Two Things

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Make It Make Sense:

The trade paper, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News", reported recently that Giant, the Taiwanese based bicycle manufacturer, and brand, of course, saw 22% lower revenue for January than it had a year ago. Trade import numbers are down a record amount to levels not seen in decades. 

So, when a new bicycle gets introduced and you see the price tag increase approximately 2K from a similarly spec'ed previous generation model, it doesn't quite compute. 

Maybe you've seen this advertisement from Trek pop up while scrolling social media. It was an ad with the heading "Whoops! We made too many!". In the ad were about five fat bikes and all the rest were electrified bicycles, some with prices slashed by 50%. 

Brands keep pumping out halo-models with high end, 100% human powered designs while some trade papers are saying electrified bicycle imports are higher than normal bicycle imports for the beginning of 2026. I see every electrified "bicycle-shaped-object" you can imagine being motored up and down my local streets and none of these are bike shop brand e-bikes. 

I received a call at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective the other day from an e-bike owner. His hydraulic brake needed service. Obviously, this is not within our purview, but this person, a Waterloo citizen, has to go to Cedar Falls (admittedly, not that far, but...) to find a full-service bike shop, and then there are only two independent ones. Additionally, if this customer's e-bike is not "the right brand', those two shops won't touch it. 

Oh, and Waterloo is a city of about 70,000+ people, and it doesn't have a bicycle shop. 

Make it make sense. 

Image courtesy of the Wilder 100

Feedback On The "Numbers Not Adding Up" Post:

First of all, a hearty "Thank You" to all who read the article last week and especially to those who took the time to comment. There were great thoughts shared in there. 

One of the thoughts shared is that perhaps gravel cycling is going through a "correction" in terms of participation. This is also something N.Y. Roll and I discussed in our latest podcast. (Spotify link HERE)

Another thought was the social factor isn't there anymore. Another point we spoke about on the podcast as well. But I think what was even more interesting was the comment I read regarding how many do not feel valued, or even seen, because so much focus is on the Pro field these days at gravel events. 

It is true at the "big" events where infrastructure, investment, and  outside media/industry attention is solely focused on elevating the Pro aspect of their events. The comment I found sad was "...in many cases a feeling like "we" aren't even who the event is for anymore." This Pro-focus of events and media/industry seems to be alienating many folks. 

There was an enlightening view expressed that due to how event directors see racing venue design, many events seem too similar. I never thought about this before, but now I can see this and it makes sense. 

On the positive side it seems series events are seen as a way to attend a smaller event without Pro influences and to be able to connect with many of the same folks at each event throughout the season. This also makes sense to me. 

The longer nature of event in some cases was seen as a detriment to continued support from riders in terms of attendance and a barrier to entry. It just takes so much effort and time to train for a longer event. 

And someone hit on the obvious rise in costs. Saying, in contrast to spending a lot to go to a bucket-list event,  "But at now over $200, plus hotel, food, etc. and roads/scenery pretty similar to what I can find close to home in Iowa for free." And this is kind of a killer when it comes to sustainability for these halo gravel events. Once the cycle of folks has had their crack at it, they likely will not come back if they feel alienated, find little social interaction, and had to spend a gob of money to participate in anonymity. 

Of course, it is not all bad news, and many an event will thrive in today's scene, but I would say there are some things changing which give me pause. 

Thanks again to all who read Guitar Ted Productions. 

Bonus: I have a new article up on my Substack, in case you'd like to take a look. 

It Is Too Late

Recently mountain biking and trials riding legend, Hans Rey, penned a piece for "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" where he opines on the mess which exists in the e-Bike categories. 

In the article Rey asks for clear language surrounding pedal assist, and other, high-powered, non-assist electric two-wheeled vehicles. His main complaint is seemingly all of these vehicles are lumped into a single category by law-makers. Lawmakers who are trying to sort through issues stemming from unregulated products coming in and creating issues like fires, crashes, and parts failures which unfortunately sometimes results in deaths. 

I see this as a problem as well. However; it would seem Rey is asking for something which, unfortunately, it is too late to ask for. The genie is out of the bottle, and the bicycle industry has proven to be ineffective at self-regulation. 

Now the government is stepping in, asking law enforcement to enact new measures. Laws which, as in the case most recently reported on from New Jersey, make all electric two-wheeled contraptions essentially motorcycles. 

In other words, the government is not interested in the "three-class" system the bicycle brands dreamed up and most likely doesn't have the resources to sort it all out anyway. The regulations should have come first, then - perhaps - we could have stopped the importation of devices clearly outside of the set parameters. However; this wasn't done, and now we have the equivalent of an "E-Bike Wild, Wild West". 

Even the endemic brands to e-biking are pushing "updates" to make their machines more powerful. Easier to ride, and more power/torque? Maybe not a great idea for dirt riding especially.

I'm all for the electric bike which helps those who otherwise could not ride to get exercise, but the problems are not being created, for the most part, by this group. Unfortunately, it appears the solutions to the problems will affect this group, and that is a shame. 

Regulations Hit E-Bikers In New Jersey

E-bike repair que at a Chicago shop

Electric motors on assisted bicycles or on throttle controlled bicycles (mopeds) have finally been abused to the point which a state has taken the measures in their legislature to govern their existence. New Jersey's governor signed a bill into law on this day a week ago which now will require licensing, registration, and insurance, just like any other motor vehicle. 

The measure was precipitated by the recent loss of life of a 13 year old this past September who was hit by a vehicle while the youth was riding an electric motorized bicycle. 

The law, which New Jersey e-bike owners will have six months to comply with, will also regulate age of the operator at 17 years and the operator of any electrified bicycle will have to have a valid drivers license. 

The details of the story can be read online at "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" HERE. 

