Country Views: Harvest Wrapping Up

Escape Route: More Alleys

 The bathroom is done. Mrs. Guitar Ted is back to work. Life is getting back to a routine. I won't say "normal" because, well...... Nothing seems quite right yet. 

This weather! What the..... Summer keeps right on truckin' along, at least up until this week. 80's during the day and 50's at night. Little wind. Dry air. Like really dry air. The corn and soybeans sure make a difference when they are growing. Now they are all dried out and brown, or....gone, so it is easier for the air to be dry here. 

Friday was the first day I really had any chance of getting out into the country for a couple of weeks now. It was to be near 90°F, nearly record-breaking heat. Plus the winds were supposedly only going to be pleasant breezes. More on this later. 

It may have been the last outing in full Summer kit, so I was happy I grabbed this chance to get out there. I took the new Peregrine Mk4, of course, and my aim was to ride it on the Level B section of Petrie Road, which is South of town. This worked out great, as you will see later. 

"Hey! Just paint the lines straight across here,m Joe, so they line up with the sidewalks." Ah....about that!

 

Shaved and prepped for Spring. Wow!

I knew the harvest was running early this year. This was most likely due to the Summer-like heat which would dry plants out faster then if we had "normal" Fall temperatures in the 50's for highs. Even the roads were dried up badly. Dust was everywhere. You could see it hanging in the air as you looked at the horizon line. 

I wasn't quite prepared to see most fields were harvested already and some were prepped as if it were Spring. Wow! This has been a very unusual Fall so far. But, I am happy I had the chance to enjoy the Summer-like heat on a ride since I missed out on most of September due to circumstances beyond my control. 

The corn is in the bin!

 

Well, most of it is. There were some fields out there waiting to be harvested yet. 

Now let's talk about those "gentle breezes" I was told about on Friday. Yeah. Those were not gentle breezes dear readers. This was a pretty heavy wind with a Southwesterly origin. Going South was a chore, and with my lack of steady, long country rides, I was pretty much starting from zero again. I felt it, but I also decided to spin as much as I could, keep my head down, and grind. 

A stop for a decision.

Looking back from where I had come on Petrie Road. 

I stopped at the "Usual Spot" on Aker Road. I should get a sign made for this place and put "The Usual Stop" on it for fun. Anyway, I reckoned I could keep going onward after a brief time to consider how I was doing. The goal, which was to Ride the Level B, was well within reach. I just had to be patient and smart about riding into this stiff breeze. 

Petrie Road's Level B section is different every time I ride it. Through the years it has gotten more rustic and weird. This time it was pretty blown out in places where sand is prevalent. It didn't faze my Peregrine though. Those Schwalbe 50mm tires just pushed me right on through. 

Some actual harvesting being done here. 

I cannot remember if I have ever noticed this stubby silo before. 

Going back North was super easy. Fast and super easy! Again, I don't believe the weather people when it comes to wind out in the country. But I had fun, and I got hot, and it was so dry I went through almost all of my water. This felt sort of like riding in Kansas in their wind and low humidity. 

I made it home and was quite happy I had taken the chance to ride and also happy I did not try to ride more than I did. It is hard when you feel sort of like a dog off a leash. You just want to go fast and far, but the ol' body maybe is not quite ready for that just yet! If I can get into some kind of a rhythm as far as riding, I will regain my long ride capabilities again. 

I sure hope the weather does not flip-flop too hard. I know it will get cold and windy sooner than later, but I need to ride and find rhythm again. I've had two months of upheaval. I am just waiting for things to calm down a bit for me.  

Gravel Grinder News: Nua Silice Ti Gravel Bike

The Nua Silice Ti Gravel Bike from Spain

 NOTE: All information and images were provided to Guitar Ted Productions by Nua Bikes.

While carbon fiber, 13 speed electronic drive trains, and all-out racing design is the normal fare I would find within a press release in 2025, this time I was pleasantly surprised. Surprised because Nua Bikes, from Barcelona Spain does not seem to be a company focused on the "pointy end" of the gravel scene where very few people can hope to ever reside. No, their bike featured here, and several of their models, are all about adventure and fun.  

Their revision of their Silice model is evidence of this focus. Yes, it is titanium and it is expensive, but at least it is a bicycle you can rely on in any weather and ride with confidence for years without it being made obsolete by some electronic update. 

The new Silice features your choice of internally geared drive trains. Riders can chose either a Rohloff 14 speed IGH drive train (shown) or a bottom bracket based Pinion gear box. Either choice is driven by a Gates Carbon Drive belt for low maintenance riding. 

Wheels can be had with DT Swiss rims or Nua branded carbon fiber rims. The front hub is a DT Swiss 350, but you can upgrade to a Schmidt dynamo hub, (shown). 

As seen in these accompanying images, The Silice is a turnkey, all-weather, unpaved road machine. The bike comes with a standard geometry which is right in the pocket for today's preferences. The tire clearance is an up-to-date 700 x 50mm, and 45mm with mudguards. While Nua offers stock geometry, a customer can design their own Silice using Nua's custom options. (See website for details)  

While Nua seems to be all about internal gearing options, I did notice a derailleur hangar on the Silice, so one would assume a fully electronic drive train with external, 1X operation would also be an option. 

As shown, the Nua Silice is a pretty expensive bicycle, but Silice bikes can be had for as little as $6,300.00 base price USD. 

Comments: This is a refreshing change from bicycles I normally get news about which, for the most part, are all racing focused and have range-topping models well over the 10K price tag. Here with Nua you can get a unique, long-lasting bicycle which will be quite capable in all scenarios for quite a bit less money.  

As an owner of a titanium bicycle with a Rohloff SpeedHub, I can vouch for the ease of maintenance and all-weather performance. With a dynamo hub system, (which I also have), this is a no worries bicycle which you can just hop on and go ride at any time of day or night as well. So, from the standpoint of value, it is hard to say you wouldn't, or couldn't get your monies worth out of this sort of investment, as long as you are a committed, year-around cyclist. A 10K plus go-fast gravel racer bike? Let's just say this would be more of a challenge in this regard. 

