Bikes Of 2024: Surly Big Dummy

 It's another late November/December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  

As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up. 

The Big Dummy at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective loaded with supplies.

This bike has been around for a while now and this year I think I used it more than I ever have. Working at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective has brought a new angle to owning this bike. I use it to haul supplies the last three-plus miles from the UPS Store to the shop. I also do a recycling run once a week with this bike as well. 

The ride from the UPS Store has been a hoot for me. I get really side-eyed and gawked at when folks see me lacing these big boxes to the rack with my bungee cords! The UPS folks know who I am since they figured out "I'm that bike guy" and now their amazement at how I take the packages away has subsided a bit, but they were pretty weirded out in the beginning. 

Of all the bikes I ride, the Big Dummy gets the most compliments. It is a pretty snazzy looking bike, if I do say so myself. 

As far as any changes go, I am probably going to have to service this bike which will entail a new suite of drivetrain parts, a bottom bracket, and brake service. It's been far too long. But as far as anything major goes? No, there are no modifications to be had on the horizon. I will only add that last year's decision to purchase that double-legged kickstand has paid dividends. I'd do that again in a heartbeat if I had to set up another cargo bike and it did not have a dual-leg kickstand.

Gravel Grinder News: Mondraker Introduces Arid Carbon Gravel Bike Range

Note: The information and images in this article were provided by Mondraker Bikes. "Comments" are the opinions of Guitar Ted and may not reflect the views of anyone else.

The new Mondraker Bikes Arid Carbon is their first non-assisted gravel bike.

 Mondraker Bikes is probably not a brand that you have either heard of or seen much of if you live in the USA. (There are a little over a dozen shops that carry the brand in North America) However; the brand is an innovator and probably better known in Europe. With the category of "gravel" being the hottest in non-assisted cycling world wide, and with North America being the "home" of gravel, this model is something that deserves attention, because Mondraker is aiming to make inroads into the USA scene. 

With that in mind, Mondraker says that they realize the term "gravel" can mean different things to different people. So, they set out to design the Arid Carbon "to be able to adapt to just about anyone". This is a bold statement, so it demands we look at what this bike actually is designed to be. 

Design & Frame Construction:

The Arid Carbon uses Mondraker's "Stealth Air Carbon" technique which is an optimization of lay-up technique, design cues, and all with an eye to durability. Mondraker tests the Arid Carbon frames to meet ISO mountain bike standards to ensure the rider that this model can take the rough stuff. 

Obviously, the eye is drawn to the unique seat stay junction at the seat tube. Mondraker claims this is a structural element that will allow for a smoother ride for the rider while remaining strong. 

Further design elements are common to many top-range gravel bikes which include fully hidden cabling, (with internal guides), down tube storage for tools or supplies, UDH rear derailleur hangar, and a threaded bottom bracket shell, (T-47). Clearance for tires in the frame and fork are claimed to be "50mm with room to spare", so this is also up to date. 

There are six water bottle mounts on the bike as well, adding to the versatility. Double ring crank users will be disappointed to learn that the Arid Carbon is 1X only. 

Geometry:

The Arid Carbon range comes in five sizes and features a "M/L" size which is kind of an odd mix of a traditional 56cm and 58cm frame sizing using really a short seat tube length (48cm) with a 58cm top tube length and a 591mm stack height. 

Beyond sizing, the Arid Carbon comes in with a 70° head tube angle across the board with a 75mm bottom bracket drop mated with an aggressive 425mm chain stay length. Seat tube angles are 73° across the range. 

Spec:

There are four models with three being SRAM - Rival, Force AXS, Red AXS - and one Shimano GR610 offering.  Prices range from about $4,700.00 to $9,800.00 USD for the top of the line model. Check with your Mondraker dealer for details. 

One interesting tidbit is the flared drop bar and stem system is not one piece. This will come as a relief to bike fitters and should allow for some rider customization. 

