WTB Sealant Update

About a year and a half ago now I received WTB sealant to review for Riding Gravel. (Standard Disclaimer) As with most sealants, it initially worked quite well and I liked its life span in my tires. WTB also has seen fit to supply me with their sealant back then, enough so that I still have plenty of it around. 

So, it has found its way into every tubeless tire I have around here by this point. Now, typically we don't see a lot of issues with sidewall cuts, big punctures, or the like, especially with gravel riding. But I've had valve failures, punctures from glass that would not seal up, and sealant that dried up quickly and gave me issues. (Looking at the color "orange" here.) 

So, the other day when I was in my shop I discovered something that is highly unusual and impressive. I was looking for something entirely unrelated to tires and wheels down there when an odd looking feature jumped out at me and caused me to pause my search for the other thing. It was a wet spot on an otherwise dry, dusty tire sidewall. 

This was on the 700c X 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tire I just reviewed recently. My first inclination was to think that the sealant had started to weep through the sidewall, but in one spot? No.... Then I saw spattered bits of sealant on the carbon rim. Could it be that I punctured?

That wet spot sure was unusual.

Upon closer inspection I saw that the tire sidewall had been cut and that the sealant was actually coagulated outside of the tire casing. It must have sealed up almost instantaneously, because there wasn't much residue on the tire and rim. Then I recalled a moment during the last ride on this bike where I was kicked sideways a bit off a rock, or was it something else sharper than that? 

I am guessing that is when the puncture/cut occurred. So, this is really impressive to me. A sidewall cut is not easily sealed as that is the part of the tire that flexes on every rotation the most. That makes sealant "plugs" want to blow out, but this WTB sealant not only sealed up quickly, but stayed that way for the duration of my ride with no indication that anything had happened while I was riding. 

A close-up of the damage and the sealant poking out there.

Well, I suppose I should take the tire off and boot it from the inside with a patch and then I probably could continue to use this tire, but that puts the wheel set out of commission until I do that, and this was the bike I was going to take to Emporia. 

Hey! It isn't as if I don't have other choices and wheel sets! So, no worries. I found a way around this. But yeah...I am impressed. Now there are a couple of things I don't like about this sealant and chief of those is that it is darn near impossible to keep a smaller syringe clear when setting up a tire with this sealant or when recovering sealant after dismounting a tire. And this sealant needs to be thoroughly shaken before use because if you don't those additional particles settle to the bottom of the container and are a real tough deal to get mixed into the sealant when that happens. It also isn't recommended for really cold usage so fat bikes and Winter commuting may not work with this stuff.

But yeah, this has been an enlightening experience, and it gives me a reason to recommend this sealant if you are searching for a new sealant product.

WTB Sealant Update

About a year and a half ago now I received WTB sealant to review for Riding Gravel. (Standard Disclaimer) As with most sealants, it initially worked quite well and I liked its life span in my tires. WTB also has seen fit to supply me with their sealant back then, enough so that I still have plenty of it around. 

So, it has found its way into every tubeless tire I have around here by this point. Now, typically we don't see a lot of issues with sidewall cuts, big punctures, or the like, especially with gravel riding. But I've had valve failures, punctures from glass that would not seal up, and sealant that dried up quickly and gave me issues. (Looking at the color "orange" here.) 

So, the other day when I was in my shop I discovered something that is highly unusual and impressive. I was looking for something entirely unrelated to tires and wheels down there when an odd looking feature jumped out at me and caused me to pause my search for the other thing. It was a wet spot on an otherwise dry, dusty tire sidewall. 

This was on the 700c X 45mm Pirelli Cinturato M tire I just reviewed recently. My first inclination was to think that the sealant had started to weep through the sidewall, but in one spot? No.... Then I saw spattered bits of sealant on the carbon rim. Could it be that I punctured?

That wet spot sure was unusual.

Upon closer inspection I saw that the tire sidewall had been cut and that the sealant was actually coagulated outside of the tire casing. It must have sealed up almost instantaneously, because there wasn't much residue on the tire and rim. Then I recalled a moment during the last ride on this bike where I was kicked sideways a bit off a rock, or was it something else sharper than that? 

