Dusty Bikes

Part of the gravel road experience is the dust. It is pervasive here in Iowa, at any rate, and you had better learn to embrace that fact if you are to be out on the crushed rock roads most any time of the year. Even in winter the roads can be dusty, but obviously, Summer is the worst/best time for dust during the year.

Maybe it is my mountain biker bent, or perhaps it is my boyish love of mud, water puddles, and dirt, but a dusty bike is a badge of honor for me. The dustier the better. The way the dust gathers on frame tubing can be a fascinating array of patterns, shadings, and influences the coloration of whatever bike you've ridden to a great degree. It's almost like Dario Pegoretti painted your bike with a gravel dust filled air brush. Well.......that's how I see things. 

Dust varies from time to time and year to year. A few years back we had a really dusty year. I remember going to the Moonshine Metric event late that Summer and a car went by us. The dust went up from the car and hung in the windless evening air so that we couldn't see anything for several minutes. A dusty fog, as it were, that made riding dangerous as all get out, but was kind of fun in a twisted sort of way.

Then there are the after effects of dust, which are obvious in a few ways, such as the cleaning up, the drive train wear, and the unreachable places on your bike where that dust lives forever. That and the unseen dust effects, like spitting up limestone tasting nuggets from your lungs for a few days afterward. I know.....it's gross but true. 

I still like dusty roads though. See ya on one someday maybe...........

Dusty Bikes

Part of the gravel road experience is the dust. It is pervasive here in Iowa, at any rate, and you had better learn to embrace that fact if you are to be out on the crushed rock roads most any time of the year. Even in winter the roads can be dusty, but obviously, Summer is the worst/best time for dust during the year.

Maybe it is my mountain biker bent, or perhaps it is my boyish love of mud, water puddles, and dirt, but a dusty bike is a badge of honor for me. The dustier the better. The way the dust gathers on frame tubing can be a fascinating array of patterns, shadings, and influences the coloration of whatever bike you've ridden to a great degree. It's almost like Dario Pegoretti painted your bike with a gravel dust filled air brush. Well.......that's how I see things. 

Dust varies from time to time and year to year. A few years back we had a really dusty year. I remember going to the Moonshine Metric event late that Summer and a car went by us. The dust went up from the car and hung in the windless evening air so that we couldn't see anything for several minutes. A dusty fog, as it were, that made riding dangerous as all get out, but was kind of fun in a twisted sort of way.

Then there are the after effects of dust, which are obvious in a few ways, such as the cleaning up, the drive train wear, and the unreachable places on your bike where that dust lives forever. That and the unseen dust effects, like spitting up limestone tasting nuggets from your lungs for a few days afterward. I know.....it's gross but true. 

I still like dusty roads though. See ya on one someday maybe...........

Unapologetic

The start of things to come. T.I.V1, 2005 (Image by Dave Kerkove)

There are stories about riding back roads and....dare I say the word...gravel roads, popping up a lot these days. I just read this great piece relating an experience in California recently. The "Hopper Series" has been around for 17 years or so, (according to what I can read here), which is awesome. Those "all-roaders" are out there all over the place, and have been for years in their small enclaves. Take Paris Ancaster, as an example, which has happened in Canada every year for 22 years running. There really isn't anything new here about the adventurous side of cycling, on whatever kind of bicycle you want to talk about here.

However; there was something that happened back ten years ago or so that was like these older events, but was different too. There was that adventure thing, for sure, that was really part of it, but there was another thing. I feel it was happening at a time when many at a grassroots level were starting to fall away from the hope that they had wrapped up in watching racing at the Pro levels. There had already been a great deal of doping scandals by 2005, and the doubts about a certain Texan were on the rise as well. There was a tiredness with short lap racing, no matter how long the events took to complete, and the fees for doing those things were outrageous.

Something about this and the way it is done tripped a trigger. Image by Waly Kilburg

I don't know why, for certain, but when Jeff Kerkove and I announced Trans Iowa in late 2004, something happened out there, and a lot of folks followed that "something". We called it "gravel grinding" because that was the term that was given to us for it, ironically by road cyclists, the very same sort who today disparage anything attached to gravel grinders or the equipment used for it. Well, maybe not so much by the cyclists themselves, but certainly by the pundits, the "writers of note", who never miss the chance to diss gravel road riding whenever this subject comes up.

Hey, that's fine, ya know, because if something ruffles some feathers, or causes the established media and industry wonks to disparage it, well, there must be something to it that is real. Otherwise, why would they bother to mention it at all? Maybe they just need to rouse the rabble to accumulate more hits to satisfy the advertisers. "Whatevs", as one writer would say........

Yeah, that's what many say. In the face of literally thousands of riders that take to the start line of events like Barry-Roubaix, the Dirty Kanza 200, and the Almanzo 100, all events that draw riders from all corners of the nation, and even internationally. That's what the pundits say in the face of people attending over 200 unique events every year held on gravel roads and dirt roads across North America. But ya know..........whatevs, right? 

That's okay though, 'cause it isn't like we are looking for validation from anyone to #unlearnpavement, have some fun on dirt roads, or gravel grind. There will be those that thumb their noses at us, but I say "Come on in, the water's fine!" We're just riding bicycles in a way that is fun, challenging, and adventurous. We call it gravel grinding, and dirt road riding, and "all-road", but we are not going to apologize for the names and we aren't going away.

