Looking Forward To 2025

 The end-of-year posts are over and done with. Now it is time to take stock of what there is to look forward to in 2025. Maybe it is a fool's errand to even try to prognosticate what the New Year will bring, (See 2020), but that hasn't stopped me from trying for 20 years here. 

Over the past four years there have been radical changes in my life, both personally and professionally, that have had an impact here on the blog. If you read any of the "Rear View 2024" posts, you already know about some of those things which have affected me this past year. 

So, going forward I do not expect there to be much of an impact from any major change. Of course, that doesn't mean it cannot happen, but I am not expecting anything in the near future. My job is stable, life in general seems okay, and I have a lot less going on with external-to-the-blog duties. 

Speaking of which, last year was my first year in a long, long time that I was not writing for another site. Notice I did not say these gigs were 'paying gigs', although, out of all the external internet things I have done, "Riding Gravel" actually did pay me something for my efforts. Not enough to make a living on, to be sure, but at least it was more than nothing. 

However; when I left the reviewing gig last year, I thought, well, that's going to dry up. Boy! was I ever wrong about that! At least for 2024. But I think this coming year will see the decline in that area. That's my gut feeling now. 

I'll probably ride this bike more in 2025.

I also do not see myself getting a vehicle anytime soon. Cost to buy even a used vehicle is astronomical compared to my income and I won't even get into car insurance. So, local rides are what I likely will be doing the most of in 2025. 

Maybe the following could be considered an "announcement", but I will caution you all that what I am about to share is still very much in flux and is meant to be a small gathering. AND - I am not in charge of this ride, so any questions about this would not be answerable by myself, most likely. 

Anyway, in Spring - sometime - I am going to make an appearance in Kansas for a special ride. I only share this because it will be something to look forward to here on the blog, as I plan on reporting on the event. A very few of you readers know what I am referring to, so please do not spoil this in the comments. 

That ride will be influenced by a possibility that I would be in Emporia, Kansas again for the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame gig. I am not planning on going unless they need me to, or unless someone in particular gets nominated that I happen to know is on the electors ballot this year. So....we'll see. But IF that were to occur, then this 'ride' deal and the GCHoF deal would likely be linked. Sorry about my 'Cagey McCagerson' vaguery here, but this is all truly not pinned down, but all could happen, and has a degree of happening. 

Woo! And as far as rides go, I think we might have to do something around here too. (Paging Mr. N.Y. Roll) Not a race! Oh no! Just a ride. We've done a few since the pandemic and these are fun get-togethers that I think we can pull off at least one of a year. 

I see no reason not to hold some sort of fun ride locally in 2025

Blog stuff will include much of what you've seen in 2024. I will be pursuing a series of talks with early gravel riding folk in 2025. Some of that content could be in the form of written word here on the blog, but would definitely be a podcast thing, and maybe even YouTubed if we can figure that out. 

While formal reviewing requests probably will fall off, I will still be doing reviews on things I purchase. So, there will be at least some of that going on in 2025. 

I am considering a basic "how-to" mechanical series for the blog. This will depend on how other stuff goes, because this would be very time-consuming and would require a level of imagery taking I have not been equipped to handle yet. If I can get the proper lighting and all, I would do this, possibly.... No guarantees, but it is a thought I've had for a bit. 

Let's see.... Oh! And I have really struggled with the idea of putting out a book about Trans Iowa for a few years now. I just didn't see how I would do something worthwhile to anyone else that they would be willing to pay for a book, or whatever. Recently I was watching a Facebook live with the man that owns Sully Guitars, the company I have bought two guitars from. Jon Sullivan is a funny guy and I enjoy his ramblings, but that aside, he mentioned that he loves doing picture books. (Light bulb!)

I have tons of Trans Iowa related images. I have often thought about how I am sitting on all of this stuff and no one gets to see it. Well, unless they delve into the Trans Iowa Stories here on the site, and even then I only ever used a fraction of what I have. So, what if I came up with a picture book, added a few words here and there, and made that a thing? Would anyone buy it? 

Now, don't get too excited! There would need to be a LOT of signing off from several folks. It isn't all up to me, since there are literally at least a dozen or more image takers that would have to be consulted with regarding any publication of the images I have. Then there are the images I have from Wally Kilburg, who we lost earlier this year, and I would need to see about how I could use his stuff I have as well. Lots of hurdles to clear, but maybe?

Bikes to be restored in the basement of the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective

So, there is that idea sitting there. But keep in mind that a LOT of my ramblings at the end of the year don't happen. 

So, back to bicycle riding. I hope that I can make time for longer rides. I still am trying to work that bit out. Hopefully I can work out a few longer rides around my work schedule. Which, by the way, may expand and further cut into my riding times. But that is all very much up in the air at present.

Besides the Kansas thing there is a strong possibility that I may go to Chicago again and see Ari in August, I think. Summertime anyway, and there is that to possibly look forward to. I would also love to get over to Nebraska and ride with folks there. Plus there is a tree in the road to ride around going out that way that N.Y. Roll and I have had discussions about.

Other than all of that vagueness.... Ha! I just want to ride my bicycles a lot and tell stories. I hope that you all have had a great 2024 and that 2025 will be a wonderful year full of blessings for you all.

Happy New Year!