Comments: First of all, thanks to Ari Andonopuolos for today's image. He sent this to me to show what he was seeing most often for repairs in a shop in Chicago. Those sure do not look like mainstream, pedal assist electric bicycles, do they? 

Comments on the stories I have seen on this development are mostly pointing fingers at these sorts of "bicycles" and how "online sales are pushing illegal e-bikes into the marketplace". The commenters are saying this is why we cannot have nice things when it comes to electrified bicycles. But really, if this is the reason for this law being passed, or one of the reasons, are the sellers to blame? 

Certainly, this may be seen as an unintended circumstance in the economy of the e-bike. However; when there was a void in the marketplace in terms of low pricing and availability, it is no wonder some companies stepped in to fill the demand. 

The demand..... Yes, it was the consumer who was the conduit for these "more-motorcycle-like" e-bikes to be coming into the system. Bicycle shops could not serve this demand, and so who fills that vacuum? The consumer has some responsibility here. 

In the end, this e-bike thing is evolving along the lines which I always figured it would go. Eventually we get to a place where it is easier for government to legislate rules and enforce laws regulating these vehicles. It sure looks like it is happening now.  

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of ROTOR

ROTOR Unveils UNO Electronic Shifting Group Set:

ROTOR, the Spanish company best known for oval chain rings and crank sets, had Wheeltop, a Chinese component manufacturer, buy a majority stake in the company last year. Long rumored to be having an electronic group set in the making with Rotor branding, this now has become a reality with UNO. 

The "Gravel Upgrade Kit" version of UNO consists of the levers, hydraulic brake calipers, and the rear derailleur. Compatible with 1X only and with a 46T rear cassette limitation, the group set will cost $948.42 USD (Odd pricing, but likely a conversion from a foreign currency figure) 

The group set's rear derailleur is carbon with 7005 series aluminum bits. ROTOR claim the rear mech will shift up to 15,000 times on one battery charge. Interestingly, this group set is compatible with 10, 11, 12, and 13 speed cassettes as long as the rear cassette does not exceed a 46T low gear.

Comments: Well, another electronic, wireless choice which is breaking the 1K price point. Wheeltop's collaboration here is notable as previous efforts by ROTOR to make a group set were hydraulically controlled. This would appear to be more Wheeltop than not. Wheeltop users on the internet have reported mixed results with their group sets, and how ROTOR's UNO will fare is not known at this time. 

We will have to wait for the results to come in via real world usage, but for now, this marks a further march toward a wireless bicycle era which will feature no cables on bicycles. 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Velo Orange Announces Raffle For Charity:

Here's a fun bit of news. Velo Orange is holding a raffle for a Neutrino rolling chassis which has been custom Cerakoted by Weichel Coatings and has components from ATW Builds . Each $5.00 chance gets you in line for possibly winning this size Large Neutrino partial build. 

All proceeds go to helping out the mission of Happy Helpers of the Homeless, a charity who bring meals and support to homeless and poverty stricken men and women every weekend in the Halethorpe, Maryland area. 

The raffle runs through now to October 15th. A winner will be chosen at random the week of October 20th. See all details and rules for this raffle HERE. 

IMage courtesy of IRD Components

Airdrop Seat Post Provides Dropper Feature In Silver Ano:

IRD Components, who do a variety of niche items, have a new Airdrop dropper post which has a few unique features. You'll notice right away it is offered in a silver anodized finish rather than the common black anodization. 

The Airdrop also has no cable running to it or a lever to deal with on your handle bar. Rather, it uses a simple lever located off the seat post head to raise and lower the post through its 100mm of drop. 

The Airdrop comes in the common 27.2mm size only and has an overall length of 400mm. The maximum insertion is listed at 190mm and minimum insertion for the post is listed at 90mm.  

The Airdrop is available on IRD's site and runs $129.00 USD. 

Comments: This is kind of cool for anyone with a silver anodized build who may want to explore a dropper post on a gravel bike. Why would you want to do this? Well, for one, a dropper post can be used as a way to easily mount and dismount a bike by lowering the saddle when stopped. This is of particular benefit if you have a very heavily laden touring bike set up, or if you are bikepacking. 

Secondly, lowering the post on any longer downhill will help you get lower on the bike, and more aero. You'll bomb hills far faster with a dropper post lowered than not. It can be rather eye-opening, actually. Of course, there is the benefit while descending steep, rough terrain as well. 

US Customs Cites Giant For Forced Labor Practices, Holds Imports:

On Wednesday, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" broke a story in which Giant Bicycles is being investigated for forced labor practices at its Taiwan factories. As a result, all Giant product and other branded product made there is being held at port until the matter is solved.  Giant is reportedly filing a petition to revoke the Withhold Release Order.,

You can read the story HERE.

Comments: This is an interesting development as it is widely known Giant also makes bicycles for several other well known brands. If, in fact, the Withhold Release Order is upheld, this could further disrupt the chain of supply and cause detriment to an already depressed economy for the cycling industry. 

This could also be seen as a bad public relations event, if this ends up becoming a larger issue. 

UPDATE: 9/26/25:  (From Bicycle Retailer and Industry News X Account) UPDATE: Giant clarified to BRAIN this morning that CBP is currently not holding any shipments from the company. The CBP's Withhold Release Order announced Wednesday applies to any products arriving after the order.

Image courtesy of Trek Bikes

That Full Suspension Gravel Bike From Trek Finally Is Official:

On Thursday Trek Bikes finally unleashed the Checkout SL- a 9K carbon fiber full-suspension gravel/bike packing bike. Replete with 55mm wide tires out of the box and the new Rudy XL (released yesterday) on the front. This bike has 60mm of travel up front, and according to a Instagram post I saw, 55mm in the back. 

