Goodbye Stormchaser

Last ride on the Stormchaser

Recently I just wrapped up my review on the Salsa Cycles Stormchaser single speed gravel bike. If you want to see the review, it is HERE.

Bicycles sent to me for review are often seen by me as a necessary evil. One more bike kicking around the Lab and one that demands to be ridden, that maybe isn't quite your cup-o-tea. I mean, if you are a responsible bike reviewer, you have to put in the time and effort. I just don't see it any other way. So, that's why some bikes I get in are kind of a drag until they disappear, wherever review bikes end up. I've heard stories......

Anyway, there are times when yes- the bike is actually fun, and maybe it is one you think you should keep around. I remember such a bike back in the old MTB daze when I was reviewing 29"ers. It was a Milwaukee Bikes hard tail, and it just had that certain something. I cannot put my finger on it, but I miss that bike to this day. They actually offered it to me to buy at a very nice price, and I passed on it. Ah! Well, you know......I have a thing for single speed bikes. That was a single speed 29'er, by the way. Anyhow......

This Stormchaser is a very nice bike. I could get along with it well for quite a while, I think. Maybe I'd change a couple of things, but really, for the most part, this is one nice single speed bike. Not that I need a single speed gravel bike, but this is a well thought out piece that would make my single speed gravel experience a better one. I'm convinced of that after my ride Saturday when Steve was up here.

But no..... This bike is "returning to the Mothership", as my friend Grannygear says when he sends review stuff back. It's the less than glamorous part of doing these reviews. You have to clean the rig up, make sure it is as it was sent to you, which in my case means remounting the 42mm Teravail tires. Then you have to pack it back up, which takes a good hour if you do it right. The manufacturer/brand generally sends a 'call tag', which you print out and affix to the (hopefully) original box for the bike which you have had stored safely for up to three months. Then you take it to be shipped, and off it goes to never-never land, not to be seen or heard from again. (More often than not)

I'll admit it. I'll be a bit sad to see this one go. It was a good one. But it is how things are as I review things. Comers and goers. I thought y'all might like to know a bit of the 'behind the scenes' story on how these things typically go.

Goodbye Stormchaser

Last ride on the Stormchaser

Recently I just wrapped up my review on the Salsa Cycles Stormchaser single speed gravel bike. If you want to see the review, it is HERE.

Bicycles sent to me for review are often seen by me as a necessary evil. One more bike kicking around the Lab and one that demands to be ridden, that maybe isn't quite your cup-o-tea. I mean, if you are a responsible bike reviewer, you have to put in the time and effort. I just don't see it any other way. So, that's why some bikes I get in are kind of a drag until they disappear, wherever review bikes end up. I've heard stories......

Anyway, there are times when yes- the bike is actually fun, and maybe it is one you think you should keep around. I remember such a bike back in the old MTB daze when I was reviewing 29"ers. It was a Milwaukee Bikes hard tail, and it just had that certain something. I cannot put my finger on it, but I miss that bike to this day. They actually offered it to me to buy at a very nice price, and I passed on it. Ah! Well, you know......I have a thing for single speed bikes. That was a single speed 29'er, by the way. Anyhow......

This Stormchaser is a very nice bike. I could get along with it well for quite a while, I think. Maybe I'd change a couple of things, but really, for the most part, this is one nice single speed bike. Not that I need a single speed gravel bike, but this is a well thought out piece that would make my single speed gravel experience a better one. I'm convinced of that after my ride Saturday when Steve was up here.

But no..... This bike is "returning to the Mothership", as my friend Grannygear says when he sends review stuff back. It's the less than glamorous part of doing these reviews. You have to clean the rig up, make sure it is as it was sent to you, which in my case means remounting the 42mm Teravail tires. Then you have to pack it back up, which takes a good hour if you do it right. The manufacturer/brand generally sends a 'call tag', which you print out and affix to the (hopefully) original box for the bike which you have had stored safely for up to three months. Then you take it to be shipped, and off it goes to never-never land, not to be seen or heard from again. (More often than not)

I'll admit it. I'll be a bit sad to see this one go. It was a good one. But it is how things are as I review things. Comers and goers. I thought y'all might like to know a bit of the 'behind the scenes' story on how these things typically go.

Minus Ten Review - 46

The best tasting "post card entry" I ever got for Trans Iowa

Ten years ago on this blog here I was reporting on the registration for Trans Iowa v5. It was one of the first Trans Iowas which featured "tiered" registration. We were letting "Veterans" of Trans Iowa past take first crack at the roster spots and then whatever was left over was fair game to rookies. In this case well over half the roster was opened up to Rookie Class riders. I think the limit was 75 riders back then.

Registration back then was a "controlled chaos' of an affair. I used to have fun with it bacck then. There were flowers, gifts of booze, and even a pizza. Those were the fun times of registration. From about this time till we got to v9 or so. Then it got waaaaay out of hand. But that's another story.

I was also talking about a bike I was testing. It was a Milwaukee Bicycles 29"er. The white frame on that rig was sooooooo smooth! I really loved the way that bike rode. I remember that it was one of those bikes you just wanted to ride all the time. Since I pretty much had to so I could write a good review on the bike, it made that a good problem to have.

The bike had to be shipped back, but I was offered a killer deal on it at that time to keep it. I just didn't think I could afford it, since it was Winter, I was working far less, and money was tight. But if there was one bike I regretted not keeping in all my Twenty Nine Inch reviewing days, that Milwaukee rig would be maybe number one. I can think of one other I would have loved to have kept, but it was a dual sus bike, and nothing like this bike.

Minus Ten Review - 46

The best tasting "post card entry" I ever got for Trans Iowa

Ten years ago on this blog here I was reporting on the registration for Trans Iowa v5. It was one of the first Trans Iowas which featured "tiered" registration. We were letting "Veterans" of Trans Iowa past take first crack at the roster spots and then whatever was left over was fair game to rookies. In this case well over half the roster was opened up to Rookie Class riders. I think the limit was 75 riders back then.

