Friday News And Views

NAHBS Shuffles Show Date To 2028:

When the MADE Show happened in August we learned that the original custom bicycle show, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, was returning after a hiatus of several years. NAHBS was last scheduled to happen in 2022 but was cancelled by the organizer, Don Walker, due to a stated "lack of interest" from frame builders at the time. MADE debuted in 2023 and has occurred every year since that time. 

NAHBS had announced a return for 2027 at the same time MADE was to occur in 2027,. The conflict in dates was obviously not ideal, but it has been announced by NAHBS that it will now change the plans. The show likely will happen in early 2028, avoiding the conflicting date set earlier. 

See the NAHBS site HERE for further updates in the future.

Salsa Cycles posted this collage of images on its social media

A Full-Suspension Salsa Cycles 32"er?

Early this week a collage of images was posted to Salsa Cycles Facebook page with the following caption:

 "It's not quite a Bigfoot sighting, but we do have photographic evidence of Salsa product managers Joe and Ethan at Marji Gesick this weekend testing a new bike with a pretty big footprint. #BigWheelsBigAdventure #32intheYoop "

Comments: Now there was no indication given that this would ever become a production bike, but Salsa is promoting this on their socials. One has to think this is a gauging of interest type of marketing move.  

My suspicion is this is going to be offered at some point. This also points to Salsa trying to maneuver itself  into a position where the brand is seen as a leader in this category. What the other big brands will do has yet to be seen, but it would appear that Salsa Cycles is buying into 32" wheels wholeheartedly. 

From Singular Cycles social media

X-Fusion 32" Fork Appears:

Also in 32" news, Singular Cycles shared a special build of one of their 32" Albatross hard tails sporting an X Fusion 32" fork. The rumor mill earlier this season had pointed to some second tier suspension brands having interest in making 32" suspension forks. This would seem to prove the rumor true in one case. 

X Fusion makes a wide range of suspension products. While they do have top performing forks and rear shocks, they are not as well spec'ed on the upper end of most brands products. A range where Rock Shox and Fox have everything pretty much tied up in terms of spec. 

Rumors were that forks for mid-level hard tails were coming with 32 inch wheels. This would indicate that big brands were buying into making 32" hard tails which would be not quite so expensive. Singular is a niche brand and while they may be using the X Fusion fork, my bet is some big brand put in an order for OE spec which made this fork become a reality. 

Time will tell soon enough, but I suspect 2027 will be the year 32" wheels make a big splash in the retail sector of cycling. Will consumers buy in or simply turn up their noses and leave 32" wheels to sit on showroom floors? 

Image courtesy of Efficient Velo Tools

Efficient Velo Tools Shows New Consumer Portable Repair Stand:

As the seasons turn and the days get shorter, many cyclists start to focus on other sports, indoor cycling, or the gym. Meanwhile those nagging issues with your bicycle sit in the garage, basement, or wherever you keep you bicycles. Spring will come, and you'll be in some mad rush to get things squared away, as will thousands of other folks waiting until the last minute. 

You could avoid all of this and do your own basic maintenance with a quality repair stand like this EVT unit.  Called the "Field Unit Comp", the stand weighs a little over 13lbs, can hold bicycles up weighing up to 44lbs, and utilizes EVT's stellar clamp design. 

Working on a bicycle is infinitely easier and more fun when you have a proper repair stand. This one goes for a very reasonable $299.95. You'll save that much money doing three tune-ups on your own bike. Plus, the stand is portable, so you can take it with you to events, vacations, or visits to friends. 

EVT is a respected name in mechanic circles and this clamp is often times lauded as the best in the business. I highly recommend this stand. I have no affiliation with EVT at all, by the way.  

CORRECTION: On my article this past week on the new CGR i23 wheels from WTB I indicated incorrectly that the rims are hooked. This was cleared up after I sent a question in to WTB and received a reply on 10/2/26 letting me know the rims are hookless. I apologize for any inconvenience caused by this error.  

There you go! Another FN&V for 2026 in the books. Now go ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

 NAHBS Show Canceled For 2022:

In a reecent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, it was revelaed last week that the North American Handmade Bicycle show was not going to happen in 2022. The show, scheduled to occur in Denver Colorado, was cancelled by the organizer due to a claimed "lack of interest by the vendors ". 

A long Facebook thread was posted afterword, mostly bemoaning the cancellation of the show, but there were several interesting comments. Some claimed that they were interested in showing at NAHBS and had tried to get information on the show, but were left with dead ends and unanswered e-mails. The show's director, Don Walker, claimed to have been having health issues which were also making it difficult to put on a show of such magnitude.

MADE To Occur September 2023:

As if on cue, a new gathering of frame builders and attendant cycling component and accessories brands have committed to a new "show" called MADE. This hasn't been 'officially' announced as of this past Wednesday when I found a mention of the gathering on Instagram stories. 

The show site claims the following:(Note- Use of shouty all-caps is from their site)

• MADE CELEBRATES THE ART OF BUILDING
• MADE SERVES BUILDERS, MAKERS, MEDIA AND THE CUSTOM COMMUNITY
• MADE LIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIKE AND CULTURE
• MADE IS DEDICATED TO SHARING STORIES OF BUILDERS AND MAKERS TO THE WORLD

Furthermore the site informs us that this is a 'multi-day trade event" and that there will be consumer and 'industry-only' days where media can gain access to brands for content creation and 'community building'. 

The gathering is set for Portland, Oregon and the site claims that this will be mostly held outdoors. UPDATED: Story on MADE appeared on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" site HERE.

Comments: The timing of this comes at a point right after the NAHBS announcement. Make of that what you will. However; in the previously mentioned Facebook thread, there were mentions of a possible "alternative" to NAHBS, or that there should be one. This appears to be that alternative. It also is highly likely that the Portland custom builder scene had a hand in getting this off the ground, since the event is in Portland, Oregon. 

There were a lot of criticisms leveled at Don Walker's NAHBS organization, and well, now you have people setting up a show which I am sure they feel addresses all of those concerns.One of the big criticisms of NAHBS was that it got away from the custom builder/component cottage industry types and became a de facto Big Corporate show where the "little guy" was overshadowed by the bigger entities like SRAM, Shimano, and more. That's my take from what I read about this situation. If I have that wrong, I'm all ears..... Time will tell all. I'm keeping an eye on this. 