Tomorrow: Happy New Year! Then on January 2nd - The State of the Gravel Scene 2025.

Rear View 2024: Fourth Quarter

 Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year there will be four Rear View posts looking back on the year in quarters. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2024. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

October kicked off with more reviewing duties. I had Tifosi Moab eyewear and a State Monster Fork v2 in for testing. I also reviewed some Cross Point waterproof socks, Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bag, and some Twin Six Thermal bib tights in a 3/4's length, which I really have been leaning on here for colder weather riding. 

I also continued to pull some thoughts on products I have used and enjoyed long-term. This period featured a review of the Ergon BT Gravel Handlebar Tape. 

Most of those reviews were wrapped up in November in preparation for Winter to settle in and make riding hard to do. The trend of reviews for 2024 has carried through right up until the end of the year though. I purchased some 45NRTH Draugenklaw drop bar pogies and reviewed them in December and I was offered another review opportunity on some sealant and tires as well. Stay tuned on that...

Warm weather persisted right through until the end of October with 80's being pretty common for temperatures. We also were very dry once again, and the gravel was super-dusty. The weather was not very Winter-like later, but we did have a skiff of snow and some brutal cold off and on during the month of December.

The low Sun angle of late Fall is reflected in the shadows on Weiden Road's Level B section.

I announced the fourth annual Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Challenge and invited people to send in a report with images to share here on this blog. I ended up receiving nine  reports from all over the place including Washington State, Kansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Iowa, the United Kingdom, and Spain! It was ridiculous and I did not expect such a great response to the challenge. 

Reports extended into the first part of the second week of December here on the blog, so it was good that I started the "Rear View" two weeks earlier than normal this year! Working up the posts for the last month took up the majority of my spare time in late November and early December. 

My son used the Truck With No Name as a trade-in for a vehicle in October

I ended up without a vehicle in the first time in probably 40 plus years when I let my son use the Truck With No Name as a trade in on a used 4 X 4 SUV for himself so he could commute to work. So, now truly carless, I have found that I don't plan on going anywhere that is not local. It's a new game for me!

On the writing front I wrote an article or two on the 25th year of the 29"ers existence, and by extension, the 25 year anniversary of the WTB Nanoraptor 29"er tire, or "The Tire"as it came to be called by some.  I also celebrated 10 years of owning my Salsa Cycles Blackborow DS fat bike. 

Early December was spent writing up all the end-of-year stuff and doing a couple projects in the Lab. I get out and ride when the weather permits, but that first week of December was brutal. Anyway, that brings us up to date and with my last post of 2024, I will take a look forward into what I think my future will bring in terms of cycling and this blog. 

Thank you for following along with me on my retrospective of 2024.

Rear View 2024: Top Ten Posts Of 2024

 Every year of late I have been looking back at the Top Ten posts here on the blog. Last year's Top Ten can be seen HERE. I thought it was another fun way to look back over the year via the perspective of what caught the reader's attention here. 

 I thought it would be fun to rank the Top Ten posts again. This time from the blog during the calendar year 2024. These posts are ranked according to what Blogger stats tell me were the most read posts of the year. 

I'll start with #10 and work up to #1. Each post will be linked so you can go back and read it if you so choose. Then I will comment a bit on each post. 

#10: Gravel Grinder News: Hall Of Fame Inductees & Rock Cobbler Race Report:

At Number 10 on this year's list I have a post about two disparate things, so one may wonder which of the two subjects garnered the looks over the other. In my opinion, it was my take on the GCHoF class of 2024. Here is a quote from the article. " I was a bit surprised at first when I saw who had been elected into the Hall,.... but what the electors are seeing as "important" is not necessarily what I see as the Hall's reason for being. I think all you have to do is look at the first class, compare it to last year's, and then see the progression to this year's class and - if you've been around the gravel scene since the early days, you start to see a pattern developing. "

This got the attention of one of the GCHoF Board members and has still seemed to be a bone of contention with that particular Board member if recent communication is any indication of caring on that person's part. I still hold to this opinion, and I know that most of the electors do not know the history, or seemingly do not care. It's obvious as the nose on my face, but maybe only to those older gravel riders. If you don't know - you don't know, and so you get what you get. 

There is a move afoot to induct a few people this time around that might change my mind about this position I hold to concerning the GCHoF. We will see..... Link to post HERE. 

#9: The Mid-South Report: Getting Home & Thoughts On The Events: 

There is no denying that Mid-South is a very unique gravel event on the calendar. It has grown to be a super-popular early season stop for many gravel riders, yet it retains its roots in the basic tenets of the early gravel scene. This event, in my opinion, has usurped Gravel Worlds spot as the event that is best at walking that thin line between being "too big and fancy" and yet run in a way that makes you feel like it is a "professionally run or serious event". While many events have run off the deep end of the corporate, money-driven, for-profit end of the spectrum, Mid-South retains that passion from the organizers that permeates everything that happens each Spring in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

My take on the event was one of the most popular posts of 2014. You can read it HERE. 

#8: Unbound's Evolutionary Changes Further Distances Event From Its Roots:

Again, another early gravel event that has changed to the point that it no longer resembles anything of its early roots. This was written before Life Time announced that Unbound would now pay out cash prizes to the winners. This post spurred a lot of interesting thoughts in the comments. And why shouldn't it have? It is well understood that Unbound is the gravel event regarded as being the pinnacle of competitive gravel racing, bar none. 

