Nicky Brooks: Saved

Nicky Brooks before restoration....

 You may remember a "Two Things" post recently where I showed an old Brooks saddle I was going to restore. Well, this post will cover the results of the restoration and what I did to achieve the results I got. 

If you missed the first post I have an image here of the "before" and you can go re-read the post HERE in case you feel so inclined.  

This saddle wasn't in too bad a shape, really. I dusted it off and cleaned up the rust from the frame. Then I applied Proofide, Brooks' own product for preserving and restoration of Brooks leather saddles, and I applied a good amount on top and underneath. I worked it in with a clean, dry cloth and then I let that marinate for several days. 

Once I was convinced the Proofide was dry enough, I hit the saddle with a rag, polishing it up, and then finished that off with a shoe-shine brush. I took my Dremel tool and cleaned up those risty rivets, (they are indeed silver) , and I got this result......

 

I also tensioned it up, just a touch, because whomever rode it previous to the saddle falling into my hands had sagged the top,out a bit. I maybe only put a few turns on the adjusting nut, but it seemed to straighten up the shape a bit. Then I had to find a seat post, mount Nicky Brooks to it, and slide that post into my Karate Monkey to go for a test ride. 

I used a Salsa seat post, the one designed by Ross Shafer. It is, to my way of thinking, the smartest seat post design ever. So easy to use. And it is strong. It is too bad this design has been shelved by QBP. 

So, there you go! Nicky Brooks has been saved. Now it is time to get some miles on this saddle and see how it holds up. It sure is nice to start out with a broken in Brooks saddle! And I think it looks the part on the Karate Monkey since the saddle is nicked up a bit, just like the bike is.  

Brooks B-72 Update

 The Brooks saddle restoration process has finally reached its end. I had one thing I wanted to address before I rode it since my last update on this project.

My waiting to ride this was based upon my fears that the skirts of the B-72, which were sticking nearly straight out when I started working on this saddle, would still be prone to flaring outward once I sat on the thing to ride with it. The softness of the leather was another reason for this fear.

Well, fear not! There is a remedy for this issue and it is called "tying", or more commonly as "lacing" a Brooks saddle. This is a process where one punches holes into the skirt of the saddle and then you simply lace a cord through these holes to draw in the skirts and prevent them from bowing outward.

It is a common practice with owners of Brooks saddles and I was able to find a lot of resources to learn from concerning this practice. I won't bother linking to any single source here as there is a lot of references to this practice and if you are reading this you can Google just as well as I can!

I was somewhat in luck here as I had purchased a leather punch to alter my belts with a few years ago. So, I had the perfect tool for making the holes, but I did not have any good laces to use. Cotton sneaker laces would work, but as one might expect, these will deteriorate over time and are not an ideal lace for a Brooks saddle. Not in my estimation, at any rate.

I don't get around like I used to without a car these days, so when my daughter needed new work shoes I begged to ride along as my son drove us over to the shoe store. (Yes, they still exists!) I found a pair of nice, beefy, round laces for hiking boots which are made to resist decay. I could have waxed them before I installed the cord, but I went ahead and put it in raw for the time being.

I had given thought to getting leather laces, but the shoe store did not have any, and I would have to wait to order those, so I chose to go with the round laces I had found there. Then it was time to go home and actually start punching holes.

The B-72 presented a bit of a challenge here as I had to consider how the lace would cross over from side to side underneath the saddle. I had to avoid the two saddle rails on each side and the big, traditional bolt/clam shell seat post clamp.

Once I had determined where underneath I could go with the lace, I then had to decide how many holes I needed to do the job well. After squeezing and poking for about ten minutes I had determined where I would want the lace to draw the skirts together to get the saddle to hold its shape. 

B-72 meets leather punch

 

The results.

I marked out the approximate places I wanted to punch out holes at and then I went for it. This was the "now or never" moment of commitment. I wasn't too worried as I have stated before - This saddle was junk when I got it. Any way to make it usable again was a "win", so screwing this up was an option I was ready to accept if and when it happens. Of course, I hope it does not come to this, but I am fine if it does, as I will have learned a lot about the process of restoring a Brooks leather saddle.

And now for the finished product.....

So, this saddle is kind of an odd feeling saddle. It is wider than almost anything else I've used in a while. It seems to support my weight just fine, and this is good as the adjuster nut is all the way to the loose side, so I can tension this up as needed. I just did a quickie ride, so I cannot really comment any further on the ride.

The seat post is in an unusual material, being made from aluminum, is very light weight, and fluted on the inside. I would love to keep it on here, but it seems to be a tad too short as I have the minimum insertion line still sticking out above the seat collar a good three millimeters or more. Not good! 

So, since this needs a headless seat post shaft and most seat posts of this sort I see are chrome steel, it may be a while before I come up with a solution which is serviceable for the Karate Monkey, at least. Now if I could only talk my machinist son into turning one down in aluminum for me......  

Two Things

 Saving Brooks:

Well, as I wrote some time ago now, I have been working to save this Brooks B-72 saddle from the edge of dry-rot oblivion.  It has been quite the process with multiple applications of Proofide and some rudimentary 'blocking' attempts to bring back some semblance of form to the formerly dried out chunk of cow hide.

The results are encouraging so far. I have been letting the saddle sit to dry out some, with occasional buffings. I also have to finish up taking care of the undercarriage, now that things are looking as though this activity will be worthwhile to do. 

Now, this might be the hardest part of all - What bike do I put this on? Plus, because this saddle uses a dual rail design, a sandwich clamp is used, which means I have to use a headless seat post. This limits how I can use the saddle, but fortunately I happen to know a place that has an alloy 27.2mm headless seat post on hand.

