A Tough Stretch Here

Today closes out the month of July. I won't lie about it, I am not going to miss this last month. The weather is the reason for this.

We've had a good run of hot, humid days with big rains interspersed in there which have all fallen on days I had chances to ride out in the country. Not to mention the fact of the three days in a row where we had severe thunderstorms in the middle of the night which kept me up at random times. My sleep schedule is in tatters.

July started off great, but since the heat settled in and with the rains, yeah.... Not going to miss July at all. So, now we're moving on to August and already we have gone to cooler temperatures and less humidity for a time. This is a great relief. I'm most definitely a fan.

But we will get that "dog days" stretch, I am sure, where the humidity and heat will make a return. I just hope this doesn't result in temperatures adjusted for humidity over 100°F. I've had my fill of that! Of course, Fall is coming very soon, which is my favorite time of the year to ride, so I'm looking forward to this season coming up. But before we get there, I have one thing in mind to get to. 

Stay tuned....
 

Following The Numbers...

 The other day I was cruising my stats looking to see what was being read most ehre on "Guitar Ted Productions". The end of the year stats start to take shape around the first part of the second half of the year and I was just curious. I noted an very interesting trend.

First of all, the numbers are crazy. I know.....I say this every year and I would forgive you if you think this is becoming cliche' here, but the post counter doesn't lie. I'm seeing numbers on posts I rarely have ever seen at the end of a year, not to mention seven months in. So, first thing I want to say is "Thank You". It is because of people like you who read this blog who make the numbers what they are.

So, what are you folks reading? It is interesting to note that the biggest numbers all have something to do with inflation. TPU tubes and Clik Valves, to be specific. These posts are dwarfing anything I've ever posted and some of these posts have not been up foe seven months, some only a few months. Yet the numbers right now look like end of year numbers. I cannot fully explain this other than to point to one possibility. 

How we inflate tires on our bicycles and what we use to retain this air is radically changing before our very eyes. Between TPU tubes and the innovative Clik Valve, it is my opinion that people are intrigued by the benefits to the point which excitement over these two components is, dare I say - at fever pitch.

There has always been somewhat of a backlash over tubeless. The tubeless tire set up, the maintenance, the tubeless goo - All of this seems to have an undercurrent of dissatisfaction out there. Tubes just work, but they are prone to failures and they are heavy. In comes the TPU tube promising more robust puncture protection at a fantastic light weight. I don't know for certain, but I think tubeless solutions can be put into some newer TPU tubes now. If not, I am sure that is coming.

Then there is inflation. I know some folks will roll their eyes concerning Clik Valves, but they are soooooooo easy to use it makes Presta valves and Schrader valves look silly. Especially for casual cyclists, I see no reason for anything else but Clik Valves. I would gladly switch over to them, personally, and if the groundswell around Clik Valves continues to grow, I probably will switch.

I'm not going to recount here every advantage Clik Valves have over the other two major valve standards in the US, but I know people are really curious about them judging from my stats. If some of those folks decide to make the switch, and their friends see Clik Valves, and this momentum gets going, we are in for quite the sea change. I'm all for it. 

So, at any rate, I know there is a ton of interest in both of these products and it just feels like this points to big changes on the horizon for tubes and how we fill them.  Apparently Schwalbe is combining Clik Valve with TPU tubes, so when this becomes more commonplace I'm probably going to start switching over more bikes to both standards. What do you think? 

Are Clik Valves, TPU tubes, or both in your future? 

Thoughts On The Velo Orange Chessie

The Velo Orange "Chessie" (Image courtesy of Velo Orange)

A Look At An Inexpensive All-Rounder:

Recently I was contacted by Velo Orange, (who apparently read this blog - at least occasionally) for my opinion on their newest adventure/gravel/all-arounder, the Chessie. I first noted the bike in a post from almost a year ago in coverage of the MADE Show.

The offering raised interest with me since the bike was to have a claimed 50mm tire clearance, several mounting points for accessories, and a single speed option. While the material for the Chessie was aluminum, this doesn't mean it will ride like a hay rack. Now days materials technology affords those using aluminum to tune ride quality and those "zingers" we used to feel while riding an aluminum frame from the past are potentially gone now.

This seemed like a good option for anyone building up a bike in a specific way to suit their needs. I love the single speed option, being a single speed guy, but also for the potential to be self-sufficient in case of any issues with a rear derailleur. Having the single speed option might allow you to make it back to the start, or the destination, without calling in someone to rescue you.

Geometry is important to me, and I'm not about to add a bicycle to my situation, which has far too many bicycles as it is, unless I can replace one I have with something "better". In other words, to make the cut here, the bike better well be spot-on, or I'm going to pass. Dialed geometry for my desires may not be a concern, or even relevant in any way for you, so please understand what I am about to share is really from my perspective. You should consider your own needs and choose wisely.

Geometry for the Chessie (Image courtesy of Velo Orange)

Usually when I see a bicycle I am interested in there is one area the geometry disappoints me in. The Chessie is no different in this regard,. But before I get to what I specifically did not like about this bike, I want to share what I want to see in a bike's geometry chart.

