Wilde Bicycle Co. X Country Bar: Impressions

 Note: Wilde Bikes sent the X Country Bar over to me for test and review at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this post.

So, what do I think about the Wilde Bicycle Co. X Country Bar? The bar I introduced on Saturday here?  Well, it is a different ride feel for sure and it rides better than a lot of MTB bars I have tried. 

So that's a good thing. But what does that mean. Well.... That's the hard part. See, you cannot just say that it is "this or that" because you don't notice a lot going on here. (I'll come back to that point, so keep that in mind)

Of course, if you set any handle bar up in a goofy, inconsiderate way, it will feel awful, and the X Country Bar is no exception. However; I actually did consider how I wanted the up-sweep and how I wanted the stem height as I installed the bar. I considered the brake lever angle and set that up the way I generally prefer things. I angled and inset the Paul Thumbie mounts "just so". I am particular about thumb shifter set up because I don't generally use my thumbs to move the levers. I use my fingers and the back side of my hand far more than I use my thumbs. That's from years of thumb shifter usage back in the 90's. 

So, if I considered all those things, and I got that even close to "right" for me, then the handle bar would be a LOT more friendly and enjoyable. And the X Country Bar was just that. Fortunately there is a lot of space to set the controls just the way you might consider setting them up, so that's also very nice. 

The X Country Bar definitely has plenty of "wing span".

The 800mm width is plenty wide for my tastes. I really don't think I'd want wider bars, and at times I choked up on the grips a bit and thought that I maybe could do with about 20mm less width. But since this is a test of the entire bar, I decided to use the entire bar. By the way, there are no cut down marks on the X Country Bar and Wilde doesn't say you can cut them down. Another reason I left well enough alone. I do need to ask about that though..... UPDATED: Jeffrey Frane says about cutting the bars down: " You can cut them down. Though I can’t say how far off the top of my head." So, I guess I'll leave the bars as they are for now!

See, the thing is that our single track zips along and goes through some pretty tight spaces between trees at times. Ever smacked the end of your handle bar on a tree? It isn't an advisable thing to do, by the way. Been there, done that!

So there were a few times I tried to think "skinny", set my sights dead center, and held on tight. So far, I have not encountered any 799mm or less spaces. But I bet it was close a couple of times! Just another reason that, for me, I might want a slightly narrower bar. You? That's for you to decide. 

So besides thinking about how wide these handle bars are from time to time, I didn't think about these handle bars much. Yeah, I realize that I am supposed to be paying attention. It was just that I was ripping corners and honking up short steeps and, you know, generally having myself a bit of fun. Like you are supposed to do when riding single track. 

I guess I didn't really think much about the bars and how they felt until I stopped briefly and leaned on the bars a minute. "Hmm.... These do have a bit of 'give' to them, don't they?" And that's when I noted that I hadn't felt that dreaded "zing" in the palms of my hands when your front tire hits a trail feature, like an embedded rock, suddenly. Remember, this is a rigid fork. So, yeah. That was very nice!

The bars didn't feel dead, but they weren't giving me fits in corners or on climbs  when I was leveraging the bars for some added "grunt". So again, very nice! 

What I didn't notice and all that was "very nice" added up to a positive experience with the Wilde X Country Bar. I'd go so far to say it has been a pretty "moto" component so far. And you know what they say about components that ain't moto. 

Stay tuned for some gravel travel experiences with the X Country Bar.

The Inbred Returns

Escape Route: Alleys

You saw Saturday that I received a Wilde Bicycle Co. X Country Bar to test out. Well, you cannot do that testing without putting it on a bicycle. That seems obvious, but here at G-Ted Laboratories the choice of which bike to install it on is not quite as an obvious choice as you might think. 

After a little bit of thought the choice became clear. I resurrected the OG Inbred, again, after it had set in my spare repair stand for what? A year plus some? I think I tore it down sometime in 2021? 

At any rate, I had to do a bit of work to get it up and going. Back last time the Inbred was up and running it was set up with a drop bar and a dropper post. I had a 2 X 10 gear set up, which ironically had been straight-up pulled off my old Fargo Gen 2 bike and slapped onto the Inbred. That set up was originally put together in 2015! 

I had some head scratching time, thinking over how I wanted to accomplish the build with the X Country Bar. I had a flat bar on the Inbred already in an aborted attempt to resurrect it earlier and that had the front derailleur being operated by a SRAM TT shifter mounted to a Paul Components Thumbie. I had the other TT shifter as a bar end shifter and the other Paul Thumbie mount sitting in a bin. So, with the bike having a Shimano rear derailleur it presented a choice. Pull all the other stuff with the exception of the Shimano rear derailleur, and go Shimano, or use the SRAM stuff, find a SRAM 10spd rear derailleur, and use those Paul mounts which might be pretty cool with the X Country Bar.

The "maiden voyage" was in the Green Belt

Moderate to severe drought conditions all Summer have decimated Black Hawk Creek

Trouble was that I could not find a 10 speed SRAM derailleur that I thought I had. I asked N.Y. Roll if he had one and he did not, but he asked a mutual friend, Joe, if he had one. Joe didn't realize I was asking for an MTB rear derailleur and proffered up two road SRAM ten speed rear derailleurs. Bummer! 

But eventually I did find my errant 10 speed rear mech so the plan came back into focus. Saturday evening I slapped everything together. Now, yes- These are some tired old drive train parts, but if this sticks, meaning that "if I like the way it all shakes out", I will upgrade those bits then. At this point, everything is functional and works perfectly. 

The Inbred emerges from the shadows to live again!

History Time: The On One Inbred I have here has been around as long as this blog has been around. I found out that On One was trying to establish a US distribution partner in 2005. However; the partners didn't come to terms and a small amount of On One product was being off-loaded at pretty cheap prices. One of the things the rep had, who often visited the shop where I worked, was a list of things on close-out. On One Inbred frame and forks were listed but they did not have 20" frames, only 18's. I took a chance on the 18" frame and fork.

