Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar: Review Update

  Note: Guitar Ted purchased the Nice Bar at full retail for personal use and review from Good Grief Bikes. Good Grief Bikes has no input on this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

I will forgive anyone who has forgotten I was reviewing the Good Grief Bikes "Nice Bar", named after "Fixie Dave" Nice. I last updated this review back in February! (Here) While I am still not finished with what I wanted to do with these handlebars, (!!), I do have some things to share which I think are interesting concerning this handlebar. 

The main use for the Karate Monkey so far in 2025 has been for urban/commuting type rides. I have done my in-town test loop several times as well which is a multi-surface connection of pavement and deteriorated gravel. So, it isn't as though I haven't been using this handlebar, and I do have a small amount of miles on it so far.

The number one impression I get every time I ride the Nice Bar is exactly what I wrote back in February, which I will paste here for your convenience: 

"The Nice Bar does have a bit of give and so it doesn't really have that "zing" when you hit a sharp bump. This is subtle, so the bar feels direct and nothing like a "noodle" when you get up and yank on the bars for a sprint or sharply inclined climbing. "

So, it is very comfortable over rougher pavement and it seems forgiving enough to ride all-day. The rubber infused cork grips help a lot with this as well. The junction where the extensions are brazed to the center cross bar is such a nice place for my hands to just cruise around on that I have visions of this being great out on a longer gravel ride. (One reason I am not done with the review is that I need to do some gravel riding yet with the Karate Monkey)

Unfortunately the cool burned in finish mars easily.

One thing I was dismayed about the Nice Bar was the custom, burned finish doesn't hold up to much abuse.I had a slight clash with another bike's controls which immediately left the marks you can see here in my image. Bummer....

I guess the point here is be careful if you want to preserve the finish or just enjoy your new "character marks" and keep riding. 

And other than this minor detail the Nice Bar has been great. I do want to do more riding on gravel to ascertain the bar's worthiness as a flat bar alternative gravel cycling handlebar. I'm hoping this will pan out, but until I manage to get this bike out in the country I will withhold final judgment. 

 You can see the Nice Bar and other tasty bicycle related stuff at Good Grief Bikes' site here: https://www.goodgrief.bike/

Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar: Review - The Ride Experience

  Note: Guitar Ted purchased the Nice Bar at full retail for personal use and review from Good Grief Bikes. Good Grief Bikes has no input on this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

My 2003 Karate Monkey set up with the Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar

Now that I've had some rides on the Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar, I have a few things to share about this handmade, "alt bar" from Colorado. If you missed the previous posts on this bar, you can see the intro HERE and the set-up and more in the second update HERE. 

Going into the riding portion of the review my concern was that this stoutly built bar would be an unforgiving, hand-numbing component that looked cool but was no fun to ride. Thankfully that was no where near the mark in my experience.

The Nice Bar does have a bit of give and so it doesn't really have that "zing" when you hit a sharp bump. This is subtle, so the bar feels direct and nothing like a "noodle" when you get up and yank on the bars for a sprint or sharply inclined climbing. 

I mentioned in the opener that I was pretty sure the angle of the extensions would be comfortable for me. I have tried many "alt" bars and I have tried about every conceivable  variation in angle from a more subtle 17° to the Jones Bar's 45° angled extensions. 

In my opinion, anything close to or beyond 40° is just a bit too much. At least it is for me. I never really got on with the Jones H Bar, although it is not "bad", but I often wished for less sweep when I used that bar. 

Having some amount of sweep is a good thing, in my opinion, from an ergonomic viewpoint. I liked those old Salsa flat handle bars with 17° of sweep. Then I got a hold of some Answer carbon bars with 20° and that was even better. The Nice Bars have 34.5° of sweep, so quite a bit more, but not in the ballpark of the Jones H Bars. In my opinion, I feel like this handlebar is about as "extreme" in terms of sweep, that I would likely feel alright with. 

The 34.5° of sweep in the extensions works well.

The thing is, to get that forward extension of the Nice Bar to work I don't think you could go with much less sweep. So, I think in terms of the design, this is a good place to be that offers many hand positions instead of a mildly swept bar that had no forward extensions at all. 

How about those nubs sticking out there? Any good or what? Well, I like this junction of the extensions and the central bar that bridges across to both because it gives me a couple of very comfortable, useable grips. 