• Head Tube Angle: I need to see slacker than 72° and maybe I'd go as slack as 69° here. (Depends upon fork offset, bottom bracket drop, and Stack numbers)
• Bottom Bracket Drop: I'll never get a bike with anything less than a 72mm bottom bracket drop which has tire clearances for 50mm or less tires. I've ridden a few bikes, and I own one, which have high bottom brackets and they are not a lot of fun on loose, crushed rock descents and just in general, on any loose rock infested road. Nope! Been there - done that. I prefer to see something like a 75mm drop, which I believe to be "perfect for me". More than this gets a little sketchy with the pedals potentially striking, but now with shorter crank sets being all the rage, maybe I could make a low, 75+mm bottom bracket drop work. 
•  Seat Tube Angle: Nothing too steep. I'm not super picky here, but an upright, steep seat tube is not what I like to see on a bike I am considering. 
• Chainstay Length:  I like something between 430mm and 440mm. This can change depending upon the seat tube angle. and bottom bracket drop. (See my Honeman Flyer as an example of this) 

So, how does the Chessie stack up and where doesn't it? This design is really pretty good from my view, but for the bottom bracket drop. In fact, looking across the sizes, the bottom bracket drop seems pretty crazy. I cannot recall seeing this before where every size has a pretty big difference in the bottom bracket drop. I could maybe make sense of it all but for the size Medium frame which is the only size I'd be happy with all-around. Unfortunately I need to be on a size Large, and a 68mm drop is a definite no-go for myself.

The Chessie got a couple rave reviews from a couple of online cycling sites. That is encouraging, but I cannot compromise on any of my points, so this bike would not be something I'd bring in for myself. I was hoping it might be a T-6 Standard Rando replacement, as the T-6 has limited tire clearances, but I'll have to keep looking.....  

Gravel Tire Tread Patterns Are Not Very Important

Pirelli Cinturato H gravel tires

How Much Tread Does A Gravel Tire Really Need?

I'm pretty sure this story has been shared here before, but several years ago I had an audience with one of the more famous bicycle tire designers in the industry. He was telling me how the latest offering from the company he worked for was developed. I asked him how he came up with new tread patterns and how important were the new designs. His answer was a bit eye-opening. He said flatly, "Tire tread design is a fashion business."

He went on to explain the idea was to engender a feeling about how a tire might perform based upon how it looked. What the tread actually does is secondary. Important, but not the 'main thing'. His example was from the motorcycle world. He said if you look at most MX tires, they all look pretty much the same from a tread design standpoint because what actually works well in their world has been figured out. There is not much room for anything radically different looking than big, square tread blocks. MX tires are function over fashion. 

However, if bicycles are a fashion business, to any degree, then perhaps this is most exemplified in tire design. It seems that anything which has been proven in design is boring, and what people 'see with their eyes' is more important than what actually works on the road, trail, in in this case, out on gravel.

(L-R) Conti Terra Adventure, Ritchey WCS Speedmax

Take for example the lowly road file tread pattern. It was a design which was used on all roads - Gravel, paved, and on dirt. It was the tire no one questioned for decades.

Advancements were made in construction, rubber compound, and materials, but that file tread pattern was the rule of the day for a long, long time. Why? It worked. Boring......but it worked.

Some of the most iconic MTB patterns were simple blocks. Specialized's Ground Control - the one you've likely never seen if you are under 30 years of age, was pretty much just blocks. But it was lauded for its ability to do almost anything off-road on a mountain bike. Then fashion came along and, well.... 

I've always had the feeling that we don't need a lot of tread on our gravel tires. However; looking at many tread patterns for gravel, you'd think the opposite was true. Certainly there are examples of minimalist tread patterns out there, and those are almost always thought of as tread patterns for mostly paved surfaces, or for racing. 

However; at least where I live, where we have crushed rock roads coming out of the woodwork all around us, I feel tread blocks and weird patterns are a waste of time. They don't really do much of anything. Now, are there tires I like, maybe even love, which have big, aggressive tread blocks? Yes, but the tread is superfluous to the reasons why I like the tires, A "good gravel tire" is defined by other, much more important things than what you see molded into the casing.

Image courtesy of Maxxis Tires

 Things like casing construction, and rubber compound play a much larger role in how a tire performs, feels, and survives the miles than does tread pattern. Casing construction, and the materials used in the casing, make a tire ride well, or grip better. The casing has a big influence on the tire's profile as it sits on a rim. This matters when the rubber hits the road, be it gravel, dirt, or pavement.

Tire compound plays a role in tire durability, grip, and rolling resistance. Tread patterns influence these things as well, but you'd be surprised how little this matters, especially in the gravel tire market.

The best gravel tires I've ever ridden, and I've ridden a LOT of different tires, all have wildly differing tread patterns, but they all have similar ride feel and performance on gravel. The tread patterns just do not seem to matter all that much. 

I'm sure there are many people who will disagree, but for me, the proof is in the riding. Tread patterns do influence the way a tire rides and performs, but in the end, this is not what really matters. Unless the pattern is seriously flawed, I really don't feel tread pattern is of all that much importance for the kind of riding I do most.  

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.

 Crazy Idea: Not So Crazy Afterall: Saturday, July 19th, 2025 - The resurrection of a once dead and out of date trail hard tail MTB. The rare Singular Buzzard gets a refresh and transformation into a bike packing rig with a unique twist. Still more to do on this one, by the way....