Yes, one can do amazing things on any bicycle you want to make work, and anything can wear out, be broken, and have negative attributes. With this in mind, I can see many more benefits to a bicycle like this and do all the things and more than I could see doing on a Trek Checkout, for instance. Your mileage may vary, but to me, this is the sort of bike for the more practically minded cyclist. A pre-eBike "car replacement" choice, and still a very valid one at that.  

A Discovery Leads To Questions

 The last event I ever promoted and ran was the 2019 C.O.G. 100. This was a single speed, 100 mile long gravel event to determine a Male and Female Single Speed gravel champion for the state of Iowa. 

Official? pfffft! If you mean "sanctioned" by some folks claiming authority, well the answer is an emphatic NO! N.Y. Roll and I just thought we'd try it out to see if the idea had legs. 

It seemed to resonate with folks, so we threw in for doing it again the following year, but you all probably can guess what happened to our late March 2020 scheduled event. 

Yeah....that happened. 

One thing led to another and we ended up cancelling the event completely. We either gave away or sold off the remaining merch we created for the event, licked our wounds and moved on. During this time, when there were no events or anything going on during the Spring of 2020, I came to the realization I was through organizing events on gravel. 15 years was enough for me, and I still am happy to not be doing several events a year. 

However; I was not through with events, not really. There was the Hall of Fame Ride we did in 2022 for my induction into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. There was the Victory Ride in 2024. This year N.Y. Roll and I hosted the Tree In The Road Ride which was a highlight of the year for me (so far) 

So, to say I am "completely" out of organizing events is disingenuous. I dabble in loosely organized fun on bicycles for gravel riding. I invite others to come along. N.Y. Roll is also of a similar mindset as I. We both are all about non-competitive, perhaps challenging, but fun-focused rides on gravel That's our jam these days. The Tree In The Road Ride was a smashing success, and we probably will do something again next year, especially now that I have transportation available to me. 

I know the folks down in Kansas sorely wanted me to come down to ride this year, but it wasn't possible, and circumstances have kept me from making this opportunity a reality in 2025. But next year? Yeah, this is an open idea. So, the point being I will be doing something on gravel for a ride in 2026. This was always the plan, but......

What's this? C.O.G. 100 hats?!!

While digging around for a soldering station I knew I had so I could repair an output jack on my 1988 Fender Stratocaster Plus, I came across a big square shaped box. What could be inside of this? 

Well, much to my surprise it was all the signed waivers from the first C.O.G. 100, some jerseys, and about 20 or so C.O.G. 100 hats. 

Oh! Okay......now what? 

I'm not the kind of person who just throws stuff away, especially good, new stuff. I had an idea, and I ran it across N.Y. Roll to see where his head was at regarding my thoughts. He was all-in. 

Yes....we are probably going to give these hats away. However, you also probably will have to show up for a ride. A ride with a single speed bicycle. And yes.....it will be on gravel. Also, it will - of course - be a free ride. That's all I know right now. We have no date, time, or place decided as of this writing. It is just an idea we want to pursue. 

Could it be this Fall? Yes. Probably. However, our seemingly endless Summer is forecast to go straight to very cold, windy, sort of yuck weather. So, I don't know a date, and this Fall could be a swing to difficult weather until Winter. We will monitor this closely. 

It could be we wait until next year, but this is much less likely. At least, this is my feeling. But whenever we do this, we will let you know here, and if you have any ideas to share, or if you just want to show your feelings about doing something like this, let me know in the comments. 

Meanwhile I have a Stratocaster to fix........ 

Friday News And Views

S-Phyre SH-RX910 (Image Courtesy of Shimano)

Shimano Offers New Range-Topping Gravel Racing Shoe:

Shimano quietly introduced a new range-topping gravel racing shoe this past week called the S-Phyre RX910. S-Phyre is typically reserved for all-out racing performance footwear in Shimano's nomenclature. 

Shimano gave the RX910 a slightly curved sole for better walk-ability.  Enhancing pedal stability was done by adding Shimano's "pontoon" plate under the cleats which features two rubber stabilizers adjacent to the cleat pocket. These stabilizers contact the SPD pedal body to give riders a better platform for pedaling. These also enhance off the bike walk-ability. 

The RX910's have a TPU upper, two drain holes in the soles to allow for faster drying of feet in case of wet weather, or water crossings, and on-the-fly adjustable BOA closures. The new SH-RX910 S-Phyre gravel shoes come in White, Black, Deep Sea Blue, and Blue. The RX910 has a suggested retail price of $480.00 USD. 

The Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #86:

A new episode just dropped this week where N.Y. Roll and I discuss the new Trek Checkpoint, new Surly Straggler, and that new, upcoming Salsa Cycles FS drop bar bike which should debut in a month. 

You can check out the Guitar Ted Podcast on most any podcast platform, or find the latest episode HERE on the Spotify page for the show.  

 I had a thought, which I expressed on this episode, which was about this new drop bar FS Salsa rig. I was wondering, "Is this going to be the Cutthroat FS?" 

If the image is true to the bike in the teaser, it is pretty plain to see this bike is no gravel bike. There is a decent amount of travel, a high bottom bracket, and beefy looking tires there. A bikepacking FS rig in carbon? To me this makes sense if it is a FS Cutthroat, but Salsa has probably decided upon some other name for this bike. 

We only have to wait one more month to find out.... 

Found On Ratio Tech's social media

Ratio Technology To Introduce T-Style Rear Mech:

There are many stories out now concerning Ratio Technology and their development of a T-Style mount rear derailleur. Ratio Technology already offers kits to convert SRAM components to have more speeds, or to be compatible with wide-range, 1X cassettes and drop bar levers.  

Digging a little further it appears as though this rear derailleur will also be compatible with regular hangars by removing the direct, co-axial mount and swapped out for a bit which will make the rear derailleur mount like traditional rear mechs. 