My stance on Unbound was set out in a specific comment which I have taken a quote from here:  "Unbound is a "premier gravel event" because many believe that. You don't have to believe that at all. You also do not have to subscribe to my - or anyone else's definition of "grassroots gravel". This is one of the biggest reasons "Gravel™" became as big as it has become. It wasn't hamstrung by ONE governing oversight of what IT is." Read the entire post and comments HERE. 

#7: Honeman Flyer Update: Finished & Test Ride Impressions:

Here is a take on the weird, (compared to most gravel bikes) 1930's inspired Honeman Flyer single speed gravel bike I had made by King Fabrications. This was one of my "Bikes of 2024" and I've written reams about the thing over the past year extending back to late 2023. So, I am not going to get back down that rabbit hole again. Suffice it to say that there is not another gravel bike in the world right now like this and you can read all about why that is HERE.  

#6:Review: Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar - Intro: 

The year 2024 was my first complete year outside of a separate reviewing website, and bringing reviews back to the blog was a big risk. Would I lose opportunities? I figured that is exactly what might happen. However; I was surprised to find that it was not what happened. The Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar was one such review that brought a LOT of eyeballs to "Guitar Ted Productions" for the very first time. 

I'm pretty sure a lot of the traffic this post has garnered over the year is being driven by Redshift's own link or by some other forum links I am unaware of now. But whatever the case may be, it was not the only review that stacked views in 2024. You can read the post HERE.

#5: Review: Ortlieb Fuel-Pack & Toptube-Bag: 

Reviews of products often focus on fine details, subjective takes on functionality, and "value". However; every once in a while a product comes along that has some baffling characteristics which impinge upon its function and appeal. Such was the case with one of the Ortlieb bags I received to review last Summer. Both had weird, overly complicated mounting systems and seemed to be a bit fiddly to deal with on skinny-top tubed bikes such as what I have the most of in my stable. 

Once again, I have a feeling the traffic on this post was generated via a marketing firm, the brand, or a forum somewhere. However it went, this post garnered top five viewage in 2024. You can read the review HERE. 

#4: Review: WTB Vulpine 45, Vulpine S 45, and Resolute 50 Tires:

Tires get views. It is a fact, and it doesn't matter if it is a social media post, You Tube, blog, or website. Tires, especially MTB and gravel tires, get hits like no other product. So seeing these three new WTB treads in the trendy wider widths for gravel get the views that this post has gotten, (and continues to get, by the way), is no surprise to me. 

This was the opener and I broke out the tires as individual reviews later throughout the rest of the Summer and into Fall. You can read the initial introductory post, which lands at number 4 for 2024, HERE. 

#3: Review: Camp Snap Camera:

Another review kind of outside the cycling realm, but Velo Orange was pushing these, and it seemed like an interesting bikepacking or knock-about camera, so I bought one to try out. Once again, this proved that not all products have 100% 'good' things about them. 

I was disappointed in this thing. It is a cheaply made toy, really, if I am honest. I would have been thrilled to claw one out in a carnival midway machine with my quarter spent in fun, but at the price this thing sells for, it came off as a poor experience. Again, not everything is a home run, or even gets you to first base. You can check out the review here. To be completely fair, Camp Snap has a version two out now which claims to have addressed some of my concerns, although I have not handled that version myself. 

#2: WTB Nano Air TPU Tubes Reviewed:

 At number 2 is this post about WTB's TPU tubes. It missed being number 1 but bot by much! But between this one and #1, these posts were nearly double the views of #3 on this list! That's crazy. But the other thing is that TPU tubes are really gaining some ground now and the buzz on them was high this past Summer. I'm still running the TPU WTB tube I wrote about in this review HERE. I don't see any downsides and for those who do not need puncture protection, the TPU tube is better than tubeless as far as maintenance is concerned, and I think performance is very similar.

#1: The Six String Side: Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet Pedal:

 And at Number One in views for 2024 - Another oddball product for the blog, but I figured since I am "Guitar Ted", and I actually do play guitar, why not? Last year I reviewed a Roland JC-40 amplifier and it is the number one viewed post on this blog all-time. I get views on the post into the hundreds of views every month.

So when I purchased a Boss IR-2 Amp and Cabinet Pedal, I decided to review that as well. Odd to review an audio product without sound samples, but hey! That's how it used to be when I was young. Magazines were printed on paper and did not reproduce sound! 

This post cruised at Number 1 all year. You can read the highest viewed post of 2024 HERE.

Comments: What a year! I noted that several top-viewed posts were review posts. I also noted that not a single "Country Views" post even sniffed getting into the Top Ten for this year. The once popular post series I do for rides seems to have lost its shine since 2022 when I had several of those in the Top Ten.

But overall, those posts - the "Country Views" ones - get the same or maybe a bit more views as they did two or three years ago. It's just that the other posts have boomed in terms of views since. For instance, #10 on this year's list would have been nearly #1 three years ago! And #10 this year was beaten by #1 on this year's list by over three times the views!