Registration back then was a "controlled chaos' of an affair. I used to have fun with it bacck then. There were flowers, gifts of booze, and even a pizza. Those were the fun times of registration. From about this time till we got to v9 or so. Then it got waaaaay out of hand. But that's another story.

I was also talking about a bike I was testing. It was a Milwaukee Bicycles 29"er. The white frame on that rig was sooooooo smooth! I really loved the way that bike rode. I remember that it was one of those bikes you just wanted to ride all the time. Since I pretty much had to so I could write a good review on the bike, it made that a good problem to have.

The bike had to be shipped back, but I was offered a killer deal on it at that time to keep it. I just didn't think I could afford it, since it was Winter, I was working far less, and money was tight. But if there was one bike I regretted not keeping in all my Twenty Nine Inch reviewing days, that Milwaukee rig would be maybe number one. I can think of one other I would have loved to have kept, but it was a dual sus bike, and nothing like this bike.

News Season: Part 2- More Fat & Gravel

 

Scott Bikes "Big Ed" (Image courtesy of MTB-News.de)

Scott "Big Ed" Fatbike: This will get to be a common theme for 2015- More companies entering into the fat bike market. You thought last year brought out a ton of new entries? This year I expect a lot more new bikes in the marketplace.

This one is going to be a common theme- Rock Shox Bluto, aluminum frame "designed more for trail riding", (read: Not Just For Sand & Snow!), Non-Surly tires and rims, and $2000-$3000 price points. This particular model is interesting for the fact that the rims are branded Syncros, (a brand Scott Sports owns), and the claimed 4.5" wide Kenda Juggernaut tires.

Interestingly, Scott went with the 190mm rear axle, so there are going to be a mixed bag of axle standards out there. My money is on the offset 135mm rear fat bike standard going away with 170mm rear and 190 rear based frames staying around a while. (Add a bit of width for through axles on either one, but those are based on 190 and 170 Quick Release Frame dimensions.) Claimed weight for the Big Ed, (purportedly named for Scott's founder), is 33lbs.

Fugitive by MBC: (Image courtesy of MBC's blog)

Milwaukee Bicycle Comapny "Fugitive":

Cruising the Twitterverse, I saw this teased by Ben's Cycles, the online shop that is home to the Milwaukee Bicycle Company brand. Apparently, they are working on a part touring, part gravel road riding rig. Seen here in full, you get a tiny taste of the Fugitive in touring mode.  It's hard to say if this is all "Long Haul Trucker" or really a "gravel rig with racks". I'm going with the touring bike angle here , but you never know.

All Ben's are saying now is that this is "a bike engineered for gravel and touring." So......like a Bruce Gordon "Rock & Road" bike then? If so, it should be a great steel frame set to build an off-beat gravel rig from. I don't know if anyone has really considered this, but with the ability to fit larger tires on many of these "gravel rigs", one could tour on "any road", which really gives you a lot of options, instead of being limited to pavement. I like that kind of thought myself. Hopefully there is room for big tires and fenders. That would likely keep the dust down off the drive train and whatnot.

Salsa tandem as seen in 2013 at Frostbike.

Salsa Cycles Tandem:

 Back at the 2013 Frostbike event, I saw this "Safety Yellow" painted Salsa tandem and was told that the working name for it was "Powderkeg", but to not say anything about that. Well, "Dirt Rag" printed the name anyway, so I felt okay with saying things about it back then as seen here. Again- I held up my end of the deal, so if anybody gets annoyed by this then go talk to Big Mo about it. (There was also some leakage on their part concerning the full suspension fat bike deal back then too, which is all out in the open now.)

I figured that Salsa should do this tandem back then, because I think it is a hole in the marketplace that they stand to fill in nicely. You have Santana, CoMotion, and.....and..... Yes there are a few small tandem specialists, but try finding one to look at, or even better, to test ride.

This was found on Facebook.....hmmm.

 So cruising around on Facebook recently I see the same, (or so similar it is uncanny), bike in a different color with Alternator drop outs and all. In every image I've seen of this, (yes- I've seen it posted several times), it is always with the foam shipping protectors over (presumably) the logos.

My guess is that Salsa Cycles is finally ready to bring this tandem to market and that is why the logos are covered. I cannot imagine it being anything but a Salsa, since the Alternator drop outs are pretty much a dead give away on the identity of the brand here. Also obvious is that this has its own fork now, which I am sure was a challenge to design and to get it to pass the rigorous testing protocol that Salsa subjects itself to.

The only thing left to the imagination here is what the name really is and how much this will sell for. In my view, Salsa stands to gain some market on the tandem side if the price isn't stratospheric and if it has the right features. Yes.....if it is sold as shown it is an "mtb tandem", but you do realize that smaller tires can be fitted, right? Not everyone wants or really needs a drop bar racing style bike, which is what most high end tandems are now.

Vanhelga: By 8am today the internet will be buzzing with the news of 45NRTH's newest tire, the Vanhelga, and the matching Whiskey No. 9 rim. Both are designed to be tubeless ready and are the first "system" to be introduced. (Not the first tubeless ready tires, since Vee Rubber has had its "Sealant Compatible" tires out for awhile already.)


45NRTH had to get this done, and I am glad to see it. The prices for the tires are reasonable, and the carbon rim should be nice, so this brings something to the table that Salsa Cycles and Surly Bikes might be able to use to bring their fat bikes into the 21st Century in regards to tire technology. The upcoming Bontrager system will be a competitor, and perhaps one or two others will crop up yet this Fall. Things are getting interesting on the tubeless fat bike tire market!

The Vanhelga 26 X 4.0

News Season: Part 2- More Fat & Gravel

 

Scott Bikes "Big Ed" (Image courtesy of MTB-News.de)

Scott "Big Ed" Fatbike: This will get to be a common theme for 2015- More companies entering into the fat bike market. You thought last year brought out a ton of new entries? This year I expect a lot more new bikes in the marketplace.

This one is going to be a common theme- Rock Shox Bluto, aluminum frame "designed more for trail riding", (read: Not Just For Sand & Snow!), Non-Surly tires and rims, and $2000-$3000 price points. This particular model is interesting for the fact that the rims are branded Syncros, (a brand Scott Sports owns), and the claimed 4.5" wide Kenda Juggernaut tires.

