Two Things

I'm free! Finally I am free!

 Freedom For Cooks Crank:

Back in 2003 when I first put together my Campstove Green Karate Monkey, I used a Cooks Brothers crank set in the build. I set it up with a Big Cheese chain ring and ran the bike single speed for years afterward with this set up.

I actually wore out one Big Cheese ring and put on another, only to find that when it wore out as well, that hidden chain ring bolt was frozen together. I suppose several Winter's of use might do something like that. Hmm...

I freely admit I am not a BMX parts hound so I was at a bit of a loss as to whether or not the spider could come off this drive arm. It had an M8 bolt holding the spider to the crank arm, so I removed this, (and promptly lost it), then I found out the spider was peened on at the spindle and well.....

So now I had a real pickle. I couldn't get the ring off and I lost a "special bolt". Okay, so I bailed on this crank at the time and went with a 180mm White Industries single speed crank I had purchased with a square taper interface. This is the crank set on the bike currently.

Every once in awhile over the ensuing years I would fiddle with the Cooks crank and see if I could find a suitable M8 bolt or if I could remove the chain ring bolt. I guess last week was finally the time for release of trapped chain rings because I was able to finally get the dang nut apart!

Well, at least now I could clean up the arms and start searching again for a suitable M8 bolt amongst my massive stash of fasteners I have saved up over the years. The cleaning part went well. The arms are in decent shape and the spider still looks really nice. At least for a part that is likely 35+ years old and went through several Iowa Winters and gravel miles.

But finding a bolt? This was not as successful. I could find a ton of metric thread fasteners which would turn in three times and bind, indicating they had the wrong thread pitch. This took a while to get through all my fasteners so I ended up wasting a lot of time on this, but I know now I don't have a bolt for this crank arm.

I got to wondering, perhaps Cook Brothers used a SAE thread pitch on this bit, since it was produced in the U.S.A. This would make sense, but I just am not knowledgeable on these enough to say if this is the case or not. I also do not have SAE fasteners. I am a bicycle mechanic, after all!

One good thing came out of all of this though. In searching for the M8 fastener I found my lost Wahoo Elemnt ROAM. It was underneath a bunch of computer mounts in a bowl on the bench. Why? Uh.....I probably figured all the computer stuff should go in this bowl here while I was cleaning up one day and then I likely promptly forgot about it. This would totally track with me. Anyway, I found the Wahoo, so wahoo!   

SILCA SAGA

You may remember my ordering a gauge for my SILCA pump recently? Well, I did receive a package from SILCA. It was curiously light, and my red flags started to wave as I walked back from the mailbox. Hmm.... Something seems wrong here.

Well, as I opened up the bubble pack envelope, I saw the box inside and I knew immediately something was for certain way off. I opened up the box to find.......a spanner wrench?!

What?!

How...... I..... This was really weird! I mean, I could see sending out the wrong gauge, but a spanner wrench? This was super odd.

That's not a gauge!

 

Now that is a gauge!

I sent a quick email to SILCA and their answer was that someone must have been in a hurry in the shipping department and got their wires crossed. An actual gauge would be on the way pronto. 

Finally I have the gauge! And my Pista Plus pump is back in service again. I must say SILCA was very prompt and responsive during this entire process. I always received communication within an hour of sending an email and shipments were made ASAP. I have to say SILCA wins the customer service award from Guitar Ted Productions. I've not ever had such great, prompt, and courteous service from any company I've dealt with over the years. 

Yes, they made a mistake, but they rectified it and all is well. Now, back to pumping up tires....

Tree In The Road Ride

Announcing the "Tree In The Road Ride" for June 28th, 2025 in Atlantic, Iowa.

I know some may bemoan this date choice, (Sorry Rob!), but after consulting with N.Y. Roll this is the best choice for him, and he is my ride there, since I do not have a car or truck anymore. (I will also be working up a back-up plan for transpo, just in case)

I have a route, and I will release it via Ride With GPS soon, after I do some research, and more fine details will be released then as to a time and place to meet. Right now I don't have any specifics, but I would plan on a fairly early start. The ride will happen on a Saturday, and if the weather looks iffy it will be cancelled. No charge or registration necessary. This is a fun, group ride vibe with no rider left behind.

Plan on being self-sufficient with a tube, tools, an air delivery system, water to drink for at least 30 miles, and also be sure to bring something to eat along the way. We are planning on stopping several times. Some possible stops include:

• Approximately Mile 18 - Tree In The Road
• Approximately Mile 27 - Casey's General Store, Exira, Iowa. 
• Approximately Mile 39 - Albert The Bull, Waspy's Truck Stop, Audubon, Iowa. 
• Approximately Mile 43 - Hamlin, Iowa
• Approximately Mile 49 - Plow In The Oak
• Approximately Mile 52 - Brayton, Iowa 
• Approximately Mile 65 - Ride end - 

I would assume this will take around 7 hours. Maybe less if the group is fast and the day is really nice. Maybe more if we have mechanicals and a few stragglers. Riders who show up should be ready for loose, shifty gravel, steeper rollers on gravel, wind, Sun, and probably hot weather. Speeds will be in the 12mph - 16mph range. We will gather stragglers when necessary. Riders are requested to alert ride leaders, (Guitar Ted, N.Y. Roll) if you are bailing out, or if you want to ride faster and not be encumbered. (But if you want to ride fast, you probably should not come, just so you are aware.)

"Ride Right" rules will be enforced and anyone deemed unsafe, (riding up left side of hills, erratic behavior around others) will be asked to leave the ride. I don't believe this will be necessary, but it has to be said, so I did. I don't particularly care if that offends anyone and causes you not to come to this ride, by the way.

Anyway, there are a few things to chew on. This will happen whether or not it is just N.Y. Roll and I or if there are ten, twenty, or however many show up.  As long as the weather holds, we are healthy, and no other unforeseen occurrences happen, we'll be there. Again, an exact time and meeting spot will be shared soon.

Questions? Email me or hit the comments.