I am guessing that is when the puncture/cut occurred. So, this is really impressive to me. A sidewall cut is not easily sealed as that is the part of the tire that flexes on every rotation the most. That makes sealant "plugs" want to blow out, but this WTB sealant not only sealed up quickly, but stayed that way for the duration of my ride with no indication that anything had happened while I was riding. 

A close-up of the damage and the sealant poking out there.

Well, I suppose I should take the tire off and boot it from the inside with a patch and then I probably could continue to use this tire, but that puts the wheel set out of commission until I do that, and this was the bike I was going to take to Emporia. 

Hey! It isn't as if I don't have other choices and wheel sets! So, no worries. I found a way around this. But yeah...I am impressed. Now there are a couple of things I don't like about this sealant and chief of those is that it is darn near impossible to keep a smaller syringe clear when setting up a tire with this sealant or when recovering sealant after dismounting a tire. And this sealant needs to be thoroughly shaken before use because if you don't those additional particles settle to the bottom of the container and are a real tough deal to get mixed into the sealant when that happens. It also isn't recommended for really cold usage so fat bikes and Winter commuting may not work with this stuff.

But yeah, this has been an enlightening experience, and it gives me a reason to recommend this sealant if you are searching for a new sealant product.

Country Views: Gathering The Gravel

Escape route: 4th Street, Waterloo, Iowa.

 Last Thursday I decided I'd better get this chore done that I had been putting off for several weeks. It was a very odd job to fulfill a strange request. A request from the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, as a matter of fact.

They are trying to build displays for each individual already in the GCHoF and requested a few things from each of us. One of those things was a 20 ounce jar of our local gravel. yes - a jar of rocks. 

I suppose it will be somewhat interesting to see all the rocks and dirt people will eventually contribute in the years to come. We will see that "gravel" is not only diverse in terms of the people that participate, but in its very nature when it comes to what we ride on.  

I searched the house for a canning jar but could not find one. I ended up using a jar from spaghetti sauce instead. I wrapped that in a shop towel and bubble wrap and then I put that in my Campagne Bag on the Karate Monkey. That would insure that I wouldn't break the jar on the trip. Of course, I had to do this by bicycle, and I used the KM not only because that big bag is mounted on it, but this bicycle was my first "gravel bike". It was the bike I fell in love riding gravel with over my first several years of riding gravel. 

Once again, things are VERY dry in the country.

I saw a weather related article before I left that stated that due to this run of very dry air with no rain for days that where I live is on the verge of being rated "moderate" in terms of drought conditions. Once I reached the gravel, it was plain to see. The gravel is very dusty, and the dirt looks pretty bad around the North side of Waterloo. 

Looking North up Sage Road you can see how it veers left to get around the Big Rock

Looking West over to Big Rock Road

I decided that the place I would scoop up some gravel for this GCHoF deal had to be at the intersection of Big Rock Road and Sage Road where The Big Rock is beside the Southeast corner of the intersection. I stopped and leaned the Karate Monkey against the huge stone and stepped over to the intersection, stooped down, and scooped up a few handfuls of crushed limestone. 

As I stood up I felt oddly. Like this was a significant gesture and I felt a wave of emotion. But just then, a car's tires were heard on the rocks coming from the South up Sage Road. I didn't have time to process those feelings and I stepped off the road to allow the car to pass by. 

The jar of crushed rock on The Big Rock

Old and new technology coexisting on the farm

I snapped off a few photos to mark the occasion and remounted the bike after packing the jar of gravel away carefully in the Campagne Bag. Heading East down Big Rock Road, I was feeling a lot less work on the pedals. Heading Eastward was very bad since the wind was strong out of that direction. The air was super-dry, but otherwise it was an awesome day with zero clouds in the sky and warm temperatures. 

Riding the Karate Monkey in this new configuration is so-not aero and I could tell the difference. It was super-slow going heading into the wind and even without that it was slow. Much slower than my "true" gravel bikes are when riding out in the country. Slow isn't necessarily "bad", but if I am trying to get miles in this bike won't do. 

Anyway, it was a ride, I got my chore done, and today, sometime this day, that jar will get delivered in Emporia.