I built it up originally as a single speed. Because I used 180mm cranks the saddle to bar height wasn't too ridiculous. I rode the bike in the very first DK200 in 2006. Then I rode it as part of a team at a 12 hour event in Boone Iowa. My only 12/24hr MTB experience. Our team, all single speeders, won our category. Then the Inbred kind of fell out of favor as "the" bike as I got other bikes and time went on. 

By 2009 I had sold the bike to a co-worker named Craig. He rode it in that year's GTDRI. Then he gave it to his brother who rode it in Colorado and Kansas amongst other places. His brother eventually returned the bike to him. Then one day, my old co-worker, Craig, had remembered that I had asked for dibs on repurchasing this frame. He dropped the bike off at unawares to me. I found the bike, partially assembled, on my workbench in 2016, seven years after parting with it! 

Thick carpet of leaves here on the Green Belt trail.

It'll be awhile before we reach peak Fall colors, if we ever do.

So, after that the Inbred kind of was in various states of assemblage and although I ended up with the fork, it was broken. Fortunately I had an On One Carbon SuperLight fork to take the steel fork's place. So, that went on the bike, it went through that drop bar phase, and now we have it back again in a flat bar set up as a 2 X 10 geared, SRAM bike. 

Marky-Mark trail. True single track experience.

So, the final build here is the aforementioned SRAM TT shifters on Paul Components Thumbie mounts, a SRAM x9 rear derailleur, a SRAM front derailleur, a 10 speed cassette 11 - 36T, the 2X Origin 8 crankset with a 44T X 29T combination, and that turns a SRAM PC-950 9 speed chain (not a typo). The brakes are Avid BB-7's pulled by Deore levers. I used a Cane Creek Thudbuster post because my Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post wasn't long enough. (Darn it!) That is topped off by an older WTB Laser V saddle. The Wilde bar, of course, and Salsa lock-on grips. The wheels are WTB Team i23 laced to American Classic hubs. Those are set up with tubeless Hutchinson Kraken tires. 

I've never seen this pond, along Marky-Mark, totally dry.

"True" single track. Again, on Marky-Mark.

The big test ride was going to be a two-pronged goal for me. First, I wanted to see how far along the Fall colors were. Second, I needed to do my bi-annual inspection of Marky-Mark, the trail I helped to install in 1996 in the Green Belt. It is essentially a cut-off trail which bridges the two forks of the Green Belt Trail along Ridgeway Avenue. 

A sandy section of trail on the Green Belt Lake loop.

A little clearer look at the Inbred.

The Green Belt is in a pretty highly stressed state. The usual lush green strip along the Black Hawk Creek has been stunted and browned to a crisp in several areas. The creek itself is about as low as I've ever seen it before and I've been going through this area since the mid-1980's. 

I checked out Marky-Mark last Spring and it needed a lot of work. Two or three dead-falls were too big to ride over and were in need of removal. I don't have that sort of tool,or tools necessary to accomplish a removal of a tree like that, so when I went through Sunday morning I was not hopeful that it would be clear. 

The Green Belt Lake is alarmingly low as well.

The other bit of "true" single track in the Green Belt is this cut-off from the lake to the main trail.

Surprisingly, Marky-Mark was 100% rideable! I was a bit surprised, but pleased, by that. Obviously someone else has taken some "ownership" in the bit of trail. Whatever the case may be, the trail is all there and in outstanding shape, given the dry, hot weather we've had. 

The bike and the handle bar? Yes, they did well. I was pretty pleased with the successful initial test ride. Of course, I'll have to put more time in, and some gravel and dirt miles to come, before I can say anything more about this handle bar.

On One Inbred: To Stubborn To Die

The On One Inbred circa 2006

Okay folks, if you are a long time reader of this blog, you know the story of this bike goes back.......like waaaaay back! This was a bike I had, really liked, got rid of, wished I had back, never thought I'd see again, and ended up getting it back! That almost never happens.

It is a bike that has some special meaning to me for a couple of reasons. I used it on my first attempt at the very first Dirty Kanza 200 in 2006. I also used it in 2007 when I was part of a team of 4 at a 12 hour MTB event which our team won. (Never mind we were the only 4 man team entered into the 12 hour event!)

The bike rode like a really nice steel framed bike should- smooooove! Yes, that is a technical term, and I am sorry if it leaves you baffled, but there is no other way to describe this in the English language. <==HA!

Anyway, one ting led to another. I got the reviewing gigs, parts and bike were piling up. The Inbred wasn't getting used. A co-worker expressed interest in it and purchased it from me with the caveat that I had first dibs on it if it were to be sold by him. Of course, he loved the bike. Why wouldn't he? It was great. He passed it on to his brother, and then it fell out of my reckoning. You can read a bit about that, and what happened to the original fork here.

The bike that replaced the Inbred was my OS Bikes Blackbuck, so I did well with that! At least it wasn't a downgrade, and arguably, it was a better bike, being single speed specific, which I was more into. Still am, actually. This '05 Inbred was a "compromise" bike. Neither single speed nor geared, it had provisions for both things.

This is myself at the first DK200. Image by the late Joel Dyke

So, back then I figured I had done the right thing, but that Inbred haunted me. I still liked the way it rode a lot. Then I had the chance to get into a single speed specific rendition of the Inbred a few years later. I thought, I hoped that it would be the same bike. That smooth riding machine that I used to have, only now in single speed specific form.

Well, despite the fact that the "Inbred the 2nd" rode really well as a single speed, it wasn't that bike that I remembered. It was stiffer, and well.......different. I still have it, by the way, and it works well for what it is, but it wasn't what I had remembered from the original bike.

