Clik Valves, Cores, and Pump Head: Review Update 1

 Note: Guitar Ted received a suite of products from Clik Valve for test and review at no charge. Guitar Ted is not being bribed nor paid for this review. All opinions are Guitar Ted's.

Last time I posted on the Clik Valve products I introduced all the range and parts I was sent to test/review. You can check that out HERE in case you missed that or want a refresher. In this post I will cover the installation of the pump head parts, the installation of the valve cores, and then how that all worked in practice when used.

Of course, if I was going to use Clik Valve cores I needed a pump to use with them. I chose my SILCA Pista Plus floor pump and it was an easy swap to use the screw-in Clik Valve pump head converter. However; when I went to use this I discovered that my SILCA pump's gauge was not working. So.... Plan B!

This meant I needed to convert my old Topeak Joe Blow pump. I noted that this pump utilized the press-in barbed nozzle and hose fitment which happened to be what the complete Clik Valve pump head uses. So, I actually got to use both heads from Clik Valve in this operation. 

Then, obviously, I had to swap out valve cores on one of my bikes. With Winter being nearly over and, quite frankly, non-existent with the exception of sub-zero temperatures now and again, I decided that it looked like gravel season might start early. Now wait..... I probably just jinxed it. We'll have three weeks of snow! 

Anyway, I chose the Honeman Flyer I had made by King Fabrications. The single speed gravel bike will see a lot of use in the upcoming early parts of gravel riding for the year. The swap of valve cores was pretty simple, but I did notice one detail that I hadn't considered before. 

While the Clik Valve cores have flats so you can use a tool to tighten them, most "over-the-core" tools will not slip over the lipped opening of a Clik Valve. I was happy that Clik Valve did decide to utilize knurling on the valve core's body so I could get enough purchase on the valve core to tighten it by hand.  I am thinking a small, spanner-like wrench would be what you'd need here if you wanted a tool, but I am not aware of such a tool off the top of my head. In the end, I didn't need a tool, but if I had a problem in the field, and I needed to install a tube? I might wish for that spanner-like core removal tool. 

Maybe.

Since catastrophic tire failures are not a big thing, at least around here, I am not too worried about this detail, but I know that for some folks it is a concern, so you may want to look for an appropriate tool. 

Airing up the tires with Clik Valve parts on my pump and valve stem is definitely easier than using Presta or Schrader valves. Pushing on the pump head couldn't be any easier, and the pump head stayed put on the valve as I pumped up my tires to 40psi, which was done to account for the cold air of January outside. Now, of course, this isn't a big deal for low pressure tires, perhaps. So, I would like to try this on a road bike. I do have one, but I need to check to see if I have any tubes with removable cores to do that test. Once I get that lined up, I'll report back with a finding on how this Clik Valve pump head does going up to 100psi. 

You can see here how the pump head adapter screws into this SILCA fitting.

So Far... A ride or two, and sitting around for a bit shows me that the cores do not leak. That's a good sign. The only thing to do now is to complete many cycles of inflation and do a bunch of riding to determine if these cores are doing a good job. 

I am looking for any clogging of the valve that may cause difficulty with inflation. I will also be inspecting the seals on the cores after some time to see how they hold up against sealant. I'll be looking at the pump head to determine if there is any degradation in use over time. And I'll get around to that high pressure test as well.

Meanwhile I do have the full valves from Clik Valve to evaluate, I just need to figure out which wheels I am going to use with those. Hopefully that will be the next update on the Clik Valve products. So far, I am impressed with the ease of operation.

Gravel Grinder News: Shimano CUES Drop Bar Components

CUES 10/11 speed hydraulic Dual Control Lever. Image courtesy of Shimano

Note: All Images courtesy of Shimano

As expected when Shimano released the CUES flat bar parts, a drop bar lever for CUES has now been revealed. We first got wind of the parts last year, which I talked about in this FN&V.

Featuring hydraulic and mechanical brake Dual Control Lever options, along with "dummy" levers for 1X set ups, this group stands to become one of the more popular, affordable choices for gravel riders. 

These levers will be available for 9,10, and 11 speed set ups, but like their flat bar siblings, CUES has its own cassette spacing and lever pull ratios so these cannot be mixed and matched with any other current Shimano 9,10, or 11 speed components. 

However; you can mix and match within the CUES ecosystem. So, say for instance that you had purchased a 10 speed CUES flat bar bike and then got a sweet deal on a drop bar frame for gravel. One could just buy the Dual Control Levers, use the rest of the CUES flat bar parts, and save a little coin. 

CUES mechanical Dual Control Lever

CUES drop bar will also have 1X and 2X options for crank sets. In 2X they will offer 50/34 and 46/32 options using HollowTech, two piece design. In 1X there will be a 42T and a 40T option in HollowTech along with a heavier, hot forged two piece model with the same chain ring options. 

Brakes, cassettes, and rear and front derailleurs are all similar to the current CUES offerings with the addition of a braze-on style mount option. Both new front derailleurs are optimized for their companion crank sets. 

Essa 8spd: It should also be noted that a drop bar lever set for Shimano Essa has also been introduced, albeit in just a 1X configuration. Essa is compatible with previous Shimano 8spd parts. 

Comments: This is great news for those who want lesser expensive alternatives to 11 and 12 speed groups and should satisfy many folks in terms of look and feel. 

There have been some reports that I have seen with issues with  CUES rear derailleurs not operating correctly. This may be due to some manufacturing issues, so it is hoped that those things can, or have been addressed. It is also notable here that CUES uses LinkGlide cogs and chains which prioritize shifting precision, and not speed, so instantaneous shifts are not going to happen within the CUES range.

CUES as a concept is valid, but in its implementation it finds some push-back from those in the cycling community. It would appear that the incompatibility with anything else Shimano has out is part of this. But when you think about things, Shimano had to make some kind of call on spacing/shifter ratio. They either had to use nine, or ten, or eleven standard, and then in terms of 10 and 11 you have the difference between MTB and road ratios, which are different as well. 

