Bikes Of 2025: Salsa Cycles Blackborow DS

 It's another end-of-year period on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2025. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up.

Salsa Cycles Blackborow DS:

This bicycle has been around here for a little over ten years now. I have tried to get rid of it, almost had it sold in 2020, but nope! It's little used around here, but when it is needed, it gets a ton of use.  

The "DS" in the name stands for "Dual Singlespeed". The Blackborow DS has parallel single speed cog and chain ring sets with a single chain which must be moved manually to access a second ratio. The caveat here is that both single speed sets have to have the same number of total teeth. So, for instance you could have a 22T front with a 24T rear and a 24T front with a 22T rear. Both sets equal 46 total teeth. This means you have a single chain and it will fit either set of cogs. You cannot cross-chain either, in case you are wondering.  

This bike shines best when snow or mud is the worst. The big Clownshoe rims and Bud and Lou tires are why this is. I have been running around 5psi so far this month and the stability and traction are outstanding. 

The reason I purchased the Blackborow DS was twofold. One was for the flotation in deep snow where it would allow me to traverse areas where no grooming of snow had been done. Secondly, it has no derailleurs and cassette cogs to get wasted by Winter chemical treatment of the road ways. 

Trouble was, the dual-single speed drive train, while cool, useful, and robust, wasn't very fast for commuting. I only commute on this bike if conditions are horrid. The Ti Muk 2 I have is essentially what this bike should have been back in 2014. But I couldn't afford a 5K fat bike at the time! I am always impressed by the Blackborow's lack of weight compared to the Ti Muk 2 though. 

It is great bike when riding across 8" of fresh snow in a grassy field and busting trail. It does great in post-holed, frozen trail. It is fun if things get saturated in the Green Belt and I want to go exploring. So, for now the bike stays. 

Air Pressure Is King: Fat Bikes

The Blackborow DS on the way home from work Saturday.

 We finally got enough snow here over the last several days to make using a fat bike a smart choice. I managed to be able to hit the streets on Saturday well before the plows were out and had near perfect snow conditions. 

Sounds good, right? Well, that all depends on whether or not you hit on the "right" air pressure choice. Air pressure in fat bike tires probably makes more difference in how you ride, or even ride at all, than it does with any other type of bicycle. 

For one thing, you have a massive tire with a lot of volume. This dictates a much lower pressure than you might use in a gravel bike, and extremely different than a road bike would use. Because a fat bike tire doesn't need a very high pressure to work correctly, a little air taken out or added in can make a big swing in handling and ride feel.  

Then you have the way cold air can make your job setting air pressure a lot fussier. Cold air has the effect of lowering air pressure versus what you may have set in a heated garage or workshop. Because a little change in a fat bike tire can make a big difference in how the bike will ride and handle, as stated above, you should account for the change in air pressure cold air can cause. A good way to accomplish this is to set your fat bike air pressure after the bike has been out in ambient temperatures for at least 15 minutes. 

I set my tires up at seven psi knowing this would drop a bit after being outdoors. (I didn't have time before work to set the bike outdoors). I took the gamble, and it worked great. The streets were 100% covered in soft snow at about three to four inches. Same thing when going back home with the exception that we had received another 4" while I was at work. 

The Blackborow DS did really well. I will say the pump you choose to use makes all the difference in the world when dealing with low air pressure. I had been using seven or eight psi as it read on the dial of other pumps but this newer SILCA Terra pump has a lot more accurate low psi capability and it showed up for this ride. My feeling is that seven or eight on the other pumps is actually a bit higher than seven or eight psi on the Terra pump! 

I'll have more to say about air pressure throughout the week, so stay tuned.....

Bikes Of 2024: Blackborow DS (Special Ten Year Review!)

 It's another late November/December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up. 

The Blackborow DS right after I built it up in 2014

 Special Ten Year Review:

Today marks the day that ten years ago I rode the first time on the Blackborow DS fat bike I have. It was right after I was able to pay off the shop where I purchased it from on my way home from work that day. 

This bike isn't used a whole lot these days, mostly due to climate issues which render our Winters here as very dry, warmer than they should be, and with little snow. There are excpetions, of course, but if last year is any indication, we only had one major snow event and very little time to actually enjoy the snow we did get. 

Thanksgiving Day morning, 2014

But we have had some pretty good years, mostly early on in the decade since I purchased this bike, and I am happy I got the thing. The idea, at least initially, was to get this bike as a solution for Winter commutes on city streets covered in snow and whatever chemical concoction the City decides to spray on the streets for ice melting. Whatever the stuff is, it eats drive train parts up, and I was tired of the sacrifice to the whims of Winter. 

The Blackborow DS has a "dinglespeed" drive train, which is a parallel single speed set up which has cogs that can use the same length chain but offer two distinct ratios. There is a "cruising" speed and a "crawling" speed. That's it. Oh! And you have to manually change the gears by dropping the rear wheel, moving the chain by hand, and reinstalling the rear wheel. Kind of a pain, but once you get the hang of it, it goes smoothly enough. 