But then it didn't matter, really. I mean, I wasn't ever going to see that original bike again. I had moved on anyway. I was into 'gravel bikes' now. Not MTB. "Real" gravel bikes weren't like that original On One Inbred. We had 'adventure warts' and carbon forks, and decent, well thought out gravel bike geometry. What in the heck would I do with that old Inbred anyway? I didn't need another single speed, much less another single speed mountain bike. I already have some of those!

But it was my second 29"er, and I am sentimental and all that. Bad things when you like stuff like bicycles and guitars! So, I knew that if my old co-worker ever rang me up and said that the ol' Inbred was up for sale that I'd likely bite the bullet and pay whatever price it was going to be to get it back. Whatever the condition of it was at the time. Scary thought, but probably true.

Then one day about four years ago.......

Maybe some of you long time readers will remember that in May of 2016 I came into work at my old job and there was my old Inbred! Sitting on my bench, partially built up! What?!! Well, the guy I sold it to had gotten it back from his brother and remembered that I still wanted first dibs on it. But instead of having me buy it, he just gifted it to me! I was blown away by his gesture, and still am.

The only bad thing? No fork, and these were bikes designed around 80mm travel suspension forks. Somewhat like early 90's MTB's designed around 63mm travel forks, these early 29"ers really don't like longer forks. So, the project sat stuck in nuetral. But......I had the old bike back! 

There was a carbon fork for this bike with an aluminum crown, but I sold it as well, since I had zero use for it with no Inbred to put it on. (The SS specific Inbred was 100mm travel compatible) Then the OG steel fork came back, but it was battered and beaten until cracked. No good! Again, you can read all about that here.

The Inbred as it sits now in 2020.

Obviously, the carbon fork got bought back, and so I was able to reassemble the bike. I decided against going with a single speed in the end since, as I said above, I really don't need that bike. I did go with a sort of Fargo-ish build, since the 18" Inbred was a tad on the short side for me anyway. That plays perfectly into a drop bar build, and so that's what I did. It is a hodge-podge of parts that I had about. The controls and handle bar were take-offs from my old Gen 2 Fargo. The set up comes from the 2015 attempt of the DK200- A ten speed Gevenalle shifter on a 9 speed cassette. Yes- that is not supposed to work and don't try it. I only have ridden about a thousand miles with it that way. That's all! Anyway, that will get changed soon as I have a ten speed cassette coming available from another bike I own. The wheels were originally some Velocity hoops laced to Velocity hubs, but I did not like that set of wheels. So, I sold them. These wheels are the take-offs from the (Trek) Sawyer I have. The front shifter is a bar-con friction shifter. Brakes are ancient Avid BB-7's.

This bike will be getting that aforementioned cassette, new red bar tape, and then it should be good to go. This wheel and tire combination seems to suit the bike far better than the older one, so I have high hopes that this set up will end up being the one I stick with. These new Tearavail Ehline 2.3"ers on the wheels are pretty fast and feel great. Much, much better than the WTB Rangers I tried before. The Sawyer's old wheels, a Deore hubbed Bontrager Duster set up, are merely workmanlike and nothing special, so maybe, if I end up sticking with this for the foreseeable future, I will upgrade.

And that brings the Inbred back to life and into 2020. If you'd have asked me about this bike in 2015, I would have laughed. It's been a long road back for the ol' thing. Guess I got lucky to even have a second go at it.

On One Inbred: To Stubborn To Die

The On One Inbred circa 2006

Okay folks, if you are a long time reader of this blog, you know the story of this bike goes back.......like waaaaay back! This was a bike I had, really liked, got rid of, wished I had back, never thought I'd see again, and ended up getting it back! That almost never happens.

It is a bike that has some special meaning to me for a couple of reasons. I used it on my first attempt at the very first Dirty Kanza 200 in 2006. I also used it in 2007 when I was part of a team of 4 at a 12 hour MTB event which our team won. (Never mind we were the only 4 man team entered into the 12 hour event!)

The bike rode like a really nice steel framed bike should- smooooove! Yes, that is a technical term, and I am sorry if it leaves you baffled, but there is no other way to describe this in the English language. <==HA!

Anyway, one ting led to another. I got the reviewing gigs, parts and bike were piling up. The Inbred wasn't getting used. A co-worker expressed interest in it and purchased it from me with the caveat that I had first dibs on it if it were to be sold by him. Of course, he loved the bike. Why wouldn't he? It was great. He passed it on to his brother, and then it fell out of my reckoning. You can read a bit about that, and what happened to the original fork here.

The bike that replaced the Inbred was my OS Bikes Blackbuck, so I did well with that! At least it wasn't a downgrade, and arguably, it was a better bike, being single speed specific, which I was more into. Still am, actually. This '05 Inbred was a "compromise" bike. Neither single speed nor geared, it had provisions for both things.

This is myself at the first DK200. Image by the late Joel Dyke

So, back then I figured I had done the right thing, but that Inbred haunted me. I still liked the way it rode a lot. Then I had the chance to get into a single speed specific rendition of the Inbred a few years later. I thought, I hoped that it would be the same bike. That smooth riding machine that I used to have, only now in single speed specific form.

Well, despite the fact that the "Inbred the 2nd" rode really well as a single speed, it wasn't that bike that I remembered. It was stiffer, and well.......different. I still have it, by the way, and it works well for what it is, but it wasn't what I had remembered from the original bike.

But then it didn't matter, really. I mean, I wasn't ever going to see that original bike again. I had moved on anyway. I was into 'gravel bikes' now. Not MTB. "Real" gravel bikes weren't like that original On One Inbred. We had 'adventure warts' and carbon forks, and decent, well thought out gravel bike geometry. What in the heck would I do with that old Inbred anyway? I didn't need another single speed, much less another single speed mountain bike. I already have some of those!

But it was my second 29"er, and I am sentimental and all that. Bad things when you like stuff like bicycles and guitars! So, I knew that if my old co-worker ever rang me up and said that the ol' Inbred was up for sale that I'd likely bite the bullet and pay whatever price it was going to be to get it back. Whatever the condition of it was at the time. Scary thought, but probably true.

