Saturday News And Views

New 520% range SRAM Eagle

A rare SN&V featuring some late-breaking news that didn't fit into the FN&V. Enjoy!

SRAM Announces Tweaked Eagle With Wider Range:

SRAM tweaked its flagship Eagle offerings and debuted them Thursday of this past week. Now with an increase to a 52T rear cog, the claimed range overall for the cassette is a whopping 520%.

First impression? That looks like a Mega-Range cassette cog slapped onto a 10-42T 11 speed cassette. And.......that's pretty much what it is. That's marketing, and marketing is what SRAM is all about. They win on that front everytime. But keep in mind, this is a 10 tooth jump to that 52T cog. SRAM had to do some engineering to get that to work, because they had reached the physical limitations of their old design for rear derailleurs.

Chain wrap has never been great on SRAM mtb groups. Once rear cog sizes swelled to above 42T, their way of doing the upper jockey wheel to cassette cog clearance was not working well. Mechanics complained about how the system was finicky, consumers complained about not being able to do certain things they used to be able to do with older drive trains. (Back pedaling being the main one) Part of that is the nature of 1X, but SRAM design was also at fault.

So, SRAM addressed this by altering the rear derailleur geometry so that the derailleur wraps the chain more around the bigger cogs. They also reduced the distance of the upper jockey wheel to the larger rings. This should have the effect of producing a more stable drive train, smoother low gear shifts, and keep the chain on if you back pedal. Note- it should do these things. 

There still is that massive 10 tooth jump from the 42T to the 52T. That's going to be a challenge under tension. That chain line with a wrapped chain in the bigger cogs should also prove to be strange in other ways. Wear for one. I'll be interested to see one of these in the future.

A 'one-and-done'? Possibly.....

Iowa's Ride Director Abandons Ship For Arizona Ride:

Last year a big shocker concerning former RAGBRAI director, T.J. Juskiewicz, happened when T.J. and his crew left RAGBRAI to form a competing ride dubbed "Iowa's Ride". This left a sort of 'civil war' between groups raging as to which ride to do, because at first these rides were to happen simultaneously. Then cooler heads ruled the day when Iowa's Ride decided to move to the week before RAGBRAI and an uneasy truce was struck between the competing rides. Of course, the COVID-19 deal threw a wrench in everyone's plans when both rides ended up being cancelled for 2020.

Now a new bombshell. On Thursday, an article appearing on the "Little Village" site, a news source for the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids region, stated that T.J. Juskiewicz had resigned from Iowa's Ride to take a position as executive director of El Tour de Tucson, as reported in the "Arizona Star", a major morning news paper serving Tuscon and the surrounding area.

It was not clear what the future of Iowa's Ride might be after 2021, but Juskiewicz did allude to the ride being held next Summer and said he planned on being there to do it in Iowa on the originally proposed route.

Comments: With '2020 Is Cancelled' dealing a blow to the as-yet-to-be-ridden Iowa's Ride, and RAGBRAI holding the 'tradition card', all this hullabaloo is not helping Iowa's Ride, nor its credibility, which was largely on the shoulders of Mr. Juskiewicz. One has to wonder if Iowa's Ride will happen at all now. And the future? Yeah..... I suppose anything is possible, but with the pandemic still unchecked and with a future unknown, does any of this even matter? Hard to say.....

Teravail Rutlands in 700c X 47mm size.

Poofy Tires Are Fun!

I think it was Steve Fuller who said something to the effect that a 38mm wide tire for gravel used to be considered big, but now anything below 42-43mm is too small. He mentioned 700c X 45mm as being 'normal' size for gravel travel now. We were musing on tires during our ride last weekend.

It is that way, isn't it? When you find the joy in riding a bigger volume tire, preferably tubeless, at a decent, low-ish pressure, well, it is awful hard to convince yourself that going narrower is better, and of course- it isn't better. It certainly isn't more fun! That's for sure.

But getting yourself to allow for the possibilities of 'wider is better' is not easy. I remember when WTB introduced the Riddler at 45mm wide and I thought, "Wow! That's maybe too big!" And now I look at that tire and shrug my shoulders. "No biggie!". Just an average tire these days. Isn't that odd?

So when I heard about Teravail's 700 X 47mm offerings, well.....I had to try that out! And now that I have, just a wee bit, I have to say, "Man! Those are sweet tires to ride!" The cushy width, the fast speed, and the more capable volume of those tires is amazing. And they are really fast. It isn't just me talking. I proved it on my roll-out test Thursday, into a head wind, and they out rolled several narrower tires I have tried. Impressive!

These wider tires are really getting quite good, and that is addictive. I just cannot see myself riding 40's, or even anything narrower anymore. Why? They ride worse and are not as stable. I'm with Steve on this matter. Wider, higher volume tires are just plain more fun.

Saturday News And Views

New 520% range SRAM Eagle

A rare SN&V featuring some late-breaking news that didn't fit into the FN&V. Enjoy!

SRAM Announces Tweaked Eagle With Wider Range:

SRAM tweaked its flagship Eagle offerings and debuted them Thursday of this past week. Now with an increase to a 52T rear cog, the claimed range overall for the cassette is a whopping 520%.

First impression? That looks like a Mega-Range cassette cog slapped onto a 10-42T 11 speed cassette. And.......that's pretty much what it is. That's marketing, and marketing is what SRAM is all about. They win on that front everytime. But keep in mind, this is a 10 tooth jump to that 52T cog. SRAM had to do some engineering to get that to work, because they had reached the physical limitations of their old design for rear derailleurs.

Chain wrap has never been great on SRAM mtb groups. Once rear cog sizes swelled to above 42T, their way of doing the upper jockey wheel to cassette cog clearance was not working well. Mechanics complained about how the system was finicky, consumers complained about not being able to do certain things they used to be able to do with older drive trains. (Back pedaling being the main one) Part of that is the nature of 1X, but SRAM design was also at fault.

So, SRAM addressed this by altering the rear derailleur geometry so that the derailleur wraps the chain more around the bigger cogs. They also reduced the distance of the upper jockey wheel to the larger rings. This should have the effect of producing a more stable drive train, smoother low gear shifts, and keep the chain on if you back pedal. Note- it should do these things. 

There still is that massive 10 tooth jump from the 42T to the 52T. That's going to be a challenge under tension. That chain line with a wrapped chain in the bigger cogs should also prove to be strange in other ways. Wear for one. I'll be interested to see one of these in the future.

A 'one-and-done'? Possibly.....