So, the viewership of certain posts has skyrocketed here while others have gained views compared to last year making 2024 the most viewed on this blog all-time! Thank you one and all for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Rear View 2024: Top 12 Images Of 2024

 The 12 best images from the blog for 2024 as chosen by me, Guitar Ted. All decisions are final! (HA!) Not that this is a contest, but I have my opinion which may or may not align with yours. Here they are listed in order from January onward and a couple may have some commentary to go with them. Enjoy! 

January: The neighbors from Central America made this snowman

February: The snow did not stick around long.

March: Ben Wit takes an image of Jarrod Bunk on a tall bike while we were in Oklahoma for Mid-South.

April

May: That's Denver, Iowa's water tower in the background.

June: The Victory Ride

July

August: Petrie Road's Level B Section

September

October

November

December: Early month nice weather ride at 50+ degrees!

That's a wrap on the "best" images from the blog for 2024. I hope that you enjoyed reviewing those. I look forward to taking more imagery in 2025 from my rides and travels. Thanks for checking these out.

Rear View 2024: Podcast Report

By far the most popular episode of 2024

This is a retrospective of the Guitar Ted Podcast for the year 2024. This is new for the "Rear View" here, but since it is another part of my content creation and is gravel related, I thought a quick rundown of the year on the 'pod', as N.Y. Roll likes to call it, was in order. 

We posted 28 episodes over the course of season #2 of "The Guitar Ted Podcast". Now you might be wondering, "Hey! Haven't I heard you on podcasts before, like for years?", and you'd be correct. The previous podcast was "The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch" which I transitioned out of last year early on reflecting my imminent departure from the Riding Gravel website and ownership. 

I think there were something like 110 episodes of that podcast, so yes- I've been podcasting a while now. But the new show is only ending Season 2 right now. 

While things have been growing, it is slow going. But at least there is growth. We were sponsored by gravel events and an event production company in 2024 which I am eternally grateful for. We had some great guests on, and one of them was featured on our most popular show for the year, "Talkin' Tires With shiggy". 

Another show I get a lot of feedback from yet is the show that I did a sit-down interview with Ari Andonopoulous. He and I chatted about the early days of gravel grinding and what we've both seen as far as changes now. You can hear that episode by clicking HERE. 

In the future I'd like to do more talks with early gravel grinder folk. If you are one of those people, or know someone who is fitting that description that you'd like to hear me chat with, let me know in the comments. 

We're on a short sabbatical from producing shows over the Holidays now, but you can expect Season #3 to kick in soon after the New Year. Thanks for listening in, if you have, and N.Y. Roll and I truly appreciate your support.

Friday News And Views

New York City Seeks To License eBikes and eScooters:

In a recent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article online it was reported that there has been an ordinance introduced the the N.Y. City Council to require eBikes and eScooters to be licensed and registered with the Department of Transportation. 

The proposed law was introduced after a resident had died from injuries inflicted when the person was struck by another person operating an eBike in the city. 

Proponents of the measure say that enacting registration and licensing would help reduce law offending riders of motorized bicycles and scooters. Opponents of the law cite a lack of cycling infrastructure, a system set up to promote higher speed vehicle usage, and a lack of concern for low-speed vehicle users and pedestrians. 

Comments: Situations like this were predicted to happen several years ago on this blog. Seems since now we are at the point of this reality, my bet is that cities and states will take the current system of car/truck infrastructure and side with this embedded way of doing things instead of taking this chance to jump-start a move to get away from car/truck domination of cities and urban areas.  

While there was  no mention of tax/licensing fees and insurance in the article, one might assume these interests would also prefer a licensing/registration scheme for electrified bicycles, cargo bikes, and scooters over the more expensive, slower to realize solutions involving the separation of pedestrian/cycling traffic from other vehicular traffic. 

I mean, when you think about it, we do not allow freight trains to use the same roadways as cars and trucks because the danger to cars and trucks, and their operators, would be high. So, train tracks don't run down the middle of six lane highways. It's kind of like that, despite the fact that trains require rails. You get the picture... 

The Last "FN&V" of 2024!.

This will be the last FN&V of the year, and since this is the case, I wanted to say, "Thank You" to you - the reader. 

Nearly every week of the year the "FN&V" is the most read post on this blog. So, that is something to be thankful for, and it also encourages me to continue doing the work required to post this 52 times or so a year. 

If you are at all curious as to the history of the "FN&V", or why it landed on Friday, I did a post on the history in 2020 which you can read HERE. You will find out there that the "FN&V" started out as a regular item on the blog around 2011 or so. This makes it going on 14 years that there has been a nearly weekly post about news and views on Fridays. 

Of course, the "FN&V" will continue on Fridays. As long as the blog continues and I can write posts, I do not see this changing anytime soon. Thank you again for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

GT Grade frame set (Image courtesy of GT Bikes)

GT Bikes Put On "Pause" For 2025:

Recently a report was published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" which gives details on a common theme from the past couple of years. The problem seems to be regarding inventory and how it is not moving in the bicycle industry in a way that companies want to see it move. 

GT Bikes owner is Pon Industries and the article in "BRaIN" states that, while for 2025 the brand will continue sales of bicycles, only the current inventory stock will be what is offered. No new 2025 models will be offered at this time. 

Perhaps more worrisome is news that GT Bikes will see some layoffs before the new year as well. According to reports, GT Bikes had planned to expand employee numbers last February. 

