Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Panaracer

 Panaracer Announces New ZX Gravel King Tires:

Panaracer's Gravel King range of tires has an addition now with the latest racing focused Gravel King ZX.  

The ZX features a slick center section for speed. The shoulders have elongated tread blocks for cornering and braking traction. The Gravel King ZX also has a rounded casing which should promote riding on the center section for straight line speed and then as the rider leans into corners those side lugs come into play for stability in corners. 

The ZX version of the Gravel King will have Panaracer's proprietary ZSG Gravel compound developed specifically for gravel. This single compound will lend great ride characteristics and promote long-term durability. The Gravel King ZX tires also will have other Panaracer technologies utilized such as BeadLock and TufTex. 

Coming soon in sizes from 700 x 35mm,  700 x 40mm, 700 x 45mm, 700 x 50mm, and 700 x 55mm with the 45mm tire weighing a claimed 510 grams and the 50mm weighing 600 grams each. Price for each Gravel King ZX tire is set at $84.99 USD. Availability on the 45mm and 50mm tires is May 2026 with the 40mm scheduled for July, the 50mm scheduled for August, and the 35mm tire slated to be available in October 2026. 

Comments: The profile of this tire, with a flattened top section where the slicker part of the tread is, reminds me a lot of the old, original WTB Vulpine. The air pressure settings you used on that old Vulpine really were critical to the performance of the tire. Too much and the tire felt odd when leaned over in a turn. Too little and you started dragging those shoulder knobs into contact with the ground on straight sections, which kind of defeats the intentions of the design, I would be wary of the Gravel King ZX being similar in this vein.  

Confluence CUES 11 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles Announces Confluence CUES 11

Salsa Cycles has released a new version of the Confluence e-gravel bike. This Sea Foam Green bike features Shimano CUES 11 speed and a Mahle hub motor for an extra boost which Salsa claims can last up to 45 miles. 

Check out this bike at Salsa Cycles site HERE.  

A Viral Post:

I know most of you have heard the term "it's gone viral" or some form of this term. One thing I never thought I'd see is one of my social media posts going viral. I mean, most of what I post is either very cycling specific or just downright goofy. The latter was what my April 1st Instagram post could be defined as being. 

Here's the text I posted with the accompanying image. "When a steel bicycle frame reaches maturity it splits open and releases its reproductive spores into the atmosphere. These spores the settle in frame building shops where they bond with other frame spores to become new bicycles again."

I misspelled "then" by omitting the "n", but I did not care at the time because I figured hardly anyone would see this off the cuff April Fools post. But I was wrong.

So wrong!  

24,260 views and counting! It's kind of crazy. I cannot say why this took off, but "The Algorithm" must have thought it was funny, I guess.  

From Shimano social media

Shimano Offers Larger GRX 1X Chainrings, Shorter GRX Cranks, & New CUES 11's Rear Mech:

Shimano offered a few tweaks to GRX, its gravel going component group, recently. The trend toward shorter cranks and larger drive rings were addressed with the addition of a 44T and 46T 1X GRX rings coupled with a couple of shorter crank arm choices in GRX. 

Nothing crazy there, but a nice option for those who have a desire to follow this trend with their gravel set ups. 

The CUES thing is a bit more interesting, in my opinion. CUES has been out for a while now and while it was ballyhooed as a versatile, lifestyle group for the average cyclist, enthusiasts have largely ignored it. This is because CUES was designed in its own ecosystem which rendered it incompatible with other Shimano products past and present. 

CUES RD U6030 (Image courtesy of Shimano

Recently Shimano upgraded its lower tier Tiagra group from ten speed to eleven speed and in this upgrade they introduced an 11-36T cassette. Interestingly, CUES, which previous to this new CUES derailleur was designed for LinkGlide technology, has this new derailleur working with HyperGlide, which is what the Tiagra cassette technology is based upon. 

This raises some questions. Is CUES switching over to HypeGlide? What is the hierarchy placement for this new CUES versus Tiagra? Reports say the new CUES rear mech is actually lighter than other CUES derailleurs and the new Tiagra 11 speed rear mech. 

According to reporting online, Shimano has said this new CUES introduction is more about gravel bikes and Tiagra is for sport road riding, citing slight differences in chain line and Q factor between the two groups. 

So, this then leaves us with a question about CUES and Shimano's GRX groups. Shimano, at GRX's introduction, made the top tier GRX 800 an eleven speed group and the lower tiered GRX 400 was ten speed. Is this new CUES derailleur a precursor to a lower tiered GRX eleven or twelve speed group because GRX is going to 13 speeds at the top of the range?  

Maxxis 32" range. (Image poached off social media)

The 32" Watch: Maxxis Delivers On Rumors:

Yesterday at Sea Otter Maxxis showed a full range of MTB tires in 32" size. This was a rumor for months and now it has become a reality. 

This points to OEM acceptance of 32" wheels as a viable retail product. I will be very surprised if most top-tier brands do not have 32"ers in their ranges by 2027, (this Fall). 

In other 32"er news, there was the Fargo and Teravail tire intros yesterday. (See yesterday's post on these things for more details) Velo Orange showed a 32" rim in silver. Also, a couple of prototype bicycles were shown. One was from Esker Cycles and was based on the Lorax. The other was from Revel Bikes and was a 32"er titanium hardtail. Revel also had a "mullet 29"/32" bike in titanium as well.  

In perhaps the biggest news and sign that 32"ers are here to stay, at least for a while, was the spotting of a prototype 32" Fox fork on an Ari Bikes 32"er FS model. You know what this means? It means Fox has an OEM on the hook for production, or thinks it will soon. My bet is XC MTB bikes from one of the bigger brands will be the model type this shows up on.  

Image courtesy of Open Cycles

Open WI.DE 2.0 Announced:

Open Cycles sent a press release showing off its upcoming OPEN WI.DE 2.0 carbon adventure drop bar frame and fork.  

Claiming an amazing tire clearance of  29" x 2.6" (700 x 66mm)! To get this to work OPEN had to use a double-dropped chain stay design. OPEN claims that going from a 50mm to the 66mm tire doubles air volume. This will allow the rider to tackle even rougher terrain. 

To get this all to work, OPEN had quite a challenge on their hands. The result was still lighter, by only a little bit, than the outgoing model. Additionally only 1X drive trains are supported while retaining gravel group set compatibility.  