Iowa's Ride Director Abandons Ship For Arizona Ride:

Last year a big shocker concerning former RAGBRAI director, T.J. Juskiewicz, happened when T.J. and his crew left RAGBRAI to form a competing ride dubbed "Iowa's Ride". This left a sort of 'civil war' between groups raging as to which ride to do, because at first these rides were to happen simultaneously. Then cooler heads ruled the day when Iowa's Ride decided to move to the week before RAGBRAI and an uneasy truce was struck between the competing rides. Of course, the COVID-19 deal threw a wrench in everyone's plans when both rides ended up being cancelled for 2020.

Now a new bombshell. On Thursday, an article appearing on the "Little Village" site, a news source for the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids region, stated that T.J. Juskiewicz had resigned from Iowa's Ride to take a position as executive director of El Tour de Tucson, as reported in the "Arizona Star", a major morning news paper serving Tuscon and the surrounding area.

It was not clear what the future of Iowa's Ride might be after 2021, but Juskiewicz did allude to the ride being held next Summer and said he planned on being there to do it in Iowa on the originally proposed route.

Comments: With '2020 Is Cancelled' dealing a blow to the as-yet-to-be-ridden Iowa's Ride, and RAGBRAI holding the 'tradition card', all this hullabaloo is not helping Iowa's Ride, nor its credibility, which was largely on the shoulders of Mr. Juskiewicz. One has to wonder if Iowa's Ride will happen at all now. And the future? Yeah..... I suppose anything is possible, but with the pandemic still unchecked and with a future unknown, does any of this even matter? Hard to say.....

Teravail Rutlands in 700c X 47mm size.

Poofy Tires Are Fun!

I think it was Steve Fuller who said something to the effect that a 38mm wide tire for gravel used to be considered big, but now anything below 42-43mm is too small. He mentioned 700c X 45mm as being 'normal' size for gravel travel now. We were musing on tires during our ride last weekend.

It is that way, isn't it? When you find the joy in riding a bigger volume tire, preferably tubeless, at a decent, low-ish pressure, well, it is awful hard to convince yourself that going narrower is better, and of course- it isn't better. It certainly isn't more fun! That's for sure.

But getting yourself to allow for the possibilities of 'wider is better' is not easy. I remember when WTB introduced the Riddler at 45mm wide and I thought, "Wow! That's maybe too big!" And now I look at that tire and shrug my shoulders. "No biggie!". Just an average tire these days. Isn't that odd?

So when I heard about Teravail's 700 X 47mm offerings, well.....I had to try that out! And now that I have, just a wee bit, I have to say, "Man! Those are sweet tires to ride!" The cushy width, the fast speed, and the more capable volume of those tires is amazing. And they are really fast. It isn't just me talking. I proved it on my roll-out test Thursday, into a head wind, and they out rolled several narrower tires I have tried. Impressive!

These wider tires are really getting quite good, and that is addictive. I just cannot see myself riding 40's, or even anything narrower anymore. Why? They ride worse and are not as stable. I'm with Steve on this matter. Wider, higher volume tires are just plain more fun.

Friday News And Views

Specialized Lays Of Workers- Industry Sees Product Availability Issue:

Late last week the industry news outlet, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" related a story that Specialized had laid off 46 employees, mostly in the Global Support staff in Europe. The news was blamed on shutdowns in Europe related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is on top of the news of a week prior when I learned via Facebook that several QBP employees had been furloughed due to the economic downturn caused by the government shutdowns related to the same pandemic issues.

It also has come to my attention that the previously mentioned shortages of product here are now beginning to have an effect upon the industry. While demand is higher in many places due to the city government mandated shelter in place orders and recommendations of the same for most states, the shutdown of factories in China earlier in the year is causing shortages now. It typically takes about 45-90 days for shortages to work through the system, so you can figure that most of the prime selling season for North American bike shops will be negatively affected by this.

A Theory On RAGBRAI's Postponing:

Last week I reported on the postponing of RAGBRAI until 2021. I figured the rival Iowa's Ride would follow suit. I figured it was all the pandemic's fault that these rides would be nixed for 2020, but since then developments have come to light which may change my mind a bit. Here following is pure speculation on my part as to what might be going on here.

Last week it was revealed via a story in several Twitter posts and substantiated by this story on a site called "Poynter", that Gannett Corporation, the owners of RAGBRAI, are shedding employees across their newspaper empire. Apparently the reasoning is the COVID-19 crisis and the fact that Gannett recently merged with another media company. Usually mergers are followed up with a clearing of duplicated employees, but that seems to be a bit of a reach in this case. It's obvious that a financial reckoning of a serious nature is occurring within Gannett.

If you are trying to pare down company expenses, and your plumb event looks to be a divided affair, and probably substantially affected by consumer's reticence to be in large groups due to this pandemic, even if restrictions are lifted, well then maybe you postpone your event. Just a thought. Iowa's Ride, and this pandemic, which will have lasting effect for quite a few years going forward, plus a new organizational team- who were thrown together at the eleventh hour, considering money is tight......yeah, I can totally see it. 

But again- this is all pure speculation on my part. Oh, and Iowa's ride cancelled for 2020. That came out late Monday evening.

The Farr Aero Gravel Bar

Try Removing These Aero Bars:

Aero bar usage was a hot-button topic for a hot minute a few years ago at the DK200, but since then, a few small manufacturers have been toying with the idea of a one-piece handle bar/aero bar set up. Redshift Sports showed something they are cooking up called the "Kitchen Sink" bar which will have a loop out front, like an aero bar extension. Well, the other day I came across these- the Farr Aero Gravel Alloy Bars.

These bars seem to have a healthy amount of 'sweep', at the extensions, and the site says that they have 25° of 'flare'. I'm not sure they are talking about 'flare' or 'sweep', but whatever. (Here's a good tutorial I wrote about the features of an off-road drop bar)

Ninety-nine bucks ain't bad. But here's the issue I have with one piece bar/stem/aero bar things. IF you like what the company chose for positions, well then you are good to go. IF however; you want to, let's say, drop the aero bar part down a bit, but leave the hoods of your levers where they are? Too bad. Ya can't do that! So, buyer beware. Unless this company hits a good middle ground of aero bar position versus the rest of the bar, well then it won't be too popular. How would you know if it might work for you?

Pony up Ninety-Nine Bucks. Good luck........

T-6 Standard Rando now available with a carbon fork and looky there! Three pack bosses!

So It Does Come With Warts Then!

After Tuesday's popular post about two new steel frames for gravel travel, Twin Six did reveal that the optional carbon fork does come with the six warts, or pimples, or whatever smarty-pants thing you want to call them.

Here's the deal from where I sit: Twin Six will sell through those carbon forks like hotcakes because of two things- People's mis-perception that carbon automatically rides better and because they look better than the steel fork does. First off- carbon forks don't ride all that well, most of the time. Usually they are over-engineered to pass the requisite tests products have to pass. Essentially they end up being too stiff. The one thing you will get is a better looking, (if you think so- it is) fork, and it will be significantly lighter than the steel fork is.. 