Country Views: Gathering The Gravel

Escape route: 4th Street, Waterloo, Iowa.

 Last Thursday I decided I'd better get this chore done that I had been putting off for several weeks. It was a very odd job to fulfill a strange request. A request from the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, as a matter of fact.

They are trying to build displays for each individual already in the GCHoF and requested a few things from each of us. One of those things was a 20 ounce jar of our local gravel. yes - a jar of rocks. 

I suppose it will be somewhat interesting to see all the rocks and dirt people will eventually contribute in the years to come. We will see that "gravel" is not only diverse in terms of the people that participate, but in its very nature when it comes to what we ride on.  

I searched the house for a canning jar but could not find one. I ended up using a jar from spaghetti sauce instead. I wrapped that in a shop towel and bubble wrap and then I put that in my Campagne Bag on the Karate Monkey. That would insure that I wouldn't break the jar on the trip. Of course, I had to do this by bicycle, and I used the KM not only because that big bag is mounted on it, but this bicycle was my first "gravel bike". It was the bike I fell in love riding gravel with over my first several years of riding gravel. 

Once again, things are VERY dry in the country.

I saw a weather related article before I left that stated that due to this run of very dry air with no rain for days that where I live is on the verge of being rated "moderate" in terms of drought conditions. Once I reached the gravel, it was plain to see. The gravel is very dusty, and the dirt looks pretty bad around the North side of Waterloo. 

Looking North up Sage Road you can see how it veers left to get around the Big Rock

Looking West over to Big Rock Road

I decided that the place I would scoop up some gravel for this GCHoF deal had to be at the intersection of Big Rock Road and Sage Road where The Big Rock is beside the Southeast corner of the intersection. I stopped and leaned the Karate Monkey against the huge stone and stepped over to the intersection, stooped down, and scooped up a few handfuls of crushed limestone. 

As I stood up I felt oddly. Like this was a significant gesture and I felt a wave of emotion. But just then, a car's tires were heard on the rocks coming from the South up Sage Road. I didn't have time to process those feelings and I stepped off the road to allow the car to pass by. 

The jar of crushed rock on The Big Rock

Old and new technology coexisting on the farm

I snapped off a few photos to mark the occasion and remounted the bike after packing the jar of gravel away carefully in the Campagne Bag. Heading East down Big Rock Road, I was feeling a lot less work on the pedals. Heading Eastward was very bad since the wind was strong out of that direction. The air was super-dry, but otherwise it was an awesome day with zero clouds in the sky and warm temperatures. 

Riding the Karate Monkey in this new configuration is so-not aero and I could tell the difference. It was super-slow going heading into the wind and even without that it was slow. Much slower than my "true" gravel bikes are when riding out in the country. Slow isn't necessarily "bad", but if I am trying to get miles in this bike won't do. 

Anyway, it was a ride, I got my chore done, and today, sometime this day, that jar will get delivered in Emporia.

Going To Kansas

Well, tomorrow I am off on a trip to visit Emporia, Kansas once again. If you had told me that I'd be going to this Kansan city almost every year for nearly 20 years when I was younger I'd have said, "Emporia what?!", and I would have laughed at you. But I am now kind of forever tied to that town and its Hall of Fame for all things gravel. 

I can still remember cruising around the forlorn looking downtown area of this city back in 2005 with David Pals, who joined me and gave me a ride down to the inaugural DK200. There were more vacant buildings than not on Commercial Street, and no one had ever heard about a gravel road cycling competition that would later help transform this city from a relatively unknown spot at the junction of the Kansas Turnpike and I - 35 in the Flint Hills. 

Now things are a heck of a lot different, and gravel is a big deal in cycling. Emporia, Kansas is arguably the epicenter of gravel riding for the USA with its UNBOUND event holding the premier position and status amongst the hundreds of gravel events here and world-wide. Who'd have thunk it in 2005? No one, that's who, if we're being honest here. This is all an amazing transformation for cycling, Emporia, and its people who live there and are connected to this city. 

So, here I go. Me. A guy who never would have figured I'd be a part of anything like this. Not in a million years. And I am very, very  grateful for what has happened. So, I am going down there once again to celebrate the next class of inductees. 

