News Season: Sea Otter 2023

I still haven't seen much about this since Thursday last week.

 Sea Otter is over for another year. This was probably, and arguably the first "real" Sea Otter since 2019. Vendor participation was almost back to pre-pandemic levels. So that meant that a lot of new items debuted throughout last week and at the show in conjunction with the festivities. 

And let us not forget that there was racing, and Life Time's "Grand Prix" kicked off there this past weekend. Of course, if you haven't heard, Life Time owns Sea Otter now, so they can do what they want in that regard. 

Okay, this will be a post of things I thought were interesting using images caught by my friend Grannygear who was in attendance at the show and forwarded me the images you see here today, except where indicated. We also collaborated on a post on Riding Gravel, so you may have seen some of these already.  I'll stick mostly to the gravel stuff and commentary here, but there may be an oddball thing or two that I post also. Okay, here we go.....

BlackHeart titanium gravel bike.

BlackHeart Bikes: I'd never heard about this company before seeing the image here. Cool looking bikes and all. The company mission statement I read said that they wanted a bike that struck a middle ground between gravel and road bikes. (??) Hint: A "gravel bike IS a road bike. 

Anyway.... Checking the specs on the three thousand dollar frame and I see that it is, in fact, a road racing bike. "Square" geometry in the most classic road bike style, it has a 72.5° head angle and a pretty shallow bottom bracket drop with a maximum tire clearance of 40mm. 

Not an "all-roads bike". I mean- you can ride this down your local single track, for all I care, but this is not "all-road" bike geometry for the masses. So, looks good - not gonna cut the mustard around here. 

This was seen on a Fezarri gravel bike

UDH Ready: Trends? How about UDH, the SRAM acronym for "Universal Derailleur Hangar". Seems that a lot of smaller companies are moving toward using this as it cuts down on expenses and, probably more importantly, is a sign of a future sea-change in drive train technology. 

I expect more will become clear on this in the Fall of this year. Stay tuned....

Another USA based aluminum rim maker? Yes!

Boyd Cycles Starts Up US Rim Production: News broke at the onset of the show that Boyd Cycles, the wheel purveyor from the East, was working on a manufacturing facility in South Carolina while COVID was going on and now that facility is up and running. This is pretty good news, I think.

Of course, it brings us up to two rim manufacturers in the US with Velocity USA having been here cranking out rims for quite a few years already. Boyd included in their press release that they are open to doing rims for other companies as well, so hey! Maybe a renaissance of sorts is happening with US based wheel making? Perhaps. 

You might have spied out above that the wheels set shown is $425.00 for the set, so they aren't just making high-end stuff there. Nice!

Hunt To Sell Straight Pull Hub Sets:

A lot of pre-built wheels come with cool hubs that you only can have if you buy the entire wheel. Sometimes you might want the hub, but maybe you want a 650B wheel, or even a 26"er. Well, now you can buy a Hunt Sprint SL set of hubs for that purpose and more.

Of course, they are disc and through axle only, so there is that, but most modern bikes are those standards anyway. You can get a couple different bearing types and the prices are not too bad. The "Ceramic Coated" bearing versions are $249.00 for the set. 

Straight pull spokes are not real commonplace, so I checked the innergoogles and found that I should have no fear. Lots of choices. Mostly DT Swiss and Sapim. Both solid choices there. 

The only caveat? You can only get these hubs in 20F/24R or 24F/24R spoke drillings. That probably limits these hubs appeal to the racing and lightweight freaks. But if that is you, hey - there you go!  I might keep these in mind for converting some older wheels I have to through axle and a better freehub system. 

Kenda "4titude" Tires:

I've opined on this channel about how those in the industry on the one hand are trying to pull gravel biking into mountain biking territory. Well, as with the BlackHeart bike above, there are those that don't understand "gravel" as a niche/type of bike and want to pull it back toward road racing. Another example is the Kenda "4titude" tire, developed in tandem with riders of the Belgium Waffle Ride. 

You might be thinking, "But wait! Isn't BWR a gravel series?" Well, BWR would love it if you thought so, but many of their events have higher than 50% pavement courses. That's NOT gravel, my friends. 

