A Little Job Update

Andy Tetmeyer in one of his vids for Andy's Bike Shop with me in the background.

Okay, so I thought I'd give you all a little update on my new job. I've been getting several questions about it from some of you out there, so I figured it was high time to let you all know how I have been doing.

Andy is my new boss. He's young, obviously you can see that. I worked with Andy for a while at the old shop I was at, so we've known each other for several years now. His shop is located at 100 East Second Street in Cedar Falls Iowa. Suite 105, if you want to know. Anyway, pop on in if you are in town and say hello. I'm there most weekdays now that the biking season has kicked in and as long as we aren't asked to shut down due to "you know what".

I started in a limited way at Andy's Bike Shop in February, but now I am being brought in more regularly and I am helping out with repairs, sales, and yes- videos. In fact Andy and I just recorded one for a quick review of a couple of Giant gravel bikes which I will post a link to when that goes live.

Like I said last year, I never spoke much about the old shop on the blog because I was not really valued there and anything I said on my blog wasn't supported by the old boss. Frankly, it wasn't a very smart thing for him to distance himself from me on social media and here, but whatever. That was what it was. Andy certainly does not see me as a threat and rather, he sees opportunity to build something along with me. So, the videos and whatnot for his shop will be featuring my commentary at times.

Now, I am not going to turn this into a sales blog, or anything resembling that. This is G-Ted Productions, after all. But I won't shy away from talking about what I have going on with my life in terms of work anymore, and frankly, many of you wanted to know what was up anyway. So, I'll be talking about work related things sometimes here.

So, it's going well. The "current situation" may change if sanctions on public businesses are clamped down tighter. However; Andy has a mobile repair van, and we do not anticipate having to shut down 100%. We will be able to pick up and drop off repairs at anytime, so we are optimistic that the shop can survive this time we are in one way or another. Hopefully this passes sooner than later and we get on with normal business. But yeah..... No one knows when that might be just yet.

In the meantime I will be doing repairs, saving my pennies, and keeping close to home. All the gravel events I had planned on going to have been postponed through May so far, so whatever! Expect a lot more "Country Views" posts, I guess!

A Little Job Update

Andy Tetmeyer in one of his vids for Andy's Bike Shop with me in the background.

Okay, so I thought I'd give you all a little update on my new job. I've been getting several questions about it from some of you out there, so I figured it was high time to let you all know how I have been doing.

Andy is my new boss. He's young, obviously you can see that. I worked with Andy for a while at the old shop I was at, so we've known each other for several years now. His shop is located at 100 East Second Street in Cedar Falls Iowa. Suite 105, if you want to know. Anyway, pop on in if you are in town and say hello. I'm there most weekdays now that the biking season has kicked in and as long as we aren't asked to shut down due to "you know what".

I started in a limited way at Andy's Bike Shop in February, but now I am being brought in more regularly and I am helping out with repairs, sales, and yes- videos. In fact Andy and I just recorded one for a quick review of a couple of Giant gravel bikes which I will post a link to when that goes live.

Like I said last year, I never spoke much about the old shop on the blog because I was not really valued there and anything I said on my blog wasn't supported by the old boss. Frankly, it wasn't a very smart thing for him to distance himself from me on social media and here, but whatever. That was what it was. Andy certainly does not see me as a threat and rather, he sees opportunity to build something along with me. So, the videos and whatnot for his shop will be featuring my commentary at times.

Now, I am not going to turn this into a sales blog, or anything resembling that. This is G-Ted Productions, after all. But I won't shy away from talking about what I have going on with my life in terms of work anymore, and frankly, many of you wanted to know what was up anyway. So, I'll be talking about work related things sometimes here.

So, it's going well. The "current situation" may change if sanctions on public businesses are clamped down tighter. However; Andy has a mobile repair van, and we do not anticipate having to shut down 100%. We will be able to pick up and drop off repairs at anytime, so we are optimistic that the shop can survive this time we are in one way or another. Hopefully this passes sooner than later and we get on with normal business. But yeah..... No one knows when that might be just yet.

In the meantime I will be doing repairs, saving my pennies, and keeping close to home. All the gravel events I had planned on going to have been postponed through May so far, so whatever! Expect a lot more "Country Views" posts, I guess!