We did a podcast about the 2023 class and gabbed about some other stuff on the "Guitar Ted Podcast" which you can listen to at the LINK HERE. Check it out if you care to and tell your friends. Thanks!

I'll have a write-up on my trip starting here Thursday. 

Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions

Going To Kansas

Well, tomorrow I am off on a trip to visit Emporia, Kansas once again. If you had told me that I'd be going to this Kansan city almost every year for nearly 20 years when I was younger I'd have said, "Emporia what?!", and I would have laughed at you. But I am now kind of forever tied to that town and its Hall of Fame for all things gravel. 

I can still remember cruising around the forlorn looking downtown area of this city back in 2005 with David Pals, who joined me and gave me a ride down to the inaugural DK200. There were more vacant buildings than not on Commercial Street, and no one had ever heard about a gravel road cycling competition that would later help transform this city from a relatively unknown spot at the junction of the Kansas Turnpike and I - 35 in the Flint Hills. 

Now things are a heck of a lot different, and gravel is a big deal in cycling. Emporia, Kansas is arguably the epicenter of gravel riding for the USA with its UNBOUND event holding the premier position and status amongst the hundreds of gravel events here and world-wide. Who'd have thunk it in 2005? No one, that's who, if we're being honest here. This is all an amazing transformation for cycling, Emporia, and its people who live there and are connected to this city. 

So, here I go. Me. A guy who never would have figured I'd be a part of anything like this. Not in a million years. And I am very, very  grateful for what has happened. So, I am going down there once again to celebrate the next class of inductees. 

We did a podcast about the 2023 class and gabbed about some other stuff on the "Guitar Ted Podcast" which you can listen to at the LINK HERE. Check it out if you care to and tell your friends. Thanks!

I'll have a write-up on my trip starting here Thursday. 

Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions

Memorial Day

 

                                In memory of those who sacrificed all to protect our freedom

Memorial Day

 

                                In memory of those who sacrificed all to protect our freedom

The GTDRI Stories: The Ninth One - Part 2

"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!

It's always fun going back to read these old GTDRI reports and find things I had completely forgotten about. Things about what we saw or went through during the day. Looking at the images, getting clues as to the weather. I'm sure glad I wrote those rides up like I did. 

I remember now how I really did not like the first part of the ride. I had to route us on some highway to get us into Strawberry Point and since this was so early into the ride it was, well......pointless. We did not need to go through town, but we did. I guess I'd change that bit now looking back. 

But, since we did go through town we exposed ourselves to the derisive comments of the locals who were setting up for RAGBRAI to come through that day. Apparently, we were "going the wrong way", and we got a few chuckles and waves. sigh! The entire "You must be doing/training for/going on RAGBRAI" thing (because if you ride a bike in Iowa, you know...) gets really stale really fast. I was very happy to have left Strawberry Point in our dust that day. 

Some of the first gravel after leaving Backbone State Park, before Strawberry Point.

 

A bit of the old "Mission Road". A trail developed for military purposes in the early 1800's.

This was a super-humid day. One of those where you are wetted out within the first mile of riding. It would be a very taxing day for a ride for most anyone and especially for me as I have not had the best of luck with weather like that. Fortunately the course wasn't particularly hard right out of the gate. 

We had a big delay early on when one of the riders punctured who was in the back and we who were ahead of him didn't see or hear that he was having issues. Jeremy Fry, (who actually joined us for the start this time!) and Michael Lemberger finally showed back up, but that all raised my anxiety level up a notch as I had a schedule for time in my head and long delays weren't planed in. But eventually we were on our way. 

This was a pretty cool barn along our route. Michael Lemberger is the rider here.

The land just South of Volga is hilly and you can experience spectacular vistas like this.

The course eventually got really hilly coming to Volga, but there was relief in the form of a long downhill run into Volga from the South and then leaving there we were taking a nice, flat and winding road which followed the Volga River for many miles. 

And then it got hilly again! 

By this point into the ride the Sun was beginning to burn off the clouds and haze we had been protected by most of the early morning hours. It was getting beastly out, and I remember thinking that it was way too early for me to be suffering. 

A much welcomed rest stop in Wadena, Iowa.

A friendly cur. Too friendly! One of my favorite "dog stories" too.