Comments: Again, certain segments of the cycling world are not doing well. If the consistent deep discounting of accessories, components, and bicycles, seen since mid-Fall 2024, continues, it would be safe to assume that cash flow is stunted and many companies might be in similar straits as GT Bikes finds itself in now. 

One thing that traditional cycling media has done with this story is to layer it in a thick sauce of "click bait" by intimating in headlines for the story that GT Bikes might never return. That's simply not going to be the case at all. The worst case scenario here would be that GT Bikes would be shuttered by Pon and then sold as a brand name to another company that would resurrect the brand as something new. But that probably won't happen. Pon will most likely strip the brand down to essentials and reestablish it with dealers as a core MTB/BMX line without the gravel, road, or city/urban parts. But we'll see....

GCHoF'ers (Image by Taiki Sakamoto)

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Voting In Progress:

Current electors for the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame are busy returning their ballots for up to five nominees to the 2025 class of "GCHoF'ers". Ballots are to be returned by the electors by January 8th, 2025. 

According to the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame site:  "There are over 50 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Electors. These electors are made up of athletes, promoters, media professionals, gravel enthusiasts, the 7 members of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Board, and the current members/inductees of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame."

I've said it a LOT of times on this blog that because the GCHoF relies upon each elector to do their own research (which they do not HAVE to do), that a strong possibility exists for recency bias and lack of knowledge of events predating 2015 - 2018 in the gravel world which could lead to the exclusion of important, relatively unknown stories, figures, and events to get into the hall. 

 We will see how it all shakes out soon, as nominees for 2025 will be announced early next year. When the new class gets announced, I will have more opinions to share at that time. In the meantime, if you want to understand where it is that I stand on the hall, see THIS post. 

Oh.....and yes - I voted. 

That's a wrap on this year's FN&V! See ya next year! Get out and ride a bike to next year!

Bikes Of 2024: OS Bikes Blackbuck

 It's another December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up.

The OS Bikes Blackbuck is a bike that barely made the list this year, and did so because it was pretty much the only MTB I used off-road all of 2024. It also represents the bike I've owned the second longest, the Karate Monkey being the leader in that category. At least as far as bikes I have that are rideable! I have a Mongoose All-Mountain Pro frame that was used on my self-supported tours in 1994 and 1995, but it hasn't been rideable for over 25 years. 

Anyway, a little history on the bicycle being featured here. You might be a newer reader here and you might find yourself thinking, "OS what-the-buck? I've never heard of this brand. What is the story here?" Well, if that is you, here's a brief history based upon what I've been told by the originator of OS Bikes, Mark Slate. 

Yes - that Mark Slate, he of WTB, and a member of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. The tire designer extraordinaire. THAT Mark Slate. Mark decided to hop on the 29"er thing after designing THE TIRE and started his own 29"er bicycle company called "Of Spirit Bikes", or simply "OS Bikes". Along about 2005 or so, Mark had - according to what he told me - about 500 frames and forks built up. He offered the OS Bikes first model, the Blackbuck, as a stylish single speed with a first generation Reba 29"er fork or with his radical non-suspension corrected 51mm offset rigid fork. 

In 2006 I purchased a Blackbuck from Mark with the rigid fork. These bikes are ChroMoly frames with parallel seat and head tube angles, straight 1 1/8th steer tubes, and a split eccentric bottom bracket for chain tensioning the single speed set up. You could gear a Blackbuck with a special hangar for a derailleur, but there were no provisions for a cable for shifters on the frame. 

The bikes did not sell all that well, but Mark did have a second run made around about 2010. These Blackbucks have the white "darts" over a black frame. I'm not sure how many of those were made but these are also pretty rare. The V2's were made at a different factory than V1's. I was told that V1's were made at Maxway while V2's were made at a place called "Mercury", but I may have that second factory name wrong. I know Maxway did the original run for Mark.

My Blackbuck with the original "short/steep" fork set up. 74° parallel tube angles!

I mentioned that the Blackbuck was OS Bikes 'first' model. There was at least one other model designed and made as a pre-production sample that I have seen an image of, but as far as I am aware, it never was released, and so I cannot say anything more about that. 

Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles did a really great overview of this bike on his site HERE. There are a lot of details on the bike and a great image gallery as well. 

An image of a v2 Blackbuck from OS Bikes Instagram

So, back to my Blackbuck, which I love for bashing around out in the woods and single track here. I don't do a lot of mountain biking anymore since I've been doing so much on the gravel cycling side the last ten years or so. But when I go off-road single tracking, the Blackbuck is the bike I'm grabbing.

I still love the way the Blackbuck rides and handles though. I have it set up with a 470mm axle to crown Bontrager Switchblade composite fork these days which yields a pretty nuetral ride quality. Perfect for single track here. I do happen to have an original Reba 29 fork also. It came off another bike, but I keep it around to complete the "set" along with the original rigid fork.  I let a friend borrow that rigid fork for several years to use on an Xtra-cycle project, but I have that back now, so the whole set up is complete. 

I don't see going in a different direction with this bike anytime in the near future. But there is a handle bar coming out soon that mimics the original Jeff Jones H Bar and is similar to the Titec H-Bar I had on this bike originally. If that does come out I may have to swap bars and see if I can create the "old magic". Ha ha! 

So, there is a bit more to this "Bikes Of 2024" post! I hope that you enjoyed that extra detail. Thanks for checking it out!