The B-72 requires an application where the rider sits more upright, so my gravel bikes are out, and probably so are my three fat bikes, which don't make sense anyway from the standpoint of cold, wet weather usage. Yeah, this may be something for someone else, but I would like to enjoy the 'fruit of my labors' for a little bit! 

 

Still work to do under here....

The cracks did not go away, but they are only in the upper layer or two of the hide, so I think this should work out fine, although it doesn't look 100% great. There is evidence here and there which I noted while restoring this saddle which leads me to believe it was originally black in color. If I am correct, then the condition I found this saddle in is even more remarkable as it did not look black at all when I saw it first. Far from it! I thought it was a honey colored saddle at first.

Well, whatever color it was when new, I am about ready to ride this saddle and see how it feels. Stay tuned for this and more about the saddle soon.

Buzzard's Beginnings:

I mentioned the 'crazy idea' I had on Monday and I started to act on it yesterday. My first order of business was to tear down the fat bike wheel with the 135OLD single speed rear hub laced to it and tear down the original Velocity Dually wheel for the rim.

The Dually still had the On One Chunky Monkey 29" x 2.4" tire mounted to it, so I had to remove this, the tape, and the valve stem to gain access to the spoke nipples. When I tore off the tubeless valve tape, I revealed the Velocity build sticker, which they sign and date when the wheel was built and by whom.

I had forgotten how long ago this wheel came to me! 2013! That seems like a long time ago now. I wonder if "Austin" still works at Velocity USA. Anyway...

Once I get everything apart, I can measure the hub, throw the ERD and all the other pertinent data into the wheel spoke calculator, press "Calculate", and then find out if I have the proper spokes or no. By the way, I forgot the original spokes Velocity used in this build are bladed. Hopefully I can reuse some of those.

Brakes will be next up after this, and then a bunch of smaller details. I won't do the eccentric right away. I want to do a 'proof of concept' ride or three after my initial build is complete to see how the bike handles and all.Then, if I am satisfied the bike handles well, I will order the eccentric and install the thing. But if this fails, I will go a completely different direction. We will see... 

I should have an update on this one soon. 
 

It's A Revival

 Not long ago I saw a bike come into the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective which, as is the case with many of our donated bicycles, was a bike that had been sitting dormant for probably decades. On the dust-ridden specimen was a saddle which looked like a brown blob. Misshapen and dried up, it probably would have flown under the radar of many people, A saddle worth nothing and being an item worth nothing more than to be trashed. However; I was able to recognize it for what it really was - a severely neglected Brooks leather saddle. 

Brooks B-72 model. (Image courtesy of  Brooks)

I wish I had the presence of mind to have taken an image of this saddle when I started trying to revive it.  Unfortunately I was so wrapped up in the thoughts of just how to approach this dried out hunk of cow skin that I did not take an image at the beginning of the process. And that is what this thing looked like, a patch of dried out leather strung over a steel framework.

The sides were flayed outward, the middle of the saddle was bowed upward, due to the effects of shrinkage while attached to the steel saddle framework. It was severely cracked, and probably too far gone, but this is just the sort of challenge I am attracted to: A project with nothing to lose and everything to gain. I was, at the very least, going to learn something, and that is worth making this project happen.

Reviving a Brooks leather saddle is nothing new. In fact, if you were to think of the saddle as it really is - dried out skin- and if you treated it as such, there is a good possibility you might end up becoming successful in your endeavors. And there are a lot of people with various opinions on just how to do a Brooks saddle revival. So, I hopped online and took a gander. I ended up approaching this with a technique which resonated with my intuitions ahead of looking for help.

Brooks makes a leather treatment they call "Proofide" I just so happened to have a partial tin and another new tin of the stuff on hand. (I own and ride four other Brooks leather saddles already) So, this process relies on a liberal usage of Proofide, time, and a toe strap or two.

Proofide is highly recommended for Brooks saddles and it does what you need it to when you want to recondition a saddle. But this was an extreme case, and I was a bit skeptical if this was going to get me anywhere. However; the advice I read online insisted this would work, and the example saddle I saw was actually in worse shape than the one I had in hand. So, again, I had nothing to lose but a little Proofide, time, and effort.

The first application of Proofide, top and bottom, by the way, was sucked into the dried up skin much like dry wood sucks up paint. And it barely did anything, but again, this leather was bone dry. I waited a couple of days and applied a second coat top and bottom. After this the saddle started to become compliant. So I decided to pull in the sides with some toe straps to help form, or as the leather experts would say, "block up" the piece into a shape which I wanted the leather to go.

When Proofide is applied, a slight haze is supposed to develop over the surface of the leather when it dries, and this is to be buffed off with a soft cloth. After two applications, I was not seeing this haze develop, and when I tried buffing off the saddle it really did not do anything. I applied another layer of Proofide then, and I waited.....

A week later I applied yet another layer of Proofide as the previous application had dried up - again with no hazing. I waited about a week and a half longer, and when I checked it out on Thursday two weeks ago, it had hazed over!

So, I buffed it out, and then I noticed that I could see pores in the skin where I could not see this before. I think this is a good sign and shows that the leather is responding now in a way which leads me to believe the saddle just might end up becoming useful at some point.

My research turned up a point I was happy to learn, but I do not know yet if this will actually turn out in practice. I had read that cracks in the surface of the leather would eventually blend into a smoother surface after Proofide treatments. Maybe they will, but I do know that these cracks seem to have lost their "flakiness" and are more like lines in the surface of the saddle now. Not a section which might tear off, or crack more deeply, at any rate. Still, there is a long way to go before they would "blend in" to the surface, as I had read they should do.

I took off my toe straps to see how the skirts were reacting. When I started, they were almost sticking straight out, at about the same plane as the top! They are holding their shape much better than I had expected, only springing back a few millimeters when I removed the straps. I re-strapped it a bit differently, and I will put more Proofide on soon. This process is going to take a while!