Then one day about four years ago.......

Maybe some of you long time readers will remember that in May of 2016 I came into work at my old job and there was my old Inbred! Sitting on my bench, partially built up! What?!! Well, the guy I sold it to had gotten it back from his brother and remembered that I still wanted first dibs on it. But instead of having me buy it, he just gifted it to me! I was blown away by his gesture, and still am.

The only bad thing? No fork, and these were bikes designed around 80mm travel suspension forks. Somewhat like early 90's MTB's designed around 63mm travel forks, these early 29"ers really don't like longer forks. So, the project sat stuck in nuetral. But......I had the old bike back! 

There was a carbon fork for this bike with an aluminum crown, but I sold it as well, since I had zero use for it with no Inbred to put it on. (The SS specific Inbred was 100mm travel compatible) Then the OG steel fork came back, but it was battered and beaten until cracked. No good! Again, you can read all about that here.

The Inbred as it sits now in 2020.

Obviously, the carbon fork got bought back, and so I was able to reassemble the bike. I decided against going with a single speed in the end since, as I said above, I really don't need that bike. I did go with a sort of Fargo-ish build, since the 18" Inbred was a tad on the short side for me anyway. That plays perfectly into a drop bar build, and so that's what I did. It is a hodge-podge of parts that I had about. The controls and handle bar were take-offs from my old Gen 2 Fargo. The set up comes from the 2015 attempt of the DK200- A ten speed Gevenalle shifter on a 9 speed cassette. Yes- that is not supposed to work and don't try it. I only have ridden about a thousand miles with it that way. That's all! Anyway, that will get changed soon as I have a ten speed cassette coming available from another bike I own. The wheels were originally some Velocity hoops laced to Velocity hubs, but I did not like that set of wheels. So, I sold them. These wheels are the take-offs from the (Trek) Sawyer I have. The front shifter is a bar-con friction shifter. Brakes are ancient Avid BB-7's.

This bike will be getting that aforementioned cassette, new red bar tape, and then it should be good to go. This wheel and tire combination seems to suit the bike far better than the older one, so I have high hopes that this set up will end up being the one I stick with. These new Tearavail Ehline 2.3"ers on the wheels are pretty fast and feel great. Much, much better than the WTB Rangers I tried before. The Sawyer's old wheels, a Deore hubbed Bontrager Duster set up, are merely workmanlike and nothing special, so maybe, if I end up sticking with this for the foreseeable future, I will upgrade.

And that brings the Inbred back to life and into 2020. If you'd have asked me about this bike in 2015, I would have laughed. It's been a long road back for the ol' thing. Guess I got lucky to even have a second go at it.

Minus Ten Review 2009-28

Production prototype code name- "D-62", otherwise known as the Luxy Bar

Ten years ago on the blog I was finally able to reveal a drop bar designed for off road that I had been asked to make suggestions for. Brant Richards, then formerly of On One and running his own design firm dubbed "Shedfire", had sent me an email asking me "what would you do if you could design a dirt drop bar?", but he probably asked me in a more English way than that. I cannot remember now! The image I have today is courtesy of Brant and he sent along several others which I shared in a post here ten years ago.

What I saw was not what I was expecting, not at all! My idea was more closely related to what the Cowchipper ended up being. This bar, which ended up becoming called the "Luxy Bar", after some pub/bar Brant was familiar with somewhere, ended up being sold through the Ragley brand, which was connected to Chain Reaction Cycles UK.

It was heavily influenced by Sam Alison from Singular Cycles, who had the most input, as I understand it, as to the final form of the bar. What was finally decided upon remains the most radical, useful, and unique dirt drop bar ever released. Oh.......there have been weirder ones, but they were imminently unusable designs for one reason or another. No.....this one nailed so many things missing in dirt drops. The radical sweep is probably the number one thing here that separates the Luxy from all other flared drop bars. I liken this bar to how Jeff Jones might have designed a drop bar to be. Fair assessment or not, the swept extensions of the Luxy are very reminiscent of the Jones Bar.

The Luxy immediately made me think of all the failings of the Woodchipper. This was what the Woodchipper should have been. Usable extensions that kept your levers up and the brake levers reachable from the drops. No weird ramps and the bend of the drop was perfect. In fact, the Luxy had really minimal drop, which is another awesome feature of it. The final icing on the cake was the straight 31.8mm top section which, up until that time, I'd never seen before.

The total package was brilliant. I was very sad when the bar, after a run, maybe two, was no longer in production. If you missed the initial selling of the bar, you missed it. And despite some solid promises over the years, Brant hasn't been able to, or won't, bring it back again. Too bad. The Luxy is truly one of the classic flared drop bar designs. Nothing else comes close.

Minus Ten Review 2009-28

Production prototype code name- "D-62", otherwise known as the Luxy Bar

Ten years ago on the blog I was finally able to reveal a drop bar designed for off road that I had been asked to make suggestions for. Brant Richards, then formerly of On One and running his own design firm dubbed "Shedfire", had sent me an email asking me "what would you do if you could design a dirt drop bar?", but he probably asked me in a more English way than that. I cannot remember now! The image I have today is courtesy of Brant and he sent along several others which I shared in a post here ten years ago.

What I saw was not what I was expecting, not at all! My idea was more closely related to what the Cowchipper ended up being. This bar, which ended up becoming called the "Luxy Bar", after some pub/bar Brant was familiar with somewhere, ended up being sold through the Ragley brand, which was connected to Chain Reaction Cycles UK.

