Friday News And Views

Diamondback and a couple of other brands were sold off recently for a dollar.

I'd Buy That For A Dollar:

The bicycle business is in a tumultuous state of flux. The latest evidence being the sale of Diamonback, Redline, and Izip brands by their former owner, Accell Group N.V., to investment company Regent LP., who happen to have recently purchased Mavic.

You can read the dry details of this story here on "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News". The reported sale price for the three brands was one U.S. dollar.

The Raleigh brand, which Accell calls one of their "global cycling brands" will be distributed in the U.S. market with Regent LP on a two year agreement. The Raleigh, Diamondback, and Redline brands were sold in a separate sale in the Canadian market to Canadian Tire, according to the "BRAIN" report.

Several years ago the Diamondback brand wasn't making a killing, but it did have a separate identity and served as the mountain biking brand alongside of Raleigh, which basically stayed out of any "serious" mountain biking product. It was typically sold to dealers as a package- Raleigh and Diamondback, which made a bit more sense. Redline, for its part, mostly a BMX brand, was handled by distributor Seattle Bicycle Supply (SBS). Redline did a decent business in BMX, cyclo cross, and urban bikes back then.

When Accell stepped in, they scooped up all of these brands, homogenized Diamondback, Raleigh, and Redline, much in the same way General Motors did with their sub-brands, and basically made them so similar, one to another, that only the paint jobs and decals were different. Accell then sold Diamondback as a department store/big box retailer brand, primarily through Dick's Sporting Goods, and further muddied the waters. When both Diamondback and Raleigh circumvented their local bike shop dealers further by selling direct on-line, the North American market support from those dealers fizzled into thin air. Oh, and SBS? Accell shuttered that distribution company years ago. Again, alienating their local bike shop customers.

So, when Accell looked at North American markets for their brands recently, they saw a deficit. (duh) This precipitated the sale, and of course, after so many years of torpedoing their base customers in the US, it is no wonder the brands were sold for a measly buck. By the way, Accell is the number one distributor of HPC's (e-bikes) in Europe. So, that should give you an idea of their main focus. European stock markets and financial people were pleased that Accell, as the industry news source "Bike Europe" so succinctly put it, "....has been able to get rid of its troublesome subsidiary that showed rapidly growing losses."

It will be interesting to see what Regent LP does with Diamondback and Redline. Recent news stories suggest that they are keen on reviving Mavic as a leader in component sales and having a bicycle brand to market along side of that maybe is what they were after. One thing is for sure- times are a changin'. 

Ashton Lambie, (doubled over) speaking to MG at the Solstice 100, which Ashton won.

Gravel Grinder Wins Gold (Again)

This has been kind of a story that has shaken the traditional road racing segment. That story surrounding Ashton Lambie, a native Nebraskan and accomplished gravel racer, who set the World Record in the individual pursuit at the Pan-American Games last year, and just won a gold medal this past August 4th at this year's Pan-American Games in Peru. 

Stories pop up in mainstream cycling media from time to time with story lines about his rural upbringing and music background, which is interesting. I don't know, he seems like a nice enough guy to me. Extraordinarily talented, yes, but very down to Earth. It's pretty cool to see someone from a gravel racing/riding background break the mold set by traditionalists in road and track racing with World records and podiums on his way to the 2020 Olympics.

Check out what the local paper said about his story here.

I'll be interested to see where Mr Lambie goes from here. It'd be pretty cool to see him bring home some medals from Tokyo.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek in Trans Iowa v14 Image by Jon Duke

The Story Behind The Rider:

Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt that there was something special about them? Something about that person that commands your respect, even though you have just met? Well, I have had that happen. In fact, with regard to Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek USMC, I knew just from reading his name on the post card he sent in for Trans Iowa v12 that there was "something about this guy" that required my respect to be shown.

I could have just listed him as "Matthew Kutilek" on the roster, but I added his name like this: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek, USMC" (his rank at that time) and even when I called him up at the Pre-Race Meat-Up, I believe that is the name I called him up with. Was I being a smart-ass? Fair question, because, well, if you know me, I do have that gene in my make-up. But not this time, I just "knew" that's how I needed to respect him.

Well, as it turned out, Matthew finished that first attempt at Trans Iowa in 2016. At the finish line, I shook Matthew's hand and congratulated him. He responded with a breathless "Thank you, Sir! That was the most difficult thing I have done, Sir!" I was a bit taken aback by his military-type respect in his response, and I seriously doubted it was "the most difficult thing" he'd done. I thought I was correct in that assumption directly, and when his story came out later about his wounding in Afghanistan, and the radical surgical technique that saved his right leg, I was sure T.I.v12 wasn't even close to the toughest thing he'd ever done.

Then just the other day, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek sent me a link to this video. If you dare to watch, you will learn that my respect for this man is not misplaced. I am honored to have met this man, and to have had him in my event not once, but twice. You can scroll "The Roster" and see his entry that reads: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek USMC V12, V14"

Perhaps it is high time I edited that.

 That's a wrap for this week, folks! have a great weekend and go ride some bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Diamondback and a couple of other brands were sold off recently for a dollar.

I'd Buy That For A Dollar:

The bicycle business is in a tumultuous state of flux. The latest evidence being the sale of Diamonback, Redline, and Izip brands by their former owner, Accell Group N.V., to investment company Regent LP., who happen to have recently purchased Mavic.