So, what did you think Shimano should have done? They decided to circumvent all the choices and made a call to make one that fit their intentions. I totally get it, and it does make sense. The wish for a "backward compatible 9/10/11 groupset" is a pipe dream. 

What concerns me more are the reports of rear derailleurs that are not up to snuff in terms of precision or durability. One would hope that Shimano will, or has, addressed this. 

If the rear derailleur issues are behind Shimano with regard to CUES, then this is an exciting development.

Some Things Didn't Stick

 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!

In the nearly 20 years of blogging here I have had the privilege to share a lot of really cool things that most riders may not ever get the chance to try out. Some stuff like full suspension 29"ers, carbon wheels, and "gravel bikes" that I was afforded early access to have become rather standard items now. Most of you readers have likely tried all of those. 

But I have also tried a few things that I would characterize as "fringe" in terms of desirable products. Heated flat bar grips come to mind there. I have also tried some stuff that didn't stick, not in a mainstream sense, but are things you could still try. Take for instance Gates Center Track Belt Drive.

Gates Center Track Carbon Belt Drive on a Trek (Gary Fisher) Sawyer.

"The Belt", as I called it then. Back around the late 2000's and early twenty-teens, Gates was trying hard to make their "Carbon" Center Track belts a mainstay of cycling. One way they tried doing this was to get me, a belt critic, to be convinced of The Belt's "magic powers". I tried these belts out at Interbike at first and this was before Center Track. That was, quite frankly, an abject failure and Gates quickly pivoted to the vastly superior Center Track version of The Belt which was reinforced with carbon strands. 

I ran this for an extended period of time. I had some hiccups along the way. Sizing The Belt was not quite figured out at this point, and there were limitations to The Belt which made it a sort of niche, at best, application for most cyclists. 

I really liked this Raleigh XXIX with The Belt.

The worst parts of The Belt is that, although the claim is that these are quiet, The Belt can and will squeak. Very dry or very wet conditions will bring this out. In the dry, silicone spray will take care of the noise, for a while, but it comes back again, and again, and.....

The Belt can and will break. I've seen it (at Trans Iowa back in the day) and have heard about this before from riders. You cannot fix that. You must be carrying a complete belt to replace the broken one with. And there are strict rules as to how a belt can be stowed so as not to cause it to fail. 

The Belt, and its required cogs, are expensive. Far more so than with a chain and alloy or steel cogs are. You need a belt compatible frame, which is another barrier. And finally, you have to run an internally geared hub or gear box to use The Belt. No lighter, more efficient external drive trains (past single speed) here. 

Of course, now belts are being promoted as a solution for down hill racing, since that discipline often now uses gear box drive trains. Still, that's not going to be quite the mainstream goal Gates had back in the late 2000's. 

That was a multi-year try with a product which, in the right applications, works, but isn't anywhere close to "mainstream". I was proud to be able to bring this to the blog when it all was very new. Just one of the really cool things I was able to be a part of because of this platform.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of QO

 New Lightweight, Aero Carbon Cranks For Gravel:

A new company, founded by the original pair that started Rotor, has announced several new carbon crank sets, one of which is for gravel riding. 

The company is called "QO" and unlike Rotor, these chain rings are not ovalized. The crank set for gravel in the QO range is called "Grava" and features carbon arms reinforced with Kevlar strands to help protect the arms against rock strikes and chipping. 

Available with aluminum single rings, the crank set features aerodynamic "dimples" which help to break up air flow and allow the crank to move more freely through the air, much like a golf ball. The crank set also has a very slim profile to help the arms cut through the air. Spindle/ bottom bracket compatibility is based upon the SRAM DUB standard.

Crank arms will be available in three lengths: 172.5, 170, and 165mm. The arms are said to help reduce vibrations to the rider as well. Availability should be soon with US pricing yet to be determined. Expect these to be somewhere in the 700 - 800 dollar range. 

Image courtesy of Canfield Bikes

Canfield Bikes Debuts New Nimble Ti Frame:

Canfield, known for their multi-link full suspension designs, really pumped up the 29"er scene in 2011 with a long travel hard tail MTB. This sort of thing was unforeseen and very unusual back then. The frame was called the Nimble 9. That frame is still in production all these years later, albeit with an revolutionized geometry. 

Now that frame can be had in titanium as Canfield Bikes announced last week. The new "Nimble Ti" is based around a 150mm travel fork, 29" wheels, and has a sliding drop out set for adjusting wheelbase or for single speed set ups. 

The design is lifted right off the Nimble 9 steel hard tail with the exception of a change to the seat tube to allow more post insertion for today's longer travel dropper posts. 

Frames are going for $3,199.99 and there are complete builds available as well. If you are interested you might want to check this out soon as Canfield is only making 100 of these Nimble Ti frames available. Check out the webpage for the bike HERE. 

Gravel Amplifier: Dirty Disco:

 A new event for the gravel calendar is set to take place on Saturday March 1st. This event will happen out of El Dorado, Kansas, which is just up the turnpike from Wichita, Kansas. 

The event will have two competitive distances of 100 miles and 50 miles with a casual ride distance at 30 miles for those who just want to turn some pedals for a while. 

The price versus distance quotient looks good here and there are fewer categories to make things simpler. The vibe sounds about right and this is in the Flint Hills, so you really cannot go wrong.

The event promises a mid-ride sag, "dirty disco music" and more. Check out the BikeReg page HERE. 

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

UCI, Ritchey End Licensing Agreement For World Champ Stripes:

The UCI and Ritchey Design had an agreement which ended in December 2024 which allowed Ritchey Design to use the rainbow stripes representing World Championship status. These stripes were used on the components Ritchey Design offers for sale in its WCS line. 

The UCI decided not to extend the licensing agreement, so Ritchey is transitioning its branding to reflect this change. Going forward, all WCS components will feature a gradient strip in grey tones. You can see an example in the image above. 