Interestingly, Scott went with the 190mm rear axle, so there are going to be a mixed bag of axle standards out there. My money is on the offset 135mm rear fat bike standard going away with 170mm rear and 190 rear based frames staying around a while. (Add a bit of width for through axles on either one, but those are based on 190 and 170 Quick Release Frame dimensions.) Claimed weight for the Big Ed, (purportedly named for Scott's founder), is 33lbs.

Fugitive by MBC: (Image courtesy of MBC's blog)

Milwaukee Bicycle Comapny "Fugitive":

Cruising the Twitterverse, I saw this teased by Ben's Cycles, the online shop that is home to the Milwaukee Bicycle Company brand. Apparently, they are working on a part touring, part gravel road riding rig. Seen here in full, you get a tiny taste of the Fugitive in touring mode.  It's hard to say if this is all "Long Haul Trucker" or really a "gravel rig with racks". I'm going with the touring bike angle here , but you never know.

All Ben's are saying now is that this is "a bike engineered for gravel and touring." So......like a Bruce Gordon "Rock & Road" bike then? If so, it should be a great steel frame set to build an off-beat gravel rig from. I don't know if anyone has really considered this, but with the ability to fit larger tires on many of these "gravel rigs", one could tour on "any road", which really gives you a lot of options, instead of being limited to pavement. I like that kind of thought myself. Hopefully there is room for big tires and fenders. That would likely keep the dust down off the drive train and whatnot.

Salsa tandem as seen in 2013 at Frostbike.

Salsa Cycles Tandem:

 Back at the 2013 Frostbike event, I saw this "Safety Yellow" painted Salsa tandem and was told that the working name for it was "Powderkeg", but to not say anything about that. Well, "Dirt Rag" printed the name anyway, so I felt okay with saying things about it back then as seen here. Again- I held up my end of the deal, so if anybody gets annoyed by this then go talk to Big Mo about it. (There was also some leakage on their part concerning the full suspension fat bike deal back then too, which is all out in the open now.)

I figured that Salsa should do this tandem back then, because I think it is a hole in the marketplace that they stand to fill in nicely. You have Santana, CoMotion, and.....and..... Yes there are a few small tandem specialists, but try finding one to look at, or even better, to test ride.

This was found on Facebook.....hmmm.

 So cruising around on Facebook recently I see the same, (or so similar it is uncanny), bike in a different color with Alternator drop outs and all. In every image I've seen of this, (yes- I've seen it posted several times), it is always with the foam shipping protectors over (presumably) the logos.

My guess is that Salsa Cycles is finally ready to bring this tandem to market and that is why the logos are covered. I cannot imagine it being anything but a Salsa, since the Alternator drop outs are pretty much a dead give away on the identity of the brand here. Also obvious is that this has its own fork now, which I am sure was a challenge to design and to get it to pass the rigorous testing protocol that Salsa subjects itself to.

The only thing left to the imagination here is what the name really is and how much this will sell for. In my view, Salsa stands to gain some market on the tandem side if the price isn't stratospheric and if it has the right features. Yes.....if it is sold as shown it is an "mtb tandem", but you do realize that smaller tires can be fitted, right? Not everyone wants or really needs a drop bar racing style bike, which is what most high end tandems are now.

Vanhelga: By 8am today the internet will be buzzing with the news of 45NRTH's newest tire, the Vanhelga, and the matching Whiskey No. 9 rim. Both are designed to be tubeless ready and are the first "system" to be introduced. (Not the first tubeless ready tires, since Vee Rubber has had its "Sealant Compatible" tires out for awhile already.)


45NRTH had to get this done, and I am glad to see it. The prices for the tires are reasonable, and the carbon rim should be nice, so this brings something to the table that Salsa Cycles and Surly Bikes might be able to use to bring their fat bikes into the 21st Century in regards to tire technology. The upcoming Bontrager system will be a competitor, and perhaps one or two others will crop up yet this Fall. Things are getting interesting on the tubeless fat bike tire market!

The Vanhelga 26 X 4.0

Bugnacious!

Yes- You'd better like the color green if you ride here in the woods!

June in Iowa- The height of vegetation growth is upon us now and that also brings with it the lush, green woodland carpet, the "green smells" that permeate the cooler air under the canopy of trees, and bugs. Bazillions and bazillions of bugs!

2014 has been noteworthy so far for the gnat infestation. We usually get a somewhat annoying amount of these pests for a brief period, then they are quickly forgotten. However; this year there appears to be a bumper crop of the pesky, tiny black and brown flying insects. Clouds of them pepper you as you pass through them in various places. I'm not sure that they bite you as much as they just get into everything and annoy the heck out of you, but Mrs. Guitar Ted says that they bite her. Your mileage may vary. The mosquitoes beginning to appear now, on the other hand.......

Weeds six feet tall line the single track in places.

Then there are the weeds that have sprung up over the height of an average man in places. These weeds are grasses, so they don't really cause any problems, except that you cannot see the trail sometimes, and the weeds get wrapped around your derailleur, and whip you in the arms and legs. But really.......it isn't a big deal! Oh yeah, the weeds harbor all those insects I mentioned as well too. That said, at least the stinging nettles haven't overrun the trail just yet!

I was in the Green Belt and the trails were in their highest state of variability. There were dry, fast, hard packed parts, sandy pits, muddy, greasy parts, and water and deep mud as well. Really, a bit of everything out there yesterday. It's fun, but it is challenging to keep your wheels underneath you. Go too fast in the wrong place, and you go down right away. However; if you are hip to these trails, and know when to go and when to stay slow, it can be a fun ride not possible anywhere else.

The rear tire can slide a bit, you counter steer and punch the pedals. Sand tries to slow you and swap your tires, but you grab the handle bars and wrench against it. Punch the pedals again and straighten it right out. You see the grease and you just float the bike upright through the corner at a nice, wide arc to keep the wheels underneath you. The mud hole just demands some pure power to slog through. It's all dirty fun. And you get really dirty out there!

The repaired bridge was a nice surprise.

