Gravel History With Guitar Ted: The Challenge Tires "Gravel Grinder"

Challenge Tires' "Gravel Grinder" model.

Welcome To Gravel History With Guitar Ted! This will be a random series here on the blog where I will give you my take on the history of gravel riding and racing in the modern era.* 

There may be a "Ted-terview" or two where I speak with those from the early days of the Modern era of Gravel as well. 

 In this episode of "Gravel History With Guitar Ted" we will explore the story of Challenge Tires' "Gravel Grinder" model and an a mutual agreement to not seek legal action. 

Back in the Discovery Era  in these times of the Modern Gravel scene, we would often use touring tires for gravel road riding. I remember the Schwalbe Marathon series of tires as being one of the more popular choices due to that model being available in 40+mm sizes along with a very popular 38mm size.

The Marathon Extreme model also had a very tough puncture protection quality that was prized by gravel grinders especially for doing the race in Kansas then known as the Dirty Kanza 200. Its cut resistance was phenomenal, but if you did puncture, they were a bearcat to dismount and replace a tube in. This and they were pretty heavy tires as well, which put a lot of riders off. So it wasn't a perfect solution to our needs.

Gravel Grinder News header circa 2011

Along about 2011 or so, some tire manufacturers were looking into making a tire for gravel which, in all likelihood was sparked by the insider knowledge of Salsa Cycles development of a gravel racing bike at that time. One of those companies was Challenge Tire.

Challenge Tire was, and still is, a small company with few employees. Their niche was mainly cyclo cross and road racing tubulars and "open tubulars" which are Challenge Tires' version of their tubular tires in a clincher format.

Challenge decided to utilize their expertise in cyclo cross and use a model they had developed for grassy CX courses, fatten it up to 38mm, and rename it the "Gravel Grinder". Whether or not Challenge Tires was aware of my little site at that time, I don't know, but it soon came to their attention that there was a website using the same name. This could have gone pear-shaped, but fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. 

What did happen was that I ended up meeting the head of Challenge Tires operations at a Quality Bicycle Products "Frostbike" open house. We chatted, and ostensibly, I was only there for tire news, as I had heard Challenge was making a play to release a gravel tire. When the head man showed me the Gravel Grinder, he acknowledged that the name could be a stumbling block, since my website had the same name, unless, of course, I would be okay with that coincidence. He stuck out his hand, and stated, "There will be no legal ramifications to this situation from our side, how about you?", and of course, I said it would be fine and shook his hand. 

And that's how you get things done without lawyers getting in the way! 

Meanwhile, we had a lighter, capable choice in a gravel tire. Clement (Donnelly now) wasn't far behind, and the gravel gear choices only got better from then on out.

Gravel History With Guitar Ted: The Challenge Tires "Gravel Grinder"

Challenge Tires' "Gravel Grinder" model.

Welcome To Gravel History With Guitar Ted! This will be a random series here on the blog where I will give you my take on the history of gravel riding and racing in the modern era.* 

There may be a "Ted-terview" or two where I speak with those from the early days of the Modern era of Gravel as well. 

 In this episode of "Gravel History With Guitar Ted" we will explore the story of Challenge Tires' "Gravel Grinder" model and an a mutual agreement to not seek legal action. 

Back in the Discovery Era  in these times of the Modern Gravel scene, we would often use touring tires for gravel road riding. I remember the Schwalbe Marathon series of tires as being one of the more popular choices due to that model being available in 40+mm sizes along with a very popular 38mm size.

The Marathon Extreme model also had a very tough puncture protection quality that was prized by gravel grinders especially for doing the race in Kansas then known as the Dirty Kanza 200. Its cut resistance was phenomenal, but if you did puncture, they were a bearcat to dismount and replace a tube in. This and they were pretty heavy tires as well, which put a lot of riders off. So it wasn't a perfect solution to our needs.

Gravel Grinder News header circa 2011

Along about 2011 or so, some tire manufacturers were looking into making a tire for gravel which, in all likelihood was sparked by the insider knowledge of Salsa Cycles development of a gravel racing bike at that time. One of those companies was Challenge Tire.

Challenge Tire was, and still is, a small company with few employees. Their niche was mainly cyclo cross and road racing tubulars and "open tubulars" which are Challenge Tires' version of their tubular tires in a clincher format.

Challenge decided to utilize their expertise in cyclo cross and use a model they had developed for grassy CX courses, fatten it up to 38mm, and rename it the "Gravel Grinder". Whether or not Challenge Tires was aware of my little site at that time, I don't know, but it soon came to their attention that there was a website using the same name. This could have gone pear-shaped, but fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. 

What did happen was that I ended up meeting the head of Challenge Tires operations at a Quality Bicycle Products "Frostbike" open house. We chatted, and ostensibly, I was only there for tire news, as I had heard Challenge was making a play to release a gravel tire. When the head man showed me the Gravel Grinder, he acknowledged that the name could be a stumbling block, since my website had the same name, unless, of course, I would be okay with that coincidence. He stuck out his hand, and stated, "There will be no legal ramifications to this situation from our side, how about you?", and of course, I said it would be fine and shook his hand. 

And that's how you get things done without lawyers getting in the way! 

