Two Things

A collection of oddball things from 1994

When I Die, So Will This Knowledge:

My mechanic friend, Ari, and I were discussing the techniques, tricks, and wisdom gained in the trade all the years we've been at this. Ari said to me, "(Do) you realize how much crap we know?!!!"

Things like which parts go with certain set ups. Take for instance the image here. A 1" steer tube, a cable hangar, and a threadless head set. What does this tell you? 

It tells me this is a super-rare set up. You see, 1" threadless steer tubes lasted about two years in the industry because threadless (1994) came in just as 1 1/8th was on the rise. Also, cantilever brakes were on the outs in 1996, as linear pull took over, so cable hangars for any sort of threadless steer tube were hard to find ten years on. This means that Ritchey cable hangar is a super-rare part. The stem isn't far off either. 

And check out those "lugs". It was a Bianchi thing. They claimed an ability to make any lug with any angle, a thing unheard of with investment cast lugs. Bianchi could do this because they TIG welded the lugs first to either the head tube or the bottom bracket shell. Then the lug was brass brazed to a frame tube, like a traditional lug, which Bianchi claimed gave the frame better vibration damping qualities. They had a name for this - "Super Lug". Yeah.....I know some pretty oddball factoids. 

I was trying to teach my assistant at the Collective how to set up a traditional cantilever brake with the straddle wire and cable carrier. He's well versed in linear pull brake set up but this was giving him fits. I told him, "Yeah, it's a pain in the ass but you have to just take your time to learn it." 

Today, we look for an app, a way to electronically adjust our, whatever, and if this isn't working right we throw a fit. We are helpless and stuck with no options. Well, it wasn't like this always. Mechanics could find a way. But as we make everything a device, we take away the ability to field service, or even service an item at all. 

And who knows how to fix that old stuff anyway. Answer: When I die, there will be one less person who does know how. 

I Used To Do That?!

Related to the bike above, which was donated to the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective late last year, is this bike sticker which was on it. I removed it for a reason. 

See, I designed the biker in the logo. 

I had forgotten I had done that. Long ago, before I even worked at Advantage Cyclery, I was a jeweler and where I worked we did all of our own design work. Not just jewelry, but advertising, logos, and we occasionally did work for other clients. Tom, who ran and owned Advantage Cyclery, found out I did this sort of work and suggested I give this idea he had for a logo a try. What you see on the sticker is what I drew up for him. 

It's no big deal. Just a logo for a long-forgotten Cedar Valley bicycle shop. But when I saw it, I was reminded of the days when I was spending time doing tons of design work. It was fun. Challenging, but fun. It is nice to be reminded that I did something cool one time. 

Ha!  

Fall Views: Neeker-Breekers, Grit, & Insects

Things are drying out and turning brown now out in the country.

 Got out Wednesday for a nice test on a few things I have to review for RidingGravel.com. The day was promised ahead of time to be hot, humid, and breezy. It hit on two of the three. Humidity, while at 58%, wasn't bad- for around here. Usually it's around 70% this time of year when it is hot. So, actually, I was thinking it didn't feel too bad. 

I took the Noble GX5 with these crazy Atomik/Berd Ultimate gravel wheels on it, which was part of what I had to review. I also had on these gloves to review, (not ready to post anything quite yet on those), and the Hutchinson Tourareg 700 X 45mm tires. Busy day taking it all in, for sure. Oh....yeah, I almost forgot. I was also wearing those Rudy Project Cutline glasses I'm reviewing. Sheesh! Anything else? Nope..... That's it! Gotta get the work in! 

Anyway, I headed North this time up Burton Avenue for a bit. The wind was out of the South, so I made up my mind to turn East and go a ways that way, then South and back home. Not a big loop. Just a couple hours to get in some test riding. The gravel was exemplary. Really good. Only a few stretches were treacherous with loose, chunky gravel. I was a bit surprised by this. But.....I'll take it! 

It wasn't cloudy, but those wildfires out West are polluting our upper atmosphere in the Mid-West and it was weird outside. The light is diffused and this casts a weird light on everything. You could almost see the haze, it was making things so different to look at. You really notice the issue when the Sun is low in the horizon. The Sun looks reddish-orange and the sky turns a brownish-red/orange. Not a natural look! But while things looked odd, at least we weren't subjected to breathing the smoke down here. Being a 'flat lander' does come with some advantages! 

The roads were fast, dusty, and lacking in deeper chunk. The Atomik/Berd Ultimate gravel wheel shown here.

Moo!

It was very difficult to get a good shot due to the atmospheric conditions. My camera kept wanting to 'blow-out' the highlights, and I'm not a good enough photographer to figure out how to work around the issue I was having. A few shots I got were totally unusable, but I did get what I needed. 

At the crossroads of Bennington Road and Sage Road

Yep! That's some tall corn right there!

I couldn't get a shot to look right if my life depended upon it if I was pointed East. Weird. And even looking other directions, it was a difficult day to shoot. Just really odd out there. Anyway..... Nuff said. 

The nature of the countryside is definitely saying "Fall". The birds are gone. No Red Winged Blackbirds to contend with anymore. No Starlings. No Robins warbling in the distance. The Western Meadowlark has fallen silent. The only sounds I heard were the constant singing chorus of 'neeker-breekers'. You "Lord of The Rings" fans will understand that reference. The crickets and grasshoppers, rubbing their legs together, making that "neeker-breeker" sound. Listen for it, you'll never hear those insects the same again. 

Then there was the gritty sound of tire against gravel. And the wind, of course. That was it. No other sounds to be heard out there for two hours. Sights were not all that noteworthy either. With the obvious lack of birds, only the occasional cow and horse were seen. Insects were flying about though. Grasshoppers, butterflies, and the odd dragonfly were seen. But yeah......this is looking more like the end of the season and the beginning of another. 

Throw-back jersey

I also took this occasion to bust out one of the old Advantage Cyclery race team jerseys that I have. This was the race team that was based out of the shop where I first plied the trade of bicycle mechanic back in the mid-90's. After Advantage Cyclery folded, in very early 1997, I moved on to become an auto mechanic and did not get back into working on bicycles until late 2002. 