By the way, in case anyone was thinking of this, there is no tension  on the top right now, and the tensioning nut was backed off all the way when I found the saddle, making me think it hadn't ever been adjusted. Sad to think this B-72 hadn't really ever been used as it should have been.

I've got time, so this is not a problem for me. I am hopeful it works out, as this was a piece that was headed for the recyclers if I hadn't decided to try this out.

And what if it does work out? Well, on the chance this ends up becoming a useful saddle, I will have to consider where it will end up. I would give a donation to the Collective, and I probably would put this on a bike I sit more upright on. Fortunately this saddle still has the sandwich clamp. The B-72 has double saddle rails, so this was a boon to my wanting to make this work out.

I'll also admit the other motivating factor here is that a new B-72 costs $190.00, so making this old one work would be a nice score.

I'll have an update on my progress later on. Plus, if anyone has any tips, I'm all ears. So far this has been working out well. The leather has actually swollen and gotten thicker, more pliable, and looking more like a Brooks saddle than a hunk of beef jerky.

Stay tuned....

Friday News And Views

Brooks saddles, like the one on this bike, are made in the UK

You Cannot Get A UK Made Saddle In The UK Because Of Brexit?

In a weird twist of fate, Brooks, who have made saddles since the late 1800's (Really!) in the United Kingdom will no longer be able to sell them in their own country of manufacture, at least for the time being. This all due to Britain exiting the European Union, which became effective on New Year's Day. The story was broke by cycling journalist, Carlton Reid for Forbes online, and that article can be read HERE. 

I have been a casual observer of this whole exit of the UK from the European Union for a few years now. It seems as though, at least from this outsider's viewpoint, to have been a not very well thought through, or executed plan, and this laughingstock of a story about a UK manufactured product would seem to be evidence of this. The issue with Brooks arose out of the fact that Brooks is owned by Italian bicycle saddle manufacturer Selle Italia. The Brooks saddles are distributed out of their facility in Italy, so all production from Brooks goes to Italy, and due to the convoluted importing laws that "Brexit" has imposed upon the UK, the Selle Italia company has chosen to not import any saddles for sale to the UK, which includes Brooks saddles. 

Weird and, well......stupid. I've seen some other import nonsense concerning stuff coming into the UK from Ireland as well. Someone posted a diagram showing the requirements needed to move goods between the two countries and it was simply mind boggling. Makes me glad we don't have those sorts of trading issues within the U.S., (but if you check history, we very nearly did have those issues early on)

I've mentioned this before, but it would be hard not to imagine that the raw materials necessary to manufacture goods in the UK wouldn't be affected since those need to be imported as well. Could this mean higher prices for us outside the UK for their products, like stuff from Hope, as an example? Matched up with increased demand for cycling product and it is hard to say that we wouldn't see higher pricing on those things coming to us from the UK.  

UPDATE: A story was released on Wednesday saying that, in fact, you still could buy Brooks saddles in the UK and would be able to. I'll post more if there is a definitive answer to which way it will actually be. Right now this is pretty confusing!

Public Service Announcements:

Just a few things to share here concerning the blog/what I do. First up, another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast dropped Monday night. It was meant to be dropped during the holidays, but oh well! Lots of ranting by yours truly on this episode. Get it at this link or wherever you get your favorite podcast feed. https://www.ridinggravel.com/podcast/episode-69/

Next I wanted to post the link to the latest "State of the Gravel Scene" opinion piece. I have been doing this along the turn of the year for the past few years now. The first was a series and so was the second, but I've cut it down to one, easier to read post for 2021. You can always find the links at the bottom of the page listed at the base of the blog header above or here is a direct link for your convenience: https://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-state-of-gravel-scene-2021.html

Finally, I wanted to post the link to the Redbubble page for G-Ted Productions merchandise. Any purchases will have part of the proceeds go to my daughter to help her out with college and just getting going in life. You'll always be able to access this link, as long as the merch is available, by looking over at the far right side-bar of this blog under the heading "My Events and Websites" - https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/62984846

Wireless, cable-less gear systems are already in development.

A Wireless Future?

A recent story published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" online suggests that Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano all are working on various ways to do things by wireless means on bicycles. The story I read focused on shifting ideas, including a couple ideas from SRAM and Campagnolo using a glove with sensors in it which then could be pinched together with the forefinger and thumb to activate a derailleur. Wild! 

Not that this would ever become a reality, as "BRAIN" noted, since one of these ideas has been in the bag for five years with no further development. It is commonplace for companies to develop, patent, and sit on ideas without any intentions of using them. This is done for two reasons: One is that these ideas form a repository of knowledge and a basis for further product development at a later time. Secondly, it keeps other companies from developing similar ideas and beating them to market. So, the electronic glove idea may never see the light of day. 

But we still should pay attention to these wild-eyed ideas because it means that other, more scalable/marketable ideas are being developed in the same vein. What wireless controls might we see in the future? It isn't out of the realm of possibilities that 'remote shifter' points could be embedded into bar tape, or grips, as an example. And then we have to think about what a wireless controller could, you know......control. Brakes? Suspension settings? Tire pressures? 

Obviously, the HPC vehicles being developed will leverage a lot of wireless tech and I can see where that will be where these ideas get implemented first. A wireless shifter in a grip would be something I could see on an electrified bicycle, as an example. Not something you need to rotate, just a pressure sensitive thing-a-ma-bob. I wrote in this segment not long ago about a bike that was shifting automatically by sensing rider pressure on pedals, so this sort of thing is already in development. 

The DBR from Archer Components. (Image courtesy of Archer Components)

 Archer Components DBR Unit Available Soon:

If you've been following the blog over the last several months or so, you probably remember the Archer Components D1X on my original Mukluk fat bike. That's the remote and shifter box which can turn any drive train into an electronically controlled one. (See the tie-in with the above points?) Well, now Archer has released pre-sales of their new DBR (Drop Bar Remote) system and we now have a few of the questions answered that I had about this idea. 

