The Replacement

Image courtesy of Cannondale Bikes

I am on the lookout for loose ends here on the blog. Things needing to be finished, (mostly reviews), stories untold, and stories I have to wrap up, or at least pick back up. 

One of those stories is dealing with what I will get to replace the Noble GX5 and probably the Tamland Two in my stable of bicycles. I was on this thread back in February. (See HERE for a refresher) I was close to pulling te triger on a Topstone Alloy from Cannondale, (like the one in the image), but I did not because I didn't like the color the bike available at the time came in. 

I know.....fickle! So, that was that as other things came up and I left the idea in limbo. That is, until recently, when I got a little intel from an undisclosed source which perked up my ears. Now I have reached out and have set something in motion which may happen at a later date. 

I know......vague-blogging! But all that to say that the idea for an alloy gravel bike to replace a couple of others I have is still on the table and now things are in motion. I wouldn't look for anything to happen right away. I just thought, you know, I'd kick this story back into gear and let you know something is in the works which may result in an actual bicycle in the near future. 

 

Friday News And Views

My quote Tweet from Tuesday on the "Bike-Europe" story.

 Cannondale To Assemble Bikes Again Stateside:

Tuesday news broke that Cannondale, who were recently in the news for being purchased by PON Holdings, is currently building a new assembly facility in the USA. 

The story, published by "Bike Europe", a site for news of the trade, states that the new facility is being constructed in Rincon, Georgia. This city is located just North of Savanna, Georgia and not far from the major East coast port of Charleston, South Carolina, which makes sense from an import of parts and frames/forks standpoint for the brand.

Comments: It should be understood that while the assembly of bikes will be back on U.S. soil, the manufacturing of frames and forks will still occur in the Far East. However; it might prove to make Cannondale more efficient for its US/North American based dealer network to have this assembly factory based here since it may allow Cannondale to react more quickly to supply changes and demands for the market here. 

What may be of more importance for the future is that Cannondale is trying to make it so that their bicycles can be assembled and ready to ride in fifteen minutes or less by dealer technicians. Presumably this would be so easy that consumers might also be able to accomplish assembly of a bicycle. New box designs and major assembly of bicycles in the Rincon facility could portend a move to a consumer direct retail model, which many in the industry are thinking will be where the major bicycle brands are going to focus sales on in the coming years. 

But for the near-term, the "Bike Europe" article only quotes a Cannondale official as saying  that this will have .... a quick impact on the market but (the new US and European facilities) are also set up to evolve and grow with demand and innovation opportunity...” Innovation opportunity? That's an interesting term. Could mean anything, but with onsite storage capabilities of assembled bikes, it would make sense that a future "innovation opportunity" might include consumer direct sales. 

Mid-South- SBT GRVL Events Partner Up To Encourage Junior Participation:

The Mid-South gravel event has partnered up with the SBT-GRVL event in Colorado to encourage more participation by under 18 riders by offering reduced prices for entry to their respective events. The announcement was made on their respective social media accounts Tuesday of this past week and a post on the SBT-GRVL site gives more details. 

A quote from the story linked above: " This initiative isn’t just aimed at elite juniors,” said Amy Charity, owners of SBT GRVL. “We want to welcome and raise up the next generation of back-of-the-packers, the kids who simply want to have a good time out on a bike and see where two wheels can take them. This is about fun and experiencing gravel. ”

Comments: A great idea and I think this will be well received. Interestingly this marks the second partnership with another event for the Mid-South. Once again, this makes me feel like a door is opened for more in the way of partnering and perhaps even a series format for these three events is in the future. All three events and their directors have staunchly resisted any associations with USAC/UCI and are representative of the biggest non-corporatized gravel events happening currently. 

Again, any series ideas are completely speculation on my part, but with the energy and enthusiasm that Bobby Wintle brings and with the influence he has with his Mid-South event, I could totally see this happening. Especially so with the leadership shift at Gravel Worlds. I'm feeling this could be in the cards. Convince me otherwise.....

45NRTH Debuts New Boots:

The long running boot models, Ragnarok and Wolfgar, from 45NRTH have received updates for the '21/'22 season. The Wolfgar is more about fat biking in ultra-cold conditions. I won't cover that one here. That boot has been redesigned, but the features are more about small tweaks. Not so with the completely new Ragnarok Tall, a boot which has a taller cuff now than the normal Ragnarok. 

The cuff is made of Neoprene and is a claimed 5.75" high, a full 3.5" taller than the Ragnarok. The cuff is closed with hook and loop material but the main boot is a BOA closure system. The normal Ragnarok remains in the line up if you don't want the taller cuff. However; it would seem that the 'bumble-bee' color scheme is inescapable. 

Ragnarok Tall will cost $245.00 and should be available starting in November from any 45NRTH dealer.

Comments: I think this new Ragnarok Tall is interesting. I like all the tweaks, the taller cuff, and the boot looks much like something I'd want in a mild-weather Winter boot. That said, whenever you compromise on ease of entry/exit for the foot, you introduce more places for air/water leakage. I had a boot with a very similar overlapping Neoprene cuff and I did not really like it. The area where the hook and loop closure is causes a doubling up on materials, which I found a bit less comfortable than a single 'sock' style Neoprene layer, as with my Northwave Winter boot. Plus, those hook and loop panels often snag on wool socks and on Lycra tights, which is a bit fussy. Some folks with more abrupt ankle to calf transitions probably won't go with this anyway and opt for the regular Ragnarok boot. Finally, the "yellow and black attack" color scheme is perhaps a bit polarizing. 

I'll probably pass on the Ragnarok Tall this time, mostly because I still am rocking the OG Ragnarok and I still have those Northwave boots which are really good. But when it comes time to move on from those, I'll likely look at these as a top choice for a Winter boot when the temperatures are above 20°F.

Bontrager Circuit WaveCel Helmet.

Bontrager Announces New Circuit WaveCel Helmet: 

Yesterday Bontrager announced a new WaveCel helmet called the Circuit. I have a WaveCel Starvos helmet and it is the only helmet I have ever had that fit me 'right'. Typically I have to modify a helmet to get it to be comfortable for my head. But Bontrager announced last year that they were going to make their "XL" size a true XL and I was pleasantly surprised when I got the thing. It really is an XL! 

