Friday News And Views

Less Race - More Taste

 A Fear Of Vowels FN&V

Good Grief  Bike 'Nice Bars' In:

Well, after a four day delay when these handlebars went into the time warp, they have arrived! Tracking packages over a holiday weekend is never for the weak of mind. I will say that! 

I mentioned these handlebars a while back HERE in another FN&V. I'm preparing a post about these handlebars which will appear next week. Until that time, I have a couple of things to say about the experience of purchasing these handlebars. 

First of all, my order was processed and shipped very quickly. It wasn't Good Grief Bike's fault that the delivery took longer than expected. Again, the holiday week probably was not the best time to order anything and be expecting a timely delivery! 

Secondly, I was flattered and surprised that Chris of Good Grief hand wrote me a note telling me that he had been inspired by writings on this very blog! That was certainly very nice of him to say. On one hand, I am always so surprised by how and where my blog has touched someone out there and maybe has inspired them to something they wouldn't have otherwise done. Certainly Chris of Good Grief would have been fine without me doing what I did and do, but knowing that what I did and do makes a dent out there is kind of mind blowing. 

Secondly I am not going to let that kindness get in the way of evaluating this handlebar fairly. So, I just wanted to get that out of the way and be up-front about this. Chris of Good Grief had no idea I was going to order a handlebar from him until I did, so this wasn't a disingenuous response from him either. 

I'm excited about this handlebar for several reasons. Stay tuned for the update coming next week. I think some of you might be surprised....

First There Was SBT GRVL.....

Last week I saw a notice being posted on a few gravel pages on Facebook, (of which there are SEVERAL!), and it was an announcement of a new gravel oriented "magazine". 

It is called "GRVL MGZIN". You can check it out online HERE. 

Comments: Ah....... Vowels anyone? I mean, you bothered to use one in your name, so..... Maybe it can be chalked up to the SBT GRVL influence. Anyway. I guess its whatever these days. And what of the "magazine" part? I  could not find out if this was a physical product. It would appear it is just a digital content provider with six contributors. 

I wish these folks well. I know what this endeavor will take to make a dent and how much it "pays". Not many have made this model actually work for a career and a way to make a living. (See any number of current and past digital efforts in the cycling field) Perhaps this bunch will crack the code and be successful. But I wish they'd consider vowels as being a bit more important. 

It's Registration Season!

New Year - New Registrations! You've probably gotten hit up in your emails and social media by events angling to get you to come back again to ride or visit for the first time. "The Algorithms" demand that you pay attention and give them your money! Ha! But you know it is true! 

Outside, the corporation that owns BikeReg, is gonna get a piece of the pie whether you like what they do or not since it is hard to register for an event online without using BikeReg. Of course, there is a choice to use Athlinks, and then Life Time Fitness has a buck or two from that. The point is that gravel events are just like any other event these days with someone getting their fingers in the pie in a covert way that you may or may not notice. 

At least it isn't as bad as live concert ticket pricing! 

This is one of the things that 'gravel events' lost when things got monetized and pushed into big business style thinking. There was a time you sent your money directly to the organizer of the event with no middleman. I suppose there are still smaller events that do this. 

And some folks probably don't care where those extra fees are going. It is the price of doing business. And gravel is pretty big business these days!

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth

Speculating On Future Wolf Tooth Product:

Recently Wolf Tooth Components sent out an email to its customers reviewing what they had introduced in 2024 and then teasing new products for 2025. 

Saying in the email, "We've got some big things planned in the coming months. 2025 will be a new era for Wolf Tooth.", tad then showing the image here with a big puck of aluminum stock. 

So, let's play a game of speculation. What do you think this points to? I'll take a stab and say that Wolf Tooth Components will be making their own hubs for MTB and gravel bikes in 2025. 

N.Y. Roll has talked with me quite a bit about this idea and his guess is that Onyx Racing Products is going to merge with Wolf Tooth and come under one umbrella company. I think his guess has a lot of credence. Both are Minnesota based companies and both manufacture in house. Onyx Racing Products is actually an outgrowth of the Christianson Pneumatic Conveying Systems company out of Blomkest, Minnesota, a small town West of the Twin Cities. So perhaps Christianson is spinning off Onyx to Wolf Tooth which, again, makes a lot of sense.

Or N.Y. Roll thinks it could be a merger with HED Wheels. I could see that, because HED and Wolf Tooth already work together with the bicycle side of Wolf Tooth, Otso Bikes. Whatever the case, I think Wolf Tooth is going into the hub making business. 

Can N.Y. Roll and I both be right?

We'll see. 

A New Book By John Ingham With A Forward By Guitar Ted:

Readers here may recall earlier last year seeing a long form article I was honored to present which was authored by John Ingham. 

John contributed several such articles in the past to "Riding Gravel" which have been culled and included in this new book of his. He also added the article posted here plus a previously unpublished article. 

