Salsa Cycles Gen I Fargo vs Singular Gryphon Mk3

Singular Gryphon Mk3

 After riding the Fargo Gen I I thought it would be a fun experiment to do a comparison between it and the Mk3 Gryphon, which I rode for the Tree In The Road Ride. 

The Fargo Gen I is a unique bicycle in that it was likely the first 29"er which was developed strictly as a drop bar adventure bicycle. The Gryphon Mk1, was developed concurrently with the Fargo Gen I, but totally independently, and with a slightly different mission in mind than the Fargo Gen I had.  The Mk3 is actually more akin, in terms of what the design is for, to the Gen I Fargo, so I feel as thought the comparison is an apt one.

I will also say there are more bicycles like the Gen I Fargo now than there ever have been which are available. The Tumbleweed Stargazer comes to mind here. Moots just announced a bike like this. Ridley Bikes has a model like this. Mason Cycles has something like this as well. But I haven't ridden those bikes, nor have I even seen them, so I am sticking to the Singular and the Fargo. 

So, let's start with what is similar and what is very different between these two bicycles. When I have gotten through those things I will give my opinion on what it is about each bike I like overall and what I do not like.

Similarities:

Obviously both of these bicycles are designed for drop bars and 29"er wheels. So, without further commentary on those things, I'll move on to other, less obvious similarities. 

Both bikes are meant for adventure, not racing. While it is possible to race on these bikes, and I've raced the Gen I Fargo plenty of times, this is not the design intent for either bike. This manifests itself in more comfortable riding positioning, many accessory mounts, longer wheel bases (primarily in the chain stays), and in the stouter tubing choices. They are both "mountain bikes" in that they were tested and designed with passing the certifications for mountain bikes at the time either was made. In other words, neither bike is a fragile object needing particularly delicate handling. No, either of these bikes is up to a bit of bushwhacking, rougher trail, and inclement weather with difficult conditions. 

Both bicycles were available as frame sets, with the Singular being available as a frame set only unless you set something up with Singular's newer USA partner. The Gen I Fargo was available as a complete as well. Both bikes are not designed for front suspension forks. While one could stick one on, you'd be doing a great disservice to yourself and the bike. I wouldn't recommend this at all. 

Differences:

The obvious things here relate to the advancements made in standards, drive train fads, and details. First, the Fargo was always triple chain set compatible in the beginning. The Singular is not. (But wait! You've got one on there!) Yes..... Moving on.... The Singular has through axles and the Fargo Gen I has quick release wheels. The Fargo also, being made in steel and from a traditionalists standpoint, has no removable derailleur hangar. The Singular has a removable derailleur hangar. Finally, the Singular is single speed compatible with the eccentric bottom bracket. Gen I Fargo's were not single speed capable. 

What I Like About The Fargo Gen I:

First and foremost, it is all about the way I fit this bicycle. From the first moment I threw a leg over this bike I felt like I was "home". I've set up other newer bicycles I have obtained since then based off this bike. So fit is number one on this list of likes. Then there is the ride quality and handling. I like the way this bike handles rough roads. One thing about this bike: You have to drive it through the front wheel to make it steer in single track, or on gravel. I was told once that the Fargo Gen I likes being steered like a motorcycle. Since I haven't ridden a motorcycle in 40 plus years, I'll have to take their word on this point.  But once you understand this about a Gen I Fargo, things go a lot more smoothly. Finally, I like the triple compatible drive train capability and the drop outs. Yes- quick release drop outs! The front ones are stainless steel and both are impeccably made. This and their detail make the Gen I Fargo seem almost like custom bikes. 

What I Do Not Like About A Gen I Fargo:

 Probably wheel clearance. While I now have 29" X 2.5" Surly Extraterrestrial's on there now, usually most anything bigger than 2.4" won't fit, and especially on wider rims. Then the non-single speed thing bugs me too. I've been on a ride where a Fargo derailleur mount got mangled and we had to push the rider back to the car, about five plus miles, maybe more. (Remember that Ben?) So, had the Fargo been equipped with a single speed capability in its first generations, this would have been a non-issue. Other than this? Not much bugs me about this bike.

 What I Like About The Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3:

This version of the Gryphon is a beefed up version over their previous Mk 1 (which I had at one time,) and Mk2 versions. It can handle big loads, and this is good if you bike pack. (I'd like to, but haven't found the right time and venue yet) The bike has a longer front center than a Fargo Gen I, so it drives through corners more like a modern MTB, and no weight-shifting is really required here. I LOVE the 29" X 2.8"/3.0" tire clearances. The geometry is really good as well. very stable but yet not like a wheel barrow. I LOVE the single speed capability, and yes - I even like the eccentric bottom bracket. So there! 

