Singular Gryphon Mk3: Planning The Build

Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

 Well, February is on the doorstep and I've been sent an email saying that the Gryphon Mk3 frame set I ordered about a year ago is finally about to land in the UK. Then after a bit of time for turn-around, it should be headed over here. That means I have to get on the stick and start planning this build for real here. 

As I've said before, I have a lot of the parts necessary to get the bike most of the way there. I have identified those parts and I have noted a thing or two I need to get in to make this all work. I thought it might be fun to share where I am going on this build.

First of all, I have had to resist the temptation to go single speed. I have too many single speeds and this bike doesn't have to be another one. So, geared it is, and I am going to lean toward doing a 2X 11 speed system for a drive train.  

I have an older silver LX 104 BCD crank that is set up as a triple currently. Singular says that won't work, but a double will. So, I will likely shed the granny gear and go 2X. This will turn my rear XD cassette on the Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2. Note that if you click that link, the last paragraph states that, "I probably do not have the right bike for these wheels....", and I was contemplating blowing them apart to re-lace the rims to something else. But then the Gryphon Mk3 came along and.....everything fell into place. 

Detail of the paint job (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

So the wheels I have will work on that frame. That's a big deal, and since I already have them just hanging around, well, why not just go with them? 

The 30mm inside rim width should support the 29" X 2.8" Teravail Coronado tires I have already too, so the wheels are pretty much a done deal. 

Somewhere I have a set of TRP flat mount brakes sitting unused and I need to get those rounded up. They are cable pull, of course, which leads me to the levers I am using.

Those would be a set of Gevenalle levers in silver with the shifter mounts on them, in typical Gevenalle fashion. I have used Gevenalle shifters/levers for over ten years on various bikes, but most notably on the Fargo Gen I. So, I am very familiar with them. They offer a system that is configurable for 7/8/9/10/11/12 speed set ups, and I think I have the 9 speed Shimano lever on there currently. This leads me to the first thing I need to get.

That would be shifters compatible with the Gevenalle mounts. I could take a chance and use their road shifter which would be a direct replacement for the one I have on the lever I want to use already. However; I may have a bit of trouble getting a 42T large rear cog to work with a long cage Ultegra rear derailleur. So, I also have a Gevenalle GX MTB compatible lever with their 10speed MicroShift lever installed on there. I could do one of two things here, based upon the fact that the road and MTB mounts are not compatible with the opposite type shifter.

Side view. (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

I could swap mounts and use the MTB mount with a DynaSys 11 speed derailleur I already have. I would have to order in the appropriate 11 speed lever from Gevenalle. OR I could order a SRAM lever with shifter already mounted and use a SRAM derailleur I already have. 

I'm leaning going toward the Shimano route, just because I like Shimano. But I have to get something nailed down soon and get it coming. 

I have a bottom bracket, head set, stem, handle bars, seat post, stem spacers,rotors, and pedals all lined up. I will need cables and housings, which I can buy from my job at the Collective. Let's see.... That leaves a saddle, (got plenty of those) and handle bar tape. I think I'll get myself something nice in terms of handle bar tape soon, but with the build being mostly nuetral colors, (the "wheat" colored frame/fork, silver components, black rims, tan sidewall tires), I am thinking I may pull that silver-ish looking cloth tape from Grepp which is on the Orange Crush currently, or get some leather tape. Or I could order new Grepp tape as well. 

Stay tuned. This should be a fun build.

Singular Gryphon Mk3: Planning The Build

Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

 Well, February is on the doorstep and I've been sent an email saying that the Gryphon Mk3 frame set I ordered about a year ago is finally about to land in the UK. Then after a bit of time for turn-around, it should be headed over here. That means I have to get on the stick and start planning this build for real here. 

As I've said before, I have a lot of the parts necessary to get the bike most of the way there. I have identified those parts and I have noted a thing or two I need to get in to make this all work. I thought it might be fun to share where I am going on this build.

First of all, I have had to resist the temptation to go single speed. I have too many single speeds and this bike doesn't have to be another one. So, geared it is, and I am going to lean toward doing a 2X 11 speed system for a drive train.  

I have an older silver LX 104 BCD crank that is set up as a triple currently. Singular says that won't work, but a double will. So, I will likely shed the granny gear and go 2X. This will turn my rear XD cassette on the Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2. Note that if you click that link, the last paragraph states that, "I probably do not have the right bike for these wheels....", and I was contemplating blowing them apart to re-lace the rims to something else. But then the Gryphon Mk3 came along and.....everything fell into place. 

Detail of the paint job (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

So the wheels I have will work on that frame. That's a big deal, and since I already have them just hanging around, well, why not just go with them? 

The 30mm inside rim width should support the 29" X 2.8" Teravail Coronado tires I have already too, so the wheels are pretty much a done deal. 

Somewhere I have a set of TRP flat mount brakes sitting unused and I need to get those rounded up. They are cable pull, of course, which leads me to the levers I am using.

Those would be a set of Gevenalle levers in silver with the shifter mounts on them, in typical Gevenalle fashion. I have used Gevenalle shifters/levers for over ten years on various bikes, but most notably on the Fargo Gen I. So, I am very familiar with them. They offer a system that is configurable for 7/8/9/10/11/12 speed set ups, and I think I have the 9 speed Shimano lever on there currently. This leads me to the first thing I need to get.

That would be shifters compatible with the Gevenalle mounts. I could take a chance and use their road shifter which would be a direct replacement for the one I have on the lever I want to use already. However; I may have a bit of trouble getting a 42T large rear cog to work with a long cage Ultegra rear derailleur. So, I also have a Gevenalle GX MTB compatible lever with their 10speed MicroShift lever installed on there. I could do one of two things here, based upon the fact that the road and MTB mounts are not compatible with the opposite type shifter.

Side view. (Image courtesy of Singular Cycles)

I could swap mounts and use the MTB mount with a DynaSys 11 speed derailleur I already have. I would have to order in the appropriate 11 speed lever from Gevenalle. OR I could order a SRAM lever with shifter already mounted and use a SRAM derailleur I already have. 

I'm leaning going toward the Shimano route, just because I like Shimano. But I have to get something nailed down soon and get it coming. 

I have a bottom bracket, head set, stem, handle bars, seat post, stem spacers,rotors, and pedals all lined up. I will need cables and housings, which I can buy from my job at the Collective. Let's see.... That leaves a saddle, (got plenty of those) and handle bar tape. I think I'll get myself something nice in terms of handle bar tape soon, but with the build being mostly nuetral colors, (the "wheat" colored frame/fork, silver components, black rims, tan sidewall tires), I am thinking I may pull that silver-ish looking cloth tape from Grepp which is on the Orange Crush currently, or get some leather tape. Or I could order new Grepp tape as well. 