I also read on another post where this rear derailleur will be compatible with several drive train formats, making this perhaps the most versatile rear derailleur in existence. As long as you are pulling a cable, that is! 

There is even a hint of this thing being made in a silver color. That would be pretty radical! I'll be keeping my eye out for more about this system and I may get some Ratio bits in for testing for next season.  

From the GCHoF social media post

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations:

The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame soft-launched their window for nominations on October 1st. This will be open until November 30th according to a social media post put out by the GCHoF. 

The GCHoF does their nominations by a democratic process wherein anyone can send in a nomination with the following guidelines: 

"Your submission should clearly describe the nominee’s achievements and contributions, including specific examples such as events they have organized, races they have competed in, advocacy work, or initiatives that have helped grow and shape the gravel cycling community. "

Nominations must be at least 200 words long and up to 600 words in length, according to the GCHoF site. Click the link above for more details. 

Comments: It is no secret that (a) I am in the GCHoF, (b) that I have criticized their nomination process in the past, and (c) there is a glaring omission amongst the inductees. I will continue to hold my positions on these points until something changes to help me understand why certain alternatives are not explored for nominations. The way they do things now is a recipe for inclusion of folks at the exclusion of some who should be in the GCHoF from a historical and influential background. The Board knows my position, they know how I would like to see this handled, and this is all that matters. They can decide how this goes from this point on. 

But unless things change I don't see how there is any possibility for several seminal, pioneering gravel folks to ever see inclusion. It will become a "who's who" of gravel racers and promoters from the last ten years and forward. And I will leave it at this...... That is a sad state of affairs. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Canyon Enters Wheel Market With Carbon Gravel Wheel Set:

Canyon, the direct-to-consumer brand, has just announced a new gravel wheel set. This complete wheel set will feature DT Swiss Spline 350 hubs, hookless rim design, and a 30mm deep rim profile. Boasting a 27mm internal rim width, these wheels will be good for the wider tire trend sweeping the racing fields at gravel events these days. 

The Canyon wheels, called the GR 30, will retail for around 1K here in the States but list for 899 Euros on Canyon's site HERE. Total weight for the set is claimed to be 1,600 grams by Canyon. 

Comments: You know Gravel™ is the hot ticket when a brand starts out by rolling out a new product and does so in the Gravel™ category first. This was my first impression. 

Secondly, these are not all that lightweight. There are alloy rimmed wheels which match this weight, so I'm not all that impressed by these wheels. Besides this, the entire hookless thing has me spooked and I'm not buying into the design. I just don't see why we need this and I'd rather stick with proven technology if the benefit is negligible or cancelled out by failures, which have been reported with hookless bead wheel sets. Finally, not all tires are hookless compatible, but all tires can be used with hooked design rims. I know which I'd rather be using. 

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride those bicycles!

Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4: I'm Done! (For Now)

Can you spot the changes?

 September has been a difficult month for several reasons, but from a riding perspective, it was a bummer month on top of it all. Then on September 12th I received the Peregrine Mk4 frame set. This was a bright spot, and I've had fun so far with the build and with what little riding I could squeeze in during the past couple of weeks. 

The thing was, the arrival of the Peregrine Mk4 coincided with the start of our complete bathroom remodel. As in, tear down to the lathe boards and build back out remodel. 

I had to be available throughout to provide access to the house, get odds and ends during the process, and to consult when problems arose. This meant I could only get away for short neighborhood cruises, for the most part, during this time. And if all this wasn't enough, Mrs. Guitar Ted had a knee procedure to clean up some tears in ligaments and to remove some "foreign bodies" in her left knee. So, I also had to be available for her when she needed me as she recuperated. (She's doing fantastic and is back to work now, by the way.)  

Meanwhile through sharing images of the Peregrine, my friend Ari Andonopoulos decided I needed silver anodized spacers and a handle bar in silver, so I received a few bits to spiff up the bike and make it look great. (Thanks Ari!!) 

So, at this point I think I have everything dialed in for the time being. I doubt any other major changes are in store for the short term. Following are a listing of tweaks and changes made with explanations for each. 

Salsa Cycles Cowchipper Bar, 46cm: I really have gotten on with the Cowchipper over the years and it is probably one of three handle bars I would choose as my best ever flared drop bars. (Ritchey Designs Venturemax, Cowchipper, Luxy Bar) 

Width is appreciated by me, but the recent fad of running really wide flared drops is kind of lost on me. 46cm is plenty of width for this fella! 

I also took the opportunity to rotate everything down and forward from my initial set up. Much better for all hand positions now! The previous set up rendered reaching the levers a bit awkward. Now everything is great in this regard. 

Additionally, but unintended when I chose the Cowchipper, it is the only handlebar, besides maybe the Luxy Bar, which I can ride when I injure my shoulders, as I have recently with my right shoulder. Not sure how I did it, but it was after hauling scrap out of the basement at the Collective and often times I have to hold weight out in front of me while climbing old, narrow stairs. So, I would guess it was when I tweaked something. At any rate..... The Cowchipper helps me keep riding. That's the story there. 

Ti Regulator Post, WTB Solano Saddle: 

I know I mentioned this in my last update on the Peregrine, but here is a bit more detail on this and how it rides. 

First of all, to reiterate, I needed to not have to buy, install, and bleed a new rear brake cable because, I didn't want to do that. Period. No other reason for this decision other than I really despise having to fuss with hydraulic brakes. If Shimano made this group with cable actuated brakes I would be a much happier camper. They don't do this, so here we are. 

So, keeping everything the same from the standpoint of how it was lengthwise off the Standard Rando, I necessarily had to use a stubby stem to use the system as it was. Therefore, to regain my reach, I needed to go with an offset seat post and a saddle which would accommodate some serious setback as well. So, you see the Ti Regulator and WTB Solano saddle has fit my needs perfectly. 