What I Do Not Like About The Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3:

The 1X drive train restriction isn't my cup of tea, so I found a way around it. (HA!) I wish this bike could be set up natively with this option, though, it doesn't matter to me anymore.  Hmm.... I think this about covers it for anything major. 

 Final Words: 

No question, I really like both of these bikes. I like that they have no suspension compatibility, which keeps the height of the front end in check. I know this isn't a thing for many riders who seem to want their handle bars really high, but I do not need nor do I want this from my bicycles. Some people like modern Fargos for this very reason. 

I don't really care about the axle differences. Salsa designed the drop outs so well on the Fargo Gen I that they are a joy to work with. Drop out design and execution matters. A LOT. Most bicycles have really crappy drop outs, if we're being honest, and this is partially to blame for why through axles are seen as being "better". No ding on through axles. I like them, but not having through axles can be okay too.  

A fair question would be: "If the Gen I Fargo could have handled 29" X 3.0" tires, would you still have gotten a Singular Gryphon Mk3?" Assuming the 29" X 3.0" tire was around in 2008, yes, I would have stuck with my Fargo. However; the Fargo Gen I predated the 3.0" 29"er tire by about five years, so it was never going to be a thing then. When the Fargo changed in 2011, and became suspension corrected, I got one, and it could handle 27.5" X 2.8" tires easily, but it was too close to being what I had in a Fargo Gen I, and I did not like the 27.5" diameter enough to hang on to my Gen 2 bike. By the time Fargos could handle 29" X 3.0" tires, the geometry was so different I was not interested anymore. This made the Singular much more amenable to me when it came out two years ago. 

So, I like both bikes and both serve me in different ways. I hope this was interesting for you if you made it this far. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.  

Friday News And Views

32" wheel of a SE Racing cruiser (Image courtesy of SE Racing)

MADE Show Features 32"ers:

The MADE Show, which happened last weekend in Portalnd, Oregon, finished up with not much news other than the buzz surrounding a few 32 inch wheeled custom bikes which were on display.

The stories online were kind of interesting for the narratives which were being pushed. "Will this be the Next Big Thing?" is basically what was being asked coming out of this show.

Comments: This has been the cycling industry's question since the "Bike Boom" of the early to mid 1970's. What will drive sales in the future? The "next big thing" after the Bike Boom was MTB's, then it was 29"ers. Then the internet came along and pretty much flooded people's eyeballs with every sort of contraption known to mankind. This was when "The Next Big Thing" was pretty much killed. Fat bikes made a stab at it, but faded quickly. Gravel? This is more difficult in that there ended up being a bike for it, but Gravel, as a thing, predated the bike for it by several years. So I would be hesitant to point at a gravel bike and say it was the "last Next Big Thing". In my opinion, Gravel would have kept growing with or without a specific bicycle for the activity.

Now electric two wheeled contraptions have taken off, but this has been mostly outside of the traditional bicycle industry 'food chain'. (In the USA, at any rate)  So, the 32"er comes along and people are seemingly thinking (in certain circles) that this will be the "Next Big Thing" like 29"ers were. Bzzzzt! I'm sorry, but this is incorrect. Next!

Why is this wrong? Look at most 32"ers and if you are paying attention you can see the ways these bikes are being designed to fit. Small to Medium folks? Not a chance this is a thing for you. Large? You are on the fringes. There just are not enough people who might benefit from this large a wheel. I think there will be a small, niche market for them, but like fat bikes, once those who benefit most from 32"ers have them, the market will nosedive significantly. I just don't see this as a sustainable market. 

And searching for the "Next Big Thing" in terms of a type of bicycle in cycling is the wrong thing to pursue anyway. 

Comments On 2025 Gravel Worlds:

Gravel Worlds happened last weekend, and while I was not there, I couldn't help but notice a few things. Mostly because of all the social media posts they put up. An odious amount of them, by the way.

First, there was some grousing about the muddy MMR road from the viewpoint of the Pro's and some media covering the event. I was pointed to a video on Instagram by N.Y. Roll concerning the woman's event. Yeah.... So here is a brief thought concerning this, which I have expressed here before.

Gravel events (The BIG ones getting all the media coverage now) used to be about Adventure, Challenge, Competition, and Camaraderie.  The Pro/Monetary element, introduced to gravel events in a big way since COVID, has reduced some of these events to just being about Competition. So, there is no room for something as integral to gravel events as muddy conditions, or Challenges, or Adventure, not to mention Camaraderie. It's about Results, Money, and Competition at these events now. 