Stay tuned.....

Brown Season: The Freshies

Escape Route: Sergeant Road bike path.

The Continental Terra Adventure tires I have in for review needed to be ridden, and with Friday being a nearly windless day, (what?!), I decided to ask myself, "What better time to go than now?" The answer: There is no better time than now.

So, out came the 3/4's Twin Six bibs, my longsleeved Bontrager wool jersey I've had for years, and my Twin Six wind vest. I put half a plastic shopping bag around each foot and wore my old Giant MTB shoes.

It was around 50°F, so it wasn't 'warm', and with a mostly cloudy sky, I had little help from the Sun. As it turned out, I was dressed perfectly. The Conti tires were aired up to 30psi, the water bottles were filled, and I was off to find Petrie Road's Level B section to test these knobby little tires.

Spring-time gravel road maintenance has begun. Great!

The farmers are readying their toys for Spring play-time.

Well, I found out I hit the "gravel jack-pot" on the first stretch of gravel of the day. The County has hit Aker Road hard with the freshies. Deep, loose, fresh ground and crushed rock. Mmmmm.... The Noble GX5 was darting and slipping around on the white rock. Dust was being kicked up by passing cars and made the dust look like thunderheads, but I was fortunate in that every car and truck slowed to make sure I wasn't too blinded.

Taking a break at "The Usual Spot".

Once I passed by Hudson, Iowa, to my right, Aker Road cleared up. A little bit!

That fresh gravel was jarring. I expected sooner or later we would be seeing this happen. It is about the time when farmer's are getting ready to plant and the County likes to get its 530 miles of gravel squared away before their heavy equipment hits the gravels. 

Where the dirt begins on the East side of Petrie Road's Level B section.

There is usually water here all year long, but with the drought it has been hit or miss.

Level B roads, the good ones, change periodically. Petrie Road's Level B section is no different. Right now it is rough and rutted out. We haven't had a ton of moisture around here, and you would think things couldn't get too tore up, but they are right now.

I was remarking to myself how it was back when we ran Trans Iowa v12 through this road and it was super-smooth. I think it was in the best condition I'd ever seen this section of road be in. Now, it should be said that a certain landowner adjacent to this section of dirt road would like nothing more than to have the County declassify it to a C Level road and have it gated off. So, this landowner has let their end of this road "go to hell" and they even took down the street sign on their corner along with the Levl B warning sign so it looks more like a farmer's lane. Maybe someday this farmer will get their wish, but it is still open to traffic in 2025.....

The first hill on the East end.NOTE: This shot is from a similar vantage point as the header (as of 4/14/25)

Headed down to the last bit which is flat, riddled with ruts, and in Summer, overgrown with weeds.

I was picking my way through trying to avoid the ruts, the decomposed clay, which sucks yoiur wheel in, and the mud where it was prevalent. On the West end, near where "that farmer lives", it gets real gnarly with really deep ruts, mud, and water. I was 50 yards from the West entrance when I finally made a wrong move and dumped myself unceremoniously on my left side.

I was laughing. I almost made it and, well.....darn it!  I got back up still chuckling to myself, remounted, and got to the end with no further issues. A quick look at the Terra Adventure, to see how much mud stuck to it, and I was off on my way back North on Holmes Road.

I don't notice this erratic too often, but it appears this farmer is stacking more rock on it.

Freshies on Aker Road. The right side by the ditch was way smoother!

I was out almost two and a half hours. It was a good ride and I learned a lot about the new tires. (I'll post again on those soon.) I was happy it wasn't windy and at least I felt pretty good once I got back home. Now I just need to get out more consistently and keep stacking those pennies.

Sea Otter: Left-Overs

Vittoria's T50 gravel tire (Image courtesy of Vittoria)

Vittoria Simplifies Tire Names, Introduces New T50 Tire:

Vittoria is going to move away from its current naming conventions for its gravel tire line up. Apparently the Mezcal will also be switching to this new way of naming Vittoria's gravel range.

In effect, the new naming convention will help riders determine what tire is best for their riding intentions. So, a smoother, faster tire, like the Terreno Zero, will be a T10. Something more aggressive will have a much higher "T" score going all the way to 100. Vittoria will support this with a "tire-finder" on their site which will ask riders questions to help funnel them to tires which fit their riding needs best.

To illustrate this range we have the new Terreno T50, so, a tire right smack-dab in the middle of the new range and as one would expect, is being marketed as an all-arounder.  This tire is punture-protected, has a sidewall protection, and will come in a new "tan" sidewall along with the standard black. Gone are the grey sidewalls of the past. This tire currently is only offered in 700 x 40mm.

Comments: Okay...... I don't know if this new tire-finder way of naming these tires will make all that much difference. Initially, as Vittoria works through changing the range this Summer, my thought would be if someone is looking for a Mezcal and doesn't see any, (because now it is a "T" something tire), they won't buy Vittoria. But maybe the "Mezcal" part lives alongside the "T" bit for awhile, easing the transition. Otherwise, I don't see this "T" thing as a big benefit to the consumer. Most riders are going to listen to their group-think advisors online anyway, since bike shops are fading, and media cannot possibly cover every tire.

Moots Routt in the California Dreamin' ano scheme. (Image courtesy of Moots)

Moots Calfornia Dreamin' Limited Edition Routt:

Look at it. It is anodized titanium, high-end parts, and costs an eye-watering amount of money. Twenty-five will be made available by Moots. It's called "California Dreamin'". Got it....

Moving on.... 

Image courtesy of Maxxis Tires

Maxxis Debuts New Compound Across Gravel Tire Range:

Maxxis Tires announced a new compound for their rubber used across their four tire gravel range. Called "HYPR-X", this new compound is going to be integrated throughout the range during 2025.

The new compound borrows from Maxxis' HYPR road tire compound which is known for low rolling resistance. This is mixed with Maxxis' XC racing tire compound called "MaxxisSpeed". The result will be a tough, low rolling resistance compound for gravel.