For reference, my hat size is 7 7/8ths or 63cm, (approx), so pretty large. Most "XL" helmet sizes in the past went up to 60cm, maybe 62cm, and I am forced to find that extra space for my noggin when I used those other helmets in the past. Things like removing all the padding, and in some cases the Velcro patches that held the padding in as well. (Note- Now I see other companies doing bigger XL sizes as well, so Bontrager seems to not be alone in this) 

Anyway, I loved that I was able to slap the Starvos on my head, with all the padding intact, and have extra space in case I wore a cap, or buff. Wow! That was a first for me. Now I have - through a snafu with Grannygear getting the wrong size to review - another WaveCel helmet. It fits great as well. Plus, it is a racier, lighter helmet with fancy-pants magnetic light mounts. Woo! 

So, I'll be pitching in my two cents on the Circuit WaveCel soon and adding it to my Starvos as the only other helmet - ever - to fit me out of the box unmodified. (Standard Disclaimer in effect)

And A Thank You To: All who commented on Tuesday's post, thank you! I appreciate the support and thoughts expressed concerning my mother's death and I found those comments comforting and thought provoking. I am doing well and remain thankful for the good times, memories, and lessons passed on to me by my mother. 

I just thought I should take a space here to mention how much I appreciated all the support and the time some of you took to comment, or reach out via messenger/email, or to leave a note on Facebook. 

That is a wrap for this week! Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Friday News And Views

My quote Tweet from Tuesday on the "Bike-Europe" story.

 Cannondale To Assemble Bikes Again Stateside:

Tuesday news broke that Cannondale, who were recently in the news for being purchased by PON Holdings, is currently building a new assembly facility in the USA. 

The story, published by "Bike Europe", a site for news of the trade, states that the new facility is being constructed in Rincon, Georgia. This city is located just North of Savanna, Georgia and not far from the major East coast port of Charleston, South Carolina, which makes sense from an import of parts and frames/forks standpoint for the brand.

Comments: It should be understood that while the assembly of bikes will be back on U.S. soil, the manufacturing of frames and forks will still occur in the Far East. However; it might prove to make Cannondale more efficient for its US/North American based dealer network to have this assembly factory based here since it may allow Cannondale to react more quickly to supply changes and demands for the market here. 

What may be of more importance for the future is that Cannondale is trying to make it so that their bicycles can be assembled and ready to ride in fifteen minutes or less by dealer technicians. Presumably this would be so easy that consumers might also be able to accomplish assembly of a bicycle. New box designs and major assembly of bicycles in the Rincon facility could portend a move to a consumer direct retail model, which many in the industry are thinking will be where the major bicycle brands are going to focus sales on in the coming years. 

But for the near-term, the "Bike Europe" article only quotes a Cannondale official as saying  that this will have .... a quick impact on the market but (the new US and European facilities) are also set up to evolve and grow with demand and innovation opportunity...” Innovation opportunity? That's an interesting term. Could mean anything, but with onsite storage capabilities of assembled bikes, it would make sense that a future "innovation opportunity" might include consumer direct sales. 

Mid-South- SBT GRVL Events Partner Up To Encourage Junior Participation:

The Mid-South gravel event has partnered up with the SBT-GRVL event in Colorado to encourage more participation by under 18 riders by offering reduced prices for entry to their respective events. The announcement was made on their respective social media accounts Tuesday of this past week and a post on the SBT-GRVL site gives more details. 

A quote from the story linked above: " This initiative isn’t just aimed at elite juniors,” said Amy Charity, owners of SBT GRVL. “We want to welcome and raise up the next generation of back-of-the-packers, the kids who simply want to have a good time out on a bike and see where two wheels can take them. This is about fun and experiencing gravel. ”

Comments: A great idea and I think this will be well received. Interestingly this marks the second partnership with another event for the Mid-South. Once again, this makes me feel like a door is opened for more in the way of partnering and perhaps even a series format for these three events is in the future. All three events and their directors have staunchly resisted any associations with USAC/UCI and are representative of the biggest non-corporatized gravel events happening currently. 

Again, any series ideas are completely speculation on my part, but with the energy and enthusiasm that Bobby Wintle brings and with the influence he has with his Mid-South event, I could totally see this happening. Especially so with the leadership shift at Gravel Worlds. I'm feeling this could be in the cards. Convince me otherwise.....

45NRTH Debuts New Boots:

The long running boot models, Ragnarok and Wolfgar, from 45NRTH have received updates for the '21/'22 season. The Wolfgar is more about fat biking in ultra-cold conditions. I won't cover that one here. That boot has been redesigned, but the features are more about small tweaks. Not so with the completely new Ragnarok Tall, a boot which has a taller cuff now than the normal Ragnarok. 

The cuff is made of Neoprene and is a claimed 5.75" high, a full 3.5" taller than the Ragnarok. The cuff is closed with hook and loop material but the main boot is a BOA closure system. The normal Ragnarok remains in the line up if you don't want the taller cuff. However; it would seem that the 'bumble-bee' color scheme is inescapable. 

Ragnarok Tall will cost $245.00 and should be available starting in November from any 45NRTH dealer.

Comments: I think this new Ragnarok Tall is interesting. I like all the tweaks, the taller cuff, and the boot looks much like something I'd want in a mild-weather Winter boot. That said, whenever you compromise on ease of entry/exit for the foot, you introduce more places for air/water leakage. I had a boot with a very similar overlapping Neoprene cuff and I did not really like it. The area where the hook and loop closure is causes a doubling up on materials, which I found a bit less comfortable than a single 'sock' style Neoprene layer, as with my Northwave Winter boot. Plus, those hook and loop panels often snag on wool socks and on Lycra tights, which is a bit fussy. Some folks with more abrupt ankle to calf transitions probably won't go with this anyway and opt for the regular Ragnarok boot. Finally, the "yellow and black attack" color scheme is perhaps a bit polarizing. 