Meanwhile, we had a lighter, capable choice in a gravel tire. Clement (Donnelly now) wasn't far behind, and the gravel gear choices only got better from then on out.

Friday News And Views

Maxxis Receptor- (Image courtesy of Maxxis)

Maxxis Debuts The Receptor Tire:

Last Monday news hit the web-o-sphere that Maxxis was debuting a new tire called the "Receptor". I took a look and said to myself, "Byway v2". It's no wonder that Maxxis, who haven't been a big player in terms of recognition in the gravel scene, wanted to pull a model out with a striking resemblance to one of WTB's best selling gravel tires, the Byway. 

I know at one point a few years ago, the Byway was the number one seller for WTB. So, with Maxxis not garnering a lot of buzz in the gravel scene, it makes sense, on one hand, to pretty much copy the Byway. Hopefully Maxxis gives this Byway-like tire a bit more volume than WTB gave the Byway, a tire that they are calling a 40mm tire. The Byway is pretty much a 38mm tire in 700c form, so it is a bit of a bummer if you are in the 40mm-43mm camp for a tire on your gravel bike. 

Of course, there is a 650B variant, a tire listed at 47mm, again, very Byway-like. The 650B one also is currently the only variant listed on the Maxxis website, although news regurgitations of the press release claim there will also be a 700c X 40mm black and skin wall version available at some point. (To be fair, the 700c sizes and skin wall options are mentioned in the video on the Receptor page.)

Comments: Smooth center + knobby edges = Gravel Tire® Seems to be the common tread design with variations on the theme ever since Challenge Tire's aptly named 'Gravel Grinder' tire came out about eight years ago now. The knobs on this Receptor tire look almost like an after-thought though. They come so far down the shoulders of the tire that, on a narrower 40mm carcass, you'd have to be in a pretty steep lean or in a really soft, loose terrain condition to even engage those tread features. This is what I would deem as a "Mental Insurance" tread feature. It makes you feel like you've got something other than a slick tire when in fact all you have is a slick tire with some ornamental tread blocks. To Maxxis' credit, these 'knobs' look pretty minimal, so they shouldn't add a lot of weight. 

Maxxis gravel tires used to be a real treat to mount tubeless due to their carbon fiber strand bead.  Maxxis makes no mention of this feature on their site, so if they are not doing that anymore, all the better. I'm keenly interested in the 700 X 40mm size, because if it is really 40mm, then it would leap into my favorites category, assuming all else was up to snuff. With Maxxis, there really is no reason to believe it wouldn't be.

A Tweet from Panaracer's social media 2/15/21

Panaracer Drops Sponsorship of Gravel Racing Team:

One of the first industry sponsored gravel racing teams had its former title sponsor drop out for 2021. The new Abus Pro Gravel racing team was announced February 10th with no mention of Panaracer's involvement anymore. 

Panaracer, on the other hand, started putting out feelers for brand ambassadors on February 1st. Panaracer posted on their Facebook page the following: "As a Panaracer ambassador, we will support you in your riding adventures in return for your original content, stoke and feedback." Applications for brand ambassadorship closed on February 14th.

Comments: Obviously Panaracer is taking a much different approach to sponsorship going forward.  You may have heard about "direct to consumer" type retail, well this might be seen as 'direct to consumer marketing' since the company seems to be cutting out any 'traditional' types of athlete activation. Obviously, getting content and tester feedback for a few sets of tires and "social media fame" will be a good trade off from what is spent on traditional marketing. Remember the old saw: "I owe my soul to the Company Store"? Kinda smells like that to me. Also noteworthy of thought: I don't know what types of events Panaracer will be involved in going forward, but it wouldn't surprise me to see that Panaracer becomes a grassroots events sponsor, if they do anything at all. 

 Also, as seen in the Tweet shown,  Panaracer will have a 'new, modernized look', whatever that means. (Actually, we get to find out Monday- I got an embargoed press release) and it will be interesting to see how their marketing changes going forward.  

The new Pivot Cycles E-Vault. (Image courtesy of Pivot Cycles)

Pivot Cycles Introduces New E-Vault Gravel Bike:

Tuesday news broke that Pivot Cycles has introduced a HPC (motorized bicycle) that is meant for city and gravel usage. It's dubbed the E-Vault. 

This Hybrid Powered Cycle (HPC) features a Fazua motor which has three levels of assist, adjustable on the fly. The motor also features a complete decoupling mode for 100% human powered cycling with no drag from the motor's internals. (Of course, you still have to overcome the extra weight) The frame is carbon fiber and it features top-shelf components from Shimano and others. Pivot lists the starting price at $9,999.00USD. 

Comments: There were a few items I was curious about concerning this bike. How far could you go on a charge? What sort of weight are you pedaling around in decoupled mode? What's the geometry like? Well, besides the geometry, which you have to scroll down the page for, the other two question's answers were buried in the FAQ. 

The geometry is okay. It is what I am starting to feel like is "Gravel Bike 1.0 Geometry". 72° head angle, 70mm bottom bracket drop. Pretty 'five years ago' geometry there, and as far as I am concerned, a geometry that wasn't right from the get-go. But that said, it's okay. It works alright but there is a better way to go. 

