10th Anniversary Of "The Mud Year".

L-R: GT, Matt Gersib, Andrea Cohen at the DK200 Expo in 2015.
 

Applying Lessons And Support From Friends To Gain Something I Never Imagined -

Ten years ago at the Dirty Kanza 200 it was wet, muddy, and pretty darn extreme. I know folks think the 2023 year was the mud year, but their perspective is probably skewed a bit towards recent events and does not take into consideration the awesomeness that was The Mud Year at this Emporia gravel event.

2015 was a very different time at Emporia than it is now days. Now the event is called "Unbound Gravel". It is owned by Life Time Events, and not run by its founders. It also is an event which has grown exponentially since those days. Now Unbound binds up the entire city. Extending to every nook and cranny, the city cannot escape the effects of the event these days. This simply was not the case ten years ago.

Then it was more of a slight inconvenience, and most Emporia folks were just beginning to notice this gravel cycling thing, which at that point had already been happening there for ten years! A decade of DK200's was a big deal to us who had been there over the years, but what is ironic now is that these days are largely forgotten by Unbound riders of 2025. They have little to no connection to the past gravel days.

If they only knew what was awaiting them.... The start scene. Note the "16" card on the left designating the start area if you felt it would take you 16 hours to finish.

  "The Mud Year" was a turning point in this event's history. It was a spectacle which probably will never be repeated again. It was the day I might have ridden my second longest ride in one sitting I've ever done. (There is debate whether it may have been my longest ride, but this is another tale for another day) You might be surprised to learn I'd ridden in events with worse conditions. This was pretty rough, but if I am honest, wet, cool days are when I ride at my best.

However; I think there are things I saw on that chilly, wet, misty morning which I do not think I'll ever see again. A marching line of humanity with bicycles so long you could not see the beginning or the end of the throng of people,. There were broken bikes with riders nursing their broken dreams trudging through the mire. I saw dozens of derailleurs, in one area the size of ten square yards, smashed into the mud by humans trampling them down as they marched by.  Expensive Di2 derailleurs left in the clay of Chase County. You'd have thought folks would want to salvage them. Actually, Ari Andonopoulos and I had that very thought as we rode by the scene.

Dreams being shattered here.... (Image by Ari Andonopoulos.

 Ari was my riding companion for the first third of the event. He coached me, encouraged me (and others), and he even carried my heavy Fargo while I carried his much lighter Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross bike along those three-plus miles of mud. Ari helped me tremendously in the opening stages of the 2015 DK200, and I will always be in his debt for doing so.

This is what is good about events like this with great adversity. You can forge bonds with people sharing the same or similar experiences. Sure, you may have an attitude which causes you to be very negative about finding yourself in a pickle such as we found ourselves in during the 2015 DK200. This would be totally understandable by most people looking at things from a selfish, monetary-driven, self-imposed results driven viewpoint. But sometimes it might be best to take the "K.C. Franks approach" instead.

That's me on the lower left. Image courtesy of Ari Andonopoulos.

 This approach was something I learned from an art class teacher in Junior College at North Iowa Area Community College. K.C. Franks was an older professor at the time, and he once shared a tenet of his which has been useful throughout my life. He stated the following, and I am paraphrasing for a more broad appeal here:  'When you have a plan, and the plan seems to be going sideways, don't "throw it in the trash". Run with it instead. Go where it seems to be taking you. Find a way to finish it, and you will end up with something remarkable which you never dreamed of in the first place'.

Had these folks who were disgusted with the mud, the "trashing of their plan", and who had a negative attitude about the day taken a different approach, such as the one K.C. Franks suggested? Who knows how the day may have turned for them. One such individual who could have just walked away and left was my brother Matt Gersib. His day ended on the bike early, due to mechanical failure, which was inoperable out in the field. But instead of going back to Joe's house and just wallowing in negativity, he rebooted, made a new plan, and became my de-facto ride support. Matt met me at the first checkpoint, got me things to eat, lubed my chain, and encouraged me. He was there at the last checkpoint to give me support too. He took what the day gave him and ran with it. It wasn't what he expected to have happen that wet morning, but it was awesome all the same. Ari and I were also more in the K.C. Franks camp, and I think this served me well on this day.

(L-R) Ari's friend Phil Ellsworth, who we caught up with going to Checkpoint #1. Guitar Ted feeding his face. Image by Ari Andonopoulos.

 Unfortunately after the first 'optional water stop' at the top of Texaco Hill, Ari and I parted ways. I left on my own, and it was a harder road for me because of this. However; I stuck to a steady pace, a plan of nutrition, and I steeled myself against the elements, the course, and the distance left to go. I was, and still am, pretty proud of how I rode that day.

However; there are those things beyond one's control which, again, can cause you to wad up your plan and toss it in the trash, or you can reconfigure the plan, regroup, and do the best you can with what you've been handed. Such was the case later on as I hit the "optional water stop" two thirds of the way into the course. This wasn't really an option, from a rider's standpoint, as there was no way to resupply on water for many miles until riders would eventually reach the Cottonwood Falls final checkpoint.

So, I waited for water, because the tanks were dry when I got there and a line was already forming to get the precious liquid which was promised "at any time now". Unfortunately for me, it wasn't until 20 plus minutes later that I was back rolling again with a full compliment of water onboard my Fargo.

Only about five miles from Cottonwood Falls I mistakenly thought I was out of time.

 

Matt Gersib putting my bike up on the rack at 3:00am in the morning in Cottonwood Falls. Image by Ryan Dudley.

I missed the checkpoint two cutoff by two minutes. I could have been really angry. I was delayed at the "optional water stop" too long. I maybe could have ridden faster. I spent too much time fiddling with my lights when it got dark out. But no..... This was not the way.