Rumors and images of this bicycle were floating around the web since around the Unbound event back in early June, so those who caught the pictures then probably are not surprised here. 

And look at the flares and swept tops on this drop bar. Pretty radical for a 2025 release. I happen to like this sort of thing, but it does go in the opposite direction from the racing type handlebars on most newer gravel bikes. 

Comments: Hmm.... Much can be said about a bicycle like this. I will say it looks a little ungainly and the "Miami Vice| color palette is not my cup of tea. (The Checkout SL 5 is a more subdued black, by the way) The images of this bike kitted out for bikepacking look great, but the bare bike is sort of jarring to the eye with the tipped forward rack and MTB-looking fork. 

I could see an aluminum, more budget friendly version of this bike at some point if they sell these things. $8,999.00 for the Checkout SL 7 is no joke though, so you have to wonder if many of these will be sold. Mostly because (a) it is an oddball bike, not really XC MTB and not really gravel, and (b) it is a carbon frame bike. Most bikepackers are looking for Titanium or steel in this space. It is an interesting bicycle, nonetheless. 
 

That's a wrap on this week's news and views. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Get out and ride those bicycles!
 

Friday News And Views

YT Industries Enters Self-Administration, Cites Troubled Market:

Direct to consumer mountain bike brand, YT Industries, entered 'self-administration' in Germany to restructure its finances in order to survive as a company. According to a story recently in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News", the company has "exciting new products" coming but financial troubles have forced the company to reorganize its finances to continue onward. 

Comments: As expected, I thought we'd be seeing news like this crop up this year. To be honest, I expected to read more news like this. Battling back from the post-COVID mistakes and having to battle deep discounting across the industry has to be taxing on any company's financials. One way we can note this would be the lack of new product introductions.

Hopefully news like this ceases and economic times are rosier in the near term, however; I'm not expecting this to be the case. 

New Guitar Ted Podcast Episode:

It has been a while since we have dropped a new Guitar Ted Podcast episode, but there is one out now which we posted this week. The Spotify link is HERE, but you should be able to find the podcast on your favorite platform as well. 

We went kind of long on this episode, (an hour and a half!), so you may want to listen on a trip, while doing some mundane task, or if you need to go to sleep. (Just kidding on the last suggestion, maybe.....)

We talked a lot about several different subjects this time including the two tire reviews, the Tree In The Road Ride, and about the recent relegation at Coast To Coast event in Michigan.

With Summer on the wane, we will be looking at getting back into some more "Where We Came From" episodes again. If you have anyone in mind who you would like to hear from, let me know in the comments. We typically are looking for an interview with someone who was prominent in gravel riding and racing previous to 2015. 

I figure we will be doing around 15 more episodes for 2025 and then we will take our normal holiday break over December and the first week or so of January. Thanks for checking out the podcast, if you do. If not, give this one a whirl and see if you might enjoy it.  

Team Cofidis Targeted By Thieves:

Disaster at the tour de France earlier this month for Team Cofidis was averted after 22 bikes were stolen out of their team trailer, but were quickly recovered the following day. However; news has come out telling of another robbery of Cofidis team bikes, this time from the women's team.

According to the story, the women's team bikes were not the time trial bikes which the Cofidis woman's team rode for the opening stage of the Baloise Ladies Tour. Which bikes were stolen and how many were taken was not information released to the public pending investigation by the authorities.

Comments: Kind of unbelievable that the Cofidis teams are suffering such bad luck with thievery. Hopefully the ladies bikes can be recovered quickly. One might think Team Cofidis LOOK bikes shouldn't be too hard to find out in public, but I wonder if these types of robberies are more about stripping valuable group sets off the frames along with wheels which would be harder to trace back to the thieves.

Courtesy of 'girlsgonegravel' social media.

Elite Woman Gravel Riders Have Concerns Over Rider Safety:

A trend has appeared recently within the women's field of Elite gravel racers contesting UCI gravel events. The discontent stems from the UCI's formatting of the Pro Women gravel event within male 'age-group' fields at UCI gravel events on the Gravel World Series calendar.

Apparently more Pro and Elite women are opting out of the fields for these UCI gravel events stating that crashes, poor riding skills, and just a general dissatisfaction with having to deal with riders not in their category has women deciding not to contest these events. This obviously is something of an issue since women's fields typically are not as deep as male fields in the Pro and Elite categories of gravel racing.

Comments: We've noted similar issues in the USA with Pro/Elite gravel racers on the women's side. Drafting issues, male fields being a way to create 'picks' for other women riders, and so on. Unbound finally separated women from men in the Elite category recently, and some other US based events have done things to help the woman's field have more equity and less mixing in  with other fields.

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

 Ritchey Design Offers Team Issue P-29 Frame:

 The P-29 frame from Ritchey Design is not new, but the new Team Issue color is. This is a classic Ritchey color scheme. One the Team racing bikes has used since the late 1980's.

Ritchey P-29's are interesting in that they can be built up with a drop bar, flat bar, rigid fork, or with front suspension. I was attracted to the rigid, drop bar example shown here.

While this bike is an XC hard tail MTB, I think Ritchey is doing well to sell it as a platform to make of it what you will. I also will add that this is the sort of bicycle sorely missing from many brand's ranges now. A basic steel hard tail with options. A "Trek SingleTrack Series" bike for the modern off-roader, if you will. I say this because Ritchey resists the "long, slack. low" design which has taken over the hard tail MTB market.

The price is also pretty reasonable. Plus you get the classic Ritchey name and now, the signature paint job to go with it. While Red, White, and Blue may not be everyone's cup of tea, Ritchey also offers this in a blood red hue also. 

I always thought owning a Ritchey would be fun and their bikes were ones I thought were cool back in my earlier years. But I need another bike like I need another hole in my head, so.... 