Maxxis claims the new gravel oriented HYPR-X will lend riders 19% better cornering traction over the previous compound used and 25% less rolling resistance.  A new, even stronger Nylon will be used for the casings in the 120TPI tires which Maxxis says will "vastly increase tread durability". The EXO sidewall protection will also be applied to the range. All sizes in the gravel range will now be tubeless ready. Note the new tire hot patches, which will replace current branding. All tires will ship in new, recyclable paper packaging as well.

The Reaver and Rambler in 700 x 45mm will be the first to get the new compound  and casing with the other tires and sizes in the range to follow. See more on Maxxis' site. 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Salsa Revamps Full Sus Range:

Salsa Cycles announced last Thursday they had revamped the entire full suspension range of bikes, including e-bike FS. I'm not going to go into detail on the entire range, but I will speak to the one bike in the whole range which I found interesting: The 'entry level' Spearfish C Eagle Transmission.

 This bike has 120mm front/rear travel via Rock Shox SID range dampers. Decent wheels and tires, a good geometry, and that 'Dusty Rose' hue looks pretty cool.

Comments: I am amused this bike costs 5G. The range-topping Spearfish C DLX XO is over twice as expensive. So....I could buy two C Eagle Transmission models and have money left over compared to the XO model?

Ridiculous. How did we get here?  

Courtesy of Sage Titanium's Instagram

Sage Titanium "Dropinator" Points To MTB Trend In Gravel:

Sage Titanium showed off a new bike at Sea Otter which grafted gravel bike geometry with a 100mm suspension fork. The bike dubbed "The Dropinator" also has  a dropper seat post, 1X SRAM drive train, and Rock Shox Attendant Control electronics for the fork and dropper post. 

Comments: As I have often stated here on these digital pages, 40mm - 50mm of "gravel suspension fork t5ravel" is functionally useless. You can see here 100mm is where the action is going to be, that is if this takes off as a "thing".  

I've also said the Fargo/Cutthroat class of drop bar MTB was already doing this sort of job, but what I see here is a trend toward taking the concept to a racier, lighter chassis than a bikepacking bike has.

But in the end, this all points to what is happening in the upper echelons of Pro XC MTB, just with a drop bar variant thrown in. Keeping in mind this bicycle debuted at an event which had been a XC MTB event up until this year. Does this have any bearing on the reason the bike exists? Possibly, but I think more so this points, once again, to "gravel" being the hot ticket. If we can disguise a hard tail XC rocket ship as a drop bar gravel bike with a suspension fork and call it "monster gravel", or whatever they end up calling this concept, then you have something to get folks excited about.

In the end, I think this concept is fine. I did something similar with a Gen 2 Fargo and an 80mm travel Reba fork once. But it was not a "gravel bike".  It just wasn't the same on actual unpaved roads, which is where a gravel bike really shines. Drop bar MTB is really cool, and I do like it, but again - this Sage model and bikes like this are a drop bar MTB bikes. Let's not kid ourselves here.

Radio-Radio

 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!

Of course, this is another Trans Iowa related post. It is April, after all, and for 14 years, the month of April was dominated by Trans Iowa talk, so go figure, right? Anyway, I figured I would write about the evolution of what became to be known as "Trans Iowa Radio". Here's a bit I posted on the eve of Trans Iowa v8 in 2012.

 Special Notice: To the regular readers of this blog: You will notice that for about the next week's worth of posts that the subject matter will be entirely about Trans Iowa. This event happens over the course of the weekend. You will notice several "Trans Iowa Radio" posts with an mp3-type audio track button which you can click on and listen in to reports filed live from the event. Then there will be a post race recapping of the event which typically takes five to seven posts for me to wade through. 

Those "mp3-type audio posts" were done on a service called "Hip-Cast". It wasn't the first audio-posting service I had used though. I cannot recall what it was I used in 2005 and 2006, but it was pretty rudimentary. I know there were some T.I. Radio posts done on a service called "Audioblogger" for a couple years, at least. Then in the closing years of Trans Iowa, audio call-ins were posted on the RidingGravel.com site.

 Interestingly, the audio updates I posted for Trans Iowa v7 on Hip-Cast played a big part in the Emmy winning documentary, "300 Miles Of Gravel" by Jeff Frings. It captured the essence of those updates excellently, and is a great time-capsule for this important part of Trans Iowa. 

Guitar Ted, (R) posting a Trans Iowa Radio update for T.I.v6

Whatever service I was using, the "updates" were of varying quality. In the earliest years of Trans Iowa, when I assumed no one would ever listen, I was doing fake commercials and fake sponsors reads because, why not? The entire point was just a way for me to pass the time, stay engaged, and keep myself from wandering off into some farmer's pasture drunk with sleep deprivation at 3:00am in the morning.

The thing was, people were listening! I had a lot of negative feedback over the course of the first several Trans Iowa events because I wasn't either being serious, or thorough enough, (usually both) for the listeners. I knew things had taken a turn when after Trans Iowa v3 I learned I had listeners in Poland because we had two Polish immigrant brothers in the event that year! People wanted facts and that at a constant rate so they could "keep tabs" on their kid, relative, husband, girlfriend, wife, or they were just a fan of someone.

This came to a head during T.I.v5 when I had a wife of a participant wanting an update and she called me at 4:00am in the morning to get it. She was upset because I hadn't "reported" on him for the last couple of T.I. Radio updates. This is when I felt the need to delineate what "media coverage" meant for Trans Iowa. I wasn't there to give play-by-play. I was running an event, and I did not have time, nor the resources, to pull off any blanket coverage of the event, and furthermore, I did not want this for Trans Iowa.

Trans Iowa Radio updates direct from the racers was first made available during Trans Iowa v9.

 Trans Iowa was, in my opinion, an event where one was disconnected from the modern world. Making it a media circus wasn't in my plans. I did not like cell phones either, but hey! Safety and rider tracking were done via those devices, so I necessarily had to allow for those to be in play. The thing was, people used them to connect to racers, and vice versa. Support, from the outside, in any form, was minimized as much as I could back then, because it was integral to the experience I was cultivating. Cell phones were an evil necessity and more Trans Iowa Radio wasn't in my plans.