Sarah Cooper and myself at Trans Iowa v12

Trans Iowa Stories Series Ends:

This coming Sunday the Epilogue for the Trans Iowa Stories will post marking the end of the series I have run every Sunday since June of 2019.

The idea was sparked at the close of Trans Iowa v14 by a commenter here that suggested that I probably had a lot of good stories from 'behind the scenes' about the event over its 14 year run. 

It's been difficult in many ways to tell anything 'new' about Trans Iowa. The Trans Iowa related posts here on the blog probably number into the 100's. But the thing is, after a decade plus of posts, you cannot assume that everyone has read the blog that diligently all these years. So, while it is true that the Trans Iowa Stories series has a lot of 're-told' stories, it does have a fair amount of stuff in there I never told before the series. 

I tried to be conscious of that all throughout the writing process. I hope that some of that was noticed. And now the writing process is through. Now what? 

Hmm.......that's a great question. Initially the idea was to make this a book. The thing is, there is just far too much material here. You have no idea, for example, how many images I have that I collected for the series which have not been used, and deserve to be seen. The visual history of Trans Iowa could literally fill volumes. Then there is the written text....... Whoa! That would be a pretty thick book if I were to publish this series in its entirety as a book. 

So, a lot of decisions are needing to be made. The direction of the book, if there is to be one, needs to be determined first. Should it be culled down to the most amazing stories? Maybe 30? That would be a long read in itself. Or, maybe this is best told in images, so a photographic piece, which would have some captions, maybe some light commentary. As I have said, I couldn't possibly even use all the images, so again- use maybe 30-ish? 

Lots of questions, no answers yet. Stay tuned..........

And Don't Forget: The "GTDRI Stories" series kicks off on Sundays starting in August.

EVOC shows new bikepacking range: Image courtesy of ©EVOC / Baschi Bender

EVOC Shows New Bikepacking Range:

Late this year EVOC will have a new range of bikepacking bags on hand which have been improved over the outgoing range. 

Improvements include an upgrade to the BOA closures, new hidden vents which allow roll-top bags to close easier, and the range is now fully waterproof with waterproofed zippers, welded seams,and waterproofed  materials.Velcro straps have been replaced with cut-to-size hypalon Velcro straps.

The range consists of two different sizes of seat packs, a half-frame bag, top tube bags, and a  handle bar bag. They come in two colors, a "steel" and a "carbon grey". These EVOC bags should be available this Fall. Prices range from $40.00 for the smaller items in the range to $150.00USD. https://evocsports.us/

Comments: I have not used EVOC bags before, but they seem to be very popular with some of the ultra-endurance cyclists in Europe, in particular. I imagine that they are now fully waterproof that their popularity will only increase. Good looking colors that should appeal to most riders and look fine with most paint schemes. The pricing seems fair as well. 

Personally, I have not ever liked the look of a half-frame bag when it hangs down away from the frame. I don't have any technical or performance reasons for that, it's just my personal opinion. So, that makes the EVOC half-frame bag not very appealing to me. But maybe you don't care about that? Then this might be a good deal. The rest of the range looks fine to me.  

Patent drawing image from www.wheelbased.com

 SRAM Patent On New Rotor Design:

The "wheelbased.com" Instagram page which showed patent drawings submitted by different bicycle companies had been dormant for some time. However; suddenly it is back again and boy! Have the floodgates opened! If you like to ferret out tech and future developments in bicycle design, this account is worth a follow.

Well, one of the more recent postings that seems realistic for production is this new composite rotor from SRAM. It uses a "spray-on" steel coating over an aluminum core. The advantages are that brake temperatures can be reduced. Shimano has been doing something similar with their "IceTech" for several years already. 

There are some other pretty far-out electronic things happening which may or may not come about. But this brake rotor deal will likely be produced for SRAM's higher end brakes in the near future, I would think. Anyway, check out "wheelbased" on Instagram if you haven't already. It is a good account to 'nerd-out' on, if you are in to such things.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and we'll see ya back here soon, I hope. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

Friday News And Views

 NAHBS Show Canceled For 2022:

In a reecent "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article, it was revelaed last week that the North American Handmade Bicycle show was not going to happen in 2022. The show, scheduled to occur in Denver Colorado, was cancelled by the organizer due to a claimed "lack of interest by the vendors ". 

A long Facebook thread was posted afterword, mostly bemoaning the cancellation of the show, but there were several interesting comments. Some claimed that they were interested in showing at NAHBS and had tried to get information on the show, but were left with dead ends and unanswered e-mails. The show's director, Don Walker, claimed to have been having health issues which were also making it difficult to put on a show of such magnitude.

MADE To Occur September 2023:

As if on cue, a new gathering of frame builders and attendant cycling component and accessories brands have committed to a new "show" called MADE. This hasn't been 'officially' announced as of this past Wednesday when I found a mention of the gathering on Instagram stories. 

The show site claims the following:(Note- Use of shouty all-caps is from their site)

• MADE CELEBRATES THE ART OF BUILDING
• MADE SERVES BUILDERS, MAKERS, MEDIA AND THE CUSTOM COMMUNITY
• MADE LIVES AT THE INTERSECTION OF BIKE AND CULTURE
• MADE IS DEDICATED TO SHARING STORIES OF BUILDERS AND MAKERS TO THE WORLD

Furthermore the site informs us that this is a 'multi-day trade event" and that there will be consumer and 'industry-only' days where media can gain access to brands for content creation and 'community building'. 

The gathering is set for Portland, Oregon and the site claims that this will be mostly held outdoors. UPDATED: Story on MADE appeared on the "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" site HERE.

Comments: The timing of this comes at a point right after the NAHBS announcement. Make of that what you will. However; in the previously mentioned Facebook thread, there were mentions of a possible "alternative" to NAHBS, or that there should be one. This appears to be that alternative. It also is highly likely that the Portland custom builder scene had a hand in getting this off the ground, since the event is in Portland, Oregon. 