My biggest question was how in the world Archer was going to integrate a remote into a system with so many proprietary variants. How would it integrate with Shimano, SRAM, or even Campagnolo shifting? Well., as you can plainly see, Archer didn't try to kludge a remote to work with everybody else's levers. No, they partnered with TRP who have a hydraulic lever with no integrated shifter and made the DBR to integrate into it instead. Probably a smarter idea, but for consumers, it complicates things a bit versus the D1X flat bar system. 

Now you have to buy into a brake and lever system. Of course, not many people are familiar with the TRP drop bar brakes either. Are they any good? How do they feel? Well, as it happens, I've been using TRP made brakes and levers on my Tamland now for a few years. The very same brakes as what these DBR hoods are meant for. Yes, the remote is a hood replacement for the TRP Hylex brakes. (I told you it was a bit more complex than the D1X) 

Many of you will have already tuned out by now, but if you are still reading this, the TRP Hylex brakes are incredibly powerful and require very little input to bring your bike down to a halt. In fact, they require so little input that it is super-easy to lock up the brakes. At least mine have been that way. So, these are incredibly powerful brakes. WAY more power than you'd ever need on gravel. 

Of course, that means you have to buy the brakes too. At $220 a set, plus installation, that's not small potatoes. Add in the DBR ay the introductory price of $400.00 and you're talking a pretty expensive set up now. But......it may be great for your situation. If you run a 9spd set up, here you go. Even 10 speed set ups would benefit since there are hardly any 10 speed electronic groups out there to lay your hands on, and even the ones that are out there aren't being fully supported anymore. So, for the right situation? Yeah....this DBR deal from Archer might be good. 

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride if you can!

Friday News And Views

Brooks saddles, like the one on this bike, are made in the UK

You Cannot Get A UK Made Saddle In The UK Because Of Brexit?

In a weird twist of fate, Brooks, who have made saddles since the late 1800's (Really!) in the United Kingdom will no longer be able to sell them in their own country of manufacture, at least for the time being. This all due to Britain exiting the European Union, which became effective on New Year's Day. The story was broke by cycling journalist, Carlton Reid for Forbes online, and that article can be read HERE. 

I have been a casual observer of this whole exit of the UK from the European Union for a few years now. It seems as though, at least from this outsider's viewpoint, to have been a not very well thought through, or executed plan, and this laughingstock of a story about a UK manufactured product would seem to be evidence of this. The issue with Brooks arose out of the fact that Brooks is owned by Italian bicycle saddle manufacturer Selle Italia. The Brooks saddles are distributed out of their facility in Italy, so all production from Brooks goes to Italy, and due to the convoluted importing laws that "Brexit" has imposed upon the UK, the Selle Italia company has chosen to not import any saddles for sale to the UK, which includes Brooks saddles. 

Weird and, well......stupid. I've seen some other import nonsense concerning stuff coming into the UK from Ireland as well. Someone posted a diagram showing the requirements needed to move goods between the two countries and it was simply mind boggling. Makes me glad we don't have those sorts of trading issues within the U.S., (but if you check history, we very nearly did have those issues early on)

I've mentioned this before, but it would be hard not to imagine that the raw materials necessary to manufacture goods in the UK wouldn't be affected since those need to be imported as well. Could this mean higher prices for us outside the UK for their products, like stuff from Hope, as an example? Matched up with increased demand for cycling product and it is hard to say that we wouldn't see higher pricing on those things coming to us from the UK.  

UPDATE: A story was released on Wednesday saying that, in fact, you still could buy Brooks saddles in the UK and would be able to. I'll post more if there is a definitive answer to which way it will actually be. Right now this is pretty confusing!

Public Service Announcements:

Just a few things to share here concerning the blog/what I do. First up, another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast dropped Monday night. It was meant to be dropped during the holidays, but oh well! Lots of ranting by yours truly on this episode. Get it at this link or wherever you get your favorite podcast feed. https://www.ridinggravel.com/podcast/episode-69/

Next I wanted to post the link to the latest "State of the Gravel Scene" opinion piece. I have been doing this along the turn of the year for the past few years now. The first was a series and so was the second, but I've cut it down to one, easier to read post for 2021. You can always find the links at the bottom of the page listed at the base of the blog header above or here is a direct link for your convenience: https://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-state-of-gravel-scene-2021.html

Finally, I wanted to post the link to the Redbubble page for G-Ted Productions merchandise. Any purchases will have part of the proceeds go to my daughter to help her out with college and just getting going in life. You'll always be able to access this link, as long as the merch is available, by looking over at the far right side-bar of this blog under the heading "My Events and Websites" - https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/62984846

Wireless, cable-less gear systems are already in development.

A Wireless Future?

A recent story published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" online suggests that Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano all are working on various ways to do things by wireless means on bicycles. The story I read focused on shifting ideas, including a couple ideas from SRAM and Campagnolo using a glove with sensors in it which then could be pinched together with the forefinger and thumb to activate a derailleur. Wild! 

Not that this would ever become a reality, as "BRAIN" noted, since one of these ideas has been in the bag for five years with no further development. It is commonplace for companies to develop, patent, and sit on ideas without any intentions of using them. This is done for two reasons: One is that these ideas form a repository of knowledge and a basis for further product development at a later time. Secondly, it keeps other companies from developing similar ideas and beating them to market. So, the electronic glove idea may never see the light of day. 

But we still should pay attention to these wild-eyed ideas because it means that other, more scalable/marketable ideas are being developed in the same vein. What wireless controls might we see in the future? It isn't out of the realm of possibilities that 'remote shifter' points could be embedded into bar tape, or grips, as an example. And then we have to think about what a wireless controller could, you know......control. Brakes? Suspension settings? Tire pressures? 

