Roller Cams On The Brain: Update 2

Some oddball standards have redirected me.

 Last time I left you with an update on the old Dorado MTB I am building back up, I was showing you the wheel bearings. I needed to order new ones, and I did. 

Only I ordered the wrong size because I misread my calipers. Doh! 

So, I had to re-order the bearings and while I was waiting I got busy building up the rest of the bike.  Things started out a bit rough. That's to be expected after a bike has been neglected for years. 

I have mentioned that this was pretty much sat in a barn for a certain number of years. The bike is probably a 1987 model. After closer inspection of the parts, I am going to say that this bike was parked in the late 1980's and never ridden again. Sure, I could be way off on that, but regardless, this bike hasn't seen much action. 

Well, other than a process of slow decay. Time has a way with that. The evidence of decay was to be seen here and there. Rust on the handlebar. Crud on the components. Even the quick release seat mechanism was not working right. 

So..... What do you do? Today you'd most likely just toss that old quick release and get a new one, right? But back in the 80's, lots of components were serviceable. Yes - Even quick release seat binders. So, I tore the component down and found that, to no surprise, it was bone dry. No lubrication and lots of oxidation and dirt. A bit of clean up, some grease where it belonged, and reassembly later and the SunTour QR was working smoothly once again. 

The rear derailleur was indicative of the amount of crud everywhere.

Now the bike's frame could be hung in the work stand and things went smoothly for a bit with the install of the new bottom bracket and the old crank set. The serviceable bottom bracket that was in the bike originally was just too pitted to be reused, so I found a suitable cartridge style bottom bracket to use instead.

The crank set was so clean I didn't bother trying to do anything to it yet. Another reason I feel this bike was ridden very little. There is a bit of oxidation, but I'll spiff things up if I decide to keep this bike. I won't know that until it is built and I've ridden it.

The next check came when I looked for a quill stem that I could use a drop bar with. I'd like to use a drop bar, but I wasn't sure that the seated position would work out.  Only one way to find out, right? Well, about that.....

Derailleur overhaul time.

That stem, which was in the bike originally, was an oddball Sakae forged "Bull Moose" style stem and the handle bar was clamped in at two points with removable clamps. This meant that the handle bar is a proprietary design too. This was one of the reasons I was thinking about a drop bar as well. 

But nothing I had would fit, even though they were "one inch" stems. That's because there are two one inch stem standards. The lesser common of the two is actually .833 of an inch, or nominally 22mm. 

So, yeah.... This was going to get complicated and I wasn't about to buy anything yet for this project. Remembering the "fix what ya got first" mentality, I decided then to go with the original parts. 

That meant I had to clean up the handle bar which had a good amount of rust on it, but a little elbow grease brought back most of that chrome shine, so it'll pass for the test of the bike just fine. I sure don't know where I'd find another handle bar to work with this stem right now, so it'll have to do. The good news is that the stem is fine and works as it should. It is a bit homely looking, in my opinion, but you sure won't see another one coming down the trail either as well. So, there is that. 

The jockey wheel on the left is not clean yet here.

I have the head set overhauled, the stem and handle bar on it, and the derailleur back together after a thorough cleaning. The lower jockey wheel is a bit stubborn yet, for my tastes, so I may pull that out again and polish up the bushing some. If that doesn't work I'll find something at the Collective I can replace that jockey wheel with. 

The wheel bearings should be here by the time you read this. Hopefully I ordered the right size this time! Ha! Anyway, if those go back together smoothly, and if I can find the dang axles again (!!!), I should have a rolling chassis and things will be a lot closer to being done. 

The next step will be overhauling the brakes and I think at that point shifters, cables, and throwing on some tires, a saddle, and a chain I might have laying about. Then I'll have this thing ready to see if it is worth my time to pursue as a bike for the stable, or whether it is going to get donated to the bike collective. So, stay tuned! I don't think this will take very much longer to figure out.

Roller Cams On The Brain: Update 2

Some oddball standards have redirected me.

 Last time I left you with an update on the old Dorado MTB I am building back up, I was showing you the wheel bearings. I needed to order new ones, and I did. 

Only I ordered the wrong size because I misread my calipers. Doh! 

So, I had to re-order the bearings and while I was waiting I got busy building up the rest of the bike.  Things started out a bit rough. That's to be expected after a bike has been neglected for years. 

I have mentioned that this was pretty much sat in a barn for a certain number of years. The bike is probably a 1987 model. After closer inspection of the parts, I am going to say that this bike was parked in the late 1980's and never ridden again. Sure, I could be way off on that, but regardless, this bike hasn't seen much action. 

Well, other than a process of slow decay. Time has a way with that. The evidence of decay was to be seen here and there. Rust on the handlebar. Crud on the components. Even the quick release seat mechanism was not working right. 

So..... What do you do? Today you'd most likely just toss that old quick release and get a new one, right? But back in the 80's, lots of components were serviceable. Yes - Even quick release seat binders. So, I tore the component down and found that, to no surprise, it was bone dry. No lubrication and lots of oxidation and dirt. A bit of clean up, some grease where it belonged, and reassembly later and the SunTour QR was working smoothly once again. 

The rear derailleur was indicative of the amount of crud everywhere.

Now the bike's frame could be hung in the work stand and things went smoothly for a bit with the install of the new bottom bracket and the old crank set. The serviceable bottom bracket that was in the bike originally was just too pitted to be reused, so I found a suitable cartridge style bottom bracket to use instead.