Not that it is wrong, but if you ride mostly pavement, you end up back in a road racing mindset, if you are in the cycling industry. It's like they cannot help themselves.... 

Anyway. The tire. Back to the tires! 

These will be available in a 35mm and a 40mm. I happen to actually like the tire by the looks of it. This type of tread pattern can be very fast around here at times. Probably not if it was like last Summer in Southern Black Hawk County, but maybe elsewhere and hopefully this year! (I can hope!) 

I have a set of Donnelly USH 40's that look similar to these Kendas that I think are great. So, I welcome tires in this vein. Big, poofy road tires, any road tires, are always a good deal. 

American Classic is now offering 700 X 45's

American Classic Offering A 700 X 45mm Tire Now: So, here's another smoother treaded tire I like a lot, the American Classic Kimberlite. They were offering it in a 700 X 35, 40, and 50mm sizes. But now you can get a 45mm! 

This is great. American Classic tires took a step up when they did their redesign last year and I tried Kimberlites in the 50mm size. The 45mm would be the deal for folks on a budget. The American Classic Kimberlites in this size should fit a ton of bikes out there and should roll like a champ. 

This isn't what I expected from Salsa back in the day, but now? Yes. I understand.

And A Few More Opinions On The E-Salsa Bikes:

I still think the shocker of the show was the Salsa e-bike deal. However; you hardly saw anything on this from mainstream cycling pubs and sites. Weird! Maybe there is a hidden reason for that? I don't know, but typically Salsa sends out press releases ahead of big announcements like this. I do not think that they did that this time.

Comments I saw regarding this on posts I put on social media and here ranged from quiet approval to outright disdain. There once was a Salsa Cycles that stood for ideals that many folks that I know were attracted to. And you'd think something like an e-gravel bike would fit the old "Adventure by Bike" philosophy that was once the province of this brand alone for a time. But something has changed since those days.

I think it is a lot of things, and the evolution of this brand has left a bad taste in the mouths of some. People have left the brand since those days, and that certainly has had an effect. The parent company has changed, and their values have changed, and that certainly has had an affect as well. Is any of this negative or positive? That's for you to decide.

But it "is". That's the point, and of course, the entire electrification of bicycles and the sea change in retail has affected this brand to a large degree as well. Like I said, it's a LOT of things all together that have brought Salsa Cycles to a place that has the brand at a bit of a crossroads in my opinion. I think this is what you see reflected in the comments on the electric Confluence gravel bike. The bike itself is neither here nor there. It's just a signpost of the brand and where it is at in 2023. 

UPDATED: 4/24/23 @ 12:00 NOON CST:

A Salsa eMTB as shown from Sea Otter on a QBP employee's Instagram page.

 An anonymous source tipped me off to the existence of a Salsa eMTB, still in development, apparently, with a Bosch mid-drive motor. The source also confirmed that the Confluence is indeed real and was also puzzled by the lack of media interest. 

So, how about them apples?

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

News Season: Sea Otter 2023

I still haven't seen much about this since Thursday last week.

 Sea Otter is over for another year. This was probably, and arguably the first "real" Sea Otter since 2019. Vendor participation was almost back to pre-pandemic levels. So that meant that a lot of new items debuted throughout last week and at the show in conjunction with the festivities. 

And let us not forget that there was racing, and Life Time's "Grand Prix" kicked off there this past weekend. Of course, if you haven't heard, Life Time owns Sea Otter now, so they can do what they want in that regard. 

Okay, this will be a post of things I thought were interesting using images caught by my friend Grannygear who was in attendance at the show and forwarded me the images you see here today, except where indicated. We also collaborated on a post on Riding Gravel, so you may have seen some of these already.  I'll stick mostly to the gravel stuff and commentary here, but there may be an oddball thing or two that I post also. Okay, here we go.....

BlackHeart titanium gravel bike.

BlackHeart Bikes: I'd never heard about this company before seeing the image here. Cool looking bikes and all. The company mission statement I read said that they wanted a bike that struck a middle ground between gravel and road bikes. (??) Hint: A "gravel bike IS a road bike. 

Anyway.... Checking the specs on the three thousand dollar frame and I see that it is, in fact, a road racing bike. "Square" geometry in the most classic road bike style, it has a 72.5° head angle and a pretty shallow bottom bracket drop with a maximum tire clearance of 40mm. 