 That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and good luck to all the RAGBRAI riders! 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Ridley Bicycles

You May Want A Bigger Cup Of Coffee For This FN&V!

Welcome To "Alpine Gravel":

Ridley Bicycles yesterday did a big press release for their new bike called the Ingnite GTX. A bike the presser said is "an Alpine gravel bike for the roughest terrains".

It is easy to pass this off as a "drop bar mountain bike", however, Ridley takes a different viewpoint. Here is what they say in the press release:

  "A mountain bike is focused purely on mountain biking, while a gravel bike is too limited for rough terrain, and the Ignite GTX fills the gap between these two worlds."

So something in between then? Yes, an "Alpine Gravel Bike" . Ah....I'll come back to this in the comments.

Now as for the details, this is a bicycle which has its geometry inspired by the Ridley XC racing hard tail MTB. There are "flex stays" for comfort, and room for 29" X 2.3" tires. The finishing kit for the Ignite GTX can be had with a carbon fiber "Adventure Fork" or a 100mm travel Rock Shox fork. The drive train is all SRAM with the suspension fork, featuring  a "mullet set up", and the rigid version can have a Shimano 1 X 12 drive train in a GRX "mullet" set up as well. Prices start at $3,040.00 USD.

Ridley sees this bike as something one might use in the Atlas Mountain Bike Race, Tour Divide, and other like ultra-distance, remote, and rough events and rides.

Ignite GTX here shown with the rigid carbon fork. (Image courtesy of Ridley

 Comments: I know....I know! IT"S A FREAKIN' FARGO! (Or Cutthroat, if you will) Now "Adventure by Bike" is going to be re-branded "Alpine Gravel", eh? I don't think this will happen, especially here in the USA, but of course, the Europeans may take to this moniker.

Which makes me wonder, "What about Trekking?" Is that not the original "Alpine Gravel" type bicycle in Europe? Okay, okay....Maybe not for racing, but the intentions are similar, no? My European readers can help me out here, perhaps. Let me know in the comments.

One other thing: I've said until I was blue in the face is that a 40mm travel "gravel suspension fork" was pretty much an exercise in futility. This bike zoomed right past 80mm and went to 100mm's of travel with the SID fork. Now, this is sensible for real suspension benefits, but that sure doesn't look very aero now, does it? Nope. And this is why I think trying to graft suspension on to what amounts to a road racing bike with fat tire clearance is silly.

Scott USA To Go D2C:

Another major brand is capitulating to the times and will offer a direct to consumer option from its USA website for USA customers. This will occur, according to an article in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, by mid-April of this year. Scott will also be offering a special selection of its range on four major online retailer's sites which also will be able to be shipped direct to the consumer.

Comments: One online source wondered aloud concerning this news and stated that they thought this would become the norm for retail bicycle trade in the USA soon. Citing Canyon Bicycles as being able to beat any brick and mortar store on price, it was theorized that all bigger brands would have to reduce prices in turn to keep competitive and force brick and mortar retail out of existence, essentially. 

Will this really happen? If everything hinges upon price, then I see no other alternative. Basically all bicycles sold would eventually become commodities traded on Amazon. (This is already happening anyway) The real question is, if losing brick and mortar store fronts creates a void in the marketplace or does it not matter? If the answer to this question is "Yes, it matters", then what will fill the void left by those old bicycle shops which may vanish soon?  (See yesterday's post for ideas)

Image Courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Announces New WCS Switch Stem:

Many bicycles are showing up now with fully integrated cabling. So, Ritchey Design decided to address this with its new WCS Switch Stem. 

The stem joins Ritchey's line of Switch components which includes stem spacers with porting for cables, the Switch Adapters, and Switch Headset.

The stem cavity has enough space to accept up to three cables with their housings. There is also a hidden accessory mount which can be deployed which can be a mount for electronics, lights, and cameras.

The stem also features Ritchey's unique "C220 Clamp" which is a special stem face plate that allows a handlebar to have 220° of contact on the stem's body. Ritchey claims this puts less stress on the face plate and allows for lower stem face plate bolt torque. 

The new WCS Switch Stem costs $109.95 USD and is available now through Ritchey retailers.  

Image courtesy of Panaracer

Panaracer Announces 2025 Special Edition Colors:

For several years now Panaracer has offered colored tread tires in their popular Gravel King range. Each year a new pair of colors is released. This year the colors are "Honeybutter" and "Cranberry". The colors can be matched with black casings or tan walls. 

The range will include the SK, X1, SS, or the slick tread Gravel King tread patterns. 45mm and 40mm widths are offered with the exception of the slick tires where only a 40mm option exists.  No 650B tires were listed on the webpage for the 2025 Limited Edition tires in the X1, SS, or Gravel King slicks patterns, but there are 650B and 26" models on the SK page. 

All tires retail for $64.99 USD each. You can check out the range of 2025 colored tires on Panaracer's webpage for the Limited Edition tires HERE.

Comments: Hmm.... Hard pass on the Honeybutter color. I could see getting some 40mm tires in the Cranberry color and sticking those on my King Fab Honeman Flyer. But...

Every year I toy with the idea of getting a pair then I talk myself out of it. Then I see someone's bike with them on and I kick myself, sometimes, especially of the combination of colored tire and bicycle look particularly tasty. I don't know though....  If these trip your trigger get on it now and buy them. These typically sell out fairly quickly.

Image courtesy of Toolbox Wars social media

SRAM Moves All MTB Brakes To Mineral Oil:

A couple of weeks ago in this FN&V I posted an image of a new SRAM XC MTB brake called "Motiv" which was seen on Trek's team bikes. Now news has hit the internet that indeed, SRAM has a new XC MTB brake and it is based on mineral oil as I had postulated.