From the very first ride in 2014

The other reason I wanted this bike was because, at the time I bought it, the Blackborow had the widest rims and tires you could get. This meant that it had the best possible flotation, and that is what I found lacking in my Mukluks. 

I was pleased with how things went when I got the bike. It handled very well. The tires did indeed float and I was able to cut trail in snow as deep as 8". Slightly packed trail was all I needed to make a go of things. So, for the ungroomed trails I was used to, this bike was the cat's pajamas. 

I experimented with a front suspension fork for one Summer

The Blackborow DS was tried with a front suspension fork, and while that was fun, it was kind of a needless device because it was going to just be dead weight for much of the sort of riding I would end up doing with this bike. That was due to our area being mostly flat, often muddy, and sandy in Summer. Winter was snowy, sometimes, and so a front suspension fork wasn't ideal. 

Circumnavigating small lakes is fun on the Blackborow DS. Image by Jacob Stevenson.

While trying to find places to ride where a bike like this is an advantage is sometimes tough to do, the Blackborow DS does come in handy at times. I really enjoy circumnavigating lakes and ponds around here with it. However; the bottom line is snow for this bike, and that is where the whole design of the Blackborow DS comes alive, at least for me it does. 

Post-holed and bumpy trail is no match for the Blackborow DS.

Cold streets and alleys are fun when it is snowy. A January pose over the Cedar River here.

The bike has had a few changes, but very few. There was the dalliance with suspension, but most of the changes have been with the handle bar. I ran the stock Salsa bar for a while, sometimes with a pair of bar ends. Then I got a Jones Carbon H Bar. That's been on the bike ever since. 

Somewhere along the way I came upon a Thomson aluminum post and swapped that out for the stock one, and the saddle was changed to a Silverado. But that is all that I have done on this bike. Even the original drive train is still intact! 

Tracks I laid in about 8" of snow in Exchange Park in Waterloo, Iowa with the Blackborow DS

The Blackborow DS was awesome, but with the little bit that I rode it, I was starting to feel like I did not need it. Then I got the Ti Muk 2 which was an even better match for Waterloo's messy streets with its 14 speed Rohloff internal geared hub. I often only really needed 4" tires with the way things have been with our weather. So, in 2021, I was actively trying to sell the bike.

I had a couple of suitors and I came -this- close to selling it, but the potential buyer backed out at the last minute, leaving me with the bike. Then I ended up riding it that Winter and regretted trying to sell it. So, I took it off the market and well..... 

This bike is really good  at what it was designed to do. But what it was designed to do is something I don't come across often enough to even wear out the drive train. So, it sits a lot of the time until Winter comes and it makes a ton of sense for what? Two weeks? Maybe, if we are lucky, that's the sort of Winter we get. Now, that all may change this Winter, but I am not holding my breath.

And if I needed a bike with lots of flotation? Well, there are bikes I could get now that have more than I'd ever need, but why bother when I've got all I need? It is a conundrum and so the Blackborow DS sits most of the year until those days when it snows a lot and trails get groomed. Then the bike makes a ton of sense and I have a blast on it. It does the thing and it does it well. I really don't need to look anywhere else.

Thinking About Winter

Like it or not, there is a season coming soon called "Winter". I put that in quotation marks because what I used to know as 'that season' is not like what I know Winter as now. There has been a change, and maybe what I used to expect can no longer be banked upon going forward.

I'm not going to delve into the whole climate change thing here. You know Winter is not like what it used to be like if you are over the age of 40. Winter used to be a solid four months of snow, ice, and sub-freezing temperatures. Not anymore......

Last year was a typical, for modern times, Winter where we had like four weeks of snow, two "big" snow storms, and the rest of it was "Brown Season". Too cold and windy to do much country riding, but not snowy and cold enough to do any fat biking worth getting the fat bike out for. Yes.....things may have been vastly different where you live, but here in Iowa? Winters mean something completely different than they used to mean in the days of yore. Maybe we'll cycle around back to that sort of Winter and maybe I'll be eating these words in late December. But I bet that won't be the case.

Last December. Cold enough for pogies - No snow to be seen anywhere!

Well, whatever happens, I probably should get on top of things by maintaining my Ti Muk and Blackborow DS just in case. I need to peel off the 26" x 4" Cake Eater tires and clean out the old sealant, refresh the sealant, and then see to changing out the oil in the Rohloff hub. 

The Blackborow DS probably just needs air in the tires. I think I rode that bike once or twice, at most, last Winter. I feel bad about even owning that bike because it doesn't hardly ever get used anymore. I just do not need a fat bike with the capabilities of the Blackborow if Winter is but a whimper again and again. I almost sold the BLackborow in 2021, but you know "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. 

And this is how I feel about Winter. It is an "almost, but not quite" season anymore these days. Why even have fat bikes? I probably could do with a stout 29"er with 2.8" tires all Winter if all we see are flurries and the occasional dump big enough to make a snowman from. 

Ha! Do you suppose I've jinxed myself, perhaps? Nah......I don't believe in such nonsense. If we get a Winter, well then huzzah! If not, well then - Same ol' - same ol'......