I'll probably pass on the Ragnarok Tall this time, mostly because I still am rocking the OG Ragnarok and I still have those Northwave boots which are really good. But when it comes time to move on from those, I'll likely look at these as a top choice for a Winter boot when the temperatures are above 20°F.

Bontrager Circuit WaveCel Helmet.

Bontrager Announces New Circuit WaveCel Helmet: 

Yesterday Bontrager announced a new WaveCel helmet called the Circuit. I have a WaveCel Starvos helmet and it is the only helmet I have ever had that fit me 'right'. Typically I have to modify a helmet to get it to be comfortable for my head. But Bontrager announced last year that they were going to make their "XL" size a true XL and I was pleasantly surprised when I got the thing. It really is an XL! 

For reference, my hat size is 7 7/8ths or 63cm, (approx), so pretty large. Most "XL" helmet sizes in the past went up to 60cm, maybe 62cm, and I am forced to find that extra space for my noggin when I used those other helmets in the past. Things like removing all the padding, and in some cases the Velcro patches that held the padding in as well. (Note- Now I see other companies doing bigger XL sizes as well, so Bontrager seems to not be alone in this) 

Anyway, I loved that I was able to slap the Starvos on my head, with all the padding intact, and have extra space in case I wore a cap, or buff. Wow! That was a first for me. Now I have - through a snafu with Grannygear getting the wrong size to review - another WaveCel helmet. It fits great as well. Plus, it is a racier, lighter helmet with fancy-pants magnetic light mounts. Woo! 

So, I'll be pitching in my two cents on the Circuit WaveCel soon and adding it to my Starvos as the only other helmet - ever - to fit me out of the box unmodified. (Standard Disclaimer in effect)

And A Thank You To: All who commented on Tuesday's post, thank you! I appreciate the support and thoughts expressed concerning my mother's death and I found those comments comforting and thought provoking. I am doing well and remain thankful for the good times, memories, and lessons passed on to me by my mother. 

I just thought I should take a space here to mention how much I appreciated all the support and the time some of you took to comment, or reach out via messenger/email, or to leave a note on Facebook. 

That is a wrap for this week! Stay tuned for more and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2: A Tire Swap & Impressions

 The last time I posted on the Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2 (PWGWv2) I mentioned that I wasn't all that impressed by the results I saw with a 700 X 42mm Resolute mounted up on the 30.5mm internal width Spank rims. I then made mention of possibly trying some wider tires, but not too wide, because if the tire I tried got much above 50mm in width, it wouldn't fit a gravel bike in my stable. The Black Mountain Cycles MCD actually being the only gravel bike that I own which I could even consider trying this idea. 

So, over the weekend I grabbed a set of Cannonball tires which I had tested for Riding Gravel and which are listed as 700 X 47mm in width. (Standard Disclaimer) I popped those onto the Spank rims easily with my newly resuscitated Topeak Joe Blow floor pump. The results were compared directly to the 700 X 47mm Rutland tires which I have mounted to some Spinergy GX wheels which have a 24mm internal rim width. The Cannonballs looked bigger and wider. Not by a little bit either.  

I measured the Cannonball tires on 24mm internal width rims during the Riding Gravel test and at that time they barely crossed the 49mm wide barrier. On the Spank rims? I measured these Cannonball tires out at 50.17mm in width. Whoa! Would they fit the Black Mountain Cycles MCD? I slapped on the rear tire first, because I knew that would be the deciding factor. 

It fit!

For dry use only! There isn't much clearance here!

So, now what? Well, an important factor which I detailed out in the last update on the PWGWv2, (go back to see that via the very first hyperlink in this post), was how a tire's profile can be altered by internal rim width. Too skinny or too wide is too much. How did the Cannonball look? On a 24mm internal width rim, the 700 X 47mm Cannonball was quite rounded. I felt that this was to the tire's detriment on looser surfaces. Now with the Cannonball tires on the 30.5mm internal rim width Spank rims, the profile of the tire is predictably flatter, since as the bead of each side of a tire casing gets further apart, the crown of the profile of the tire flattens out. This occurred beautifully on the Cannonball and I think it is an improvement in this instance. 

From Sunday's ride.

So, what about that Rutland in 47mm width? How do I think that would do? This tire tends to be a flatter crowned tire than the Cannonball, so my guess is that a 30.5mm internal rim width would be too much for that tire. It will flatten the crown profile even further, and that would only take away speed and to some extent, handling. 

My take away here is that the PWGWv2 is 'good' in very limited circumstances. It depends upon the tire used, and those tires have to be wider than 45mm. Also, I do not have the proper bicycle to explore the options that would, perhaps, make even more sense than the Cannonball tires do. I would need a bicycle rated for 29"er X 2.4" tires, minimum, to get everything out of these wheels that is there. At that point, these are not really "wide gravel wheels" anymore, so my conclusion from the last update holds true. 700c rims for gravel bikes probably should be in the 24mm-26mm range for internal rim widths so that they will work on gravel bikes using 700 X 38mm-45mm tires. Wider internal rim widths start to degrade a gravel tire's performance, especially on the lower end of the tire width spectrum, and on the wider end, tires may not fit frames anymore. 

Going forward, I plan on ride testing the PWGWv2 with these Cannonball tires and reporting back with a final word and plans for this wheel set's future. 

Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2: A Tire Swap & Impressions

 The last time I posted on the Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2 (PWGWv2) I mentioned that I wasn't all that impressed by the results I saw with a 700 X 42mm Resolute mounted up on the 30.5mm internal width Spank rims. I then made mention of possibly trying some wider tires, but not too wide, because if the tire I tried got much above 50mm in width, it wouldn't fit a gravel bike in my stable. The Black Mountain Cycles MCD actually being the only gravel bike that I own which I could even consider trying this idea. 

So, over the weekend I grabbed a set of Cannonball tires which I had tested for Riding Gravel and which are listed as 700 X 47mm in width. (Standard Disclaimer) I popped those onto the Spank rims easily with my newly resuscitated Topeak Joe Blow floor pump. The results were compared directly to the 700 X 47mm Rutland tires which I have mounted to some Spinergy GX wheels which have a 24mm internal rim width. The Cannonballs looked bigger and wider. Not by a little bit either.  

