Two Things

Sorted for now.

Raleigh Tamland Two Tire Update:

The other day I posted about my wheel swap on the Raleigh Tamland Two and I stated that I needed to find some suitable rubber for the frame and fork that allowed more clearance. That has happened now.

The tires I chose from the stash were a pair of Donnelly USH 700 X 40mm tires that I received from Donnelly back in 2019 to review. (Standard Disclaimer) These tires have a file-like tread and are pretty much a low/no tread design. 

I like these tires,, at least that was my feelings about them when I thought about them the other day. You might not think that a "no tread" tire would be good for gravel, but I did not have any issues with that which I can recall now. Well, now we will find out, won't we! 

They are 40's..... Yeah, I would have rather have had 45mm tires but I don't have anything right now that I can put on this bike. There was a brief moment where I thought I was going to use my 700 X 47mm Teravail Rutlands but when I measured the Cazaderos on the Raliegh at that time they measured right at 47mm, so yeah, no go on the Rutlands.

New Podcast Episode:

On Tuesday I was able to interview Don Person, which is a name you may not know. However, if I said he goes by 'shiggy', that may ring a bell with you. He has been a legend in the tire testing/knowledge area, especially for anything off-road, for decades. 

You may also be interested to know that shiggy was also responsible for bringing the flared drop bar back to life in a collaboration with On One's Brant Richards in the early 2000's. At that time Brant had reached out to shiggy for design advice which in turn resulted in the venerable Midge Bar. That handle bar was arguably the genesis of flared drop bar usage in gravel riding as well as MTB. 

If you want to hear shiggy give the timeline and history on that subject, and hear his tales of tire design, see the link HERE. The episode is a long one, so be forewarned. I think it is our longest to date at about an hour and a half.

The first portion of the podcast features some talk about a new event format coming from The Spinistry down in Texas which I think is really creative and unique in gravel. Check that out and let me know what you think of that idea. Again, you can listen to "The Guitar Ted Podcast" wherever you get your podcast feed from or hit the link HERE to listen from Spotify.

Gravel History With Guitar Ted: Tubeless Gravel Tires

The Orange Crush set up with Clement (now Donnelly) USH tires.

Ten years ago we didn't have much of anything meant for gravel. There was one bike, (Warbird) and a few tires that were in the "gravel category" from Clement Tires (Now Donnelly) 

And there were no tubeless tires. 

Not a one for gravel travel. But that did not stop me, and a few others, like MG, from trying. We did it using our experiences with MTB tubeless tire set-ups, many of which were done with non-tubeless tires. 

Can you even imagine the world I am describing here? What with scads of tubeless tire options for gravel in so many sizes it makes your head spin, I wonder if most new folks to gravel can even relate to our situation back then. No gravel bikes, no gravel tires, yet we still were enamored of riding gravel. If that doesn't tell you something about this segment of cycling, I cannot get through to you. 

I'm not going to pull some "We had to walk uphill to school in 8 inches of snow." thing, but the reality is that we had to be a lot more resourceful in the earlier days of this modern gravel cycling deal. That's all. Tires were scarce for gravel, and tubeless was a gamble. I tried setting up some non-tubeless, folding bead Clement USH tires back then and struggled with that mightily until I finally got them to quit leaking down almost immediately. 

It took over a week to do that, and the tires didn't last much over that. I think I got two 3GR rides out of that set up. The 3GR was my "Gravel Grinder Group Ride - three "G's" ad an "R". Anyway, that would have been less than 100 miles, and then one of the tires developed a sidewall cut.

But that short-lived experiment was revealing. I decided right then and there that riding with tubes in my tires on gravel, at least with the typical butyl tubes, was not long for me. I was decidedly on the tubeless bandwagon then. The performance difference between running tubed and tubeless was astounding. 

It would be another three years, in 2015, before we'd get any tubeless gravel tires and then only one model from one brand was all you could get. The WTB Nano 40 TCS tire was that tire and from that company. Think about that a minute. Tubeless gravel tires weren't widely available until mid-2016. That's only six years ago now. 

Crazy.....

Gravel History With Guitar Ted: Tubeless Gravel Tires

The Orange Crush set up with Clement (now Donnelly) USH tires.

Ten years ago we didn't have much of anything meant for gravel. There was one bike, (Warbird) and a few tires that were in the "gravel category" from Clement Tires (Now Donnelly) 

And there were no tubeless tires. 

Not a one for gravel travel. But that did not stop me, and a few others, like MG, from trying. We did it using our experiences with MTB tubeless tire set-ups, many of which were done with non-tubeless tires. 

Can you even imagine the world I am describing here? What with scads of tubeless tire options for gravel in so many sizes it makes your head spin, I wonder if most new folks to gravel can even relate to our situation back then. No gravel bikes, no gravel tires, yet we still were enamored of riding gravel. If that doesn't tell you something about this segment of cycling, I cannot get through to you. 

I'm not going to pull some "We had to walk uphill to school in 8 inches of snow." thing, but the reality is that we had to be a lot more resourceful in the earlier days of this modern gravel cycling deal. That's all. Tires were scarce for gravel, and tubeless was a gamble. I tried setting up some non-tubeless, folding bead Clement USH tires back then and struggled with that mightily until I finally got them to quit leaking down almost immediately. 

It took over a week to do that, and the tires didn't last much over that. I think I got two 3GR rides out of that set up. The 3GR was my "Gravel Grinder Group Ride - three "G's" ad an "R". Anyway, that would have been less than 100 miles, and then one of the tires developed a sidewall cut.

But that short-lived experiment was revealing. I decided right then and there that riding with tubes in my tires on gravel, at least with the typical butyl tubes, was not long for me. I was decidedly on the tubeless bandwagon then. The performance difference between running tubed and tubeless was astounding. 

It would be another three years, in 2015, before we'd get any tubeless gravel tires and then only one model from one brand was all you could get. The WTB Nano 40 TCS tire was that tire and from that company. Think about that a minute. Tubeless gravel tires weren't widely available until mid-2016. That's only six years ago now. 

Crazy.....

WW4M: Donnelly USH 700 X 40mm Tires

 

The Gravel Bus with the Donnelly USH 700 X 40mm tires.

This is another "WW4M" post. That means "What Works For Me" and it may not work for you. So, take that with the following words into consideration.....