In the meantime, I left racing behind, and I had my race jerseys, which I tucked away in a drawer. Now every 'blue moon' I get the urge to dig one out and ride in it. So, that was fun. I will say that in the last 25 years jersey technology has come a long, long way. This thing was like wearing a garbage bag compared to what we have now! But hey! It was for kicks, and I had fun wearing one of these again. 

Last time I posted about this someone that had an old one of these sent theirs to me! Ha! Well, listen- I have plenty. I don't need anymore of these Advantage jerseys! I think I must have about four of them as it is! But the thought is what counts and I still appreciate that I was sent one of these a few years back. 

The testing went well. I learned what I could and rode home. Now it is time to put thoughts to digital letters and images for all to read at some point. I have also decided I need to do some specific wheel testing coming up soon. I have some theories to either debunk or to confirm. Always thinking out there on these test rides.......

The ride was in the morning, before it got beastly out. Still, it was 88°F and with the wind, it was fairly draining. I did have to back off from riding too hard in the heat so I wouldn't get myself in the 'hurt locker' and be down for the count the rest of the day. I had a driving lesson to give! So, I had to be on my game.

The driving went okay. My daughter, who will turn 20 this December, finally decided she needs to know how to drive. I took her out on a gravel road, (natch!), and turned her loose for a couple of very tentative miles. It was fun. She peeled out once, unintentionally, but I had to let out a good "WooHoo!" for the occasion regardless. I mean, you just cannot let a good spewing of gravel go without a yelp of uninhibited joy, now can you? Well, it ain't happening around here! 

Afterward it was time to hit the ice cream store for celebratory treats. She made a good start. Now for some continuing education......

Fall Views: Neeker-Breekers, Grit, & Insects

Things are drying out and turning brown now out in the country.

 Got out Wednesday for a nice test on a few things I have to review for RidingGravel.com. The day was promised ahead of time to be hot, humid, and breezy. It hit on two of the three. Humidity, while at 58%, wasn't bad- for around here. Usually it's around 70% this time of year when it is hot. So, actually, I was thinking it didn't feel too bad. 

I took the Noble GX5 with these crazy Atomik/Berd Ultimate gravel wheels on it, which was part of what I had to review. I also had on these gloves to review, (not ready to post anything quite yet on those), and the Hutchinson Tourareg 700 X 45mm tires. Busy day taking it all in, for sure. Oh....yeah, I almost forgot. I was also wearing those Rudy Project Cutline glasses I'm reviewing. Sheesh! Anything else? Nope..... That's it! Gotta get the work in! 

Anyway, I headed North this time up Burton Avenue for a bit. The wind was out of the South, so I made up my mind to turn East and go a ways that way, then South and back home. Not a big loop. Just a couple hours to get in some test riding. The gravel was exemplary. Really good. Only a few stretches were treacherous with loose, chunky gravel. I was a bit surprised by this. But.....I'll take it! 

It wasn't cloudy, but those wildfires out West are polluting our upper atmosphere in the Mid-West and it was weird outside. The light is diffused and this casts a weird light on everything. You could almost see the haze, it was making things so different to look at. You really notice the issue when the Sun is low in the horizon. The Sun looks reddish-orange and the sky turns a brownish-red/orange. Not a natural look! But while things looked odd, at least we weren't subjected to breathing the smoke down here. Being a 'flat lander' does come with some advantages! 

The roads were fast, dusty, and lacking in deeper chunk. The Atomik/Berd Ultimate gravel wheel shown here.

Moo!

It was very difficult to get a good shot due to the atmospheric conditions. My camera kept wanting to 'blow-out' the highlights, and I'm not a good enough photographer to figure out how to work around the issue I was having. A few shots I got were totally unusable, but I did get what I needed. 

At the crossroads of Bennington Road and Sage Road

Yep! That's some tall corn right there!

I couldn't get a shot to look right if my life depended upon it if I was pointed East. Weird. And even looking other directions, it was a difficult day to shoot. Just really odd out there. Anyway..... Nuff said. 

The nature of the countryside is definitely saying "Fall". The birds are gone. No Red Winged Blackbirds to contend with anymore. No Starlings. No Robins warbling in the distance. The Western Meadowlark has fallen silent. The only sounds I heard were the constant singing chorus of 'neeker-breekers'. You "Lord of The Rings" fans will understand that reference. The crickets and grasshoppers, rubbing their legs together, making that "neeker-breeker" sound. Listen for it, you'll never hear those insects the same again. 

Then there was the gritty sound of tire against gravel. And the wind, of course. That was it. No other sounds to be heard out there for two hours. Sights were not all that noteworthy either. With the obvious lack of birds, only the occasional cow and horse were seen. Insects were flying about though. Grasshoppers, butterflies, and the odd dragonfly were seen. But yeah......this is looking more like the end of the season and the beginning of another. 

Throw-back jersey

I also took this occasion to bust out one of the old Advantage Cyclery race team jerseys that I have. This was the race team that was based out of the shop where I first plied the trade of bicycle mechanic back in the mid-90's. After Advantage Cyclery folded, in very early 1997, I moved on to become an auto mechanic and did not get back into working on bicycles until late 2002. 

In the meantime, I left racing behind, and I had my race jerseys, which I tucked away in a drawer. Now every 'blue moon' I get the urge to dig one out and ride in it. So, that was fun. I will say that in the last 25 years jersey technology has come a long, long way. This thing was like wearing a garbage bag compared to what we have now! But hey! It was for kicks, and I had fun wearing one of these again. 

Last time I posted about this someone that had an old one of these sent theirs to me! Ha! Well, listen- I have plenty. I don't need anymore of these Advantage jerseys! I think I must have about four of them as it is! But the thought is what counts and I still appreciate that I was sent one of these a few years back. 

The testing went well. I learned what I could and rode home. Now it is time to put thoughts to digital letters and images for all to read at some point. I have also decided I need to do some specific wheel testing coming up soon. I have some theories to either debunk or to confirm. Always thinking out there on these test rides.......

The ride was in the morning, before it got beastly out. Still, it was 88°F and with the wind, it was fairly draining. I did have to back off from riding too hard in the heat so I wouldn't get myself in the 'hurt locker' and be down for the count the rest of the day. I had a driving lesson to give! So, I had to be on my game.