Not an "all-roads bike". I mean- you can ride this down your local single track, for all I care, but this is not "all-road" bike geometry for the masses. So, looks good - not gonna cut the mustard around here. 

This was seen on a Fezarri gravel bike

UDH Ready: Trends? How about UDH, the SRAM acronym for "Universal Derailleur Hangar". Seems that a lot of smaller companies are moving toward using this as it cuts down on expenses and, probably more importantly, is a sign of a future sea-change in drive train technology. 

I expect more will become clear on this in the Fall of this year. Stay tuned....

Another USA based aluminum rim maker? Yes!

Boyd Cycles Starts Up US Rim Production: News broke at the onset of the show that Boyd Cycles, the wheel purveyor from the East, was working on a manufacturing facility in South Carolina while COVID was going on and now that facility is up and running. This is pretty good news, I think.

Of course, it brings us up to two rim manufacturers in the US with Velocity USA having been here cranking out rims for quite a few years already. Boyd included in their press release that they are open to doing rims for other companies as well, so hey! Maybe a renaissance of sorts is happening with US based wheel making? Perhaps. 

You might have spied out above that the wheels set shown is $425.00 for the set, so they aren't just making high-end stuff there. Nice!

Hunt To Sell Straight Pull Hub Sets:

A lot of pre-built wheels come with cool hubs that you only can have if you buy the entire wheel. Sometimes you might want the hub, but maybe you want a 650B wheel, or even a 26"er. Well, now you can buy a Hunt Sprint SL set of hubs for that purpose and more.

Of course, they are disc and through axle only, so there is that, but most modern bikes are those standards anyway. You can get a couple different bearing types and the prices are not too bad. The "Ceramic Coated" bearing versions are $249.00 for the set. 

Straight pull spokes are not real commonplace, so I checked the innergoogles and found that I should have no fear. Lots of choices. Mostly DT Swiss and Sapim. Both solid choices there. 

The only caveat? You can only get these hubs in 20F/24R or 24F/24R spoke drillings. That probably limits these hubs appeal to the racing and lightweight freaks. But if that is you, hey - there you go!  I might keep these in mind for converting some older wheels I have to through axle and a better freehub system. 

Kenda "4titude" Tires:

I've opined on this channel about how those in the industry on the one hand are trying to pull gravel biking into mountain biking territory. Well, as with the BlackHeart bike above, there are those that don't understand "gravel" as a niche/type of bike and want to pull it back toward road racing. Another example is the Kenda "4titude" tire, developed in tandem with riders of the Belgium Waffle Ride. 

You might be thinking, "But wait! Isn't BWR a gravel series?" Well, BWR would love it if you thought so, but many of their events have higher than 50% pavement courses. That's NOT gravel, my friends. 

Not that it is wrong, but if you ride mostly pavement, you end up back in a road racing mindset, if you are in the cycling industry. It's like they cannot help themselves.... 

Anyway. The tire. Back to the tires! 

These will be available in a 35mm and a 40mm. I happen to actually like the tire by the looks of it. This type of tread pattern can be very fast around here at times. Probably not if it was like last Summer in Southern Black Hawk County, but maybe elsewhere and hopefully this year! (I can hope!) 

I have a set of Donnelly USH 40's that look similar to these Kendas that I think are great. So, I welcome tires in this vein. Big, poofy road tires, any road tires, are always a good deal. 

American Classic is now offering 700 X 45's

American Classic Offering A 700 X 45mm Tire Now: So, here's another smoother treaded tire I like a lot, the American Classic Kimberlite. They were offering it in a 700 X 35, 40, and 50mm sizes. But now you can get a 45mm! 

This is great. American Classic tires took a step up when they did their redesign last year and I tried Kimberlites in the 50mm size. The 45mm would be the deal for folks on a budget. The American Classic Kimberlites in this size should fit a ton of bikes out there and should roll like a champ. 

This isn't what I expected from Salsa back in the day, but now? Yes. I understand.