I measured the Cannonball tires on 24mm internal width rims during the Riding Gravel test and at that time they barely crossed the 49mm wide barrier. On the Spank rims? I measured these Cannonball tires out at 50.17mm in width. Whoa! Would they fit the Black Mountain Cycles MCD? I slapped on the rear tire first, because I knew that would be the deciding factor. 

It fit!

For dry use only! There isn't much clearance here!

So, now what? Well, an important factor which I detailed out in the last update on the PWGWv2, (go back to see that via the very first hyperlink in this post), was how a tire's profile can be altered by internal rim width. Too skinny or too wide is too much. How did the Cannonball look? On a 24mm internal width rim, the 700 X 47mm Cannonball was quite rounded. I felt that this was to the tire's detriment on looser surfaces. Now with the Cannonball tires on the 30.5mm internal rim width Spank rims, the profile of the tire is predictably flatter, since as the bead of each side of a tire casing gets further apart, the crown of the profile of the tire flattens out. This occurred beautifully on the Cannonball and I think it is an improvement in this instance. 

From Sunday's ride.

So, what about that Rutland in 47mm width? How do I think that would do? This tire tends to be a flatter crowned tire than the Cannonball, so my guess is that a 30.5mm internal rim width would be too much for that tire. It will flatten the crown profile even further, and that would only take away speed and to some extent, handling. 

My take away here is that the PWGWv2 is 'good' in very limited circumstances. It depends upon the tire used, and those tires have to be wider than 45mm. Also, I do not have the proper bicycle to explore the options that would, perhaps, make even more sense than the Cannonball tires do. I would need a bicycle rated for 29"er X 2.4" tires, minimum, to get everything out of these wheels that is there. At that point, these are not really "wide gravel wheels" anymore, so my conclusion from the last update holds true. 700c rims for gravel bikes probably should be in the 24mm-26mm range for internal rim widths so that they will work on gravel bikes using 700 X 38mm-45mm tires. Wider internal rim widths start to degrade a gravel tire's performance, especially on the lower end of the tire width spectrum, and on the wider end, tires may not fit frames anymore. 

Going forward, I plan on ride testing the PWGWv2 with these Cannonball tires and reporting back with a final word and plans for this wheel set's future. 

Country Views: Dry and Windy

Lots of birds out despite the gale.

Wednesday was hot. Not humid. In fact, the humidity is unusually low for this time of year. It actually concerns me when our humidity gets below 40% here in Summer because that's weird. Wednesday it was in the low 30's, if the apps can be believed. That's not good! 

On top of that, it was hot, into the mid-80's, and it was super windy out of the South/Southeast. A bad combination. Dryness abounds. Even the gravel roads show the effects of this with their broken down, moon-dust sections coming on. That said, I ran into a lot more fresh gravel than not, so more than anything, it was just really dusty.

I'm on the Teravail Cannonball tires and the Rutlands now for test/review. 700 X 47mm is a great size to tame the chunk with. I'm beginning to think 40's are 'skinny' tires now! Trouble is, not many bikes can handle such a wide tire. The Noble Bikes GX5 just barely accepts the Cannonball. I mean, like with a couple of millimeters to spare. That's cutting it close. For as dry as it is, that's okay though. I only get tire rub if I slam the bike hard into a fast paved corner, and then only briefly. Not gonna do that on gravel!

Looks beautiful- Feels awful. Heading into a 25mph headwind will do that. 

The corn is growing rapidly despite the lack of moisture.

I decided to bag most of the gravel section of Washburn Road, in my quest to ride all the gravel in Black Hawk County, because for whatever reason, I have not done this. It isn't like this is far from town or anything either. I designed a big squarish loop to ride which would end up with a tailwind.

I try to be smart sometimes!

Barns for Jason: I don't think I've posted this one before. Apologies if I have.....

A lone silo. There used to be a barn there beside it, I am sure.

Going South was brutal, but not impossible. My main worry was being overtaken by a vehicle because there was no way I'd hear one coming while heading into that blast of wind. Fortunately, that never happened, but you need to always be aware of your surroundings.

I stopped at one point where I had to cross pavement so I could get a drink. Fighting the wind while riding loose gravel meant that one-handed riding and drinking was not advisable. Riding in the crosswind was even more sketchy. It didn't help that the Cannonball tires liked to skitter around in the loose gravel.

Barns for Jason (Definitely a new one here)

The corn is tall enough now that the leaves rustle in the wind.

In fact, I was thinking that this was the kind of day, with the sort of gravel conditions that would turn off probably 90% of the gravel riding population. It was tough sledding, even with the tail wind, due to the sketchy nature of the deep, loose, very dried out gravel. Keeping the bike underneath me was a full time job at certain points during the ride. Skittering around at 25+ miles an hour is not what most folks would deem as 'fun'. I was pretty much 'surfing out of control' more than anything, and I wouldn't recommend doing that for most riders.

There is something about these sorts of rides that I get a kick out of though. Cheap thrills? Hmm......I don't know. Did I say earlier that sometimes I 'try to be smart'? Well, clearly, sometimes I don't!

Country Views: Dry and Windy

Lots of birds out despite the gale.

Wednesday was hot. Not humid. In fact, the humidity is unusually low for this time of year. It actually concerns me when our humidity gets below 40% here in Summer because that's weird. Wednesday it was in the low 30's, if the apps can be believed. That's not good! 

On top of that, it was hot, into the mid-80's, and it was super windy out of the South/Southeast. A bad combination. Dryness abounds. Even the gravel roads show the effects of this with their broken down, moon-dust sections coming on. That said, I ran into a lot more fresh gravel than not, so more than anything, it was just really dusty.

I'm on the Teravail Cannonball tires and the Rutlands now for test/review. 700 X 47mm is a great size to tame the chunk with. I'm beginning to think 40's are 'skinny' tires now! Trouble is, not many bikes can handle such a wide tire. The Noble Bikes GX5 just barely accepts the Cannonball. I mean, like with a couple of millimeters to spare. That's cutting it close. For as dry as it is, that's okay though. I only get tire rub if I slam the bike hard into a fast paved corner, and then only briefly. Not gonna do that on gravel!

