Fat Tires On Gravel: From Krampus To Gryphon

 Another Fat Fargo Idea

After a hiatus due to changes in my life, the idea of fat tires on gravel was bubbling back up to the surface again. This time in the form of some tires that I was gifted back in September of 2020 and also by a development from Black Mountain Cycles owner Mike Varley. 

The spark was coming at a time when, as you all probably remember now, we had a LOT of time to cook up ideas. The pandemic was in high gear, and we all were sat with worry and wonder. Anything to take our minds off that madness was welcomed, and so cooking up fat tire gravel ideas was back on the menu again. 

Mike Varley sent the first idea sparkling across the universe of imaginations when he let on that he had a new model in mind dubbed La Cabra.  It was painfully close to what I wanted, but it wasn't designed to be a corpulent gravel road crusher with 29+ wheels. Nope! 650B fat only, and I'd already been down that road. 

Then there was the Mone' El Continente', a 29+ masterpiece of custom brazed steel that looked fantastic, and expensive. While that was mildly tempting, it wasn't something I found that was going to be very practical to obtain at that time. 

The Black Mountain Cycles LaCabra was gorgeous, but not quite "it" for me.

The Mone' El Continente' is a stunner, but a bit too spendy.

At the time, I was working at Andy's Bike shop. The times were tough and money was tight, but Andy and I made things work. We supported each other's cycling habits when we could. One way that happened was my gifting Andy my Surly 1X1, since it fit him, and he obviously liked the bike. He would do things in turn for me, as when he gifted me a set of Surly Extraterrestrial tires in 700 X 2.5" size. 

I figured that these might be fun on my Gen I Fargo, but.... I remembered how 27.5 X 2.8" tires would barely pass the chain stays on that bike. What would a 29 X 2.5" tire be like? I had an appropriate wheel set to test this out with that had old Bontrager Duster rims. Okay, so let's see about it....

The Gen I Fargo with Surly Extraterrestrial 29 X 2.5 tires.

And you know what? It worked! Yeah....the tires are pigs in this size, but it worked! I was stoked on the possibilities. That said, this was still not quite right because the tires still were too big for the frame, the tires in 29 X 2.5 are mostly pretty knobby, so replacing these was going to not work out, and it messed up the bottom bracket height a bit too, which I am a bit sensitive to, I'll admit that.

So, while this was encouraging, it wasn't quite there yet, and I ended up going a different direction with the Fargo pretty quickly thereafter. But again, the idea was sound, I just knew it was, and if I could get a line on the right frame and fork without having to pay for a custom frame and fork, I was going to bite on that. Whatever it might be. 

Next: The Gryphon Mk3 comes along.

Fat Tires On Gravel: From Krampus To Gryphon

 Another Fat Fargo Idea

After a hiatus due to changes in my life, the idea of fat tires on gravel was bubbling back up to the surface again. This time in the form of some tires that I was gifted back in September of 2020 and also by a development from Black Mountain Cycles owner Mike Varley. 

The spark was coming at a time when, as you all probably remember now, we had a LOT of time to cook up ideas. The pandemic was in high gear, and we all were sat with worry and wonder. Anything to take our minds off that madness was welcomed, and so cooking up fat tire gravel ideas was back on the menu again. 

Mike Varley sent the first idea sparkling across the universe of imaginations when he let on that he had a new model in mind dubbed La Cabra.  It was painfully close to what I wanted, but it wasn't designed to be a corpulent gravel road crusher with 29+ wheels. Nope! 650B fat only, and I'd already been down that road. 

Then there was the Mone' El Continente', a 29+ masterpiece of custom brazed steel that looked fantastic, and expensive. While that was mildly tempting, it wasn't something I found that was going to be very practical to obtain at that time. 

The Black Mountain Cycles LaCabra was gorgeous, but not quite "it" for me.

The Mone' El Continente' is a stunner, but a bit too spendy.

At the time, I was working at Andy's Bike shop. The times were tough and money was tight, but Andy and I made things work. We supported each other's cycling habits when we could. One way that happened was my gifting Andy my Surly 1X1, since it fit him, and he obviously liked the bike. He would do things in turn for me, as when he gifted me a set of Surly Extraterrestrial tires in 700 X 2.5" size. 

I figured that these might be fun on my Gen I Fargo, but.... I remembered how 27.5 X 2.8" tires would barely pass the chain stays on that bike. What would a 29 X 2.5" tire be like? I had an appropriate wheel set to test this out with that had old Bontrager Duster rims. Okay, so let's see about it....

The Gen I Fargo with Surly Extraterrestrial 29 X 2.5 tires.

And you know what? It worked! Yeah....the tires are pigs in this size, but it worked! I was stoked on the possibilities. That said, this was still not quite right because the tires still were too big for the frame, the tires in 29 X 2.5 are mostly pretty knobby, so replacing these was going to not work out, and it messed up the bottom bracket height a bit too, which I am a bit sensitive to, I'll admit that.

So, while this was encouraging, it wasn't quite there yet, and I ended up going a different direction with the Fargo pretty quickly thereafter. But again, the idea was sound, I just knew it was, and if I could get a line on the right frame and fork without having to pay for a custom frame and fork, I was going to bite on that. Whatever it might be. 

Next: The Gryphon Mk3 comes along.

Goodbye MCD - Hello Mod. Zero!

The MCD model from Black Mountain Cycles is no more...

 So, a while back now I noted that Black Mountain Cycles was out of MCD frames and forks. I was watching their social media casually for any news on new colors. That's what Mike Varley, (who essentially is Black Mountain Cycles) does- he doesn't change the model much if at all. He just orders new frames and forks in two new colors. That model has worked for over a decade for him.

Well, no solid news was forthcoming and I had been hearing that frame/fork sellers on the smaller end of the scale were getting pushed aside for larger orders by their Far East manufacturing partners. I figured that didn't bode well for Black Mountain Cycle's future in frames and forks. 

Then, via a trusted friend, I got word that the MCD and the Road Plus models were getting axed from the line up with a possibility of a new model that combined the best of both into one. I did not say anything at the time, but now Mike Varley himself has posted on the BMC site about this development. 

So, it's true! No more MCD's! There will be a new model, combining the Road Plus and MCD. There will be a few changes with the new "Mod. Zero" too. But I think that in the long view this will be seen as a really good thing, and here are my reasons why I think that is so- in no particular order. 