That and the weeds really make riding single speeds out there your best choice. No derailleur to rip off, no weeds wrapped around cassette gears, and no mud clogging up shifter cables and derailleurs. It's nice to just concentrate on sussing out the last bit of traction without worrying about shifting or what might be trying to destroy your drive train.

I was pretty averse to stopping for any images, so I kept rolling most of the time so I wouldn't get eaten alive by bugs. I stopped at the turn around for about five minutes to get a few images, and when I did I spent most of the time running around in circles trying to lessen the clouds of pests. So, I had absolutely no plans to stop again but when I saw the new bridge work, I had to take an image. The bridge had been falling into disrepair the last year or so, and I was afraid that it wouldn't be maintained, so when I saw that it had been done and done well, I was pleased.

Then I figured one more quickie of the tall grasses would be okay, and actually, I found the bugs weren't as bad as I thought they were way back in the Southern part of the trail. Eventually, I heard something that gave me pause and I decided no more stopping was a great idea. It was a sort of "pfft-pfft" at revolutionary intervals. A flat happening? Sealant coming out? The tires felt fine, but there was no way I wanted to deal with a flat in these woods with these bugs around! I hightailed it to the lake, and out in a more open area, when I determined it was my wet shoes making a weird noise, and not my tires. Whew! But by then, I was out of the woods and decided to just pack it in on the bike trails and went back home.

A great ride, but with these bugs, I may not be going back in the woods for awhile!

Bugnacious!

Yes- You'd better like the color green if you ride here in the woods!

June in Iowa- The height of vegetation growth is upon us now and that also brings with it the lush, green woodland carpet, the "green smells" that permeate the cooler air under the canopy of trees, and bugs. Bazillions and bazillions of bugs!

2014 has been noteworthy so far for the gnat infestation. We usually get a somewhat annoying amount of these pests for a brief period, then they are quickly forgotten. However; this year there appears to be a bumper crop of the pesky, tiny black and brown flying insects. Clouds of them pepper you as you pass through them in various places. I'm not sure that they bite you as much as they just get into everything and annoy the heck out of you, but Mrs. Guitar Ted says that they bite her. Your mileage may vary. The mosquitoes beginning to appear now, on the other hand.......

Weeds six feet tall line the single track in places.

Then there are the weeds that have sprung up over the height of an average man in places. These weeds are grasses, so they don't really cause any problems, except that you cannot see the trail sometimes, and the weeds get wrapped around your derailleur, and whip you in the arms and legs. But really.......it isn't a big deal! Oh yeah, the weeds harbor all those insects I mentioned as well too. That said, at least the stinging nettles haven't overrun the trail just yet!

I was in the Green Belt and the trails were in their highest state of variability. There were dry, fast, hard packed parts, sandy pits, muddy, greasy parts, and water and deep mud as well. Really, a bit of everything out there yesterday. It's fun, but it is challenging to keep your wheels underneath you. Go too fast in the wrong place, and you go down right away. However; if you are hip to these trails, and know when to go and when to stay slow, it can be a fun ride not possible anywhere else.

The rear tire can slide a bit, you counter steer and punch the pedals. Sand tries to slow you and swap your tires, but you grab the handle bars and wrench against it. Punch the pedals again and straighten it right out. You see the grease and you just float the bike upright through the corner at a nice, wide arc to keep the wheels underneath you. The mud hole just demands some pure power to slog through. It's all dirty fun. And you get really dirty out there!

The repaired bridge was a nice surprise.

That and the weeds really make riding single speeds out there your best choice. No derailleur to rip off, no weeds wrapped around cassette gears, and no mud clogging up shifter cables and derailleurs. It's nice to just concentrate on sussing out the last bit of traction without worrying about shifting or what might be trying to destroy your drive train.

I was pretty averse to stopping for any images, so I kept rolling most of the time so I wouldn't get eaten alive by bugs. I stopped at the turn around for about five minutes to get a few images, and when I did I spent most of the time running around in circles trying to lessen the clouds of pests. So, I had absolutely no plans to stop again but when I saw the new bridge work, I had to take an image. The bridge had been falling into disrepair the last year or so, and I was afraid that it wouldn't be maintained, so when I saw that it had been done and done well, I was pleased.

Then I figured one more quickie of the tall grasses would be okay, and actually, I found the bugs weren't as bad as I thought they were way back in the Southern part of the trail. Eventually, I heard something that gave me pause and I decided no more stopping was a great idea. It was a sort of "pfft-pfft" at revolutionary intervals. A flat happening? Sealant coming out? The tires felt fine, but there was no way I wanted to deal with a flat in these woods with these bugs around! I hightailed it to the lake, and out in a more open area, when I determined it was my wet shoes making a weird noise, and not my tires. Whew! But by then, I was out of the woods and decided to just pack it in on the bike trails and went back home.

A great ride, but with these bugs, I may not be going back in the woods for awhile!

Milestones

My son and classmates. He's second in from left in the middle row.

Life is full of little markers. We have our birthdays, wedding anniversarys, deaths, divorces, and the first time we kissed someone. Yesterday was a milestone for my son, and......well, for me also, I suppose. My son was promoted from 5th grade. Next year he goes to Middle School.

I and his aunt attended since they had the ceremonies just after lunch. Great job of scheduling so my wife, who works five days a week, could attend. (sarcasm intended) Anyway, at least someone was there for him. He's worked hard and this didn't come easy for him.

I suppose a 5th grade promotion ceremony could be seen as somewhat goofy. We never had such things when I was young. You simply walked out of school in the elementary building one day and walked into the Junior High School in the fall. No fanfare, well.......unless your Grandma gave you an embarrassing kiss and pinched your cheek during the Summer between semesters. It wasn't seen as a "big deal" back then.

And maybe that was a problem. You see, I never thought of school as being "important" then and for a long time afterward because no one seemed to care, or make a fuss about it. Now we do, and I think that is the better way.