Looks beautiful- Feels awful. Heading into a 25mph headwind will do that. 

The corn is growing rapidly despite the lack of moisture.

I decided to bag most of the gravel section of Washburn Road, in my quest to ride all the gravel in Black Hawk County, because for whatever reason, I have not done this. It isn't like this is far from town or anything either. I designed a big squarish loop to ride which would end up with a tailwind.

I try to be smart sometimes!

Barns for Jason: I don't think I've posted this one before. Apologies if I have.....

A lone silo. There used to be a barn there beside it, I am sure.

Going South was brutal, but not impossible. My main worry was being overtaken by a vehicle because there was no way I'd hear one coming while heading into that blast of wind. Fortunately, that never happened, but you need to always be aware of your surroundings.

I stopped at one point where I had to cross pavement so I could get a drink. Fighting the wind while riding loose gravel meant that one-handed riding and drinking was not advisable. Riding in the crosswind was even more sketchy. It didn't help that the Cannonball tires liked to skitter around in the loose gravel.

Barns for Jason (Definitely a new one here)

The corn is tall enough now that the leaves rustle in the wind.

In fact, I was thinking that this was the kind of day, with the sort of gravel conditions that would turn off probably 90% of the gravel riding population. It was tough sledding, even with the tail wind, due to the sketchy nature of the deep, loose, very dried out gravel. Keeping the bike underneath me was a full time job at certain points during the ride. Skittering around at 25+ miles an hour is not what most folks would deem as 'fun'. I was pretty much 'surfing out of control' more than anything, and I wouldn't recommend doing that for most riders.

There is something about these sorts of rides that I get a kick out of though. Cheap thrills? Hmm......I don't know. Did I say earlier that sometimes I 'try to be smart'? Well, clearly, sometimes I don't!

When Is Wide Too Wide?

The Noble Bikes GX5 with 700c X 47mm Teravail Cannonballs.

Last week I got these Teravail tires to check out for Riding Gravel reviews which will be trotted out over the next several weeks. (Note- I did not pay for these tires, Teravail isn't paying me to write about them. In fact, they didn't know I was going to write this post, as an example)

So, a couple pairs of these are 700c X 47mm. Yes- forty-seven millimeters. In case that doesn't impress you in some way- that's a really wide gravel tire. So wide that Teravail themselves warn you in their own marketing that they may not even fit your bike.

Regular readers also might remember that I mentioned these tires in the Last FN&V post. I said it may be that more bikes are coming that will fit these size of gravel tires. But what about now? That is a tire size that is kind of a 'no-man's land' in terms of fitment. Generally speaking, there were road and road-ish tires going up to around 700 X 42mm in the past, then you had a few outliers, like the old Continental Goliath, or that voluminous touring tire they made in the 90's, but past 42mm, there usually were no tires listed in distributor's catalogs for 700c.

There is a good reason for that. It doesn't have much to do with tires, but it has everything to do with clearances. Drive train clearances especially. There were two established standards, mostly promoted to the factories by Shimano, so they could eventually standardize the drive train business into 'road' and 'mountain' categories. Road standards allow for a certain chain line, which then pretty much dictates tire clearances in the end. Mountain allows more room, so it has a wider spindle length and crank arms that provide a wider chain line, amongst other things. This is a bit of oversimplification, but the point remains. Everything else follows the chain line and is defined by 'road' and 'mountain'. Note- there is no category for 'gravel'. Well....maybe not. (See GRX)

A close up of the 700 X 47mm Cannonball. It looks like a rasp!

So, stuffing a big tire, a chain stay, and a chain ring, plus allowing for clearance for spinning crank arms, and don't forget a drive train that is in line, (chain line), and all that together......whew! That is truly complicated stuff, and to make a change in any one of those things affects all the others. That's why when 29"ers came around companies were saying 'no way!', because making room for a big tire and a drive train plus all that other stuff- even though it could be MTB stuff- was throwing a huge wrench into the standardization pool. Remember- it took years to get parts that were 29"er friendly. This is why.

All that to say that this 700c X 47mm deal, or even Donnelly's 700c X 50mm MSO, is a weird size for a gravel tire because the limits of the road standard are being sorely tested. You might be thinking, "Well, why not use MTB standard design then!". Great idea, excepting that you have things like "Q" factor, no drive train parts which are drop bar/MTB specific, and now we have GRX.

Ah! The GRX thing! Is this Shimano's sneaky way to circumvent changing road bike standards by creating an entirely new one, outside the box of the traditionalist roadies? And when is something like a 47mm or 50mm tire appropriate for many/most riders? Isn't that just too much tire? Are we turning 'gravel' into 'drop bar mtb'? And at what point do we start seeing that the closer to 70° head angle, fully rigid hard tail bike is sorely absent from our "general purpose" off-roading options?

Add to that inner rim widths and what about these crazy wide handle bars? The cycling industry seems to be on a 'make everything wider' kick the past decade or so, and they show no signs of stopping.....yet. At some point, the pendulum of fashion and "expertise" may change and we will swing back to narrower stuff. Just wait and see.

Although, I highly doubt we go back to 17mm outer rim width roadie rims, like my Sun Mistrals, anytime soon.

When Is Wide Too Wide?

The Noble Bikes GX5 with 700c X 47mm Teravail Cannonballs.

Last week I got these Teravail tires to check out for Riding Gravel reviews which will be trotted out over the next several weeks. (Note- I did not pay for these tires, Teravail isn't paying me to write about them. In fact, they didn't know I was going to write this post, as an example)

So, a couple pairs of these are 700c X 47mm. Yes- forty-seven millimeters. In case that doesn't impress you in some way- that's a really wide gravel tire. So wide that Teravail themselves warn you in their own marketing that they may not even fit your bike.