Gear Review From The TITRR & Final Thoughts - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 - Wait......didn't this ride happen a month ago? And we're still interested in the details of the gear I used for it? I guess so! This post was the second most read on the site last week. 

Two Things: Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025 - The always popular "Two things" posts is about RAGBRAI related stuff this time. Kinda timely, I thought.... 

The Open Source Naming Project: Tuesday, September 24th, 2013 -  This old article was subtitled "The Open Source Naming Project or "Kickstarting A New Name For Gravel Grinder Bikes" The idea being that "gravel" was not what we should be using as a term for these, then new, bicycles on the scene. Names suggested ranged from "All Purpose Bike" to "All Road Bikes", and "Rural Route" with several other suggestions in between. 

Country Views: A Different Flavor - Monday, July 21st, 2925 -  I took a wildly different route out of town and back again on this edition of "Country Views". 

And that is your top-five most read articles on Guitar Ted Productions for the past week. Thank you once again for spending some time here reading these articles!  

Two Things

Cannondale Synapse (Image courtesy of Cannondale Bikes)

Is It Road, Endurance-Road, Or Gravel?

Over the last several years there has been some major changes in bicycles which, I would like to think, have been an influence from the so-called "gravel bike" developments over the past decade or so.

While Pro level road racers have an entirely different agenda for what their perceptions of 'necessary features' are, the "everyday" road bike seems to have gone in a different direction. Quietly, what we used to accept as a "road bike" has evolved into what we would have accepted gladly as a gravel bike ten years ago.

Brands make statements and usually do so with their range-topping offerings. Paying attention to what is on offer on those models can often inform us of what is going to be accepted as "the norm" for several years to come. Think about electronic shifting, or disc brakes on road bikes. Both things found originally only on exclusive, top-end offerings, but which are now fairly commonplace throughout ranges for many brand's road bikes. 

It is with this lens which I am looking at bicycles like the Synapse shown here. Once known as an "endurance road" bike, the Synapse now could legitimately be used as a gravel bike, but looking at Cannondale's marketing, you will not find the term "gravel" mentioned at all. However; it is a bike you could ride any road on.

Gravel roads, poor dirt roads, broken up, abandoned roads, and anything paved. The Synapse has clearance for 42mm rear/47mm front tires. This isn't "shoe-horning" in something to get by on either as the marketing text indicates these tire sizes as maximum with 4mm clearance to any part of the frame or fork. So yeah, there is mud clearance, although this isn't touted as an adventure road bike.

The geometry is even 'gravel' with a 71.3° head angle in my size (58cm) with a bottom bracket drop of 70mm, which is a tick higher than I'd like, personally, but it certainly isn't as low as many road bikes these days.

Perhaps brands are coming to terms with how riders want to ride in the 'real world': Away from cars and traffic, which generally means out on gravel, dirt, and forgotten byways. Any road? All-Road? Which leads me to.... 

The Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #80:

In the newest episode of the podcast (HERE), we talk a bit about this new trend in road bikes and this brings us to an old article I wrote in 2013 called "The Open Source Naming Project".  I think the whole nomenclature surrounding "gravel cycling" is up for discussion again. Especially now with the whole road biking scene starting to evolve into gravel bike territory. The old name just isn't a great name and I think it causes perceptions to be off and not true to the spirit of what these bicycles and style of cycling was meant to be originally.

 We also get to an explainer on the gearing question I brought up in the last FN&V. In between we get into some gardening nonsense. It's weird...... I promise, we weren't drinking alcohol!

I'm hoping to hop back into some "Where We Came From" stuff in the near future for the podcast. I have a few folks in mind, I just need to do some reaching out. Stay tuned on this if it is something you enjoy to listen to on the podcast.

And as always, thanks for checking the podcast out! 

Friday News And Views

Scene from Andy's Bike Shop (R.I.P.) circa 2020.

Slow Times:

Maybe you are too busy riding to notice, and I do hope this is the case, but there has been a dearth of news and releases this Summer from the bicycle industry.

Of course, there is some activity  on the news front, but I've noted a big drop off in press releases across the media and social media sites in the past month, month and a half.

Maybe this is due to all the hullabaloo with tariffs, or maybe it has something to do with consumer habits and slow sales. I would bet it is something of both of those things. But whatever it is, I know this has been one of the quietest Summers from the standpoint of new bicycle releases I've experienced.

Just this week the news I've seen is very slim, and has to do with oddball things like 'unobtanium' 3D printed saddles, a refresh of a full suspension trail e-Bike in aluminum instead of carbon fiber, and a gravel bike introduced earlier this year now available in multiple customer chosen hues.

Big Tires For Gravel And Gearing:

 Back in the late 2000's, when triple crank sets were still dominate, the then new 29 inch wheel bike was still finding its way in terms of specific-to-29" wheel components and gear, One of those needs back then was for a lower geared cassette.

The problem was the change in diameter from a 26"er wheel to a 29"er wheel. The larger diameter effectively skewed the then available cassette gearing ranges to a faster/"harder" range. Instead of allowing 29"er riders to scale steeps like a 26"er rider, the lack of lower gearing made riding a 29"er in hilly terrain harder. 

Of course, lower gears eventually did become available, 29"ers evolved and left 26"ers in the dust, and all is well now. How does this past experience with the move to larger diameter wheels inform gravel riders today? Does any of this even matter?