Jungle time in Iowa: Riding the Milwaukee Bicycle Co Single Speed

Before all the festivities I went out for a brief ride on the Milwaukee Bicycle Company single speed. The greenery has been fast in its advance since the warm weather broke and it is full on Summer-like jungle out there already. Mosquitoes are busy looking for likely subjects, but thankfully, since it has been drier, their numbers are not what they could be.

The single track was littered still in last Fall's detritus and the contrast between new and decay was sort of jarring in places. No matter- the grip levels were up and I was flying along at pretty good speeds when I felt the need to. It was a good, twisty-turny ride in the woods, which I had all to myself once again.

However; the promotion ceremony scheduled for just past noon and the fact that I needed to install the upstairs window air conditioner meant that I had to cut things back on the riding time. Gotta keep the peace at home! I was just glad to have gotten a little more dirt time in on primo trail. It was fun, and I could have stayed all afternoon, but it wasn't to be. That was okay too, since I had a bit of a milestone to mark later. It was a good one to see pass too.

Milestones

My son and classmates. He's second in from left in the middle row.

Life is full of little markers. We have our birthdays, wedding anniversarys, deaths, divorces, and the first time we kissed someone. Yesterday was a milestone for my son, and......well, for me also, I suppose. My son was promoted from 5th grade. Next year he goes to Middle School.

I and his aunt attended since they had the ceremonies just after lunch. Great job of scheduling so my wife, who works five days a week, could attend. (sarcasm intended) Anyway, at least someone was there for him. He's worked hard and this didn't come easy for him.

I suppose a 5th grade promotion ceremony could be seen as somewhat goofy. We never had such things when I was young. You simply walked out of school in the elementary building one day and walked into the Junior High School in the fall. No fanfare, well.......unless your Grandma gave you an embarrassing kiss and pinched your cheek during the Summer between semesters. It wasn't seen as a "big deal" back then.

And maybe that was a problem. You see, I never thought of school as being "important" then and for a long time afterward because no one seemed to care, or make a fuss about it. Now we do, and I think that is the better way.

Jungle time in Iowa: Riding the Milwaukee Bicycle Co Single Speed

Before all the festivities I went out for a brief ride on the Milwaukee Bicycle Company single speed. The greenery has been fast in its advance since the warm weather broke and it is full on Summer-like jungle out there already. Mosquitoes are busy looking for likely subjects, but thankfully, since it has been drier, their numbers are not what they could be.

The single track was littered still in last Fall's detritus and the contrast between new and decay was sort of jarring in places. No matter- the grip levels were up and I was flying along at pretty good speeds when I felt the need to. It was a good, twisty-turny ride in the woods, which I had all to myself once again.

However; the promotion ceremony scheduled for just past noon and the fact that I needed to install the upstairs window air conditioner meant that I had to cut things back on the riding time. Gotta keep the peace at home! I was just glad to have gotten a little more dirt time in on primo trail. It was fun, and I could have stayed all afternoon, but it wasn't to be. That was okay too, since I had a bit of a milestone to mark later. It was a good one to see pass too.

Dirt Time

Dry and fast!

Since I am a family man and work at a bicycle shop as well, I don't get out to play after work like a lot of folks do. I usually end up going out at odd times and I end up getting the woods to myself, more often than not. Such was the case again yesterday, which was my first proper dirt ride of 2014. That previously much mentioned event I was ranting on and on about here sort of took precedence over any extra-curricular bicycle jaunts this Spring!

Anyway, it started out cool and ended up at a pleasant temperature. In fact, yesterday was the first day all year we've reached the 80's. Must be going straight on to Summer, eh? Funny thing is that there were almost no bugs, (weird), and really low humidity for around here, (also weird). The ground is cracked already in many places. This is not looking good from a farming perspective. But, rains are in the forecast again today. We'll see....

Anyway, I had the WTB Nineline 2.25"ers to be riding, so I rode the Milwaukee Bikes single speed and tried them out. Obviously, with dry, hard packed trail, these tires rolled super fast, but almost any tire would in these conditions. That said, I tried to get back into the rhythm of single speed off road riding. It's been a little while since I've done any of that!

Tiny flowers were everywhere.

The underbrush is still just getting going and tiny flowers were studded into the green carpet of the forest floor. With leaves just barely poking out of buds on the tree limbs, it made for an odd juxtaposition of bare trees against the quickly spreading greenery on the surface. The views are still wide open, so spotting the deer flitting from ravine to ravine was easy to do. Most animals were silent or the forest was empty other than the few young deer I saw.

In fact, at one point I almost hit a young deer as it came from behind a tree I was about to pass by. It probably was born last Spring, judging by the size of it, and the tree was just big enough to obscure it from my view until the deer spooked and leapt out from its hiding place to run away. That's definitely the closest deer encounter I've experienced at Ingawanis Woodlands. I'm surprised it took this long to happen, actually.

An old, decrepit bridge on the Cedar River near Ingawanis Woodlands

Well, I did my ride and then noticed that the tread was packed in with dirt. Rather than import that mess home with me, I decided to ride down the gravel road a bit to clear the tires out. As I went Westward I thought about investigating the dead end of the road I was on. I knew that at one time there was a bridge across the Cedar River on this road but that it was now truncated at the river due to what I believed was the lack of any bridge being there at all. However; when I reached the faded, decayed barricades, I saw that I was in error with that thought.

The old bridge is still there, accessible by foot from the East bank, but not by the West side. I have seen a lot of bridges in Iowa, but never one remotely close to the design of this structure. The pylons looked to be cement filled iron or steel and the double arch design was decked with big, thick wooden planks that were rotting and some covered in moss. This bridge is an old one! I marveled at the fact that it should even still exist, given its decayed state, and even more so since it has survived some wicked floods in the past 20 years. It certainly is not long for this world, seeing how decayed the deck is now and that it is obvious no one is maintaining it. Such a shame! It could be one of the coolest bridges in Iowa, as far as I can tell. Glad I got to see it at all.

Well, I got my tires cleaned out and headed home, once again proving that you just never know what you might find if you poke around in the rural back country!

Dirt Time

Dry and fast!