One is to grasp the bar so that my thumbs are on the forward extensions ends, right on the end cap I installed there. This is a great climbing position for those longer grades. That works well for a touch of aero as well. Secondly, I like draping my hands across the central bar and forward extension which relieves pressure spots that build up while I am on the cork grips. It's a good place to cruise for a long time, and again, gets you a bit skinnier to the wind. 

I'm impressed with the ways I can get around to different positions on this bar and give my hands a break from time to time. There are not as many options as you would have to choose from with a drop bar, but there are a lot more to use than any typical flat bar would have. I've no doubt I could ride for a day on these bars with no stress induced from the handlebars. 

Plus, these bars look really cool. I still find myself checking them out in the Sunlight which really brings the different hues of the "flash painting" out. The steel construction really compliments my Surly frame and looks "right" on the bike. So, that part is good and along with the ride quality, I feel like these bars are going to be on this bike for quite a while. 

I'll be back later on with some reports on how this handlebar is holding up over a longer run in the future. Likely sometime this Spring. Look for that coming up.

Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar: Review - The Bike

 Note: Guitar Ted purchased the Nice Bar at full retail for personal use and review from Good Grief Bikes. Good Grief Bikes has no input on this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

Yesterday I introduced the Good Grief Bikes' "Nice Bar" handlebar. Today I am going to share with you dear readers how the installation went and what my first ride impressions are. But first, I want to share my intentions for this handlebar and why I wanted to use it with this particular bicycle. 

As I contemplated purchasing the Nice Bars I was struck by how their shape reminded me of a certain "alt bar" made out of titanium that was popular with some early 2000's endurance racers and ultra-MTB folks. That reminded me of the bicycles first used for gravel events in the mid-2000's and up until about 2013-2014. 

It was not uncommon to see mountain bikes, and especially the then new 29 inch wheeled versions of mountain bikes. These bikes, besides their rugged, durable nature, had 700c wheels, good geometry for gravel roads, (not the now current slack angled, long forked type), and early 29"er tires were right about where the now cutting edge widths for rubber are at, or in other words, 45mm - 52mm in width. 

This made me think about my 2003 Karate Monkey and how that bicycle was my first "gravel grinder". What if I tried recreating a "first generation" gravel grinder bike? I could use the Nice Bar as a sort of 'throw-back' to that long out of production "H-Bar" that many riders used back then. My Karate Monkey utilizes several parts that would be considered 'period correct' and has several parts that are actually from the period. So, I decided to start by putting the Nice Bar on the Karate Monkey and use the bike as a flat bar, throw-back gravel bike.  

The 2003 Karate Monkey with the Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar

To briefly give you an idea here of where this is and will be going, I will give a rundown on the build. This is a first-run 2003 Karate Monkey in Camp Stove Green purchased in March of 2003. I am the original owner. The head set is a Race Face threadless head set from 1996. The stem is a Thomson from the 2000's. The seat post is a Ritchey from the 2000's. The saddle is a Brooks B-17 which I received as a gift from one of this blog's readers, so I don't know the vintage there. The wheels are Shimano XTR rim brake hubs laced to Salsa Delgado Cross rims, circa early 2000's. The bottom bracket is a 1990's era Shimano UN-52. The crank set is a White Industries 180mm crank from around 2010. The chain wheel is a Home Grown Industries circa 2010,(company is defunct) and the pedals are Fyxation Mesa MP's from about ten years ago. The rear cog and spacer set is from Surly and probably around 12 - 15 years old. The tires are more recent, around 2017, and the water bottle cages are 1990's survivors. Brakes are recent Tektro linear pull and the levers are early 2000's Avid levers. Grips are a year old or so rubberized cork. The frame pump is a 1996 Blackburn frame pump. 

So, a lot there is staying. Some will change, but there is a bike that pretty much is representative of what you'd be riding mid-2000's in a gravel event. 

Installation: Back to the handlebar. These went on the bike very much like any other handle bar would. I did note that my brake levers, which were always loose on the slightly undersized Velo Orange Utility Bars, were 'normal' on the Nice Bar. No problems affixing them to the handlebar at all. 

The grips also were normal installation fare. This may seem silly to even point out, but you might be surprised how many times handle bars are not in spec with regard to diameter. 