It was heavily influenced by Sam Alison from Singular Cycles, who had the most input, as I understand it, as to the final form of the bar. What was finally decided upon remains the most radical, useful, and unique dirt drop bar ever released. Oh.......there have been weirder ones, but they were imminently unusable designs for one reason or another. No.....this one nailed so many things missing in dirt drops. The radical sweep is probably the number one thing here that separates the Luxy from all other flared drop bars. I liken this bar to how Jeff Jones might have designed a drop bar to be. Fair assessment or not, the swept extensions of the Luxy are very reminiscent of the Jones Bar.

The Luxy immediately made me think of all the failings of the Woodchipper. This was what the Woodchipper should have been. Usable extensions that kept your levers up and the brake levers reachable from the drops. No weird ramps and the bend of the drop was perfect. In fact, the Luxy had really minimal drop, which is another awesome feature of it. The final icing on the cake was the straight 31.8mm top section which, up until that time, I'd never seen before.

The total package was brilliant. I was very sad when the bar, after a run, maybe two, was no longer in production. If you missed the initial selling of the bar, you missed it. And despite some solid promises over the years, Brant hasn't been able to, or won't, bring it back again. Too bad. The Luxy is truly one of the classic flared drop bar designs. Nothing else comes close.

Minus Ten Review 2009-11

Gravel bikes in titanium are hot now. ten years ago it was 29'ers in Ti.

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking about a few forward thinking designers of bicycles that were working with 29'ers. one of those, "Shedfire", (Brant Richards, of On One fame and now involved in making trousers great again) was designing a rig in titanium back then which never really saw the light of day as a titanium rig. But it was realized in aluminum under the Ragley Bikes name.

The other thing I was yakking about was how the economic collapse of 2008 hadn't really affected the bicycle business. Record sales were being recorded and the outlook for 2009 wasn't bleak, and so it was looking to be a great year.

Not so ten years down the road. The shop I work at has been struggling. Many other shops are as well. Some I know of have closed. Things look bleak, and to be honest, I wonder now whether or not I'll be wrenching on bicycles at all by the end of the year. I mean, it isn't like there are a lot of bike shops around!

Anyway, the only constant is change, and whether or not I am working in a shop in the next few weeks or the next few years is anyone's guess at this point. I know I have no idea at this point.

Minus Ten Review 2009-11

Gravel bikes in titanium are hot now. ten years ago it was 29'ers in Ti.

Ten years ago on the blog I was talking about a few forward thinking designers of bicycles that were working with 29'ers. one of those, "Shedfire", (Brant Richards, of On One fame and now involved in making trousers great again) was designing a rig in titanium back then which never really saw the light of day as a titanium rig. But it was realized in aluminum under the Ragley Bikes name.

The other thing I was yakking about was how the economic collapse of 2008 hadn't really affected the bicycle business. Record sales were being recorded and the outlook for 2009 wasn't bleak, and so it was looking to be a great year.

Not so ten years down the road. The shop I work at has been struggling. Many other shops are as well. Some I know of have closed. Things look bleak, and to be honest, I wonder now whether or not I'll be wrenching on bicycles at all by the end of the year. I mean, it isn't like there are a lot of bike shops around!

Anyway, the only constant is change, and whether or not I am working in a shop in the next few weeks or the next few years is anyone's guess at this point. I know I have no idea at this point.

Friday News And Views

Do you know what it means?

Fun Fact For The Day:

Since this popped into my inbox a few days ago, and the big SRAM component news dropped yesterday, I thought it might be fun to share a tidbit about SRAM.

First of all, having worked in bicycle shops for 20 years, I've heard all manner of mispronunciations of this brand's name. The most common of those being "shram". Note: There is no "sh" in SRAM. But my favorite one of all time is "S-Ram". Yep! I have no idea where that came from, but I do recall hearing it from more than one person. I suppose the fact that it is actually an amalgamation of the letters from the founder's names makes the moniker an odd one for us to figure out.

"SRAM" comes from the names of the founders, Scott, Ray, and Sam, with the "Ray" being the middle name of Stan Day, who just stepped down as SRAM's head honch after 31 years. So, now you know.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday about the new stuff SRAM is showing and that was regarding the electronic Reverb dropper post. They are asking $800.00 for it. Really. ya know, I get that top drawer technology has high prices, but $800.00? Nope. Not happening. 

Another Bike Sees The Light Of Day:

Winter was melted last weekend, the trails are all icy, and so are the gravel roads. This is a tough time of year around the Cedar Valley. I usually spend a bunch of time resurrecting certain bikes that haven't gotten a lot of love in the previous riding season. Bikes like the On One Inbred single speed special. The "Limited" model, I believe. Limited to being a single speed. There are zero provisions for gears on this rig.

That's fine with me, of course, and I really do like this as a mountain bike. It's old school, second generation 29"er geometry suits me fine and works perfectly around here in our tight, twisty single track. It doesn't have a very slack head tube, and the bottom bracket isn't dumped very low on it. The chain stays are longer than what is fashionable these days too. But in my opinion, things have swung too far that way. Most present day mountain bikes are not very Mid-West friendly anymore.

So, the only thing I'd change here is the wheels. They are wheels like I described in a post on rims here a while back. Early-ish 29"er wheels with narrow rims. It's funny, because these are Sun-Ringle' wheels which were supposedly "All Mountain" wheels and the rims maybe are 28mm outer width. In other words, these are gravel bike wheels now! Oh yeah......all mountain. Anyone remember when that was a niche in trail bikes?

Same place, a year ago, we held the first Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party

Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party

Tomorrow starting at 1:30pm at Doughy Joey's in Cedar Falls, Iowa, I will be hosting the second Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party. along with N.Y. Roll.

Last year we were focused on rank beginner gravel riders. This year we are focusing on Iowa based gravel events. We have compiled a list of events and we have about 5-6 folks from various Iowa gravel events scheduled to speak at this expo. We hope that afterward folks will be enlightened as to where to go to enjoy gravel rides during the rest of 2019.