So, they are not really "gravel events" anymore. They are merely Pro roadie events on a different surface. And that is my stance on this faction of so-called "Pro Gravel" categories. .(I'm not commentating on the other categories, which probably are not as affected)

Then there is all the coverage. Gah! You may have heard the theory which states that you should always leave people wanting more, yes? Well, I could not wait for my feed to clear out all the glut of Gravel Worlds coverage. Another interesting note was looking at the likes each post was getting, and in many cases it was less than 200, and in more than a few, less than 100. Maybe it's just me, but my money is on "less is more". And this goes for Mid-South and Unbound as well.   

Wahoo BOLT 1 (Image courtesy of Wahoo Sports)

Remember Y2K?

Maybe you are not old enough,to remember, but this recent story concerning original Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM, and BOLT GPS devices reminded me of those Y2K times. Apparently, a "limited ten bit clock" in those original Wahoo GPS devices ran out on time in mid-August, reverting the internal clocks to 2015. This caused the devices to fail in function, becoming essentially useless.

Fortunately, Wahoo has been able to update firmware for these old GPS devices and if you happen to own one of them, you can access the fix HERE. NOTE: This page only had firmware updates for the original ROAM and BOLT devices. They state they are still working on a firmware update for the ELEMNT at the time of this writing.

One wonders if the original developers of the Wahoo GPS devices figured that by now almost all of these platforms would be so out of date, or broken, that no one would care to be using them. Apparently there are more than a few folks still rocking these units.  

Which, in a way, is heartening. I like that people want to extend the usage and lifespan on these as far as possible, and also I like that Wahoo is willing to help those people out with a firmware update. Wahoo did not have to do this. So, kudos to Wajhoo for being nice about this and not killing off these first gen units making them nothing but fodder for the landfill.  

Image courtesy of Esker Cycles

 Esker Shows New Single Speed Specific Frame/Fork:

A dedicated to single speed bicycle is always going to grab my attention. This beauty was released by Esker Cycles on Wednesday this past week. Called the Solitaire, (Perfect name, by the way), this bike is based on their popular Hayduke model. Esker says there will only be 50 made and each will have a numbered Jen Greene headtube badge in brass. 

Prices start at $1,250.00 and go up with options. See the details on Esker Cycles site HERE.  

Comments: This is a cool looking bike with reasonable geometry which would work for a variety of off-road pursuits.  There are plenty of accessory mounts, and the rigid "Fork-Yeah!" steel fork appeals to my sensibilities while the design does allow for a suspension device if so desired. Plus, it has clearance for up to 29" x 3.0" tires. Nice!

Thank You:

I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone for reading through the GTRFJ posts this week. This ride was important for me, which you probably can understand why this was the case, and for so many folks to have read through the report also was meaningful for me. So, thanks for doing that and for your support of myself and this blog.

As far as this Ride For Jacob thing goes, yes - It will happen again next year in August. Also yes - I am going to invite people along who may wish to join me in this ride to honor my son's memory. So, I will be talking about this next year and I will have details regarding the ride when I feel it is time to start talking about this ride again.

All I know now is a this ride is important to me. I want to share it with others, but I'm going to do it regardless of anyone else's attendance. So, mark it down for next August if you are interested and stay tuned for more on this in the future. 
 

 That is a wrap for this week! Get out there and ride those bicycles! Have a safe and fun Labor Day Weekend if you are in the USA!

Guitar Ted's Ride For Jacob: Gear Review

Now the tale has been told about the first GTRFJ, so it is time for the promised gear review. This will include a bit of commentary on crank length, wheels, and some technical opinions. Then after this I will give a few closing thoughts about this ride. Now on to the review. 

I used my Gen I Fargo, as mentioned previously. This bike is set up in a fairly unique way. I am using a 9 speed cassette with a Deore XT 9 speed triple crank set. 46/36/28 is the tooth count for the crank. The arm length is also odd at 180mm. The shifting is done via an ancient pair of Gevenalle levers. If you are not familiar with Gevenalle, check the link for details on them. 

The brakes are also odd, being the TRP HyRd hydraulic calipers with mechanical actuation. The wheels are actually box-stock Trek Sawyer wheels featuring the venerable Duster rims laced to Shimano disc brake hubs. These are shod with Surly Extraterrestrial tires at 29" X 2.5". The seat post is a Salsa Ti Regulator which is topped with a Brooks Cambium C17 saddle. The handle bar is the Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink bar with lower Cruise Control Grips. The Kitchen Sink handlebar bag is also present, as was a ShockStop stem. My top tube bag is a prototype J-Paks top tube bag which MG gifted me years ago now. I also used a Wahoo Elemnt ROAM as a GPS data collector more than anything else. 