My friend, Ari, a bicycle mechanic in the Chicago area, asked about this recently. I went ahead and did some basic calculations using All City's excellent gear calculator page.  I found interesting results from comparing different tire widths and how these affect your gear range.

Most riders are considering larger volume tires for gravel.The times when 40mm tires were thought to be the optimum size for gravel is a time long past. Now riders are mostly in the mid-40's for tire widths and even 50mm+ width tires are being eyed for gravel riding and racing in some instances. Does this wider, and therefore larger, diameter tire affect your gearing range in a negative way, like it did for 29"er riders versus their 26"er counterparts back in the day?

The short answer? The effect is negligible. According to my research, which could be wrong, a rider would have to move up 15mm in tire width, (and assuming volume follows at a linear rate), to equal a one tooth difference in gearing. That's a lot, and obviously, moving from 43mm to - let's say 50mm, is even less of a difference.  

So, should you sweat the details of gearing if you are moving from a 45mm tire to a 50mm tire? Maybe. I would do so only if you are already feeling as though your gearing is at a limit on the low side at a 45mm tire. Otherwise, I think it is not a big deal.

SON Ladelux Light and switch/charging port. (Image courtesy of Nabendynam.de)

SON Show New Ladelux Dynamo Light/Switch: 

A new light with the capability to charge devices via USB has been introduced by SON Nabendynamo. The new Ladelux light also features a high beam setting which is a more full, more long-distance throw light which is switchable to a Low setting via SON's new switching system. 

The new light is capable of up to a 14 watt power output which is approximately 4 watts higher than the competition's most powerful models. The "Low" beam is claimed to shine at 150Lux and on high the light has a 200 Lux capability. The light housing also contains a stand alone battery which is charged by the dynamo hub. This battery acts as a buffer between the hub and device which is being charged. The battery, when charged up, provides a smoother delivery of electrons which a hub dynamo is incapable of doing. This intermittent charging directly off a hub dynamo sometimes can damage the batteries in devices and is not an optimal way to charge devices.

The switch is unique as it has a sealed, metal construction and relies on pressure to switch light modes. Therefore there is no possibility for moisture intrusion. The switch features a magnetic cord attachment for charging either Apple devices or any USB C device. For more details see the SON Nabendynamo site HERE. 

Comments: Cost for the light alone with switch is approximately $570.00, which isn't cheap by any stretch, but in my experience with SON products, well worth the money.  I probably wouldn't need such a full-featured set up, since I don't have a need to charge a device while riding, typically. However; on a cross-country trek, or for a few days of bike packing, this might be an ideal thing to look into. Of course, cords, satellite accessories, the dynamo hub, and labor to build a wheel make this a pretty expensive way to go. That's a big commitment for sure. But if I did this sort of riding which makes a set up like this worthwhile often enough, then it begins to make a lot of sense. 

That is a wrap on this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride a bicycle!

Brooks B-72 Update

 The Brooks saddle restoration process has finally reached its end. I had one thing I wanted to address before I rode it since my last update on this project.

My waiting to ride this was based upon my fears that the skirts of the B-72, which were sticking nearly straight out when I started working on this saddle, would still be prone to flaring outward once I sat on the thing to ride with it. The softness of the leather was another reason for this fear.

Well, fear not! There is a remedy for this issue and it is called "tying", or more commonly as "lacing" a Brooks saddle. This is a process where one punches holes into the skirt of the saddle and then you simply lace a cord through these holes to draw in the skirts and prevent them from bowing outward.

It is a common practice with owners of Brooks saddles and I was able to find a lot of resources to learn from concerning this practice. I won't bother linking to any single source here as there is a lot of references to this practice and if you are reading this you can Google just as well as I can!

I was somewhat in luck here as I had purchased a leather punch to alter my belts with a few years ago. So, I had the perfect tool for making the holes, but I did not have any good laces to use. Cotton sneaker laces would work, but as one might expect, these will deteriorate over time and are not an ideal lace for a Brooks saddle. Not in my estimation, at any rate.

I don't get around like I used to without a car these days, so when my daughter needed new work shoes I begged to ride along as my son drove us over to the shoe store. (Yes, they still exists!) I found a pair of nice, beefy, round laces for hiking boots which are made to resist decay. I could have waxed them before I installed the cord, but I went ahead and put it in raw for the time being.

I had given thought to getting leather laces, but the shoe store did not have any, and I would have to wait to order those, so I chose to go with the round laces I had found there. Then it was time to go home and actually start punching holes.

The B-72 presented a bit of a challenge here as I had to consider how the lace would cross over from side to side underneath the saddle. I had to avoid the two saddle rails on each side and the big, traditional bolt/clam shell seat post clamp.

Once I had determined where underneath I could go with the lace, I then had to decide how many holes I needed to do the job well. After squeezing and poking for about ten minutes I had determined where I would want the lace to draw the skirts together to get the saddle to hold its shape. 

B-72 meets leather punch

 

The results.

I marked out the approximate places I wanted to punch out holes at and then I went for it. This was the "now or never" moment of commitment. I wasn't too worried as I have stated before - This saddle was junk when I got it. Any way to make it usable again was a "win", so screwing this up was an option I was ready to accept if and when it happens. Of course, I hope it does not come to this, but I am fine if it does, as I will have learned a lot about the process of restoring a Brooks leather saddle.