You can read the dry details of this story here on "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News". The reported sale price for the three brands was one U.S. dollar.

The Raleigh brand, which Accell calls one of their "global cycling brands" will be distributed in the U.S. market with Regent LP on a two year agreement. The Raleigh, Diamondback, and Redline brands were sold in a separate sale in the Canadian market to Canadian Tire, according to the "BRAIN" report.

Several years ago the Diamondback brand wasn't making a killing, but it did have a separate identity and served as the mountain biking brand alongside of Raleigh, which basically stayed out of any "serious" mountain biking product. It was typically sold to dealers as a package- Raleigh and Diamondback, which made a bit more sense. Redline, for its part, mostly a BMX brand, was handled by distributor Seattle Bicycle Supply (SBS). Redline did a decent business in BMX, cyclo cross, and urban bikes back then.

When Accell stepped in, they scooped up all of these brands, homogenized Diamondback, Raleigh, and Redline, much in the same way General Motors did with their sub-brands, and basically made them so similar, one to another, that only the paint jobs and decals were different. Accell then sold Diamondback as a department store/big box retailer brand, primarily through Dick's Sporting Goods, and further muddied the waters. When both Diamondback and Raleigh circumvented their local bike shop dealers further by selling direct on-line, the North American market support from those dealers fizzled into thin air. Oh, and SBS? Accell shuttered that distribution company years ago. Again, alienating their local bike shop customers.

So, when Accell looked at North American markets for their brands recently, they saw a deficit. (duh) This precipitated the sale, and of course, after so many years of torpedoing their base customers in the US, it is no wonder the brands were sold for a measly buck. By the way, Accell is the number one distributor of HPC's (e-bikes) in Europe. So, that should give you an idea of their main focus. European stock markets and financial people were pleased that Accell, as the industry news source "Bike Europe" so succinctly put it, "....has been able to get rid of its troublesome subsidiary that showed rapidly growing losses."

It will be interesting to see what Regent LP does with Diamondback and Redline. Recent news stories suggest that they are keen on reviving Mavic as a leader in component sales and having a bicycle brand to market along side of that maybe is what they were after. One thing is for sure- times are a changin'. 

Ashton Lambie, (doubled over) speaking to MG at the Solstice 100, which Ashton won.

Gravel Grinder Wins Gold (Again)

This has been kind of a story that has shaken the traditional road racing segment. That story surrounding Ashton Lambie, a native Nebraskan and accomplished gravel racer, who set the World Record in the individual pursuit at the Pan-American Games last year, and just won a gold medal this past August 4th at this year's Pan-American Games in Peru. 

Stories pop up in mainstream cycling media from time to time with story lines about his rural upbringing and music background, which is interesting. I don't know, he seems like a nice enough guy to me. Extraordinarily talented, yes, but very down to Earth. It's pretty cool to see someone from a gravel racing/riding background break the mold set by traditionalists in road and track racing with World records and podiums on his way to the 2020 Olympics.

Check out what the local paper said about his story here.

I'll be interested to see where Mr Lambie goes from here. It'd be pretty cool to see him bring home some medals from Tokyo.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek in Trans Iowa v14 Image by Jon Duke

The Story Behind The Rider:

Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt that there was something special about them? Something about that person that commands your respect, even though you have just met? Well, I have had that happen. In fact, with regard to Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek USMC, I knew just from reading his name on the post card he sent in for Trans Iowa v12 that there was "something about this guy" that required my respect to be shown.

I could have just listed him as "Matthew Kutilek" on the roster, but I added his name like this: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek, USMC" (his rank at that time) and even when I called him up at the Pre-Race Meat-Up, I believe that is the name I called him up with. Was I being a smart-ass? Fair question, because, well, if you know me, I do have that gene in my make-up. But not this time, I just "knew" that's how I needed to respect him.

Well, as it turned out, Matthew finished that first attempt at Trans Iowa in 2016. At the finish line, I shook Matthew's hand and congratulated him. He responded with a breathless "Thank you, Sir! That was the most difficult thing I have done, Sir!" I was a bit taken aback by his military-type respect in his response, and I seriously doubted it was "the most difficult thing" he'd done. I thought I was correct in that assumption directly, and when his story came out later about his wounding in Afghanistan, and the radical surgical technique that saved his right leg, I was sure T.I.v12 wasn't even close to the toughest thing he'd ever done.

Then just the other day, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek sent me a link to this video. If you dare to watch, you will learn that my respect for this man is not misplaced. I am honored to have met this man, and to have had him in my event not once, but twice. You can scroll "The Roster" and see his entry that reads: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek USMC V12, V14"

Perhaps it is high time I edited that.

 That's a wrap for this week, folks! have a great weekend and go ride some bicycles!

Something Old, Something Blue

It will get the job done.

Parts bin parts are sometimes a good thing, and then again sometimes they can be a curse. I mean, what the heck am I saving this stuff for? Then comes a day when you find that part that allows your build to continue forward and you think you are a genius for saving all that stuff.

Most of the time though, it is stupid and a burden. Of course, there are those bits one should never toss out, like good 8/9 speed derailleurs. I had this old 90's era XT derailleur hanging around and I decided to employ it once again for the rebuild of the custom rig I have here. You might remember the post about the chain rings from last week? Yeah, that bike build.