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas!

From Guitar Ted Productions.

I hope that you all have a blessed and satisfying Christmas, if you celebrate this holiday. If you do not observe this holiday, then my prayers are for Blessings and Peace to be yours today and throughout the coming year.  

Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions. It is a true gift to me to be able to write for you all. 

Thank you and I'll be back tomorrow with more end-of-year posts and more. 

All The Best!

Guitar Ted 

Bikes Of 2024: Ti Muk 2

 It's another December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up.

 This bike is a special rig for me. In case you did not know, my good friend Matt Gersib basically 'crowd-funded' this for me back in 2019. I did pay a very small amount for the bike, so it was not 'totally' free, but yeah.... Thanks again to everyone that contributed to getting this for me. 

I think it is the perfect fat bike, for me at any rate. Your mileage may vary, but this bike, with its titanium main frame, aluminum fork, dynamo hub lighting system, internally geared 14 speed Rohloff hub, and carbon rims with 26 X 4" tires is as good as it gets from an all-arounder fat biking perspective. 

I added the Salsa rack on the bike when I got it. I also have had to upgrade the front light since I have had it and put a new drive train on including a bottom bracket. But other than that, it has been really easy to own and it is fun to ride. 

Recently I replaced the old rear mud flap with a highly modded Dave's Mud Shovel. I scored some old 45NRTH pogies for my Answer carbon bars and I refreshed the sealant in the Cake Eater tires. I also did a swap of the rear brake caliper to a Tektro Spyre caliper back in November. Now that brake works great! I will have to drain the fluid from the Rohloff hub soon and refresh that again. But it isn't a big deal to do the job. 

Of course, many of you will have noted that this is the bike I completed my most recent Turkey Burn ride on. I hope to have a couple more rides on this rig to talk about later here soon. Stay tuned for that!

I had thought about swapping out the Advocate Cycles aluminum fork for a lighter carbon one, and I still think about that yet. The main thing there is I cannot seem to move past the "thinking" part of that idea! So, for now, no other planned changes here on this bike!

Bikes Of 2024: Raleigh Tamland Two

 It's another late December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up. 

The Raleigh Tamland Two before the rear wheel failed!

Well, ten years of the Raleigh Tamland Two and it still is getting plenty of ride time, despite its age. This is the bike I helped design in 2012 with advice I gave Raleigh and was the bike I was going to retire a couple of years ago, but I just couldn't get it to happen. 

Why? 

Because it is still a relevant bike in 2024 and with a couple of minor details updated, it would be bang-on for 2025. Mainly those details are things that would generally be seen as deal killers for some, but not for performance reasons. First is the reason I almost retired the bike, and that has to do with axle standards. The Tamland I have is quick release based. Getting wheels which utilize convertible axle caps is not as common as it once was. 

I started out 2024 with some carbon wheels on this bike.

But a pair of Irwin Cycling Carbon Aeon 35's I had would support a switch to quick release hubs, so I converted that wheel set in 2023 and started out 2024 with those wheels. However; when I experienced some weird drive train issues, I first blamed the free hub on the Irwin wheels. I switched out to a set of DT Swiss hubbed Roval wheels I got from Grannygear, and that seemed to solve the issue, until it didn't. 

Then I found the real reason I was having trouble. It was a worn out crank set. So, I replaced that crank set with a completely new one, because it was cheaper than buying separate rings, and that would have been it but for a new problem. The Roval rear wheel starting unwinding its spokes. Uggh!

Sooo.... Back to the Irwins? Well, not so fast! I had taken that wheel set apart to investigate the free hub, which I had originally thought was the problem, and in the process I misplaced the axle end cap. 

Doh!

I kind of liked this look, but that went away for a bit

So, I ended up using an older wheel I had built up as a place holder until I got the DT Swiss hubbed Rovals rebuilt with new nipples. More on that in a bit...

The other thing that the Tamland has which might be seen as a deterrent in 2025 to owning this bike is the straight 1 1/8th steer tube. But that has already been addressed with the addition of the Fyxation carbon fork with those mounts for bottles, and that addresses the third issue with the original Tamlands which was the lack of bottle mounts. There are only two native to this 2014 model. 

Oh! And I added a carbon post with a white saddle this year, just to be fashionable. No other reasoning for that! 

In the future changes department I will be reinstalling the aforementioned Roval wheel. Other than that? I think with about every critical drive train bit replaced I won't have to do much else.

People Of 2024: Dave (N.Y.) Roll

 In my travels and life during the year, I have been blessed to be supported, befriended, and on occasion visited by some pretty awesome folks. Sometimes I visited them. (Hopefully they were equally blessed!) I wanted to take some extra space to recognize and celebrate these people at the end of the year. I hope you gain some insight and appreciation for what these people mean to me this year and beyond. 

A N.Y. Roll selfie from his recent New York trip

This person is an obvious one for this list and a very important person to me. My friend, Dave, has been invaluable to me over the last several years. He's been there for me and helped me out in ways not many people are aware of, but that's okay. We don't need to broadcast everything, right Dave? Ha ha!

I laugh, but it is true. I owe the opportunity to be where I am at now, in part, to Dave. He is influential in my past regarding Trans Iowa, and he continues to be a help up to this very day. 