There were a lot of criticisms leveled at Don Walker's NAHBS organization, and well, now you have people setting up a show which I am sure they feel addresses all of those concerns.One of the big criticisms of NAHBS was that it got away from the custom builder/component cottage industry types and became a de facto Big Corporate show where the "little guy" was overshadowed by the bigger entities like SRAM, Shimano, and more. That's my take from what I read about this situation. If I have that wrong, I'm all ears..... Time will tell all. I'm keeping an eye on this. 

Sarah Cooper and myself at Trans Iowa v12

Trans Iowa Stories Series Ends:

This coming Sunday the Epilogue for the Trans Iowa Stories will post marking the end of the series I have run every Sunday since June of 2019.

The idea was sparked at the close of Trans Iowa v14 by a commenter here that suggested that I probably had a lot of good stories from 'behind the scenes' about the event over its 14 year run. 

It's been difficult in many ways to tell anything 'new' about Trans Iowa. The Trans Iowa related posts here on the blog probably number into the 100's. But the thing is, after a decade plus of posts, you cannot assume that everyone has read the blog that diligently all these years. So, while it is true that the Trans Iowa Stories series has a lot of 're-told' stories, it does have a fair amount of stuff in there I never told before the series. 

I tried to be conscious of that all throughout the writing process. I hope that some of that was noticed. And now the writing process is through. Now what? 

Hmm.......that's a great question. Initially the idea was to make this a book. The thing is, there is just far too much material here. You have no idea, for example, how many images I have that I collected for the series which have not been used, and deserve to be seen. The visual history of Trans Iowa could literally fill volumes. Then there is the written text....... Whoa! That would be a pretty thick book if I were to publish this series in its entirety as a book. 

So, a lot of decisions are needing to be made. The direction of the book, if there is to be one, needs to be determined first. Should it be culled down to the most amazing stories? Maybe 30? That would be a long read in itself. Or, maybe this is best told in images, so a photographic piece, which would have some captions, maybe some light commentary. As I have said, I couldn't possibly even use all the images, so again- use maybe 30-ish? 

Lots of questions, no answers yet. Stay tuned..........

And Don't Forget: The "GTDRI Stories" series kicks off on Sundays starting in August.

EVOC shows new bikepacking range: Image courtesy of ©EVOC / Baschi Bender

EVOC Shows New Bikepacking Range:

Late this year EVOC will have a new range of bikepacking bags on hand which have been improved over the outgoing range. 

Improvements include an upgrade to the BOA closures, new hidden vents which allow roll-top bags to close easier, and the range is now fully waterproof with waterproofed zippers, welded seams,and waterproofed  materials.Velcro straps have been replaced with cut-to-size hypalon Velcro straps.

The range consists of two different sizes of seat packs, a half-frame bag, top tube bags, and a  handle bar bag. They come in two colors, a "steel" and a "carbon grey". These EVOC bags should be available this Fall. Prices range from $40.00 for the smaller items in the range to $150.00USD. https://evocsports.us/

Comments: I have not used EVOC bags before, but they seem to be very popular with some of the ultra-endurance cyclists in Europe, in particular. I imagine that they are now fully waterproof that their popularity will only increase. Good looking colors that should appeal to most riders and look fine with most paint schemes. The pricing seems fair as well. 

Personally, I have not ever liked the look of a half-frame bag when it hangs down away from the frame. I don't have any technical or performance reasons for that, it's just my personal opinion. So, that makes the EVOC half-frame bag not very appealing to me. But maybe you don't care about that? Then this might be a good deal. The rest of the range looks fine to me.  

Patent drawing image from www.wheelbased.com

 SRAM Patent On New Rotor Design:

The "wheelbased.com" Instagram page which showed patent drawings submitted by different bicycle companies had been dormant for some time. However; suddenly it is back again and boy! Have the floodgates opened! If you like to ferret out tech and future developments in bicycle design, this account is worth a follow.

Well, one of the more recent postings that seems realistic for production is this new composite rotor from SRAM. It uses a "spray-on" steel coating over an aluminum core. The advantages are that brake temperatures can be reduced. Shimano has been doing something similar with their "IceTech" for several years already. 

There are some other pretty far-out electronic things happening which may or may not come about. But this brake rotor deal will likely be produced for SRAM's higher end brakes in the near future, I would think. Anyway, check out "wheelbased" on Instagram if you haven't already. It is a good account to 'nerd-out' on, if you are in to such things.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and we'll see ya back here soon, I hope. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! 

Friday News And Views

Old School Gravel:

Cruising the "Book Of Faces" the other day and I came across a new addition to an existing event in Kansas. It is called the Flint Hills Gravel Race and it is put on by a guy named Bobby Thompson. The new distance, which is in addition to his 30 mile and 80 mile distances, will be 120 miles. 

Okay, so that's cool and all, but what caught my eye was in the comments about the event on that social media channel. The chatter indicated that the event's new distance would only be navigated by cue sheets (!) and that the distance would be divided into three parts. Once a rider started they would only get cues to the first 'checkpoint' (!!) and then they would receive cues to the next and so on. Event timing would be based upon a 10mph average (!!!). I went to the website for the event and learned more about it (!!!!)

Where have I seen something like this before? Right? 

This definitely made my day. I cannot say whether or not Bobby was influenced by some certain other event, but no matter. Yeah, so if you know, you know. Interested? The registration opens soon and Bobby is taking on only 50 riders for this. (Maybe up to 73, you'll have to read his reasons why) Go HERE for the details. 

A rendering of the Rogue by Alchemy Bikes from the press release.

Also In The "Where Have I Seen This Before?" Files:

This is Sea Otter week and news will be hot and heavy seeing that the event hasn't happened for a year and a half. One of the newsy bits that hit my inbox was about a bike that Alchemy Bikes is releasing called the Rogue. 

Alchemy claims that the new Rogue model was "designed with a more progressive/modern geometry". Okay, that is a very common claim amongst manufacturers pushing out new gravel bikes. Sometimes it is true, and sometimes it isn't. What would the geometry chart for the Rogue show me? 

I looked and smiled. "Where have I seen THIS before?!" 