Obviously, the HPC vehicles being developed will leverage a lot of wireless tech and I can see where that will be where these ideas get implemented first. A wireless shifter in a grip would be something I could see on an electrified bicycle, as an example. Not something you need to rotate, just a pressure sensitive thing-a-ma-bob. I wrote in this segment not long ago about a bike that was shifting automatically by sensing rider pressure on pedals, so this sort of thing is already in development. 

The DBR from Archer Components. (Image courtesy of Archer Components)

 Archer Components DBR Unit Available Soon:

If you've been following the blog over the last several months or so, you probably remember the Archer Components D1X on my original Mukluk fat bike. That's the remote and shifter box which can turn any drive train into an electronically controlled one. (See the tie-in with the above points?) Well, now Archer has released pre-sales of their new DBR (Drop Bar Remote) system and we now have a few of the questions answered that I had about this idea. 

My biggest question was how in the world Archer was going to integrate a remote into a system with so many proprietary variants. How would it integrate with Shimano, SRAM, or even Campagnolo shifting? Well., as you can plainly see, Archer didn't try to kludge a remote to work with everybody else's levers. No, they partnered with TRP who have a hydraulic lever with no integrated shifter and made the DBR to integrate into it instead. Probably a smarter idea, but for consumers, it complicates things a bit versus the D1X flat bar system. 

Now you have to buy into a brake and lever system. Of course, not many people are familiar with the TRP drop bar brakes either. Are they any good? How do they feel? Well, as it happens, I've been using TRP made brakes and levers on my Tamland now for a few years. The very same brakes as what these DBR hoods are meant for. Yes, the remote is a hood replacement for the TRP Hylex brakes. (I told you it was a bit more complex than the D1X) 

Many of you will have already tuned out by now, but if you are still reading this, the TRP Hylex brakes are incredibly powerful and require very little input to bring your bike down to a halt. In fact, they require so little input that it is super-easy to lock up the brakes. At least mine have been that way. So, these are incredibly powerful brakes. WAY more power than you'd ever need on gravel. 

Of course, that means you have to buy the brakes too. At $220 a set, plus installation, that's not small potatoes. Add in the DBR ay the introductory price of $400.00 and you're talking a pretty expensive set up now. But......it may be great for your situation. If you run a 9spd set up, here you go. Even 10 speed set ups would benefit since there are hardly any 10 speed electronic groups out there to lay your hands on, and even the ones that are out there aren't being fully supported anymore. So, for the right situation? Yeah....this DBR deal from Archer might be good. 

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride if you can!

Updating Thoughts For The Fargo Gen 1

 

The excitement factor for the Fargo Gen 1 bike gets re-stoked from time to time, and I just never know where that stoke is coming from. This time a swap of tires has me wanting to make upgrades to the old bike. 

The 9 speed drive train that is currently on there is getting pretty tired. I've already stated that I wanted to swap back in the original XT crank set, (which I barely used, by the way), and a new chain and cassette, of course, would have to be put on as well. That also would include the green anodized Chris King bottom bracket I've had laying around for ever too. 

I swapped in a Brooks saddle, a C-17, which so far has been great in combination with the titanium Regulator seat post. So, that bit is relatively recent in terms of upgrades. I could see going with a high end WTB Volt saddle at some point though. The combination of 'give' that the Brooks has in conjunction with the seat post is really nice, so maybe not. 

My biggest beef as of now is with the brakes. I've fiddled and tweaked on the brakes for this bike for years. I think it is high time for a hybrid cable/hydraulic set up on here. I may just be getting something along those lines to solve my braking issues. I could migrate over my fully hydraulic set up on the Raleigh, but the length of the lines is maybe not right and well......that's messing with a good set up. I just do not wish to get that bike screwed up by taking off what works so well over there. 

Anyway, the biggest upgrade, and one I have been talking about as well, is the wheels. I think I need to go to a carbon rim with some really nice quick release hubs and build a set this Winter for this bike. That would go a long way toward making these Extraterrestrial tires worth the extra weight. So that would, obviously, be really expensive. So, while that would likely make far more difference than anything else on the table here, it may be the most difficult to pull off due to the expense. 

I can also see going for a carbon handle bar here also. If I did, it would be like the Whiskey bar I have on the pink MCD or a carbon Cowchipper, unless I can find something in carbon closer to the Luxy Bar. Like that would ever happen!

Updating Thoughts For The Fargo Gen 1

 

The excitement factor for the Fargo Gen 1 bike gets re-stoked from time to time, and I just never know where that stoke is coming from. This time a swap of tires has me wanting to make upgrades to the old bike. 

The 9 speed drive train that is currently on there is getting pretty tired. I've already stated that I wanted to swap back in the original XT crank set, (which I barely used, by the way), and a new chain and cassette, of course, would have to be put on as well. That also would include the green anodized Chris King bottom bracket I've had laying around for ever too. 

I swapped in a Brooks saddle, a C-17, which so far has been great in combination with the titanium Regulator seat post. So, that bit is relatively recent in terms of upgrades. I could see going with a high end WTB Volt saddle at some point though. The combination of 'give' that the Brooks has in conjunction with the seat post is really nice, so maybe not. 

My biggest beef as of now is with the brakes. I've fiddled and tweaked on the brakes for this bike for years. I think it is high time for a hybrid cable/hydraulic set up on here. I may just be getting something along those lines to solve my braking issues. I could migrate over my fully hydraulic set up on the Raleigh, but the length of the lines is maybe not right and well......that's messing with a good set up. I just do not wish to get that bike screwed up by taking off what works so well over there. 

