Finding Purpose

Last May I had a plan to go fixed gear on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross" bike better known as "Orange Crush" on these pages. I've written a ton about this bike over the years, but if you are not familiar with it, see THIS post. 

Well, I think I am abandoning those plans to go with a fixed gear set up. The wheel set I was going to use is set up for 1/8th inch pitch chains and chain rings. That means I'd have to spend a bit of money on a chain ring and a chain and..... Well, I rode the bike again recently and thought I'd like to keep it as it is as far as the drive train goes. 

The plan a year ago was to make this bike a flat bar bike, and that fizzled out as well. I still have the brakes and levers for that project in the basement still in their boxes. So, why has it been so hard for me to get going with....anything, having to do with this bike?

The answer: Progress in this gravel bike field. The bikes I have now are light years better at what I am using them for and the Orange Crush is 'just okay'. That breeds apathy for the bike and that's not good. It makes it hard for me to find a purpose for the bike to hang around here. 

The big thing on this bike is the geometry. That's the deal-killer for me. The bottom bracket drop is 65mm, and that's ridiculously high these days. The front stack height is pretty low as well. To be perfectly fair, Mike Varley wasn't designing a "gravel bike" when he designed the Monstercross. It was, as the name might suggest, a variant of cyclo-cross bikes with wider tire capability allowing this bike to do some MTB-like trails.

Before there were "gravel bikes" this was my gravel bike.

But I got the Monstercross because there weren't any gravel bikes in 2011. You used whatever you could get that made sense at the time to ride gravel with. I used the Orange Crush. At the time, it made sense. Now? 

I would love the bike if it had about 10mm more bottom bracket drop and a degree slacker head tube angle, but it does not and will not ever be like modern gravel bikes. 

So I have spent the better part of three years trying to find purpose for this bike. I just cannot justify spending any money anymore on the bike. It has become an antique, of sorts, and even newer Monstercross bikes are not like mine. They changed, got better with the times, and maybe if I had one of those frames I'd just transfer over the parts and then ride on. But that would also be a big investment into a bike that still isn't quite what I'd want these days. 

Maybe it is time to retire this frame and fork. I might have to look into something I could transfer the parts to, or just get out of it altogether. I mean, it isn't like it is 2011 anymore around here. I've got plenty of gravel bikes. I don't really need a rim brake gravel bike. But if the right thing came along? 

Maybe then.

No-Coast Plans

I put studded tires on in January that never needed to be used.

I have a rule of sorts around here. If I have a bicycle that isn't getting in the rotation for use, I need to change something so it will get used, or it goes away. I have two bicycles at the moment that are in this stage with me. The old Salsa Cycles Mukluk that I dubbed "Snow Dog" and this Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross that I call "Orange Crush". 

The old BMC hasn't seen much use over the past few years since I pretty much retired it from gravel grinding. It has a few things going against it that just make it hard for me to use anymore when better choices exist right in front of me here. For example, this Monstercross is one of the original run of frames Mike Varley did back in 2011. It has a 65mm bottom bracket drop, which, when I got the bike is what you had to put up with to ride gravel. 

As it turned out, I found that bottom bracket height to be untenable for myself on loose gravel. The stability of a lower bottom bracket is a real thing, in my opinion, and helps me - at least- to plant the bike on those high speed, sketchy descents and in corners. So, that alone makes this bike a hard sell for me in 2024. 

But there are other quirks to this bike that make it kind of an outlier in today's Guitar Ted stable of bikes. Quick release wheels being one of those things. I actually have two wheel sets specifically for this bike alone. One I set up with studded tires and with that massive amount of snow we had last January I figured that with the way things melt around here studs would be king. Well, after one week of warmer temps and wholesale melting of snow, the studs never needed to leave the confines of Guitar Ted Headquarters. They were useless.

I know this isn't a fixed gear cog, but you get the idea.

Recently we had a fixed gear bike donated to the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. Now, fixed gear is a term many here don't even know. Of course, riding fixed gear is practically unheard of around these parts unless you are one of a handful of individuals that are fans of the no-coast biking experience. 

