Rim Wars: Sometimes The Solution Is Right In Front Of You.

Just the other day 'shiggy person' asked me to see if I had a Surly Extraterrestrial to measure. Well, in fact, I do. 

The wheel set I rode last year for the Ride For Jacob is the original wheel set from a Trek Sawyer I used to have, Because the wheel was spec'ed with a heavy Shimano hub set, I was not too stoked about riding them and ended up throwing various different wheels at that bike until I sold it. 

The ironic bit is that the Sawyer had the Chris King hubs on it when I sold it. But those were offered back to me earlier this year and I bought them to use for a nice wheel set for the Fargo Gen I,

Which....again in a bit of irony..was the bike I used the Bontrager Duster/Shimano hub set on when I did the Ride For Jacob last year. Again, this wheel set hasn't been a favorite of mine but the Duster rims best suited the Extraterrestrials, so I rolled them. 

So, while I was measuring the Extraterrestrial for 'shiggy', (62.63mm @ 19psi, by the way), I realized that I would like this wheel a lot better if the Chris King hubs were laced in their. 

Boom.....

So I think this is the direction I'm going to go in. I'll set up the Dusters with the King hub set. Then The Surly tires will go back on. Problem solved. 

Fattening Up

Going back a year or so ago I rode the Tamland Two I have with a set of Irwin Cycling wheels. GX35's, I want to say, and while they had been great wheels up to that point, I noted an issue cropping up. The free wheel wasn't engaging correctly and I experienced a few "hiccups" in the engaging process after coasting. 

It had been extremely dusty up to that point and I thought that perhaps the grease in the free hub body was too thick due to dust intrusion which might account for my problem.

I got the bike back to my shop and re-greased the hub after cleaning it out. That seemed to have a positive effect as I did not notice any problems for several rides after that. However; on this latest ride I did, I noted the issue again, and this time it seemed worse. In fact, I thought that I may not make it back to the house. 

Well, that did it for me and those Irwin hubs. I cannot afford to get stranded out in the country by a sketchy hub that won't engage properly anymore. My plan was to swap out wheels and then do something with the Irwin carbon rims and another, new hub set, But in the meantime I wanted to get the Raleigh back up and running as soon as possible. The problem is that I've wholesale swapped over to through axle wheels, and quick release is almost a dead thing to me now. 

Fortunately I still have a few options in the house. One of them found its way onto the Raleigh, but now I have a different problem! The Raleigh was never meant for "fat" gravel tires, but they are so close to fitting that I had to give it a try.

The Tamland Two with some older Roval XC MTB wheels.

The plan entailed taking off these old Roval wheels I got from my friend in SoCal, Grannygear, and use the tires that were already mounted on them which are SOMA Cazadero 700 X 50mm tires. They looked a bit narrow on the Roval rims and so I thought maybe, just maybe, they might squeeze into the frame and fork. 

The Roval wheels are pretty much a set of DT Swiss carbon wheels seeing as how they have DT Swiss spokes and hubs and then you have the Far East manufactured carbon rim with Roval stickers slapped on there. The partially red theme works a lot better on the Raleigh than it did on the Fargo, where they were mounted previously. (More on the Fargo in a minute)

Obviously the wheels and tires went in, but that rear tire jussssst grazes the chain stay where the wheel is slightly out of true. Too little leeway to play with there, so a different set of tires will have to be mounted on the wheels. 

No daylight there!

Bummer! I was so hoping to ride fatter rubber on this bike, but hey, what do you expect? The bike was designed in 2012 and there weren't any gravel tires above 40mm - 42mm then. So, making clearance for 50's would not have even been imagined at that time. I get it. And I'll be okay. No big deal! 

Okay, so I'll have the Raleigh sorted soon with a wheel set that is reliable and won't cause me any worries in the hub department, at least. That ratchet design DT uses is pretty robust. But that wheel set came of the Gen I Fargo, and well, now what to do?

Fortunately, I still had the older wheel set I was using on the Fargo hanging in the rafters. That would only need to have the cassette swapped out to what I had been using on the Fargo and to have a tubeless sealant refresh. And this is what that will look like......

Tires so fat they wouldn't fit in the frame of the image!

The Surly Extraterrestrials on Duster rims fit here with room to spare. That's a 29" X 2.5" tire, and it slots in nicely between what I have going on with the Singular Gryphon Mk3 and the other gravel bikes I own. I just need to refresh the sealant and that one is good to go. I may end up doing a little tweaking on the stem/handlebar set up by reversing the ShockStop Stem to negative rise and lowering that stem on the steer tube by a couple of spacers. 

But otherwise this bike is set for some gravel touring duties and I intend to use it for that this year. The relaxed position, Redshift Shift ShockStop Stem, and those fat tires will make for a much more comfortable and smooth ride. Plus, it can carry a ton of water! 

Anyway, that's what I've been up to over these rainy days we've been having. I'll have an update on the tires for the Raleigh soon. Stay tuned.....

Updating Thoughts For The Fargo Gen 1

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Updating Thoughts For The Fargo Gen 1

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fat Fargo v2

The original Fat Fargo experiment did not work. 

 

Five years ago I tried 650B X 2.8" wheels in my Fargo Gen I bike. I was really hoping that it would work, but there were issues. First, the clearances were minimal. The tires would spin freely, but there wasn't much room there with the fat 27.5"ers. 

The second thing was that the smaller wheel diameter put the bottom bracket on this bike in the weeds. That wasn't going to fly at all. So, I abandoned that idea, pulled the wheels off, and stuck them in my Fargo Gen 2 bike which I used to own. The wheels stayed there until I sold the bike and then those wheels went on the Sawyer which was sold recently. 

The B+ experiment was a qualified success. I did a couple of things, which in my looking back on it, were very unlike what the industry did with the idea, or what many riders did with the idea. Had I modified one component in that wheel assembly, the experiment likely would have been short lived. So, what was it that made it so compelling? 