And A Few More Opinions On The E-Salsa Bikes:

I still think the shocker of the show was the Salsa e-bike deal. However; you hardly saw anything on this from mainstream cycling pubs and sites. Weird! Maybe there is a hidden reason for that? I don't know, but typically Salsa sends out press releases ahead of big announcements like this. I do not think that they did that this time.

Comments I saw regarding this on posts I put on social media and here ranged from quiet approval to outright disdain. There once was a Salsa Cycles that stood for ideals that many folks that I know were attracted to. And you'd think something like an e-gravel bike would fit the old "Adventure by Bike" philosophy that was once the province of this brand alone for a time. But something has changed since those days.

I think it is a lot of things, and the evolution of this brand has left a bad taste in the mouths of some. People have left the brand since those days, and that certainly has had an effect. The parent company has changed, and their values have changed, and that certainly has had an affect as well. Is any of this negative or positive? That's for you to decide.

But it "is". That's the point, and of course, the entire electrification of bicycles and the sea change in retail has affected this brand to a large degree as well. Like I said, it's a LOT of things all together that have brought Salsa Cycles to a place that has the brand at a bit of a crossroads in my opinion. I think this is what you see reflected in the comments on the electric Confluence gravel bike. The bike itself is neither here nor there. It's just a signpost of the brand and where it is at in 2023. 

UPDATED: 4/24/23 @ 12:00 NOON CST:

A Salsa eMTB as shown from Sea Otter on a QBP employee's Instagram page.

 An anonymous source tipped me off to the existence of a Salsa eMTB, still in development, apparently, with a Bosch mid-drive motor. The source also confirmed that the Confluence is indeed real and was also puzzled by the lack of media interest. 

So, how about them apples?

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Fat Thursday

New Maxxis 29+ tire: image courtesy of Brant Richards

The Taipei Bicycle Show is happening right now and some leakage is going down that is Fat and Beautiful! (I know, that sounds dirty, but it's all legit. REALLY! )

First off, on Wednesday morning I awoke to two images posted by On One's Brant Richards of some Maxxis tires. one a 29+ and the other a 4 inch wide fat bike tire called the Mammoth, which looks kind of like a fat Ardent-like tread.

So my thoughts on this were that finally some break through on tires was imminent. This could only mean one thng: More companies were ramping up fat bike production. The tire companies are not going to do fat bike tires or 29+ unless some mainstream company is pulling the trigger for them with orders to put on new bicycle models. Expect this Summer to be rife with news on fat and 29+ stuff!

But you may say, "Okay- but that's just two tires. How many bikes would use those?" You are right to be skeptical, but I had a funny feeling Maxxis wasn't the only ones jumping in. And I was correct.....

Duro Fat: Image Courtesy of "Red"

Later on Wednesday, I got confirmation that Trek will have a Bontrager TLR-type tubeless set up for fat bikes. The system will consist of tires and rims which will work together- the first of its kind for fat bikes. Not only that, but another source has informed me that the rim is a ".... pretty wild departure from anything "normal"". 

This source went on to say that Trek will have five total fat bike models for 2015: Two aluminum hard tails, two carbon hard tails, and a full suspension fat bike! 

Think about that final statement a bit. That means the long awaited front suspender from Rock Shox will become reality for 2015 on Trek fat bikes. Probably on Salsa fat bikes as well. Why? Did you see how all the Salsa 2014 fat bike models are suspension corrected and have 51mm offset forks? Think about it.......possibly two full suspension fat bikes with dialed suspension in 2015. It boggles the mind to think what was available for fat bikes in 2011 were pretty much basic hard tails with rigid forks and Surly Larry tires were the talk of the town. Now we're talking about more things happening in one model year for fat bikes then has happened in the fat bike's entire previous history combined. 2015 "The Year of the Fat Bike"? I don't think that is too far from the mark if it isn't dead on. 

While many folks seem to think fat bikes are too dull and heavy to be all-year-around mountain bikes, apparently many companies are betting differently. It will be interesting to see how all the geometry choices affect snow, sand, and mud riding, which early fat bikes were specifically dialed in to tackle.

Then later in the day I get the word that Kenda Tire is doing a fat bike tire. A 26 X 4.0" tire with their DTC compound and dubbed the "Juggernaut Sport".  It is interesting to note that all of these "leaked" tires are in the 4.0" range. Apparently that is where we are going to see manufacturers focus their efforts on in terms of fat bike tires.