• 44mm Head Tube: Mike Varley doggedly stuck to the 1 1/8th inch standard straight steer tube for a LONG time after it was out of fashion. The move to the 44mm head tube is wise from a few standpoints. One- Obviously a tapered steer tube carbon fork could be substituted in for the steel fork. This may not strike you as a positive, but here's the deal- Carbon forks have been around for 30+ years and the industry has them figured out. The benefits of a steel fork are largely negated when you put a disc brake on the fork. The extra reinforcement necessary makes the steel fork heavier, less lively, and therefore not as much the advantage as you might desire. Plus, you can minimize stack height, relative to what you can do with 1 1/8th straight head tubes, to the max for those who want that. (And there are those who do want that)
• Replaceable Rear Derailleur Hangar: While it is true that you can bend a steel drop out back into shape, it is better to just bolt a new hangar on. If the hangar is made from stout aluminum and is designed so that it has a good base for the derailleur to operate off of, this is a better way to go. Plus bending a steel drop out that also has a through-axle receptacle integrated into it is a lot harder to do anyway. Besides, who has the tools to bend back a derailleur hangar in the field? With a replaceable hangar you can just bolt a new one on and done!  
  
• Flat Mount Brakes: While I despise flat mount brakes, it is high-time Mike did this. Your choices and applications open up, and well.......it is the way of the World now. Plus, as Mike says, it looks a bit better overall. 
• Proper Wide-650B Clearances: This is probably more a nod to the folks who were Road Plus buyers. But be that as it may, it does appeal to me if I were to be thinking more off than on roads. The versatility of the new bike model is greater then the two older ones, and I could see a knobbly XC-ish 27.5"er for backcountry explorations. And also- big, wide smoothies are going to fit better as well. I'd consider those for a road tour, as a for instance. 

Mike Varley's sample he is testing for the BMC "Mod. Zero" model. (Image courtesy of Black Mountain Cycles.)

Mr. Varley states in his blog post (linked above) that the 700c clearances will not change significantly from what I have with my MCD. Still, as Mike says- "50-ish" millimeters. I'm actually okay with that as those bigger 29"er tires start weighing quite a bit. And besides, I am a bigger fan of the 42mm-47mm sizes for my riding. Also of note- If you wanted bigger tires on an MCD type of bike, Mike offers the LaCabra. 

Image of the Mod. Zero decal from Black Mountain Cycles' Instagram

As for geometry, we don't have any solid details. Mike only alludes to the subject of geometry when he said of the old MCD and Road Plus bikes that they were "very close in terms of basic geometry. What- if any- tweaks would be made to Mod. Zero are not known at this time. 

I would make a suggestion or two- But Mike has probably made his mind up already. But what the heck! Here is what I would like to see from the "Mod. Zero". 

• An ever so slightly slacker head tube angle. It would really help with bigger tires and more extreme terrain, but it also is awesome on gravel. 
• Maybe a tic more fork offset to bring back a bit quicker handling, but also to 'kick out' that front tire a hair more to gain a bit more compliance and toe-overlap room. 
• Mike is combining the old 650B "road plus tire" sized bike with the old 700c compatible rig, so bottom bracket drop cannot get too crazy. That said, my Twin Six Standard Rando does just fine on 650B wheels with a 75mm bottom bracket drop. I'd LOVE to see that on the new "Mod. Zero", but I'd be really pleased if it were 72.5mm as well. 
• Do I spy bottle mounts on the fork? A huge plus in my mind if that is the plan.
  

Now for the million dollar question: Will Guitar Ted be getting one? If you read the linked post from Mike, you already know that these bikes won't be seen here until mid-2023 at the earliest. So, yeah..... Here's where I am at with my fleet of gravel machines.....

I'm likely to retire the Noble Bikes GX5 by sometime around 2023-ish. While it is a great bike, it is going to be five years old by 2023 and being a carbon frame, ridden on gravel, and that not too kindly, well..... It may very well be okay, but I expect that newer designs and technologies may start making that bike a bit off the back in terms of what I can test on there. Maybe not. We will see. And it has to survive that long, which- being a carbon bike- is no guarantee. 

Then I have that old Tamland Two I keep threatening to retire but keeps coming back. That bike will be nine years old in 2023. And the Fargo? ha! So, yeah..... I could see a Mod Zero for Riding Gravel duties. This depends on the finer details which I don't have yet, and I cannot predict what I'll be doing next month much less than a year and a half from now. I don't really need a Mod. Zero, but I might be able to use one for work purposes. So, if I am still doing RidingGravel.com I would consider one seriously. If I am not? I have a perfectly fine BMC MCD.

Goodbye MCD - Hello Mod. Zero!

The MCD model from Black Mountain Cycles is no more...

 So, a while back now I noted that Black Mountain Cycles was out of MCD frames and forks. I was watching their social media casually for any news on new colors. That's what Mike Varley, (who essentially is Black Mountain Cycles) does- he doesn't change the model much if at all. He just orders new frames and forks in two new colors. That model has worked for over a decade for him.

Well, no solid news was forthcoming and I had been hearing that frame/fork sellers on the smaller end of the scale were getting pushed aside for larger orders by their Far East manufacturing partners. I figured that didn't bode well for Black Mountain Cycle's future in frames and forks. 

Then, via a trusted friend, I got word that the MCD and the Road Plus models were getting axed from the line up with a possibility of a new model that combined the best of both into one. I did not say anything at the time, but now Mike Varley himself has posted on the BMC site about this development. 

So, it's true! No more MCD's! There will be a new model, combining the Road Plus and MCD. There will be a few changes with the new "Mod. Zero" too. But I think that in the long view this will be seen as a really good thing, and here are my reasons why I think that is so- in no particular order. 

• 44mm Head Tube: Mike Varley doggedly stuck to the 1 1/8th inch standard straight steer tube for a LONG time after it was out of fashion. The move to the 44mm head tube is wise from a few standpoints. One- Obviously a tapered steer tube carbon fork could be substituted in for the steel fork. This may not strike you as a positive, but here's the deal- Carbon forks have been around for 30+ years and the industry has them figured out. The benefits of a steel fork are largely negated when you put a disc brake on the fork. The extra reinforcement necessary makes the steel fork heavier, less lively, and therefore not as much the advantage as you might desire. Plus, you can minimize stack height, relative to what you can do with 1 1/8th straight head tubes, to the max for those who want that. (And there are those who do want that)
• Replaceable Rear Derailleur Hangar: While it is true that you can bend a steel drop out back into shape, it is better to just bolt a new hangar on. If the hangar is made from stout aluminum and is designed so that it has a good base for the derailleur to operate off of, this is a better way to go. Plus bending a steel drop out that also has a through-axle receptacle integrated into it is a lot harder to do anyway. Besides, who has the tools to bend back a derailleur hangar in the field? With a replaceable hangar you can just bolt a new one on and done!  
  
