Friday News And Views

From Ingrid Components Instagram account

Ingrid Components Shows Brake/Shift Lever Combo:

At the Bespoke show, which is Europe's biggest handmade bicycle show, Ingrid Components showed this angular, brutalist looking brake/shift lever combination. Seen hooked up to a brake caliper and Ingrid's own rear derailleur, the only clue given by Ingrid in the post was that the brake was produced " with a little help from our friends @rideformula". 

Brake/shift levers for drop bars are a difficult thing to produce without some clever workarounds due to Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM patents. It very well could be that Ingrid is using the flat bar shifter internals that they already make. Yes - this is a mechanical lever.

Comments: The comment section under the post had a few references to the Cybertruck and Minecraft aesthetic. Yeah, I get that as well. But you have to hand it to Ingrid for being true to their design language. It is also fairly obvious that the design language is more important than ergonomics. No word on availability, price, or other details yet.

Image courtesy of Life Time Events

Unbound To Offer Prize Money For First Time In 2025:

In an announcement that came out a little over a week ago, it was revealed that Life Time Events will offer a new prize structure for their Grand Prix events in 2025. 

Besides offering equal prize money to the top ten men and women at the end of the series, the following events will also offer prize money for the first time: Unbound Gravel, Leadville 100, and Big Sugar Gravel.

Comments: First of all, I will admit that most riders really do not care what these people get paid. (Are they "employees" of this series?) So, it is kind of weird that anyone thinks this is "news". What difference to anyone, outside of the actual competitors, does this make? I guess it is lost on me. Maybe more money somehow equals "better/more competition"? So, you are saying you can "buy yourself a meaningful race by waving cash around"?  Gotcha.... Again, I don't care. I don't think most people care either. 

But all this aside, my main reaction is that by offering prize money at Unbound the organizers have finally wiped away the last remaining tent pole of meaning which the original founder's had put in place for the event. Not looking for a monetary "prize" meant that riders were finding other "rewards" for choosing to take on the challenge of 200 miles of Flint Hills gravel. Not anymore. At least not for the elite athletes. And really, if you read what the pundits write about Unbound, well you might think that all there are there riding are elite athletes. At least those folks who are not getting the red carpet elite athlete treatment are not getting paid for placing. So there is still meaning there, perhaps. 

Image courtesy of Chris King Precision Components

Chris King Seat Post Collars:

Seat post collars are an important part of a bicycle. It also is a part you would have thought Chris King Presicion Components would have made by now. That wasn't the case until just recently.

Now you can have more Chris King on your bicycle, or maybe look at this as your first Chris King part, seeing as it is reasonably inexpensive relative to all the rest of Chris King's catalog at $48.00 each.

They come in 10 anodized colors and four sizes to fit most frames. The Chris King Seat Post Collar is made in the uSA and comes with a Lifetime Warranty. See their webpage for more here. 

Comments: I never really thought about this not being a Chris King thing before until now. It makes all the sense in the world that Chris King should offer this, and why they hadn't before now seems almost silly. At least the maximum torque rating is a realistic 6nm instead of what Thomson seat post collars are rated at. (Yes, I have some beef with that component) 

The New Mason Macro: The Missing Link?

Mason Cycles just introduced a new hard tail MTB model they call the Macro. And calling it a mountain bike is probably not what Mason would like here, but it does take a MTB drive train, so....

Mason says it is the most configurable adventure hard tail bicycle you can get. So, you could go with their own design carbon fork or a suspension fork. You can load it up with the many accessory mounts for touring, go with a bagged bikepacking set up, or use it as a fast XC hard tail. 

The frame is aluminum and the Mason fork is carbon, if you want that, or it can be ordered with a suspension fork. There are complete options as well. A basic frame/fork package runs approximately $1,625.00 USD at the time of this writing. (Mason is based in the UK)

Comments: There are not too many high-end hard tail bikes designed for all-around, versatile usage these days. The Macro is such a bike. I think it could work for gravel to all-day mountain riding and everything in between. It strikes me as kind of the modernized equivalent of the once ubiquitous 90's steel hard tail MTB's which were super-versatile and capable bicycles. 

This is kind of a "missing link" bike. A bicycle that isn't a long travel, down hill oriented hard tail, but it also is not a bike that would shy away from a rowdy MTB trail. (with a suspension fork, most likely) Now what I'd like to see is more of this sort of thing at a more entry level price point with decent components made to work everywhere. Maybe even a bike with a (gasp!) multiple ring crank set and front derailleur.

Outrider Components - Tire Pressure Sensor Tech For Bicycles:

Your newer vehicles all have tire pressure sensors which alert you to low air pressures in vehicle tires, or sudden losses of air pressure, in case of a flat tire. Now this type of technology is available from Outrider Components for your bicycle. Or it soon will be. 

The company has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for their device which promises to alert your Garmin device in case of a puncture, or it can be used to monitor air pressure. 

The device is designed to run for up to two years on replaceable coin style watch batteries. The device attaches to your existing valve stem and sits inside the rim well of the wheel.

Comments: I suppose we all should have guessed this was coming. It does make sense, and while I am not a fan of more lithium type batteries, this system would probably be a big hit if it works in the real world and if it could be used across many different wireless computer brands.

That's a wrap on the last full week of October! Get out and ride those bicycles!

News Season: Sea Otter

 With pandemic restrictions relaxed and the virus seemingly being on the downward trend, the trade show/festival in California known as Sea Otter is back full-force. In advance of this many brands and marketing firms are pushing new product news. Here I will show a few of the more interesting news items I've seen in the gravel cycling sector.

Otso Waheela C in Copper/Black (Image courtesy of Otso cycles)

Otso Cycles Has Three New Colors For Waheela C:

First up is Otso Cycles excellent, but underrated Waheela C. This is the carbon version of their gravel bike range which also includes the Waheela S and Warakin stainless steel bikes. Otso was one of the very first companies to put out a gravel bike that could hold a 50+ mm tire with ease and still have 2x and 1X compatibility. That's all the rage now, but Otso has been doing this for a few years already. 