Anyway, the biggest upgrade, and one I have been talking about as well, is the wheels. I think I need to go to a carbon rim with some really nice quick release hubs and build a set this Winter for this bike. That would go a long way toward making these Extraterrestrial tires worth the extra weight. So that would, obviously, be really expensive. So, while that would likely make far more difference than anything else on the table here, it may be the most difficult to pull off due to the expense. 

I can also see going for a carbon handle bar here also. If I did, it would be like the Whiskey bar I have on the pink MCD or a carbon Cowchipper, unless I can find something in carbon closer to the Luxy Bar. Like that would ever happen!

Friday News And Views

 Twin Six Standard Rando v2 In Slate:

We got our Standard Randos, Andy and I, and then Twin Six comes along and does this. A limited edition color. "Shale" they call it. Andy was beside himself when he saw it as he wants that color over black. I told him, "They gotcha!" That's marketing for ya. Change the color and Bam! New demand for the same ol' thing. Tell me color doesn't matter. Just go ahead.....

But seriously, Twin Six has been doing this very thing with the original Standard Rando all along. The frame never changed, just colors. Surly Bikes does the same thing. Frame details very rarely change, but colors? This changes with the seasons, seemingly. So yes, of course color matters, or these companies and others wouldn't do this. I mean really- it is just paint. The bicycle fundamentally rides exactly the same no matter what color it is. But try and tell yourself you don't care about color. Go ahead..... I'll be here.....

It's genius and maddeningly successful. Part of me wants to laugh and part of me wants to stamp my feet in displeasure when Twin Six introduces another color of this bike. Just wait. I'll see whatever it is they do next and want that color too. It's crazy, I tell you. But I'm all right with the Gravel Bus. It's an awesome bike, so if you are moved by this bike in "Slate", well then, I say 'good on you". You'll love it no matter what color it is. But it matters what color it is. (I wonder if "Slate" is smoother riding?......ARRGH!)

Six Years+ With Ardennes+:

I was refreshing the wheels off the Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross rig the other day, the bike I refer to here as "Orange Crush", and I had to replace the rim tape on the rear one. I then saw something which maybe I hadn't noted before. I cannot recall, but if I knew this I had forgotten all about it. The wheel builder had signed the wheels to me with "Guitar Ted 4-9-14" and added a smiley face and a peace sign symbol.  

Ironically, that wheel builder's name is Andy Tetmeyer. I work for a different guy named Andy Tetmeyer. Yes- they are related. But that's another story... Andy from HED- let's call him that to keep things straight here- got a hold of me in early 2014 to see if I wanted to review the upcoming HED Ardennes+ wheel set. These were going to be HED's first gravel wheel set and, if you can believe it, the set I received was the very first set they made. Andy from HED laced them to Center Lock disc hubs with rim brake rims so I could use these either way. At that time, disc for gravel bikes wasn't a set-in-stone spec standard, so that made sense back then. 

Anyway, these wheels have had several sets of tires reviewed on them and have logged thousands of miles. They are still as true as ever, I just checked them again this week, and still as smooth rolling as ever. Just an amazing wheel set from a time that is long gone, that being the rim brake days. Not that there is anything wrong at all with rim brakes, but you are not going to see new development into rim brake technology, not in general anyway. Too bad. I could stand a new, wide internal width, tubeless rim brake rim. 

And The Bike Those Wheels Have Lived On....

Of course, the wheels mentioned above have spent 99% of their life on the BMC Orange Crush, now a single speed. I got those wheels refreshed, mounted up with tires, and took it out for a spin on Tuesday in the rain. Perfect! I have fenders and a single speed drive train. Bring on the bad weather! 

I set this up single speed last year and I really just think it is a better bike as a single speed. I've got those long, 180mm Sugino cranks on this and that is a nice combination with the higher bottom bracket that the first generation Monster Cross frames have. I can pedal around a corner and not clip a pedal on anything. 

I still have the Gevenalle mounts on the levers, which I can remove, but I haven't gotten around to that just yet. Otherwise this is set for the return of bad weather and Winter riding where a full coverage fender makes sense. I also got a Wolf Tooth B-Rad rail for dual bottle cage set up and a place to strap a repair kit on there as well. This sets me up for longer rides. The front bag? Not available anymore. It was a small manufacturer which made their bags out of the same material as convertible car tops along with real leather trim. It was a bit on the expensive side, as I recall. Something like $160.00 or thereabouts. But this thing looks as good today as it did eight years ago. 

I wouldn't change much on this bike, really. Probably the only thing I'd try is a Brooks Team Professional saddle. I've got an old one I could try on there, I just need to recondition it. Maybe I'll get around to that sometime....

Calendar Freeze:

Since 2008 I have compiled a list of gravel events. First they were just the locally run ones, then I added nationwide ones, and eventually world-wide events were added. This started as a page on a separate blog I had dubbed "Gravel Grinder News", which eventually became its own "dot com" site in 2012. This eventually became a review site and was merged into Ben Welnak's RidingGravel.com in 2015. 

The calendar at the time I merged with Ben's site had about 250+ entries. Since then it has grown to nearly 600 events, well.......that is until COVID came around. Since that happened in March, we froze the calendar. It just was too volatile a situation to keep track of at that point. So many events were cancelling, or postponing, that it was near impossible to devote enough time to it to keep it current. 

Now with things running into the end of the year, and with no vaccine or real change in the situation, we are still left with a very volatile and fluid situation regarding 2021 events. With the amount of estimated work it would take to get the calendar even partially correct, Ben and I have made the decision to freeze the calendar for the foreseeable future. It will be a reference for when events were run pre-COVID. It is what it is. If I had all the time it took, (I do not) to fix the calendar, and if I had recompense, (I do not) for my efforts, I would undertake the monumental task of updating the calendar. However; at this time, frankly? It isn't worth my efforts. 

