Gravel Worlds '19: Part 2

The Cycle Works gang (Me in center) Image by Michaela courtesy of Rob Evans

Tony and I got our gear on quickly after breakfast and we were out the door with plenty of time to get to the Fallbrook area North of Lincoln for the start at SchillingBridge. I noted that my tire held air again all night, so..... ??? Weird. (More on the rear tire later)

The bikes got unloaded and as we were riding over to the staging area for the start, I could hear Tony trying to shift his front derailleur. But it wouldn't shift. It was just grinding, grinding, and this after Tony had said that his bike had been working perfectly. Great! Why is it that these gremlins rear their ugly little heads at the most inopportune times?

Well, we stopped under a street light and tried to diagnose what the issue was. Everything looked normal upon a visual inspection. The cable tension was thought to be the culprit for a brief minute, but that wasn't it either. Tony tried shifting without him in the saddle as I held the bike's rear end up off the ground. It shifted! So, Tony went for a brief test ride. He came back with more positive, but guarded news. It shifted, but it wasn't a real inspiring shift. He was going to live with it.

With that done I moved to the back end of the starting chute where I belonged. Suddenly I found myself surrounded by many in the Cycle Works crew. Their distinctive "Rasta" striped jerseys are hard to miss. I saw Rob Evans, (he was at my GTDRI ride in July), and his girlfriend, Michaela was there as well. I moved over to chat with Michaela a bit and next thing ya know I was in the middle of the Cycle Works start line image. Literally. I was in the middle of it. Anyway.......

Tony looking over his bike pre-race. It turned out to be okay.

Then we all chatted until the minutes wound their way around to close to 6:00am, which was the slated start time, and we began to get a bit more focused on what was about to happen. I even remembered to turn on my Lezyne Super GPS unit! Amazing, right? (By the way- I hate that you have to mess with the menu and physically turn on two different things to get the stupid computer just to read out the info on your ride.)

I was taking things calmly. No need to stress out about my lack of training, my rear tire, or whatever. I just wanted to give it a go and see what would happen. My plan was to "shift early- shift often" and as an alternative to a maxim I heard from former Trans Iowa winner Dennis Grelk, I was going to "go easy on the hard parts, and go easy on the easy parts". Dennis didn't say, "go easy on the easy parts" though!

We were talking amongst each other at the starting line about how when Gravel Worlds used to be led out for the neutralized start by an old Ford pick-up truck with a very throaty exhaust note. You could tell when the driver dropped the automatic transmission into "Drive" as the RPM's would cause the exhaust note to lower in pitch. You knew to get clipped in then because it was about to be "go time". Now, with a police cruiser doing the escort from town, that is a distant memory. Suddenly, I heard a chorus of metallic clicking noises. Lots of clipless pedals being engaged all at once. Guess we were off! With the start chute being so narrow, we had to wait about 30 seconds before we could get ourselves mobile. Then it was a left turn out into the neighborhood. The course was pavement for the first mile plus, so jockeying for positions is pretty common here.

An overcast sky greeted the riders. It actually rained a tiny bit before the start.

The scrum on the initial parts of the course wasn't as bad as I have experienced in years past. The riders seemed to holding lines, not cutting people off, and everyone just seemed to be working well around each other. At least where I was in the group. The overcast, very humid, but cool weather was also odd. Typically it is baking already an hour into this event and you are looking at a long day in the heat. However; the overcast skies made the temperatures hold down in the upper 70's longer than expected, and everyone I came across seemed to be having a lot more fun than we would have been had the Sun been out.

The full moon hadn't set yet as the riders get strung out over the Gravel Worlds course.

I got settled into a groove and found out I wasn't working too hard but was "putting time in the bank". My goal was to keep well above a 10 miles covered per hour pace so I would be able to take longer breaks when necessary when and if the Sun came out and it got hot. It would get hot, right? I mean, it is Gravel Worlds we are talking about here. 

Everything was working so smoothly it was scary. I was eating, drinking, and keeping from horsing the pedals too much. Then I got up to around Mile 30, a left hand turn at the bottom a fairly fast downhill. The road was graded here, fluffed up, and the surface was loose. What's more, the turn was off-camber, and also very loose. A woman on a small fat bike was just entering the apex of the turn as I started to enter the turn. I was gaining on her quickly and I figured that as she straightened up off the corner I would pass her on the outside. But just then she stabbed her brakes, and drifted to the outside, right into my planned line!

You know when you do something pretty outstanding and you wish someone would have filmed it? I made a pretty spectacular, one-footed save, and rode the bike to a halt just before entering the ditch. One person behind me who didn't see what caused my fancy stop said, "Get in too hot?", with a smirk as he flew by. Whatever. I know what went down, and in the moment I was pretty upset that this woman bailed out and got on her brakes. She ran me right off the road.  It wasn't her fault, just one of those deals, and I quickly got over it and moved on. I was just glad I didn't eat it and go for a ditch header.