The adjustable geometry is nice as well which is accomplished by their "Tuning Chip™" rear drop out which can turn the Waheela C into more of a cyclo cross geometry and flipped can allow for a lower bottom bracket height and slacker head angle. 

The new colors are "Copper & Black", "Turquoise & Teal", and "Lilac & Purple". See more on the Waheela C here: https://otsocycles.com/collections/waheela-c

Mason Cycles "Exposure" prototype (Image courtesy of Mason Cycles)

Mason Cycles debuts new "Exposure" Steel Framed Gravel Bike:

It isn't often that a company introduces a steel framed gravel bike anymore these days. However; Mason Cycles, a UK based company, isn't your typical bicycle brand. They have done a bang-up job of making some excellent road and adventure style bicycles and now they have expanded their offerings to include this new steel framed gravel bike.

They already have a fine gravel bike in the aluminum framed "Bokeh", (note the photographic theme to their bike model names?), but this steel frame is pretty cool and features some nifty details that many other companies do not hit upon. Most obvious of those being the seat stay mounted water bottle boss inserts. 

I like what Mason Cycles is doing with their designs. Too bad you cannot get the raw steel version shown here. That's a one-off prototype, but they will have a couple of exclusive introductory colors and some nice stock colors to choose from. See all the details here: https://masoncycles.cc/blog/mason-exposure-launch-edition-pre-order-now

 

Trek's new FX Sport Carbon blurs the lines between MTB Hard tail and gravel (Image courtesy of Trek Bikes)

Trek Debuts New FX Sport Carbon:

With a new frame and a bent toward adventure, Trek has taken the "fitness bike" theme out and has blurred the lines between MTB and gravel with a new model here which should be at dealers soon.

You kind of get the feeling that a few of the original tenets of mountain biking - adventure, exploration, and touring - are getting repackaged as "gravel" and this bike sure does nothing to dissuade those notions. Add in my next featured news bit and we'd be right there back in the 1990's MTB scene!

The new Fox TaperCast AX (Image from the web)

New Fox TaperCast AX Fork: A Bit Of A Rant

You've likely seen this ballyhooed all over the internet and on many endemic cycling news sites already. Fox has ditched the previous version of their gravel fork and have made several improvements to the design. Hey! You can change the travel now to 50mm! Woo!

I've read a few reviews of this, and of the new Rock Shox gravel suspension fork, the Rudy, and in all of the reviews there is a subtle theme which goes something like this:

"So, yeah, this fork does add weight, but you'll probably not notice it, besides, it is better than riding rigid!"

One reviewer was up front enough to mention that the Fox shock will require maintenance after 125 hours of ride time. For reference, that's about once every year for most serious gravel riders, which I know of, at least. Okay, add that cost in to your investment.

And on weight: If we are spending thousands of dollars on bicycles that are not bringing light weight as one of the benefits, we are probably buying motorized bikes, or what? More 'grace" on certain types of terrain? Maybe. A couple of the reviewers alluded to this by mentioning that they felt these forks were good for those "off-road" or single track sections of "trail" that rigid gravel bikes cannot go "fast" through. 

Excuse me, but is that not what mountain bikes are good for? 

These reviewers would agree that yes- a mountain bike is just for that, but what about on open roads? Ha! Well, they are saying gravel bikes are the answer outfitted with suspension and dropper posts. I'm saying that you are all cocked up here. The real problem is that (a) geometry of hard tail MTB's is too extreme toward the "slack & low" side and (b) your gearing is optimized for one thing: Winching your butt up to the next flowy down hill section. 

Look at that Trek above-  The frame can be set up with a front derailleur for wide range gearing that can do both the going up and the coming down. MTB's shed that versatility when they dropped front derailleurs and went 1X. The real fix is not to muddy the waters with gravel bikes bent on becoming drop bar MTB's, but to fix the extreme design of MTB hard tails which has gone too far off the deep end for anything but going down fast. 

Again: "Quit trying to make gravel bikes into mountain bikes."

News Season: Sea Otter

 With pandemic restrictions relaxed and the virus seemingly being on the downward trend, the trade show/festival in California known as Sea Otter is back full-force. In advance of this many brands and marketing firms are pushing new product news. Here I will show a few of the more interesting news items I've seen in the gravel cycling sector.

Otso Waheela C in Copper/Black (Image courtesy of Otso cycles)

Otso Cycles Has Three New Colors For Waheela C:

First up is Otso Cycles excellent, but underrated Waheela C. This is the carbon version of their gravel bike range which also includes the Waheela S and Warakin stainless steel bikes. Otso was one of the very first companies to put out a gravel bike that could hold a 50+ mm tire with ease and still have 2x and 1X compatibility. That's all the rage now, but Otso has been doing this for a few years already. 

The adjustable geometry is nice as well which is accomplished by their "Tuning Chip™" rear drop out which can turn the Waheela C into more of a cyclo cross geometry and flipped can allow for a lower bottom bracket height and slacker head angle. 

The new colors are "Copper & Black", "Turquoise & Teal", and "Lilac & Purple". See more on the Waheela C here: https://otsocycles.com/collections/waheela-c

Mason Cycles "Exposure" prototype (Image courtesy of Mason Cycles)

Mason Cycles debuts new "Exposure" Steel Framed Gravel Bike:

It isn't often that a company introduces a steel framed gravel bike anymore these days. However; Mason Cycles, a UK based company, isn't your typical bicycle brand. They have done a bang-up job of making some excellent road and adventure style bicycles and now they have expanded their offerings to include this new steel framed gravel bike.

They already have a fine gravel bike in the aluminum framed "Bokeh", (note the photographic theme to their bike model names?), but this steel frame is pretty cool and features some nifty details that many other companies do not hit upon. Most obvious of those being the seat stay mounted water bottle boss inserts. 

I like what Mason Cycles is doing with their designs. Too bad you cannot get the raw steel version shown here. That's a one-off prototype, but they will have a couple of exclusive introductory colors and some nice stock colors to choose from. See all the details here: https://masoncycles.cc/blog/mason-exposure-launch-edition-pre-order-now

 

Trek's new FX Sport Carbon blurs the lines between MTB Hard tail and gravel (Image courtesy of Trek Bikes)

Trek Debuts New FX Sport Carbon:

With a new frame and a bent toward adventure, Trek has taken the "fitness bike" theme out and has blurred the lines between MTB and gravel with a new model here which should be at dealers soon.