Seated on the bike, this puts my weight a bit off the front wheel and to be honest, it has helped with the shoulder issue so far as a side benefit.  But perhaps less obvious and more importantly, this levers the little bit of seat post extension and causes a bit of flex which translates to more comfort in the rougher road ways and on what little gravel I've been able to tackle so far. 

This seated position also mimics closely what I have on my Honeman Flyer, and I do like this from a seated climbing and just general riding standpoint. Maybe it looks goofy and maybe it won't work for many of you, but I am really pretty happy with it so far. 

I will say if I have to switch rear brake hose out, I will likely put on an 80mm stem and slide the saddle back forward to check out what the bike rides like with a more 'normal' set up, but it is not like I am secretly disappointed now. The opposite is true, actually.  

Just A Word On The G-One Overland Tires:

I will also mention these tires as I am reviewing them now. I want to wait until I can get in some real, decently long gravel rides in before I give a full update. With all which has been going on here, it was difficult, as I mentioned, to complete any real testing.

Now with the remodel finished, Mrs.. Guitar Ted back in swing, and my shoulder getting better, this will hopefully be a time for those rides to start happening again.  

Anyway, the Schwalbes! These are fast, fast tires. A fellow on Facebook, John Karrasch, has been doing some more intense, science based studies on various tires and his findings on the G-One tires seem to corroborate what I am feeling. In my testing, both paved and gravel/dirt, the G-One Overland is quite impressive. I wouldn't say it feels great to ride, but again, a tire which had as stiff a sidewall as these did new probably will break in after a 100 or so miles. We'll see about that! 

Overall:

The Peregrine is a great bike for me. It really seems to do all the things I'll want, and it looks great doing it too! The one time I was able to get out in the country on this bike was before I made some of my most recent changes, but even then I could see the potential and I was happy. Now I just need to get into more long gravel rides. Once this has happened I'll be back with another Peregrine update and - of course - Country Views and Brown Season reports to go along with those rides. 

Stay tuned....

Two Things

 In today's "Two Things" post, I am going to discuss an idea for gravel bikes which came out of the Checkout discussion and another idea based on a bicycle I posted an image of recently which readers professed admiration for as well. 

My old 2006 Salsa Cycles Dos Niner. 

Dual Suspension Gravel Or Soft-tail?

One of the ideas which came up during the recent discussion about the Trek Checkout was an old MTB design which has not really been thoroughly explored for gravel. This idea is the soft-tail design. I wrote about this idea in detail back in 2022 HERE. 

I tried a soft-tail at the 2010 DK200, and there is merit to this idea. The thing is, no one has yet figured out how to best execute this soft-tail idea for gravel, especially from a vibration reduction standpoint. Unless you want to include Salsa's passive, in-frame designed Class V VRS. Which does do what we are talking about here effectively. (There are some other examples as well)

First of all, suspension for gravel, especially for racing on gravel, is pretty much a no-go. Any kind of interruption of power transfer from human to tire contact patch is a real negative for a racer. So, most anything you try to design for a suspension based vibration reduction system is going to be met with disdain from an efficiency and feel standpoint with a racer's perspective. 

Soft-tail design might actually work if the resources were poured into the damper to give it resistance to movement when power is applied and allow the damper to work below certain power thresholds to help riders be less fatigued over a longer distance. This would probably mean a sophisticated electronic sensor and valve control set up. I think it is 100% possible, but who is going to go "all F1" on this idea? It would cost a LOT of money! 

And then, like I said in the linked article, why not just use a suspension seat post? Less complexity, similar results. It wouldn't be for the Pro and semi-Pro riders, but for everyone else? 

Maybe. 

Does The Past Have Any Answers For Vibration Reduction?

One of my recent images garnered a lot of praise in the comments section. It was of my Honeman Flyer, a custom made frame by King Fabrications, with geometry taken right off a 1936 era track bike combined in a stunning bit of paint work and was the muse of those folks. 

While I could go on about the bike, the paint job, and how much I like this bicycle, I wanted to focus in on a thing I feel many companies miss out on and what was important in the past which maybe should be thought more about now. 

That 'thing'? Ride quality. Maybe you'd call it "ride feel". Which ever way you want to describe this, I think we've lost our way by focusing on gear, electronics, and racing. Maybe we are relying too much on tires and vibration-reducing stems and seat posts. I think the original intentions for the geometry the Honeman Flyer is based upon might be something to consider when it comes to 'ride quality'. 

This type of bicycle was made in the early to late 1930's, a time when extravagance was in short supply. Riders of custom-made bicycles had to pay a dear amount to get their hands on one bicycle. Maybe they threw in together with other riders in a club which afforded these members access to pure-bred racing bikes with stems and seat posts made to adjust to riders of different measurements. This was done as a way to get a racing bike for all club members and share the cost. This was fairly common in these times. 

The predominate form of bicycle racing was still on tracks, but these were few and far between and riders from areas outside of tracks had to make do with training over rough back roads, on gravel, and where possible, on pavement. This meant that for many cyclists of the day who were competitive, their bicycle had to deal with rough roads, gravel, dirt, and be comfortable, handle well, and still perform as a track bike. 

Tall order! But frame builders arrived at certain ways to accommodate this all, and in doing so, created a ride quality which was at once forgiving on rough stuff, a bike which handled well, and still rode fast, and produced good results at track racing events. One such design being produced by John "Pop" Brennan was ridden to national championships on the track by Willie Honeman. This is the design I copied and had Li King execute for me in steel tubing at his shop. 

It is a very unconventional design from our 2025 perspectives, but it rides like a dream. Could it be that a litigious society, testing protocols, designs stemming from one-use mindsets, and fashion has clouded our ability to make a simple bike which rides nicely for the masses? 

Again - Maybe so....

Let's Talk About The New Surly Straggler

Image courtesy of Surly Bikes

 Last week a new version of the Surly Straggler was released. It had been quite some time since the Straggler was released originally, so it was long overdue for an update. This is also one of the issues with the new version, ironically. 