• Flat Mount Brakes: While I despise flat mount brakes, it is high-time Mike did this. Your choices and applications open up, and well.......it is the way of the World now. Plus, as Mike says, it looks a bit better overall. 
• Proper Wide-650B Clearances: This is probably more a nod to the folks who were Road Plus buyers. But be that as it may, it does appeal to me if I were to be thinking more off than on roads. The versatility of the new bike model is greater then the two older ones, and I could see a knobbly XC-ish 27.5"er for backcountry explorations. And also- big, wide smoothies are going to fit better as well. I'd consider those for a road tour, as a for instance. 

Mike Varley's sample he is testing for the BMC "Mod. Zero" model. (Image courtesy of Black Mountain Cycles.)

Mr. Varley states in his blog post (linked above) that the 700c clearances will not change significantly from what I have with my MCD. Still, as Mike says- "50-ish" millimeters. I'm actually okay with that as those bigger 29"er tires start weighing quite a bit. And besides, I am a bigger fan of the 42mm-47mm sizes for my riding. Also of note- If you wanted bigger tires on an MCD type of bike, Mike offers the LaCabra. 

Image of the Mod. Zero decal from Black Mountain Cycles' Instagram

As for geometry, we don't have any solid details. Mike only alludes to the subject of geometry when he said of the old MCD and Road Plus bikes that they were "very close in terms of basic geometry. What- if any- tweaks would be made to Mod. Zero are not known at this time. 

I would make a suggestion or two- But Mike has probably made his mind up already. But what the heck! Here is what I would like to see from the "Mod. Zero". 

• An ever so slightly slacker head tube angle. It would really help with bigger tires and more extreme terrain, but it also is awesome on gravel. 
• Maybe a tic more fork offset to bring back a bit quicker handling, but also to 'kick out' that front tire a hair more to gain a bit more compliance and toe-overlap room. 
• Mike is combining the old 650B "road plus tire" sized bike with the old 700c compatible rig, so bottom bracket drop cannot get too crazy. That said, my Twin Six Standard Rando does just fine on 650B wheels with a 75mm bottom bracket drop. I'd LOVE to see that on the new "Mod. Zero", but I'd be really pleased if it were 72.5mm as well. 
• Do I spy bottle mounts on the fork? A huge plus in my mind if that is the plan.
  

Now for the million dollar question: Will Guitar Ted be getting one? If you read the linked post from Mike, you already know that these bikes won't be seen here until mid-2023 at the earliest. So, yeah..... Here's where I am at with my fleet of gravel machines.....

I'm likely to retire the Noble Bikes GX5 by sometime around 2023-ish. While it is a great bike, it is going to be five years old by 2023 and being a carbon frame, ridden on gravel, and that not too kindly, well..... It may very well be okay, but I expect that newer designs and technologies may start making that bike a bit off the back in terms of what I can test on there. Maybe not. We will see. And it has to survive that long, which- being a carbon bike- is no guarantee. 

Then I have that old Tamland Two I keep threatening to retire but keeps coming back. That bike will be nine years old in 2023. And the Fargo? ha! So, yeah..... I could see a Mod Zero for Riding Gravel duties. This depends on the finer details which I don't have yet, and I cannot predict what I'll be doing next month much less than a year and a half from now. I don't really need a Mod. Zero, but I might be able to use one for work purposes. So, if I am still doing RidingGravel.com I would consider one seriously. If I am not? I have a perfectly fine BMC MCD.

Friday News And Views

SAFETY NOTICE - CUTTHROAT V2 FORK: 

Salsa Cycles, on Wednesday, sent out a notice that owners of the Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe v2 and Cutthroat Carbon v2 forks need to check their fork for a possible safety issue. The affected forks were delivered to dealers in September 2019 to the present and can be identified by their serial numbers which require the fork to be removed from the bike to be seen. 

Riders who are unsure of how to remove the fork safely should have a qualified mechanic look at any suspected fork immediately. You can check in to THIS LINK for more information regarding this advisory. 

Please share this post with anyone you know that has a late model Cutthroat or that has a Cutthroat fork that fits the description here. 

The Ti Muk 2 has been set up and ready for the Fat Bike Century attempt for weeks now.

Fall Planning:

 

With the end of August here, I have been in planning mode for Fall riding and reviewing for RidingGravel.com. I have things I want to do, and things I have to do. Lately, the 'things I have to do' have been taking priority and will continue to do so for quite a while. This is problematic since I failed to get in the entire 100 mile ride I attempted at the beginning of August and I still have the Fat Bike Century on my plate to attempt yet as well. 

But I have things that are continually dragging me away from personal challenges, and while I may sneak in a hundy while doing testing, it won't be on the fat bike. That one may have to wait and I am thinking that is a more likely than not situation. There are wheels that need to be ridden, 'super-secret' stuff to be used, and I have a Light and Motion light needing some night riding scheduled into the mix. All this also hinges on times I have open to ride, and that coupled with weather. 

That, as Jeff Kerkove used to say about Trans Iowa, is 'the wildcard', right? I could really get into a pinch if the weather conspires to be awful on days I have open for test riding. So far this year I have hit the jackpot. I have maybe only had a few days where I had to forgo testing due to weather. In fact, I have had more outside influences keep me from riding this year than I have had issues with weather. So, I hope my weather luck holds. It's 'crunch time' for my reviewing, because sooner than not Winter will be here, and while you may think that's nuts to think this, I know I have at least three months of scheduled reviewing/test rides ahead of me. Yes- There is that much stuff going on. 

 

Mike Varley teased this LaCabra proto plus wheeled bike as a future BMC model.

Plus Bike Dreams:

 

Posting my Ti Muk 2 and selling my Sawyer, which was set up with B+ wheels, has me thinking a lot about plus sized wheels again. It is the one thing 'I think' I am missing in the stable of choices I have here. Having ridden a few of these types of bikes, the concept intrigues me greatly. I know what the wheels are capable of, and I know just exactly what I'd do with a bike with plus sized wheels, if all was right with the design as I see things. 

 

First of all, I'd want to be able to run 29 X 3" tires, although I'd likely do 29 X 2.8"ers in reality. 650B plus sized tires? Eh......why? 29"ers roll over stuff better and with a 3.0" wide 29"er tire, you can traverse some pretty difficult terrain. I've done it, so I know. I've seen it done too. I am convinced of this wheel size's prowess. 

So, that's why I have issues with the proposed BMC LaCabra. As cool as that bike would be, I would rather see it in a 700c format. So, what else is there? Well, you have the Surly ECR. Maybe.... It's over-built and has those stupid Surly drop outs which are a turn-off for me. So..... Jones Bike? Yeah.... a distinct possibility, but the cheap ones are not my cuppa. I'd do a LWB Titanium one in a heartbeat with a truss Fork, but $$$$'s are not what I have available to get into that. Really....the dream bike? A LWB Ti Spaceframe and Truss Fork. Hey, a man has to have a dream rig, right? 