I think the main ingredient was the WTB Trailblazer 2.8" tires. Had the tires been anything other than this tread pattern, I likely would have bailed out on the trial sooner. Much sooner. See, the Trailblazer had certain attributes that made it ideal for my applications. First, it wasn't too wide. It was a true 2.8", but it didn't have a super wide casing, so it fit the Fargo, and it made the tire ride well on the rims I chose to use. 

Those rims were Velocity Blunt 35's. They were far narrower internally than what the industry first went with for B+ tires, and far narrower than what most riders thought they needed. However; that narrow profile crowned up what was a really flat profile. The WTB Trailblazer was a very flat tire putting a LOT of its tread width on the ground, especially by the popular pairing of this tire with 50mm wide rims. This made the tire slow, but the Blunt 35's made the tire ride reasonably fast for its size. Especially on that center ridge the Trailblazers have. 

Me riding the Fat Fargo (Gen 2) at Odin's Revenge. Image by Wally Kilburg

I had some excellent rides on the Fat Fargo (The Gen 2 Fargo). I used it to great effect at the "muddy year" of the DK200 and later at Odin's Revenge. The big tires had their day in the Sun in specific conditions where some float was advantageous, but a fast rolling tire was paramount to success. 

The set up was good, but there were some things that weren't so good. Big diameter wheels just were much more to my liking. Once I had ridden a fat bike set up with some very light 29+ wheels, I was smitten by the possibilities of having a large diameter wheel with a wider tire in the 2.8" - 3.0" range. However; manufacturers didn't quite see things that way, offering few choices, and most of what was available was over-built, suspension corrected, or more mountain bike-like. 

So, despite the 'almost but not quite' 2.8" Fat Fargo set up, I ended up going back to 29"er wheels for the Fargo Gen I and rode that bike so much I sold off the Gen 2 version and as stated earlier, moved the wheels over to the Sawyer. Then gravel bikes took off and well...... I left the Fat Fargo idea to simmer, maybe never coming back to it at all. 

However, the other day I was offered some 29" X 2.5" Surly Extraterrestrial tires that Andy, of Andy's Bike Shop, had which he never used, or if he did, very little. They looked nearly perfect. Now Extraterrestrials were a tire I was very familiar with, having run them on the 1X1, ironically now in Andy's possession. They are heavy tires, but they roll fast, are tubeless ready, and are very voluminous for their size. I was quite tempted many a time to run the Surly as a gravel bike, as one of its previous owners, Jeff Kerkove had. But I never got around to it. 

These tires in 29'er size? Intriguing. I took them with plans to mount them on my old Gen I Fargo. That bike is set up with a rather pedestrian, and very heavy wheel set, a Bontrager Duster wheel set laced to Shimano Deore hubs. Nothing too fantastic but a serviceable wheel set. Duster rims are modestly wide, and in fact, are about the same width many 'gravel' rims are now. I was afraid to mount these big, voluminous tires to anything wider or they may not fit into the Gen I Fargo. 

The Fat Fargo v2 with 29" X 2.5" Surly Extraterrestrial tires.

Well, happily, they did fit. The clearances are acceptable, and these tires, while not quite the volume of a 3.0" tire, have the same, or very close to it, volume of the old 2.8 Trailblazers. I know it says 2.5" on the tire, but on these narrow-ish rims, they already have puffed up to exactly 2.5" and I suspect that they will stretch a bit beyond this, as the 26"ers I had did. 

Will they scratch the itch I have for large diameter wheels and big, floaty tires? That's yet to be determined, but if they end up being anything like what the 1X1 was like, hmm.......I think maybe- yes. And if they do pass that test, ah........new lighter wheels will be in order. There is no denying the weight and inertia these monsters have now, and a LOT of the fat is in the hubs here. Those Deore disc hubs weigh a ton. 

There are a few other 'upgrades' to come to the Fargo Gen I, so stay tuned for those and I think you will be surprised by a couple of the things I have in mind to do here.

Fat Fargo v2

The original Fat Fargo experiment did not work. 

 

Five years ago I tried 650B X 2.8" wheels in my Fargo Gen I bike. I was really hoping that it would work, but there were issues. First, the clearances were minimal. The tires would spin freely, but there wasn't much room there with the fat 27.5"ers. 

The second thing was that the smaller wheel diameter put the bottom bracket on this bike in the weeds. That wasn't going to fly at all. So, I abandoned that idea, pulled the wheels off, and stuck them in my Fargo Gen 2 bike which I used to own. The wheels stayed there until I sold the bike and then those wheels went on the Sawyer which was sold recently. 

The B+ experiment was a qualified success. I did a couple of things, which in my looking back on it, were very unlike what the industry did with the idea, or what many riders did with the idea. Had I modified one component in that wheel assembly, the experiment likely would have been short lived. So, what was it that made it so compelling? 

I think the main ingredient was the WTB Trailblazer 2.8" tires. Had the tires been anything other than this tread pattern, I likely would have bailed out on the trial sooner. Much sooner. See, the Trailblazer had certain attributes that made it ideal for my applications. First, it wasn't too wide. It was a true 2.8", but it didn't have a super wide casing, so it fit the Fargo, and it made the tire ride well on the rims I chose to use. 

Those rims were Velocity Blunt 35's. They were far narrower internally than what the industry first went with for B+ tires, and far narrower than what most riders thought they needed. However; that narrow profile crowned up what was a really flat profile. The WTB Trailblazer was a very flat tire putting a LOT of its tread width on the ground, especially by the popular pairing of this tire with 50mm wide rims. This made the tire slow, but the Blunt 35's made the tire ride reasonably fast for its size. Especially on that center ridge the Trailblazers have. 

Me riding the Fat Fargo (Gen 2) at Odin's Revenge. Image by Wally Kilburg

I had some excellent rides on the Fat Fargo (The Gen 2 Fargo). I used it to great effect at the "muddy year" of the DK200 and later at Odin's Revenge. The big tires had their day in the Sun in specific conditions where some float was advantageous, but a fast rolling tire was paramount to success. 