The driving went okay. My daughter, who will turn 20 this December, finally decided she needs to know how to drive. I took her out on a gravel road, (natch!), and turned her loose for a couple of very tentative miles. It was fun. She peeled out once, unintentionally, but I had to let out a good "WooHoo!" for the occasion regardless. I mean, you just cannot let a good spewing of gravel go without a yelp of uninhibited joy, now can you? Well, it ain't happening around here! 

Afterward it was time to hit the ice cream store for celebratory treats. She made a good start. Now for some continuing education......

Trails Festival Tales

The original poster as it appears above my dresser today.

I was up in my room getting ready for work the other day. Nothing unusual about that. I've done that 1000's of times before, but this particular day I took note of an old poster I had tacked up on the wall with that white, tacky dope stuff you could get to quickly mount images on your walls. Well, this particular poster has been above my dresser for 24 years. The poster was issued to commemorate the first annual Cedar Trails Festival. 

This was the brainchild of a group here in town that was in charge of coordinating the different government jurisdictions that the trails ran through. Their job was to help make sure the trails were maintained and promoted, amongst other things The name of this particular group is ICOG. They worked with the local city and the state governments to come up with this festival to promote the trails systems and even the soft trails were included in this plan. 

The first trails festival was to be held in August of 1996. At that time I was the lead mechanic at a shop called Advantage Cyclery in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The ICOG man in charge of organization of the Cedar Trails Festival had contacted my boss, Tom Webb, to help with running the soft trails part of the Festival. It was agreed that Advantage Cyclery would sponsor this  and Tom downloaded the responsibility of  all the organization of this end of things to me. Fantastic! This happened in June, just as we were ramping up for another RAGBRAI season and repairs were at their highest levels. Like working 10-12 hour shifts wasn't enough of a work load. 

I remember that ICOG wanted us to lead two group rides. One in the Green Belt and one in George Wyth State Park. Now remember- at this point there was no other organized group to take care of the soft trails. Nothing was being done on any scale to clear trails, mow back weeds, or assess conditions. So I required that the ICOG guy get the State to handle the George Wyth end of things because, well- the State wasn't about to let me walk around with a weed whacker! So, I ended up with getting that part done and off my back. 

The Green Belt was another story. The City of Waterloo Parks and Recreation Department, at that time, mowed the Green Belt once a year. They usually did this in mid-August, but this wasn't scheduled to happen until after when the trails festival was to take place. They said I could go in there and use manual tools to clear weeds, but that they "didn't want to know about it". Essentially, I was on my own. 

So, I had to go out there in mid-July, after working a full day, and use a scythe to knock down a few sections of seven foot high weeds in a few places. It was hot, muggy, insect ridden, and a thoroughly unpleasant affair with no pay. I'll never forget that Summer. Then the ICOG guy started leaning on me to do more, and well, I kind of came unglued. 

These bandanas were given to each rider on the soft trails ride.

The conflict got a little heated, but my boss stepped in and smoothed things over. At any rate, the soft trails part ended up being two excruciatingly slow rides which saw upwards of 40-50 riders on each ride take part in a single track tour of the Green Belt and parts of George Wyth. I had some help leading the riders through, which was great. All volunteer help, totally unrecognized. I don't remember seeing anything mentioned by the organizers about who did all the work, it was just "sponsored by Advantage Cyclery". WooHoo! That kind of bugged me at the time. 

At any rate, it was all deemed a success. Even the other hard surface trails events were well attended, but it was the night ride that was obviously the big hit. The organizers set up a night time ride with candle pots set along the entire length of the main paved trail from Cedar Falls into Waterloo. This was probably about five or six miles worth of trail that was lined- both sides- with candles. 

That ride was complete chaos! People didn't understand that they needed to have lighting on their bikes to see the road/trails by. They thought the candles would shed enough light to ride by. Then there were groups starting on the Waterloo side coming to Cedar Falls and vice-versa.Erratic kids on tiny bikes with parents were everywhere. People were stopping randomly. There were several trail-side "beer and alcohol stops" arranged at unawares to the authorities. It was a complete mess, but it was super popular and well received. 

There was an after-party at a place on 18th Street in Cedar Falls and I recall the place was packed. I folded a 40 spoke wheel trying to trackstand that night in the parking lot. Ha! Anyway, it was quite the scene. Later years proved to be popular, but the soft trails experiment was not repeated and eventually the night ride was really the only draw for the festival. The last 'annual' trails festival happened in 2014. Nineteen years it lasted, but interest and participation waned until at the end, hardly anyone noticed the event. 

Since that time a "Pedal Fest" has taken up where the annual Trails Festival left off, but it hasn't gained the traction, nor the widespread appeal, that the original Trails Festival had. Those early years brought out all sorts of people. Not cyclists- people. Folks that were bicycle-curious. The Pedal Fest cannot lay claim to such an appeal like the CTF had. Too bad. In the times we are in now, such a festival would have major impacts on the citizens of the town. 

So, there is my tale about the Cedar Trails Festival (CTF), such as it was. Those were far different times in the late 90's and the Trails Festival was a really big deal back then. I am glad to have been a part of the first one.

Trails Festival Tales

The original poster as it appears above my dresser today.

I was up in my room getting ready for work the other day. Nothing unusual about that. I've done that 1000's of times before, but this particular day I took note of an old poster I had tacked up on the wall with that white, tacky dope stuff you could get to quickly mount images on your walls. Well, this particular poster has been above my dresser for 24 years. The poster was issued to commemorate the first annual Cedar Trails Festival. 

This was the brainchild of a group here in town that was in charge of coordinating the different government jurisdictions that the trails ran through. Their job was to help make sure the trails were maintained and promoted, amongst other things The name of this particular group is ICOG. They worked with the local city and the state governments to come up with this festival to promote the trails systems and even the soft trails were included in this plan. 

The first trails festival was to be held in August of 1996. At that time I was the lead mechanic at a shop called Advantage Cyclery in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The ICOG man in charge of organization of the Cedar Trails Festival had contacted my boss, Tom Webb, to help with running the soft trails part of the Festival. It was agreed that Advantage Cyclery would sponsor this  and Tom downloaded the responsibility of  all the organization of this end of things to me. Fantastic! This happened in June, just as we were ramping up for another RAGBRAI season and repairs were at their highest levels. Like working 10-12 hour shifts wasn't enough of a work load. 