You kind of get the feeling that a few of the original tenets of mountain biking - adventure, exploration, and touring - are getting repackaged as "gravel" and this bike sure does nothing to dissuade those notions. Add in my next featured news bit and we'd be right there back in the 1990's MTB scene!

The new Fox TaperCast AX (Image from the web)

New Fox TaperCast AX Fork: A Bit Of A Rant

You've likely seen this ballyhooed all over the internet and on many endemic cycling news sites already. Fox has ditched the previous version of their gravel fork and have made several improvements to the design. Hey! You can change the travel now to 50mm! Woo!

I've read a few reviews of this, and of the new Rock Shox gravel suspension fork, the Rudy, and in all of the reviews there is a subtle theme which goes something like this:

"So, yeah, this fork does add weight, but you'll probably not notice it, besides, it is better than riding rigid!"

One reviewer was up front enough to mention that the Fox shock will require maintenance after 125 hours of ride time. For reference, that's about once every year for most serious gravel riders, which I know of, at least. Okay, add that cost in to your investment.

And on weight: If we are spending thousands of dollars on bicycles that are not bringing light weight as one of the benefits, we are probably buying motorized bikes, or what? More 'grace" on certain types of terrain? Maybe. A couple of the reviewers alluded to this by mentioning that they felt these forks were good for those "off-road" or single track sections of "trail" that rigid gravel bikes cannot go "fast" through. 

Excuse me, but is that not what mountain bikes are good for? 

These reviewers would agree that yes- a mountain bike is just for that, but what about on open roads? Ha! Well, they are saying gravel bikes are the answer outfitted with suspension and dropper posts. I'm saying that you are all cocked up here. The real problem is that (a) geometry of hard tail MTB's is too extreme toward the "slack & low" side and (b) your gearing is optimized for one thing: Winching your butt up to the next flowy down hill section. 

Look at that Trek above-  The frame can be set up with a front derailleur for wide range gearing that can do both the going up and the coming down. MTB's shed that versatility when they dropped front derailleurs and went 1X. The real fix is not to muddy the waters with gravel bikes bent on becoming drop bar MTB's, but to fix the extreme design of MTB hard tails which has gone too far off the deep end for anything but going down fast. 

Again: "Quit trying to make gravel bikes into mountain bikes."

Friday News And Views

The Cotic eMTB prototype. (Image courtesy of Cotic social media)

One Example Of The "New Normal":

As time with this pandemic eases on it has become increasingly apparent that we are in an era, (however short or long it ends up being), of delays, shortages, and long lead times as a result. 

Case in point: Cotic, the UK based MTB brand, has announced that they are working on a motorized MTB rig. You can read all about the finer details here. That post on the Cotic site is a pretty good representation of what it takes for smaller brands to get things done during this 'new era' we find ourselves in.

Comments: So, if you place orders now you 'might' see product by the end of 2023? Did I get that right? Wow! Obviously larger brands will command better terms, but this is not a good sign for the consumer. That would indicate that this coming year will be a lot like the last two years- stuff will be hard to get. As I've said in the past, it wouldn't be a bad idea for consumers to stock up on spares: Chains, cassettes, brake pads, etc, whenever you see what you need in stock. Then you'll have it when you actually need it, instead of scrambling at the last minute to source parts.  

Just A Friendly Reminder:

This is the month of retrospect here on "Guitar Ted Productions". No doubt you've already noted some posts with that theme. Expect much of the same throughout the month of December.

I'll have limited space for 'regular posting' due to the volume of stuff I am working through, so if you are here jonesing for 'current events' then this month will have slim pickings. I'll return to a more familiar schedule here in January, which isn't all that far away! Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I'll point out that many days this month will have double postings. Two posts in one day- so to ensure you don't miss anything, scroll down the page, or consult the right column (on desk top versions of this blog) where my current posts for the month are listed individually. I'll double post if anything exciting or newsworthy (or both) comes up, so don't worry about missing anything in that regard due to my schedule of posts being so intense this month. 

By the way, I have four "Virtual Turkey Burn" reports to share starting with N.Y. Roll's submission tomorrow, which will be followed by the other three in a shot-gun style. So look for all four tomorrow. 

And the 'regularly scheduled posts', like the "FN&V" you are reading now, will still appear. Okay, that's enough about that! Thanks again for your patronage here and for your patience with me this month.

Mason Cycles Debuts New "RAW" MTB frame:

You just don't see many steel hardtail MTB debuts anymore, unless you count UK MTB purveyors. For whatever reason, the UK has never really abandoned steel MTB bikes. 

Mason Cycles just announced a new offering which seems pretty interesting as it is aimed at bikepacking/MTB all-around use, not just for DH/Enduro or go-fast XC-ing, which many times is the case with a hard tail offering from a US based designer. 

The RAW can take up to a 2.6" 29"er tire with a max 34T big ring. That's pretty good there, I think. Then you have the 66° head angle and short-ish chain stays. I've had my say on that here before and I seem to be outnumbered when it comes to that opinion, but I still think we're seeing the outer fringes of slack head angle design and at some point we're going to find a 'pulling back' on those numbers. Closer to 70° but not quite that, in the future. 

We'll see... 

So this is a pretty cool bike. The "Signal Yellow" paint is somewhat reminiscent of the "Fun Guy Green" Fargo coloration, but more yellow. I kind of like that as well. The frame comes with a Rock Shox SID Ultimate fork, so yeah......it's expensive. But what isn't these days compared to just a few years ago? Not that it matters to me, but if I were to get a MTB, this one would be high on the list.   

Recycling Rubber:

Getting rid of old, unwanted tires has been a plague on me since this whole reviewing process started up. What to do? The entire life cycle of tires has always really bothered me from an environmental aspect. There just was no really good options for recycling them at all. 