Not only that, but word is that all mountain bike brakes SRAM is releasing from here on out will be mineral oil based systems.

Comments: This is pretty big news. From a mechanic's point of view, all the DOT brake fluid based brakes were a total pain to deal with and this was because the fluid is toxic and special care had to be taken to deal with the DOT fluids. The move to mineral oil is a welcomed one.

The obvious question is when will we see all of SRAM's brakes move to mineral oil systems? I suspect all further drop bar groups to make this change as well. Oh! And I would be remiss if I did not mention the long-rumored mechanical Eagle 70 and Eagle 90 Transmission MTB groups. It is real and available now. Good news for those who eschew batteries on bikes.

Sea Otter is coming in less than two weeks. SRAM usually makes a big splash announcement for this festival. Plus, there should be a lot of news in the next couple of weeks related to gravel bikes and accessories. Stay tuned to this space...

Tour of Arkansas To Happen In 2026:

On Thursday a press release went out concerning the efforts on the part of All Sports Productions to put on a road event in Northwestern Arkansas called the Tour of Arkansas. The event would start out as a modest road/time trial/criterium event with the aim to expand the event, if successful, to a week long road race.

Comments: While I do not delve into road racing much, I do know there have been several attempts at getting a "Tour of (fill in the blank) " road racing type event going in the past. All have failed at some point. So, this begs the question: "How is this any different and why would this idea become what the promoters envision it to be when so many have failed at the same thing?"

I'd like to think the USA could get a week-long Pro level cycling tour going, but unless there is some massive shift in American interest in Pro road racing, I find it less than believable that it might happen in any long-term, meaningful way.  I would like to be proven wrong here, but I am skeptical at best. 

Courtesy of PinkBike social media

Maxxis Makes 32"er Official:

Way back in February I posted in this FN&V about the Dirty Sixer company's 32"er MTB which had Maxxis tires on it. This was kind of a big deal because it pointed toward OEM interest. Maxxis wasn't going to make 32"er tires for just some small, niche brand. No offense to Dirty Sixer, but companies like Maxxis are looking for big commitments to a model, especially something new and odd, like a 32" diameter MTB tire.  

Well, my hunch turned out to be correct as it was broadcast on PinkBike's social media that Maxxis is indeed coming out with a 32" diameter Aspen. The narrator in the short clip, (an image of which can be seen here), mentioned other possibilities for treads were being discussed and that "several OEM fork manufacturers" were interested in this as well. 

Comments: Shades of the early 00's with 29"er hate is being detected for this already. However; I think more people are being cautious and maybe a bit more open minded this time as a lot of companies and people got burned by their negativity toward 29"ers when they first appeared.

However; certain things we went through with regard to 29 inch wheels will have to be addressed again here with a 3" jump in diameter. First, we have to think about geometry all over again. 32"ers will require a rejigging of everything we already think we know in regard to "what works" in terms of geometry.

Secondly, wheels will, once again, be pushed to their limitations much more quickly in a 32" package. 29"ers forced a wider axle and a more solid connection to the frame in through axles. Will 32"ers have to be SuperBoost by default? Will front forks go to 142mm through axles? I think all this and more would have to be considered.

Then you have the problem finding who this would be for. Taller people is an obvious choice, but how many XL and XXL frames are these wheels going to sell? Where is the cutoff for shorter people? All things which would need answering, and then all these answers plugged into marketing data to see if it would make sense to sell these on a large scale. Then factor in these times where people are not spending their money and you get, what I think is, a very tenuous situation for 32"ers to make it as a viable product to sell. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

That's a wrap on things for this week. Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

New York City Seeks To License eBikes and eScooters:

In a recent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article online it was reported that there has been an ordinance introduced the the N.Y. City Council to require eBikes and eScooters to be licensed and registered with the Department of Transportation. 

The proposed law was introduced after a resident had died from injuries inflicted when the person was struck by another person operating an eBike in the city. 

Proponents of the measure say that enacting registration and licensing would help reduce law offending riders of motorized bicycles and scooters. Opponents of the law cite a lack of cycling infrastructure, a system set up to promote higher speed vehicle usage, and a lack of concern for low-speed vehicle users and pedestrians. 

Comments: Situations like this were predicted to happen several years ago on this blog. Seems since now we are at the point of this reality, my bet is that cities and states will take the current system of car/truck infrastructure and side with this embedded way of doing things instead of taking this chance to jump-start a move to get away from car/truck domination of cities and urban areas.  

While there was  no mention of tax/licensing fees and insurance in the article, one might assume these interests would also prefer a licensing/registration scheme for electrified bicycles, cargo bikes, and scooters over the more expensive, slower to realize solutions involving the separation of pedestrian/cycling traffic from other vehicular traffic. 

I mean, when you think about it, we do not allow freight trains to use the same roadways as cars and trucks because the danger to cars and trucks, and their operators, would be high. So, train tracks don't run down the middle of six lane highways. It's kind of like that, despite the fact that trains require rails. You get the picture... 

The Last "FN&V" of 2024!.

This will be the last FN&V of the year, and since this is the case, I wanted to say, "Thank You" to you - the reader. 

Nearly every week of the year the "FN&V" is the most read post on this blog. So, that is something to be thankful for, and it also encourages me to continue doing the work required to post this 52 times or so a year. 

If you are at all curious as to the history of the "FN&V", or why it landed on Friday, I did a post on the history in 2020 which you can read HERE. You will find out there that the "FN&V" started out as a regular item on the blog around 2011 or so. This makes it going on 14 years that there has been a nearly weekly post about news and views on Fridays. 

Of course, the "FN&V" will continue on Fridays. As long as the blog continues and I can write posts, I do not see this changing anytime soon. Thank you again for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

GT Grade frame set (Image courtesy of GT Bikes)

GT Bikes Put On "Pause" For 2025:

Recently a report was published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" which gives details on a common theme from the past couple of years. The problem seems to be regarding inventory and how it is not moving in the bicycle industry in a way that companies want to see it move. 