So, when I looked at this I thought that we'd have a very difficult time finding a home for this Reline 925 unless it was a coaster. So, I removed the fixed/fixed wheel and its matching front and subbed in a converted freewheel rear and matching front wheel to make the bike at least somewhat desirable to the locals here. I mean, it still is a single speed, which is another hurdle to overcome with the populace, but at least you can coast on it now!

So, that solved the Collective's problem with that bike, but now we had this wheel set. Hmm.... Maybe I should buy it, put it on the BMC, and have a dedicated urban fixie bike again. See, I disassembled my old Raleigh Grand Prix fixie "rat-rod" bike a year or so ago, and have been without a fixed gear bike since then. 

Saturday I rode the Orange Crush down to the Collective and test fit the wheels. They are spaced at 120/100, but the rear axle is long enough that with ten millimeters of spacers and room enough for axle nuts, I can make it work. The chainline seems spot on. So......

While I haven't pulled the trigger on this set up, I think I am going to. Otherwise the BMC is going to get decommissioned and I would likely just tear it down to frame and fork. We will see soon enough what happens. Meanwhile I have an old Mukluk problem as well. 

Stay tuned....

Ready For This

The "Orange Crush" as of today.

 The snow came and well......it's going. Fast! We are to have above freezing temperatures everyday for two straight weeks with the end of that spell being in the 40's. This snow won't make it through that. Not for fat biking purposes, at any rate. And where I ride, it isn't good already. 

I erroneously thought we had it made with the first round of snow we got, but the second round wasn't great snow, and with massive drifting, the snow pretty much got broken down into bits. So it doesn't hold together well and it is actually pretty awful for fat biking once the temps get above 10 or so above zero. With all that in mind, I needed to pivot my plans.

There is also something percolating behind the scenes which may- or may not- happen that impacts what I am doing right now. That and the Gents Race in April has made me switch to a mode of thinking that I need to start training now.

I cannot, or more correctly, will not, speak about this 'behind the scenes' thing just yet on the blog. A couple of folks are privy to it, but since things aren't 100% solid and a LOT has to happen to make this chance come true, I feel it is best in everyone's interest to stay put for now concerning that. But be that as it may, IF it happens I need to do what I am doing NOW. 

Besides, now that reviewing stuff is not a pressing need this year, I have time to give to my passion for single speed. I think the first part of 2024 is going to be pretty heavy on the One Gear machines here. That gets me round to the ol' Orange Crush machine, and what I am going to do to kick off the 2024 riding season. 

Snow drifts from last week's storms in Mahaska County. (Image courtesy of KCCI social media)

First off, I wanted to use the Orange Crush because it has fenders and I have an extra wheel set for it that I could set up with some 45NRTH Gravdal studded tires. This might come in handy with what I suspect will be some freeze-thaw icing that will certainly occur with all this snow melting over the next two weeks. 

Secondly, those same fenders and the single speed drive train will be awesome for some January/February country "drift searching", which I hope to do soon. I've heard reports of 15ft - 18ft drifts in Iowa and I haven't seen any "big ones" in several years, so I will be searching for some nice big drifts soon. Probably North of Waterloo, because traditionally that is where I've seen the biggest ones in the past around here. 

Of course, I hope to be getting out as soon as possible, but I will be, and have been, doing urban commuting and riding already. In fact, I cannot wait for this snow to clear out as I have had four crashes in the last week and one a pretty hard knock on pavement. I don't want to continue that trend!

Going Flat: Part 2

I purchased some parts from Velo Orange for this project

The new project to convert the Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross (Orange Crush), to a flat bar set up is in gear and I have already procured a few bits to get where I need to go. 

The main "star" of this show hasn't arrived yet and will be the bit most folks will find the most interesting. That part will have to wait a while. My source tells me that this part will be a couple more weeks out yet. We'll see....

In the meantime, I've been on the hunt for certain items and I have some other surprises up my sleeve to add to this project. They are more accessory related, but should add to the overall effect I am after here. Stay tuned on those...

For now I want to cover what I do have in hand here and tell you why I went with these items over similar ones from other sources. So, with no further delay, here you go.....