The Raleigh Tamland, that's where. A bike that debuted in 2014, if you want to know, and the Rogue's numbers are dead-on to what the Raleigh numbers were seven years ago. In an industry where, at times, what happened five years ago can be so outdated it may as well be antique, a company basically copying the Raleigh Tamland's numbers really are not pushing any boundaries here. 

That all said, I love it. The Rogue's geometry, that is. This geometry works. It is what I requested in 2012 when Raleigh asked me about what I'd do for a gravel bike, so yeah.....I would like that, but the Tamland was a hit when it debuted back then so a lot of folks did get on with that bike's geometry. Anyway, welcome to the Club, Alchemy! 

Handmade Bicycle Show Returns In '22:

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show returns after a two year hiatus due to COVID-19. The show often reveals new trends in cycling and is popular with cycling nerds.

The show will be held in Denver, Colorado at the National Western Complex on Denver's North side. The dates are set at September 23rd-25th. People who bought tickets to the cancelled 2020 show will be rolled over to this 2022 show in Denver. Details will be released at a later date. 

Comments: I've never been to a NAHBS show and many years it is just too far away for me to even consider going. But Denver is a place I can get to by car and, well.....maybe. It's something to consider, for sure. 

I'll be honest though, much of that show would likely be about seeing other people and less about the bikes, (but the bikes are spectacular!), so I wouldn't likely get much of anything substantial from it in terms of Riding Gravel, on the one hand. It is hard to say, but the last several NAHBS shows really did not have the impact that the NAHBS shows in the 00's had. in my opinion. 

There is a lot of time to mull it over. I'll wait and see......

Refining Product:

More news from the Sea Otter press fall-out. Kinekt (Body Float) posts are pretty rad items for those who want to take the sting out of trail, gravel, or road riding. I've used various iterations of this post for years and I have tested and reviewed others for Riding Gravel. 

In all of that time Kinekt never sat still. They have continued to take criticisms and raves and they have refined the product all along. Gotta give them props for continuing to implement better and better ideas as the years go on. The latest version of this post, (which I have not seen or handled, by the way) is said to have been improved in the following ways:

-New Bushings
-New Branding
-Improved L/XL Unit

And they have their own saddle bag which is compatible with this post now, which is nice because it was difficult to  add a saddle bag on their posts in the past without some issues. So, I thought I'd mention all this here since many of you may remember me running a Body Float post, (the predecessor to the current Kinekt posts) on a couple of my bicycles in the past. 

The Mid South and Gravel Worlds Announce Double Double Championship:

 From the press release: "The Mid South and Gravel Worlds announced they will be partnering their 2022 events to do a multi event biathlon challenge unlike any other. New for 2022, Gravel Worlds will be adding a new event called Land Ho 50k Ultra Marathon sponsored by Fleet Feet.

Gravel Worlds Promoter, Jason Strohbehn, said there will be a Gravel Worlds Double Championship that combines the time of the 50k run and their 150-mile bike race.

“We will be adding the new event to our 2021 race line-up. The Mid South has had a run/bike double option since 2017.”

According to The Mid South Promoter, Bobby Wintle, the Double Double Championships will combine the finish time from the 4 events to create one of the most unique challenges in the world of gravel."

Comments: So, take away the novelty factor, (running on gravel and racing bikes on gravel to determine a champion), this is a de facto series. Basically, Gravel Worlds and Mid-South are drawing a line in the sand by joining their events, (it really doesn't matter if it isn't ALL their events, or that it includes running/cycling), and now the door has been cracked with regard to having the straight up gravel events in this series. This quote from the press release, "“Ultimately we want this to be a sign of unity in the gravel family”, by Jason Strohbehn, promoter of Gravel Worlds, says that this idea is on the table. What would say that more than having all the events in a series between these two big gravel events?

I've talked about the allure of the single big events to join together into a series which would bring together the energies of those events and propel them to even bigger things. The mere idea is a popular thing in our culture because - for whatever reasons - if it seems that you aren't growing you are failing. So, while there may be no substance to any of this, this announcement certainly opens the door to a way to bring this idea of a series about.

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

Friday News And Views

Old School Gravel:

Cruising the "Book Of Faces" the other day and I came across a new addition to an existing event in Kansas. It is called the Flint Hills Gravel Race and it is put on by a guy named Bobby Thompson. The new distance, which is in addition to his 30 mile and 80 mile distances, will be 120 miles. 

Okay, so that's cool and all, but what caught my eye was in the comments about the event on that social media channel. The chatter indicated that the event's new distance would only be navigated by cue sheets (!) and that the distance would be divided into three parts. Once a rider started they would only get cues to the first 'checkpoint' (!!) and then they would receive cues to the next and so on. Event timing would be based upon a 10mph average (!!!). I went to the website for the event and learned more about it (!!!!)

Where have I seen something like this before? Right? 

This definitely made my day. I cannot say whether or not Bobby was influenced by some certain other event, but no matter. Yeah, so if you know, you know. Interested? The registration opens soon and Bobby is taking on only 50 riders for this. (Maybe up to 73, you'll have to read his reasons why) Go HERE for the details. 

A rendering of the Rogue by Alchemy Bikes from the press release.

Also In The "Where Have I Seen This Before?" Files:

This is Sea Otter week and news will be hot and heavy seeing that the event hasn't happened for a year and a half. One of the newsy bits that hit my inbox was about a bike that Alchemy Bikes is releasing called the Rogue. 

Alchemy claims that the new Rogue model was "designed with a more progressive/modern geometry". Okay, that is a very common claim amongst manufacturers pushing out new gravel bikes. Sometimes it is true, and sometimes it isn't. What would the geometry chart for the Rogue show me? 

I looked and smiled. "Where have I seen THIS before?!" 

The Raleigh Tamland, that's where. A bike that debuted in 2014, if you want to know, and the Rogue's numbers are dead-on to what the Raleigh numbers were seven years ago. In an industry where, at times, what happened five years ago can be so outdated it may as well be antique, a company basically copying the Raleigh Tamland's numbers really are not pushing any boundaries here. 