Comments: I'll be honest, I was surprised that Ritchey had an arrangement like this with the UCI for as many years as it had. It does not surprise me that the UCI did not agree to extend the arrangement. The UCI is pretty persnickety about things like the rainbow stripes. I found out this when the UCI mistakenly thought I was involved in using the rainbow stripes on the Gravel Worlds jerseys. I had quite the jaw drop when I received that cease and desist email! 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Cutthroat Gets GRX, UDH Hangar - Fargo Updates:

Salsa Cycles doesn't really do a lot of major overhauls of older models nor do they offer many really new, innovative bikes anymore. (Yes - you might say those eBikes are "innovative new models", but they are not, really)

What Salsa does, and it is not a bad thing at all, is evolve their already really good platforms. Take for instance their Cutthroat, which is the most commonly used bike at Tour Divide, according to Salsa Cycles. (Probably in no small part due to the influences of Jay Petervary, by the way) 

Well, now Salsa has offered a new colorway with Shimano GRX 600. The new model also features SRAM's UDH hangar which is swiftly becoming a standard for replaceable hangars. I have to say that the leaf green to sky blue fade paint job is not something I would have ever dreamed up, but it might be growing on me. Hmm...  You can check out the details on Salsa's site HERE. 

The new GRX Fargo in "Brass". Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

 Also, for 2025 the Fargo will also be only available with GRX 600 and now will feature flat mount brake mounts on the frame (on the Alternator Flat Mount 1.0 drop outs, actually) and on the Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe fork. The fork features inserts to guard against abrasions, much like those found on the Stormchaser gravel bike. The bike is priced at $2,999.00 USD. You can see more details on the Fargo GRX HERE. (Note- There also are Fargo Apex 1's out there yet, but those will feature the post mount brakes and no carbon guard inserts.) I've updated my Fargo Page accordingly.

Annnnnd......that's a wrap! Get out there and ride those bikes this weekend!

Industry Changes Revolve Around Wheels

A 29"er wheel circa 2012

 I was researching my blog, as one does after writing stuff for nearly 20 years, and came across something that made me think. I wrote this post about how 29 inch wheels had changed the cycling industry. First off, I often find it surprising to see what I wrote more than ten years ago. But more than that, I noted that as of 2025 we have finally exited an era where wheel sizes and types have finally settled back into a groove not seen since the year 2000. 

Previous to 2000 wheel size was not a question. Road bikes? 700c. Mountain bikes? 26" diameter. Sure, you had some weird niches here and there. Of course, we cannot ignore the rando/French touring group. A small, insular bunch. Hardly anyone outside of themselves had any idea of their existence. They were the bastion of 650B tire use. There were the old 27"ers being used yet, but no new bikes with those wheels were being produced anymore. Finally, you had the oddball 26" based tires and rims which some Schwinns had and some 70's era department store bikes used. 

But for the outliers, it was 700c based stuff and 26"er MTB wheels. That was pretty much it. Then "The Tire" came along, the internet became democratized, and information started to flow in a way that had never occurred before. These things made a pathway for people to start dreaming about "what ifs" and some business people bought in. 

If 29"ers hadn't come along, would we have ever seen things like this?

I'd argue that the 2010's were the zenith for wheel experimentation. Bicycle shops were then carrying a dizzying assortment of wheel diameters and tires to fit them. 

There were even variants on certain diameters that made them so different that they were unrecognizable next to their more traditional rim/tire combinations. 650B tires, fat bike tires, and 29"ers all used rim diameters that had been around for decades, but they were so different they all required their own special components and frames/forks. 

The "Pandora's Box" of wheel sizes and tire formats had been opened. 36" wheels, 32" wheels, and now 24" X 6" wheels and tires are now all a thing which previous to 2000 did not have any foothold or even a hint of a chance of being real, as they are now. Add to this the weird combinations that some electrified bikes have these days and you can see how things are very different now. 

In my opinion, these wheel size changes and innovations are what drives the industry. Just take the big fat bike tires, or larger, wider 700c tires that became known as 29"ers as an example. Both wrought changes in the industry that were exciting and drove consumer demand. Without those tires, and rims, of course, that demand doesn't materialize. 

Now that the wheel thing has been pretty much exhausted, the cycling industry is trying to recreate demand with "technological advancements" and motors. Aerodynamics, esoteric changes to cabling, and proprietary drive train ideas are being put forth with the hopes that "the next big thing" will be hit on. But these types of incremental, niche interest changes are not going to move the needle like the wheel changes and ideas to implement those ideas did. 

The "next big thing", in my opinion, will be when governments and the people at large start to realize that electric cars, self-driving cars, and more of those are not the answer. Healthy, outdoors in the Sun, moving on bicycles and the safer, separated infrastructure to utilize bicycles on - be they motorized or not - is what we need. That will be the next big deal, and while it may not happen in my lifetime, the sooner it does, the better for the cycling industry, people, and the environment.

Events

My riding plans are about as shoddy and reliable as this. Image courtesy of Rob Evans.

I know.... I have a checkered record when it comes to making riding plans. so, take the following with a grain of salt and don't be surprised if none of it happens. Although, I'm pretty sure something will happen. It's just that a lot of these things are outside of my control, so I cannot say with a high degree of certainty that any one of the following is a "sure thing" for my ride calendar. 

Secondly, since the announcement of the 2025 class of GCHoF inductees was going to influence my plans this year, I had to wait until Monday to start putting some wheels in motion. I mentioned this first event at the end of last year here. but now I can speak a bit more clearly on what might be happening. 

It is a tentative plan to hold another Victory Ride, much like the event held last year which you can read about HERE. This time the location will be somewhere in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

From the 2024 Victory Ride

The date is to be determined, but right now I am thinking that a trip to the Flint Hills in Spring sounds a heck of a lot more comfortable than one in Summer. So, with the information I have now, this looks like an event that will happen sometime from late April to maybe mid-May. 

Again, I am not organizing this, but when I find out more, I will post it here. Some of this may be determined according to when I can find transportation to said Flint Hills. (Remember - I don't have a vehicle anymore) I may have to rent a car. I don't know at this point. Stay tuned..... 