The Gen I Fargo after the GTRFJ

Comments: Well, I know this bike like the back of my hand, so when I say anything about how it rode or how it handled, it is with some deeper perspective. Having said this, I was not really in tune with what to expect from the crank set. Here is my take on the subject after having spun the cranks around for the better part of seven hours.

One hundred and eighty millimeters doesn't seem like a whole lot of difference from 175, but there couldn't be a more noticeable difference in my opinion. Crank revolutions were down in terms of strokes per minute, but leverage was noticeably better. The result was that my legs were less worked over, but my speed was severely impacted. It was really not very comfortable to spin a high cadence, but medium to lower cadences were fine, and using the gears to keep myself in a "RPM sweet-spot", was paramount to getting around. I also found that "kicking" the pedal at the nearest point to six o'clock during a grinding climb was a better technique than trying to spin pure circles as I would on a shorter crank set.  

The wheels and tires were heavy, but they worked, and the tires were extremely comfortable. I ran the front at about 17psi and the rear at about 19psi. There was no squirming in corners, no bouncing, and the damping of vibrations was actually really good.  

I'd rather run lighter wheels and tires, but this is what I have now. This bike deserves some nicer wheels though. As far as the crank set goes, I think I am going back to 175mm, and I have an SLX triple 9 speed crank waiting to go on this bike soon. 

Wearables: I wore a PCL kit from Voler, which is good stuff and it worked quite well. I had on a Twin Six base layer, Mint Socks, and Shimano RX6 shoes. (Now called RX600)

I had an orange bandana on which had been given to me by a former church band mate who is now dead. (A tribute to Larry) I also wore my newer Trek Circuit helmet.  

I kept track of some data on my Apple Watch as well. The iPhone was also invaluable as a navigation tool. Besides these things, I had a pair of Hand-Up gloves in my jersey pocket in case things got too sweaty and the handle bar became too hard to grip.

Everything worked with my kit, so there is really nothing else to add but that I was satisfied with it all.

Final Comments: Now on to my thoughts about this ride. I am going to - most likely - keep doing this ride in honor of Jacob every year I am able. It will be called GT's Ride For Jacob. I will gladly accept anyone who wants to come and ride with me, but I am not binding my putting on this ride based on participation by others. If someone wants to ride, so be it. If not? I'll go anyway.

My feeling is I just want to have a good day on the bike, pass through a few towns, go at it easy, and see some sights. I may move it around some, I may do exactly the same route, (with the roads I missed though!) next year. I don't know. So, if you were wondering if this might be something you could come along and ride, yes - it might be this as well.

Overall I feel good about my ride this year, and since this has a different meaning for me now, it seems new and I am motivated to do this some more. Maybe on a different bike next time though. Stay tuned on this front.....

Thanks for reading my GTRFJ recaps and review. 
 

Guitar Ted's Ride For Jacob: Part 3

I had to ford this bit of flooded road coming out of Shell Rock.

The beginning of the Ride For Jacob was a bit of settling in, navigational errors, and hustling into Shell Rock on a busy Highway. I had little time to get into a groove and have any sort of contemplative thoughts. But the second half of the ride made up for this in spades.

By the time I reached Shell Rock, the wind had picked up significantly, which was expected. There were even gusts and I would guess these were in the 25mph - 30 mph range by the time I was headed back South. But before I got to the part where I had a tailwind, I had a near-navigational error coming out of Shell Rock. 

First, I noted I had a right turn listed on the cues when I knew in my mind this probably was wrong. Once I got out on the Southwest side of Shell Rock, I could see it was wrong. However; a gravel road I was crossing was not signed. All things pointing to a required stop, grabbing the iPhone, and consulting maps again.  

Massive grain bins just Southwest of Shell Rock, Iowa. 

Barns For Jason #1 I saw at least three I did not take images of as well!

In the days of yore, I would have had a paper map of the county with me. I also may have had the aforementioned hand drawn map. I would, and still do, occasionally draw my own maps. But in this case, the trusty iPhone, (as long as the interwebs are weaving their sorcery over the airwaves), would have to do.

I was vindicated in my suspicions, and so off I went into some of the most rural of country we have around here. Butler County doesn't have much for larger cities, with Allison and Shell Rock being the largest towns by far, and they are not very big. There is a lot of open country with a few tiny villages dotting the landscape in Butler County, so traffic is very low, and there is not much going on out there but farming.

Lots of this out here in Butler County

The rare "Minimum Maintenance Road" in Iowa. Not a Level B These are gravel, but are not maintained in Winter.