Thinking About Some Blog Stuff

 A commenter late in December triggered a few thoughts concerning this blog when they said something to the effect that "You've written on this and other similar subjects on the blog here before". 

That got me to thinking. With this blog nearly at 7000 posts (!!!) there are a lot of subjects that I've written about already and which my commentary for is still relevant. In other words, I am at risk of repeating myself daily here to a much higher degree than ever. 

I've been a little diligent in some areas by compiling series or subjects into their own pages. (Trans Iowa Stories, Drop Bar Articles) That said, more might need to be done there to make referencing for me and others a bit easier to do. 

I may be doing some house-cleaning in along those lines this year. But since the "GTDRI Stories" is winding up soon, (and should be getting its own page as well), I thought a Sunday series based on topics might be good, and it would be a post with a lot of links and serve as a kind of portal to those similar posts done in the past. I could just tell you to search a term in the search box (upper left corner by the Blogger icon), but who is going to do that? No one.... 

I also have to do a back-up of this entire blog on a hard drive or to the "cloud", but I could use some advice on that, so if any of you have suggestions, just hit me up in the comments or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com.

Nearing the start of the 20th year of blogging here in May, so I wanted to tidy things up around here. It would be a shame to have all this go "poof!" and not have it backed up anywhere easily accessible. 

Any other comments on these subjects? Let me know.....

Garage Sale:

Just thought I'd post a few things that will be going up on the Garage Sale Page soon. If you are interested in any of the following items, this is your early-bird notice before I go and post these on the page and elsewhere for sale. 

This will mostly be wheels. I have a pair of carbon Irwin GX 35 650B carbon wheels (one shown in the image here), a pair of Easton EA70 AX aluminum 700c wheels, a pair of HED Eroica (Now called Emporia) wheels in 700c, and a pair of WTB Proterra wheels in 700c. E-mail me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com for prices. They will be very good deals. Shipping to lower 48 only will be extra. Prefer PayPal payment unless you are local.  

I am also considering strongly selling my Blackborow DS as shown here. (Yes, the pogies would be included) This would be best sold locally,as shipping this would be prohibitively expensive. 

It's been upgraded where it matters as far as I was concerned. I only swapped out the handle v=bar for a Carbon Jones H Bar and the seat post is a Thomson. Otherwise I have only had to install a new chain, (fresh, zero miles on it) and that's it. 

This won't be cheap, but I will sell it for a reasonable price. Again, I'm not interested in shipping it. I'll hang on to it rather than do that at this point, but someone that will ride it more than I do should have this bike. 

That's about all for now. Thanks for reading G-Ted Productions!

Getting Set For Fat Biking Season

The Blackborow DS on my test run.

Well, sooner than later Winter is going to show up. At least for a bit, and I wanted to be ready for it when it does. So, I did some maintenance and tweaking on two of my three fat bikes over the last weekend. 

My dedicated, max-flotation device is the Salsa Blackborow DS. I have essentially done zero maintenance on this bike since I got it in 2014. The one thing I needed to do was to swap out the chain, which had finally worn out and had finally shown signs of rusting. Pretty remarkable seeing as how I almost never rode this bike unless it was going through rain, mud, flooded waters, or snow. 

During my maintenace on the chain, I checked the bottom bracket, (good!), and the rear wheel bearings, (also good!),and did some deep cleaning. The two stainless steel cogs were showing some signs of discoloration, but that is typical of Surly's single speed cogs. The chain rings, also stainless and Surly branded, cleaned up slick as a whistle. 

The original chain was a KMC 99 model, (no onger in production), so I used a new KMC 9 speed chain I had here anyway. Stripped of its shipping lube, which was easy, since it was so light, I then added DuMonde Tech lube. We will see how that fares in the snow!

A better look at those Revelate pogies.

The really cool deal here is that I finally got these rare Revelate Jones H-Bar specific pogies on this bike. These came out in late 2015 but they were insanely expensive and not many people bought them. So they weren't made for very long. 

I got them because they were gifted to me by the former owner of the Ti Muk 2. I promptly stored them and well.....I finally found them again! So on those went and they are fantastic! These are really well made and they should keep the cold out quite nicely. 

They are huge, but they do not impinge on the ability to use all the Jones H-Bar positions. So, that explains their profile. The hand gaskets are a nice touch and very easy to get in and out from. There are even venting zippers in front which are those waterproofed, weather-proofed ones. Expensive stuff here. I can completely see why these are not made anymore.It's definitely a typically well-built and designed Revelate product with zero compromises. But that makes the price sky-high, and added in with the small niche market these would have and well..... Ya know? It's not hard to figure it out. 

But there it is. My Blackborow DS ready for deep Winter and snow. 

The Ti Muk 2

The Ti Muk 2 didn't need much, but I did need to fashion a new rear fender for it. I ended up using a front Mud shovel and with a few minor modifications t went on very nicely. The previously reviewed Old Man Mountain Juniper Trunk bag is on the rack and will serve as a place to stow the ubiquitous mammoth-sized fat bike tube, and maybe some changes of clothes or a hot Thermos of chicken soup.