That all said, I love it. The Rogue's geometry, that is. This geometry works. It is what I requested in 2012 when Raleigh asked me about what I'd do for a gravel bike, so yeah.....I would like that, but the Tamland was a hit when it debuted back then so a lot of folks did get on with that bike's geometry. Anyway, welcome to the Club, Alchemy! 

Handmade Bicycle Show Returns In '22:

The North American Handmade Bicycle Show returns after a two year hiatus due to COVID-19. The show often reveals new trends in cycling and is popular with cycling nerds.

The show will be held in Denver, Colorado at the National Western Complex on Denver's North side. The dates are set at September 23rd-25th. People who bought tickets to the cancelled 2020 show will be rolled over to this 2022 show in Denver. Details will be released at a later date. 

Comments: I've never been to a NAHBS show and many years it is just too far away for me to even consider going. But Denver is a place I can get to by car and, well.....maybe. It's something to consider, for sure. 

I'll be honest though, much of that show would likely be about seeing other people and less about the bikes, (but the bikes are spectacular!), so I wouldn't likely get much of anything substantial from it in terms of Riding Gravel, on the one hand. It is hard to say, but the last several NAHBS shows really did not have the impact that the NAHBS shows in the 00's had. in my opinion. 

There is a lot of time to mull it over. I'll wait and see......

Refining Product:

More news from the Sea Otter press fall-out. Kinekt (Body Float) posts are pretty rad items for those who want to take the sting out of trail, gravel, or road riding. I've used various iterations of this post for years and I have tested and reviewed others for Riding Gravel. 

In all of that time Kinekt never sat still. They have continued to take criticisms and raves and they have refined the product all along. Gotta give them props for continuing to implement better and better ideas as the years go on. The latest version of this post, (which I have not seen or handled, by the way) is said to have been improved in the following ways:

-New Bushings
-New Branding
-Improved L/XL Unit

And they have their own saddle bag which is compatible with this post now, which is nice because it was difficult to  add a saddle bag on their posts in the past without some issues. So, I thought I'd mention all this here since many of you may remember me running a Body Float post, (the predecessor to the current Kinekt posts) on a couple of my bicycles in the past. 

The Mid South and Gravel Worlds Announce Double Double Championship:

 From the press release: "The Mid South and Gravel Worlds announced they will be partnering their 2022 events to do a multi event biathlon challenge unlike any other. New for 2022, Gravel Worlds will be adding a new event called Land Ho 50k Ultra Marathon sponsored by Fleet Feet.

Gravel Worlds Promoter, Jason Strohbehn, said there will be a Gravel Worlds Double Championship that combines the time of the 50k run and their 150-mile bike race.

“We will be adding the new event to our 2021 race line-up. The Mid South has had a run/bike double option since 2017.”

According to The Mid South Promoter, Bobby Wintle, the Double Double Championships will combine the finish time from the 4 events to create one of the most unique challenges in the world of gravel."

Comments: So, take away the novelty factor, (running on gravel and racing bikes on gravel to determine a champion), this is a de facto series. Basically, Gravel Worlds and Mid-South are drawing a line in the sand by joining their events, (it really doesn't matter if it isn't ALL their events, or that it includes running/cycling), and now the door has been cracked with regard to having the straight up gravel events in this series. This quote from the press release, "“Ultimately we want this to be a sign of unity in the gravel family”, by Jason Strohbehn, promoter of Gravel Worlds, says that this idea is on the table. What would say that more than having all the events in a series between these two big gravel events?

I've talked about the allure of the single big events to join together into a series which would bring together the energies of those events and propel them to even bigger things. The mere idea is a popular thing in our culture because - for whatever reasons - if it seems that you aren't growing you are failing. So, while there may be no substance to any of this, this announcement certainly opens the door to a way to bring this idea of a series about.

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

Friday News And Views

Trade mags are reporting lots of disruption due to the COVID-19 Virus.

NAHBS Reschedules Due To COVID-19 Virus Issues - Other Events Threatened: 

As you probably know, the world at  large is being disrupted in several ways due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Supply chains from the Far East are behind schedule and fears are rampant that bicycle retailers will have little inventory come the Summer which is peak season for retailers in North America.

Events are not without disruption as well. The UAE Tour was cut short and several people associated with that event have been held in quarantine since. Apparently several Northern Italian classics are under the threat of cancellation or postponement. Thursday the news came out that the Strade Bianche has been cancelled due to fears surrounding this virus. Now word comes from the trade paper, "BRAIN", that NAHBS, the handmade bicycle show to be held in Texas soon, has been postponed until August now. Even Sea Otter is postponing their 2020 event due to this virus according to another "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article.

While widespread outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has not occurred here in the U.S., it is conceivable that large scale gravel events may also be threatened to postpone or cancel if that were to occur. It is something to keep our eyes on, certainly, but for now, there is little concern that this may happen. The inventory issues retailers will likely face is definitely of much greater concern at this time.

To go "boinger" or to go "bendy"? That is the question.

 Seat Post Challenge: 

So I've had the unique opportunity to use some excellent vibration damping seat posts in the past, and now in the present, and I have future opportunities awaiting me as well. That means I am in the perfect position to give a "Seat Post Challenge" review. Here's my thinking so far coming into this.....

First of all, the obvious thing to assume is that a suspension seat post is the "clear winner". But is it? My experiences have been mixed here. Sometimes a suspension seat post, like the Kinekt, or the Redshift ShockStop, is a great thing to have on a ride. Sometimes it feels like a power-sucking tool of the devil. Besides the fact that these things weigh a metric ton compared to standard posts, which matters. Some aren't very friendly to seat packs either. So, a suspension seat post isn't necessarily the answer, and sometimes it is a negative.

Then you have the "flexible" posts. Posts made from carbon fiber, and to a lesser degree, titanium and then aluminum. These are much more familiar feeling, can handle seat bag mounting, and almost always weigh less than a suspension seat post ever will. (This depends upon how you classify the Specialized CG-R post) That said, carbon fiber, while strong, can break catastrophically with dangerous consequences. (No hyperbole here- it's happened to me.) Many folks don't want that possibility nor want to have to deal with consequences of a possible break in a carbon post out in The Styx of rural America. Obviously, metal posts have a more robust track record, but they flex even less in most instances, so you give up a lot of comfort for peace of mind.