I hope I am wrong about this carbon fork being too stiff, but if I had to bet..... No, I think I am going to be correct, but I will be finding out soon enough. (More on that later) The steel fork is also overbuilt for the same reasons, but steel being steel, it generally doesn't kill the ride quality as badly as when you have to sell/spec a beefy carbon fork.

So, yeah- the plan is in play for me to be getting a frame and fork. We are working on the details at Andy's Bike Shop and I'll know more soon, but this bike is the one that will be taking over duties from the old Raleigh Tamland Two which I have had in service since 2014? (Checks blog) Yes! Since late March of 2014. So, that's a lot of hard riding in mostly severe conditions. Not that the Tamland couldn't continue onward, because it certainly could. No, it's just woefully out of date in terms of certain standards, like with the wheels and brakes, and steer tube size. But don't worry! The Tamland isn't going away. No......not that bike. You who know that story know why.

Initially the plan will be to set the T-6 up as a 1X with a SRAM Force 1 group I have laying around the shop. I've got the XD driver wheels, running gear, hydraulic brakes- everything. The seat post, stem, bars, saddle, yeah. Got that. So, once I can lay my mitts on the bike it should be go time for a build.

Stay tuned......

 Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #41: 

Andy from Andy's Bike Shop joins me for the latest episode of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast here. You should be able to click the link and listen from there, or you should be able to find the podcast on Apple or other podcast providers feeds.

In this episode Andy and I cover more about the latest Riding Gravel reviews, news about RAGBRAI and then we cover more in-depth on the Dirty Kanza 200 name controversy. We've already got Episode #42 recorded and off to production, so check this one out and stay up to date with us as we try to keep the content coming during these strange days.


Thanks for reading this week! Stay safe, stay healthy, and get some riding in!

Friday News And Views

Specialized Lays Of Workers- Industry Sees Product Availability Issue:

Late last week the industry news outlet, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" related a story that Specialized had laid off 46 employees, mostly in the Global Support staff in Europe. The news was blamed on shutdowns in Europe related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is on top of the news of a week prior when I learned via Facebook that several QBP employees had been furloughed due to the economic downturn caused by the government shutdowns related to the same pandemic issues.

It also has come to my attention that the previously mentioned shortages of product here are now beginning to have an effect upon the industry. While demand is higher in many places due to the city government mandated shelter in place orders and recommendations of the same for most states, the shutdown of factories in China earlier in the year is causing shortages now. It typically takes about 45-90 days for shortages to work through the system, so you can figure that most of the prime selling season for North American bike shops will be negatively affected by this.

A Theory On RAGBRAI's Postponing:

Last week I reported on the postponing of RAGBRAI until 2021. I figured the rival Iowa's Ride would follow suit. I figured it was all the pandemic's fault that these rides would be nixed for 2020, but since then developments have come to light which may change my mind a bit. Here following is pure speculation on my part as to what might be going on here.

Last week it was revealed via a story in several Twitter posts and substantiated by this story on a site called "Poynter", that Gannett Corporation, the owners of RAGBRAI, are shedding employees across their newspaper empire. Apparently the reasoning is the COVID-19 crisis and the fact that Gannett recently merged with another media company. Usually mergers are followed up with a clearing of duplicated employees, but that seems to be a bit of a reach in this case. It's obvious that a financial reckoning of a serious nature is occurring within Gannett.

If you are trying to pare down company expenses, and your plumb event looks to be a divided affair, and probably substantially affected by consumer's reticence to be in large groups due to this pandemic, even if restrictions are lifted, well then maybe you postpone your event. Just a thought. Iowa's Ride, and this pandemic, which will have lasting effect for quite a few years going forward, plus a new organizational team- who were thrown together at the eleventh hour, considering money is tight......yeah, I can totally see it. 

But again- this is all pure speculation on my part. Oh, and Iowa's ride cancelled for 2020. That came out late Monday evening.

The Farr Aero Gravel Bar

Try Removing These Aero Bars:

Aero bar usage was a hot-button topic for a hot minute a few years ago at the DK200, but since then, a few small manufacturers have been toying with the idea of a one-piece handle bar/aero bar set up. Redshift Sports showed something they are cooking up called the "Kitchen Sink" bar which will have a loop out front, like an aero bar extension. Well, the other day I came across these- the Farr Aero Gravel Alloy Bars.

These bars seem to have a healthy amount of 'sweep', at the extensions, and the site says that they have 25° of 'flare'. I'm not sure they are talking about 'flare' or 'sweep', but whatever. (Here's a good tutorial I wrote about the features of an off-road drop bar)

Ninety-nine bucks ain't bad. But here's the issue I have with one piece bar/stem/aero bar things. IF you like what the company chose for positions, well then you are good to go. IF however; you want to, let's say, drop the aero bar part down a bit, but leave the hoods of your levers where they are? Too bad. Ya can't do that! So, buyer beware. Unless this company hits a good middle ground of aero bar position versus the rest of the bar, well then it won't be too popular. How would you know if it might work for you?

Pony up Ninety-Nine Bucks. Good luck........

T-6 Standard Rando now available with a carbon fork and looky there! Three pack bosses!

So It Does Come With Warts Then!

After Tuesday's popular post about two new steel frames for gravel travel, Twin Six did reveal that the optional carbon fork does come with the six warts, or pimples, or whatever smarty-pants thing you want to call them.

Here's the deal from where I sit: Twin Six will sell through those carbon forks like hotcakes because of two things- People's mis-perception that carbon automatically rides better and because they look better than the steel fork does. First off- carbon forks don't ride all that well, most of the time. Usually they are over-engineered to pass the requisite tests products have to pass. Essentially they end up being too stiff. The one thing you will get is a better looking, (if you think so- it is) fork, and it will be significantly lighter than the steel fork is.. 

I hope I am wrong about this carbon fork being too stiff, but if I had to bet..... No, I think I am going to be correct, but I will be finding out soon enough. (More on that later) The steel fork is also overbuilt for the same reasons, but steel being steel, it generally doesn't kill the ride quality as badly as when you have to sell/spec a beefy carbon fork.

So, yeah- the plan is in play for me to be getting a frame and fork. We are working on the details at Andy's Bike Shop and I'll know more soon, but this bike is the one that will be taking over duties from the old Raleigh Tamland Two which I have had in service since 2014? (Checks blog) Yes! Since late March of 2014. So, that's a lot of hard riding in mostly severe conditions. Not that the Tamland couldn't continue onward, because it certainly could. No, it's just woefully out of date in terms of certain standards, like with the wheels and brakes, and steer tube size. But don't worry! The Tamland isn't going away. No......not that bike. You who know that story know why.