So, that bike is ready, and it probably will be my main commuter rig, along with being my "normal conditions" fat bike choice. And what of the other fat bike I have? Well, that will be getting a major refresh and you will all just have to sit tight to see what happens there.

Bikes Of 2023: The Salsa Cycles Blackborow DS

It's another December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2023. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  

As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up. 

The Blackborow DS from last January.

This is my fat bike that originally was intended for commutes back and forth all Winter to the old bicycle shop I used to work at. I had become tired of replacing drive train bits on various commuter bikes I had been using due to the chemical stew that is part and pacel of Winter riding in the snow on city streets. That stuff eats metal like crazy. This Blackborow DS, with its "two-speed" single speed drive train, or "dinglespeed" as it is known as, was all made from stainless steel and rust-resistant parts. Perfect for that commute.

However; now I have an even better option with my Ti Muk 2, and so this bike has become my "extreme Winter" bike which only sees use anymore during those times when the conditions demand ultimate flotation. 

Essentially,this bike is pretty stock with only two major upgrades since I purchased it about ten years ago. That's saying a LOT for me, because usually there is nothing left stock on a bike if it's been around here that long except the frame! I have a carbon Jones H Bar for a handle bar here and over the past year, at some point, I put on a Thompson post with a WTB Volt saddle.

New to this bike soon will be a set of proper pogies. I got my Ti Muk 2 back in 2018, when a bunch of you blog readers, acquaintances, and good friends bought me most of that bike from its former owner, Sam. Well, when I went to pick it up, Sam threw in a set of super-rare Revelate pogies custom made for Jones H Bars. I set those aside when I got home, because it was Summertime, and promptly forgot all about them. 

Whilst digging through some of my squirreled away stuff looking for something else entirely I came across them. So, now they will go on there and probably won't be coming off, since I rarely, if ever, will ride this bike in any other weather but Winter snow and cold.

Friday News And Views

It's been 9 years now....

Blackborow DS Nine Year Anniversary:

Those Facebook memories posts sure come in handy some days! Just this week I was reminded of my acquisition of a new fat bike. The Blackborow DS.

A lot of people were stoked about the Forest Service Green color, the very fat tires on 100mm rims, and thought the "dingle-speed" drive train was neat. That said, I don't see many images of these and when I do, they are almost always geared now. 

The dingle-speed bit was genius, I thought, after I had it awhile, and I would never gear this bike. It came from a specific idea: Beach riding in Alaska. Of course, that makes sense, but obviously, not many people would care for this set-up. So I completely understand the conversions to geared set-ups that people have done to these. 

My Blackborow DS is relatively unchanged. I did put a carbon Jones H-Bar on it, but that's about it. Otherwise it is stock, as delivered, and I still have the flat bar it came with along with the lock-on grips. There really is no reason to change much here. This bike is nearly perfect. Perfect for the specific job it is meant for, that is. And for what I want out of it, so there is that as well.

There is an image here posted from the day I received it and built it up. It started snowing around here shortly afterward and 2014 was a pretty decent Winter for fat biking. Not as good as some years, but not terrible. I do remember taking this out on Thanksgiving morning in some fresh snow and having an awesome ride.

I'll have more to say about this bike in my upcoming, end-of-year "Bikes of 2023" posts, which start in a couple of weeks or so. Stay tuned....

GCN App, GCN+ To Shutter In December:

News broke on Wednesday morning this week that the GCN App and GCN+ Network of cycling racing content was shutting down on December 19th. (Read GCN's statement HERE) 

Apparently this was a decision based upon the parent company of GCN, Warner Brothers Discovery. Coverage of Pro racing will continue on Eurosport TV and Discovery+. No plans for how GCN+ viewers in the US can see coverage have been announced yet. 

Comments: I do not watch Pro racing at all, since I am not interested in it much. I'll read about racing, but watching it, a lot of times, is less than exciting. But hey! Some people love it and this news may be a big bummer for some. According to the comments I've seen, there is a fair amount of dismay because many felt that, in the four years that GCN was covering Pro racing, that they did a really great job. Apparently Eurosport and Discovery+ are "too commercialized" and rife with content cycling fans do not want to see.

How's Your Inbox Doing?

If your inbox for email is anything like mine, your inbox is getting pummeled with sales announcements. The discounting pre-Black Friday is already pretty amazing. What will it be like a week from now? 40% off? Half off? 

I did get one email from a well-known UK based purveyor of cycling gear with offers of "up to 60% off" already. It's crazy, and I won't be surprised to see that some others match that, or come close to it.

While you may be numb to all of this, I want to remind everyone that this sort of deep discounting is unprecedented and generally in the realm of a "going out of business sale. Not a Holiday promotion level of discounting. 

So, I will be very surprised if we don't see companies announcing closures, sales/consolidations, or bankruptcies going into 2024. Especially if consumer apathy toward buying continues. I will also be super-surprised if we see anything coming close to these sorts of discounts again for a long time. 

We will see soon enough......

Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bicycle Co.

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. Announces New Flared Drop Bar:

On Wednesday of this past week, Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. dropped a new handle bar. Called the Big Dipper Bar, it is a wide, flared drop bar designed for their Stargazer bicycle which is a bikepacking bike. 

