Building Up: Wheels For Fargo Gen 1- Part 2

In the previous update the wheel build for the Gen I Fargo was nearing completion.  With both wheels having been tensioned up, it was time for the accessory mounting phase. Rim strips, tires, sealant, rotors, cassette, and final check over is what was left here to show you. 

In case you missed the actual wheel building part, you can check that out HERE. 

I will say a few words about tensioning spokes before I move on. This process is important to get everything settled into each other. Nipples seating into their places on the rim. Spokes not hanging up on each other where they cross. Spoke heads and the length of spokes just past the head being seated, and not bowed out, but straight as can be. 

All these things are usually under the umbrella of "de-stressing" the wheel. You usually see this being done by a wheel builder when the builder squeezes pairs of spokes or if they take the wheel out of the stand and put lateral pressure on it in various ways. All of this is basically done to align spokes and nipples and to get better readings from a spoke tensionometer. 

Spoke tensionometers measure tension in kilograms of force. (kgf) Usually spokes are rated for optimum tension range. In my case it is 110kgf for the spokes I used. It is also noteworthy to know what the rim is rated to as well. Finally, more tension does not necessarily mean a stronger wheel. In fact, maximum tension allowable sometimes is not a good idea. (You limit the possibilities of truing a wheel maxed out on tension at its beginning of service later on if it comes out of true). 

The Bontrager TLR rim strip is a brilliant product.

After the wheels were finished up in the tensioning phase I moved on to placing the Bontrager TLR rim strips into the rim cavity of the Duster rims. This system is a brilliantly conceived of and executed way to seal off a rim bed for tubeless tire set ups. 

The TLR strip fits in like a Tupperware lid on a container. It is a bit stretchy, plasticky material which needs to be handled with care, but once in the rim, you have zero worries about leaking tape, or having to prep and install tape in the first place. 

I suppose it is a bit heavier than tape, but I'll take the bombproof reliability of this way of doing tubeless any day over having to use tape. Too bad Bontrager locked this idea up because I think it would be a huge benefit to riders if it could have been an open standard.  

Also- The TLR rim strips can be reused as long as you don't damage them when removing them from a rim. They are super easy to clean sealant off of, and the built up area for the valve stems insures that you can get a good, tight seal on the valve stem. 

I decided to use the Surly Extraterrestrial tires in the 29" x 2.5" size which were on these rims before. I currently have two other wheel sets with tires mounted which can be used on this Fargo. One is a HED Ardennes wheel set I have had forever and those have Rene Herse tires on them with Aeron TPU tubes. The other is a set of the original wheels off the Tamland Two set up with 29" x 2.2 (I think) Vittoria Terreno Dry tires. 

With the HED wheel set having the skinniest tires, the Terreno Dry being in between, I figured the 2.5" tires would slot in well and give me a kind of "over landing" wheel set for the Fargo. Besides, those fat Surly tires just look rad on the Gen I Fargo. 

This meant I needed to clean up the Extraterrestrials before I remounted them. I could have used a cleaner, but I took my time and just rolled off the old sealant with my thumbs. This took approximately two hours. (Note: I was not in any hurry)

Then it came time to mount the tires. I had to use my Challenge Tires "Smart Bead Seating Tool" to jack the last six inches of the tires onto the rim. That tool has been a lifesaver at times. Highly recommend it. 

Anyway, then I put in about 160ml's of sealant in each tire, (these are big volume tires!), and aired one up with just a floor pump. The other I had to remove the core, but it went up with a floor pump as well. Everything sat where it belonged at about 30psi. Not bad! 

With the tires mounted up I moved on to the final assembly of the wheels. This included mounting rotors, the cassette, and adjusting the brake calipers. 

The rotors I used were a set of ancient Avid rrotors the likes of which the Fargo would have had on it as new. Back in the day, people were not too jazzed about these rotors, but they hold up well, cut mud better than most, and - for me- are always pretty quiet. 

I did use brand new rotor bolts on this wheel set. That blue LocTite is a pain in the patukis.  

I did have to dress the splines on the Chris King free hub because it is made out of aluminum and free cogs in a cassette tend to raise up burs and cut little slots into the spline faces. Fortunately I happen to have a jeweler's file for just such an occasion. 

Once this was done and the cassette (from the HED wheel set, by the way) was mounted it was time for the wheels to go into the bike. Then I had to tweak the caliper positions on both ends, another pain in the patukis, but hey! I got it done! Finally I could hear that characteristic buzz from the rear hub. Nice! Then it was time to don a helmet and go for a test ride.....