Since I am a family man and work at a bicycle shop as well, I don't get out to play after work like a lot of folks do. I usually end up going out at odd times and I end up getting the woods to myself, more often than not. Such was the case again yesterday, which was my first proper dirt ride of 2014. That previously much mentioned event I was ranting on and on about here sort of took precedence over any extra-curricular bicycle jaunts this Spring!

Anyway, it started out cool and ended up at a pleasant temperature. In fact, yesterday was the first day all year we've reached the 80's. Must be going straight on to Summer, eh? Funny thing is that there were almost no bugs, (weird), and really low humidity for around here, (also weird). The ground is cracked already in many places. This is not looking good from a farming perspective. But, rains are in the forecast again today. We'll see....

Anyway, I had the WTB Nineline 2.25"ers to be riding, so I rode the Milwaukee Bikes single speed and tried them out. Obviously, with dry, hard packed trail, these tires rolled super fast, but almost any tire would in these conditions. That said, I tried to get back into the rhythm of single speed off road riding. It's been a little while since I've done any of that!

Tiny flowers were everywhere.

The underbrush is still just getting going and tiny flowers were studded into the green carpet of the forest floor. With leaves just barely poking out of buds on the tree limbs, it made for an odd juxtaposition of bare trees against the quickly spreading greenery on the surface. The views are still wide open, so spotting the deer flitting from ravine to ravine was easy to do. Most animals were silent or the forest was empty other than the few young deer I saw.

In fact, at one point I almost hit a young deer as it came from behind a tree I was about to pass by. It probably was born last Spring, judging by the size of it, and the tree was just big enough to obscure it from my view until the deer spooked and leapt out from its hiding place to run away. That's definitely the closest deer encounter I've experienced at Ingawanis Woodlands. I'm surprised it took this long to happen, actually.

An old, decrepit bridge on the Cedar River near Ingawanis Woodlands

Well, I did my ride and then noticed that the tread was packed in with dirt. Rather than import that mess home with me, I decided to ride down the gravel road a bit to clear the tires out. As I went Westward I thought about investigating the dead end of the road I was on. I knew that at one time there was a bridge across the Cedar River on this road but that it was now truncated at the river due to what I believed was the lack of any bridge being there at all. However; when I reached the faded, decayed barricades, I saw that I was in error with that thought.

The old bridge is still there, accessible by foot from the East bank, but not by the West side. I have seen a lot of bridges in Iowa, but never one remotely close to the design of this structure. The pylons looked to be cement filled iron or steel and the double arch design was decked with big, thick wooden planks that were rotting and some covered in moss. This bridge is an old one! I marveled at the fact that it should even still exist, given its decayed state, and even more so since it has survived some wicked floods in the past 20 years. It certainly is not long for this world, seeing how decayed the deck is now and that it is obvious no one is maintaining it. Such a shame! It could be one of the coolest bridges in Iowa, as far as I can tell. Glad I got to see it at all.

Well, I got my tires cleaned out and headed home, once again proving that you just never know what you might find if you poke around in the rural back country!

From Low To High

Single Speedin in Skeeterville

Yesterday was a day that started out really low. I won't say "bad", because I wasn't in some sort of catastrophe or suffering some major loss. It was just that I woke up and when you "just" wake up, you are kind of punchy and not really "with it" just yet. Know what I mean? So, yeah.......I felt like that for a couple of hours after I awoke. I just had to yawn and stumble around as if I wasn't ever going to have any energy for doing much of anything.

Then I started to snap out of that funk around about 9:30am-10:00 o'clock, and I felt fine. Weird.

Well, I was itching to get out and enjoy what turned out to be a perfect day, weather-wise, and had the truck all loaded up to go to Ingawanis Woods. I just had to make a quick, (I thought), phone call and then I would be outta there. Well, the phone call took a lot longer than I thought it would. I didn't get unloaded and riding till pretty close to 11:00am.

I did a good ride at the Ingawanis Woods though. A very fun, fast, zippy ride. Single speed even. Looks like I may have recovered finally from Odin's Revenge. Just in time to get torn down again at the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational this weekend! Well, after that, I ate a good lunch, then rode the same single speed to work to do a quick repair for a special customer. Then back home again where I enjoyed the family, and started finishing off the Gravel Mutt Project. Yes......it is finished! All except the final adjustments and tweaking. A big post will be coming up soon. Stay tuned for that.

So the end of the day was a celebration of an accomplishment and looking forward to the weekend's ride with some good people. From low to high.......

From Low To High

Single Speedin in Skeeterville

Yesterday was a day that started out really low. I won't say "bad", because I wasn't in some sort of catastrophe or suffering some major loss. It was just that I woke up and when you "just" wake up, you are kind of punchy and not really "with it" just yet. Know what I mean? So, yeah.......I felt like that for a couple of hours after I awoke. I just had to yawn and stumble around as if I wasn't ever going to have any energy for doing much of anything.

Then I started to snap out of that funk around about 9:30am-10:00 o'clock, and I felt fine. Weird.

Well, I was itching to get out and enjoy what turned out to be a perfect day, weather-wise, and had the truck all loaded up to go to Ingawanis Woods. I just had to make a quick, (I thought), phone call and then I would be outta there. Well, the phone call took a lot longer than I thought it would. I didn't get unloaded and riding till pretty close to 11:00am.

I did a good ride at the Ingawanis Woods though. A very fun, fast, zippy ride. Single speed even. Looks like I may have recovered finally from Odin's Revenge. Just in time to get torn down again at the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational this weekend! Well, after that, I ate a good lunch, then rode the same single speed to work to do a quick repair for a special customer. Then back home again where I enjoyed the family, and started finishing off the Gravel Mutt Project. Yes......it is finished! All except the final adjustments and tweaking. A big post will be coming up soon. Stay tuned for that.

So the end of the day was a celebration of an accomplishment and looking forward to the weekend's ride with some good people. From low to high.......

More Encounters With Wildlife

More Encounters With Wildlife- (This time the animal in question is actually a live one!)

Fresh Tracks

Back in June I had an encounter with a suicidal deer, (which I posted about here), and on Independence Day I came across a big 10 pointer in Geo Wyth.