The bar is notable for its width at a starting point of 51cm! There are three widths available: 51cm, 54cm, and a 57cm. The other notable dimension here is the reach, which is a very minimal 50mm. (Measured from the stem clamp area) 

Flared at 20°, the bar should provide copious amounts of arm/wrist clearance when in the drops. The 385 (claimed weight) bar is available in a black anodized finish for now with a polished silver option to come. Price is set at $115.00USD.

Comments: I'd gotten wind of this handlebar's imminent appearance back in early October. It is a specific purpose bar in that it is wide enough to have a bar bag nestle between the hoods and it does require a short stem in most cases to accommodate that wider stance on the hoods. 

My widest drop bar that I've ever used is the Ragley Luxy Bar which is about 60cm where I have my hands in the drops on those wildly swept extensions. So, I guess a wider hoods placement is okay. But the Luxy Bar hoods position is 44cm, so that's quite a lot of variance between hand positions with that bar. Of course, you wouldn't have all that bar bag space with a Luxy as you would with a Big Dipper Bar. 

Tumbleweed sent me this 54cm wide Big Dipper Bar to review

I just received a 54cm version of this handlebar for review. (Standard Disclaimer) So, I'll have my thoughts about this handle bar coming up for you soon. I've never tried one of these wider flared drops like the PNW one or this new Tumbleweed offering. I understand that the shorter reach is supposed to help with the width, and as I stated, I already am somewhat used to "wide" in terms of hand position with the Luxy Bar. This handle bar is going on my Singular Gryphon Mk3 for now. Stay tuned....

That's all for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Fall Schedule

It's August and that means Fall is coming soon. The days will be shorter, the temperatures will be cooler, and it will be what is possibly my most favorite time of the year to ride. So, with that in mind I am taking this day to make a post about what I expect to be doing through the Fall here. 

So, August: There will be no planned events since I work on Saturdays and I am pretty much the only option for an employee on that day. Getting a stand in is possible, but things don't go well with my assistant, nor with the shop in general, if I am not there on Saturdays. So, no events for me. 

My open day for adventure is going to be Friday, and maybe Thursdays, so some time away from the house and opportunities for longer rides do exist there. That's when I am planning to fit in any century ride, sub24 trip, or the like. Again, things like nails in car tires and other life happenings can, and probably will, rear their ugly heads during this time, so no guarantees. And weather, as always, is the wildcard. 

But, I am ready for both a longer ride, possibly a century, and the sub24 ride. I can be out of the house with a minimum of notice, so, if the opportunity arises, I'm gone. Stay tuned on any of of that.  Besides these things being possibilities, I have pre-Winter maintenance to attend to. In fact, I've already started it.

First in the stand for maintenance was the Blackborow DS

The above image from Winter 2023 may have been the last time I've ridden the Blackborow DS because when I drug it out for maintenance it was set up exactly as shown there. Well, here is the deal with this bike. It needs a new chain, since the Rustbuster chain it came with in 2014 is about shot. No surprise there.

But other than that? Not much other than some accessorizing. Through a set of strange and unfortunate circumstances, I ended up in possession of a set of 45NRTH pogies that will be going on this bike. They will replace the big, overgrown ATV pogies I've had since 2011. 

I also came into possession of a Thomson seat post in the correct size and I attached a WTB Volt saddle to that. A bit lighter than the stock set up I've run on the bike since 2014. I still may do a set of wheels for this bike, but that has been pushed back by the next project/update which will be happening soon.

Gonna get rid of that lean.

I use the Big Dummy on a fairly regular basis as a bike to haul our orders for the Cedar Valley Biccyle Collective and as a hauler for recycling stuff from G-Ted Headquarters. This has brought up the single most glaring weakness of the bike, ts kickstand. 

To load this bike with a single legged kickstand is a very dicey thing to do if the loads are heavy, big, or both. You have to have a level, solid surface to work from, hopefully no wind, and the load has to be carefully placed before you secure it or all hell breaks loose. It's not an easy task to load this rig. 

That all will go away when I get the dual-legged Surly kickstand this week. Stay tuned for more on that to come.

I have to fab up a new rear fender flap-thingie for the Ti Muk, (or should this be called a Ti Heyday! ? - more on that later this week....) I also have to re-up the tubeless sealant and this one will likely be fine to go through another Winter. Plus, it may be a candidate for a fat Tire Century, if I can ever get around to it, that is. 

Anyway, that's it for this update on the schedule for Fall. I'll be playing it by ear, mostly, as opportunities to ride longer, more focused rides will happen more spontaneously than ever before here.

Fall Schedule

It's August and that means Fall is coming soon. The days will be shorter, the temperatures will be cooler, and it will be what is possibly my most favorite time of the year to ride. So, with that in mind I am taking this day to make a post about what I expect to be doing through the Fall here. 

So, August: There will be no planned events since I work on Saturdays and I am pretty much the only option for an employee on that day. Getting a stand in is possible, but things don't go well with my assistant, nor with the shop in general, if I am not there on Saturdays. So, no events for me. 

