soon, but with the build being mostly nuetral colors, (the "wheat" colored frame/fork, silver components, black rims, tan sidewall tires), I am thinking I may pull that silver-ish looking cloth tape from Grepp which is on the Orange Crush currently, or get some leather tape. Or I could order new Grepp tape as well. 

Stay tuned. This should be a fun build.

Mondey: Two Things

Latest Podcast And An Update:

Based upon the response to the post here "Entry Fees Up", N.Y. Roll and I dove in on that subject for the latest Guitar Ted Productions Podcast called "Anatomy Of A Gravel Event"

While my intentions were to focus on the event fee part, we quickly went down another road which opened up a lot of discussion and probably generated more questions than answers concerning gravel events overall. 

We looked at, well...every aspect of gravel events, and from a historical to a present day viewpoint. After we beat that subject to death we then moved on to another discussion based upon this recent blog post here concerning managed finishes. 

Finally, I added the link to PayPal on the Show Notes page which you can use to donate to the podcast efforts here. Just use "g.ted.productions@gmail.com" as the address to donate to, if you feel so inclined.  Totally not necessary, and this will be the last mention of it here. 

UPDATE- 1/31/23: I changed up the name of the podcast a bit dropping the "Productions" part of the name. It is a bit simpler and hopefully easier for search engines to find. Now look for it as "The Guitar Ted Podcast".

Thanks for reading, listening, if you do that, and for your consideration. 

Roster sheet for the 1st DK200 (Image courtesy of C. Stoeltzing's facebook)

Dirty Kanza 200 Historical Document:

Every once in a while something shows up from the early days of gravel grinding. Three years ago I found the copied pages from the first Trans Iowa website/blog which were in a storage tub out in my garage. Last year a rare in-race Trans Iowa v1 image popped up.

This time it was a cleaning up scenario by someone else. A DK200 rider named Craig Stoeltzing found the original roster sheet for the Dirty Kanza 200 from 2006, its inaugural year. He posted this then on Facebook where it was shared with me by Steve Fuller. thanks to those two fellows for making this post possible.

 Click on the image to embiggin it and read away. The names on there represent the pioneers of the gravel scene. Not all participated as riders in that first one, but it doesn't matter. They all bought into the idea, so they all get credit here, in my opinion. 

Of course, I have the original roster sheet for the first Trans Iowa as well, so someday my hope is that both documents will live in a special place like the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame envisions. That won't be for a while yet, but someday, that needs to happen. 

Mondey: Two Things

Latest Podcast And An Update:

Based upon the response to the post here "Entry Fees Up", N.Y. Roll and I dove in on that subject for the latest Guitar Ted Productions Podcast called "Anatomy Of A Gravel Event"

While my intentions were to focus on the event fee part, we quickly went down another road which opened up a lot of discussion and probably generated more questions than answers concerning gravel events overall. 

We looked at, well...every aspect of gravel events, and from a historical to a present day viewpoint. After we beat that subject to death we then moved on to another discussion based upon this recent blog post here concerning managed finishes. 

Finally, I added the link to PayPal on the Show Notes page which you can use to donate to the podcast efforts here. Just use "g.ted.productions@gmail.com" as the address to donate to, if you feel so inclined.  Totally not necessary, and this will be the last mention of it here. 

UPDATE- 1/31/23: I changed up the name of the podcast a bit dropping the "Productions" part of the name. It is a bit simpler and hopefully easier for search engines to find. Now look for it as "The Guitar Ted Podcast".

Thanks for reading, listening, if you do that, and for your consideration. 

Roster sheet for the 1st DK200 (Image courtesy of C. Stoeltzing's facebook)

Dirty Kanza 200 Historical Document:

Every once in a while something shows up from the early days of gravel grinding. Three years ago I found the copied pages from the first Trans Iowa website/blog which were in a storage tub out in my garage. Last year a rare in-race Trans Iowa v1 image popped up.

This time it was a cleaning up scenario by someone else. A DK200 rider named Craig Stoeltzing found the original roster sheet for the Dirty Kanza 200 from 2006, its inaugural year. He posted this then on Facebook where it was shared with me by Steve Fuller. thanks to those two fellows for making this post possible.

 Click on the image to embiggin it and read away. The names on there represent the pioneers of the gravel scene. Not all participated as riders in that first one, but it doesn't matter. They all bought into the idea, so they all get credit here, in my opinion. 

Of course, I have the original roster sheet for the first Trans Iowa as well, so someday my hope is that both documents will live in a special place like the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame envisions. That won't be for a while yet, but someday, that needs to happen. 

The GTDRI Stories: Fat Tires And Zebras

 "The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

There are certain rides one does that always stick with you. Maybe you had such a fantastic time with friends that this ride represents a relational highlight for you. Maybe you overcame a personal barrier and went beyond anything you could do. Or, maybe it was a ride where you got lost and ended up having an unexpected adventure. The latter is why this ride I am going to talk about in this edition of "The GTDRI Stories" sticks out for me.