Now the weight- almost 30lbs. Not bad for a HPC, but hold on here. This is important. In the FAQ Pivot claims they could get about 45-50 miles in a single charge with less than 4,000ft of climbing. They do not give an indication of what percentage of that was boosted riding versus non-assisted, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was 100% boosted for that amount of mileage/climbing. That's not very impressive. Not when you consider how easily one can accumulate 4,000 feet of climb in a state like Iowa on a 50 mile ride. Oh.....and wind is a factor too. That isn't accounted for in this measure for all we know here. 

And the bike is ten grand minimum. Ouch! HPC's are going to get people out of their cars and riding more? Not in this case, I don't think that is the idea.  

That's a wrap for this frigid week! Let's hope warmer weather is on the way!

Friday News And Views

Maxxis Receptor- (Image courtesy of Maxxis)

Maxxis Debuts The Receptor Tire:

Last Monday news hit the web-o-sphere that Maxxis was debuting a new tire called the "Receptor". I took a look and said to myself, "Byway v2". It's no wonder that Maxxis, who haven't been a big player in terms of recognition in the gravel scene, wanted to pull a model out with a striking resemblance to one of WTB's best selling gravel tires, the Byway. 

I know at one point a few years ago, the Byway was the number one seller for WTB. So, with Maxxis not garnering a lot of buzz in the gravel scene, it makes sense, on one hand, to pretty much copy the Byway. Hopefully Maxxis gives this Byway-like tire a bit more volume than WTB gave the Byway, a tire that they are calling a 40mm tire. The Byway is pretty much a 38mm tire in 700c form, so it is a bit of a bummer if you are in the 40mm-43mm camp for a tire on your gravel bike. 

Of course, there is a 650B variant, a tire listed at 47mm, again, very Byway-like. The 650B one also is currently the only variant listed on the Maxxis website, although news regurgitations of the press release claim there will also be a 700c X 40mm black and skin wall version available at some point. (To be fair, the 700c sizes and skin wall options are mentioned in the video on the Receptor page.)

Comments: Smooth center + knobby edges = Gravel Tire® Seems to be the common tread design with variations on the theme ever since Challenge Tire's aptly named 'Gravel Grinder' tire came out about eight years ago now. The knobs on this Receptor tire look almost like an after-thought though. They come so far down the shoulders of the tire that, on a narrower 40mm carcass, you'd have to be in a pretty steep lean or in a really soft, loose terrain condition to even engage those tread features. This is what I would deem as a "Mental Insurance" tread feature. It makes you feel like you've got something other than a slick tire when in fact all you have is a slick tire with some ornamental tread blocks. To Maxxis' credit, these 'knobs' look pretty minimal, so they shouldn't add a lot of weight. 

Maxxis gravel tires used to be a real treat to mount tubeless due to their carbon fiber strand bead.  Maxxis makes no mention of this feature on their site, so if they are not doing that anymore, all the better. I'm keenly interested in the 700 X 40mm size, because if it is really 40mm, then it would leap into my favorites category, assuming all else was up to snuff. With Maxxis, there really is no reason to believe it wouldn't be.

A Tweet from Panaracer's social media 2/15/21

Panaracer Drops Sponsorship of Gravel Racing Team:

One of the first industry sponsored gravel racing teams had its former title sponsor drop out for 2021. The new Abus Pro Gravel racing team was announced February 10th with no mention of Panaracer's involvement anymore. 

Panaracer, on the other hand, started putting out feelers for brand ambassadors on February 1st. Panaracer posted on their Facebook page the following: "As a Panaracer ambassador, we will support you in your riding adventures in return for your original content, stoke and feedback." Applications for brand ambassadorship closed on February 14th.

Comments: Obviously Panaracer is taking a much different approach to sponsorship going forward.  You may have heard about "direct to consumer" type retail, well this might be seen as 'direct to consumer marketing' since the company seems to be cutting out any 'traditional' types of athlete activation. Obviously, getting content and tester feedback for a few sets of tires and "social media fame" will be a good trade off from what is spent on traditional marketing. Remember the old saw: "I owe my soul to the Company Store"? Kinda smells like that to me. Also noteworthy of thought: I don't know what types of events Panaracer will be involved in going forward, but it wouldn't surprise me to see that Panaracer becomes a grassroots events sponsor, if they do anything at all. 

 Also, as seen in the Tweet shown,  Panaracer will have a 'new, modernized look', whatever that means. (Actually, we get to find out Monday- I got an embargoed press release) and it will be interesting to see how their marketing changes going forward.  

The new Pivot Cycles E-Vault. (Image courtesy of Pivot Cycles)

Pivot Cycles Introduces New E-Vault Gravel Bike:

Tuesday news broke that Pivot Cycles has introduced a HPC (motorized bicycle) that is meant for city and gravel usage. It's dubbed the E-Vault. 

This Hybrid Powered Cycle (HPC) features a Fazua motor which has three levels of assist, adjustable on the fly. The motor also features a complete decoupling mode for 100% human powered cycling with no drag from the motor's internals. (Of course, you still have to overcome the extra weight) The frame is carbon fiber and it features top-shelf components from Shimano and others. Pivot lists the starting price at $9,999.00USD. 