I've got two suspension seat posts, (Cane Creek and Redshift), experience on two versions of the Kinekt, and the Specialized CG-R, if you categorize that as "suspension". I've got that PRO Carbon with Dyneema post, a Whiskey Parts post, and a couple Salsa Regulator Titanium posts around here. Plus several standard aluminum posts including a Thomson or two. Between all those, and my experiences, I should be able to come to some conclusions.

I've been looking into accelerometers  for my iPhone to see if that wouldn't aid me in my quest to see what works and what doesn't. I've seen a few things but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. However; even if that doesn't happen, I'm going through with this. So, stay tuned for my results throughout the coming Spring weeks.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the aMTBer Smoothe Lube to start.

 Lube-Off To Get Underway:

I've got two bikes set to go now on the Lube-Off which was announced recently. The contenders are WPL Wet Lube, Lilly Lube, and the aMTBer Smoothe Lube 1.2.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the Smoothe Lube 1.2 and as a matter of fact, it has had it on for a while already. I'll be doing a finishing up on time with that lube and then move this bike over to the WPL Wet Lube to get that rotated into the mix.

The Fargo Gen I will be getting Lilly Lube. Although the Lilly Lube says it can go over any previous lube, since it self-cleans, I will be stripping the Fargo's chain anyway and keeping a level playing field with regard to the other lubricants in this test/shoot-out. So, I should be started with all of this as you read this today. Look for any updates soon, as the time limitation is six hours, and after that a final verdict on each lube is given.

The "control" lube is still the DuMonde Tech lube which I am running on the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD. I already have a couple hours on that one as well. Keep in mind, the chain was touched up after the last Lube-Off and has not had any maintenance since that time.

 C.O.G. 100 Hats:

Check it out! N.Y. Roll models the new C.O.G. 100 hats which just came in Wednesday. Each participant in the event is going to receive one of these at either the pre-race event at Peace Tree downtown Grinnell, or you will get it when you check in at the event venue.

The design was put together by myself and executed by Bike Rags which is located here in Iowa. Check them out if you need any custom apparel for your club, team, or event. N.Y. Roll and I have been pretty happy with their stuff and customer service is top notch. Bike Rags is our supplier for the Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championship jerseys as well.

I have access to a few extras in regards to the hats. One is spoken for. I may have a couple others. If you really have to have one, make me an offer. I'll see what I can do. Otherwise this is it. We wanted to keep these special for those riders that committed to the C.O.G.100.


Okay, that's all for this week! Have a great weekend and get out there and ride!

Friday News And Views

Trade mags are reporting lots of disruption due to the COVID-19 Virus.

NAHBS Reschedules Due To COVID-19 Virus Issues - Other Events Threatened: 

As you probably know, the world at  large is being disrupted in several ways due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. Supply chains from the Far East are behind schedule and fears are rampant that bicycle retailers will have little inventory come the Summer which is peak season for retailers in North America.

Events are not without disruption as well. The UAE Tour was cut short and several people associated with that event have been held in quarantine since. Apparently several Northern Italian classics are under the threat of cancellation or postponement. Thursday the news came out that the Strade Bianche has been cancelled due to fears surrounding this virus. Now word comes from the trade paper, "BRAIN", that NAHBS, the handmade bicycle show to be held in Texas soon, has been postponed until August now. Even Sea Otter is postponing their 2020 event due to this virus according to another "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" article.

While widespread outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has not occurred here in the U.S., it is conceivable that large scale gravel events may also be threatened to postpone or cancel if that were to occur. It is something to keep our eyes on, certainly, but for now, there is little concern that this may happen. The inventory issues retailers will likely face is definitely of much greater concern at this time.

To go "boinger" or to go "bendy"? That is the question.

 Seat Post Challenge: 

So I've had the unique opportunity to use some excellent vibration damping seat posts in the past, and now in the present, and I have future opportunities awaiting me as well. That means I am in the perfect position to give a "Seat Post Challenge" review. Here's my thinking so far coming into this.....

First of all, the obvious thing to assume is that a suspension seat post is the "clear winner". But is it? My experiences have been mixed here. Sometimes a suspension seat post, like the Kinekt, or the Redshift ShockStop, is a great thing to have on a ride. Sometimes it feels like a power-sucking tool of the devil. Besides the fact that these things weigh a metric ton compared to standard posts, which matters. Some aren't very friendly to seat packs either. So, a suspension seat post isn't necessarily the answer, and sometimes it is a negative.

Then you have the "flexible" posts. Posts made from carbon fiber, and to a lesser degree, titanium and then aluminum. These are much more familiar feeling, can handle seat bag mounting, and almost always weigh less than a suspension seat post ever will. (This depends upon how you classify the Specialized CG-R post) That said, carbon fiber, while strong, can break catastrophically with dangerous consequences. (No hyperbole here- it's happened to me.) Many folks don't want that possibility nor want to have to deal with consequences of a possible break in a carbon post out in The Styx of rural America. Obviously, metal posts have a more robust track record, but they flex even less in most instances, so you give up a lot of comfort for peace of mind.

I've got two suspension seat posts, (Cane Creek and Redshift), experience on two versions of the Kinekt, and the Specialized CG-R, if you categorize that as "suspension". I've got that PRO Carbon with Dyneema post, a Whiskey Parts post, and a couple Salsa Regulator Titanium posts around here. Plus several standard aluminum posts including a Thomson or two. Between all those, and my experiences, I should be able to come to some conclusions.

I've been looking into accelerometers  for my iPhone to see if that wouldn't aid me in my quest to see what works and what doesn't. I've seen a few things but I haven't pulled the trigger yet. However; even if that doesn't happen, I'm going through with this. So, stay tuned for my results throughout the coming Spring weeks.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the aMTBer Smoothe Lube to start.

 Lube-Off To Get Underway:

I've got two bikes set to go now on the Lube-Off which was announced recently. The contenders are WPL Wet Lube, Lilly Lube, and the aMTBer Smoothe Lube 1.2.