Anyway, I have found the derailleurs for the build. The front, a shiny top pull XT, is likely the one from the original Fargo. I'm not sure though. It had a clamp that fit the fillet brazed frame I am building up perfectly though, so whether it was from a Fargo or not, it was likely a steel framed mtb of some sort. Parts bin parts, ya know. Their origins are sometimes murky at best.

The rear derailleur, well, I think I know the story here and the blue, sealed bearing jockey wheels are my clue. I had a 1996 Diamondback V-Link Pro dual suspension bike and it was an XT equipped rig. I remember it had a raw aluminum/blue theme to its look. There were the blue grips and matching Panaracer Magic blue treaded tires. Not really blue rubber. It was so dark you almost could mistake it for black, but it was definitely blue.

At any rate, I decided to swap in more blue anodized bits and these jockey wheels would have been something I would have done back then. So, I think this rear derailleur was from that Diamondback V-Link Pro. Most likely, it was. Blue jockey wheels don't really go with the theme of this build, but the nostalgia for me carries the day and this will be the part I use. I suppose if I really am offended by the blue I can swap out to silver sealed bearing pulleys easily enough.

Oh! And I tracked down a set of 9spd bar end shifters, so I will be going with Gevenalle's Audax shifter/levers for shifting and braking duties. Stay tuned..........

Something Old, Something Blue

It will get the job done.

Parts bin parts are sometimes a good thing, and then again sometimes they can be a curse. I mean, what the heck am I saving this stuff for? Then comes a day when you find that part that allows your build to continue forward and you think you are a genius for saving all that stuff.

Most of the time though, it is stupid and a burden. Of course, there are those bits one should never toss out, like good 8/9 speed derailleurs. I had this old 90's era XT derailleur hanging around and I decided to employ it once again for the rebuild of the custom rig I have here. You might remember the post about the chain rings from last week? Yeah, that bike build.

Anyway, I have found the derailleurs for the build. The front, a shiny top pull XT, is likely the one from the original Fargo. I'm not sure though. It had a clamp that fit the fillet brazed frame I am building up perfectly though, so whether it was from a Fargo or not, it was likely a steel framed mtb of some sort. Parts bin parts, ya know. Their origins are sometimes murky at best.

The rear derailleur, well, I think I know the story here and the blue, sealed bearing jockey wheels are my clue. I had a 1996 Diamondback V-Link Pro dual suspension bike and it was an XT equipped rig. I remember it had a raw aluminum/blue theme to its look. There were the blue grips and matching Panaracer Magic blue treaded tires. Not really blue rubber. It was so dark you almost could mistake it for black, but it was definitely blue.

At any rate, I decided to swap in more blue anodized bits and these jockey wheels would have been something I would have done back then. So, I think this rear derailleur was from that Diamondback V-Link Pro. Most likely, it was. Blue jockey wheels don't really go with the theme of this build, but the nostalgia for me carries the day and this will be the part I use. I suppose if I really am offended by the blue I can swap out to silver sealed bearing pulleys easily enough.

Oh! And I tracked down a set of 9spd bar end shifters, so I will be going with Gevenalle's Audax shifter/levers for shifting and braking duties. Stay tuned..........

End Of Dirt?

One last time in 2012....

The forecast wasn''t sounding too great. Blizzard warnings and all. The "smart phone" made sure I knew about that at 4am in the morning! So I figured that it wasn't too bad out, and that I should get one last dirt ride in, and then get out the fat bikes!

So I hauled the Camber Comp out to the South Side trails for one last go around. The trails were looking frozen with the remnants of the "dandruff snow" that fell from the sky Tuesday. But the looks were deceiving. In reality, it was a weird combination of moisture, dirt, and frozen components that made for a sticky, clod-fest of a ride. You would have thought I was riding a moto-cross bike with the amount of dirt that was being flung about me as I sped along the trail.

It was fun for sure, but I did not push it too hard to start out with. I think many of the readers here may find it amusing that I did wear knee pads on this ride though! You know......just in case. Turns out I was in no danger of needing them this time.

The woods were strangely devoid of deer this time. Only the cackling of crows was to be heard far overhead. There was no wind to speak of at this point. Just a grey sky and mostly silent woods. I didn't see anything alive until I reached the nearest point to the Cedar River. There they were again- two Bald Eagles this time. That makes three out of three trips where I have seen the Bald Eagles at this same spot on the river. 

Then it was on to the technical bits. The Camber, with its plush suspension, was a good match for the quick down/up of the new section. But then you gotta go back down. Here is where I appreciated the long, kicked out wheel, short stem, and wide bar on the Diamondback Mason. The Specialized took more care to get it to go around the corner here.

Overall the bike was good though, just not as stiff and stout feeling as the Mason hard tail. But then, the Mason and the Camber weigh almost the same amount, and the Camber has dual suspension, so, ya gotta figure the Mason is a bit burlier than the Camber just from that stat.

It was a great "last" ride at The Camp. I started out 2012 with some trepidation concerning this trail system. It was not known what was going to become of it, since the rumor was the Boy Scouts were selling it off. Would it end up becoming a few high dollar residences? Would it get closed off to public use? Who knew? I rode out there as much as I could get away with early on since I figured it would be the last year.

Well, now it seems that the trails will stay open. Bremer County owns the land now, or so I hear, and the scuttlebutt is that new sections of trail are being planned. In fact, some was put in late in the year after word of the sale went through, and it has been a great addition to the already fantastic trails out there. Next season should be really a good one.

End Of Dirt?