And now for the finished product.....

So, this saddle is kind of an odd feeling saddle. It is wider than almost anything else I've used in a while. It seems to support my weight just fine, and this is good as the adjuster nut is all the way to the loose side, so I can tension this up as needed. I just did a quickie ride, so I cannot really comment any further on the ride.

The seat post is in an unusual material, being made from aluminum, is very light weight, and fluted on the inside. I would love to keep it on here, but it seems to be a tad too short as I have the minimum insertion line still sticking out above the seat collar a good three millimeters or more. Not good! 

So, since this needs a headless seat post shaft and most seat posts of this sort I see are chrome steel, it may be a while before I come up with a solution which is serviceable for the Karate Monkey, at least. Now if I could only talk my machinist son into turning one down in aluminum for me......  

Crazy Idea: Load Testing

The last update on the Singular Cycles Buzzard showed you all what the concept looked like. This time I wanted to share some thoughts about how this bike handles a load and if I think the concept will work or not in real, practical terms.

So, I dug up my bags, some of which I still had loaded from back when I was testing out the Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 for this two-day gravel trip I have had planned for.....I don't know.... A long time now. Anyway, I started fitting these to the Buzzard and I quickly came to realize I would benefit from having a custom frame bag for this bike, but I really don't think that is going to happen. And I should just get this along with what I already have, so I resigned myself to doing just this and forgoing any big purchases.

Besides, I probably need to limit my choices down to bare essentials anyway. It isn't as though I am doing some week-long tour. I just need to be able to sleep overnight and get back home again. This seems to be harder to do than it sounds though. But yeah..... That's what I am shooting for here. 

The load was my OR handle bar bag, which if I recall correctly, has my sleep system inside it. Maybe some clothes in there as well? I didn't bother to check. It had weight and this was all I wanted to know. That and how I was going to attach it to the Utility Rack which ended up being pretty simple using the straps native to this bag.

As shown here, there are several loops to use to strap on another dry bag if I need to, so I could get a bit more on there. Plus, if I need a pad, I could use one of the various flat panel ones, (or a windshield insert typically used for shielding the inside of a vehicle from the Sun while parked) as a mattress.

The rear bag had my two-man tent inside of it. This could carry a bit more as well. So, I have options there. Still, a frame nag would have been nice, but yeah....not going there!

I have two cages to mount on the inside, rider facing part of the Utility Bar, but I have not gotten around to mounting those just yet. I did fill the bottles with water though. This made up the load for the initial test. I'll be doing a more detailed, full-load test later on.

I was afraid the handling with this bag on the rack would  be bad. The fork/front end geometry is really critical in this regard. I did not know quite what to expect. About halfway through the test ride I climbed a steep incline which brought my speed down to probably 5mph, I would guess. This is where your geometry and load can bite you with a wandering, hard to steer front end. Surprisingly this was not the case here. I had very stable handling, and no flopping fork to f9ight against, which really was surprising. 

The bike still feels surprisingly light and it handles in a very neutral way. The drive train functions excellently. You would not guess this is a mismatched collection of used parts. The ride is smooth, and I think the rim and tire width combination is really good.

But this set up still needs refinement. I'm not 100% settled on the saddle position, the saddle, or the seat post. I think I want to explore getting a shim so I can size down to a 27.2 mm seat post which I have several of and ones which should prove to be more forgiving than this brute of a 31.6mm post which the Buzzard has now. I also would like a bit more set back and for whatever reason, the tilt function on this Salsa post is not working correctly and I cannot tilt the nose up just the tiny bit more I would like to.

I may swap out grips as these Ergon grips feel a bit harsh on my paws. Hmm...... I guess that is about all, really. This is turning out well, surprisingly. I can find very little to complain about, and this is a parts bin bike using stuff which was never designed to be together.

The next step is to inventory what is in the OR bag and then try a "real-life" set up as a load, mounting the two extra cages and full bottles, and then seeing what I come up with. I'm thinking this is going to actually be a pretty rad bike. So, I am probably going to get the eccentric bottom bracket, (already on the way here, actually) the different seat post and saddle, and install different grips. I have to decide what I want to do about the tire set up. Then....?

I guess this would mean I would actually have to use the thing, right? 

I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.  

Two Things

Nick at a recent ride support gig.

 Two things: The "Heroes" You Otherwise Won't Hear About.

Today's "Two Things" focuses on two cycling stories with some folks who you will never hear about anywhere else. But their stories deserve to be told, in my opinion, so here we go...

Nick Arendt: 

The Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective has a board made up of around seven or eight folks. One of these memebers is Nick Arendt. Nick was the volunteer for the most recent Bike Valet service the Collective provides at downtown Waterloo, Iowa events like "Fridayloo", which features a live band on the riverfront stage.

RAGBRAI is going on right now, and people come from all over the world to participate in this, the largest recreational bike ride in the world. The ride started this year in the Northwestern corner of the state of Iowa. Since Waterloo is on HWY 20, the fastest, most Northern route across Iowa, it would stand to reason that we may have a few travelers coming through the city on their way to RAGBRAI's start.

On Saturday we had a big complex of thunderstorms move through the area and everything was soaking wet. I was at the Collective by 7:30am to get the day rolling as we are open from 8:00am - noon on Saturdays. Not long after the doors opened in came Nick to bring back the Bike Valet supplies and gear we use for this service. But he had a wheel in his hands. And this was no ordinary wheel!