Well, now things may be changing in regard to this as I see an article on "Pink Bike" here that indicates Schwalbe, the German based tire manufacturer, is working to bring tire recycling for bicycle tires to reality. 

Now how far this gets is anyone's guess, but it is a start. It would be nice to see a program where anywhere that sells tires (for anything) has to recycle them if they are dropped off to them, or something similar. I know we used to have a service come pick up used car tires once a month when I worked on automobiles. Yes- it would be a hassle for retailers, but it would be much better than filling our land fills with tires, or even worse, burning them, which is still done as well. 

That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get outside!

Friday News And Views

The Cotic eMTB prototype. (Image courtesy of Cotic social media)

One Example Of The "New Normal":

As time with this pandemic eases on it has become increasingly apparent that we are in an era, (however short or long it ends up being), of delays, shortages, and long lead times as a result. 

Case in point: Cotic, the UK based MTB brand, has announced that they are working on a motorized MTB rig. You can read all about the finer details here. That post on the Cotic site is a pretty good representation of what it takes for smaller brands to get things done during this 'new era' we find ourselves in.

Comments: So, if you place orders now you 'might' see product by the end of 2023? Did I get that right? Wow! Obviously larger brands will command better terms, but this is not a good sign for the consumer. That would indicate that this coming year will be a lot like the last two years- stuff will be hard to get. As I've said in the past, it wouldn't be a bad idea for consumers to stock up on spares: Chains, cassettes, brake pads, etc, whenever you see what you need in stock. Then you'll have it when you actually need it, instead of scrambling at the last minute to source parts.  

Just A Friendly Reminder:

This is the month of retrospect here on "Guitar Ted Productions". No doubt you've already noted some posts with that theme. Expect much of the same throughout the month of December.

I'll have limited space for 'regular posting' due to the volume of stuff I am working through, so if you are here jonesing for 'current events' then this month will have slim pickings. I'll return to a more familiar schedule here in January, which isn't all that far away! Stay tuned!

In the meantime, I'll point out that many days this month will have double postings. Two posts in one day- so to ensure you don't miss anything, scroll down the page, or consult the right column (on desk top versions of this blog) where my current posts for the month are listed individually. I'll double post if anything exciting or newsworthy (or both) comes up, so don't worry about missing anything in that regard due to my schedule of posts being so intense this month. 

By the way, I have four "Virtual Turkey Burn" reports to share starting with N.Y. Roll's submission tomorrow, which will be followed by the other three in a shot-gun style. So look for all four tomorrow. 

And the 'regularly scheduled posts', like the "FN&V" you are reading now, will still appear. Okay, that's enough about that! Thanks again for your patronage here and for your patience with me this month.

Mason Cycles Debuts New "RAW" MTB frame:

You just don't see many steel hardtail MTB debuts anymore, unless you count UK MTB purveyors. For whatever reason, the UK has never really abandoned steel MTB bikes. 

Mason Cycles just announced a new offering which seems pretty interesting as it is aimed at bikepacking/MTB all-around use, not just for DH/Enduro or go-fast XC-ing, which many times is the case with a hard tail offering from a US based designer. 

The RAW can take up to a 2.6" 29"er tire with a max 34T big ring. That's pretty good there, I think. Then you have the 66° head angle and short-ish chain stays. I've had my say on that here before and I seem to be outnumbered when it comes to that opinion, but I still think we're seeing the outer fringes of slack head angle design and at some point we're going to find a 'pulling back' on those numbers. Closer to 70° but not quite that, in the future. 

We'll see... 

So this is a pretty cool bike. The "Signal Yellow" paint is somewhat reminiscent of the "Fun Guy Green" Fargo coloration, but more yellow. I kind of like that as well. The frame comes with a Rock Shox SID Ultimate fork, so yeah......it's expensive. But what isn't these days compared to just a few years ago? Not that it matters to me, but if I were to get a MTB, this one would be high on the list.   

Recycling Rubber:

Getting rid of old, unwanted tires has been a plague on me since this whole reviewing process started up. What to do? The entire life cycle of tires has always really bothered me from an environmental aspect. There just was no really good options for recycling them at all. 

Well, now things may be changing in regard to this as I see an article on "Pink Bike" here that indicates Schwalbe, the German based tire manufacturer, is working to bring tire recycling for bicycle tires to reality. 

Now how far this gets is anyone's guess, but it is a start. It would be nice to see a program where anywhere that sells tires (for anything) has to recycle them if they are dropped off to them, or something similar. I know we used to have a service come pick up used car tires once a month when I worked on automobiles. Yes- it would be a hassle for retailers, but it would be much better than filling our land fills with tires, or even worse, burning them, which is still done as well. 

That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get outside!

Friday News And Views

Pirate Cycling League Announces Virtual Gravel Worlds:

Donate. Ride. Submit.

That's what ya gotta do to participate in this new virtual challenge which the PCL has set up in lieu of holding Gravel Worlds this year, which has been cancelled due to the pandemic. let's see what this deal is about.....

Donate: From the Gravel Worlds website: "In order to participate in Gravel Worlds Virtual, you must donate at least $10 to the Randy Gibson Fund at the Lincoln Parks Foundation. The Lincoln Parks Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit; therefore, the donation will be tax deductible. Our event promotion team will not receive any of the money that is donated. All donations go directly to the non-profit, Lincoln Parks Foundation."

The Randy Gibson Fund is something set up to help pay for a special rest stop on a recreational trail in the Lincoln area to honor Randy Gibson, a very influential local cyclist, and a volunteer/graphic designer for many of the Gravel Worlds events in the past. It's a worthy cause and the outcome will honor the life and influence of Randy Gibson, who is dearly missed by many in the Lincoln cycling scene, not to mention his family. 

Ride: The PCL has several courses set up in the Lincoln area to use for the challenge. Riders are encouraged to do 150 mile, 75 mile, or 50K distances to be a part of this. From the website again: "After the donation, the participants have three distance options to choose from: 150 miles, 75 miles or the 50 km. Speed isn’t essential to participate. You just need to be able to complete the distance(s). Any course anywhere in the World will work. It doesn’t need to be on gravel. Just get out and ride! Create your own route and ride in your City!"