When the Straggler was set to be released originally I was onboard at "Twentynine Inches", the website which covered 29"ers from 2005 until 2015. I was in attendance at the 2013 Outdoor Demo for Interbike, the former big-time bicycle show once held in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was where I met and rode the Straggler. 

The bike, to my mind, should have been called the Disc Crosscheck, which would have followed what Surly had done with the Long Haul Trucker/Disc Trucker models. But anyway..... Straggler it was. My intial take on the bike was that it was heavy and the rear drop outs looked clunky. As with all Surly bikes up to that point, it was single speed capable, so this was the reason for the weird rear drop outs. Okay....moving on.  

Wait! Is that a Vaya? No! It's a Surly Straggler in "Shaggy Carpet" (Image courtesy of Surly Bikes)

 Of course, in 2013/14 there weren't many choices yet for gravel bikes, and I knew the Raleigh Tamland was also debuting in 2014. There was no doubt in my mind which was the better of the two for gravel, and the Raleigh ended up in my clutches for this and other reasons some of you long-time readers know all about. But this is another story.... 

There were a few things about the original Straggler which  were missed opportunities, but again - It was 2013, and gravel bikes weren't an established category then. In a few years this would be a different story, but Surly chose not to direct any efforts into the Straggler. Maybe the brand had sunk resources into other projects, and could not afford a redesign of the Straggler at that point in time. Maybe Surly has something against the whole "gravel" thing. It is notable that Surly does not have any gravel category listed on their site for its bicycles. (Although it recommends the Straggler for gravel on its page for the model) Whatever the case may be, the Straggler probably should have been redesigned five years ago, at minimum, and it would have been really good had they done it in the 2017 - 2019 window when gravel went bananas. 

A first generation Straggler I built up for "Duluth Dave" many years ago. 

 So, back to 2025 and the current Straggler. This newest version of the model has no single speed capabilities native to the design. This has been pointed to as another issue with the current version of Surly Bikes which built its reputation upon the ethos of single speed biking. Yes, this is pretty much just another example of brand identity being purged. 

One can pass off the single speed thing as being unnecessary and say it makes the Surlys of the past overly-complicated, but brand identity does help with perceptions. When you abandon something which made your reputation and made your brand unique, well it means something. Usually something not good.  

So, when I saw the new Straggler I was not very impressed. Honestly, it looks like a poorer version of the Salsa Vaya. A bicycle which was axed from Salsa's line earlier in this year. So, a not very impressive "update" in my mind, and certainly not very "Surly Bikes" of them when you consider Surly's past reputation. 

Those are my thoughts, but what do you think? Could Surly have done something truly remarkable and kept the single speed thing?  Am I just not understanding what has happened here? Let me know in the comments. 

And as always, thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions, (if you are actually human).  

Let's Talk About The Trek Checkout

As seen at the Unbound XL back in early June.

 Last week Trek officially announced the Checkout. A bike which had been discussed in rumor mills for months over the Summer of 2025 after images of it were shared across social media. Now this bike is available for purchase, and how many will get sold is anyone's guess. What is not questionable is the level of debate this bike has stirred up since the announcement.

Of course, I have several thoughts on this introduction by Trek and I have had several discussions with N.Y. Roll concerning the bike already. I'm going to throw out my thoughts here on today's post, but I also encourage you, the reader, to chime in on this bike in the comments section. Is it a mountain bike? Is it unnecessary? Who is this bicycle for? 

Okay, with all of these thoughts circulating in our heads, let's tackle the most common thought I see being expressed about the Checkout online.  The thought I see most commenters expressing has to do with the Checkout being - or trying to be - a mountain bike. But many feel it is something a bit less than a mountain bike. Well......is the Checkout a mountain bike or not? 

To figure this out I went to research a few things. The geometry used for what is called XC MTB today is very unlike anything we've seen in years past. The geometry today leans into downhill/enduro influences pretty heavily, so you have bikes with zero - or near zero - stem extensions, very slack head tube angles, and the ubiquitous "long/low" layout of the chassis. We did not always mountain bike this way. My thought was the Checkout is an FS 29"er from 15 years ago. 

So, is this true? I went and researched the numbers from a 2011 Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe, a dual suspension trail bike. I don't think anyone in 2025 would look at this as being anything other than a mountain bike. An old mountain bike, but a mountain bike. Here is what I found:  

Gary Fisher HiFi Deluxe vs Checkout (HiFi numbers first, then Checkout's)

• Head Tube Angle: 71.0° vs 69.5°
• Seat Tube Angle:  73.6° vs 73.0°
• Seat Tube Length: 48.3cm vs 54cm
• Top Tube Length: 61.7cm vs 61.3cm
• Bottom Bracket Drop:  45mm vs 68mm
• Chain Stay Length: 450mm vs 442mm
• Trail:  74mm vs 88mm

Image courtesy of Trek Bikes

NOTE: I compared a Size Large for each, so apples to apples as far as sizing goes. You can find variances by comparing different sizes. 

Okay, I see a big difference in three areas. One: Bottom bracket drop. But remember, the HiFi Deluxe had 100mm travel front/110mm travel rear. The bottom bracket needed to be higher due to sag when setting up the bike. So, perhaps a wash there, depending on rider weight. 

Second: Chain Stay Length. Again, the HiFi Deluxe has more travel, so this figures in, and it had a front derailleur with triple chain rings. Make this a 1X design and the Fisher could have easily had a shorter chain stay in the realm of the Checkout's. 

Third: Trail. This is the figure which takes into account front end geometry and wheel size. The Checkout is actually more stable than the HiFi due to its longer Trail figure. 

One more detail: The Checkout is based around road bike drive train standard while the HiFi is based on MTB drive train standard. This matters. A LOT. However; it is easier to get a wide range, low gear AND a fast gear on a road bike standard drive train than it is on a mountain bike standard drive train in 2025, so advantage Checkout here.

