Norpine Valley Fat Bike Classic:
The fat biking season is just around the corner and fat bike racing is right on its heels. The Norpine Fat Bike Classic is an event happening up in Lutsen, Minnesota at the Cascade Lodge. The event will take place on January 10th and 11th, 2025.
Two course options exist with the "Short Pine Course" being 14 miles and the "Long Pine Course" being 25 miles in length. Registration is open now and cost $110.00 until November 24th when the registration fee will jump to $150.00 until the day of the event. The field is limited to 150 riders, so make sure you hop on this sooner than later if you are interested. Stick around on Sunday after the race and hit up a group ride for more casual fat biking on groomed trails.
It's all put on by the Superior Cycling Organization. Check it out if you need some real fat bike conditions to race on this Winter.
End Of Year Schedule For Guitar Ted Productions:
As is my tradition on this blog, November will be the month that I close down all my reviewing activities. December will bring on the end of year reviews which I traditionally do here and which take up most of the dates in that month.
I may even start doing some of the end of year stuff after Thanksgiving. That is yet to be determined. But I also want to point out, speaking of Thanksgiving, that I will be asking you readers to join me on the "Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Challenge". This will be the fourth year for the VTBRC and I will be posting a full reminder later in the month.
If you are interested and want to start making plans now, see this link. There you will find all the parameters and requirements for this challenge. (Dates will be adjusted to reflect 2024 Thanksgiving) Check it out!
Finally, N.Y. Roll and I will be recording our final episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast for season 2 soon. If you have any final requests, or anything you'd like to hear us rant about, now is the time to let us know! We will resume podcasting in January to start season number 3. Thanks for checking it out, if you choose to.
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| Image courtesy of Shimano |
Shimano CUES Q-Shift Auto-shifting Set For 2025 Debut:
Several reports have been floated during this Fall with news that Shimano is going to have an auto-shifting drive train which will be available on several OE bike offerings in 2025.
Called "Q-Shift", this technology will store data on users performance traits and use this information to allow its self-energized servos to shift a derailleur based drive train up and down an 11 speed cassette.
I rode an early version of this technology in 2007 when Gary Fisher pulled me aside to try out a bike outfitted with a 27 speed drive train that shifted automatically according to cadence and speed. Another version of this technology was actually produced for consumers in the late 2000's when Shimano introduced the short lived Coaster group. That was an internal 3 speed hub with a front hub generator that energized a servo mounted on the seat tube when the bike was in motion. The servo would switch gears in the hub as you rode based upon speed.
Shimano hopes that auto-shifting will enable riders to use bicycles without concern for learning how to shift and when to shift, as the automated technology inside the system will do all that for you. This, Shimano hopes, will be a less expensive alternative to eBikes with mid-drive motors, and it should prove to be lighter weight as well.
Comments: Neat. It will work as advertised, I have no doubt. However; if what I am observing in the average populace here is any indicator of mass appeal, it won't be all that successful as a pedal-platform only offering. Most folks I see want to pedal less, if at all. Just the other day I was passed on the bike path by what amounts to a full-suspension motorcycle powered by a battery and it had no pedals. E-scooters are al the rage amongst the youth here. Pedaling? Really? I don't see it as being something that will attract anyone to cycling with all the alternatives that only require the body to be able to sit or stand upright.
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| 2025 Trek FX Sport 6 (Image courtesy of Trek Bicycles) |
Did Trek Just Release A Flat Bar Gravel Bike?:
Trek is starting to roll out 2025 models this Fall. (They are also using "Generation" numbers in an attempt to leave the model year scheme, but...) Is this Trek FX Sport 6 a flat bar gravel bike? Trek is marketing it as one of this model's uses.
Of course, you can ride any bicycle on gravel and call it a "gravel bike". Take for instance the Trek 830 steel 1990's era MTB I saw on Facebook Marketplace recently that had gravel tires, a drop bar fitted, and an upgraded drive train with an asking price of 1K. Listed as a "gravel bike", of course.
So, take the following with a grain of salt.
My take? Sure! This could be a great flat bar gravel bike, but..... Why did Trek spec it with quick release wheels and their goofy 5mm through bolts? The frame is carbon. It could easily have the now standard through axle sizes of 100 X 12mm and 142mm X 12mm, but noooooo! Then there is the geometry.
This is a bike aimed at the fitness geek that wants the best fitness bike out there. Why on Earth spec this bike with a 65mm bottom bracket drop? That's insane. The bike would have made so much more sense with a lower bottom bracket which would support stability and ease of getting on/off versus a cyclo cross high bottom bracket.