This particular ride was a recon of the upcoming Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational course. I had been eye-balling some roads North of Toledo, Iowa for quite some time. This was an area we went through for Trans Iowa v5 a few years earlier, but we had just skirted the roads I had a mind to check out. So, I made a run down to Toledo to check out a way to get ourselves out of town using the least amount of pavement possible. 

I decided also to make this a recon by bicycle. So I grabbed my new Mukluk, as it had rained the night before, and I knew I might be in for some Level B Action or soft roads. I also was curious at that time as to how a fat bike might work out for gravel riding. I don't think I was the only person on that wavelength! The new fat bikes from Salsa and Surly were causing quite a stir that year, as they were the first fat bikes you could buy as complete, turnkey bicycles with the 3.8" tires. 

My 2011 Salsa Cycles Mukluk as it appeared in 2011. A triple crank? You betcha!

I drove down a long bit of black top road to the Northwest of Toledo looking to find a connector road to gravel to the North, but I was thwarted by a truncated road and even more so by a few downed trees, maybe leftovers from the recent derecho, or newly fallen after being weakened by that event. I could not say, but the point was, I had to turn around and come back the way I had went out.

I went back and looked at the maps and decided to park on the gravel North of town, just off HWY 63, and ride out on a loop I had tried to memorize which would encompass a few roads I was interested in. These roads were not really "on the grid", so there were a few confusing turns that were out there waiting to bait me into making a wrong turn. You can guess what happened next!

I found some pretty spectacular roads on this recon!

The first bit was fairly flat, and then the road went up this really steep hill with a rural church at the summit. Then it went into this gnarly, rutted out Level B Road which was perfect for the fat bike. This was a unique road in that it had a dogleg in it and no other roads crossed its path for almost two miles. 

Love me some wild flowers!

After that fun, I headed back toward the truck, or at least, I thought I was! I made a turn that I thought was the correct road, but it kept on going on, and on, and on! I had no maps with me at the time, not even on my cell phone. So, I was kind of at the mercy of fate for a while and I just had to keep going. I mean, that road would dump me out somewhere, right?

Finally I decided to take a break where the road seemed to start to tip downward a bit. I figured it would be best to rest at the top of a hill than at the foot of some unseen climb. As I looked around, I noted several outbuildings of a farm. A small barn, some sheds, a corn crib. Wait..... Zebras?!! 

Yes, zebras. 

This farm raised zebras. Okay.....that was so random and cool that I had to figure out where I was and somehow put this on the route! But....where was I? That was the big problem that needed figuring out. So, back on the Mukluk and down the hill. It eventually dumped me out on a flat plain at an intersection. Good! I could memorize the street sign, but just in case, I took a photo of it. Alright! I see a highway! Off I went.

As I got to the pavement, I thought I was West of Toledo and intersecting old Highway 30. If that was the case, I needed to go left and I would be back in town in a jiffy and then I'd have to ride North to my truck. But I went about two miles and I came across the road I had originally parked on! Wow! Was I ever turned around! But that meant that the "zebra road" would work for the route. I was stoked! Now all I had to do was finalize the cues and do the ride the following week.

Next: The sixth GTDRI

The GTDRI Stories: Fat Tires And Zebras

 "The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

There are certain rides one does that always stick with you. Maybe you had such a fantastic time with friends that this ride represents a relational highlight for you. Maybe you overcame a personal barrier and went beyond anything you could do. Or, maybe it was a ride where you got lost and ended up having an unexpected adventure. The latter is why this ride I am going to talk about in this edition of "The GTDRI Stories" sticks out for me.

This particular ride was a recon of the upcoming Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational course. I had been eye-balling some roads North of Toledo, Iowa for quite some time. This was an area we went through for Trans Iowa v5 a few years earlier, but we had just skirted the roads I had a mind to check out. So, I made a run down to Toledo to check out a way to get ourselves out of town using the least amount of pavement possible. 

I decided also to make this a recon by bicycle. So I grabbed my new Mukluk, as it had rained the night before, and I knew I might be in for some Level B Action or soft roads. I also was curious at that time as to how a fat bike might work out for gravel riding. I don't think I was the only person on that wavelength! The new fat bikes from Salsa and Surly were causing quite a stir that year, as they were the first fat bikes you could buy as complete, turnkey bicycles with the 3.8" tires. 

My 2011 Salsa Cycles Mukluk as it appeared in 2011. A triple crank? You betcha!

I drove down a long bit of black top road to the Northwest of Toledo looking to find a connector road to gravel to the North, but I was thwarted by a truncated road and even more so by a few downed trees, maybe leftovers from the recent derecho, or newly fallen after being weakened by that event. I could not say, but the point was, I had to turn around and come back the way I had went out.

I went back and looked at the maps and decided to park on the gravel North of town, just off HWY 63, and ride out on a loop I had tried to memorize which would encompass a few roads I was interested in. These roads were not really "on the grid", so there were a few confusing turns that were out there waiting to bait me into making a wrong turn. You can guess what happened next!

I found some pretty spectacular roads on this recon!

The first bit was fairly flat, and then the road went up this really steep hill with a rural church at the summit. Then it went into this gnarly, rutted out Level B Road which was perfect for the fat bike. This was a unique road in that it had a dogleg in it and no other roads crossed its path for almost two miles. 