 

Don't tell me about the Fargo. Not interested in the newer ones. I've seen these with 29 X 3" tires and I am not impressed. I don't want "modern trail geometry" either, so that puts a lot of other choices to rest too. No, right now only the Jones Ti LWB has me intrigued. But until I win the lottery...... The Ti Muk 2 will have to do me for now. Yes- I could build 29 X 2.8 wheels for this. However, this screws with the bottom bracket height on a Mukluk and I've tried 29+ wheels on a Mukluk before, so I know this. 

Anyway, just a random thought I have from time to time!

 

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend and put in some bicycling miles! 

Friday News And Views

SAFETY NOTICE - CUTTHROAT V2 FORK: 

Salsa Cycles, on Wednesday, sent out a notice that owners of the Cutthroat Carbon Deluxe v2 and Cutthroat Carbon v2 forks need to check their fork for a possible safety issue. The affected forks were delivered to dealers in September 2019 to the present and can be identified by their serial numbers which require the fork to be removed from the bike to be seen. 

Riders who are unsure of how to remove the fork safely should have a qualified mechanic look at any suspected fork immediately. You can check in to THIS LINK for more information regarding this advisory. 

Please share this post with anyone you know that has a late model Cutthroat or that has a Cutthroat fork that fits the description here. 

The Ti Muk 2 has been set up and ready for the Fat Bike Century attempt for weeks now.

Fall Planning:

 

With the end of August here, I have been in planning mode for Fall riding and reviewing for RidingGravel.com. I have things I want to do, and things I have to do. Lately, the 'things I have to do' have been taking priority and will continue to do so for quite a while. This is problematic since I failed to get in the entire 100 mile ride I attempted at the beginning of August and I still have the Fat Bike Century on my plate to attempt yet as well. 

But I have things that are continually dragging me away from personal challenges, and while I may sneak in a hundy while doing testing, it won't be on the fat bike. That one may have to wait and I am thinking that is a more likely than not situation. There are wheels that need to be ridden, 'super-secret' stuff to be used, and I have a Light and Motion light needing some night riding scheduled into the mix. All this also hinges on times I have open to ride, and that coupled with weather. 

That, as Jeff Kerkove used to say about Trans Iowa, is 'the wildcard', right? I could really get into a pinch if the weather conspires to be awful on days I have open for test riding. So far this year I have hit the jackpot. I have maybe only had a few days where I had to forgo testing due to weather. In fact, I have had more outside influences keep me from riding this year than I have had issues with weather. So, I hope my weather luck holds. It's 'crunch time' for my reviewing, because sooner than not Winter will be here, and while you may think that's nuts to think this, I know I have at least three months of scheduled reviewing/test rides ahead of me. Yes- There is that much stuff going on. 

 

Mike Varley teased this LaCabra proto plus wheeled bike as a future BMC model.

Plus Bike Dreams:

 

Posting my Ti Muk 2 and selling my Sawyer, which was set up with B+ wheels, has me thinking a lot about plus sized wheels again. It is the one thing 'I think' I am missing in the stable of choices I have here. Having ridden a few of these types of bikes, the concept intrigues me greatly. I know what the wheels are capable of, and I know just exactly what I'd do with a bike with plus sized wheels, if all was right with the design as I see things. 

 

First of all, I'd want to be able to run 29 X 3" tires, although I'd likely do 29 X 2.8"ers in reality. 650B plus sized tires? Eh......why? 29"ers roll over stuff better and with a 3.0" wide 29"er tire, you can traverse some pretty difficult terrain. I've done it, so I know. I've seen it done too. I am convinced of this wheel size's prowess. 

So, that's why I have issues with the proposed BMC LaCabra. As cool as that bike would be, I would rather see it in a 700c format. So, what else is there? Well, you have the Surly ECR. Maybe.... It's over-built and has those stupid Surly drop outs which are a turn-off for me. So..... Jones Bike? Yeah.... a distinct possibility, but the cheap ones are not my cuppa. I'd do a LWB Titanium one in a heartbeat with a truss Fork, but $$$$'s are not what I have available to get into that. Really....the dream bike? A LWB Ti Spaceframe and Truss Fork. Hey, a man has to have a dream rig, right? 

 

Don't tell me about the Fargo. Not interested in the newer ones. I've seen these with 29 X 3" tires and I am not impressed. I don't want "modern trail geometry" either, so that puts a lot of other choices to rest too. No, right now only the Jones Ti LWB has me intrigued. But until I win the lottery...... The Ti Muk 2 will have to do me for now. Yes- I could build 29 X 2.8 wheels for this. However, this screws with the bottom bracket height on a Mukluk and I've tried 29+ wheels on a Mukluk before, so I know this. 

Anyway, just a random thought I have from time to time!

 

That's it for this week. Have a great weekend and put in some bicycling miles! 

Could The Fargo Gen 1 Be Replaced? - Part 2

Black Mountain Cycles La Cabra- Unobtanium until further notice.

Last Thursday I posted a thought piece concerning choices for replacement of the Gen I Fargo- (as if!)- and I suggested two possibilities. Well, you dear readers sent in a bunch of comments, and as always, instead of answering in the comments where pretty much most folks will never look, I decided there was enough to warrant a "Part 2" on this subject. I will address each point brought up briefly, and in no particular order.

Concerning Kona's Steel: One comment I got which I thought was extremely interesting was the thought that Kona had done their best frame/fork work on their first generation Sutra LTD's and then things got progressively worse in terms of frame ride quality and steel choices. This can be a really complex subject, so I am just going to breeze through a few thoughts, because I could write a few posts about steel frames alone here. (And I probably have over the 15 years of this blog, come to think of it)

Steel frames, in general, are not well understood. There is a fair amount of "cork sniffery" when it comes to steel: "Reynolds is best! No! Columbus! Bzzzzt! Wrong!The best is Tange Prestige!" On and on........

The reality of 4130 CRMo and its variants is that there are so many butted profiles available that they are too hard to list. Steel tubing has been around in one form or another since the mid-19th Century and bicycles were made of the stuff since almost the beginning of the two wheeler. Some companies have made a lot of hay in regard to fans and claims of certain magical qualities. The thing is, if you know your way around designing a frame, you can source tubing that - if constructed correctly- would kill the ride feel of any name brand frame tubing. It happens all the time. But if- say, True Temper is your jam, well then......you go! I'm just saying that no one famous name tubing brand has anything over any good, butted, well put together frame. Even production frames can ride better than custom ones do if things are done right/wrong.