The OPEN WI.DE frame and fork is going into production now with a promised late Summer 2026 delivery.  

That's a wrap for this week. Get out there and ride a bicycle this weekend! 

Sea Otter: Left-Overs

Vittoria's T50 gravel tire (Image courtesy of Vittoria)

Vittoria Simplifies Tire Names, Introduces New T50 Tire:

Vittoria is going to move away from its current naming conventions for its gravel tire line up. Apparently the Mezcal will also be switching to this new way of naming Vittoria's gravel range.

In effect, the new naming convention will help riders determine what tire is best for their riding intentions. So, a smoother, faster tire, like the Terreno Zero, will be a T10. Something more aggressive will have a much higher "T" score going all the way to 100. Vittoria will support this with a "tire-finder" on their site which will ask riders questions to help funnel them to tires which fit their riding needs best.

To illustrate this range we have the new Terreno T50, so, a tire right smack-dab in the middle of the new range and as one would expect, is being marketed as an all-arounder.  This tire is punture-protected, has a sidewall protection, and will come in a new "tan" sidewall along with the standard black. Gone are the grey sidewalls of the past. This tire currently is only offered in 700 x 40mm.

Comments: Okay...... I don't know if this new tire-finder way of naming these tires will make all that much difference. Initially, as Vittoria works through changing the range this Summer, my thought would be if someone is looking for a Mezcal and doesn't see any, (because now it is a "T" something tire), they won't buy Vittoria. But maybe the "Mezcal" part lives alongside the "T" bit for awhile, easing the transition. Otherwise, I don't see this "T" thing as a big benefit to the consumer. Most riders are going to listen to their group-think advisors online anyway, since bike shops are fading, and media cannot possibly cover every tire.

Moots Routt in the California Dreamin' ano scheme. (Image courtesy of Moots)

Moots Calfornia Dreamin' Limited Edition Routt:

Look at it. It is anodized titanium, high-end parts, and costs an eye-watering amount of money. Twenty-five will be made available by Moots. It's called "California Dreamin'". Got it....

Moving on.... 

Image courtesy of Maxxis Tires

Maxxis Debuts New Compound Across Gravel Tire Range:

Maxxis Tires announced a new compound for their rubber used across their four tire gravel range. Called "HYPR-X", this new compound is going to be integrated throughout the range during 2025.

The new compound borrows from Maxxis' HYPR road tire compound which is known for low rolling resistance. This is mixed with Maxxis' XC racing tire compound called "MaxxisSpeed". The result will be a tough, low rolling resistance compound for gravel.

Maxxis claims the new gravel oriented HYPR-X will lend riders 19% better cornering traction over the previous compound used and 25% less rolling resistance.  A new, even stronger Nylon will be used for the casings in the 120TPI tires which Maxxis says will "vastly increase tread durability". The EXO sidewall protection will also be applied to the range. All sizes in the gravel range will now be tubeless ready. Note the new tire hot patches, which will replace current branding. All tires will ship in new, recyclable paper packaging as well.

The Reaver and Rambler in 700 x 45mm will be the first to get the new compound  and casing with the other tires and sizes in the range to follow. See more on Maxxis' site. 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Salsa Revamps Full Sus Range:

Salsa Cycles announced last Thursday they had revamped the entire full suspension range of bikes, including e-bike FS. I'm not going to go into detail on the entire range, but I will speak to the one bike in the whole range which I found interesting: The 'entry level' Spearfish C Eagle Transmission.

 This bike has 120mm front/rear travel via Rock Shox SID range dampers. Decent wheels and tires, a good geometry, and that 'Dusty Rose' hue looks pretty cool.

Comments: I am amused this bike costs 5G. The range-topping Spearfish C DLX XO is over twice as expensive. So....I could buy two C Eagle Transmission models and have money left over compared to the XO model?

Ridiculous. How did we get here?  

Courtesy of Sage Titanium's Instagram

Sage Titanium "Dropinator" Points To MTB Trend In Gravel:

Sage Titanium showed off a new bike at Sea Otter which grafted gravel bike geometry with a 100mm suspension fork. The bike dubbed "The Dropinator" also has  a dropper seat post, 1X SRAM drive train, and Rock Shox Attendant Control electronics for the fork and dropper post. 

Comments: As I have often stated here on these digital pages, 40mm - 50mm of "gravel suspension fork t5ravel" is functionally useless. You can see here 100mm is where the action is going to be, that is if this takes off as a "thing".  

I've also said the Fargo/Cutthroat class of drop bar MTB was already doing this sort of job, but what I see here is a trend toward taking the concept to a racier, lighter chassis than a bikepacking bike has.

But in the end, this all points to what is happening in the upper echelons of Pro XC MTB, just with a drop bar variant thrown in. Keeping in mind this bicycle debuted at an event which had been a XC MTB event up until this year. Does this have any bearing on the reason the bike exists? Possibly, but I think more so this points, once again, to "gravel" being the hot ticket. If we can disguise a hard tail XC rocket ship as a drop bar gravel bike with a suspension fork and call it "monster gravel", or whatever they end up calling this concept, then you have something to get folks excited about.

In the end, I think this concept is fine. I did something similar with a Gen 2 Fargo and an 80mm travel Reba fork once. But it was not a "gravel bike".  It just wasn't the same on actual unpaved roads, which is where a gravel bike really shines. Drop bar MTB is really cool, and I do like it, but again - this Sage model and bikes like this are a drop bar MTB bikes. Let's not kid ourselves here.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Ridley Bicycles

You May Want A Bigger Cup Of Coffee For This FN&V!

Welcome To "Alpine Gravel":

Ridley Bicycles yesterday did a big press release for their new bike called the Ingnite GTX. A bike the presser said is "an Alpine gravel bike for the roughest terrains".

It is easy to pass this off as a "drop bar mountain bike", however, Ridley takes a different viewpoint. Here is what they say in the press release:

  "A mountain bike is focused purely on mountain biking, while a gravel bike is too limited for rough terrain, and the Ignite GTX fills the gap between these two worlds."

So something in between then? Yes, an "Alpine Gravel Bike" . Ah....I'll come back to this in the comments.