I remember that ICOG wanted us to lead two group rides. One in the Green Belt and one in George Wyth State Park. Now remember- at this point there was no other organized group to take care of the soft trails. Nothing was being done on any scale to clear trails, mow back weeds, or assess conditions. So I required that the ICOG guy get the State to handle the George Wyth end of things because, well- the State wasn't about to let me walk around with a weed whacker! So, I ended up with getting that part done and off my back. 

The Green Belt was another story. The City of Waterloo Parks and Recreation Department, at that time, mowed the Green Belt once a year. They usually did this in mid-August, but this wasn't scheduled to happen until after when the trails festival was to take place. They said I could go in there and use manual tools to clear weeds, but that they "didn't want to know about it". Essentially, I was on my own. 

So, I had to go out there in mid-July, after working a full day, and use a scythe to knock down a few sections of seven foot high weeds in a few places. It was hot, muggy, insect ridden, and a thoroughly unpleasant affair with no pay. I'll never forget that Summer. Then the ICOG guy started leaning on me to do more, and well, I kind of came unglued. 

These bandanas were given to each rider on the soft trails ride.

The conflict got a little heated, but my boss stepped in and smoothed things over. At any rate, the soft trails part ended up being two excruciatingly slow rides which saw upwards of 40-50 riders on each ride take part in a single track tour of the Green Belt and parts of George Wyth. I had some help leading the riders through, which was great. All volunteer help, totally unrecognized. I don't remember seeing anything mentioned by the organizers about who did all the work, it was just "sponsored by Advantage Cyclery". WooHoo! That kind of bugged me at the time. 

At any rate, it was all deemed a success. Even the other hard surface trails events were well attended, but it was the night ride that was obviously the big hit. The organizers set up a night time ride with candle pots set along the entire length of the main paved trail from Cedar Falls into Waterloo. This was probably about five or six miles worth of trail that was lined- both sides- with candles. 

That ride was complete chaos! People didn't understand that they needed to have lighting on their bikes to see the road/trails by. They thought the candles would shed enough light to ride by. Then there were groups starting on the Waterloo side coming to Cedar Falls and vice-versa.Erratic kids on tiny bikes with parents were everywhere. People were stopping randomly. There were several trail-side "beer and alcohol stops" arranged at unawares to the authorities. It was a complete mess, but it was super popular and well received. 

There was an after-party at a place on 18th Street in Cedar Falls and I recall the place was packed. I folded a 40 spoke wheel trying to trackstand that night in the parking lot. Ha! Anyway, it was quite the scene. Later years proved to be popular, but the soft trails experiment was not repeated and eventually the night ride was really the only draw for the festival. The last 'annual' trails festival happened in 2014. Nineteen years it lasted, but interest and participation waned until at the end, hardly anyone noticed the event. 

Since that time a "Pedal Fest" has taken up where the annual Trails Festival left off, but it hasn't gained the traction, nor the widespread appeal, that the original Trails Festival had. Those early years brought out all sorts of people. Not cyclists- people. Folks that were bicycle-curious. The Pedal Fest cannot lay claim to such an appeal like the CTF had. Too bad. In the times we are in now, such a festival would have major impacts on the citizens of the town. 

So, there is my tale about the Cedar Trails Festival (CTF), such as it was. Those were far different times in the late 90's and the Trails Festival was a really big deal back then. I am glad to have been a part of the first one.

Bike Shop Tales: Building Up Wheels- Part 2

Through the valve hole....

Four to five years ago now I did a bit of a series called "Bike Shop Tales". It was mostly about my early days at Advantage Cyclery. That was my first shop gig and I worked there from 1993 till early 1997.

I was reminded of the old series when I wrote about Brian's going away party held on Thursday evening. I figured I would resurrect the series as an on again-off again subject to write about here. Heck, it's been almost twelve years now that I've been at Europa Cycle & Ski. I figure I've got a few more tales about bike shop days to share!

So, here's a link to part 1 on building up wheels. Now I want to share more about building up wheels these days. It's a bit different now with regard to what we do.

Back in the Advantage days, we had everything anybody would likely want or need for a wheel build. Ordering stuff was rare. Now days it is exactly the opposite. We can call in an order and have everything we need the next day and build up a wheel. That's exactly what we did with the one I built up Friday. Otherwise, not a whole lot has changed.

I still use almost all Wheelsmith spokes and nipples. I've built with DT Swiss with good success, but again, I just don't really care one way or the other, since both work great and I am accustomed to Wheelsmith more than I am DT Swiss. So, I am a creature of habit in that regard! The tools have changed a bit too. Wheelsmith doesn't calibrate the old tensionometers anymore, so I have been using a Park Tools one. It's okay. I am not enamored of their chart that goes with the tool, but it isn't a tool and system that is the equivalent of a small country's national budget to buy, like some others are.

Finally, I have to admit I still am fascinated and satisfied with wheel building. I am glad that's the case, because I get to build four more wheels real soon here! Stay tuned for what those are......

Bike Shop Tales: Building Up Wheels- Part 2

Through the valve hole....

Four to five years ago now I did a bit of a series called "Bike Shop Tales". It was mostly about my early days at Advantage Cyclery. That was my first shop gig and I worked there from 1993 till early 1997.

I was reminded of the old series when I wrote about Brian's going away party held on Thursday evening. I figured I would resurrect the series as an on again-off again subject to write about here. Heck, it's been almost twelve years now that I've been at Europa Cycle & Ski. I figure I've got a few more tales about bike shop days to share!

So, here's a link to part 1 on building up wheels. Now I want to share more about building up wheels these days. It's a bit different now with regard to what we do.

Back in the Advantage days, we had everything anybody would likely want or need for a wheel build. Ordering stuff was rare. Now days it is exactly the opposite. We can call in an order and have everything we need the next day and build up a wheel. That's exactly what we did with the one I built up Friday. Otherwise, not a whole lot has changed.