So, we have a tire review here of a tire that, frankly, I was prepared not to like very much. See, I had tried a USH from (then Clement) Donnelly Tires back when it first came out. that tire was a 'skinny' 35mm or so wide and just wasn't very impressive. Oh yeah, this was back when all gravel tires were tubed. Those were the days, eh?

Anyway, I needed a tire for a wheel set test last year and the marketing person for Donnelly was amenable to having me look at the USH again. So I got my mitts on a 700c X 40mm pair of the USH tires. Skin wall ones, of course. These ended up on the Noble Bikes GX5 for a time and then they went on the BMC MCD and afterward they sat on those Irwin Cycles AON GX35 carbon wheels while other stuff got tested. Then came time for the Gravel Bus to be built and well, those wheels went on and that was that. In between I knew that I wanted those tires to stay on those wheels. 

Why? Well, it goes back to a ride I did with N.Y. Roll back in late 2019 where I was testing some lights and I just have that ride stuck in my mind because, for some strange reason, those tires and I bonded. I just thought they worked well on smoother gravel. Back into the Winter months the gravel around here gets pretty smooth and was perfect for the USH. 

Now when Spring came and gravel got thick and chunky, I wasn't thinking the USH would be what I would end up running on the Gravel Bus, but ya know what? I ended up liking them just fine at "a bit lower than I had been running pressures". (No, I have no idea what it is exactly. ) I just air them up until I see that tire squat about 'just so' and then I know what I am seeing will run about right. Pay no mind to that gauge! I probably should look sometime to see what it is, but frankly, I hate giving out psi info because that information is personal and for me. It isn't a 'gospel message' or a hard and fast rule for anyone, not even myself. But most folks don't see it that way. Whatever....

This is about the USH, and I like it a lot. It's fast, the casing feels damped, and it actually isn't as bad as I thought on rough, chunky gravel. It 'works for me', and I think it is a tire that maybe deserves a bit more attention than it gets. 

Note: Donnelly Tires sent out the 700c X 40mm Strada USH tires for test and Review to Riding Gravel in 2019. I was not paid, nor bribed for this post and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

WW4M: Donnelly USH 700 X 40mm Tires

 

The Gravel Bus with the Donnelly USH 700 X 40mm tires.

This is another "WW4M" post. That means "What Works For Me" and it may not work for you. So, take that with the following words into consideration.....

So, we have a tire review here of a tire that, frankly, I was prepared not to like very much. See, I had tried a USH from (then Clement) Donnelly Tires back when it first came out. that tire was a 'skinny' 35mm or so wide and just wasn't very impressive. Oh yeah, this was back when all gravel tires were tubed. Those were the days, eh?

Anyway, I needed a tire for a wheel set test last year and the marketing person for Donnelly was amenable to having me look at the USH again. So I got my mitts on a 700c X 40mm pair of the USH tires. Skin wall ones, of course. These ended up on the Noble Bikes GX5 for a time and then they went on the BMC MCD and afterward they sat on those Irwin Cycles AON GX35 carbon wheels while other stuff got tested. Then came time for the Gravel Bus to be built and well, those wheels went on and that was that. In between I knew that I wanted those tires to stay on those wheels. 

Why? Well, it goes back to a ride I did with N.Y. Roll back in late 2019 where I was testing some lights and I just have that ride stuck in my mind because, for some strange reason, those tires and I bonded. I just thought they worked well on smoother gravel. Back into the Winter months the gravel around here gets pretty smooth and was perfect for the USH. 

Now when Spring came and gravel got thick and chunky, I wasn't thinking the USH would be what I would end up running on the Gravel Bus, but ya know what? I ended up liking them just fine at "a bit lower than I had been running pressures". (No, I have no idea what it is exactly. ) I just air them up until I see that tire squat about 'just so' and then I know what I am seeing will run about right. Pay no mind to that gauge! I probably should look sometime to see what it is, but frankly, I hate giving out psi info because that information is personal and for me. It isn't a 'gospel message' or a hard and fast rule for anyone, not even myself. But most folks don't see it that way. Whatever....

This is about the USH, and I like it a lot. It's fast, the casing feels damped, and it actually isn't as bad as I thought on rough, chunky gravel. It 'works for me', and I think it is a tire that maybe deserves a bit more attention than it gets. 

Note: Donnelly Tires sent out the 700c X 40mm Strada USH tires for test and Review to Riding Gravel in 2019. I was not paid, nor bribed for this post and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Gravel Grinder News: The Stormchaser Lands, New Zipp Tire

Single speed, but don't worry- you can gear it up too. (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles Introduces A Surprising Bike: 

In this business I am engaged in, I get embargoed press releases from time to time. The deal is that I get to see the info a week to two weeks ahead of "official release". Of course, I don't have to withhold the info, but if I don't, well...... You know what happens next?

You quit getting these embargoed press releases, that's what.

So, I was flabbergasted about two weeks ago when I saw this. A single speed gravel bike? I mean, look..... I'm all about single speed bicycles, as anyone would know if they read this blog. So, from where I sit, this is cool, but in terms of the market place, it's weird. 

The whole undercurrent of single speed action was a big deal in the 90's. Super-rad, cool, awesome mountain bike companies back then did limited releases of single speed mountain bikes. Riders were converting geared rigs to single speed and there started to be a counter-culture movement which maybe never was more cool or subversive as it got in the Minneapolis area, of all places. This spawned the beginnings of Surly.

The whole fixie thing happened in the 00's and alongside that, somewhere it was deemed that every 29"er hardtail had to be a single speed. After 2010, that all died away, and the whole single speed thing seemed, well......dead. And now that this was all out of our systems, we could, you know, move on.

There were still single speed bikes, of course. There would always be single speeds. But the whole "movement" was long since dead. It was, well.....something the oddballs rode. No one in their right mind does single speed as their everyday choice. It wasn't "the cool thing" anymore. And why on earth would anyone make a high end single speed bike? I mean, really. 

New sliders from Salsa fit for flat mount brakes and through axles. (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

 But here this press release comes. Wow! I cannot remember the last press release I got all about a high end single speed. Maybe it was Spot Brand. Maybe it was somewhere else, but it probably has been close to ten years since I've seen anything in this price bracket come down the pipe for single speeders.