After considering all this, the answer to "Is the Checkout just a drop bar mountain bike?" is YES. An older mountain bike, but yes. This is a mountain bike. I'd say it is a more capable mountain bike in several ways than the HiFi was. Only the short travel on the Checkout (60mm front, 55mm rear) is holding it back. So, maybe we should add to the answer here. "The Checkout is a drop bar MTB from another era with too little travel." 

2011 Fisher HiFi Deluxe (Image courtesy of Trek Bikes)

Next: "Who is this bike for?" I've seen many online defending the Checkout by saying it is a bike for ultra-endurance folks who do things like the Atlas Mountain Bike Race, or Trans-whatever continental type rides you want to point to. Okay....maybe so. But how many people actually do these events and are not sponsored athletes who have to ride certain equipment? Then take the remainder and see who want to trust a carbon fiber bike on a thousand mile or more outback trek across unsupported territories. I'm guessing we would be left with a not very large market for buyers. .

So, I believe Trek isn't going to base their marketing around events and riders who do those types of events, but they will gladly take their money if they choose a Checkout. No, Trek is looking at something else here with more chances for sales. 

What has more appeal these days than Gravel™. Also, note the Checkout has a rack. Note the frame bags Trek shows the Checkout with in some of their marketing. Note the name: "Checkout". A clever take on their gravel bike nomenclature, certainly, but an intentional name as well. All this points to bike packing/touring. Trek even had the media crowd come to a press camp and had the journos ride the Checkout on fire roads, single track, and other mountainous type trails. Not a lick of gravel roads like we have in the Mid-West to be seen. Also intentional. 

So, Trek is trying to appeal to the bike packing type who could justify the Checkout as being a gravel bike, or an everyday usage bike in a pinch. This helps the consumer accept the big price tag (9K) of the Checkout and its weight as well. (Reportedly something around 27lbs).  I also expect a lesser priced aluminum framed Checkout at some point. 

There are more to things here which I have thoughts on, but in my opinion, the Checkout is a throw-back 29"er FS bike with a nod towards gravel. It is trying to capture those consumers who have a wanderlust for bike packing but need to justify their purchase by having the bike be some other thing as well. And what better way to do this than make it a pseudo-gravel bike.  

On Stats

 As many of you regular blog readers may know, I had started running a "Weekly Top Five" list on weekends to point folks to posts which were getting read more than others. I thought it would be a fun way to see how people used the blog. 

When you have 20 years of archives,  the stats used to show me some interesting things. There were times when certain posts would bubble up to the surface because maybe a forum somewhere linked to it. Maybe a website linked to a certain subject here. You just never really knew what might turn up. 

That is, until this Summer. 

At some point this Summer, it is my opinion that artificial intelligence, web crawling bots, or aliens were pumping up the numbers artificially. Maybe it is all three things. I don't know. 

I do know every week it gets more and more ridiculous to the point I do not believe the numbers anymore. We are talking about numbers five times higher per day than what I'd been seeing for the past five years. 

I expect a little growth, sure, but this? It all seems fake, and I feel because of this, doing a post based on stat numbers I am getting, which likely are false, is not a good thing. It is artificial and misleading, I think. 

So, I am suspending the "Weekly Top Five" series and I probably will not do a "Top Ten Posts of 2025" review at the end of the year. I wish the numbers were reflective of real people reading these pages, but it seems highly unlikely this might be the case. 

Anyway..... If you ever see an AI generated story about gravel cycling which kind of sounds like I wrote it and it is not on this blog, you can probably bet it is AI. Not saying it will ever happen, but from what I am seeing on the backside of the blog, I would not at all be surprised if it were to occur.  

Peregrine Mk4 Update

 Someone in the comments said earlier this week the following statement: "Too much Peregrine content?? No way. It’s your New Bike Day/Month! We want all the details! "

Well, be very careful what you ask for, because here is more content about the Peregrine.  

I'm in my "getting to know you" phase of ownership here which includes my making small tweaks to my set up. I can only do this fine tuning after rides lasting from 30 minutes to an hour or so. I ride. I make a tweak. I ride and see if what I did results in what I am after. Rinse and repeat until I finally am satisfied. 

So, to describe why I was 'tweaking' what I was tweaking I have to go back to the original intentions for the build. One of those was to use what I had on the Twin Six as much as possible. This meant avoiding new cables and housings, new brake hoses, and all the things this can entail. In this I was successful. However; because of this I had painted myself in something of a corner which I had to find a way out from behind. 

This mostly had to do with how I was sat on the bike. I was a tiny bit cramped due to the need for the stubby Whisky Parts Co. stem I used. I could not put a longer stem on the bike because I'd have to switch out the rear brake hose, rear cable housing, and rear cable. So, to gain a little bit of the lost reach back, I decided to try to find and use a seat post with a little more setback and a saddle which would also accommodate me in this way as well. I was hoping both things would get me closer to the number I like to see for my reach.  

The Honeman  Flyer with the Thomson seat post, zero offset. 

 Looking at my fleet of bicycles I noted I had not addressed the seat post issue on the Honeman Flyer 100% to my liking.  (The bike with the seemingly never-ending seat post saga!) Anyway..... I had been using a Salsa Cycles Ti Regulator post on this bike which has a fair amount of set back. This was not ideal for the Honeman Flyer's 70° seat tube angle. I started off with a zero offset post on the Flyer and it was better, from an ergonomic standpoint. It was undersized though, and slipped all the time, so it had to go. I eventually landed on the Ti Regulator as a stop-gap solution to end all the slipping seat post madness I was experiencing with this bike. 

Well, if I could find a suitable post for the Honeman Flyer maybe I could poach the seat post for the Peregrine. So, to the seat post bin! (Yes......I have multiple unused seat posts sitting in a big tin can!) I rummaged through this assortment of seat posts and came across a nice silver Thomson post with zero offset. Nice! Now I could swap posts with the Honeman Flyer and maybe get the setback I was looking for. 