Love me some wild flowers!

After that fun, I headed back toward the truck, or at least, I thought I was! I made a turn that I thought was the correct road, but it kept on going on, and on, and on! I had no maps with me at the time, not even on my cell phone. So, I was kind of at the mercy of fate for a while and I just had to keep going. I mean, that road would dump me out somewhere, right?

Finally I decided to take a break where the road seemed to start to tip downward a bit. I figured it would be best to rest at the top of a hill than at the foot of some unseen climb. As I looked around, I noted several outbuildings of a farm. A small barn, some sheds, a corn crib. Wait..... Zebras?!! 

Yes, zebras. 

This farm raised zebras. Okay.....that was so random and cool that I had to figure out where I was and somehow put this on the route! But....where was I? That was the big problem that needed figuring out. So, back on the Mukluk and down the hill. It eventually dumped me out on a flat plain at an intersection. Good! I could memorize the street sign, but just in case, I took a photo of it. Alright! I see a highway! Off I went.

As I got to the pavement, I thought I was West of Toledo and intersecting old Highway 30. If that was the case, I needed to go left and I would be back in town in a jiffy and then I'd have to ride North to my truck. But I went about two miles and I came across the road I had originally parked on! Wow! Was I ever turned around! But that meant that the "zebra road" would work for the route. I was stoked! Now all I had to do was finalize the cues and do the ride the following week.

Next: The sixth GTDRI

Hard Times Straight Ahead

Jenson USA Tweet on Marin BOGO deal.

 Overstock, supply chain issues, price increases, price decreases, and supply shortages. How can all of those seemingly disparate things all be true at the same time in the bicycle industry? 

Such is the twisted state of retail at the bike shop right now. Several lower to mid-range models are piling up in warehouses. This all while high-end, range topping bikes cannot be delivered because things like XTR cassettes, which are still six months out, are not available to put on those upper end bikes. 

Meanwhile, brands are trying to clear '22 and incoming '23 bikes with huge discounts. Specialized has some models at 40% off. Marin is doing a "Buy One Get One" scheme (BOGO) on select models where if you purchase one of those bicycles you can get a free kids bike or even another adult bike. 

The pressure to survive this madness is immense. Some brands have laid people off (Specialized) and I suspect others will follow. But what may have the longest lasting effect on cycling, and the bicycle retail sector in particular, is what all this is doing to consumer perceptions. 

During COVID, bicycles were in short supply. High demand = High prices. There was no discounting, which has been an embedded sales tactic in retail bicycle stores since, well.....forever. The hope was that the pandemic would allow discounting model years to die. Well, that ain't gonna happen now, obviously. And consumers are not forgetting what happened. 

Many consumers are angry with cycling as they see the current issues and discounting as evidence that they were gouged in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The new discounts, to their way of thinking, are not only justified, but proof that the cycling industry was profiteering from the COVID situation unfairly. Now the businesses are reaping their "just rewards", in their view, and some even hope that the cycling industry suffers loss of brands and business failures. Those scoundrels must be punished!

My thought is that this misconception of what is really happening won't soon go away. The result? People will be less amicable to shop employees, shops will find getting good help will be even more difficult, (because no one likes dealing with angry, upset consumers) and many shops will go out of business as a result. 

Hard times incoming.

Hard Times Straight Ahead

Jenson USA Tweet on Marin BOGO deal.

 Overstock, supply chain issues, price increases, price decreases, and supply shortages. How can all of those seemingly disparate things all be true at the same time in the bicycle industry? 

Such is the twisted state of retail at the bike shop right now. Several lower to mid-range models are piling up in warehouses. This all while high-end, range topping bikes cannot be delivered because things like XTR cassettes, which are still six months out, are not available to put on those upper end bikes. 

Meanwhile, brands are trying to clear '22 and incoming '23 bikes with huge discounts. Specialized has some models at 40% off. Marin is doing a "Buy One Get One" scheme (BOGO) on select models where if you purchase one of those bicycles you can get a free kids bike or even another adult bike. 

The pressure to survive this madness is immense. Some brands have laid people off (Specialized) and I suspect others will follow. But what may have the longest lasting effect on cycling, and the bicycle retail sector in particular, is what all this is doing to consumer perceptions. 

During COVID, bicycles were in short supply. High demand = High prices. There was no discounting, which has been an embedded sales tactic in retail bicycle stores since, well.....forever. The hope was that the pandemic would allow discounting model years to die. Well, that ain't gonna happen now, obviously. And consumers are not forgetting what happened. 

Many consumers are angry with cycling as they see the current issues and discounting as evidence that they were gouged in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The new discounts, to their way of thinking, are not only justified, but proof that the cycling industry was profiteering from the COVID situation unfairly. Now the businesses are reaping their "just rewards", in their view, and some even hope that the cycling industry suffers loss of brands and business failures. Those scoundrels must be punished!

My thought is that this misconception of what is really happening won't soon go away. The result? People will be less amicable to shop employees, shops will find getting good help will be even more difficult, (because no one likes dealing with angry, upset consumers) and many shops will go out of business as a result. 

Hard times incoming.