And yeah, the asking price seems a bit dear for an aluminum framed bike, but it is Class 5 VRS. That doesn't come cheap or easily. Those tubes are all special drawn and formed. It's about as custom as it gets for a production frame since nothing on it is "off the shelf" tubing. So, we aren't talking apples to apples here if you are thinking aluminum frames are "inexpensive". They are if they are gas pipe thickness and straight gauge, box-stock tubing from the aluminum factory. But that's the perception, isn't it? The bicycle industry raced to the bottom price-wise and used aluminum frames to do it with. Look at any "box store" bike shaped object and see what the frames are made from. Aluminum. So, the perception is all aluminum is cheap. 

So, it seems hard to see how this frame and the complete are priced what they are priced at, but I think a big problem here is perception. The perception that aluminum is the least of the frame materials. This is probably going to work against this frame somewhat, but the Class 5 VRS thing is real, and if you were going into an event with the knowledge of mud and grit being there, you're better off with a metal frame over carbon, and titanium is very expensive and steel is probably not going to work as a Class 5 VRS design without being a boat anchor.

So, we'll have to see how it goes for Salsa with the Stormchaser. I'm sure it will engender a lot of conversation.

The new Zipp Tangente 40mm gravel tire.

 Zipp Introduces A Gravel Tire:

Another surprise hit my inbox on Friday. The new tire from Zipp is somewhat out of left field here since Zipp is more well known in triathlon and road. But you know, if it is gravel, then it's gonna sell! So it looks like everyone is all in on gravel anything they can make now days.

Zipp has done tires before, but they were ostensibly part of a system of aerodynamic wheel design. Not a stand alone tire so much. This new Tangente tire doesn't seem to be getting marketed as a companion part of an aero system, although Zipp does recommend the 303 wheel model as being an ideal fit for this tire. Just a suggestion though.

But beyond that, what about this tire? Well, a 40mm width is par for the course, so Zipp hit that right on. Tan wall, check! So, they got the fashionista part right. (Although I like skin wall tires, I don't think everyone should.) Now about that tread pattern.......

Immediately after seeing this tire I clicked over to the Donnelly site to check out an MSO. Hmm...... There is a pretty strong resemblance there! So, give Zipp credit for picking a tread pattern that is nigh unto a classic one from Donnelly. If the same company doesn't make both tires, I'd be surprised. If I am right, then this Zipp tire would be a really good gravel/adventure tire. So, okay........why buy the Zipp one? 

Well, let's face facts. If you are a roadie/tri rider, and checking out this new fangled gravel thing, (which is neither "new" or "fangled") you probably have never heard of Donnelly. But you probably have heard about Zipp, and there is a good chance you have Zipp wheels, or know someone that does. So, "Oh! Zipp has this gravel tire, so why not get that? They make good wheels, so...." And there ya go. Marketing 101.

Gravel Grinder News: The Stormchaser Lands, New Zipp Tire

Single speed, but don't worry- you can gear it up too. (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles Introduces A Surprising Bike: 

In this business I am engaged in, I get embargoed press releases from time to time. The deal is that I get to see the info a week to two weeks ahead of "official release". Of course, I don't have to withhold the info, but if I don't, well...... You know what happens next?

You quit getting these embargoed press releases, that's what.

So, I was flabbergasted about two weeks ago when I saw this. A single speed gravel bike? I mean, look..... I'm all about single speed bicycles, as anyone would know if they read this blog. So, from where I sit, this is cool, but in terms of the market place, it's weird. 

The whole undercurrent of single speed action was a big deal in the 90's. Super-rad, cool, awesome mountain bike companies back then did limited releases of single speed mountain bikes. Riders were converting geared rigs to single speed and there started to be a counter-culture movement which maybe never was more cool or subversive as it got in the Minneapolis area, of all places. This spawned the beginnings of Surly.

The whole fixie thing happened in the 00's and alongside that, somewhere it was deemed that every 29"er hardtail had to be a single speed. After 2010, that all died away, and the whole single speed thing seemed, well......dead. And now that this was all out of our systems, we could, you know, move on.

There were still single speed bikes, of course. There would always be single speeds. But the whole "movement" was long since dead. It was, well.....something the oddballs rode. No one in their right mind does single speed as their everyday choice. It wasn't "the cool thing" anymore. And why on earth would anyone make a high end single speed bike? I mean, really. 

New sliders from Salsa fit for flat mount brakes and through axles. (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

 But here this press release comes. Wow! I cannot remember the last press release I got all about a high end single speed. Maybe it was Spot Brand. Maybe it was somewhere else, but it probably has been close to ten years since I've seen anything in this price bracket come down the pipe for single speeders.

And yeah, the asking price seems a bit dear for an aluminum framed bike, but it is Class 5 VRS. That doesn't come cheap or easily. Those tubes are all special drawn and formed. It's about as custom as it gets for a production frame since nothing on it is "off the shelf" tubing. So, we aren't talking apples to apples here if you are thinking aluminum frames are "inexpensive". They are if they are gas pipe thickness and straight gauge, box-stock tubing from the aluminum factory. But that's the perception, isn't it? The bicycle industry raced to the bottom price-wise and used aluminum frames to do it with. Look at any "box store" bike shaped object and see what the frames are made from. Aluminum. So, the perception is all aluminum is cheap. 

So, it seems hard to see how this frame and the complete are priced what they are priced at, but I think a big problem here is perception. The perception that aluminum is the least of the frame materials. This is probably going to work against this frame somewhat, but the Class 5 VRS thing is real, and if you were going into an event with the knowledge of mud and grit being there, you're better off with a metal frame over carbon, and titanium is very expensive and steel is probably not going to work as a Class 5 VRS design without being a boat anchor.

So, we'll have to see how it goes for Salsa with the Stormchaser. I'm sure it will engender a lot of conversation.

The new Zipp Tangente 40mm gravel tire.

 Zipp Introduces A Gravel Tire:

Another surprise hit my inbox on Friday. The new tire from Zipp is somewhat out of left field here since Zipp is more well known in triathlon and road. But you know, if it is gravel, then it's gonna sell! So it looks like everyone is all in on gravel anything they can make now days.

Zipp has done tires before, but they were ostensibly part of a system of aerodynamic wheel design. Not a stand alone tire so much. This new Tangente tire doesn't seem to be getting marketed as a companion part of an aero system, although Zipp does recommend the 303 wheel model as being an ideal fit for this tire. Just a suggestion though.