Comments: There were a few items I was curious about concerning this bike. How far could you go on a charge? What sort of weight are you pedaling around in decoupled mode? What's the geometry like? Well, besides the geometry, which you have to scroll down the page for, the other two question's answers were buried in the FAQ. 

The geometry is okay. It is what I am starting to feel like is "Gravel Bike 1.0 Geometry". 72° head angle, 70mm bottom bracket drop. Pretty 'five years ago' geometry there, and as far as I am concerned, a geometry that wasn't right from the get-go. But that said, it's okay. It works alright but there is a better way to go. 

Now the weight- almost 30lbs. Not bad for a HPC, but hold on here. This is important. In the FAQ Pivot claims they could get about 45-50 miles in a single charge with less than 4,000ft of climbing. They do not give an indication of what percentage of that was boosted riding versus non-assisted, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was 100% boosted for that amount of mileage/climbing. That's not very impressive. Not when you consider how easily one can accumulate 4,000 feet of climb in a state like Iowa on a 50 mile ride. Oh.....and wind is a factor too. That isn't accounted for in this measure for all we know here. 

And the bike is ten grand minimum. Ouch! HPC's are going to get people out of their cars and riding more? Not in this case, I don't think that is the idea.  

That's a wrap for this frigid week! Let's hope warmer weather is on the way!

Switcheroo

Tight!

Okay, so I've had these Gravel King 40's on for a bit, (See my review of them so far HERE), and I put them on the Twin Six Standard Rando first. I thought that is where they would fit the best, since these tires have less tall tread blocks than the Nano 40 TCS tires have. Those Nanos ended up being 42mm on the wide, KOM i25 rims, so the thinking was that the GK's would be better here and I thought everything was going to work out. Bzzzt! Wrong!

The GK's stretched, a lot! Initially they did look better, and there was a decent air space there under the momo-stay and fork crown. However; that all disappeared within about 24 hours of having mounted them. The measurement just after inflation wasn't taken, but I am going to say these things grew at least a couple of millimeters all around. I was floored when I put the calipers on them and they read 43.11mm!

Well, that was just too much for the ol' Standard Rando as I said last Saturday here. Something had to be done about that. I couldn't be having small chunks of gravel jamming in between the tire and fork crown or under the mono-stay in the rear. They already were doing that with the Nano 40's. So, I did the ol' switcheroo. It occurred to me that now I have two eleven speed wheel sets. I had almost forgotten about the Tamland Two's Ultegra 11 speed drive train.

Big tires? Not a problem here!

I had tried out some 2.0" 29"er tires on a whim on the Tamland once. They were WTB Nineline tires. They were too big, because they had no mud clearance at all, but they both spun in the frame freely! That knowledge suddenly came back to me as well, so I already knew these GK's would work. I simply swapped wheel sets and bam! There ya go. Clearance for days and the Standard Rando has the tires on it that it should have now.

MUCH better now!

Lesson learned. Bigger gravel tires go on the Tamland, 35mm-38mm tires go on the Twin Six. The wheels that were on the Tamland are nothing spectacular, but they are decent wheels, as I have had zero issues with them in two years of pretty demanding riding at times. The wheels are set up with tubed Challenge Gravel Grinders, and those are really pretty nice tires. I've never even thought about converting those wheels to tubeless, and I don't think I will. If anything, I'd just re-lace the hubs to new tubeless ready rims at some point.

But that's for another time. Now I have the wheel set with the big meats in a frame and fork where everything fits comfortably, and the Standard Rando is fit to be ridden without fear of tearing up tires, the frame and fork, and me! This is a good thing. Now I did set up those wheels for the Standard Rando, but they always can be switched back and mounted with, say the 36mm Clements, and I think that should fit just fine. I think I may do that eventually.

Now I just have to decide upon which bike I want to ride at the upcoming Gents Race. I wanted to run my new wheels and tires in the T-6, but those are on the Tamland now, so maybe I'll just go with that. Or I could just ride the old standby- the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" rig. Heck, that's the bike I've used the most down there for that event. It's almost a tradition!

Switcheroo

Tight!

Okay, so I've had these Gravel King 40's on for a bit, (See my review of them so far HERE), and I put them on the Twin Six Standard Rando first. I thought that is where they would fit the best, since these tires have less tall tread blocks than the Nano 40 TCS tires have. Those Nanos ended up being 42mm on the wide, KOM i25 rims, so the thinking was that the GK's would be better here and I thought everything was going to work out. Bzzzt! Wrong!

The GK's stretched, a lot! Initially they did look better, and there was a decent air space there under the momo-stay and fork crown. However; that all disappeared within about 24 hours of having mounted them. The measurement just after inflation wasn't taken, but I am going to say these things grew at least a couple of millimeters all around. I was floored when I put the calipers on them and they read 43.11mm!

Well, that was just too much for the ol' Standard Rando as I said last Saturday here. Something had to be done about that. I couldn't be having small chunks of gravel jamming in between the tire and fork crown or under the mono-stay in the rear. They already were doing that with the Nano 40's. So, I did the ol' switcheroo. It occurred to me that now I have two eleven speed wheel sets. I had almost forgotten about the Tamland Two's Ultegra 11 speed drive train.

Big tires? Not a problem here!