So, the market really is opening up, eh? With Maxxis in, Duro Tire in, and Kenda Tire in, along with the Bontrager tires, and what I would assume should be more offerings from Specialized, the fat bike tire selections will effectively triple in one year! 

Like one source told me, "...this is like 2006 and 29"ers all over again!" I would have to agree. I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg as well. Obviously we don't have any idea what Salsa Cycles is doing, and I am sure other surprises lurk in the shadows yet, like Specialized's offerings, or other companies with components, (tires, rims, and forks), that we will be finding out about soon. 

This week was " Fat Tuesday", but the real deal this year is "Fat Thursday"! 

More Images:

Prototype Bontrager tire

Mammoth Tread

Chronicle Tread

Maxxis Mammoth

Fat Thursday

New Maxxis 29+ tire: image courtesy of Brant Richards

The Taipei Bicycle Show is happening right now and some leakage is going down that is Fat and Beautiful! (I know, that sounds dirty, but it's all legit. REALLY! )

First off, on Wednesday morning I awoke to two images posted by On One's Brant Richards of some Maxxis tires. one a 29+ and the other a 4 inch wide fat bike tire called the Mammoth, which looks kind of like a fat Ardent-like tread.

So my thoughts on this were that finally some break through on tires was imminent. This could only mean one thng: More companies were ramping up fat bike production. The tire companies are not going to do fat bike tires or 29+ unless some mainstream company is pulling the trigger for them with orders to put on new bicycle models. Expect this Summer to be rife with news on fat and 29+ stuff!

But you may say, "Okay- but that's just two tires. How many bikes would use those?" You are right to be skeptical, but I had a funny feeling Maxxis wasn't the only ones jumping in. And I was correct.....

Duro Fat: Image Courtesy of "Red"

Later on Wednesday, I got confirmation that Trek will have a Bontrager TLR-type tubeless set up for fat bikes. The system will consist of tires and rims which will work together- the first of its kind for fat bikes. Not only that, but another source has informed me that the rim is a ".... pretty wild departure from anything "normal"". 

This source went on to say that Trek will have five total fat bike models for 2015: Two aluminum hard tails, two carbon hard tails, and a full suspension fat bike! 

Think about that final statement a bit. That means the long awaited front suspender from Rock Shox will become reality for 2015 on Trek fat bikes. Probably on Salsa fat bikes as well. Why? Did you see how all the Salsa 2014 fat bike models are suspension corrected and have 51mm offset forks? Think about it.......possibly two full suspension fat bikes with dialed suspension in 2015. It boggles the mind to think what was available for fat bikes in 2011 were pretty much basic hard tails with rigid forks and Surly Larry tires were the talk of the town. Now we're talking about more things happening in one model year for fat bikes then has happened in the fat bike's entire previous history combined. 2015 "The Year of the Fat Bike"? I don't think that is too far from the mark if it isn't dead on. 

While many folks seem to think fat bikes are too dull and heavy to be all-year-around mountain bikes, apparently many companies are betting differently. It will be interesting to see how all the geometry choices affect snow, sand, and mud riding, which early fat bikes were specifically dialed in to tackle.

Then later in the day I get the word that Kenda Tire is doing a fat bike tire. A 26 X 4.0" tire with their DTC compound and dubbed the "Juggernaut Sport".  It is interesting to note that all of these "leaked" tires are in the 4.0" range. Apparently that is where we are going to see manufacturers focus their efforts on in terms of fat bike tires.


So, the market really is opening up, eh? With Maxxis in, Duro Tire in, and Kenda Tire in, along with the Bontrager tires, and what I would assume should be more offerings from Specialized, the fat bike tire selections will effectively triple in one year! 

Like one source told me, "...this is like 2006 and 29"ers all over again!" I would have to agree. I am sure this is just the tip of the iceberg as well. Obviously we don't have any idea what Salsa Cycles is doing, and I am sure other surprises lurk in the shadows yet, like Specialized's offerings, or other companies with components, (tires, rims, and forks), that we will be finding out about soon. 

