Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of the Polk County Health Department

E-Bike/Scooter/Moto Issues Reach Fever Peak In Iowa:

I realize this is a nationwide issue, but my focus here is on Iowa as it relates to the debate and concerns over electrified two and three wheeled devices. 

Reports of crashes, injuries, and damage are on the uptick. I saw a recent post by an ED professional (Emergency Department = ED) who was stating a case for helmet usage and proper education of children and adults concerning electrified vehicles. Stating a strong uptick in ED visits due to usage of these devices, the individual was pleading with parents, especially, to educate themselves and their children on the proper usage of these devices. 

Many municipalities in Iowa are also posting on social media concerning either education, laws currently on books, or about impending city ordinances which are being considered to regulate this surge of electric vehicle usage on streets and trails. 

Comments: The issues facing many cities are beyond the scope of control, in most cases, in my opinion. In view of how people are using these vehicles, it is my opinion that there are three basic user groups. One: Youth who are looking for easy transportation, thrills, and freedom from having to beg rides from parents or older siblings. Two: Low income people, either coming out of the legal system, or from other countries, who either cannot afford a car/truck, or cannot legally operate a car/truck, or both. Three: recreational cyclists who use e-bikes as a way to exercise and enjoy the outdoors who would not otherwise be doing so without an assisted bicycle or tricycle. 

Most concerns I see being voiced are over misuse or ignorance (or both) and point at the underage crowd on these vehicles as being a menace to society. I do not see much concern over low income/disadvantaged folks using even the vehicles which are prohibited by law to be ridden without a license and insurance. That said, there are probably a few instances where these folks are causing problems. Most assuredly most of this segment is on these electrified vehicles because they cannot get, or afford insurance and/or a license. The third crowd, the e-bikers with assisted pedaling platforms, are generally no big deal to anyone. 

What will likely happen? Smaller communities with limited resources will likely ban them all. Most of these cities and villages don't even have police. They just won't have any other way to enforce or apply any laws/ordinances. (Unless they lump the e-motor vehicles in with side-by-sides) At the very least, the laws and ordinances will keep the city/village governments out of liability in case of crashes, injuries, or deaths. Bigger cities may try separating the assisted vehicles from the non-assisted ones, but again, enforcement will be limited due to limited resources. Police are already spread thin, and asking them to separate goats from sheep is not going to be efficient. Maybe states will get involved, like New Jersey did, but I think this will be hit or miss based upon the specific cases each state is seeing rise through their judiciary systems. 

My gut tells me the issue will become solved, mostly, when either states, or the Federal government steps in at the behest of insurers to make all electric assist and e-motor equipped two and three wheeled vehicles illegal unless they are licensed and insured. Essentially following the New Jersey example, if it is a successfully implemented law there. 

Time will tell, but I think it will have to be solved sooner than later. 

Substack Story:

Some of you here may already have noted my Substack account, maybe you follow it, but if not, I just wanted to point it out. 

I don't post there a lot, but when I do it usually is something I don't publish anywhere else. Recently I wrote a bit more personal story about BRAN and why I went on the trip. If you want to check it out, Click Here.  

If this sort of thing intrigues you and you like my writing, please consider subscribing to my Substack. It's free, and there is no obligation.  

Update On Chris King Hub/Wheel Build:

A slow news week here folks! So, I am going through the archives and making sure nothing gets left behind. I did come across the Chris king hub story from back in April. (Here) 

The hang up is in regard to rims and what I want to spend. Carbon is nice, it builds a strong, lightweight wheel, and is my preference. However; they are expensive for anything with a reputation for quality and durability. 

For instance, I can buy two Velocity Blunt SS aluminum rims for a little bit more than I can buy one decent carbon rim in a few cases, and for less than many single carbon rims in the size and spoke count I need.  

So, seeing as how money has been tight, or allocated elsewhere of late (BRAN), I haven't made any decisions for those hubs yet. I probably will not make a decision on rims for quite some time yet. 

Update On Ergon Review:

Another thing I need to get back on is the review of the Ergon SR AllRoad Pro Saddle and the BT OrthoCell Handlebar Tape.  Those items are on the Honeman Flyer and I switched out to ride the bikes I was considering for BRAN shortly after the review kicked off. 