Last year we had one session which ended up being standing room only. So we developed a way to split the crowd into two sessions and each can be accessed only by obtaining a guest ticket (free, no purchase required) via Tikly, an online ticketing site. The evening session can be accessed here. The afternoon session access is here. You have to choose one or the other so we can get as many people as possible.

There will be free pizza provided until it runs out during each session. Attendees will be able to purchase beer and soft drinks at a bar located in the back of the upper room we will be holding forth at. There are still some spots left so don't delay and join us tomorrow at Doughy Joey's.

That's it for this week. have a fantastic weekend and get out for a ride!

Friday News And Views

Do you know what it means?

Fun Fact For The Day:

Since this popped into my inbox a few days ago, and the big SRAM component news dropped yesterday, I thought it might be fun to share a tidbit about SRAM.

First of all, having worked in bicycle shops for 20 years, I've heard all manner of mispronunciations of this brand's name. The most common of those being "shram". Note: There is no "sh" in SRAM. But my favorite one of all time is "S-Ram". Yep! I have no idea where that came from, but I do recall hearing it from more than one person. I suppose the fact that it is actually an amalgamation of the letters from the founder's names makes the moniker an odd one for us to figure out.

"SRAM" comes from the names of the founders, Scott, Ray, and Sam, with the "Ray" being the middle name of Stan Day, who just stepped down as SRAM's head honch after 31 years. So, now you know.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday about the new stuff SRAM is showing and that was regarding the electronic Reverb dropper post. They are asking $800.00 for it. Really. ya know, I get that top drawer technology has high prices, but $800.00? Nope. Not happening. 

Another Bike Sees The Light Of Day:

Winter was melted last weekend, the trails are all icy, and so are the gravel roads. This is a tough time of year around the Cedar Valley. I usually spend a bunch of time resurrecting certain bikes that haven't gotten a lot of love in the previous riding season. Bikes like the On One Inbred single speed special. The "Limited" model, I believe. Limited to being a single speed. There are zero provisions for gears on this rig.

That's fine with me, of course, and I really do like this as a mountain bike. It's old school, second generation 29"er geometry suits me fine and works perfectly around here in our tight, twisty single track. It doesn't have a very slack head tube, and the bottom bracket isn't dumped very low on it. The chain stays are longer than what is fashionable these days too. But in my opinion, things have swung too far that way. Most present day mountain bikes are not very Mid-West friendly anymore.

So, the only thing I'd change here is the wheels. They are wheels like I described in a post on rims here a while back. Early-ish 29"er wheels with narrow rims. It's funny, because these are Sun-Ringle' wheels which were supposedly "All Mountain" wheels and the rims maybe are 28mm outer width. In other words, these are gravel bike wheels now! Oh yeah......all mountain. Anyone remember when that was a niche in trail bikes?

Same place, a year ago, we held the first Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party

Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party

Tomorrow starting at 1:30pm at Doughy Joey's in Cedar Falls, Iowa, I will be hosting the second Iowa Gravel Expo/Bike Party. along with N.Y. Roll.

Last year we were focused on rank beginner gravel riders. This year we are focusing on Iowa based gravel events. We have compiled a list of events and we have about 5-6 folks from various Iowa gravel events scheduled to speak at this expo. We hope that afterward folks will be enlightened as to where to go to enjoy gravel rides during the rest of 2019.

Last year we had one session which ended up being standing room only. So we developed a way to split the crowd into two sessions and each can be accessed only by obtaining a guest ticket (free, no purchase required) via Tikly, an online ticketing site. The evening session can be accessed here. The afternoon session access is here. You have to choose one or the other so we can get as many people as possible.

There will be free pizza provided until it runs out during each session. Attendees will be able to purchase beer and soft drinks at a bar located in the back of the upper room we will be holding forth at. There are still some spots left so don't delay and join us tomorrow at Doughy Joey's.

That's it for this week. have a fantastic weekend and get out for a ride!

Friday News And Views

On One Geoff Bar (Image from One One's Instagram)

On One Does It Again With Trio Of Handle Bars:

A little over ten years ago On One brought three "alt bars" to market which really changed the face of 29"ers, drop bar for off road, and eventually, gravel bikes. Their take on the WTB Dirt Drop, the groundbreaking Midge Bar, became an early favorite of mine with its decent flare and short and shallow drops. The Mary was a bendy bit of tubing which many took and used on 29" hard tails early on and also which influenced several imitations. The third bar in that series, the Mungo, wasn't as popular. Those three bars were based on a popular UK animation show from years past.

Now On One have done a similar trick, only this time basing their bar's names on the show, "The League Of Gentleman". The three new bars, named after characters from the show, are once again aimed at similar disciplines as the originals. The urban focused bar being the "Mike Bar", the mtb focused bar being the "Geoff Bar", and a new off road drop bar named the "Brian Bar".

Also in true On One/Planet Bike fashion, the bars are all pretty reasonably priced. You'll have to order online from the UK, but in my experience, that hasn't been an issue. I haven't had any trouble with their delivery or with components arriving damaged at all.

The Brian Bar. (Image from On One's site)

Well, as far as what I think, I feel there is going to be an eyebrow raised concerning that "Geoff Bar. It strikes a resemblance to another bar designed by a "Jeff" and I am sure a lot of comments will be made regarding that. But On One have never been too shy when it comes to riffing on a theme and the Geoff Bar is a perfect example of that. And well, so too is the Brian Bar. It just seems "less offensive" because everyone does flared drops now.

The Brian Bar seems to be hitting on all cylinders, as far as design. It is offered in a few different widths, including a wide 46cm width, so I think they covered that base well also. It's a constantly varying radius drop design, which can be quite nice. At least the extensions are long, (you can always cut them back) and they are not "opened" in relation to the tops, like a Woodchipper's are, which in my view, is a fatal flaw in that bar's design.