 

Shout out to Kwik Star for the use of their privacy fence! 

And there you have it! The wheels are done and dusted. I think this wheel set will live on the Fargo most often. I really like the big Extraterrestrials on this bike and they sure do make rough gravel smoother. The rims look fantastic without those distracting stickers and my black/silver spoke theme looks amazing, in my opinion, as well. 

So.....if it ever stops raining, I will get out there on this bike yet this Fall. This one has the Super-Secret v1 chain lube on it, so it is a "control" bike for the current Lube-Off. That means I have to get out on some dry gravel when I can. Not to mention using the other bikes in the test!) 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the wheel saga and I will give an update on things once I ride this more.  

Two Things

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Full-Circle:

During the 2000's when I was a mechanic at a local bicycle shop I could see where the whole "Lance Effect" had turned road bikes into "road racing-inspired" bikes that were not comfortable, practical, or inexpensive. People believed "fast" meant the lightest bike with the skinniest, high pressure tires they could get. 

Laugh all you want, I remember these customers. Almost to a person they ended up having to compromise the vision they initially believed to be true and make more practical choices. Sometimes even getting a different bicycle, and in some cases, they just quit riding. Racing bikes in any guise were not the answer.

Fast-forward to 2026. Canyon Bikes introduces a third generation Grail, their gravel bike. Of course, it is all based on the latest racing tech and fads of the day. Online pundits are writing up reviews saying the bike isn't racy enough. 

What are we doing here? 

:Looking at the Grail, and other recently introduced "gravel bikes", I do not see a bicycle most folks would feel comfortable on. I see "racing influence". Which probably will not get more people to ride. It failed to produce any long-lasting results 20 years ago. I am betting it won't work in 2026 either. 

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth

Wolf Tooth Hubs:

I saw one social media post from an online media source which went something like this:"It would be easier to list the things Wolf Tooth does not make". 

Hard to argue this point. 

You may have seen the company from Minnesota has hubs now. No big surprise there. But I was a bit disappointed to see the offering for road/gravel is a straight pull spoke design with only 24 spokes supported. 

As a wheel builder and a fan of the wheel in general, a straight pull design locks you down and limits you to only straight pull stock if you need a replacement spoke. Straight pull spokes are around, for sure, but many shops and online sources do not carry them. J-bend spokes are everywhere. Spoke blanks in J-Bend can be cut and threaded to size at many shops, but they do not always have straight pull spokes. 

But okay- maybe you do not break spokes (yet.....you will if you ride enough), but the 24 hole thing? Hmmm... Pretty limiting, I'd say. That spoke count would work for many folks, but I'd have preferred a 28 hole choice. 

On price Wolf Tooth is very good for a USA made hub. Onyx and Chris King are both over $500.00 for a rear hub while the Wolf Tooth is $489.95 USD. So, there is an advantage there, but I wouldn't buy the Wolf Tooth based upon price only. For my money though, the winner is White Industries CLD hub which is $467.00 USD for the rear and comes in five colors. Of course, it has J-bend spoke compatibility. 

It is nice to have another Made in the USA hub option, but this one is not for me. 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Vittoria Tire

 Vittoria Offers New 42mm Size In Road Tire Range:

News came out on Tuesday of a new addition to the Ride Armor tire range from Vittoria. This is a road tire range with copious amounts of puncture protection and sidewall protection, yet is supposedly lightweight and rides nicely.  

The range now includes a 42mm wide tire. The tire is tubeless ready.  Claimed weight for the 700 x 42mm tire is 480 gm. The Ride Armor tires cost $89.99 each. 

See the range on Vittoria's site HERE.  

Comments: I'm actually interested in this tire for my Twin Six fixed gear Standard Rando. I think it is a very interesting product from an application standpoint as well. There are a lot of places where a 42mm road tire is all you would ever need. Gravel, as long as it isn't super loose and chunky, would be fioe with a tire like this. Smooth dirt roads, double track, pathways, and on and on. This tire has a weight and protection qualities which would recommend it for  much of what we call "gravel" these days. 

Of course, I haven't ridden it, and perhaps this all goes out the window because it is a tire which has a terrible ride quality. I don't know. But it is intriguing. Coupled with the current trends for "endurance road bikes" and I could easily see those bikes taking over much of the "gravel market" since "gravel" is becoming more "drop bar mountain bike" than it has been.  