Now it is time to switch over to these products n the Honeman Flyer to conclude the review. I have another item coming in I cannot speak about yet which will help push these reviews up my "to do" list. 

Interestingly, I have used the Honeman Flyer as a training bike for BRAN and since I've returned several times. I just haven't done any longer rides out in the country. I do have a bit of feedback, even from ny shorter rides, so it hasn't been as though I don't have any time on these products. I just don't have the gravel time I like to get before I write up anything. 

So, stay tuned for updates on both products here from Ergon very soon.  

And That's A Wrap! 

I know.....The tour is on now. (May as well hand Pogačar the trophy now) But I have almost zero interest in Pro road racing these days, so you are not going to see much coverage of it here. With that, I want to thank you for checking out Guitar Ted Productions today. I hope you all get out for a ride this weekend.  

Review: Ergon SR Allroad Pro Saddle & BT Orthocell Road Tape: First Impressions

 Note: Ergon sent the SR Allroad saddle and the BT OrthoCell Road handle bar tape to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost for test and review. Ergon has not paid for, nor bribed Guitar Ted for these reviews. All opinions and images, unless noted, belong to Guitar Ted/Guitar Ted Productions.

The Ergon SR Allroad Pro saddle and BT Orthocell Road Tape have been installed on my single speed gravel bike, the Honeman Flyer. In this post I will give you my experience regarding the installation of the bar tape and some initial first impressions after a few test rides. 

For the introduction to these products, please see my article HERE. There you will get all the tech information and pricing for these two items.

Installing The BT OrthoCell Tape:

In the past, the Ergon handlebar tapes I have used from the Gravel range have been some of the nicest, longest lasting handlebar tapes I've ever used. Those tapes have also been some of the most difficult tapes to install as well. I've installed handlebar tape as a retail repair mechanic for around thirty years, so I have a lot of experience with many different types of handlebar tapes. Ergon is easily in my top three hardest tapes to install. 

So, it came as a very nice surprise to me when I cracked open the BT OrthoCell Road tape and started working with it and I found it to be......normal. It installs very nicely and quickly, at least from my perspective. It is far easier to install than the previously mentioned Ergon tapes.  So far so good!

The saddle I will mention briefly in terms of installation. It went like any other saddle. Issues regarding the installations of saddles are more predicated upon seat post designs than they are saddle designs. So, no issues at all with the Ergon saddle here. The Whisky Parts Co. seat post? That's another story..... At least the saddle is mounted. 

Initial Ride Impressions:

The subject of any touch-point on a bicycle is fraught with frustrations and multitudinous theories and opinions. You've heard how the reviews of such items are subjective and how "this worked/did not work for me and your mileage may vary. So, what is the point of even trying to review such items, especially saddles? 

First of all, a saddle choice is going to require on-the-bike research and it will be costly.  This is not what you want to hear, and you may balk at this, but I have seen no "easy button" to push to instantly find your perfect saddle. Yes, there are certain things you can do to narrow down your choices. However; the bottom line here is that you will have to ride a saddle for multiple rides (most likely) and for longer rides (over three hours is my baseline) to know a saddle works or does not work. Here are a few points to get you started if you are on a saddle search: 

• Get A Professional Bike Fitting Done: This is paramount if you are serious about cycling and want to be as comfortable, or fast, or both - as possible. This will take a lot of the guess-work out of saddle choice. 
• Find A Sit-Bone Calculator/Guide: If a professional fitting is out of the question, getting to know your sit-bone width is the next thing I'd recommend. You can use various calculators online from most major brand saddle sellers, or you might get this done at certain full-service bike shops. I've used the WTB Fit-Right System to great success in the past. Ergon offers their Saddle Selector as well. 
• Buy Used Saddles: There are a lot of people dissatisfied with their saddle choice selling saddles on the used marketplace. I find these a lot on Facebook Marketplace. I am sure other forums which focus on cycling have classifieds as well which may be mined for saddle research. This will cut down on costs and provide a way to get rid of unsatisfactory saddles as well.  