The New Job Announcement

The New Job Is At Andy's Bike Shop!

The day has finally come which I can announce my plans for 2020 and beyond as far as local employment. I will be wrenching on bikes for Andy's Bike Shop, but that isn't all. I'll get to it all here in a bit, but first, let me tell you about Andy and why I chose to go this direction.

Andy Tetmeyer is the owner of the shop. I have known Andy for several years now. He used to work at the shop I left in December. We got along well, and to the point that Andy actually was a volunteer for Trans Iowa v12 at Checkpoint #1. Andy is young, ambitious, and wanted to own his own shop. So, he left that old shop and started up a mobile bike shop to start out with called Andy's Mobile Bike Shop. He ran that for a couple of years before making plans to get a "brick and mortar" location. That location is at 100 East 2nd Street, Suite 105, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 50613.

Andy sought me out and made an offer to hire me, but there is a lot more going on than "just being a wrench" here. The second big chunk of news is that Andy's Bike Shop is now the "Official Bike Shop of Riding Gravel". In fact, the shop has been that, in a very discreet way, for a while now. This will open up a lot of opportunities for synergy of things like marketing, merchandise, and social media, podcasts, and the like. Andy and I have a lot of ideas for the future of both the bike shop and Riding Gravel which are exciting. As things get more clear I will share some of that here in the future, other bits will be on the Riding Gravel front.

This blog will remain a separate entity for the future, so don't expect any big changes here. But, as I mentioned before last week, I may be talking a bit more about work here than I did before, so there may be some "bike shop tales" added here and there.

The immediate future will be me doing work at Andy's on a limited basis until the season starts and then things should formulate and Andy and I will work together to see that we both benefit yearly and through all the seasons. It won't be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. I am excited though, and this opportunity is one I plan on maximizing to its fullest potential. As I stated, I won't be there much immediately, but when things swing into Spring, and if you happen to be a local, or just swinging through town, please stop in and say "hello".

Andy's Bike Shop can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube.

The New Job Announcement

The New Job Is At Andy's Bike Shop!

The day has finally come which I can announce my plans for 2020 and beyond as far as local employment. I will be wrenching on bikes for Andy's Bike Shop, but that isn't all. I'll get to it all here in a bit, but first, let me tell you about Andy and why I chose to go this direction.

Andy Tetmeyer is the owner of the shop. I have known Andy for several years now. He used to work at the shop I left in December. We got along well, and to the point that Andy actually was a volunteer for Trans Iowa v12 at Checkpoint #1. Andy is young, ambitious, and wanted to own his own shop. So, he left that old shop and started up a mobile bike shop to start out with called Andy's Mobile Bike Shop. He ran that for a couple of years before making plans to get a "brick and mortar" location. That location is at 100 East 2nd Street, Suite 105, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 50613.

Andy sought me out and made an offer to hire me, but there is a lot more going on than "just being a wrench" here. The second big chunk of news is that Andy's Bike Shop is now the "Official Bike Shop of Riding Gravel". In fact, the shop has been that, in a very discreet way, for a while now. This will open up a lot of opportunities for synergy of things like marketing, merchandise, and social media, podcasts, and the like. Andy and I have a lot of ideas for the future of both the bike shop and Riding Gravel which are exciting. As things get more clear I will share some of that here in the future, other bits will be on the Riding Gravel front.

This blog will remain a separate entity for the future, so don't expect any big changes here. But, as I mentioned before last week, I may be talking a bit more about work here than I did before, so there may be some "bike shop tales" added here and there.

The immediate future will be me doing work at Andy's on a limited basis until the season starts and then things should formulate and Andy and I will work together to see that we both benefit yearly and through all the seasons. It won't be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is. I am excited though, and this opportunity is one I plan on maximizing to its fullest potential. As I stated, I won't be there much immediately, but when things swing into Spring, and if you happen to be a local, or just swinging through town, please stop in and say "hello".

Andy's Bike Shop can be followed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube.

Friday News And Views

Iowa Gravel Expo- Pop Up Series: 

Over the last two years N.Y. Roll and I have put on an "Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party" which was a one day event. I covered recently how this was going to change and turn into a series. Well, we have details now to share. 