I was back on "The Grid" now, so it was easy to figure out by the names and numbers of the roads on the signs at each corner how many miles I had to the next turn. For Instance, if I was on Upland, and turned on 270th going East, and my next turn was on Willow, this meant I had to go two miles on 270th. (U, V, W) The numbers work the same, so if I turned on Willow, and was on 270th, and my next turn was on 290th, I had to go two miles as well. Easy-peasey. 

 

The views were, at times, great. I found myself settling into that rhythm which gets me into the place of contemplative thought. This is what I wanted out of this ride. The chance to wrestle with my feelings. To ask the questions. To feel. 

Barns For Jason #2

I wish I could say I figured something out, but I cannot. I still have questions. I still do not understand why my son is gone. And I have decided I have to be okay with the not knowing. I have decided to be thankful for the times I was gifted with him through those 22 years he was with us. 

The old steel gabled bridge over the West Fork of the Cedar River

Beaver Valley. New Hartford is just off to the right here. 

As I was deep in thought the phone rang. It was my wife, checking in on me. It was about 20 minutes to noon at this point. She asked how I was doing, where I was at. I said I didn't know where I was at the moment. This was true. I was so deep into my feelings I had no idea just where I was. Immediately after her call I spied the old bridge across the West Fork of the Cedar River and it was then I knew exactly where I was at. Now I could have ditched my written cues as I pretty much know how to get back home from the bridge. But I followed them onward anyway.

Diagonal Road out of New Hartford

Westbrook Road looking East.

Now I was starting to feel a lot of pain. My hands, my shoulders, and some parts of my back were getting pretty bad. I stopped to stretch at a bridge about 17 miles from the house. It was at this point which I realized I may get in a metric century. 62 miles seemed pretty reasonable now, and this excited me. Stretching turned out to be the right move, and after switching around bottles, I was off again to finish off this ride. 

But not before I had some very emotional moments. I cried to the point I almost had to stop when a song from church came across my mind. Then I was laughing out loud at one point as I remembered a bit Jacob used to do with his voice. He was scolding me in this weird voice to buck-up as I was feeling pain again along the way. A good memory which put a huge smile on my face. I think this was the first time this had happened since his death. 

Farmers are getting their harvesting equipment readied for the harvest coming soon.

 As I entered Cedar Falls I had to keep telling myself, "Just keep pedaling. Keep moving forward." The pain was pretty intense in my shoulders and hands, but my legs were fine and I wasn't breathing hard, so it wasn't the work, but just my old man joints and whatnot rearing their heads. 

I overcame it though, and I got home with 64.7 miles on the odometer. I reached my doorstep a few minutes past 2:00pm which meant I was out for seven hours. All the longest I've done on a bicycle in a very long time. I was spent. 

I took a good, long nap after a shower and some food. That was a very good day on the bicycle, and I know my son would have been proud and amazed by it. He often asked me of recent why I wasn't doing 40-ish mile rides all the time anymore. I had to explain to him I had a job which required me to work Saturday mornings now, and that it was on Saturday mornings which I had been doing those long rides. So, I knew Jacob was proud of my riding abilities. This ride was for him. 

Stay tuned for a gear review and final thoughts tomorrow. 

Guitar Ted's Ride For Jacob: Part 2

Escape Route: Bike path to Westfield Avenue

With all the preparation work done and a decent night's sleep, I awoke at 6:00 am to feed the cat and get ready for the big ride. I had laid out most of my gear for the ride the evening before, so things would go smoothly, because sometimes I get paralyzed by choices. This eliminated being delayed by some decision on a jersey, or whatever.

I ate my traditional peanut butter and dried fruit sandwich before leaving. I had a maple syrup packet with the bike, along with a meat stick, and a small jar of mixed nuts for nutrition on the road. I was thinking I might stop somewhere to pick something up, so I packed light on the food.

I had two electrolyte supplements along on this ride. One, a bottle of stuff Jacob had purchased for himself, and my remaining Elete additive. I had six water bottles, and again, I could stop for refreshing of these, but I was hoping not to have to do this.

Geared up and out of the door at 7:00am, I was set to head through Waterloo to the North on Burton Avenue. I was hoping to beat the heavier winds forecast to hit around the noon hour. If I could attain to Janesville by around 11:00am or so, I figured I would have a leg up on the wind, and after Shell Rock it would become a tail wind. That was the plan, at any rate!

The Sunlight made a cool shadow pattern on the bike path on San Souci Bridge.

I don't think I've been out this early on Burton Avenue North before. 

Once I reached Burton Avenue I started getting into the rollers that are out there. I noted I wasn't getting up them very fast, but the gearing seemed right, and the long crankset kind of dictated a certain cadence, which was working really well. The breeze was a constant at what I would say was about 10mph at this point, so nothing I couldn't handle.