But pressure from outside the event did not get less as the years went by. Once I was acquainted with Ben Welnak, who I joined forces with in RidingGravel.com in 2014, it was determined that a Trans Iowa Radio call-in feature could be implemented, so any rider could "check in" at any time to let folks know how it was going. This seemed fine to me, so from Trans Iowa v9 onward this was how Trans Iowa Radio worked.

I still did my updates, but those were sprinkled in with the rider audio-posts, so the feature actually did become an event-long report in a way. Yes, people still complained it wasn't good enough, but I was done listening to that complaint by the point Trans Iowa Radio was facilitated on Riding Gravel.

When Trans Iowa ended in 2018, riders did not know the event had been terminated until 2:00pm the Sunday T.I.v14 ended when my post announcing the end was published. I know Ben told me afterward some people got on after the event and posted some nice words, but I haven't had the heart to listen to those messages. Maybe I should befor the site disappears forever....

Introducing The "Weekly Top Five"

As long as I've had this blog I've had stats I've been able to see on a daily basis which tell me a lot of things readers are doing here. The specifics have changed over the years, and honestly, it is not a s useful as the old analytics once were.

One thing I still find fascinating is the stat I get which shows me which posts during a seven day period are getting the most "hits" here. Sometimes it is a surprise as to what people look at on "Guitar Ted Productions".

I have to assume after all these years of blogging that some of my posts show up in searches and then , perhaps, those might get posted on some forum, on Facebook, or some other social media, and then the link leads folks here and they read an article I wrote ten, or even fifteen years ago. 

Of course, I do a Top Ten Posts of whatever year I am reviewing at the end of each year now.  I thought perhaps my dear readers might like to see what others are finding interesting on the site on a weekely basis. So, I decided to start a "Weekly Top Five" showing links to five of the week's most read articles on the blog.

Sometimes those will be current posts, but as I mentioned, sometimes not. I will also post commentary with perspective on some of the older posts, and try to give some context as to why I wrote what I wrote then, which may not reflect what I'd say in 2025. With all of the above said, here is this week's

Musings On Tires: Tuesday January 29th, 2013: This was pre-gravel yet. Tires specifically for gravel had just been introduced and there were maybe two bikes which were "gravel specific" at the time of this post. The post is mostly about air pressure habits, and a lot of this holds water in 2025, but I feel like most people are on to this tactic by now. In 2013? Not so much.

Double Duty: Saturday April 5th, 2025: Talking about going to Sea Otter and doing Trans Iowa within a week of each other. Not fun....

Reaching "The End": Sunday April 29th, 2018: The announcement for the termination of Trans Iowa came at the stroke of 2:00pm on the date the post went up, which also marked the end of the last Trans Iowa event. Being this month marks the 20th anniversary of Trans Iowa's beginnings might explain the reemergence of this post, or maybe it is just April nostalgia. I've no idea, really.

Two Things: Sunday April 6th, 2025: Whenever I write a "Two Things" post it gets tons of hits. I've no idea why this concept seems to spark the interest it does, but it does. This time in Two Things I wrote about the trend in gravel for MTB sized tires and on bikes being called "gravel" which are really just adventure bikes following the mold of the Salsa Cycles Fargo.

The Curious Case Of The Vaya: Wednesday July 22nd, 2015: Here we have an opinion piece on the Salsa Cycles Vaya, an enigmatic model in Salsa's range at one time. The bike was originally supposed to be a light touring bike for bagged, self-contained touring. However; it just so happened that the Vaya's geometry and ergonomics were nearly perfect for gravel. The Vaya also could handle fairly big tires (big for the day was 43mm), so it was quickly adopted by many in the gravel scene as a race bike or everyday gravel rig. The titanium model was certainly almost exclusively used as a gravel bike.

Salsa Cycles missed the boat in regard to what people were actually using Vayas for, and so it never really was tweaked into the metal framed gravel bike which, from the time of the Vaya's introduction in 2010, was just the sort of gravel bike many people wanted. Just imagine a lighter weight steel tube set and a carbon fork with Three-Pack mounts on a 2011 Vaya. Man! I don't see how this bike would not have been THE gravel bike of the early twenty-teens.

And that's a wrap on this weeks Top Five most read posts! I hope you all enjoyed this and thanks for reading!

Friday News And Views

WCS Mountain Adventure Fork (Image courtesy of Ritchey Design)

 Sea Otter Edition of the FN&V:

Today marks the second to last day of the Sea Otter festival at Laguna Seca Raceway. Here is the first item from Sea Otter for today from Ritchey design.

Ritchey design Releases Mt Adventure Fork, News On A Tom Ritchey Book:

 Today Ritchey Design released news on their new "WCS Mountain Adventure Fork". A carbon fiber fork meant to adapt 120-130mm hard tail 29"ers to full-rigid status. This fork is in a similar vein as the recently announced Wilde "Future Proof Fork".

Featuring rack and fender mounts, internal dynamo lighting route, accessory mounts on each fork leg, and capability to handle a tire up to 2.4" wide, this fork should find a home on bikepacker's rigs. It is light,as well being made from carbon, so the overall weight is listed at 565 grams with an uncut 1 1/8th to 1 1/2" tapered steer tube. Boost spacing should accommodate most modern MTB wheels. No price was listed for the WCS Adventure Fork in the press release but the fork is at Sea Otter in the Ritchey booth. Available from April 15th onward.

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Furthermore, Ritchey Design is proud to announce a new book detailing the story of Tom Ritchey's life in "cycling history, professional triumphs and rebounds from near devastating mishaps".

Ritchey is starting a Kickstrater to fund this project. Early adopters will be in for access to (depending on donor level) a choice of a special limited edition of One Ride Away, a discounted from MSRP standard edition or supporter shirt with their purchase.