The crank set was so clean I didn't bother trying to do anything to it yet. Another reason I feel this bike was ridden very little. There is a bit of oxidation, but I'll spiff things up if I decide to keep this bike. I won't know that until it is built and I've ridden it.

The next check came when I looked for a quill stem that I could use a drop bar with. I'd like to use a drop bar, but I wasn't sure that the seated position would work out.  Only one way to find out, right? Well, about that.....

Derailleur overhaul time.

That stem, which was in the bike originally, was an oddball Sakae forged "Bull Moose" style stem and the handle bar was clamped in at two points with removable clamps. This meant that the handle bar is a proprietary design too. This was one of the reasons I was thinking about a drop bar as well. 

But nothing I had would fit, even though they were "one inch" stems. That's because there are two one inch stem standards. The lesser common of the two is actually .833 of an inch, or nominally 22mm. 

So, yeah.... This was going to get complicated and I wasn't about to buy anything yet for this project. Remembering the "fix what ya got first" mentality, I decided then to go with the original parts. 

That meant I had to clean up the handle bar which had a good amount of rust on it, but a little elbow grease brought back most of that chrome shine, so it'll pass for the test of the bike just fine. I sure don't know where I'd find another handle bar to work with this stem right now, so it'll have to do. The good news is that the stem is fine and works as it should. It is a bit homely looking, in my opinion, but you sure won't see another one coming down the trail either as well. So, there is that. 

The jockey wheel on the left is not clean yet here.

I have the head set overhauled, the stem and handle bar on it, and the derailleur back together after a thorough cleaning. The lower jockey wheel is a bit stubborn yet, for my tastes, so I may pull that out again and polish up the bushing some. If that doesn't work I'll find something at the Collective I can replace that jockey wheel with. 

The wheel bearings should be here by the time you read this. Hopefully I ordered the right size this time! Ha! Anyway, if those go back together smoothly, and if I can find the dang axles again (!!!), I should have a rolling chassis and things will be a lot closer to being done. 

The next step will be overhauling the brakes and I think at that point shifters, cables, and throwing on some tires, a saddle, and a chain I might have laying about. Then I'll have this thing ready to see if it is worth my time to pursue as a bike for the stable, or whether it is going to get donated to the bike collective. So, stay tuned! I don't think this will take very much longer to figure out.

Gents Race: Bike Choice Part 1

My Twin Six Standard Rando v2

Believe it or not, but April isn't all that far away. In fact, April 1st I am tentatively scheduled to be in Slater, Iowa for the Gent's Race. 

I've got a LOT of getting ready to do before then, and part of that is getting settled on what bicycle I want to use down there. The choices I have are a blessing, and I understand I have a situation most do not have in terms of what I could go with. I mean, most people have a single choice. I have more than I can count on one hand. 

So, by no means is this a post that should be interpreted as being a "woe is me" type thing, or even a post where you should think I am complaining, or saying this is a problem in a negative sense. It isn't any of that. But the fact remains: I can but ride one bicycle for this event, so I have to make a choice. 

So, looking at it from that standpoint, I figured that since this event is run on a very flat course, and since it typically is windy, that I can eliminate bikes like my Fargo Gen I, which has a more upright seated position, and that is not conducive to windy day riding. 

Out of all my gravel oriented bikes, three make the most sense here: The Noble Bikes GX5, my Raleigh Tamland Two, and my Twin Six Standard Rando v2. The BMC MCD could also be that bike, but it has a taller front end than the others, so I am eliminating that one for now. The Tamland Two is also on the back-burner for this go-round at the Gent's race simply because I've ridden that bike at that event several times already. I wanted to take down something a bit different this time. 

The head set issue was solved by using a taller spacer.

You may recall that earlier this week I had wanted to ride the T-6 but due to a swap of the handle bar, the head set was loose and I needed to solve that issue. Well, I solved the issue alright. But I thought that it might be interesting to some of you to understand just what was going on here. 

First of all, you may be thinking, "How can a handle bar swap affect the head set?" You'd be right- it doesn't affect the headset. But.....I changed the stem as well. Part of the point of swapping the bar out was to see if this Easton bar had any comfort features baked into the carbon lay-up. I was going to have a hard time figuring that out with that Redshift suspension stem I had on there. So, I swapped over to this Easton stem I had laying around. 

Now, that in itself shouldn't present an issue either, should it? Well, if everything stays the same dimensionally, it wouldn't have affected the head set adjustment, only it did, because the Easton stem had a shorter "stack height" than the Redshift one did. 

Not by much either, only a millimeter, maybe two. But that was enough to make it so that the head set would not adjust up snugly. A carbon steer tube must always  have a spacer above the stem to be safe. I had one on the Redshift stem, a 5mm one, but I ended up with this 10mm one to make it work with the Easton stem. The too-short spacer allowed the bottom of the head set cap to touch the end of the steer tube before the head set would adjust up. 

So, in brief, that's what I had to do. Anyway, the T-6 is ready to go and a brief test ride confirmed that the head set was good to go. 

Next: I'll talk about what the plusses and minuses of each bike would be for this event. 

Bonus Listening Material: A new podcast went up last week where I and N.Y. Roll interviewed Rob Versteegh, Kyle Sedore, and Bruce Reece of the Gents Race. You can listen to that HERE if you want, or search for the "Guitar Ted Podcast" wherever you get your podcasts from.

Gents Race: Bike Choice Part 1

My Twin Six Standard Rando v2

Believe it or not, but April isn't all that far away. In fact, April 1st I am tentatively scheduled to be in Slater, Iowa for the Gent's Race. 