Initially the plan will be to set the T-6 up as a 1X with a SRAM Force 1 group I have laying around the shop. I've got the XD driver wheels, running gear, hydraulic brakes- everything. The seat post, stem, bars, saddle, yeah. Got that. So, once I can lay my mitts on the bike it should be go time for a build.

Stay tuned......

 Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #41: 

Andy from Andy's Bike Shop joins me for the latest episode of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast here. You should be able to click the link and listen from there, or you should be able to find the podcast on Apple or other podcast providers feeds.

In this episode Andy and I cover more about the latest Riding Gravel reviews, news about RAGBRAI and then we cover more in-depth on the Dirty Kanza 200 name controversy. We've already got Episode #42 recorded and off to production, so check this one out and stay up to date with us as we try to keep the content coming during these strange days.


Thanks for reading this week! Stay safe, stay healthy, and get some riding in!

Friday News And Views

New Radio Ranch podcast is up.

The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast:

One of my goals for 2020 was to get the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast up more regularly. Well, we've done five and four are up already for 2020. The train is just gettin' rollin' though.

Andy's Bike Shop is hosting the recording of the podcast for the foreseeable future. In fact, Andy himself is co-hosting the podcast with me now. The plan is to record a new episode every Tuesday and keep putting out content on a regular basis throughout the pandemic we are all experiencing now.

The latest episode published is #39. Andy and I discussed several topics and one is about the new Stormchaser, which figures heavily in the next episode we recorded already. Other topics coming in the next episode include virtual "sim" gravel racing, Strava-based solo gravel events, some other news about current reviews, and stories about creaking bits. (Which, if you are a regular reader here you've already read about)

If you have any good ideas on topics you'd like to see Andy and I cover, please email me at guitarted@ridinggravel.com or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com .

And stay tuned for the next podcast. It's coming out soon!

The announcement concerning the Tour as seen on Twitter Wednesday, April 15th, 2020.

Le Tour Postponed: 

It was inevitable, wasn't it? The Tour de France just wasn't going to happen in July. I think we all knew that, but the big question was "postponement or cancellation?" That question was answered Wednesday when the Tour announced via social media that it was going to postpone the event until a late August start. They stated in their posts that there would be no alterations to the scheduled stages, and that the event would last through September 20th, 2020.

While one can debate whether or not the cancellation option may have been better, it is now evident that with almost all major cycling events being pushed back to Fall, what sort of attention can be given to any of it by fans? Where to go? And what of cyclo-cross, or other traditional Fall sports and activities which, theoretically should be vying for our energies and attention? Will it all be too much so that we all "tune out"? Plus, who knows if gathering in large crowds will even be a good idea then? No one, that's who.

My final thought here is that if France is suggesting no large group gatherings through July, (which is what precipitated the Tour announcement), and their "pandemic peak" was previous to ours, (or will be), then what about Iowa's Ride/RAGBRAI? It would stand to reason that even these events would be unwise to hold on their scheduled dates. Prediction: Both will cancel for 2020. That's my opinion. RAGBRAI pushed back their "decision" date from the 15th to the 20th. (Monday) We'll see......

Getting acquainted with the Stormchaser- now creak-free!

 Winter Punches Back:

Those of us in the Mid-West got a quick reminder that Winter can and will make ugly reappearances at times in April. This past week has been more representative of February than April, at least in terms of temperatures. Lows each morning this week have hovered around the 20°F mark with some days not even getting to 40°F for a high.

The first three days were marked by wicked Northwest winds with brutal wind chill factors. It takes time to get re-acclimated to such nonsense, and especially so after it had been 80°F only just last week. You get used to the warmth in a big hurry!

Thankfully this weekend the warmer, more Spring-like temperatures are forecast to return, albeit with a healthy dose of wind. Of course! It is Spring after-all. But I plan on getting out on the Stormchaser on a proper gravel ride none the less. Wind or no, this has to happen, and with it being tolerable in the temperature department, I can deal with some wind. Maybe it'll have to be a flatter route into it, then get blown back. That's the plan anyway. We will see.

A Brief Word On The Stormchaser:

I have gotten out a few times on the Stormchaser, and I am happy to say it is dead silent, now that the offending bottle cage has been replaced. (Read the story posted on Wednesday this week for details) I think I am growing to like this bike. One thing it has that I have been intrigued by for well over ten years is the slack, for a gravel bike, 70° head angle. I have wanted to try a bike like this for years, as it tics almost every box I have had in terms of a gravel specific bike. the only downside, in the geometry, of the Stormchaser for me is the 70mm bottom racket drop. For what this bike is intended for, it makes sense, as Salsa figures you may want 650B wheels. But if I had my druthers, it would be a 700c only bike with a deeper drop, say 75mm. But otherwise, this bike is almost spot on for the geometry I have always wanted to try out.

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. I hope that all you readers are safe, well, and are staying sane with what is going on in the world now. I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend.

Friday News And Views

New Radio Ranch podcast is up.

The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast:

One of my goals for 2020 was to get the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast up more regularly. Well, we've done five and four are up already for 2020. The train is just gettin' rollin' though.

Andy's Bike Shop is hosting the recording of the podcast for the foreseeable future. In fact, Andy himself is co-hosting the podcast with me now. The plan is to record a new episode every Tuesday and keep putting out content on a regular basis throughout the pandemic we are all experiencing now.

The latest episode published is #39. Andy and I discussed several topics and one is about the new Stormchaser, which figures heavily in the next episode we recorded already. Other topics coming in the next episode include virtual "sim" gravel racing, Strava-based solo gravel events, some other news about current reviews, and stories about creaking bits. (Which, if you are a regular reader here you've already read about)

If you have any good ideas on topics you'd like to see Andy and I cover, please email me at guitarted@ridinggravel.com or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com .

And stay tuned for the next podcast. It's coming out soon!

The announcement concerning the Tour as seen on Twitter Wednesday, April 15th, 2020.

Le Tour Postponed: 

It was inevitable, wasn't it? The Tour de France just wasn't going to happen in July. I think we all knew that, but the big question was "postponement or cancellation?" That question was answered Wednesday when the Tour announced via social media that it was going to postpone the event until a late August start. They stated in their posts that there would be no alterations to the scheduled stages, and that the event would last through September 20th, 2020.

While one can debate whether or not the cancellation option may have been better, it is now evident that with almost all major cycling events being pushed back to Fall, what sort of attention can be given to any of it by fans? Where to go? And what of cyclo-cross, or other traditional Fall sports and activities which, theoretically should be vying for our energies and attention? Will it all be too much so that we all "tune out"? Plus, who knows if gathering in large crowds will even be a good idea then? No one, that's who.