Whew..... Okay! Now what did I think of this SR Allroad Pro? Well, so far it seems just fine. I've been on several shorter rides and I've noted no glaring faults. I am fine tuning the positioning yet, but hopefully I can speak to how it feels on longer rides when I post a final review on the saddle in a month or so. 

I will say the SR Allroad is probably going to work out for me as long as the longer, three hour plus test comes out well. 

Again, with regard to the BT OrthoCell Tape, I need to put in longer rides on it, but so far I am impressed with how this thinner tape is working. Typically my better experiences have been on tape in the 2mm - 3mm thickness range. This tape is right at 2mm thick, but feels cushier than this thickness would imply. 

The grip is good to very good. I would like to see if it gets slimy-slippery when wet. But my impressions are it will be fine. The BT OrthoCell Tape has a bit of an open pore look and feel to it, so I think it will deal with moisture from water or sweat well. 

Until Next Time:

I will be doing those longer rides and hopefully sussing out what these two products can do for me on gravel and pavement. I would expect a final word in about a month or so. I may post separate reviews, as mentioned in the previous introduction. If I decide to do so, I will link back to each final review here and from each final review for easier reference. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Review: Ergon Sr Allroad Pro Saddle & BT Orthocell Road Tape

 Note: Ergon sent the SR Allroad saddle and the BT OrthoCell Road handle bar tape to Guitar Ted Productions at no cost for test and review. Ergon has not paid for, nor bribed Guitar Ted for these reviews. All opinions and images, unless noted, belong to Guitar Ted/Guitar Ted Productions.

Welcome to a new season of reviews on Guitar Ted Productions. I'm kicking things off this season with two items from Ergon. They are sponsors of a new cycling team called Canyon/DT Swiss Alt-Terrain. (Reported on HERE in a recent Friday News & Views post)

I am going to be taking a look at a couple of items the team is going to be using throughout 2026. I have an SR Allroad Pro saddle and the BT OrthoCell Road handlebar tape.  (NOTE: The link for the handlebar tape takes you to the Gravel version which is 3mm thick. The tape on review here is not on the site currently)

The reviews will eventually split off but for this introduction I'll be speaking on both products. First up we will take a quick look at the handlebar tape specs and then the saddle. I'll follow up with some comments. 

BT OrthoCell Road Handlebar Tape: The OrthoCell component of this product is really what sets this handlebar tape apart from the rest of the competition. OrthoCell is a product Ergon uses which is made by BASF in Germany. The foam padding is applied to the tape in varying thicknesses. In the case of the Road variant, it is thinner than the BT OrthoCell Gravel tape. Overall, BT OrthoCell Road is 2mm in thickness. Ergon suggests  the wrapping technique used can vary the thickness and feel of the tape according to preferences. 

This tape is 250mm long for each roll so it should cover most modern allroad/gravel handlebars and any road racing type bar.  

The OrthoCell material also figures into another handlebar accessory product Ergon makes in a pad set.  I tested those for another site and I can vouch for the OrthoCell claims. So, I have pretty high expectations for the handlebar tape. Besides, Ergon BT Allroad Gravel tape is a favorite handlebar tape of mine anyway. I just wish they offered it in more colors than they do currently. 

 Price for the BT OrthoCell Road tape is not known since I cannot find it on Ergon's site or anywhere online. This 2mm thick version of OrthoCell tape should cost approximately the same as the 3mm thick Gravel version which costs $44.95 USD. The tape should be available through Ergon eventually. 

SR Allroad Pro Saddle: This saddle has also been infused with the same OrthoCell technology using BASF's Infinergy material. A great explainer of what OrthoCell padding does can be found on Ergon's site HERE. 

The SR Allroad Pro has a microfiber cover over the OrthoCell padding which is textured in the sit bone region and smooth everywhere else. There is a large, vented pressure relief zone down the middle here which is promising relief from numbness. 

Claimed weight is 230 gm but the sample I received is 252 gm.The overall length of the saddle is 248mm and the width is 143mm for the Small/Medium seen here. There is also a Medium/Wide offered which is listed as being 151m in width.A women's variant is also offered in an Allroad Comp version which trades a carbon composite base for a Nylon base. 