But beyond that, what about this tire? Well, a 40mm width is par for the course, so Zipp hit that right on. Tan wall, check! So, they got the fashionista part right. (Although I like skin wall tires, I don't think everyone should.) Now about that tread pattern.......

Immediately after seeing this tire I clicked over to the Donnelly site to check out an MSO. Hmm...... There is a pretty strong resemblance there! So, give Zipp credit for picking a tread pattern that is nigh unto a classic one from Donnelly. If the same company doesn't make both tires, I'd be surprised. If I am right, then this Zipp tire would be a really good gravel/adventure tire. So, okay........why buy the Zipp one? 

Well, let's face facts. If you are a roadie/tri rider, and checking out this new fangled gravel thing, (which is neither "new" or "fangled") you probably have never heard of Donnelly. But you probably have heard about Zipp, and there is a good chance you have Zipp wheels, or know someone that does. So, "Oh! Zipp has this gravel tire, so why not get that? They make good wheels, so...." And there ya go. Marketing 101.

Randomonium

NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

The Fargo has new - old - shoes. 

 Fargo Back Up & Running:

This past weekend I got the Fargo sorted with some different tires that actually worked. The solution I found worked super easily. I forgot I had a pair of used Donnelly MSO 700 X 50mm tires. They went on the i23 Team Frequency rims with a burp from an air compressor and have been rock solid since mounted.

I tried the Schwalbe G-Ones on that wheel set that is based upon a Stan's rim dimension and, while I got them on with a plastic tire lever, they are what I would deem as being too tight. Not good if anything were to happen that required a tube to be inserted to continue going. But, that mere fact that the tire went on a Stan's dimension rim tells me it would definitely be too loose for most modern tubeless ready rims. Again- in my opinion- this is inexcusable in 2019.

My Schwalbe may have been an outlier, maybe from a bad batch? Hard to say, but for what I spent on them, I am not willing to take another shot at trying anything from Schwalbe. That brand has been struck from my "willing to buy" list. In 2019, and beyond, there will be, and are now, many, many choices in tires that will work as advertised set up tubeless easily. I know this because I get to try a LOT of tires out in my reviewing gig. If a tire takes multiple tries to get set up the first time, and then will not set up at all after one dismounting, well...... Hard pass. Nuff said.

Rendering of a Scott's Oriole

A Bird Lost? 

(NOTE: This isn't about cycling. So, it is even more random!) Sunday I walked out on the porch and I saw a flash of yellow and black. It was a bird I spooked out of the flower bed. It was so stunning and outstanding in appearance that I thought I had seen a vision. But it was real. It quickly hid in the thick cover of a tree across the street. Hmm...weird, but maybe just something I dreamed up? I still wasn't sure that I saw what I had seen. It was just so yellow and intensely colored that it didn't look real at all.

Then Monday, my wife and I walked out onto the porch and the same thing- An intensely yellow colored and black patched bird jumped out of the flower bed and quickly took cover in the same tree across the street.  Okay- this time I had a witness. I wasn't crazy. There was a weird bird and neither one of us had seen anything like it.

I did some checking online, and the closest thing I could find to what we had seen was a rendering of a Scott's Oriole. It seems to have the same pattern and intensely yellow coloring of the bird we saw. However; the range for this species is no where near Iowa. In fact, it is over a 1000 miles away from its Northernmost range to Iowa. Is this a Scott's Oriole that we had seen, or maybe something else? Is it a lost bird? Maybe.

I wish I would have gotten a picture, but as skittish as this bird was, I am lucky to have seen it twice!

Another drop bar hits the market.

The Off-Road Drop Bar Becomes Commonplace:

With over ten years of blogging here I can go back and see how things have changed over time. One of the things that's changed a ton is the amount of off-road, flared drop bars that are available.

When Trans Iowa started, and when I started riding a lot of gravel, you had about two choices for this type of bar. I used an On One Midge bar. You could get an Origin 8 Gary Bar, (the original one), and there was the odd WTB bar which had survived and were going for $150.00 a pop.

Now that gravel has become such a "thing" we have soooo many more flared drops that it is bewildering. A new one is out now from Shimano's PRO Brand which is called the Discover Big Flare Bar. It's an interesting handle bar that has some cool features- the 30° flare, the nice sweep- and some straight up roadie drop bar parts, like the weird radius to the drop and the shorter extensions. It's an unique bar in that it has such odd bits paired together.

I've yet to use it on gravel, but I'm sure it has its good and bad features there as well. The funny thing is, every bar has to be different, or it is a copy, and that won't do now, will it? No. So we get these weird things put out there at times that, well........they just do not work. And that's the thing with these flared drops. Not all of them really work, and so you get just a few that become the "standards" of the industry. Bars like Salsa Cycles' Cowchipper and Cowbell, which have spawned more than a few near-ripoffs. Or the previously mentioned On One Midge Bar, which spawned an almost perfect knock-off bar by another company, and inspired a few other bar designs. 

Once in a great while you get the super-weird bar and it works, for some reason. The Woodchipper and Luxy Bar come to mind here. But those are certainly acquired tastes, and it is easy to see why those bars are so polarizing.

Anyway, what a long way we have come! I never would have guessed that in 2019 there would be so many choices for off-road and flared drop bars as there is now. I'm still amazed by it all.

Randomonium

NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

The Fargo has new - old - shoes. 

 Fargo Back Up & Running:

This past weekend I got the Fargo sorted with some different tires that actually worked. The solution I found worked super easily. I forgot I had a pair of used Donnelly MSO 700 X 50mm tires. They went on the i23 Team Frequency rims with a burp from an air compressor and have been rock solid since mounted.

I tried the Schwalbe G-Ones on that wheel set that is based upon a Stan's rim dimension and, while I got them on with a plastic tire lever, they are what I would deem as being too tight. Not good if anything were to happen that required a tube to be inserted to continue going. But, that mere fact that the tire went on a Stan's dimension rim tells me it would definitely be too loose for most modern tubeless ready rims. Again- in my opinion- this is inexcusable in 2019.