I still use almost all Wheelsmith spokes and nipples. I've built with DT Swiss with good success, but again, I just don't really care one way or the other, since both work great and I am accustomed to Wheelsmith more than I am DT Swiss. So, I am a creature of habit in that regard! The tools have changed a bit too. Wheelsmith doesn't calibrate the old tensionometers anymore, so I have been using a Park Tools one. It's okay. I am not enamored of their chart that goes with the tool, but it isn't a tool and system that is the equivalent of a small country's national budget to buy, like some others are.

Finally, I have to admit I still am fascinated and satisfied with wheel building. I am glad that's the case, because I get to build four more wheels real soon here! Stay tuned for what those are......

Friday News And Views

Titanium, one gear, $8700.00

Used To Be You Could Be Like The Pros:

Back when I got into a bike shop job in the early 90's my old boss, Tom, used to tell me that "Cycling is the only sport where you can use what the Pros do." You could buy the best Tour de France type road racing bike, the best NORBA, World Cup XC bike, just like your favorite cycling heroes rode. You still "can", sort of.......if you're well heeled. 

My old boss would take those words back if he was still alive, I think. Because even though these Pro level, Tour and World Cup bikes exist to be purchased by the unwashed cycling proletariat, the price of entry has risen astronomically. Before I ever worked at a shop, I saved up to buy the very best XC hard tail I could buy. I had to really skrimp to, because my wife at the time wanted the same thing. I ended up buying frames and forks and having custom builds done on two top of the line Klein Attitudes. Bikes that were Pro level XC sleds.

Sure, you have to account for inflation, but let's take a Trek 9.9 Superfly XTR bike as an example.  This bike goes for $7300.00. My custom built Klein, with hand built wheels, went for $5,000.00 in today's dollars. That's handpicked parts folks. An XTR Attitude model straight from Klein would have cost me less. 

Then there are road bikes. Just this week Trek announced the new Emonda, (Apparently deriving from the French, "to prune"), and the top end model goes for $15,000.00 plus. Apparently the Emonda prunes your wallet as well as weight from the frame. Not to be outdone, Specialized only a day later announced a $20,000.00 McLaren S-Works Venge. Yep, you'll see lots of commoners like me riding those.......ha!

Okay, that's it for this edition of News And Views. Happy 4th folks! Have a safe and fun holiday!!!

 

Friday News And Views

Titanium, one gear, $8700.00

Used To Be You Could Be Like The Pros:

Back when I got into a bike shop job in the early 90's my old boss, Tom, used to tell me that "Cycling is the only sport where you can use what the Pros do." You could buy the best Tour de France type road racing bike, the best NORBA, World Cup XC bike, just like your favorite cycling heroes rode. You still "can", sort of.......if you're well heeled. 

My old boss would take those words back if he was still alive, I think. Because even though these Pro level, Tour and World Cup bikes exist to be purchased by the unwashed cycling proletariat, the price of entry has risen astronomically. Before I ever worked at a shop, I saved up to buy the very best XC hard tail I could buy. I had to really skrimp to, because my wife at the time wanted the same thing. I ended up buying frames and forks and having custom builds done on two top of the line Klein Attitudes. Bikes that were Pro level XC sleds.

Sure, you have to account for inflation, but let's take a Trek 9.9 Superfly XTR bike as an example.  This bike goes for $7300.00. My custom built Klein, with hand built wheels, went for $5,000.00 in today's dollars. That's handpicked parts folks. An XTR Attitude model straight from Klein would have cost me less. 

Then there are road bikes. Just this week Trek announced the new Emonda, (Apparently deriving from the French, "to prune"), and the top end model goes for $15,000.00 plus. Apparently the Emonda prunes your wallet as well as weight from the frame. Not to be outdone, Specialized only a day later announced a $20,000.00 McLaren S-Works Venge. Yep, you'll see lots of commoners like me riding those.......ha!

Okay, that's it for this edition of News And Views. Happy 4th folks! Have a safe and fun holiday!!!

 

Contemplating Madness: Part 7

A late addition and then a test ride......

Saturday got to a late start since I was up late celebrating the end of Mrs Guitar Ted's masters studies. (She'll graduate with distinction with a 4.0. Smarty-pants! ) So I wasn't all kitted up and ready to go test ride the Fargo until around 2pm, after lunch had settled. I walked out the door, literally on my way out to ride, and there is a long box on the porch with my name on it. I was alerted to the fact that this might come, and it was something I wanted to get a look at ASAP. So back inside.......

It was the Body Float seat post by Cirrus Cycles which I am going to be using so I can be finishing up the review for Gravel Grinder News later. I was pretty anxious to use it for Odin's Revenge, and since time was running short, and this likely my last big gravel outing before the event, I was needing that thing on my Fargo now! Fortunately, MG had the foresight to obtain the heavier springs so I could swap those out before the ride. I actually only did replace one, using an orange lower spring, and felt that this gave me a good amount of negative travel along with the ability to not be bottoming out.

Old shop's team jersey

Well, with that sorted, I left about a half an hour later than I wanted to, but that was okay. I decided to try the same almost 35 mile route I used on Wednesday which precipitated the knee issue. I figured if I had another bout of knee pain, I wouldn't be that far from home and could limp back in. Of course, it was the "old reliable" Fargo Gen I, but there were major changes, so some things might not pan out here. Another good reason not to try to hit up massive miles, just in case something really didn't agree with me.

It was hotter than Wednesday, but slightly less windy, and neither direction I went in for most of the loop was into a head wind. I would need to test the knee by using slightly bigger gears on the rollers and see how it fared. The heat would also be a good test for Odin's since it is forecast to get up to about 90°F that day out there and likely it will be sunny too. (Gotta remember to bring the suntan lotion!)

Ragely Luxy Bars are really just amazing. Too bad ya can't get them anymore.

Speaking of remembering things..... I ran out of the house in such a frenzy I forgot to try my Topeak saddle bag on there, (it fits fine, by the way), and with it, all my repair tools and tube! I also forgot my mini-pump. Good thing the tires are tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce" sealant, which has been dead reliable for me for several years now.

The Ragley Luxy Bar.......what can I say? This is hands down the best off-road drop bar ever made. Best for gravel too, if you need lots of leverage and sweep. Others are "good" to pretty dang nice, but somehow this bar just ticks all the boxes. Perfectly swept, wide, shallow drop, and minimal reach. The unique 31.8mm diameter of the tops to the ramps is not just for looks either. It works, and without the typical taper, it allows for more and better places to mount things, or grip the bars there. The only other bars I would ever recommend for off road drops are the On One Midge and for gravel, the Salsa Cycles Cowbell.