I've got a LOT of getting ready to do before then, and part of that is getting settled on what bicycle I want to use down there. The choices I have are a blessing, and I understand I have a situation most do not have in terms of what I could go with. I mean, most people have a single choice. I have more than I can count on one hand. 

So, by no means is this a post that should be interpreted as being a "woe is me" type thing, or even a post where you should think I am complaining, or saying this is a problem in a negative sense. It isn't any of that. But the fact remains: I can but ride one bicycle for this event, so I have to make a choice. 

So, looking at it from that standpoint, I figured that since this event is run on a very flat course, and since it typically is windy, that I can eliminate bikes like my Fargo Gen I, which has a more upright seated position, and that is not conducive to windy day riding. 

Out of all my gravel oriented bikes, three make the most sense here: The Noble Bikes GX5, my Raleigh Tamland Two, and my Twin Six Standard Rando v2. The BMC MCD could also be that bike, but it has a taller front end than the others, so I am eliminating that one for now. The Tamland Two is also on the back-burner for this go-round at the Gent's race simply because I've ridden that bike at that event several times already. I wanted to take down something a bit different this time. 

The head set issue was solved by using a taller spacer.

You may recall that earlier this week I had wanted to ride the T-6 but due to a swap of the handle bar, the head set was loose and I needed to solve that issue. Well, I solved the issue alright. But I thought that it might be interesting to some of you to understand just what was going on here. 

First of all, you may be thinking, "How can a handle bar swap affect the head set?" You'd be right- it doesn't affect the headset. But.....I changed the stem as well. Part of the point of swapping the bar out was to see if this Easton bar had any comfort features baked into the carbon lay-up. I was going to have a hard time figuring that out with that Redshift suspension stem I had on there. So, I swapped over to this Easton stem I had laying around. 

Now, that in itself shouldn't present an issue either, should it? Well, if everything stays the same dimensionally, it wouldn't have affected the head set adjustment, only it did, because the Easton stem had a shorter "stack height" than the Redshift one did. 

Not by much either, only a millimeter, maybe two. But that was enough to make it so that the head set would not adjust up snugly. A carbon steer tube must always  have a spacer above the stem to be safe. I had one on the Redshift stem, a 5mm one, but I ended up with this 10mm one to make it work with the Easton stem. The too-short spacer allowed the bottom of the head set cap to touch the end of the steer tube before the head set would adjust up. 

So, in brief, that's what I had to do. Anyway, the T-6 is ready to go and a brief test ride confirmed that the head set was good to go. 

Next: I'll talk about what the plusses and minuses of each bike would be for this event. 

Bonus Listening Material: A new podcast went up last week where I and N.Y. Roll interviewed Rob Versteegh, Kyle Sedore, and Bruce Reece of the Gents Race. You can listen to that HERE if you want, or search for the "Guitar Ted Podcast" wherever you get your podcasts from.

The GTDRI Stories: Training

Getting in the miles for a try at the Triple D fat bike event.

"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!

In my last post in this series I detailed how my life and work were infringing upon my abilities to pack in planning for another GTDRI event in 2012. That was not all that was making fitting that in difficult! There were bicycling things that took my mind and time off doing the GTDRI aplenty as well. 

Foremost of those things, besides Trans Iowa, was getting ready for my first fat bike event in 2012 called "Triple D". It is a 65-ish mile fat bike event over farm fields, some Level B Maintenance, gravel, and a big chunk of the Heritage Trail bike trail from Dyersville, Iowa to Dubuque, Iowa. 

Fat biking had taken over my focus in 2011 and early 2012. I think a lot of cyclists in the Mid-West can also claim that as an issue for that time period. Fat bikes took off as a category and were one of the hottest commodities on the bike shop floor for about three years. I bought three fat bikes in the time period between 2011-2014. Four if you count the one I bought for my son at the time. Again, I wasn't the only one bitten by that bug.

From the Triple D course in 2012. Fat biking had caught the imagination of many at this time.

I think this all had an effect on how gravel events were pushing the industry to make tires, and eventually bicycles for gravel, back at that time. The bicycle industry is a funny thing- Unless "the numbers" add up, they don't make anything, but the numbers don't manifest themselves unless the industry commits to making stuff. Ironic as that may be, sometimes things come together to create a big spike in sales, and that;s what was happening in late 2011/early 2012 with fat bikes. Gravel would have to wait its turn.

The industry took a chance on fat bikes, and the market exploded. For two brief years it was pandemonium, then the fires started going out on those fat bikes. Meanwhile, gravel stuff was percolating under the radar, and that's where the story comes back to this series and gravel in general. 

January 1st, 2012 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News featured an article I was involved in.

Late in 2011 I noted coverage of a bicycle trade show in Asia that was featuring in one of its news posts that Clement Tires was going to produce a big, wide tire for "road bikes" and gravel. This prompted a response from then "BRaIN" reporter, Matt Weibe, wondering why in the world any such tire should be made because no road/cross bikes would fit it. 

You can read about what happened next in this 2012 blog post. My motivation was from what I'd seen and experienced putting on events like Trans Iowa, the GTDRI, gravel group rides, and participating in Gravel Worlds and the DK200. Gravel as a segment was growing quickly at this point. It had much better chances to succeed than fat biking did, and that seemed far-fetched to industry folks at the time. Well, except for Donn Kellogg, who was the driving force behind Clement, (now Donnelly), at the time. He "got it" and was excited to push a tire forward. Of course, he also knew about what Salsa Cycles was up to, and that they were unleashing a gravel bike soon as well.

The significance here is that by my prompting this article to be published, every bike shop across the USA was now aware of gravel riding. This would have an effect on participation, awareness, and eventually what would happen with cycling in the years to come. 