The Peregrine Mk4 with the Salsa Ti Regulator and WTB Solano saddle installed. 

Now the Flyer also had a WTB Solano saddle fitted, so I knew this saddle was pretty good with me, and it had a fair amount of rail to use for adjustment. With the saddle slid back as far as allowed, and with the set back on the Ti Regulator, I gained back almost all my preferred reach. Almost, which is fine, because I wanted to try a little less reach and see if I wasn't setting my bicycles up with too much reach, ending up being too stretched out, perhaps. We will see. Remember: Test & Tweak.  Now on to one other interesting point about this bike. 

I'd say that looks like a good half of an inch there.

I had a reader ask about toe overlap with the Peregrine Mk4. Good question! Since this bike can handle big tires, this could be a concern, right? Well, I went out with my size 46 Shimano gravel shoes on, clipped in, and tried to get my foot to touch the front tire. This tire is a 700 X 50mm Schawlbe G-One Overland, for reference. The crank arm length is 172.5mm. 

The image here shows the closest I could get to touching the tire with my toes. I'd say this is not very close! Also, I try to set my cleats back as far as I can, but not all the way back. Very close to it, but I would still have room for my foot even if my cleats were slammed all the way back.

So, the good news here is that a size Large should not cause any issues with toe overlap. Maybe if I were running fenders, I might have toe overlap with this big of a tire, but I bet I'd still be good, if just barely so. 

Had I been sporting the biggest tire which would clear the Peregrine's frame and fork, I probably would get a bit of toe contact, in my opinion, but I'm not planning on going to the extreme which would cause this to happen. 

Next, I had someone in the comments ask about contrasting the ride of the Peregrine with my Gen I Fargo. So, this is really an apples and oranges thing, in my opinion. The Fargo Gen I being a more MTB-leaning drop bar bike, while the Peregrine is based on a classical road bike. Certainly the two overlap in certain aspects, but as far as the ride quality, these are very different bicycles.  

I think it might prove to be enlightening if I just put it this way: I'm not getting rid of either of the two bikes and they will do different things for me. Now if one was doing the same thing for me as the other? One would have to go away, as I wouldn't ride one of them. As it stands, again for myself, this is not the case and both bikes will remain in my service for the time being. 

If anything, this Peregrine is probably more like my Black Mountain Cycles MCD. But I will have to do some back-to-back comparisons to verify this. Keeping in mind the MCD can run 'up to' a 50mm tire, while the Peregrine can handle even slightly larger tires.  

Okay, I think I've covered just about everything I wanted to get to on this update. I hope you folks who had indicated you were fine with more Peregrine content are satisfied! Ha! 

I'll have more to share here soon. I know of one more tweak which is coming, and there may be more. Plus I hope for ride content as well. Stay tuned. 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of ROTOR

ROTOR Unveils UNO Electronic Shifting Group Set:

ROTOR, the Spanish company best known for oval chain rings and crank sets, had Wheeltop, a Chinese component manufacturer, buy a majority stake in the company last year. Long rumored to be having an electronic group set in the making with Rotor branding, this now has become a reality with UNO. 

The "Gravel Upgrade Kit" version of UNO consists of the levers, hydraulic brake calipers, and the rear derailleur. Compatible with 1X only and with a 46T rear cassette limitation, the group set will cost $948.42 USD (Odd pricing, but likely a conversion from a foreign currency figure) 

The group set's rear derailleur is carbon with 7005 series aluminum bits. ROTOR claim the rear mech will shift up to 15,000 times on one battery charge. Interestingly, this group set is compatible with 10, 11, 12, and 13 speed cassettes as long as the rear cassette does not exceed a 46T low gear.

Comments: Well, another electronic, wireless choice which is breaking the 1K price point. Wheeltop's collaboration here is notable as previous efforts by ROTOR to make a group set were hydraulically controlled. This would appear to be more Wheeltop than not. Wheeltop users on the internet have reported mixed results with their group sets, and how ROTOR's UNO will fare is not known at this time. 

We will have to wait for the results to come in via real world usage, but for now, this marks a further march toward a wireless bicycle era which will feature no cables on bicycles. 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Velo Orange Announces Raffle For Charity:

Here's a fun bit of news. Velo Orange is holding a raffle for a Neutrino rolling chassis which has been custom Cerakoted by Weichel Coatings and has components from ATW Builds . Each $5.00 chance gets you in line for possibly winning this size Large Neutrino partial build. 

All proceeds go to helping out the mission of Happy Helpers of the Homeless, a charity who bring meals and support to homeless and poverty stricken men and women every weekend in the Halethorpe, Maryland area. 

The raffle runs through now to October 15th. A winner will be chosen at random the week of October 20th. See all details and rules for this raffle HERE. 

IMage courtesy of IRD Components

Airdrop Seat Post Provides Dropper Feature In Silver Ano:

IRD Components, who do a variety of niche items, have a new Airdrop dropper post which has a few unique features. You'll notice right away it is offered in a silver anodized finish rather than the common black anodization. 

The Airdrop also has no cable running to it or a lever to deal with on your handle bar. Rather, it uses a simple lever located off the seat post head to raise and lower the post through its 100mm of drop. 

The Airdrop comes in the common 27.2mm size only and has an overall length of 400mm. The maximum insertion is listed at 190mm and minimum insertion for the post is listed at 90mm.  

The Airdrop is available on IRD's site and runs $129.00 USD. 

Comments: This is kind of cool for anyone with a silver anodized build who may want to explore a dropper post on a gravel bike. Why would you want to do this? Well, for one, a dropper post can be used as a way to easily mount and dismount a bike by lowering the saddle when stopped. This is of particular benefit if you have a very heavily laden touring bike set up, or if you are bikepacking. 

Secondly, lowering the post on any longer downhill will help you get lower on the bike, and more aero. You'll bomb hills far faster with a dropper post lowered than not. It can be rather eye-opening, actually. Of course, there is the benefit while descending steep, rough terrain as well. 