The ride went well, by the way. The knee was much happier during and so far- afterward, with the ride. I can tell it isn't 100%, but at least the Fargo isn't making things worse! Obviously, I like the bars, and what about the BodyFloat post? I have to bang out more rides, and Odin's will figure into this, but for now I have but two words for this.

Game changer. 

Puffy white clouds and miles of gravel.

 So it's settled then. It will be the Fargo for Odin's Revenge. The BodyFloat will be on-board, and the Ragley Luxy Bars are perfecto. I'm running Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags again, which are indispensable for carrying food and water bottles. (Although with the five or six bottles I can run on the Fargo, I won't use them for water this year.) The Planet Bike Snack Sack will be where the camera lives with some other oddments like sun tan lotion, Vitamin "I", etc.

Now the madness! Here are the hard facts as I know them now:

• Approximately 173 mile course
• Checkpoint #1 @ 47 miles Water
• Water stop @ 71 miles
• Checkpoint #2 @ 87 miles (Water, Grocery store, Restaurant available)
• Checkpoint #3 @ 131 miles Water
• Finish @ 173 miles

Still left to figure out: Lighting, snacks, nutrition choices. Packing, and rendezvous with the Bonk King and Mike Johnson on Friday. Travel on Friday for seven hours or so, then we're on.

Madness I say, madness!

Contemplating Madness: Part 7

A late addition and then a test ride......

Saturday got to a late start since I was up late celebrating the end of Mrs Guitar Ted's masters studies. (She'll graduate with distinction with a 4.0. Smarty-pants! ) So I wasn't all kitted up and ready to go test ride the Fargo until around 2pm, after lunch had settled. I walked out the door, literally on my way out to ride, and there is a long box on the porch with my name on it. I was alerted to the fact that this might come, and it was something I wanted to get a look at ASAP. So back inside.......

It was the Body Float seat post by Cirrus Cycles which I am going to be using so I can be finishing up the review for Gravel Grinder News later. I was pretty anxious to use it for Odin's Revenge, and since time was running short, and this likely my last big gravel outing before the event, I was needing that thing on my Fargo now! Fortunately, MG had the foresight to obtain the heavier springs so I could swap those out before the ride. I actually only did replace one, using an orange lower spring, and felt that this gave me a good amount of negative travel along with the ability to not be bottoming out.

Old shop's team jersey

Well, with that sorted, I left about a half an hour later than I wanted to, but that was okay. I decided to try the same almost 35 mile route I used on Wednesday which precipitated the knee issue. I figured if I had another bout of knee pain, I wouldn't be that far from home and could limp back in. Of course, it was the "old reliable" Fargo Gen I, but there were major changes, so some things might not pan out here. Another good reason not to try to hit up massive miles, just in case something really didn't agree with me.

It was hotter than Wednesday, but slightly less windy, and neither direction I went in for most of the loop was into a head wind. I would need to test the knee by using slightly bigger gears on the rollers and see how it fared. The heat would also be a good test for Odin's since it is forecast to get up to about 90°F that day out there and likely it will be sunny too. (Gotta remember to bring the suntan lotion!)

Ragely Luxy Bars are really just amazing. Too bad ya can't get them anymore.

Speaking of remembering things..... I ran out of the house in such a frenzy I forgot to try my Topeak saddle bag on there, (it fits fine, by the way), and with it, all my repair tools and tube! I also forgot my mini-pump. Good thing the tires are tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce" sealant, which has been dead reliable for me for several years now.

The Ragley Luxy Bar.......what can I say? This is hands down the best off-road drop bar ever made. Best for gravel too, if you need lots of leverage and sweep. Others are "good" to pretty dang nice, but somehow this bar just ticks all the boxes. Perfectly swept, wide, shallow drop, and minimal reach. The unique 31.8mm diameter of the tops to the ramps is not just for looks either. It works, and without the typical taper, it allows for more and better places to mount things, or grip the bars there. The only other bars I would ever recommend for off road drops are the On One Midge and for gravel, the Salsa Cycles Cowbell.

The ride went well, by the way. The knee was much happier during and so far- afterward, with the ride. I can tell it isn't 100%, but at least the Fargo isn't making things worse! Obviously, I like the bars, and what about the BodyFloat post? I have to bang out more rides, and Odin's will figure into this, but for now I have but two words for this.

Game changer. 

Puffy white clouds and miles of gravel.

 So it's settled then. It will be the Fargo for Odin's Revenge. The BodyFloat will be on-board, and the Ragley Luxy Bars are perfecto. I'm running Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags again, which are indispensable for carrying food and water bottles. (Although with the five or six bottles I can run on the Fargo, I won't use them for water this year.) The Planet Bike Snack Sack will be where the camera lives with some other oddments like sun tan lotion, Vitamin "I", etc.

Now the madness! Here are the hard facts as I know them now:

• Approximately 173 mile course
• Checkpoint #1 @ 47 miles Water
• Water stop @ 71 miles
• Checkpoint #2 @ 87 miles (Water, Grocery store, Restaurant available)
• Checkpoint #3 @ 131 miles Water
• Finish @ 173 miles

Still left to figure out: Lighting, snacks, nutrition choices. Packing, and rendezvous with the Bonk King and Mike Johnson on Friday. Travel on Friday for seven hours or so, then we're on.

Madness I say, madness!

Remembering The Old School

Back in the day, this was my bike. Really!

I was up at the shop yesterday to bail out a customer that needed a special cassette built up from something he had brought in. While I was assembling that, I noticed a Surly Ogre, (yeah......hard NOT to notice that box!), and it needed assembling. So I stayed and started piecing it together.

I was twiddling wrenches when I looked up and saw a "customer" approaching the counter. Suddenly I recognized the figure as a person I hadn't seen in 18 years! It was an old riding buddy of mine. What an awesome surprise.