This time we have a sponsor and venue in Second State Brewing Company. We also have another sponsor in Andy's Bike Shop. The series will have four dates- two in January and two in February, so hopefully a lot of the area gravel grinders can attend at least one of these- or all if you are so inclined. Here are the dates, which are all Wednesday evenings starting at 6:30pm at Second State Brewing Co.

• January 8th
• Januray 22nd
• February 5th
• February 19th
• Facebook Page Link For Events 

Each session should last an hour-ish or a little longer. We are also inviting Iowa gravel event promoters to come and speak at these since one of our aims is to promote Iowa gravel events. In lieu of promoters, should we get an evening where we do not have any, or weather prevents them from attending, we will do a short presentation for selected events on our own.

Specific gravel related topics: N.Y. Roll and I will also serve up tips and recommendations on various gravel related subjects during each session. The plan is to make each session unique, so you may want to attend several of these. The main point we have is to celebrate Iowa gravel events, and as a community of riders, just get together and have a good time through a part of the year that is typically when we aren't out there doing what we really like to do.

So, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about these events, please comment here, or go to the Facebook page, (Link in red above) and leave us a comment there. Thanks! We hope to rub elbows with a lot of you this Winter.

Patent application drawings for Lauf's rear sus ideas.

Lauf Working On Rear Suspension For Gravel:

A recent "Bike Radar" article revealed that Lauf, famous for its leaf sprung, backwards looking forks, is working on an idea for rear suspension using leaf springs.

Comments: Showing three different ideas, it is clear that Lauf is still in the development stages of this idea, but it bears watching, as the gravel segment of cycling is still heating up, and is one of the only bright spots in the sport now. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see something fast-tracked to prototype stage to be shown at various gravel events in 2020.

To my way of thinking, the idea that Lauf is pursuing is much more acceptable than where Niner Bikes went by using more "traditional" telescopic suspension with the complex rear linkage system. Minimal amounts of suspension travel, in this case less than 80mm, lends itself to more simplistic designs, and when executed correctly, it can be a superior riding experience.

This Lauf idea is very intriguing. In my opinion, the direct competitors to Lauf will be those that use suspension seat post designs. While what Lauf is doing will be activated anytime a rider in on the bike and moving, where a suspension seat post is not, (only works while seated), the Lauf idea has some concerning limitations. For instance, how do you account for differing rider weights and styles? The design has to work similarly across a wide size range. That's not going to be easy to pull off. Plus, it cannot infringe upon anyone else's patents, a definite limitation.

Those are not insurmountable obstacles, but I have to wonder, why didn't Lauf apply what they are doing with the fork on the rear of the bike? Yes- it wouldn't look traditional. But that didn't stop them from making the ugliest fork in the road bike market. So.....?? Anyway, this will be interesting to follow.

Add caption

End Of Year Changes:

Next month brings a close to 2019, and obviously I have been doing a lot of thinking about that and how it relates to what I do here and professionally. I kind of do this every year- I take stock of where I've been and where I want to go with this. First of all- Thank you all- each and every one of you, for reading this stuff I put out. I could never thank you all enough.

Secondly- This blog will continue, so no worries there. 

With that out of the way, I think 2020 will be a great year to do a few things differently. It will mark a new era, as I will have closed out 15 years of blogging in May of 2020. So, I want to do a little celebration of that.

Part of that will include a change to one of the longest running series on the blog. The "Minus Ten Review", which covers the happenings here from ten years previous, will change slightly. Part of the intentions there were that I wanted to document, in a weekly fashion, what I did to develop the blog. However; that morphed into me riffing on a theme and telling stories. Many times this did not have anything at all to do with ten years ago.

Since I feel I have gone over the beginnings of the blog, covering the initial four years here, I thought that maybe it was time to just admit that I want to tell stories based upon things I've done over the past 15 years here and riff on that. So, the "Minus Ten Review" will morph into something else. Something based on the 15 year idea. I've got a pot full of themes here and some deserve some refreshing, retelling, and expounding upon. So, look for that idea to start up next January.

Other than that, the blog will pretty much remain the same. I think you'll notice some new twists though. There are plans on the horizon for multi-media connections. I may have my own, "Guitar Ted-centric" podcast dealing with the blog stuff. Maybe even video. I will definitely be doing more on the podcast/video/live stream side in connection with something new I will be involved in for 2020. That's exciting for me on several levels. I cannot wait to release this news.