Stay tuned. This should be a fun build.

On One Inbred: To Stubborn To Die

The On One Inbred circa 2006

Okay folks, if you are a long time reader of this blog, you know the story of this bike goes back.......like waaaaay back! This was a bike I had, really liked, got rid of, wished I had back, never thought I'd see again, and ended up getting it back! That almost never happens.

It is a bike that has some special meaning to me for a couple of reasons. I used it on my first attempt at the very first Dirty Kanza 200 in 2006. I also used it in 2007 when I was part of a team of 4 at a 12 hour MTB event which our team won. (Never mind we were the only 4 man team entered into the 12 hour event!)

The bike rode like a really nice steel framed bike should- smooooove! Yes, that is a technical term, and I am sorry if it leaves you baffled, but there is no other way to describe this in the English language. <==HA!

Anyway, one ting led to another. I got the reviewing gigs, parts and bike were piling up. The Inbred wasn't getting used. A co-worker expressed interest in it and purchased it from me with the caveat that I had first dibs on it if it were to be sold by him. Of course, he loved the bike. Why wouldn't he? It was great. He passed it on to his brother, and then it fell out of my reckoning. You can read a bit about that, and what happened to the original fork here.

The bike that replaced the Inbred was my OS Bikes Blackbuck, so I did well with that! At least it wasn't a downgrade, and arguably, it was a better bike, being single speed specific, which I was more into. Still am, actually. This '05 Inbred was a "compromise" bike. Neither single speed nor geared, it had provisions for both things.

This is myself at the first DK200. Image by the late Joel Dyke

So, back then I figured I had done the right thing, but that Inbred haunted me. I still liked the way it rode a lot. Then I had the chance to get into a single speed specific rendition of the Inbred a few years later. I thought, I hoped that it would be the same bike. That smooth riding machine that I used to have, only now in single speed specific form.

Well, despite the fact that the "Inbred the 2nd" rode really well as a single speed, it wasn't that bike that I remembered. It was stiffer, and well.......different. I still have it, by the way, and it works well for what it is, but it wasn't what I had remembered from the original bike.

But then it didn't matter, really. I mean, I wasn't ever going to see that original bike again. I had moved on anyway. I was into 'gravel bikes' now. Not MTB. "Real" gravel bikes weren't like that original On One Inbred. We had 'adventure warts' and carbon forks, and decent, well thought out gravel bike geometry. What in the heck would I do with that old Inbred anyway? I didn't need another single speed, much less another single speed mountain bike. I already have some of those!

But it was my second 29"er, and I am sentimental and all that. Bad things when you like stuff like bicycles and guitars! So, I knew that if my old co-worker ever rang me up and said that the ol' Inbred was up for sale that I'd likely bite the bullet and pay whatever price it was going to be to get it back. Whatever the condition of it was at the time. Scary thought, but probably true.

Then one day about four years ago.......

Maybe some of you long time readers will remember that in May of 2016 I came into work at my old job and there was my old Inbred! Sitting on my bench, partially built up! What?!! Well, the guy I sold it to had gotten it back from his brother and remembered that I still wanted first dibs on it. But instead of having me buy it, he just gifted it to me! I was blown away by his gesture, and still am.

The only bad thing? No fork, and these were bikes designed around 80mm travel suspension forks. Somewhat like early 90's MTB's designed around 63mm travel forks, these early 29"ers really don't like longer forks. So, the project sat stuck in nuetral. But......I had the old bike back! 

There was a carbon fork for this bike with an aluminum crown, but I sold it as well, since I had zero use for it with no Inbred to put it on. (The SS specific Inbred was 100mm travel compatible) Then the OG steel fork came back, but it was battered and beaten until cracked. No good! Again, you can read all about that here.

The Inbred as it sits now in 2020.

Obviously, the carbon fork got bought back, and so I was able to reassemble the bike. I decided against going with a single speed in the end since, as I said above, I really don't need that bike. I did go with a sort of Fargo-ish build, since the 18" Inbred was a tad on the short side for me anyway. That plays perfectly into a drop bar build, and so that's what I did. It is a hodge-podge of parts that I had about. The controls and handle bar were take-offs from my old Gen 2 Fargo. The set up comes from the 2015 attempt of the DK200- A ten speed Gevenalle shifter on a 9 speed cassette. Yes- that is not supposed to work and don't try it. I only have ridden about a thousand miles with it that way. That's all! Anyway, that will get changed soon as I have a ten speed cassette coming available from another bike I own. The wheels were originally some Velocity hoops laced to Velocity hubs, but I did not like that set of wheels. So, I sold them. These wheels are the take-offs from the (Trek) Sawyer I have. The front shifter is a bar-con friction shifter. Brakes are ancient Avid BB-7's.

This bike will be getting that aforementioned cassette, new red bar tape, and then it should be good to go. This wheel and tire combination seems to suit the bike far better than the older one, so I have high hopes that this set up will end up being the one I stick with. These new Tearavail Ehline 2.3"ers on the wheels are pretty fast and feel great. Much, much better than the WTB Rangers I tried before. The Sawyer's old wheels, a Deore hubbed Bontrager Duster set up, are merely workmanlike and nothing special, so maybe, if I end up sticking with this for the foreseeable future, I will upgrade.

And that brings the Inbred back to life and into 2020. If you'd have asked me about this bike in 2015, I would have laughed. It's been a long road back for the ol' thing. Guess I got lucky to even have a second go at it.

On One Inbred: To Stubborn To Die

The On One Inbred circa 2006

Okay folks, if you are a long time reader of this blog, you know the story of this bike goes back.......like waaaaay back! This was a bike I had, really liked, got rid of, wished I had back, never thought I'd see again, and ended up getting it back! That almost never happens.

It is a bike that has some special meaning to me for a couple of reasons. I used it on my first attempt at the very first Dirty Kanza 200 in 2006. I also used it in 2007 when I was part of a team of 4 at a 12 hour MTB event which our team won. (Never mind we were the only 4 man team entered into the 12 hour event!)

The bike rode like a really nice steel framed bike should- smooooove! Yes, that is a technical term, and I am sorry if it leaves you baffled, but there is no other way to describe this in the English language. <==HA!