This week was " Fat Tuesday", but the real deal this year is "Fat Thursday"! 

More Images:

Prototype Bontrager tire

Mammoth Tread

Chronicle Tread

Maxxis Mammoth

Wheels & Tires

Honey Badger 2.2"ers

It's kind of funny now how certain things have really changed in the span of four to five years. Back then a really wide rim and a really wide fat, 29"er tire was the hot set up. Now we have 29+ and fat bikes and Dirt Wizards coming. A big, voluminous 29"er tire on a fat rim is not news worthy anymore, or so it would seem.

Maybe that makes my excitement over the Kenda Honey Badger and my old Salsa Cycles Gordo rims a bit odd for most of you out there. I had been running the Kendas on a Velocity Blunt SL wheel set. Well.....why not? They were listed as 2.2"ers, which in tire parlance means 2.15"ers, maybe.  But lo and behold! The Honey Badger lived up to its billing, but what was even more impressive was the Kenda's "poof factor"- These are voluminous tires!

So, the Gordos, long left on a hook, were called back into "active duty" yesterday. The Blunts were just too narrow for these meats. I swapped end caps from the 20mm through axles I was using before on the Hope hubs that are laced to the Gordos. (Wait! Does anyone still roll with a 20mm thru anymore? ) I only have 9mm QR end caps to swap over to, since at the time I bought the hubs, 15QR was but a pipe dream! Oh well, that only meant that these wheels and tires would be going back on my beloved OS Bikes Blackbuck. It's almost like old home week!

OS Bikes Blackbuck, circa 2010

Back around 2008-2010 I ran these wheels pretty much exclusively on the ol' Blackbuck with big, voluminous tires. Most of that time I had an old WTB WeirWolf LT on the back and a Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4"er up front. I loved the way the bike ran with those big meats. It was awesome.

Now the Kenda Honey Badger mounted up on that old Gordo reminds me a ton of the old Schwalbe Racing Ralph and I can't wait to get out there on these wheels and tires to see if I can bring back a bit of the "good old days" and have that fast, cushy, fully rigid feel again.

Wheels and tires: They can really make or break any bike. It makes a lot of sense too, because that's what makes a bicycle roll, and we all want to roll fast, right? Fast, with grip and comfort, and that equals fun. That's what I remember best about the old Blackbuck set up. It was a hoot to ride.

I've got a little tweaking to do before I can get the rig out, but I haven't been excited about tires like this in a while. Well, there is the Rock & Roads on the BMC. Those babies are great too. Can't tell I like wheels and tires, can ya? Ha!

Wheels & Tires

Honey Badger 2.2"ers

It's kind of funny now how certain things have really changed in the span of four to five years. Back then a really wide rim and a really wide fat, 29"er tire was the hot set up. Now we have 29+ and fat bikes and Dirt Wizards coming. A big, voluminous 29"er tire on a fat rim is not news worthy anymore, or so it would seem.

Maybe that makes my excitement over the Kenda Honey Badger and my old Salsa Cycles Gordo rims a bit odd for most of you out there. I had been running the Kendas on a Velocity Blunt SL wheel set. Well.....why not? They were listed as 2.2"ers, which in tire parlance means 2.15"ers, maybe.  But lo and behold! The Honey Badger lived up to its billing, but what was even more impressive was the Kenda's "poof factor"- These are voluminous tires!

So, the Gordos, long left on a hook, were called back into "active duty" yesterday. The Blunts were just too narrow for these meats. I swapped end caps from the 20mm through axles I was using before on the Hope hubs that are laced to the Gordos. (Wait! Does anyone still roll with a 20mm thru anymore? ) I only have 9mm QR end caps to swap over to, since at the time I bought the hubs, 15QR was but a pipe dream! Oh well, that only meant that these wheels and tires would be going back on my beloved OS Bikes Blackbuck. It's almost like old home week!

OS Bikes Blackbuck, circa 2010

Back around 2008-2010 I ran these wheels pretty much exclusively on the ol' Blackbuck with big, voluminous tires. Most of that time I had an old WTB WeirWolf LT on the back and a Schwalbe Racing Ralph 2.4"er up front. I loved the way the bike ran with those big meats. It was awesome.