Comments: 

Generally speaking, this is a pretty good looking bike from a design and spec standpoint. I think Mondraker nailed the important numbers which I look for in a good gravel bike for all-around riding purposes. These include the bottom bracket drop, head tube angle, and tire clearances. Mondraker said they wanted to design this bike to adapt to almost anyone, and the geometry shows they were not kidding around there. I question the short seat tube lengths a bit, but seeing many bikes in the field which have saddle to bar height ratios which are tilted toward the bars being higher than the saddle, I can see maybe where Mondraker is thinking this short seat tube would appeal to those folks. As for me, it would require a 400mm length seat post set at almost maximum height. 

The lack of any variability across the size range to the geometry in terms of the seat tube and head tube angles is a bit out of the ordinary for such a high-end bike. 

It is interesting to note that any mention of aero is missing in their press release, along with any mention of racing gravel. Rather, Mondraker sells the idea for this bike being a commuter, an exploration machine, showing it with bikepacking bags, and as just a "fun bike to ride". This was a refreshing change of pace from the normal race oriented pressers featuring such high end bicycles. 

The seat stay thing? Well, it certainly sets the Arid Carbon apart from the crowd, I would say. I have no idea how it actually will work in the field, but if every bike has to have some feature which separates it from the rest, and as long as Mondraker have done their homework and the bike holds up? I have to say, I don't mind the look, to be honest. 

 Mondraker said they wanted to make a gravel bike "to be able to adapt to just about everyone". I guess that with prices starting at almost 5K and up that they did not mean that pricing was one of those adaptations. Maybe entry level customers were not within their target customer range? Maybe something in aluminum would get that range extended downward toward those on tighter budgets? However; for now, if you don't have that sort of budget, then this means you are probably looking to go elsewhere for your gravel bike fix.

Interesting bikes for certain. I wouldn't mind trying one out. What about you? Have you ridden a Mondraker bicycle? Let me know in the comments. 

Bikes Of 2024: Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3

  It's another late November/December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  

As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up.  

The Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3. Pre-Redshift stem.

The Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 was new to me last year. I had big plans for this bike but it only got out on gravel a few times and ended up being mostly a commuter rig in 2024. I still have a big ride in mind for this bike that I just did not get around to in 2024. 

Changes included adding a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem in the 55mm length and going back to the originally spec'ed Ragley Luxy Bar. I kind of miss that silver stem, but Redshift only does black, so......

I might strip the racks off, but then when I do that a window will open up for my long-planned two-day tour. You know that's how it will go....

Brown Season: Elemental

Escape Route: Alleyways

 This time of the year the chances to ride come less often, at least as far as being out in the country here. This is in part due to temperatures, winds, and snow, of course. So, when a day like Friday comes around, and if you have the time, it is wise to spend that time riding. Because you never know if that might be the last time you get out there for a while or not. 

The morning was cold and fraught with danger due to dense fog. I don't need to be out there when the chances of not being seen and hit by a passing motorist is a lot higher. So, I waited until after lunch. The thing is, now with the Sun so low in the horizon, you are only going to get a handful of good riding hours while the Sun still gives her light. That and when it approaches Sunset, the angle of that light is blinding. Not just to me, but to anyone driving a car or truck as well. 

All things to consider when trying to fit a ride in during November, December, or January. With all those things being factors, I was happy to get two and a half hours of riding in. I did this ride on the Fargo Gen I which I have proposed to ride for the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge. 

Freshly shaved fields

A pile of glacial stones recently dislodged via field drainage tile installation.

The wind was out of the Southeast, so I had a long slog planned which would drive into this wind and then, considering the time, I planned on stopping at Quarry Road and starting my way back. 

The Sergeant Road bike path was actually pretty busy with bicycle and pedestrian traffic. I guess I wasn't the only one with the thought that I should seize the day. Usually this amount of traffic is only seen if I am riding just before RAGBRAI. Strange to see this in mid-November, but it was encouraging! 

Oh-oh! Road work? No....it was just utility work.

As reported by Tomcat, a reader here, the barns are gone on this corner. Just a big black splotch on the ground remains.

Once out on the gravel I found that the recent wet weather has started to put the roads into "Winter mode". This is when the road surface gets smoothed out due to the crushed rock being pushed down into the base of the road. I'd say that about 80% of the road was smooth and the other bits had a scree of looser gravel. This would change later, but for heading up into a wind, this was mostly ideal. 