The PCL is offering this challenge through the month of August. Anyone anywhere in the World can participate. The only stipulations being that you must donate and you must complete the distance you choose. Riders can also do all three challenge distances, but each ride must be accompanied by a separate donation, so if you did all three rides, you must donate three different times at the 10 dollar minimum. Now you are two thirds of the way there! Finally.......


Submit: No.....this isn't about some weird dictatorship or oddball sexual practices. This only refers to getting your ride into the hopper at Gravel Worlds so you can be documented and be a part of a random raffle to win one of many prizes that the generous sponsors of Gravel Worlds has offered to be given away.

You must fill out the form showing you donated. Then, you can upload them a gpx file, you can take an image of your device showing the mileage completed, you can send the PCL a photo documentary of your challenge ride. You could maybe even send the PCL a handwritten manuscript including images of your journey. A pirate map? Why not! Just submit your ride details to the PCL via their website instructions.

I'll be joining in the fun, since Gravel Worlds was on my calendar of things to do in 2020. Stay tuned for my attempt to be documented here.

The Mason Cycles "In Search Of" model is very much like a Fargo.

Interesting Fargo Alternative From The UK:

There are not too many alternatives to a Salsa Cycles Fargo out there. Some bikes come close, (as we examined earlier here and here), but most aren't quite 'there' in one way or another. I have noted the company Mason Cycles in the past as an interesting company focused upon adventure, challenge, and fun. They use aluminum a lot, but steel is also in their vocabulary there, as well as titanium, at times. Their model dubbed the "In Search Of" looks very interesting if you are in mind to have a bike like a Fargo, but different than most would choose.

First off, the frame is top notch and made from Reynolds 853 steel. Sounds good already! They custom form it, (note the bend in the down tube, as an example) and top that off with their own 100mm suspension corrected carbon fiber fork with the requisite "adventure warts", of course. It also features those mounting points you'd expect to find on such an adventure bike as well. Multiple bottle mounts, and it is upgrade-able to a special dynamo lighting package Mason Cycles offers.

The obvious 'bendy downtube' is only one of the unique aesthetic features of the ISO. It also has a kind of splash guard/rack thing-a-ma-bob over the front wheel that Mason is rather proud of. They say it can carry up to 2kg of cargo. Cute...... Not sure it is of much use, but its there if you like it.

I'll say that, if you can get by the odd-duck looks, this is a pretty close alternative to a Fargo. It doesn't have any way to bail you out if you should experience a derailleur failure. (Yes- that really can happen. I've had to push a fellow Fargo rider that was on a pre-Alternator Fargo out of the woods on one occasion) That omission kind of seems like an oversight to me, but otherwise, this might be a cool rig. You don't hear much about these 'over here', so I thought I'd share what I've seen is a good choice in "Fargo-like" adventure bikes.

If you want to cosplay at a gravel event as The Joker, well then....Image courtesy of Shimano

 Shimano Shows New Color For The RX8 Gravel Shoe: 

Sometimes when I get a press release I say, "Wow!", and at other times I also say, "Wow!", followed by some 'other thoughts'.

I opened a recent Shimano press release and the 'wow' came out followed by, "are you kidding me?" Yeah.....those are some fancy, flashy slippers for cycling right there! And those colors! 

Now listen people- I like green and purple. A LOT! My favorite two colors ever right there. But on my shoes? Ah.........sheesh! I'm not so sure about that. Maybe if they were all one color or the other? Yes. Then I would be down with that. All purple or all green. But this mix?

Supposedly this is inspired by the Southwest's deserts and the blossoms on prickly pear cactus. Thus the name of the color, "Cactus Berry. I dunno..... They look more like The Joker's footwear to me, but I could be way off there. I'm thinking the 60's era, made for T.V., Cesar Romero Joker. Anyway....

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and keep on keepin' on!

Friday News And Views

Pirate Cycling League Announces Virtual Gravel Worlds:

Donate. Ride. Submit.

That's what ya gotta do to participate in this new virtual challenge which the PCL has set up in lieu of holding Gravel Worlds this year, which has been cancelled due to the pandemic. let's see what this deal is about.....

Donate: From the Gravel Worlds website: "In order to participate in Gravel Worlds Virtual, you must donate at least $10 to the Randy Gibson Fund at the Lincoln Parks Foundation. The Lincoln Parks Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit; therefore, the donation will be tax deductible. Our event promotion team will not receive any of the money that is donated. All donations go directly to the non-profit, Lincoln Parks Foundation."

The Randy Gibson Fund is something set up to help pay for a special rest stop on a recreational trail in the Lincoln area to honor Randy Gibson, a very influential local cyclist, and a volunteer/graphic designer for many of the Gravel Worlds events in the past. It's a worthy cause and the outcome will honor the life and influence of Randy Gibson, who is dearly missed by many in the Lincoln cycling scene, not to mention his family. 

Ride: The PCL has several courses set up in the Lincoln area to use for the challenge. Riders are encouraged to do 150 mile, 75 mile, or 50K distances to be a part of this. From the website again: "After the donation, the participants have three distance options to choose from: 150 miles, 75 miles or the 50 km. Speed isn’t essential to participate. You just need to be able to complete the distance(s). Any course anywhere in the World will work. It doesn’t need to be on gravel. Just get out and ride! Create your own route and ride in your City!"

The PCL is offering this challenge through the month of August. Anyone anywhere in the World can participate. The only stipulations being that you must donate and you must complete the distance you choose. Riders can also do all three challenge distances, but each ride must be accompanied by a separate donation, so if you did all three rides, you must donate three different times at the 10 dollar minimum. Now you are two thirds of the way there! Finally.......


Submit: No.....this isn't about some weird dictatorship or oddball sexual practices. This only refers to getting your ride into the hopper at Gravel Worlds so you can be documented and be a part of a random raffle to win one of many prizes that the generous sponsors of Gravel Worlds has offered to be given away.