Friday News And Views

Trek Dual Sport 2 Gen 5 (Image courtesy of Trek)

Trek Re-markets Dual Sport Bikes As "Gravel Bikes":

The Trek Dual Sport, a hybrid bike developed by Trek in the mid-2000's, is the "bike that saved 29"ers". That's what you'd hear if you talked to anyone at Trek that was there back then. The 29 inch wheel experiment was on 'life support' at the company in 2004 when sales of the wagon-wheeled MTB's were dismal. 

The Gary Fisher brand introduced 29"er MTB's to local bikes shops affiliated with the brand in the USA in 2002. However; retailers and salespeople didn't understand the then new idea of big wheels and how they were a distinct advantage over 26" MTB wheels. The wheel size, which up to that point, had been the standard in MTB riding. As a result, the experiment with these bikes, which was the brainchild of Gary Fisher, were up to be cut from the line-up in 2006. But a new hybrid bike, which was sort of like a 29"er, but wasn't, actually saved the 29"er from what may have been its early demise overall. 

That bike, as stated, was the so-called "Dual Sport", which had 29"er-like qualities, 700c wheels, but was positioned as a more dirt-worthy hybrid bike. Hybrid bikes, which were well understood by salespeople and retailers, were an easy sell, and the Dual Sport was the gateway to 29"er acceptance amongst that important link of the chain. Salespeople had to buy-in, and when they did, the lid was blown off for the acceptance of the 29"er side of MTB and well, you know the rest of that story.

Enter in the Gen 5 Dual Sport, a 27.5" wheeled bike with 2" tires and a very MTB-ish geometry and set up. Only now Trek is marketing it as a "gravel/adventure" bike, because, well.....gravel, don't cha know? That Trek is marketing, what is in all essence a MTB-lite bike as gravel, is fine with me. It's the details that I found interesting. 

For instance, the whole "Gen" thing. Trek has been working toward getting rid of model years for bicycles for at least 15 years now, and has recently enforced that messaging with its retailers. However; Shimano kind of has them held as hostages, along with the rest of the bicycle industry, due to the format of Shimano's component release scheduling. That said, the generational aspect of this marketing idea of Trek's means that consumers won't know that a Gen 4 Dual Sport is a 2022 model and that Gen 5 is 2023. Kind of..... Anyway....

The other thing? The price for this Dual Sport 2 with mostly Shimano Acera and a Chang Star hydraulic brake set is $849.99 (USD- MSRP) Acera at eight hundred and fifty bucks? I'm pretty sure that the bike which was analogous to this Dual Sport, the Trek FX 1, was about 500 bucks in the mid-twenty-teens. That's a big leap upward in pricing, which, as we all know, was expected. But sheesh...... 

The Bookman Monocle (Image courtesy of Bookman)

Bookman "Monocle" Head Lamp:

Recently I was asked to review a product for bicycle lighting by a Swiss company named Bookman. I agreed to take a look and when the package arrived it had another, non-bicycle specific light in there. 

It was a head mounted light for running called the "Monocle". Head mounted lights are nothing new, of course, but with the activity of running in mind, certain design criteria were more important than say, a camp light you might find at the checkout of your local big-box home and lumber supply company. 

And to be honest, I did not know it was a product for running when I received it. In fact, I did not learn that until moments before I wrote this when I researched the company. So, my thoughts on how to make use of this gizmo light were far different than what Bookman may have envisioned. 

Where I work in an old building at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, and considering my workshop at home is in a basement that is over 100 years old and wasn't designed to be a workshop, it is no wonder that the lighting is less than desirable. Especially for my old eyes. So my first thought was to use this at work, and conveniently, the day I received it I had to work. I charged it up, strapped it on my head, and wore it for the next five-ish hours. It lit up dark places on bikes and allowed me to have less frustration in getting stuff done. It's "stepless angle adjustment" allowed me to get just the right aim on my work too. I also used it on the way home to see if it might be a good supplementary light for night riding. 

With its claimed 225 Lumens of light at High, which will last a claimed 1.5 hours, I can say that signs were lit up  and I could use it to read cues easily, if I needed to. In fact, 225 is almost too bright for that. Thankfully there is a half power option which lasts four hours that is a bit less brilliant and glaring to use as "cockpit lighting". My only beef so far is that the button to power it on and tab through its three modes is a bit stiff.

The thing costs about $55.00, weighs 40 grams, and the strap has a lot of little reflective details. So far? Impressed. Standard Disclaimer applies. . (More on this and the other Bookman product I was sent will be posted soon)

Titanium chainring from 5Dev (Image courtesy of 5Dev)

Titanium Chainring Promises Less Wear:

Titanium, that grey aerospace metal of fame and renown in bicycle circles, has not often been used for chain rings. But a USA company called "5DEV" may change that. 

The company, probably best known for their far-out designs for titanium stems and crank arms, now offers a 34t or 36T titanium chain ring in raw, or three other anodized colors including a teal (!!).

Benefits claimed are longer wear life, better toughness, and compatibility with SRAM or Shimano chains. 

Comments: I remember when Boone titanium cogs were the big deal for single speeders because they were (a) cool looking and (b) did not wear very much at all. I have a Boone Ti cog somewhere along with those weird wavy titanium spacers they made. I have to say that the cog has held up well over the years. 