This dog, shown above, has woven its way into the annals of the GTDRI by not only appearing once, but twice through the years. Both times it was the same story. This dog came out, cavorting and just wanting to run amongst the cyclists, and would show no signs of being aggressive. However; the dog was a danger as it would dart from rider to rider, crossing paths of the bikes and nearly taking us down a few times. Stopping, yelling, trying to chase it away - all fruitless. The course finally made a quick left, then right and down about a mile on a steep hillside. This allowed us to outrun the dog and it finally gave up. I suppose that went on for about five miles or so.

Both times this happened it was the same deal. We were going the same direction, and we did not ditch the dog until the high-speed downhill was reached. 

Echo Valley Road is a gorgeous bit of Iowa gravel.

One thing about this route- It is stunningly beautiful

Once we had distanced ourselves from the Velcro Dog, we found ourselves on about 25+ miles of fairly flat terrain, passing through Elgin on our way to Elkader along the Turkey River. This would be our last respite from the brutally steep hills for the day. 

Join me next week for the surprise ending of the Ninth GTDRI.

The GTDRI Stories: The Ninth One - Part 2

"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!

It's always fun going back to read these old GTDRI reports and find things I had completely forgotten about. Things about what we saw or went through during the day. Looking at the images, getting clues as to the weather. I'm sure glad I wrote those rides up like I did. 

I remember now how I really did not like the first part of the ride. I had to route us on some highway to get us into Strawberry Point and since this was so early into the ride it was, well......pointless. We did not need to go through town, but we did. I guess I'd change that bit now looking back. 

But, since we did go through town we exposed ourselves to the derisive comments of the locals who were setting up for RAGBRAI to come through that day. Apparently, we were "going the wrong way", and we got a few chuckles and waves. sigh! The entire "You must be doing/training for/going on RAGBRAI" thing (because if you ride a bike in Iowa, you know...) gets really stale really fast. I was very happy to have left Strawberry Point in our dust that day. 

Some of the first gravel after leaving Backbone State Park, before Strawberry Point.

 

A bit of the old "Mission Road". A trail developed for military purposes in the early 1800's.

This was a super-humid day. One of those where you are wetted out within the first mile of riding. It would be a very taxing day for a ride for most anyone and especially for me as I have not had the best of luck with weather like that. Fortunately the course wasn't particularly hard right out of the gate. 

We had a big delay early on when one of the riders punctured who was in the back and we who were ahead of him didn't see or hear that he was having issues. Jeremy Fry, (who actually joined us for the start this time!) and Michael Lemberger finally showed back up, but that all raised my anxiety level up a notch as I had a schedule for time in my head and long delays weren't planed in. But eventually we were on our way. 

This was a pretty cool barn along our route. Michael Lemberger is the rider here.

The land just South of Volga is hilly and you can experience spectacular vistas like this.

The course eventually got really hilly coming to Volga, but there was relief in the form of a long downhill run into Volga from the South and then leaving there we were taking a nice, flat and winding road which followed the Volga River for many miles. 

And then it got hilly again! 

By this point into the ride the Sun was beginning to burn off the clouds and haze we had been protected by most of the early morning hours. It was getting beastly out, and I remember thinking that it was way too early for me to be suffering. 

A much welcomed rest stop in Wadena, Iowa.

A friendly cur. Too friendly! One of my favorite "dog stories" too.

This dog, shown above, has woven its way into the annals of the GTDRI by not only appearing once, but twice through the years. Both times it was the same story. This dog came out, cavorting and just wanting to run amongst the cyclists, and would show no signs of being aggressive. However; the dog was a danger as it would dart from rider to rider, crossing paths of the bikes and nearly taking us down a few times. Stopping, yelling, trying to chase it away - all fruitless. The course finally made a quick left, then right and down about a mile on a steep hillside. This allowed us to outrun the dog and it finally gave up. I suppose that went on for about five miles or so.

Both times this happened it was the same deal. We were going the same direction, and we did not ditch the dog until the high-speed downhill was reached. 

Echo Valley Road is a gorgeous bit of Iowa gravel.