Comments: The Adventure fork is interesting in that it has a tapered steer tube and is made from carbon fiber. The tapered steer tube would be a non-issue with any other brand, but Ritchey typically eschews this type of steerer saying the straight steer tube designs lend a better ride quality to rigid forks.

I think carbon forks are not that big of a deal when it comes to knocking about on a trail bike or for bikepacking, but a certain element of the cycling world does still have reservations when it comes to carbon. Of course, there are choices, so maybe these folks are more of the type which would choose the Wilde offering. 

Sea Otter Switches To Gravel:

Today the big event will be the kick-off to the Life Time Grand Prix series for 2025. Instead of the traditional XC MTB event, the riders will now be doing a "gravel race", although some of the course will be essentially from the XC event.  (??)

The riders will be taking on the 88.8 total miles on a loop course which is done three times. Prizing has been increased over 2024, so each event in the Grand Prix will now have a purse of  $30,000.00 evenly split between the Men's and Women's fields. That should spark some pretty motivated racing, if this is how you are funding Life through 2025.

Comments: It should be noted the series will also add a XC MTB event at the end of the series with the new "Little Sugar" mtb event which will be the penultimate event in the series which ends with the Big Sugar gravel event. Both of those events happening in Arkansas. 

This new "gravel" event at Sea Otter is kind of weird in that the terrain is super-hilly, but is dirt, pavement, and pretty tame looking gravel not unlike what we have around town here in our alleys. Obviously, they are doing their best to find some kind of a course and honestly, it looks tough. So, we'll see what folks think, but I saw the course preview on You Tube, and the climbing is no joke. Good luck to all that take this on.

Image courtesy of Continental Tires

Continental Introduces New MTB Tires:

Continental released information on three new tires for its MTB range which replace the Race King, Mountain King, and Trail King models. I will only be focusing on the new "Dubnital" XC race tire as it has direct crossover to gravel usage.

The new Dubnital has a fast, lower block tread and features Continentals "Rapid" or "Grip" compounds depending upon the model chosen. Then you can choose between Trail or Race casings. Trail being the tougher of the two with Race being the lightest. These come in black wall or Conti's "tan" wall. Sizes are listed as all 29"er with one exception in black wall/Trail casing/Grip compound for 27.5"ers. Prices are around 67 to 74 bucks each depending upon the model's features.

Comments: I think the go-to tire here would be a Rapid compound, Race casing Dubnital in the 2.20" size, while a Fargo rider might opt for the wider 2.4 in a Trail casing. But either way, these tubeless ready, hookless bead compatible tires look to find a home on many a gravel oriented bicycle's wheels. 

Image courtesy of Niner Bikes.

Niner Bikes Introduces the O.R.E. RDO Gravel Bike:

Niner Bikes announced a new model this past Monday. It is called the "O.R.E. RDO, in their typical acronym nomenclature. This model's name stands for "Off Road Explorer Race Day Only". The RDO part generally confers the carbon frame material in Niner's range.

The marketing on this bike is pointing straight at the mountain biker who is looking for their first gravel bike. A 69° head tube angle mated with a longer front-center establishes what Niner thinks will be an "at home feel" for the avid mountain biker coming over to gravel. Furthering the MTB-like appeal the O.R.E. RDO is suspension corrected for a 40mm travel gravel fork.

The bike will be available in a few complete build options and as a frame and fork in two colors. Frames start at $2,500.00. 

Comments: A "mountain biker's gravel bike". How many times has this line been used for a gravel bike by a predominantly MTB oriented company? I was a bit dismayed to see only 50mm tire clearance and a 70mm bottom bracket drop. That is not very progressive in this current evolution of gravel bikes, but it isn't terrible. I really scratch my head though when I see high bottom brackets like this, especially when short crank arms are all the rage with MTB'ers these days. That's a T47 bottom bracket, by the way. I like that.

These claims of having this "forward thinking geometry" make me laugh when I look at my Honeman Flyer with geometry that is similar in many ways to this bike and comes from the 1930's. Ha! 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Growtac Equal Friction Shifters:

Velo Orange released information on Tuesday for their new Growtac Equal Control Levers. They are friction shifters, which means you don't have any indexing - no 'clicks'. Essentially a rider moves the lever until the chain makes its 'shift' and then the rider can adjust, or 'trim' the derailleur, until the chain is centered over the gear selected. Front derailleurs are infinitely adjustable so rubbing chains can be a thing of the past.

It might sound hard, but once you get the hang of it, (yes- there is some skill involved and a learning curve), it becomes second nature. I used a friction shifting bike as a commuter for several years and it is amazing how 'in-tune' you get to the system over time.

Another bonus: You can mix and match previously unmatchable components. SRAM Eagle derailleur, eight speed cassette, and a triple crank with a Campy front derailleur? Yep. As long as the chain tension can be maintained by the rear derailleur, you are good to go with a friction shifter. 

The Growtac Equal levers are also available as a brake lever only. This makes 1X or single speed set-ups possible without having a need for the shifting bits. The levers look great, and the word from Velo Orange is that they work quite nicely with mechanical disc brakes. You can read more HERE from Velo Orange.

Comments: I am honestly kind of excited about these levers. But holy-moly, the price isn't cheap! At $212.00  per shift lever and $125.00 for each brake lever, these will test your commitment level to friction shifting! Still, a very cool alternative to have available. 

Image courtesy of Allied Bikes

Allied Bikes Debuts Able With Big Tire Clearances:

Allied dropped this new Able bike on Tuesday of this week which features clearances for up to a 57mm 29"er tire.  Boasting "gravel racing geometry", the bike has a 70.5° head tube angle, a 74° seat tube angle, and an 80mm bottom bracket drop.

Due to the massive bottom bracket drop Allied warns Able owners to not use any tire smaller than a 700 X 45mm. This is perhaps a first. A recommendation for minimum tire size! 

Able bikes are ready to be ordered and you can also get a frame set. A frameset will set you back a cool $4,500.00 for the base model and options can take it up from there. (And it isn't even a Made in the USA frame!) More information can be seen on Allied's site HERE. 