 I think the final stint was something like 44 miles, so I had already ridden a long way.  I had ridden for nearly 20 hours or so. I had done everything I could do to be successful. I put in a great effort and I was pleased with what I left out there on those wet Kansas Flint Hills roads. I'm not a great athlete, nor would I ever be considered "one of the fast guys", but this wasn't about those things. I was competing against myself, and in my way of looking at this, I had "won".

This was the last time I rode in this event. I've no reason to go back to compete in it again, and there are a ton of reasons I would not consider Unbound a good fit for me. Instead of doing the DK200/Unbound again, I went down with my friend, Tony McGrane, for the next few years and did my own rides. These ended up becoming some of my favorite experiences in the Flint Hills.

But I do not discount my 2015 experience at all, make no mistake. I learned a lot on the trip, and I met a lot of great folks. I got to ride with Ari, and experience an unbelievable day on the bike. I spent a lot of time with my brother from another mother, Matt Gersib. I got to stay at Joe's home, a then new acquaintance. It's hard to believe it has been ten years ago, and in a way it seems like it was 100 years ago. So much has changed since then, it is crazy.

I am glad I was able to experience those days, and I am happy I was able to persevere through much adversity to accomplish what I did. Thanks to K.C. Franks, the support of Matt Gersib,  and my friend Ari for making a mental and philosophical difference which made that day, and many since then, more than I could have ever imagined them to be.  

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Canyon Unveils New Grail Rift Gravel Bike

Canyon announced on Tuesday of this week a new gravel bike which was the subject of many rumors over the past several months. The bike's main attraction being a suspension fork from DT Swiss tuned especially for gravel riding.

The range-topping Grail CFR Di2 Rift model in carbon fiber (natch!) will fetch a handsome price of $7,849.00 USD.

The bike is aimed at racing, so this is reflected in the geometry. The Grail Rift does not sport the slackest head angle, (71.5 degrees for a Large) and it has a stated 42mm tire clearance, which doesn't seem to be "cutting edge" these days.

The frame has internal storage, which is all the rage for the newest gravel bikes, and the range-topping model shown here has power meter crank arms from 4iii.

Comments: The press was going bonkers over the bike earlier this week, and at the asking price, it is a bargain. However; there are a few things which I've got opinions on which would render this bike, in reality, a rather pedestrian offering.

First off, while the DT Swiss fork has a lock-out option, and it probably works slightly differently than the other short-travel gravel forks out there, it still only has forty millimeters of travel. That is barely over an inch and a half for you folks who are not metric-fluent. Physics is a hard and fast science and there is no free lunch when it comes to what you can do with forty millimeters of travel. Add to this the extra weight of a suspension fork, the required, semi-yearly (at the least) maintenance, and you can see where the telescopic gravel suspension fork may not be all it is cracked up to be.

One can gain better function (absorption of vibrations), lighter weight, a no-maintenance part, and at less cost by going with one of the several gravel suspension stems. Plus, the stem can be transferred to other bikes easily. Of course, I highly recommend Redshift Sports here, but there are other options as well.

Then you have limited tire clearances, which is not ideal, plus the geometry, which steepens as you blow through forty millimeters of travel, by the way, and I just do not see the appeal of this bike. There are a lot better alternatives out there, in my opinion. 

HED Lincoln G25's (Image courtesy of HED Wheels)

HED Wheels Announces Stillwater 50, Lincoln 25 Carbon Gravel Wheels:

HED released information on Tuesday of this past week regarding two new carbon fiber rimmed gravel wheel sets. Named for the cities where two well known gravel events occur, the Limcoln G25 and Stillwater G50 feature wide inner rim widths and hooked beads for best tire retention.

The Stillwater G50 has, as the name implies, a 50mm rim depth. The inner rim width is a generous 28.5mm which HED claims can be paired with tires from 700 x 40mm to 29" x 2.25" wide. Cost for this model is $1,984.00 and wheelsets are estimated to weigh about 1,640 grams.

The Lincoln G25, is as you'd expect, a shallower rim profile of 25nmm, but it has the same internal rim width as the Stillwater.  The price is the same as well. Weight is less at an estimated 1,430 grams a pair.

One other difference is the weight limitation. The Stillwater G50 is limited to riders weighing 240lbs or less while the Lincoln had no weight limitation posted on its webpage. 

Check these wheels out HERE. 

Comments: I had just been checking out HED Wheels site about a week or so ago and saw nothing new, so maybe I had some premonition about this. Ha! Seriously, the honoring of gravel events, by way of naming these wheels after two iconic gravel race's home cities, is pretty cool and follows with the naming convention HED started when they changed the Eroica wheel range to be "Emporia". 

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Inducts Its 2025 Class:

Over the last three years I have been in Emporia, Kansas for the induction of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame nominees. This year, mostly due to my not having a vehicle anymore, I chose to stay at home. But the show must go on, (as if it matters if I am there or not!) so the GCHoF welcomed in four new people into its roster of feted gravel cycling greats.

This year the inductees were Amanda Nauman Sheek, Ted King, LeLan Dains, and John Hobbs. The festivities, held at the historic Grenada Theater,  were attended by a sold-out crowd who all enjoyed a fine meal and drinks. The event is sponsored by Shimano.

Comments: When the GCHoF announced the 2025 class of inductees in January I wrote a detailed post on each inductee and made a case for a glaring omission. You can read the post by clicking HERE if you want my takes on each inductee. 