That these are only $150.00 bucks isn't bad when you think about it. I know I could totally get on with one of these on my single speed or on my Ti Muk 2 fat bike with the Rohloff set up. I wonder though, how would this hold up on a 1X set up? That cross-chaining that you have to do with 1X usually wears cogs and chains out laterally instead of in the traditional way. 

Anyway, an interesting, if not a bit limited, option for some folks.

Image courtesy of Classified.

Classified Hub Gets A Big Shot Of Cash:

The Classified hub technology, which I first came across in  the Fall of 2020 as seen here in this "FN&V", has recently been infused with a reported 24 million USD in funding from the CEO of investment firm Active Partners and who is also Rapha's chairman. 

Cycling media outlets and commentators are suggesting that new wheel partners are also coming onboard with this technology. Speculation is that the investors want to see the Classified hub system on the same level as SRAM/Shimano in terms of market share and acceptance by the riding public. 

Comments: As always, anything that disrupts the "standards" which cyclists, mechanics, retailers, brands, and manufacturers hold dear is going to have a tough row to hoe when it comes to proprietary drive train ideas. Just look at Rohloff, Pinion, Gates Belts, or components that are slightly out of the main focus of Shimano's and SRAM's main fare. Sure, they are out there and available, but does anyone think that these ideas have taken a hold in mainstream cycling? I have a hard time believing that anyone would say "yes" to that. 

Essentially, if and until Shimano gets displaced as the de-facto arbiter of what is happening in mainstream tech for cycling, anything like Classified's hub will only ever be like a Rohloff Speedhub, or a Pinion system- Something that is an option for some people, but definitely not "the next big thing". 

That's a wrap on this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride. Spring is coming soon!

Friday News And Views

Trek Dual Sport 2 Gen 5 (Image courtesy of Trek)

Trek Re-markets Dual Sport Bikes As "Gravel Bikes":

The Trek Dual Sport, a hybrid bike developed by Trek in the mid-2000's, is the "bike that saved 29"ers". That's what you'd hear if you talked to anyone at Trek that was there back then. The 29 inch wheel experiment was on 'life support' at the company in 2004 when sales of the wagon-wheeled MTB's were dismal. 

The Gary Fisher brand introduced 29"er MTB's to local bikes shops affiliated with the brand in the USA in 2002. However; retailers and salespeople didn't understand the then new idea of big wheels and how they were a distinct advantage over 26" MTB wheels. The wheel size, which up to that point, had been the standard in MTB riding. As a result, the experiment with these bikes, which was the brainchild of Gary Fisher, were up to be cut from the line-up in 2006. But a new hybrid bike, which was sort of like a 29"er, but wasn't, actually saved the 29"er from what may have been its early demise overall. 

That bike, as stated, was the so-called "Dual Sport", which had 29"er-like qualities, 700c wheels, but was positioned as a more dirt-worthy hybrid bike. Hybrid bikes, which were well understood by salespeople and retailers, were an easy sell, and the Dual Sport was the gateway to 29"er acceptance amongst that important link of the chain. Salespeople had to buy-in, and when they did, the lid was blown off for the acceptance of the 29"er side of MTB and well, you know the rest of that story.

Enter in the Gen 5 Dual Sport, a 27.5" wheeled bike with 2" tires and a very MTB-ish geometry and set up. Only now Trek is marketing it as a "gravel/adventure" bike, because, well.....gravel, don't cha know? That Trek is marketing, what is in all essence a MTB-lite bike as gravel, is fine with me. It's the details that I found interesting. 

For instance, the whole "Gen" thing. Trek has been working toward getting rid of model years for bicycles for at least 15 years now, and has recently enforced that messaging with its retailers. However; Shimano kind of has them held as hostages, along with the rest of the bicycle industry, due to the format of Shimano's component release scheduling. That said, the generational aspect of this marketing idea of Trek's means that consumers won't know that a Gen 4 Dual Sport is a 2022 model and that Gen 5 is 2023. Kind of..... Anyway....

The other thing? The price for this Dual Sport 2 with mostly Shimano Acera and a Chang Star hydraulic brake set is $849.99 (USD- MSRP) Acera at eight hundred and fifty bucks? I'm pretty sure that the bike which was analogous to this Dual Sport, the Trek FX 1, was about 500 bucks in the mid-twenty-teens. That's a big leap upward in pricing, which, as we all know, was expected. But sheesh...... 

The Bookman Monocle (Image courtesy of Bookman)

Bookman "Monocle" Head Lamp:

Recently I was asked to review a product for bicycle lighting by a Swiss company named Bookman. I agreed to take a look and when the package arrived it had another, non-bicycle specific light in there. 

It was a head mounted light for running called the "Monocle". Head mounted lights are nothing new, of course, but with the activity of running in mind, certain design criteria were more important than say, a camp light you might find at the checkout of your local big-box home and lumber supply company. 

And to be honest, I did not know it was a product for running when I received it. In fact, I did not learn that until moments before I wrote this when I researched the company. So, my thoughts on how to make use of this gizmo light were far different than what Bookman may have envisioned. 