GT Bikes owner is Pon Industries and the article in "BRaIN" states that, while for 2025 the brand will continue sales of bicycles, only the current inventory stock will be what is offered. No new 2025 models will be offered at this time. 

Perhaps more worrisome is news that GT Bikes will see some layoffs before the new year as well. According to reports, GT Bikes had planned to expand employee numbers last February. 

Comments: Again, certain segments of the cycling world are not doing well. If the consistent deep discounting of accessories, components, and bicycles, seen since mid-Fall 2024, continues, it would be safe to assume that cash flow is stunted and many companies might be in similar straits as GT Bikes finds itself in now. 

One thing that traditional cycling media has done with this story is to layer it in a thick sauce of "click bait" by intimating in headlines for the story that GT Bikes might never return. That's simply not going to be the case at all. The worst case scenario here would be that GT Bikes would be shuttered by Pon and then sold as a brand name to another company that would resurrect the brand as something new. But that probably won't happen. Pon will most likely strip the brand down to essentials and reestablish it with dealers as a core MTB/BMX line without the gravel, road, or city/urban parts. But we'll see....

GCHoF'ers (Image by Taiki Sakamoto)

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Voting In Progress:

Current electors for the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame are busy returning their ballots for up to five nominees to the 2025 class of "GCHoF'ers". Ballots are to be returned by the electors by January 8th, 2025. 

According to the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame site:  "There are over 50 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Electors. These electors are made up of athletes, promoters, media professionals, gravel enthusiasts, the 7 members of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Board, and the current members/inductees of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame."

I've said it a LOT of times on this blog that because the GCHoF relies upon each elector to do their own research (which they do not HAVE to do), that a strong possibility exists for recency bias and lack of knowledge of events predating 2015 - 2018 in the gravel world which could lead to the exclusion of important, relatively unknown stories, figures, and events to get into the hall. 

 We will see how it all shakes out soon, as nominees for 2025 will be announced early next year. When the new class gets announced, I will have more opinions to share at that time. In the meantime, if you want to understand where it is that I stand on the hall, see THIS post. 

Oh.....and yes - I voted. 

That's a wrap on this year's FN&V! See ya next year! Get out and ride a bike to next year!

The Evolution Of Bicycle Retail

On Wednesday of this past week Trek Bicycles announced to their dealer network that the company was going to begin a direct to consumer sales model. The news was first reported by "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" via an insider tip from several Trek dealers who shared part of a video conference showing the announcement. 

The news, in and of itself, is not all that surprising. Once Canyon Bikes entered into the US market with their direct to consumer model (D2C), it was only a matter of time before all brands would have to offer some avenue to sell their merchandise through an online model. My take isn't so much that Trek finally capitulated to this, but it is more about a statement Trek President John Burke made in the video conference call, and how this might be a portent to what bicycle retail looks like going forward. 

First, the statement: (Quoted from the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News article linked above)  "There's a certain segment of the population who buys online," Burke told retailers. "They do not go to stores. They buy online."

On one hand, this is an obvious statement. But who is this "customer" in Burke's estimation? Is he referring to the vast amount of people that would have never visited a retail bike shop, or is it that there is a certain amount of "bike shop" type riders that have now chosen NOT to visit a bicycle shop? If it is the latter, why has that happened? I believe it is the latter that Burke is referring to here.

Bike shops used to be where you went to see "the cool stuff".

I think the answer to the last question is tied to the evolution for the reason a bike shop exits. That reason has evolved, it continues to evolve, and soon "bike shop" won't mean anything that it once meant. 

I don't think the "bike shop" will go away, but what that means and what that looks like will be radically different soon. 

First, let's think about what a "bike shop" used to be defined as and what that meant to the community. 

First of all, a bicycle shop served as the obvious place to purchase a bicycle and to have it serviced. But beyond this, the bicycle shop had a few more meaningful characteristics that made bicycle shops essential to riders. These things were varied, but necessary. In my opinion, these can be boiled down to four pillars. Service, Retail, and two other pillars. One of those was that the bicycle shop was THE place to go see "what was new and cool". 

I can recall that the majority of customers back in the 1990's that were into cycling would come into the shop where I worked and ask, "What's new?", or "What's the coolest thing you have on the floor now?" This was an indication that in those times people went to bicycle shops to lay eyes on the things they had read about or had seen pictures of in bicycle magazines. It was the only way information on cycling was available. Things were written about in the mags, people got excited about these "new things", and then expected to see those things in bicycle shops. There was a reason beyond purchasing bicycles to visit a bicycle shop. 

Well, those days are long gone, and you can thank the internet for that. Good or bad, the internet swept up that reason bike shops existed. Now you can simply swipe your smart phone to see the latest and greatest in a never ending stream of information. Actually seeing the product seems to have lost its appeal to some degree. Virtual observation seems to be good enough for most folks.

Bike shops used to be the hub for social activities like group rides.

Bicycle shops also served as a meeting place, a hang-out, or the hub for events and group rides. This pillar that shops had is still hanging on in some places, but it has largely been supplanted by connections made by social media. 

Now a group ride can start from anywhere, and reliance on the bike shop as a meeting place has been lost. Furthermore, the bike shop's place for off-season hangs has also been lost to spin classes or "indoor cycling" where cyclists can hop on a trainer/indoor cycling machine at their leisure and virtually cycle with a group at any time they want to. 

So, the bicycle shop has lost two main functions that it used to posses to serve riders. Those being the representative of the bicycle industry and the agency of bicycle activity locally. Neither function exists at a meaningful level anymore for a bicycle shop. All were reasons for people to darken a bicycle shop's front (or back!) door. Now?