The Velo Orange Grand Cru Zeste brakes (L) and the grand Cru Brake Levers (R)

 Way back when I was looking at getting a set up similar to what I saw on a bike that my old Trans Iowa co-director, David Pals had on one of his bikes. That was a set of Paul Components brakes and levers. I still think those are really cool bits, but at the asking price? They think those parts are pretty dear, don't they? Too dear for my meager budget. So, I ended up on some Tektro brakes which, honestly, have been nothing short of spectacular, if not somewhat pedestrian and lacking in pedigree compered to the Paul stuff. 

The Tektro's would still get the nod here, but I have a particular theme going on with this project and they do not fit it. So, I have purchased a set of Grand Cru Zeste cantilever brakes for this build. They along with the Grand Cru lever set will be every bit as good looking as the Paul stuff at a LOT less money. One pair of those Paul Components Touring brakes cost almost as much as an entire bike's worth of the Zeste brake set. Plus these are polished, which is important for the theme of the build. 

The same deal with the Grand Cru levers. Half the price of Paul stuff. I dunno...... That's hard to justify even without my meager budget constraints. And again- polished finish. Important. 

So, there you go. A little taste of what's to come with regard to ol' Orange Crush here. I'm excited to get this project rolling and I even have ride plans for this when it is finished. Stay tuned... 

Going Flat: Part 2

I purchased some parts from Velo Orange for this project

The new project to convert the Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross (Orange Crush), to a flat bar set up is in gear and I have already procured a few bits to get where I need to go. 

The main "star" of this show hasn't arrived yet and will be the bit most folks will find the most interesting. That part will have to wait a while. My source tells me that this part will be a couple more weeks out yet. We'll see....

In the meantime, I've been on the hunt for certain items and I have some other surprises up my sleeve to add to this project. They are more accessory related, but should add to the overall effect I am after here. Stay tuned on those...

For now I want to cover what I do have in hand here and tell you why I went with these items over similar ones from other sources. So, with no further delay, here you go.....

The Velo Orange Grand Cru Zeste brakes (L) and the grand Cru Brake Levers (R)

 Way back when I was looking at getting a set up similar to what I saw on a bike that my old Trans Iowa co-director, David Pals had on one of his bikes. That was a set of Paul Components brakes and levers. I still think those are really cool bits, but at the asking price? They think those parts are pretty dear, don't they? Too dear for my meager budget. So, I ended up on some Tektro brakes which, honestly, have been nothing short of spectacular, if not somewhat pedestrian and lacking in pedigree compered to the Paul stuff. 

The Tektro's would still get the nod here, but I have a particular theme going on with this project and they do not fit it. So, I have purchased a set of Grand Cru Zeste cantilever brakes for this build. They along with the Grand Cru lever set will be every bit as good looking as the Paul stuff at a LOT less money. One pair of those Paul Components Touring brakes cost almost as much as an entire bike's worth of the Zeste brake set. Plus these are polished, which is important for the theme of the build. 

The same deal with the Grand Cru levers. Half the price of Paul stuff. I dunno...... That's hard to justify even without my meager budget constraints. And again- polished finish. Important. 

So, there you go. A little taste of what's to come with regard to ol' Orange Crush here. I'm excited to get this project rolling and I even have ride plans for this when it is finished. Stay tuned... 

Going Flat

The Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross

Well you long-time blog readers all know this bike. My 2011 vintage, first run Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross bike i refer to as "Orange Crush" or #49, which are references to its color and serial number respectively. 

This bike has had a drop bar on it since I've owned it, but now that will change. Something came up in terms of an opportunity to review a new item which requires the switch to a flat bar. 

Originally this project was set to be done on my Karate Monkey, but due to a stock issue and my desire to use this company's parts in the conversion, I was directed to order stuff in silver. That is not the color scheme on the KM, so I am doing this modification on the Orange Crush instead. 

This will radically change things for me on this bike, but I feel comfortable with making the change since a lot of BMC Monstercross owners have also done this model up with flat bars. Other than that, and the obvious necessity for flat bar levers, I am also doing new brakes. Cantilevers, of course, and pretty radical ones at that. At least "radical" in the looks department. 