From my perspective the seeds were sown now to possibly reap rewards in terms of gravel related parts, bicycles, and accessories. But what was most important to this story was that I was reinvigorated for another GTDRI. Somehow I was going to pull it off again. 

Later in January of 2012 I mentioned on the blog how I was already thinking about the next GTDRI. I hinted that I might just use the previous year's course again, which would have been an easy thing to do, and I suppose it would have worked out well for those attending. But my wires aren't laid that way. I really wanted to do a new course, and the solution lay around Poweshiek and Jasper Counties. 

Next: A look at what we used circa 2011/2012 as "Gravel™" was about to hit the scene as a category in cycling.

The GTDRI Stories: Training

Getting in the miles for a try at the Triple D fat bike event.

"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!

In my last post in this series I detailed how my life and work were infringing upon my abilities to pack in planning for another GTDRI event in 2012. That was not all that was making fitting that in difficult! There were bicycling things that took my mind and time off doing the GTDRI aplenty as well. 

Foremost of those things, besides Trans Iowa, was getting ready for my first fat bike event in 2012 called "Triple D". It is a 65-ish mile fat bike event over farm fields, some Level B Maintenance, gravel, and a big chunk of the Heritage Trail bike trail from Dyersville, Iowa to Dubuque, Iowa. 

Fat biking had taken over my focus in 2011 and early 2012. I think a lot of cyclists in the Mid-West can also claim that as an issue for that time period. Fat bikes took off as a category and were one of the hottest commodities on the bike shop floor for about three years. I bought three fat bikes in the time period between 2011-2014. Four if you count the one I bought for my son at the time. Again, I wasn't the only one bitten by that bug.

From the Triple D course in 2012. Fat biking had caught the imagination of many at this time.

I think this all had an effect on how gravel events were pushing the industry to make tires, and eventually bicycles for gravel, back at that time. The bicycle industry is a funny thing- Unless "the numbers" add up, they don't make anything, but the numbers don't manifest themselves unless the industry commits to making stuff. Ironic as that may be, sometimes things come together to create a big spike in sales, and that;s what was happening in late 2011/early 2012 with fat bikes. Gravel would have to wait its turn.

The industry took a chance on fat bikes, and the market exploded. For two brief years it was pandemonium, then the fires started going out on those fat bikes. Meanwhile, gravel stuff was percolating under the radar, and that's where the story comes back to this series and gravel in general. 

January 1st, 2012 issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News featured an article I was involved in.

Late in 2011 I noted coverage of a bicycle trade show in Asia that was featuring in one of its news posts that Clement Tires was going to produce a big, wide tire for "road bikes" and gravel. This prompted a response from then "BRaIN" reporter, Matt Weibe, wondering why in the world any such tire should be made because no road/cross bikes would fit it. 

You can read about what happened next in this 2012 blog post. My motivation was from what I'd seen and experienced putting on events like Trans Iowa, the GTDRI, gravel group rides, and participating in Gravel Worlds and the DK200. Gravel as a segment was growing quickly at this point. It had much better chances to succeed than fat biking did, and that seemed far-fetched to industry folks at the time. Well, except for Donn Kellogg, who was the driving force behind Clement, (now Donnelly), at the time. He "got it" and was excited to push a tire forward. Of course, he also knew about what Salsa Cycles was up to, and that they were unleashing a gravel bike soon as well.

The significance here is that by my prompting this article to be published, every bike shop across the USA was now aware of gravel riding. This would have an effect on participation, awareness, and eventually what would happen with cycling in the years to come. 

From my perspective the seeds were sown now to possibly reap rewards in terms of gravel related parts, bicycles, and accessories. But what was most important to this story was that I was reinvigorated for another GTDRI. Somehow I was going to pull it off again. 

Later in January of 2012 I mentioned on the blog how I was already thinking about the next GTDRI. I hinted that I might just use the previous year's course again, which would have been an easy thing to do, and I suppose it would have worked out well for those attending. But my wires aren't laid that way. I really wanted to do a new course, and the solution lay around Poweshiek and Jasper Counties. 

Next: A look at what we used circa 2011/2012 as "Gravel™" was about to hit the scene as a category in cycling.

Frostbike Remembered

(L-R) Jason Boucher, GT, Ari Andonopouolous. Image by Ari.

As this probably would have been the traditional weekend for Frostbike, I thought it might be fun to share some things I remember about this event. 

Of course, it was an industry thing. You had to be a bicycle shop employee, owner of a bicycle shop, or related to the industry through a brand that Quality Bicycle Products carried to attend this deal. It was something a lot of us in the Mid-West looked forward to every year during the long, cold, mostly slow business days of Winter. Frostbike represented a marking of Spring soon to come, better times, and most importantly, a chance to see some people you wouldn't have seen otherwise the rest of the year.

Ostensibly started as an "open house", Frostbike used to happen on the same weekend that Island Bicycle Supply Company held their open house. You could hit both in a day if you were from out of town. That was a nice example of two competitors cooperating for the benefit of both entities. I attended a few of those "concurrent events" back in the 1990's and that was an amazing time to be a bike shop employee. If you had ever been in Island Supply's warehouse, as I had been from basement to attic, you know just how amazing and crazy that place was.

The original Vaya was presented as a touring bike, but it was quickly adopted by gravel riders. Seen here in 2010 at Frostbike.