The only two reasons a bicycle shop "needs" to exist is for retail sales and service. The first reason is being usurped by consumer's practices of buying online and they want to do this with bicycle accessories and bicycles more and more. The retail part of a bicycle shop's reason for being is constantly being eroded as a result. It is my belief that this explains Mr. Burke's comment quoted above. 

That leaves service as the lone pillar of reasons to have a bicycle shop exist. At least in the sense that this part of the equation hasn't been significantly eroded as the others have been. Maintenance is also becoming more technical and specialized. Electric bicycles are making this even more of a critical point and the need for specialized knowledge in maintenance and repair of such two-wheeled devices is a need that is not going away anytime soon. 

Many bicycle shops are already in the midst of pivoting to a maintenance/repair first model with retail sales becoming less and less of a focus. As we move forward, I would expect this trend to intensify further. 

What Will The Future Of Bike Shops Look Like? -

This is the big question. I would speculate here and say that two models will emerge, and are emerging, going forward. The maintenance shop and "dealerships". 

The "dealership" model is already in full-swing. Trek being the biggest mover in that direction. Bike shops using this model will have certain models on the "showroom" with mostly "halo" models being shown as those are what people would come in to see. I mean, a $700.00 hybrid bike isn't going to attract the flies like a 16K road or MTB flagship model, or that 30mph eBike. Think car dealerships which have the top of the line models sitting inside for you to drool over while you buy your next car. 

These shops will order in and set up your bike, maybe even delivering it to you. (Exactly what Trek is proposing) and in the case that you are outside the delivery area, the bike would ship directly to you. Maintenance would only be done on models that shop sells, so people showing up with ten year old bikes from other companies would be enticed to trade (maybe inducing a dealership trade-in model?) and buy a new bike rather than repair it. 

These "dealerships won't be good "hangs" or places to go see the latest and greatest bicycle accessories and bikes, unless you are a fan of the "uni-brand" that store sells. This will be very corporate feeling in terms of customer experience.

The maintenance shop will be just that - a repair shop that does all models and makes of bicycle repairs, but has very little in terms of retail items for sale. This will mark an increase in labor costs and for parts. Since this model will be reliant on labor, the costs for labor won't be able to be suppressed by under-trained staff and high employee turnover rates, which has been the case in the past. This model will demand seasoned, knowledgeable people to be turning the wrenches, diagnosing electrical issues, and specializing in high-tech suspension and mechanical design. Those kinds of people are not cheap to hire, and so the result will be a more professional, higher priced shop. 

Finally, there will be no real dents made into the populace that doesn't ride a bike currently. We need to see disincentives to driving matched with better, safer cycling infrastructure before we see an increase in bicycle usage in stead of electric cars or ICE vehicles. Until those changes start to happen, the bicycle industry will be fighting for slices of a pie that will not increase in size anytime soon.

Friday News And Views

Happy Industry News, Aggro Birds,  & "Wild" Anodized Stuff:

Kona Bicycles Back In Founders Hands:

Monday morning news came out that the beleaguered Kona Bicycles company that was being shut down and put up for sale by its owner, Kent Outdoors, was bought back by the brand's founders. The brand was sold in 2022 by Kona founders Jake Heilbron and Dan Gerhard, according to a news story published by "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" on Monday morning.  

Apparently the originators of the brand were let down by the Kent Outdoors group which they thought would uphold the culture and status of Kona which they had crafted over the years. That didn't turn out to be the case and when the company went up for sale Heilbron and Gerhard bought it back.

According to the article, Kona has ceased direct to consumer sales and is saying that they will work through current inventory through established dealers only. 

Comments: First it was the British brand Orange, and now Kona, which has come back from the brink of extinction. Can Heilbron and Gerhard regain the former stature the company enjoyed with consumers in the past? They have a chance, but the deep discounting, direct to consumer sales, and recent turmoil set the hurdles pretty high.

Image of GT by Jason Boucher

You Already Knew This, But.....

Another story was posted on a study of cyclists and health benefits recently. The story on this study appeared in an NPR article which you can read HERE. 

This time it has to do with your knees and arthritic issues. Apparently the motion of cycling helps distribute an essential lubricating fluid for joints and builds muscle strength around knees which may help prevent arthritic issues from arising. 

The article doesn't say anything related to nut-jobs on single speed bikes though. (HA!) It is a commonly held thought by cyclists that single speed riding is bad for your knees. I've seen evidence that would say otherwise, but as with most topics, there is more gray areas than there are black and white ones when it comes to a subject like this one. All I know is that single speed riding big miles, or pushing a "big gear" on a geared bike, or hard riding into the wind, (or snow, or mud) for too long can be a problem for knees or any other parts of the body as well. You've gotta do things in moderation. Balance. Rest. It all can be good in the correct measures. 

New Podcast Episode Out Now!

I had the distinct honor to have Sam Alison of Singular Cycles on the latest podcast episode. It was a pleasure to speak with him since I have interacted with Sam since the mid-2000's in online forums and via emails. 

We chatted about his company, Singular Cycles, and we walked through a bit of how Sam saw his bikes and what they should be used for. Remarkably, it fits what the "gravel" bike should be in a more universal sense in my opinion versus the specialization that is occurring in that sector now. 

We also get into a bit of flared drop bar history as Sam was tabbed by cycling component and bicycle designer, Brant Richards, to be involved in the design of the Luxy Bar. A handle bar that Sam rightly points out has influenced a lot of what we see now in flared drop bar design for the gravel segment. 

Give the episode a listen. I also get into a bit of opinion on the upcoming Unbound gravel event at the end of this one. A more detailed look at my thoughts can be seen in a post from this blog HERE if you are interested in taking a deeper dive on that. Thanks for checking out the podcast, if you do, and as always, thanks for reading here!