I've also had turkeys flying in my face and sighted a strange, huge black-ish bird that I think is an immature Bald Eagle. Owls, deer, and other critters have been abundant even though everything on the plant side is shriveling up and dying out there. Seriously- it is getting scary out there.

Well, anyway, this story starts- (where else!)- up at the South side of Camp Ingawanis' mountain bike trails. I headed up there for some tire/wheel testing on the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er. It was a really nice day- in the 70's, dappled sunshine, and little wind or humidity. The trails are bone dry, fast, and clear for the most part.

The tires in question are the Michelin Wild Race'R model with a tubeless set up on a WTB Frequency i23 rim laced to American Classic hubs. I had been running slightly higher pressures, but for this run I was at 18psi-20psi.

Really- this bike rides soooo nice!

I don't know why, but everything just clicked on this ride. Sure- I have liked the MBC 29"er well enough all along, the wheels have been....well, wheels. The tires worked really nicely on the slightly narrower Velocity Blunt SL rims when I had those tires on those wheels and mounted on the Fargo Gen II frame.

But something about yesterday was so spot on. One of those rides you wait for ever to have. Smooth, fast, comfortable, legs felt great, and the weather was perfect as were the trails for the most part. I was honking along with seemingly way less effort than before. Either I have gained a big jump forward in my fitness, or the bike, wheels, and tires were just that fast. (Secretly I am hoping the bike, wheels, and tires suck!) No.....I can't say exactly what it was, but this ride was super-fun.

I even crashed big time! I was flying around a left hander with a few trees for good measure, right on the edges of the single track. I actually saw this one coming. The big, wide 3D carbon Answer bar caught a tree right at the end of the Ergon grip. thwok! On the left side, and I wobbled and went down hard into a dry duff of dirt, leaves, and old walnut shells.

I am okay, but I bruised up my left leg in a few spots coming off the bike and scratched up my right shin.Then later on I came across a downed tree. I stopped and I broke it off in bits so the next rider can clean the section without a hike-a-bike. That was some work!

But the best- the weirdest, and funniest part came right near the end of the ride. I was going through some twisty bits when I spied an immature squirrel. It did the usual "can not decide which way to scurry" dance for a moment or two, then it darted like lightning to my left as I came speeding by. I saw a small tree and unconsciously wrote off ever seeing that squirrel again. But.....

Suddenly I see a flying furball coming from my upper left. It is the squirrel! The dang critter hits the back of my right hand and I instinctively flick the crazed critter off with a backhand move and the animal cartwheels through the air to a surmised rough landing.

I didn't stop to see. I gave a hoot and a hearty laugh and figured I was lucky to come out of that without a scratch. Too bad I didn't have a video rolling. That would have made me a You Tube hero for sure, for what that is worth. What a great ending to a fun ride!

More Encounters With Wildlife

More Encounters With Wildlife- (This time the animal in question is actually a live one!)

Fresh Tracks

Back in June I had an encounter with a suicidal deer, (which I posted about here), and on Independence Day I came across a big 10 pointer in Geo Wyth.

I've also had turkeys flying in my face and sighted a strange, huge black-ish bird that I think is an immature Bald Eagle. Owls, deer, and other critters have been abundant even though everything on the plant side is shriveling up and dying out there. Seriously- it is getting scary out there.

Well, anyway, this story starts- (where else!)- up at the South side of Camp Ingawanis' mountain bike trails. I headed up there for some tire/wheel testing on the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er. It was a really nice day- in the 70's, dappled sunshine, and little wind or humidity. The trails are bone dry, fast, and clear for the most part.

The tires in question are the Michelin Wild Race'R model with a tubeless set up on a WTB Frequency i23 rim laced to American Classic hubs. I had been running slightly higher pressures, but for this run I was at 18psi-20psi.

Really- this bike rides soooo nice!

I don't know why, but everything just clicked on this ride. Sure- I have liked the MBC 29"er well enough all along, the wheels have been....well, wheels. The tires worked really nicely on the slightly narrower Velocity Blunt SL rims when I had those tires on those wheels and mounted on the Fargo Gen II frame.

But something about yesterday was so spot on. One of those rides you wait for ever to have. Smooth, fast, comfortable, legs felt great, and the weather was perfect as were the trails for the most part. I was honking along with seemingly way less effort than before. Either I have gained a big jump forward in my fitness, or the bike, wheels, and tires were just that fast. (Secretly I am hoping the bike, wheels, and tires suck!) No.....I can't say exactly what it was, but this ride was super-fun.

I even crashed big time! I was flying around a left hander with a few trees for good measure, right on the edges of the single track. I actually saw this one coming. The big, wide 3D carbon Answer bar caught a tree right at the end of the Ergon grip. thwok! On the left side, and I wobbled and went down hard into a dry duff of dirt, leaves, and old walnut shells.

I am okay, but I bruised up my left leg in a few spots coming off the bike and scratched up my right shin.Then later on I came across a downed tree. I stopped and I broke it off in bits so the next rider can clean the section without a hike-a-bike. That was some work!

But the best- the weirdest, and funniest part came right near the end of the ride. I was going through some twisty bits when I spied an immature squirrel. It did the usual "can not decide which way to scurry" dance for a moment or two, then it darted like lightning to my left as I came speeding by. I saw a small tree and unconsciously wrote off ever seeing that squirrel again. But.....

Suddenly I see a flying furball coming from my upper left. It is the squirrel! The dang critter hits the back of my right hand and I instinctively flick the crazed critter off with a backhand move and the animal cartwheels through the air to a surmised rough landing.

I didn't stop to see. I gave a hoot and a hearty laugh and figured I was lucky to come out of that without a scratch. Too bad I didn't have a video rolling. That would have made me a You Tube hero for sure, for what that is worth. What a great ending to a fun ride!

Lab Work

Spent most of today swapping out wheels and tubeless tires. The testing must go on, and with Mrs. Guitar Ted out to a graduation open house, (tis the season), I used my home time to get 'er duuun!

Not sure about white rims, but....