The book is a look at how gravel and long-distance riding can change your life for the better both spiritually and physically. John Ingham is a retired professor of anthropology, a former rock climber, and has been riding gravel and gravel events recently including The DAMn. John is also in his early 80's, and is an inspiration to many. 

I was honored to have John ask me to write a forward to this book and I also can heartily recommend it as a great look from an academic, scientific, and experiential viewpoint. John gives the reader all the facts and sources for research in this book so you can verify things for yourself if you care to do this. 

I've read most of the articles and I can say that I learned a lot from John's research and knowledge. I think you might also. Here's how to look it up on Amazon where it is available as a paperback. NOTE: I have no benefit from the sales of this book. My contributions were provided gratis in support of John and as a way to thank him for his past contributions to my work.

Thanks for considering this. 
 

That's it for the first FN&V of 2025! Happy New Year! Get out and ride those bicycles!

The State Of The Gravel Scene 2025

 In January 2018 I posted a five part series on what I thought was the "State Of The Gravel Grinding Scene". It really is a retrospective/editorial piece, I suppose, since it does present the historical background of what I term as "modern day gravel racing and riding", which I hold to have begun when Trans Iowa kicked off in November of 2004.

Now, a whole seven years later, things have radically changed in the gravel scene. What is more, things are set to change even more in 2025 and beyond. 

Remember- THIS IS MY OPINION. Your thoughts and views on the matter may be quite different. I welcome any reasoned and considered opinions which you can share with me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

Nearly ten years ago now, had you asked me then, I would have said that we had achieved "peak gravel" as far as what I thought would be the pinnacle of the genre. Of course, I was wrong about that, but as I stated in my address last year, we are in a "past its peak" stage of gravel cycling, as far as development of this idea. 

You see this in the world-wide series from Gravel Earth and the UCI. There are two "Gravel World Championships". There is a world-wide known event that is considered the "premier" gravel event in Unbound. You also see Pros, Pro bike development, and a group of enthusiasts chasing the latest and greatest thing, whatever that may be. 

This parallels the Pro road racing scene in terms of events and products. While the tradition part is obviously not the same, (how could it be?), the level that gravel has reached, and will in 2025 and beyond, is on par with the road scene. In some ways, it has surpassed it. 

Why? Because people are still flocking to gravel as a way to compete, recreate, and otherwise enjoy cycling. I've said it for years now - gravel is easy to do, easy to turn into an event, and does not require a specific venue, as does mountain biking, nor does it require roads to be shut down, or permits, or insurance to have an event. (Think about that before you fly off to the comment section)  World-wide, gravel is off the grid of cars, sanctioning bodies, and rules. 

There is big money and prestige in gravel racing, you'll find this stuff, of course, but world-wide gravel riders really don't need any of it.  The high-level, paid, sponsored, and notable rider is but a tiny fraction of the numbers of world-wide gravel riders. You just hear about the tiny fraction more, due to how we seem to have a need to worship athletic prowess and the people who possess it. Well, at least cycling media does this elevating of persons. 

So, what is the state of the scene? It is so vast and so diverse now, who knows? Furthermore, who cares? As long as we can ride our bikes, it will be happening, this gravel thing, and this is a good thing. So, one could say 'gravel is good', and thriving, so why worry about it? 

So, this is where I stand on the subject in 2025. 

We are in the third generation of gravel ridership. In my opinion, we are at least this deep into it. I was thinking when we started Trans Iowa, if you were 15 years old then, you'd be 35 years old sometime this year. You would be a parent, possibly, and maybe you found out about gravel five or so years ago. This tracks with many people I have heard talk about "how gravel is new" and when they found out about it.

The teenagers in gravel now represent a third tier of riders coming up, and maybe you could extend that upward to early 20-somethings. I met several people within this age group at Mid-South last year. Many told me it was one of the first times, or it was the first time, they had attended a gravel event. Gravel is new! At least it is to them. 

History is a funny thing. Many 'younger than I am' folks don't care about the history of gravel events at all. They are worried about "the now" and old stuff is.....well, old. Gravel is here, this is all that matters. This is pretty much the bottom line, if we are talking about active young people. If they are young and active at all. Which is a big "if" these days....

As someone who has been there and with all it entails, I have a different perspective. It isn't a majority opinion on gravel, and I am not a spokesperson for the scene over all. Who could be? It is too widespread and too diverse. Anyone who thinks they are on the pulse of gravel at any level is a fool. (I admit,  I was and am guilty) But I do have an opinion on the history part, and maybe a few folks do hearken to my takes. However; at this point? I think it best to say that this will be the last "State of the Gravel Scene" post I do. 

Again, I have opinions and I know some history. I am able to speak to that, and I will remain a voice for those things. I also know why "gravel" got its start. I found a great written thought which resonated with me concerning the reasons we started the gravel scene the way we did back then on Threads, a social media platform you may have heard about. It was a thought put down by a user named "ray.pedals.on" He wrote the following:

"Somewhat crazy thought…I want to ride for 12 hours straight. I want to see how far I can go, how much I can push myself. I know others have ridden longer and farther than I probably ever could, but that’s not the point. I want to do it."