The Singular Gryphon from around 2009. It rode GREAT, but had low versatility

Finally, over the past 15 years, certain required tests for the sale of frames world-wide has pretty much killed the ride quality of steel frames now compared to 'then'. Take the El Mariachi. When the '07'to '09 design was discontinued, Salsa Cycles went to a new tubing for the El Mar. The result was a stiffer, more lifeless ride. Same with the Fargo. Even other companies steel frames were beefed up to pass testing and as a result, ended up losing that magical ride feel. So, it makes sense to me that "first efforts" in steel frames don't measure up to later model ones since this process seems to still be in effect where steel frames are being over-built to pass arbitrary testing protocols.

Suspension Correction vs Stem Spacers, Long Head Tubes, and High Rise Stems: You need to get somewhere and you have two ways to do it- One route works, and so does the other, but there are certain differences to consider which may influence why that you take one over the other. Scenery, times, stress levels, construction, etc. Well, how you do your fork/head tube/stem set up for a bike is pretty much the same deal.

Long head tube/short stack/low rise stem, or how about a short fork, short head tube, a really high rise stem, and maybe quite a few spacers? Both bikes could have exactly the same handle bar position in space. It's how you get there, and what matters about that, which matters to any individual rider. Some reasons for one against the other may have to do with aesthetics. Personally, I think a suspension corrected rigid fork, which would be the same length as a 100mm travel suspension fork, (corrected length to match a suspension fork's axle to crown height, make sense?), looks goofy, unless you actually use a suspension fork there from time to time. Others may have no issues with that look. But also- consider that this longer than usual fork on a MTB has to pass those MTB tests. That means that all that tubing length that could give you an awesome ride now has been beefed up to pass a test and rides like a dead piece of wood compared to a shorter, rigid fork like the Gryphon, shown above, which probably had the liveliest, best riding, (and weakest), rigid fork I have ridden.

Kinda short fork, short head tube, tall stem. Just one way to get there.

So, it's a little more than what you are seeing. Those longer rigid forks come with compromises. Longer head tubes have longer steer tubes, of course, so those tubes, especially if they are straight gauge, flex more and feel smoother. Shorter head tubes with short steer tubes have a stiffer feel. Carbon forks? Well, that's another factor on top of all the rest.

Fork Trail & Wheel Flop: Someone asked about the Kona Sutra and its 69.5° head tube angle and 55mm offset fork in regard to handling. Well, it depends upon the tire you use. Bigger volume 700c tires will increase trail, but with a 45mm gravel tire, the trail is in the 70's, which isn't crazy. Even with a 55mm tire, it is only 80mm. I wouldn't fret about it........

V/O Piolet: I've looked at this bike a lot. Someone said they replaced their Gen I Fargo with one. Nice bike- lateral move. Doesn't really do anything different for me over what I've got already.

Mone El Continante: Another bike I've drooled over. Stunning rig. Probably a cool bike. 29+ though and I'm not real sure about the sliding frame bits. That looks like a part begging to seize up and/or make noises. One man operation..... Meh. Too many what-ifs there.

Black Mountain Cycles LaCabra: One of you called it "the elephant in the room", which made me laugh out loud. Look......it isn't currently a bike you can even get. But let's say that Mike Varley gets it done and brings these in. Would that bike be a bike I could replace a Fargo Gen I with? Certainly, it very well could do just that. I've already said I'd like one.

But with things going the way that they are, who knows? I don't. Mike may not even know. Everything is different now, so the LaCabra may end up being a pipe dream, or I may end up with one next year. If I do- I will set it up with 650B X 2.8" tires and run with that first. As I stated back in early April, this LaCabra would be the fat, 650B bike and my rigid MTB. My current Fargo would be the 700c option.

And that's that for this subject. Thanks for all the comments!

Could The Fargo Gen 1 Be Replaced? - Part 2

Black Mountain Cycles La Cabra- Unobtanium until further notice.

Last Thursday I posted a thought piece concerning choices for replacement of the Gen I Fargo- (as if!)- and I suggested two possibilities. Well, you dear readers sent in a bunch of comments, and as always, instead of answering in the comments where pretty much most folks will never look, I decided there was enough to warrant a "Part 2" on this subject. I will address each point brought up briefly, and in no particular order.

Concerning Kona's Steel: One comment I got which I thought was extremely interesting was the thought that Kona had done their best frame/fork work on their first generation Sutra LTD's and then things got progressively worse in terms of frame ride quality and steel choices. This can be a really complex subject, so I am just going to breeze through a few thoughts, because I could write a few posts about steel frames alone here. (And I probably have over the 15 years of this blog, come to think of it)

Steel frames, in general, are not well understood. There is a fair amount of "cork sniffery" when it comes to steel: "Reynolds is best! No! Columbus! Bzzzzt! Wrong!The best is Tange Prestige!" On and on........

The reality of 4130 CRMo and its variants is that there are so many butted profiles available that they are too hard to list. Steel tubing has been around in one form or another since the mid-19th Century and bicycles were made of the stuff since almost the beginning of the two wheeler. Some companies have made a lot of hay in regard to fans and claims of certain magical qualities. The thing is, if you know your way around designing a frame, you can source tubing that - if constructed correctly- would kill the ride feel of any name brand frame tubing. It happens all the time. But if- say, True Temper is your jam, well then......you go! I'm just saying that no one famous name tubing brand has anything over any good, butted, well put together frame. Even production frames can ride better than custom ones do if things are done right/wrong.

The Singular Gryphon from around 2009. It rode GREAT, but had low versatility

Finally, over the past 15 years, certain required tests for the sale of frames world-wide has pretty much killed the ride quality of steel frames now compared to 'then'. Take the El Mariachi. When the '07'to '09 design was discontinued, Salsa Cycles went to a new tubing for the El Mar. The result was a stiffer, more lifeless ride. Same with the Fargo. Even other companies steel frames were beefed up to pass testing and as a result, ended up losing that magical ride feel. So, it makes sense to me that "first efforts" in steel frames don't measure up to later model ones since this process seems to still be in effect where steel frames are being over-built to pass arbitrary testing protocols.

Suspension Correction vs Stem Spacers, Long Head Tubes, and High Rise Stems: You need to get somewhere and you have two ways to do it- One route works, and so does the other, but there are certain differences to consider which may influence why that you take one over the other. Scenery, times, stress levels, construction, etc. Well, how you do your fork/head tube/stem set up for a bike is pretty much the same deal.

Long head tube/short stack/low rise stem, or how about a short fork, short head tube, a really high rise stem, and maybe quite a few spacers? Both bikes could have exactly the same handle bar position in space. It's how you get there, and what matters about that, which matters to any individual rider. Some reasons for one against the other may have to do with aesthetics. Personally, I think a suspension corrected rigid fork, which would be the same length as a 100mm travel suspension fork, (corrected length to match a suspension fork's axle to crown height, make sense?), looks goofy, unless you actually use a suspension fork there from time to time. Others may have no issues with that look. But also- consider that this longer than usual fork on a MTB has to pass those MTB tests. That means that all that tubing length that could give you an awesome ride now has been beefed up to pass a test and rides like a dead piece of wood compared to a shorter, rigid fork like the Gryphon, shown above, which probably had the liveliest, best riding, (and weakest), rigid fork I have ridden.