A Red-winged Blackbird. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)

Those Devilish Scourges Of The Sky:

Tis the season, as they say, for what has become an issue for many who ply the back roads on their bicycles. I'm speaking of the ever-vigilant Red-winged Blackbird. 

I wrote a post back four years ago about my tactics for dealing with these sometimes aggressive animals during cycling outings. It seems to have become an annually "most clicked on" article here, so I thought I would point it out again for anyone who was not aware of the post so that you can check it out if you want to. Just click HERE to go read that.  

And if you have any ideas that differ from mine, please add those in the comments here on today's post and I will make an update to the original post if those ideas seem to check out as good ones. Thanks! 

Wilde X Paul Zebra Splatter Ano Parts:

Wilde Bikes announced Thursday that they have done another collaboration with Paul Components on some crazy "splatter" anodized parts. This time in black with white looking strips of color in random patterns. 

These parts are in very limited quantities and being Paul Components, not exactly "budget friendly" either with prices varying from $170.00 for a stem to $350.00 for a set of brake cantilever arms. 

There may not be anything left in some cases but here are the original numbers for manufacture from Wilde's press release: Stems: 70, Brake sets: 6, Seat posts: 10, and Love Levers sets: 5. 

The product page is HERE if you are interested in taking a look.

 That is a wrap on things for this week. Thanks as always for reading the blog! Have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day Weekend - for those who observe this - and get out and ride those bicycles!

A Curious Case Concerning A Cancellation

Grinduro!, a gravel event combining elements of gravel and enduro, has been a staple event in Northern California since 2015. This year their organizer, SORA, had to pull the plug on the event due to "... rising costs, economic pressures on regional partners and sponsors and the challenging state of the bicycle industry in 2024."

I've written on these pages and recorded podcasts on the state of things in cycling as a whole before. We (N.Y. Roll and I) theorized that financial stress on sponsorships would be affecting events and athletes. The cancellation of the 2024 Grinduro! would seem to be a casualty of this effect. 

Along with this story, on March 4th a story was published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" which stated that any person who had lost their job in the cycling industry recently was going to be offered a free entry to Grinduro!. Obviously, that won't be happening in California, where Grinduro! got its start. That said, the UK based Northern Consultancy company now runs Grinduro! events in Pennsylvania, Italy, Japan, Germany and France. So, I suppose the offer stands. 

A messy affair, but this is indicative of what we will probably be witnessing over the course of 2024. While there are many factors that could have prevented Grinduro! from happening in California this year, a major one has to be the cutting back on sponsorships throughout the cycling industry. This won't be the last time we hear about something like this. 

Randomonium

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble on about all things cycling (usually, but not necessarily) in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Volunteer Day:

The second round of volunteers went through the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective on Tuesday. I hosted five fellows from the engineering groups at the Collective for four hours. 

The mission was to tear down bicycles which were not viable candidates for refurbishing and sale to collect any parts we might be able to use on rebuilds and for people looking for used parts cheap. I also had the gentlemen tearing apart wheels for bearings and bearing "cones".  We routinely use old bearing cones up for rebuilding wheels with pitted out cone races. 

Even the bearings themselves get re-used and so we keep those and sort through them later. Hopefully the nearly three dozen wheels we went through Tuesday will garner some good, usable parts, but I have to sort through all of that yet.   

Meanwhile these engineers got to use their hands on tools, (they are not allowed to due to Union rules at work), and they learned a bit about bicycle repair in the process of tearing things apart. I guess I did alright in leading them because none of them took the opportunity to complain when given the chance! They even said that they had fun!

Calling Up Old Skills:

Well, I had to dig deep, but I recalled some old repair skills I learned over twenty years ago. My car interior repair skills!

The "Truck With No Name", (2003 Toyota Tundra) had a broken inner door handle. So I got one of those off Amazon, (!!!) and watched a You Tube video, (cheating?), and then I got the door handle swapped out in about an hour. 

The worst part? Getting the circlip off the window crank with a special flattened steel tool blindly, while trying not to tear up or mar the soft, "faux leather" material that the door panel is upholstered in. Actually, that part took longer than everything else combined. 

For those familiar with this, I need not tell you more. If you are only familiar with biccyles, this is akin to internally routed cables. I know bicycle mechanics like to moan on about the difficulties of doing internally routed cables, internally routed handle bars, and pushing brake hoses around bottom brackets, but you have no idea how bad it can get. Doing car work reminded me instantly of this fact. 

Working on these crazy electrified bicycles is a close second. Yeah..... Bike mechanics have it easy in comparison. Much easier.

Source: People For Bikes. Chart seen in a "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article.

Big Inventory - Little Sales:

By this time of the year it was hoped that the seasonal higher sales of Summer would eat into the over-stuffed warehouses of suppliers and bicycle brands, but according to an article just published in "Bicycle Reetailer and Industry News" by Rick Vosper, this is not the case at all. 

Recent lay-offs in the industry and bankruptcy filings by various brands have indicated that the industry is in for more turmoil going into 2024. Without a surge in sales volumes, you can plainly see by the chart shown above that something has to give, and it likely won't be pretty when it does. 

What does it all mean for the average cyclist? Well, if you have the money, now and for the foreseeable future, prices will be discounted to crazy levels on many bicycles and cycling gear. But even if that sells some stuff, at the levels which are being reported now, it doesn't seem that it will be enough to even have "decent sales" volumes. 

That's because inventory levels are at a place no one has seen in their lifetimes. Record breaking levels. Crazy levels. That means that we will likely see some bad news about some companies in the future. Which companies and to what extent is anyone's guess at this point. But I think we will all be surprised at some points.