Image courtesy of Hunt Wheels

This was a carbon fiber rim with a nice 30mm road tire on it. A disc rim with a through axle, so whatever it went on must have been a fairly nice road bike. We surmised this wheel, which Nick found in the motel parking lot behind the shop, was probably left behind when a person was loading their bike onto a rack which required front wheel removal and then inadvertently left it behind.

We also guessed this was likely a RAGBRAI rider heading out to the start who had stayed the evening in Waterloo on their travels. So, I suggested to Nick he go to the two neighboring motels and put in a word at their front desks about him finding this wheel.

Nick left and not three minutes later a frenzied young man entered into the Collective asking breathlessly if anyone had brought in a wheel. I immediately connected this young man with the wheel Nick had in his possession, so I texted Nick. Nick was quick to return and the young man was overjoyed.

Claiming we had "saved his RAGBRAI, he exited and that was that. But this could have gone very wrong for that young man had Nick not shown up on the scene when he did, and not some other person who may have just figured it was a "bicycle wheel" and taken it as a prize they had found. Nick, you are a good man!

Charlie Farrow (Image from social media)

Charlie Farrow - An Upper-Mid-West Hero.

Not long ago here on these digital pages I wished Charlie Farrow a safe and successful ride on his Tour Divide attempt. Well, now news comes to me that on the 19th of July, Charlie finished his ride in Antelope Wells, New Mexico in 37 days and some change. 

I've lauded Charlie on his legendary status in Trans Iowa  before. However, what many may not know is Charlie has accomplished so much in his endurance cycling pursuits. Tour Divide is just another feather in Charlies very feathered helmet.

Trans Iowa saw some very outstanding performances from Charlie, but these are but a pittance in his palmares.  Charlie has attempted and finished the Iditarod in Alaska, the Arrowhead 135 winter ultra, the Almanzo 100, other gravel events, several 24hr MTB events, and probably more stuff I don't know about.

Those who know Charlie hold him in high regard. He is humble, erudite, and quick with a good word. It is hard not to like Charlie if you meet him. So, when you add his excellent character with his amazing cycling accomplishments, it is an example of one rare human being. I know I will always think of Charlie as a "hero" of cycling, especially in terms of the long-distance, ultra-cycling events held off-pavement.

Congratulations Charlie on your latest long-distance triumph! 

Country Views: A Different Flavor

Escape Route: Sergeant Road Trail

I finally squeezed in a ride out in the country on Friday, which was a very weird day, in terms of weather. Thursday would have been the plum day to get out, but I had to do ride support in the late morning in Waverly for the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, which kind of poked a big hole in between both ends of my time to ride. So, I saw the weather was supposed to be okay on Friday and with a cancellation of a previous commitment, I had plenty of time for a country ramble. 

The weather wasn't hot, but it was more humid than it had been on Thursday, and it wasn't Sunny, like Thursday either. It was grey, overcast, and windy out of the South. You could almost see the humidity riding that Southern breeze!

I decided to ride the Black Mountain Cycles MCD for this one. My reviewing duties are almost all done now, with the exception of a couple of minor things, so I am hoping to get more time on some neglected members of my fleet.

The trail was seal coated down by Hudson, Iowa. 

Watters Road looking West.

I decided to go completely off-script for me and ride the Sergeant Road Trail all the way to Hudson. I had thought to get down to 110th Street in Tama County, but when I got to Hudson I got a wild hair and went West out of that town on Watters Road, then North on Hollis Road and then West again on Strayer Road.

Some fine looking horses here. 

Barns For Jason #1: Papa Barn, Mama Barn, and Baby Barn!

I saw I was going to pass by the Zion Lutheran Cemetery, so I decided to stop for an image. It was then when I heard the rear brake squawking because the pads were dragging slightly on the rotors. These are Avid BB-7's, by the way. I kind of pride myself on being able to make those brakes be quiet, so I decided to take a quick look.

Barns For Jason #2

Out came the hex keys and I couldn't seem to get the caliper outboard enough to make the outboard pad clear the rotor. I tried backing out the adjuster to no avail. I was about to "just live with it", but then I thought about it more and took another look. Then I noticed something.

Was I seeing a bit of light underneath the bolt holding the adapter at the rear? Why yes....I was! The adapter bolt which goes through the tab on the frame and threads into the adapter to keep it tight to the frame had vibrated loose! I tightened it up, and checked the forwrad bolt as well. It too was a bit loose. There ya go! Quiet brakes!

Remember readers: Always check the tightness of the fasteners on your bicycles regularly!

Zion Lutheran Church. This used to be a gravel road four years ago. 

Headed West into Grundy County

As I crossed Black Hawk - Grundy Road, I was reminded of the time when that North-South road was once gravel. Last time I rode it as a gravel road was in 2021. I do not know why the County paved it, but there is one more five or six mile stretch of gravel gone now. In my opinion, it is a major step in the wrong direction.

 

I ended up having to ride this "cheater road" for a mile!

The whole paved Grundy County line thing really threw off my route out here. I used to go up the county line to cross HWY 20 and onward to the North without dealing with much pavement. But now I have to go another mile West, or so I was thinking, to X Avenue, cross HWY 20 on an overpass, and then jig-a-jog over West a tiny bit at the old county road to Dike and back North again....