I had tried out some 2.0" 29"er tires on a whim on the Tamland once. They were WTB Nineline tires. They were too big, because they had no mud clearance at all, but they both spun in the frame freely! That knowledge suddenly came back to me as well, so I already knew these GK's would work. I simply swapped wheel sets and bam! There ya go. Clearance for days and the Standard Rando has the tires on it that it should have now.

MUCH better now!

Lesson learned. Bigger gravel tires go on the Tamland, 35mm-38mm tires go on the Twin Six. The wheels that were on the Tamland are nothing spectacular, but they are decent wheels, as I have had zero issues with them in two years of pretty demanding riding at times. The wheels are set up with tubed Challenge Gravel Grinders, and those are really pretty nice tires. I've never even thought about converting those wheels to tubeless, and I don't think I will. If anything, I'd just re-lace the hubs to new tubeless ready rims at some point.

But that's for another time. Now I have the wheel set with the big meats in a frame and fork where everything fits comfortably, and the Standard Rando is fit to be ridden without fear of tearing up tires, the frame and fork, and me! This is a good thing. Now I did set up those wheels for the Standard Rando, but they always can be switched back and mounted with, say the 36mm Clements, and I think that should fit just fine. I think I may do that eventually.

Now I just have to decide upon which bike I want to ride at the upcoming Gents Race. I wanted to run my new wheels and tires in the T-6, but those are on the Tamland now, so maybe I'll just go with that. Or I could just ride the old standby- the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" rig. Heck, that's the bike I've used the most down there for that event. It's almost a tradition!

Sometimes You Just Have To Stop To Go

Big sky, Fall colors, and perfect temps. Who could resist?

Tuesday evening a local rider messaged me to see if I might want to spend part of my Wednesday off to go for a ride. I mentioned that I had some thing else to take care of, but thanked him anyway.

Then that thought gnawed at my brain all night long.

I awoke in the morning feeling particularly refreshed and after breakfast and seeing everyone on their way I sat down to dig into some work that I felt needed to be done. I'm not sure how it all happened to come out this way, but I decided that my friend that contacted me the night before was right. I should go out on a ride! I pushed everything aside and went up to change out into my cycling kit.

I decided to pick out the Raleigh Tamland Two for the ride for a couple different reasons, even though I had originally set my mind on riding a single speed. (I later was very happy I took out a geared bike.) One of the reasons was that since I had been hit by the truck at the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, I had only ridden the Tamland once, and that was to commute to work shortly after the incident. I figured I'd better "get back on the horse."

Wagons await the soybeans to be harvested out of this field. 

A combine moving in to start harvesting soybeans near Denver, Iowa. The truck is a support vehicle. 

Mountain bikers have their "hero dirt". Gravel riders have what I call "hero gravel".  It's super fast!

A sea of corn will be reduced to stubble by these machines!

Pink-ish flowers struggle against Death and Dust. A last bit of ditch flowers before Winter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I rode the old 3GR route from last year. This may be only the second time all year I've ridden it. I cannot remember. Harvesters were out and the wind was steadily rising up out of the West/Northwest so that the entire first part of the ride was into the stiffening winds. Ivanhoe Road was worst, as it angled right into the teeth of the wind.

I had to stop once to adjust my saddle which was irritating me and the adjustment helped quite a bit there. It is funny how a millimeter or two of adjustment can bring a saddle from intolerable to something you forget about. I may need to futz with it a bit more to bring it into complete harmony with me, or I may decide to get something completely different. I'm still not 100% sure this saddle will work out for me.

But the rest of the bike is just as I remember it to be. Really stable and comfortable in loose gravel, which there was a lot of, by the way. It ran about 40% new gravel, 40% old, clear to slightly rough gravel, and 20% "hero gravel", which is like unto pavement. The Tamland Two shod with these nice Challenge Gravel Grinder tires is super smooth regardless. The Ultegra 11 speed stuff is amazingly good. I bet Shimano could shorten the lever throw quite a bit on this mechanical stuff, but I also bet that they won't, because if they did many wouldn't want Di2. That's really the only difference I feel when I ride this and work on the Di2 stuff.

So, back to the ride. It hurt a lot, because I am not used to longer gravel rides since the crash in July. This has been my longest ride to date since then, and honestly, it has taken this long to get to a closer version of "normal" for me. I felt like I was not as fit as I was before, but I also should say that I was encouraged by how well I was able to deal with the wind and persevere through the 40 miles. That's good news. The bad news is that it is going to be Winter soon, and riding gravel may end up being out of the question before I get back to 100%. And of course, there are those things I left behind that I still need to get done! Sometimes you just have to stop with all the "busy-busy" of life and go for a bicycle ride though.

That's what I think, anyway.

Sometimes You Just Have To Stop To Go

Big sky, Fall colors, and perfect temps. Who could resist?

Tuesday evening a local rider messaged me to see if I might want to spend part of my Wednesday off to go for a ride. I mentioned that I had some thing else to take care of, but thanked him anyway.

Then that thought gnawed at my brain all night long.

I awoke in the morning feeling particularly refreshed and after breakfast and seeing everyone on their way I sat down to dig into some work that I felt needed to be done. I'm not sure how it all happened to come out this way, but I decided that my friend that contacted me the night before was right. I should go out on a ride! I pushed everything aside and went up to change out into my cycling kit.