Next Gravel Worlds '19: Part 3

Gravel Worlds '19: Part 2

The Cycle Works gang (Me in center) Image by Michaela courtesy of Rob Evans

Tony and I got our gear on quickly after breakfast and we were out the door with plenty of time to get to the Fallbrook area North of Lincoln for the start at SchillingBridge. I noted that my tire held air again all night, so..... ??? Weird. (More on the rear tire later)

The bikes got unloaded and as we were riding over to the staging area for the start, I could hear Tony trying to shift his front derailleur. But it wouldn't shift. It was just grinding, grinding, and this after Tony had said that his bike had been working perfectly. Great! Why is it that these gremlins rear their ugly little heads at the most inopportune times?

Well, we stopped under a street light and tried to diagnose what the issue was. Everything looked normal upon a visual inspection. The cable tension was thought to be the culprit for a brief minute, but that wasn't it either. Tony tried shifting without him in the saddle as I held the bike's rear end up off the ground. It shifted! So, Tony went for a brief test ride. He came back with more positive, but guarded news. It shifted, but it wasn't a real inspiring shift. He was going to live with it.

With that done I moved to the back end of the starting chute where I belonged. Suddenly I found myself surrounded by many in the Cycle Works crew. Their distinctive "Rasta" striped jerseys are hard to miss. I saw Rob Evans, (he was at my GTDRI ride in July), and his girlfriend, Michaela was there as well. I moved over to chat with Michaela a bit and next thing ya know I was in the middle of the Cycle Works start line image. Literally. I was in the middle of it. Anyway.......

Tony looking over his bike pre-race. It turned out to be okay.

Then we all chatted until the minutes wound their way around to close to 6:00am, which was the slated start time, and we began to get a bit more focused on what was about to happen. I even remembered to turn on my Lezyne Super GPS unit! Amazing, right? (By the way- I hate that you have to mess with the menu and physically turn on two different things to get the stupid computer just to read out the info on your ride.)

I was taking things calmly. No need to stress out about my lack of training, my rear tire, or whatever. I just wanted to give it a go and see what would happen. My plan was to "shift early- shift often" and as an alternative to a maxim I heard from former Trans Iowa winner Dennis Grelk, I was going to "go easy on the hard parts, and go easy on the easy parts". Dennis didn't say, "go easy on the easy parts" though!

We were talking amongst each other at the starting line about how when Gravel Worlds used to be led out for the neutralized start by an old Ford pick-up truck with a very throaty exhaust note. You could tell when the driver dropped the automatic transmission into "Drive" as the RPM's would cause the exhaust note to lower in pitch. You knew to get clipped in then because it was about to be "go time". Now, with a police cruiser doing the escort from town, that is a distant memory. Suddenly, I heard a chorus of metallic clicking noises. Lots of clipless pedals being engaged all at once. Guess we were off! With the start chute being so narrow, we had to wait about 30 seconds before we could get ourselves mobile. Then it was a left turn out into the neighborhood. The course was pavement for the first mile plus, so jockeying for positions is pretty common here.

An overcast sky greeted the riders. It actually rained a tiny bit before the start.

The scrum on the initial parts of the course wasn't as bad as I have experienced in years past. The riders seemed to holding lines, not cutting people off, and everyone just seemed to be working well around each other. At least where I was in the group. The overcast, very humid, but cool weather was also odd. Typically it is baking already an hour into this event and you are looking at a long day in the heat. However; the overcast skies made the temperatures hold down in the upper 70's longer than expected, and everyone I came across seemed to be having a lot more fun than we would have been had the Sun been out.

The full moon hadn't set yet as the riders get strung out over the Gravel Worlds course.

I got settled into a groove and found out I wasn't working too hard but was "putting time in the bank". My goal was to keep well above a 10 miles covered per hour pace so I would be able to take longer breaks when necessary when and if the Sun came out and it got hot. It would get hot, right? I mean, it is Gravel Worlds we are talking about here. 

Everything was working so smoothly it was scary. I was eating, drinking, and keeping from horsing the pedals too much. Then I got up to around Mile 30, a left hand turn at the bottom a fairly fast downhill. The road was graded here, fluffed up, and the surface was loose. What's more, the turn was off-camber, and also very loose. A woman on a small fat bike was just entering the apex of the turn as I started to enter the turn. I was gaining on her quickly and I figured that as she straightened up off the corner I would pass her on the outside. But just then she stabbed her brakes, and drifted to the outside, right into my planned line!