One last time in 2012....

The forecast wasn''t sounding too great. Blizzard warnings and all. The "smart phone" made sure I knew about that at 4am in the morning! So I figured that it wasn't too bad out, and that I should get one last dirt ride in, and then get out the fat bikes!

So I hauled the Camber Comp out to the South Side trails for one last go around. The trails were looking frozen with the remnants of the "dandruff snow" that fell from the sky Tuesday. But the looks were deceiving. In reality, it was a weird combination of moisture, dirt, and frozen components that made for a sticky, clod-fest of a ride. You would have thought I was riding a moto-cross bike with the amount of dirt that was being flung about me as I sped along the trail.

It was fun for sure, but I did not push it too hard to start out with. I think many of the readers here may find it amusing that I did wear knee pads on this ride though! You know......just in case. Turns out I was in no danger of needing them this time.

The woods were strangely devoid of deer this time. Only the cackling of crows was to be heard far overhead. There was no wind to speak of at this point. Just a grey sky and mostly silent woods. I didn't see anything alive until I reached the nearest point to the Cedar River. There they were again- two Bald Eagles this time. That makes three out of three trips where I have seen the Bald Eagles at this same spot on the river. 

Then it was on to the technical bits. The Camber, with its plush suspension, was a good match for the quick down/up of the new section. But then you gotta go back down. Here is where I appreciated the long, kicked out wheel, short stem, and wide bar on the Diamondback Mason. The Specialized took more care to get it to go around the corner here.

Overall the bike was good though, just not as stiff and stout feeling as the Mason hard tail. But then, the Mason and the Camber weigh almost the same amount, and the Camber has dual suspension, so, ya gotta figure the Mason is a bit burlier than the Camber just from that stat.

It was a great "last" ride at The Camp. I started out 2012 with some trepidation concerning this trail system. It was not known what was going to become of it, since the rumor was the Boy Scouts were selling it off. Would it end up becoming a few high dollar residences? Would it get closed off to public use? Who knew? I rode out there as much as I could get away with early on since I figured it would be the last year.

Well, now it seems that the trails will stay open. Bremer County owns the land now, or so I hear, and the scuttlebutt is that new sections of trail are being planned. In fact, some was put in late in the year after word of the sale went through, and it has been a great addition to the already fantastic trails out there. Next season should be really a good one.

Out In The Cold, Old Woods

New trail at the Camp

Well you just knew that days like we had over the weekend were not going to last, right? After all, it is December, and it should be cold by now.

It was certainly that yesterday, although it isn't as cold as it could be for this time of the year. And don't forget, every day without snow now makes the winter that much shorter. Typically we have been snowed out of the trails by now.

But that isn't the case just yet, obviously, and I got out to the Camp to test the new Diamondback Mason hard tail 29"er. This is an interesting bike. Short (17 inch) chain stays, slack (66.5°) head angle and 140mm travel Fox Talas 29 fork. Should steer like a boat, right?

Bzzzt! Wrong! I won't give it all away, but this bike surprises. Then there is the dropper post, and with all the rest of the stuff going on here it simply made child's play of the new sections of trail out there. I could envision getting even better and faster on this bike because of the way it handles on everything out there, but especially the technical bits. But that would have to wait until we get out of this freeze/thaw cycle we're in now!

Tight Twisties

See, the winter without snow means that at night the moisture gets frozen in the dirt. Then the day dawns, the sun rises up just high enough that the rays hit the dirt and melt the surface moisture. The single track then turns into a greasy mud on top of what's left of the frozen dirt under that. A recipe for disaster if you are thinking about riding fast.

Fortunately I was able to spend more time on the Northward facing slopes and evaded the grease, with exception of some small patches here and there. On the way out, there were a few clench-worthy moments, but I stayed upright for the most part until I reached the service road, (now nearly reclaimed by nature), and wheeled my way out to the gravel road.

There I made several passes to clear off the muck from the tires. No need to be bringing that back home with me! It took about three laps, but I was able to sling most of it off of the tires.

Staying warm was no problem for me. I rode platform pedals which allowed me to use my Keen boots, which kept my feet toasty. I wore three layers up top, and Dickies for pants. Yeah, cotton twill work pants. they work awesome for me. Keeps the cold out, breathes, and they are light and flexible enough to handle the demands of cycling.

So the cold, old woods were challenging, but it was better to be out in those woods than to be sitting around at home. The high lonesome scream of the hawk and the bounding deer were confirmation of that. The dirt and the bicycle were the pay-off. I'll take that every time.

Out In The Cold, Old Woods

New trail at the Camp

Well you just knew that days like we had over the weekend were not going to last, right? After all, it is December, and it should be cold by now.

It was certainly that yesterday, although it isn't as cold as it could be for this time of the year. And don't forget, every day without snow now makes the winter that much shorter. Typically we have been snowed out of the trails by now.

But that isn't the case just yet, obviously, and I got out to the Camp to test the new Diamondback Mason hard tail 29"er. This is an interesting bike. Short (17 inch) chain stays, slack (66.5°) head angle and 140mm travel Fox Talas 29 fork. Should steer like a boat, right?

Bzzzt! Wrong! I won't give it all away, but this bike surprises. Then there is the dropper post, and with all the rest of the stuff going on here it simply made child's play of the new sections of trail out there. I could envision getting even better and faster on this bike because of the way it handles on everything out there, but especially the technical bits. But that would have to wait until we get out of this freeze/thaw cycle we're in now!