Now as for the details, this is a bicycle which has its geometry inspired by the Ridley XC racing hard tail MTB. There are "flex stays" for comfort, and room for 29" X 2.3" tires. The finishing kit for the Ignite GTX can be had with a carbon fiber "Adventure Fork" or a 100mm travel Rock Shox fork. The drive train is all SRAM with the suspension fork, featuring  a "mullet set up", and the rigid version can have a Shimano 1 X 12 drive train in a GRX "mullet" set up as well. Prices start at $3,040.00 USD.

Ridley sees this bike as something one might use in the Atlas Mountain Bike Race, Tour Divide, and other like ultra-distance, remote, and rough events and rides.

Ignite GTX here shown with the rigid carbon fork. (Image courtesy of Ridley

 Comments: I know....I know! IT"S A FREAKIN' FARGO! (Or Cutthroat, if you will) Now "Adventure by Bike" is going to be re-branded "Alpine Gravel", eh? I don't think this will happen, especially here in the USA, but of course, the Europeans may take to this moniker.

Which makes me wonder, "What about Trekking?" Is that not the original "Alpine Gravel" type bicycle in Europe? Okay, okay....Maybe not for racing, but the intentions are similar, no? My European readers can help me out here, perhaps. Let me know in the comments.

One other thing: I've said until I was blue in the face is that a 40mm travel "gravel suspension fork" was pretty much an exercise in futility. This bike zoomed right past 80mm and went to 100mm's of travel with the SID fork. Now, this is sensible for real suspension benefits, but that sure doesn't look very aero now, does it? Nope. And this is why I think trying to graft suspension on to what amounts to a road racing bike with fat tire clearance is silly.

Scott USA To Go D2C:

Another major brand is capitulating to the times and will offer a direct to consumer option from its USA website for USA customers. This will occur, according to an article in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, by mid-April of this year. Scott will also be offering a special selection of its range on four major online retailer's sites which also will be able to be shipped direct to the consumer.

Comments: One online source wondered aloud concerning this news and stated that they thought this would become the norm for retail bicycle trade in the USA soon. Citing Canyon Bicycles as being able to beat any brick and mortar store on price, it was theorized that all bigger brands would have to reduce prices in turn to keep competitive and force brick and mortar retail out of existence, essentially. 

Will this really happen? If everything hinges upon price, then I see no other alternative. Basically all bicycles sold would eventually become commodities traded on Amazon. (This is already happening anyway) The real question is, if losing brick and mortar store fronts creates a void in the marketplace or does it not matter? If the answer to this question is "Yes, it matters", then what will fill the void left by those old bicycle shops which may vanish soon?  (See yesterday's post for ideas)

Image Courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Announces New WCS Switch Stem:

Many bicycles are showing up now with fully integrated cabling. So, Ritchey Design decided to address this with its new WCS Switch Stem. 

The stem joins Ritchey's line of Switch components which includes stem spacers with porting for cables, the Switch Adapters, and Switch Headset.

The stem cavity has enough space to accept up to three cables with their housings. There is also a hidden accessory mount which can be deployed which can be a mount for electronics, lights, and cameras.

The stem also features Ritchey's unique "C220 Clamp" which is a special stem face plate that allows a handlebar to have 220° of contact on the stem's body. Ritchey claims this puts less stress on the face plate and allows for lower stem face plate bolt torque. 

The new WCS Switch Stem costs $109.95 USD and is available now through Ritchey retailers.  

Image courtesy of Panaracer

Panaracer Announces 2025 Special Edition Colors:

For several years now Panaracer has offered colored tread tires in their popular Gravel King range. Each year a new pair of colors is released. This year the colors are "Honeybutter" and "Cranberry". The colors can be matched with black casings or tan walls. 

The range will include the SK, X1, SS, or the slick tread Gravel King tread patterns. 45mm and 40mm widths are offered with the exception of the slick tires where only a 40mm option exists.  No 650B tires were listed on the webpage for the 2025 Limited Edition tires in the X1, SS, or Gravel King slicks patterns, but there are 650B and 26" models on the SK page. 

All tires retail for $64.99 USD each. You can check out the range of 2025 colored tires on Panaracer's webpage for the Limited Edition tires HERE.

Comments: Hmm.... Hard pass on the Honeybutter color. I could see getting some 40mm tires in the Cranberry color and sticking those on my King Fab Honeman Flyer. But...

Every year I toy with the idea of getting a pair then I talk myself out of it. Then I see someone's bike with them on and I kick myself, sometimes, especially of the combination of colored tire and bicycle look particularly tasty. I don't know though....  If these trip your trigger get on it now and buy them. These typically sell out fairly quickly.

Image courtesy of Toolbox Wars social media

SRAM Moves All MTB Brakes To Mineral Oil:

A couple of weeks ago in this FN&V I posted an image of a new SRAM XC MTB brake called "Motiv" which was seen on Trek's team bikes. Now news has hit the internet that indeed, SRAM has a new XC MTB brake and it is based on mineral oil as I had postulated.

Not only that, but word is that all mountain bike brakes SRAM is releasing from here on out will be mineral oil based systems.

Comments: This is pretty big news. From a mechanic's point of view, all the DOT brake fluid based brakes were a total pain to deal with and this was because the fluid is toxic and special care had to be taken to deal with the DOT fluids. The move to mineral oil is a welcomed one.

The obvious question is when will we see all of SRAM's brakes move to mineral oil systems? I suspect all further drop bar groups to make this change as well. Oh! And I would be remiss if I did not mention the long-rumored mechanical Eagle 70 and Eagle 90 Transmission MTB groups. It is real and available now. Good news for those who eschew batteries on bikes.

Sea Otter is coming in less than two weeks. SRAM usually makes a big splash announcement for this festival. Plus, there should be a lot of news in the next couple of weeks related to gravel bikes and accessories. Stay tuned to this space...

Tour of Arkansas To Happen In 2026:

On Thursday a press release went out concerning the efforts on the part of All Sports Productions to put on a road event in Northwestern Arkansas called the Tour of Arkansas. The event would start out as a modest road/time trial/criterium event with the aim to expand the event, if successful, to a week long road race.

Comments: While I do not delve into road racing much, I do know there have been several attempts at getting a "Tour of (fill in the blank) " road racing type event going in the past. All have failed at some point. So, this begs the question: "How is this any different and why would this idea become what the promoters envision it to be when so many have failed at the same thing?"