Just a passing shadow

Not the kind of John Deere I usually see out here.

I was happy to turn East and get mostly out of that wind. The road was a bit more loose gravel out this way, but the Fargo with those big 2.5" Extraterrestrials was just eating that right up. When you get such a big, poofy tire out there that can work over those loose stones it really is eye-opening. But then again, so is the weight of those tires! Going up is a chore. 

The first couple of miles North on Ansborough were on full-chunky goodness.

It's an interesting time of the year to ride. The crops are gone, the birds are mostly gone, and the sights are dominated by the most elemental things. Earth, Sky, Gravel. The simple landscape is only broken up by the occasional farm, grove of trees, or utility poles. 

It's easier to feel the dominance of this simple looking land and the atmosphere that washes over it can, at times, be deadly. I try to imagine these vistas covered in tall prairie grasses and I think about how difficult it must have been to navigate this sea of ever-waving grasses with barely a landmark to be found. 

The rare bit of color can still be found out here.

The bike is going to be fine. I think I can pull off at least a metric century on it. Despite the big, heavy tires and wheels. This might change only if the weather demands it to change. Wintry weather is a possibility here in the long range forecast for Thanksgiving. Of course, that will change a handful of times until late next week when things begin to gain some clarity. 

Stay tuned on that front.....

People of 2024: Erik Mathy

In my travels and life during the year, I have been blessed to be supported, befriended, and on occasion visited by some pretty awesome folks. Sometimes I visited them. (Hopefully they were equally blessed!) I wanted to take some extra space to recognize and celebrate these people at the end of the year. I hope you gain some insight and appreciation for what these people mean to me this year and beyond. 

Erik Mathy photographing my bicycle in Oklahoma back in March of this year.

 A lot of what happened early on this year would not have happened without the major influence of Erik Mathy. I've known Erik for several years, and partnered in a story/project with him at one point in 2016 called "Brian's Ride". 

Well,I hadn't crossed paths with Erik for a bit until I met him and hung out with him at the GCHoF goings on the year I got inducted. I spent most of a day hanging out with Erik and it was a blast! Well, at the end of last year I received a message via Instagram from Erik after he had read my take on an old track bike idea I had run across on Facebook. Erik had an idea he pitched to me. 

From that day in the Flint Hills with Erik in 2022.

Erik is an extremely talented person and he also is extremely persuasive. His idea: Take that track bike idea, have a frame builder he knows weld it up, get myself and these people to the Mid-South event, have me ride the bike there, and Erik would get to write a story about that. It was hoped that this would all be a money-making prospect for Erik as he is a free-lancer. 

This precipitated a stream of messages on several occasions. Ideas were batted around, but even as late as December 2023 I was pretty sure this was all but smoke in the air. January would come, the idea would dissipate, and I'd go on with my life as usual.

But noooooo...... Erik came along at the ninth hour and the idea was revived. Suddenly I was not only getting a new bicycle, but I was planning a trip with about two and a half month's notice from scratch. Just slightly stressful when you don't have access to a vehicle, much money, or a job which you can easily take time off from. 

As many of you long-time readers know, the bicycle did get made, it did show up on time, and the trip to Mid-South did happen. But without Erik Mathy? Nothing of the sort would have happened. So, I owe a big debt of gratitude to Erik. I am thankful for his efforts, and I am thankful for his connections and influence. Without him, 2024 would have been a much duller experience!

Twenty Years Of Gravel Grinding

  In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

 Checking out some of this blog's archives has reminded me of a few things. One of those being that - although I originally was known for being a 29"er nutcase - my tenure in gravel cycling started almost simultaneously along with this blog and was featured often here. 

Obviously, to anyone who has been paying attention here, that has to do with Trans Iowa. The ultra-distance gravel event which got its start about twenty years ago this week! Back in November of 2004 Jeff Kerkove and I decided to put on a cross-state bicycle race on gravel roads. Thus my fascination with gravel cycling began, and even though I and a lot of other folks had been riding bicycles on gravel roads previously, this marked a beginning. 