Confused yet? The marketing departments apologize and will promise to work harder at blurring lines and confusing you in the future. And then there is this......

Image courtesy of Pirelli Tires

Pirelli Introduces New Cinturato Evo Tire Sizes:

Not to be outdone by Vittoria, Pirelli also added new, wider Evo road tires to their Cinturato range. Pirelli now has 700 x 40mm, 45mm, 50mm, and 55mm (!!!) widths out in this range. 

These tires also feature new rubber compounds and Pirelli's Techwall protection layers. You can check out the range on Pirelli's site HERE.  

Comments: Fifty-five millimeter road tires? Well, maybe these are really touring tires with a new category name. Back in the day, there were some pretty beefy touring tires out there like the Avocet and Continental examples from the 1990's. 

But again, with road endurance bikes getting wider clearances, and maybe some gravel bike purchasers having slick-tire regrets, these tires maybe have a place out there. I just find this entire segment of tires fascinating and I look forward to seeing how the bicycle brands and consumers use these in the future.  

Image courtesy of Ergon

Ergon Updates Grip Model Ranges:

Ergon announced on Tuesday that it has retired the GA2 and GA3 grips and have replaced them with the new GMA and GMS grip models. 

The GMA is the grip which is rounder, but has varying shaping to it to better fit the hand. This and the new GMS have what Ergon is calling "Smart Texture Rhythm Surface". It is a "deliberately engineered pattern that varies the density of the surface breaks across the grip to deliver zone specific damping." Ergon claims this lends the rider better vibration absorption and comfort for long rides and technical terrain.  

The CMS carries on with the mini-wing platform and a tweaked grip shape with a new "thumb saddle" and outer grip stop. All CMA and CMS grips come in multiple color options so you can best address your bike's color scheme. 

Hit the links for each model above to see more details. 

Salsa Cycles Beargrease Eagle 70 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles New Beargrease Fat Bikes & 45NRTH Carbon Fat Bike Rims Announced:

Salsa Cycles revamped their Beargrease fat bike to have a different, slacker, trail oriented geometry including a steeper seat tube. The range starts with the aluminum framed Eagle 70 (shown) and goes carbon frame after this up to the 6K range topping Beargrease C GX AXS. Besides the five model range there is also a frame set offered for 2K. 

More details and images can be seen at Salsa Cycles website HERE.  

Image courtesy of 45NRTH

The new 45NRTH Levitas carbon fat bike rims, which comes on the new range topping Beargrease model only, is offered in 27.5" and 26" versions. Thirty-two spoke holes only here. The 27.5"er is 76mm internal/83mm external width while the 26 inch version is 84mm internal/91mm external width. 

• 32-hole drill pattern for strong wheel builds
• Optimized relationship between tire volume and rim width for consistent contact patch and tire profile
• 35mm rim depth
• Recommended single layer of 30mm rim tape
• Recommended valve length 65mm (or longer)
• Fits 4-5" wide tires
• Max inflation 30 psi
• Tested to ASTM Category 3, suggested weight limit of 300 lbs
• MSRP: $599.00 (USD)

Image courtesy of Lezyne

Lezyne E Drive Electric Pump Debuts:

Those mini-electric compressors you may have seen are becoming more ubiquitous within our cycling community. Heck, even N.Y. Roll bailed me out with his little electric pump a week or so ago now. 

Lezyne, whose accessories I have used and have recommended for years, now offer their version of one of these pumps. It has some interesting features like a cooling fan, a removable/replaceable battery, and it is compatible with Presta, Schrader, and Clik valves. 

Lezyne claims the battery will last long enough to fully inflate six tires or last long enough to do 15-20 pre-ride top-offs.  The battery is USB C standard rechargeable. The pump will achieve a pressure of 120psi, likely high enough for most any bicycle tire most of us have. 

The price is #149.99. More images and details can be found at Lezyne's page for the E Drive HERE.  

Image courtesy of Dahon

Dahon Introduces Mariner XL Folding Bike For Bigger, Taller Riders:

Dahon, known for their innovative folding bicycles, has introduced the new Mariner XL model which has been designed with bigger, taller riders in mind. 

The Mariner has been tested at levels 30% - 50% above folding bike testing standards and is rated to carry up to 330lbs and should fit riders from 5'1" to 6'7" according to the press release.  

Equipped with a Shimano 8 speed drive train and Tektro hydraulic disc brakes the Mariner XL is slated to retail at $1,299.00.