My Schwalbe may have been an outlier, maybe from a bad batch? Hard to say, but for what I spent on them, I am not willing to take another shot at trying anything from Schwalbe. That brand has been struck from my "willing to buy" list. In 2019, and beyond, there will be, and are now, many, many choices in tires that will work as advertised set up tubeless easily. I know this because I get to try a LOT of tires out in my reviewing gig. If a tire takes multiple tries to get set up the first time, and then will not set up at all after one dismounting, well...... Hard pass. Nuff said.

Rendering of a Scott's Oriole

A Bird Lost? 

(NOTE: This isn't about cycling. So, it is even more random!) Sunday I walked out on the porch and I saw a flash of yellow and black. It was a bird I spooked out of the flower bed. It was so stunning and outstanding in appearance that I thought I had seen a vision. But it was real. It quickly hid in the thick cover of a tree across the street. Hmm...weird, but maybe just something I dreamed up? I still wasn't sure that I saw what I had seen. It was just so yellow and intensely colored that it didn't look real at all.

Then Monday, my wife and I walked out onto the porch and the same thing- An intensely yellow colored and black patched bird jumped out of the flower bed and quickly took cover in the same tree across the street.  Okay- this time I had a witness. I wasn't crazy. There was a weird bird and neither one of us had seen anything like it.

I did some checking online, and the closest thing I could find to what we had seen was a rendering of a Scott's Oriole. It seems to have the same pattern and intensely yellow coloring of the bird we saw. However; the range for this species is no where near Iowa. In fact, it is over a 1000 miles away from its Northernmost range to Iowa. Is this a Scott's Oriole that we had seen, or maybe something else? Is it a lost bird? Maybe.

I wish I would have gotten a picture, but as skittish as this bird was, I am lucky to have seen it twice!

Another drop bar hits the market.

The Off-Road Drop Bar Becomes Commonplace:

With over ten years of blogging here I can go back and see how things have changed over time. One of the things that's changed a ton is the amount of off-road, flared drop bars that are available.

When Trans Iowa started, and when I started riding a lot of gravel, you had about two choices for this type of bar. I used an On One Midge bar. You could get an Origin 8 Gary Bar, (the original one), and there was the odd WTB bar which had survived and were going for $150.00 a pop.

Now that gravel has become such a "thing" we have soooo many more flared drops that it is bewildering. A new one is out now from Shimano's PRO Brand which is called the Discover Big Flare Bar. It's an interesting handle bar that has some cool features- the 30° flare, the nice sweep- and some straight up roadie drop bar parts, like the weird radius to the drop and the shorter extensions. It's an unique bar in that it has such odd bits paired together.

I've yet to use it on gravel, but I'm sure it has its good and bad features there as well. The funny thing is, every bar has to be different, or it is a copy, and that won't do now, will it? No. So we get these weird things put out there at times that, well........they just do not work. And that's the thing with these flared drops. Not all of them really work, and so you get just a few that become the "standards" of the industry. Bars like Salsa Cycles' Cowchipper and Cowbell, which have spawned more than a few near-ripoffs. Or the previously mentioned On One Midge Bar, which spawned an almost perfect knock-off bar by another company, and inspired a few other bar designs. 

Once in a great while you get the super-weird bar and it works, for some reason. The Woodchipper and Luxy Bar come to mind here. But those are certainly acquired tastes, and it is easy to see why those bars are so polarizing.

Anyway, what a long way we have come! I never would have guessed that in 2019 there would be so many choices for off-road and flared drop bars as there is now. I'm still amazed by it all.

It's About The Tires

Schwalbe G One 29 X 2.25" - Going on the Fargo Gen 1

And Now, The Gravel Worlds Tire Choice!

Tires, tires, and more tires. The last thing to go on your wheels and the first thing that touches the surface of whatever you are riding on. Yes.....tires are important. I have tried hundreds of different tires, and while most are good, not many are great. I suppose this is why we keep searching for that "one" tire that will be "magic", whatever that might mean. I think that changes almost daily.

Anyway.......speaking of "one", I have chosen to try these new, poofy Schwalbe G One Allround tires for the Fargo Gen I bike. They are, of course, tubeless, and they are wider than anything I've had on this bike since......, I think I tried the 27.5 X 2.8" WTB tires on there but they were juuuust too big. And too small a diameter too. Anyway, big, floaty tires are going to be a good choice at Gravel Worlds because (a) I am big and need a bigger tire there, and (b), their gravel is looser and sandier than ours is here.

Wheels will be prepped and then tires will get mounted and tested out this weekend. I think I'll be using some wheels that might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you out there. Stay tuned for that....

Some Extraterrestrials will have a limited edition grey sidewall. Image courtesy of Surly

Surly Does Tubeless (Finally)

Okay, with that "exciting" news out of the way, (HA!), I have fund out just today that Surly have finally made their tire line tubeless. What'd that take? Only about five years too long, but at least they have done it. Yes folks- their entire folding bead tire line up is available tubeless now. You may find certain models "missing", and I would surmise that these have been discontinued. I had to wonder when I saw several e-commerce sites dumping certain Surly tire models at close out pricing a couple of months ago. I figured something was up and now we know. Those closed out tire models are the ones that aren't being carried over, so check out that link to find out if your favorite Surly tire model still exists.

They have the Knard 41's in tubeless now and a 42mm Extraterrestrial in tubeless as well. Both 700c, of course, but 650B variants also exist. I always liked that Knard 41mm tire but I always thought right along with that thought that this tire never should have existed non-tubeless. It was a big miss on Surly's part to not get that tire under more riders. Now? Pfft! There's a million other garvel tires these days. Getting that "foot in the door" opportunity has passed Surly by. But that said- you should try the Knard 41. 

And of all the tires to keep around, they kept the Nate? Weird. Anyway..... Another tire that always should have been tubeless- the 29" X 3" Knard. 'Bout time on that too. Ditto on Bud and Lou. Good job Surly! Hopefully not too late to matter.

Bigger EMP's:

Earlier this year I tried out some 700 X 38mm Donnelly EMP tires on my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" #49. In fact, I just rode on those tires again last Saturday, and don't ya know- I was wishing for wider ones? Well, wish granted. Donnelly announced a new choice in sizes for the EMP at 700 X 45mm and 650 B X 47mm.

Donnelly EMP tire

These tires are a bit more aggressively treaded than say, a Gravel King SK, or a Riddler for sure, so if you are not into that, look elsewhere, but if you run a lot of dirt roads, or if you get off on sketchier terrain often, give these a look. The 700 X 45mm size makes these a viable "MTB-Lite" sort of tire, I think.