My final thought here is that if France is suggesting no large group gatherings through July, (which is what precipitated the Tour announcement), and their "pandemic peak" was previous to ours, (or will be), then what about Iowa's Ride/RAGBRAI? It would stand to reason that even these events would be unwise to hold on their scheduled dates. Prediction: Both will cancel for 2020. That's my opinion. RAGBRAI pushed back their "decision" date from the 15th to the 20th. (Monday) We'll see......

Getting acquainted with the Stormchaser- now creak-free!

 Winter Punches Back:

Those of us in the Mid-West got a quick reminder that Winter can and will make ugly reappearances at times in April. This past week has been more representative of February than April, at least in terms of temperatures. Lows each morning this week have hovered around the 20°F mark with some days not even getting to 40°F for a high.

The first three days were marked by wicked Northwest winds with brutal wind chill factors. It takes time to get re-acclimated to such nonsense, and especially so after it had been 80°F only just last week. You get used to the warmth in a big hurry!

Thankfully this weekend the warmer, more Spring-like temperatures are forecast to return, albeit with a healthy dose of wind. Of course! It is Spring after-all. But I plan on getting out on the Stormchaser on a proper gravel ride none the less. Wind or no, this has to happen, and with it being tolerable in the temperature department, I can deal with some wind. Maybe it'll have to be a flatter route into it, then get blown back. That's the plan anyway. We will see.

A Brief Word On The Stormchaser:

I have gotten out a few times on the Stormchaser, and I am happy to say it is dead silent, now that the offending bottle cage has been replaced. (Read the story posted on Wednesday this week for details) I think I am growing to like this bike. One thing it has that I have been intrigued by for well over ten years is the slack, for a gravel bike, 70° head angle. I have wanted to try a bike like this for years, as it tics almost every box I have had in terms of a gravel specific bike. the only downside, in the geometry, of the Stormchaser for me is the 70mm bottom racket drop. For what this bike is intended for, it makes sense, as Salsa figures you may want 650B wheels. But if I had my druthers, it would be a 700c only bike with a deeper drop, say 75mm. But otherwise, this bike is almost spot on for the geometry I have always wanted to try out.

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. I hope that all you readers are safe, well, and are staying sane with what is going on in the world now. I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend.

Friday News And Views

Iowa's Ride was created as a response to a dust-up concerning charitable giving.

RAGBRAI Admits To Misleading Public On Financial Affairs.

Last week a report in :The Gazette", an Eastern Iowa news media source, stated that it was revealed by the current RAGBRAI staff at a recent meeting that RAGBRAI had not been very transparent in what their finances were and that charitable giving had not been as promised. (Read the article here) I'll let that stand on its own merits, but I will also add that this money making ploy that Gannett and RAGBRAI engaged in had been something many people close to the event had guessed at for years.

Newspapers used to be pretty profitable businesses back in the 70's and 80's. This brought about a time of consolidation and corporate take-overs of many independent newspapers. This consolidation of news sources under fewer owners, and corporate entities had many negative effects, but I want to focus in on RAGBRAI.

Gannett purchased the Des Moines Register in 1985 (Source: "The New York Times" article here) Back in the 80's and early 90's, this had little to no effect upon RAGBRAI. Prices were cheap, parties were wild, and everyone was having a pretty good time. But then the internet came along and newspapers weren't the main source of news anymore. (And partiers couldn't be anonymous anymore) This gradually put more and more financial stress on newspapers. Advertising, especially classified ads, started to disappear, and with them the revenue which was the lifeblood of newspaper organizations. Subsequently, RAGBRAI began to feel the changes. Gannett started dipping into revenues generated by the ride's shops, 14 of them at one point, by way of a sort of "tax" on everything sold on the route. T-shirts, which generated thousands of dollars for the supporting shops, were "taxed" and became far more expensive for the shops to sell. This negatively affected revenue for the shops on the ride. What's more, the Register set up its own concessions, selling, you guessed it- t-shirts, for less money, undercutting the shop vendors. Then they made their gear the "official gear" of RAGBRAI, and that killed the various t-shirts which used to be collected by RAGBRAI riders from the various shops at overnights. RAGBRAI made all the money there after that happened.

RAGBRAI then instigated a policy where overnight shops manned by the various businesses that supported the ride for the week, were placed at overnight towns in inconvenient locations, while the Register's concessions were front and center where the action was. Gannett was also not owning up to what it was taking in on the ride, and all the while they were stiffing towns and organizations supporting the ride with clean-up fees, and shutting down bars and moving people along the route in pass-through towns, and more, which hurt business and charities. Gannett reaped the benefits and made RAGBRAI a revenue stream where there wasn't meant to be one, and philanthropy and donations suffered as a result. Now the former staff has resigned, forcing this to come out into the light of day.

All this to say that many people close to the ride had hunches back in the day that this was the case. Whether or not you support the Iowa's Ride or RAGBRAI, that's a pretty sad tale for an event which is beloved by thousands of cyclists the world over.

A decade of Gent's Race madness- and I'll have been to every one of them.

 The Renegade Gent's Race Reaches its Tenth Edition:

If you've been around the blog for the last ten years you know that I love the Renegade Gent's Race. Or maybe it is just the "Gent's Race" these days. Anyway, I have a LOT of, (maybe too much at times) fun at this event.

You know, I've seen a thing going around of late from a site called "Medium" where some self-proclaimed "expert" on the gravel scene was saying a bunch of stuff, and a couple things he was saying were that women were under-represented in gravel and young people were too. Now, I'd wager he's never even heard about the Gent's Race, 'cause if he had, he wouldn't be saying such nonsense.

The Gent's Race is antithetical to where a lot of the "Big Time Gravel Machine" events are going. While the Gent's Race does have the ultra-competitive element, it has the "fun hog" element too. (To borrow a turn of phrase from 90's mtb-lingo) You'll see trains of fit, skin-suit clad freaks and a whole team of females on fat bikes with boas on and everything in between. Young and old participate too. It's a true amalgam of the gravel scene.

Anyway, this one is a big deal for me because it marks ten years ago that I met a few guys I didn't know and we've come together for nine years now every April to enjoin in some bicycle riding with a heapin' helpin' of frivolity. I wouldn't miss the tenth one for the world.

 New Podcast Up:

I know...... It'd been almost a year since we had put anything out, but there is a new Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast out now on its own feed! You can reach it via the link which takes you to the Riding Gravel site, or check out iTunes and look for "Riding Gravel" there. We are transferring over some of the older podcasts as well so check that out.


I know I've said this deal would be "more regular" than it has been, and well, now anything is more regular than it has been! In fact, this new podcast is only the second episode in two years. But if this doesn't get off the ground and going, I'd be surprised. It's all part of the joining up with Andy's Bike Shop. This new partnership and my employment with Andy's should help generate more episodes since Andy is keen on it to get going. I think my partner Ben is as well, and getting this shoved off on its own feed is a sign that the times are a changin'. 