The set up was good, but there were some things that weren't so good. Big diameter wheels just were much more to my liking. Once I had ridden a fat bike set up with some very light 29+ wheels, I was smitten by the possibilities of having a large diameter wheel with a wider tire in the 2.8" - 3.0" range. However; manufacturers didn't quite see things that way, offering few choices, and most of what was available was over-built, suspension corrected, or more mountain bike-like. 

So, despite the 'almost but not quite' 2.8" Fat Fargo set up, I ended up going back to 29"er wheels for the Fargo Gen I and rode that bike so much I sold off the Gen 2 version and as stated earlier, moved the wheels over to the Sawyer. Then gravel bikes took off and well...... I left the Fat Fargo idea to simmer, maybe never coming back to it at all. 

However, the other day I was offered some 29" X 2.5" Surly Extraterrestrial tires that Andy, of Andy's Bike Shop, had which he never used, or if he did, very little. They looked nearly perfect. Now Extraterrestrials were a tire I was very familiar with, having run them on the 1X1, ironically now in Andy's possession. They are heavy tires, but they roll fast, are tubeless ready, and are very voluminous for their size. I was quite tempted many a time to run the Surly as a gravel bike, as one of its previous owners, Jeff Kerkove had. But I never got around to it. 

These tires in 29'er size? Intriguing. I took them with plans to mount them on my old Gen I Fargo. That bike is set up with a rather pedestrian, and very heavy wheel set, a Bontrager Duster wheel set laced to Shimano Deore hubs. Nothing too fantastic but a serviceable wheel set. Duster rims are modestly wide, and in fact, are about the same width many 'gravel' rims are now. I was afraid to mount these big, voluminous tires to anything wider or they may not fit into the Gen I Fargo. 

The Fat Fargo v2 with 29" X 2.5" Surly Extraterrestrial tires.

Well, happily, they did fit. The clearances are acceptable, and these tires, while not quite the volume of a 3.0" tire, have the same, or very close to it, volume of the old 2.8 Trailblazers. I know it says 2.5" on the tire, but on these narrow-ish rims, they already have puffed up to exactly 2.5" and I suspect that they will stretch a bit beyond this, as the 26"ers I had did. 

Will they scratch the itch I have for large diameter wheels and big, floaty tires? That's yet to be determined, but if they end up being anything like what the 1X1 was like, hmm.......I think maybe- yes. And if they do pass that test, ah........new lighter wheels will be in order. There is no denying the weight and inertia these monsters have now, and a LOT of the fat is in the hubs here. Those Deore disc hubs weigh a ton. 

There are a few other 'upgrades' to come to the Fargo Gen I, so stay tuned for those and I think you will be surprised by a couple of the things I have in mind to do here.

New Commute

The Surly 1X1 with the fat tires. Sort of a "fat bike-lite" thing.

So, I am getting stuck in at my new job at Andy's Bike shop now since the weather has turned. The recent change in conditions has affected my commute route a bit. So, since I've started there I have utilized several ways to get to downtown Cedar Falls from the midst of Waterloo.

For a while there I had to detour all the way around into downtown Waterloo to avoid some deep snow. Obviously that has melted, but between now and then ice patches were a big issue. Even up until last Friday this was something that forced me to use the fat bike just to have a better grip level and stay upright.

But now it isn't ice, it is mud. I have about two spots in about ten miles that need a fat bike. They are pretty soupy, soft areas. But the rest of the dirt and grass parts, and there is a lot, I could handle it with a wide MTB tire. A tire like an Extraterrestrial is even better. Less knobs on there, but BIG volume. I run about 20 psi or so, and that works with the Velocity Cliffhanger rims, (tubeless- natch), really well on the muddy parts.

The commute is pretty good. Longer by a factor of 2 than the old one, but more bicycle riding is always good. I can get there in about 40 minutes comfortably. On a single speed. So, that's good and I didn't have to adjust too much to the extra commute time. I like it because it strays from the busy roads, mostly, but I do have a couple places where I have to really be careful. However; I have more dirt, back streets, and shortcuts than ever. I like that. Plus I now have options for longer "dirt home from work" rides or to even get in a bit of gravel travel.

Work is kicking into gear now and I'll be doing this commute more often than I have been soon. My "vacation" looks to be over. It's been fun, relaxing, and a recharge that I definitely needed, but it is time to get back to work now. There's this pesky thing called "money" that needs to be taken care of........

New Commute

The Surly 1X1 with the fat tires. Sort of a "fat bike-lite" thing.

So, I am getting stuck in at my new job at Andy's Bike shop now since the weather has turned. The recent change in conditions has affected my commute route a bit. So, since I've started there I have utilized several ways to get to downtown Cedar Falls from the midst of Waterloo.

For a while there I had to detour all the way around into downtown Waterloo to avoid some deep snow. Obviously that has melted, but between now and then ice patches were a big issue. Even up until last Friday this was something that forced me to use the fat bike just to have a better grip level and stay upright.

But now it isn't ice, it is mud. I have about two spots in about ten miles that need a fat bike. They are pretty soupy, soft areas. But the rest of the dirt and grass parts, and there is a lot, I could handle it with a wide MTB tire. A tire like an Extraterrestrial is even better. Less knobs on there, but BIG volume. I run about 20 psi or so, and that works with the Velocity Cliffhanger rims, (tubeless- natch), really well on the muddy parts.

The commute is pretty good. Longer by a factor of 2 than the old one, but more bicycle riding is always good. I can get there in about 40 minutes comfortably. On a single speed. So, that's good and I didn't have to adjust too much to the extra commute time. I like it because it strays from the busy roads, mostly, but I do have a couple places where I have to really be careful. However; I have more dirt, back streets, and shortcuts than ever. I like that. Plus I now have options for longer "dirt home from work" rides or to even get in a bit of gravel travel.