I'd like to think the USA could get a week-long Pro level cycling tour going, but unless there is some massive shift in American interest in Pro road racing, I find it less than believable that it might happen in any long-term, meaningful way.  I would like to be proven wrong here, but I am skeptical at best. 

Courtesy of PinkBike social media

Maxxis Makes 32"er Official:

Way back in February I posted in this FN&V about the Dirty Sixer company's 32"er MTB which had Maxxis tires on it. This was kind of a big deal because it pointed toward OEM interest. Maxxis wasn't going to make 32"er tires for just some small, niche brand. No offense to Dirty Sixer, but companies like Maxxis are looking for big commitments to a model, especially something new and odd, like a 32" diameter MTB tire.  

Well, my hunch turned out to be correct as it was broadcast on PinkBike's social media that Maxxis is indeed coming out with a 32" diameter Aspen. The narrator in the short clip, (an image of which can be seen here), mentioned other possibilities for treads were being discussed and that "several OEM fork manufacturers" were interested in this as well. 

Comments: Shades of the early 00's with 29"er hate is being detected for this already. However; I think more people are being cautious and maybe a bit more open minded this time as a lot of companies and people got burned by their negativity toward 29"ers when they first appeared.

However; certain things we went through with regard to 29 inch wheels will have to be addressed again here with a 3" jump in diameter. First, we have to think about geometry all over again. 32"ers will require a rejigging of everything we already think we know in regard to "what works" in terms of geometry.

Secondly, wheels will, once again, be pushed to their limitations much more quickly in a 32" package. 29"ers forced a wider axle and a more solid connection to the frame in through axles. Will 32"ers have to be SuperBoost by default? Will front forks go to 142mm through axles? I think all this and more would have to be considered.

Then you have the problem finding who this would be for. Taller people is an obvious choice, but how many XL and XXL frames are these wheels going to sell? Where is the cutoff for shorter people? All things which would need answering, and then all these answers plugged into marketing data to see if it would make sense to sell these on a large scale. Then factor in these times where people are not spending their money and you get, what I think is, a very tenuous situation for 32"ers to make it as a viable product to sell. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

That's a wrap on things for this week. Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

The new Maxxis Reaver. (Image courtesy of Maxxis)

Maxxis Introduces New Reaver Gravel Tire:

Earlier this week Maxxis revealed a new gravel tire called the Reaver. It is a semi-slick, low center tread affair meant for "racing", as Maxxis puts it. 

It is available in two sizes: 700 X 40mm and 700 X 45mm. All can be had in either black wall or tan wall versions. 

• 120 TPI tubeless ready casing
• Dual compound
• EXO sidewall protection

Reaver tires are $70.00 each and can be purchased directly from Maxxis HERE. 

Comments: I like the looks of this tire a lot. I wouldn't peg it as just a racing tire though. Low tread in the center is fine. Think about it. Your are riding on crushed rock, (that is - IF you actually are riding on gravel), and tread is generally useless there, with one minor exception. That being outer tread blocks. If they are designed correctly they can act as a bit of a stabilizing element to the tire, and they can aid in cornering, of course. Additionally they can also have the effect of making the tire present as more of a flatter surface in cross section to the gravel, aiding in flotation, instead of cutting into the gravel. 

It could be a winner on Iowa gravel, but not because it is a "racing tire". 

Garbaruk Road/Gravel crankset (Image courtesy of Garbaruk)

So That's What It Is! -

Back in June, when I was at the Unbound week and attending the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame ceremonies, I was asked by Jason Strobehn if I would be willing to be interviewed for the "Gravel Family Podcast". I agreed and when I was there that morning to get interviewed I noted this young man on a single speed zipping around the area. He had several anodized bits on the bike, none more striking than this purple chain ring on some crank that was unfamiliar to me. I couldn't take my eyes off it, but the identity of the crankset was a mystery to me, until this week.

Social media to the rescue! On "X", or whatever that is now, (formerly Twitter), I saw a story on Garbaruk's aluminum crankset and when I saw the star-like, minimalist chain ring, I knew I'd seen that before. It is the crank and chain ring I saw in Emporia last June. 

Garbaruk claims that this aluminum chain ring and crank are as light as carbon without the downfalls of carbon. They claim that there Road/Gravel crank with a 42T ring weighs in at an astonishing 480.5 grams. You might be thinking it is prohibitively expensive. Not really, I think anyway. The rings are sold separately, but if you bought a 42t ring and the crank arms you'd be in for $505.00USD with free shipping. Not too bad. 

Oh, and you can get these in several anodized colors, so that explains the blindingly purple chain ring I saw in Emporia! Mystery solved.

Bontrager's OCLV NEXT rim (Image courtesy of Trek bikes)

Thermoplastic Carbon Rims: The Future Of Carbon Rim Manufacturing?

 Yesterday the newswire for cycling was ballyhooing these new OCLV NEXT carbon Aeolus wheels from Bontrager. I searched the web and found the source information on Trek's website and many of the claims and features being made started to sound familiar.

Where had I seen this before?

Well, as it turns out, a very similar idea was released early this year by Chris King. I talk about it here in a February "FN&V". The new technology is made by a company called "CSS Composites" and this is the company making the rims for Chris King. But are they the same company making the Bontrager rim? I thought maybe Trek developed their own thermoplastic manufacturing process, but maybe not. Here is a line buried way down the page on the wheels from Trek's site:

"Aeolus Pro 37V and 49V wheels are assembled in Waterloo, WI, with rims manufactured in the United States and global components like DT-Swiss Aerolite spokes and DT-Swiss Pro Lock nipples.". 

Note: emphasis is mine. So.......if they actually were making the rims, wouldn't you think they would say exactly that? The wheels "are assembled in Waterloo, WI" indicating that Trek does not actually manufacture the rims. So, are they CSS Composites made rims? I'm guessing, "Yes" on that one. 

If this stuff is the bee's knees in rim manufacturing, at some point we're going to see them coming from the Far East, and much cheaper. Time will tell.

Single Speed Nerd-Out On The Podcast:

We had a request to do a single speed specific episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast so the latest episode is just that. 

Check that out at that link or wherever you get your podcast feed from. Tell a friend, leave a rating, and like and subscribe and all that. I and N.Y, Roll would really appreciate it. 