You must fill out the form showing you donated. Then, you can upload them a gpx file, you can take an image of your device showing the mileage completed, you can send the PCL a photo documentary of your challenge ride. You could maybe even send the PCL a handwritten manuscript including images of your journey. A pirate map? Why not! Just submit your ride details to the PCL via their website instructions.

I'll be joining in the fun, since Gravel Worlds was on my calendar of things to do in 2020. Stay tuned for my attempt to be documented here.

The Mason Cycles "In Search Of" model is very much like a Fargo.

Interesting Fargo Alternative From The UK:

There are not too many alternatives to a Salsa Cycles Fargo out there. Some bikes come close, (as we examined earlier here and here), but most aren't quite 'there' in one way or another. I have noted the company Mason Cycles in the past as an interesting company focused upon adventure, challenge, and fun. They use aluminum a lot, but steel is also in their vocabulary there, as well as titanium, at times. Their model dubbed the "In Search Of" looks very interesting if you are in mind to have a bike like a Fargo, but different than most would choose.

First off, the frame is top notch and made from Reynolds 853 steel. Sounds good already! They custom form it, (note the bend in the down tube, as an example) and top that off with their own 100mm suspension corrected carbon fiber fork with the requisite "adventure warts", of course. It also features those mounting points you'd expect to find on such an adventure bike as well. Multiple bottle mounts, and it is upgrade-able to a special dynamo lighting package Mason Cycles offers.

The obvious 'bendy downtube' is only one of the unique aesthetic features of the ISO. It also has a kind of splash guard/rack thing-a-ma-bob over the front wheel that Mason is rather proud of. They say it can carry up to 2kg of cargo. Cute...... Not sure it is of much use, but its there if you like it.

I'll say that, if you can get by the odd-duck looks, this is a pretty close alternative to a Fargo. It doesn't have any way to bail you out if you should experience a derailleur failure. (Yes- that really can happen. I've had to push a fellow Fargo rider that was on a pre-Alternator Fargo out of the woods on one occasion) That omission kind of seems like an oversight to me, but otherwise, this might be a cool rig. You don't hear much about these 'over here', so I thought I'd share what I've seen is a good choice in "Fargo-like" adventure bikes.

If you want to cosplay at a gravel event as The Joker, well then....Image courtesy of Shimano

 Shimano Shows New Color For The RX8 Gravel Shoe: 

Sometimes when I get a press release I say, "Wow!", and at other times I also say, "Wow!", followed by some 'other thoughts'.

I opened a recent Shimano press release and the 'wow' came out followed by, "are you kidding me?" Yeah.....those are some fancy, flashy slippers for cycling right there! And those colors! 

Now listen people- I like green and purple. A LOT! My favorite two colors ever right there. But on my shoes? Ah.........sheesh! I'm not so sure about that. Maybe if they were all one color or the other? Yes. Then I would be down with that. All purple or all green. But this mix?

Supposedly this is inspired by the Southwest's deserts and the blossoms on prickly pear cactus. Thus the name of the color, "Cactus Berry. I dunno..... They look more like The Joker's footwear to me, but I could be way off there. I'm thinking the 60's era, made for T.V., Cesar Romero Joker. Anyway....

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and keep on keepin' on!

Another 650B Tire

The Bubblegum Princess with the new Venture tires from WTB.

The subject of tires for any bicycle generally engenders a fair amount of discussion amongst cyclists. To be honest, a lot of the banter is pretty ridiculous. There are a lot of old, not very sensible beliefs about how tires work, what sizes are "best", what tread patterns work, and which tire pressures are best. (Max pressure!)

The thing is, many of these entrenched opinions were never tested by their adherents. They were just adopted out of necessity, convenience, or trust in a "knowledgeable friend". Sometimes all three at once. That isn't a good thing, and you should strive to think for yourself. That requires effort, time, and patience. Things in short supply in the "Age Of Information". People are just too darn busy to deal with that, so they just hear something and roll with it. When they are presented with opposing facts, they fall back on the source of their knowledge, or they just get angry because now you've shown them something and they might have to think about it. Oh! The horror! 

All that to say that I have an opinion on the whole 650B gravel wheel/tire thing and that I have ridden this format enough now with enough tires that I feel pretty confident in what I think about it for my purposes. Typically, if I wasn't running tires for testing, I wouldn't be on 650B very often. There are times I feel, again for myself, that it gives an advantage. That would be for softer, wetter conditions.

Then it gives me more float and stability. It doesn't do the "pizza cutter" thing and it makes riding in poor conditions easier. That's when I see an advantage over my "normal" 700c X 43-ish millimeter tires. But when it comes to drier conditions, it isn't an advantage. It isn't bad, but it isn't an advantage to run them.

More tire testing here. 700c Donnelly EMP in this case.

 One of the things a lot of folks don't think about when they swap out to 650B wheels is how the smaller diameter changes a few things. Maybe you already realize that the bottom bracket gets closer to the ground, which can cause pedal strikes at times. But that isn't all smaller wheels do.

They also change the handling of your bike. due to the idiosyncrasies of front end geometry, smaller diameter wheels make your bike less stable. Probably not something you may have thought about. Then too, smaller wheels also affect your gear ratios. Your big ring gets "less big ring" with smaller wheels. Your granny gear gets "more granny" too. If you have  a 1X rig, this is even more important to consider.

So, why bother with 650B wheels at all? That's a really, really good question. 

Part of the hoopla is industry driven. Someone creates a new platform, or, in truth, puts a new coat of paint on an old idea, and the marketing guys go to town on it. The hope being that "it" motivates you to part with your dollars. That's how the ball keeps rolling. It's what we do, so I understand that as well. Sometimes those ideas are goofy. Sometimes they are not.

In this case it was kind of a patch to get wider tires in a road-ish frame. It's not a new idea, (see above paragraph), but in these days of "plus all the tires" it was a way to slam in some 48mm tires with a road crank/cx style format. Then some bike packing folks got a hold of the idea and started tweaking out clearances, using 1X drive trains, and squeezing in 2.1'-2.2" 650B mtb tires. Some are even doing mtb drive trains and slamming in 3" 27.5+ tires and wheels.