You know when you do something pretty outstanding and you wish someone would have filmed it? I made a pretty spectacular, one-footed save, and rode the bike to a halt just before entering the ditch. One person behind me who didn't see what caused my fancy stop said, "Get in too hot?", with a smirk as he flew by. Whatever. I know what went down, and in the moment I was pretty upset that this woman bailed out and got on her brakes. She ran me right off the road.  It wasn't her fault, just one of those deals, and I quickly got over it and moved on. I was just glad I didn't eat it and go for a ditch header.

Next Gravel Worlds '19: Part 3

Dialing In The Set Up - Part 2

The Fargo Gen I set up so far. Nearly there!

Well, the tires came in that I wanted to try and they are now set up on the WTB Frequency Team i23 rims/American Classic hubbed wheels I've had for a long time. I do have some carbon rimmed wheels I could have used, but I didn't because, well......I didn't want to mess with swapping end caps and taking off some tires I would have been putting right back on after Gravel Worlds is over.

Anyway, I chose these tires when I learned that they cam in a 29" X 2.35" width. Why? Here's why.......

The gravel in Nebraska, especially around Lincoln, is sandy. Loose, inconsistent spots of roadway are not uncommon. Skinny tires + heavy guy = pizza cutter. Fatter tires are best from my experiences that I have had down there since 2009. Probably some of the best tires I ever used on Nebraska gravel around the Lincoln area were Bontrager XR-1's. The original ones, which were never tubeless rated. Anyway, finding tires like that since then has been hard to do.

I'd seen G-One tires before, of course, and I have ridden a 35mm version of them, which was not a good experience, so I never really paid much attention to G-One tires after that. However; while at work the other day it came up that these G-One tires came in a 2.35" width, and suddenly I was very interested. (See description of Nebraska gravel above)

Not much for tread there, but a LOT of volume and light weight should make for a great tire for Gravel Worlds.

I got the tires mounted Saturday and it wasn't easy. I probably should have put on fresh tape, but....I'm a bit of a skinflint, and the old tape looked good yet. That said, fresh tape in two layers would have made the setting up of these tires far easier. But since I did not use fresh tape, and the fit on the WTB rims was, well.....on the looser side, it became an issue of perseverance and eventually I won out. I was a bit skeptical about these holding air well because they weigh 553/556 grams and that is really light for 29" X 2.35" tires. Of course, they held air just fine into Sunday. I'll keep a close eye on these and I will be riding the bike as my commuter this week just to get things solidly set up.

Of course, the light weight should be no surprise when you consider that these have basically no tread to speak of. There are those tiny knobs, but whatever. Seriously.......do you think they do anything? I doubt they add anything to traction except that they do boost your psychological mind set into a false belief that these knobs can do something. Basically, these are reverse dimples on a golf ball sort of deal. They probably are more an aero thing than they are traction. These are "textured slicks" in reality.

Not much room left there.

These are the most voluminous tires I have had on the Fargo in many a year. I mentioned that I tried 2.8" 27.5 tires on this bike once, but other than that, I have used mostly 2.0-2.1 tires. These G - Ones seem to be the "real deal", and they measure out at just a shade over 59mm at less than 30psi.

Speaking of psi- I think I'll be able to run something in the 20's, but this week I will be experimenting with dialing that in. I first ran the front and rear, on the initial test ride, at 30psi. That was obviously too harsh. However, I did note straight away that these tires roll like crazy. And, of course, why wouldn't they? They better roll like crazy since they have no tread to slow them down to speak of.

In other news on my set up, I have added my Bar Yak cue sheet holder, my Lezyne GPS computer, and a Topeak saddle bag with two tubes, repair kit, and an extra bottle of sealant. The final bits will be nutrition and stashing that on the bike in my Bike Bag Dude Garage top tube bag. I'll also have a Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bag which I may use for a bottle or I may use it to store food as well. Water will be dealt with by using the six bottle cage mounts on the bike. Re-supply on water is available on route at about ten-ish miles after a 40 mile opening stretch. There is also about a 9 mile stretch to the finish after the last opportunity.

So far, so good.

Dialing In The Set Up - Part 2

The Fargo Gen I set up so far. Nearly there!

Well, the tires came in that I wanted to try and they are now set up on the WTB Frequency Team i23 rims/American Classic hubbed wheels I've had for a long time. I do have some carbon rimmed wheels I could have used, but I didn't because, well......I didn't want to mess with swapping end caps and taking off some tires I would have been putting right back on after Gravel Worlds is over.

Anyway, I chose these tires when I learned that they cam in a 29" X 2.35" width. Why? Here's why.......

The gravel in Nebraska, especially around Lincoln, is sandy. Loose, inconsistent spots of roadway are not uncommon. Skinny tires + heavy guy = pizza cutter. Fatter tires are best from my experiences that I have had down there since 2009. Probably some of the best tires I ever used on Nebraska gravel around the Lincoln area were Bontrager XR-1's. The original ones, which were never tubeless rated. Anyway, finding tires like that since then has been hard to do.