Regular readers also might remember that I mentioned these tires in the Last FN&V post. I said it may be that more bikes are coming that will fit these size of gravel tires. But what about now? That is a tire size that is kind of a 'no-man's land' in terms of fitment. Generally speaking, there were road and road-ish tires going up to around 700 X 42mm in the past, then you had a few outliers, like the old Continental Goliath, or that voluminous touring tire they made in the 90's, but past 42mm, there usually were no tires listed in distributor's catalogs for 700c.

There is a good reason for that. It doesn't have much to do with tires, but it has everything to do with clearances. Drive train clearances especially. There were two established standards, mostly promoted to the factories by Shimano, so they could eventually standardize the drive train business into 'road' and 'mountain' categories. Road standards allow for a certain chain line, which then pretty much dictates tire clearances in the end. Mountain allows more room, so it has a wider spindle length and crank arms that provide a wider chain line, amongst other things. This is a bit of oversimplification, but the point remains. Everything else follows the chain line and is defined by 'road' and 'mountain'. Note- there is no category for 'gravel'. Well....maybe not. (See GRX)

A close up of the 700 X 47mm Cannonball. It looks like a rasp!

So, stuffing a big tire, a chain stay, and a chain ring, plus allowing for clearance for spinning crank arms, and don't forget a drive train that is in line, (chain line), and all that together......whew! That is truly complicated stuff, and to make a change in any one of those things affects all the others. That's why when 29"ers came around companies were saying 'no way!', because making room for a big tire and a drive train plus all that other stuff- even though it could be MTB stuff- was throwing a huge wrench into the standardization pool. Remember- it took years to get parts that were 29"er friendly. This is why.

All that to say that this 700c X 47mm deal, or even Donnelly's 700c X 50mm MSO, is a weird size for a gravel tire because the limits of the road standard are being sorely tested. You might be thinking, "Well, why not use MTB standard design then!". Great idea, excepting that you have things like "Q" factor, no drive train parts which are drop bar/MTB specific, and now we have GRX.

Ah! The GRX thing! Is this Shimano's sneaky way to circumvent changing road bike standards by creating an entirely new one, outside the box of the traditionalist roadies? And when is something like a 47mm or 50mm tire appropriate for many/most riders? Isn't that just too much tire? Are we turning 'gravel' into 'drop bar mtb'? And at what point do we start seeing that the closer to 70° head angle, fully rigid hard tail bike is sorely absent from our "general purpose" off-roading options?

Add to that inner rim widths and what about these crazy wide handle bars? The cycling industry seems to be on a 'make everything wider' kick the past decade or so, and they show no signs of stopping.....yet. At some point, the pendulum of fashion and "expertise" may change and we will swing back to narrower stuff. Just wait and see.

Although, I highly doubt we go back to 17mm outer rim width roadie rims, like my Sun Mistrals, anytime soon.

Friday News And Views

Uhhh......That Didn't Go Over Very Well!

The ultimately predictable responses to the news yesterday about Canyon's gravel bike were all focused on the goofy looking handle bar. There were memes, snarky remarks, outright disdain, and my favorite comment of all:

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”.

I didn't say much about it yesterday because I knew immediately that was all anybody else was going to talk about. Too bad, because even without the polarizing bar design I think Canyon missed the mark on a few points. But you probably read yesterday's post, no need to get into all of that again.

I did want to say that I got a comment about what I thought "old road bike geometry" did right. I referenced that yesterday with my 29"er geo remarks, but I wanted to expand a bit here.

First things first- Much of what was done then was exaggerated to accommodate the shortcomings in materials technology, so when I reference "old road bike geometry", I don't mean that I think we need to do it exactly that way today. Actually, what I do think is that a less extreme take on that would be best today. At any rate, the purpose that geometry serves is to introduce the opportunity to design a fork that has fore and aft flex, with the longer offset helping to get the wheel out from under the rider a tad, which is also promoted by the slightly slacker head angle. We're talking something like what I advised Raleigh to do with the Tamland. The original, steel fork version. That head angle was 71.5°, but originally I was thinking 71.0° or 70.5° at the extreme with a 50mm plus long offset. I didn't tell Raleigh to do that in 2012 because I felt it was too radical. But that's what I would do today and it reflects how old road bikes were done pre-WWII. And interestingly, at 9:00am this morning a bike will be introduced by Salsa Cycles that fits some of that criteria. (I have a story on RidingGravel.com about that introduction which posts after 9:00amCST.)

New Teravail Cannonball 42mm tires. Courtesy of QBP for the Geezer Ride.

They Made Them Better:

If you've been around here a while you know that I had a dim view of the Teravail Cannonball and Sparwood tires which I tried a couple years back. They were sluggish, heavy, and dead feeling.

I gave the Cannonball tires away for a sixer of beer and the Sparwoods came off last year and likely will never get put back on anything at this point. I just have too many better choices to use.

Then I saw the QBP rep the other day and he showed us at the shop what is up with Teravail. They have revamped the quality of all their tires, plus they are adding some new items, which I don't think I can talk about just yet. Anyway, Teravail has definitely made a change. I handled a Sparwood in the Light casing version which felt completely different than the Sparwoods I have. Plus the Sparwoods will be coming out with a cool, "skinwall" look, but don't think the traditional "tan" skinwall. It is a unique looking tire, but very cool looking as well.

The rep also handed off the pictured Cannonball 42's which are the "protection" models and these are for giving away at the upcoming Geezer Ride next weekend. I haven't decided just yet how that will work, but these were a spur of the moment sponsorship from Teravail to support the ride. Teravail will be making a big push this season, so keep an eye out for that.

The new hard case type Silca Premio seat bag with Boa attachment.

Hard Case:

Silca is at it again with a hard case style seat pack but this one attaches with a Boa type closure. That's interesting, and maybe unnecessary. I mean, it is one way to do it, and it looks clean and all, but lots of bag makers have tried things like this and have used clips which clamp on to your seat rails and that seems to work well. But I get it- the Boa thing doesn't need a clip which stays on the saddle when you move the bag, and you don't need extra clips.

But besides that, I really do not like how it opens. I know me, and if I had this bag, I would have all manner of things stuffed into it which would promptly fall out when I opened it up. Maybe minimalist, very organized folks would dig it. Not me!