There will also be some major changes professionally. Things ending. Things beginning. I cannot say anything more than this right now, but a clearer pathway into 2020 is forming now and I am pretty happy about that.

Stay tuned folks. It's going to be a bumpy ride!

Friday News And Views

Iowa Gravel Expo- Pop Up Series: 

Over the last two years N.Y. Roll and I have put on an "Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party" which was a one day event. I covered recently how this was going to change and turn into a series. Well, we have details now to share. 

This time we have a sponsor and venue in Second State Brewing Company. We also have another sponsor in Andy's Bike Shop. The series will have four dates- two in January and two in February, so hopefully a lot of the area gravel grinders can attend at least one of these- or all if you are so inclined. Here are the dates, which are all Wednesday evenings starting at 6:30pm at Second State Brewing Co.

• January 8th
• Januray 22nd
• February 5th
• February 19th
• Facebook Page Link For Events 

Each session should last an hour-ish or a little longer. We are also inviting Iowa gravel event promoters to come and speak at these since one of our aims is to promote Iowa gravel events. In lieu of promoters, should we get an evening where we do not have any, or weather prevents them from attending, we will do a short presentation for selected events on our own.

Specific gravel related topics: N.Y. Roll and I will also serve up tips and recommendations on various gravel related subjects during each session. The plan is to make each session unique, so you may want to attend several of these. The main point we have is to celebrate Iowa gravel events, and as a community of riders, just get together and have a good time through a part of the year that is typically when we aren't out there doing what we really like to do.

So, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about these events, please comment here, or go to the Facebook page, (Link in red above) and leave us a comment there. Thanks! We hope to rub elbows with a lot of you this Winter.

Patent application drawings for Lauf's rear sus ideas.

Lauf Working On Rear Suspension For Gravel:

A recent "Bike Radar" article revealed that Lauf, famous for its leaf sprung, backwards looking forks, is working on an idea for rear suspension using leaf springs.

Comments: Showing three different ideas, it is clear that Lauf is still in the development stages of this idea, but it bears watching, as the gravel segment of cycling is still heating up, and is one of the only bright spots in the sport now. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see something fast-tracked to prototype stage to be shown at various gravel events in 2020.

To my way of thinking, the idea that Lauf is pursuing is much more acceptable than where Niner Bikes went by using more "traditional" telescopic suspension with the complex rear linkage system. Minimal amounts of suspension travel, in this case less than 80mm, lends itself to more simplistic designs, and when executed correctly, it can be a superior riding experience.

This Lauf idea is very intriguing. In my opinion, the direct competitors to Lauf will be those that use suspension seat post designs. While what Lauf is doing will be activated anytime a rider in on the bike and moving, where a suspension seat post is not, (only works while seated), the Lauf idea has some concerning limitations. For instance, how do you account for differing rider weights and styles? The design has to work similarly across a wide size range. That's not going to be easy to pull off. Plus, it cannot infringe upon anyone else's patents, a definite limitation.

Those are not insurmountable obstacles, but I have to wonder, why didn't Lauf apply what they are doing with the fork on the rear of the bike? Yes- it wouldn't look traditional. But that didn't stop them from making the ugliest fork in the road bike market. So.....?? Anyway, this will be interesting to follow.

Add caption

End Of Year Changes:

Next month brings a close to 2019, and obviously I have been doing a lot of thinking about that and how it relates to what I do here and professionally. I kind of do this every year- I take stock of where I've been and where I want to go with this. First of all- Thank you all- each and every one of you, for reading this stuff I put out. I could never thank you all enough.

Secondly- This blog will continue, so no worries there. 

With that out of the way, I think 2020 will be a great year to do a few things differently. It will mark a new era, as I will have closed out 15 years of blogging in May of 2020. So, I want to do a little celebration of that.

Part of that will include a change to one of the longest running series on the blog. The "Minus Ten Review", which covers the happenings here from ten years previous, will change slightly. Part of the intentions there were that I wanted to document, in a weekly fashion, what I did to develop the blog. However; that morphed into me riffing on a theme and telling stories. Many times this did not have anything at all to do with ten years ago.