In the episode I give my take on the ultimate single speed (for me) gravel bike. I chose a Twin Six Standard Rando Titanium frame to base my build off of. But if I had to pick the single speed gravel bike that was my favorite that I had ever ridden? Well, that would be the bike in the thumbnail there, the original copper-colored Stormchaser. 

That bike would fit 29" X 2.0 tires and it rode fantastically well with those bigger tires. Plus, that copper color was stunning. Butit wasn't all roses. That fork? WOW! Was that fork a jackhammer or what? I definitely would rock a Redshift ShockStop stem there. OR- Find a better fork! 

Anyway, give that episode a listen and let me know what ya think there.

That's a wrap for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!!

Friday News And Views

 Great Iowa Fall Ride Slated For October:

Last year a big announcement was made to the effect that there would be a big three day ride out of Iowa Falls in the Fall of 2020. It was sort of an answer to RAGBRAI being cancelled and also another revenue stream for the RAGBRAI organization. However, restrictions due to COVID did not relax enough in time to hold that ride. Many have wondered since what, if anything, might become of this ride.

Well, earlier this week news was announced regarding the ride, but now it was going to start and end in Cumming, Iowa, a small village Southwest of Des Moines. The ride now would be a one day event, feature several bar/restaurant stops along its 37 mile loop, and feature a concert by the Iowa band, The Pork Tornadoes. 

The ride is on Sunday, October the 10th, and cost $60.00 if you beat the early-bird registration deadline. You can learn more about the Great Iowa Fall Ride here. 

Giro's new Latch shoe- Dampers for your feet. Image courtesy of Giro

Vibration Damping Idea Not For Gravel?!

The term "vibration damping" is a buzz-word in the gravel scene these days. Frames, tires, heck, even wheels claim to cut down on the buzz of crushed rock roads. So, when I see the term in someone's marketing chutzpah, I take note.

This time the product is shoes, but they are not aimed at the gravel market. The Giro Latch shoes are supposed to have a damping effect for riders of flat pedals on rough trails. They call the mid-sole material "Mute Foam". I'm surprised this has not been applied to Giro's shoes for gravel, to be honest. Well, perhaps I shouldn't be. I took a look at Giro's site and they do not have a category for 'gravel shoes'. Ha! Figures.....

Putting Andy To Work:

Once in a great while I get Andy from Andy's Bike Shop to test something for RidingGravel.com. Well, he hasn't had anything to test for about a year now, but that has changed since he has these new skins for his Twin Six Standard Rando. 

He chose to test out these new Maxxis Receptor tires. These were announced just last February and I wrote about them on an "FN&V" post here. They appealed to Andy as a tire he expects to be fast on pavement and decent on gravel. 

They certainly have that look. Smoother center, edge knobs for support. As I said in February, much like a WTB Byway, or maybe these have a passing resemblance to a Challenge Gravel Grinder model. But at any rate, they should be fast. 

As for how they mounted, I haven't heard about that yet from Andy. He'll let me know and I'll get something written up for the site soon, but hopefully they were not like the old Ramblers, which are a pain in the butt to set up tubeless. (UPDATE: Andy informed me that yes- these are just like the Ramblers and are really hard to mount tubeless. Yay!) Stay tuned for more on the Receptors soon.....

  Cycling Pros Start Red Bull Sponsored Gravel Event In Texas:

Colin Strickland and Payson McElveen have known Texas as home and want folks to get into it via a gravel event they have cooked up with their mutual sponsor, Red Bull. The event, to be known as the "Red Bull Rio Grande Gravel Event" is set to take place on November 13 with registration opening soon on September 17th. There is a 500 rider field limit for this 100 miler. The event will take place out of Marfa, Texas which is in the Big Bend region of the state. 

Comments: Marketing hype is big with this one. Keeping in mind that this race has never been run, even once, they say, " Bar none, the hardest 100-mile gravel race on the planet." Wow! But, whatever. They can say what they want to and ya know what? People that end up going to this will just believe it and no one else will care. So, there is that. Truth? Pfft! Doesn't matter anymore, I guess. 

Interesting side note: Red Bull was a sponsor of the very first modern day gravel event. I happen to know since I was there. So, Red Bull is no stranger to the gravel scene. They also prominently have sponsored other gravel events, most notably Rebecca's Private Idaho. Red Bull is into all sorts of stuff, so if you know anything about this company, it shouldn't be a surprise that they would sponsor a (soon to be big, I guess) gravel event in Texas. 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend and thanks for reading G-Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

 Great Iowa Fall Ride Slated For October:

Last year a big announcement was made to the effect that there would be a big three day ride out of Iowa Falls in the Fall of 2020. It was sort of an answer to RAGBRAI being cancelled and also another revenue stream for the RAGBRAI organization. However, restrictions due to COVID did not relax enough in time to hold that ride. Many have wondered since what, if anything, might become of this ride.

Well, earlier this week news was announced regarding the ride, but now it was going to start and end in Cumming, Iowa, a small village Southwest of Des Moines. The ride now would be a one day event, feature several bar/restaurant stops along its 37 mile loop, and feature a concert by the Iowa band, The Pork Tornadoes. 

The ride is on Sunday, October the 10th, and cost $60.00 if you beat the early-bird registration deadline. You can learn more about the Great Iowa Fall Ride here. 

Giro's new Latch shoe- Dampers for your feet. Image courtesy of Giro

Vibration Damping Idea Not For Gravel?!

The term "vibration damping" is a buzz-word in the gravel scene these days. Frames, tires, heck, even wheels claim to cut down on the buzz of crushed rock roads. So, when I see the term in someone's marketing chutzpah, I take note.

This time the product is shoes, but they are not aimed at the gravel market. The Giro Latch shoes are supposed to have a damping effect for riders of flat pedals on rough trails. They call the mid-sole material "Mute Foam". I'm surprised this has not been applied to Giro's shoes for gravel, to be honest. Well, perhaps I shouldn't be. I took a look at Giro's site and they do not have a category for 'gravel shoes'. Ha! Figures.....

Putting Andy To Work:

Once in a great while I get Andy from Andy's Bike Shop to test something for RidingGravel.com. Well, he hasn't had anything to test for about a year now, but that has changed since he has these new skins for his Twin Six Standard Rando. 