The Ergon SR Allroad Pro Saddle retails for $154.95 USD. You can purchase the saddle directly from Ergon or through various online or brick and mortar retailers. 

Impressions: I have used Ergon handlebar tape and an Ergon saddle for a few years now. If you read my Top Ten Recommendos post last November you may have noticed two Ergon products made the list.

The saddle I used was the SR Allroad CORE Comp, and the shape is very similar to this new saddle I have now on test. The big difference is obviously the cut-out. But I also noted the padding is a bit more luxurious and thicker by a little on the newer saddle. 

My expectation is that I will get along with the shape of this new saddle just fine, but I do think the new one will be more comfortable. I should also note here that Ergon plainly sees the OrthoCell padding as being enough to mitigate vibrations and provide comfort because that rigid base is certainly not going to have any give! It is thick and feels like it won't have any problem keeping a firm foundation for your pedaling efforts. 

I know I've seen and heard concerns about saddle cut-outs which pierce through the saddle completely. Some feel debris coming off the rear tire could cause issues. I guess.....maybe, but this is why there are fenders. One could also simply paste a bit of duct tape underneath and cover the opening if it really became something of an issue. 

On the tape, I have used Ergon's 3mm thick Gravel tape and the OrthoCell pad kit, both things I'd be very glad to have on any drop bar bike. I saw this Road tape with a 2mm thickness and immediately wondered if it might not work well for me. However; the OrthoCell material may mitigate my concerns. We will see. I don't doubt it will be difficult to wrap though, as this has been my experience with any Ergon handlebar tape I've used to date. 

Okay, so there is an introduction to these products.; Next I have to choose a bike to put these on and get to riding. When I have installed the saddle and handlebar tape I will get a few rides in and then come back with two separate first impressions posts, one for the saddle and one for the bar tape.  

Stay tuned. This might take a few weeks due to weather concerns.  

Thanks to Ergon for providing these products to test and review.  

NOTE: Tomorrow will feature two press releases. Please make sure to scroll down the page to see both releases set to come out tomorrow morning. Thank you! 

Friday News And Views

Inventory Levels High - Sales Low:

Halfway into 2023 and the situation for the bicycle retailing sector has worsened. Unprecedented levels of unsold inventory sits while consumer interests are at a low level. The apathy in buyer interest has caused some heretofore unusual tactics to lure in customers. 

As a for instance, back in Spring Trek dealers were hawking free "gifts" of cycling accessory items just for coming in and trying out an e-bike. Just a test ride could net a potential bike purchaser a water bottle, floor pump, or maybe even a Trek Travel trip, all free, just for trying a bike out. The tactic is still in use up to now, and that just tells you the situation is dire.

Of course, the hope is that when you come in the sales staff will have their game on and get you to buy a bike, but you don't have to. This is a very unusual tactic and one I have not witnessed in my 25 or so years of bicycle retail employment. 

Other outlandish deals exist all over the internet including up to 40% and more off of Rock Shox suspension products, 25% -40% off name brand cycling shoes, and 20% -25% discounts being so common I cannot name them all here. 

But bicycles themselves are the big ticket item clogging the pipeline now, and with no real significant movement in that trade, it will definitely have some negative effects which will ripple throughout the industry. 

6/15/23 Air quality. I'm under the 143 on the map here.

Where There's Smoke There's Big Trouble:

Canadian wildfires have been wreaking havoc on my riding here the entire month of June. I don't know about you, but I am not considering a ride when just breathing air in the house gives me a rough feeling throat. 

Combined with this, we've had a really dry month of June as well, falling an inch and a half plus short on rainfall in this area. My grass in the lawn looks crispy and it appears more like late August out there than it does mid-June. 

It's nothing new to you folks out West, I get that, but this is highly unusual for Iowa, or the Mid-West in general, and the corn and bean crop is going to suffer mightily unless things clear up and get wet soon. That will affect everybody.

We won't be worrying much about riding bicycles if this keeps up because we'll have bigger things to keep us occupied. But for now, I can say this smoke sucks and it is mildly depressing when one cannot get in a bicycle ride because the air is too dangerous to breath in.