Since I feel I have gone over the beginnings of the blog, covering the initial four years here, I thought that maybe it was time to just admit that I want to tell stories based upon things I've done over the past 15 years here and riff on that. So, the "Minus Ten Review" will morph into something else. Something based on the 15 year idea. I've got a pot full of themes here and some deserve some refreshing, retelling, and expounding upon. So, look for that idea to start up next January.

Other than that, the blog will pretty much remain the same. I think you'll notice some new twists though. There are plans on the horizon for multi-media connections. I may have my own, "Guitar Ted-centric" podcast dealing with the blog stuff. Maybe even video. I will definitely be doing more on the podcast/video/live stream side in connection with something new I will be involved in for 2020. That's exciting for me on several levels. I cannot wait to release this news.

There will also be some major changes professionally. Things ending. Things beginning. I cannot say anything more than this right now, but a clearer pathway into 2020 is forming now and I am pretty happy about that.

Stay tuned folks. It's going to be a bumpy ride!

Trans Iowa v14: Update

Things are accelerating toward the next Trans Iowa which will occur April 28th-29th, which isn't very far away. So, it is time to start getting some stuff done. I'm pretty busy with the behind the scene details.

One big hurdle was crossed just yesterday when I finished a final draft of the cues using the actual formatting you will see in the event, (if you are a rider.) Those are already off to my secret course checker who will be taking a random day here soon to canvass the course using the cues to navigate by. I won't be out there this time, so the feedback should be great. After that gets done the cues can then be printed, cut up into sets, and bagged. That's one big component of the event that will be nice to put to bed.

The next thing is the number plates. I have them, but I want to do something to personalize them. I have the current Trans Iowa logo out to get digitized and when that happens I can send a file out to get some "things" done. One of those will be, maybe, something I'm going to use on the number plates. We will see......

New Trans Iowa Sponsor!

Volunteers are all lined up. I have "eyes in the field", more of those than ever this time, and all the checkpoints and start and finish line stuff is covered. So, no worries there. As always, I am amazed at the response I get for volunteers without even having to ask. I'm just blown away by that. Thanks y'all!

I've got a few sponsor things hanging out there yet that I have to see if that comes through, but speaking of sponsors, I have a new one to announce. Andy's Mobile Bike Shop has stepped up to provide support for the event in the form of money for some of our transportation needs. Andy might be familiar to some of you that were in T.I.v12 since he volunteered that year at CP#1. Andy also worked with me for a while until striking out on his own as a mobile repair option here in Waterloo/Cedar Falls.

Thanks Andy's Mobile Bike for your support of Trans Iowa v14!

Stay tuned for more updates on T.I.v14.......

Trans Iowa v14: Update

Things are accelerating toward the next Trans Iowa which will occur April 28th-29th, which isn't very far away. So, it is time to start getting some stuff done. I'm pretty busy with the behind the scene details.

One big hurdle was crossed just yesterday when I finished a final draft of the cues using the actual formatting you will see in the event, (if you are a rider.) Those are already off to my secret course checker who will be taking a random day here soon to canvass the course using the cues to navigate by. I won't be out there this time, so the feedback should be great. After that gets done the cues can then be printed, cut up into sets, and bagged. That's one big component of the event that will be nice to put to bed.

The next thing is the number plates. I have them, but I want to do something to personalize them. I have the current Trans Iowa logo out to get digitized and when that happens I can send a file out to get some "things" done. One of those will be, maybe, something I'm going to use on the number plates. We will see......

New Trans Iowa Sponsor!

Volunteers are all lined up. I have "eyes in the field", more of those than ever this time, and all the checkpoints and start and finish line stuff is covered. So, no worries there. As always, I am amazed at the response I get for volunteers without even having to ask. I'm just blown away by that. Thanks y'all!

I've got a few sponsor things hanging out there yet that I have to see if that comes through, but speaking of sponsors, I have a new one to announce. Andy's Mobile Bike Shop has stepped up to provide support for the event in the form of money for some of our transportation needs. Andy might be familiar to some of you that were in T.I.v12 since he volunteered that year at CP#1. Andy also worked with me for a while until striking out on his own as a mobile repair option here in Waterloo/Cedar Falls.

Thanks Andy's Mobile Bike for your support of Trans Iowa v14!

Stay tuned for more updates on T.I.v14.......