This then begs the question- "Why not just do a 29"er drop bar mtb?" Another great question there. Of course, many of you are already saying "Fargo" as you read this. It would seem that the industry and times have come right back around after 10 years to where the Fargo has always been. A great example of which is the Mason Cycles "In Search Of". The Breezer Bikes RADAR Expert I recently had in for review is another good example.

My Fargo, December 2008. A bike way ahead of its time.

So going back to these new 650B tires coming out in the 47mm-50mm sizes. Well, I like to think of them as a stepping stone toward what I feel is already coming around again. More "Fargo-ish" bikes that can handle big 29"er tires and wheels but could also run a 45mm tire with ease.

The benefits of swapping wheel sizes works if you are limited with sticking to a road drive train, because frame clearances are limited to be able to run those cranksets. Yes, 1X gains you a bit of breathing room, but I believe this is also a stop-gap until something that should have happened a long, long time ago finally does happen. That being when road based drive train dimensions change.

Call it "Road Boost", or just "Neu-Road", or some other fancy marketing term, but road over lock dimensions for hubs and bottom bracket widths are going to get wider. When that happens, then the 29"er with a road based crank set and capabilities to run 2.4" tires easily will be all over the place. 650B will fall to the wayside as the "fat tire" option for gravel/back road/bike packing. Big wheels just roll over stuff better and that's a fact. Give those hoops some flotation capabilities over the current 43-ish millimeter widths we are stuck with now, marry that to a wide ratio road double, and then you'll have the bike of the future for the gravel/back road/bike packing riders wanting a wider tire than 45mm. 

But, as always, don't take my word for it. Think it over for yourself. I'm probably completely bonkers.

Another 650B Tire

The Bubblegum Princess with the new Venture tires from WTB.

The subject of tires for any bicycle generally engenders a fair amount of discussion amongst cyclists. To be honest, a lot of the banter is pretty ridiculous. There are a lot of old, not very sensible beliefs about how tires work, what sizes are "best", what tread patterns work, and which tire pressures are best. (Max pressure!)

The thing is, many of these entrenched opinions were never tested by their adherents. They were just adopted out of necessity, convenience, or trust in a "knowledgeable friend". Sometimes all three at once. That isn't a good thing, and you should strive to think for yourself. That requires effort, time, and patience. Things in short supply in the "Age Of Information". People are just too darn busy to deal with that, so they just hear something and roll with it. When they are presented with opposing facts, they fall back on the source of their knowledge, or they just get angry because now you've shown them something and they might have to think about it. Oh! The horror! 

All that to say that I have an opinion on the whole 650B gravel wheel/tire thing and that I have ridden this format enough now with enough tires that I feel pretty confident in what I think about it for my purposes. Typically, if I wasn't running tires for testing, I wouldn't be on 650B very often. There are times I feel, again for myself, that it gives an advantage. That would be for softer, wetter conditions.

Then it gives me more float and stability. It doesn't do the "pizza cutter" thing and it makes riding in poor conditions easier. That's when I see an advantage over my "normal" 700c X 43-ish millimeter tires. But when it comes to drier conditions, it isn't an advantage. It isn't bad, but it isn't an advantage to run them.

More tire testing here. 700c Donnelly EMP in this case.

 One of the things a lot of folks don't think about when they swap out to 650B wheels is how the smaller diameter changes a few things. Maybe you already realize that the bottom bracket gets closer to the ground, which can cause pedal strikes at times. But that isn't all smaller wheels do.

They also change the handling of your bike. due to the idiosyncrasies of front end geometry, smaller diameter wheels make your bike less stable. Probably not something you may have thought about. Then too, smaller wheels also affect your gear ratios. Your big ring gets "less big ring" with smaller wheels. Your granny gear gets "more granny" too. If you have  a 1X rig, this is even more important to consider.

So, why bother with 650B wheels at all? That's a really, really good question. 

Part of the hoopla is industry driven. Someone creates a new platform, or, in truth, puts a new coat of paint on an old idea, and the marketing guys go to town on it. The hope being that "it" motivates you to part with your dollars. That's how the ball keeps rolling. It's what we do, so I understand that as well. Sometimes those ideas are goofy. Sometimes they are not.

In this case it was kind of a patch to get wider tires in a road-ish frame. It's not a new idea, (see above paragraph), but in these days of "plus all the tires" it was a way to slam in some 48mm tires with a road crank/cx style format. Then some bike packing folks got a hold of the idea and started tweaking out clearances, using 1X drive trains, and squeezing in 2.1'-2.2" 650B mtb tires. Some are even doing mtb drive trains and slamming in 3" 27.5+ tires and wheels.

This then begs the question- "Why not just do a 29"er drop bar mtb?" Another great question there. Of course, many of you are already saying "Fargo" as you read this. It would seem that the industry and times have come right back around after 10 years to where the Fargo has always been. A great example of which is the Mason Cycles "In Search Of". The Breezer Bikes RADAR Expert I recently had in for review is another good example.

My Fargo, December 2008. A bike way ahead of its time.

So going back to these new 650B tires coming out in the 47mm-50mm sizes. Well, I like to think of them as a stepping stone toward what I feel is already coming around again. More "Fargo-ish" bikes that can handle big 29"er tires and wheels but could also run a 45mm tire with ease.

The benefits of swapping wheel sizes works if you are limited with sticking to a road drive train, because frame clearances are limited to be able to run those cranksets. Yes, 1X gains you a bit of breathing room, but I believe this is also a stop-gap until something that should have happened a long, long time ago finally does happen. That being when road based drive train dimensions change.

Call it "Road Boost", or just "Neu-Road", or some other fancy marketing term, but road over lock dimensions for hubs and bottom bracket widths are going to get wider. When that happens, then the 29"er with a road based crank set and capabilities to run 2.4" tires easily will be all over the place. 650B will fall to the wayside as the "fat tire" option for gravel/back road/bike packing. Big wheels just roll over stuff better and that's a fact. Give those hoops some flotation capabilities over the current 43-ish millimeter widths we are stuck with now, marry that to a wide ratio road double, and then you'll have the bike of the future for the gravel/back road/bike packing riders wanting a wider tire than 45mm. 