My open day for adventure is going to be Friday, and maybe Thursdays, so some time away from the house and opportunities for longer rides do exist there. That's when I am planning to fit in any century ride, sub24 trip, or the like. Again, things like nails in car tires and other life happenings can, and probably will, rear their ugly heads during this time, so no guarantees. And weather, as always, is the wildcard. 

But, I am ready for both a longer ride, possibly a century, and the sub24 ride. I can be out of the house with a minimum of notice, so, if the opportunity arises, I'm gone. Stay tuned on any of of that.  Besides these things being possibilities, I have pre-Winter maintenance to attend to. In fact, I've already started it.

First in the stand for maintenance was the Blackborow DS

The above image from Winter 2023 may have been the last time I've ridden the Blackborow DS because when I drug it out for maintenance it was set up exactly as shown there. Well, here is the deal with this bike. It needs a new chain, since the Rustbuster chain it came with in 2014 is about shot. No surprise there.

But other than that? Not much other than some accessorizing. Through a set of strange and unfortunate circumstances, I ended up in possession of a set of 45NRTH pogies that will be going on this bike. They will replace the big, overgrown ATV pogies I've had since 2011. 

I also came into possession of a Thomson seat post in the correct size and I attached a WTB Volt saddle to that. A bit lighter than the stock set up I've run on the bike since 2014. I still may do a set of wheels for this bike, but that has been pushed back by the next project/update which will be happening soon.

Gonna get rid of that lean.

I use the Big Dummy on a fairly regular basis as a bike to haul our orders for the Cedar Valley Biccyle Collective and as a hauler for recycling stuff from G-Ted Headquarters. This has brought up the single most glaring weakness of the bike, ts kickstand. 

To load this bike with a single legged kickstand is a very dicey thing to do if the loads are heavy, big, or both. You have to have a level, solid surface to work from, hopefully no wind, and the load has to be carefully placed before you secure it or all hell breaks loose. It's not an easy task to load this rig. 

That all will go away when I get the dual-legged Surly kickstand this week. Stay tuned for more on that to come.

I have to fab up a new rear fender flap-thingie for the Ti Muk, (or should this be called a Ti Heyday! ? - more on that later this week....) I also have to re-up the tubeless sealant and this one will likely be fine to go through another Winter. Plus, it may be a candidate for a fat Tire Century, if I can ever get around to it, that is. 

Anyway, that's it for this update on the schedule for Fall. I'll be playing it by ear, mostly, as opportunities to ride longer, more focused rides will happen more spontaneously than ever before here.

Winter Views: Taking Advantage

Following the "trail" left by some yahoos.

 We recently have gone through one of those classic post-snowstorm cold snaps that the Mid-West is famous for. After receiving about 8 inches of "sugar-snow" (not good for fat biking due to lower moisture content), we then went down a slide of the mercury sort to reach a low of -20 on Tuesday morning. 

That was at 6:00am in the morning. By about 1:00 pm we had climbed to be at 12 degrees above zero. 1 chose not to do much of any riding until we got to Tuesday afternoon as a result.

I decided to plunk around a local cemetery I live near and it turned out to be that it was a good decision. The caretakers decided not to plow every single pathway in the place, so that left opportunities to test my fat bike handling and pedaling skills in deeper snow. Plus, apparently it afforded a yahoo or two to test their vehicle around near the perimeter of the property. 

I discovered the tracks leading off a plowed section and heading off in the direction of the back end of the property. i decided to follow them to see where they came out on the other side, because I did not note any tracks where, traditionally, you would exit on the others side. Or was that where they entered? I don't know.... Off I went!

It turned out that I was not mistaken and that this vehicle had turned around with about 100 yards to go and went back the way they had come. So, I decided to power on through. Knowing speed was my friend, I hammered my way across and I actually cleared the virgin gap of snow without dabbing. That was good. 

It's been a good little stretch for fat biking, with the exception of the cold snap. However; it looks like we may have warmer than freezing temperatures for an extended period of days, and that might change things for the worse, especially with a higher Sun angle now. 

Spring..... Coming Soon!

Winter Views: Taking Advantage

Following the "trail" left by some yahoos.

 We recently have gone through one of those classic post-snowstorm cold snaps that the Mid-West is famous for. After receiving about 8 inches of "sugar-snow" (not good for fat biking due to lower moisture content), we then went down a slide of the mercury sort to reach a low of -20 on Tuesday morning. 

That was at 6:00am in the morning. By about 1:00 pm we had climbed to be at 12 degrees above zero. 1 chose not to do much of any riding until we got to Tuesday afternoon as a result.

I decided to plunk around a local cemetery I live near and it turned out to be that it was a good decision. The caretakers decided not to plow every single pathway in the place, so that left opportunities to test my fat bike handling and pedaling skills in deeper snow. Plus, apparently it afforded a yahoo or two to test their vehicle around near the perimeter of the property. 

I discovered the tracks leading off a plowed section and heading off in the direction of the back end of the property. i decided to follow them to see where they came out on the other side, because I did not note any tracks where, traditionally, you would exit on the others side. Or was that where they entered? I don't know.... Off I went!