Tight Twisties

See, the winter without snow means that at night the moisture gets frozen in the dirt. Then the day dawns, the sun rises up just high enough that the rays hit the dirt and melt the surface moisture. The single track then turns into a greasy mud on top of what's left of the frozen dirt under that. A recipe for disaster if you are thinking about riding fast.

Fortunately I was able to spend more time on the Northward facing slopes and evaded the grease, with exception of some small patches here and there. On the way out, there were a few clench-worthy moments, but I stayed upright for the most part until I reached the service road, (now nearly reclaimed by nature), and wheeled my way out to the gravel road.

There I made several passes to clear off the muck from the tires. No need to be bringing that back home with me! It took about three laps, but I was able to sling most of it off of the tires.

Staying warm was no problem for me. I rode platform pedals which allowed me to use my Keen boots, which kept my feet toasty. I wore three layers up top, and Dickies for pants. Yeah, cotton twill work pants. they work awesome for me. Keeps the cold out, breathes, and they are light and flexible enough to handle the demands of cycling.

So the cold, old woods were challenging, but it was better to be out in those woods than to be sitting around at home. The high lonesome scream of the hawk and the bounding deer were confirmation of that. The dirt and the bicycle were the pay-off. I'll take that every time.

Friday News And Views

Yak Attack: 

I was asked by Mountain Bike Radio to be a guest and talk about Interbike, 27.5"ers, fat bikes and more. If you want to hear the almost hour long chat with host Ben Welnak, you can check out that right here. 

There is a rumor that I may be on Mountain Bike Radio every two weeks or so. Hmm.....stay tuned.

Krampus: Ancient language term meaning "fun"!

29+ Is Pretty Fun: 

This Surly Krampus with the enormous 3" tires on it was, in a word, a heck of a lot of fun.  The more I think about this, the more I see where it has a use for ultra-long riding and bikepacking.

As is typical with a Surly, this bike is solidly built, but due to the really long fork, big tires, and longer top tube, the ride is an order of magnitude smoother than my Karate Monkey's. So, let's say you are going to do some long bikepacking deal, maybe Tour Divide. Yeah.....this would be that bike. Of course, it'll be great for horsing around on too, but I think the touring aspects of this bike off road would be really appealing.

Finally, I was told recently that there is some misinformation floating about concerning the Krampus. It was being said that frame only Krampus' would be black. This is not true. All Krampus frame onlys will initially be the sparkly green seen in my image here. Another thing- these are insanely popular, so you know what that means.....

Mason: Another fun machine

This Could Be Fun Too: 

Another bike I was impressed by, since it pushed the fun meter pretty high, was this Diamond Back Mason 140mm travel hard tail.

It has sub-seventeen inch chain stays. Yeah...16.77", to be exact. While I am not a fan boy of short chain stays necessarily, this bike seemed pretty dialed.  The slack 66° degree head angle wasn't bad at all, and you can pop the travel adjust Fox Talas fork down to 110mm, which noticeably lowers the front, and quickens up the handling a bunch as well.

Normally I wouldn't consider such a rig as this for around here, but since the travel adjust is there, it begins to make some sense. It definitely would be a fun, "play bike" sort of rig. By the way, it also comes as a frame only.

Fat bike 3GR!

And I know This Is Fun...

Fat bike 3GR last happened in early August when it was blazing hot, dry, and crispy. This Saturday it won't be quite so hot, but it is still pretty dry out there.

If you want to ride along on your fat bike- or any ol bike- show up at Island Park at 8:30am. We'll do the Union Access fire road from Black Hawk Park, then find our regular route back to Cedar Falls.

Then on Saturday afternoon, I'll be leaving town to go ride the Moonshine Metric down in Mt. Vernon. 63 miles or so of night time gravelly goodness. I'm pretty pumped about this one, especially since I let myself down and didn't do any gravel grinding at night this year. Well.....once.  I did a "Super-moon" ride that month they said the moon was in its closest orbit to earth.

But I am going this time, and I will be stoked to ride on parts of the Moonlight Madness course I did a couple years ago in the driving rain. This time I'll get to see this area in much better weather. Well, it will be moonlit, so I will see something! Not totally dark, anyway. So, there will be 100 miles of riding or more in less than 24 hours.

That should make for some healthy appetites and good stories!

Hope that ya'all are getting out and riding too. Have a great weekend. Ride a bicycle!

Friday News And Views

Yak Attack: 

I was asked by Mountain Bike Radio to be a guest and talk about Interbike, 27.5"ers, fat bikes and more. If you want to hear the almost hour long chat with host Ben Welnak, you can check out that right here. 

There is a rumor that I may be on Mountain Bike Radio every two weeks or so. Hmm.....stay tuned.

Krampus: Ancient language term meaning "fun"!

29+ Is Pretty Fun: 

This Surly Krampus with the enormous 3" tires on it was, in a word, a heck of a lot of fun.  The more I think about this, the more I see where it has a use for ultra-long riding and bikepacking.

As is typical with a Surly, this bike is solidly built, but due to the really long fork, big tires, and longer top tube, the ride is an order of magnitude smoother than my Karate Monkey's. So, let's say you are going to do some long bikepacking deal, maybe Tour Divide. Yeah.....this would be that bike. Of course, it'll be great for horsing around on too, but I think the touring aspects of this bike off road would be really appealing.