Also- I do not think it will be missed. I never have seen any real feedback on the calendar, and what feedback I do get is from people thinking I (or Riding Gravel) run the events listed and either are complaining to me or asking questions I cannot possibly answer. So, that is another thing motivating me to back out of pursuing the calendar efforts. 

There are other calendars as well. So, it isn't like I'm the only source for information. In my mind, the genre' is in good hands with those who are doing the work on calendars for gravel events. I wish those sources well, as it will be a very unstable situation going forward until major changes in the pandemic situation occur. 

That's a wrap on this week! Get your layers out, fire up the lights, and ride!

Friday News And Views

 Twin Six Standard Rando v2 In Slate:

We got our Standard Randos, Andy and I, and then Twin Six comes along and does this. A limited edition color. "Shale" they call it. Andy was beside himself when he saw it as he wants that color over black. I told him, "They gotcha!" That's marketing for ya. Change the color and Bam! New demand for the same ol' thing. Tell me color doesn't matter. Just go ahead.....

But seriously, Twin Six has been doing this very thing with the original Standard Rando all along. The frame never changed, just colors. Surly Bikes does the same thing. Frame details very rarely change, but colors? This changes with the seasons, seemingly. So yes, of course color matters, or these companies and others wouldn't do this. I mean really- it is just paint. The bicycle fundamentally rides exactly the same no matter what color it is. But try and tell yourself you don't care about color. Go ahead..... I'll be here.....

It's genius and maddeningly successful. Part of me wants to laugh and part of me wants to stamp my feet in displeasure when Twin Six introduces another color of this bike. Just wait. I'll see whatever it is they do next and want that color too. It's crazy, I tell you. But I'm all right with the Gravel Bus. It's an awesome bike, so if you are moved by this bike in "Slate", well then, I say 'good on you". You'll love it no matter what color it is. But it matters what color it is. (I wonder if "Slate" is smoother riding?......ARRGH!)

Six Years+ With Ardennes+:

I was refreshing the wheels off the Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross rig the other day, the bike I refer to here as "Orange Crush", and I had to replace the rim tape on the rear one. I then saw something which maybe I hadn't noted before. I cannot recall, but if I knew this I had forgotten all about it. The wheel builder had signed the wheels to me with "Guitar Ted 4-9-14" and added a smiley face and a peace sign symbol.  

Ironically, that wheel builder's name is Andy Tetmeyer. I work for a different guy named Andy Tetmeyer. Yes- they are related. But that's another story... Andy from HED- let's call him that to keep things straight here- got a hold of me in early 2014 to see if I wanted to review the upcoming HED Ardennes+ wheel set. These were going to be HED's first gravel wheel set and, if you can believe it, the set I received was the very first set they made. Andy from HED laced them to Center Lock disc hubs with rim brake rims so I could use these either way. At that time, disc for gravel bikes wasn't a set-in-stone spec standard, so that made sense back then. 

Anyway, these wheels have had several sets of tires reviewed on them and have logged thousands of miles. They are still as true as ever, I just checked them again this week, and still as smooth rolling as ever. Just an amazing wheel set from a time that is long gone, that being the rim brake days. Not that there is anything wrong at all with rim brakes, but you are not going to see new development into rim brake technology, not in general anyway. Too bad. I could stand a new, wide internal width, tubeless rim brake rim. 

And The Bike Those Wheels Have Lived On....

Of course, the wheels mentioned above have spent 99% of their life on the BMC Orange Crush, now a single speed. I got those wheels refreshed, mounted up with tires, and took it out for a spin on Tuesday in the rain. Perfect! I have fenders and a single speed drive train. Bring on the bad weather! 

I set this up single speed last year and I really just think it is a better bike as a single speed. I've got those long, 180mm Sugino cranks on this and that is a nice combination with the higher bottom bracket that the first generation Monster Cross frames have. I can pedal around a corner and not clip a pedal on anything. 

I still have the Gevenalle mounts on the levers, which I can remove, but I haven't gotten around to that just yet. Otherwise this is set for the return of bad weather and Winter riding where a full coverage fender makes sense. I also got a Wolf Tooth B-Rad rail for dual bottle cage set up and a place to strap a repair kit on there as well. This sets me up for longer rides. The front bag? Not available anymore. It was a small manufacturer which made their bags out of the same material as convertible car tops along with real leather trim. It was a bit on the expensive side, as I recall. Something like $160.00 or thereabouts. But this thing looks as good today as it did eight years ago. 

I wouldn't change much on this bike, really. Probably the only thing I'd try is a Brooks Team Professional saddle. I've got an old one I could try on there, I just need to recondition it. Maybe I'll get around to that sometime....

Calendar Freeze:

Since 2008 I have compiled a list of gravel events. First they were just the locally run ones, then I added nationwide ones, and eventually world-wide events were added. This started as a page on a separate blog I had dubbed "Gravel Grinder News", which eventually became its own "dot com" site in 2012. This eventually became a review site and was merged into Ben Welnak's RidingGravel.com in 2015. 

The calendar at the time I merged with Ben's site had about 250+ entries. Since then it has grown to nearly 600 events, well.......that is until COVID came around. Since that happened in March, we froze the calendar. It just was too volatile a situation to keep track of at that point. So many events were cancelling, or postponing, that it was near impossible to devote enough time to it to keep it current. 

Now with things running into the end of the year, and with no vaccine or real change in the situation, we are still left with a very volatile and fluid situation regarding 2021 events. With the amount of estimated work it would take to get the calendar even partially correct, Ben and I have made the decision to freeze the calendar for the foreseeable future. It will be a reference for when events were run pre-COVID. It is what it is. If I had all the time it took, (I do not) to fix the calendar, and if I had recompense, (I do not) for my efforts, I would undertake the monumental task of updating the calendar. However; at this time, frankly? It isn't worth my efforts. 