Kind of like a WTB Nano 40, in that regard, which reminds me, I've seen a lot of bikes with Nano 40's lately, and not OEM stock ones either. Weird! The Nano 40 was one of the, if not the first tubeless ready gravel specific tire, and many folks still dig it, but as you know, you are only as good as anything else if you have the latest design in tires. Nano 40's look slow and too knobby to many, but hey! It's good to see folks still digging them and they are just fine on gravel. Especially looser, rockier stuff.

So, there is a bit of "tire news" for y'all. I know I generally keep "newsy" stuff back for Fridays, but this is specific to tires and I am sure I'll find something to jabber about Friday anyway. In fact, I already have two things waiting for Friday anyway.

As always- Thank you for stopping by today!

It's About The Tires

Schwalbe G One 29 X 2.25" - Going on the Fargo Gen 1

And Now, The Gravel Worlds Tire Choice!

Tires, tires, and more tires. The last thing to go on your wheels and the first thing that touches the surface of whatever you are riding on. Yes.....tires are important. I have tried hundreds of different tires, and while most are good, not many are great. I suppose this is why we keep searching for that "one" tire that will be "magic", whatever that might mean. I think that changes almost daily.

Anyway.......speaking of "one", I have chosen to try these new, poofy Schwalbe G One Allround tires for the Fargo Gen I bike. They are, of course, tubeless, and they are wider than anything I've had on this bike since......, I think I tried the 27.5 X 2.8" WTB tires on there but they were juuuust too big. And too small a diameter too. Anyway, big, floaty tires are going to be a good choice at Gravel Worlds because (a) I am big and need a bigger tire there, and (b), their gravel is looser and sandier than ours is here.

Wheels will be prepped and then tires will get mounted and tested out this weekend. I think I'll be using some wheels that might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you out there. Stay tuned for that....

Some Extraterrestrials will have a limited edition grey sidewall. Image courtesy of Surly

Surly Does Tubeless (Finally)

Okay, with that "exciting" news out of the way, (HA!), I have fund out just today that Surly have finally made their tire line tubeless. What'd that take? Only about five years too long, but at least they have done it. Yes folks- their entire folding bead tire line up is available tubeless now. You may find certain models "missing", and I would surmise that these have been discontinued. I had to wonder when I saw several e-commerce sites dumping certain Surly tire models at close out pricing a couple of months ago. I figured something was up and now we know. Those closed out tire models are the ones that aren't being carried over, so check out that link to find out if your favorite Surly tire model still exists.

They have the Knard 41's in tubeless now and a 42mm Extraterrestrial in tubeless as well. Both 700c, of course, but 650B variants also exist. I always liked that Knard 41mm tire but I always thought right along with that thought that this tire never should have existed non-tubeless. It was a big miss on Surly's part to not get that tire under more riders. Now? Pfft! There's a million other garvel tires these days. Getting that "foot in the door" opportunity has passed Surly by. But that said- you should try the Knard 41. 

And of all the tires to keep around, they kept the Nate? Weird. Anyway..... Another tire that always should have been tubeless- the 29" X 3" Knard. 'Bout time on that too. Ditto on Bud and Lou. Good job Surly! Hopefully not too late to matter.

Bigger EMP's:

Earlier this year I tried out some 700 X 38mm Donnelly EMP tires on my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" #49. In fact, I just rode on those tires again last Saturday, and don't ya know- I was wishing for wider ones? Well, wish granted. Donnelly announced a new choice in sizes for the EMP at 700 X 45mm and 650 B X 47mm.

Donnelly EMP tire

These tires are a bit more aggressively treaded than say, a Gravel King SK, or a Riddler for sure, so if you are not into that, look elsewhere, but if you run a lot of dirt roads, or if you get off on sketchier terrain often, give these a look. The 700 X 45mm size makes these a viable "MTB-Lite" sort of tire, I think.

Kind of like a WTB Nano 40, in that regard, which reminds me, I've seen a lot of bikes with Nano 40's lately, and not OEM stock ones either. Weird! The Nano 40 was one of the, if not the first tubeless ready gravel specific tire, and many folks still dig it, but as you know, you are only as good as anything else if you have the latest design in tires. Nano 40's look slow and too knobby to many, but hey! It's good to see folks still digging them and they are just fine on gravel. Especially looser, rockier stuff.

So, there is a bit of "tire news" for y'all. I know I generally keep "newsy" stuff back for Fridays, but this is specific to tires and I am sure I'll find something to jabber about Friday anyway. In fact, I already have two things waiting for Friday anyway.

As always- Thank you for stopping by today!

Friday News And Views

The "Truck With No Name" got new shoes.

Not Sexy News About Car Repairs:

Ever since I blew out something in the exhaust system at the C.O.G. 100 on the "Truck With No Name", I've been pretty low key on travel. Well, it wasn't just the exhaust, but it also was the fact that my tires were shot. The fronts especially. It wasn't road worthy anymore, and it was going to take a stack-o-hundies to get me back on the road again.

Bad timing for me what with taxes due and all. But I had a plan. That included selling off the Ti Mukluk. I had to get enough funds to repair the truck. Well, the plan came through, and now I'm off and running once again.

So, for those who were wondering, my exhaust broke after the first catalytic converter at a flange where two bolts held things together. I guess that connection disintegrated and was hastened to its demise by my abusive driving in gross and extreme conditions the day before the C.O.G. 100. That wasn't much to fix, but it did set off a check engine light because there is an O2 sensor downstream of where the break was. The computer needed to be reset, so that was an expense. Of course, the tires, mounting, balancing, and old tire disposal was part of that as well.

All good to go now. So, future trips are a "GO" as for now and I'm glad to have this rig at my disposal once again.

Could this become a familiar site at gravel road races. Image courtesy of Mavic's website

Growing Pains In Gravel Racing:

If there is one thing any website based media likes it is controversial subject matter. (CLICK BAIT) Of course, websites exist mostly by virtue of advertiser dollars unless, like this blogspot, the owner is not motivated by profiteering. (That or I am plain stupid, you decide.) Anyway......

Cyclo Cross Magazine ran a story about some gravel races out East that had neutral support.