Ergon Announces GreenLab Circular Program:

Ergon is announcing a new initiative just befoe Eurobike kicks off which features their SR AllRoad Core Saddle, This new GreenLab Circular program is aimed at creating products that can be recycled into another like-product. In this case, when the SR AllRoad Core Circular saddle reaches the end of its lifecycle, it could be recycled to make another SR AllRoad Core Circular Saddle. 

Ergon partnered in this project with BASF, the company already involved with Ergon and making component parts for their saddles, namely the padded layer in the SR AllRoad saddles. BASF determined that by not using the pigmentation normally applied to the materials of the SR AllRoad Core, that the resulting end product would make for a better material to recycle, thus the pale appearance of the component parts as seen in the image here provided by Ergon. 

The saddle rails are made from TiNox (stainless steel) and can be removed by hand when the saddle is ready for recycling. The top cover is a new material developed by BASF especially to conform to this projects goals. Look for more on this after Euro bike.  

That's me on the left at the DK200 2015.

Podcast Update:

In case you missed it: We've posted three podcasts in the last two weeks (!!) covering the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame inductions and the recently run Unbound Gravel which has caused seemingly no end of debate. N.Y. Roll and I cover parts of the debate in two of the three episodes posted. 

You can find Episodes #'s 17, 18, and 19 on Spotify here, or wherever you get your podcast feed from. 

With the flurry of podcasts of late, we're going to take a little break here and be back in July, (probably, if not the last week of June), and have another podcast, hopefully with an interview guest I have in mind. Stay tuned on that... 

The master plan is to do approximately 15 more episodes which should take us into November when we will plan a longer break and end the "season". N.Y. Roll and I have been encouraged by many of you out there who have listened and given us your feedback. We appreciate you listening in and for giving us helpful feedback that we hope to use to continue to grow the audience. 

SRAM AXS Apex 12 Image courtesy of SRAM

SRAM Debuts 12spd AXS Apex & 12spd Apex Mechanical Groups.

In a totally expected move by SRAM, Apex AXS has been released. 12 speed, all the Eagle MTB mechs can be made to work with it, and it is cheaper. Just like SRAM has always done. 

Same innards, just heavier materials. So, unless you are weight conscious, Apex AXS will do you just fine. 

At 1400 bucks, it isn't too pricey for an electronic group set. I imagine that this will see a lot of OE spec once things start getting made again. There is even a $225.00 power meter upgrade available. Nice. 

Comments: SRAM is a curious company. You can get the same high performing mechanical/electronic performance with heavier and cheaper materials as you go down the range. It begs the question: Why pay more for the upper end stuff? There really isn't a great reason to do so unless, well, you can't help yourself, you've got scads of cash sitting around, or you are a sponsored athlete. With Shimano you have significant construction, materials, and tolerance differences as well as design tweaks as you work your way up their ranges. It make sense to get XT then if you are running Deore stuff now. 

But SRAM doesn't do things that way and they haven't since they came out with road components in the 2000's. I guess that's why I rarely, if ever saw a Red group on a bike come through my repair stand and hardly ever saw anything from the Force group either. Most of the time the SRAM road stuff I saw was from the Rival group, and why not? It had the same guts doing the actual work that Red did. 

It just seems weird to me how SRAM does this sort of undermining of their own upper-end group sets.

That's a wrap for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Inventory Levels High - Sales Low:

Halfway into 2023 and the situation for the bicycle retailing sector has worsened. Unprecedented levels of unsold inventory sits while consumer interests are at a low level. The apathy in buyer interest has caused some heretofore unusual tactics to lure in customers. 

As a for instance, back in Spring Trek dealers were hawking free "gifts" of cycling accessory items just for coming in and trying out an e-bike. Just a test ride could net a potential bike purchaser a water bottle, floor pump, or maybe even a Trek Travel trip, all free, just for trying a bike out. The tactic is still in use up to now, and that just tells you the situation is dire.

Of course, the hope is that when you come in the sales staff will have their game on and get you to buy a bike, but you don't have to. This is a very unusual tactic and one I have not witnessed in my 25 or so years of bicycle retail employment. 