Well, it didn't take long before we were deep into the "old daze" when we both did a lot of riding together. Trips, night time rides, and after work jaunts in Geo Wyth. For a brief look at one adventure I wrote up a few years back, see here. Those night rides were actually instigated by this old friend, which is something I just learned yesterday. It was really fun to remember those times when riding was just for fun and adventure and mountain biking was still evolving at a breakneck pace.

It's funny to look back on it all now. In some ways, the whole suspension, free ride, and racing deal back then kind of messed up what was simply a great time. We didn't let it get to us, well......not too much. But as with anything, things change and we all went our different ways. It's all good......

It was great to reconnect after all these years and catch up, and who knows, maybe someday we'll be rolling wheels together again on another adventure.

Remembering The Old School

Back in the day, this was my bike. Really!

I was up at the shop yesterday to bail out a customer that needed a special cassette built up from something he had brought in. While I was assembling that, I noticed a Surly Ogre, (yeah......hard NOT to notice that box!), and it needed assembling. So I stayed and started piecing it together.

I was twiddling wrenches when I looked up and saw a "customer" approaching the counter. Suddenly I recognized the figure as a person I hadn't seen in 18 years! It was an old riding buddy of mine. What an awesome surprise.

Well, it didn't take long before we were deep into the "old daze" when we both did a lot of riding together. Trips, night time rides, and after work jaunts in Geo Wyth. For a brief look at one adventure I wrote up a few years back, see here. Those night rides were actually instigated by this old friend, which is something I just learned yesterday. It was really fun to remember those times when riding was just for fun and adventure and mountain biking was still evolving at a breakneck pace.

It's funny to look back on it all now. In some ways, the whole suspension, free ride, and racing deal back then kind of messed up what was simply a great time. We didn't let it get to us, well......not too much. But as with anything, things change and we all went our different ways. It's all good......

It was great to reconnect after all these years and catch up, and who knows, maybe someday we'll be rolling wheels together again on another adventure.

Friday News And Views

That Deal With That "One Guy" On That Famous Lady's Show....

You may have noticed that the lack of commentary on what happened with a certain cyclist, ("He Who Shall Not Be Named") , has been missing from this blog for a while. You may wonder what I think about the media event that occurred last night. Well, I am not going to say a word about it. But, I do have something to point you to that I found well considered and thoughtful on the subject.

The commentary is from former frame builder and musician, Dave Moulton. His take on the situation is something that hits close to my heart and feelings on the matter, so if you wonder what I think, this is a pretty close representation of what I think right here.

What I found that was particularly of interest to me was Dave's description of riding in "The Bunch" and how the culture of cycling was something a universe away from what he found here in the U.S., and obviously light years different than the world of Pro Cycling on the road over the course of the past couple of decades.

In many ways, I would like to believe that gravel racing today is what Mr. Moulton would find reminiscent of his formative days riding in Britain. Riders looking out for one another, camaraderie, and fun with a healthy dose of adventure. Maybe I am a hopeless romantic, but that's what I love about the gravel racers I know well.

Bianchi Boardwalk- circa 1994

Another Old Friend Comes To Visit: 

My first bike shop job was at a place in Cedar Falls, Iowa called Advantage Cyclery. Well, actually I worked at their satellite store on College Hill called Campus Cyclery first, but that's another detail.... The thing is, I worked at Advantage for three years before the shop went out of business.

Shortly before that happened, I was pretty much alone there most days. My boss had kind of disappeared in the sense that he never was there during store hours, or if he did come in, he was sequestered in his office down in the basement and I never saw him. I say all of that to put the following into perspective.

My boss bought about 30 small, medium, and large Bianchi Boardwalk hybrids that were already 2 years old. Yes- he got a screaming deal on them, because Bianchi, who perennially had old stock in their warehouses, years old, would jump at the chance to ship out bikes for pennies on the dollar  just to get rid of them.   By the way- this rarely happens anymore, so don't get any ideas out there!

Anyway, these bikes were steel, well spec'ed with complete Alivio groups, but were all Men's models in Bianchi's flagship color, Celeste. Not yer most manly of colors, and perhaps why these were languishing in the warehouse for so long. The normal retail on these was something around $700.00, but we were selling them for $399.99, or something crazy like that. It was a great deal, as I recall.

I assembled every one of the 30 or so bikes, and displayed every one of them in a giant row in the middle of the store. (I was pretty much free to do as I pleased in the store by this point.) I also sold every single one of those bikes, most to men. I don't mean to brag, but I was rather proud of that feat.

So I see one come back every once in awhile these days, some 18 years past the time I sold them. It's good to see them still being ridden and taken care of. This particular one was a medium and besides some rusty chain and handle bars, was in great condition. Good to see an old friend.....

Sage Advice: 

Hey, you may not be in T.I.V9, or even any other gravel event, but these gravel events are getting more and more popular all the time. If you've ever wondered what level of geekery it takes to do something like 300 plus miles of Iowa gravel in one sitting, you should check out my buddy Ari's post here. 

It is an open letter to trans Iowa Rookies, but anyone can certainly learn a thing or three from this. If nothing else, you get the sense of dedication and passion for gravel road riding and for Trans Iowa in particular.

So, thanks Ari! I really appreciate those thoughts, and I trust your info will help a lot of folks out there.

That's a wrap. I hope all of you don't forget why you ride a bike.  Now go do it....

Friday News And Views

That Deal With That "One Guy" On That Famous Lady's Show....

You may have noticed that the lack of commentary on what happened with a certain cyclist, ("He Who Shall Not Be Named") , has been missing from this blog for a while. You may wonder what I think about the media event that occurred last night. Well, I am not going to say a word about it. But, I do have something to point you to that I found well considered and thoughtful on the subject.

The commentary is from former frame builder and musician, Dave Moulton. His take on the situation is something that hits close to my heart and feelings on the matter, so if you wonder what I think, this is a pretty close representation of what I think right here.

What I found that was particularly of interest to me was Dave's description of riding in "The Bunch" and how the culture of cycling was something a universe away from what he found here in the U.S., and obviously light years different than the world of Pro Cycling on the road over the course of the past couple of decades.

In many ways, I would like to believe that gravel racing today is what Mr. Moulton would find reminiscent of his formative days riding in Britain. Riders looking out for one another, camaraderie, and fun with a healthy dose of adventure. Maybe I am a hopeless romantic, but that's what I love about the gravel racers I know well.