My test ride showed me that I had things in the ballpark as far as tilt of the extensions and height of the bar overall. The stem length seems close, if not spot on. I suppose this is as good a place as any to address stem length. 

I've seen a lot of assertions to the effect that a swept back handle bar requires a longer stem than you usually would use. To my mind, this is far too simplistic and doesn't account for how a handlebar like this alters your entire approach to riding. First of all, there are so many varying ways to grip a bar like this that approaching the problem by trying to match your standard flat bar grip position is a big mistake. Those extensions reach forward a bit, and you will want to be able to actually use them to ride for miles, if you'd like. So don't get caught up in the traditional knee-jerk reactions when it comes to "alt-bars" because, like it or not, experimentation is going to be necessary to achieve the 'perfect-for-you' riding position. 

So, I may end up with a slightly different stem length, and I may tweak the way the extensions point downward, or maybe use them pointing slightly upward, if that ends up becoming a good feeling way to ride. My goal is to get to a place where I have multiple different hand positions and have the ability to ride hand-pain free for several hours at a crack. 

Ride Impressions: More soon, but right now this handle bar is promising. The ride is not harsh, the angle of my hands on the bar is very agreeable with me, and the handlebar looks great on my Karate Monkey. At least I think it does, so that is all that matters, right?

The extension junction with the center crossbar is a hand hold, hand resting spot, and a place to get a bit skinnier in a headwind. I found that this might be a relaxing place to ride while grinding out longer flat sections or for longer climbs, but I won't know for sure until I can get out into the country for a long ride. 

One thing to note here is that the Nice Bar does not come with handlebar plugs. You'll need grips that cover the ends of the extensions, as mine do, or four plugs of some sort. The plugs go into the ends of the extensions as well as the handlebar ends. Tip: You can fashion great, lightweight, good looking end caps for handlebars from wine bottle corks. Use the real cork ones, not those fake plastic ones. 

Stay tuned....

Good Grief Bikes' Nice Bar: Review

The Nice Bar from Good Grief Bikes

 Note: Guitar Ted purchased the Nice Bar at full retail for personal use and review from Good Grief Bikes. Good Grief Bikes has no input on this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

I brought the Nice Bar up again last Friday in the FN&V and here it is! This is an "alt bar" with a nod to the past and which has a very unique look. 

What It Is: The Nice Bar is named after fixed gear rider Dave "Fixie Dave" Nice. Dave rides a lot of mountain bike trails on fixed gear bikes, and he's done Tour Divide on a fixed gear bike, so honoring him with a handlebar named for him is a nice gesture. 

The bar is crafted by Good Grief Bikes' Christopher Schmidt. Here is the link to the "About" page which has more details on Chris. Good Grief Bikes in Colorado Springs, Colorado is a small business and a 'one-man show' so you know who made the bar and that is kind of different in these days of Amazon/faceless retail. You either value that or you do not. I think it is an integral part of this handlebar and thus, this review, to include that the product is from such a source. 

For one thing, because it is made the way it is, each example of the Nice Bar will be a bit unique. Chris "flame-paints" and clear-coats each handlebar ensuring that no two are alike in looks. Added to that is the monster brass brazing of the extensions which makes for a noticeable contrast with the rich purples, teals, blues, and violets of the flame-painting. The bar is so striking in terms of aesthetics it seems a shame to cover any part of it! 

You can order this bar with different clamp sizes to accommodate different stem standards. I ordered a 31.8mm clamp section which Chris brazed on to the center section of the Nice Bar. No shims here! 

Here are the other specifications for the bar from the Good Grief Bikes' page for the Nice Bar:

•4130 Chromoly, brazed one at a time
•Flame-painted and clear-coated for a unique iridescent finish
•Clamp Diameter Options: 22.2 mm, 25.4 mm, 31.8 mm
•Forward Extension Length = 100 mm
•Rear Grip Extension Length = 185mm
•Backsweep = 34.5 Degrees

 Also, while it is not mentioned in the specs, I tested an old SunTour Barcon shifter and it did fit into the extensions of the Nice Bar. So, if you were thinking about running bar end shifters, that should work out with this handlebar.