Work is kicking into gear now and I'll be doing this commute more often than I have been soon. My "vacation" looks to be over. It's been fun, relaxing, and a recharge that I definitely needed, but it is time to get back to work now. There's this pesky thing called "money" that needs to be taken care of........

2 650B Or Not 2 650B: That Is The Question

Last March I thought 650B tires were the bomb on this ride.

The 650B tire/wheel size seems like a bit of an odd man out in the gravel world. I see that size sometimes, but not a lot. I'm not really sure why that is either. I have a guess or two, but I don't know enough to say for sure.

I do know that I vacillate back and forth between thinking these wheels are great, and then back to not even caring if I ever rode another 650B wheel again in my life. Generally speaking, for my tastes, diameter is "king" and unless a smaller wheel is exceptional at something, I don't get too excited. That said, there have been more than a few times I thought the wheel size was rad.

I think there are a few things I need to see out of a 650B wheel before I get too excited. First of all, don't even come around here with a 650B wheel with a tire narrower than the Road Plus standard, which is 47mm. In fact, I am beginning to feel that is too small. Poofy tires, if they must exist, must be exactly that- big, voluminous, and worth their weight. Using a 42mm tire in a 650B format seems......backward, especially when most gravel bikes worth their salt can fit a 43mm tire with ease in a 700c diameter. Remember- diameter is king, and if you are going to go smaller, then you need to make up for that smaller diameter with air volume. Otherwise, why bother? 

For example, when Surly came out with the Extraterrestrial tire in 26" diameter, they did not offer it in a 26" X 2.1....noooo. They went right out to 2.5" and good for them. If you ever ride one, you'll get it. They are awesome at about 20psi tubeless. Almost makes me want to run 26"ers again it does!

Smaller diameter, but super volume and super smooth ride. Make it worthwhile if you drop down a size in diameter and go wide, or go home. I'm not at all interested in 650B X (anything less than) 47mm. Nope. Give me a big, voluminous 650B, and maybe I'll fall in love with that. So then, why not just go wide and keep it 700c? Yes indeed- why not? 

700 X 50? Why yes. Don't mind if I do.

 The trouble is that then you end up with a bike that almost cannot be anything but a Fargo or clone thereof. I was online the other night perusing Kona's line up for 2020 at the suggestion of a reader here. They make the Sutra model which sports 700c X 50mm tires, but it isn't a whole lot different than a Fargo and has limitations which a Fargo does not have regarding the drive train and tire clearances. (Or you could see that the other way around too.) The 700c X 45+ size tires start to get into a territory that road based drive trains were never meant to live in. That and the emasculation of MTB gearing choices down to a single chain ring has really pinched the rider that understands wide range gearing that promotes a straight chain line. Your choices are more limited than ever on the mountain biking side of things.

So, 650B to the rescue. I guess. There you can get that wider tire stuffed into a frame and still get away with a road based, wide range drive train. You lose that diameter component, but the choices are greater when looking at gearing and all. I'll be checking out some more tire choices and running 650B sizes in the future, and I'll probably still be going back and forth about it.

Stay tuned....

2 650B Or Not 2 650B: That Is The Question

Last March I thought 650B tires were the bomb on this ride.

The 650B tire/wheel size seems like a bit of an odd man out in the gravel world. I see that size sometimes, but not a lot. I'm not really sure why that is either. I have a guess or two, but I don't know enough to say for sure.

I do know that I vacillate back and forth between thinking these wheels are great, and then back to not even caring if I ever rode another 650B wheel again in my life. Generally speaking, for my tastes, diameter is "king" and unless a smaller wheel is exceptional at something, I don't get too excited. That said, there have been more than a few times I thought the wheel size was rad.

I think there are a few things I need to see out of a 650B wheel before I get too excited. First of all, don't even come around here with a 650B wheel with a tire narrower than the Road Plus standard, which is 47mm. In fact, I am beginning to feel that is too small. Poofy tires, if they must exist, must be exactly that- big, voluminous, and worth their weight. Using a 42mm tire in a 650B format seems......backward, especially when most gravel bikes worth their salt can fit a 43mm tire with ease in a 700c diameter. Remember- diameter is king, and if you are going to go smaller, then you need to make up for that smaller diameter with air volume. Otherwise, why bother? 

For example, when Surly came out with the Extraterrestrial tire in 26" diameter, they did not offer it in a 26" X 2.1....noooo. They went right out to 2.5" and good for them. If you ever ride one, you'll get it. They are awesome at about 20psi tubeless. Almost makes me want to run 26"ers again it does!

Smaller diameter, but super volume and super smooth ride. Make it worthwhile if you drop down a size in diameter and go wide, or go home. I'm not at all interested in 650B X (anything less than) 47mm. Nope. Give me a big, voluminous 650B, and maybe I'll fall in love with that. So then, why not just go wide and keep it 700c? Yes indeed- why not? 

700 X 50? Why yes. Don't mind if I do.

 The trouble is that then you end up with a bike that almost cannot be anything but a Fargo or clone thereof. I was online the other night perusing Kona's line up for 2020 at the suggestion of a reader here. They make the Sutra model which sports 700c X 50mm tires, but it isn't a whole lot different than a Fargo and has limitations which a Fargo does not have regarding the drive train and tire clearances. (Or you could see that the other way around too.) The 700c X 45+ size tires start to get into a territory that road based drive trains were never meant to live in. That and the emasculation of MTB gearing choices down to a single chain ring has really pinched the rider that understands wide range gearing that promotes a straight chain line. Your choices are more limited than ever on the mountain biking side of things.

So, 650B to the rescue. I guess. There you can get that wider tire stuffed into a frame and still get away with a road based, wide range drive train. You lose that diameter component, but the choices are greater when looking at gearing and all. I'll be checking out some more tire choices and running 650B sizes in the future, and I'll probably still be going back and forth about it.