Comments: Woo! That is a large tire clearance! Drop bar MTB? Hmm.... I do like the geometry. Raleigh had a bike very similar to this several years ago. I forget the model's name but it was a quite displeasing shade of brown! Anyway, nothing new here in terms of the geometry, so saying things like "gravel racing geometry" is but another phrase from the Book of Marketing Chutzpah.

And yeah.....that's a lotta money for this bike!

That wraps up this FN&V. If I find more Sea Otter stuff to post I'll run another article tomorrow, maybe..... Get on those bikes and Ride!

Celebrating Trans Iowa's 20th Anniversary

 This April 23rd marks the 20th anniversary of the start of Trans Iowa.s 14 year run. Judging from the hits I am getting on this post from 2018, there must be some interest out there concerning why the event ended, at least.

Of course, I understand the importance of this upcoming anniversary and I have already written a post, set for release on April 23rd, which will commemorate this anniversary.

It will be a part of my "Where We Came From" series which concerns itself with the telling of the story of Modern Gravel's early days. My position is Trans Iowa was the event that marked the line where this gravel scene started and grew to what it is today. 

So, consider this post a "Public Service Announcement" telling all I am fully aware this is a big anniversary and I do have a special post coming on the anniversary date which will celebrate this event and tell you all a few more behind the scenes stories concerning the first Trans Iowa. I will point out some folks out there who were pivotal in getting Trans Iowa off the ground also.  

Tentatively I also have scheduled a podcast episode with co-founder of Trans Iowa, Jeff Kerkove, to be recorded sometime after the 16th of this month. Hopefully this can drop right about the same time as the written post here does. 

If you have any comments concerning the early days of gravel, or specifically to Trans Iowa, I would love to read those. Meanwhile, you might get a kick out of checking out the Trans Iowa History site with stories on each of the 14 versions of Trans Iowa, a full results page, and a full roster page showing each person who ever rode in the event and which versions they were a part of. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Stay tuned for the podcast episode and the special anniversary post on Wednesday, April 23rd!

Continental Terra Adventure 700 X 45mm Tires: Review

Note: Continental Tires sent Guitar Ted Productions two Terra Adventure 700 X 45mm tires for test and review at no charge. Guitar Ted was not paid, nor bribed, for this review. All opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

A little over a week ago Continental Tires announced their most aggressive gravel tire in the Terra line - The Terra Adventure. Arrangements were made for a set to come here and be reviewed. Since the narrowest size was a 45mm, and the others were 50mm and 55mm, I opted to have the 45's sent, since most of my current gravel bikes don't take really big tires. Once they arrived direct from Continental's tire factory in Koblenz, Germany, I got busy and have the following introduction for your reading pleasure.

What It Is: The Terra Adventure is meant for the toughest gravel tracks, rough dirt roads, steep, loose climbs, and rowdy descents, (within reason). Inspiration for this tire was drawn from Continental's XC MTB line, and it shows.

The central tread area is a pattern Conti calls "3-3-4 Center Stud", while the shoulder tread design is angled for better cornering grip. The compound is "balanced" for the best all-around characteristics shining on loose terrain to hard pack. The casing is a single-ply design constructed for the best characteristics of rolling resistance and toughness.

Of course, the Terra Adventure is tubeless ready and it is also hookless rim compatible. Once again, it comes in 700c X 45mm (tested), 700 X 50mm, and 700 X 55mm in black side wall or Conti's "tan" side wall. Prices are 61.95€ and $69.95 USD.

First Impressions:

These tires came in nice, recyclable cardboard boxes. I appreciated this and I did recycle them after I removed the tires. The tires have copious mold  "whiskers" which sometimes can make a tire like this perform poorly out of the box on pavement and harder surfaces. So, I will not be reporting on this aspect of the tires until those burn off the casings which should take a few longer rides.

The many knobs and their depth are very unusual for a gravel tire. I can think of a few with similarly deep knobs, but they all had bigger blocks (Pirelli Cinturato M) or wildly different tread patterns (WTB Nano 40 and Maxxis Ravager) WTB's 650B Sendero was also a pretty knobby gravel tire, but a completely different diameter.

So these tires from Conti are not necessarily a new thing, but they are a niche of gravel tires which is not common. With Continental offering these larger sizes though, it points to use on bikes like the Salsa Fargo, Cutthroat, and bikes like the Mason In Search Of, or that new Ridley bike, the Ignite GTX.  A slew of newer gravel bike designs which will take up to a 50mm wide tire would also be a choice for use with this Terra Adventure tire.

The casings and rubber compound both felt like high-quality materials were used, which one would expect from Continental. Another thing that I expect from Continental is an overall width after mounting which is not matching what the hot patch on the sidewall says. Would the Terra Adventure be an outlier, or would it follow in a similar vein to most of my Continental tire experiences? 

Measurements & Mounting:

I decided to put this pair of tires on the WTB CZR i23 wheels which are carbon and have, as the name suggests, a 23mm inner rim width. This narrower rim width would have  a slight effect of making the Terra Adventure tires a bit more rounded in profile and probably a bit narrower than they would be on 25mm inner rim width rims or slightly wider rims than that.

The tires fit fairly tightly, but I was able to mount them by hand without tools. The Terra Adventure tires also aired up without removing the valve cores with my SILCA Terra pump. Before I mounted the tires I weighed them, and immediately after mounting at 40psi I measured them for width. I also rode them for about a half an hour then remeasured after 24hrs of being mounted. Here is what I found:

Weight: 530/526 grams

Width of Casing After Mounting: (40psi) 42.69mm / 42.56mm.

After 24hrs and Test Riding: (40psi) 43.6mm/43.7mm

Comments: The weight is fine. I mean, there are a lot of knobs there, so you should not expect a really light tire due to this. On the other hand, the width is less than I would have guessed. I was prepared for this tire to not be quite 45mm wide, but just under 44mm after 24hrs? And at 40 psi, which is higher than I'll actually be using them at? (Lower pressures will yield narrower measurements) That was a surprise. 