The Noble GX5 will be sporting the Smoothe Lube 1.2 and as a matter of fact, it has had it on for a while already. I'll be doing a finishing up on time with that lube and then move this bike over to the WPL Wet Lube to get that rotated into the mix.

The Fargo Gen I will be getting Lilly Lube. Although the Lilly Lube says it can go over any previous lube, since it self-cleans, I will be stripping the Fargo's chain anyway and keeping a level playing field with regard to the other lubricants in this test/shoot-out. So, I should be started with all of this as you read this today. Look for any updates soon, as the time limitation is six hours, and after that a final verdict on each lube is given.

The "control" lube is still the DuMonde Tech lube which I am running on the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD. I already have a couple hours on that one as well. Keep in mind, the chain was touched up after the last Lube-Off and has not had any maintenance since that time.

 C.O.G. 100 Hats:

Check it out! N.Y. Roll models the new C.O.G. 100 hats which just came in Wednesday. Each participant in the event is going to receive one of these at either the pre-race event at Peace Tree downtown Grinnell, or you will get it when you check in at the event venue.

The design was put together by myself and executed by Bike Rags which is located here in Iowa. Check them out if you need any custom apparel for your club, team, or event. N.Y. Roll and I have been pretty happy with their stuff and customer service is top notch. Bike Rags is our supplier for the Iowa Single Speed Gravel Championship jerseys as well.

I have access to a few extras in regards to the hats. One is spoken for. I may have a couple others. If you really have to have one, make me an offer. I'll see what I can do. Otherwise this is it. We wanted to keep these special for those riders that committed to the C.O.G.100.


Okay, that's all for this week! Have a great weekend and get out there and ride!

Friday News And Views

TRANS IOWA v13 T-Shirt Design:

This is what it will look like. Artist approved!

Last Sunday I sent out an e-mail to all of the T.I.v13 entrants which gave a bunch of pertinent info and asked each rider for a t-shirt size. Well, here you can see an example of why I was asking that. This rendering is the design for the proposed t-shirt.

So, a little background here. Back in the earlier daze of Trans Iowa's history, I would get post card entries for the event from a guy named Gary Cale. He always had these awesome cards with a certain style that was unmistakable. One year, for T.I.v4's entry, he sent in a version of a design he had rendered that was reminiscent of the design for T.I.v13's shirt, seen here. He has done some other really cool cards to get into Trans Iowa as well which are all some of my all-time favorites.

Anyway, I asked Gary if we could use his artwork for a Trans Iowa v13 shirt and he agreed that we could. So, here is the result. We had to take some liberties with the colorization, font, and wording to make it work for this year's t-shirt, but the basic idea remains. Trans Iowa is a "good kick in the junk". I think it looks great and this is the idea I was hoping would work out.

I have gotten all but about 27 people still on the roster to respond to my e-mail sent out almost a week ago now. If you haven't responded, do so, or you will not be getting one of these t-shirts at the Pre-Race Meat-Up for Trans Iowa v13.

In other T.I.v13 news, I will be out doing some recon again this weekend and the hope is that I can wrap up the investigations into the options at hand. Once the course is finalized I can then begin to draft the cue sheets and get a time for the cutoff to Checkpoint #2 soon.

Co-Motion Klatch model to be displayed at NAHBS

Get Ready To Get Sick Of "Gravel Bikes":

Ya know, about six years ago or so I was thinking the only way I was going to get a bicycle designed to do what I wanted it to do in fine detail was going to be by getting a custom made frame and fork. Well, now it isn't it an irony that seven years later we are about to be pummeled by "gravel bike" designs?

 The NAHBS custom bike show will be rife with such bikes, and just wait until next month at Sea Otter. You won't believe the deluge of "gravel this-gravel that" you are going to hear about.

Now you might think I'd be really happy about all of that. Well, you'd be mistaken. See, just about 3/4's of what is labelled as "gravel specific design" is anything but that. It is almost all warmed over cyclo cross offerings. There isn't anything at all different about a lot of these frames and forks which are really repainted and renamed bits from 5 years ago when everyone thought the US was going to go ga-ga for cyclo cross.

The thing is that unsuspecting folk will buy this repainted/renamed cyclo-cross stuff and think they have something specifically designed for gravel riding which will be better than a plain old cyclo cross bike. Sorry. You will have been duped.

Sure, there are some bikes which really do have different geometry, (lower bottom brackets than 70mm drop, slacker than 72.5° head tube angles, fork offsets of greater than 45mm), and really do have a fork and frame which were designed to absorb the "paint shaker" effects that gravel roads impart on riders hands and bums. But most won't, and they will fit right in with cyclo cross geometry and riding characteristics.

Maybe you don't care about any of that, but if that is the case, I would be surprised that you are reading this at all. Anyway.... Just be aware that "gravel" is the new "enduro". And it will be run right into the ground.

Just Like Trans Iowa, only in Oklahoma for the Land Run 100

Land Run 100 This Weekend:

This weekend kicks off the big run of gravel events which lasts throughout the Spring. The first big event is the Land Run 100 in Stillwater Oklahoma.

I've been a bit amused by the chatter pre-event about what folks expect to experience there due to the weather that is forecast to be rather like what one might expect at a certain Iowa based event. Stillwater is much further South than Iowa, and generally has very comfortable temperatures by this time in the year. However; despite having a forecast high of 80°F yesterday, the event will see a high of maybe 48°F and stiff Northerly winds mixed in with periods of rain. I don't doubt that this will feel a lot less like "Land Run" and a lot more like "Trans Iowa".

In fact, the social media person in charge of Panaracer/Stan's NoTubes p/b Bicycle X-Change Team's feed said that the forecast conditions for Land Run were very "Trans Iowa-like". I think that is the first time I've seen a reference to Trans Iowa weather conditions outside of personal/private conversations. It is apparent that Trans Iowa has a reputation amongst gravel riders and this statement seems to prove that. At any rate, those Land Run people are in for 1/3rd or less of what Trans Iowa dishes out on occasion and it will be interesting to see how that goes down this weekend.