That beginning was the movement for having competition and fellowship while riding bicycles on crushed rock roads. It was, in no uncertain terms, the beginning of the modern era in what we now have abbreviated to "Gravel". 

The first header for Trans Iowa posted in 2004.

The idea Jeff and I had immediately sparked a movement. We were pelted with questions via Jeff's blog comments section, email, and personally via face-to-face communications and by phone calls. Keep in mind that what we know today as "social media" did not exist in late 2004/early 2005. 

For an idea of what this movement was like from my perspective, here is a snippet of a blog post I put up late in 2006 here:

"When you lead a sheltered existence like I have, only being aware of the local scene, you think you and yer buddies are the only ones insane enough to actually ride gravel roads. I mean, like really.......who else does this crap? Well, I get involved in Trans Iowa, and I find out that alot of folks like it. They like it so much, they actually copy the idea, and have their own events."

 I went on then to mention that I had heard of the DK200, (which I participated in during 2006) and rumors concerning a Nebraska gravel grinder, (not the GLGA or Gravel Worlds, by the way), and a gravel ultra-distance thing which was starting in Canada.

Trans Iowa v1 image courtesy of Joe Partridge

"Now I'm finding out about all kinds of gravel rides. Rides in Nebraska, rides in Colorado, rides in North East Iowa, training rides, fun rides, and all sorts of gravel grinding goofiness. I guess you could say we all have rocks in our heads. Whatever it is, I like it. I like gravel rides and somehow knowing that a bunch of other folks partake also is kinda.......well, I don't know........ I guess I have some like minded brothers and sisters out there, and I find that to be a good thing."

So, yeah....this blog got going partly on the momentum of gravel cycling, but mostly on the then new trend for twenty nine inch wheels. Gravel cycling has always been here though, and it still is 20 years on down the road. 

Part of this blog's influence is in gravel. My writings run deep within that influence to ride gravel roads. Out of this blog grew a gravel cycling specific site, a podcast, influences on bicycle design, tire design, and events, of course. Who can tell how many people were turned on to gravel cycling via this blog? In light of all of that, I think pointing out that Trans Iowa was the line of demarcation from whence this 'gravel" thing got started is a fair thing to do. 

And celebrating that fact after twenty years is a worthwhile thing to do, even if I am the only one doing it. You see, no other entity will bother with writing this history up, or even bother to recognize its existence. If I don't remind you, who will? Maybe you could say the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, if you were to run across that entity.

That may seem a bit off-putting to some, but I am not going to allow the story to go untold, or be modified for someone else's gain elsewhere. Yes, I am proud of what I have accomplished and was a part of in the beginnings of gravel cycling in the modern era. 

Guilty as charged.

Friday News And Views

Flint Hills Gravel Ride/Run Registration Open:

Starting off this FN&V with a gravel event in Kansas called the Flint Hills Gravel Ride and Run. This event will happen on April 12th, 2025 out of Americus, Kansas. 

The event will feature a tweaked distance line-up of 20, 40, 80, and 120 miles. As event director Bobby Thompson says though, these distances are "ish", as in 20-ish, 40-ish, etc. Ha!

The event also holds the distinction of being the opening event of the Great Plains Gravel Cup series, which will be in its inaugural season next year. 

Find out more at: https://flinthillsgravelride.com/

Mammoth Tuff Now In UCI Gravel Worlds Series:

Recently a Velo.com story was published revealing that Mammoth Tuff, a gravel event in the Eastern Sierra, has agreed to become one of two events in North America slated to be in the 2025 UCI Gravel World Series. 

The event will host that race but will retain other distances and categories which will not require a license to participate in, according to the article on Velo. Also noted there was that Mammoth Tuff reached this decision to partner with the UCI, in part, due to falling participation numbers since the event's inception in 2020. 

Interestingly the fee the UCI is asking for putting their stamp of approval on an event in the Gravel World Series was revealed to be $10,000.00 which was reportedly cut in half for Mammoth Tuff. The Highlands Classic will be the other event in North America included in the series.
 