So, stay tuned for the changes coming soon.......
 

Going Flat

The Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross

Well you long-time blog readers all know this bike. My 2011 vintage, first run Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross bike i refer to as "Orange Crush" or #49, which are references to its color and serial number respectively. 

This bike has had a drop bar on it since I've owned it, but now that will change. Something came up in terms of an opportunity to review a new item which requires the switch to a flat bar. 

Originally this project was set to be done on my Karate Monkey, but due to a stock issue and my desire to use this company's parts in the conversion, I was directed to order stuff in silver. That is not the color scheme on the KM, so I am doing this modification on the Orange Crush instead. 

This will radically change things for me on this bike, but I feel comfortable with making the change since a lot of BMC Monstercross owners have also done this model up with flat bars. Other than that, and the obvious necessity for flat bar levers, I am also doing new brakes. Cantilevers, of course, and pretty radical ones at that. At least "radical" in the looks department. 

So, stay tuned for the changes coming soon.......
 

Bikes Of 2022: Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross

It's the end of the year and time to review what's up with the bikes I used over the course of 2022. You'll get a brief overview, any changes made, and what the future has in store for each bike listed. Enjoy!

Another 'long hauler' of my bicycle fleet, the Black Mountain cycles "Monstercross" I have came out of the very first batch of frames Mike Varley made available back in 2011. Due to that fact, my bike has a bit different geometry and a bit different front fork than many Monstercross bikes that came later on. 

That made this bike not the greatest on really loose gravel on high speed descents. I mean, you could ride it, but it was sketchy and didn't feel as planted and stable as I'd like a bike to be in that situation. So, the BMC "Orange Crush", as I like to call it, became a bit of a conundrum for me. I liked the bike, but it wasn't the best at gravel in my region. 

But after reverting back to single speed use, and after installing 180mm long cranks, which made me lower the saddle a tad, effectively negating that high bottom bracket to a small degree, I think that this bike has found its niche in my stable.

Then later this past Summer this bike became a part of a handle bar swap with the Fargo Gen I bike. It also brought the BMC "Orange Crush" back full circle to its beginnings here. Here's how it all started....

In 2014, late in the year, I had a bad fall on ice which was the second bad fall on my left shoulder that year. I really did a number on it and on my left side of my rib cage. In fact, early on during the 2015 riding season I determined that I pretty much had to ride a Luxy Bar or a Midge Bar as they were the only two handle bars I could use that allowed me to ride for more than about an hour. Otherwise my shoulder would ache so badly that I had to stop riding. 

That meant a bar swap for the Fargo Gen I to a Luxy Bar and my other green Gen 2 Fargo got a Midge Bar, as those were my "long haul gravel bikes" for 2015, for the most part. (Also, come to think of it, I got hit by a truck on the 2014 GTDRI as well, which may have contributed to all of this)

Anyway, I never swapped the bars back off the Gen I Fargo and the Gen 2 Fargo was sold. I decided that the old BMC would someday get Luxy Bars again, but it did not happen until I had to review a Kitchen Sink Bar Bag on the Gen I Fargo this Summer. That freed up the Luxy Bar I needed and that ended up on the Orange Crush. Whew! Sometimes things take a long time to work out around here! 

As far as any other changes I might want to upgrade things like the brakes and get a single speed specific rear wheel going for this bike. But it is fine as it is, really. So, I may just let it go.

Bikes Of 2022: Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross

It's the end of the year and time to review what's up with the bikes I used over the course of 2022. You'll get a brief overview, any changes made, and what the future has in store for each bike listed. Enjoy!

Another 'long hauler' of my bicycle fleet, the Black Mountain cycles "Monstercross" I have came out of the very first batch of frames Mike Varley made available back in 2011. Due to that fact, my bike has a bit different geometry and a bit different front fork than many Monstercross bikes that came later on. 

That made this bike not the greatest on really loose gravel on high speed descents. I mean, you could ride it, but it was sketchy and didn't feel as planted and stable as I'd like a bike to be in that situation. So, the BMC "Orange Crush", as I like to call it, became a bit of a conundrum for me. I liked the bike, but it wasn't the best at gravel in my region. 