The location where QBP was before their current location was a smaller place by a LOT, but I do recall going there and marveling at the then cutting edge rotating shelves. The parts picker would enter a computer code into a machine at the end of an aisle and then the whole aisle of shelving would rotate to bring the bin with the desired part to the parts picker, eliminating a lot of legwork and saving time.

Then J&B Importers bought Island Supply, rolled it into their nationwide network of warehouses, and that ended the era of concurring bicycle "open houses". QBP didn't take long to open a big new place, (where they are currently located in Bloomington, Minnesota), and their deal quickly took on the airs of a trade show with vendors putting up booths inside the warehouse to show things QBP was going to be carrying for dealers to order. 

The opening night of Angry Catfish's shop concurred with Frostbike so we went to the party.

The "trade show" aspect of Frostbike weekend grew in the early 2010's, but along with that a social aspect grew as well. Often times I would head up on Friday afternoon, stop in Northfield, Minnesota, and gather at Mike's Bikes for tomfoolery and fellowship. Then attending Frostbike the following day, and on Sunday. Usually there was some sort of social gathering planned for the Saturday evening that Frostbike was happening. Surly used to have this bonfire thing on the grounds of QBP, which I never made it to. However; I did get to a few "Cutter's Ball" events and the opening of Angry Catfish was another cool event that happened back then. 

Making laps inside of Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota is something I'll never forget.

Eventually all good things come to an end. Frostbike did as well. Once QBP opened regional warehouses the need to gather at one central location was lost. Then a leadership change at QBP signaled a more "business summit" take on Frostbike. The trade show aspect died, and along with that, the folks that used to attend stayed home. There was no good reason to go any longer, and so Frostbike just kind of faded away. 

Mike's Bikes closed up, and people moved on with Life and with the times. Since that period will never be replicated, I am really glad I was a part of those times. There were those 'races' inside Mike's, the Greek pizza, the laughs and the serious talks. The camaraderie felt amongst those in the cycling business at Frostbike. Seeing things I never would have seen. Hiding amongst the office desks upstairs in the office area at QBP to sneak into an invitation only party.  Being the guy that got Jason Boucher's Honda towed because I didn't understand Minneapolis' aggressive parking and towing policies. Hiding in shame in the famous One On One Bicycle Studio's basement in their original location. Driving to Frostbike and home from it in crazy blizzards and through ice and snow. 

And of course, the last time I went to Frostbike when I walked all night long through Minneapolis because my partner was too drunk to drive me to my motel room in Bloomington. That pretty much capped off a decade or so long run of craziness and was the end of going to Minneapolis in the Winter for a cycling related affair for 13+ years over the span of the 90's to the mid-2010's. 

Frostbike. I miss those times, and I'll never forget them.

Frostbike Remembered

(L-R) Jason Boucher, GT, Ari Andonopouolous. Image by Ari.

As this probably would have been the traditional weekend for Frostbike, I thought it might be fun to share some things I remember about this event. 

Of course, it was an industry thing. You had to be a bicycle shop employee, owner of a bicycle shop, or related to the industry through a brand that Quality Bicycle Products carried to attend this deal. It was something a lot of us in the Mid-West looked forward to every year during the long, cold, mostly slow business days of Winter. Frostbike represented a marking of Spring soon to come, better times, and most importantly, a chance to see some people you wouldn't have seen otherwise the rest of the year.

Ostensibly started as an "open house", Frostbike used to happen on the same weekend that Island Bicycle Supply Company held their open house. You could hit both in a day if you were from out of town. That was a nice example of two competitors cooperating for the benefit of both entities. I attended a few of those "concurrent events" back in the 1990's and that was an amazing time to be a bike shop employee. If you had ever been in Island Supply's warehouse, as I had been from basement to attic, you know just how amazing and crazy that place was.

The original Vaya was presented as a touring bike, but it was quickly adopted by gravel riders. Seen here in 2010 at Frostbike.

The location where QBP was before their current location was a smaller place by a LOT, but I do recall going there and marveling at the then cutting edge rotating shelves. The parts picker would enter a computer code into a machine at the end of an aisle and then the whole aisle of shelving would rotate to bring the bin with the desired part to the parts picker, eliminating a lot of legwork and saving time.

Then J&B Importers bought Island Supply, rolled it into their nationwide network of warehouses, and that ended the era of concurring bicycle "open houses". QBP didn't take long to open a big new place, (where they are currently located in Bloomington, Minnesota), and their deal quickly took on the airs of a trade show with vendors putting up booths inside the warehouse to show things QBP was going to be carrying for dealers to order. 

The opening night of Angry Catfish's shop concurred with Frostbike so we went to the party.

The "trade show" aspect of Frostbike weekend grew in the early 2010's, but along with that a social aspect grew as well. Often times I would head up on Friday afternoon, stop in Northfield, Minnesota, and gather at Mike's Bikes for tomfoolery and fellowship. Then attending Frostbike the following day, and on Sunday. Usually there was some sort of social gathering planned for the Saturday evening that Frostbike was happening. Surly used to have this bonfire thing on the grounds of QBP, which I never made it to. However; I did get to a few "Cutter's Ball" events and the opening of Angry Catfish was another cool event that happened back then. 

Making laps inside of Mike's Bikes in Northfield, Minnesota is something I'll never forget.

Eventually all good things come to an end. Frostbike did as well. Once QBP opened regional warehouses the need to gather at one central location was lost. Then a leadership change at QBP signaled a more "business summit" take on Frostbike. The trade show aspect died, and along with that, the folks that used to attend stayed home. There was no good reason to go any longer, and so Frostbike just kind of faded away. 