Finally, I was told recently that there is some misinformation floating about concerning the Krampus. It was being said that frame only Krampus' would be black. This is not true. All Krampus frame onlys will initially be the sparkly green seen in my image here. Another thing- these are insanely popular, so you know what that means.....

Mason: Another fun machine

This Could Be Fun Too: 

Another bike I was impressed by, since it pushed the fun meter pretty high, was this Diamond Back Mason 140mm travel hard tail.

It has sub-seventeen inch chain stays. Yeah...16.77", to be exact. While I am not a fan boy of short chain stays necessarily, this bike seemed pretty dialed.  The slack 66° degree head angle wasn't bad at all, and you can pop the travel adjust Fox Talas fork down to 110mm, which noticeably lowers the front, and quickens up the handling a bunch as well.

Normally I wouldn't consider such a rig as this for around here, but since the travel adjust is there, it begins to make some sense. It definitely would be a fun, "play bike" sort of rig. By the way, it also comes as a frame only.

Fat bike 3GR!

And I know This Is Fun...

Fat bike 3GR last happened in early August when it was blazing hot, dry, and crispy. This Saturday it won't be quite so hot, but it is still pretty dry out there.

If you want to ride along on your fat bike- or any ol bike- show up at Island Park at 8:30am. We'll do the Union Access fire road from Black Hawk Park, then find our regular route back to Cedar Falls.

Then on Saturday afternoon, I'll be leaving town to go ride the Moonshine Metric down in Mt. Vernon. 63 miles or so of night time gravelly goodness. I'm pretty pumped about this one, especially since I let myself down and didn't do any gravel grinding at night this year. Well.....once.  I did a "Super-moon" ride that month they said the moon was in its closest orbit to earth.

But I am going this time, and I will be stoked to ride on parts of the Moonlight Madness course I did a couple years ago in the driving rain. This time I'll get to see this area in much better weather. Well, it will be moonlit, so I will see something! Not totally dark, anyway. So, there will be 100 miles of riding or more in less than 24 hours.

That should make for some healthy appetites and good stories!

Hope that ya'all are getting out and riding too. Have a great weekend. Ride a bicycle!

Trail Mines

I went for a ride Saturday, (who wouldn't? it was gorgeous!), and up at Cedar Bend the trails were littered with all sorts of "land mines". You know, sticks and branches. We had a bad wind storm go through here the other day, and it cleared out all the dead branches, trees, and broke off not a few live bits and pieces as well.

Sticks. Branches. Nuts!

That wasn't all either. You could tell where every Walnut tree was at, because right underneath each one was a covering of Black Walnuts in their green fleshy coatings.

These things are from golf ball to tennis ball in size, and they would roll and upset the bike whenever you came across them. Of course, they weren't all that easy to see, camouflaged as they were by all the detritus from the wind storm.

Fortunately, the Diamondback Sortie Black has some really active suspension. In fact, I could rail all of the sections I wanted to without fear, since the suspension was really keeping the tire gripping out back, and the trail oriented front end was not upset by the rolling and bouncing nuts, or by any of the various branches I encountered.

The wheels and derailleur out back concerned me though. These sorts of conditions are primo for ripping off rear derailleurs and popping spokes. I had to stop a couple of times when I feared that the XTR derailleur was in danger.

Other times I listened while wincing repeatedly as I heard the spokes go "pop....ziiiIIIIInnnng! Twang.....ping-ping....bwannnnGGGG!" all the way down certain sections of trail that were littered with twigs and branches.

Good thing that the "frequency" of a 29"er seems to be out of sync with what the wood demons are used to in regard to damaging wheels and ripping off derailleurs. Several times I had branches popped up by my front wheel only to be deflected harmlessly to the side by the crank, my feet, or the frame. Normally a 26"er would have died a thousand deaths by the time I had done one lap around Cedar Bend.

Look, I don't know that a 29"er really makes any difference here, but it seemed to yesterday. So, I'm going with that!

What I really need out there at this time of year is a branch eatin' single speed. Throw a stick in the rear wheel of a single speed, and with no "dangly bits" hanging in dangers way, those devilish trail obstacles are chewed to bits. No match!

Trail Mines

I went for a ride Saturday, (who wouldn't? it was gorgeous!), and up at Cedar Bend the trails were littered with all sorts of "land mines". You know, sticks and branches. We had a bad wind storm go through here the other day, and it cleared out all the dead branches, trees, and broke off not a few live bits and pieces as well.

Sticks. Branches. Nuts!

That wasn't all either. You could tell where every Walnut tree was at, because right underneath each one was a covering of Black Walnuts in their green fleshy coatings.

These things are from golf ball to tennis ball in size, and they would roll and upset the bike whenever you came across them. Of course, they weren't all that easy to see, camouflaged as they were by all the detritus from the wind storm.

Fortunately, the Diamondback Sortie Black has some really active suspension. In fact, I could rail all of the sections I wanted to without fear, since the suspension was really keeping the tire gripping out back, and the trail oriented front end was not upset by the rolling and bouncing nuts, or by any of the various branches I encountered.

The wheels and derailleur out back concerned me though. These sorts of conditions are primo for ripping off rear derailleurs and popping spokes. I had to stop a couple of times when I feared that the XTR derailleur was in danger.

Other times I listened while wincing repeatedly as I heard the spokes go "pop....ziiiIIIIInnnng! Twang.....ping-ping....bwannnnGGGG!" all the way down certain sections of trail that were littered with twigs and branches.