But after reverting back to single speed use, and after installing 180mm long cranks, which made me lower the saddle a tad, effectively negating that high bottom bracket to a small degree, I think that this bike has found its niche in my stable.

Then later this past Summer this bike became a part of a handle bar swap with the Fargo Gen I bike. It also brought the BMC "Orange Crush" back full circle to its beginnings here. Here's how it all started....

In 2014, late in the year, I had a bad fall on ice which was the second bad fall on my left shoulder that year. I really did a number on it and on my left side of my rib cage. In fact, early on during the 2015 riding season I determined that I pretty much had to ride a Luxy Bar or a Midge Bar as they were the only two handle bars I could use that allowed me to ride for more than about an hour. Otherwise my shoulder would ache so badly that I had to stop riding. 

That meant a bar swap for the Fargo Gen I to a Luxy Bar and my other green Gen 2 Fargo got a Midge Bar, as those were my "long haul gravel bikes" for 2015, for the most part. (Also, come to think of it, I got hit by a truck on the 2014 GTDRI as well, which may have contributed to all of this)

Anyway, I never swapped the bars back off the Gen I Fargo and the Gen 2 Fargo was sold. I decided that the old BMC would someday get Luxy Bars again, but it did not happen until I had to review a Kitchen Sink Bar Bag on the Gen I Fargo this Summer. That freed up the Luxy Bar I needed and that ended up on the Orange Crush. Whew! Sometimes things take a long time to work out around here! 

As far as any other changes I might want to upgrade things like the brakes and get a single speed specific rear wheel going for this bike. But it is fine as it is, really. So, I may just let it go.

Gravel History With Guitar Ted: Moonshine Metric

A rider silhouetted in the distance on the Moonshine Metric, 2012

 At the end of September, a decade ago now, I was headed to an event out of Mount Vernon, Iowa set up by Craig Irving, a gravel rider at the time who was a Trans Iowa veteran and had come up to ride with us on my 3GR gravel group ride a time or two. 

Craig had a blog called "Project Backroads" which was a site highlighting his efforts to try and ride every Level B road (unmaintained dirt roads in Iowa) at that time. He also had an idea for a "get-together" type gravel ride at night. This event was, in my view, one of the many at the time which, in my opinion, were the catalyst for the exponential growth of gravel cycling which would start in the years following 2012. 

The event Craig ran out of his garage and home was called the "Moonshine Metric". I always had the inclination to call it the "Moonlight Metric", which was incorrect, but I couldn't get that out of my head back then. In fact, when I went searching for images for this post, I had to search both names to find what I wanted! 

Anyway.....

The "Moonshine Metric" was a snapshot of what "gravel" was a decade ago. Many events happened then that were "homegrown" affairs run out of people's homes and small businesses. Typically there were meals, or backyard parties involved. There was more than the ride, there was a true fellowship going on that was sorely missing from most cycling events. You got to know people, and connections were made. Sometimes life-long friendships were forged before, during, and after these rides. 

The pre-ride hang at the Moonshine Metric. Craig Irving is on the right here.

It was also a great look into what was used for gravel riding back then. Remember, this was the year that the first dedicated gravel bike was commercially available, and that was rare to see anywhere yet. It was also the year that the first dedicated to gravel tires were available. I was on a fresh set of Clement (Donnelly now) MSO 700 X 40mm tires, tubed ('natch!) and most folks were on heavy-duty touring tires, or 26"er MTB's yet then. 

I think the Moonshine was run at least one year prior to my attending the event in 2012. I am not sure how long the run was for this event, but I know it wasn't long. This and the one-off "Night Nonsense" event, held in 2010, were the kind of home-cooked adventures that were held at night which I think are missing in today's gravel grinding scene. 

2012 was a dusty, dry year. That's a hanging dust cloud on the road ahead during the Moonshine Metric event.

One of my chief memories of the "Moonshine Metric" was the dust. 2012 was a dry year and the roads had turned into a powdery, dry limestone fluff by Fall. I recall many a ride that year where my legs below the knee would be caked with white limestone dust after a ride. At the "Moonshine Metric", the wind was not present at all. It was one of those rare Iowa days with a still atmosphere, and this was a big problem for us who rode in that event. 