Other outlandish deals exist all over the internet including up to 40% and more off of Rock Shox suspension products, 25% -40% off name brand cycling shoes, and 20% -25% discounts being so common I cannot name them all here. 

But bicycles themselves are the big ticket item clogging the pipeline now, and with no real significant movement in that trade, it will definitely have some negative effects which will ripple throughout the industry. 

6/15/23 Air quality. I'm under the 143 on the map here.

Where There's Smoke There's Big Trouble:

Canadian wildfires have been wreaking havoc on my riding here the entire month of June. I don't know about you, but I am not considering a ride when just breathing air in the house gives me a rough feeling throat. 

Combined with this, we've had a really dry month of June as well, falling an inch and a half plus short on rainfall in this area. My grass in the lawn looks crispy and it appears more like late August out there than it does mid-June. 

It's nothing new to you folks out West, I get that, but this is highly unusual for Iowa, or the Mid-West in general, and the corn and bean crop is going to suffer mightily unless things clear up and get wet soon. That will affect everybody.

We won't be worrying much about riding bicycles if this keeps up because we'll have bigger things to keep us occupied. But for now, I can say this smoke sucks and it is mildly depressing when one cannot get in a bicycle ride because the air is too dangerous to breath in.

Ergon Announces GreenLab Circular Program:

Ergon is announcing a new initiative just befoe Eurobike kicks off which features their SR AllRoad Core Saddle, This new GreenLab Circular program is aimed at creating products that can be recycled into another like-product. In this case, when the SR AllRoad Core Circular saddle reaches the end of its lifecycle, it could be recycled to make another SR AllRoad Core Circular Saddle. 

Ergon partnered in this project with BASF, the company already involved with Ergon and making component parts for their saddles, namely the padded layer in the SR AllRoad saddles. BASF determined that by not using the pigmentation normally applied to the materials of the SR AllRoad Core, that the resulting end product would make for a better material to recycle, thus the pale appearance of the component parts as seen in the image here provided by Ergon. 

The saddle rails are made from TiNox (stainless steel) and can be removed by hand when the saddle is ready for recycling. The top cover is a new material developed by BASF especially to conform to this projects goals. Look for more on this after Euro bike.  

That's me on the left at the DK200 2015.

Podcast Update:

In case you missed it: We've posted three podcasts in the last two weeks (!!) covering the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame inductions and the recently run Unbound Gravel which has caused seemingly no end of debate. N.Y. Roll and I cover parts of the debate in two of the three episodes posted. 

You can find Episodes #'s 17, 18, and 19 on Spotify here, or wherever you get your podcast feed from. 

With the flurry of podcasts of late, we're going to take a little break here and be back in July, (probably, if not the last week of June), and have another podcast, hopefully with an interview guest I have in mind. Stay tuned on that... 

The master plan is to do approximately 15 more episodes which should take us into November when we will plan a longer break and end the "season". N.Y. Roll and I have been encouraged by many of you out there who have listened and given us your feedback. We appreciate you listening in and for giving us helpful feedback that we hope to use to continue to grow the audience. 

SRAM AXS Apex 12 Image courtesy of SRAM

SRAM Debuts 12spd AXS Apex & 12spd Apex Mechanical Groups.

In a totally expected move by SRAM, Apex AXS has been released. 12 speed, all the Eagle MTB mechs can be made to work with it, and it is cheaper. Just like SRAM has always done. 

Same innards, just heavier materials. So, unless you are weight conscious, Apex AXS will do you just fine. 

At 1400 bucks, it isn't too pricey for an electronic group set. I imagine that this will see a lot of OE spec once things start getting made again. There is even a $225.00 power meter upgrade available. Nice. 

Comments: SRAM is a curious company. You can get the same high performing mechanical/electronic performance with heavier and cheaper materials as you go down the range. It begs the question: Why pay more for the upper end stuff? There really isn't a great reason to do so unless, well, you can't help yourself, you've got scads of cash sitting around, or you are a sponsored athlete. With Shimano you have significant construction, materials, and tolerance differences as well as design tweaks as you work your way up their ranges. It make sense to get XT then if you are running Deore stuff now. 