Unapologetic

The start of things to come. T.I.V1, 2005 (Image by Dave Kerkove)

There are stories about riding back roads and....dare I say the word...gravel roads, popping up a lot these days. I just read this great piece relating an experience in California recently. The "Hopper Series" has been around for 17 years or so, (according to what I can read here), which is awesome. Those "all-roaders" are out there all over the place, and have been for years in their small enclaves. Take Paris Ancaster, as an example, which has happened in Canada every year for 22 years running. There really isn't anything new here about the adventurous side of cycling, on whatever kind of bicycle you want to talk about here.

However; there was something that happened back ten years ago or so that was like these older events, but was different too. There was that adventure thing, for sure, that was really part of it, but there was another thing. I feel it was happening at a time when many at a grassroots level were starting to fall away from the hope that they had wrapped up in watching racing at the Pro levels. There had already been a great deal of doping scandals by 2005, and the doubts about a certain Texan were on the rise as well. There was a tiredness with short lap racing, no matter how long the events took to complete, and the fees for doing those things were outrageous.

Something about this and the way it is done tripped a trigger. Image by Waly Kilburg

I don't know why, for certain, but when Jeff Kerkove and I announced Trans Iowa in late 2004, something happened out there, and a lot of folks followed that "something". We called it "gravel grinding" because that was the term that was given to us for it, ironically by road cyclists, the very same sort who today disparage anything attached to gravel grinders or the equipment used for it. Well, maybe not so much by the cyclists themselves, but certainly by the pundits, the "writers of note", who never miss the chance to diss gravel road riding whenever this subject comes up.

Hey, that's fine, ya know, because if something ruffles some feathers, or causes the established media and industry wonks to disparage it, well, there must be something to it that is real. Otherwise, why would they bother to mention it at all? Maybe they just need to rouse the rabble to accumulate more hits to satisfy the advertisers. "Whatevs", as one writer would say........

Yeah, that's what many say. In the face of literally thousands of riders that take to the start line of events like Barry-Roubaix, the Dirty Kanza 200, and the Almanzo 100, all events that draw riders from all corners of the nation, and even internationally. That's what the pundits say in the face of people attending over 200 unique events every year held on gravel roads and dirt roads across North America. But ya know..........whatevs, right? 

That's okay though, 'cause it isn't like we are looking for validation from anyone to #unlearnpavement, have some fun on dirt roads, or gravel grind. There will be those that thumb their noses at us, but I say "Come on in, the water's fine!" We're just riding bicycles in a way that is fun, challenging, and adventurous. We call it gravel grinding, and dirt road riding, and "all-road", but we are not going to apologize for the names and we aren't going away.

On The Radio

After almost 10 years of blogging, I have added a microphone to the battered G-Ted desk

The new Riding Gravel.com collaboration has me doing a podcast now. That is something I have been on a few times in regard to being a "guest host" for the Trans Iowa Radio thing, but now I am a co-host with Mountain Bike Radio's Ben Welnak. Our show, centered around gravel road riding, is called the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch.

Ben sent me a podcasting microphone that showed up just the day before yesterday. With all the hullabaloo surrounding the day in regards to my family affairs, I didn't even crack open the box until yesterday, just mere hours before we were to record, and my wife, the resident techy talent, was off to work. I wasn't going to be able to lean on her for assistance if something was beyond my abilities to understand.

No worries though, as my musical background and the good instructions had me up and goofing around with mic levels before you knew it. Then we got "on air", and for the next 2.5 hours we had a great time with our guest, Bobby Wintle of District Cycles talking about his background, his shop, and his idea dubbed #unlearnpavement. The show link is HERE for those who want to check it out. Be forewarned! It's a long show so maybe it might be best to listen in when you've got a couple hours to spare! That said, it's got a lot of great stuff in it. But I'm biased!

So, a big day yesterday as we got into the first "real" Riding Gravel Radio Ranch. Hopefully folks dig it and there will be a lot more to come. I have to say that it is a bit more enjoyable than blogging!

On The Radio

After almost 10 years of blogging, I have added a microphone to the battered G-Ted desk

The new Riding Gravel.com collaboration has me doing a podcast now. That is something I have been on a few times in regard to being a "guest host" for the Trans Iowa Radio thing, but now I am a co-host with Mountain Bike Radio's Ben Welnak. Our show, centered around gravel road riding, is called the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch.

Ben sent me a podcasting microphone that showed up just the day before yesterday. With all the hullabaloo surrounding the day in regards to my family affairs, I didn't even crack open the box until yesterday, just mere hours before we were to record, and my wife, the resident techy talent, was off to work. I wasn't going to be able to lean on her for assistance if something was beyond my abilities to understand.

No worries though, as my musical background and the good instructions had me up and goofing around with mic levels before you knew it. Then we got "on air", and for the next 2.5 hours we had a great time with our guest, Bobby Wintle of District Cycles talking about his background, his shop, and his idea dubbed #unlearnpavement. The show link is HERE for those who want to check it out. Be forewarned! It's a long show so maybe it might be best to listen in when you've got a couple hours to spare! That said, it's got a lot of great stuff in it. But I'm biased!

So, a big day yesterday as we got into the first "real" Riding Gravel Radio Ranch. Hopefully folks dig it and there will be a lot more to come. I have to say that it is a bit more enjoyable than blogging!