Any car that passed us, especially early into the event, would leave us in a thick fog of hanging dust which was impossible to see through. I mean, like less than a few feet visibility! It was truly scary at times because you could only detect cars and other cyclists around you by sound. Fortunately for us, traffic ceased to be an issue after the Sun set and we were not having to navigate by feel!

Moonrise on the Moonshine Metric.

Of course, Craig timed the ride to be close to the full moon for that period. So, we had a clear sky, fortunately, and this gave us some respite in terms of visibility issues for the night-time portion of the ride, which was at least 3/4's of the event's distance. Good thing too, because our lighting at that time was dismal. I wrote a post earlier this year detailing our evolution with lights which you can check out here. 

The Orange Crush immediately after the Moonshine Metric event in 2012.

As far as bicycles went, most of us were on some form of a cyclo cross bike. there was one fellow on a 26"er MTB on this ride out of the ten riders total. I remember that I almost took the Fargo Gen I on this ride, but by 2012 I had been deep into thought on developing my own version of a "gravel specific bicycle" and I was considering having a custom built frame and fork at this point. Only the promise of Raleigh doing what I asked for was stopping me from moving forward with that plan. And you know how that came out if you are a regular reader here.

Besides the sketchy lights we used back then, (I used THREE different lights on this ride!), I was wanting my bicycle to be very different than what I had at the time. While I have never run into conditions like we had at this event in 2012 since then, (fine, deep "cocoa-powder" dirt, deep dust, and loose gravel), the experience forged my desires for a stable bike which could be decently light and sturdy. A bike which could carry water, food, and gear necessary for a crazy ride like the "Moonshine Metric". 

Fortunately we have those bikes now. I am glad that we do. That said, we need more night time crazy adventures on Iowa roads. Don't you think? 

You can read my ride report on the "Moonshine Metric" here and the follow-up bike/gear review from that event here.

Gravel History With Guitar Ted: Moonshine Metric

A rider silhouetted in the distance on the Moonshine Metric, 2012

 At the end of September, a decade ago now, I was headed to an event out of Mount Vernon, Iowa set up by Craig Irving, a gravel rider at the time who was a Trans Iowa veteran and had come up to ride with us on my 3GR gravel group ride a time or two. 

Craig had a blog called "Project Backroads" which was a site highlighting his efforts to try and ride every Level B road (unmaintained dirt roads in Iowa) at that time. He also had an idea for a "get-together" type gravel ride at night. This event was, in my view, one of the many at the time which, in my opinion, were the catalyst for the exponential growth of gravel cycling which would start in the years following 2012. 

The event Craig ran out of his garage and home was called the "Moonshine Metric". I always had the inclination to call it the "Moonlight Metric", which was incorrect, but I couldn't get that out of my head back then. In fact, when I went searching for images for this post, I had to search both names to find what I wanted! 

Anyway.....

The "Moonshine Metric" was a snapshot of what "gravel" was a decade ago. Many events happened then that were "homegrown" affairs run out of people's homes and small businesses. Typically there were meals, or backyard parties involved. There was more than the ride, there was a true fellowship going on that was sorely missing from most cycling events. You got to know people, and connections were made. Sometimes life-long friendships were forged before, during, and after these rides. 

The pre-ride hang at the Moonshine Metric. Craig Irving is on the right here.

It was also a great look into what was used for gravel riding back then. Remember, this was the year that the first dedicated gravel bike was commercially available, and that was rare to see anywhere yet. It was also the year that the first dedicated to gravel tires were available. I was on a fresh set of Clement (Donnelly now) MSO 700 X 40mm tires, tubed ('natch!) and most folks were on heavy-duty touring tires, or 26"er MTB's yet then. 

I think the Moonshine was run at least one year prior to my attending the event in 2012. I am not sure how long the run was for this event, but I know it wasn't long. This and the one-off "Night Nonsense" event, held in 2010, were the kind of home-cooked adventures that were held at night which I think are missing in today's gravel grinding scene. 