But SRAM doesn't do things that way and they haven't since they came out with road components in the 2000's. I guess that's why I rarely, if ever saw a Red group on a bike come through my repair stand and hardly ever saw anything from the Force group either. Most of the time the SRAM road stuff I saw was from the Rival group, and why not? It had the same guts doing the actual work that Red did. 

It just seems weird to me how SRAM does this sort of undermining of their own upper-end group sets.

That's a wrap for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Review Briefs

 As many of you know, I get in a fair amount of stuff to review on Riding Gravel and sometimes just to give feedback on/test for others. I figured I may as well shoot a few words this way on some things being currently tested and reviewed by giving a few, brief thoughts on those items. As always, The Standard Disclaimer applies. 

Shimano Flint Hills Edition "Moonlight" RX6 Shoes:

Yesterday I mentioned that I got those RX6 shoes in and now that I've had a chance to ride in them and walk around in them I have a few thoughts to share. 

I have been wearing the Shimano gravel shoes since they came out a few years back. The newer RX8's are a definite improvement over the originals and I have liked them quite a bit. So when I saw that the RX6's were very similar I was pretty stoked to give them a try. 

The upper and the BOA are really similar with very little variation between the RX8 and RX6. However; after that you get to the soles and those vary quite a lot in terms of feel while walking and riding. In terms of fit, the RX8 and RX6 are really very close to being identical. That's very good! 

My take is that the big difference in the RX6 is that it isn't so stiff. The RX8 is actually kind of hard to walk in. Not terrible, but it doesn't have very much "give" and that makes walking any distance on harder surfaces a bit tedious and the RX8 fatigues your feet and lower legs a lot more quickly because of that. The RX6 is noticeably easier on the earth-pads and lower legs when you have to walk. 

I imagine this is also why the shoe feels a bit more relaxed while riding as well. I like that, personally. Really stiff shoes fatigue my feet more quickly, so I am hopeful that the stiffness to flex ratio of the RX6 actually will make my feet happier than the RX8's. Time will tell.....

Voler "Pirate Cycling League 15th Anniversary" Windbreaker:

I've tried a lot of windbreakers and I took a chance recently on another one, the Voler branded "Pirate Cycling League 15th Anniversary" windbreaker. I've been able to use this several times over the Spring and I have ended up at a place where this windbreaker has taken the point in my apparel arsenal. 

The biggest reason I jumped on this one was because it has three jersey-type rear pockets. Most windbreakers don't have this feature and I find that a bit frustrating. 

So, right off the mark this windbreaker was a head and shoulders above the rest. But it was in the wearing that I found this one to be tops for me and cooler, windy weather. 

The fit isn't too loose, but it fits without any real tight areas on me either. So, that was a huge plus to have hardly any fabric flapping in the breeze but the jacket didn't make me feel like a sausage in a casing. The zipper is beefy, two-way, and looks solid. It isn't some wimpy zipper that would fail after a season or two. The collar covers the neck well, so if you are in a cold wind this helps keep the air out. The sleeves are well long enough too. 

The fabric is just right- Not too stiff and not at all uncomfortable against the skin. This is almost a long sleeved jersey, actually, but technically, still a windbreaker. 

While you cannot get a 15th Anniversary PCL version, you can get this model windbreaker from Voler. Oh, and I bought this one at full-boat retail. So there! 

Ergon SR Allroad Core Saddle:

This was the first wide/short saddle I ever tried. I didn't know whether or not it would work out and Ergon saddles weren't my favorites. I had tried several over the years and while they were "okay", I never really bonded with any of them.

And what do you know? I ended up really liking this saddle. It didn't feel weird, and in fact, the BASF manufactured padding was actually what Ergon claimed for it, a vibration reducing material. 

This is also the first saddle I have tried that has the big cut-out/channel thing going on. First of all, I didn't really notice anything different. But then again, I don't typically worry about getting numb, I guess I block that bit out because after I paid attention, there was a benefit.

I don't have debilitating numbness issues, but after using the Ergon saddle I noticed I felt better than typical. So, I have changed my mind a bit on that feature since I have been using it. The WTB "Gravelier" I talked about in this "Review Brief", also has the relief cut-out, and it also does well with making me feel better after a longer ride. 