 

St. Paul's Church steeple glinting in the morning Sunlight. 

The temperature was almost chilly. Since the ridiculous heatwave and high humidities we've experienced,were so brutal, this Fall-like blast was welcomed, if not a bit of a shock. Any cooler and I would have felt under-dressed on this ride, but only because I am acclimated to the extreme heat and humidity we've had up to this point.

The odd bit of traffic out there. I probably had maybe three cars pass me out in the country all day. 

 

There are some tall rollers out near Janesville where you can get some pretty decent views. 

At the East Janesville Church I turned Left onto Marquise Road, which is the border road for Black Hawk County and Bremer County. I saw two roadies heading North up Wagner Road, a paved road, when I was crossing it. I saw another gravel cyclist heading East on Marquise as I was going West. We both waved but I kept pedaling. I headed West on Marqusie until I reached Garden Avenue and then I was forced to turn Right and go up to the County blacktop. This is the only way into Janesville from the East now that HWY 27/218 has truncated all the East/West gravel roads between Cedar Falls and Janesville.

Barns For Jason #1

Barns For Jason #2

Getting into Janesville, I decided to see if the bathroom was open at the park alongside the Cedar River just before crossing on the pedestrian/cycling bridge there. I saw a blue porta-potty in the parking lot and made a beeline to it. This was good, and when I had finished up I was off again heading due West across the bridge and then onward to a right turn on Dakota Avenue.

The Cedar River was flooding on Saturday morning.

Heading North up Dakota Avenue

Okay, I was heading up Dakota Avenue and the plan was to go North further than I ever had before on this road to catch some diagonal gravel roads which shadowed the Shell Rock River on the northeast side. The road I was looking for was 260th, which I was to make a left on. I normally never ride this going North,, as I usually come into Janesville from the West on most of my gravel travels. 

Wait a minute! This looks familiar!

Been here before. Time to see what went wrong!

Well, I saw a sign for what I thought said 260th, but with my OAES (Old Ass Eye Syndrome), and the bright Sunlight, it was really hard to see the "5", which meant I turned on 265th, not 260th. Note: Had I bothered to either have figured out mileages between turns or had drawn up a map, maybe this wouldn't have happened.

But no harm, no foul! Once I reached the West Point cemetery, I stopped and realized I could rejoin the route after a few more miles and all would be back on track once again. So, with this little snag figured out, I was off once again heading North.

Crossing the Shell Rock River......again! This was good.

 

 

Highway 3 West. Not good! You can discern the water tower for Shell Rock in the distance here. 

I was heading North on Atlas, which got me back on track. Now I was looking for a Left hand turn on Grove. I was feeling it should be coming soon, and just then I saw a sign in the distance. With a hopeful push on the pedals, I tried to see if this was my turn, or not.

When I approached the sign, it said something to the effect of Scenic Road....blah, blah, blah.... " Obviously not it. I pedaled onward. I came across a 238th Street. Nope! Kept pedaling North. Then I saw a "T", or at least I knew Atlas was ending. It was a forced Left and up a steep hill to the next right turn, and this was marked as Aspen Avenue. Gah! Where was Grove? 

I ended up at Hwy 3, and it was then I realized I was waaaaay off course!I should have turned on 238th, which then turned into Grove, but I miswrote my own cue, so I did not do this. 

Dang it! I missed both cool roads I was so looking forward to riding on. I guess I'll have to make a trip back again to check those out someday. But at the time, this was not on my mind. I was trying to figure out how to get to Shell Rock without backtracking, or taking HWY 3. In the end, I just gave in and rode the gravel shoulder the two miles into Shell Rock and figured I'd just have to take my lumps. 

There was still a long way to go. Tomorrow I will get into the final half of the GTRFJ. 

Guitar Ted's Ride For Jacob: Part 1

Many of you long-time blog readers know I have done a long Summer ride which started out being called the "Death Ride", which then became the "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational", and once I went back to doing the ride solo again, it simply became the "GTDR"

I wanted to continue my tradition of "one long day in the saddle" this year, and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to arise for months. Then my son died earlier this month, and this changed a lot of things, obviously. One of those things was how I viewed this effort I wanted to put in on the bike. 

It no longer seemed appropriate to use the death ride thing anymore. Again, fairly obvious why this would be. So, when a gay pride event shut down our ability to be open at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective last Saturday, I was motivated to use the opportunity to do this long ride on gravel. The weather, furthermore, was forecast to be as about as perfect as one could hope for in August. Everything was coming together for this big ride. 