2012 was a dusty, dry year. That's a hanging dust cloud on the road ahead during the Moonshine Metric event.

One of my chief memories of the "Moonshine Metric" was the dust. 2012 was a dry year and the roads had turned into a powdery, dry limestone fluff by Fall. I recall many a ride that year where my legs below the knee would be caked with white limestone dust after a ride. At the "Moonshine Metric", the wind was not present at all. It was one of those rare Iowa days with a still atmosphere, and this was a big problem for us who rode in that event. 

Any car that passed us, especially early into the event, would leave us in a thick fog of hanging dust which was impossible to see through. I mean, like less than a few feet visibility! It was truly scary at times because you could only detect cars and other cyclists around you by sound. Fortunately for us, traffic ceased to be an issue after the Sun set and we were not having to navigate by feel!

Moonrise on the Moonshine Metric.

Of course, Craig timed the ride to be close to the full moon for that period. So, we had a clear sky, fortunately, and this gave us some respite in terms of visibility issues for the night-time portion of the ride, which was at least 3/4's of the event's distance. Good thing too, because our lighting at that time was dismal. I wrote a post earlier this year detailing our evolution with lights which you can check out here. 

The Orange Crush immediately after the Moonshine Metric event in 2012.

As far as bicycles went, most of us were on some form of a cyclo cross bike. there was one fellow on a 26"er MTB on this ride out of the ten riders total. I remember that I almost took the Fargo Gen I on this ride, but by 2012 I had been deep into thought on developing my own version of a "gravel specific bicycle" and I was considering having a custom built frame and fork at this point. Only the promise of Raleigh doing what I asked for was stopping me from moving forward with that plan. And you know how that came out if you are a regular reader here.

Besides the sketchy lights we used back then, (I used THREE different lights on this ride!), I was wanting my bicycle to be very different than what I had at the time. While I have never run into conditions like we had at this event in 2012 since then, (fine, deep "cocoa-powder" dirt, deep dust, and loose gravel), the experience forged my desires for a stable bike which could be decently light and sturdy. A bike which could carry water, food, and gear necessary for a crazy ride like the "Moonshine Metric". 

Fortunately we have those bikes now. I am glad that we do. That said, we need more night time crazy adventures on Iowa roads. Don't you think? 

You can read my ride report on the "Moonshine Metric" here and the follow-up bike/gear review from that event here.

Circled Back

The Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross", or as we know it, "Orange Crush".

 Back eleven years ago when I got this Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross" frame, I didn't have the means to set it up as a geared bike. So in its first incarnation, this bike was a single speed. 

It spent many years as a geared bike, but a few years ago now I set it back up again as a single speed bike. I found some old Sugino touring cranks I had off an 80's Specialized Sequoia which were 180mm, and I stuck those on there. 

But I also had a different handle bar on the bike to begin with. I ran a Salsa Cycles Cowbell on this bike since that handle bar came out, but that wasn't the first one I used on the ol' Orange Crush. Nope! The first one was the mysterious Luxy Bar, which I have three examples of in my possession. Two are polished, one is black anodized. I had used one of these on my original build for the Orange Crush. 

So, something came in for testing for Riding Gravel which precipitated a handle bar swap on my Fargo, where one of my Luxy Bars has been since about 2016. I swapped that over to the Orange Crush over the weekend, and now this bike is practically what it was when I first rolled it out for a ride back in 2011. 

The Luxy Bar is weird in a very good way.

I like the Luxy Bar for single speed gravel riding a lot. I have one of my three on my Pofahl Signature custom single speed bike. I love the swept extensions for grinding up a climb, so ever since I've had the Orange Crush singled out, I've been thinking that it needed a Luxy Bar. This swap fixes that problem! 

I took it out for a neighborhood cruise yesterday and it was all very good. I think it will probably stay this way now for a long time. I may eventually lace up different wheels for it, but for the time being, these HED Ardennes+ are doing quite nicely. 

The levers are Gevenalle levers meant for shifters. You can see the perches on there yet. I either need to get silver bladed road levers or just take those mounts off. There would be a threaded hole left behind, but it would work just fine and save money. 