Also- I do not think it will be missed. I never have seen any real feedback on the calendar, and what feedback I do get is from people thinking I (or Riding Gravel) run the events listed and either are complaining to me or asking questions I cannot possibly answer. So, that is another thing motivating me to back out of pursuing the calendar efforts. 

There are other calendars as well. So, it isn't like I'm the only source for information. In my mind, the genre' is in good hands with those who are doing the work on calendars for gravel events. I wish those sources well, as it will be a very unstable situation going forward until major changes in the pandemic situation occur. 

That's a wrap on this week! Get your layers out, fire up the lights, and ride!

Friday News And Views

RAGBRAI Forges Ahead:

Since Tuesday's announcement that the entire RAGBRAI staff had resigned and decided to start up a different ride called "Iowa's Ride", everyone concerned with the issue had been wondering what RAGBRAI would do. Well, on Wednesday a statement was released by RAGBRAI via its newsletter to email subscribers from a marketing person stating that RAGBRAI would, in fact, occur in July 2020.

Obviously the Des Moines Register is scrambling to get an organization set up to take care of the production of the event. No details were given that anyone had been hired or appointed as of yesterday.

Also, yesterday the Iowa Bicycle Coalition announced its support of "Iowa's Ride". Here is an excerpt from their announcement: "We believe that Iowa’s Ride will be the most successful way to continue the iconic annual bicycle ride across Iowa, not only in 2020 but for many years to come. The team that has formed Iowa’s ride and that will be organizing and managing it have unmatched experience and success in doing so. They are the best hope for continuing this proud tradition. We also believe that a cross-state ride will be best operated and most likely to succeed as a stand-alone and independent entity. This is what Iowa’s Ride offers."

On one hand you have a seasoned team in Iowa's Ride that knows how to do this deal. However; this ride has no equity with traditional RAGBRAI riders, many who won't give a rip about the Carson King Affair. They just want to do RAGBRAI, since.....well RAGBRAI. It's a religion with some folks. That said.....

RAGBRAI has a pickle to deal with, and they won't have anyone with the sort of experience that T.J. Juskiewicz and his team have. What sort of production can we expect from a rookie team? Then too, will mainstay vendors stick with the ride? There are a lot of issues with RAGBRAI, and like anything that's been around a long time, a lot of grumbling factions, some of which may want to jump ship to see their visions possibly become reality.

In fact, that's probably the underlying reason why the folks behind Iowa's Ride left RAGBRAI in the first place.

Measure Your Wrists- Find Your Saddle Size! Really!

Many of you may be aware that saddle size for your bicycle is like shoes, or gloves, or helmets. One size does not fit all. Or even most, for that matter. So, in the last ten years or so, a few ideas have been put forth to help people sort out which size saddle they could be more comfortable on. (Note- I said "could be")

Sometimes this might be effected by having a sample run of saddles that you actually tried out on your own bicycle. Several companies went that direction, including WTB, back a decade ago or so. Then Bontrager had a system which included a gel filled cushion on a small bench. You sat yourself within the center of this, and theoretically, your sit bones would push away the gel and a color coded scale would lead you to your correct saddle width choice. It was a start, for sure, and I realized when using this system that I had been using a saddle too narrow for me.

Once I had narrowed that down I still had to search for a saddle shape and padding that worked for me. Eventually I ended up on mostly WTB stuff with a smattering of Brooks saddles thrown in for good measure. Last year WTB announced new, wider widths for some of their saddle line and I got to try out the Silverado in a 143mm width. Oh! New favorite saddle!

Then at Gravel Worlds the fit system was being talked about at the WTB booth. I was......pretty skeptical. I watched as my friend Tony went through the four steps and had a width suggested to him along with a couple saddles that matched his profile. Then I went back home and pretty much forgot about it.

In that time I started experiencing some discomfort with my old standby, the WTB Pure. As we age, things change. Maybe I needed to start thinking about a new saddle. The Silverado? Maybe. Then WTB's marketing guy sent me an e-mail asking if I wouldn't go through the saddle finder system and try a saddle or would I? So, I agreed, and this new Volt is what I was sent. Stay tuned for the results.....

One sided, but made for gravel travel.

TIME Does Gravel:

TIME is a well known pedal and shoe purveyor that has been most used in the road cycling circles, but they do have an excellent MTB pedal that is shamefully under-represented in the mountain biking and gravel road segments.

Recently TIME announced a new pedal aimed at, what else, gravel riding. Well, to be fair, they are saying this was also influenced by the needs of cyclo-tourists as well. The deal here is that road pedals have a great, supportive platform, but generally use a cleat that necessitates a shoe design which is awkward to walk in. TIME solved this issue with their new Ciclo pedal.

I used road pedals and shoes once, for a short time, in the early 1990's. The ones I tried were those Shimano two bolt cleat ones, remember those? They were smallish and harder than heck to get into, at least I thought so. And those shoes! Gah! Not for me. And then I went MTB shoes/pedals and never looked back. So, I really have no reference point for this "support" you get with more of a platform pedal.

This will be newer territory for me, and I am going in with an open mind to see what, if any, real differences there are. I am quite familiar with carbon soled shoes and stiffer soled MTB style shoes, while my preference usually was for a bit more flex than not. In fact, one of my all-time favorite shoes of recent years was a pair of middling Shimano three strap MTB shoes.

I'll probably bolt these cleats to my old 45NRTH bootie shoes, since, ya know, Fall has progressed to the point that traditional shoes are not going to be a good choice. Stay tuned for how this all works out.

Note: TIME and WTB sent the items mentioned in today's post to RIDING GRAVEL for review at no charge. There was no money exchanged or promises made to include these items in today's post. 

That's it for this week. get out and ride, but be careful of all the farmers this weekend if you ride out in the country in the Mid-West.