As stated earlier, it has been my experience over the course of 30+ years working as a mechanic and reviewer to find Conti tires to be less wide than stated. Sometimes they stretch and get there, sometimes not. We will have to wait and see after these tires break in to re-measure and find out what these end up being for width. 

So Far... The Continental Terra Adventure promises XC MTB-like performance for your gravel bike. Meant for hard pack dirt, looser terrain, and gravel for the most part, I do not expect to find these tires to be stellar pavement goers. I have test ridden them and I can find no glaring traits, either negative or positive, to report as of yet.

I plan on doing the normal gravel and dirt road testing, but with regard to this tire's intentions, I also will be riding some single track to see if any kind of MTB-ish performance can be squeezed out of these Conti tires.

The Terra Adventure tires mounted very easily, in my opinion, on the WTB CZR rims, and aired up with a floor pump using no out of the ordinary tricks. This was impressive and welcomed.They look great, and the weight seems okay for such a knobby tire. While Continental says the tire has a durable casing, and it did feel pretty beefy, you have to wonder about sidewall cuts on a tire with a MTB bent to them like the Terra Adventure.

I'll be back in a month or so with another update on these aggressively treaded gravel tires. 

Gravel Grinder News: Wahoo Updates Elemnt ROAM, BOLT GPS Units

 Note: Images and information in this post were provided by Wahoo Fitness.

Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM

Recently Wahoo Fitness released its new flagship GPS unit called "ACE", but the rest of their GPS range was left as is. Rumors began to spread recently saying Wahoo was going to upgrade its ROAM and BOLT GPS units, and as it turns out, those rumors are true. Today Wahoo Fitness announces the next generation ROAM and BOLT and introduces its first foray into a rear light/radar detection device. That new device is called the TRACKR RADAR 

ELEMNT ROAM: The biggest change here will be the addition of a touchscreen. The ACE's voice navigation feature is also carried over to this new ROAM model. Here following is a feature set for the ROAM v3: 

• Enhanced navigation and route management: Detailed maps with points of interest, elevation data and road types, combined with voice turn-by-turn directions.
• Larger, 2.8” high-contrast display: A 22% larger screen than BOLT with a higher-resolution, anti-glare and enhanced contrast, along with glove-friendly multi-touch capabilities (pinch, zoom, swipe).
• Intuitive connected experience: Connect to more third-party apps and services than ever before with expanded functionality and data sharing
• Wahoo’s "Ready to Ride"dashboard ensures that loading routes, syncing workouts, and checking battery or sensor status takes seconds—not minutes—so you can focus on the ride, not the setup."
• Up to 25 Hours of Battery Life: Enough power for long adventures and back-to-back rides.
• Modern design: A completely revamped user interface provides a clean, modern look and feel.

 Pricing and Availability: ELEMNT ROAM 3: US$449.99 / CA$679.99 / EU€ 449.99/ UK£ 399.99/ AU$ 749.95/ JP¥78,000 - on sale Tuesday May 6th 2025 

The new ELEMNT BOLT

ELEMNT BOLT: Wahoo's entry-level GPS device gets a crisper, slightly larger screen at 2.3". The feature set is as follows: 

• High-Resolution Display: The new 2.3” screen is optimised for clarity, especially in bright sunlight.
• Intuitive connected experience: Connect to more third-party apps and services than ever before with expanded functionality and data sharing
• Wahoo’s "Ready to Ride" dashboard for setup makes setup of activity type, routes, and workouts instant.
• Up to 20 Hours of Battery Life: Enough power for race day and beyond.
• Lightweight speed: Compact design minimises weight for speed without losing performance and functionality. 

Pricing and Availability: ELEMNT BOLT 3: US$329.99 / CA$529.99 / EU€329.99 / UK£299.99 / AU$549.99 / JP¥ 658,000 - on sale Tuesday May 6th 2025 

The new TRACKR RADAR

TRACKR RADAR: 

TRACKR RADAR is Wahoo Fitness' first foray into the bike radar and rear light category. The TRACKR RADAR pairs with the Wahoo Fitness' other front GPS units via Bluetooth or ANT+ and will do so with GPS units that support those protocols. 

TRACKR RADAR also has a built-in accelerometer which allows the unit to act as a brake light. Following are the features of this new unit:

• Vehicle warning: the radar system detects approaching cars behind, increasing the flash pattern. 

• Innovative safety: a built-in accelerometer allows the unit to function as a brake light, getting brighter when slowing down
• Simple connection: The TRACKR RADAR is an extension of the Wahoo eco-system, pairing with the ELEMNT head unit for the ultimate user experience, as well as other compatible Bluetooth or ANT+ bike computers.
• Ease of use: The dual mounting system also allows the TRACKR RADAR to be attached to any bike and removed with ease.
• Battery Extender Mode: Reduces luminosity to conserve battery when no vehicles are detected and can provide up to 20 hours of use. 

Pricing and Availability: TRACKR RADAR: US$199.99 / CA$ 299.99 / EU€ 199.99/ UK£ 179.99 / AU$349.95 / JP¥33,000 - coming soon.

Comments: The introduction of the ACE kind of tipped everyone off that something like this was coming soon. As far as the introduction goes, I think the touchscreen and voice navigation functions on the ROAM are probably reasonable upgrades to a well proven unit. The BOLT was largely left alone, and I think this was a good decision. Simplicity of function is pretty much why you'd want a BOLT anyway and loading it up with more features would only muck up a good thing.

The radar unit is a catch-up to Garmin and timely since the Taipei Cycle Show had several vendors showing new rear radar units. There are going to be a lot of those hitting shelves from several brands in the near future.

New Podcast Drop

 Hey, just a quick post this morning before the next bit of embargoed news goes live today. 

N.Y. Roll and I posted up another episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast HERE last Friday. Check it out for our takes on where we think tires, drive trains, and event participation is going. 