Image courtesy of a blog reader from a Facebook post

Unbound Gravel Looking To Be Wetter Than Usual For 2025:

Here I have an image forwarded to me from a Facebook post from about a week ago showing the flooding at the time in and around the Unbound 200 course. These images appear to be from the flood plain area surrounding Emporia, Kansas. 

Emporia is in the midst of a confluence of several smaller creeks which feed into the Cottonwood River, which flows just South of the town. It is not uncommon to see flooding around the immediate area. So, if things have calmed down in regard to flooding by now, this may be much adieu about nothing.

Weather conditions should be fair for the event itself, but some low water crossings may have a good amount of water in them for the riders to deal with. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for flooding to rut out remote roads, and cause finer rock to be washed away in valleys where water crosses the road. This removal of finer material can leave chunky, sharp flint hidden under the water, and can cause issues with tires easily.  Whether or not this will be the case on Saturday, we shall soon see.

I've no reason to believe this year will be in any way like "The Mud Year" of 2015, or even like 2023, unless an oddball shower pops up at the right (wrong?) time. This doesn't seem likely for 2025. By the way, I will have an ode to the 10th anniversary of "The Mud Year" coming up for you to read tomorrow, so look for this post to get a feel for what it was like back then. 

Image courtesy of BTCHN Bikes.

 Titanium Flared Drop Bar? BTCHN Bikes Says "Yes!"

I came across a social media post showing a drop bar with welded in corners, which I assumed was titanium, but I inadvertantly lost the "story" and couldn't find it again. Then I found a Tweet on X which revealed the source as BTCHN Bikes, a custom titanium fabricator located in Chico, California.

The key to BTCHN Bikes Ti Drop Bar is a 3D printed 'corner' piece which is then welded to a tops section and a ramp/drop/extensions section on each side. Due to this unique construction method the width and flare of the Ti Drop is customizable. Prices start from $620.00USD and go up depending on finish options. Pre-orders are open now through June 4th, and you can check out this offering HERE. 

Comments: Titanium drop bars. I've always thought this would be a cool idea, since titanium flat bars seem to have quite a following, and titanium has certain attributes which would seem to make it ideal for a flared drop bar, in terms of ride feel. 

However; there was no good way to execute the tight bend from the tops section to the ramps and finally to the extensions. That is, until this new 3D printed idea BTCHN Bikes has was employed. I know we rely on welds every day we ride bicycles, but the thought of a welded handle bar in drop bar form made me a bit uncomfortable for a hot minute. Then I came to my senses and realized I was being silly. Heck, I'm riding handle bars with brazed on extensions now!  Which reminds me..... I need to get on the final review for those!

Anyway, I thought this was an interesting alternative for a flared drop bar which just might prove to be a decent riding bar for gravel. 

That is a wrap for this week folks! Get out there and ride those bicycles!

Stans BioBased Grease & Bike Wash

 NOTE: Stan's sent the Biobased Bike Care Products, Stan's Exo-Core valve stems, and Stans DART tool for review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. GTP is not being paid, nor bribed for this post and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

Recently Stan's sent over a suite of BioBased products for me to test out. You can check out the overview of the products HERE.  In this post I am going to go over two of the products sent. The BioBased Grease and Bike Wash. First up, the grease.

BioBased Grease: Grease is a weird product for many cyclists to even consider. Unless you do your own maintenance, and unless that includes getting deep into things, grease is probably the least of your concerns. However; ALL cyclists should have a tube, tub, or container of bicycle grease around. This could be automotive grease, but there are specific formulas for cycling use that make a bit more sense. 

You may say, "But I don't get that deep into mechanics, so I don't need grease." I would ask you, "Do you ever unthread, or thread on anything on your bicycle?" Water bottle cage bolts, suspension pivots, seat post binders, and anything threaded should have grease on their threads. (That or thread locking compound)

This is because you will want to maybe unthread bolts down the road, or take a seat post out, let's say. Grease will make this not only easier, but in many cases, a possibility. Ungreased, dry threads have a tendency to rust, or even worse, experience galvanic corrosion, which can literally make things next to impossible to take apart. So, yes - You do need grease!

NOTE: If you are installing titanium parts or bolts, you should consider using an anti-seize compound such as Finish Line's  Anti-Seize. Grease won't do the best job in cases where titanium touches steel or aluminum. 

Now, not all grease is created equal, as hinted at above, so how does this Stan's grease stack up? Having been a mechanic for 30+ years I can not tell you how much grease I have used in my life. Gallons of the stuff, more than likely. I've used several types over the years, and I think I can speak with some authority on what is "good" and what is "not-so-good" in terms of grease for your bicycle. Let's take a look at a little experiment I did, and then I will get on with my view of Stan's BioBased grease. 

Grease viscosity test

 So, what I did for a test was to put a dollop of grease on a paper towel, stick a wooden toothpick in it, and see which grease was thick enough to hold up the toothpick and which was not. You can see in the image above what happened.

So, what does this prove? What can we draw from this? Since I have used grease on all sorts of things, including automobile hubs and bearings, here's my take on what you want to look for in a grease and why different greases are good for different applications. Then I will dissect what is up with Stan';s grease. 

• High Viscosity Grease: The Pedro's SynLube and the Park Tool's grease, (a mechanic's standard for years in the cycling world), are on the thicker end of the spectrum here. These are excellent for bearings, or whenever you want a long-lasting protective film between the elements and the part you are greasing. Use for bottom bracket installs, bearings, and seat posts.
  