Since the news of Jason Boucher's Fargo series, I have text-chatted with Jason and he floated an idea for a Fargo Reunion Ride. This has not happened for several years and the last one was pretty notable for several reasons! I wrote about that HERE , HERE, and HERE. 

November, 2016. The last Fargo Adventure Ride.

The last Fargo Adventure Ride was in 2016  in November. I was signed up to ride in the inaugural Spotted Horse gravel race, but I nixed that idea when this popped up as a choice in late October that year. While I never ended up doing a Spotted Horse, and I do have a twinge of regret regarding that fact, I am super happy I made the choice to do the Fargo Adventure Ride instead. 

So, being the nutcase about the Gen I Fargo that I am, and being that every adventure on this bike I have has been a memorable one, I will definitely do everything in my power to attend another Fargo themed ride whenever that might be. 

I cannot stress enough that this is an idea, and that I am not the organizer. IF it happens I am going. But as of now, it is a big IF, and it could conflict with the Victory Ride or any of a hundred things, so ya know..... Just stick that idea under your hat for the time being. It is merely a possibility. 

From the 2023 Guitar Ted Death Ride.

Last year I didn't get a really long ride in at all. And.....it may not happen this year either. But I am going to try, and if I do get something in, it will be this year's Guitar Ted Death Ride for 2025. 

I used to invite people to join me on this, and I'm not saying that will never happen again. I did also say I retired from event production and promotions though, so doing the Invitational part kind of goes against that declaration. 

Look.....I'm just trying to be a man of my word. If I "un-retire" you'll all be the first ones to know here. So, the Guitar Ted Death Ride is a solo gig for now. 

I probably will look for any open window to do this and if things align properly, (a day with no responsibilities, the right weather, fitness looks okay), then it will happen at the time it happens. I was stymied for much of last year so I designated the Victory Ride as my 2024 "Death Ride". Cheap and easy choice, I know, but that was how the year shook out. 

Then there are three more riding events for 2025 I have loosely penciled in to try to get done before Winter 2025/26. In no particular order:

N.Y. Roll/Guitar Ted "Fun Ride":

N.Y. Roll and I have bounced around an idea for a group ride somewhere in Iowa this Summer. Could be a ride to "The Tree In The Road". Could be something around here. It also may not happen. We'll see....

The Virtual Turkey Burn Ride: 

Of all my ideas, this and the Victory Ride have the best chances of actually happening. Hopefully the weather is not as frigid as it was for the 2024 version here! The high amount of world-wide feedback I got for this idea makes it a no-brainer to do again. Plus, I suppose it is about as close to an event production as a retired event promoter can get to without actually promoting an event. 

Or something.......

The Redemption Tour:

A two-day bikepacking trip on gravel that will have a lot of personal meaning for myself. That is if I can make this happen. This has been on my radar for three years already, with everything all ready to go, and it still has not happened. I have to make time for this....

So, there you have it. Some super-vague, definitely maybe, probably vaporware events that may or may not happen for me in 2025. Stick around for the excuses, stay tuned for any surprise happenings!

The Original Mukluk: Reviewed With Perspective

One of my first rides on the Mukluk in 2011.

 Recently I have been spending more time on my 2011 Salsa Cycles Mukluk fat bike better known here as The Snow Dog. (Yes, it is a reference to the Rush song, "By-Tor and The Snow Dog"

Anyway....

I have not been on the Snow Dog much over the past five to ten years. It just kind of was one of those bikes I didn't reach for in Winter for riding because I had the Blackborow DS and the first Ti Muk. Those two fat bikes were "more capable", in my opinion at that time, than the original Mukluk was. So, when I started riding the Snow Dog again, it was almost as if I had forgotten everything I ever knew about the bike and what I was experiencing was new. 

It might be a good idea to look back and gain some perspective on the original Mukluk that may be forgotten by some folks. First of all, it should be noted that the vast majority of cyclists had never thrown a leg over a fat bike until 2011. 

That was because there weren't any fat bikes that you could just go and buy off a bike shop's floor. It was much more expensive and difficult to obtain one of these bicycles before 2011. The first efforts to make a bike to "float" over sand and snow were spread out across the globe, but most agree that the 1980's were when this idea started to come together to formulate the fat bike as we know it today. You can read a brief history of the fat bike at this Wiki page HERE. 

One of two steel framed prototype Mukluks Salsa Cycles made shown at Interbike 2010

While some say Surly offered "the first commercially available fat bike", I find that to be a bit misleading. Surly offered a frame, fork, tires, and rims. The purchaser was left to finish the build, including building the offset wheels, which was a huge hurdle for many folks, and even some bike shops. Besides these barriers to riding a fat bike, the cost was not "fat bike curious" friendly. It was a big commitment. I remember spec'ing out a fat bike from Surly in 2007 or so and it was going to be over two thousand dollars, and I was getting an employee discount! 

That was a lot for a bike that, well, quite frankly many thought would not work. So, while it is true that Surly made a pathway for many to try a fat bike, it wasn't until 2010 and the announcement that Salsa Cycles would offer an out-of-the-box, turnkey fat bike for a little more than one thousand bucks that interest skyrocketed from all across the USA. 

Surly saw the writing on the wall and so they also went in on offering the Pugsley as a complete bike, but those did not hit the market until a few months after the Mukluk. But suffice it to say, many were now getting their first chances at riding what was, before 2011, nearly a unicorn experience. 

My 2011 Mukluk in its original set up in February of 2011.

Now, with that out of the way, we should think about what these original fat bike designs were all about. There was not a concern for "all-mountain" type handling. In fact, it was more about staying on top of the trail, be that snow or sand, and being able to pedal instead of walking. 

A lot of this can get into the weeds, as far as design, but to boil it down into basics, fat bikes were originally about stability. Weight distribution between the wheels was also a bit of that recipe, for sure, but besides this, it was a typical 26" wheeled design for a mountain bike. There were no "long, slack, and low" designs influencing the earliest fat bike designers. 