Comments: I do not typically cover urban/micro-mobility bicycles and accessories. However; the fact that Dahon saw fit to address riders who typically are either too heavy, too tall, or both to safely ride folding bikes is commendable.  

The level of detail Dahon went to in designing the bike is impressive as well. With increased stiffness by 15% over their standard folding bike, it shows Dahon is serious here. They also tested the steer post and seat post to levels commensurate with their rider recommendations and addressed this underserved portion of the market with a fairly priced alternative. Good job Dahon!

To learn more click HERE. 

Seen on "X" from Trek's social media account

Trek 32"er Prototype To Be Raced In Utah:

Seen on social media, Trek revealed that their factory racing team will be onboard the new 32" wheeled XC bike prototype in the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Cup bike race in Utah this weekend.  

 Comments: I saw another social media post from a female athlete on the team showing her test riding a 32"er prototype as well. So, Trek is making a big statement with this bike. At the very least, the investment into the wheel size is substantial. 

No doubt all eyes will be on the team to see what sort of results they can squeeze out from these big wheelers, but it also is notable that the athletes agreed to ride them. That permission is not forced or a slam dunk in most situations. I'm sure Trek wants this to happen, but I also am sure, based upon what I knew about past Trek MTB teams, that this is not a required participation situation. 

If good results come from using 32 inch wheels you are going to see a major shift in mountain bike XC racing in 2027. This should prove to be an interesting race this weekend.  

 That's all for this week! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Now get out there and ride those bicycles!

Guitar Ted Lube-Off: Triboflux Chain Lube Update #1

 NOTICE:  The Guitar Ted 'Lube-Off' is a comparison of different lubrication products for bicycle chains that is undertaken in 'real world' conditions in a set way. Then I compare and contrast the results with past 'Lube-Off' products to see "which one is best for me". This is done for entertainment purposes and the reader should apply their own reasoning and discernment while reading my 'Lube-Off' entries. What works for me may not work for you at all. Also, I did not receive this from the company but I did pay for it with my own money. 

I introduced the next contender in this year's Lube-Off, Triboflux, last weekend. If you missed that, cick HERE. There you will learn all the tech details behind this wax based drip lube. 

Here I wanted to cover the installation process for this lubricant and go over some of my first impressions regarding this lube. 

Application Process: 

Triboflux recommends a clean chain to start, like most lubricants do. However; they also recommend cleaning the entire drive train. Cassette, rear derailleur, chain rings, and front derailleur if there is one present. This is smart and probably what every drip lube brand should be telling people. In fact, even you chain removers/wax potters should be doing this as well. Anything that touches a chain really should be 100% clean before applying new lubricant. So, I am impressed Triboflux says this in their installation process video. 

I went ahead and chose the Noble Bikes GX5 as my test sled for this lube. It is a 1X system, so no front derailleur or multiple chain rings to get in between and clean up. The bonus here was that I had been running SILCA Super-Secret v1 lube on the drive train, which is very clean, and this made the clean up process painless.

Then it was time to put one drop of Triboflux on each chain roller. I generally shake up any lubricant well before applying it. Mostly out of habit from having been a bike mechanic for so many years. But it is smart because lubricants can separate and settle heavier parts of the lubricant at the bottom of a bottle. 

So, when I went to shake up the Triboflux and heard nothing, I was a bit alarmed. Did they send me an empty bottle, or what? Well, no worries, it is just a really thick liquid. 

In fact, it came out of the bottle more like a cake frosting applicator and frosting than drip lube. I hit each roller, back pedaled the drive train several times, maybe up to a minute, then worked in the lube with my fingers. The application video shows this fingering technique, by the way. It is advisable to do this, I think, as - again - this lube is thick!   

Triboflux recommends a 4 -8 hour cure, but I always go overnight. The next day the Triboflux was invisible and the chain was completely dry with no residue after doing a Touch-Test. This was quite a relief after the saga I went through with the last two lubes trying to overcome that Stan's degreaser products residue. 

By the way, I used a combination of Finsihline degreasing products to clean up the Noble GX5 drive train. 

Expectations:

 Triboflux claims efficiency of the drive train is increased by using their product. We shall see. Reapplication is suggested at 150 - 300 miles depending on grit, moisture, and dust conditions. This seems realistic, but I will say SILCA Super-Secret v1 goes at least 300 miles, so I am looking to at least duplicate this amount of miles in dusty conditions. 