"ray.pedals.on" wants to try this, I wanted to try this, and many others who were seeking an impactful experience wanted to try this. The early gravel scene provided a canvass for people to paint their own challenges on. This "gravel thing" was out on rural roads, with no fanfare, with no one cheering riders on, and this made it more personal. It made it mean more in a way that traditional racing on bicycles couldn't approach. This was the point of it all.

Traditional racing is not the enemy, it isn't "bad", but it is not and never will be that which we had. Sure, there are some spots where this can be still grasped by the seeker of self-challenges. Those who are willing to face those inner "demons", as some have described them, alone, self-supported, and without the trappings of what many consider a "race". This sort of thing can be found yet.

 But you'll never read about this on traditional cycling media. Many folks coming through the gauntlet of posts in online forums will not read about these special events, and maybe they will never care. Maybe this is the bad thing....

I will continue to speak to this sort of event/challenge/riding. This is why I started getting into gravel. It is what keeps me pedaling onward. This is my goal. "I want to do it."

This is the state of my gravel scene.

Saturday I will have my Events Cost Survey post up.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year

Okay, you made it into another realm of time known as "2025". You have another chance to ride. Let's go! You know what? You shouldn't wait until New Year's Day to think this is your next chance at doing this-or-that in cycling (or in anything, really) You should have this new feeling every day you wake up. Buuuuuuutttt, that's a whole other story. 

I'll just say that I hope all your dreams, goals, and desires come true in 2025.

Now, let's catch up, shall we? I've been posting so much on things past that what is recent and present has, largely, been ignored here. So, I thought I'd get that taken care of here today. 

The first thing to know about me and any December of the past two decades is that I try to pre-schedule and have written up posts for the entire month of December by the end of the first week or ten days of the month. That way I get some time off to relax from blogging/writing and I get a bit of rest to recharge. 

I'm not sure how this happened, but 2024 was my highest output for blog posts in a single calendar year. I beat the old record by three posts, and the new record is 392. I would guess that the Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Reports are to blame for this new record, so again - Thank You to those who sent in a report last year. 

So, I haven't been doing a lot of planned rides either. December is pretty much a rest month from all of those activities. It makes sense for me since my wife's and my daughter's birthdays are two days apart from each other mid-month and the next week is Christmas followed by my wedding anniversary, which is tomorrow. (26 years! Woo!)

I have tinkered with a few things in the shop. One which I have previously spoken of here in that Roval rear wheel. I had a bit of a hurdle when I came around to replacing nipples on those Aerolite spokes, which like to twist up like a ribbon when you tighten the nipples up. I needed room to get my bladed spoke holder as close to the exposed part of the nipple as possible and yet be able to turn the nipple with a tool to tighten it. 

The modded Shimano spoke wrench

I needed a spoke wrench that looked like a spanner wrench, not a traditional spoke wrench. There are some online, but I made one out of an older Shimano aluminum spoke wrench by filing its bladed spoke holder out to 3.3mm. I managed to get the job done, so that worked out well.

With all the downtime from writing I was noting that a few posts I made in early December were totally going off the hook. Why that was is still a mystery to me. Maybe it has something to do with bots and "AI", or maybe someone linked to a forum and that drew a ton of hits. Anyway, there wasn't really anything especially remarkable about any of the posts that were garnering the big numbers of views versus the ones surrounding them. I'll be keeping an eye out for anomalys like those in 2025.

We had an ice storm around mid-month in December which put the kibosh on any riding for a few days. It also stopped me from working one day as well, which, to be honest, isn't ever ideal since I work so few days a week as it is! 

Then two days before Christmas I got some intestinal bug or something which caused a lot of pain and discomfort. Finally it "passed", (sorry....) and I was on the mend by the 27th. However; the illness and the inclement weather we've had kept me off my bikes and I was going a bit stir crazy there for a bit. 

These types of situations are always cause for concern because I have the time to think. Think about doing this or that with some bicycle I own. Many might remember my Shogun 1000 post here a while back and my saying I missed riding fixed gear. Well, it has been a disease of late as I find myself looking at Surly and Paul disc brake fixed gear hubs to convert a certain bike I have sitting around here. 

Might happen, might not happen, or it may be happening now. Stay tuned .... 

I finally received that handle bar from Good Grief Cycles on the 27th and again - with all the time to think, I decided against putting the bar on my Blackbuck and I am put it on my old Karate Monkey which I want to put back into the rotation of gravel bikes here which I plan to I use in 2025. My idea was to set the bike up as a "throwback" gravel machine. I just need an old Persian rug to make a "top tube snake" out of and then I'd be spot-on. (If you know, you know) 

Okay, that's about it for notable cycling related stuff here. Tomorrow I kick off things again with a "State of the Gravel Scene" post and a surprise announcement. Make sure you check it out!