So let's see now- I pulled the Rubena Kratos tires off the Sawyer and swapped them over to the Breezer. The WTB Bronson folders on the Breezer went on the old Sun-Ringle' Charger Pro wheel set I had sitting there, since the Sun-Ringle' Black Flag wheels the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er had on it were mounted with Geax AKA TNT tires, and they weren't gonna come off. Instead, I refreshed the sealant in them, and then left them alone for now. Finally, the Sawyer got a Geax AKA folder out back with a Bontrager 29-4 Gen I tire up front.

Did ya catch all of that?

Then I had to ride test all three bikes to make sure that the sealant was distributed evenly and that the tires weren't going to blow off on me. Oh yeah, and I mixed my own sealant for all of these tires. (Thanks MG!)

With all the rain on Friday and overnight to Saturday, the off road trails will be a bit too mucky for good test riding. But, hopefully I get in a big gravel ride. I have a bit of a score to settle, and if I am successful, it will be something I have been waiting to "check off my list" for several years now.

Hopefully tomorrow will be out of The Lab, and into the Frying Pan.

Stay tuned.....

Lab Work

Spent most of today swapping out wheels and tubeless tires. The testing must go on, and with Mrs. Guitar Ted out to a graduation open house, (tis the season), I used my home time to get 'er duuun!

Not sure about white rims, but....

So let's see now- I pulled the Rubena Kratos tires off the Sawyer and swapped them over to the Breezer. The WTB Bronson folders on the Breezer went on the old Sun-Ringle' Charger Pro wheel set I had sitting there, since the Sun-Ringle' Black Flag wheels the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er had on it were mounted with Geax AKA TNT tires, and they weren't gonna come off. Instead, I refreshed the sealant in them, and then left them alone for now. Finally, the Sawyer got a Geax AKA folder out back with a Bontrager 29-4 Gen I tire up front.

Did ya catch all of that?

Then I had to ride test all three bikes to make sure that the sealant was distributed evenly and that the tires weren't going to blow off on me. Oh yeah, and I mixed my own sealant for all of these tires. (Thanks MG!)

With all the rain on Friday and overnight to Saturday, the off road trails will be a bit too mucky for good test riding. But, hopefully I get in a big gravel ride. I have a bit of a score to settle, and if I am successful, it will be something I have been waiting to "check off my list" for several years now.

Hopefully tomorrow will be out of The Lab, and into the Frying Pan.

Stay tuned.....

Upgrading

It's been a while now since Guitar Ted Laboratories has been operational. Years have gone by, and in all that time, I never had one of the essential items for an operational bike shop: the "beer fridge".

Stocked and Chilled!

Not that one has to have this, but it sure seems to go together with bicycle work in a recreational sort of way. Much akin to barbecuing, bicycle work is somewhat more enjoyable for me when I have a beer reward at the end.

Maybe that's just me though.

Anyway, I got some work done on a bicycle that will be making the almost annual trek down to Texas with me. I can only take two bikes, and I was going to take By-Tor down with something-something I can't mention yet, but that isn't going to happen in time. So, I went with a "Plan B" which should prove to be very good in a number of ways.

Candy Apple Red Goodness

The recently completed WTB Frequency/American Classic wheel set was going to need testing. I was wanting to pop these on the Titus, but that would take a 15QR axle kit that I don't have time to get now.

So, I remembered I have to finish up the review on Twenty Nine Inches for the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er. I decided to put those new wheels on that rig, and take it down to Texas, but first, I had to modify the drive train.

Off came the 18T Surly cog and a 22T Surly cog went on in its place. Even with the amount of riding I have done this year already, (which is a ton more than I have this early since 2007), I still am going to end up walking some ups with that 22T on the machine. But at least I should be able to ride more than I would have anyway. I know the last single speed bike I took down there was a 32 X 18 and it was severely limited in what I could pull off with it in that rocky, tough terrain down there.

The Milwaukee also has a bit better "trail" set up to it. It is very maneuverable and has a bit taller bottom bracket for better clearances. Important to have this down there in the rocks!

The wheels here will be covered in the newest tires from WTB, the Bronson TCS models which have a grippy, aggressive tread design which appears to be much better suited to loose rocks than the Geax AKA's that were on it previously.

So, the Lab got upgraded and so did the Milwaukee 29"er. That and some tidying up around the house made for a successful day yesterday.

Upgrading

It's been a while now since Guitar Ted Laboratories has been operational. Years have gone by, and in all that time, I never had one of the essential items for an operational bike shop: the "beer fridge".

Stocked and Chilled!

Not that one has to have this, but it sure seems to go together with bicycle work in a recreational sort of way. Much akin to barbecuing, bicycle work is somewhat more enjoyable for me when I have a beer reward at the end.

Maybe that's just me though.

Anyway, I got some work done on a bicycle that will be making the almost annual trek down to Texas with me. I can only take two bikes, and I was going to take By-Tor down with something-something I can't mention yet, but that isn't going to happen in time. So, I went with a "Plan B" which should prove to be very good in a number of ways.

Candy Apple Red Goodness

The recently completed WTB Frequency/American Classic wheel set was going to need testing. I was wanting to pop these on the Titus, but that would take a 15QR axle kit that I don't have time to get now.

So, I remembered I have to finish up the review on Twenty Nine Inches for the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er. I decided to put those new wheels on that rig, and take it down to Texas, but first, I had to modify the drive train.

Off came the 18T Surly cog and a 22T Surly cog went on in its place. Even with the amount of riding I have done this year already, (which is a ton more than I have this early since 2007), I still am going to end up walking some ups with that 22T on the machine. But at least I should be able to ride more than I would have anyway. I know the last single speed bike I took down there was a 32 X 18 and it was severely limited in what I could pull off with it in that rocky, tough terrain down there.

The Milwaukee also has a bit better "trail" set up to it. It is very maneuverable and has a bit taller bottom bracket for better clearances. Important to have this down there in the rocks!

The wheels here will be covered in the newest tires from WTB, the Bronson TCS models which have a grippy, aggressive tread design which appears to be much better suited to loose rocks than the Geax AKA's that were on it previously.

So, the Lab got upgraded and so did the Milwaukee 29"er. That and some tidying up around the house made for a successful day yesterday.