• Medium Viscosity Grease: The Tri-Flow is what I would call a "medium-viscosity" grease. It isn't as thick as Park's or Pedro's, but this is a fine grease for a racer to pack bearings with for less resistance but still have a modicum pf protection. I generally use Tri-Flow grease for water bottle bolts and the like. 
• Low-Viscosity Grease: Stan's falls into this category. It is even less sticky and thick than Tri-Flow grease, which I found pretty shocking. I would not think this grease would be great for things like wheel bearings, for instance, unless you were going for a PR on an indoor track, or something like this. 

Final Verdict: The Stan's grease is of such low viscosity that it is almost watery. I just do not see this as an over-all, everyday grease for a wide variety of uses. This grease would probably be okay for parts you want to have move against each other freely and which won't see anything but dry conditions usage. In fact, it seems only a step or two thicker than some "wet lubes" I've used for chains. A very narrow, specific use grease which most cyclists probably will not need. I'd recommend Park grease over this for a general purpose use.

BioBased Bike Wash:

The bike wash is an interesting product. On the instructions it asks the user to spritz the part being cleaned with water, then to spray on the Bike Wash product. After that, it says to rinse the bike or part with water. I found this to be odd.

I decided to see what would happen if you used the Bike Wash like most any other bike wash product I have come in contact with. Directly spraying it on a bike, or on a rag to then wipe onto a bike, I found the product to have a bit of a soap-like feel. So, perhaps this water application first is necessary. I tried that next.

The water first, then Bike Wash second showed up as a bit of a soapy, foamy liquid, and it cleans just fine. Then a spritz of water to rinse got the soapy film off. I guess this is a fine procedure, but it begs a question: Why buy this when you can use dish soap at home in a similar manner?

Final Verdict: I've no knocks on how BioBased Bike Wash works. It does a good job of general purpose cleaning. But when I look at other bike wash products they are a one-application cleaner in most cases. Products like Bike Lust from Pedros, or Muc-Off's wash products do not require a three-step procedure.

I find BioBased Bike Wash a hard product to recommend when I can mix up a spray bottle of Dawn dish soap, and use a bucket of lukewarm water to do basically the same thing. Again, no knocks on Bike Wash's performance, but it seems to me to be an unnecessary product and it does nothing novel. 

No, It Is Not Bottom Bracket Time!

PF-30 is NOT BB 86. (sigh!)

So, last week I mentioned I had this Enduro Bearings PF-30/Shimano compatible bottom bracket in to hopefully solve my noise problem with the older Wheels Manufacturing bottom bracket. The thing is, I ordered the wrong bottom bracket, and well...... There was actually something else going on.

I'll get to the noise issue later, but first off, I don't know why I did not realize I had a BB-86 bottom bracket in the Noble GX5. I remember I ordered the Wheels Manufacturing one in the bike now way back when I was still working for Europa Cycle and Ski, and after I received the Noble GX5, obviously. I believe the Noble came along in 2018, so this would place the Wheels Manufacturing bottom bracket in the six year old range. It wasn't out of the question that my noises were related to the bottom bracket then. I had diagnosed the bike with it in the stand, and I probably should have taken the chain off, but I did not. It just was really rough feeling when I spun the crank set, and it seemed obvious.

Then the bottom bracket came in, again, exactly what I ordered, just to be clear, and I went to work. Once I went to install the new one I realized what was going on, so I had no immediate option but to go back and re-install the old Wheels Manufacturing one. Now, in between the tear down and the re-installation, I checked the bearings in the old bottom bracket, and while there was not a glassy smoothness, it was not rough. But, where was all the noise and roughness coming from before then?

Not a peep or sense of roughness was felt on Monday\s ride.

Well, I also had removed the wheels from the Noble and replaced them with my older set of Irwin Cycling carbon Aon wheels. I did this to mount the Continental Terra Adventure tires on a slightly wider inner rim width than the WTB wheels have.

Interestingly, those WTB wheels would never run quietly in the Noble GX5 frame until I tried them again this year. They used to squeak a lot back when I had tried them a couple of other times in the past. However; now the noise of squeaking has been replaced by a noise more akin to what a bad bearing sounds like, apparently, because with the Irwin wheels the bike is dead quiet. And even more maddening, these WTB wheels are perfect in my other bikes.

I had gotten away with the WTB wheels being quiet for a while, but I am thinking this was the issue, because I hear no noises anymore. By the way, I think those WTB wheels just do not fit the Noble frame quite right. The through axle interface must not be quite right. Perhaps a different through axle would be a fix? 

Now - I had cleaned and re-greased the interfaces with this latest bottom bracket removal and installation also, so if it was the old bottom bracket which was noisy, I would have taken care of it with the cleaning and re-greasing. But I cannot say for certain now. 

The drive train is quiet now. The noises are gone, so what about this new PF-30 bottom bracket? Well, it would fit my Standard Rando v2 just fine. So, one day IF I wear out the Enduro Bearings bottom bracket in that bike I'll now have a ready-made spare. And I will have to order a BB-86 next time for the Noble. 

Maybe I'd better write this down somewhere, eh?

Country Views: Green Haze

Escape Route: Sergeant Road Bike Path.

 Memorial Day weekend was the end of a busy two-week long stretch for me. I had obligations and work to do every day which took precedence over most riding opportunities I might have had. The early week rain/mist we had last week erased a couple ride opportunities as well.

So, I had to put off getting a country ride in until Monday. This was affected by a ride I did last Tuesday on my fixed gear bike which I did in-town on streets and bike paths in a steady drizzle. Due to my trying not to use the brake, I ended up inflaming the connective tissues around my left knee. So, I was nursing that along by the end of last week as well.

As I stated, this affected Monday's ride as I did not want to overwork the knee and end up worse off than I was before. But I managed to get in almost a couple of hours in and it was good. Enough work to loosen things up and get the blood flowing, but not too much where I felt I overworked things.

