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| Image from the 2020 C.O.G. 100 course which was never used. |
Over the weekend there was a single speed-only event held in Iowa. It was called the "Limestone 66.6". Billed as the "Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championships", the event was well attended, well received, and by all accounts was well run also.
Of course, long-time blog readers here will note that N.Y. Roll and I also ran an Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championship which was called the C.O.G. 100 back in 2019 and it was planned to happen for 2020, but we all know what happened THAT year. So, anyway.... Yeah, I was happy to see the idea picked up and that it continues on as this Limestone 66.6 event.
I know that I have mentioned this here before, but single speed bicycles, and specifically single speed gravel bikes, are a niche that many riders are very passionate about in 2023. Now, I have to say, this surprises me in the size of response I have gotten to a couple of podcasts I've put out about the genre' and from hits on the subject here as well.
I know I like single speed graveling around the countryside, I just didn't realize how much others did as well. So, single speed is alive and well, at least in the gravel cycling world, if not in other places as in cycling.
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| The Ergon GP1 EVO grip on my On One Inbred |
Friday in the "FN&V" I led off with Ergon's redesign of the GP1 grip, their flagship grip, now dubbed the "GP1 Evo". Well, I had forgotten that I mentioned in my response to the marketing department that if they were of a mind, I would test a set of the redesigned grip. Well. guess what showed up in the mail Saturday?
So- YES: I received the Ergon GP1 Evo grips at no charge for test and review.
Now, are they really any different? That was my question. I happen to have several bikes set up with GP1's, the OG's of Ergon's grip range, and here are my thoughts out of the box.
First, the aluminum clamp is really different. The old one is bigger, or maybe I should say longer as I look at it. Then the clamping bolt, which stares you in the face with the old GP1 is now underneath, out of sight, on the Evo. That's the most obvious change.
The rest is subtle and you need an old GP1 next to a GP1 Evo to see and feel the differences. First, to my eye, the new grip has a slightly different, maybe bigger, winged section over that of the old GP1. They look similar, but they are different.
The other thing has to do with feel. The older GP1's all had a very weird, "hard" edge to the wing bit except at the very apex of the end of the wing where it turned back toward the clamp. That small bit was flexible. The new GP1 Evo seems to be flexible all along that edge of the wing. The rubber feels somewhat different as well. Something maybe in the durometer of the rubber compound is different here with the newer grip. It feels subtly softer,or that it has more "give".
Otherwise everything else is familiar with the new GP1 Evo. As the name suggests, this is more of an "evolution" of the GP1. Is it better? That's the question. I should have an answer soon. Stay tuned....
Tomorrow: Something else I requested for review showed up after about two months from the original request. Of course, I had forgotten all about it. Stay tuned to find out what it is.....
3 comments:
I have both C.O.G routes still and have a loose plan to try to ride the second one for the first time and the Frist one again... now that I have an actual single speed gravel bike and hope for a better outcome than the first time around. Probably won't be in March though, why suffer when you don't need to needlessly. ;)
@Rydn9ers - I also want to try the second route. As far as when, I'd shoot for September/October time. Like up to right about now. It's great as long as it is dry and you get in around the harvest. tricky timing, but best weather for sure.
Otherwise maybe during May sometime. Summertime in those hills is BRUTAL. I know how that goes already!
So the 2020 COG Route is still under my RWG (Ride with GPS) profile. Only one rest stop in Kellogg. We bailed on finishing it around mile 85 as it was early March and the roads were zapping our legs, and we ran out of water. I think we clocked 4-6K feet of climbing n what we did. I do know one big climb was left to do.
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