Stay tuned....

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!

Single Speed Mind- Part 2

The Sawyer is ready to roll.

So, like I said in the last post about single speeds here, I have a lot of single speed bikes. I wasn't done fixing up those devices just yet, and to be honest, I'm still not done yet. Got a few more to get to yet.

Well, one of the bikes I did get around to was the Sawyer. You've seen it here before if you've been around reading this blog a long time. The Sawyer is an odd bike. It probably wasn't ever meant to be a Trek branded bike, but the 2010 absorption of Fisher by Trek going into the 2011 season kind of put things off kilter with this bike. So, following is my interpretation of the events which made the Sawyer one of the failures of the shuttering of the Fisher brand.

It is a fact that only a small handful of people had previous knowledge about the early Summer announcement that Fisher Bikes was going to be no more. Obviously, all the 2011 product was well into production. Marketing was being developed for the coming year, and all of that was scuttled after Trek announced the change. One of those marketing ideas was centered around the Sawyer. A retro styled 29"er. A bike that was all about embodying all that Gary Fisher was best known for.

Think about the geared 2X10 drive train. Fisher was often credited for slapping gears on a 30's era Schwinn cruiser frame so he could ride to the top of the Repack course instead of pushing, or hitching a ride on a stake truck. The Sawyer was a nod to that. Also, Fisher was preeminent in pushing 29" mountain bikes into production. This occurred in 2001, exactly ten years previous to the introduction of the Sawyer. The Sawyer featured G2 geometry, a Fisher Bikes innovation, which radically changed how 29"er bikes were designed going forward. This bike was to be a celebration of Gary Fisher's MTB contributions, but with the absorption of Fisher into Trek, all the marketing plans had to be scrapped.

The frame is very detailed and had to be a nightmare for Trek to get it produced. The twin top tube starts at the head tube and then flares out to become the seat stays. Maybe a nod to Breezer's first bikes? The support tubes from the top tubes to the seat tube had to be "just so", and there are a lot of other details to this frame which make it a really interesting production bike. The drive side drop out is split, so I run the bike single speed with a Gates Carbon Drive Center Track belt. The frame can accept really fat tires. I've seen examples stuffed with 29" X 3.0 and 27.5" X 3.0 tires. Mine has 27.5" X 2.8"ers on there. Anyway, enough about that. It's a special bike that failed due to a larger plan Trek had and, of course, after a two year run it was over.

Don't forget your special tools.....

I also got to working on another stalwart of the G-Ted bike stable, the 1999 Surly 1X1. Again, you've seen this before if you've been reading here awhile. It's the "mechanic's bike" of Europa Cycle & Ski. I'm the seventh of the line to have had possession of it.

I've had these Surly Extraterrestrials on the bike tubeless since I built up the wheels for it. That's been.......what? Late 2015? Yeah.... Three solid years. I never have had the tires off to inspect things. So, late last Fall, the rear tire up and goes flat. I figured that it probably was high time I took off the tire and see what was up inside of there.

Fortunately I did not find any balls of rubbery stuff, or any other untoward things, so I did a bit of tidying up and remounted the tires with new sealant. Then I switched back to freewheel from fixed, and the next order of business is a new chain, chain wheel, and perhaps a crank to accommodate a different bolt pattern. So, after that I should be okay to roll another three years!

That'll be two more single speeds gone through. I have to get to my Pofahl, my Blackbuck, and the fixie Raleigh in the garage. Then I think I'll be done, but I was looking at building some new wheels for the Blackbuck with some hubs I was gifted, and so......you never know.

Single Speed Mind- Part 2

The Sawyer is ready to roll.

So, like I said in the last post about single speeds here, I have a lot of single speed bikes. I wasn't done fixing up those devices just yet, and to be honest, I'm still not done yet. Got a few more to get to yet.

Well, one of the bikes I did get around to was the Sawyer. You've seen it here before if you've been around reading this blog a long time. The Sawyer is an odd bike. It probably wasn't ever meant to be a Trek branded bike, but the 2010 absorption of Fisher by Trek going into the 2011 season kind of put things off kilter with this bike. So, following is my interpretation of the events which made the Sawyer one of the failures of the shuttering of the Fisher brand.

It is a fact that only a small handful of people had previous knowledge about the early Summer announcement that Fisher Bikes was going to be no more. Obviously, all the 2011 product was well into production. Marketing was being developed for the coming year, and all of that was scuttled after Trek announced the change. One of those marketing ideas was centered around the Sawyer. A retro styled 29"er. A bike that was all about embodying all that Gary Fisher was best known for.

Think about the geared 2X10 drive train. Fisher was often credited for slapping gears on a 30's era Schwinn cruiser frame so he could ride to the top of the Repack course instead of pushing, or hitching a ride on a stake truck. The Sawyer was a nod to that. Also, Fisher was preeminent in pushing 29" mountain bikes into production. This occurred in 2001, exactly ten years previous to the introduction of the Sawyer. The Sawyer featured G2 geometry, a Fisher Bikes innovation, which radically changed how 29"er bikes were designed going forward. This bike was to be a celebration of Gary Fisher's MTB contributions, but with the absorption of Fisher into Trek, all the marketing plans had to be scrapped.

The frame is very detailed and had to be a nightmare for Trek to get it produced. The twin top tube starts at the head tube and then flares out to become the seat stays. Maybe a nod to Breezer's first bikes? The support tubes from the top tubes to the seat tube had to be "just so", and there are a lot of other details to this frame which make it a really interesting production bike. The drive side drop out is split, so I run the bike single speed with a Gates Carbon Drive Center Track belt. The frame can accept really fat tires. I've seen examples stuffed with 29" X 3.0 and 27.5" X 3.0 tires. Mine has 27.5" X 2.8"ers on there. Anyway, enough about that. It's a special bike that failed due to a larger plan Trek had and, of course, after a two year run it was over.

Don't forget your special tools.....