Everything is coming up out there in the fields now.

Another "ditch cross". This is on Aker Road.

Someone in the comments from my last Country Views post asked about the crosses I posted from a ditch East of Waterloo. I mentioned in my reply that these are fairly commonplace around here. I decided to post the image of the "H.I.M." cross in the West ditch on Aker Road. You can find this near the hog confinement before you get to Washburn Road going South on Aker, in case you were a curious local.

 Typically these are placed where an individual lost their life in an automobile accident.

 

The landscape looked like it had a green haze over it due to all the emerging plants. Of course, the ditches are in full-green mode now. The wild flowers are just starting to come out as well. Dandelions are about all finished up, but some other yellow flowers are starting to pop now. 

The ride was a bit on the short side, but the weather could not have been better. By afternoon on Monday the skies had clouded up, so I was pleased that I had gotten out in the morning to get the blue skies and Sun. 

There was another purpose for this ride, which I will get into for tomorrow's post. Suffice it to say I was satisfied with the outcome, if not somewhat embarrassed!

Memorial Day 2025

 

  Memorial Day

Thanks to all of our military service members past and present. Especially to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Especially thinking about the family of my father in law, Francis Odbert Sr., who was a Korean War and Vietnam War veteran who died on Easter, April 2017.

Please take a moment today to remember and honor those who have given service to this country. 

Then get out there and ride to honor their sacrifice they made for your freedom. I know I will. 

Weekly Top Five

 Welcome to the weekly Top Five" showing links to five of the week's most read articles on the blog.
Sometimes those will be current posts, but 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 list.

 Friday News And Views, Friday, May 23rd - Another big view-count for the weekly post. 

WTB Nano Air TPU Tubes Reviewed: - Monday, March 11th, 2024 - The TPU tube thing is still getting tons of views and I still believe somewhere this is getting linked on a forum or ? I don't know, but the numbers for this post are off the charts. 

Bottom Bracket Time - Monday, May 22nd, 2025 - This post about my new Enduro Bearings bottom bracket will be touched on this coming week. An embarrassing situation will be revealed! Stay tuned....

 WTB Solano Saddle Review Update 1 - Wednesday. May 21st, 2025 - The latest update on this new saddle from WTB. 

Country Views: One Good Day - Tuesday, May 20th, 2025 -  A Country Views post finally cracks the Top Five!

Where We Came From Podcast Series Links

The first Trans Iowa in 2005 started the Modern era of gravel riding

 The podcast series we've been doing on the Guitar Ted Podcast called the "Where We Came From" series has been a lot of fun, but I don't know if there is a good way to share ALL the episodes in the series. So, I thought I'd start this post as a way of combining all the links to each show in the series.

I'm going to go all the way back to the podcast I did with Ari Andonopoulous last August (2024) and even though this wasn't a part of the series in name, it was the episode which got me to thinking about doing the series. Then in chronological order, I will list each show in the series so far.  

The links will take you to the Spotify home page but these podcasts can be found on Apple and other podcast providers. I just won't have the  links to other providers here. 

Gravel History With GT & Ari Andonopoulous

Where We Came From (Intro to series) 

Where We Came From: The Lincoln Scene (Matt Wills and Matt Gersib)

Where We Came From with Jeff Kerkove 

Where We Came From with Mike Johnson 

Where We Came From with Mike Marchand 

Where We Came From with Greg Gleason 

Where We Came From with Ryan Dudley 

I'll add more links as more shows get added to this series. Eventually I will likely put this post as its own page which will be accessible under the header.

Two Things

 Figuring It Out:

I am doing this "Where We Came From" series on The Guitar Ted Podcast and it has been a lot of fun hearing stories from people that were there back in
the earlier days of gravel racing.

I think the best part has been learning what the backgrounds of these people are. You maybe get a preconceived notion about someone, you know. Like, Mike Marchand, for instance, who I always assumed had been a top-tier racer all his life, when in fact that is not the case at all.

On Thursday I was able to chat with Greg Gleason, who won Trans Iowa twice and legitimately could have won twice more. He came onto the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, to take the top spot in Trans Iowa v10. He dominated the event with his presence at the front for four more years.

Of course, Greg did not "come out of nowhere" and we found this out during the latest Guitar Ted Podcast, which you can listen to HERE. It's a long episode, so this might be a good one for your next trip to a gravel event.

Now, we also spoke about current events, and Greg's opinion was decidedly on not supporting the "big-time" events. It's interesting to hear a strong opinion about this and why that is. In my opinion, Greg's proclivity for a certain kind of event speaks to his personality and his desire to have relational experiences versus purely competitive ones. But do listen to the episode and decide for yourself

From the 2010 Dirty Kanza 200 event. (Image by Guitar Ted)

There's A Hole In The Hall:

This coming Wednesday a small group of cyclists are going to be honored as the newest inductees into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. An institution I am honored to be included in.

There was some chit-chat going around in 2021, when the hall was announced, which communicated an idea. An idea which stated the new hall of fame would not be "legit" unless I was a part of the first class of inductees.

I don't know about that, but one thing I do know is if the GCHoF wasn't going to be legit without my inclusion, then it certainly is not legit without the inclusion of Jim Cummings. 

Jim made a social media post concerning something not at all having to do with cycling, and was 'cancelled' for it. Now, the point he made is debatable, and most people probably have no idea whatsoever what it was he was talking about. (If you find yourself reading this and wondering "what did he say"? you fall into this category.)