Weight: The purpose of this handlebar is to withstand adventure cycling/bikepacking and allow for a comfortable, all-day riding position with multiple hand positions on tap for the rider to choose from. My intentions are to use it as a flat bar gravel alternative which I will get into in another update on this review. So, because durability is high on the design manifest here, you are not getting a lightweight handlebar with the Nice Bar. This example weighs in at 840 grams. That comps with a Surly Corner Bar, another ChroMo bar, which weighs approximately 800 grams with a separate shim.  The Velo Orange Utility Bar, another ChroMo steel bar I tested HERE, weighs in at 820 grams. 

The Nice Bar comes in various widths as well. I chose a 44.4cm width as that was the closest width to my gravel bars I run which are 46cm in width, generally speaking. I've no doubt that choosing  25.4mm clamp and going with the slightly narrower 44.0cm bars would have dropped the weight down to be pretty much the same as the Surly bar. But really, if you are buying this bar and heavily considering the weight of the thing, I think you are missing the point a bit. 

For example, Good Grief says on their site that they make bicycle frames, forks, and components for people to have fun using, " not to set land-speed records or worry about 5 grams of weight difference– but to ride and love and embrace the JOMO. (That’s the “joy of missing out”)."

 First Impressions: The package came in and I noted that Good Grief uses paper packing tape and that the box was cushioned inside with strips of crinkled black paper. Hmm.... Different, kind of fancy, and environmentally conscientious. Cool! 

The handlebars were striking and beautiful to behold in a kind of base, purposeful way. Not necessarily industrial, I wouldn't say, but pretty and "tool-like" at once. I liked the look and feel. The heft of the bar was reassuring in that I would not be afraid of using this bar for anything I would ride off-road around here. Tough looking handlebars but designed in a way that looks comfortable and appealing. 

The brazed on clamp section was a bit of the bar that I found amazing. I'd never considered that this clamp area could be addressed in such a manner. It's very unique. 

The width was spot-on for me, and the swept 34.5° extensions felt natural in my hands. I've tried the "OG" of this sort of design, which has 45° swept extensions and that seems like just a bit much, for me at any rate. This slightly less swept, but still dramatically angled, extension is much more to my liking as I have another handlebar with a similar extension sweep and I really get on with it. Of course, this is a very personal "fit" issue and subjective to each use case. You may like it as well, or you may not get along with it at all. My personal opinion is that most humans should be using a swept extension bar for the best ergonomics, but again, you are welcome to disagree.

Next: The Bike: I will discuss installation, set up, and what I have intended for this bike and for the Nice Bars.

Friday News And Views

Less Race - More Taste

 A Fear Of Vowels FN&V

Good Grief  Bike 'Nice Bars' In:

Well, after a four day delay when these handlebars went into the time warp, they have arrived! Tracking packages over a holiday weekend is never for the weak of mind. I will say that! 

I mentioned these handlebars a while back HERE in another FN&V. I'm preparing a post about these handlebars which will appear next week. Until that time, I have a couple of things to say about the experience of purchasing these handlebars. 

First of all, my order was processed and shipped very quickly. It wasn't Good Grief Bike's fault that the delivery took longer than expected. Again, the holiday week probably was not the best time to order anything and be expecting a timely delivery! 

Secondly, I was flattered and surprised that Chris of Good Grief hand wrote me a note telling me that he had been inspired by writings on this very blog! That was certainly very nice of him to say. On one hand, I am always so surprised by how and where my blog has touched someone out there and maybe has inspired them to something they wouldn't have otherwise done. Certainly Chris of Good Grief would have been fine without me doing what I did and do, but knowing that what I did and do makes a dent out there is kind of mind blowing. 

Secondly I am not going to let that kindness get in the way of evaluating this handlebar fairly. So, I just wanted to get that out of the way and be up-front about this. Chris of Good Grief had no idea I was going to order a handlebar from him until I did, so this wasn't a disingenuous response from him either. 

I'm excited about this handlebar for several reasons. Stay tuned for the update coming next week. I think some of you might be surprised....

First There Was SBT GRVL.....

Last week I saw a notice being posted on a few gravel pages on Facebook, (of which there are SEVERAL!), and it was an announcement of a new gravel oriented "magazine". 

It is called "GRVL MGZIN". You can check it out online HERE. 

Comments: Ah....... Vowels anyone? I mean, you bothered to use one in your name, so..... Maybe it can be chalked up to the SBT GRVL influence. Anyway. I guess its whatever these days. And what of the "magazine" part? I  could not find out if this was a physical product. It would appear it is just a digital content provider with six contributors. 