Additionally, there was no concern for 1X anything. These were purpose designed to have multiple front chain rings, which - I know - may blow some minds of those younger folks out there. Then you had standard bicycle stuff. Nothing weird or unusual there. So, the reality in 2011 was that this fat bike thing was really about staying stable, moving forward, and that on semi-compacted snow or firm sand. Surfaces that would not support a 2.2" 26"er tire, which would cut into those surfaces and require massive amounts of effort to keep upright and moving forward. 

Fat bikes were not a free pass to ride non-compacted snow, finer, loose sand, or mud. This was a misconception many had at the time when these bikes first came about. That part turned a lot of people off, after a while, and so fat bikes began to be marketed as all-around MTB choices for all terrain. This is when designers started moving away from the previous stability-first designs and more into overall trail handling aspects. By 2015 most fat bikes had lost the older geometry and design specific cues that the original fat bikes had. 

The Snow Dog from a ride last week.

Why would anyone want a fat bike that can only handle up to about a 4.5" tire on 80mm rims, has quick release dropouts, and an axle standard that is not supported anymore? That's the problem with The Snow Dog, but it is still a worthwhile bike if you understand where it will work best. 

I've already given away what it was that slapped me upside the head when I started riding this bike again. Stability. In spades. As an example: My Ti Muk 2, (2015 Salsa Cycles titanium Mukluk) cannot be ridden with no hands for very long. At least not by me! I end up wobbling and swerving right or left not long after I let go of the handle bars. Not so with the original Mukluk. I can ride that thing no-handed with little effort. 

This manifests in slow-speed handling, where I can cut a tight turn, keep the bike upright, and use a lot less effort than I would on my other fat bikes. I wish we had enough snow for groomed trails because I think this bike would really come to life on a packed snow trail. 

We didn't have groomed trails for the first five to six years that I owned this bike, and by the time we did, I had two other fat bikes. So, The Snow Dog kind of got a bad rap for not being great at cutting its own trail, like the Blackborow DS. But then again, these early fat bike designs were meant to be ridden on snow machine tracks and firmer sandy trails. 

The Snow Dog did get ridden on dry single track, and this was where I found the Mukluk was a great trail bike. It handles really well on our typical river bottom dirt trails which wind around the flotsam and jetsam of past floods and the several underbrush plant varieties we have here. 

So, as a plain old mountain bike, it is sort of like an old 1990's mountain bike with 4" wide rubber. No suspension correction either. I was impressed by the single track handling. So much so I wrote a few blog posts back then about why I thought this was more than just a "snow bike".

Of course, it makes a great bike for gravel. If you've ever gotten zinged by the constant barrage of vibrations induced by crushed rock, and thought you might like to try to do something to get rid of that, a fat bike will erase chatter from gravel. Plus these older designs that can only take narrower tires are just perfect for gravel travel. It's the stability thing again.

This bike has its merits. I am coming around to the feeling that it might actually be worthy of some upgrades in componentry soon. Also; if we get any rideable snow late this Winter, I'll try to get out and give an update on this post afterward. 

Stay tuned..

Gravel Grinder News: 2025 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Class Announced

The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame has announced its class of inductees for 2025. These four individuals were nominated by the public, had their nominations read and voted upon by the electors of the GCHoF which includes past Hall members, and then the results were tabulated and the inductees identified by the GCHoF. 

Following are the official press release announcements for each individual, edited for brevity for this post, and a comment after each from myself giving my own opinion on each inductee. My opinions are my own and definitely do not reflect those of anyone else involved in the matter of choosing this class for the GCHoF

. Note: In the FN&V last week I stated only three would be inducted, but it will be four. I apologize for any inconvenience. Also, all images of the inductees and information on the inductees was provided by the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame.

Amanda Nauman Sheek: 

While Amanda Nauman Sheek may be best known as a professional gravel cyclist, her work to promote the positive aspects of gravel cycling has had a profound and lasting impact. On the bike, Sheek is a two-time DK200/Unbound Gravel champion, and holds the distinction of winning one of the toughest editions of the event –– the infamous “mud year” in 2015. She’s also won or finished on the podium at countless other events, including Mid-South, Unbound XL and Belgian Waffle Ride California, among others.

It should also be noted that Amanda along with her husband started Mammoth Tuff, a gravel event in California and have made that a part of the UCI Gravel World Series this year. 

Comments: Amanda is one of the first women with a Pro/semi-Pro status that crossed over to gravel and made a big impact. Along with fellow GCHoF'er, Rebecca Rusch, these two women put gravel racing at the forefront of women's minds when it came to opportunities to enter competitive cycling as a money-making, or supplementary income sort of vocation.  

Sheek also, more importantly, showed the way to other women that gravel was a good way to have fun, stretch themselves, and be more than they may have thought they could be. A true influencer who made a mark in the sport.  While Sheek is on the GCHoF board, I don't have a problem with this. I believe it shows that Sheek truly cares about gravel cycling.(And I know this to be true from personal experience)

LeLan Dains:

With a gravel resume stretching back to the earliest days of Unbound Gravel’s predecessor, the DK200, LeLan Dains has played a critical leadership role in the sport of gravel cycling. His tireless vision has helped Unbound Gravel grow into the world’s premier gravel event, and his work has been instrumental in putting Kansas gravel on the map as a top travel destination.

LeLan continues to help push gravel cycling/bikepacking forward with his influence on The Great Plains Gravel Route.

Comments: I cannot remember which GCHoF induction ceremony this happened at, but during a conversation I had with LeLan Dains I told him that he belonged in the Hall at some point. He scoffed at the notion, which should tell you a lot about his character. 

But LeLan deserves to be in the GCHoF. LeLan helped push the DK200 into the limelight and to the top of the heap when it came to gravel events worldwide. There are not many that can lay claim to that, although there is one individual that can, which I'll get to later here. 