So, I don't know what is realistic to expect, but I'd like to think maybe twice a month would be a good goal to shoot for. We'll see about that. Worse comes to worse and I could just podcast from my own place here, but let's not go there just yet. The plan is to stay the course and get more regular episodes out there. 

Thanks for the enthusiastic response so far to this new show. I know I have zero expectation that anyone should care anymore after almost a year since the last show, so I am overwhelmed that anyone should check into it at this point. Thanks!

And that's a wrap for this week. Look for more gravel related news tomorrow here, and in the meantime, stay warm and safe!

Friday News And Views

Iowa's Ride was created as a response to a dust-up concerning charitable giving.

RAGBRAI Admits To Misleading Public On Financial Affairs.

Last week a report in :The Gazette", an Eastern Iowa news media source, stated that it was revealed by the current RAGBRAI staff at a recent meeting that RAGBRAI had not been very transparent in what their finances were and that charitable giving had not been as promised. (Read the article here) I'll let that stand on its own merits, but I will also add that this money making ploy that Gannett and RAGBRAI engaged in had been something many people close to the event had guessed at for years.

Newspapers used to be pretty profitable businesses back in the 70's and 80's. This brought about a time of consolidation and corporate take-overs of many independent newspapers. This consolidation of news sources under fewer owners, and corporate entities had many negative effects, but I want to focus in on RAGBRAI.

Gannett purchased the Des Moines Register in 1985 (Source: "The New York Times" article here) Back in the 80's and early 90's, this had little to no effect upon RAGBRAI. Prices were cheap, parties were wild, and everyone was having a pretty good time. But then the internet came along and newspapers weren't the main source of news anymore. (And partiers couldn't be anonymous anymore) This gradually put more and more financial stress on newspapers. Advertising, especially classified ads, started to disappear, and with them the revenue which was the lifeblood of newspaper organizations. Subsequently, RAGBRAI began to feel the changes. Gannett started dipping into revenues generated by the ride's shops, 14 of them at one point, by way of a sort of "tax" on everything sold on the route. T-shirts, which generated thousands of dollars for the supporting shops, were "taxed" and became far more expensive for the shops to sell. This negatively affected revenue for the shops on the ride. What's more, the Register set up its own concessions, selling, you guessed it- t-shirts, for less money, undercutting the shop vendors. Then they made their gear the "official gear" of RAGBRAI, and that killed the various t-shirts which used to be collected by RAGBRAI riders from the various shops at overnights. RAGBRAI made all the money there after that happened.

RAGBRAI then instigated a policy where overnight shops manned by the various businesses that supported the ride for the week, were placed at overnight towns in inconvenient locations, while the Register's concessions were front and center where the action was. Gannett was also not owning up to what it was taking in on the ride, and all the while they were stiffing towns and organizations supporting the ride with clean-up fees, and shutting down bars and moving people along the route in pass-through towns, and more, which hurt business and charities. Gannett reaped the benefits and made RAGBRAI a revenue stream where there wasn't meant to be one, and philanthropy and donations suffered as a result. Now the former staff has resigned, forcing this to come out into the light of day.

All this to say that many people close to the ride had hunches back in the day that this was the case. Whether or not you support the Iowa's Ride or RAGBRAI, that's a pretty sad tale for an event which is beloved by thousands of cyclists the world over.

A decade of Gent's Race madness- and I'll have been to every one of them.

 The Renegade Gent's Race Reaches its Tenth Edition:

If you've been around the blog for the last ten years you know that I love the Renegade Gent's Race. Or maybe it is just the "Gent's Race" these days. Anyway, I have a LOT of, (maybe too much at times) fun at this event.

You know, I've seen a thing going around of late from a site called "Medium" where some self-proclaimed "expert" on the gravel scene was saying a bunch of stuff, and a couple things he was saying were that women were under-represented in gravel and young people were too. Now, I'd wager he's never even heard about the Gent's Race, 'cause if he had, he wouldn't be saying such nonsense.

The Gent's Race is antithetical to where a lot of the "Big Time Gravel Machine" events are going. While the Gent's Race does have the ultra-competitive element, it has the "fun hog" element too. (To borrow a turn of phrase from 90's mtb-lingo) You'll see trains of fit, skin-suit clad freaks and a whole team of females on fat bikes with boas on and everything in between. Young and old participate too. It's a true amalgam of the gravel scene.

Anyway, this one is a big deal for me because it marks ten years ago that I met a few guys I didn't know and we've come together for nine years now every April to enjoin in some bicycle riding with a heapin' helpin' of frivolity. I wouldn't miss the tenth one for the world.

 New Podcast Up:

I know...... It'd been almost a year since we had put anything out, but there is a new Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast out now on its own feed! You can reach it via the link which takes you to the Riding Gravel site, or check out iTunes and look for "Riding Gravel" there. We are transferring over some of the older podcasts as well so check that out.


I know I've said this deal would be "more regular" than it has been, and well, now anything is more regular than it has been! In fact, this new podcast is only the second episode in two years. But if this doesn't get off the ground and going, I'd be surprised. It's all part of the joining up with Andy's Bike Shop. This new partnership and my employment with Andy's should help generate more episodes since Andy is keen on it to get going. I think my partner Ben is as well, and getting this shoved off on its own feed is a sign that the times are a changin'. 

So, I don't know what is realistic to expect, but I'd like to think maybe twice a month would be a good goal to shoot for. We'll see about that. Worse comes to worse and I could just podcast from my own place here, but let's not go there just yet. The plan is to stay the course and get more regular episodes out there. 

Thanks for the enthusiastic response so far to this new show. I know I have zero expectation that anyone should care anymore after almost a year since the last show, so I am overwhelmed that anyone should check into it at this point. Thanks!

And that's a wrap for this week. Look for more gravel related news tomorrow here, and in the meantime, stay warm and safe!

Friday News And Views-Black Friday Edition!

USAC Gets A New Director Of Membership

I came across an interesting podcast the other day with USAC's new Director Of Membership, Lindsay Goldman. She used to run a professional women's road squad up until recently. So, why should I- or anyone else- care? 

I have stated here several times how gravel events have helped to erode the base of membership for USAC here in the US. It is no secret that USAC has lost thousands of dollars- perhaps millions- in membership/licensing monies over the past three to five years as the rise of gravel events, the fear of riding the road, and ambivalence toward USAC has grown.  Lindsay Goldman has been tasked by USAC to revert this trend. In fact, she states on the podcast (linked above) that her mandate is to grow USAC membership by 50%. (!!)