I'd seen G-One tires before, of course, and I have ridden a 35mm version of them, which was not a good experience, so I never really paid much attention to G-One tires after that. However; while at work the other day it came up that these G-One tires came in a 2.35" width, and suddenly I was very interested. (See description of Nebraska gravel above)

Not much for tread there, but a LOT of volume and light weight should make for a great tire for Gravel Worlds.

I got the tires mounted Saturday and it wasn't easy. I probably should have put on fresh tape, but....I'm a bit of a skinflint, and the old tape looked good yet. That said, fresh tape in two layers would have made the setting up of these tires far easier. But since I did not use fresh tape, and the fit on the WTB rims was, well.....on the looser side, it became an issue of perseverance and eventually I won out. I was a bit skeptical about these holding air well because they weigh 553/556 grams and that is really light for 29" X 2.35" tires. Of course, they held air just fine into Sunday. I'll keep a close eye on these and I will be riding the bike as my commuter this week just to get things solidly set up.

Of course, the light weight should be no surprise when you consider that these have basically no tread to speak of. There are those tiny knobs, but whatever. Seriously.......do you think they do anything? I doubt they add anything to traction except that they do boost your psychological mind set into a false belief that these knobs can do something. Basically, these are reverse dimples on a golf ball sort of deal. They probably are more an aero thing than they are traction. These are "textured slicks" in reality.

Not much room left there.

These are the most voluminous tires I have had on the Fargo in many a year. I mentioned that I tried 2.8" 27.5 tires on this bike once, but other than that, I have used mostly 2.0-2.1 tires. These G - Ones seem to be the "real deal", and they measure out at just a shade over 59mm at less than 30psi.

Speaking of psi- I think I'll be able to run something in the 20's, but this week I will be experimenting with dialing that in. I first ran the front and rear, on the initial test ride, at 30psi. That was obviously too harsh. However, I did note straight away that these tires roll like crazy. And, of course, why wouldn't they? They better roll like crazy since they have no tread to slow them down to speak of.

In other news on my set up, I have added my Bar Yak cue sheet holder, my Lezyne GPS computer, and a Topeak saddle bag with two tubes, repair kit, and an extra bottle of sealant. The final bits will be nutrition and stashing that on the bike in my Bike Bag Dude Garage top tube bag. I'll also have a Bike Bag Dude Chaff Bag which I may use for a bottle or I may use it to store food as well. Water will be dealt with by using the six bottle cage mounts on the bike. Re-supply on water is available on route at about ten-ish miles after a 40 mile opening stretch. There is also about a 9 mile stretch to the finish after the last opportunity.

So far, so good.

Dialing In The Set Up

The Fargo Gen I on the old Shirey Way.

Yesterday I spent some time setting up the Fargo Gen I for Gravel Worlds. I added a sixth bottle cage, took off the Revelate Tangle bag, and set the bike up with an alternate set of wheels I have sitting around. The wheels I want to use will be set up with the new Schwalbe G-One tires I have coming in which should be here tomorrow.

That said, this wheel and tire combo is one I would not mind using. The wheels are generic Formula hubbed, Weinmann rimmed affairs that came stock on my Tamland Two. They are not "bad" wheels at all, but they are not tubeless either, or at least I never saw anything that said they were rated for tubeless usage. So, I have them set up with some old, out of production 29" X 2.1" tires that I have always thought should have been marketed as gravel tires, but were ten years too early to market for that.

That tire would be the Vulpine, an XC racing tire that never really caught on with the MTB crowd. I got a pair to test for the old site I ran, "Twenty Nine Inches", back in 2008, or somewhere around then. Anyway, I recognized right away that this tread pattern was/is a great pattern for gravel road use. By the time the Vulpine had arrived on the scene as a 29" tire, I had the Fargo, and I put these very tires on the bike back then. Suspicions about the tire's performance traits on gravel were confirmed, and as I moved on to other tires for the Fargo, these Vulpines went on my custom Pofahl drop bar single speed. In fact, I set them up tubeless. (They are not tubeless rated), and then after a long while I pulled them off and these tires sat dormant for several years.

As an aside, (as if I weren't going down a rabbit hole already), I kept bugging WTB to make these again and make them for gravel bikes. My contact back then was Will Ritchie, and I pretty much wore him out on this subject. Ironically, just before Will left WTB, they found a single, NOS, Vulpine in their storage facility, (shed), and Will had it sent to me. Nice guy, that Will. (Thanks again, in case you happen to see this.)

If I told you this was the latest in gravel tread design, you'd probably believe it. It is over a decade old!