Anyway, one ting led to another. I got the reviewing gigs, parts and bike were piling up. The Inbred wasn't getting used. A co-worker expressed interest in it and purchased it from me with the caveat that I had first dibs on it if it were to be sold by him. Of course, he loved the bike. Why wouldn't he? It was great. He passed it on to his brother, and then it fell out of my reckoning. You can read a bit about that, and what happened to the original fork here.

The bike that replaced the Inbred was my OS Bikes Blackbuck, so I did well with that! At least it wasn't a downgrade, and arguably, it was a better bike, being single speed specific, which I was more into. Still am, actually. This '05 Inbred was a "compromise" bike. Neither single speed nor geared, it had provisions for both things.

This is myself at the first DK200. Image by the late Joel Dyke

So, back then I figured I had done the right thing, but that Inbred haunted me. I still liked the way it rode a lot. Then I had the chance to get into a single speed specific rendition of the Inbred a few years later. I thought, I hoped that it would be the same bike. That smooth riding machine that I used to have, only now in single speed specific form.

Well, despite the fact that the "Inbred the 2nd" rode really well as a single speed, it wasn't that bike that I remembered. It was stiffer, and well.......different. I still have it, by the way, and it works well for what it is, but it wasn't what I had remembered from the original bike.

But then it didn't matter, really. I mean, I wasn't ever going to see that original bike again. I had moved on anyway. I was into 'gravel bikes' now. Not MTB. "Real" gravel bikes weren't like that original On One Inbred. We had 'adventure warts' and carbon forks, and decent, well thought out gravel bike geometry. What in the heck would I do with that old Inbred anyway? I didn't need another single speed, much less another single speed mountain bike. I already have some of those!

But it was my second 29"er, and I am sentimental and all that. Bad things when you like stuff like bicycles and guitars! So, I knew that if my old co-worker ever rang me up and said that the ol' Inbred was up for sale that I'd likely bite the bullet and pay whatever price it was going to be to get it back. Whatever the condition of it was at the time. Scary thought, but probably true.

Then one day about four years ago.......

Maybe some of you long time readers will remember that in May of 2016 I came into work at my old job and there was my old Inbred! Sitting on my bench, partially built up! What?!! Well, the guy I sold it to had gotten it back from his brother and remembered that I still wanted first dibs on it. But instead of having me buy it, he just gifted it to me! I was blown away by his gesture, and still am.

The only bad thing? No fork, and these were bikes designed around 80mm travel suspension forks. Somewhat like early 90's MTB's designed around 63mm travel forks, these early 29"ers really don't like longer forks. So, the project sat stuck in nuetral. But......I had the old bike back! 

There was a carbon fork for this bike with an aluminum crown, but I sold it as well, since I had zero use for it with no Inbred to put it on. (The SS specific Inbred was 100mm travel compatible) Then the OG steel fork came back, but it was battered and beaten until cracked. No good! Again, you can read all about that here.

The Inbred as it sits now in 2020.

Obviously, the carbon fork got bought back, and so I was able to reassemble the bike. I decided against going with a single speed in the end since, as I said above, I really don't need that bike. I did go with a sort of Fargo-ish build, since the 18" Inbred was a tad on the short side for me anyway. That plays perfectly into a drop bar build, and so that's what I did. It is a hodge-podge of parts that I had about. The controls and handle bar were take-offs from my old Gen 2 Fargo. The set up comes from the 2015 attempt of the DK200- A ten speed Gevenalle shifter on a 9 speed cassette. Yes- that is not supposed to work and don't try it. I only have ridden about a thousand miles with it that way. That's all! Anyway, that will get changed soon as I have a ten speed cassette coming available from another bike I own. The wheels were originally some Velocity hoops laced to Velocity hubs, but I did not like that set of wheels. So, I sold them. These wheels are the take-offs from the (Trek) Sawyer I have. The front shifter is a bar-con friction shifter. Brakes are ancient Avid BB-7's.

This bike will be getting that aforementioned cassette, new red bar tape, and then it should be good to go. This wheel and tire combination seems to suit the bike far better than the older one, so I have high hopes that this set up will end up being the one I stick with. These new Tearavail Ehline 2.3"ers on the wheels are pretty fast and feel great. Much, much better than the WTB Rangers I tried before. The Sawyer's old wheels, a Deore hubbed Bontrager Duster set up, are merely workmanlike and nothing special, so maybe, if I end up sticking with this for the foreseeable future, I will upgrade.

And that brings the Inbred back to life and into 2020. If you'd have asked me about this bike in 2015, I would have laughed. It's been a long road back for the ol' thing. Guess I got lucky to even have a second go at it.

Friday News And Views

The FS-i hard tail in throwback 90's Team Edition colors.

Cannondale Issues Throwback Scheme:

Throwbacks. You know, NFL jerseys, NASCAR paint schemes, reissue vintage shoe designs, etc.... Everyone is doing the nostalgia trick these days. So, bicycle companies were ripe for jumping in, and why not? Some of these old liveries were pretty classy.

Take the heyday of the 90's NORBA era Cannondale Team frames. That simple, yet classy looking red with yellow lettering was easily recognized back then as being Cannondale's colors. Cannondale decided to reissue this classic scheme on their top end hard tail 29"er frame with a painted to match Ocho Lefty fork. You can squint your eyes and see Tinker Juarez big ringing it up a climb, right?

All it needs to finish it off is a Magic Motorcycle crank and a negative rise stem. Boom! Don't forget the skinwall tires.

There is another color available on this frame, which is the late 90's/early 00's Team Blue, which I never liked all that much. Too bad they didn't stick with red. Oh, yeah.......this is very limited and very expensive. But you probably figured that out already.

12 speed, Eagle compatible bar end and thumb shifters. Image courtesy of Bikepacking.com

Eagle Compatible Microshift Bar End And Thumbshifters Debut:

I get that some of you out there are big fans of Eagle wide range 1X set ups. I came across this story at Bikepacking.com and figured I would share it here. Basically it is the Microshift bar end and thumbshifter models tweaked to be used with 12 speed Eagle cassettes or Microshift's own cassette.

The story goes that you can use these as index shifters or as a friction shifter. Not sure how that would go as a friction shifter, but hey! In a pinch, it would get you back to the shed. Plus, these sorts of shifters are the kind of component that would survive in the worst sorts of conditions where others might fail more easily. I'm a big fan of this sort of thing myself.

As of now there are no prices or availability on these components. They were shown at the recently held Taipei Cycle show which is a show for the industry to get a handle on what is available to spec on future models. These likely will be offered separately and perhaps even a company like Gevanelle will get on board and do a version with the TRP brake lever.

It's really PINK!

There's A New Sealant In Town:

Tubeless tire sealants come and go. I've tried so many that I cannot remember them all. Probably every type you have heard about and some that you haven't heard about. Anyway, most of them are not worth the bother. Some were really good, but for whatever reason, they never got off the ground. One in particular I liked was GEAX sealant. It came in an aerosol can kind of like a mini whipped cream can. It sealed punctures like nobody's business. But many people never heard of it.

Of course, you have your Stan's. The stuff all sealants are judged against. The upstart Orange Seal is probably #2 on the list, and then there is........everybody else. That Finish Line stuff? Pfffft! Don't even try it. Not even close to being as good as Orange Seal.

But I tried a new sealant to me recently that has impressed me. Muc-Off is the brand name and No Puncture Hassle Tubeless Sealant is in the game now. You can read my linked review for the details.

But here we go again- will this even ever get on people's radar? Sealants are "not to be messed with", so folks just default to Stan's. Ya gotta hand it to them. They have really cornered the market on sealant, and Orange Seal, while a big contender, is still a long ways away from dethroning Stan's. To get a foothold in the door isn't easy, but I sure hope folks give Muc-Off sealant a try, if only because they have a nice packaging set up which is reusable and a couple other neat tricks.

The Almanzo 100 and concurrent events are changing venue.

Bombshell Announcement On Venue Change:

Friday night at midnight the Almanzo (Read: Chris Skogen) events announced a venue change was in store. Citing the philosophy embodied in the statement "......we don’t go where we’re not wanted.", Skogen let on that the city of Spring Valley had an exchange with him that was "...less than welcoming". He then went on to say that he had contacted Preston, Minnesota, a town on the course for the last nine years, about hosting. Apparently they already do a town festival on the weekend of May Skogen has chosen to run the Almanzo and they were not capable of providing enough support for an event the magnitude of Almanzo. Apparently, negotiations are underway at this point to hold the event in Northfield, Minnesota. This would be approximately 80 miles away from Spring Valley.

Comments: This is a major shift in the Almanzo. It has traditionally always been a Southeast Minnesota event, which started originally in Rochester, Minnesota, and moved to Spring Valley after about four years.  The move means that assuredly almost none of the original courses for the Almanzo 100 will be in use again. No mention was made regarding the Royal 165 or the 380 mile Alexander courses which also originated out of Spring Valley. It would be pretty incredible if all three courses were changed before next May, but again- no word on this yet.

What is interesting is that now the starting town, assuming that all negotiations and plans go forward with Northfield, will only be about 40-50 miles from the Twin Cities, which always was Almanzo's biggest draw as far as riders which attended the event was concerned.Attendance will probably be higher as long as the weather is not heinous, given that Skogen continues with his "no limits" roster, which he has doggedly held to for quite some time.

Northfield stands to benefit greatly. At the time Almanzo happens, the two local colleges should be done with classes. (Or close to it), and there shouldn't be any issues with filling all the spots in the local motels. Camping is being discussed and the local economy stands to benefit greatly from the weekend. How the locals will take it is quite another thing, but we'll stay tuned on that and see how it goes....

That's all I have this week for FN&V. Have a great weekend! Enjoy Global Fat Bike Day, if you are so inclined.

Friday News And Views

The FS-i hard tail in throwback 90's Team Edition colors.

Cannondale Issues Throwback Scheme:

Throwbacks. You know, NFL jerseys, NASCAR paint schemes, reissue vintage shoe designs, etc.... Everyone is doing the nostalgia trick these days. So, bicycle companies were ripe for jumping in, and why not? Some of these old liveries were pretty classy.

Take the heyday of the 90's NORBA era Cannondale Team frames. That simple, yet classy looking red with yellow lettering was easily recognized back then as being Cannondale's colors. Cannondale decided to reissue this classic scheme on their top end hard tail 29"er frame with a painted to match Ocho Lefty fork. You can squint your eyes and see Tinker Juarez big ringing it up a climb, right?

All it needs to finish it off is a Magic Motorcycle crank and a negative rise stem. Boom! Don't forget the skinwall tires.

There is another color available on this frame, which is the late 90's/early 00's Team Blue, which I never liked all that much. Too bad they didn't stick with red. Oh, yeah.......this is very limited and very expensive. But you probably figured that out already.

12 speed, Eagle compatible bar end and thumb shifters. Image courtesy of Bikepacking.com

Eagle Compatible Microshift Bar End And Thumbshifters Debut:

I get that some of you out there are big fans of Eagle wide range 1X set ups. I came across this story at Bikepacking.com and figured I would share it here. Basically it is the Microshift bar end and thumbshifter models tweaked to be used with 12 speed Eagle cassettes or Microshift's own cassette.

The story goes that you can use these as index shifters or as a friction shifter. Not sure how that would go as a friction shifter, but hey! In a pinch, it would get you back to the shed. Plus, these sorts of shifters are the kind of component that would survive in the worst sorts of conditions where others might fail more easily. I'm a big fan of this sort of thing myself.

As of now there are no prices or availability on these components. They were shown at the recently held Taipei Cycle show which is a show for the industry to get a handle on what is available to spec on future models. These likely will be offered separately and perhaps even a company like Gevanelle will get on board and do a version with the TRP brake lever.

It's really PINK!

There's A New Sealant In Town:

Tubeless tire sealants come and go. I've tried so many that I cannot remember them all. Probably every type you have heard about and some that you haven't heard about. Anyway, most of them are not worth the bother. Some were really good, but for whatever reason, they never got off the ground. One in particular I liked was GEAX sealant. It came in an aerosol can kind of like a mini whipped cream can. It sealed punctures like nobody's business. But many people never heard of it.

Of course, you have your Stan's. The stuff all sealants are judged against. The upstart Orange Seal is probably #2 on the list, and then there is........everybody else. That Finish Line stuff? Pfffft! Don't even try it. Not even close to being as good as Orange Seal.

But I tried a new sealant to me recently that has impressed me. Muc-Off is the brand name and No Puncture Hassle Tubeless Sealant is in the game now. You can read my linked review for the details.

But here we go again- will this even ever get on people's radar? Sealants are "not to be messed with", so folks just default to Stan's. Ya gotta hand it to them. They have really cornered the market on sealant, and Orange Seal, while a big contender, is still a long ways away from dethroning Stan's. To get a foothold in the door isn't easy, but I sure hope folks give Muc-Off sealant a try, if only because they have a nice packaging set up which is reusable and a couple other neat tricks.

The Almanzo 100 and concurrent events are changing venue.

Bombshell Announcement On Venue Change:

Friday night at midnight the Almanzo (Read: Chris Skogen) events announced a venue change was in store. Citing the philosophy embodied in the statement "......we don’t go where we’re not wanted.", Skogen let on that the city of Spring Valley had an exchange with him that was "...less than welcoming". He then went on to say that he had contacted Preston, Minnesota, a town on the course for the last nine years, about hosting. Apparently they already do a town festival on the weekend of May Skogen has chosen to run the Almanzo and they were not capable of providing enough support for an event the magnitude of Almanzo. Apparently, negotiations are underway at this point to hold the event in Northfield, Minnesota. This would be approximately 80 miles away from Spring Valley.

Comments: This is a major shift in the Almanzo. It has traditionally always been a Southeast Minnesota event, which started originally in Rochester, Minnesota, and moved to Spring Valley after about four years.  The move means that assuredly almost none of the original courses for the Almanzo 100 will be in use again. No mention was made regarding the Royal 165 or the 380 mile Alexander courses which also originated out of Spring Valley. It would be pretty incredible if all three courses were changed before next May, but again- no word on this yet.

What is interesting is that now the starting town, assuming that all negotiations and plans go forward with Northfield, will only be about 40-50 miles from the Twin Cities, which always was Almanzo's biggest draw as far as riders which attended the event was concerned.Attendance will probably be higher as long as the weather is not heinous, given that Skogen continues with his "no limits" roster, which he has doggedly held to for quite some time.

Northfield stands to benefit greatly. At the time Almanzo happens, the two local colleges should be done with classes. (Or close to it), and there shouldn't be any issues with filling all the spots in the local motels. Camping is being discussed and the local economy stands to benefit greatly from the weekend. How the locals will take it is quite another thing, but we'll stay tuned on that and see how it goes....

That's all I have this week for FN&V. Have a great weekend! Enjoy Global Fat Bike Day, if you are so inclined.

If You Have Time To Lean.....

Part 1 of the swap session completed

The cold and flu season has caught up with us here at Guitar Ted Laboratories. So, I haven't been out on the bicycle of late, trying to recover and all, ya know. So, I kind of feel like I haven't been doing what I should be doing. My bikes have been leaning, not moving. And you know what they say about when you have time to lean.

So, I was just sent some brakes and shifters from Gevenalle. The package came with a front derailleur as well. Now the plan was set all along that this stuff was going on the Tamland. That meant that I would be removing a full brake set, front derailleur, and shifters. Avid and Ultegra stuff. Nice stuff that works pretty well.

So, that stuff couldn't just sit around and lean either. What to do? Well, I came up with a plan. See, there is another bicycle I have that has SRAM on it and, well, I just do not think that SRAM road stuff is very good. I held off judgment on it until I had a lot of rides on the stuff, but I can say that, for me, the SRAM road stuff is slower shifting, feels clunky compared to Shimano, and worse, the levers are much harder to actuate from the drops than Shimano's are.

Now I had almost everything I needed to switch the Twin Six Standard Rando to Shimano from SRAM. Everything but a rear derailleur and a crank set. Okay, well it just so happens that I had a slightly defective long cage Ultegra rear derailleur in the bin. I looked at it and sure enough, I was able to get it to be perfectly functional. The crank? Well, that isn't going to be critical to overcoming my complaints, so that stays.......for the time being. 

Old school, reliable, and actually lighter than the Ultegra one.

 Well, enough about that, what about the Raleigh? Well, as long time blog readers here probably know, I really have enjoyed the Gevenalle, (formerly Retroshift), shifters, which ironically enough, cannot be shifted from the drops! That fact doesn't escape me, but I have learned to be able to execute shifts and return to the drops just fine, not unlike going to a downtube shifter and back. A step backwards? Perhaps. It used to be called Retroshift after all.

But they are dead simple not only in execution, but also in ease of use, and quite forgiving of inclement conditions. Stick your Gevenalle shifter into a mud hole when you crash, and you can get up and go with the confidence that the sifters not only survived, but work flawlessly. Now from where I sit, that isn't a common occurrence, but copious amounts of gritty dust? That's a commonly seen issue, and Gevenalle shifters are pretty much impervious to dust and grit.

Now they have mated the shifter to a TRP hydraulic drop bar lever. Hydraulic brakes? Yes. They are not 100% necessary, this is true, but they are easier to use. Less effort at the lever for better braking power? As a mechanic who has pulled wrenches for 20 + years, I'll take that advantage. I bet those who are dead tired on a ride and have to negotiate a 35mph downhill on loose gravel will also appreciate the easy modulation of a disc brake using hydraulic fluids. How these hold up, actually work in the field, and how they stack up ergonomically are things I am interested in discovering.

Stay tuned on that.

But the weekend wasn't a complete wash because I was sick, and now, well........I cannot wait to get out riding again!

If You Have Time To Lean.....

Part 1 of the swap session completed

The cold and flu season has caught up with us here at Guitar Ted Laboratories. So, I haven't been out on the bicycle of late, trying to recover and all, ya know. So, I kind of feel like I haven't been doing what I should be doing. My bikes have been leaning, not moving. And you know what they say about when you have time to lean.

So, I was just sent some brakes and shifters from Gevenalle. The package came with a front derailleur as well. Now the plan was set all along that this stuff was going on the Tamland. That meant that I would be removing a full brake set, front derailleur, and shifters. Avid and Ultegra stuff. Nice stuff that works pretty well.

So, that stuff couldn't just sit around and lean either. What to do? Well, I came up with a plan. See, there is another bicycle I have that has SRAM on it and, well, I just do not think that SRAM road stuff is very good. I held off judgment on it until I had a lot of rides on the stuff, but I can say that, for me, the SRAM road stuff is slower shifting, feels clunky compared to Shimano, and worse, the levers are much harder to actuate from the drops than Shimano's are.

Now I had almost everything I needed to switch the Twin Six Standard Rando to Shimano from SRAM. Everything but a rear derailleur and a crank set. Okay, well it just so happens that I had a slightly defective long cage Ultegra rear derailleur in the bin. I looked at it and sure enough, I was able to get it to be perfectly functional. The crank? Well, that isn't going to be critical to overcoming my complaints, so that stays.......for the time being. 

Old school, reliable, and actually lighter than the Ultegra one.

 Well, enough about that, what about the Raleigh? Well, as long time blog readers here probably know, I really have enjoyed the Gevenalle, (formerly Retroshift), shifters, which ironically enough, cannot be shifted from the drops! That fact doesn't escape me, but I have learned to be able to execute shifts and return to the drops just fine, not unlike going to a downtube shifter and back. A step backwards? Perhaps. It used to be called Retroshift after all.

But they are dead simple not only in execution, but also in ease of use, and quite forgiving of inclement conditions. Stick your Gevenalle shifter into a mud hole when you crash, and you can get up and go with the confidence that the sifters not only survived, but work flawlessly. Now from where I sit, that isn't a common occurrence, but copious amounts of gritty dust? That's a commonly seen issue, and Gevenalle shifters are pretty much impervious to dust and grit.

Now they have mated the shifter to a TRP hydraulic drop bar lever. Hydraulic brakes? Yes. They are not 100% necessary, this is true, but they are easier to use. Less effort at the lever for better braking power? As a mechanic who has pulled wrenches for 20 + years, I'll take that advantage. I bet those who are dead tired on a ride and have to negotiate a 35mph downhill on loose gravel will also appreciate the easy modulation of a disc brake using hydraulic fluids. How these hold up, actually work in the field, and how they stack up ergonomically are things I am interested in discovering.

Stay tuned on that.

But the weekend wasn't a complete wash because I was sick, and now, well........I cannot wait to get out riding again!

Gravel Worlds '16- WW4M: Nutrition And Gear Review

The nutrition during my 2016 Gravel Worlds ride was  99% these items

This post will detail my nutrition and a word or three about gear that I haven't already said much about. The "WW4M" in the title stands for "What Works For Me". This should point out to you that what I am about to detail here may not work for you or anyone else. However; I hope that these ideas might help out someone reading to fine tune their own endurance riding nutrition strategy.

On The Bike Food: If you have been reading along here this Summer you already know that I battled a stomach shut down during my Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational attempt and that I had to stop after a little over 109 miles. Well, I tracked that back to a heavy amount of sugary processed food in the form of a cookie sandwich I ate earlier in the day. I decided after that I wasn't going to utilize any processed sugary crapola like Gatorade or foods from convenience stores in my nutritional strategies for Gravel Worlds.

Fortunately, my friend Tony had shared with me several times about some items he relied upon. So, I decided to follow suit. I obviously was witnessing what it was doing and it was working for him. I did not know if it would work for me at all, and Gravel Worlds was my test ground. I didn't try some of this before at all, and none of it while riding a bike. Dumb? Maybe. Maybe I got away with it because I didn't know I shouldn't! But I think in reality it was more that I had seen the results with Tony and figured I could benefit as well.

• Flattened Bananas- This actually was a suggestion by a Trans Iowa rider that wasn't able to process any convenience store fare and rode in T.I.v12 on these. They are a Trader Joe's item, and he sent me a couple packages of the stuff after T.I.v12. I opened one package and used food scissors to cut the flattened mass into ribbons and then placed those into sandwich bags for easy on bike eating. 
• Justin's Almond Butter packets- I found these at a local grocer's natural food aisle and Tony is a big fan of these. 190 calories in each packet. They can be a bit hard to consume because unless you kneed them up inside the packet before opening one they can be a bit dry and thick on one end where the oils separate out from the solids. Make sure you down this with water! But other than that, they work. Not the most pleasant deal, but not terrible either. 
• Epic Bison and Uncured Bacon meat bars- These are a natural foods aisle score and another thing Tony uses.Not easy to rip open the original packaging while riding, so you may want to pre-open these or better yet, repackage them. This is a form of pemmican, which Native Americans used as an energy source.  
• Elete electrolytic add in- I have been a fan of Elete for over a decade now after learning about it from my former co-worker and 24 hour solo racer, Jeff Kerkove.  This is a clear-ish liquid that you mix in with water and it keeps your electrolytes in balance. I've never cramped while using this, and it is super easy to pack along and to administer to your water as you are on a ride. 

The Fargo Gen I as used at Gravel Worlds

The Gear: I won't go on about the Fargo, but I did pick the bike due to the Luxy Bar and my left shoulder issue. I also had the Revelate Tangle Bag, (an old, outdated version)on the bike which held some maintenance items if needed and a rain/wind breaker in case the weather went sour or if I had to ride after dark. An old Velocity aluminum water bottle cage, (made in Australia), allowed for a lowered water bottle position due to the design of the cage, which can be adjusted. I was able to pack four large water bottles due to this. The bottle under the down tube carried repair bits, tools, tire levers, a roll of black electrical tape, and a chain tool.

I used a Trelock 950 headlight, a Grateful Red Planet Bike tail light, and Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags and Garage Bag for storing food, a few more tools, and my cameras. Shifters are Gevenalle with 9 speed Ultegra levers. Long pull levers close up ancient Avid BB-7 calipers on a front Avid rotor and a rear Ashima rotor. Tires and wheels are the same I've had since the Kanza ride. Teravail Sparwoods and Sun-Ringle' Black Flags. The Sparwoods were a mixed bag at Gravel Worlds. There was good and bad things, but I am still not impressed enough to keep them on for anything other than hard, solid based or sandy conditions where they seem to excel.

The one item which I felt was well worth its price, for my ride anyway, was the Cirrus Cycles Body Float seat post. It is a sprung post which is designed to take the edge off bumps and absorb the smaller chatter. It does that so seamlessly when set up properly that I don't even notice it. However; I did notice that I didn't have any issues with washboard surfaces out there. Let me tell you- there was a LOT of washboard out on that course. Many riders were getting jostled around and losing speed when they hit this but I could keep pedaling uninterrupted and not lose speed. I noted this several times during the day. In fact, so did other riders. I heard several comments from other riders on how active the post was as they passed me.

Grinding the final miles into Lincoln. Image by Kevin Fox

Conclusions: The new nutritional idea was a grand slam. No issues with fueling at all, with the exception of one element. That would be my falling asleep/battling sleep issues. I was noting that soda pop seemed to kill this issue. Coke, regular grocery store lime soda, regular grocery store cola, it didn't seem to matter. I suspect it was the kind of sugar that I was getting versus what kind of soda it was. Hmm.... Going to have to work on that part.

There were two other things I ate outside of the basic plan. Beef jerky and one gel that was chocolate and had caffeine, which I was trying as a "wake me up" gel. I cannot recall if it worked though! Ha! That said, I am trying to keep what works here and I will test this out on my next long ride which I hope to do just for fun soon.

On the gear side the wool jersey, base layer, Louis Garneau bibs, and my new, gifted to me Omaha Jackrabbit Hundy hat made by Walz, (Thanks Scott Redd!!) were all flawless. Interesting factoid- I didn't like wearing sun glasses that day. Something about it pestered me in the wrong way, so I ditched them for most of the ride. The Gen I Fargo? Well, no words need to be said there. The Body Float post was awesome. I am super happy I used it.

Okay, any questions? Feel free to hit me up with those in the comments or via e-mail.

Gravel Worlds '16- WW4M: Nutrition And Gear Review

The nutrition during my 2016 Gravel Worlds ride was  99% these items

This post will detail my nutrition and a word or three about gear that I haven't already said much about. The "WW4M" in the title stands for "What Works For Me". This should point out to you that what I am about to detail here may not work for you or anyone else. However; I hope that these ideas might help out someone reading to fine tune their own endurance riding nutrition strategy.

On The Bike Food: If you have been reading along here this Summer you already know that I battled a stomach shut down during my Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational attempt and that I had to stop after a little over 109 miles. Well, I tracked that back to a heavy amount of sugary processed food in the form of a cookie sandwich I ate earlier in the day. I decided after that I wasn't going to utilize any processed sugary crapola like Gatorade or foods from convenience stores in my nutritional strategies for Gravel Worlds.

Fortunately, my friend Tony had shared with me several times about some items he relied upon. So, I decided to follow suit. I obviously was witnessing what it was doing and it was working for him. I did not know if it would work for me at all, and Gravel Worlds was my test ground. I didn't try some of this before at all, and none of it while riding a bike. Dumb? Maybe. Maybe I got away with it because I didn't know I shouldn't! But I think in reality it was more that I had seen the results with Tony and figured I could benefit as well.

• Flattened Bananas- This actually was a suggestion by a Trans Iowa rider that wasn't able to process any convenience store fare and rode in T.I.v12 on these. They are a Trader Joe's item, and he sent me a couple packages of the stuff after T.I.v12. I opened one package and used food scissors to cut the flattened mass into ribbons and then placed those into sandwich bags for easy on bike eating. 
• Justin's Almond Butter packets- I found these at a local grocer's natural food aisle and Tony is a big fan of these. 190 calories in each packet. They can be a bit hard to consume because unless you kneed them up inside the packet before opening one they can be a bit dry and thick on one end where the oils separate out from the solids. Make sure you down this with water! But other than that, they work. Not the most pleasant deal, but not terrible either. 
• Epic Bison and Uncured Bacon meat bars- These are a natural foods aisle score and another thing Tony uses.Not easy to rip open the original packaging while riding, so you may want to pre-open these or better yet, repackage them. This is a form of pemmican, which Native Americans used as an energy source.  
• Elete electrolytic add in- I have been a fan of Elete for over a decade now after learning about it from my former co-worker and 24 hour solo racer, Jeff Kerkove.  This is a clear-ish liquid that you mix in with water and it keeps your electrolytes in balance. I've never cramped while using this, and it is super easy to pack along and to administer to your water as you are on a ride. 

The Fargo Gen I as used at Gravel Worlds

The Gear: I won't go on about the Fargo, but I did pick the bike due to the Luxy Bar and my left shoulder issue. I also had the Revelate Tangle Bag, (an old, outdated version)on the bike which held some maintenance items if needed and a rain/wind breaker in case the weather went sour or if I had to ride after dark. An old Velocity aluminum water bottle cage, (made in Australia), allowed for a lowered water bottle position due to the design of the cage, which can be adjusted. I was able to pack four large water bottles due to this. The bottle under the down tube carried repair bits, tools, tire levers, a roll of black electrical tape, and a chain tool.

I used a Trelock 950 headlight, a Grateful Red Planet Bike tail light, and Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags and Garage Bag for storing food, a few more tools, and my cameras. Shifters are Gevenalle with 9 speed Ultegra levers. Long pull levers close up ancient Avid BB-7 calipers on a front Avid rotor and a rear Ashima rotor. Tires and wheels are the same I've had since the Kanza ride. Teravail Sparwoods and Sun-Ringle' Black Flags. The Sparwoods were a mixed bag at Gravel Worlds. There was good and bad things, but I am still not impressed enough to keep them on for anything other than hard, solid based or sandy conditions where they seem to excel.

The one item which I felt was well worth its price, for my ride anyway, was the Cirrus Cycles Body Float seat post. It is a sprung post which is designed to take the edge off bumps and absorb the smaller chatter. It does that so seamlessly when set up properly that I don't even notice it. However; I did notice that I didn't have any issues with washboard surfaces out there. Let me tell you- there was a LOT of washboard out on that course. Many riders were getting jostled around and losing speed when they hit this but I could keep pedaling uninterrupted and not lose speed. I noted this several times during the day. In fact, so did other riders. I heard several comments from other riders on how active the post was as they passed me.

Grinding the final miles into Lincoln. Image by Kevin Fox

Conclusions: The new nutritional idea was a grand slam. No issues with fueling at all, with the exception of one element. That would be my falling asleep/battling sleep issues. I was noting that soda pop seemed to kill this issue. Coke, regular grocery store lime soda, regular grocery store cola, it didn't seem to matter. I suspect it was the kind of sugar that I was getting versus what kind of soda it was. Hmm.... Going to have to work on that part.

There were two other things I ate outside of the basic plan. Beef jerky and one gel that was chocolate and had caffeine, which I was trying as a "wake me up" gel. I cannot recall if it worked though! Ha! That said, I am trying to keep what works here and I will test this out on my next long ride which I hope to do just for fun soon.

On the gear side the wool jersey, base layer, Louis Garneau bibs, and my new, gifted to me Omaha Jackrabbit Hundy hat made by Walz, (Thanks Scott Redd!!) were all flawless. Interesting factoid- I didn't like wearing sun glasses that day. Something about it pestered me in the wrong way, so I ditched them for most of the ride. The Gen I Fargo? Well, no words need to be said there. The Body Float post was awesome. I am super happy I used it.

Okay, any questions? Feel free to hit me up with those in the comments or via e-mail.

Odin's Revenge Report: Gear Review And Comments

The "Fat Fargo" was the perfect tool for the job for me.

Following are a few thoughts on some gear I used for Odin's Revenge. I won't do a total breakdown here, but I will touch on some highlights and hopefully these things will help you out in some way when you choose your gear.

Fat Fargo: My bike, dubbed the "Fat Fargo" due to my use of 27.5" wheels on Velocity Blunt 35's, was so good on the Odin's course. The Fargo is a very versatile bike, but I feel that it is even better with the fatter, more voluminous rubber which gives this bike better stability and comfort levels. During Odin's this showed up as an ability to surf the silty dirt without the bike getting upset, or slowed down. There also was a bit better ride over the ruts and bumps, which were plentiful, especially regarding the fact that well over a third of the 90 miles I rode were minimum maintenance road. The tires, set up tubeless, of course, have done nearly 250 miles of Dirty Kanza and Odin's without a single tire issue. I ran high 19psi pressures (19.8 and 19.6) in each tire for Odin's which worked quite nicely. The Velocity Blunt 35's which give the Trailblazer 2.8's a nicely crowned profile, were perfect, and did not make the tires have a totally flat profile, like a wider rim would. Plus, Blunt 35's are lighter than the 45-50mm rims many are using for B+ tires.

Could I have used regular 29"er tires? Yes. I could have, and perhaps these were overkill, but the volume and tire profile are impossible with 29"er wheels and tires in the Fargo. I feel those two things were key to how well they rode and performed for me.

Cowchipper Bars and the ever present Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags.

The new Cowchipper Bar from Salsa Cycles gets a huge thumbs up from me. I have decided that the best way to describe it is that it is a lot like the Cowbell, but with "more Cowbell". (There ya go Salsa. A new marketing slogan for the Cowchipper! You can thank me later.)

The Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bags are indispensable items on any longer gravel travel adventure for me. I cannot imagine what I would do without these handy carrying bags. Good for water bottles and food, I have used these now for a few years with great success. Just wait till you see the updated version of this bag coming here soon. Stay tuned for that.

The pedals as they looked post DK200

The Pedal iSSi Triple model pedals have been through the wringer and still are working fantastically well. Smooth engagement, free spinning with no slop, and these are light too. I have been duly impressed with these pedals and they are Shimano cleat compatible. At about $80.00 bucks, give or take, they are a complete bargain, being as good as XT pedals with a lighter weight and a lot lighter impact on your wallet.

You can check out my initial review of these pedals HERE.

My hybrid 9 speed rear/10 speed Gevenalle GX shifter set up has been totally flawless through both the DK200 attempt and through Odin's. No missed shifts and no hiccups. I know it isn't supposed to work, but it does. Maybe now that I don't have any events coming up where I want to use the Fat Fargo I'll have some time to switch out that left side bar end shifter to the other Gevenalle shifter! If anything was a negative, it was having that left side bar end shifter on there, which is far less convenient than the Gevenalle shifters are. Finally, on the drive train front, I was super pleased with the DuMonde Tech lube again. I'll post more about that in my next "Lube-Off" update coming up here next week, most likely.

Wally Kilburg captured me on the Odin's course in this image

One thing I was super stoked on were these Sol Skin arm protectors I used in the Pirate Cycling league colors. Yes, they are black, but amazingly they worked very well. Any air movement over them caused a noticeable cooling effect, and they wicked sweat famously, as the black fabric turned a frosty white due to my sweat over the course of the day. Obviously, with a rating of 50+ on the UPF scale, I didn't need to use any sunscreen, and usually that is something I would have had to have done on a bright, sunny day, such as we had at Odin's this year. It is my belief that sunscreen plugs up my pores and doesn't allow the efficient sweating to help me stay cool, like the Sol Skin arm protectors do.  I'm convinced these are the real deal and will be wearing them more often. And yes- they do work to help keep you warmer in cooler weather. I tried that this past March with great success.

I also used a base layer tank top from Bontrager, which I also credit for keeping me much cooler and definitely more comfortable during the ride. Again, this is something I will continue to use going forward in hot weather, or any weather, most likely. I had really great results with this base/jersey combo and wouldn't ride otherwise if I have a choice. There will be more base layer purchases in the future for me.

As far as things that didn't work, there isn't much to say. Nutrition on hot days maybe? That's probably one thing. Otherwise everything functioned as it should and I had no gear issues whatsoever on the Odin's course. Should I have used a lighter bike? Well, lighter would have been better, but at the expense of the wide tires, umm.........I don't think so. Ideally, the new Salsa Cycles Cutthroat would be the bike I would say was perfect for the Odin's course. Carbon, light, wide tire compatible, and designed for frame bags. It would be the best weapon for the job, plus the Class 5 VRS would play well with Odin's ruts, bumps, and occasional rocks. I'm keenly interested in this bike anyway, so don't be surprised if you read here that I am going to Odin's next year on that bike! 

That's about it from the gear perspective. I think Odin's is a very unique course that demands a bit of a different approach in set up. I think a 40mm tire would be minimum width I'd ever consider there, and tubeless is the only way to go at that event. With the amount of MMR and its silty, loose soils, I think a fatter, floating type tire is advisable. Going skinny/light might work if you have tremendous bike handling skills and are fast, so you get the course over with in a hurry. Otherwise I don't see any advantages going skinny/light on bike/bike set up.

The beauty of West Central Nebraska as captured by Wally Kilburg

Odin's Revenge, as I stated in my opening of my race report, is a throwback event. Or maybe it just never cared what others thought. Either way, it is run by the DSG as a grassroots event and as far as I can tell, they don't plan on making it a "bigger/better/whatever". The "flavor" of this event is very intimate, "down home", and welcoming. The touches that Merrie Quigley puts on the event, the way that her husband, Chad runs the show, and the laid back, soft spoken nature of Matt Bergen all make the Odin's experience one I look forward to eagerly every year. Nate brings the craft beer, which is top notch, and helps with the show as well. Then you have Bob, Garrett, and the others that pitch in and it just makes for a great experience for all who show up. It's like you are going to visit family, and they take care of you well.

Now none of that would be of import unless there was a good reason to ride your bicycle there, and it goes without saying that there are several good reasons to do that. The terrain out there is spectacular, challenging, and so very different than anywhere else that I ride, that I would suggest to you that it should be a bucket list ride, even if Odin's didn't exist as an event. In fact, Matt Bergen mentioned that he was thinking of splitting the Odin's course into two days worth of bike packing, which I think is a really awesome idea. Add in the fact that Potter's Pasture is perhaps the most unique mtb trail system anywhere and right on the Odin's course, and you could bicycle there for a week and never get sick of it.

So, yeah.......I like Odin's Revenge a lot, and I like the people behind it a lot as well. I'll go back again, and maybe I should just go back out just to ride during a different time of the year, just for fun. It's that good, really, and I cannot say enough about the area.

Okay, that's a wrap. Have a safe, fun, bicycling time on this 4th of July weekend!