I decided to use my Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I bike for this ride. I did this for a few reasons. One, I love this bike, and it has been with me for quite some time now. Secondly, I wanted to go 100% self-contained, and this bike has a ton of water bottle mounts. Plus it has the Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink handle bar with the corresponding bag which fits it. This allowed for a nice handle bar for riding and storage for food. The top tube bag was then used for repair bits only. This allowed for a set up which did not need a saddle bag or top tube frame bag.

While the bike has heavy wheels and tires, my brief test rides showed me I was going to have a momentum-machine, and coupled with the long, 180mm XT triple crank set, I was going to be okay. (I'll have more to say about this after the ride report.) 

So, the bike was set, the day was set, and all I needed to do was get a few good days of rest and get going as early as I could on Saturday morning. One note - I did ask N.Y. Roll to come along, but he had a previous engagement, so I did this ride solo. 

The route was set about three days ahead of the ride when the forecast solidified. There were to be pretty decent Northwest winds on Saturday August 23rd, and so I went North with the route with an eye to try out some roads I had not been on before. My plan took me to Janesville, Iowa, then to Shell Rock, Iowa, before heading mostly South toward New Hartford, Iowa, and then back East toward Cedar Falls and home again. I did not bother to count the mileage before the ride, leaving no expectations for this, and no mental pressure to 'achieve a goal'. 

I hand wrote cues with only road names, no mileages, as I was using Iowa DOT maps as a guide. Note: I only wrote cues from Janesville to New Hartford as I know the surrounding roads here well enough. Interestingly, this plan caused a couple of issues, which you will read about later. 

To keep this from being a novel-length post, I am breaking up my report into at least three parts. Today is Part 1, tomorrow's post will give you the first half of the ride, and Wednesday's post will bring it to the return back home. Thursday will be a gear review. 

I hope you all enjoy checking out the recap. Thanks again for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

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.

 The Perfect Gravel Bike (For Me) : Thursday August 21st, 2025 - The solution to narrow tire clearance on a Twin Six Standard Rando is a new bike? I talk about why this model from Singular might solve a few issues for me in regard to my preferred bicycle type. 

Change Of Season: Wednesday, August 20th, 2025 - My perception of when Summer ends and Fall starts and how this related to Gravel Worlds at one time for myself. Plus a bit on why I don't attend this event anymore. 

Two Things: Saturday, August 16th, 2925 - The venerable "Two Things" series strikes again. This time it is about a Guitar Ted Podcast episode and the announcement of the 2026 Iowa Wind and Rock event. 

Country Views: Starting Down The Long Road: Monday, August 18th, 2025 - Another "Country Views" post with a nod to my recovering from my son's death earlier this month. 

Guitar Ted Lube-Off 2025: An Update Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 - A long overdue look at the contenders for the title of best dry lubricant (for me) in 2025. 

That's a wrap on the past week and what people were most interested in reading on the site. Just one more thing before I sign off here: The numbers this past week have been bonkers! Like WAY MORE views than normal, and not for one specific post, or topic. Plus, I've noted an uptick in numbers for past week's posts in some cases. Weird jumps in views are being seen recently. I do not know just what to attribute this to at the moment, but if you are a new reader here, Welcome! And also: Thank You! 

It could be a change in how Google reports data to me. Maybe they uncorked more of what is really going on here, and has been all along? My suspicion for many years is that Google throttles data which is provided for free on the back end of blogs like this.  My theory is if you pay for premium services, you might get access to more precise feedback, which "might" allow you access to "better data". Data which I feel would undoubtedly show higher views than I typically see.

At any rate, something changed last week and it has been VERY noticeable!  Thank you, once again, for reading "Guitar Ted Productions". 

Old vs New

Another Guitar Ted Podcast show from the "Where We Came From" series has dropped and you can check it out on Apple podcasts HERE or find it on your favorite podcast platform. 

When shiggy and I were talking about doing this show I did not have in mind the show would be in the Where We Came From series. However; once I was halfway through the interview I realized this was a perfect show for the series. 

I think anyone who has listened to a few of the podcasts in this series will have picked up on how the gravel scene was an outgrowth of mountain biking and adventure riding. Probably best expressed in the ultra-mtb events like the Great Divide Race, events like the monster-cross events on the East Coast, or in events like the gravel road based mountain bike races in Northeast Iowa and in Kansas. Gravel events, at least those pre-2010, were mostly affairs with a great mix of competition, adventure, challenge, and social fellowshipping. This mix mirrors what people longed for in mountain bike racing, road racing, and any other sanctioned event where everything good was distilled out of the mix besides competition.

I think listening to shiggy is a good way to gain some perspective on this relationship between what cycling was meant to be and what it ends up becoming. Especially when careers are put on the back of the bicycling part. Also when competition pushes out the rest of the salient characteristics of cycling. 