 Finally: Perhaps the ultimate irony is that all of today's subjects are having to do with gravel riding, and I am saying you will get sick of all of the gravel stuff being shoved down our eyeballs soon enough. Well, long time readers know I have been talking about gravel stuff since forever. It isn't a fad for me. It isn't a potential source of income or revenue that will lift last year's sagging sales results back to the flat line. (Because I don't sell "gravel bikes") I don't have a "horse in the race" in that manner. I just really like riding bicycles and doing that out in the country, which just so happens to have a lot of gravel roads. I like the people who also like doing that with me or without me.

People say, "What's the big deal? It's just riding bikes on gravel.", and they are right, but they are wrong. It is a big deal to ride a bicycle, and especially for me. It is just riding bicycles on gravel, but that is my passion in life, so yeah..... It may not float your boat, and that's cool. There are more than a few ways to enjoy riding bicycles. Go do it your way.

And with that said, you should go do just that- Ride your bicycles this weekend. Peace!

Friday News And Views

TRANS IOWA v13 T-Shirt Design:

This is what it will look like. Artist approved!

Last Sunday I sent out an e-mail to all of the T.I.v13 entrants which gave a bunch of pertinent info and asked each rider for a t-shirt size. Well, here you can see an example of why I was asking that. This rendering is the design for the proposed t-shirt.

So, a little background here. Back in the earlier daze of Trans Iowa's history, I would get post card entries for the event from a guy named Gary Cale. He always had these awesome cards with a certain style that was unmistakable. One year, for T.I.v4's entry, he sent in a version of a design he had rendered that was reminiscent of the design for T.I.v13's shirt, seen here. He has done some other really cool cards to get into Trans Iowa as well which are all some of my all-time favorites.

Anyway, I asked Gary if we could use his artwork for a Trans Iowa v13 shirt and he agreed that we could. So, here is the result. We had to take some liberties with the colorization, font, and wording to make it work for this year's t-shirt, but the basic idea remains. Trans Iowa is a "good kick in the junk". I think it looks great and this is the idea I was hoping would work out.

I have gotten all but about 27 people still on the roster to respond to my e-mail sent out almost a week ago now. If you haven't responded, do so, or you will not be getting one of these t-shirts at the Pre-Race Meat-Up for Trans Iowa v13.

In other T.I.v13 news, I will be out doing some recon again this weekend and the hope is that I can wrap up the investigations into the options at hand. Once the course is finalized I can then begin to draft the cue sheets and get a time for the cutoff to Checkpoint #2 soon.

Co-Motion Klatch model to be displayed at NAHBS

Get Ready To Get Sick Of "Gravel Bikes":

Ya know, about six years ago or so I was thinking the only way I was going to get a bicycle designed to do what I wanted it to do in fine detail was going to be by getting a custom made frame and fork. Well, now it isn't it an irony that seven years later we are about to be pummeled by "gravel bike" designs?

 The NAHBS custom bike show will be rife with such bikes, and just wait until next month at Sea Otter. You won't believe the deluge of "gravel this-gravel that" you are going to hear about.

Now you might think I'd be really happy about all of that. Well, you'd be mistaken. See, just about 3/4's of what is labelled as "gravel specific design" is anything but that. It is almost all warmed over cyclo cross offerings. There isn't anything at all different about a lot of these frames and forks which are really repainted and renamed bits from 5 years ago when everyone thought the US was going to go ga-ga for cyclo cross.

The thing is that unsuspecting folk will buy this repainted/renamed cyclo-cross stuff and think they have something specifically designed for gravel riding which will be better than a plain old cyclo cross bike. Sorry. You will have been duped.

Sure, there are some bikes which really do have different geometry, (lower bottom brackets than 70mm drop, slacker than 72.5° head tube angles, fork offsets of greater than 45mm), and really do have a fork and frame which were designed to absorb the "paint shaker" effects that gravel roads impart on riders hands and bums. But most won't, and they will fit right in with cyclo cross geometry and riding characteristics.

Maybe you don't care about any of that, but if that is the case, I would be surprised that you are reading this at all. Anyway.... Just be aware that "gravel" is the new "enduro". And it will be run right into the ground.

Just Like Trans Iowa, only in Oklahoma for the Land Run 100

Land Run 100 This Weekend:

This weekend kicks off the big run of gravel events which lasts throughout the Spring. The first big event is the Land Run 100 in Stillwater Oklahoma.

I've been a bit amused by the chatter pre-event about what folks expect to experience there due to the weather that is forecast to be rather like what one might expect at a certain Iowa based event. Stillwater is much further South than Iowa, and generally has very comfortable temperatures by this time in the year. However; despite having a forecast high of 80°F yesterday, the event will see a high of maybe 48°F and stiff Northerly winds mixed in with periods of rain. I don't doubt that this will feel a lot less like "Land Run" and a lot more like "Trans Iowa".

In fact, the social media person in charge of Panaracer/Stan's NoTubes p/b Bicycle X-Change Team's feed said that the forecast conditions for Land Run were very "Trans Iowa-like". I think that is the first time I've seen a reference to Trans Iowa weather conditions outside of personal/private conversations. It is apparent that Trans Iowa has a reputation amongst gravel riders and this statement seems to prove that. At any rate, those Land Run people are in for 1/3rd or less of what Trans Iowa dishes out on occasion and it will be interesting to see how that goes down this weekend.

 Finally: Perhaps the ultimate irony is that all of today's subjects are having to do with gravel riding, and I am saying you will get sick of all of the gravel stuff being shoved down our eyeballs soon enough. Well, long time readers know I have been talking about gravel stuff since forever. It isn't a fad for me. It isn't a potential source of income or revenue that will lift last year's sagging sales results back to the flat line. (Because I don't sell "gravel bikes") I don't have a "horse in the race" in that manner. I just really like riding bicycles and doing that out in the country, which just so happens to have a lot of gravel roads. I like the people who also like doing that with me or without me.

People say, "What's the big deal? It's just riding bikes on gravel.", and they are right, but they are wrong. It is a big deal to ride a bicycle, and especially for me. It is just riding bicycles on gravel, but that is my passion in life, so yeah..... It may not float your boat, and that's cool. There are more than a few ways to enjoy riding bicycles. Go do it your way.

And with that said, you should go do just that- Ride your bicycles this weekend. Peace!