Mr. Roll has helped organize rides which were centered around myself, he has hosted the podcast at his home for the last two years plus some, and essentially been a friend to me which is something I am eternally thankful for. Plus, Dave gives me Topo Chico to drink sometimes. How can you not like a guy that does that?

It goes without saying then that 2024 would have been not nearly as good or fun if it was a year without N.Y. Roll in it. And a shout-out to Morgan for putting up with our podcast nonsense also. 

I am definitely looking forward to a 2025 that includes my friend and together I hope that we can keep up the podcast and fun times. Plus, there might be something involving bicycles and a ride that we might do. Stay tuned on that possibility next year.

People Of 2024: Ari Andonopoulous

  In my travels and life during the year, I have been blessed to be supported, befriended, and on occasion visited by some pretty awesome folks. Sometimes I visited them. (Hopefully they were equally blessed!) I wanted to take some extra space to recognize and celebrate these people at the end of the year. I hope you gain some insight and appreciation for what these people mean to me this year and beyond. 

Ari and I. Image by Ari's daughter, Giuletta

What can I say about Ari to you that would impress you so that you would understand what he means to me? This is what I think of when I think about Ari and how I would approach this post. Ari didn't just make my 2024 better, he has been there for years making my life better. 

I've said it on these pages before, and it bears repeating - Ari is a HUGE Trans Iowa fan and supported me with words and deeds that many people have no idea about. I think about these things and to me, the most important part of Ari's and my relationship is how Ari is there to pick me up when I need it. And this comes from a place of need for Ari, not out of an abundance of cheer. Ari has given to me when he hasn't had a reason to. He could be selfish and stick to his own life, but he chooses to be a giver, and I think this is what I most respect and cherish about him. More people should be like Ari. 

It was a gesture like the one he made this past Spring that reminded me of how thoughtful and kind Ari is. He was able to attend the memorial service for our mutual friend, Wally Kilburg, who died in April. Of course, no one would blame Ari for feeling his own feels and grieving a lost friend. But he thought of me and sent me a memorial card handed out at the service because he knew what Wally meant to me and to all those who had ridden in Trans Iowa. I often look at this image of Wally on my desk from that card and think about him, of course, but it also reminds me of Ari and his faithful kindness. 

And then we were able to spend most of a day together this past August, which was a highlight of 2024 for me. This would be my last trip of the year. I was really glad I had the opportunity to go to Chicago and see Ari. It had been far too long. 

There is hope that in 2025 we will be seeing each other again. Stay tuned on that front.....

End Of Year Prognosticationg: Part 2

 In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

 Last week on Saturday I wrote about some of the end-of-year prognostications I had made over the past 19 years of blogging. Interestingly enough, I found that during 2008 and 2009 that I skipped making any predictions. This maybe is bad from the standpoint of seeing what I was thinking then, or it may be a good thing because I should not have been doing foolish things like predicting the future anyway. 

Oh well! 

So, let's take a look at some of the other notable things I prognosticated on during the past years of blogging, shall we? here's a good one from 2012: "I have lots of things gelling around in my mind that are fun, exciting possibilities for 2013, but ya know what? I'll likely get swept away in a totally different, fun, and exciting direction than I think I will."

Bingo! But that is a "Captain Obvious" prediction. That could be right for any year, ya know? So, while this next one, from 2019, is more of a desire than a prediction, it fits the theme: "So, I want to get away from home more in 2020. I want to ride in more interesting places and report on that here."

Yeah.....about that. 

I hardly went anywhere in 2020, but it may have been my best year of riding ever.

 Last year, with my leaving Riding Gravel, I figured reviewing product posts here might not be a big thing. Here's my take from the last post of 2023: "Review work will be posted here, but again, I don't know how that will look or if it is a sustainable thing here due to the perception of this being a "blog". So, again - we will see...." 

Well, it seems that - at least for 2024 - it was game on! I posted a lot of reviews and as of now that doesn't look to be changing, but next year is another year, right? I think I had this figured out for a while here. This statement was from the end of 2018: "Many years I have made vague comments about changes and what not that were forthcoming. Many times they did not pan out, many times they did."

Again - Bingo! Another "Captain Obvious" statement, but a wise one and true. So, no more prognostications then? No more hoping and dreaming because, well, a lot of it doesn't come to pass, right?

Wrong!

You'll see in about ten days time....

Friday News And Views

The 2025 Gravel Earth Series Calendar

Gravel Earth Series Announces Official Dates For 2025:

The Gravel Earth Series has expanded its palette of offerings to the competitive gravel rider to include several new events to the series. 

Events now span the globe from the Philippines, South America, North America, Iceland, Europe, and Africa. The USA has six dates on the 26 event calendar alone. 

Most interesting to my local readers is that - as reported here previously - CORE4 in Iowa and Gravel Worlds in Nebraska are both Gravel Earth Series events. This will mark the first time that Iowa has figured into any international series or has gotten any spotlight in a world-wide stage, such as the Gravel Earth Series brings. 

More details can be found at the Gravel Earth Series site. 

Comments: This series is ambitious and seems to be aiming to be the preeminent series for gravel racing worldwide. There is, of course, the UCI Gravel World Series, but at this point, if plans come to fruition, the UCI series will have half the events that Gravel Earth Series has in the USA and the UCI has nothing in Iowa or Nebraska at this point. At least the Gravel Earth Series seems to place a heavy emphasis on the birthplace of the modern day gravel scene, both in having events on its calendar and in allowing those events to be what they are uniquely suited to be. 

