Minus Ten Review 2009-45

Doing the recon in the "new to me" rig at the time.

Ten years ago on the blog I kind of "soft-launched" the news that I had a different vehicle. The old "Dirty Blue Box", 1990 Honda Civic 4 door hatchback wagon died during the Summer of 2009. I finally replaced it with a 2003 Toyota Tundra. This became the "recon vehicle" for the remainder of the Trans Iowa events and to this day it is my vehicle.

I've been fortunate to have had this truck, and I have had some pretty crazy times in that truck, some of which will be covered in my "Trans Iowa Stories" series. Stay tuned for that in the future.

The other thing I was chatting about, and probably one of the most surprising things that ever happened to me, was when I got a surprise gift from George Wissel from Vermont. He ran a bike shop at the time and somehow he had gotten the last few purple anodized 1 1/8th head sets from Chris King. I remember saying something about that on the blog here. Well, good ol' George packed one up, put in some cool t-shirts and stickers, and sent the box off to me at unawares. Boy! Was that ever a cool gift.

That head set went straight on the Salsa Cycles El Mariachi I spoke of last week which was Gun Koted a kind of purple-egg plant type of color. Then I took it out in 2012 when I got the original Ti Muk and it has been in that bike since until I sold the head set and bike earlier this year.

Of course, since 2009 Chris King made purple ano stuff again. So, the head set wasn't all that odd by 2011. But the thought George had to send this present to me was not ever forgotten. Way too kind!

Minus Ten Review 2009-45

Doing the recon in the "new to me" rig at the time.

Ten years ago on the blog I kind of "soft-launched" the news that I had a different vehicle. The old "Dirty Blue Box", 1990 Honda Civic 4 door hatchback wagon died during the Summer of 2009. I finally replaced it with a 2003 Toyota Tundra. This became the "recon vehicle" for the remainder of the Trans Iowa events and to this day it is my vehicle.

I've been fortunate to have had this truck, and I have had some pretty crazy times in that truck, some of which will be covered in my "Trans Iowa Stories" series. Stay tuned for that in the future.

The other thing I was chatting about, and probably one of the most surprising things that ever happened to me, was when I got a surprise gift from George Wissel from Vermont. He ran a bike shop at the time and somehow he had gotten the last few purple anodized 1 1/8th head sets from Chris King. I remember saying something about that on the blog here. Well, good ol' George packed one up, put in some cool t-shirts and stickers, and sent the box off to me at unawares. Boy! Was that ever a cool gift.

That head set went straight on the Salsa Cycles El Mariachi I spoke of last week which was Gun Koted a kind of purple-egg plant type of color. Then I took it out in 2012 when I got the original Ti Muk and it has been in that bike since until I sold the head set and bike earlier this year.

Of course, since 2009 Chris King made purple ano stuff again. So, the head set wasn't all that odd by 2011. But the thought George had to send this present to me was not ever forgotten. Way too kind!

Minus Ten Review 2009-41

Ten years ago I was extolling the virtues of single speed devices. Still am doing that.

Ten years ago on the blog I was chilling out and doing some work on some of my single speed rigs. I also was waiting patiently on any news on the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. The "festival" of 29"ers that was to occur near Brady, Nebraska at Potter's Pasture. But before I get wrapped up in the tale of ten year's ago, it may prove beneficial to you readers to recap the whole thread concerning the Ballyhoo idea.

I first was enamored of the idea of a barbecue/bike get-together when I read about what George Wissel was doing in Vermont via the old "Bike 29" blog. He was doing something he dubbed as a "Meat-Up", (where have you seen that before? Hint- Trans Iowa, and yes- I stole it from George!). The "Meat-Up" was essentially an excuse to gather up the 29"er faithful and have a hootenanny based loosely on the idea of mucking around on bicycles in the woods. It was all about fun. No real industry ties. No real organization necessary or desired.