Also, it should be noted here that Sunday's post, is pretty much of the same vein concerning trends in gravel cycling. If you missed reading it, hit the link.

Ironically, we spoke about the new Continental Terra Adventure tires for gravel on the podcast which were announced recently. I say "ironic" because when I arrived home from recording at the Stone Castle Estates there was a box from Koblenz, Germany with two brand spankin' new Continental Terra Adventure tires inside of it. 

So.... Look for the introduction on these tires to hit probably tomorrow, (Wednesday), unless some late-breaking Sea Otter madness happens. 

Speaking of Sea Otter: Once again there is another post going up later this morning so make sure you check back for that. Also, it is highly likely that this week's FN&V will be all Sea Otter related. Stay tuned...

WTB Solano, Solano SL Saddles: Review

 Note: WTB sent two Solano saddles to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost for test and review. WTB has not paid for, nor bribed Guitar Ted for these reviews. All opinions and images, unless noted, belong to Guitar Ted/Guitar Ted Productions.

The new WTB Solano saddle

Today WTB releases three new saddles in their range of Fusion Form based saddles. Two are called "Solano" - The Solano SL and Solano. The third is the familiar Rocket name, but is a completely different saddle than its previous namesake. Guitar Ted Productions received the two Solano variants, so this review will focus on those models.

The Solano SL

What It Is... The new saddles feature WTB's Fusion Form base and padding especially formed to support the sit bones and give the rider enhanced comfort on medium to long rides. The Solano features a bit more padding than the SL, and so it is the model recommended for riders who tend to push hard pedaling in the saddle. Meanwhile the Solano SL is aimed at riders doing shorter, more intense rides. 

Both saddles feature a relief  contour in the center so there will be less pressure on the perineum and less frontal pressure. The Solano features 4mm of extra padding under the sit bones, compared to the SL, and an extra 2mm of padding in the middle and nose of the saddle. Otherwise both saddle's shapes are the same between models.

Other shared features include the "Love Channel" and "Comfort Zone" relief/comfort features, a Microfiber cover, DNA and DNAx padding, The Fusion Form base, and the available Medium or Wide widths. The Solano is available with Carbon, Titanium, or CroMoly rails while the Solano SL is available in only Carbon or Titanium railed models.

Pricing is commensurate with saddle rail material, so Carbon railed models are $209.95/€209.00/£210.00, Titanium models are $119.95/€119.00/£120.0, and the CroMoly railed saddles are $95.95/€94.90/£95.00. Some OEM models may show up with steel saddle rails and stainless steel saddle rails but the information I was provided shows these saddles are not available separately at this time.

 

The WTB Solano on Guitar Ted's King Fabrications "Honeman Flyer" single speed.

First Impressions: The Solano and Solano SL saddles were in somewhat short supply when I was offered samples in February. So I received one Solano in a Medium and the Solano SL in the Wide size. It is notable in regard to sizing that WTB offers no "Narrow" size, but the recommendations for sizing are for Medium, a sit bone width of  110 - 125, with the saddle measuring 142mm, and for Wide the suggested range is 125mm - 155mm and the saddle is 157mm in width.

I had to think this over a bit, but my reasoning for choosing the bicycles I did to do this review was based on seated positioning on each bike. I put the wider SL on my Titanium Mukluk. This bike has a more upright seated position and my reasoning was a wider saddle provides a bit more support when more weight is biased on the saddle. So, the narrower Solano went on my Honeman Flyer as this bike has a more even distribution of weight, front to rear, and I am bent over more as a result as well.

The saddles are of the "short nose/broad back" type so prevalent now days. The measurements for length of each saddle is 240mm. So they look a bit stubby and minimalist on the bike. I guess I'm still used to seeing longer saddles on bicycles!

In terms of shape these saddles are not far off from traditional WTB shapes like the Silverado or the similarly stubby Gravelier. Seated on the Solano I found familiarity there as well. The Microfiber cover, a staple in the WTB saddle line now, is smooth and doesn't grab at shorts or other clothing, so movements are made without snagging, which is welcome.

The Solano has a bit more "cush" in the hand if you press your fingers into the DNA padding, but it is firm and consistent. I really felt no big difference between the two sadlles I have here despite the minimal padding on the SL and my more upright position on it.

Overall, I was impressed by the quality of construction, and as far as initial rides went, I found these saddles to be quite comfortable to the point that I forgot about them. Which is a good thing, as longtime readers of reviews know. Now this is all well and fine, but what about multiple hour rides? 

Ride Feel: Actually I think both saddles were really good. I do get along with WTB's saddle shapes, for the most part, and so the fact that these two didn't bother me was not a big surprise.

I was pleased most with the narrower of the two, and if I had to go buy one I would get the Medium. A multi-hour gravel ride proved to be no problem, as far as this saddle goes, and I never had any issues with soreness or numbness at all.

The Solano wasn't what I would call "compliant", but it was not too hard or harsh at all. Firm might be a word one would use.  Definitely racy feeling. I also could move around at will, which I mentioned before, but this was the case whether I was wearing street clothes or a proper bib short. Now....there are not a lot of places to move to on this saddle. The short, truncated nose prevents a lot of fore-aft movement. I kind of miss being able to do this, but it was not a deal-breaker in my opinion. Just an observation.

So Far... There will be more rides and - hopefully - longer rides to see how I feel after such an adventure on this Solano perch. I suppose I need to say the usual "saddles are a personal thing" bit here, and this is true. But I have noted some saddles might feel fine up to three hours or so. You may think you've found "The One". Then you ride six hours and the last two of those are complete saddle agony. I've experienced this, and it is something I want to explore with regard to the Solano.  

Right now? This is a good, well made, fairly priced saddle from a company with a history of producing some classic saddle shapes over the decades. The Solano looks to slot in as the next "hit saddle" in WTB's long history. Time, and distance, will tell. Stay tuned....

Look for this saddle and all of WTB's products at their website here: www.wtb.com