I think these Vulpines would survive another Gravel Worlds, so if the Schwalbe experiment looks sketchy, I will default back to these tires. Yeah.....I'll probably replace one of those old Vulpines if that needs to happen and put it on the rear. But we will see.

I rode the Fargo loaded down with all the water bottles filled and decided I needed to tweak on the Ragley Luxy bar a bit. Lately my hands have been sensitive, so I have moved a couple of my bars of late. Just a touch more downward angle to the extensions seems to do the trick. Then I also discovered that the "jerry can" bag I have on the top tube by the seat post bothers me when I pedal. My shorts juuuust graze the bag and it drives me up the wall. Like something is tickling me between my thighs and it ain't good. So, I am taking that bag off and since it holds repair stuff, I may dig out my Topeak aerobag and stick that behind/under the saddle. That should solve that issue.

I also think I will get some new brake pads installed. I don't know when the last time it was I put pads in those calipers. Maybe never? Brakes are good, so I better take care of that. I also need to put a new battery in the CatEye Velo 9 and re-calibrate it with whatever tires I end up going with. The CatEye is deadly accurate when you use your own roll-out number in the set up. Plus, I don't have to remember to turn it on, and it gives me exactly only the info I want. Mileage and time. I also need to install my Bar Yak cue sheet holder. Otherwise I think the bike is good to go

I've got one brand new one if I need it.

So, we will get those minor things attended to and wait to see what those Schwalbe tires can do. If I am not fully impressed I won't go with them. The Vulpines, or a set of tubeless 2.1" Nanoraptors I have, would be the go-to back up tires. That will all be decided upon this weekend and then I'l have a few days to make sure I am 100% dialed then Friday next week I will be on the road to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Dialing In The Set Up

The Fargo Gen I on the old Shirey Way.

Yesterday I spent some time setting up the Fargo Gen I for Gravel Worlds. I added a sixth bottle cage, took off the Revelate Tangle bag, and set the bike up with an alternate set of wheels I have sitting around. The wheels I want to use will be set up with the new Schwalbe G-One tires I have coming in which should be here tomorrow.

That said, this wheel and tire combo is one I would not mind using. The wheels are generic Formula hubbed, Weinmann rimmed affairs that came stock on my Tamland Two. They are not "bad" wheels at all, but they are not tubeless either, or at least I never saw anything that said they were rated for tubeless usage. So, I have them set up with some old, out of production 29" X 2.1" tires that I have always thought should have been marketed as gravel tires, but were ten years too early to market for that.

That tire would be the Vulpine, an XC racing tire that never really caught on with the MTB crowd. I got a pair to test for the old site I ran, "Twenty Nine Inches", back in 2008, or somewhere around then. Anyway, I recognized right away that this tread pattern was/is a great pattern for gravel road use. By the time the Vulpine had arrived on the scene as a 29" tire, I had the Fargo, and I put these very tires on the bike back then. Suspicions about the tire's performance traits on gravel were confirmed, and as I moved on to other tires for the Fargo, these Vulpines went on my custom Pofahl drop bar single speed. In fact, I set them up tubeless. (They are not tubeless rated), and then after a long while I pulled them off and these tires sat dormant for several years.

As an aside, (as if I weren't going down a rabbit hole already), I kept bugging WTB to make these again and make them for gravel bikes. My contact back then was Will Ritchie, and I pretty much wore him out on this subject. Ironically, just before Will left WTB, they found a single, NOS, Vulpine in their storage facility, (shed), and Will had it sent to me. Nice guy, that Will. (Thanks again, in case you happen to see this.)

If I told you this was the latest in gravel tread design, you'd probably believe it. It is over a decade old!

I think these Vulpines would survive another Gravel Worlds, so if the Schwalbe experiment looks sketchy, I will default back to these tires. Yeah.....I'll probably replace one of those old Vulpines if that needs to happen and put it on the rear. But we will see.

I rode the Fargo loaded down with all the water bottles filled and decided I needed to tweak on the Ragley Luxy bar a bit. Lately my hands have been sensitive, so I have moved a couple of my bars of late. Just a touch more downward angle to the extensions seems to do the trick. Then I also discovered that the "jerry can" bag I have on the top tube by the seat post bothers me when I pedal. My shorts juuuust graze the bag and it drives me up the wall. Like something is tickling me between my thighs and it ain't good. So, I am taking that bag off and since it holds repair stuff, I may dig out my Topeak aerobag and stick that behind/under the saddle. That should solve that issue.

