Friday News And Views

Jay Petervary showed this Esker prototype on Facebook recently.

"THIS is a "Bikepack" bike. ":

So says Jay Petervary on his Facebook page on Thursday where he posted the image shown here. JP has been showing views of this bike for the past week as he ramps up to do his latest ride on the Great Divide Route which he is calling "Great Divide Unearthed". 

 Comments; I'll be honest - I did not think this was anything "new" when I first laid eyes on it. That's because JP had been on the Iditarod several years ago on a Salsa Cycles Blackborow. The "long-tailed" version of that bike, which JP had special bags made for and modified slightly. I assumed at first glance that this was an unmarked Blackborow frame set up with 29"er wheels and tires. But if you look closely at the downtube, you can barely make out the "Esker" name. So, I assumed incorrectly. This appears to be a new Esker prototype. 

The idea may have its genesis in that old Blackborow, but I am sure JP and Esker have tweaked the idea out to be what they feel is the "ultimate" bikepacking bike. I know that the long wheel base may seem weird and undesirable at first, but a route like the Great Divide doesn't call out for a bike that has to have tight cornering traits.  Comfort is king, and longer frame tube members have more inherent "flex" and therefore can absorb and dissipate more vibration energy than a shorter, stiffer frame tube will be capable of absorbing. 

Plus, just look at all that frame bag real estate! And it is all in-line with the bike. Nothing sticking out into the wind, although quartering cross winds may be an issue at times. It will be interesting to see if the bike does what Esker and JP are hoping it will do.  

State Bicycle Co All-Road Disc Calipers (Image courtesy of State Bicycle Co)

State Bicycle Co. Announces New Components & More:

Wednesday State Bicycle Co. announced a round of component and apparel offerings. I won't get into the gist of all of the stuff announced, but two items did jump out at me. 

First up we have the State Bicycle Co. All-Road Disc Calipers. These are hydraulic at the caliper, but actuated by cable. So, your older mechanical group can be used with these for (assumed) greater breaking performance. There have been other offerings similar to this like the TRP HyRd, Yokozuna, and the very similar Juin Tech models. The amazing thing about the State offering is that the All-Road Disc calipers sell for a hundred bucks per set. That's a pretty good deal.
 

The State Cargo Cage (Image courtesy of State Bicycle Co)

State also announced an interesting cargo cage, similar in vein to an Anything Cage, it can mount to those Three-Pack bosses found on many forks these days, or under a down tube, or off a rack like the Old Man Mountain Elkhorn, or similar racks. 

The State Cargo Cage is made from aircraft grade aluminum and it features a desert design which reflects State Bicycle Co's Arizona home base. 

The cage weighs in at 168 grams and can carry up to 25lbs of cargo, according to State. The cage sells for $24.99 USD. 

State offers a titanium bolt kit in three colors at an up-charge along with optional rubber straps which can be purchased separately as well. 

It's pretty interesting how what was a fixed gear/urban cycling brand has managed to diversify and stay relevant in the 2020's. (Remember the fixie craze? Woo! That was a while ago now!) So, maybe I shouldn't be all that surprised that State Bicycle Co. has branched out into these accessory and component categories with aggressive price-points and clever designs. But I have to admit, those brake calipers came out of left field for me.  

New episode!

Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #24:

You've read all about the Gravel Worlds history and the UCI vs Gravel Worlds thing this week. If you want more, or if you would rather listen than go back and read it all, hit THIS LINK. 

We also have the Gravel Amplifier which features the Limestone 66.6, Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championships. N.Y. Roll has another event as well. 

We also get into that Jay Petervary rig above, so if you want to know more of our thoughts on that, listen to the latest episode. 

We're hoping to get a post-Gravel Worlds interview with one of their principals when they are ready, maybe Jason Strobehn, who let me know he'd like to be on the podcast at some point. But we'll see who we can rustle up in a few weeks. Stay tuned on that one. Another episode is going to cover CORE4 and N.Y. Roll's experience there at Iowa's largest cycling race. 

Detail Image of a Gorilla Monsoon (Image courtesy of All City Bicycles)

All City Cycles To Be Shuttered By QBP:

Last evening news broke on social media that All City Bicycles, a Quality Bicycle Products brand, is to be phased out over the next few years. The news, apparently rumored for months amongst shop owners, was made official by "The Radavist", who published a dealer email they got a hold of from someone in the cycling industry. 

Comments: I recall first seeing the brand "All City" at Frostbike in the mid-2000's. At that time all the brand amounted to was a few chain rings and accessories for fixed gear riding, which was a phase cycling was going through at the time. (See State Bicycle Co. above)

I didn't think it would last, but to Jeff Frane's credit, the brand rose above merely being a fixed gear bike brand and it made a name for itself amongst the cycling's various niche brands. Bicycles like the Nature Boy, the Macho Man, and the Mr. Pink set the brand apart from a crowded marketplace and were always made from steel. 

They innovated as well, maybe most memorably by developing an elegant disc brake drop out which was designed by Anna Schwinn. 

The brand could be seen as an "upscale Surly" offering, but it had a personality and style which was immediately evident. Mr. Frane eventually left the company several years ago and stated Wilde Bikes, which has carried on some of the flair which marked the AC brand while he was at the helm there. 

Why the brand is being phased out is not entirely clear, but it is no secret that parent company QBP has been laying off employees and contracting its business in response to the over-stock issues within the industry and the lack of consumer demand. QBP claims that no new AC product will be developed after the 2024 model run and that it will be "several years" before the brand is completely phased out. What this means to consumers is that All City is essentially gone, effective immediately. Support for current models will be maintained for a time. 

I've thought that we'd see some contraction of brands in the marketplace and I am confident we will be seeing more before the end of the year. Time will tell if I am correct, but this development with All City will not be unique.

That's it for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!