Bianchi Boardwalk- circa 1994

Another Old Friend Comes To Visit: 

My first bike shop job was at a place in Cedar Falls, Iowa called Advantage Cyclery. Well, actually I worked at their satellite store on College Hill called Campus Cyclery first, but that's another detail.... The thing is, I worked at Advantage for three years before the shop went out of business.

Shortly before that happened, I was pretty much alone there most days. My boss had kind of disappeared in the sense that he never was there during store hours, or if he did come in, he was sequestered in his office down in the basement and I never saw him. I say all of that to put the following into perspective.

My boss bought about 30 small, medium, and large Bianchi Boardwalk hybrids that were already 2 years old. Yes- he got a screaming deal on them, because Bianchi, who perennially had old stock in their warehouses, years old, would jump at the chance to ship out bikes for pennies on the dollar  just to get rid of them.   By the way- this rarely happens anymore, so don't get any ideas out there!

Anyway, these bikes were steel, well spec'ed with complete Alivio groups, but were all Men's models in Bianchi's flagship color, Celeste. Not yer most manly of colors, and perhaps why these were languishing in the warehouse for so long. The normal retail on these was something around $700.00, but we were selling them for $399.99, or something crazy like that. It was a great deal, as I recall.

I assembled every one of the 30 or so bikes, and displayed every one of them in a giant row in the middle of the store. (I was pretty much free to do as I pleased in the store by this point.) I also sold every single one of those bikes, most to men. I don't mean to brag, but I was rather proud of that feat.

So I see one come back every once in awhile these days, some 18 years past the time I sold them. It's good to see them still being ridden and taken care of. This particular one was a medium and besides some rusty chain and handle bars, was in great condition. Good to see an old friend.....

Sage Advice: 

Hey, you may not be in T.I.V9, or even any other gravel event, but these gravel events are getting more and more popular all the time. If you've ever wondered what level of geekery it takes to do something like 300 plus miles of Iowa gravel in one sitting, you should check out my buddy Ari's post here. 

It is an open letter to trans Iowa Rookies, but anyone can certainly learn a thing or three from this. If nothing else, you get the sense of dedication and passion for gravel road riding and for Trans Iowa in particular.

So, thanks Ari! I really appreciate those thoughts, and I trust your info will help a lot of folks out there.

That's a wrap. I hope all of you don't forget why you ride a bike.  Now go do it....

Bike Shop Tales: Learning To Wrench

Last week I left off with the Klein Attitude purchase. Now it was time to learn how to take care of them....

After I dropped the big coinage on the Attitudes, I figured I'd better learn how to take care of the things. Lucky for me, Advantage Cycles had a mechanics 101 class in the evenings. I signed up and I was super stoked to find out all I could to get up to speed on maintenance.

I knew a few rudimentary things from back in my childhood. I was blessed by having been in the great tornado of 1968 in Charles City, Iowa. It was after that carnage that as a child, you could find a bike out in the weeds around the edges of town on any given day. They were like apples fallen from a tree. It was pretty amazing. We would take these things, disassemble them, reassemble them, modify them, and pretty much destroy them. Hey! They were free and a dime a dozen. At least for a few years afterwards.

That got me by with my old bike, but there was so much I didn't know about the new stuff. I wanted to find out what I could do to keep these Kleins going for a long time. It helped that they both were set up with Grease Guard stuff from SunTour, and Klein Attitudes had very forward thinking bearing set ups in the head set and bottom bracket. In fact, the Kleins were totally useless as a bicycle to learn on for the class, so I ended up doing maintenance on shop cast offs for the class. Old bikes that had what we were talking about- Serviceable bottom brackets, head sets, and quill stems.

So it was during these classes that I met a car mechanic by the name of Vance McCaw. He often came to the class still dressed in his work duds. Little did I know that years later, I would end up in the same outfit. But that's a long ways down the road yet. Vance's and my paths would cross again a few times, I just didn't know how or when.

All I knew was after the class was over, I was really interested in finding out even more. I gobbled up all the bicycle info I could get my hands on. I was "bitten by the bug", I suppose you could say. That said, I was also still very much a custom design jeweler, salesman, and gemologist. I wasn't planning on being a bicycle guy anytime in my life beyond being a rider. But even the best laid plans can go astray, and mine did one early November day.

Next Week: Big Changes

Bike Shop Tales: Learning To Wrench

Last week I left off with the Klein Attitude purchase. Now it was time to learn how to take care of them....

After I dropped the big coinage on the Attitudes, I figured I'd better learn how to take care of the things. Lucky for me, Advantage Cycles had a mechanics 101 class in the evenings. I signed up and I was super stoked to find out all I could to get up to speed on maintenance.

I knew a few rudimentary things from back in my childhood. I was blessed by having been in the great tornado of 1968 in Charles City, Iowa. It was after that carnage that as a child, you could find a bike out in the weeds around the edges of town on any given day. They were like apples fallen from a tree. It was pretty amazing. We would take these things, disassemble them, reassemble them, modify them, and pretty much destroy them. Hey! They were free and a dime a dozen. At least for a few years afterwards.

That got me by with my old bike, but there was so much I didn't know about the new stuff. I wanted to find out what I could do to keep these Kleins going for a long time. It helped that they both were set up with Grease Guard stuff from SunTour, and Klein Attitudes had very forward thinking bearing set ups in the head set and bottom bracket. In fact, the Kleins were totally useless as a bicycle to learn on for the class, so I ended up doing maintenance on shop cast offs for the class. Old bikes that had what we were talking about- Serviceable bottom brackets, head sets, and quill stems.

So it was during these classes that I met a car mechanic by the name of Vance McCaw. He often came to the class still dressed in his work duds. Little did I know that years later, I would end up in the same outfit. But that's a long ways down the road yet. Vance's and my paths would cross again a few times, I just didn't know how or when.

All I knew was after the class was over, I was really interested in finding out even more. I gobbled up all the bicycle info I could get my hands on. I was "bitten by the bug", I suppose you could say. That said, I was also still very much a custom design jeweler, salesman, and gemologist. I wasn't planning on being a bicycle guy anytime in my life beyond being a rider. But even the best laid plans can go astray, and mine did one early November day.

Next Week: Big Changes