Kinda short fork, short head tube, tall stem. Just one way to get there.

So, it's a little more than what you are seeing. Those longer rigid forks come with compromises. Longer head tubes have longer steer tubes, of course, so those tubes, especially if they are straight gauge, flex more and feel smoother. Shorter head tubes with short steer tubes have a stiffer feel. Carbon forks? Well, that's another factor on top of all the rest.

Fork Trail & Wheel Flop: Someone asked about the Kona Sutra and its 69.5° head tube angle and 55mm offset fork in regard to handling. Well, it depends upon the tire you use. Bigger volume 700c tires will increase trail, but with a 45mm gravel tire, the trail is in the 70's, which isn't crazy. Even with a 55mm tire, it is only 80mm. I wouldn't fret about it........

V/O Piolet: I've looked at this bike a lot. Someone said they replaced their Gen I Fargo with one. Nice bike- lateral move. Doesn't really do anything different for me over what I've got already.

Mone El Continante: Another bike I've drooled over. Stunning rig. Probably a cool bike. 29+ though and I'm not real sure about the sliding frame bits. That looks like a part begging to seize up and/or make noises. One man operation..... Meh. Too many what-ifs there.

Black Mountain Cycles LaCabra: One of you called it "the elephant in the room", which made me laugh out loud. Look......it isn't currently a bike you can even get. But let's say that Mike Varley gets it done and brings these in. Would that bike be a bike I could replace a Fargo Gen I with? Certainly, it very well could do just that. I've already said I'd like one.

But with things going the way that they are, who knows? I don't. Mike may not even know. Everything is different now, so the LaCabra may end up being a pipe dream, or I may end up with one next year. If I do- I will set it up with 650B X 2.8" tires and run with that first. As I stated back in early April, this LaCabra would be the fat, 650B bike and my rigid MTB. My current Fargo would be the 700c option.

And that's that for this subject. Thanks for all the comments!

Friday News And Views

Former Shimano Chairman Yoshizo Shimano Dies July 3rd, 2020-

The passing of one of the Shimano clan is not necessarily news I would share, but in this case, this man had an influence on us as mountain bikers and gravel cyclists that cannot be measured. Yoshizo Shimano was one of three sons of Shimano's founder and ran the company for many years. Of particular interest to us, Yoshizo Shimano was the man who saw mountain biking as a possible avenue of cycling that might prove quite popular. He brought a team of Shimano employees over to visit with pioneers of the sport, such as Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly who ran a company at the time called Mountainbikes in about 1980 or so. (Yes- that's where the name "mountain bike" came from, by the way)

With the information gathered from the early MTB pioneers in hand, Shimano created the first mountain bike specific group set, Deore XT, and the rest, as they say, is history. Had this not happened, the segment, dubbed as a fluke, a fad, if you will, by the traditional cycling industry at large, may have been left to fizzle out and die then. Remember- These early pioneers were cobbling together drive trains using old tandem and touring bike parts mixed with BMX gear. It was a hodge-podge of barely workable bits that soon would have dried up and the industry would have evolved in another direction. Who knows when MTB as a segment would have resurfaced?

This sort of culture at Shimano- one that looked for a way to develop a segment that seemed popular and was growing, as they did with MTB, came up again when gravel bikes started to appear in 2012-2014. Shimano sent over teams of engineers, management, and athletes to see what was up with this new segment. They rode Almanzo 100, Dirty Kanza 200, and other events, and they talked to people along the way. Subsequently Shimano introduced a completely new group set for gravel called GRX last year.

Had Shimano not been the sort of company that Yoshizo Shimano shaped it to be, I doubt we'd have GRX, or mountain biking components as we do today.

 Sea Otter Play Promises Virtual Expo, Ride Challenges:

Sea Otter was cancelled for 2020, but the organization has found a 'virtual' means to allow people to participate and interact with over 350 brands which will be part of the first "Sea Otter Play" event September 17-20. Starting on September 1st, riders can also engage in several challenges set up to be governed by GPS data and be eligible to win prizes. The ride challenges end on 9-20-20.

Comments: This is indicative of 2020, right? Social distancing and protocols for dealing with COVID-19 have forced many events to delve into the 'virtual challenge' world. I suppose it is better to have those carrots dangling out there for the competitive at heart than not, but I know many are taking 2020 as a non-racing year and are setting sights on 2021 now already. I can imagine that the bigger names will be absent from these proceedings, but what would we have Sea Otter do? It's a big dilemma for racing for sure.

The expo? Interesting, and possibly game changing. If engagement numbers can be studied and deemed to be worthwhile, we may see more of this sort of thing in the future. It certainly tics a lot of boxes for the vendors. No shipping, no booth production, less labor, and less time. The big unanswered question will be how the consumer reacts to this. Will consumers flock to this like a Netflix series or will it fall flat on its face?

Hard to say now, but when the news was released on the 8th, I saw nary a mention on social media platforms. Heck, even Niner Bikes e-mtb thing garnered more attention than this festival deal. But perhaps marketing through the next month will realize more buzz about this effort. If not......it's gonna be ugly. 

 Update On The Project Gravel Bus:

Whenever you do a frame-up build, there is always some snafu when you go to build it. I've had several during the initial phases of building up the Gravel Bus.

First off, my head set was missing the crown race. After a lengthy search, I gave up, and decided I needed to do something dramatic. It was time to dismantle the Singular Buzzard. That bike has sat now for at least three years unused and, of course, it also has not sold either. So, there are parts on it I can use elsewhere, and the head set race on that fork was the one I needed, so off it came. I also grabbed the 10 speed cassette off it for another bike. I'll get into that later and also what will become of the rest of the Buzzard.

Then I realized that one of the levers I had planned on using had turned up missing. Gah! I contemplated ordering a pair, but then I realized I had the perfect set of levers all along out in the garage on my rat-rod Raleigh fixed gear bike, (also a bike not getting used enough), so I went out and harvested those off that bike. Okay, two issues covered! This was going well, albeit somewhat bumpy along the way.

Then came the stopper, literally and figuratively. I had ordered the wrong front caliper, or the company I got it from sent the wrong one, I don't know, but either way, that caliper was a post mount, not a flat mount style. (sigh) So, I am at a standstill until the new caliper comes along, and I hope it is the correct one! At least the order details are showing me it is the correct one. Funny thing- I am getting the caliper from Amazon, which had a price equal to wholesale, and they say they actually have it, unlike any of the distributors we work with at the shop. Yeah......crazy bizarro world. 