Mike's Bikes closed up, and people moved on with Life and with the times. Since that period will never be replicated, I am really glad I was a part of those times. There were those 'races' inside Mike's, the Greek pizza, the laughs and the serious talks. The camaraderie felt amongst those in the cycling business at Frostbike. Seeing things I never would have seen. Hiding amongst the office desks upstairs in the office area at QBP to sneak into an invitation only party.  Being the guy that got Jason Boucher's Honda towed because I didn't understand Minneapolis' aggressive parking and towing policies. Hiding in shame in the famous One On One Bicycle Studio's basement in their original location. Driving to Frostbike and home from it in crazy blizzards and through ice and snow. 

And of course, the last time I went to Frostbike when I walked all night long through Minneapolis because my partner was too drunk to drive me to my motel room in Bloomington. That pretty much capped off a decade or so long run of craziness and was the end of going to Minneapolis in the Winter for a cycling related affair for 13+ years over the span of the 90's to the mid-2010's. 

Frostbike. I miss those times, and I'll never forget them.

Friday News And Views

Salsa Cycles Ti Fargo frame set . (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

 Salsa Cycles Ti Fargo For '23:

Monday Salsa Cycles released news that the Ti Fargo was back again for 2023. Besides changing the graphics/logos, nothing else is different here. In fact, this has been the same frame and fork since the 2019 model year. 

My image here is from the last run of the Ti Fargo showing the old logo. The new logo replaces this, (the same "block-ish" logo as can be seen on all their other bikes now), so the image here is not an updated one. 

The price has also been updated on the titanium Fargo as well. Up $600.00 since 2019, it is now sitting at $3349.00 for that frame and fork. This brings up some interesting points in regard to marketing and consumer perceptions.

New Fargo logo (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Previously, in year-to-year model changes, a manufacturer could spec a frame and a fork completely differently. Not only that, but frame tubing, (on metal models) could be radically different as well. This allowed price increases to be largely hidden by "the new" stuff and consumers could justify the price based upon a spec sheet. 

The Ti Fargo represents where the bicycle industry would like to go- that being no model years. Changes would only occur when a new model was introduced or significant spec changes made a difference, or both at the same time. This could happen at any point in the year and at whatever interval the company deemed good. So, a bike like the Fargo, which has largely stayed the same since the Gen 5 was introduced back in 2017, is a good example of this. Salsa has stuck to yearly changes, but they have been spec changes only. Plus, those yearly changes haven't always happened at the same time, year to year. 

Salsa's new logo (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Now the Ti Fargo is a completely different beast. This frame and fork have become something of a commodity. This frame and fork have not changed at all since 2019, and then it was only a fork change. So, you can kind of look at the Ti Fargo as a better indicator of market pricing, since the variables in this product are insignificant over the years since its introduction. 

I may be missing something in the press releases over the years. But as far as I can tell, this is the same tube set, same titanium alloy, and the design hasn't changed one iota since 2018. Granting that the fork change for 2019 may be a cause for a higher price from the 2018 model, I'll go from there to now with my comparison. 

The difference? Price had increased $600.00. That's a lot in four years!

Hutchinson Override (Image courtesy of Hutchinson Tires)

Hutchinson Tires Debuts 700 X 50mm Options;

The line between 29"er and "Gravel" is getting blurred every day now it seems. The bicycles can handle 2" tires and the manufacturers are only to happy to have more tire choices to slap into these bikes now. Hutchinson is the latest to bloat their gravel tires up into 29" sizing. 

The Override, Touareg, and the Tundra are all now available in 700c X 50mm sizes. Well.....if you are in Europe, that is. Hutchinson pulled out of the US market over a year or so ago now. Yes, you could order from overseas here. That's likely to cost you a bit more, but I see places where one can order Hutchinson tires from online.

The Hutch Tundra. (Image courtesy of Hutchinson tires)

The Touareg was, and still is, one of my favorite gravel tires. It also happens to be really, really easy to live with as a tubeless tire. In fact, if you were to ever go tubeless for the first time, I would recommend the Touareg as your first foray into tubelessness. It's sooooo easy to use and live with.

 Comments: These fatty gravel tires are probably best suited to bikepacking/light MTB use. A 2" wide tire won't fit on most gravel bikes, but then again....

Maybe what this is signalling is that there is a bigger trend at play here. The "mountain bike-i-fication" of gravel bikes, perhaps? I see more rumblings on the front telescopic fork idea, and with these bikes with bigger clearances and with these tires? 

I think it is completely misguided and wrong, but I don't run the industry. Off-road trails are a lot harder to get to for riding than back roads are, or gravel is here. I'd wager that is the case for most people. Another thing pushing at the other end is the "gravelification" of road bikes. See.... The bicycle industry is all jacked up. I've said it from the beginning- "These bikes, (gravel, if that is what you have to call them by) are the bikes the every-day rider should be using all the time everywhere where there is a road, paved or unpaved, city or country." Let mountain bikes be MTB's and road racing bikes be their deal over there. Most people don't need either one- road racing or MTB. Stop trying to make road racing bikes "gravel" and "gravel" bikes into MTBs. 

Shimano Issues Bleak 2023 Sales Forecast:

After two years of phenomenal sales increases, Shimano issued a statement recently that says it expects sales figures for the cycling and fishing giant to decrease by about 21%, according to a recent report by an industry trade source. In similar news, a recent report filed by Carlton Reid of "Forbes" online reveals that sales in the U.K. are also down, even in the HPC/electrified bicycle segment.

This goes along with everything else the industry experts are saying. The 2023 season will be a bumpy ride for cycling businesses. Already I am seeing more flash sales, 25% and higher discounts, and brands that have never had sales are having sales now. 