I decided to pick out the Raleigh Tamland Two for the ride for a couple different reasons, even though I had originally set my mind on riding a single speed. (I later was very happy I took out a geared bike.) One of the reasons was that since I had been hit by the truck at the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, I had only ridden the Tamland once, and that was to commute to work shortly after the incident. I figured I'd better "get back on the horse."

Wagons await the soybeans to be harvested out of this field. 

A combine moving in to start harvesting soybeans near Denver, Iowa. The truck is a support vehicle. 

Mountain bikers have their "hero dirt". Gravel riders have what I call "hero gravel".  It's super fast!

A sea of corn will be reduced to stubble by these machines!

Pink-ish flowers struggle against Death and Dust. A last bit of ditch flowers before Winter!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I rode the old 3GR route from last year. This may be only the second time all year I've ridden it. I cannot remember. Harvesters were out and the wind was steadily rising up out of the West/Northwest so that the entire first part of the ride was into the stiffening winds. Ivanhoe Road was worst, as it angled right into the teeth of the wind.

I had to stop once to adjust my saddle which was irritating me and the adjustment helped quite a bit there. It is funny how a millimeter or two of adjustment can bring a saddle from intolerable to something you forget about. I may need to futz with it a bit more to bring it into complete harmony with me, or I may decide to get something completely different. I'm still not 100% sure this saddle will work out for me.

But the rest of the bike is just as I remember it to be. Really stable and comfortable in loose gravel, which there was a lot of, by the way. It ran about 40% new gravel, 40% old, clear to slightly rough gravel, and 20% "hero gravel", which is like unto pavement. The Tamland Two shod with these nice Challenge Gravel Grinder tires is super smooth regardless. The Ultegra 11 speed stuff is amazingly good. I bet Shimano could shorten the lever throw quite a bit on this mechanical stuff, but I also bet that they won't, because if they did many wouldn't want Di2. That's really the only difference I feel when I ride this and work on the Di2 stuff.

So, back to the ride. It hurt a lot, because I am not used to longer gravel rides since the crash in July. This has been my longest ride to date since then, and honestly, it has taken this long to get to a closer version of "normal" for me. I felt like I was not as fit as I was before, but I also should say that I was encouraged by how well I was able to deal with the wind and persevere through the 40 miles. That's good news. The bad news is that it is going to be Winter soon, and riding gravel may end up being out of the question before I get back to 100%. And of course, there are those things I left behind that I still need to get done! Sometimes you just have to stop with all the "busy-busy" of life and go for a bicycle ride though.

That's what I think, anyway.

Friday News And Views

The Germans do Fat!

Fat Bike News:

Seems like everyone is getting in on the fat biking bandwagon these days. Now I see that German brand Canyon Bikes is doing a high end offering dubbed the "Dude CF".

Canyon bikes are highly regarded and, unfortunately, unavailable in the U.S. However; I suspect folks connected with the Topeak-Ergon team might just be sporting these, since they are sponsored by Canyon Bikes.

No hard details yet on this other than it is a 190mm spaced rear that is said to fit the biggest available tires. Note the DT Swiss branded rims. Schwalbe tires too. Think fat biking is a fad now? No, it isn't, and if you want to know, the fat bike genre has a lot more going for it than the 27.5"er craze. My opinion is that the fat bike will gain more sales than the 27.5"er, "enduro" bikes, and if you exclude the move by many companies to simply convert all their 26" stock to 27.5"ers, (to simplify and streamline their bottom line more than anything else), fat bikes will easily outpace the "mid-sized" wheels soon. Well......maybe not in Europe.

Twin Six: METAL

Twin Six "Standard Fat":

Twin Six, (yes.....the cycling clothing folks), are busy bringing some "hardware" to the table for all you bikenerds out there like me. This is a bit of a peak at a titanium frame/carbon fork fat bike set up that Twin Six designed and tested in house. The company line is as follows.....

"Operation Ride Metal stems from our pride and dedication to the sport as well as our cycling heritage. With an everything you need and nothing you don't philosophy, the Standard Fat is inspired by our hunger for precision and drive for classic aesthetics. The result is a lean T6 titanium machine weighing in at 4lbs 2 oz (medium frame & fork). The chassis boasts competition driven geometry, Twin Six engineered dropouts, covert cable stops, a 100mm bottom bracket shell, 170mm rear spacing, and clearance for five inch rubber. The 44mm head tube is paired with a svelte carbon fork and adorned by a Twin Six silver plated brass head badge. Target price point for frame, fork, seat collar, and T6 designed top cap is $2200 and will be available late fall."

The "Standard Fat" sports typically sano T6 graphics and classy looks. 

T6 designed drop outs

 The "Standard Fat" also sports an interesting drop out, as mentioned- designed by T6,-and it looks pretty clean and elegant. One has to wonder if perchance that a "swinging" type drop out, or other modular bits might be in the future since the drop is a bolted on piece. 

Removable cable stops.....because you could go single speed? It would make sense. However it goes, this is a decently priced offering that looks great. Oh! And did you catch that it fits big tires with a 170mm OLD rear end? Don't you have to have a 190mmOLD rear to do that? Well, I asked about that and T6 responded that it can fit a 4.8" tire on an 80mm rim with their manipulated seat and chain stay configuration. 