So, as for the Buzzard. I am breaking that bike up. It will be offered for sale as a frame only and the fork will be separate. I'll get all that up on the Garage Sale page soon. The rest of the parts I am keeping for a possible ECR build. Maybe.......We will see.... I need another bike like I need a hole in my head. It even could be the new Black Mountain Cycles rig Mike Varley is working on. Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out his Instagram feed and you'll find it.

Okay, that's a wrap for this FN&V. Have a fantastic weekend and I hope that you get some riding in!

Friday News And Views

Former Shimano Chairman Yoshizo Shimano Dies July 3rd, 2020-

The passing of one of the Shimano clan is not necessarily news I would share, but in this case, this man had an influence on us as mountain bikers and gravel cyclists that cannot be measured. Yoshizo Shimano was one of three sons of Shimano's founder and ran the company for many years. Of particular interest to us, Yoshizo Shimano was the man who saw mountain biking as a possible avenue of cycling that might prove quite popular. He brought a team of Shimano employees over to visit with pioneers of the sport, such as Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly who ran a company at the time called Mountainbikes in about 1980 or so. (Yes- that's where the name "mountain bike" came from, by the way)

With the information gathered from the early MTB pioneers in hand, Shimano created the first mountain bike specific group set, Deore XT, and the rest, as they say, is history. Had this not happened, the segment, dubbed as a fluke, a fad, if you will, by the traditional cycling industry at large, may have been left to fizzle out and die then. Remember- These early pioneers were cobbling together drive trains using old tandem and touring bike parts mixed with BMX gear. It was a hodge-podge of barely workable bits that soon would have dried up and the industry would have evolved in another direction. Who knows when MTB as a segment would have resurfaced?

This sort of culture at Shimano- one that looked for a way to develop a segment that seemed popular and was growing, as they did with MTB, came up again when gravel bikes started to appear in 2012-2014. Shimano sent over teams of engineers, management, and athletes to see what was up with this new segment. They rode Almanzo 100, Dirty Kanza 200, and other events, and they talked to people along the way. Subsequently Shimano introduced a completely new group set for gravel called GRX last year.

Had Shimano not been the sort of company that Yoshizo Shimano shaped it to be, I doubt we'd have GRX, or mountain biking components as we do today.

 Sea Otter Play Promises Virtual Expo, Ride Challenges:

Sea Otter was cancelled for 2020, but the organization has found a 'virtual' means to allow people to participate and interact with over 350 brands which will be part of the first "Sea Otter Play" event September 17-20. Starting on September 1st, riders can also engage in several challenges set up to be governed by GPS data and be eligible to win prizes. The ride challenges end on 9-20-20.

Comments: This is indicative of 2020, right? Social distancing and protocols for dealing with COVID-19 have forced many events to delve into the 'virtual challenge' world. I suppose it is better to have those carrots dangling out there for the competitive at heart than not, but I know many are taking 2020 as a non-racing year and are setting sights on 2021 now already. I can imagine that the bigger names will be absent from these proceedings, but what would we have Sea Otter do? It's a big dilemma for racing for sure.

The expo? Interesting, and possibly game changing. If engagement numbers can be studied and deemed to be worthwhile, we may see more of this sort of thing in the future. It certainly tics a lot of boxes for the vendors. No shipping, no booth production, less labor, and less time. The big unanswered question will be how the consumer reacts to this. Will consumers flock to this like a Netflix series or will it fall flat on its face?

Hard to say now, but when the news was released on the 8th, I saw nary a mention on social media platforms. Heck, even Niner Bikes e-mtb thing garnered more attention than this festival deal. But perhaps marketing through the next month will realize more buzz about this effort. If not......it's gonna be ugly. 

 Update On The Project Gravel Bus:

Whenever you do a frame-up build, there is always some snafu when you go to build it. I've had several during the initial phases of building up the Gravel Bus.

First off, my head set was missing the crown race. After a lengthy search, I gave up, and decided I needed to do something dramatic. It was time to dismantle the Singular Buzzard. That bike has sat now for at least three years unused and, of course, it also has not sold either. So, there are parts on it I can use elsewhere, and the head set race on that fork was the one I needed, so off it came. I also grabbed the 10 speed cassette off it for another bike. I'll get into that later and also what will become of the rest of the Buzzard.

Then I realized that one of the levers I had planned on using had turned up missing. Gah! I contemplated ordering a pair, but then I realized I had the perfect set of levers all along out in the garage on my rat-rod Raleigh fixed gear bike, (also a bike not getting used enough), so I went out and harvested those off that bike. Okay, two issues covered! This was going well, albeit somewhat bumpy along the way.

Then came the stopper, literally and figuratively. I had ordered the wrong front caliper, or the company I got it from sent the wrong one, I don't know, but either way, that caliper was a post mount, not a flat mount style. (sigh) So, I am at a standstill until the new caliper comes along, and I hope it is the correct one! At least the order details are showing me it is the correct one. Funny thing- I am getting the caliper from Amazon, which had a price equal to wholesale, and they say they actually have it, unlike any of the distributors we work with at the shop. Yeah......crazy bizarro world. 

So, as for the Buzzard. I am breaking that bike up. It will be offered for sale as a frame only and the fork will be separate. I'll get all that up on the Garage Sale page soon. The rest of the parts I am keeping for a possible ECR build. Maybe.......We will see.... I need another bike like I need a hole in my head. It even could be the new Black Mountain Cycles rig Mike Varley is working on. Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out his Instagram feed and you'll find it.

Okay, that's a wrap for this FN&V. Have a fantastic weekend and I hope that you get some riding in!

Friday News And Views

Orange Seal valve kit for tubeless applications

Bling Time:

Back in the 1990's when I started working at a bicycle shop, it was the heyday for anodized parts. You could get almost anything in a rainbow of bright colors. Even crank bolts were anodized, which was a bad idea, by the way.

Then came the 'dark days" of everything being black anodized. Uggh! So bland and lifeless! You could hardly find anything in a color other than black for many years, But thankfully those days seem to be behind us now.

There are now a lot more things you can get to dress up your bike that have color. Orange Seal recently sent out some sealant, tape, and this fancy valve kit to RidingGravel.com for review. (Note- I did not pay for this kit and I am not being paid to say anything about it here.)

Back in the 90's, it was kind of comical because when anodized parts came out in any certain year, it was always a situation where one color seemed to dominate. One year it would be "ultraviolet", and everything would be anodized that color. The next season it would be turquoise, and then red. Things would not sell well if the color wasn't "hot", and retailers got bent about getting stuck with all that purple stuff when blue ano got hot, and on and on. Fashion plates, we mountain bikers were. Terribly vain.

I won't even get into how one company's blue would be lighter than another company's blue, so parts wouldn't matchy-match. Oh the drama!