I would be remiss if I didn't express my disappointment that there is no reissue of the Luxy Bar here. My last reliable information was that Brant Richards, the original designer of the bar, had gotten the rights to the design again from a previous employer. He is now doing work, (once again), for On One. I was hoping to see a Luxy reboot, but alas.......not yet.

Jersey order went in earlier this week.

C.O.G. 100 Update:

The special C.O.G. 100 jersey order was paid for and submitted earlier this week. So, the 13 others of you who joined me in ordering one will be waiting for several weeks to get our dirty mitts on them. On a related note, the special C.O.G. 100 Championship jerseys, (design similar to what is shown here with slight difference in logo and colors) was also submitted. The hats for all the registered racers are already done.

Insurance purchase will happen soon after the "year" flips over to 2019 with the company's policy we are using. Then that will get paid for via the registration fees. Part of those fees also paid for the hats and Champion's jerseys, by the way. As per N.Y. Roll and my agreement, we are being 100% transparent about our finances with regard to the C.O.G. 100, so all of this will be put on a financial statement which will get posted to the C.O.G. 100 site at a later date.

Next up is final cue sheet formatting and number plate production. A final recon is scheduled for sometime in February. There still are a few spots left for anyone wanting to register. Just in case you think a single speed race is a good idea on gravel.

The new Gravel Worlds Logo for 2019

Events I Am Doing: Gravel Worlds-

I thought I'd start talking a bit more about some of the events I am signed up to do in 2019 now and give you an idea of why it is that I have decided upon these as worth my time.

Gravel Worlds, as many of you long time readers know, is one of my favorite events. It's an irony amongst gravel events since it has "big name appeal", (Alison Tetrick, Neal Shirley, and Rebecca Rusch are all past winners of this event), it has a "title sponsor" (Gravel Worlds Presented by Lauf), and yet Gravel Worlds retains a VERY grassroots feel and doesn't get near the backlash that the Dirty Kanza 200 gets from those who claim "grassroots gravel is dead".

I attribute this to the clever and steady hands of its RD's, Craig "Schmidy" Schmidt and Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey, who are pivotal figures in the success of this event, amongst a host of other volunteers, Oasis Stop hosts, and "trail angels". I was hooked immediately on the event back when it was still called "The Good Life Gravel Adventure" and that was precipitated by the enthusiastic persuasion for my attendance then by my former T.I. co-RD, David Pals, who did the first ever "GLGA" in 2008.

Things have changed at Gravel Worlds over the past decade, for sure, but all along the changes have been positive and have added to- not taken away from- the grassroots, down to earth vibe that has been part of this event since day one. There are new changes for 2019, but I bet that they will be met with positive comments, or just accepted as "normal". That seems to be the way most of the evolutionary changes this event has had over the years have been seen by its riders.

Interested? there are still spots available on the roster. It's every bit as fun and rewarding as the Dirty Kanza 200, so check it out here.

That's all for this week. get ready for more weird weather out there and keep the rubber side down y'all!

Friday News And Views

On One Geoff Bar (Image from One One's Instagram)

On One Does It Again With Trio Of Handle Bars:

A little over ten years ago On One brought three "alt bars" to market which really changed the face of 29"ers, drop bar for off road, and eventually, gravel bikes. Their take on the WTB Dirt Drop, the groundbreaking Midge Bar, became an early favorite of mine with its decent flare and short and shallow drops. The Mary was a bendy bit of tubing which many took and used on 29" hard tails early on and also which influenced several imitations. The third bar in that series, the Mungo, wasn't as popular. Those three bars were based on a popular UK animation show from years past.

Now On One have done a similar trick, only this time basing their bar's names on the show, "The League Of Gentleman". The three new bars, named after characters from the show, are once again aimed at similar disciplines as the originals. The urban focused bar being the "Mike Bar", the mtb focused bar being the "Geoff Bar", and a new off road drop bar named the "Brian Bar".

Also in true On One/Planet Bike fashion, the bars are all pretty reasonably priced. You'll have to order online from the UK, but in my experience, that hasn't been an issue. I haven't had any trouble with their delivery or with components arriving damaged at all.

The Brian Bar. (Image from On One's site)

Well, as far as what I think, I feel there is going to be an eyebrow raised concerning that "Geoff Bar. It strikes a resemblance to another bar designed by a "Jeff" and I am sure a lot of comments will be made regarding that. But On One have never been too shy when it comes to riffing on a theme and the Geoff Bar is a perfect example of that. And well, so too is the Brian Bar. It just seems "less offensive" because everyone does flared drops now.

The Brian Bar seems to be hitting on all cylinders, as far as design. It is offered in a few different widths, including a wide 46cm width, so I think they covered that base well also. It's a constantly varying radius drop design, which can be quite nice. At least the extensions are long, (you can always cut them back) and they are not "opened" in relation to the tops, like a Woodchipper's are, which in my view, is a fatal flaw in that bar's design.

I would be remiss if I didn't express my disappointment that there is no reissue of the Luxy Bar here. My last reliable information was that Brant Richards, the original designer of the bar, had gotten the rights to the design again from a previous employer. He is now doing work, (once again), for On One. I was hoping to see a Luxy reboot, but alas.......not yet.

Jersey order went in earlier this week.

C.O.G. 100 Update:

The special C.O.G. 100 jersey order was paid for and submitted earlier this week. So, the 13 others of you who joined me in ordering one will be waiting for several weeks to get our dirty mitts on them. On a related note, the special C.O.G. 100 Championship jerseys, (design similar to what is shown here with slight difference in logo and colors) was also submitted. The hats for all the registered racers are already done.

Insurance purchase will happen soon after the "year" flips over to 2019 with the company's policy we are using. Then that will get paid for via the registration fees. Part of those fees also paid for the hats and Champion's jerseys, by the way. As per N.Y. Roll and my agreement, we are being 100% transparent about our finances with regard to the C.O.G. 100, so all of this will be put on a financial statement which will get posted to the C.O.G. 100 site at a later date.