Good thing that the "frequency" of a 29"er seems to be out of sync with what the wood demons are used to in regard to damaging wheels and ripping off derailleurs. Several times I had branches popped up by my front wheel only to be deflected harmlessly to the side by the crank, my feet, or the frame. Normally a 26"er would have died a thousand deaths by the time I had done one lap around Cedar Bend.

Look, I don't know that a 29"er really makes any difference here, but it seemed to yesterday. So, I'm going with that!

What I really need out there at this time of year is a branch eatin' single speed. Throw a stick in the rear wheel of a single speed, and with no "dangly bits" hanging in dangers way, those devilish trail obstacles are chewed to bits. No match!

Chukkin' Wood

Cedar River and a Sortie

Finally! I got out for a mountain bike ride at The Camp yesterday. I hit up the North Side first, since it's been like forever since I've ridden over there.

Seems like it's been forever since anyone has ridden over there! I was chukkin' wood off the trail every 20 yards once I cleaned the service road to the top of the big hill. Progress was slow, and getting re-started on Broken Finger isn't all that easy.

Now I've ridden in a lot of places, but I'll tell ya what- Those opening salvos on Broken Finger are about as technical as it gets anywhere. The twisting chute down, the immediate up over big, exposed roots, and then the nearly 180 degree switchback on really off camber ground make you pay real good attention! That section always works me over good, but it is great for sussing out a new test rig.

Of course, then it dumps you down, down, and eventually to the river. I decided to check on the eagle's nest. Yup! Still there, but nobody was home. Then it was up onto the sandy ridge for some riding, back over behind the swimming pool, and down and back out again to the truck. It was all good but for the August spider that didn't heed the change in calendar nor the weather. A big, nasty Sheila it was too. Gah!

Fall. Game on!

Then I headed over to the South Side, which is much faster, more flowy, and free from spiders!

Fall has hit this section of woods and the colors are just coming on. It was cool-ish, and the wind was blowing leaves loose. I rode swiftly around corners as the leaves fluttered down to the single track.

The sky had that funny, filtered light through an overcast cloud cover that just speaks Fall to me. I love this time of year in the woods.

It seems that the colors have kicked in a tad early to me. Maybe Fall won't last all that long. All I know is that every time I can ride in the woods the next month or so, I'm going. It's Fall. Game on! 

Chukkin' Wood

Cedar River and a Sortie

Finally! I got out for a mountain bike ride at The Camp yesterday. I hit up the North Side first, since it's been like forever since I've ridden over there.

Seems like it's been forever since anyone has ridden over there! I was chukkin' wood off the trail every 20 yards once I cleaned the service road to the top of the big hill. Progress was slow, and getting re-started on Broken Finger isn't all that easy.

Now I've ridden in a lot of places, but I'll tell ya what- Those opening salvos on Broken Finger are about as technical as it gets anywhere. The twisting chute down, the immediate up over big, exposed roots, and then the nearly 180 degree switchback on really off camber ground make you pay real good attention! That section always works me over good, but it is great for sussing out a new test rig.

Of course, then it dumps you down, down, and eventually to the river. I decided to check on the eagle's nest. Yup! Still there, but nobody was home. Then it was up onto the sandy ridge for some riding, back over behind the swimming pool, and down and back out again to the truck. It was all good but for the August spider that didn't heed the change in calendar nor the weather. A big, nasty Sheila it was too. Gah!

Fall. Game on!

Then I headed over to the South Side, which is much faster, more flowy, and free from spiders!

Fall has hit this section of woods and the colors are just coming on. It was cool-ish, and the wind was blowing leaves loose. I rode swiftly around corners as the leaves fluttered down to the single track.

The sky had that funny, filtered light through an overcast cloud cover that just speaks Fall to me. I love this time of year in the woods.

It seems that the colors have kicked in a tad early to me. Maybe Fall won't last all that long. All I know is that every time I can ride in the woods the next month or so, I'm going. It's Fall. Game on! 

Two Cases Of Misunderstood Bikes

Today I am posting about two bicycles. One, an influential rig in several ways, the other, a "poster child" for a group of bikes from an era that is getting misunderstood. First- The Influential one....

Bruce Gordon, (who plays a prominent part in my "The Beginnings Of The Modern 29"er: A History" story found here), has been making a model called the "Rock & Road" for more years than you can shake a stick at. Noted for its adaptability for off road trails, this 700c bike, at least at first, was the bike that sported the biggest knobby 700c tire you could get. It was oft sold as a flat bar bike as well, so this isn't necessarily a one trick pony when it comes to set up. How is this misunderstood today?

Well, some folks are saying it was/is a "monster-cross" bike. I say, no. It isn't, and here is why....

First of all, the whole "monster-cross" thing is almost laughably undefined. What some folks think is a monster-cross bike is another person's plain ol' cyclo-cross rig, and then some of these bikes are too "mountain bike-ish" for others to see any "cross-bike" in them. Some say disc brakes are a no-no, some say they are okay. Some say a level top tube is a must, some say it don't matter none.

See what I mean? And I haven't brought up the entire tire width debate. To toss the "monster-cross" tag on Bruce Gordon's fine, influential 700c off-roader would be a disservice. Did it make folks pursue the "monster-cross" ideal? Well, I seriously doubt most folks into the whole "monster-cross" scene even know who Bruce Gordon is, much less anything about his Rock & Road bike. Influential, maybe, but definitely not a monster-cross bike here folks. My take is that Mr. Gordon helped perpetuate the "adventure" side of cycling, which has been expanded upon recently, most notably by Salsa Cycles, but I digress....