Many will just shrug their shoulders and say, "Well, that is just how it goes". But you see, it doesn't have to 'go that way' at all. We let it get this way because we do not demand it for our events. Promoters get into a pickle with wanting to be recompensed for their efforts so they go down the 'tried and true road' of monetizing the event and then the slippery slope has been engaged. If we had a way to recompense promoters and not have expectations on our end for swag, or prizing, or for a contribution to make it so riding a bicycle is a career choice, well then maybe it would be different. Maybe if we had other goals.... 

Anyway, a word before I go about the thumbnail I chose for this episode. You see a pile of first generation Salsa Cycles Fargos there. (There were more but I had to crop them out) This was from a "Fargo Adventure Ride" held in 2010 up near the Twin Cities. It was a 55 mile multi-terrain ride with just about every surface imaginable thrown in. We rode for fun, for adventure, for the joy of it, and at the end we had a nice time socially. (If I am not mistaken, we may have had too good of a time the night before as well!) 

The Fargo is the original drop bar MTB adventure bike which was great for gravel, pavement, and single track. It held its own then, and now in 2025, the type of bike it represents is still probably the best all-around bike developed. All this talk about fat tires and drop bars being a new thing. pfffft! Whatever. 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Wilde Bicycle Co. 

MADE Show This Weekend:

The annual MADE Show, a gathering of custom frame/fork/component makers in Portland, Oregon, is happening this weekend.

Several teasers are out already showing some tantalizing views of things which will be on display to see for attendees. However; Wilde Bicycle Co. has gone a little bit further with its preview on two new models it intends to show this weekend.

The first is the Dog Star, a retro-inspired MTB bike with all the cues you'd expect from a mountain bike throwing it back to the early 1980's. You've got the distinctive lugged frame construction, the flat fork crown, and cantilever brakes, of course. But this bike has some distinctive features which include double top tubes and a double brake bridge, ala King Fabrications.

The Earth Seed (Image courtesy of Wilde Bicycle Co. )

Probably the most surprising bike I've seen in a while is the new Earth Seed (That name!), which is a mixte' framed gravel bike. I think it is an intriguing bike, and I would rock one if I had the need or chance to. You can see more of these bikes on Wilde Bicycle Co's website. 

Image courtesy of Chris King Precision Components

New Matte Jade Hue From Chris King:

Chris King Precision Components has a new hue out now dubbed "Matte Jade". It will be available now on all Chris King components such as their head sets, bottom brackets, and hubs.

Chris King says of the hue, on the Matte Jade webpage, the following:

"It's green, but it's a lot more than just green. It has a curious depth to it. The finish is matte, but still Jade glows. It has an iridescence, a liveliness, that's hard to pin down, as though every time you look at it, it's slightly different."

Comments: Chris King indicates this is now a permanent choice in their color palette, so it is not a limited edition color. I like green, it is my second most favorite color behind purple, and I can see this becoming a part of a bike build. In fact, I've had something in mind for a long time now which this would work really well with. Maybe someday I'll push "go" on it.....

Image courtesy of Bike-On

A Power Meter For The Masses?

Bike-On, a start-up company soon to be on Kickstarter, is aiming to bring power measurement to a much lower price-point than ever before with their new chain mounted device. 

Claiming accuracy on par with other well known power mewasuring systems, and compatibility with any chain-driven bicycle, the asking price of $`175.00USD seems a bit unbelievable. 

The device, consisting of two roller, jockey-type wheels, a housing, and a tether to your frame, encloses an epoxy-sealed measuring unit which is claimed to be waterproof and weather resistant, even working in cold temperatures.  The device is also easily switched from one bike to another, with no need for re-calibration, in minutes. 

Check it out HERE.  

Gravel Worlds Weekend:

This weekend the Gravel Worlds event out of Lincoln, Nebraska will be taking place with running events and various distances for cyclists to take on. The 'big' event being the traditional 150 mile distance which is the one all the big-time Pro and fast amateurs will be striving to come out on top in.

The 350 mile event, once known as "The Long Voyage" (R.I.P. to the awesome name there)will take in three states, as the route will travel into Iowa, a tiny portion of Missouri, and back again to the start in Nebraska.

Comments: This event was once a "do not miss" event for me, but times have changed. The event is no longer anything like it once was, (I stand by this statement), and it just isn't my cup of tea anymore. 

Having said this, I still will say this event is spectacular in its own right and I hope anyone partaking in it has a wonderful experience. Tail winds to you all who toe the line tomorrow, (and today if you are in the 350!)  

Thanks again for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Have an awesome weekend and ride those bicycles!