I'm not saying what he posted was right or wrong, and to my mind, it has zero - nothing at all to do with gravel cycling. It is a point of no debate that without Jim Cummings and Joel Dyke, (who, by the way, is in the GCHoF), gravel cycling would not be what it is today. Gravel cycling was HUGELY influenced by what Jim and Joel did, along with their team and participants, which include several other GCHoF members, at one point or another.  It is as obvious as the nose on your face that Jim should be in the GCHoF. He's been nominated several times, yet..... Crickets. No reason given as to why he is being systemically excluded. 

So, when you see the start to finish coverage of Unbound this coming weekend, and when you hear the names of the latest GCHoFer's, just remember who is not being recognized, and should be. There is a gaping hole in that Hall of Fame that should be filled. All these people at Unbound are standing on the shoulders of a man they are not recognizing, and this just should not be the case.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Life Time Events

 Life Time To Offer Free Live Coverage Of Unbound Gravel

For the first time in the events history, Unbound Gravel will have live, start to finish race coverage of the Pro Men and Pro Women fields.

In a press release from Tuesday of this week, Life Time promised an approximately seven hour time slot for the  event, saying it will not end coverage until all podium interviews are completed.. 

The timing of coverage seems a bit odd in that the press release states in one place that coverage will start with a pre-race briefing on the event and then turn to the race reporters for an uninterrupted stream of the event on Life Time's You Tube channel. However; this coverage is stated to start at 10:00am CST, which is typically four hours after the event gets going. Further into the release it is stated that the time is yet to be determined. Here is the quote: "The program is due to commence at [insert time here] and conclude following the elite women’s post-race interviews." 

Comments: Obviously there was not a good job of editing before the release went out. If I get clarity on the timing of the coverage I will update this story. Maybe they won't cover the opening hours of the event?

(WARNING! Old Man Yelling At Sky) The release went on and on, with the expected self-congratulatory blather and stating the event is "..the world's premier gravel event". No real argument here, but the blathering and puffery gets a bit tiring. We get it, Life Time, you think highly of how you do things and this event, which you neither created nor elevated to be the World's Premier Gravel Event, was a nice purchase by the corporation. You've shepherded the asset well. I'm sure the shareholders are pleased. 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled gravel event coverage. Thanks to all our noisy helicopters and crews on vehicles scampering across what was once a peaceful prairie causing more mayhem than is necessary so we can be entertained. For "free". 

Image courtesy of Pony Express 150 Gravel event Facebook post.

Another "Mud Year"?

Speaking of Unbound Gravel, it might be that the motos and follow cars won't be able to cover certain portions of the course anyway. As seen in the accompanying image, courtesy of the Pony Express 150 event's Facebook feed, there appears to be an abundance of moisture in the Flint Hills of late.

 Of course, there is an entire week until the event, and things could change, and probably will. So, this may be much adieu about nothing. Then again it is supposed to be unusually cool and wet through the beginning of next week.  .

Definitely something to keep tabs on. The interesting thing is to see commentary over images like this from people who claim that "this isn't gravel racing!" or "whelp! I'm out!".  As I often point out, many of these folks don't know what they don't know. 2015 was a decade ago, and many of the infamous Trans Iowas longer ago than that, so how to deal with mud, or mentally handle it, are seemingly "lost arts" for today's riders.

It will be interesting to see if Unbound modifies the course if this mud persists. You might remember the fiasco from 2023.... We will see.

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth Components

Wolf Tooth Bottom Bracket Surfaces:

I saw mention during Sea Otter of a new component from Wolf Tooth. A bottom bracket, but no sign of an image or mention of it on Wolf Tooth's site could be found. Well, on Wednesday that changed.

Now the bottom brackets are up on their site (HERE) and several choices of color and type are available, as one would expect from Wolf Tooth.

The 100% user serviceable units come in BSA threaded and T-47 versions now and prices are reasonable with a standard threaded outboard bearing model costing $129.00 USD. These bottom brackets are designed and machined in the USA.

Comments: Another addition to the Wolf Tooth range which makes sense. While their design is touted as "best in class", I really do not see a huge difference in their design versus most other "boutique" brand bottom brackets. It is a machined and anodized cup, a cartridge bearing, and a couple of plastic sleeves.

For my money the Enduro Bearings Max-Hit bottom bracket truly is a different design and one which you can visually see a difference and feel a difference when using it. I'm not saying these Wolf Tooth bottom brackets are "bad" nor that you shouldn't buy one, but they are not what I would call "innovative". They are likely far better than a box-stock OEM model though. So, check them out if you need a good bottom bracket and if you like a touch of color on your bike.

Image courtesy of Mondraker Bikes

Mondraker Offers Arid Gravel Bike In Aluminum:

Last November I posted a story about the new Mondraker Arid carbon gravel bike. I found the story interesting from two standpoints. One: Mondraker was primarily a mountain bike brand before the Arid was offered. Two: The company was making a bigger push into the United States market.  

Actually there was a third reason. I liked the design from a geometry standpoint. The Arid has a "gravel bike geometry". Bicycles which are not in the ball park in terms of geometry just will not see coverage here. I don't see the point of promoting "old" geometry or anything which is too road-ish or is really a cyclo cross bike.

Now Mondraker has offered the Arid, an aluminum version of the Arid C, and it has the same geometry specifications, A 75mm bottom bracket drop coupled with a 70 degree head tube angle. This is the sort of geometry I feel is "right" for gravel and will perform in a way which makes gravel riding more fun and safer.