 Blog Schedule For November/December:

A friendly reminder to those loyal readers here and maybe news to those of you who are new here. The "end-of-year" blog schedule is about to begin! 

So, here is a brief round-up of what you can expect to see here soon:

• Bikes of 2024: A brief review of the bikes I used throughout 2024 with a list of any changes and future plans. Just a fun look at what I ride. 
• Rear View 2024: This is a quarterly review of all the highlights (and maybe some low ones!) from the year. Mostly focused on the blog here but I often pull in other life events as well. These are broken up into four parts and one will be seen each week in December. 
• Top Ten Posts of 2024: A list of the most viewed posts on the site for the year. I always am surprised by what gets looked at here the most, and I think you might be surprised as well!
• Top Images of 2024: I choose the best 12 images, one from each month, and post them in one post with some commentary where I deem necessary. 
• NEW! Top People of 2024: I decided after reviewing the year for these upcoming posts that I needed to fete those individuals who had a major impact on me and what happened during the year. So, these will be rolled out as single posts, some covering a single individual, some about groups. Stay tuned! I think this addition will be a good one! 
• A Look Ahead: The last post of 2024 will be dedicated to looking at what I see for myself and cycling in general for the upcoming year.  
• The Regular Stuff: There will be "FN&V's", the continuance of the celebration of 20 years of blogging, and the random current content posts. 
• NEW! The Best Podcasts of 2024: I'll do a single post concerning the most listened to podcasts of the past year with links in case you need to kill some time over the Holidays! 
  

So, as you can see, there is a LOT of content there! I'll start rolling some of this out next week because as things stand now, I have 47 posts accounted for and as of today there are 45 days left in the year! So, with anything current inserted into the mix, that will mean some days will be double post days. Make sure you scroll all the way through any upcoming posts because you might miss something if you don't! 

As always, THANK YOU for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Don't Forget To Nominate The Next GCHoF Class!.

The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame is still looking for good write-ups for their next class of inductees to be enshrined this coming May of 2025. 

The task is relatively easy: Ask the person you want to nominate if it is okay. Go to the GCHoF Nomination page. Then write a good, well written two paragraph article on why this person deserves to be feted. Send it to the GCHoF before November 30th. That's it!

Nominees will be named after voting by the electors. Thanks for considering this! 

From a recent patent filing by Lauf.

Is Lauf Going To Change Freehub Design Radically Soon?.

Mid-week news broke on a patent filing Lauf filed for a design using a radical new idea for how hubs are mated with a cassette and how those two components work as a freehub. 

There are two ideas which are very 'outside the box' going on here. first, as seen in the first image, Lauf proposes a set of "pawls", or more like springs, really, which would be attached to the carrier for a traditional cassette. These springs are drawn in a way which makes them look like serpents, but the squiggly looking bits are actually meant to give a bit by stretching those elements which have the serpentine look out a bit, giving a bit of a softer engagement when the rider returns to pedaling after coasting. In another drawing on THIS PAGE those serpentine spring elements are drawn straight, so it appears that Lauf has not yet decided which way to go there. 

Again, from Lauf's patent filing.

But if I am reading this next image correctly, these serpentine elements are part of a unit that extends across most of the length of the hub shell. This is a radical departure from standard freehub design. 

This would mean that the entire inner hub shell would be a machined drive ring, essentially, which the serpentine elements would engage with. Furthermore; if the serpentine elements are staggered, as it appears is proposed, the engagement points could well be in the hundreds, if not thousands! 

Lauf apparently proposes to 3D print this according to a report I read HERE. Will this come to pass? If it does, I would think it would have a major impact upon the market, if it should prove to be more efficient and lighter in weight than traditionally designed free hubs. 

Sometimes crazy looking ideas end up changing the world, and then again, sometimes you see something that looks wild and it disappears. Which this will be is anyone's guess, but kudos to whomever designed this, because it is a very different take on a freehub design, at least as far as I know, it is. 

That is a wrap on this week! Look for 'end-of-year' posts to crank up starting next week here!