They, by their own admission, say that the initial Instagram posting generated "some good discussion", so by that measure, the story was successful. I'm sure the website numbers are stacking up from the article. Good for them.

But you know why it rankles people? Because "change", that's why. Look, it is no secret that road cycling has fallen on hard times. The rise of cell phone usage, distracted driving, the issue of doping in road racing, these things have all taken the interest out of riding road racing style bikes. The theory behind exploring back roads on more capable bikes that still offer the drop bar experience has taken root amongst riders and the events based around these ideals have prospered. Is it any wonder then that Pros, brands, marketing people, and racing teams are looking at "gravel based events" as a way to enjoin these people in their ways of doing things? No..... It is not a surprise to me, at any rate. Why wouldn't these companies, Pros, and teams come to their senses and join in the fun? I have no idea why they wouldn't.

So, you are going to get Pros visiting gravel events and racing in them. This "neutral support" thing is going to happen for those riders that are into such goofy things. Why on Earth it is considered worthy is beyond me other than to say it is easier. And we all know a LOT of people want to push the "easy button". Whatever. Their loss.......

Anyway, my advice is to not criticize this sort of thing, or pay any attention to it. Go do the events you would like to see prosper, and guess what? They will. Sit at home and bitch? Well, pretty soon the folks with all the money and power will get their way. Vote with your dollars, time, and participation. Well, that is if you give a rip one way or the other.

A former CX Pro is going to do an "Endless Gravel Summer" tour for Donnelly. Image courtesy of Donnelly.

Moar On This Changing Scene:

So, to further drive home my point, here is another example of a brand and a former Pro CX racer who have teamed up to go to a few of the top gravel events to promote gravel product from Donnelly and drive more folks to their brand. Is this a bad thing?

If you were the owner of a business like this, it is actually a smart move. Plus, Donnelly, (formerly Clement), has been on the forefront of gravel cycling for years. They are no "johnny come lately" brand. The product is well regarded by gravel riders all over and the brand is legit. So, those who don't know what they are talking about may graon when they see this, but as a business move, it is what you do. I get it.

I know it seems like everyone and their brother's sister is coming over to the gravel scene and trying to make hay. It actually seems true when you pay attention, but again- this is where the money is because people are spending it on this stuff. If gravel cycling wasn't a thing with a ton of folks, this wouldn't be happening, and I would just be some weirdo out on Burton Avenue grinding away on my Karate Monkey single speed yet. (Well......maybe I am a weirdo, but you get the picture.) So, if you are into gravel all-road cycling, look in the mirror when you feel like the "scene is getting ruined". Because you and a whole metric ton of other people that like this scene is why this stuff is happening. Take the people, and with that- the money- away, and this stuff becomes a moot point.

And That Isn't All:

In the coming days things will come to light that will further drive home that the whole gravel/all-road cycling scene has become a big deal. Changes. More changes......

Okay, so that's a wrap on this week. have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

The "Truck With No Name" got new shoes.

Not Sexy News About Car Repairs:

Ever since I blew out something in the exhaust system at the C.O.G. 100 on the "Truck With No Name", I've been pretty low key on travel. Well, it wasn't just the exhaust, but it also was the fact that my tires were shot. The fronts especially. It wasn't road worthy anymore, and it was going to take a stack-o-hundies to get me back on the road again.

Bad timing for me what with taxes due and all. But I had a plan. That included selling off the Ti Mukluk. I had to get enough funds to repair the truck. Well, the plan came through, and now I'm off and running once again.

So, for those who were wondering, my exhaust broke after the first catalytic converter at a flange where two bolts held things together. I guess that connection disintegrated and was hastened to its demise by my abusive driving in gross and extreme conditions the day before the C.O.G. 100. That wasn't much to fix, but it did set off a check engine light because there is an O2 sensor downstream of where the break was. The computer needed to be reset, so that was an expense. Of course, the tires, mounting, balancing, and old tire disposal was part of that as well.

All good to go now. So, future trips are a "GO" as for now and I'm glad to have this rig at my disposal once again.

Could this become a familiar site at gravel road races. Image courtesy of Mavic's website

Growing Pains In Gravel Racing:

If there is one thing any website based media likes it is controversial subject matter. (CLICK BAIT) Of course, websites exist mostly by virtue of advertiser dollars unless, like this blogspot, the owner is not motivated by profiteering. (That or I am plain stupid, you decide.) Anyway......

Cyclo Cross Magazine ran a story about some gravel races out East that had neutral support.

They, by their own admission, say that the initial Instagram posting generated "some good discussion", so by that measure, the story was successful. I'm sure the website numbers are stacking up from the article. Good for them.

But you know why it rankles people? Because "change", that's why. Look, it is no secret that road cycling has fallen on hard times. The rise of cell phone usage, distracted driving, the issue of doping in road racing, these things have all taken the interest out of riding road racing style bikes. The theory behind exploring back roads on more capable bikes that still offer the drop bar experience has taken root amongst riders and the events based around these ideals have prospered. Is it any wonder then that Pros, brands, marketing people, and racing teams are looking at "gravel based events" as a way to enjoin these people in their ways of doing things? No..... It is not a surprise to me, at any rate. Why wouldn't these companies, Pros, and teams come to their senses and join in the fun? I have no idea why they wouldn't.

So, you are going to get Pros visiting gravel events and racing in them. This "neutral support" thing is going to happen for those riders that are into such goofy things. Why on Earth it is considered worthy is beyond me other than to say it is easier. And we all know a LOT of people want to push the "easy button". Whatever. Their loss.......

Anyway, my advice is to not criticize this sort of thing, or pay any attention to it. Go do the events you would like to see prosper, and guess what? They will. Sit at home and bitch? Well, pretty soon the folks with all the money and power will get their way. Vote with your dollars, time, and participation. Well, that is if you give a rip one way or the other.

A former CX Pro is going to do an "Endless Gravel Summer" tour for Donnelly. Image courtesy of Donnelly.

Moar On This Changing Scene:

So, to further drive home my point, here is another example of a brand and a former Pro CX racer who have teamed up to go to a few of the top gravel events to promote gravel product from Donnelly and drive more folks to their brand. Is this a bad thing?

If you were the owner of a business like this, it is actually a smart move. Plus, Donnelly, (formerly Clement), has been on the forefront of gravel cycling for years. They are no "johnny come lately" brand. The product is well regarded by gravel riders all over and the brand is legit. So, those who don't know what they are talking about may graon when they see this, but as a business move, it is what you do. I get it.