But what do I know? By the way, this carbon fiber fitness rocket sells for $2,999.00. That's a lot of cabbage.
Gravel Grinder News
USAC Announces Junior's Series of Grave Events:
Well, it had to happen at some point, and maybe this is the way USAC gets its mitts on the pulse of the elite racing side of the gravel scene. It was announced recently that USAC has a five gravel event series for junior aged racers which includes SBT GRVL and Unbound Gravel.
The ultimate goal for USAC is encapsulated in this statement about the series from their website:
"Top-ranked riders from the series will be invited to a USA Cycling Junior Talent Identification Camp in October 2025. This new, invitation-only camp provides young athletes with a dedicated pathway into elite-level road racing and an Olympic discipline. "
Sounds pretty "inclusive" and just what the original organizers of gravel events were thinking of when they started this whole thing in motion. (Sarcasm Alert)
Thankfully there are a ton of gravel events that are not focused on the few. But guess what cycling media wants to tell you? You know the answer to that.....
Meanwhile, in other gravel series news: Gravel Worlds has aligned itself with the Gravel Earth Series, a world-wide gravel series which now will have a "world championship" event in direct competition with the UCI's. This should prove interesting.... Especially since the UCI has no currently announced US based events and this series includes the Grasshopper Adventure Series, Gravel Worlds, The Oregon Trail Gravel event, and CORE 4 in Iowa. It's a bit confusing, as I'm not sure in what way the Gravel Earth Series is aligned with all these events, but stay tuned as I learn more.
Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Noms Open Today: Wednesday the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announced that nominations for the fourth class of nominees to be inducted into the GCHoF will open today. The format to nominate someone worthy of the hall has been tweaked slightly. Now the GCHoF will require two well written paragraphs on the person being nominated. Anyone submitting a nomination without two paragraphs, (or with lists or what have you) will be thrown out.
Nominations will close November 30th.
Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Get out there and ride this weekend!
9 comments:
Plus on the junior series: does not require a USAC license until the National Championship.
Minus: LOTS of travel to attend more than one event. Distances seem long for juniors.
I think I'm going to sit down and make my personal top 5 "old skool" gravel events. Shouldn't be too hard. Main criteria would be 100 mile minimum, traditional chaotic mass start, no prize money and no pros. If you don't like what gravel is becoming vote with your feet...er, I mean your wheels.
@shiggy person - Well, with the stated goal being that USAC wants to direct "talent" into Professional and Olympic disciplines, I think that indicates a very different person/family being targeted here. There are not going to be very many juniors who would even begin to be considered Pro/Olympic prospects.
If we are talking about developing juniors into everyday cyclists who would help themselves and the environment, benefiting everyone? Then this is an abject failure before it starts.
The entire USAC organization is seemingly only concerned with the elite level competition. Gravel does not need THAT. We as a society do not need that. This is - in part - why USAC was rejected back in the day.
@Phillip Cowan - Everyone is welcome, right? There still are events like this out there. It would be really interesting to read your list. If you are game, let me know what you have in mind.
That’s exactly what I intend to do, @Philip Cowan. Vote with my presence.
GT - respectfully, I think it is time to move on from reacting to every press release about the competitive side of gravel. Focus on the positive things that you like in the sport and support those. Your cohost on your last podcast said as much. You have made your stance on this clear. But continuing to beat on this drum at every opportunity, sometimes not fully informed, makes you sound like a zealot rather than the thoughtful, considered gentleman that I believe that you are, having read your material from way back.
@A-A-Ron - Thanks for your thoughts. If, as you say, I am "not fully informed", enlighten me, please.
By the way, it's called "Friday News And Views" for a reason. ;>)
GT - not going to listen to the whole podcast, but when you were railing on the Lifetime series, you brought up drug testing. It was clear you didn't know the status, but details didn't matter, you were sure of your point. There were a couple of other things, but I am not going to go back and listen again to recall. Today, you said the UCI has no US based gravel events. They have 2 in 2025 announced so far. Finally, I just don't understand railing on USAC for a development program when part of their stated mission is to develop elite riders. That is just being cranky. Small mistakes sure, but it just comes across that you are not really interested in learning all about these things and considering multiple sides. You just want to take the press release and complain. And that is fine, you have a right to your "View" on your blog. I was just trying to share that it feels to me that you spend more and more negative energy on these issues which could be directed in other ways. Said simply, you are starting to sound like the old guy yelling at clouds. Take or leave my suggestions.
I am just here for the comments. I see a lot of valid posts on this, and some areas I disagree with and other areas I have not considered.
MG, keep on keepin on with you coaching direction.
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