One thing about this route- It is stunningly beautiful

Once we had distanced ourselves from the Velcro Dog, we found ourselves on about 25+ miles of fairly flat terrain, passing through Elgin on our way to Elkader along the Turkey River. This would be our last respite from the brutally steep hills for the day. 

Join me next week for the surprise ending of the Ninth GTDRI.

Review Briefs

 As many of you know, I get in a fair amount of stuff to review on Riding Gravel and sometimes just to give feedback on/test for others. I figured I may as well shoot a few words this way on some things being currently tested and reviewed by giving a few, brief thoughts on those items. As always, The Standard Disclaimer applies. 

Showers Pass Ultra-Light Wind Jacket

Showers Pass Ultra-Light Wind Jacket:

I just received this Showers Pass garment to review for Riding Gravel and it is a redesign of their popular wind jacket which is packable and very lightweight. 

Typically cycling apparel for guys and gals that are not "athletically shaped" is difficult. My wide shoulders and barrel-shaped chest often do not play well with many items made for cycling. 

Then there is sizing. It can be all over the place for me and I have XL, XXL, and XXXL sized jackets, as an example, all which "fit" me. 

What?!!

Yes- sizing for cycling garments, (or any clothing, really), is pretty much a crap-shoot. I really appreciate sizing charts on sites and many utilize these, so that does help tremendously. I get into all of the previous stuff because whenever I get a jacket like this Showers Pass one, even though I've tried several of this company's products, it is always an adventure whenever I slip something on. 

In this case, this jacket, while a 3X was recommended, is very generously sized. I think the shoulder width and arm length is spot on, but the body of this thing is probably big enough that I could layer underneath this with insulating layers for really cold Winter riding. In other words, this ain't no athletic cut here. And maybe that bodes well for you if you are a person with a bigger belly than most. 

I'd be fine with the extra room, but there is no waist draw string, so on me this fits like a blouse. Not sure what to think there, because sizing down might help the abdominal area but would shoulder width be too constricted? I'm thinking so. Especially when the sizing chart puts me dead in the middle of 3X. 

Oh, and this is ninety-nine bucks. More on this one on Riding Gravel soon.

Cardiff grips are available through SOMA.

Cardiff Cork Composite Grips:

When I got the Karate Monkey set up with that Velo Orange Utility flat bar, I needed a classy looking set of grips and my local bike shop happened to have a set on hand that fit the bill. The rubberized Cardiff cork grips. 

These are "rubberized" meaning that the cork is ground up and mixed in with rubber and then formed into a grip. So, they weigh a little more than a typical fully cork wood grip, and they have a better feel and damping. 

The grips have a closed over end which makes for a nicer look and overall are a bit darker in color than a typical all-cork wood grip would be. I also found that they were a bit of a bear to slip on the Utility Bar which may be an issue with a slightly over-sized bar or under-sized grip. Not sure on that, but a liberal dose of WD-40 made them go right on. 

Riding with them on the steel Utility Bar gives a bit of cushion to the hands and grip is excellent with the rubber part lending a lot of paw-traction there.  The shape is a classic curved one which fits the hand nicely. For 15 bucks its a winner. Plus it'll likely keep your hands warmer in cooler weather due to the cork content. Oh! And I bought these with my own money, so there! 

Pedros Tire Levers:

 I've written about tire levers before in a post from last August, but I wanted to revisit my absolute favorite tire levers in my mechanic career, the Pedros Tire lever. 

Why is it my favorite? Because of the shape of the tip, its strength, and it is easy on the hands. Because it doesn't break under extreme pressure. Because they are cheap and not some fashion statement, or weird revision of a simple idea.

Because when you are a service mechanic and you need to get the job done quickly and efficiently with the least amount of resistance, you find what does that for you and you are not swayed off that choice easily if at all. And I feel that way about the Pedros Tire Lever. 

Ironically Pedros is responsible for possibly the very worst tire levers ever made in the old "Milk Lever" which was a tire lever made from recycled plastic milk jugs, or reputably so. This was in the 1990's, so my memory may be vague on that detail. Anyway, I do remember that they were about as stiff as a wet noodle and that they were functionally useless. So, to see Pedros have a lever these days that is superior to just about everything else I've seen or used is quite the turnaround. 