I know it seems like everyone and their brother's sister is coming over to the gravel scene and trying to make hay. It actually seems true when you pay attention, but again- this is where the money is because people are spending it on this stuff. If gravel cycling wasn't a thing with a ton of folks, this wouldn't be happening, and I would just be some weirdo out on Burton Avenue grinding away on my Karate Monkey single speed yet. (Well......maybe I am a weirdo, but you get the picture.) So, if you are into gravel all-road cycling, look in the mirror when you feel like the "scene is getting ruined". Because you and a whole metric ton of other people that like this scene is why this stuff is happening. Take the people, and with that- the money- away, and this stuff becomes a moot point.

And That Isn't All:

In the coming days things will come to light that will further drive home that the whole gravel/all-road cycling scene has become a big deal. Changes. More changes......

Okay, so that's a wrap on this week. have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Barren trees and tons of leaves. Fat biking conditions have been unusual here.

Weather Making For Unusual Conditions:

 As you will see in tomorrows "Minus Ten Review", it used to snow here. A lot. Now in recent times that doesn't seem as likely. Winter now means sporadic snows, maybe it will be cold, and lots of brown scenery.

In fact, my latest fat bike rides have been over grounds that are muddy, soft, and increasingly messy. We had a spate of really cold weather here that did freeze the ground back in late November, but since then things have actually been thawing out. It is really weird. It also is really tough on anyone wanting some off road bicycling around here. Either it is certain trails which we want to keep off of or it is the constant sticky mud that fouls up everything. Ice was an issue, but even that has disappeared lately with several days of 50's in a row, and now upper 40's.

I have been fat biking the last couple of weekends as an alternative to my gravel road stuff. I just needed a break for a bit. That said, the rides have been not anything like what I would expect for December. I ended up doing some trail work on various bits of the Green Belt. I also cleared up my old trail, "Marky-Mark", and ended up rerouting about ten yards of it to get around a knot of dead fall and vines that had blocked a portion of that trail. So, on one hand, this weird weather has allowed for some trail maintenance.

It isn't supposed to get really cold, snowy, or anything like Winter for at least another week. Looks like it'll be a "Brown Christmas" around here.

Shifty bits be gone!

As Promised- Gears Removed From The "Orange Crush":

As many of you long term readers know, I had threatened to make my BMC "Orange Crush" rig into a single speed once I had the pink MCD up and running. Well, last weekend I took an afternoon and did the deed. No more gears!

Yes...... it took an entire afternoon to strip off components and replace them with single speed stuff. Why? Wouldn't that be a simple job? Well, you'd think so.

There is a bit more to it than meets the eye though. Both in the bits needed to convert to single speed and the finding of those bits! Having been a single speed aficionado for the better part of my cycling career, I have accumulated a lot of single-speedy stuff. I have a drawer dedicated to bits for single speed. Stuff like cog spacers, cogs, free wheels, and the elusive single speed specific chain ring bolts. I've got crank sets, and I've got chain rings. I even have spare White Industry chain rings that are specific to their crank.

Weird, huh?

Well it is weird until you need the stuff! Then you are glad you have it. But even though I have a drawer full of the bits, you still have to "spec" correctly. So, in the case of the Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross conversion, I had a set of 180mm cranks from, (I think), an old Specialized Sequoia touring bike from the early 80's. It was ginormous in size, so it had been spec'ed with these old Sakae 180mm cranks. Of course, back then everything was square taper, (check!) and took a long spindle, (also Check!), so that bottom bracket had to be tracked down, (UN-52, natch!), and then I had to find some crank bolts, and then....... Well, you get the picture. Time consuming, it was. Nuff of that, here's the pic......

There she is!

I'm running a 40T steel chain ring I got........somewhere. I cannot recall now, but the last time I used this was on a single speed 29"er ten years ago. The crank is the aforementioned Sakae unit in 180mm length. Those old components have an ano process that left a pearlescent glow that I miss. Man is that pretty! The rear cog is an 18 tooth Boone Titanium cog with the matching titanium spacers. I just recycled the chain I was using, an old 9spd SRAM unit, shortened to work with the set up.

There is one minor thing I may do yet and that is to get some standard aero brake levers, so I can get the Gevenalle mounts/levers off the bike to clean things up a bit more. That'll require new brake cables, so I may wait on that till Spring.

Donnelly's new "EMP" tires

Donnelly New "EMP" Tire, Now On Test/Review:

A week or so ago I posted about this new tire from Donnelly. It is the new "EMP", named after Emporia, Kansas, which is, as Donnelly states on the tire's hang tag, "Home of the world famous gravel roads that reach out to the sky."

No mention of Dirty Kanza? Yep..... You know why, right? Licensing agreements. Meaning that to use the name in Donnelly's marketing, they probably would have to get a license to allow that from DK Promotions. I'm assuming that this is the case, so don't take that for gospel, but I would be willing to bet that is the case here.

Anyway...... I just found that interesting. Nothing to do with the tire, per se', but it is designed with the DK 200 in mind, so it has a tough, aggressive looking tread and a puncture protection belt too. I put up an introductory post on RidingGravel.com here.  Check that out for details. I will say that for now, it looks like a good tire for packed snow, which we should have now........ Bah! Anyway, I'll likely get these on the single speeded Orange Crush soon enough and start trying them out. I figure it can't be long before fenders and aggressive tread will be necessary! And if it continues as it has been, well, I'll have "hero gravel" to ride, most likely. That isn't all bad.

 

Fyxation's new through axle fork for gravel/adventure bikes.

Fyxation Announces New Gravel/Adventure Forks:

Wednesday news came down about Fyxation's new gravel/adventure forks, dubbed the Sparta FCR and Sparta QR. The FCR variant is your typical through axled, tapered steer tubed, three boss on a side fork with full carbon construction and a pretty light weight. But it is the other fork I am thinking is pretty cool.

The "QR" model is what you think- a quick release model. A straight steer tube, QR wheel fork with carbon blades and an aluminum steer tube. Why? I saw a lot of commentary saying it should have had a through axle. Not QR. Hmm......

Well, it turns out the fork asked for already exists.  Thanks to a commenter on the Riding Gravel facebook page for pointing this out.

  Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!