It turned out that I was not mistaken and that this vehicle had turned around with about 100 yards to go and went back the way they had come. So, I decided to power on through. Knowing speed was my friend, I hammered my way across and I actually cleared the virgin gap of snow without dabbing. That was good. 

It's been a good little stretch for fat biking, with the exception of the cold snap. However; it looks like we may have warmer than freezing temperatures for an extended period of days, and that might change things for the worse, especially with a higher Sun angle now. 

Spring..... Coming Soon!

Winter Views: Wonderland Ride

We don't often get conditions like these.

We had another snow storm last week that was quite unusual for a January snow storm. In fact, it felt a lot more like something that would have occurred late in February, or even better- early in March. A snowstorm which occurred at the freezing mark for temperatures. 

January has been atypically warmer than usual. Not by a lot, maybe more December-ish than it would be on a typical year. Nothing crazy like we've seen for short moments during past Januarys where it has been in the 50's for a day or two max, then it goes back to under zero or near to that with below zero nights for weeks. 

Last week it had been so warm everyday that almost every iota of snow we had was melted and gone. Then the weather folks were ballyhooing this big snow event with "six to ten inches of snow' which was to fall overnight Wednesday into Thursday. It snowed alright, but only maybe four inches of thick, heavy snow which, due to the high temperatures it fell at, stuck to every tree, wire, and pole it hit. 

This left behind a "Winter Wonderland" effect where every branch on every branching thing was coated with a thick covering of snow. Since there was little to no wind associated with the storm, or its aftermath, this stayed in effect for more than a few hours. Typically when we see this sort of thing it is gone right away the same day. That I could wait until Friday, when it was colder and the snow had set up to ride, was a big-time luxury.

It was colder than it had been, but not bad. 20 degrees is fine for riding fat bikes, and due to the high moisture content of the snow we got, it was easily rideable even without grooming. That said, anywhere there had been compaction it made the snow as fast, or maybe faster on a fat bike, than pavement. It was fun yet still a challenge. 

There is a road here, a two-track. (The downed tree is laying across it)

A view of the recently completed "bridge" on the Sergeant Road bike path. HWY 63 is in the background.

I plunked and trundled along for a bit longer than an hour. Got my heart rate way up there a couple of times! It was fun to actually have fat biking in great snow as opposed to the last snow we had which was all drifted in snow. That stuff is like riding through hour glass sand. No consistency or stability to that sort of snow. This high-moisture content snow is far more fun on a fat bike. 

This might stick around for a while as well since it is not supposed to get too warm for a while. I doubt the "frosting" will stay once the Sun reappears for any stretch of time, but this was a lot of fun to ride through and experience for me. Like I said, this is rare here and this probably won't happen again anytime soon.

Winter Views: Wonderland Ride

We don't often get conditions like these.

We had another snow storm last week that was quite unusual for a January snow storm. In fact, it felt a lot more like something that would have occurred late in February, or even better- early in March. A snowstorm which occurred at the freezing mark for temperatures. 

January has been atypically warmer than usual. Not by a lot, maybe more December-ish than it would be on a typical year. Nothing crazy like we've seen for short moments during past Januarys where it has been in the 50's for a day or two max, then it goes back to under zero or near to that with below zero nights for weeks. 

Last week it had been so warm everyday that almost every iota of snow we had was melted and gone. Then the weather folks were ballyhooing this big snow event with "six to ten inches of snow' which was to fall overnight Wednesday into Thursday. It snowed alright, but only maybe four inches of thick, heavy snow which, due to the high temperatures it fell at, stuck to every tree, wire, and pole it hit. 

This left behind a "Winter Wonderland" effect where every branch on every branching thing was coated with a thick covering of snow. Since there was little to no wind associated with the storm, or its aftermath, this stayed in effect for more than a few hours. Typically when we see this sort of thing it is gone right away the same day. That I could wait until Friday, when it was colder and the snow had set up to ride, was a big-time luxury.

It was colder than it had been, but not bad. 20 degrees is fine for riding fat bikes, and due to the high moisture content of the snow we got, it was easily rideable even without grooming. That said, anywhere there had been compaction it made the snow as fast, or maybe faster on a fat bike, than pavement. It was fun yet still a challenge. 

There is a road here, a two-track. (The downed tree is laying across it)

A view of the recently completed "bridge" on the Sergeant Road bike path. HWY 63 is in the background.

I plunked and trundled along for a bit longer than an hour. Got my heart rate way up there a couple of times! It was fun to actually have fat biking in great snow as opposed to the last snow we had which was all drifted in snow. That stuff is like riding through hour glass sand. No consistency or stability to that sort of snow. This high-moisture content snow is far more fun on a fat bike. 

This might stick around for a while as well since it is not supposed to get too warm for a while. I doubt the "frosting" will stay once the Sun reappears for any stretch of time, but this was a lot of fun to ride through and experience for me. Like I said, this is rare here and this probably won't happen again anytime soon.

Bikes Of 2022: The Blackborow DS

It's the end of the year and time to review what's up with the bikes I used over the course of 2022. You'll get a brief overview, any changes made, and what the future has in store for each bike listed. Enjoy!