Next up is final cue sheet formatting and number plate production. A final recon is scheduled for sometime in February. There still are a few spots left for anyone wanting to register. Just in case you think a single speed race is a good idea on gravel.

The new Gravel Worlds Logo for 2019

Events I Am Doing: Gravel Worlds-

I thought I'd start talking a bit more about some of the events I am signed up to do in 2019 now and give you an idea of why it is that I have decided upon these as worth my time.

Gravel Worlds, as many of you long time readers know, is one of my favorite events. It's an irony amongst gravel events since it has "big name appeal", (Alison Tetrick, Neal Shirley, and Rebecca Rusch are all past winners of this event), it has a "title sponsor" (Gravel Worlds Presented by Lauf), and yet Gravel Worlds retains a VERY grassroots feel and doesn't get near the backlash that the Dirty Kanza 200 gets from those who claim "grassroots gravel is dead".

I attribute this to the clever and steady hands of its RD's, Craig "Schmidy" Schmidt and Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey, who are pivotal figures in the success of this event, amongst a host of other volunteers, Oasis Stop hosts, and "trail angels". I was hooked immediately on the event back when it was still called "The Good Life Gravel Adventure" and that was precipitated by the enthusiastic persuasion for my attendance then by my former T.I. co-RD, David Pals, who did the first ever "GLGA" in 2008.

Things have changed at Gravel Worlds over the past decade, for sure, but all along the changes have been positive and have added to- not taken away from- the grassroots, down to earth vibe that has been part of this event since day one. There are new changes for 2019, but I bet that they will be met with positive comments, or just accepted as "normal". That seems to be the way most of the evolutionary changes this event has had over the years have been seen by its riders.

Interested? there are still spots available on the roster. It's every bit as fun and rewarding as the Dirty Kanza 200, so check it out here.

That's all for this week. get ready for more weird weather out there and keep the rubber side down y'all!

Friday News And Views

Cycling makes me feel great. Now there may be some science to back up the reasons why.

Blinded Me With Science:

I don't know about you, but after I started commuting by bicycle to work, I hated having to drive that commute if the situation warranted it. I never used to be that way. I would just jump into whatever vehicle I had through the years and, ya know......drive to work. No big deal, right? I mean, there were the occasional idiots and near misses, but that's par for the course. I didn't "hate driving to work" then.

But something happened when I started commuting by bicycle. I dreaded driving after a while. Now I never quite understood what it was that switched me around, but I knew I was much more calm, at ease, and mellow after riding to work, and it just felt right. Ya know? I never really had any basis for feeling that way, but now it seems that science has some answers for me regarding this.

It's an older article called "This Is Your Brain On Bikes", and while I cannot verify that any of its claims are based on good science, I can sure find a lot to agree with in that article. Certainly there has to be something about the mood enhancements gained from cycling because I totally identify with that part of the article. Cycling does bring me a good feeling, and it really does help with being depressed. Especially this time of the year when there is little Sun and lots of cold dark time.

So, a plan has been devised..........finally!

Project Inbred:

Two and a half years ago I received my original On One Inbred back. The image today is just how I received it on my bench one day after it had been through two other owners.

Since that time the frame has hung on a hook in my Lab/dungeon/horde and nothing has been done with it. Honestly, I couldn't come up with a good reason to fix it up. I had waaaay too many single speed 29"ers any way, and setting it up geared seemed........wrong. I just wasn't into it and so it hung there.

Meanwhile the original fork also came back to me but it had been thrashed to the point of failure. I couldn't use it. Fortunately I still had the On One Carbon Super Light fork and that's what is on the Inbred now. But other than hanging that fork, I had made zero progress on this.

The mind works in strange ways and sometimes a part or component can spark inspiration. So it was when I received those WTB Ranger 29 X 2.4" tires the other day. They obviously needed to go on a mtb frame, but which one? Since quitting "Twenty Nine Inches" I have thinned the heard of 29"ers and the ones that are left I want to keep the way that they are. But there was that Inbred frame and fork.......just hanging there!  Stay tuned...............

Old Shirey Way (Lower Hartman to you younginz)

 Post Flood Mess:

Yesterday I went down to check on the conditions of the trails near the Cedar River on the South side. The river had fallen below flood stage the day before and with the super-dry air I was wondering how things were going as far as drainage of the backwater was concerned.

Well.......it's a mess.

I feared as much. It isn't going to clear up soon either. With the water table as elevated as it is, that remaining water that didn't/couldn't drain back into the river is just going to sit, and sit, and sit. Obviously it will go away at some point, but by the time it does we will be nigh unto Winter and Fall will be a distant memory here. Brown season will be in full swing and will stay until/if it snows. Who knows when that will be.

In the meantime, I will be gravel riding more and waiting for the Green Belt to clear up. When it does, I'll have to go investigate Marky-Mark- that trail I put in 22 years ago, and see if it needs any touching up. Other than that bit, I'll probably just see how the lay of the land is and determine just what remained and what went down to Louisiana in the flood. Every time it floods the Green Belt changes. You never know what you'll find. Sand in new places, sometimes feet deep. Trail shooting off right into the river where it eroded the banks. Ya gotta take it easy the first time you go in after a flood!

I remember riding back in there years ago after a flood, taking a sweeper at high speed, running through a little wall of tall weeds, only to see nothing but air in front of me. Fortunately the cantilever brakes and 26 inch tires brought me to a halt mere inches from sailing off the new cut bank into the creek several feet below. Exciting, but nearly disastrous.

Now days I usually opt for the fat bike, usually the Blackborow DS, and just slow crawl the entire Green Belt. It helps with the sand and whatever mud I might find. Plus it keeps me safer. I figure on getting back in there in at least a couple of weeks from now. But like I said, for now it will all be gravel travel.

Have a great weekend and keep the rubber side down!