My all time favorite seat pack is still the Topeak Aero Wedge Pack I actually used one so much in terrible conditions I wore it out. But I have another and it is doing fine. I can perfectly pack a good tool kit, open the bag without dumping anything out, and as I say, the thing takes a ton of abuse well. It is about half the price of the fancy Silca one and does a better job, in my opinion. Of course, I haven't actually used a Silca pack, so that may be seen as being unfair, but for twice the price I don't see twice the benefits or a huge increase in design features here.

Twin Six Rando XC....... Nice!

 Another New Bike Intro:

Sometime this morning Twin Six will also be releasing details on the evolved Standard Rando design called the "Rando XC". I am betting it is wide tire capable and Boosted..... We will see.

Sigh..... So many bikes, so little time!


Okay, that's it for this week. Have a great weekend and get some miles of smiles in!

Friday News And Views

Uhhh......That Didn't Go Over Very Well!

The ultimately predictable responses to the news yesterday about Canyon's gravel bike were all focused on the goofy looking handle bar. There were memes, snarky remarks, outright disdain, and my favorite comment of all:

"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”.

I didn't say much about it yesterday because I knew immediately that was all anybody else was going to talk about. Too bad, because even without the polarizing bar design I think Canyon missed the mark on a few points. But you probably read yesterday's post, no need to get into all of that again.

I did want to say that I got a comment about what I thought "old road bike geometry" did right. I referenced that yesterday with my 29"er geo remarks, but I wanted to expand a bit here.

First things first- Much of what was done then was exaggerated to accommodate the shortcomings in materials technology, so when I reference "old road bike geometry", I don't mean that I think we need to do it exactly that way today. Actually, what I do think is that a less extreme take on that would be best today. At any rate, the purpose that geometry serves is to introduce the opportunity to design a fork that has fore and aft flex, with the longer offset helping to get the wheel out from under the rider a tad, which is also promoted by the slightly slacker head angle. We're talking something like what I advised Raleigh to do with the Tamland. The original, steel fork version. That head angle was 71.5°, but originally I was thinking 71.0° or 70.5° at the extreme with a 50mm plus long offset. I didn't tell Raleigh to do that in 2012 because I felt it was too radical. But that's what I would do today and it reflects how old road bikes were done pre-WWII. And interestingly, at 9:00am this morning a bike will be introduced by Salsa Cycles that fits some of that criteria. (I have a story on RidingGravel.com about that introduction which posts after 9:00amCST.)

New Teravail Cannonball 42mm tires. Courtesy of QBP for the Geezer Ride.

They Made Them Better:

If you've been around here a while you know that I had a dim view of the Teravail Cannonball and Sparwood tires which I tried a couple years back. They were sluggish, heavy, and dead feeling.

I gave the Cannonball tires away for a sixer of beer and the Sparwoods came off last year and likely will never get put back on anything at this point. I just have too many better choices to use.

Then I saw the QBP rep the other day and he showed us at the shop what is up with Teravail. They have revamped the quality of all their tires, plus they are adding some new items, which I don't think I can talk about just yet. Anyway, Teravail has definitely made a change. I handled a Sparwood in the Light casing version which felt completely different than the Sparwoods I have. Plus the Sparwoods will be coming out with a cool, "skinwall" look, but don't think the traditional "tan" skinwall. It is a unique looking tire, but very cool looking as well.

The rep also handed off the pictured Cannonball 42's which are the "protection" models and these are for giving away at the upcoming Geezer Ride next weekend. I haven't decided just yet how that will work, but these were a spur of the moment sponsorship from Teravail to support the ride. Teravail will be making a big push this season, so keep an eye out for that.

The new hard case type Silca Premio seat bag with Boa attachment.

Hard Case:

Silca is at it again with a hard case style seat pack but this one attaches with a Boa type closure. That's interesting, and maybe unnecessary. I mean, it is one way to do it, and it looks clean and all, but lots of bag makers have tried things like this and have used clips which clamp on to your seat rails and that seems to work well. But I get it- the Boa thing doesn't need a clip which stays on the saddle when you move the bag, and you don't need extra clips.

But besides that, I really do not like how it opens. I know me, and if I had this bag, I would have all manner of things stuffed into it which would promptly fall out when I opened it up. Maybe minimalist, very organized folks would dig it. Not me!

My all time favorite seat pack is still the Topeak Aero Wedge Pack I actually used one so much in terrible conditions I wore it out. But I have another and it is doing fine. I can perfectly pack a good tool kit, open the bag without dumping anything out, and as I say, the thing takes a ton of abuse well. It is about half the price of the fancy Silca one and does a better job, in my opinion. Of course, I haven't actually used a Silca pack, so that may be seen as being unfair, but for twice the price I don't see twice the benefits or a huge increase in design features here.

Twin Six Rando XC....... Nice!

 Another New Bike Intro:

Sometime this morning Twin Six will also be releasing details on the evolved Standard Rando design called the "Rando XC". I am betting it is wide tire capable and Boosted..... We will see.

Sigh..... So many bikes, so little time!


Okay, that's it for this week. Have a great weekend and get some miles of smiles in!

Repair Schedule

 Tire repair- Refresh sealant. Ready!

Wednesday was weird. First off, my daughter didn't feel well enough to go to school. so I was off work anyway and became the nurse for the morning. Thankfully, by mid-afternoon she was herself again. However; that time was all that was open for riding, so I had to get something else done around the house, not make a ton of noise, (while she was sleeping), and stay within close proximity in case I was needed.

That set of requirements best fit a schedule of repair on some bikes that I had been putting off for a while. I also tackled a swap or two that I had in mind. It was like going to work, except I didn't get paid by my boss for it! Well, at least I benefited from it directly, and hey.......the labor was free! 

First up, I wanted to peel off the Cannonball tires from the American Classic rims on the Roker LTD and put those on the trusty HED Ardennes + rims on the Black Mountain Cycles rig. That went pretty well, with the HED rims taking on the Cannonball tires with a bit of a blast from my teeny-tiny air compressor, and setting up with zero issues. Then I took the rig for a blast around the neighborhood to get a feel for the tires. (Don't worry. My daughter was up and about by this time.) Still not totally convinced on those tires......

