Friday News And Views

Pinarello Nytro e-Gravel bike. (Image courtesy of Pinarello)

 Pinarello Announces New "Nytro" e-Gravel Bike:

Hybrid Powered Cycles (HPC's) have been getting more and more diverse and in some cases, hard to tell from fully human powered bicycles. That bike that passes you on that gravel climb in the future may very well be a hybrid powered bike featuring a well integrated electric motor which is giving the rider an unseen advantage. 

This new Pinarello Nytro e-Gravel bike is already such a bike. According to Pinarello, it offers a 300watt at peak assistance boost with 50nm of torque, even at high pedaling cadences. The Nytro e-Gravel has a range of approximately 63 miles, but with an additional "range extender", (the press kit does not say what this is, but it most likely is an external battery accessory), you could ride up to 89 miles. 

But does it weigh a lot? Actually, no- it doesn't. The bike weighs in at a claimed 26-27lbs, depending on the size, and that really is not a lot when you consider that this bike has assist. But yeah....no where near a racing bike for gravel which is going to be sub-20lbs by a fair amount. 

At $7800.00-$8800.00, depending on specifications, this isn't a cheap bike either. So, who is this for? 

Well-heeled, not-so-athletic, race-aspiring folks, I would guess. While there aren't many races coming in at sub-metric century distances, there are a lot that are right at that distance, and well..... Let the "Is this fair to have racing with fully-human powered bikes?" debates begin. Because this is coming everywhere and when battery technology gets better, and the motors are already imperceptibly quiet, well, then you've got a big problem on your hands if you are a race director. 

Fake websites are rearing their heads again.

Buyer Beware: Fake Websites & Counterfeit Goods On The Rise:

With the economy turning the corner in terms of cycling goods from a seller's market to a buyer's market, there has been an observed increase in web-based chicanery, 

This has come in two forms; fake websites and counterfeit goods. This "Bike Radar" story is a good primer on what to look for and how to protect yourself. 

Comments: With more and more on-line ordering going on, I think some of what you used to value in face-to-face retail is applicable to on-line retail. You've got to value the relationship over price. When price becomes the motivating factor, you can easily get burned. 

Now, I shop on-line a fair amount. I also support a local bike shop when I can. I'm not going to name names, but I will say I use the same vendors over and over again because they are very well established on-line retailers or bicycle shops. I've seen things cheaper from sites I never have heard of, and - nope! Not gonna go there. Not worth it in the long run. 

So, you do you, but as the saying goes: "Buyer Beware!"

Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback (Image courtesy of Canyon)

Canyon Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback: A Marketing Exercise With A Goofy Twist:

Tuesday of this week Canyon Bikes had a bicycle making the social news rounds. It is a version of their Grizl series gravel bikes called the Grizl SL 7 Throwback.

It is essentially a paint job and marketing shtick. And does the Canyon marketing team ever lay it on thick here! The theme overall is that "gravel bikes are just rigid 1990's MTB's".

Here's a bit of the blather from the bike's webpage:

"The bikes of the 90s didn’t flatter your skill level, skittering over what modern MTB riders wouldn’t even notice. Making ‘mellow’ trails deliver big grins, just like our gravel bikes do now.
But this time with brakes and shifting that work properly."

Comments: Bah! "brakes and shifting that work properly"? Really? What a load of BS. And later into the page they trot out the old saw that "under-biking" will hone your skill level and bring you more in-tune with your terrain. As if people really want that. (Hint: They don't, or rigid MTB's would still be a big category)

This is a perfect example of what I am calling the "mountain bike-ification" of gravel bikes. It's no where close to a 1990's MTB bike, and nothing like a rigid 29"er either, so yeah..... Don't fall for this ruse by the marketing departments. 

(L-R) President G. Bush, Steve Domahidy, Chris Sugai. circa 2011.

Chris Sugai Leaves Niner Bikes For Gates:

Back in 2005 an unheard of company called "Niner Bikes" appeared as the sponsor banner on the then dominant site for 29'er news and rumors, the 29"er page on MTBR.com. "Who are these guys?", was the comment from us, and we were all very suspicious of the intentions of this new player on the scene. The fear being that this company was just a ruse to make a quick buck on a new trend and that they were not a serious concern that would bring more credibility to the nascent 29"er movement.  

Well, as it turned out, Niner Bikes, and their two founders, Chris Sugai and Steve Domahidy were dead serious and all-in on 29"ers. Nothing to fear here! In fact, I learned as much in a "Ted-terview" I did with the pair back in 2006. (Read a partial text of the interview here)

Chris Sugai famously made a statement at Interbike proclaiming the death of the 26" wheel as the dominant wheel size for MTB, going as far as saying it would die out as a choice. And back then, people thought he was off his rocker. But we all know what happened.....

In 2011, co-founder of Niner Bikes, Steve Domahidy, left the company. Several years later, Niner Bikes filed for bankruptcy, and was eventually bought up by the same company that owns Huffy in 2018. Now in 2023, the final original member of Niner Bikes is leaving the company which pioneered and pushed forward the technology of 29"er wheels for the masses. Chris leaves Niner Bikes to join Gates, the belt manufacturer, to work in their mobility department where he will help develop drive train solutions for e-Bikes, e-Scooters, e-Motorcycles, and the like. 

It's a sub-note on the history of 29 inch wheels. I've seen the very beginnings of the genre, its rise, its acceptance as "just a bike", and now this may seem like no big deal. However; there once was a time when what Chris was doing was moving the needle big time in the realm of 29'ers, so I feel as though he, (and Steve) deserve a little respect from the MTB community for his contributions. So, if you ever read this: Thanks Chris! Good luck on your future with Gates and I hope that future is a bright one!  

USAC Announces Gravel National Championships In Gering, NE.:

Well, they finally did it. USAC stakes a claim on legitimacy in the field of gravel racing by announcing that they are holding their inaugural Gravel National Championships in Gering, Nebraska in September of this year. 

Using elements of the remote High Plains area which have been a part of the Robidoux gravel event in the past, USAC is staging this event with no prerequisite requirements for participation other than that you have to be a holder of a USAC license. The price for entry has not been set, but the webpage for the event states that "Pricing will be aligned with other large domestic gravel events." 

There will be several age categories and an Open and Pro/Elite Mens and Womens categories with a further breakdown in classment featuring single speed, para cycling, and collegiate. Both the Mens and Womens Pro/Elite classes will be paid equally with a total prize purse to be $60,000.00 according to the press release. It is claimed to be the biggest single day payout for a gravel race ever. registration opens July 14th. 

Comments: Yeah, I expected something like this, but Gering Nebraska? I was a bit surprised by that.  But this is a plum event landing for the Scottsbluff area. Just for context, the area has close to 25.000 residents. 

Pricing to be "in line with other large gravel events", eh? So, above $200.00 a head? Probably, because USAC is funding most of the prize purse off racer's entry fees. So, those pack-fodder athletes will be paying the people standing on the podium. USAC says they also plan on gaining funds from sponsorships, which in this economic climate may be a bit hard to come by, but we'll see. 

This is a watershed moment for USAC and the UCI in gravel, since this event is a qualifier for the  Gravel World Championships held by the UCI. If they don't get the numbers of folks they need to make it float, it will be a difficult thing to sustain. Don't kid yourself, USAC needs you to buy into this. It's all about money to attract the sponsored Pro athletes, and in the end, the only way they've ever been able to make their system work is to have a LOT of average folks paying money to support the pointy-end of the racer pool. Otherwise, this is going to fail miserably, just like road racing has in the USA under their watch.

That's a wrap on the News and Views for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride!