Bikes Of 2017: Raleigh Tamland 2

It is that time of year when I start reviewing the bikes that got me through 2017. Many of these bikes have been tweaked and changed so I will talk about that and why they were important to me this past year.

Yep, another familiar face here. The Raleigh Tamland 2 has been a good rig for me over the years. I was amused recently when one of you commented here that the only thing original to the bike anymore is the frame and fork. Well, you could be forgiven for thinking as much, but while that is close, it isn't quite the case.

Just for the record, the frame, fork, head set, bottom bracket, crankset, seat post, and rear derailleur are still stock on this bike. That's not much, granted, but it is a fair amount of the original build! I still have the wheels and I still have the original brakes. I still have the original saddle also.

Speaking of saddles....I finally got what I needed on there after fiddling around with other saddles for a couple of years. The WTB Pure, (Pure V originally), is the bomb for my behind. Love that saddle. Now that this conundrum has been solved, I don't really need anything else different here.

Changes recently have been the Gevenalle HYDRAULIC brake system and the Ritchey Venturemax bar. These items were added as test items for review on RidingGravel.com and have been so good they are staying on long term. The brakes also changed up my shifting to the excellent Gevenalle system which also includes the Burd front derailleur. The shifting is so light and precise it is uncanny, and that system is nearly indestructible.

Finally the tires and wheels. I built up these White Industries/WTB i25 KOM wheels last year and these have been awesome wheels. I should build up another set just because. Anyway, I got to test these Trans Iowa inspired treads from WTB, the Resolutes, and they are fantastic on this bike.

Bikes Of 2017: Raleigh Tamland 2

It is that time of year when I start reviewing the bikes that got me through 2017. Many of these bikes have been tweaked and changed so I will talk about that and why they were important to me this past year.

Yep, another familiar face here. The Raleigh Tamland 2 has been a good rig for me over the years. I was amused recently when one of you commented here that the only thing original to the bike anymore is the frame and fork. Well, you could be forgiven for thinking as much, but while that is close, it isn't quite the case.

Just for the record, the frame, fork, head set, bottom bracket, crankset, seat post, and rear derailleur are still stock on this bike. That's not much, granted, but it is a fair amount of the original build! I still have the wheels and I still have the original brakes. I still have the original saddle also.

Speaking of saddles....I finally got what I needed on there after fiddling around with other saddles for a couple of years. The WTB Pure, (Pure V originally), is the bomb for my behind. Love that saddle. Now that this conundrum has been solved, I don't really need anything else different here.

Changes recently have been the Gevenalle HYDRAULIC brake system and the Ritchey Venturemax bar. These items were added as test items for review on RidingGravel.com and have been so good they are staying on long term. The brakes also changed up my shifting to the excellent Gevenalle system which also includes the Burd front derailleur. The shifting is so light and precise it is uncanny, and that system is nearly indestructible.

Finally the tires and wheels. I built up these White Industries/WTB i25 KOM wheels last year and these have been awesome wheels. I should build up another set just because. Anyway, I got to test these Trans Iowa inspired treads from WTB, the Resolutes, and they are fantastic on this bike.

Gearing Up For Gent's Madness

It should look like this.

The Renegade Gents Race v7 is happening this weekend. Yes, you know that it is one of my favorite rides of the year. Well......you do if you have been paying attention here. So, like any other year, I have to decide which rig to pull from the Lab for duty.

The last few years, I think, I've been using the Raleigh Tamland Two. I've used a Vaya I used to have and my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" in the past. I could use the Twin Six Standard Rando as well.

Right now the Tamland is running a strong first for the choice and the Standard Rando is a close second. I recently swapped out the saddle on the Tamland and man! Why did I not just go with what I knew all along and stick a WTB Pure V on there in the first place? I don't know. Sometimes I inexplicably try odd things because......well, they might work. You never know until you try, right? Uggh. Then again, you could be wasting time when a great solution already exists. It's a saddle. Don't mess with what works.

So, then there is the issue of having to wrap up the review on the Gevenalle HYDRAULIC components, and what better way to do that than put in a metric century within the context of a race? The downside is that the roads of the Gents Race call out for a tire that is a bit wider. I have 37's on the wheels on the Tamland currently. The Standard Rando has 650B X 47's. I know those wider tires could be a game changer. The sandy gravel in the area really can be a bad deal, especially if the maintainers have been out and about. Then there are the occasional fresh gravel dumps which make wider tires a better deal as well.

This could also be the look for the weekend.

Then there is the lack of miles. This could erase any choice of bicycle. I just haven't had opportunity due to illness and weather to log in any longer rides so far this year. Not that this is anything new running up to the Gent's Race. Many years I have been in Texas a week or so beforehand and/or doing Trans Iowa stuff, so getting miles in March has never really ever worked out for me.

At any rate, I should be having a good time, and for the first time I won't have to wake up at "dark-thirty" to get my carcass down there on Saturday morning. This is because my family is joining me and coming down with me on Friday evening so they can all go to Tacopocalypse and gallivant around Des Moines for the day. So, I actually may even be rested this time around. There is a first time for everything!

Well, however it goes, I need to pick a bike. Stay tuned for that later this week.....



 

Gearing Up For Gent's Madness

It should look like this.

The Renegade Gents Race v7 is happening this weekend. Yes, you know that it is one of my favorite rides of the year. Well......you do if you have been paying attention here. So, like any other year, I have to decide which rig to pull from the Lab for duty.

The last few years, I think, I've been using the Raleigh Tamland Two. I've used a Vaya I used to have and my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" in the past. I could use the Twin Six Standard Rando as well.

Right now the Tamland is running a strong first for the choice and the Standard Rando is a close second. I recently swapped out the saddle on the Tamland and man! Why did I not just go with what I knew all along and stick a WTB Pure V on there in the first place? I don't know. Sometimes I inexplicably try odd things because......well, they might work. You never know until you try, right? Uggh. Then again, you could be wasting time when a great solution already exists. It's a saddle. Don't mess with what works.

So, then there is the issue of having to wrap up the review on the Gevenalle HYDRAULIC components, and what better way to do that than put in a metric century within the context of a race? The downside is that the roads of the Gents Race call out for a tire that is a bit wider. I have 37's on the wheels on the Tamland currently. The Standard Rando has 650B X 47's. I know those wider tires could be a game changer. The sandy gravel in the area really can be a bad deal, especially if the maintainers have been out and about. Then there are the occasional fresh gravel dumps which make wider tires a better deal as well.

This could also be the look for the weekend.

Then there is the lack of miles. This could erase any choice of bicycle. I just haven't had opportunity due to illness and weather to log in any longer rides so far this year. Not that this is anything new running up to the Gent's Race. Many years I have been in Texas a week or so beforehand and/or doing Trans Iowa stuff, so getting miles in March has never really ever worked out for me.

At any rate, I should be having a good time, and for the first time I won't have to wake up at "dark-thirty" to get my carcass down there on Saturday morning. This is because my family is joining me and coming down with me on Friday evening so they can all go to Tacopocalypse and gallivant around Des Moines for the day. So, I actually may even be rested this time around. There is a first time for everything!

Well, however it goes, I need to pick a bike. Stay tuned for that later this week.....