US Customs Cites Giant For Forced Labor Practices, Holds Imports:

On Wednesday, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" broke a story in which Giant Bicycles is being investigated for forced labor practices at its Taiwan factories. As a result, all Giant product and other branded product made there is being held at port until the matter is solved.  Giant is reportedly filing a petition to revoke the Withhold Release Order.,

You can read the story HERE.

Comments: This is an interesting development as it is widely known Giant also makes bicycles for several other well known brands. If, in fact, the Withhold Release Order is upheld, this could further disrupt the chain of supply and cause detriment to an already depressed economy for the cycling industry. 

This could also be seen as a bad public relations event, if this ends up becoming a larger issue. 

UPDATE: 9/26/25:  (From Bicycle Retailer and Industry News X Account) UPDATE: Giant clarified to BRAIN this morning that CBP is currently not holding any shipments from the company. The CBP's Withhold Release Order announced Wednesday applies to any products arriving after the order.

Image courtesy of Trek Bikes

That Full Suspension Gravel Bike From Trek Finally Is Official:

On Thursday Trek Bikes finally unleashed the Checkout SL- a 9K carbon fiber full-suspension gravel/bike packing bike. Replete with 55mm wide tires out of the box and the new Rudy XL (released yesterday) on the front. This bike has 60mm of travel up front, and according to a Instagram post I saw, 55mm in the back. 

Rumors and images of this bicycle were floating around the web since around the Unbound event back in early June, so those who caught the pictures then probably are not surprised here. 

And look at the flares and swept tops on this drop bar. Pretty radical for a 2025 release. I happen to like this sort of thing, but it does go in the opposite direction from the racing type handlebars on most newer gravel bikes. 

Comments: Hmm.... Much can be said about a bicycle like this. I will say it looks a little ungainly and the "Miami Vice| color palette is not my cup of tea. (The Checkout SL 5 is a more subdued black, by the way) The images of this bike kitted out for bikepacking look great, but the bare bike is sort of jarring to the eye with the tipped forward rack and MTB-looking fork. 

I could see an aluminum, more budget friendly version of this bike at some point if they sell these things. $8,999.00 for the Checkout SL 7 is no joke though, so you have to wonder if many of these will be sold. Mostly because (a) it is an oddball bike, not really XC MTB and not really gravel, and (b) it is a carbon frame bike. Most bikepackers are looking for Titanium or steel in this space. It is an interesting bicycle, nonetheless. 
 

That's a wrap on this week's news and views. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Get out and ride those bicycles!
 

Gravel Grinder News: SRAM Introduces Rudy XL Ultimate, Rudy XL Forks

The new 60mm travel Rudy XL Ultimate

 New Longer Travel Forks For Gravel Riders Feature More Tire Clearance:

NOTE: Information and images were provided by SRAM. All opinions and statements in the "Comments" section are Guitar Ted's. 

SRAM announces their latest in front suspension forks for gravel today by showing the new Rudy XL Ultimate and Rudy XL forks. These forks will feature longer travel with 50mm or 60mm of travel paired with tire clearance to match gravel riding's new wider tire trends. 

The Ultimate will be SRAM's flagship model and will have the Charger 2 damper with Solo Air spring. This model will be quite noticeable in its Electric Red color. 

Riders will be able to enjoy the 50mm or 60mm of travel  with lock out and the 29"x 2.25" of clearance will assure riders that they have every option for gravel tires available to fit in the fork. Additionally, a separately available front fender can be attached via two bolts to help cut down on the mud and water getting to the rider during extreme conditions riding. 

SRAM claims the Charger 2 damper is tuned to "stay firm" on faster sections and smooth out the rougher stuff. The 45mm of offset should allow for more stability as well. The fork will be available aftermarket with tapered steer tube and at a sub 1K price of $929.00 USD (  € 1,010, £ 900)

The Rudy XL will be OEM only

The Rudy XL will be the fork you see on stock bikes coming from your favorite brands. This version of the new Rudy will also feature 50 or 60mm of travel. The difference is the Rudy XL will not have the Charger 2 damper but a "cartridge rebound damper with a broad range of Rebound adjust". 

This fork will have the same tire clearance of 29" x 2.25" and the aftermarket fender option. There also will be gloss black and flat black versions of the Rudy XL.

Comments: In my opinion, the original gravel suspension forks featuring 40mm of travel were just not worth the money and lacked performance which we've all become accustomed to having in MTB forks with 80mm of travel and up.  

Moving to 60mm of travel is, in my opinion, a better option, but it still is not going to be quite enough. However; unless we are willing to move to - what basically will amount to - full-on 29"er XC racing bike fare, this will be maximum in gravel and will barely keep these bikes looking anything akin to a road bike. The kind of bicycles from which gravel bikes were originally born from. (If we are talking from a brand/marketing standpoint)  

Yes, cue all the chatter on social media deriding the new Rudy XL as "just another marketing ploy" and "why don't we just call this drop bar MTB already!" However; the evolution of "what is gravel" is being pushed forward into this territory by gravel racing. This fuels marketing and informs new product. The cycle only continues to live on because people buy the ideas. 

Is this going to move the needle? It is probably already being used by gravel Pros, we just did not know it. (SRAM claims this has been in development for two years already) So, yeah... It will be adopted by many riders. Like it or not, gravel is becoming the defacto XC cycling of the 21st Century. These forks are only a precursor to more changes which are, no doubt, coming to make "gravel" more uniform in terms of events and appeal for media coverage. At least at the semi-Pro and Pro levels. 

But those are discussions for the future. Will the fork work for today's gravel events? Well, in theory, 60mm of travel has got to be better than 40mm of travel. We're getting closer to "what actually works", but for roads which are unpaved? This is probably overkill.  

With any gravel telescoping suspension fork you still have high maintenance costs, the risk of buying something which will be obsolete in a few years, and you'll be adding more weight. Does this all pale in comparison to the benefits? Only you, the riders, can decide this.