Surly Preamble Flat or Drop bar: Image from a Reddit thread

Surly Bikes Intros New Entry Level Bike Called "Preamble":

Early on Wednesday morning I came across an article reviewing a new Surly entry level bike called the "Preamble". This bike was also leaked on a Reddit thread I came across moments later. 

It seems as though these new Surly steeds are based on a steel (of course) frame spec'ed with MicroShift's 9 speed flat bar and drop bar offerings. Other spec choices show a more off-brand, lower end spec, but for the claimed prices, this seems fair. The Preamble Flat Bar was said to be $999.00 for the flat bar and $1249.00 for the drop bar bike. 

Five sizes will be offered and there seems to be a couple of color choices for each model. The frames also are not your typical "Swiss Army Knife" type, versatile frames. Here on the Preamble it looks like a straight-up, basic set of braze-ons supporting the traditional two water bottle, rack, and fender set up. Tire clearances are also not the typical Surly fare with abilities to go 650B or 700c, but limited to 41mm with either diameter, according to the story I saw. 

Another "not-for-consumer's-eyes" document I was able to dig up easily actually gives alternative spec from the two major players in the market with one being an as-yet under embargo component group. Whoops! So, expect more news about the Preamble soon.

Comments: Ever since Quality Bicycle Products Rich Tauer took over the reins of leadership at the company, there has been a big sea change in the QBP brands both in terms of personnel and product offerings. Surly being maybe the most outstanding example here, and some would say, not in a good way. 

You can take that argument anyway you'd like, I have no dog in the fight, but it is not up for debate that Surly has fundamentally changed its tone and feel in terms of the brand. This move, which mirrors much of what Salsa Cycles has done with the Journeyer and Rangefinder, drops the Surly line-up into an easily digestible product for sale to folks wanting to get into the brand. To my way of thinking, it is the product aimed at the same market Salsa went after with REI stores and its Rangefinder/Journeyer lines.
 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a good one and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Salsa Cycles Ti Fargo frame set . (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

 Salsa Cycles Ti Fargo For '23:

Monday Salsa Cycles released news that the Ti Fargo was back again for 2023. Besides changing the graphics/logos, nothing else is different here. In fact, this has been the same frame and fork since the 2019 model year. 

My image here is from the last run of the Ti Fargo showing the old logo. The new logo replaces this, (the same "block-ish" logo as can be seen on all their other bikes now), so the image here is not an updated one. 

The price has also been updated on the titanium Fargo as well. Up $600.00 since 2019, it is now sitting at $3349.00 for that frame and fork. This brings up some interesting points in regard to marketing and consumer perceptions.

New Fargo logo (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Previously, in year-to-year model changes, a manufacturer could spec a frame and a fork completely differently. Not only that, but frame tubing, (on metal models) could be radically different as well. This allowed price increases to be largely hidden by "the new" stuff and consumers could justify the price based upon a spec sheet. 

The Ti Fargo represents where the bicycle industry would like to go- that being no model years. Changes would only occur when a new model was introduced or significant spec changes made a difference, or both at the same time. This could happen at any point in the year and at whatever interval the company deemed good. So, a bike like the Fargo, which has largely stayed the same since the Gen 5 was introduced back in 2017, is a good example of this. Salsa has stuck to yearly changes, but they have been spec changes only. Plus, those yearly changes haven't always happened at the same time, year to year. 

Salsa's new logo (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Now the Ti Fargo is a completely different beast. This frame and fork have become something of a commodity. This frame and fork have not changed at all since 2019, and then it was only a fork change. So, you can kind of look at the Ti Fargo as a better indicator of market pricing, since the variables in this product are insignificant over the years since its introduction. 

I may be missing something in the press releases over the years. But as far as I can tell, this is the same tube set, same titanium alloy, and the design hasn't changed one iota since 2018. Granting that the fork change for 2019 may be a cause for a higher price from the 2018 model, I'll go from there to now with my comparison. 

The difference? Price had increased $600.00. That's a lot in four years!

Hutchinson Override (Image courtesy of Hutchinson Tires)

Hutchinson Tires Debuts 700 X 50mm Options;

The line between 29"er and "Gravel" is getting blurred every day now it seems. The bicycles can handle 2" tires and the manufacturers are only to happy to have more tire choices to slap into these bikes now. Hutchinson is the latest to bloat their gravel tires up into 29" sizing. 

The Override, Touareg, and the Tundra are all now available in 700c X 50mm sizes. Well.....if you are in Europe, that is. Hutchinson pulled out of the US market over a year or so ago now. Yes, you could order from overseas here. That's likely to cost you a bit more, but I see places where one can order Hutchinson tires from online.

The Hutch Tundra. (Image courtesy of Hutchinson tires)

The Touareg was, and still is, one of my favorite gravel tires. It also happens to be really, really easy to live with as a tubeless tire. In fact, if you were to ever go tubeless for the first time, I would recommend the Touareg as your first foray into tubelessness. It's sooooo easy to use and live with.

 Comments: These fatty gravel tires are probably best suited to bikepacking/light MTB use. A 2" wide tire won't fit on most gravel bikes, but then again....

Maybe what this is signalling is that there is a bigger trend at play here. The "mountain bike-i-fication" of gravel bikes, perhaps? I see more rumblings on the front telescopic fork idea, and with these bikes with bigger clearances and with these tires? 