I also got to working on another stalwart of the G-Ted bike stable, the 1999 Surly 1X1. Again, you've seen this before if you've been reading here awhile. It's the "mechanic's bike" of Europa Cycle & Ski. I'm the seventh of the line to have had possession of it.

I've had these Surly Extraterrestrials on the bike tubeless since I built up the wheels for it. That's been.......what? Late 2015? Yeah.... Three solid years. I never have had the tires off to inspect things. So, late last Fall, the rear tire up and goes flat. I figured that it probably was high time I took off the tire and see what was up inside of there.

Fortunately I did not find any balls of rubbery stuff, or any other untoward things, so I did a bit of tidying up and remounted the tires with new sealant. Then I switched back to freewheel from fixed, and the next order of business is a new chain, chain wheel, and perhaps a crank to accommodate a different bolt pattern. So, after that I should be okay to roll another three years!

That'll be two more single speeds gone through. I have to get to my Pofahl, my Blackbuck, and the fixie Raleigh in the garage. Then I think I'll be done, but I was looking at building some new wheels for the Blackbuck with some hubs I was gifted, and so......you never know.

Friday News And Views

Bow Tie Strap Adapters-  Sorry! This widget remains under wraps for now!

Problem Solvers Introduces New Widgets:

More "News Season" stuff today and this time it is a couple of items from the QBP brand Problem Solvers. This new little gizmo is called a "Bow Tie Strap Adapter".


Editor's Note: Sorry folks! The info on that widget has been redacted at the request of Problem Solvers who didn't say it was embargoed. Hmm...... Communication and all.... Anyway...

The next bit they allowed, as they are in stock now, so carry on, and again- Thanks for reading "Guitar Ted Productions" 

Problem Solvers is also reviving an idea which gained some popularity in the 90's. Back then some folks complained that their fingers would slip off brake levers so some companies made these neoprene brake lever covers to give you better grip. A couple were actually stick-on type grip enhancers. Well, Problem Solvers has something like this for drop bar and flat bar applications called "Lever Grippies".

Available now, just in time for cyclo cross season. These might also be nice for fat bikes or anyone running a bike in cold conditions as it would provide another barrier between you and cold metal.

Surly 1X1 hauler.

No Rack? No Worries!

 I have been really liking the Surly 1X1 "Mechanic's Bike" since I've gotten the Velocity Cliffhanger/Velo Orange wheel set on there with the Extraterrestrial tires. I set it up fixed/free but have been running it fixed all year so far this year. I have really enjoyed riding fixed gear on this bike a lot.

But there was one thing that bugged me about this bike, and that was that it was built at a time when "purpose" and "commitment" to single speed meant that you ran a stripped down frame and fork. The fact that you can even mount fenders on this is somewhat amazing, given the philosophy of Surly circa 1999 when this was made.

Making a mountain bike purpose built to be a single speed derby bike into a versatile urban/commuter rig is asking a LOT. Probably not a good idea there. But I was so enamored of how this bike made me feel when I rode it that I searched for ways I could easily make it into the bike I wanted. Sure, I could have just pitched this and gotten a Troll. That would probably make more sense, but when did making sense come into the equation here? 

Anyway, I had some spare bikepacking bags lying about so I stuck them on there with my rain gear tucked into a seat bag. The perfect urban commuter ready for anything! But I had no where to stuff groceries, or tires I bought, or......beer! My old Schwinn townie had a rack and my old panniers on it, which could carry a week's worth of groceries if I wanted it to, but the 1X1 is way more fun to ride. Finally, I got my wits about me and solved the problem.

I have a Banjo Brothers Water Proof Saddle Trunk in size Ginormous. Really. The thing is so big it is ridiculous. Anyway, I needed a gallon of milk. I had the empty container in the recycling bin, so I filled it with water to see if the big ol' Banjo Brothers sack would hold it. It passed the test, so off to the convenience store and a gallon of moo juice was procured for the family. The pic here shows the Saddle Trunk with the milk jug inside.

So, I should have figured that out a long time ago! This saddle trunk will now live on the Surly after I do some tweaking to the set up. I now have the bike I wanted. A single speed, fixed gear, fat tired grocery getter/commuter.

Thanks for reading this week! Have a great weekend and if you are out on the East Coast, be safe!

Friday News And Views

Bow Tie Strap Adapters-  Sorry! This widget remains under wraps for now!

Problem Solvers Introduces New Widgets:

More "News Season" stuff today and this time it is a couple of items from the QBP brand Problem Solvers. This new little gizmo is called a "Bow Tie Strap Adapter".


Editor's Note: Sorry folks! The info on that widget has been redacted at the request of Problem Solvers who didn't say it was embargoed. Hmm...... Communication and all.... Anyway...

The next bit they allowed, as they are in stock now, so carry on, and again- Thanks for reading "Guitar Ted Productions" 

Problem Solvers is also reviving an idea which gained some popularity in the 90's. Back then some folks complained that their fingers would slip off brake levers so some companies made these neoprene brake lever covers to give you better grip. A couple were actually stick-on type grip enhancers. Well, Problem Solvers has something like this for drop bar and flat bar applications called "Lever Grippies".

Available now, just in time for cyclo cross season. These might also be nice for fat bikes or anyone running a bike in cold conditions as it would provide another barrier between you and cold metal.

Surly 1X1 hauler.

No Rack? No Worries!

 I have been really liking the Surly 1X1 "Mechanic's Bike" since I've gotten the Velocity Cliffhanger/Velo Orange wheel set on there with the Extraterrestrial tires. I set it up fixed/free but have been running it fixed all year so far this year. I have really enjoyed riding fixed gear on this bike a lot.

But there was one thing that bugged me about this bike, and that was that it was built at a time when "purpose" and "commitment" to single speed meant that you ran a stripped down frame and fork. The fact that you can even mount fenders on this is somewhat amazing, given the philosophy of Surly circa 1999 when this was made.