But, as always, don't take my word for it. Think it over for yourself. I'm probably completely bonkers.

Project LTHT: It Begins

The Singular Cycles Buzzard

I mentioned last week that I had a lot of things going on this Fall going into Winter. Here's another project build I will be pursuing for Twenty Nine Inches. It's being dubbed "Project LTHT" (Long Travel Hard Tail)

The impetus for this project came in the form of a bike similar to the Buzzard, a Diamondback Mason, which I had the privilege to test for TNI earlier this year. (See here.) There were a lot of things that I found intriguing about the Mason, and although I was ready to poo-poo the idea of having a big, long travel hard tail around here, I found it wasn't a bad bike and it made riding here fun. I don't know about you, but I like "fun".

Having researched the long travel, slack angled 29"er market, I found out about the Singular Buzzard. Out of the many "boutique", small company samples, this and the Chromag Surface stood out to me as bikes I would really like to try. (Now you can add in the Niner ROS 9 into that list, but back then, it wasn't an option.) The Singular is different due to Singular owner Sam Allison's aesthetic design and his overall thoughtfulness in the frame design as a whole which Sam brings at a price which many others can not touch. The Chromag and Niner are good looking too, but I like Sam's "classy" touch a bit better. (Note: I already own a Singular Cycles Gryphon, so you see, I do like that look!)

So, since the Niner didn't exist until recently and the Chromag is really hard to get, I pursued the Singular instead because of the value and overall looks the Buzzard exhibits. Now it is time to get down to piecing this rig together. I have a 140mm travel fork, wheels, tires, and various bits to get this going. There are a few pieces that will be thought about, maybe some substitutions here and there with new bits, and I did order a Cane Creek 40 series head set for the 44mm head tube and tapered steer tube fork I have.

Stay tuned for more on the Project LTHT here and on Twenty Nine Inches coming soon..... Oh! And this isn't the end of the bicycle projects here!

Project LTHT: It Begins

The Singular Cycles Buzzard

I mentioned last week that I had a lot of things going on this Fall going into Winter. Here's another project build I will be pursuing for Twenty Nine Inches. It's being dubbed "Project LTHT" (Long Travel Hard Tail)

The impetus for this project came in the form of a bike similar to the Buzzard, a Diamondback Mason, which I had the privilege to test for TNI earlier this year. (See here.) There were a lot of things that I found intriguing about the Mason, and although I was ready to poo-poo the idea of having a big, long travel hard tail around here, I found it wasn't a bad bike and it made riding here fun. I don't know about you, but I like "fun".

Having researched the long travel, slack angled 29"er market, I found out about the Singular Buzzard. Out of the many "boutique", small company samples, this and the Chromag Surface stood out to me as bikes I would really like to try. (Now you can add in the Niner ROS 9 into that list, but back then, it wasn't an option.) The Singular is different due to Singular owner Sam Allison's aesthetic design and his overall thoughtfulness in the frame design as a whole which Sam brings at a price which many others can not touch. The Chromag and Niner are good looking too, but I like Sam's "classy" touch a bit better. (Note: I already own a Singular Cycles Gryphon, so you see, I do like that look!)

So, since the Niner didn't exist until recently and the Chromag is really hard to get, I pursued the Singular instead because of the value and overall looks the Buzzard exhibits. Now it is time to get down to piecing this rig together. I have a 140mm travel fork, wheels, tires, and various bits to get this going. There are a few pieces that will be thought about, maybe some substitutions here and there with new bits, and I did order a Cane Creek 40 series head set for the 44mm head tube and tapered steer tube fork I have.

Stay tuned for more on the Project LTHT here and on Twenty Nine Inches coming soon..... Oh! And this isn't the end of the bicycle projects here!

End Of Dirt?

One last time in 2012....

The forecast wasn''t sounding too great. Blizzard warnings and all. The "smart phone" made sure I knew about that at 4am in the morning! So I figured that it wasn't too bad out, and that I should get one last dirt ride in, and then get out the fat bikes!

So I hauled the Camber Comp out to the South Side trails for one last go around. The trails were looking frozen with the remnants of the "dandruff snow" that fell from the sky Tuesday. But the looks were deceiving. In reality, it was a weird combination of moisture, dirt, and frozen components that made for a sticky, clod-fest of a ride. You would have thought I was riding a moto-cross bike with the amount of dirt that was being flung about me as I sped along the trail.

It was fun for sure, but I did not push it too hard to start out with. I think many of the readers here may find it amusing that I did wear knee pads on this ride though! You know......just in case. Turns out I was in no danger of needing them this time.

The woods were strangely devoid of deer this time. Only the cackling of crows was to be heard far overhead. There was no wind to speak of at this point. Just a grey sky and mostly silent woods. I didn't see anything alive until I reached the nearest point to the Cedar River. There they were again- two Bald Eagles this time. That makes three out of three trips where I have seen the Bald Eagles at this same spot on the river. 

Then it was on to the technical bits. The Camber, with its plush suspension, was a good match for the quick down/up of the new section. But then you gotta go back down. Here is where I appreciated the long, kicked out wheel, short stem, and wide bar on the Diamondback Mason. The Specialized took more care to get it to go around the corner here.

Overall the bike was good though, just not as stiff and stout feeling as the Mason hard tail. But then, the Mason and the Camber weigh almost the same amount, and the Camber has dual suspension, so, ya gotta figure the Mason is a bit burlier than the Camber just from that stat.

It was a great "last" ride at The Camp. I started out 2012 with some trepidation concerning this trail system. It was not known what was going to become of it, since the rumor was the Boy Scouts were selling it off. Would it end up becoming a few high dollar residences? Would it get closed off to public use? Who knew? I rode out there as much as I could get away with early on since I figured it would be the last year.

Well, now it seems that the trails will stay open. Bremer County owns the land now, or so I hear, and the scuttlebutt is that new sections of trail are being planned. In fact, some was put in late in the year after word of the sale went through, and it has been a great addition to the already fantastic trails out there. Next season should be really a good one.