That's a stout figure and a big mountain to climb. I was hooked into skimming over the podcast to hear if anything gravel related would be mentioned beyond the typical roadie affairs. There were a few mentions, and from these, I think we can draw a couple of vague conclusions. Goldman wasn't overtly pointing toward gravel riders and events as a means to gain that heady goal set before her, but I think gravel events are definitely on her radar, and thus, USAC's as well.

A question about NICA, the highschool MTB league association, and whether a road or gravel equivalent might be started by USAC, led to this comment from Goldman, "...don't know what the plans are for that. I know people (within USAC) are talking about that."

When Goldman spoke about how she would transform USAC through membership drives it was clear that she was detailing how USAC wants to shed the perceptions that it is a "road cycling/racing based organization only" and move perceptions towards USAC being the "community leader" when it comes to all cycling issues- transportation, recreational, and participation in cycling by minorities and women. She summed this up by saying, "If we (USAC) can be not just the national governing body, but the primary highest level community in America for uniting cyclists, and encouraging participation, and looking after the interests of cyclists, I think that's where the organization (USAC) wants to go."

Obviously, this includes gravel cycling. In fact, as an aside, Goldman mentioned she had signed up for "several" gravel events in 2020. She mentioned that she wouldn't be "racing" but enjoying "just being out there", again enforcing the idea that USAC wants to shed the "roadie/racing only" perceptions it has outside of road racing.  You can bet that she, and USAC in general, will be eying what makes gravel events tic and how USAC can get involved.

I think I've also mentioned that I have heard that in January USAC has a meeting planned where they want to talk with event promoters and riders involved in gravel events. You can bet that if this is true, the "big" events and "influencer" type riders will be the ones called to the table. But what about the grassroots event directors and folk? I'd be really surprised if that type of promoter or rider was invited. I'd be very surprised if that were the case.but, however it goes, this USAC thing bears watching. Stay tuned........

Iowa's Ride Route Announced:

In case you missed it, RAGBRAI isn't the only game in town anymore when it comes to Iowa based, week-long recreational rides. That bomb was dropped when in October the entire RAGBRAI staff quit and announced "Iowa's Ride", a mirror image of what RAGBRAI is, and in more ways than one. The route, announced this past Wednesday, will be an East to West route, not the traditional RAGBRAI West to East.

Originally the Iowa's Ride was going to occur at the same time as RAGBRAI, but when RAGBRAI didn't fold up and blow away, the dates were changed so that Iowa's Ride will occur the week before RAGBRAI. Of course, this sets up the possibility for the "IR-RAG Double", where you start Iowa's Ride, go West to the end, find the start of RAGBRAI, and go back.

Whomever has tags from both rides in the same year will have the upper hand in Iowa cycling bragging rights at bars and on Facebook forever. Think of the possibilities!

Honestly, they should just fold both rides into one, make it a true competition/fondo, and call it The Tour Of Iowa, and be done with this duality mess.

I Hear You!

Tuesday's post dubbed "End Of The Year Scheduling" elicited several responses from readers saying that they didn't mind my going over my bikes here during my retrospective December postings. One reader even suggested that I write about my guitars like I have before (just search the title "The Six String Side" and you'll find all those), but there is a problem there. I've already covered all the guitars I have. In order to do more there, well, you know........I'd have to buy more guitars! I'm not sure Mrs. Guitar Ted would be down for that. Maybe I'll have a look at her guitar. It's pretty nice......

So, at any rate, I'll squeeze in a couple detailed posts about the bikes here. Likely I won't do all of them that I used in 2019, but the significant ones- yes. I'll try to squeeze those in. As I stated on Tuesday, I will be doing a little extra this December as it is the end of the decade and I wanted to touch upon that as the year closes out.

That's all I have for this week. I hope that y'all get some "Turkey Burn" rides in, and that y'all have safe travels from wherever you are to wherever it is you are going.

Friday News And Views-Black Friday Edition!

USAC Gets A New Director Of Membership

I came across an interesting podcast the other day with USAC's new Director Of Membership, Lindsay Goldman. She used to run a professional women's road squad up until recently. So, why should I- or anyone else- care? 

I have stated here several times how gravel events have helped to erode the base of membership for USAC here in the US. It is no secret that USAC has lost thousands of dollars- perhaps millions- in membership/licensing monies over the past three to five years as the rise of gravel events, the fear of riding the road, and ambivalence toward USAC has grown.  Lindsay Goldman has been tasked by USAC to revert this trend. In fact, she states on the podcast (linked above) that her mandate is to grow USAC membership by 50%. (!!)

That's a stout figure and a big mountain to climb. I was hooked into skimming over the podcast to hear if anything gravel related would be mentioned beyond the typical roadie affairs. There were a few mentions, and from these, I think we can draw a couple of vague conclusions. Goldman wasn't overtly pointing toward gravel riders and events as a means to gain that heady goal set before her, but I think gravel events are definitely on her radar, and thus, USAC's as well.

A question about NICA, the highschool MTB league association, and whether a road or gravel equivalent might be started by USAC, led to this comment from Goldman, "...don't know what the plans are for that. I know people (within USAC) are talking about that."

When Goldman spoke about how she would transform USAC through membership drives it was clear that she was detailing how USAC wants to shed the perceptions that it is a "road cycling/racing based organization only" and move perceptions towards USAC being the "community leader" when it comes to all cycling issues- transportation, recreational, and participation in cycling by minorities and women. She summed this up by saying, "If we (USAC) can be not just the national governing body, but the primary highest level community in America for uniting cyclists, and encouraging participation, and looking after the interests of cyclists, I think that's where the organization (USAC) wants to go."

Obviously, this includes gravel cycling. In fact, as an aside, Goldman mentioned she had signed up for "several" gravel events in 2020. She mentioned that she wouldn't be "racing" but enjoying "just being out there", again enforcing the idea that USAC wants to shed the "roadie/racing only" perceptions it has outside of road racing.  You can bet that she, and USAC in general, will be eying what makes gravel events tic and how USAC can get involved.

I think I've also mentioned that I have heard that in January USAC has a meeting planned where they want to talk with event promoters and riders involved in gravel events. You can bet that if this is true, the "big" events and "influencer" type riders will be the ones called to the table. But what about the grassroots event directors and folk? I'd be really surprised if that type of promoter or rider was invited. I'd be very surprised if that were the case.but, however it goes, this USAC thing bears watching. Stay tuned........

Iowa's Ride Route Announced:

In case you missed it, RAGBRAI isn't the only game in town anymore when it comes to Iowa based, week-long recreational rides. That bomb was dropped when in October the entire RAGBRAI staff quit and announced "Iowa's Ride", a mirror image of what RAGBRAI is, and in more ways than one. The route, announced this past Wednesday, will be an East to West route, not the traditional RAGBRAI West to East.