I also think I will get some new brake pads installed. I don't know when the last time it was I put pads in those calipers. Maybe never? Brakes are good, so I better take care of that. I also need to put a new battery in the CatEye Velo 9 and re-calibrate it with whatever tires I end up going with. The CatEye is deadly accurate when you use your own roll-out number in the set up. Plus, I don't have to remember to turn it on, and it gives me exactly only the info I want. Mileage and time. I also need to install my Bar Yak cue sheet holder. Otherwise I think the bike is good to go

I've got one brand new one if I need it.

So, we will get those minor things attended to and wait to see what those Schwalbe tires can do. If I am not fully impressed I won't go with them. The Vulpines, or a set of tubeless 2.1" Nanoraptors I have, would be the go-to back up tires. That will all be decided upon this weekend and then I'l have a few days to make sure I am 100% dialed then Friday next week I will be on the road to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Loose Ends

I was reminded once again why off-roading in Northeast Iowa in the Summer is often a bad idea.

This is Monday......right? Not sure. It's been a weird six or seven days what with my schedule, a holiday, and a weekend all running together to make it so I wasn't sure what day it was several times throughout the period.

Anyway, back to the regular grind, right? I will find my feet in a hurry, I am sure. So, a few things to clean up on that have happened of late that didn't make the blog in the last several days. I guess it could almost have been a "Randomonium" post, but there actually is a common thread, so, no....... Just some loose ends here this time to cover.

First off, it is not only the height of "green" here in the Mid-West, but it is also the traditional time of year that I abandon mountain biking in the local area. It's been that way for years, and thanks to Ingawanis Woodlands, or otherwise I'd never have gotten much done in Summertime back in the old "Twenty Nine Inches" days. Well, there and Cedar Bend Park. Those were mainstays back in the day. That said, I almost never went anywhere in the local area due to the height of "jungle season". The time of year here when our river bottom oriented trails are water-logged, overgrown with vegetation, and rife with mosquitoes. In other words, absolutely no fun at all.

We have a local group here that for the last ten years, well.....around that long....have been busting their butts trying to fight with the regular seasons. They've had some successes for sure, but this year is quintessential "jungle season" conditions, and, well...... The results have been predictable. No one is having much fun with the soft trails locally and everyone that can goes to Ingawanis Woodlands.

Yep. Same song, second verse.

Testing the Spank Vibrocore handle bar has been challenging.

So, gravel travel has been the ticket around these parts. It's interesting hearing the tales of roadies this year. More close calls. More crashes in group rides leading to broken bikes and bones. Bah! Like Jeff Kerkove used to say, "The Road is the devil!", when he spoke of road riding. Now, admittedly, I am not a roadie. I ride gravel, and I like mountain biking a lot. Take that for what it's worth. But you can have road riding. I don't have any interest in it at all right now.

At any rate, I have enough to get done with "Riding Gravel" to keep me gravel riding for the rest of the year. One of the latest review items is the Spank Vibrocore drop bar I am reviewing for the site. It's not an easy product to talk about, by the way.

First of all, even Spank says this bar "changes the vibrations" from harmful ones to a rider to less harmful ones. Note- they do not claim that vibrations will be absent. This makes talking about this bar difficult, because what are harmful vibrations for you, and what are they for me? See where I am coming from? It's an odd world of marketing claims and products out there, and we all have to navigate it when considering products. That said, I like the bar fine. It's got a great flare and drop shape, and that 31.8mm top section is brilliant. I just have to do some more riding to suss out the rest.

Not that I mind. Riding the gravel roads is fun and, obviously, I enjoy it. But with July running on, and August staring at me from a few weeks away, I already feel like time is running short, and it seems like Summer just got rolling here. Plus I have the GTDRI and Gravel Worlds to get ready for. Sheesh! It's daunting. Lots to do- little time to get it done.

Loose Ends

I was reminded once again why off-roading in Northeast Iowa in the Summer is often a bad idea.

This is Monday......right? Not sure. It's been a weird six or seven days what with my schedule, a holiday, and a weekend all running together to make it so I wasn't sure what day it was several times throughout the period.

Anyway, back to the regular grind, right? I will find my feet in a hurry, I am sure. So, a few things to clean up on that have happened of late that didn't make the blog in the last several days. I guess it could almost have been a "Randomonium" post, but there actually is a common thread, so, no....... Just some loose ends here this time to cover.

First off, it is not only the height of "green" here in the Mid-West, but it is also the traditional time of year that I abandon mountain biking in the local area. It's been that way for years, and thanks to Ingawanis Woodlands, or otherwise I'd never have gotten much done in Summertime back in the old "Twenty Nine Inches" days. Well, there and Cedar Bend Park. Those were mainstays back in the day. That said, I almost never went anywhere in the local area due to the height of "jungle season". The time of year here when our river bottom oriented trails are water-logged, overgrown with vegetation, and rife with mosquitoes. In other words, absolutely no fun at all.