He chose to test out these new Maxxis Receptor tires. These were announced just last February and I wrote about them on an "FN&V" post here. They appealed to Andy as a tire he expects to be fast on pavement and decent on gravel. 

They certainly have that look. Smoother center, edge knobs for support. As I said in February, much like a WTB Byway, or maybe these have a passing resemblance to a Challenge Gravel Grinder model. But at any rate, they should be fast. 

As for how they mounted, I haven't heard about that yet from Andy. He'll let me know and I'll get something written up for the site soon, but hopefully they were not like the old Ramblers, which are a pain in the butt to set up tubeless. (UPDATE: Andy informed me that yes- these are just like the Ramblers and are really hard to mount tubeless. Yay!) Stay tuned for more on the Receptors soon.....

  Cycling Pros Start Red Bull Sponsored Gravel Event In Texas:

Colin Strickland and Payson McElveen have known Texas as home and want folks to get into it via a gravel event they have cooked up with their mutual sponsor, Red Bull. The event, to be known as the "Red Bull Rio Grande Gravel Event" is set to take place on November 13 with registration opening soon on September 17th. There is a 500 rider field limit for this 100 miler. The event will take place out of Marfa, Texas which is in the Big Bend region of the state. 

Comments: Marketing hype is big with this one. Keeping in mind that this race has never been run, even once, they say, " Bar none, the hardest 100-mile gravel race on the planet." Wow! But, whatever. They can say what they want to and ya know what? People that end up going to this will just believe it and no one else will care. So, there is that. Truth? Pfft! Doesn't matter anymore, I guess. 

Interesting side note: Red Bull was a sponsor of the very first modern day gravel event. I happen to know since I was there. So, Red Bull is no stranger to the gravel scene. They also prominently have sponsored other gravel events, most notably Rebecca's Private Idaho. Red Bull is into all sorts of stuff, so if you know anything about this company, it shouldn't be a surprise that they would sponsor a (soon to be big, I guess) gravel event in Texas. 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend and thanks for reading G-Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Maxxis Receptor- (Image courtesy of Maxxis)

Maxxis Debuts The Receptor Tire:

Last Monday news hit the web-o-sphere that Maxxis was debuting a new tire called the "Receptor". I took a look and said to myself, "Byway v2". It's no wonder that Maxxis, who haven't been a big player in terms of recognition in the gravel scene, wanted to pull a model out with a striking resemblance to one of WTB's best selling gravel tires, the Byway. 

I know at one point a few years ago, the Byway was the number one seller for WTB. So, with Maxxis not garnering a lot of buzz in the gravel scene, it makes sense, on one hand, to pretty much copy the Byway. Hopefully Maxxis gives this Byway-like tire a bit more volume than WTB gave the Byway, a tire that they are calling a 40mm tire. The Byway is pretty much a 38mm tire in 700c form, so it is a bit of a bummer if you are in the 40mm-43mm camp for a tire on your gravel bike. 

Of course, there is a 650B variant, a tire listed at 47mm, again, very Byway-like. The 650B one also is currently the only variant listed on the Maxxis website, although news regurgitations of the press release claim there will also be a 700c X 40mm black and skin wall version available at some point. (To be fair, the 700c sizes and skin wall options are mentioned in the video on the Receptor page.)

Comments: Smooth center + knobby edges = Gravel Tire® Seems to be the common tread design with variations on the theme ever since Challenge Tire's aptly named 'Gravel Grinder' tire came out about eight years ago now. The knobs on this Receptor tire look almost like an after-thought though. They come so far down the shoulders of the tire that, on a narrower 40mm carcass, you'd have to be in a pretty steep lean or in a really soft, loose terrain condition to even engage those tread features. This is what I would deem as a "Mental Insurance" tread feature. It makes you feel like you've got something other than a slick tire when in fact all you have is a slick tire with some ornamental tread blocks. To Maxxis' credit, these 'knobs' look pretty minimal, so they shouldn't add a lot of weight. 

Maxxis gravel tires used to be a real treat to mount tubeless due to their carbon fiber strand bead.  Maxxis makes no mention of this feature on their site, so if they are not doing that anymore, all the better. I'm keenly interested in the 700 X 40mm size, because if it is really 40mm, then it would leap into my favorites category, assuming all else was up to snuff. With Maxxis, there really is no reason to believe it wouldn't be.

A Tweet from Panaracer's social media 2/15/21

Panaracer Drops Sponsorship of Gravel Racing Team:

One of the first industry sponsored gravel racing teams had its former title sponsor drop out for 2021. The new Abus Pro Gravel racing team was announced February 10th with no mention of Panaracer's involvement anymore. 

Panaracer, on the other hand, started putting out feelers for brand ambassadors on February 1st. Panaracer posted on their Facebook page the following: "As a Panaracer ambassador, we will support you in your riding adventures in return for your original content, stoke and feedback." Applications for brand ambassadorship closed on February 14th.

Comments: Obviously Panaracer is taking a much different approach to sponsorship going forward.  You may have heard about "direct to consumer" type retail, well this might be seen as 'direct to consumer marketing' since the company seems to be cutting out any 'traditional' types of athlete activation. Obviously, getting content and tester feedback for a few sets of tires and "social media fame" will be a good trade off from what is spent on traditional marketing. Remember the old saw: "I owe my soul to the Company Store"? Kinda smells like that to me. Also noteworthy of thought: I don't know what types of events Panaracer will be involved in going forward, but it wouldn't surprise me to see that Panaracer becomes a grassroots events sponsor, if they do anything at all. 

 Also, as seen in the Tweet shown,  Panaracer will have a 'new, modernized look', whatever that means. (Actually, we get to find out Monday- I got an embargoed press release) and it will be interesting to see how their marketing changes going forward.  

The new Pivot Cycles E-Vault. (Image courtesy of Pivot Cycles)

Pivot Cycles Introduces New E-Vault Gravel Bike:

Tuesday news broke that Pivot Cycles has introduced a HPC (motorized bicycle) that is meant for city and gravel usage. It's dubbed the E-Vault. 

This Hybrid Powered Cycle (HPC) features a Fazua motor which has three levels of assist, adjustable on the fly. The motor also features a complete decoupling mode for 100% human powered cycling with no drag from the motor's internals. (Of course, you still have to overcome the extra weight) The frame is carbon fiber and it features top-shelf components from Shimano and others. Pivot lists the starting price at $9,999.00USD. 