But my favorite between the two is definitely this Ergon SR Allroad. The BASF foam padding is a big reason why I would choose this over the WTB, but both are really pretty good.

Review Briefs

 As many of you know, I get in a fair amount of stuff to review on Riding Gravel and sometimes just to give feedback on/test for others. I figured I may as well shoot a few words this way on some things being currently tested and reviewed by giving a few, brief thoughts on those items. As always, The Standard Disclaimer applies. 

Shimano Flint Hills Edition "Moonlight" RX6 Shoes:

Yesterday I mentioned that I got those RX6 shoes in and now that I've had a chance to ride in them and walk around in them I have a few thoughts to share. 

I have been wearing the Shimano gravel shoes since they came out a few years back. The newer RX8's are a definite improvement over the originals and I have liked them quite a bit. So when I saw that the RX6's were very similar I was pretty stoked to give them a try. 

The upper and the BOA are really similar with very little variation between the RX8 and RX6. However; after that you get to the soles and those vary quite a lot in terms of feel while walking and riding. In terms of fit, the RX8 and RX6 are really very close to being identical. That's very good! 

My take is that the big difference in the RX6 is that it isn't so stiff. The RX8 is actually kind of hard to walk in. Not terrible, but it doesn't have very much "give" and that makes walking any distance on harder surfaces a bit tedious and the RX8 fatigues your feet and lower legs a lot more quickly because of that. The RX6 is noticeably easier on the earth-pads and lower legs when you have to walk. 

I imagine this is also why the shoe feels a bit more relaxed while riding as well. I like that, personally. Really stiff shoes fatigue my feet more quickly, so I am hopeful that the stiffness to flex ratio of the RX6 actually will make my feet happier than the RX8's. Time will tell.....

Voler "Pirate Cycling League 15th Anniversary" Windbreaker:

I've tried a lot of windbreakers and I took a chance recently on another one, the Voler branded "Pirate Cycling League 15th Anniversary" windbreaker. I've been able to use this several times over the Spring and I have ended up at a place where this windbreaker has taken the point in my apparel arsenal. 

The biggest reason I jumped on this one was because it has three jersey-type rear pockets. Most windbreakers don't have this feature and I find that a bit frustrating. 

So, right off the mark this windbreaker was a head and shoulders above the rest. But it was in the wearing that I found this one to be tops for me and cooler, windy weather. 

The fit isn't too loose, but it fits without any real tight areas on me either. So, that was a huge plus to have hardly any fabric flapping in the breeze but the jacket didn't make me feel like a sausage in a casing. The zipper is beefy, two-way, and looks solid. It isn't some wimpy zipper that would fail after a season or two. The collar covers the neck well, so if you are in a cold wind this helps keep the air out. The sleeves are well long enough too. 

The fabric is just right- Not too stiff and not at all uncomfortable against the skin. This is almost a long sleeved jersey, actually, but technically, still a windbreaker. 

While you cannot get a 15th Anniversary PCL version, you can get this model windbreaker from Voler. Oh, and I bought this one at full-boat retail. So there! 

Ergon SR Allroad Core Saddle:

This was the first wide/short saddle I ever tried. I didn't know whether or not it would work out and Ergon saddles weren't my favorites. I had tried several over the years and while they were "okay", I never really bonded with any of them.

And what do you know? I ended up really liking this saddle. It didn't feel weird, and in fact, the BASF manufactured padding was actually what Ergon claimed for it, a vibration reducing material. 

This is also the first saddle I have tried that has the big cut-out/channel thing going on. First of all, I didn't really notice anything different. But then again, I don't typically worry about getting numb, I guess I block that bit out because after I paid attention, there was a benefit.

I don't have debilitating numbness issues, but after using the Ergon saddle I noticed I felt better than typical. So, I have changed my mind a bit on that feature since I have been using it. The WTB "Gravelier" I talked about in this "Review Brief", also has the relief cut-out, and it also does well with making me feel better after a longer ride. 

But my favorite between the two is definitely this Ergon SR Allroad. The BASF foam padding is a big reason why I would choose this over the WTB, but both are really pretty good.