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| Courtesy of Grasshopper Adventure Series |
Long ago, back when I was trying to gather all the events off-pavement that I could into a "gravel calendar", (the first of its kind anywhere), I was contacted by an ex-patriot Mid-Westerner living in San Francisco about this "adventure series" and how I should think about getting out there to try an event out.
I am sorry, but the original emails are lost to the digital nethersphere, so I forget the person's name, but I have to say, those events sounded awesome. At any rate, events like Low Gap and King Ridge figured into my early gravel calendar compilations.
Now going into its 30th season, and still led by Gravel Cycling Hall of Famer, Miguel Crawford, this series will offer five events in all. Miguel, or "Mig" as he is known as, has a great philosophy on events which I find very much aligns with my sensibilities on gravel overall. He is all about the experiences one can gain from participation, and not "the numbers" of events. Meaning it is not about how many people attend, how much money is made, how many hits the Hoppers get on social media. Those numbers.
I'm sure Mig would be all about the numbers of awesome connections with other humans you have at his events. Those are the numbers that matter. Anyway, if any of this sounds interesting hit up the site for the series HERE.
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| Image courtesy of Bianchi Bicycles |
News in the cycling world has been mixed of late. Some good, some bad. There seems to be no total recovery from the pandemic bump yet.
Recent reports are that Bianchi Bicycles is seeking help with financial headwinds. The company is a historically road oriented brand but reports claim the company has delved into too many categories and the results are not sustainable.
Meanwhile Shimano has posted modest gains in sales as have a few other companies in the industry. However; retail is a mess currently and several commentators are at a loss as to how the business will look going forward.
If what I see on social media is any indication, and from my experiences with consumers at the Collective seem to bear this out, most folks think bicycles are far too expensive yet. But when you gauge retailers they all say the profit margins are so slim it doesn't seem to make sense to sell new bicycles at all. Meanwhile you are stating to see companies like X-Lab, a Chinese base company, undercut the market on prices.
It is not by just a little bit either. So, this new disruption coming from Chinese based companies is going to further muddy the waters in retail here. I'm already seeing local retailers pushing X-Lab over their current legacy brands. Especially on social media platforms like Facebook Marketplace which traditional bicycle brands would likely frown upon being represented there.
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| Image courtesy of podcast listener "JT" |
Hey GT! Check This Out!
On the home page for the "Guitar Ted Podcast" we ask for comments, question, or submissions from our listeners. Well, recently one submission came in which I thought looked too awesome not to share with you all here.
This is Mosaic's 32"er, the GT-1 i55 32" bike. That's kind of an odd model name. Almost like a password. Anyway...
It is a cool 32"er, and I do like this one a lot. However; it is very expensive and far away from my ability to purchase. So, I appreciate the suggestion, but that is certainly a dream bike. It would fit right in with what we were talking about in the latest episode though, so I get it.
At any rate, nice rig. I'll keep looking....
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| Advertisement in the a recent Bicycle Retailer and Industry News publication |
While cities, towns, and villages all across the USA try to decipher what is and what is not a "bicycle" or how to regulate electrified two-wheeled vehicles, a recent ad in a trade publication seems to come off a little tone deaf.
This advertisement, in the most recent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" publication, is for a company in partnership with the San Antonio Spurs NBA team, for what appears to be e-moto bikes.
The industry publication has, in the past, advocated for strict ordinances and laws to separate e-moto from e-bikes and their editorial tone has always been one of being down on e-moto products. So, seeing this advertisement in their publication was a bit shocking and seems to be dismissive of issues with these devices which abound in American cities recently. Issues causing deaths, injuries, and property damage all leading to great concerns for local governments and bicycle advocacy groups nationwide.
Comments: Yeah.... I'm not sure why BRAIN would choose to overlook how this comes off to people trying to help promote cycling and keep e-moto usage from impacting access and impacting safety of e-bikers and the people using normal human powered bicycles. I feel it was in poor taste. Maybe I'm over-reacting? Perhaps this is not a big deal? Let me know in the comments.
That's all for this week. Now it is getting cold, but you know what the saying is: "There is no bad weather - just bad clothing choices!" Get out and ride those bicycles!
10 comments:
Another woe indicator, after 18 years World Tour team Soudal-Quickstep (plus their women’s team) is switching from Specialized bikes to Merida.
Specialized also dropped the current women’s XCO World Champion, Laura Stigger, after 8 years. This was just announced which is very late in the year and apparently a surprise Stigger.
Regarding the BRAIN ad, you are not overreacting. It’s surprisingly out of place, but I suspect it was a financial decision to run the ad. Tough times, and hopefully they get some friction for it. But nothing good ever comes from doing something just for the money. Sigh.
Sad to hear about Bianchi. I think that their push into not-roadbikes is equally as significant as their road legacy. Many of the Sky Yaeger bikes (4 letter acronym single speed series, Milano urban bikes, Pista, San Jose), the Volpe, and my current everyday bike, the Project 5. Good bikes at good prices.
@tntmoriv - I'd like to think the money wasn't the motivation for allowing that sort of an advertisement to run, but I am afraid you are probably correct.
@ENB - Yeah, I see those single speed acronym 26"ers come up for sale on Facebook Marketplace often and I am tempted to grab one. But I DO NOT need another bike! :>)
I can’t believe BRAIN ran that ad, but on the other hand, Outside-owned media outlets never cease to amaze me. What a poor move for our ‘industry’ publication. Maybe it’s time for there to be an alternative to that publication that is more in-line with the actual “bicycle industry”?
Bianchi is a sad train wreck that’s been in progress for about the last 30 years… I hope they can find their way out, but realistically it’s going to be tough in these market conditions.
That Mosaic is sick… You know I’m a sucker for beautiful Ti bikes.
Have a great weekend, Brother… Cheers!!
@MG - Thanks Brother! I hope your weekend goes well also.
Hi Guitar Ted!
The bicycle industry is a funny old business, isn’t it?
You can now find cheap indoor trainers everywhere, after they were practically impossible to get hold of during the pandemic.
In my opinion, the industry has lost its way. It doesn’t seem to know what to offer anymore. First it was fat bikes, then gravel, and now all-road bikes. The same goes for mountain bikes: everything seems completely focused on racing, and everything looks the same.
I honestly think that, in many cases, if you swapped the decals, you wouldn’t even know whether you were looking at a Focus, a Trek or a Bianchi.
And when one of the industry’s biggest innovations is putting a little “trunk” inside the frame, well, that says quite a lot. You’ve taken something that could easily be solved with a simple bag and turned it into a complicated feature with its own potential problems. Brilliant!
Add high prices and the arrival of Chinese manufacturers to the mix, and voilà! You’ve got yourself a problem.
Again, just my opinion, but I believe the brands best equipped to weather this crisis are those that have chosen to follow their own path, building bicycles for real people, designed to be ridden and enjoyed rather than just raced.
Rivendell, Jones (sorry, I absolutely love them!), Singular (for God’s sake, now there’s a lesson in how to design a beautiful bicycle!), Stooge…
Bikes with character, personality and a clear purpose.
Maybe the industry should spend a little less time trying to invent the next big thing and a little more time remembering why people love riding bicycles in the first place.
@Pedro - Hello! Thank you for your time writing this fantastic commentary.
I have to agree with you. Bicycles from mainstream brands used to have character and beauty. Now they look pretty much the same and are fairly bland and uninspiring.
It is absolutely my pleasure to participate here and read you every, while I enjoy my first coffee and start facing the day.
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