Originally the Iowa's Ride was going to occur at the same time as RAGBRAI, but when RAGBRAI didn't fold up and blow away, the dates were changed so that Iowa's Ride will occur the week before RAGBRAI. Of course, this sets up the possibility for the "IR-RAG Double", where you start Iowa's Ride, go West to the end, find the start of RAGBRAI, and go back.

Whomever has tags from both rides in the same year will have the upper hand in Iowa cycling bragging rights at bars and on Facebook forever. Think of the possibilities!

Honestly, they should just fold both rides into one, make it a true competition/fondo, and call it The Tour Of Iowa, and be done with this duality mess.

I Hear You!

Tuesday's post dubbed "End Of The Year Scheduling" elicited several responses from readers saying that they didn't mind my going over my bikes here during my retrospective December postings. One reader even suggested that I write about my guitars like I have before (just search the title "The Six String Side" and you'll find all those), but there is a problem there. I've already covered all the guitars I have. In order to do more there, well, you know........I'd have to buy more guitars! I'm not sure Mrs. Guitar Ted would be down for that. Maybe I'll have a look at her guitar. It's pretty nice......

So, at any rate, I'll squeeze in a couple detailed posts about the bikes here. Likely I won't do all of them that I used in 2019, but the significant ones- yes. I'll try to squeeze those in. As I stated on Tuesday, I will be doing a little extra this December as it is the end of the decade and I wanted to touch upon that as the year closes out.

That's all I have for this week. I hope that y'all get some "Turkey Burn" rides in, and that y'all have safe travels from wherever you are to wherever it is you are going.

Friday News And Views

RAGBRAI Forges Ahead:

Since Tuesday's announcement that the entire RAGBRAI staff had resigned and decided to start up a different ride called "Iowa's Ride", everyone concerned with the issue had been wondering what RAGBRAI would do. Well, on Wednesday a statement was released by RAGBRAI via its newsletter to email subscribers from a marketing person stating that RAGBRAI would, in fact, occur in July 2020.

Obviously the Des Moines Register is scrambling to get an organization set up to take care of the production of the event. No details were given that anyone had been hired or appointed as of yesterday.

Also, yesterday the Iowa Bicycle Coalition announced its support of "Iowa's Ride". Here is an excerpt from their announcement: "We believe that Iowa’s Ride will be the most successful way to continue the iconic annual bicycle ride across Iowa, not only in 2020 but for many years to come. The team that has formed Iowa’s ride and that will be organizing and managing it have unmatched experience and success in doing so. They are the best hope for continuing this proud tradition. We also believe that a cross-state ride will be best operated and most likely to succeed as a stand-alone and independent entity. This is what Iowa’s Ride offers."

On one hand you have a seasoned team in Iowa's Ride that knows how to do this deal. However; this ride has no equity with traditional RAGBRAI riders, many who won't give a rip about the Carson King Affair. They just want to do RAGBRAI, since.....well RAGBRAI. It's a religion with some folks. That said.....

RAGBRAI has a pickle to deal with, and they won't have anyone with the sort of experience that T.J. Juskiewicz and his team have. What sort of production can we expect from a rookie team? Then too, will mainstay vendors stick with the ride? There are a lot of issues with RAGBRAI, and like anything that's been around a long time, a lot of grumbling factions, some of which may want to jump ship to see their visions possibly become reality.

In fact, that's probably the underlying reason why the folks behind Iowa's Ride left RAGBRAI in the first place.

Measure Your Wrists- Find Your Saddle Size! Really!

Many of you may be aware that saddle size for your bicycle is like shoes, or gloves, or helmets. One size does not fit all. Or even most, for that matter. So, in the last ten years or so, a few ideas have been put forth to help people sort out which size saddle they could be more comfortable on. (Note- I said "could be")

Sometimes this might be effected by having a sample run of saddles that you actually tried out on your own bicycle. Several companies went that direction, including WTB, back a decade ago or so. Then Bontrager had a system which included a gel filled cushion on a small bench. You sat yourself within the center of this, and theoretically, your sit bones would push away the gel and a color coded scale would lead you to your correct saddle width choice. It was a start, for sure, and I realized when using this system that I had been using a saddle too narrow for me.

Once I had narrowed that down I still had to search for a saddle shape and padding that worked for me. Eventually I ended up on mostly WTB stuff with a smattering of Brooks saddles thrown in for good measure. Last year WTB announced new, wider widths for some of their saddle line and I got to try out the Silverado in a 143mm width. Oh! New favorite saddle!

Then at Gravel Worlds the fit system was being talked about at the WTB booth. I was......pretty skeptical. I watched as my friend Tony went through the four steps and had a width suggested to him along with a couple saddles that matched his profile. Then I went back home and pretty much forgot about it.

In that time I started experiencing some discomfort with my old standby, the WTB Pure. As we age, things change. Maybe I needed to start thinking about a new saddle. The Silverado? Maybe. Then WTB's marketing guy sent me an e-mail asking if I wouldn't go through the saddle finder system and try a saddle or would I? So, I agreed, and this new Volt is what I was sent. Stay tuned for the results.....

One sided, but made for gravel travel.

TIME Does Gravel:

TIME is a well known pedal and shoe purveyor that has been most used in the road cycling circles, but they do have an excellent MTB pedal that is shamefully under-represented in the mountain biking and gravel road segments.

Recently TIME announced a new pedal aimed at, what else, gravel riding. Well, to be fair, they are saying this was also influenced by the needs of cyclo-tourists as well. The deal here is that road pedals have a great, supportive platform, but generally use a cleat that necessitates a shoe design which is awkward to walk in. TIME solved this issue with their new Ciclo pedal.

I used road pedals and shoes once, for a short time, in the early 1990's. The ones I tried were those Shimano two bolt cleat ones, remember those? They were smallish and harder than heck to get into, at least I thought so. And those shoes! Gah! Not for me. And then I went MTB shoes/pedals and never looked back. So, I really have no reference point for this "support" you get with more of a platform pedal.

This will be newer territory for me, and I am going in with an open mind to see what, if any, real differences there are. I am quite familiar with carbon soled shoes and stiffer soled MTB style shoes, while my preference usually was for a bit more flex than not. In fact, one of my all-time favorite shoes of recent years was a pair of middling Shimano three strap MTB shoes.

I'll probably bolt these cleats to my old 45NRTH bootie shoes, since, ya know, Fall has progressed to the point that traditional shoes are not going to be a good choice. Stay tuned for how this all works out.

Note: TIME and WTB sent the items mentioned in today's post to RIDING GRAVEL for review at no charge. There was no money exchanged or promises made to include these items in today's post. 

That's it for this week. get out and ride, but be careful of all the farmers this weekend if you ride out in the country in the Mid-West.