I mentioned it earlier in November in a post on this bike, but I almost sold this thing at the end of 2021. It was really a pretty close call as I thought that the potential buyer was all-in on the deal. I guess that now that a year has passed since that time I can honestly say that I am happy that I did not sell the bike.

The Blackborow DS is so simple and durable that I haven't had to do a whole lot to it. I did have one major-ish change during 2022 to it though. That was that I removed the Anything Cage HD's from the fork legs. 

Those had been on there since....2014? I think so, anyway, and so for most of the time I've run this bike, those have been a feature of it. But other than that? Yeah, I switched out to that carbon Jones Bar at one point, but otherwise this bike just keeps plugging along.

 

No major changes foreseen here.

This bike is really a specialist bike. I only use it when the snow gets to be too much for the other bikes and with two other fat bikes around that takes a LOT to get to the point where I think I need 4.8" skins. But when you do? That's why I have this bike. 

I keep waiting for the press fit bottom bracket in this bike to start giving me an issue, but so far, so good. Honestly, that's pretty amazing for what this bike has been through. That chain probably could go away and a new one could be installed, furthering the lifespan of the chain rings and cogs, but for as little as this gets used, I'm in no big hurry to get to that. I think the bottom bracket will go out first, honestly, and then I'll swap out the chain at that time. 

If I had disposable cash, I'd look into carbon rims for this, but that is but a pipe dream at this point. I do know it would make a huge difference in how the bike performed though. So, it would be a good thing to do, but the expense for the amount of time I use this bike? That doesn't make sense to me. 

More "Bikes of 2022" soon.

Bikes Of 2022: The Blackborow DS

It's the end of the year and time to review what's up with the bikes I used over the course of 2022. You'll get a brief overview, any changes made, and what the future has in store for each bike listed. Enjoy!

I mentioned it earlier in November in a post on this bike, but I almost sold this thing at the end of 2021. It was really a pretty close call as I thought that the potential buyer was all-in on the deal. I guess that now that a year has passed since that time I can honestly say that I am happy that I did not sell the bike.

The Blackborow DS is so simple and durable that I haven't had to do a whole lot to it. I did have one major-ish change during 2022 to it though. That was that I removed the Anything Cage HD's from the fork legs. 

Those had been on there since....2014? I think so, anyway, and so for most of the time I've run this bike, those have been a feature of it. But other than that? Yeah, I switched out to that carbon Jones Bar at one point, but otherwise this bike just keeps plugging along.

 

No major changes foreseen here.

This bike is really a specialist bike. I only use it when the snow gets to be too much for the other bikes and with two other fat bikes around that takes a LOT to get to the point where I think I need 4.8" skins. But when you do? That's why I have this bike. 

I keep waiting for the press fit bottom bracket in this bike to start giving me an issue, but so far, so good. Honestly, that's pretty amazing for what this bike has been through. That chain probably could go away and a new one could be installed, furthering the lifespan of the chain rings and cogs, but for as little as this gets used, I'm in no big hurry to get to that. I think the bottom bracket will go out first, honestly, and then I'll swap out the chain at that time. 

If I had disposable cash, I'd look into carbon rims for this, but that is but a pipe dream at this point. I do know it would make a huge difference in how the bike performed though. So, it would be a good thing to do, but the expense for the amount of time I use this bike? That doesn't make sense to me. 

More "Bikes of 2022" soon.

Well, Now This

Snowy commute

So, yeah.... When it snows here the whole dynamic of my cycling here changes. The air temperature dives, it gets windy, and that's certainly part of it as well. But snow, that's a whole different thing. 

I certainly will, and I have in the past, cycle in snow on snowy roads out in the country. But I won't if it gets icy, and then you've got that aforementioned wind and weather. It gets where conditions are rare for a safe, fun ride. I'm at a point in life where I've got nothing to prove to anyone. If things get bad out there in the Winter, well, I could go riding, but I don't have to do that. Why? There is no reason to. 

What I did have to do was to make sure my bikes are ready for Winter and that they have the proper set up. I have already detailed the light thing for Ti Mukluk 2. But I have two other fat bikes and those have to be gotten ready to go. 

I decided to roll out the Blackborow DS for sprucing up for this Winter. It didn't need much, to be honest. It's such a simple bike. I almost didn't have it this year to have to spruce it up. 

Last year I was in a place at about this time of the year that I knew I was out of a job. The pandemic pretty much put a stranglehold on the shop at the time and product was hard to come by to sell. That made it so that Andy decided to call it quits. And I was looking at not having any income for the Winter. But I have three fat bikes, so.....

The Blackborow DS is all ready to roll into 2023.

So I thought about selling the Blackborow DS. I almost had it sold, but the guy didn't bite in the end. I was disappointed, but another opportunity came along and I received some unexpected help so everything worked out for the best. But it almost happened.

So, two fat bikes out of the three are set to go, but look- We just got started with Winter here. Maybe things will swing back the other way and I'll be riding the gravel bikes again soon. Hard to say. But it's good to be ready for this- What we have going on right now.