Comments: There were a few items I was curious about concerning this bike. How far could you go on a charge? What sort of weight are you pedaling around in decoupled mode? What's the geometry like? Well, besides the geometry, which you have to scroll down the page for, the other two question's answers were buried in the FAQ. 

The geometry is okay. It is what I am starting to feel like is "Gravel Bike 1.0 Geometry". 72° head angle, 70mm bottom bracket drop. Pretty 'five years ago' geometry there, and as far as I am concerned, a geometry that wasn't right from the get-go. But that said, it's okay. It works alright but there is a better way to go. 

Now the weight- almost 30lbs. Not bad for a HPC, but hold on here. This is important. In the FAQ Pivot claims they could get about 45-50 miles in a single charge with less than 4,000ft of climbing. They do not give an indication of what percentage of that was boosted riding versus non-assisted, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was 100% boosted for that amount of mileage/climbing. That's not very impressive. Not when you consider how easily one can accumulate 4,000 feet of climb in a state like Iowa on a 50 mile ride. Oh.....and wind is a factor too. That isn't accounted for in this measure for all we know here. 

And the bike is ten grand minimum. Ouch! HPC's are going to get people out of their cars and riding more? Not in this case, I don't think that is the idea.  

That's a wrap for this frigid week! Let's hope warmer weather is on the way!

Friday News And Views

Maxxis Receptor- (Image courtesy of Maxxis)

Maxxis Debuts The Receptor Tire:

Last Monday news hit the web-o-sphere that Maxxis was debuting a new tire called the "Receptor". I took a look and said to myself, "Byway v2". It's no wonder that Maxxis, who haven't been a big player in terms of recognition in the gravel scene, wanted to pull a model out with a striking resemblance to one of WTB's best selling gravel tires, the Byway. 

I know at one point a few years ago, the Byway was the number one seller for WTB. So, with Maxxis not garnering a lot of buzz in the gravel scene, it makes sense, on one hand, to pretty much copy the Byway. Hopefully Maxxis gives this Byway-like tire a bit more volume than WTB gave the Byway, a tire that they are calling a 40mm tire. The Byway is pretty much a 38mm tire in 700c form, so it is a bit of a bummer if you are in the 40mm-43mm camp for a tire on your gravel bike. 

Of course, there is a 650B variant, a tire listed at 47mm, again, very Byway-like. The 650B one also is currently the only variant listed on the Maxxis website, although news regurgitations of the press release claim there will also be a 700c X 40mm black and skin wall version available at some point. (To be fair, the 700c sizes and skin wall options are mentioned in the video on the Receptor page.)

Comments: Smooth center + knobby edges = Gravel Tire® Seems to be the common tread design with variations on the theme ever since Challenge Tire's aptly named 'Gravel Grinder' tire came out about eight years ago now. The knobs on this Receptor tire look almost like an after-thought though. They come so far down the shoulders of the tire that, on a narrower 40mm carcass, you'd have to be in a pretty steep lean or in a really soft, loose terrain condition to even engage those tread features. This is what I would deem as a "Mental Insurance" tread feature. It makes you feel like you've got something other than a slick tire when in fact all you have is a slick tire with some ornamental tread blocks. To Maxxis' credit, these 'knobs' look pretty minimal, so they shouldn't add a lot of weight. 

Maxxis gravel tires used to be a real treat to mount tubeless due to their carbon fiber strand bead.  Maxxis makes no mention of this feature on their site, so if they are not doing that anymore, all the better. I'm keenly interested in the 700 X 40mm size, because if it is really 40mm, then it would leap into my favorites category, assuming all else was up to snuff. With Maxxis, there really is no reason to believe it wouldn't be.

A Tweet from Panaracer's social media 2/15/21

Panaracer Drops Sponsorship of Gravel Racing Team:

One of the first industry sponsored gravel racing teams had its former title sponsor drop out for 2021. The new Abus Pro Gravel racing team was announced February 10th with no mention of Panaracer's involvement anymore. 

Panaracer, on the other hand, started putting out feelers for brand ambassadors on February 1st. Panaracer posted on their Facebook page the following: "As a Panaracer ambassador, we will support you in your riding adventures in return for your original content, stoke and feedback." Applications for brand ambassadorship closed on February 14th.

Comments: Obviously Panaracer is taking a much different approach to sponsorship going forward.  You may have heard about "direct to consumer" type retail, well this might be seen as 'direct to consumer marketing' since the company seems to be cutting out any 'traditional' types of athlete activation. Obviously, getting content and tester feedback for a few sets of tires and "social media fame" will be a good trade off from what is spent on traditional marketing. Remember the old saw: "I owe my soul to the Company Store"? Kinda smells like that to me. Also noteworthy of thought: I don't know what types of events Panaracer will be involved in going forward, but it wouldn't surprise me to see that Panaracer becomes a grassroots events sponsor, if they do anything at all. 

 Also, as seen in the Tweet shown,  Panaracer will have a 'new, modernized look', whatever that means. (Actually, we get to find out Monday- I got an embargoed press release) and it will be interesting to see how their marketing changes going forward.  

The new Pivot Cycles E-Vault. (Image courtesy of Pivot Cycles)

Pivot Cycles Introduces New E-Vault Gravel Bike:

Tuesday news broke that Pivot Cycles has introduced a HPC (motorized bicycle) that is meant for city and gravel usage. It's dubbed the E-Vault. 

This Hybrid Powered Cycle (HPC) features a Fazua motor which has three levels of assist, adjustable on the fly. The motor also features a complete decoupling mode for 100% human powered cycling with no drag from the motor's internals. (Of course, you still have to overcome the extra weight) The frame is carbon fiber and it features top-shelf components from Shimano and others. Pivot lists the starting price at $9,999.00USD. 

Comments: There were a few items I was curious about concerning this bike. How far could you go on a charge? What sort of weight are you pedaling around in decoupled mode? What's the geometry like? Well, besides the geometry, which you have to scroll down the page for, the other two question's answers were buried in the FAQ. 

The geometry is okay. It is what I am starting to feel like is "Gravel Bike 1.0 Geometry". 72° head angle, 70mm bottom bracket drop. Pretty 'five years ago' geometry there, and as far as I am concerned, a geometry that wasn't right from the get-go. But that said, it's okay. It works alright but there is a better way to go. 