Impressions & Notes: 

So far, I think there is promise here. I like how realistic Triboflux is in some areas of their recommendations. I like how the lube is thick and how well it cures on the chain. The promise of wet weather performance is enticing.  

However; Triboflux does do and say a couple of things I really don't like. One: They show high pressure water cleaning of the drive train. That is a big fat NO from me. Listen, go ahead and do it if you like premature bearing failures and paying your mechanic money you don't really need to. You do you. I would never recommend doing that on any bicycle. Brushing and pouring water over parts? Fine. Go ahead. I've no problem with that. For my rigs, I don't clean with any water at all. But that's another story.... 

The second thing I didn't jive with was how Triboflux shows you how to place the lubricant on the chain. The lube, any lube, should be placed on the opposite side of the chain they show. I would run your lube over the chain as it exits the bottom of the rear derailleur and before it goes past the lower part of the chain ring. (While backpedaling) This makes the chain ring and cassette teeth push the lube into the chain rollers and as the rollers move they pull the lube deeper into the chain. Putting lube on top of the chain is less effective as the chain's centrifugal forces want to keep the lube on the surface you applied it to and the rollers have a harder time pulling the lube into the inner pins. Especially with a lube as thick as Triboflux appears to be. 

Maybe I'm nitpicking. 

Anyway, I'm all set and ready to ride the Noble in the test. I'm pretty excited to see how this holds up in comparison to the other two new lubes in the test this time.  

Building Up: Wheels For Fargo Gen 1- Part 1

The completed rear wheel

You may remember my articles on deconstructing an old wheel set for parts. If you missed those posts, you can go back HERE for Part 1 and  HERE. for Part 2.

This will be an article on how I approach building a wheel set. So, while some of my choices may seem outside the norms of wheel building, this is how I've always done it, and to my knowledge, I've never had any failures related to how I built a wheel up for someone else or for myself. 

Wheel building can get to be a 'religion' and people get way into the weeds when it comes to technicalities, preferences, and such. I find a lot of this is unnecessary for the result which I want to achieve: That being a long-lasting, true wheel that I can rely on. Again - so far as I know - I've achieved this goal. Certainly for myself, I have done so, and I'm not about to change how I do things because of this. You may have a differing opinion, and this is fine. You do you. I'll do what works best for me. Thanks.... 

The parts for the front wheel

Okay, let's dive in here. I am using an old Bontrager Duster rim, 32 holes, an old Chris King hub, again with 32 holes, and I am lacing these up in my "signature" style utilizing black spokes, black brass nipples, silver spokes, and silver brass nipples. I lace all silver spokes with black nipples on one side, all black spokes with silver nipples on the other side, and each wheel is a mirror image of the other when it comes to spoke/nipple color. Complicated, I know, and I am not sure how I came to doing things this way, but I like the outcome. Plus it is unique to my wheels, as far as I know. 

Ari Andonopoulous cut and threaded these spokes for me. I think they are Sapim straight gauge. I know they are straight gauge, but what brand they are is maybe different than Sapim. Whatever.... DT Swiss, Wheelsmith, Sapim, all are good as far as I am concerned. I don't really care about the brand as long as it is a well-known, mainstream choice in the bicycle world. 

Brass nipples because alloy, while lighter, can corrode and fail easily if sealant gets at them, or if the spokes do not pass all the way through them when tensioned up. I'd just rather not worry about this and so brass works just fine with me. 

The rim is maybe one of Bontrager branded rims best products. Obviously Bontrager did not make these. They were just stickered up as Bontrager rims.Trek does build wheels in Wisconsin, but they do not extrude the rims and manufacture them here, at least not that I could find. But whatever....Duster rims are great rims if you can find them. A little heavy, yes, but durable and easy to build with. 

The first order of business was to clean up the exterior of the rim. I used WD-40 after de-stickering the rims. WD-40 cuts grease, gently dissolves adhesive from most stickers, and helps loosen old, dried on sealant. I estimate I spent about 15 - 20 minutes on this stage. 

Then it is on to prepping the spokes. I like to use Wheelsmith Spoke Prep. It is not cheap. However; it works and I have never had an issue with this product. (Link goes to Universal Cycles, by the way. I have no affiliation with this company or Wheelsmith) 

After applying a thin coating of Spoke Prep to the threads of each spoke, it is on to lacing the wheel. Before we get there, a word about other spoke preparation sauces. 