I think it is completely misguided and wrong, but I don't run the industry. Off-road trails are a lot harder to get to for riding than back roads are, or gravel is here. I'd wager that is the case for most people. Another thing pushing at the other end is the "gravelification" of road bikes. See.... The bicycle industry is all jacked up. I've said it from the beginning- "These bikes, (gravel, if that is what you have to call them by) are the bikes the every-day rider should be using all the time everywhere where there is a road, paved or unpaved, city or country." Let mountain bikes be MTB's and road racing bikes be their deal over there. Most people don't need either one- road racing or MTB. Stop trying to make road racing bikes "gravel" and "gravel" bikes into MTBs. 

Shimano Issues Bleak 2023 Sales Forecast:

After two years of phenomenal sales increases, Shimano issued a statement recently that says it expects sales figures for the cycling and fishing giant to decrease by about 21%, according to a recent report by an industry trade source. In similar news, a recent report filed by Carlton Reid of "Forbes" online reveals that sales in the U.K. are also down, even in the HPC/electrified bicycle segment.

This goes along with everything else the industry experts are saying. The 2023 season will be a bumpy ride for cycling businesses. Already I am seeing more flash sales, 25% and higher discounts, and brands that have never had sales are having sales now. 

Surly Preamble Flat or Drop bar: Image from a Reddit thread

Surly Bikes Intros New Entry Level Bike Called "Preamble":

Early on Wednesday morning I came across an article reviewing a new Surly entry level bike called the "Preamble". This bike was also leaked on a Reddit thread I came across moments later. 

It seems as though these new Surly steeds are based on a steel (of course) frame spec'ed with MicroShift's 9 speed flat bar and drop bar offerings. Other spec choices show a more off-brand, lower end spec, but for the claimed prices, this seems fair. The Preamble Flat Bar was said to be $999.00 for the flat bar and $1249.00 for the drop bar bike. 

Five sizes will be offered and there seems to be a couple of color choices for each model. The frames also are not your typical "Swiss Army Knife" type, versatile frames. Here on the Preamble it looks like a straight-up, basic set of braze-ons supporting the traditional two water bottle, rack, and fender set up. Tire clearances are also not the typical Surly fare with abilities to go 650B or 700c, but limited to 41mm with either diameter, according to the story I saw. 

Another "not-for-consumer's-eyes" document I was able to dig up easily actually gives alternative spec from the two major players in the market with one being an as-yet under embargo component group. Whoops! So, expect more news about the Preamble soon.

Comments: Ever since Quality Bicycle Products Rich Tauer took over the reins of leadership at the company, there has been a big sea change in the QBP brands both in terms of personnel and product offerings. Surly being maybe the most outstanding example here, and some would say, not in a good way. 

You can take that argument anyway you'd like, I have no dog in the fight, but it is not up for debate that Surly has fundamentally changed its tone and feel in terms of the brand. This move, which mirrors much of what Salsa Cycles has done with the Journeyer and Rangefinder, drops the Surly line-up into an easily digestible product for sale to folks wanting to get into the brand. To my way of thinking, it is the product aimed at the same market Salsa went after with REI stores and its Rangefinder/Journeyer lines.
 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a good one and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Be A Pirate Of The Gravel Seas

New 15th Anniversary PCL Kit now available

 Over the years I have had the opportunity to get to know many of the Lincoln, Nebraska area gravel cyclists, and the community of those cyclists in general, via the Pirate Cycling League/Gravel Worlds folks. My first contact with the gals and guys from the Lincoln, Nebraska area, where the PCL sprang from, was during Trans Iowa v2. 

That was 2006, predating the PCL by about a year or more. So, I've seen this idea/group/organization grow from a distance over the years to become a force in the gravel cycling community. 

And to boot - The PCL has always been there to support me at my events. From the first Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational in 2006, to the aforementioned Trans Iowa event in 2006, and from there right on through to today, the guys and gals of the PCL have been huge supporters of what I have been doing in the gravel cycling space. 

So, I have always tried to support them, and I have done that in many ways. One of those ways was to buy their annually changed jerseys, and now full range of kit, nearly every year. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the beginnings of the PCL. In celebration, the PCL/Gravel Worlds team have designed the jersey you see here as a way to commemorate the League of Pirates that sail the Gravel Seas under their colors. You can support the PCL and get your own jersey, or whatever clothing, HERE. 

Several years ago, the PCL brought back the "OG" jersey for one run and I grabbed this one.

The new jersey is based off of the original PCL jersey offered mostly only to their original group back in the late 2000's/early twenty-teens. I know I saw this design first at Trans Iowa v7 on PCL co-founder Troy Krause as he finished that year and was wearing it for the event. That would have been 2011, so this jersey was around before that, perhaps. 

Well, when the PCL offered a reissue of the design several years after the initial offering, I jumped on it. So, I have a rendering of the OG design. The new 15th Anniversary design is based on this jersey, and it did not make sense to me to have two, nearly identical PCL jerseys when I have enough PCL jerseys that I could wear a different one for eight days in a row and not duplicate my look. 

So, since the PCL now offers their designs in an array of clothing, not just a jersey, I decided to go with a wind jacket. The Voler designed jacket emblazoned with the 15th Anniversary design will go great with my current PCL 'OG design' green jersey, or any of the ones I have, for that matter. Plus, Voler made the right decision and put three pockets on the back of that wind jacket. I love that! 

I should get mine in April some time. Stay tuned for the reveal. Meanwhile, consider supporting the PCL and grab yourself a 15th Anniversary PCL piece of kit. 

NOTE: I have no benefit from, or affiliation with, the PCL and I did not receive any compensation for this post, nor did I get any discount on my jacket. I paid straight retail, so there!