Of course, an aluminum frame is going to bring the price down. Mondraker Arids start at around $2,500.00. But that isn't what I would call "budget friendly". Compared to carbon? It seems like a bargain. I just wish Mondraker would offer the Arid as a frame set. While it would likely still cost close to 2K, I would be more inclined to build up an Arid transferring parts from my Noble GX5, as an example, than buying an entire complete Arid model.  Of course, I likely do not represent one of a possibly large enough number of sales for Mondraker to pull the trigger on aluminum frame only offerings. (NOTE: You can find Arid carbon frame sets online for about $2.100.00)

An interesting plant is growing outside of the Collective!

Being A Responsible Steward:

Part of the mission the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective has relates to keeping bicycles out of the local landfill. To that end, we collect donated bicycles which are sorted for potential uses. If the parts or bikes are deemed not useful they go to a local metal recycler.

This past week has been a BIG recycling week at the Collective. We had a couple of organizations from Northeast Iowa discover what we are doing and they brought down 44 bicycles to be recycled. We also received nearly 60 bicycles from the local police department.

Of course, what we can save for use by people here in the Cedar Valley we will do, but obviously many bicycles are just not going to be savable. Fortunately many are, and these help underprivileged, destitute, immigrant, veterans in need, and low income folks get on two wheels. An example: We recently have put eight immigrants on bikes so they can get to jobs. We have sold several bicycles to folks recently who cannot afford new, bicycle shop quality bikes. We also have been busy supporting local school programs which have bicycle safety and phys-ed program needs with loaner bikes.

If you are a local reading this, please consider being a part of the efforts of the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. If you have a local collective, please consider supporting it. Help your local bicycle non-profits be good stewards of bicycles and bicycle knowledge!

Image courtesy of SRAM

Zipp Wheels Now Available With AXS Pressure Sensors:

Zipp announced on Thursday that their 353 NSW and 303 NS wheels will be available with AXS air pressure sensors embedded into the rims. The AXS sensors can send pressure monitoring information to a computer head, (Hammerhead is SRAM's preferred brand since they own it), which will allow riders to detect an issue more quickly. Riders can also set pressure levels which the AXS sensor can react to with a green light, letting the rider know the pressure has been set correctly.

Comments: This may seem unnecessary now, but I feel it is a portent of things to come. No doubt this sensor would be even more useful with a pressure regulating system so riders could air up or down while riding. This sort of system already exists and has been race proven in the Pro roadie ranks.

 I'm not sure how SRAM would do this. Perhaps a green light for your up or down settings and perhaps a red one for out of range indicating a problem? The possibilities are fascinating. Imagine a gravel racer with the ability to set a higher pressure for stretches of pavement and then being able to dump air out for the gravel, or rougher sections with less traction.

That is it for this week! Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend, if you celebrate this holiday. Otherwise, get out there and ride those bicycles!

Bottom Bracket Time

 The last time I rode the Noble Bikes GX5 out in the country I started hearing something. Maybe "feel" something was more correct. It was a bit windy at the time, so hearing a noise was tough. Plus it only happened on hard efforts. However; as the ride went on the noise became audible and by the end of the ride it was happening upon every crank revolution.

I hung the bike up after the ride and checked on it the next day. Spinning the crank set I could hear and feel the roughness and bearing crackle which any bicycle mechanic with a decent amount of time under their belt has heard thousands of times.  There was no denying it, the bearings were failing. 

This was not the typical PF-30 shell noise. I get those from time to time. A simple removal of the bottom bracket, a good cleaning, re-greasing, and re installation is all that is necessary in those cases. However; a new PF-30/Shimano compatible bottom bracket is a completely different deal. This was going to cost me!

The bottom bracket that was in there wasn't "bad" from a standpoint of service life. I believe I got that one in 2019. So, it has been at least five years going and almost all the miles have been dusty gravel ones. This was a Wheels Manufacturing model, for the record, and I would not hesitate to recommend one to anyone. However; I've had experience with another PF-30, thread-together bottom bracket which I ended up ordering. 

Enduro Bearings Torq-Tite (Image courtesy of Enduro Bearings)

The Standard Rando v2 was set up for a component review last year with a suite of Enduro Bearings products. The Torq-Tite bottom bracket was sent as the Twin Six bike uses that standard. 

And the Torq-Tite isn't bad, it just is not as awesome as the Max-Hit, one of which I have in my Gryphon. So, I'm not sad about it. It'll be good, and I hope it will be an improvement over the Wheels Manufacturing one I was using. I think it will, again, judging from the Standard Rando.

 I received the part early on Wednesday. So here is a look at the thing and an interesting note about how it works which I will point out in my images following...  

The Enduro Torq-Tite bottom bracket. Nice presentation.

 

Unlike other thread-together PF-30 options, the Torq-Tite is threaded on two ends instead of just one.

 By the end of the weekend the ol' Noble GX5 will be gravel-ready again. I'll be curious to see how long things go before I get creaks and have to clean it up, and of course, how long the bearings hold up. If this one is as good as the Wheels one was, I think this bike will be retired before I wear out the bottom bracket. We'll see!

WTB Solano Saddle Review: Update 1

 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 WTB Solano saddle

It has been about a month and a half since the opening of this review,. There has been rather difficult weather through this period which put off getting a longer ride in before I chimed in here again. However; that longer ride has been done now and so here is the next update on this review. 

The previous post in this review, including the technical introduction, can be seen HERE. In this post I will focus on the Solano, as it fits me best. The Solano SL is now in N.Y. Roll's hands and I will get an update from him on it soon. 

The Solano is for, what WTB describes as, "shorter, harder efforts" and matches up best with riders who prefer harder efforts in the saddle. With this in mind I rode the Solano on my single speed gravel bike which seems to work best with efforts in the saddle as opposed to standing and sprinting or "mashing". 