Linseed oil is the go-to for old school builders. DT Swiss has a concoction I've used a time or two as well which I do not mind. A mild thread locking compound can be used in a pinch, but be aware this usually impedes truing after the fact, as thread lockers can be stubborn to break free. 

I learned how to lace wheels from Gerd Schraner's "The Art of Wheelbuilding" (Amazon link) and I have utilized his four part wheel lacing method ever since. Some folks can insert all the spokes at once and go to town. Some do it in halves. Whatever your mind can wrap around, you all end up lacing the same basket weave. Cool... I do mine in four parts. I am not changing that. 

Some folks get into the "outward facing spokes" versus "inward facing spokes" and what way you twist the hub and which spokes "lead" and which "follow". It's all debatable. I've see folks argue every configuration. I lace my wheels a certain way, and it works.  

It just works. Every time.  

Anyway, I've noticed that when you lace up in quadrants, like I do, you know immediately when you've got either the wrong length spokes, or if you miss-laced a spoke.  I like that, because then I can easily go back and find what I did wrong. I had to do this with the rear wheel build as I miss-placed a spoke in the 3rd set. It was an easily corrected mistake. Gotta quit thinking about other stuff when I lace wheels and pay attention to what I am doing! 

I also like building in four sets because if I get interrupted it is easy to jump back in where I left off. At least it is for me. This is really handy at times. 

There are a bunch of little tricks and knowledge bits I use when lacing up a wheel which I won't get in to here. It would be too difficult to explain some of it without intense visual presentation. But suffice it to say that if you take your time, have a book like Gerd Schraner's, (or whatever wheel building "bible" you subscribe to), and stay in tune to the process, you could also build up a wheel. 

It is a very satisfying thing to have built up a wheel and one that is durable, smooth, and one which could last for years. Not to mention how amazing a structure a wheel is. Taking lengths of wire, brass nuts, an aluminum extrusion shaped into a rim, and a wheel hub, and turning it into a lightweight, strong structure is, to my mind, a minor miracle. 

I guess I find wheels fascinating. Maybe this is why I like building wheel sets for myself. 

The final product - a laced up wheel. It will now go over to the stand to be tensioned.

After lacing has been completed, the wheel goes into my Park truing stand I have had for decades and it gets tensioned up. I used to use a Wheelsmith tensionometer, but it is way out of its service interval and Wheelsmith no longer calibrates these tools anymore. So, I use a Park Tools tensionometer. It's fine. They work well and I get usable, long-lasting wheels all the same. 

I don't get all in the weeds with dial gauges to true wheels nor do I use the digital tensioning specs and super-fancy dishing tools, etc. That's all well and fine. I have my wheels, they work well, and stay straight and true. I see no need to go to such lengths, but again, if you do, that's awesome. 

Next up: Mounting tires and setting the wheels up on the Fargo Gen 1. Stay tuned....  

One Year With Two Birds: Singular Peregrine Mk4

I received the first Peregrine September 13th, 2025.

 The Tale of Two Birds:

The Singular Peregrine Mk4 is my newest bike in the stable. I have written a lot about this bike over the past year. Well.....actually it has been about two bikes. Both Peregrine Mk4's. 

I'm not going to delve deep into the weeds on this post, because if you've been following along here you know most of the story already. For those of you who may have found this post in a search, or are new to this blog, see my review of the second Peregrine HERE and you will be able to catch up with the backstory. 

Now, I wanted to hit a few points here upon the anniversary of getting the size Large Peregrine Mk4. First and foremost which is germane to this discussion is how the Peregrine Mk4 fit works. The size Large Peregrine I first received, on paper, looked to be the correct fit for me. However, in practice, it was a bit off.

Now this is my opinion, and Sam Alison of Singular may disagree here, but the Peregrine fits like an 'old school' road bike would fit. A really old school road bike. Most of you dear readers may not understand what this means. I do not blame you. Road bikes haven't been fitted in this manner since the 1990's.Maybe the early 2000's. 

The size Large Peregrine as it appeared in January of 2026.

 It used to be said that if you had more seat post sticking out than what could be covered by a fist, you had too small a bike. Standover clearances weren't observed as being all that important for decades. It was all about how the bicycle fit you when you were riding it, that mattered most. Certainly tradition and early engineering dictated that a top tube be level. A "double-diamond" frame geometry was considered to be strongest. Materials technology - or the lack thereof - also comes into play here. 