While carbon is all the rage for fat bike frames, I can tell you that titanium rides super smoothly on fat wheels. Better than most rigs. It really makes a difference and of course- it is METAL. What else would Twin Six make a bike out of? 

The GTDRI set up: The bike survived!

 Gear Assessment From The GTDRI:

Well, if you've been reading along this week, you know all about the ill-fated GTDRI event. Now I want to talk about the gear I used for this ride. 

I decided to take the Tamland Two out, and besides the cassette gearing being woefully over-geared for the hills and my fitness level, it was a great rig for the task. I could go on in minutiae about what I liked, but I'll just hit the highlights. If you have specific queries, just hit me up in the comments section and I'll be glad to answer you. 

•  Geometry: The downhill performance at speeds of up to 40mph was stable and I felt that I could totally trust this bike. 
• The TRP Spyre brakes: Both Dan and I were using these brakes with different levers and we both agreed that the modulation and power was better than BB-7's. Oh.....and they were quiet the entire ride. 
• Challenge "Gravel Grinder" tires: If these tires were going to blow apart on me, they would have by now and particularly on this ride. On wide rims they are fantastic on loose gravel. if a tad "loose" feeling, to borrow NASCAR terminology. 
• Ergon SM-3 Saddle: I wasn't 100% sold on this perch at first, but it has become a favorite now. Zero saddle issues- no numbness, and it has a perfect "sweet spot", but the other positions are fine and comfy as well. 
• Bike Bag Dude "Chaff Bag": Instantly turns a two water bottle cage bike into a 4 bottle cage bike, and having two bottles on the bars is awesome. Those old Euro racer dudes were on to something with that idea. 

The bike was great, and the gear worked very well. As far as the crash goes, the bar tape got nicked- that's it. 

Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags work great as food holders, bottle cages, or for smaller items. 

These tires really are great for gravel. Fast, wide, stable.

My Oakleys got trashed.

 There was one item that got totaled in the wreck and that was my Oakley shades. Near as I can tell my helmet, which the Oakleys were perched in, went flying off my head when the truck hit me, (I didn't have the helmet buckled yet, as I was walking the bike), and it smashed glasses first into the gravel or something. Anyway, they are a total loss. If that's all I lost in this, well then I count myself very fortunate. Shades can be replaced. Bodies? Lives? Not so much. 

New Raleigh Willard Two

New Gravel Rig From Raleigh:

Finally, I have known about this rig for a bit, but I saw where it had been talked about on-line now, so I feel free to say a thing or three here. 

The Raleigh guys were the ones that picked my brain on gravel specific features for a bicycle's design, and they did everything I advised them to with the Tamland. Now they have done similar geometry with an aluminum frame and carbon fiber fork and dubbed the bike "Willard". I instantly thought of that rat based horror flick when I heard the name, but apparently, that wasn't the inspiration for the rig's name. (I asked) Anyway, this is supposed to be lighter and it will come in two flavors- The Willard Two, a 105 equipped rig, and the Willard One, a Sora 9 speed rig. The retail prices are a step lower than the Tamland's are, so they should find a good audience out there. 

The only thing I am a bit wary of is the aluminum frame. I might be pleasantly surprised, if ever I get a leg thrown over one, but I just don't know about aluminum on gravel roads. Maybe I could use some enlightenment there? Maybe I could. At any rate, the good stuff is there, like Shimano components, TRP Spyre brakes, and Clement MSO 40mm tires. They claim it will tip the scales at 22 or so pounds, and I bet with a judicious choice in wheels and a few component swaps it would easily dive under 20lbs, if that is a goal.

Okay, I am going to be out for the weekend again taking my son to the last events at Iowa Speedway for the season. Back on Sunday at the earliest. Meanwhile, ya'all have a great weekend and get yer ride on!

Friday News And Views

The Germans do Fat!

Fat Bike News:

Seems like everyone is getting in on the fat biking bandwagon these days. Now I see that German brand Canyon Bikes is doing a high end offering dubbed the "Dude CF".

Canyon bikes are highly regarded and, unfortunately, unavailable in the U.S. However; I suspect folks connected with the Topeak-Ergon team might just be sporting these, since they are sponsored by Canyon Bikes.

No hard details yet on this other than it is a 190mm spaced rear that is said to fit the biggest available tires. Note the DT Swiss branded rims. Schwalbe tires too. Think fat biking is a fad now? No, it isn't, and if you want to know, the fat bike genre has a lot more going for it than the 27.5"er craze. My opinion is that the fat bike will gain more sales than the 27.5"er, "enduro" bikes, and if you exclude the move by many companies to simply convert all their 26" stock to 27.5"ers, (to simplify and streamline their bottom line more than anything else), fat bikes will easily outpace the "mid-sized" wheels soon. Well......maybe not in Europe.

Twin Six: METAL

Twin Six "Standard Fat":

Twin Six, (yes.....the cycling clothing folks), are busy bringing some "hardware" to the table for all you bikenerds out there like me. This is a bit of a peak at a titanium frame/carbon fork fat bike set up that Twin Six designed and tested in house. The company line is as follows.....