The idea was perfect, and I was batting around the thought of doing something similar here in the Mid-West when my former head of operations at "Twenty Nine Inches", Tim Grahl, saw my meanderings on the subject and thought it should be something monetized for profit for the site. Well, we had a bit of back and forth, but with some industry interest voiced, Grahl's ideas won the day and the first "Big Wheeled Ballyhoo" was essentially an expo for 29"ers. Not my idea of a good time, although many of the Decorah people, where the event was held, tried to steer it in that direction. The event was kind of a dud, but there was enough potential there to encourage industry folks, Decorah folks, and Grahl to push for another go at it in 2008.

2008 was a disaster based upon the extreme weather and the effects it had on the expo/camping site. The event was cancelled. Grahl basically was no help whatsoever. He later basically abdicated all responsibilities for the websites he held later that year, and so the Ballyhoo idea was mine to do whatever I wanted to do with it. At the behest of MG and some other folks, it was decided to move the event to Potter's Pasture, although my initial idea was to put the event in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Fun" was back on the menu, but some industry interests pushed in and we had some sponsorship that year which was low key and cool. This was far more what I had in mind, but it wasn't to be.

As reported again in last week's "Minus Ten Review", my father in law suffered a stroke necessitating changed plans on my end. I could not attend. MG took over as the host, and no doubt the event would have been a success, but for the "wild card". The weather.

"Just got word that the site of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo was dumped on with 12-14 inches of snow last night. They decided to bag it and the event is off. Too bad really, a lot of work went into this. A lot of sweat equity on the part of the folks in Nebraska too."

That paragraph above is what I posted the morning the Ballyhoo was to kick off. It was a freak snow storm, and in my mind, it was a sign to quit. It just wasn't meant to be. Besides, at this point, going into 2010, 29"ers were not weird anymore. They were "mountain bikes" and 26"ers were obviously on their way out.  The unique factor was played out, and I couldn't see the point in basing an event on a gathering of "29"er freaks" when we weren't really freaks anymore. Which, in itself, was alright with me. I was happy to see 29"ers weren't going away anytime soon. Plus, I had enough crap on my plate to choke a horse. 

So, thus ended the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

Minus Ten Review 2009-41

Ten years ago I was extolling the virtues of single speed devices. Still am doing that.

Ten years ago on the blog I was chilling out and doing some work on some of my single speed rigs. I also was waiting patiently on any news on the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. The "festival" of 29"ers that was to occur near Brady, Nebraska at Potter's Pasture. But before I get wrapped up in the tale of ten year's ago, it may prove beneficial to you readers to recap the whole thread concerning the Ballyhoo idea.

I first was enamored of the idea of a barbecue/bike get-together when I read about what George Wissel was doing in Vermont via the old "Bike 29" blog. He was doing something he dubbed as a "Meat-Up", (where have you seen that before? Hint- Trans Iowa, and yes- I stole it from George!). The "Meat-Up" was essentially an excuse to gather up the 29"er faithful and have a hootenanny based loosely on the idea of mucking around on bicycles in the woods. It was all about fun. No real industry ties. No real organization necessary or desired.

The idea was perfect, and I was batting around the thought of doing something similar here in the Mid-West when my former head of operations at "Twenty Nine Inches", Tim Grahl, saw my meanderings on the subject and thought it should be something monetized for profit for the site. Well, we had a bit of back and forth, but with some industry interest voiced, Grahl's ideas won the day and the first "Big Wheeled Ballyhoo" was essentially an expo for 29"ers. Not my idea of a good time, although many of the Decorah people, where the event was held, tried to steer it in that direction. The event was kind of a dud, but there was enough potential there to encourage industry folks, Decorah folks, and Grahl to push for another go at it in 2008.