Just like the Rock & Road bike isn't really a "monster-cross" bike, the 90's era 700c based mountain bikes are not 29"ers. I know lots of folks will disagree with me, but think about it: The modern 29"er gets its name from the tire diameter. (2" plus wide, high volume tire on a 700c rim = nominally 29 inches diameter). Simple enough. Okay- using that criteria, the 90's era bikes with 700c rims, (see Bob Poor's oft ripped off photo, to the left here), like the Diamond Back Overdrive, Bianchi Project Series bikes, Specialized's Crossroads, various Gary Fisher models, and others were just 700c off road bikes. Some had 28" tires, most were smaller than that.

The Diamond Back gets credited the most with being a 29"er, but, even though it had 45mm wide, true off-road rubber, it falls short by the measuring stick we use today. (Pun intended) Yes- like Bob Poor's example shown here, you could shoe-horn in a Nanoraptor with an appropriate amount of chain stay manipulation, and then I suppose you could qualify it as being a 29"er. However; it wasn't ever sold that way, obviously, and was never intended to have tires, (which didn't exist at the time), that big stuffed in there.

Once again, it took "The Tire"- the WTB Nanoraptor- to usher in the 29"er movement as we know it in 1999. These other bikes faded into obscurity before the Nano's introduction, and 700c mountain biking morphed into the contemptible "hybrid" bike of the late 90's. So, any way you look at these bikes, the most you can say is that they were slightly influential on what became 29"ers, but really, more than that they were failed attempts at big wheeled off roading, which the Nanoraptor helped fix after its introduction.

Two bicycles, two misunderstood takes on big wheeled fun. These bikes should be looked at in the context of the times they were introduced in, not through the eyes of what we understand today as "monster-cross" or 29"ers.

Two Cases Of Misunderstood Bikes

Today I am posting about two bicycles. One, an influential rig in several ways, the other, a "poster child" for a group of bikes from an era that is getting misunderstood. First- The Influential one....

Bruce Gordon, (who plays a prominent part in my "The Beginnings Of The Modern 29"er: A History" story found here), has been making a model called the "Rock & Road" for more years than you can shake a stick at. Noted for its adaptability for off road trails, this 700c bike, at least at first, was the bike that sported the biggest knobby 700c tire you could get. It was oft sold as a flat bar bike as well, so this isn't necessarily a one trick pony when it comes to set up. How is this misunderstood today?

Well, some folks are saying it was/is a "monster-cross" bike. I say, no. It isn't, and here is why....

First of all, the whole "monster-cross" thing is almost laughably undefined. What some folks think is a monster-cross bike is another person's plain ol' cyclo-cross rig, and then some of these bikes are too "mountain bike-ish" for others to see any "cross-bike" in them. Some say disc brakes are a no-no, some say they are okay. Some say a level top tube is a must, some say it don't matter none.

See what I mean? And I haven't brought up the entire tire width debate. To toss the "monster-cross" tag on Bruce Gordon's fine, influential 700c off-roader would be a disservice. Did it make folks pursue the "monster-cross" ideal? Well, I seriously doubt most folks into the whole "monster-cross" scene even know who Bruce Gordon is, much less anything about his Rock & Road bike. Influential, maybe, but definitely not a monster-cross bike here folks. My take is that Mr. Gordon helped perpetuate the "adventure" side of cycling, which has been expanded upon recently, most notably by Salsa Cycles, but I digress....

Just like the Rock & Road bike isn't really a "monster-cross" bike, the 90's era 700c based mountain bikes are not 29"ers. I know lots of folks will disagree with me, but think about it: The modern 29"er gets its name from the tire diameter. (2" plus wide, high volume tire on a 700c rim = nominally 29 inches diameter). Simple enough. Okay- using that criteria, the 90's era bikes with 700c rims, (see Bob Poor's oft ripped off photo, to the left here), like the Diamond Back Overdrive, Bianchi Project Series bikes, Specialized's Crossroads, various Gary Fisher models, and others were just 700c off road bikes. Some had 28" tires, most were smaller than that.

The Diamond Back gets credited the most with being a 29"er, but, even though it had 45mm wide, true off-road rubber, it falls short by the measuring stick we use today. (Pun intended) Yes- like Bob Poor's example shown here, you could shoe-horn in a Nanoraptor with an appropriate amount of chain stay manipulation, and then I suppose you could qualify it as being a 29"er. However; it wasn't ever sold that way, obviously, and was never intended to have tires, (which didn't exist at the time), that big stuffed in there.

Once again, it took "The Tire"- the WTB Nanoraptor- to usher in the 29"er movement as we know it in 1999. These other bikes faded into obscurity before the Nano's introduction, and 700c mountain biking morphed into the contemptible "hybrid" bike of the late 90's. So, any way you look at these bikes, the most you can say is that they were slightly influential on what became 29"ers, but really, more than that they were failed attempts at big wheeled off roading, which the Nanoraptor helped fix after its introduction.

Two bicycles, two misunderstood takes on big wheeled fun. These bikes should be looked at in the context of the times they were introduced in, not through the eyes of what we understand today as "monster-cross" or 29"ers.