Making a mountain bike purpose built to be a single speed derby bike into a versatile urban/commuter rig is asking a LOT. Probably not a good idea there. But I was so enamored of how this bike made me feel when I rode it that I searched for ways I could easily make it into the bike I wanted. Sure, I could have just pitched this and gotten a Troll. That would probably make more sense, but when did making sense come into the equation here? 

Anyway, I had some spare bikepacking bags lying about so I stuck them on there with my rain gear tucked into a seat bag. The perfect urban commuter ready for anything! But I had no where to stuff groceries, or tires I bought, or......beer! My old Schwinn townie had a rack and my old panniers on it, which could carry a week's worth of groceries if I wanted it to, but the 1X1 is way more fun to ride. Finally, I got my wits about me and solved the problem.

I have a Banjo Brothers Water Proof Saddle Trunk in size Ginormous. Really. The thing is so big it is ridiculous. Anyway, I needed a gallon of milk. I had the empty container in the recycling bin, so I filled it with water to see if the big ol' Banjo Brothers sack would hold it. It passed the test, so off to the convenience store and a gallon of moo juice was procured for the family. The pic here shows the Saddle Trunk with the milk jug inside.

So, I should have figured that out a long time ago! This saddle trunk will now live on the Surly after I do some tweaking to the set up. I now have the bike I wanted. A single speed, fixed gear, fat tired grocery getter/commuter.

Thanks for reading this week! Have a great weekend and if you are out on the East Coast, be safe!

Friday News And Views

The Terrene Honali 700 X 50 tire.

Terrene Debuts New 50mm Honali Tire:

Terrene Tires has made quite a splash with the three tires that they entered the market with last year. The mtb "Chunk", the fat bike specific "Wazia", and the gravel oriented "Elwood". I have the Elwoods and I think they are as good a gravel tire as you'll find.

Of course, with only three offerings, (or even if they had 300), there are tires we wish we could get from Terrene. I asked about something maybe more in tune with a Fargo for gravel. Terrene said, "Hold on.....". Now I see this offered up from the ongoing Taipei Cycle Show show. It is a 50mm wide touring tire dubbed the "Honali". I'm not sure how you should pronounce that. Hmm.......

Well, however the name sounds, the tire looks good. Maybe not exactly what I had in mind, but we will have to see about that. There is a reflective sidewall, which I think is cool if you do anything late evenings or at night. Some folks don't like that reflective stripe, but it never bothered me, and it could save you from getting hit. I like that idea.

I was thinking a bit about tossing on a set of Surly 700c sized Extraterrestrials, but those tires are heavier ( reportedly over a 1000 grams each) and burlier than I think I need. Great tire though. Love the 26"er version on my 1X1. I just feel I don't need that big brute of a tire on my Fargo. I don't think I need all that flat and sidewall protection, for one thing. Maybe the Honali will be similar but not as beefy? That's what I'm hoping to find.

Resurrect your decade old FS 29"er as a "full suspension gravel device"!

Now That Is Taking It Too Far:

Another Taipei Cycle Show find was news concerning the showing of a "full suspension gravel bike".

No, I am not making that up. Go ahead- click that link. 

I wish I were making it up, but it is apparently an idea being floated in Taiwan which I am sure some company is hoping will catch on. Ya know, I hate to break it to them, but there are these devices called  full suspension 29"ers out there that are already doing the same thing they want this bike to be doing, only they do it better. Heck, I bet there are a lot of decent, first generation full suspension 29"ers out there that would be had for a song that you could actually use as a gravel bike. Well, actually I don't have to bet. People are already using those bikes as gravel bikes. I saw a few last Summer at Gravel Worlds, as a matter of fact.

So, yeah........I happen to still have that Fisher HiFi in the image here, and I think I might just go right ahead and try this myself. I mean, why not? A set of lighter disc wheels, a nice set of tires, a Jones Bar, and BOOM! I even serviced the fork for this recently.

Like I need a new project, but again- why not? Stay tuned for a post dealing with my experiences on dual squish bikes on gravel and how this Fisher might work out coming soon.

Sun Race 11-50T 11 speed cassette

Now That Is Taking It Too Far: Part 2

First SRAM comes out with Eagle 12 speed and says this is the best wide range cassette 1X option you can buy. Well, is it really? Sun Race makes a case for their 11-50T 11 speed cassette which slides on to a regular splined free hub body and costs a heck of a lot less than SRAM Eagle. Plus, if you already run 11 speed mtb shifters and derailleurs, this is supposed to work fine with those components.

The image here doesn't do the scale of this cassette justice. Those big cogs are ginormous! My gravel bikes don't have chain rings that big!

I guess this puts SRAM on notice that, for many of us, if we are going to pop for something along these lines, the value per buck spent is going to be tilted in this cassettes favor more often than not. I mean, you don't have to have a specific SRAM wheel, you don't have to have SRAM Eagle, and you don't have to spend a ton of money to expand the gearing range on your 1X set up. That is, if you are into such a thing.

I still think 1X is a flawed system that compromises chain line, increases wear, and has gearing steps which hearken back to 6 speed mountain bike freewheels. My opinion is that human powered mountain bikers will someday realize that maintaining momentum and cadence is easier with close ratio gearing set ups. But then again, maybe I am a dreamer. 

A tire for skinnier rigs- WTB's new 32mm Exposure.

 And One That Isn't Taken Quite Far Enough, Maybe......

One more bit that was just released news this week- A tire from WTB to join the currently offered 28mm and 34mm Exposure line up. This one is the "Goldilocks" 32mm size.

Many folks may not realize it yet, but many disc road bikes can take 32mm tires with ease. This might make your roadie rig, (if it is a disc road bike), something more adept at smooth dirt roads and maybe even some finer gravel. (Looking at you, Southeastern Minnesotans!) I like the idea of that, but in practice, at least around here, a 32mm tire is not going to work. 