We have a local group here that for the last ten years, well.....around that long....have been busting their butts trying to fight with the regular seasons. They've had some successes for sure, but this year is quintessential "jungle season" conditions, and, well...... The results have been predictable. No one is having much fun with the soft trails locally and everyone that can goes to Ingawanis Woodlands.

Yep. Same song, second verse.

Testing the Spank Vibrocore handle bar has been challenging.

So, gravel travel has been the ticket around these parts. It's interesting hearing the tales of roadies this year. More close calls. More crashes in group rides leading to broken bikes and bones. Bah! Like Jeff Kerkove used to say, "The Road is the devil!", when he spoke of road riding. Now, admittedly, I am not a roadie. I ride gravel, and I like mountain biking a lot. Take that for what it's worth. But you can have road riding. I don't have any interest in it at all right now.

At any rate, I have enough to get done with "Riding Gravel" to keep me gravel riding for the rest of the year. One of the latest review items is the Spank Vibrocore drop bar I am reviewing for the site. It's not an easy product to talk about, by the way.

First of all, even Spank says this bar "changes the vibrations" from harmful ones to a rider to less harmful ones. Note- they do not claim that vibrations will be absent. This makes talking about this bar difficult, because what are harmful vibrations for you, and what are they for me? See where I am coming from? It's an odd world of marketing claims and products out there, and we all have to navigate it when considering products. That said, I like the bar fine. It's got a great flare and drop shape, and that 31.8mm top section is brilliant. I just have to do some more riding to suss out the rest.

Not that I mind. Riding the gravel roads is fun and, obviously, I enjoy it. But with July running on, and August staring at me from a few weeks away, I already feel like time is running short, and it seems like Summer just got rolling here. Plus I have the GTDRI and Gravel Worlds to get ready for. Sheesh! It's daunting. Lots to do- little time to get it done.

Friday News And Views

The new Donnelly "EMP" gravel tire

Look Out Kansas! Another Tire Has Been Influenced By You!

First there was the "Official Tire of Dirty Kansas", the Teravail Cannonball. (remember that?) Then there was the Flintridge Pro, another tire from Kenda Tires which was influenced by the Dirty Kanza 200. Now you can add another tire which has taken its cues from the flinty roads around Emporia, Kansas.

Donnelly's Donn Kellogg had told me about a new tire which would be named after Emporia's airport code, (that's how all Donnelly tires are named, by three letter airport codes) and here it is, the "EMP". It is supposed to be Donnelly's "most aggressive gravel road tire". It'll be out right around now in a 700c X 38mm size and next Spring in a 700c X 45mm size. Tubeless and folding beads at $72.00 and $47.00 respectively. No word on a 650B variant or skin walls. (Boo!)

This sounded like a good time, so I signed up.

Signing On:

Over the past weekend I signed up for two events that are happening next year. The first is the brand new Prairie Burn 100 which is happening in Grinnell, Iowa on June 8th, 2019. That's a week after the Dirty Kanza 200, in case you were wondering.

The Prairie Burn is going to be a loop format/lap type event. Non-competitive too. You just go out for a ride on 25-ish mile loops which all bring you back into Grinnell so if you want to stop after, 25, 50 miles, well, you can. Music and food with beverages of different sorts will also be going down at the same time in the city park. I plan on riding a single speed, so we will see how that goes!

The other event I signed up for is Gravel Worlds which will happen on August 17th. Of course, if you have been following this blog at all, you already know what I think about Gravel Worlds. The big deal this year is that Gravel Worlds is in its tenth year, so that's a big deal and I wanted to be a part of that. So far as I know now, I will contest that one on the "Bubblegum Princess". But that's nine months from now. Who knows what might happen......

Four season pogies?

Bike Iowa Pogie Lites:

First off, if you haven't checked out BikeIowa.com and you are a cyclist in Iowa or close to this state, what the heck are you doing? All the pertinent cycling news, events, and more is there for this state. Check it out.

Bike Iowa's own Scott Sumpter helped design,  test, and manufacture these new handle bar accessory items called "Pogie Lites".  They are coverings which are supremely versatile. Tested in the worst of conditions at Trans Iowa, Land Run 100, Winter events, and more, these items are refined and ready to help riders get more riding in under adverse conditions.

Scott and his partner, Jess, make these and sell them direct, or at select bike shops. I was sent a pair to test and review for here and RidingGravel.com. (Read about disclaimer below) I've been very intrigued by this product and have watched as Scott and Jess have tweaked out the design. The Pogie Lites are wind-proof, water resistant, and will fit on drop bars, staright bars, and Jones Bars. Whatta ya know! I have all of those!