Sam Alison is heavily influenced by classical road bike aesthetics. Part of this is the level top tube, double-diamond frame look. Lugged construction and box crown/plate crown fork designs also are a part of his stylistic choices. So, it maybe should not be a surprise here that the Singular Peregrine leans more toward that old way of fitting a cyclist than the new ways we do things in 2026. Take, for instance, seat tube lengths. 

The size Large Peregrine Mk4 seat tube length on the geometry chart for this bike is listed at 57cm, center to center. That is 1cm shorter than my classic size. (typically), but in today's sloping top-tube world, those old measurements do not add up. As an example, my Black Mountain Cycles MCD has a 53cm seat tube. But with this design, as with most modern bicycles, a lot of seat tube showing is generally expected.  Standover is almost not a thing anymore. Although, it can come into play with big tires.  We generally are looking at "Reach" and "Stack" now because modern geometry doesn't fit the old ways of sizing a bicycle. 

The current Peregrine Mk4, dubbed the "XLBird" by my friend Ari. 

The size XL Peregrine Mk4 has a seat tube of 58.5cm. A half a centimeter longer than what I would deem "right" for myself. This made the top tube come to a 59.8cm length, 1.8cm longer than "right" for me. The size Large top tube was 57.2cm, .8cm shorter than I'd typically go for. 

Again, in practice all this means something more than the raw numbers show. I never felt quite "right" on the Large Peregrine. The XL? It feels far better to me. Even if it has less standover clearance, which again, doesn't matter when you are riding. If anything, I may go with a slightly shorter stem on the XLBird as the stem swapped over from the Large Peregrine was retained for this version of the Peregrine. 

Actually, if Redshift Sports would make a silver ShockStop Stem, I'd put that on here. I just cannot bring myself to go with a black anodized stem. Not on this build. 

But all that aside, I am very happy on this XLBird and it should satisfy my cravings for a classically inspired bicycle which can take on big gravel tires.  

Review: WTB Course & Byway Aero Gravel Tires

Note: WTB sent over a pair of the 700 x 50mm Byway tires and a pair of the 700 x 52mm Course tires for test and review. Guitar Ted Productions was neither paid or bribed for this review. All thoughts and opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

The new aerodynamic, wide gravel tires from WTB were introduced last week. If you missed the introduction, you can go back and find it HERE. 

In this article I will break down the Byway and Course tires with impressions, how they mounted up, and I will give weights and measurements as well. 

Side Note: I did not request the widest tire introduced, the Macro, as I did not believe it would fit any of my gravel bikes. (Maybe I should have though. I'll explain later)

Why Aero?

Okay, so "aero gravel tires". What is up with that? In some ways it may seem silly. However; we are seeing wider road tires which take aero into consideration, and gravel tires are even wider. Aerodynamics do come into play and can be leveraged to benefit faster paced gravel riders. Wheels are starting to catch up with all the aero focus as well, so we may well see systemic approaches with tires and wheels mated for best performance attributes soon enough. All this to say that, while you may not care, aero matters. Best get used to it. 

WTB went to Sromm Cycles for research and development on these new gravel tires. They came up with what is called "trip strips" and "vortex generators". These are characteristics molded into the tire casing which break up the air flowing over the tire and which help reduce drag. Drag is bad. Less drag, less work to maintain a speed. (Again- See my introduction piece for details.)  

So, that is one big deal with these new tires, certainly. However; it will be something I will have a hard time demonstrating. It is my belief that this is something you can do only in a wind tunnel where drag and aerodynamic characteristics can be verified. Guitar Ted Productions does not have access to one of these facilities. So...  I'll just be taking Stromm's word on that, and I will focus on ride quality and other aspects of these tires. 

The Course:

This model is the 'all - arounder' in the three tire range. It has a compact pattern of low knobs concentrated on the central portion of the casing. These tread blocks become more sparse and wider spaced as you move to the casings shoulders. The outermost feature on the casing which looks like little "v" shaped tread blocks are actually the vortex generators. 

This tire and the Byway also feature the SG2 bead-to-bead puncture protection belt. Not only does this help prevent punctures and tears, but because the weave of the material is tighter, it also enhances air retention. 

The Byway:

You might recall "Byway" as a model name used by WTB before in its Road Plus line up. This new Byway is only similar in its name. The tread pattern is completely different. Add in the aero features and there is really no comparison to the old Byway. 