Yes, I have tried it. Even 30mm tires, actually. When you find that gravel that has been swept cleanish of "real crushed rock" and has that fine, hard, gritty limestone base showing, then heck yeah! 34mm or even 32mm tires absolutely are a blast to ride. Or you could cruise alleyways. That gravel is pretty tame. However, you aren't going to find miles of unbroken stretches of that in Iowa. On the contrary, you are more likely to find miles and miles of deep, fresh, chunky gravel, which would make a 32mm tire a big chore to ride, and super unpleasant to experience.

So, I like the idea of the Exposure, and maybe it would work where you live, but it doesn't go far enough for me. I'll stick to my 37mm Riddlers and other, bigger, supple, more capable gravel tires here.

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. Have a good weekend and ride yer bicycles!

Friday News And Views

The Terrene Honali 700 X 50 tire.

Terrene Debuts New 50mm Honali Tire:

Terrene Tires has made quite a splash with the three tires that they entered the market with last year. The mtb "Chunk", the fat bike specific "Wazia", and the gravel oriented "Elwood". I have the Elwoods and I think they are as good a gravel tire as you'll find.

Of course, with only three offerings, (or even if they had 300), there are tires we wish we could get from Terrene. I asked about something maybe more in tune with a Fargo for gravel. Terrene said, "Hold on.....". Now I see this offered up from the ongoing Taipei Cycle Show show. It is a 50mm wide touring tire dubbed the "Honali". I'm not sure how you should pronounce that. Hmm.......

Well, however the name sounds, the tire looks good. Maybe not exactly what I had in mind, but we will have to see about that. There is a reflective sidewall, which I think is cool if you do anything late evenings or at night. Some folks don't like that reflective stripe, but it never bothered me, and it could save you from getting hit. I like that idea.

I was thinking a bit about tossing on a set of Surly 700c sized Extraterrestrials, but those tires are heavier ( reportedly over a 1000 grams each) and burlier than I think I need. Great tire though. Love the 26"er version on my 1X1. I just feel I don't need that big brute of a tire on my Fargo. I don't think I need all that flat and sidewall protection, for one thing. Maybe the Honali will be similar but not as beefy? That's what I'm hoping to find.

Resurrect your decade old FS 29"er as a "full suspension gravel device"!

Now That Is Taking It Too Far:

Another Taipei Cycle Show find was news concerning the showing of a "full suspension gravel bike".

No, I am not making that up. Go ahead- click that link. 

I wish I were making it up, but it is apparently an idea being floated in Taiwan which I am sure some company is hoping will catch on. Ya know, I hate to break it to them, but there are these devices called  full suspension 29"ers out there that are already doing the same thing they want this bike to be doing, only they do it better. Heck, I bet there are a lot of decent, first generation full suspension 29"ers out there that would be had for a song that you could actually use as a gravel bike. Well, actually I don't have to bet. People are already using those bikes as gravel bikes. I saw a few last Summer at Gravel Worlds, as a matter of fact.

So, yeah........I happen to still have that Fisher HiFi in the image here, and I think I might just go right ahead and try this myself. I mean, why not? A set of lighter disc wheels, a nice set of tires, a Jones Bar, and BOOM! I even serviced the fork for this recently.

Like I need a new project, but again- why not? Stay tuned for a post dealing with my experiences on dual squish bikes on gravel and how this Fisher might work out coming soon.

Sun Race 11-50T 11 speed cassette

Now That Is Taking It Too Far: Part 2

First SRAM comes out with Eagle 12 speed and says this is the best wide range cassette 1X option you can buy. Well, is it really? Sun Race makes a case for their 11-50T 11 speed cassette which slides on to a regular splined free hub body and costs a heck of a lot less than SRAM Eagle. Plus, if you already run 11 speed mtb shifters and derailleurs, this is supposed to work fine with those components.

The image here doesn't do the scale of this cassette justice. Those big cogs are ginormous! My gravel bikes don't have chain rings that big!

I guess this puts SRAM on notice that, for many of us, if we are going to pop for something along these lines, the value per buck spent is going to be tilted in this cassettes favor more often than not. I mean, you don't have to have a specific SRAM wheel, you don't have to have SRAM Eagle, and you don't have to spend a ton of money to expand the gearing range on your 1X set up. That is, if you are into such a thing.

I still think 1X is a flawed system that compromises chain line, increases wear, and has gearing steps which hearken back to 6 speed mountain bike freewheels. My opinion is that human powered mountain bikers will someday realize that maintaining momentum and cadence is easier with close ratio gearing set ups. But then again, maybe I am a dreamer. 

A tire for skinnier rigs- WTB's new 32mm Exposure.

 And One That Isn't Taken Quite Far Enough, Maybe......

One more bit that was just released news this week- A tire from WTB to join the currently offered 28mm and 34mm Exposure line up. This one is the "Goldilocks" 32mm size.

Many folks may not realize it yet, but many disc road bikes can take 32mm tires with ease. This might make your roadie rig, (if it is a disc road bike), something more adept at smooth dirt roads and maybe even some finer gravel. (Looking at you, Southeastern Minnesotans!) I like the idea of that, but in practice, at least around here, a 32mm tire is not going to work. 

Yes, I have tried it. Even 30mm tires, actually. When you find that gravel that has been swept cleanish of "real crushed rock" and has that fine, hard, gritty limestone base showing, then heck yeah! 34mm or even 32mm tires absolutely are a blast to ride. Or you could cruise alleyways. That gravel is pretty tame. However, you aren't going to find miles of unbroken stretches of that in Iowa. On the contrary, you are more likely to find miles and miles of deep, fresh, chunky gravel, which would make a 32mm tire a big chore to ride, and super unpleasant to experience.

So, I like the idea of the Exposure, and maybe it would work where you live, but it doesn't go far enough for me. I'll stick to my 37mm Riddlers and other, bigger, supple, more capable gravel tires here.

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. Have a good weekend and ride yer bicycles!