I wish these folks well. I know what this endeavor will take to make a dent and how much it "pays". Not many have made this model actually work for a career and a way to make a living. (See any number of current and past digital efforts in the cycling field) Perhaps this bunch will crack the code and be successful. But I wish they'd consider vowels as being a bit more important. 

It's Registration Season!

New Year - New Registrations! You've probably gotten hit up in your emails and social media by events angling to get you to come back again to ride or visit for the first time. "The Algorithms" demand that you pay attention and give them your money! Ha! But you know it is true! 

Outside, the corporation that owns BikeReg, is gonna get a piece of the pie whether you like what they do or not since it is hard to register for an event online without using BikeReg. Of course, there is a choice to use Athlinks, and then Life Time Fitness has a buck or two from that. The point is that gravel events are just like any other event these days with someone getting their fingers in the pie in a covert way that you may or may not notice. 

At least it isn't as bad as live concert ticket pricing! 

This is one of the things that 'gravel events' lost when things got monetized and pushed into big business style thinking. There was a time you sent your money directly to the organizer of the event with no middleman. I suppose there are still smaller events that do this. 

And some folks probably don't care where those extra fees are going. It is the price of doing business. And gravel is pretty big business these days!

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth

Speculating On Future Wolf Tooth Product:

Recently Wolf Tooth Components sent out an email to its customers reviewing what they had introduced in 2024 and then teasing new products for 2025. 

Saying in the email, "We've got some big things planned in the coming months. 2025 will be a new era for Wolf Tooth.", tad then showing the image here with a big puck of aluminum stock. 

So, let's play a game of speculation. What do you think this points to? I'll take a stab and say that Wolf Tooth Components will be making their own hubs for MTB and gravel bikes in 2025. 

N.Y. Roll has talked with me quite a bit about this idea and his guess is that Onyx Racing Products is going to merge with Wolf Tooth and come under one umbrella company. I think his guess has a lot of credence. Both are Minnesota based companies and both manufacture in house. Onyx Racing Products is actually an outgrowth of the Christianson Pneumatic Conveying Systems company out of Blomkest, Minnesota, a small town West of the Twin Cities. So perhaps Christianson is spinning off Onyx to Wolf Tooth which, again, makes a lot of sense.

Or N.Y. Roll thinks it could be a merger with HED Wheels. I could see that, because HED and Wolf Tooth already work together with the bicycle side of Wolf Tooth, Otso Bikes. Whatever the case, I think Wolf Tooth is going into the hub making business. 

Can N.Y. Roll and I both be right?

We'll see. 

A New Book By John Ingham With A Forward By Guitar Ted:

Readers here may recall earlier last year seeing a long form article I was honored to present which was authored by John Ingham. 

John contributed several such articles in the past to "Riding Gravel" which have been culled and included in this new book of his. He also added the article posted here plus a previously unpublished article. 

The book is a look at how gravel and long-distance riding can change your life for the better both spiritually and physically. John Ingham is a retired professor of anthropology, a former rock climber, and has been riding gravel and gravel events recently including The DAMn. John is also in his early 80's, and is an inspiration to many. 

I was honored to have John ask me to write a forward to this book and I also can heartily recommend it as a great look from an academic, scientific, and experiential viewpoint. John gives the reader all the facts and sources for research in this book so you can verify things for yourself if you care to do this. 

I've read most of the articles and I can say that I learned a lot from John's research and knowledge. I think you might also. Here's how to look it up on Amazon where it is available as a paperback. NOTE: I have no benefit from the sales of this book. My contributions were provided gratis in support of John and as a way to thank him for his past contributions to my work.

Thanks for considering this. 
 

That's it for the first FN&V of 2025! Happy New Year! Get out and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

The 2025 Gravel Earth Series Calendar

Gravel Earth Series Announces Official Dates For 2025:

The Gravel Earth Series has expanded its palette of offerings to the competitive gravel rider to include several new events to the series. 

Events now span the globe from the Philippines, South America, North America, Iceland, Europe, and Africa. The USA has six dates on the 26 event calendar alone. 

Most interesting to my local readers is that - as reported here previously - CORE4 in Iowa and Gravel Worlds in Nebraska are both Gravel Earth Series events. This will mark the first time that Iowa has figured into any international series or has gotten any spotlight in a world-wide stage, such as the Gravel Earth Series brings. 