Those fancy-pants Cannonball tires will live on this bike for a while now.

Then it was on to my OS Bikes Blackbuck, which I had a puncture on several weeks ago when I rode it. The sealant initially did the trick, sealed the cut, and I got home, but the next day it went flat. I knew I'd need more sealant, as it blew out a lot just getting the initial puncture to seal up.

I wasn't sure on this one, because I figured that more sealant would just blow out again, but much to my surprise it sealed up, and my blast around the neighborhood on it showed no chinks in the armor. Good to go then and on to the next bike.

The next project was a swap again. This time the swap was a fork swap with the Blackborow DS going from Bluto to rigid again. I took the time to blast out the crud from the semi-sealed lower head set bearing, and repack it with grease for the Winter. Then I popped on the rigid fork. I always have a back and forth on stems and how straight they are, eventually just giving up. I know there are little tricks to help with this but my brain and eyes like to play little tricks with me when I do this. My brain and eyes think it is funny. I don't play the game long before I just turn away and torque down the bolts. If I keep looking at it I'll drive myself crazy and give my brain and my eyes the very thing they are wanting- to make me go nuts. So, enough was enough. Moving along now!

Ready for Winter duty.

Then I attended to the chain and cogs on this bike, with a bit of cleaning and lube. I also had to bolt on one of the Anything Cage HD's that I had taken off for a proposed display at work that didn't happen. With that accomplished I had the Blackborow DS ready for Winter commuting and more.

After this it was time to wrench on my other fat bike- the Ti Muk. It developed a flattish rear tire, but it never lost all of its air. So, I took the tube out. I may have put sealant in this tube, but danged if I can remember. That could be taken care of if I kept a log book on each bike! I should do that......

Anyway, I dunk tanked the tube in the kitchen sink and found nuthn'! So, I scoured the tire and found nuthin'! Hrummpff! Okay, well maybe I did put sealant in that tire, but if I did, I couldn't tell other than the fact that it weighed more than it should. Whatever! I took the opportunity to put a new rim strip in the wheel. I hadn't put a new one in since 2011, so it was over due for that wheel. I should do the front as well, but it is in better condition.

The inner casing of the tire was coated in talc powder, then I put the tube in and mounted it up. Now I have another, geared fat bike ready to go for the Winter fun and commuting. With that bike done and out of the repair list, I was pretty much done for the day. A good day of repairs and I even cleared up a bit of space on my cluttered bench as well. All in all a good day at the home office.

Repair Schedule

 Tire repair- Refresh sealant. Ready!

Wednesday was weird. First off, my daughter didn't feel well enough to go to school. so I was off work anyway and became the nurse for the morning. Thankfully, by mid-afternoon she was herself again. However; that time was all that was open for riding, so I had to get something else done around the house, not make a ton of noise, (while she was sleeping), and stay within close proximity in case I was needed.

That set of requirements best fit a schedule of repair on some bikes that I had been putting off for a while. I also tackled a swap or two that I had in mind. It was like going to work, except I didn't get paid by my boss for it! Well, at least I benefited from it directly, and hey.......the labor was free! 

First up, I wanted to peel off the Cannonball tires from the American Classic rims on the Roker LTD and put those on the trusty HED Ardennes + rims on the Black Mountain Cycles rig. That went pretty well, with the HED rims taking on the Cannonball tires with a bit of a blast from my teeny-tiny air compressor, and setting up with zero issues. Then I took the rig for a blast around the neighborhood to get a feel for the tires. (Don't worry. My daughter was up and about by this time.) Still not totally convinced on those tires......

Those fancy-pants Cannonball tires will live on this bike for a while now.

Then it was on to my OS Bikes Blackbuck, which I had a puncture on several weeks ago when I rode it. The sealant initially did the trick, sealed the cut, and I got home, but the next day it went flat. I knew I'd need more sealant, as it blew out a lot just getting the initial puncture to seal up.

I wasn't sure on this one, because I figured that more sealant would just blow out again, but much to my surprise it sealed up, and my blast around the neighborhood on it showed no chinks in the armor. Good to go then and on to the next bike.

The next project was a swap again. This time the swap was a fork swap with the Blackborow DS going from Bluto to rigid again. I took the time to blast out the crud from the semi-sealed lower head set bearing, and repack it with grease for the Winter. Then I popped on the rigid fork. I always have a back and forth on stems and how straight they are, eventually just giving up. I know there are little tricks to help with this but my brain and eyes like to play little tricks with me when I do this. My brain and eyes think it is funny. I don't play the game long before I just turn away and torque down the bolts. If I keep looking at it I'll drive myself crazy and give my brain and my eyes the very thing they are wanting- to make me go nuts. So, enough was enough. Moving along now!

Ready for Winter duty.

Then I attended to the chain and cogs on this bike, with a bit of cleaning and lube. I also had to bolt on one of the Anything Cage HD's that I had taken off for a proposed display at work that didn't happen. With that accomplished I had the Blackborow DS ready for Winter commuting and more.

After this it was time to wrench on my other fat bike- the Ti Muk. It developed a flattish rear tire, but it never lost all of its air. So, I took the tube out. I may have put sealant in this tube, but danged if I can remember. That could be taken care of if I kept a log book on each bike! I should do that......

Anyway, I dunk tanked the tube in the kitchen sink and found nuthn'! So, I scoured the tire and found nuthin'! Hrummpff! Okay, well maybe I did put sealant in that tire, but if I did, I couldn't tell other than the fact that it weighed more than it should. Whatever! I took the opportunity to put a new rim strip in the wheel. I hadn't put a new one in since 2011, so it was over due for that wheel. I should do the front as well, but it is in better condition.

The inner casing of the tire was coated in talc powder, then I put the tube in and mounted it up. Now I have another, geared fat bike ready to go for the Winter fun and commuting. With that bike done and out of the repair list, I was pretty much done for the day. A good day of repairs and I even cleared up a bit of space on my cluttered bench as well. All in all a good day at the home office.