For that alone, LeLan should be in the Hall, but the Hall itself owes a huge debt of gratitude for its mere existence to LeLan. Truly, without LeLan there probably wouldn't be a GCHoF. Again, not many can approach the influence LeLan has had on gravel cycling since from its beginnings in the Modern Era. There is no question, he definitely deserves this honor.

Ted King:

Widely credited as the first UCI World Tour road cycling competitor to cross over to the gravel cycling discipline, Ted King raised the bar for the professionalism required to win big gravel events. With palmares that include winning Unbound Gravel twice and victories at SBT Gravel, Grinduro, Rasputitsa, Vermont Overland, and UnPAved, among others, King is well-known as a fierce competitor.

Ted continued to influence gravel cycling with his podcast, gravel event promotions, and social media. 

Comments: I was at the finish line when Ted King won the DK200 in 2016. It was apparent then that gravel cycling, in terms of competitiveness and popularity, was going to explode into the next level. Wow! I had no idea it would get where it is today, but Ted King was the harbinger of all of that, in my mind. 

Ted's draw on other seasoned Pro road folks to come and try gravel events cannot be underestimated. Definitely a Hall worthy choice!

John Hobbs:

While the task of deciding exactly when or where the modern gravel era started, it’s clear that John Hobbs was an early visionary in the sport. As far back as the mid-1980s, Hobbs was hosting formal “rough road rides” in the southern Flint Hills of Kansas.

Buoyed by the success of the rides, Hobbs began promoting a ride out of Matfield, KS called the Matfield Green 100k. This evolved into the infamous Kansas Death Ride, an event that was known for being rougher than most mountain bike races. The event’s successful 22-year run, often attracting more than 600 riders, proved that cyclists wanted to explore beyond paved roads, onto roads less traveled. In fact, it was the success of the Kansas Death Ride that inspired a group in Emporia, KS to create the DK200/Unbound Gravel in 2005.

Comments: Long over-due for inclusion, this nomination speaks to me as something the GCHoF needs more focus on. Longtime readers of this blog will understand where I am coming from here. If the GCHoF is about telling the untold stories, then this nomination reflects that perfectly, but it is far, far from the last such story hanging out there that "no one", including many of the electors, knows about. More on this in my overall commentary. 

 Overall Comments: 

This is a great class of inductees and I can 100% get behind all of them. They all are deserving and they all will enhance the GCHoF. They all, however, have one thing in common which, while missing from the GCHoF, is an integral part of this class' stories. 

That would be Jim Cummings. 

Jim is not in the GCHoF, despite the fact that he takes a direct line from John Hobbs' influence, and was the major contributor to the other three being in the Hall. Without Jim Cummings, none of these stories either happen at all, or matter at all. 

So, the question is "Why?" Why is he not in the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame? Is Jim Cummings to be seen as the "Pete Rose" of gravel? Someone who will never be forgiven for something done that had zero to do with gravel cycling? 

I'm not going to get into the weeds on the backstory, or on the reasons I think Jim should be a GCHoF'er. I will only point out that of the people who are in the Hall today, barely anyone can say they would be in the Hall without Jim Cummings and what he did regarding his efforts to promote the DK200. 

So again, the question is "Why isn't he in there?" I cannot answer that. I can say that he's been nominated every year the Hall has existed. But as to why the other electors don't see him as being worthwhile to vote for......? You tell me if you know. 

As for my comment about those stories left hanging out there being untold, well some of those were on the ballot this year as well. This is very good. I hope that the GCHoF will undertake a bit more proactive approach to helping electors too young to remember, or too uninformed to have a proper opinion, to have access to better backstories/history on each of those stories/people/events that were represented there in the ballot for this class. Not everyone/everything can get nominated in a given year, but I saw some things that deserve to be the stories that get told. 

I also saw some things that made me scratch my head. I get that these are submitted by the public, but as I stated a while back in another post, many people are so new to this sport that the old, untold stories are not known to them. On the other hand, some things creep in which have very little to do with gravel. Things and people which don't have anything about them related to gravel in a historical/influential context. This confuses things, in my opinion, and it dilutes the choices made available to electors. So, you have a confusion as to what is important, merely by these things being on the ballot, and a dearth of backstory/historical context being provided.

I cannot help but think that many of the electors who are in the media and cycling industry fall prey to this situation. All I know is that there is precious little done to enlighten the electors as to why certain stories matter, and why certain ones probably do not. 

This would place the onus on the GCHoF board, but at some point you probably need to do two things. First, you need to take nominations in-house to weed out the chaff which currently gets into the machinations of the process via the public. Second: The GCHoF needs to research and provide the narratives on nominees so electors can have an informed vote. 

If I could, I would also have the GCHoF remove a nominee's name after a designated period of years if they do not get elevated into the Hall, just like most professional sports' halls of fame do. 

That's about it. Love this class. There is a glaring omission. And some changes to how things work internally with nominations and voting would be my recommendation going forward. That's just me. My opinion only. If you've got a take on any of this, let me know in the comments. Otherwise, that's all I have to say about it.

Two Things: Pack Fodder

 The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame announcement will happen at 9:00am CST today, January 27th. I usually have something up for my readers in the morning, and I have not forgotten about you. Thank you for reading this blog, by the way. 

So, to get you early-birds satisfied I have a "pack fodder" version of my ongoing "Two Things" posts for you to check out. And do come back to read my announcement/commentary on the GCHoF announcement. I've got a bit of a spicy take on it all. I think you might find it interesting. Thanks and enjoy! 

Weird. I'd never seen anything like it before.

Holey Bolt:

When I was a little shaver, maybe seven or eight years old, my parents would buy me these Converse basketball shoe knock-offs from K-Mart. They almost always blew out along the edges where my foot bent and sometimes in other places. I went through a pair or two every Summer. 

My Grandpa saw me wearing these once when I was with my folks visiting his farm. He looked at me and casually said, "So, those must be the shoes you wear to church, eh?" And I looked at him funny, thinking he was crazy to think this, and replied, "No! These have holes in them, Grandpa!". 