Where I work in an old building at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, and considering my workshop at home is in a basement that is over 100 years old and wasn't designed to be a workshop, it is no wonder that the lighting is less than desirable. Especially for my old eyes. So my first thought was to use this at work, and conveniently, the day I received it I had to work. I charged it up, strapped it on my head, and wore it for the next five-ish hours. It lit up dark places on bikes and allowed me to have less frustration in getting stuff done. It's "stepless angle adjustment" allowed me to get just the right aim on my work too. I also used it on the way home to see if it might be a good supplementary light for night riding. 

With its claimed 225 Lumens of light at High, which will last a claimed 1.5 hours, I can say that signs were lit up  and I could use it to read cues easily, if I needed to. In fact, 225 is almost too bright for that. Thankfully there is a half power option which lasts four hours that is a bit less brilliant and glaring to use as "cockpit lighting". My only beef so far is that the button to power it on and tab through its three modes is a bit stiff.

The thing costs about $55.00, weighs 40 grams, and the strap has a lot of little reflective details. So far? Impressed. Standard Disclaimer applies. . (More on this and the other Bookman product I was sent will be posted soon)

Titanium chainring from 5Dev (Image courtesy of 5Dev)

Titanium Chainring Promises Less Wear:

Titanium, that grey aerospace metal of fame and renown in bicycle circles, has not often been used for chain rings. But a USA company called "5DEV" may change that. 

The company, probably best known for their far-out designs for titanium stems and crank arms, now offers a 34t or 36T titanium chain ring in raw, or three other anodized colors including a teal (!!).

Benefits claimed are longer wear life, better toughness, and compatibility with SRAM or Shimano chains. 

Comments: I remember when Boone titanium cogs were the big deal for single speeders because they were (a) cool looking and (b) did not wear very much at all. I have a Boone Ti cog somewhere along with those weird wavy titanium spacers they made. I have to say that the cog has held up well over the years. 

That these are only $150.00 bucks isn't bad when you think about it. I know I could totally get on with one of these on my single speed or on my Ti Muk 2 fat bike with the Rohloff set up. I wonder though, how would this hold up on a 1X set up? That cross-chaining that you have to do with 1X usually wears cogs and chains out laterally instead of in the traditional way. 

Anyway, an interesting, if not a bit limited, option for some folks.

Image courtesy of Classified.

Classified Hub Gets A Big Shot Of Cash:

The Classified hub technology, which I first came across in  the Fall of 2020 as seen here in this "FN&V", has recently been infused with a reported 24 million USD in funding from the CEO of investment firm Active Partners and who is also Rapha's chairman. 

Cycling media outlets and commentators are suggesting that new wheel partners are also coming onboard with this technology. Speculation is that the investors want to see the Classified hub system on the same level as SRAM/Shimano in terms of market share and acceptance by the riding public. 

Comments: As always, anything that disrupts the "standards" which cyclists, mechanics, retailers, brands, and manufacturers hold dear is going to have a tough row to hoe when it comes to proprietary drive train ideas. Just look at Rohloff, Pinion, Gates Belts, or components that are slightly out of the main focus of Shimano's and SRAM's main fare. Sure, they are out there and available, but does anyone think that these ideas have taken a hold in mainstream cycling? I have a hard time believing that anyone would say "yes" to that. 

Essentially, if and until Shimano gets displaced as the de-facto arbiter of what is happening in mainstream tech for cycling, anything like Classified's hub will only ever be like a Rohloff Speedhub, or a Pinion system- Something that is an option for some people, but definitely not "the next big thing". 

That's a wrap on this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride. Spring is coming soon!

Entry Fees Up

Entry for the 200m? $290.00

We used to say that gravel riding and racing was a cheap way to enjoy competition or to just have fun. Heck, many of the earliest gravel events of the 2000's were free or had a very low bar to clear to enter. I recall someone saying that it was such a good deal because many events were so cheap to get into and long enough that you could ride your bike all day. Choosing any gravel event as something you put on your calendar was often predicated upon whether or not the travel time was longer than the event riding time, not on race fees. 

My! Times have certainly changed! 

The old way I used to gauge expenses is out the window now. I just got off of BikeReg, which lists a little over 300 events as "gravel" on that site. I just randomly went through and picked out about eight or nine events to check on where race fees are at these days. I was shocked. 

Once upon a time, back when the Dirty Kanza 200 was getting "big" and raised their entry fees to just under 100 bucks, someone piped up and said to me that if race fees went over a buck per mile of the event's course, that they would quit going to that event. Well, let me tell ya, there are not many events you've heard of that are even close to a buck-per-mile anymore!

Would you pay more than a dollar/mile to ride on this?

Now, of course, gravel events are more than just riding on gravel/dirt/whatever roads they use for their courses at whatever events you want to name. You've got timing and scoring. Then you have all the pertinent "furniture"- barriers, finish line arches, podiums, etc. You've likely got insurance, materials to facilitate the event, race numbers, tape, etc. 

And maybe you've got merchandise, you've maybe got an event headquarters you need to pay for, permits to close down streets, police, ambulance, and medical staffers, maybe. I don't know everything about these massive productions like Unbound, but yeah- There is a LOT going on there to produce the event. I get that.