So, that whole, "Let's just make EVERYTHING black!" mode we went through is completely understandable now. But it looks as though the color barrier has been broken, and now you get a choice in which colors you want. Don't like red? Doesn't match your bike? Fine, use the orange ano bits. I like that about this kit.

What I am not sold on, and this goes for most all tubeless valve kits, by the way, is that we keep using these silly Presta valve nuts. Who can tighten those properly without using a pliers or some tool to generate enough force to create a seal on the inside of the rim/valve interface? Now if they were a different shape, (see Problem Solvers bit here), then yeah. Make those and have colors, but these goofy little bits are almost useless, and made from aluminum? Yeah...... Double that for the valve itself. I'm not a big fan of the aluminum valve stems. Those threads aren't necessarily up to the task of handling a lot of torque necessary to create a seal on the base of the valve. We will see.......

The Effects Of This Pandemic On The Bike Industry And Locally:

So, I thought I would take this space on the weekly FN&V to give you all an update on what this crazy situation has done internationally, nationally, and locally to the world of bike shops and cycling in general. Obviously ALL facets of our lives have been disrupted, but this will focus only on the bicycling bits.

Internationally supply factories and supply chains are reeling from closures and travel restrictions. Some factories are coming back online but in a new, limited fashion to protect employees, (at least in Europe), but many European factories remain closed and may not open until mid-April. This means that spotty availability of parts is to be expected. Baby those drive train parts folks, because things like chains, cassettes, and chain rings will be hard to come by later this year. SRAM makes most of their chains in Europe, as an example, where factories are shuttered for the most part. We're also hearing Shimano will be short on chains and cassettes. So, think twice before you go off into that gritty mud and nasty road you wanted to get into on your adventures this year.

Furthermore; European companies are reportedly slashing R&D, marketing, and staffing numbers by up to 70% in some cases. This will translate into fewer new products, less "news and reviews", and a generally quiet front in several cases from many brands. Plus, yesterday the biggest distributor in the US, Quality Bicycle Products, axed a bunch of people from their employment roster. I happen to know a few of these folks. Sad to see it......

Nationally bike shops are all over the place with service and in being open at all. Some shops are slammed while others are seeing less business, while others are closed up for the foreseeable future due to the pandemic and/or local and state decrees. Most, however; have been deemed "essential businesses", and are open in limited fashion. Appointment and online shopping options with shipping or drop off/pick up services are now being offered versus open door situations which were the norm before all this happened.

Locally we are mostly doing okay. We have a big network of recreational trails and with almost every social gathering place off-limits now, the recreational opportunities are seeing heavy pressure. Shops are using closed door, by appointment, deliver/pick-up options with online shopping as a means to service the area. Specifically to me, I am wrenching on tune-ups and doing service work while Andy does the pick-up/delivery service. I've been able to stay safe and busy so far.

While I don't know what the future has in store, I can say that I've never seen so many people walking, running, or cycling in this area as I have this week since the weather broke. (Well, for most people. I don't go by such temperature restrictions) This new pressure on recreational facilities and areas has actually caused some governments to shut down these areas due to fears that people are not social distancing themselves. I can say that this is likely the case here, that people are not practicing strict social distancing, but again- who knows? When you see two people walking together, how do you know if they live together, or are from separate households? You don't. It's a crazy game and there are no good answers short of enforcing martial law to make sure social distancing is practiced..

On a lighter note, I see nationally where air pollution has subsided to the point where local sensors in the New York area are so low that the monitors are indicating that they are malfunctioning! Record clean air measurements are being recorded in the Los Angles area. One has to wonder that these days aren't telling us something about how we have lived, and how wrong a lot of that was.

One of my favorite images from last year was from the morning of the Renegade Gent's Race.

 No Gent's Race Weekend Blues: 

Well, who knows what will happen, and maybe a LOT of things won't happen in regards to events, but I do know that the Renegade Gent's Race was supposed to be happening tomorrow.

Now the streak has ended.......

Ten years ago I was invited to do a funky event where five people were to ride together and complete a metric-ish century on gravel. The team had to stay together and work together. I was invited by Trans Iowa rider/photographer/volunteer, Steve Fuller to join him and three other guys I'd never met before to do this thing with a bunch of Des Moines area folks I didn't know either. I was a bit anxious about it all, because, well, cycling folk could be clique-ish and maybe I would not get on with these people. I had no idea what to expect.

Turns out I made some really good new friends out of the deal. The three new folks to me, Sam, Dave, and Bob, all were really great folks. I came to look forward to each April afterward as my chance to reconnect with them and have a good time. Sometimes too good of a time. Ah! Memories..... Made several on those past Gent's race weekends. Look for a special "Gent's Race Review" on the blog tomorrow which will show some of the images from the past years of this event.

Again, who knows what will happen. The organizers are still thinking and whether there is a Gent's Race later in the fall or next year, I don't know one way or the other. I do know that this could be it. And tomorrow would have been a decade of Gent's races. I'll be riding tomorrow solo and doing some reminiscing along the way. I'm sure I'll be smiling too......

The upcoming Black Mountain Cycles LaCabra

 Black Mountain Cycles Announces LaCabra:

Well, if you follow me here you know well my love for the Black Mountain Cycles brand, so this should come as no surprise. Black Mountain Cycles has teased a new model and I like it! 

Mike Varley, the brains behind the brand, designed this rig as a drop bar, rigid only mountain bike capable of accepting 650B X 2.8" or 29" X 2.4" tires. This rig will have multiple mounting points and can be set up 1X or 2X as far as drive trains are concerned.

So, a wider tire compatible MCD then? No- not really. This bike will likely not take big chain rings like the MCD, so we're talking a bike more like a Fargo. In fact, I would say that besides the LaCabra not being single speed compatible, this bike out-Fargos a Fargo. MTB drive train, big tires, and no need to have a suspension fork. The details of the frame look very "MCD-ish", but I am sure component capabilities will place this firmly in the Fargo/Cutthroat category, as far as bikes go.

Do I want one? Well.....duh! Do I need one? Hmm...... Here's where I stand on that. The LaCabra, if indeed it makes it into reality- let's not forget the changes we've seen in less than a month already - well, this could be my main mountain bike. Plus, I could see this becoming the sort of bike I'd take to certain places like West Central Nebraska, (Odin's Territory) to ride, or to a wetter event, or just to go camping with. I could see this being set up with the poofy 650B X 2.8's and my current Fargo being the 700c bike. I basically had that same set up with the old Fargo Gen 2 I used to have here. That bike carried me through most of the muddy year at DK, and at Odin's the last time I rode out there.

Anyway, it is a pipe dream until it isn't. So, we'll see......


That's it for this week! Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope that you all are staying healthy, safe, and still getting out on rides.