He would reply, "Right. They are "holey", so you wear them to church!"

Ahem.....Anyway. The bolts in the image here came off a Dura Ace crank from the early 1970's, and while you might never see it in a church, only one of this pair is "holey". I get it. Someone was trying to save weight. By the way, I don't know which side the one with the hole was on. I would guess the non-drive side. And no- It wasn't drilled after manufacturing. It was machined this way from the get-go, from what I can tell. The hole goes all the way through, by the way.

If you've ever seen a set of crank bolts like these, give me a shout out in the comments. I'd love to learn more about this. 

Image courtesy of RAGBRAI

The Hordes Of Cyclists Are Coming!

Word came out this past weekend that RAGBRAI is coming through Cedar Falls, Iowa on its 52nd annual ride. If you do not know about RAGBRAI (Where have you been hiding?), it is the world's largest recreational week long cycling ride. Tens of thousands will take to the county roads and village streets to cross the state of Iowa in seven days during the last full week of July. 

Cedar Falls is the adjacent and attached town to Waterloo, so I expect that this announcement will have some bearing on us at the Collective. I say that because in the past, whenever RAGBRAI came through here, people would be looking for cheap options to go for a day or two and hang with the RAGBRAI crowd. I'm ready as I have a lot of road bikes we can scarcely give away in the shop. I would love nothing more than to have RAGBRAI-curious folks wipe us out of that inventory. 

But I also know that things aren't too cheery or on the upswing economically, and although we have crazy low pricing on our bikes, even that may not convince those folks that are curious about this ride to jump in and buy a bike. That is if there even is a demand. We will see. 

I do know that since the Collective does not offer a retail repair service that I won't have to deal with last minute non-sense concerning this event like I used to. That's something I don't miss at all.

Remember to check back in today after 9:00am CST for the GCHoF announcement and commentary. 

The Fargo Legacy.

My Salsa Cycles Fargo

 The Salsa Cycles Fargo (Gen I) bicycle I have is a well known entity to you who have read the blog here for many years. The bike, somewhat synonymous with myself and this blog, has brought a lot of attention to these pages since I acquired the bike in 2008. It has been and remains an important bicycle to the blog, but more importantly, to my life and memories. 

Through this bike I have been connected to many people that figure heavily in my relationships. Some of my most intense and memorable experiences were had while riding this bike, or because of this bike. It is for these reasons and many others that I do not ever plan on letting this bike get away. 

I also am somewhat of a nut when it comes to the history of this particular Salsa Cycles model. While I have had a front seat to some of its earliest days, I certainly don't know but a drop or two of this model's story. That is why I am excited to see, and share, that Jason Boucher is writing up more of this bike's early history. 

Jason, for those of you who may not know, was  leading the Salsa Cycles team for Quality Bicycle Products during the time that the Fargo was developed. Due to certain limitations and just timeliness, there is a lot about this bike and its design from the earliest days that has never been shared. 

If you are interested in learning more about this bicycle's early days and its impacts, Jason's blog is where he has started to tell the story. Check out his first post on the Fargo Gen I HERE. I will likely link to his forthcoming posts, but I encourage you, if you are interested, to bookmark his blog. Jason has a lot of very interesting imagery and stories to show and to tell. 

Second entry HERE.

If You Know - You Know

 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!

A scene from the start of the 2015 Gravel Worlds

In 2016 I was asked to attend the Iowa Bicycle Summit and their events director's meeting. It was the only time in the 15 years I was organizing gravel events that I had been asked to attend that meeting, which looking back on it now, seems like a gross oversight on the part of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, who organized this event. 

I still remember sitting there and hearing all the "horror stories" concerning how one should put on a cycling event. Of course, I was a very non-traditional promoter, and much of the trappings of "normal cycling events" was not part of what I did or ever wanted to do. 

But the thing that struck me was how big events get bogged down in details that most event attendees never grasp. You will hear people gripe about an event after they have ridden in one, perhaps, and maybe even you have done this, but the "other side" has a LOT of headaches and thankless minutiae to wade through that, frankly, I don't think many of the complainers would ever face up to wading through. 

It's a long story, and I haven't got the time, nor the space, to detail it all out here, but suffice it to say that I have experienced these things and I have heard from other event directors about these things. If you know - you know. It's a really hard thing to express to those who have never put on an event before in the cycling realm. 

That said, if you have read these pages over the years, you probably have somewhat of an idea of what I mean. I'll leave it at that. It is definitely something that has influenced the blog.

The Blackborow DS on Marky-Mark Trail.

I noted also that in 2016 we had some of the best snow we've ever had for fat biking. I thought 2011 was really good, but then for the next four years it was always that "sugar-snow". You know the type - Snow that is granular and will never set up to support flotation by fat bike tires. 

Well, we hadn't really had any snow for fat biking during the Winter of 2015-2016 until the beginning of February. Then we had about two perfect weeks before the weather turned mild and I started going out to ride gravel more and more. We may have had a few weeks here and there since that time where fat biking was decent, but this snow was perfect. 

I feel like fat biking has been so hit and miss around here the last five years or so that the desire for many to try it has waned quite a bit. Many fat bike races see no snow here anymore, and if they do get some, it is wet and muddy along with that. 

It has caused fat biking content here on the blog to be a rare thing, at least on snow, so until that changes, I really think that my fat bikes are kind of a luxury item, and not so much a necessity. Maybe I should convert the Ti Muk into a 29"er full rigid MTB with a Rohloff hub. 

I'd probably get more out of the bike from doing that than I am now!

Friday News And Views

  A Very Gravel-filled FN&V!

Gravel Amplifier: The Skirmish:

The area around Northwest Arkansas is rife with mountain bike and gravel event activities, but how about something in Northeast Arkansas? That is where an event dubbed "The Skirmish" takes place. 

The event is being promoted as more than just a race. It will be a "festival" of gravel, and event promoters plan a multi-day experience for those who attend. Here is a bullet point list taken from an article seen on the "Arkansas Outside website HERE. 