But I've said it before, and I'll say it as long as I am able to- Gravel events don't have to be like that. 

You don't need thousands of participants, you don't need twenty-five categories for race participants, you don't have to have finish line arches and big time concerns with cities, police, etc. The gravel experience exists outside of those confines, but the big events have put all that inside their own boxes and have put the focus on other stuff. Is that what you want? Cool.... Join the thousands of others that are all about that too. I understand I probably am in the vast minority of opinions here, but "big time gravel" has become just like "big time roadie events" and "big time MTB events". Crowded, expensive, harder to get into due to what perceptions are about equipment, and broken into so many sub-divisions of people that it becomes less about overall community and more about individual groups. 

And then you top it all off with really expensive entry fees. 

I took a look at several events, as mentioned above, chosen at random from across the country. Various distances were included. Plus, I also looked at pricing for sub-categories. Following are my 'not-so-scientific', random findings*. 

• The more well known the event was, the higher the entry fees were. No big surprise there, but what caught my eye was one of the events that I looked at, which is fairly new, is the most expensive per-mile-of-course I found and the hardest to get into as well. Due to a somewhat convoluted registration scheme where riders can defer their participation to a following year, giving them dibs on a roster spot, and due to this particular event focusing on diversity and inclusion initiatives along with a preference to entry for sponsor's athletes, the "regular person" takes a back seat. But it is their event to run, so.... 
• The longer the event, the cheaper it is per mile: This seemed to be universal across all the events I checked out. Some made sense, others, not so much. When the featured distance costs the same as all the other distances you offer, that's sort of odd! 
• Not all events are really expensive. In fact, I found one long-time Pennsylvania event was actually under  a dollar-per-mile of its course. But just by ten cents! 
• The average cost per-mile-of-course for all the events and categories I checked out? $2.05/mile. The cheapest, or if you'd rather, best bargain event I found, was a sub-event of the Swamp Fox Gravel Fondo which at 177.6 miles costs .28 cents a mile to enter. The most expensive? A 25 mile option at a Vermont based event that was $6.00/mile to enter!

*All figures and information for these findings was culled from currently available data on BikeReg.com for the events I looked at on 1/25/23

Now- Let me say this- I know that many events are cheaper per-mile. I get it. Don't get your hackles all up and come at me with your examples of particular events that don't fit my story here. I understand that for as many events as there probably are, most are not all that expensive. But you are not going to see any of those written up in mainstream cycling media, and many of those I checked on are those events. Some weren't, but most were. But of the events I knew of that are not what you'd call "big-time gravel? Even most of those were more expensive than a buck-a-mile. 

 Image from Trans Iowa v10 by Wally Kilburg

So, what do we make of all this?- Obviously, everything is more expensive as time goes on. Call it "inflation", evolution, or what have you. That's just the way things seem to go. Time goes by, things get more expensive. You can pretty much count on that. 

Well, according to the almighty Google, a buck in 2009 is worth a $1.38 today. So.....yeah. Inflation? I get it, but event fees have essentially more than doubled in the course of 12 years. It's got more to do with than inflation. 

Demand? Yeah, maybe.... That's part of this. I always said that event directors who were trying to make this gravel thing into a career were going to keep jacking up entry fees until they perceived a ceiling had been reached. And rising tides raise all boats to a degree. I mean, when smaller events see what Unbound gets out of racer's wallets then they see an opportunity to match "what the market will bear", I think, and that's natural. 

And again- people are paying these fees gladly. Well, I assume that they are, because I don't see rosters and field limits less than full. So, I have to adjust my expectations as well. A buck-a-mile is dead. Entry fees are up, and they are not coming down anytime soon, or so it would seem. There are still cheaper events- I was invited to such an event in Minnesota a few days ago. Twenty-five bucks to enter and I could ride whatever distance I wanted up to 300+ miles or as little as 25. There are still events that are free, just not very many! So, I have options. 

And I can create my own adventures. The roads are free to ride. I don't need a permit, finish line amenities, or aid stations to do a fun, adventure filled gravel ride. I can even compete on a personal challenge level. You can too if current event prices have you down. The "gravel experience" doesn't have to be a wallet-draining one. It was never meant to be like that. 

But if the thrill of all the things those big events bring to the table tickles your fancy? Go for it. We've got plenty of choices.

Entry Fees Up

Entry for the 200m? $290.00

We used to say that gravel riding and racing was a cheap way to enjoy competition or to just have fun. Heck, many of the earliest gravel events of the 2000's were free or had a very low bar to clear to enter. I recall someone saying that it was such a good deal because many events were so cheap to get into and long enough that you could ride your bike all day. Choosing any gravel event as something you put on your calendar was often predicated upon whether or not the travel time was longer than the event riding time, not on race fees. 

My! Times have certainly changed! 

The old way I used to gauge expenses is out the window now. I just got off of BikeReg, which lists a little over 300 events as "gravel" on that site. I just randomly went through and picked out about eight or nine events to check on where race fees are at these days. I was shocked. 