More details can be found at the Gravel Earth Series site. 

Comments: This series is ambitious and seems to be aiming to be the preeminent series for gravel racing worldwide. There is, of course, the UCI Gravel World Series, but at this point, if plans come to fruition, the UCI series will have half the events that Gravel Earth Series has in the USA and the UCI has nothing in Iowa or Nebraska at this point. At least the Gravel Earth Series seems to place a heavy emphasis on the birthplace of the modern day gravel scene, both in having events on its calendar and in allowing those events to be what they are uniquely suited to be. 

Now the outlier here is the Life Time Grand Prix, which is a mix of MTB and gravel, but within its smaller series of events, it has a very lucrative payday and the "crown jewel" of gravel, the Unbound event in Emporia, Kansas.  "Crown jewel" in that it is regarded as the most prestigious Pro level event, but that is all. Whatever charm the event had in its early days is being heavily overshadowed or eliminated in favor of a focus on the highest levels of competition, media access, and prizing.

Schwalbe G1 RX gravel tire (Image courtesy of Schwalbe)

Schwalbe Announces G1 RX Gravel Tires:

On Tuesday of last week, Schwalbe announced new G1 RX gravel tires. The tread pattern is Schwalbe's most aggressive pattern for gravel tires. 

Schwalbe also considers this tire as the gravel tire in its range with the best traction and best cornering traction. They also claim good mud clearing abilities, but I wouldn't hold my breath there when it comes to Kansan clay or Iowa's black dirt. 

The G1 RX comes in 700 x 38mm, 700 x 43mm, and 700 x 50mm. Black or tan side walls. Webpage for the black version HERE. 

Comments: I am not all that familiar with Schwalbe gravel tires. I did try a set of their lighter weight MTB treads for my Fargo one year and had a poor experience so I haven't been all that interested in Schwalbe's offerings. There are a LOT of fans of Schwalbe tires, however, so they must be doing some things right. 

I'll have to try a set again someday just to see what the hype is all about. 

Image courtesy of Good Grief Bicycles

These Are Some "Nice Bars":

I follow "Fixie Dave" Nice on several different social media platforms. He has done Trans Iowa in the past and he really does ride fixed gear off-road and everywhere else all the time. Anyway, he was showing these handle bars recently and they struck me as being very familiar looking. 

In fact, they are a dead ringer for the original Jones H-Bars. I first saw those handlebars at the very first DK200 in 2006. I always thought those were cool, but they were expensive, being made from titanium, as they were. 

I ended up buying some Titec H-Bars, which were made out of aluminum and varied a bit from Jeff Jones' design by using a riser center section instead of a plain, straight section of tubing like Jeff Jones had been doing. It was ugly, but man! It was sure awesome on my OS Bikes Blackbuck. 

One thing led to another and those bars came off, others went on, and the Titec bars went to the recyclers. But when I saw these "Nice Bars", (yes- named after Fixie Dave, it seems), I thought I should try a sample, so I have purchased them. 

These are made from steel, not titanium, but the effect will be similar, I hope, to my old Titec H-Bar experience, which is when I thought the Blackbuck was at its best. I'll have more to say when I get them, but if you are curious, here is the website page. And it looks like my handlebars will be here on the 23rd. So, that's pretty quick service from a small fabricator/business. 

Rocky Mountain Solo Carbon 90 gravel bike.

Rocky Mountain Bikes Files For Reorganization:

News broke yesterday that Rocky Mountain Bikes has asked for a "Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act" from the Canadian government, according to this report on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" website. 

Citing the all too familiar story of a crash in sales post-COVID and a market-wide drop in pricing, Rocky Mountain hopes to avoid interruption of its business with this move.

Comments: This was the sort of thing I thought we might have seen more of earlier in 2024, but it seems that the end of the year has pushed some companies to the brink and now we are seeing the results expressed as financial troubles. 

One has to wonder when you see the brand being "closed out" on internet sites like Jenson USA where you can buy a Rocky Mountain gravel bike for 50% off. In fact, that retailer can sometimes be used as a barometer for what companies aren't doing so well by looking at the deeper discounted brands. 

Rocky Mountain isn't the only brand with recent troubling news. I'll have another brand featured in next week's "FN&V".

That's a wrap on this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions and remember: Get out there and ride those bicycles!