I found the shape of the Solano was easy to get along with and higher cadence pedaling was no problem. I had no interference with the saddle's edges or any problems with being punished by a non-forgiving base or stiff padding when bouncing slightly at these higher cadences. This went for rougher spots I traversed as well. 

Pushing hard going up a longer grade, I found the Solano was transparent but provided a solid base from which I could press back on for a bit more leg power when it was needed.

Moving slightly fore and aft gave me some different feelings which provided a bit of relief on longer grinds. Obviously, being a very short saddle, with abrupt shape changes in a short distance, you don't have to move much to find a different feel. The contour depression in the middle of the saddle provided excellent protection against numbness and discomfort. I had no issues with this saddle as far as feeling went over a longer ride on gravel. 

So Far... I've had a ton of shorter rides with this saddle but only a couple which went into the three hour range. I'd like to get something a bit longer bagged for my reviewing purposes before it is time to wrap things up with the Solano. I also want to bring in N.Y. Roll's opinions on the Solano SL he has in my next update. 

Right now? I'd keep the Solano on this bike. It does its job quite well, with no irritations, and it isn't harsh, nor does it induce any chafing or numbness with me. Now, this may not be your experience, and saddles are a personal choice, so my recommendations need to be seen in light of this. With this said, I can say with confidence that the Solano does raise the bar for me in terms of what a WTB saddle can do for my riding. I want to hold final judgement until I can manage an over three hour ride, so look for my final verdict later this Summer, if not before.

Country Views: One Good Day

Escape Route: Bike paths through Evansdale

Last week was not good riding weather from a wind standpoint. We had major gusty winds up over 40mph and I was not about to do battle with winds like that for a country ride. Then it got cold AND windy, feeling more like March on Saturday than just past mid-May.

Saturday the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective held a Safety Check at the local farmers market and I about froze to death standing there. You know it is getting bad when your joints feel cold. It took me until mid-afternoon to warm back up from that exposure!

Plus I was feeling down about the single person who came to the bike check who had a bicycle which hadn't been maintained for probably a decade, maybe more. When I discovered the STI shifter was hung up, (a common Shimano issue mechanics have seen for 20-plus years) the person who owned the bike claimed it was my fault and the bike "worked before I brought it here!".  

Another example of a bike "I wish I never Touched". Mechanics know what I mean. The "You touched it so it is YOUR FAULT" thing. Never mind the fact the bike hadn't had a new part on it since who knows when, and the person admitted to leaving it in a single gear when they rode it, but never said why. Curious that..... Anyway.... 

New road and bike path construction happening on Lafayette Road all the way to Elk Run Heights.

First gravel: Young Road

Sunday was a beautiful day, if a touch cool for this late into May. The temperature was around the mid-60's with a moderate Northeasterly breeze. I decided at the last minute to divert from my original plan to ride my "Tour Of Southern Black Hawk County" loop and go East on Young Road. This would put all the headwind stuff on the front end and I haven't been out this way much for a while. 

I ran across a new-to-me development in Evansdale. They are remodeling Lafayette Road from Evansdale to Elk Run Heights and putting in a proper bicycle path. This is a great addition to the bicycle trail network, but it needs to go somewhere after getting to Elk Run Heights. Currently it will be a path ending at the park there at Elk Run. At least, this is how it appears to be now. 

The crops are emerging now all across the county.

A brief stop where McStay Road is barricaded. Further up the road it terminates at HWY 20.

I made great time getting out of town but once I reached gravel on Young Road the fresh dump of rock slowed my roll quite a bit! Being on a single speed, I had to meter out the effort accordingly or risk blowing up before I got my route done. Fortunately the wind wasn't much of a factor. 

The next mile after reaching the opening salvo of freshies turned out to be less of an issue and then the fresh gravel and older surfaces alternated so it became a game of hunting for a good line, then rolling easy for the rest of the route. 

Headed North on Garling Road here.

I'm doing a drawing study of these crosses on Holgate Road from different seasons of the year.

After doing a bit of "cheater road" (pavement) headed toward Jesup on Dubuque Road, I headed up Holgate Road and finially up to Newell and a mile from the Black Hawk County line on the East side. 

So, I decided to stop at the New Barclay Cemetery for a brief visit. Then I turned West and headed down toward Waterloo again on roads which were mostly older gravel, very dusty, and fast. 

This was the furthest East I went on the day. It also was nearly the highest elevation point.

It was nice to see the crops poking out. Soon these will be 8ft high corn plants (Or higher!)

A couple of miles from the cemetery I heard the familiar barking of a dog and an owner yelling at it. Of course, the dog in these scenarios never listens to the owner. So, knowing this I stop and start talking to this, what appeared to be, overweight, older Labrador. The dog seemed genuinely happy to find me, and was waging its tail furiously side to side, holding it high, which is a good sign, but you never know. 

Meanwhile, the owner, a tall, athletic looking man of maybe around 40 years of age, comes sauntering out onto the road with two little girls, both probably around five years old, in tow. The man tells "Bucko", (I think I got that right) to sit, and he does, right next to me! It was as if the dog was saying, "Look what I found!". 

The owner apologized for this scene and literally drug the dog away by the collar. I'll tell ya what - I've seen this scene play out several times enough to know that most country dogs are not trained to heel when called upon by their owners. If you have to literally drag a dog off the road, this is a bad sign. This time it was no big deal, and I smiled as I rode away because the look on those little girl's faces was priceless. Plus the dog was no big threat. However; I've had it the other way too, where a dog was threatening me and even resisting its owner. It didn't help that it was a Great Pyrenees and it was so strong it nearly overcame its owner's tugging. 

But this wasn't how this encounter ended, thankfully. It was just one more good day on the bike instead of a tragic story.