Well, except this is a paved County road going North! Dang it! So, I just decided to ride this a mile North and take the next right on gravel, which I did. By this time I was a bit out of my reckoning, having not ridden around here much for a long time.

Barns For Jason #3

Barns For Jason #4

I kind of like getting a bit lost at times. I really don't mind this feeling, and it comes along too little anymore since I generally ride in the same areas. I ended up stopping when I reached the Black Hawk County line and I decided on my path back into town then, which ended up being West 27th Street into UNI and then along University Avenue all the way back on bike path to my neighborhood.

West 27th Street looking East.

The bike path along University Avenue in Cedar Falls is ridiculously dangerous. 

This week, ironically, RAGBRAI comes through Cedar Falls. I rode through there and along the main bicycle route on University Avenue. I sure hope the residents of Cedar Falls treat the guests coming through for RAGBRAI with a lot more respect and care than they showed me on Friday. My head was on a swivel, and good thing, because I about got taken out by at least three vehicles with drivers who had no intentions of stopping to allow me to clear a driveway or intersection they were turning left into.

I think I'll be making it a point not to go into Cedar Falls on that death trap of a bike path anytime soon!

I ended up with 34 miles, with probably over half of this total being paved, but to get West of Cedar Falls isn't easy to do without a ton of pavement. Anyway, at least it was a different ride and the country bits were great. The urban part? I can do without going through Cedar Falls anytime soon! 

Weekly Top Five

From the Tree In The Road Ride. Image courtesy of Jason Boucher.

  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.

Two Things: Monday, July 14th, 2025 - The ever-popular "Two Things" posts always seem to bring the clicks. This time I wrote about the 32 inch wheel trend and Gravel Worlds new awards for finishers.

Alley Riding: Saturday, July 12th, 2025 - This concept seems to have some interest out there. Look for some more news on this coming soon. 

Crazy Idea: Update 2: Tuesday, July 15th, 2025 - The conversion of my Singular Buzzard trail bike into a wacky, wheel swappable bikepacking rig. 

The Tree In The Road Ride Report: Technical Snafus & Heat: Tuesday, July 1st, 2025 - The main story of the Tree In The Road Ride. I linked this article to the latest episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast, so this may account for the bump in numbers looking at this one. 

Gear Review From The TITRR & Final Thoughts: Wednesday, July 2nd, 2025 - The follow-up post to the ride report linked above was the fifth most clicked article on this site last week. Apparently people were interested in a gear review!

That's what folks were interested in reading here over the past week. Check those articles out if you have not already done so. I appreciate all the interest in Guitar Ted Productions! Thanks! 

Crazy Idea: Not So Crazy Afterall

 Well........there it is! I've test ridden the bike and I am impressed so far. Enough so I am motivated to finish up the idea. While it is ride-able as is, there still is a lot to do before I can say I've accomplished my goals with this bike.

Before I get into what things are on my to-do list, I wanted to give my impressions of what I have here so far. These will include how the machine works and also how it handles. Then I wanted to get into what I do not care for about the bike, and finally I will get to what needs to be done yet.

Impressions: 

My first impression was the bike has poor cable routing and the cable management around the Utility Bar and Rack is, by the nature of the design, flawed. Singular didn't really get the cable stops right on this bike, and so I had to kind of make do where I did run cables. As an example, the front derailleur cable route is along the down tube. Not good when my derailleurs are almost all top-pull for 2X set ups. But then again, who runs front derailleurs anymore........

Next, coming out of the stand, I was amazed at how light this build is. Now.....I'm not saying it is really light, but for what it is, you might be surprised by the weight. I did not put it on a scale, so I have no number to share, but I thought it felt light in the hand, and this with the steel bar, rack, and butyl rubber tubes.

The ride was an eye-opener. I had forgotten how short the wheel base is and I'd never run the Buzzard with a "short" fork before. So it feels nimble and not at all sluggish. Even the wheels felt great despite the rubber tubes and old tires.

The shifters and derailleurs work flawlessly. Ironically I am using an 11 speed cassette with a ten speed chain but there seems to be no negative results.  The low gear on the cassette is a 36T and the inner ring is a 28T, so unless I go mountain hunting I don't think I'll be changing the gearing.

The brakes were great. I still need to equalize the rotor sizes and replace the front Shimano rotor with a SRAM 160mm rotor.  

Cables and front racks off the handle bar. Not compatible!

Things Not So Great:

Well, there is not a lot I don't like, but for starters this bike was never meant to be a bike packing rig so there is only one set of bosses on it for a water bottle. This is why I went with the Utility Rack and Handlebar. These items give me a lot more mounting points for accessories. I'll end up having five water bottle mounts, which includes the two fork mounted bottles. Water won't be an issue.

Then there is the aforementioned cable routing.  

I'm not a fan of not having a single speed bail-out option for a bike like this. Singular decided against providing this option on the Buzzard, which is rare for the brand. At the time it made sense. Who would want a single speed option on a trail oriented hard tail? Well, besides myself and Rich Dillen. 

Things To Do Yet: 

This leads me to what I need to do yet. First off, I'll tackle the single speed option with the Velo Orange eccentric bottom bracket. Then I'll need a "real" head set instead of the cobbled together one I dug up out of my parts bin, which is actually two uppers since the steer tube is 1 1/8th straight tube. Along with this I'll cut down the steer tube and put in a new star nut.