So, be on the lookout for my thoughts on this product here and at Riding Gravel. I suspect they will prove to be a valuable asset for cold weather riding, which is what we have on tap now. I'll also say up front that I am not a big fan of traditional pogies as seen on fat bikes. For me, they just get in the way, and they are bulky, clunky things. I know many of you would never consider riding without them. I get it, as I have some traditional pogies and I have ridden with them. I'll definitely be doing a compare and contrast between the two types.

And Now For A Public Announcement: You've often seen my disclaimers- The "gloppy dollops of my opinion", the "I bought this with my own damn money", or the "I received this from XYZ for test and review at no charge. I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout".

Well, I have recently learned about how You Tubers are being paid by companies to receive products in return for positive reviews, mentions, and in some cases, to denigrate competitors products. I thought that was super crazy. I also am probably naive, behind the times, and not very smart. Anyway, I was sent an e-mail by a company just the other evening about a CBD product with a proposal that would include my receiving said product free and being paid in return for a review.

I flatly refuse to ever do such a thing for anybody. 

Just so you know.

Have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

The new Donnelly "EMP" gravel tire

Look Out Kansas! Another Tire Has Been Influenced By You!

First there was the "Official Tire of Dirty Kansas", the Teravail Cannonball. (remember that?) Then there was the Flintridge Pro, another tire from Kenda Tires which was influenced by the Dirty Kanza 200. Now you can add another tire which has taken its cues from the flinty roads around Emporia, Kansas.

Donnelly's Donn Kellogg had told me about a new tire which would be named after Emporia's airport code, (that's how all Donnelly tires are named, by three letter airport codes) and here it is, the "EMP". It is supposed to be Donnelly's "most aggressive gravel road tire". It'll be out right around now in a 700c X 38mm size and next Spring in a 700c X 45mm size. Tubeless and folding beads at $72.00 and $47.00 respectively. No word on a 650B variant or skin walls. (Boo!)

This sounded like a good time, so I signed up.

Signing On:

Over the past weekend I signed up for two events that are happening next year. The first is the brand new Prairie Burn 100 which is happening in Grinnell, Iowa on June 8th, 2019. That's a week after the Dirty Kanza 200, in case you were wondering.

The Prairie Burn is going to be a loop format/lap type event. Non-competitive too. You just go out for a ride on 25-ish mile loops which all bring you back into Grinnell so if you want to stop after, 25, 50 miles, well, you can. Music and food with beverages of different sorts will also be going down at the same time in the city park. I plan on riding a single speed, so we will see how that goes!

The other event I signed up for is Gravel Worlds which will happen on August 17th. Of course, if you have been following this blog at all, you already know what I think about Gravel Worlds. The big deal this year is that Gravel Worlds is in its tenth year, so that's a big deal and I wanted to be a part of that. So far as I know now, I will contest that one on the "Bubblegum Princess". But that's nine months from now. Who knows what might happen......

Four season pogies?

Bike Iowa Pogie Lites:

First off, if you haven't checked out BikeIowa.com and you are a cyclist in Iowa or close to this state, what the heck are you doing? All the pertinent cycling news, events, and more is there for this state. Check it out.

Bike Iowa's own Scott Sumpter helped design,  test, and manufacture these new handle bar accessory items called "Pogie Lites".  They are coverings which are supremely versatile. Tested in the worst of conditions at Trans Iowa, Land Run 100, Winter events, and more, these items are refined and ready to help riders get more riding in under adverse conditions.

Scott and his partner, Jess, make these and sell them direct, or at select bike shops. I was sent a pair to test and review for here and RidingGravel.com. (Read about disclaimer below) I've been very intrigued by this product and have watched as Scott and Jess have tweaked out the design. The Pogie Lites are wind-proof, water resistant, and will fit on drop bars, staright bars, and Jones Bars. Whatta ya know! I have all of those!

So, be on the lookout for my thoughts on this product here and at Riding Gravel. I suspect they will prove to be a valuable asset for cold weather riding, which is what we have on tap now. I'll also say up front that I am not a big fan of traditional pogies as seen on fat bikes. For me, they just get in the way, and they are bulky, clunky things. I know many of you would never consider riding without them. I get it, as I have some traditional pogies and I have ridden with them. I'll definitely be doing a compare and contrast between the two types.

And Now For A Public Announcement: You've often seen my disclaimers- The "gloppy dollops of my opinion", the "I bought this with my own damn money", or the "I received this from XYZ for test and review at no charge. I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout".

Well, I have recently learned about how You Tubers are being paid by companies to receive products in return for positive reviews, mentions, and in some cases, to denigrate competitors products. I thought that was super crazy. I also am probably naive, behind the times, and not very smart. Anyway, I was sent an e-mail by a company just the other evening about a CBD product with a proposal that would include my receiving said product free and being paid in return for a review.

I flatly refuse to ever do such a thing for anybody. 

Just so you know.

Have a great weekend!