2008 was a disaster based upon the extreme weather and the effects it had on the expo/camping site. The event was cancelled. Grahl basically was no help whatsoever. He later basically abdicated all responsibilities for the websites he held later that year, and so the Ballyhoo idea was mine to do whatever I wanted to do with it. At the behest of MG and some other folks, it was decided to move the event to Potter's Pasture, although my initial idea was to put the event in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Fun" was back on the menu, but some industry interests pushed in and we had some sponsorship that year which was low key and cool. This was far more what I had in mind, but it wasn't to be.

As reported again in last week's "Minus Ten Review", my father in law suffered a stroke necessitating changed plans on my end. I could not attend. MG took over as the host, and no doubt the event would have been a success, but for the "wild card". The weather.

"Just got word that the site of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo was dumped on with 12-14 inches of snow last night. They decided to bag it and the event is off. Too bad really, a lot of work went into this. A lot of sweat equity on the part of the folks in Nebraska too."

That paragraph above is what I posted the morning the Ballyhoo was to kick off. It was a freak snow storm, and in my mind, it was a sign to quit. It just wasn't meant to be. Besides, at this point, going into 2010, 29"ers were not weird anymore. They were "mountain bikes" and 26"ers were obviously on their way out.  The unique factor was played out, and I couldn't see the point in basing an event on a gathering of "29"er freaks" when we weren't really freaks anymore. Which, in itself, was alright with me. I was happy to see 29"ers weren't going away anytime soon. Plus, I had enough crap on my plate to choke a horse. 

So, thus ended the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

Trans Iowa v12: Sponsorship News

More than just a header!

Every event I do has help from volunteers, and in the case of Trans Iowa, sometimes from folks that love the event. They want to play a part, but are not looking for any kind of return in the public eye. Just knowing that they helped gives them satisfaction. This next story is concerning an individual that fits this description.

While I cannot reveal the identity of this person, I can tell you what this person is doing for Trans Iowa. It's a pretty cool gesture, in my opinion, and I think folks will really appreciate this. Especially if you are like me, and get a kick out of stickers. See that header image from the Trans Iowa site? That will be getting translated into a 4" X 8" sticker, just right for displaying on your vehicle, work bench, or kegerator.

It should be exactly as you see here, or pretty darn close. There was a discussion about putting on the mileage, but I figured that Trans Iowa isn't always about finishing the event, and maybe if you didn't finish it, and the mileage was on the sticker, you would not feel comfortable sticking the sticker up. If ya know what I mean. So, the mileage was left off.

Not only that, but this will also be translated into a banner, much like we had at Trans Iowa v11's checkpoint #1. So, hopefully this time the banner will make the rounds on the course instead of just getting to the first checkpoint! I'm sure many T.I.v12 hopefuls have similar ambitions!

Images, recon, and more....

I also wanted to give a shout out to my friends and invaluable helpers, Wally and George, who have been with me since Trans Iowa v7. Wally started out by wanting to be a chase vehicle guy on a moto, but eventually wound up doing Checkpoint #2 with George for Trans Iowa v7 and v8. If you were lucky enough to have been at either one of those remote checkpoints, you know that they were legendary stops. Wally and George then became my defacto Spring recon cue card checkers and course checkers. Wally, with capable assistance from George, have also been the "Official Photography" for Trans Iowa the last several years as well. Many of you have seen the excellent work Wally puts out, but what you may not know is that during the years Wally has been a friend and asset to Trans Iowa, he transitioned into becoming a full time studio owner/operator. His business, The Studio at 46 West, has become a place known for quality imagery and I am proud to say that I have had Wally out to Trans Iowa to do what he does.

One of Wally's images from the weather shortened T.I.v11 last year.

I'm certain that if you have an event, or need something special in the realm of imagery, Wally can find a way to pull it off and make your jaw drop. He's a very talented guy, and I am blessed to have him as a Trans Iowa supporter, and more importantly, a friend. Check his stuff out, it is really good.