Once upon a time, back when the Dirty Kanza 200 was getting "big" and raised their entry fees to just under 100 bucks, someone piped up and said to me that if race fees went over a buck per mile of the event's course, that they would quit going to that event. Well, let me tell ya, there are not many events you've heard of that are even close to a buck-per-mile anymore!

Would you pay more than a dollar/mile to ride on this?

Now, of course, gravel events are more than just riding on gravel/dirt/whatever roads they use for their courses at whatever events you want to name. You've got timing and scoring. Then you have all the pertinent "furniture"- barriers, finish line arches, podiums, etc. You've likely got insurance, materials to facilitate the event, race numbers, tape, etc. 

And maybe you've got merchandise, you've maybe got an event headquarters you need to pay for, permits to close down streets, police, ambulance, and medical staffers, maybe. I don't know everything about these massive productions like Unbound, but yeah- There is a LOT going on there to produce the event. I get that.

But I've said it before, and I'll say it as long as I am able to- Gravel events don't have to be like that. 

You don't need thousands of participants, you don't need twenty-five categories for race participants, you don't have to have finish line arches and big time concerns with cities, police, etc. The gravel experience exists outside of those confines, but the big events have put all that inside their own boxes and have put the focus on other stuff. Is that what you want? Cool.... Join the thousands of others that are all about that too. I understand I probably am in the vast minority of opinions here, but "big time gravel" has become just like "big time roadie events" and "big time MTB events". Crowded, expensive, harder to get into due to what perceptions are about equipment, and broken into so many sub-divisions of people that it becomes less about overall community and more about individual groups. 

And then you top it all off with really expensive entry fees. 

I took a look at several events, as mentioned above, chosen at random from across the country. Various distances were included. Plus, I also looked at pricing for sub-categories. Following are my 'not-so-scientific', random findings*. 

• The more well known the event was, the higher the entry fees were. No big surprise there, but what caught my eye was one of the events that I looked at, which is fairly new, is the most expensive per-mile-of-course I found and the hardest to get into as well. Due to a somewhat convoluted registration scheme where riders can defer their participation to a following year, giving them dibs on a roster spot, and due to this particular event focusing on diversity and inclusion initiatives along with a preference to entry for sponsor's athletes, the "regular person" takes a back seat. But it is their event to run, so.... 
• The longer the event, the cheaper it is per mile: This seemed to be universal across all the events I checked out. Some made sense, others, not so much. When the featured distance costs the same as all the other distances you offer, that's sort of odd! 
• Not all events are really expensive. In fact, I found one long-time Pennsylvania event was actually under  a dollar-per-mile of its course. But just by ten cents! 
• The average cost per-mile-of-course for all the events and categories I checked out? $2.05/mile. The cheapest, or if you'd rather, best bargain event I found, was a sub-event of the Swamp Fox Gravel Fondo which at 177.6 miles costs .28 cents a mile to enter. The most expensive? A 25 mile option at a Vermont based event that was $6.00/mile to enter!

*All figures and information for these findings was culled from currently available data on BikeReg.com for the events I looked at on 1/25/23

Now- Let me say this- I know that many events are cheaper per-mile. I get it. Don't get your hackles all up and come at me with your examples of particular events that don't fit my story here. I understand that for as many events as there probably are, most are not all that expensive. But you are not going to see any of those written up in mainstream cycling media, and many of those I checked on are those events. Some weren't, but most were. But of the events I knew of that are not what you'd call "big-time gravel? Even most of those were more expensive than a buck-a-mile. 

 Image from Trans Iowa v10 by Wally Kilburg

So, what do we make of all this?- Obviously, everything is more expensive as time goes on. Call it "inflation", evolution, or what have you. That's just the way things seem to go. Time goes by, things get more expensive. You can pretty much count on that. 

Well, according to the almighty Google, a buck in 2009 is worth a $1.38 today. So.....yeah. Inflation? I get it, but event fees have essentially more than doubled in the course of 12 years. It's got more to do with than inflation. 

Demand? Yeah, maybe.... That's part of this. I always said that event directors who were trying to make this gravel thing into a career were going to keep jacking up entry fees until they perceived a ceiling had been reached. And rising tides raise all boats to a degree. I mean, when smaller events see what Unbound gets out of racer's wallets then they see an opportunity to match "what the market will bear", I think, and that's natural. 

And again- people are paying these fees gladly. Well, I assume that they are, because I don't see rosters and field limits less than full. So, I have to adjust my expectations as well. A buck-a-mile is dead. Entry fees are up, and they are not coming down anytime soon, or so it would seem. There are still cheaper events- I was invited to such an event in Minnesota a few days ago. Twenty-five bucks to enter and I could ride whatever distance I wanted up to 300+ miles or as little as 25. There are still events that are free, just not very many! So, I have options. 

And I can create my own adventures. The roads are free to ride. I don't need a permit, finish line amenities, or aid stations to do a fun, adventure filled gravel ride. I can even compete on a personal challenge level. You can too if current event prices have you down. The "gravel experience" doesn't have to be a wallet-draining one. It was never meant to be like that. 

But if the thrill of all the things those big events bring to the table tickles your fancy? Go for it. We've got plenty of choices.