Get some, put them in your bag. You will never need any other tire levers.  (Note: The levers shown were gifted to me by an old employer.)

Review Briefs

 As many of you know, I get in a fair amount of stuff to review on Riding Gravel and sometimes just to give feedback on/test for others. I figured I may as well shoot a few words this way on some things being currently tested and reviewed by giving a few, brief thoughts on those items. As always, The Standard Disclaimer applies. 

Showers Pass Ultra-Light Wind Jacket

Showers Pass Ultra-Light Wind Jacket:

I just received this Showers Pass garment to review for Riding Gravel and it is a redesign of their popular wind jacket which is packable and very lightweight. 

Typically cycling apparel for guys and gals that are not "athletically shaped" is difficult. My wide shoulders and barrel-shaped chest often do not play well with many items made for cycling. 

Then there is sizing. It can be all over the place for me and I have XL, XXL, and XXXL sized jackets, as an example, all which "fit" me. 

What?!!

Yes- sizing for cycling garments, (or any clothing, really), is pretty much a crap-shoot. I really appreciate sizing charts on sites and many utilize these, so that does help tremendously. I get into all of the previous stuff because whenever I get a jacket like this Showers Pass one, even though I've tried several of this company's products, it is always an adventure whenever I slip something on. 

In this case, this jacket, while a 3X was recommended, is very generously sized. I think the shoulder width and arm length is spot on, but the body of this thing is probably big enough that I could layer underneath this with insulating layers for really cold Winter riding. In other words, this ain't no athletic cut here. And maybe that bodes well for you if you are a person with a bigger belly than most. 

I'd be fine with the extra room, but there is no waist draw string, so on me this fits like a blouse. Not sure what to think there, because sizing down might help the abdominal area but would shoulder width be too constricted? I'm thinking so. Especially when the sizing chart puts me dead in the middle of 3X. 

Oh, and this is ninety-nine bucks. More on this one on Riding Gravel soon.

Cardiff grips are available through SOMA.

Cardiff Cork Composite Grips:

When I got the Karate Monkey set up with that Velo Orange Utility flat bar, I needed a classy looking set of grips and my local bike shop happened to have a set on hand that fit the bill. The rubberized Cardiff cork grips. 

These are "rubberized" meaning that the cork is ground up and mixed in with rubber and then formed into a grip. So, they weigh a little more than a typical fully cork wood grip, and they have a better feel and damping. 

The grips have a closed over end which makes for a nicer look and overall are a bit darker in color than a typical all-cork wood grip would be. I also found that they were a bit of a bear to slip on the Utility Bar which may be an issue with a slightly over-sized bar or under-sized grip. Not sure on that, but a liberal dose of WD-40 made them go right on. 

Riding with them on the steel Utility Bar gives a bit of cushion to the hands and grip is excellent with the rubber part lending a lot of paw-traction there.  The shape is a classic curved one which fits the hand nicely. For 15 bucks its a winner. Plus it'll likely keep your hands warmer in cooler weather due to the cork content. Oh! And I bought these with my own money, so there! 

Pedros Tire Levers:

 I've written about tire levers before in a post from last August, but I wanted to revisit my absolute favorite tire levers in my mechanic career, the Pedros Tire lever. 

Why is it my favorite? Because of the shape of the tip, its strength, and it is easy on the hands. Because it doesn't break under extreme pressure. Because they are cheap and not some fashion statement, or weird revision of a simple idea.

Because when you are a service mechanic and you need to get the job done quickly and efficiently with the least amount of resistance, you find what does that for you and you are not swayed off that choice easily if at all. And I feel that way about the Pedros Tire Lever. 

Ironically Pedros is responsible for possibly the very worst tire levers ever made in the old "Milk Lever" which was a tire lever made from recycled plastic milk jugs, or reputably so. This was in the 1990's, so my memory may be vague on that detail. Anyway, I do remember that they were about as stiff as a wet noodle and that they were functionally useless. So, to see Pedros have a lever these days that is superior to just about everything else I've seen or used is quite the turnaround. 

Get some, put them in your bag. You will never need any other tire levers.  (Note: The levers shown were gifted to me by an old employer.)