• Live music on Friday night.
• A family-friendly “slow roll” ride through the Arkansas State University campus and downtown on Saturday.
• A vendor expo showcasing various products and services.
• Opportunities to meet and greet participating athletes.

The daily schedule will look like this: 

• Thursday: Kick things off with a group ride to energize for the weekend.
• Friday: Enjoy two group rides, explore the vendor expo, meet the athletes, and attend a lively welcome party with free live music.
• Saturday: Participate in the main cycling event followed by a post-race celebration. Family-friendly activities will ensure everyone enjoys the day.
• Sunday: Wrap up the weekend with a relaxing short ride, followed by a video and photo montage showcasing the event’s highlights. Award ceremonies and prize distributions will mark the official closing.

The event will take place out of Jonesboro, Arkansas from May 29th - June 1st with the race date being Saturday, May 31st. The earlier you register the less the event costs, but overall this ranks pretty high on the dollar-per-mile scale I use to rank event value. 

Comments: Can't make it into Unbound, or has that event lost you with its growth and focus? Check out this event, held on the same date as Unbound, by the way. In my opinion this will have a feel much akin to Mid-South in that the community will show out for this, but it won't have a focus on the upper echelon of athletes to the point of ignoring the average rider. 

The last Gents Race logo. For real this time?

Gents Race Run Ends v2:

The event dubbed at first as The Renegade Gentleman's Race, but eventually was known as as just "Gents Race", has posted on social media saying that the event's run is over.

Thanking the past riders of the event in helping raise over $40,000.00 in donations for different causes, the directors of the event also rightly pointed out that the gravel calendar has become a rather crowded space in the Springtime when this event was held. 

Comments: Well, we've been here before with saying this event was over, and you never know, but this time the announcement has a bit of an air of finality to it. This makes me feel like the Gents Race is truly now gravel history. The event, started in 2011, was one of but a handful of gravel specific events held in Iowa at that time. Fast-forward to 2025 and there are two multi-event series on gravel held in Iowa plus many other events which were non-existent back in 2011. 

The Gents Race's unique structure, a team of five time trial, was open to interpretation enough that in some ways the event represented a "gravel RAGBRAI/party-pace event for many who participated in the event over the years. Of course, many also could take the racing part seriously, and did so, which is what made this a very unique and attractive event for many years in Iowa. It was an event challenging enough, (held during the first full weekend of April, metric century length) yet one that embodied the social aspect (party-pace option, mid-ride checkpoint at a winery, social bar time at the end), that there was an appeal across a wide section of society. 

I did a look back at my experiences with the Gents Race HERE in a post from 2023. Check those images out for a feel of what this event was about.
 

New Podcast Dropped:

N.Y. Roll had intended that we would talk about a few new things on the podcast including his pair of WTB i76 fat bike rims, his new Lake gravel shoes, and what we would do for a dream lighting set up for our bicycles. 

While we did get around to all of that, there is a fair bit of discussion and weirdness sandwiched in between those topics. N.Y. Roll bitterly rued our rabbit trail dives, but we made it through the episode. 

I think he's just being a bit sensitive concerning a comment we received saying we are just a couple of old men complaining. Which is rich considering that the comment is a complaint. Someone actually took the time and effort to let us know that. As if we weren't already aware that we complain. I mean, c'mon! If we said everything was roses we'd get lambasted for "not being real", right? Comments we make are our opinions, negative or positive. You can call that whatever you'd like. So, listen or do not listen. Complaining about our content isn't helping anyone. 

Check it all out HERE if you are interested in hearing two old men complain. I jest! But it is true.....

We're hoping to get a long-time guest on next and then start in with my talks with early gravel scene folks. If you have any suggestions for a guest that you'd like to hear from concerning the early days of gravel cycling, let me know in the comments.

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame To Reveal 2025 Class:

Monday January 27th will be the day that the next class of inductees will be revealed that are going to be enshrined in the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame in late May in Emporia, Kansas. 

Electors were sent the nominees last December and asked to choose five from a long list. Of the five chosen, each had to be ranked 1 - 5 with the elector's number one vote being weighted more than the next and so on. The GCHoF board then compiled all the votes, added up their rankings, and chose three new inductees for the class of 2025.

With the announcement of the 2025 class the total number of individuals in the hall will be 19. The GCHoF started in 2021 and inducted its first class in 2022, which included seven people, including myself. 

Comments: I'll be keen to see which three of the list that was sent to me to vote on will be getting the nod this year. I will have a complete commentary on the 2025 inductees next week after the announcement on Monday. So, stay tuned for that as I will have some very interesting comments depending on how this class shapes up. 

Image courtesy of Life Time Sea Otter

Life Time Sea Otter To Feature Gravel Heavily:

Sea Otter began as a mountain bike festival. Then as the years wore on it took on road racing and other forms of cycling, especially at the expo. Now, in 2025, under Life Time's ownership, the festival will be gravel-centric. 

Life Time is holding its first Grand Prix event here and has switched it from a mountain bike event to a gravel event. 50 folks will take away free entry to Life Time's Unbound Gravel event. Furthermore, Life Time is promoting its expo as being home to "the cutting edge in gravel" components and bicycles. 

Meet-ups with top gravel athletes and gravel specific workshops will also be offered this year. Life Time predicts that upwards of 70,000 folks will attend the four day event which will be held April 18th - 21 at Laguna-Seca Raceway. 

Comments: With Sea Otter having taken over the role that Interbike used to have in regard to introducing new product and providing a meet-up for industry folks, it is no wonder then that "gravel" is taking over the festival. Gravel being really the only bright spot in the marketplace (besides electrified bicycles) and it certainly draws the most people in terms of events. 

Expect to see a lot of cycling media sites and YouTube accounts spilling coverage all over the place starting in April.
 

Special Thanks: Thanks to all those who commented on the post yesterday, or who have taken the time to give me a Happy Birthday shout-out on social media. I appreciated each and every one of your messages!

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out there and ride those bicycles!