I'm also really excited to be partnered up with WTB who have taken a shine to Trans Iowa and have done some extraordinary things along with Trans Iowa. They have introduced tires with Trans Iowa, and last year, Trans Iowa got the very first samples of the highly acclaimed Nano 40 TCS tires, which were the first tires introduced with a systemic approach that included rims and a tubeless accessory ensemble which made going tubeless a really easy thing to do.

This year they plan on doing something again with Trans Iowa, which I feel will be extraordinary and well received by the riders. I cannot say exactly what it is yet, but I am really excited about this, as this will be, in my opinion, one of the most popular things WTB has done on the gravel side of cycling so far. Yes, even bigger than the Nano 40 TCS tires. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I don't think so. Stay tuned......

Look for another Trans Iowa sponsorship post coming soon. 

Trans Iowa v12: Sponsorship News

More than just a header!

Every event I do has help from volunteers, and in the case of Trans Iowa, sometimes from folks that love the event. They want to play a part, but are not looking for any kind of return in the public eye. Just knowing that they helped gives them satisfaction. This next story is concerning an individual that fits this description.

While I cannot reveal the identity of this person, I can tell you what this person is doing for Trans Iowa. It's a pretty cool gesture, in my opinion, and I think folks will really appreciate this. Especially if you are like me, and get a kick out of stickers. See that header image from the Trans Iowa site? That will be getting translated into a 4" X 8" sticker, just right for displaying on your vehicle, work bench, or kegerator.

It should be exactly as you see here, or pretty darn close. There was a discussion about putting on the mileage, but I figured that Trans Iowa isn't always about finishing the event, and maybe if you didn't finish it, and the mileage was on the sticker, you would not feel comfortable sticking the sticker up. If ya know what I mean. So, the mileage was left off.

Not only that, but this will also be translated into a banner, much like we had at Trans Iowa v11's checkpoint #1. So, hopefully this time the banner will make the rounds on the course instead of just getting to the first checkpoint! I'm sure many T.I.v12 hopefuls have similar ambitions!

Images, recon, and more....

I also wanted to give a shout out to my friends and invaluable helpers, Wally and George, who have been with me since Trans Iowa v7. Wally started out by wanting to be a chase vehicle guy on a moto, but eventually wound up doing Checkpoint #2 with George for Trans Iowa v7 and v8. If you were lucky enough to have been at either one of those remote checkpoints, you know that they were legendary stops. Wally and George then became my defacto Spring recon cue card checkers and course checkers. Wally, with capable assistance from George, have also been the "Official Photography" for Trans Iowa the last several years as well. Many of you have seen the excellent work Wally puts out, but what you may not know is that during the years Wally has been a friend and asset to Trans Iowa, he transitioned into becoming a full time studio owner/operator. His business, The Studio at 46 West, has become a place known for quality imagery and I am proud to say that I have had Wally out to Trans Iowa to do what he does.

One of Wally's images from the weather shortened T.I.v11 last year.

I'm certain that if you have an event, or need something special in the realm of imagery, Wally can find a way to pull it off and make your jaw drop. He's a very talented guy, and I am blessed to have him as a Trans Iowa supporter, and more importantly, a friend. Check his stuff out, it is really good.

I'm also really excited to be partnered up with WTB who have taken a shine to Trans Iowa and have done some extraordinary things along with Trans Iowa. They have introduced tires with Trans Iowa, and last year, Trans Iowa got the very first samples of the highly acclaimed Nano 40 TCS tires, which were the first tires introduced with a systemic approach that included rims and a tubeless accessory ensemble which made going tubeless a really easy thing to do.

This year they plan on doing something again with Trans Iowa, which I feel will be extraordinary and well received by the riders. I cannot say exactly what it is yet, but I am really excited about this, as this will be, in my opinion, one of the most popular things WTB has done on the gravel side of cycling so far. Yes, even bigger than the Nano 40 TCS tires. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I don't think so. Stay tuned......

Look for another Trans Iowa sponsorship post coming soon.