Now the weight- almost 30lbs. Not bad for a HPC, but hold on here. This is important. In the FAQ Pivot claims they could get about 45-50 miles in a single charge with less than 4,000ft of climbing. They do not give an indication of what percentage of that was boosted riding versus non-assisted, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say it was 100% boosted for that amount of mileage/climbing. That's not very impressive. Not when you consider how easily one can accumulate 4,000 feet of climb in a state like Iowa on a 50 mile ride. Oh.....and wind is a factor too. That isn't accounted for in this measure for all we know here. 

And the bike is ten grand minimum. Ouch! HPC's are going to get people out of their cars and riding more? Not in this case, I don't think that is the idea.  

That's a wrap for this frigid week! Let's hope warmer weather is on the way!

State Of Tubelessness: Ten Years Down The Road- Part 2

So, yesterday I hit on the overall historical background for tubeless tires, focusing on why there is no single standard and why certain tires do not fit certain rims. before I go much further, I also wanted to point out that this issue- tires marked the same size as rims but do not fit well with each other, is not the sole domain of tubeless/tubeless ready tires. There have been certain combinations of clincher rims and tires throughout the decades that were tough, or nigh unto impossible, to mount to each other. One famous example of that is Continental Gatorskin tires and Trek matrix rims. Mechanics shudder with disdain when presented with this combination to work on.

So, moving on from there, I wanted to get more in to what I have experienced personally within the last several years in terms of tubeless tire usage. I am pretty much "tube free" when it comes to gravel bikes. I cannot remember the last time I rolled tubed tires on gravel. It's been a couple of years at least. Mountain bikes are generally tubeless for me, but a couple of my single speeds have been reverted back to tubed set ups just because they get ridden so rarely anymore. Fat bikes are all tubed here, and my utilitarian bikes are tubed for the most part, with the exception of my Surly 1X1.

Despite the casing failure, we were able to limp the bike back to Emporia!

So, I spend a fair amount of time using both types of tires. But for this post, I'll stick to my tubeless stories. One of the standout situations I have been involved with was my DK200 experience in 2016. Back when I was doing mtb tire reviews, I got a set of Maxxis Ikon tires. The really expensive ones. (Note- I actually paid out of pocket for those tires.) Anyway, they were full on XC geek tires, were really light, and were not tubeless rated. Keep in mind that the lightest set ups, still in 2018, are folding bead tires set up tubeless on Stan's rims. This is exactly what I did with the Ikons. They were mounted to Sun Ringle' Black Flag wheels, which used Stan's dimension bead seats. (In fact, many say Stan's rims are made by Sun Ringle') Anyway, I wasn't too keen on removing those tires because I wanted to wear them out. I paid a lot for them and nothing else that big rolled that well on my Fargo at the time.

So it was that at the DK200 I was on a pre-ride and the casing gave up the ghost. (See image to the left) Well, you can read all about it here, but the point was that tires were needed ASAP and I found some Teravail Sparwoods that would fit the bill, but maybe not my rims! The mechanic couldn't get the tires to fit on the Stan's dimension rims because the Sparwoods must have been made closer to a UST dimension. I ended up having to lever both tires on myself, and I knew that if I cut one on the flint the next day during my own ride, I was going to be dead in the water because there was no field servicing that set up!

Fortunately I was able to complete that ride and I actually left those Sparwoods on until last year when I replaced the tires for some Terrene test tires I had to review. At that point the Sparwoods came off, but they required a pair of tire levers and some muscle to dismount.

The Teravail Sparwood and Black Flag wheel combo was almost a no-go as far as fit went.

 Then there is the opposite end of the spectrum- tires that won't mount for various reasons. I have had trouble with tires that seem to be a good fit but will refuse to mount up, or that require "special techniques" to mount tubeless. I'm specifically NOT referring to tires that are fat bike tires, mtb tires, or non-tubeless rated rims or tires. These have been tires in the 40mm range, meant to be tubeless, and just are really stubborn about being set up.

Of these tires, there is one common thread- they all had some sort of puncture protection layer or an anti-stretch bead technology. This made the airing up/bead seating process very difficult, if not impossible. The sidewalls of the tires didn't want  to be moved by air blasts from compressors, and therefore a temporary seal was hard to get initiated, which is critical for a successful tubeless tire installation.

Another critical feature is the valve stem. Tubeless valve stems are one of the biggest reasons tubeless installations are difficult or why tubeless set ups sometimes fail. There are good stems and really bad ones. Then the valve hole is another possibility for failure. If the stem cannot effectively seal at the hole it passes through, you will have a headache on your hands. Also worth noting is that after a time tubeless valve stems get corroded by sealant, and this mainly where the core seats into the outer portion of the stem. Replacing cores often will help with this.

Sealants are another ongoing development in the tubeless marketplace. There are basically two kinds of sealant. You either use a glycol based sealant, like the trucking, ag, and industrial industries use, or a latex based sealant like most bicycle sealants have used since Stan's developed his basic latex formula back in the 90's. Glycol based sealants have also been used in bicycle tires. You may know Slime, and that is a glycol based sealant that typically doesn't dry up in tires. Latex works faster and is lighter, (usually) than glycol based sealants for the same volume, but these sealants dry out faster.

These carbon rims made by Irwin Cycling are so precisely made they make going tubeless a breeze.

I've tried just about all of them, and some that you haven't heard of. Glycol has been the worst of the two types for me, with the notable exception of Slime. Latex sealants perform best from my standpoint. Stan's, Orange Seal, GEAX, (Maybe no longer made?), Caffe Latex, and MG's home brew sealant have been my best.

So, you can see how so many standards, choices, and ways of doing things can add up to situations that could be awesome or somewhat less than satisfying. In my opinion, if you stick to a system- using true tubeless components, and/or a one brand solution, (tire/rim) the issues can be put to rest. For instance, a WTB TCS set up is pretty bomber. So is the Bontrager one. There are others.

I have also noted that many rim and tire manufacturers are really stepping up their game in regard to precision molding techniques which have really made things fit and seal so much better than before. I think the trend is toward more uniformity, but it has been a slow road.

You'd think by now we'd have it figured out!

That's it for this "State Of Tubelessness" series. Hit me with any questions in the comments.