Now the outlier here is the Life Time Grand Prix, which is a mix of MTB and gravel, but within its smaller series of events, it has a very lucrative payday and the "crown jewel" of gravel, the Unbound event in Emporia, Kansas.  "Crown jewel" in that it is regarded as the most prestigious Pro level event, but that is all. Whatever charm the event had in its early days is being heavily overshadowed or eliminated in favor of a focus on the highest levels of competition, media access, and prizing.

Schwalbe G1 RX gravel tire (Image courtesy of Schwalbe)

Schwalbe Announces G1 RX Gravel Tires:

On Tuesday of last week, Schwalbe announced new G1 RX gravel tires. The tread pattern is Schwalbe's most aggressive pattern for gravel tires. 

Schwalbe also considers this tire as the gravel tire in its range with the best traction and best cornering traction. They also claim good mud clearing abilities, but I wouldn't hold my breath there when it comes to Kansan clay or Iowa's black dirt. 

The G1 RX comes in 700 x 38mm, 700 x 43mm, and 700 x 50mm. Black or tan side walls. Webpage for the black version HERE. 

Comments: I am not all that familiar with Schwalbe gravel tires. I did try a set of their lighter weight MTB treads for my Fargo one year and had a poor experience so I haven't been all that interested in Schwalbe's offerings. There are a LOT of fans of Schwalbe tires, however, so they must be doing some things right. 

I'll have to try a set again someday just to see what the hype is all about. 

Image courtesy of Good Grief Bicycles

These Are Some "Nice Bars":

I follow "Fixie Dave" Nice on several different social media platforms. He has done Trans Iowa in the past and he really does ride fixed gear off-road and everywhere else all the time. Anyway, he was showing these handle bars recently and they struck me as being very familiar looking. 

In fact, they are a dead ringer for the original Jones H-Bars. I first saw those handlebars at the very first DK200 in 2006. I always thought those were cool, but they were expensive, being made from titanium, as they were. 

I ended up buying some Titec H-Bars, which were made out of aluminum and varied a bit from Jeff Jones' design by using a riser center section instead of a plain, straight section of tubing like Jeff Jones had been doing. It was ugly, but man! It was sure awesome on my OS Bikes Blackbuck. 

One thing led to another and those bars came off, others went on, and the Titec bars went to the recyclers. But when I saw these "Nice Bars", (yes- named after Fixie Dave, it seems), I thought I should try a sample, so I have purchased them. 

These are made from steel, not titanium, but the effect will be similar, I hope, to my old Titec H-Bar experience, which is when I thought the Blackbuck was at its best. I'll have more to say when I get them, but if you are curious, here is the website page. And it looks like my handlebars will be here on the 23rd. So, that's pretty quick service from a small fabricator/business. 

Rocky Mountain Solo Carbon 90 gravel bike.

Rocky Mountain Bikes Files For Reorganization:

News broke yesterday that Rocky Mountain Bikes has asked for a "Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act" from the Canadian government, according to this report on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" website. 

Citing the all too familiar story of a crash in sales post-COVID and a market-wide drop in pricing, Rocky Mountain hopes to avoid interruption of its business with this move.

Comments: This was the sort of thing I thought we might have seen more of earlier in 2024, but it seems that the end of the year has pushed some companies to the brink and now we are seeing the results expressed as financial troubles. 

One has to wonder when you see the brand being "closed out" on internet sites like Jenson USA where you can buy a Rocky Mountain gravel bike for 50% off. In fact, that retailer can sometimes be used as a barometer for what companies aren't doing so well by looking at the deeper discounted brands. 

Rocky Mountain isn't the only brand with recent troubling news. I'll have another brand featured in next week's "FN&V".

That's a wrap on this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions and remember: Get out there and ride those bicycles!

Bikes Of 2024: Nobel GX-5

 It's another December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up.

 The Noble GX-5 is another oddball bike in my stable. It is fairly rare, but it has a connection to another bike I own, the Raleigh Tamland Two. Ironically, the design for the Noble was informed by the design for the Tamland Two because one of the engineers on the Tamland designed the Noble GX-5 as well. 

This bike was ahead of the game in a couple of ways. It has semi-internal cabling. It also has a 1X specific design. While Nobel listed the GX-5 as having clearances for only 40mm tires in its marketing, it will easily swallow a 700 X 47mm tire and 45's are no big deal. It also wasn't heavily influenced by the "adventure wart" trend which was a big deal when this bicycle was developed in 2018. 

The bike now sports a State Bicycle Co. Monster Fork v2.

Now I have changed just about everything on this bicycle but the head set. Every other component attached to this frame is pretty much new, or is brand new. Now going forward I also see more stability with the stuff bolted to this bike. Changes will be more intentional, I think.

I had thought about swapping back to the original fork, but I have finally decided to give this State Bicycle Co. fork some more time in the new year. I guess I could see going 12 speed on this bike at some point also. It would be the perfect bike to do that with. But I am in no hurry to go there.

I am looking forward to riding the Noble again. I have a great time riding this bike, and why wouldn't I? The geometry is almost dead-on what I would specify had this been a custom rig.