I'm thinking about swapping tires to my Surly Extraterrestrials. Then I'll also go tubeless when I do this. Otherwise I'll end up getting a couple new 29"er tires with some decent grip for off road trails and low enough knobs for gravel.The brake rotor thing I already mentioned. Then I'll be able to swap wheels. I think I have a single speed freewheel to spare also.

In the meantime I think I will do a fully loaded test to see how the bike does ready to go for a bike packing trip. Stay tuned.... 

Friday News And Views

YT Industries Enters Self-Administration, Cites Troubled Market:

Direct to consumer mountain bike brand, YT Industries, entered 'self-administration' in Germany to restructure its finances in order to survive as a company. According to a story recently in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News", the company has "exciting new products" coming but financial troubles have forced the company to reorganize its finances to continue onward. 

Comments: As expected, I thought we'd be seeing news like this crop up this year. To be honest, I expected to read more news like this. Battling back from the post-COVID mistakes and having to battle deep discounting across the industry has to be taxing on any company's financials. One way we can note this would be the lack of new product introductions.

Hopefully news like this ceases and economic times are rosier in the near term, however; I'm not expecting this to be the case. 

New Guitar Ted Podcast Episode:

It has been a while since we have dropped a new Guitar Ted Podcast episode, but there is one out now which we posted this week. The Spotify link is HERE, but you should be able to find the podcast on your favorite platform as well. 

We went kind of long on this episode, (an hour and a half!), so you may want to listen on a trip, while doing some mundane task, or if you need to go to sleep. (Just kidding on the last suggestion, maybe.....)

We talked a lot about several different subjects this time including the two tire reviews, the Tree In The Road Ride, and about the recent relegation at Coast To Coast event in Michigan.

With Summer on the wane, we will be looking at getting back into some more "Where We Came From" episodes again. If you have anyone in mind who you would like to hear from, let me know in the comments. We typically are looking for an interview with someone who was prominent in gravel riding and racing previous to 2015. 

I figure we will be doing around 15 more episodes for 2025 and then we will take our normal holiday break over December and the first week or so of January. Thanks for checking out the podcast, if you do. If not, give this one a whirl and see if you might enjoy it.  

Team Cofidis Targeted By Thieves:

Disaster at the tour de France earlier this month for Team Cofidis was averted after 22 bikes were stolen out of their team trailer, but were quickly recovered the following day. However; news has come out telling of another robbery of Cofidis team bikes, this time from the women's team.

According to the story, the women's team bikes were not the time trial bikes which the Cofidis woman's team rode for the opening stage of the Baloise Ladies Tour. Which bikes were stolen and how many were taken was not information released to the public pending investigation by the authorities.

Comments: Kind of unbelievable that the Cofidis teams are suffering such bad luck with thievery. Hopefully the ladies bikes can be recovered quickly. One might think Team Cofidis LOOK bikes shouldn't be too hard to find out in public, but I wonder if these types of robberies are more about stripping valuable group sets off the frames along with wheels which would be harder to trace back to the thieves.

Courtesy of 'girlsgonegravel' social media.

Elite Woman Gravel Riders Have Concerns Over Rider Safety:

A trend has appeared recently within the women's field of Elite gravel racers contesting UCI gravel events. The discontent stems from the UCI's formatting of the Pro Women gravel event within male 'age-group' fields at UCI gravel events on the Gravel World Series calendar.

Apparently more Pro and Elite women are opting out of the fields for these UCI gravel events stating that crashes, poor riding skills, and just a general dissatisfaction with having to deal with riders not in their category has women deciding not to contest these events. This obviously is something of an issue since women's fields typically are not as deep as male fields in the Pro and Elite categories of gravel racing.

Comments: We've noted similar issues in the USA with Pro/Elite gravel racers on the women's side. Drafting issues, male fields being a way to create 'picks' for other women riders, and so on. Unbound finally separated women from men in the Elite category recently, and some other US based events have done things to help the woman's field have more equity and less mixing in  with other fields.

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

 Ritchey Design Offers Team Issue P-29 Frame:

 The P-29 frame from Ritchey Design is not new, but the new Team Issue color is. This is a classic Ritchey color scheme. One the Team racing bikes has used since the late 1980's.

Ritchey P-29's are interesting in that they can be built up with a drop bar, flat bar, rigid fork, or with front suspension. I was attracted to the rigid, drop bar example shown here.

While this bike is an XC hard tail MTB, I think Ritchey is doing well to sell it as a platform to make of it what you will. I also will add that this is the sort of bicycle sorely missing from many brand's ranges now. A basic steel hard tail with options. A "Trek SingleTrack Series" bike for the modern off-roader, if you will. I say this because Ritchey resists the "long, slack. low" design which has taken over the hard tail MTB market.

The price is also pretty reasonable. Plus you get the classic Ritchey name and now, the signature paint job to go with it. While Red, White, and Blue may not be everyone's cup of tea, Ritchey also offers this in a blood red hue also. 

I always thought owning a Ritchey would be fun and their bikes were ones I thought were cool back in my earlier years. But I need another bike like I need another hole in my head, so.... 

 That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and good luck to all the RAGBRAI riders!