Now the Kenda Honey Badger mounted up on that old Gordo reminds me a ton of the old Schwalbe Racing Ralph and I can't wait to get out there on these wheels and tires to see if I can bring back a bit of the "good old days" and have that fast, cushy, fully rigid feel again.

Wheels and tires: They can really make or break any bike. It makes a lot of sense too, because that's what makes a bicycle roll, and we all want to roll fast, right? Fast, with grip and comfort, and that equals fun. That's what I remember best about the old Blackbuck set up. It was a hoot to ride.

I've got a little tweaking to do before I can get the rig out, but I haven't been excited about tires like this in a while. Well, there is the Rock & Roads on the BMC. Those babies are great too. Can't tell I like wheels and tires, can ya? Ha!

Saturday Tidbits

Here's a couple of tid bits that have been brewing around the 29"er world of late. Enjoy!

Willits Brand rigid forks: For those of you that don't know, Wes Willits was one of the primary instigators of the 29"er movement. Back in "the day", Wes was building "28"ers" and was really waiting for somebody to make a true wide fatty tire for 700c rims. Well, he and a few others managed to get WTB's Mark Slate interested and the next thing ya know, Wham! There's "The Tire". The Nanoraptor was born. Well, now a days Wes is located in Austin, Texas and is pumping out steel and titanium artistry for all things 29"er. Now comes the announcement that his innovative rigid forks will be available to anyone that wants one. Check it out!

Kenda Smallblock 8 coming soon! A new 29"er tire that I think will be an excellent choice for our area's hard pack summertime conditions is going to be available in super limited numbers very soon from powerhouse distributor QBP. If your local bike shop deals with them, here is the part number you can have them put on "item watch" to be able to have a chance at the first batch. #TR5325 Good Luck! You will know if you are a lucky recipient of new fangled rubber in about two weeks!

What is brown and silver and can not be stopped! Nooooo! Not what you are probably thinking! It's my new Surly "Jim Brown" annodized single speed disc hubs that are getting laced to a set of Velocity Deep V rims in powdercoated "Chocolate" color. It's for a special project that I hope to bring to light sometime in '07. Stay tuned! Pics of the completed wheelset will be posted soon.

More from the "Deep, Dark Secrets Vault": I just hate it when I hear juicy news that isn't ready for public consumption yet. This is going to be super cool though, and I can not wait to see this come to the light of day. All I can say now is that it isn't a 29"er and I still think it's super cool! Stay tuned for more sometime later this winter!

Saturday Tidbits

Here's a couple of tid bits that have been brewing around the 29"er world of late. Enjoy!

Willits Brand rigid forks: For those of you that don't know, Wes Willits was one of the primary instigators of the 29"er movement. Back in "the day", Wes was building "28"ers" and was really waiting for somebody to make a true wide fatty tire for 700c rims. Well, he and a few others managed to get WTB's Mark Slate interested and the next thing ya know, Wham! There's "The Tire". The Nanoraptor was born. Well, now a days Wes is located in Austin, Texas and is pumping out steel and titanium artistry for all things 29"er. Now comes the announcement that his innovative rigid forks will be available to anyone that wants one. Check it out!

Kenda Smallblock 8 coming soon! A new 29"er tire that I think will be an excellent choice for our area's hard pack summertime conditions is going to be available in super limited numbers very soon from powerhouse distributor QBP. If your local bike shop deals with them, here is the part number you can have them put on "item watch" to be able to have a chance at the first batch. #TR5325 Good Luck! You will know if you are a lucky recipient of new fangled rubber in about two weeks!

What is brown and silver and can not be stopped! Nooooo! Not what you are probably thinking! It's my new Surly "Jim Brown" annodized single speed disc hubs that are getting laced to a set of Velocity Deep V rims in powdercoated "Chocolate" color. It's for a special project that I hope to bring to light sometime in '07. Stay tuned! Pics of the completed wheelset will be posted soon.

More from the "Deep, Dark Secrets Vault": I just hate it when I hear juicy news that isn't ready for public consumption yet. This is going to be super cool though, and I can not wait to see this come to the light of day. All I can say now is that it isn't a 29"er and I still think it's super cool! Stay tuned for more sometime later this winter!