"Operation Ride Metal stems from our pride and dedication to the sport as well as our cycling heritage. With an everything you need and nothing you don't philosophy, the Standard Fat is inspired by our hunger for precision and drive for classic aesthetics. The result is a lean T6 titanium machine weighing in at 4lbs 2 oz (medium frame & fork). The chassis boasts competition driven geometry, Twin Six engineered dropouts, covert cable stops, a 100mm bottom bracket shell, 170mm rear spacing, and clearance for five inch rubber. The 44mm head tube is paired with a svelte carbon fork and adorned by a Twin Six silver plated brass head badge. Target price point for frame, fork, seat collar, and T6 designed top cap is $2200 and will be available late fall."

The "Standard Fat" sports typically sano T6 graphics and classy looks. 

T6 designed drop outs

 The "Standard Fat" also sports an interesting drop out, as mentioned- designed by T6,-and it looks pretty clean and elegant. One has to wonder if perchance that a "swinging" type drop out, or other modular bits might be in the future since the drop is a bolted on piece. 

Removable cable stops.....because you could go single speed? It would make sense. However it goes, this is a decently priced offering that looks great. Oh! And did you catch that it fits big tires with a 170mm OLD rear end? Don't you have to have a 190mmOLD rear to do that? Well, I asked about that and T6 responded that it can fit a 4.8" tire on an 80mm rim with their manipulated seat and chain stay configuration. 

While carbon is all the rage for fat bike frames, I can tell you that titanium rides super smoothly on fat wheels. Better than most rigs. It really makes a difference and of course- it is METAL. What else would Twin Six make a bike out of? 

The GTDRI set up: The bike survived!

 Gear Assessment From The GTDRI:

Well, if you've been reading along this week, you know all about the ill-fated GTDRI event. Now I want to talk about the gear I used for this ride. 

I decided to take the Tamland Two out, and besides the cassette gearing being woefully over-geared for the hills and my fitness level, it was a great rig for the task. I could go on in minutiae about what I liked, but I'll just hit the highlights. If you have specific queries, just hit me up in the comments section and I'll be glad to answer you. 

•  Geometry: The downhill performance at speeds of up to 40mph was stable and I felt that I could totally trust this bike. 
• The TRP Spyre brakes: Both Dan and I were using these brakes with different levers and we both agreed that the modulation and power was better than BB-7's. Oh.....and they were quiet the entire ride. 
• Challenge "Gravel Grinder" tires: If these tires were going to blow apart on me, they would have by now and particularly on this ride. On wide rims they are fantastic on loose gravel. if a tad "loose" feeling, to borrow NASCAR terminology. 
• Ergon SM-3 Saddle: I wasn't 100% sold on this perch at first, but it has become a favorite now. Zero saddle issues- no numbness, and it has a perfect "sweet spot", but the other positions are fine and comfy as well. 
• Bike Bag Dude "Chaff Bag": Instantly turns a two water bottle cage bike into a 4 bottle cage bike, and having two bottles on the bars is awesome. Those old Euro racer dudes were on to something with that idea. 

The bike was great, and the gear worked very well. As far as the crash goes, the bar tape got nicked- that's it. 

Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags work great as food holders, bottle cages, or for smaller items. 

These tires really are great for gravel. Fast, wide, stable.

My Oakleys got trashed.

 There was one item that got totaled in the wreck and that was my Oakley shades. Near as I can tell my helmet, which the Oakleys were perched in, went flying off my head when the truck hit me, (I didn't have the helmet buckled yet, as I was walking the bike), and it smashed glasses first into the gravel or something. Anyway, they are a total loss. If that's all I lost in this, well then I count myself very fortunate. Shades can be replaced. Bodies? Lives? Not so much. 

New Raleigh Willard Two

New Gravel Rig From Raleigh:

Finally, I have known about this rig for a bit, but I saw where it had been talked about on-line now, so I feel free to say a thing or three here. 

The Raleigh guys were the ones that picked my brain on gravel specific features for a bicycle's design, and they did everything I advised them to with the Tamland. Now they have done similar geometry with an aluminum frame and carbon fiber fork and dubbed the bike "Willard". I instantly thought of that rat based horror flick when I heard the name, but apparently, that wasn't the inspiration for the rig's name. (I asked) Anyway, this is supposed to be lighter and it will come in two flavors- The Willard Two, a 105 equipped rig, and the Willard One, a Sora 9 speed rig. The retail prices are a step lower than the Tamland's are, so they should find a good audience out there. 

The only thing I am a bit wary of is the aluminum frame. I might be pleasantly surprised, if ever I get a leg thrown over one, but I just don't know about aluminum on gravel roads. Maybe I could use some enlightenment there? Maybe I could. At any rate, the good stuff is there, like Shimano components, TRP Spyre brakes, and Clement MSO 40mm tires. They claim it will tip the scales at 22 or so pounds, and I bet with a judicious choice in wheels and a few component swaps it would easily dive under 20lbs, if that is a goal.

Okay, I am going to be out for the weekend again taking my son to the last events at Iowa Speedway for the season. Back on Sunday at the earliest. Meanwhile, ya'all have a great weekend and get yer ride on!