This new Byway is the all-out speed tire with minimal tread and a slick center section which would lead one to believe it also has the lowest rolling resistance of the trio of new tires. Like the other tires, the Byway has a 120TPI casing, Dual DNA rubber, and the SG2 belt discussed above. 

The Byway is the narrowest tire at 50mm claimed while the Course is claimed to be a 52mm tire. WTB recommends these be mounted on rims with inner rim widths of 25mm - 30mm. Recommended air pressures range from 25psi to 45psi. Both tires I received have the tan sidewalls, but black sidewalls are also an option. Of course, these are tubeless ready tires and they require sealant to be used tubeless, but you could also run tubes if you so desire. (But this more than likely would not be optimal from a benefit/performance aspect)

It is notable that - for now - there are no other widths available than the ones introduced and there are no 650B sizes available. Also notable: I searched the WTB site to see if these tires are recommended for hookless rims, but I could find no such recommendation on the pages for these models, in the Tire User manuals, or in the Rim User manuals. So....if you have hookless rims, you may want to contact WTB directly to clear this with them. 

Weights, Mounting, First Impressions:

WTB claims the Byway weighs approximately 620 grams. The Course is claimed to weigh approximately 635 grams. My samples weighed as follows: Byway - 592gm/598gm and Course - 634gm/625gm. 

The mounting procedure was a bit of a mixed bag experience. I used the Course on my WTB CGR i23 wheels. Yes.....2mm narrower than recommended. But my reasoning was these are matching brands. So, I went with those. It is a system with both rims and tires coming from WTB. The Byway tires went on a set of Irwin carbon rimmed wheels with an inner rim width of 25mm.  

One of the Course tires went on with no tools, fit snugly, and aired up with my SILCA floor pump without removing the valve core. Nice! However; the next Course tire required much more work. I had to lever the tire on, first of all. There was no way it was going on without a lever. In fact, both Byway tires fit this way as well. Very tight! I did have to use an air compressor on the second Course to seat the tire, but I chalked this up to an older valve stem with average air flow. The Byway tires were set up with Clik Valves and their high-flow stems proved to work great with my Clik Valve converted Topeak Joe Blow floor pump. No need to remove cores or use a compressor there. 

The Course model here.

 I was a bit disappointed in the Course after initial mounting as it only measured out at barely under 50mm at 49.8mm. This was at 40psi. However, after only a few hours it was measuring a little over 51mm and by the next day it was close to 52mm, but not quite there. Okay....I chalk that up to the narrower rims then. But I would not be at all surprised to see the Course stretch that little bit more to reach 52mm after break-in. So far, after a couple of days and some riding, the Course sits a 51.2mm @ 35psi. 

The Byways were very close to 50mm right away and were there by the following day. I'll monitor the widths as things move along during this review. 

Both sets held air very well besides one of the Byway tires.  I am pretty sure I did not get the new Clik Valve tight enough, and since correcting that, the tire pressure retention hasn't been an issue. My past experiences with SG2 equipped WTB tires has shown me that I should expect these to hold air very well.  

As of this writing I have only done a quick, short test loop on each set of tires. I feel a free-rolling characteristic immediately. The Byway test was on a windy day, so I had to throw those results out. However, on my roll-down test with the Course, it was a windless day, and this tire was at the top tier of results, even before the tires have broken in. Impressive! 

The Byway tires side blocks are so far down the shoulders as to be ineffective here. 

I will say both models are very rounded tires. I suppose the Course would be a little more rounded due to the 23mm inner rim width, but even the Byway looks very rounded. Almost a tubular tire look to both of these models. In fact, the way the Byway looks on the rim it is readily apparent the side knobs, what there is of them, are going to be ineffective.  This could be said of the Course model, but again, a wider inner rim width might mitigate what I am seeing with my examples. 

The Course tires are on my Singular Peregrine Mk4, and they fit with room to spare there. The Byways were tried on my Noble GX5, and while they did clear the stays, it was only by a millimeter or maybe less. I did not feel comfortable with running these tires with that little clearance, so I swapped over to the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD for those tires. I think the Macro, at 700 x 54, might have barely fit the Peregrine, but I won't worry about that now. All this to say that the very rounded profile of these tires on rims widths at the narrower end of the spectrum seem to allow for fit on bikes you might not think these tires would fit. With little tread blocks to worry about, as long as the casing will slide in your bike, these should work out, in dry conditions. I would not peg these tires as wet/mud tires anyway. 

After I get some "real riding" done on both sets I will return with an update.