Oh, and that blue anodized thing is part of my Bar Yak cue sheet holder. I had that there on the Fargo and it transferred over with the handle bar swap. The handle bar tape is the Grepp bar tape I got to review. This is the third bike I've used that roll on and it still looks great and works like it did when new last year. Pretty cool to have that sort of versatility of use and lifecycle for a product that generally degrades and gets tossed in short order. 

Anyway, I like the stuff. 

And there ya go! The BMC Orange Crush, back the way it was, sort of! I hope to get this one out on a longer ride this Fall sometime before it gets too cold. Gotta see how it all works out on the gravel roads with the way it is set up now.

Note: Standard Disclaimer applies to the Grepp tape, Bar Yak, and Luxy Bar.

Circled Back

The Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross", or as we know it, "Orange Crush".

 Back eleven years ago when I got this Black Mountain Cycles "Monstercross" frame, I didn't have the means to set it up as a geared bike. So in its first incarnation, this bike was a single speed. 

It spent many years as a geared bike, but a few years ago now I set it back up again as a single speed bike. I found some old Sugino touring cranks I had off an 80's Specialized Sequoia which were 180mm, and I stuck those on there. 

But I also had a different handle bar on the bike to begin with. I ran a Salsa Cycles Cowbell on this bike since that handle bar came out, but that wasn't the first one I used on the ol' Orange Crush. Nope! The first one was the mysterious Luxy Bar, which I have three examples of in my possession. Two are polished, one is black anodized. I had used one of these on my original build for the Orange Crush. 

So, something came in for testing for Riding Gravel which precipitated a handle bar swap on my Fargo, where one of my Luxy Bars has been since about 2016. I swapped that over to the Orange Crush over the weekend, and now this bike is practically what it was when I first rolled it out for a ride back in 2011. 

The Luxy Bar is weird in a very good way.

I like the Luxy Bar for single speed gravel riding a lot. I have one of my three on my Pofahl Signature custom single speed bike. I love the swept extensions for grinding up a climb, so ever since I've had the Orange Crush singled out, I've been thinking that it needed a Luxy Bar. This swap fixes that problem! 

I took it out for a neighborhood cruise yesterday and it was all very good. I think it will probably stay this way now for a long time. I may eventually lace up different wheels for it, but for the time being, these HED Ardennes+ are doing quite nicely. 

The levers are Gevenalle levers meant for shifters. You can see the perches on there yet. I either need to get silver bladed road levers or just take those mounts off. There would be a threaded hole left behind, but it would work just fine and save money. 

Oh, and that blue anodized thing is part of my Bar Yak cue sheet holder. I had that there on the Fargo and it transferred over with the handle bar swap. The handle bar tape is the Grepp bar tape I got to review. This is the third bike I've used that roll on and it still looks great and works like it did when new last year. Pretty cool to have that sort of versatility of use and lifecycle for a product that generally degrades and gets tossed in short order. 

Anyway, I like the stuff. 

And there ya go! The BMC Orange Crush, back the way it was, sort of! I hope to get this one out on a longer ride this Fall sometime before it gets too cold. Gotta see how it all works out on the gravel roads with the way it is set up now.

Note: Standard Disclaimer applies to the Grepp tape, Bar Yak, and Luxy Bar.

Country Views: Too Wet To Plow

Escape Route: Sergeant Road Bike Trail South

Recent rains, which have been consistent and at times, heavy, have contributed to a resurgence in water levels in local streams and rivers. That's a good thing, but the consistency of rain added to the colder than normal temperatures have led to a situation for farmers that may get critical soon. Time to plant is running out, and the fields are too wet.

That doesn't keep me from riding out there though. When I get the opportunity, that is, and with my son now serving as a juror I have a window for riding opened up to me now that I wouldn't have had he still been going to college. 

So, last Wednesday, before it got gloomy and rainy again, I got out for a great ride South of Waterloo. Things were not normal in terms of temperatures for this time of the month, but they weren't really cold and it was not real windy. That meant arm warmers and a wind vest, otherwise it was normal riding gear. 

I decided to ride the Black Mountain Cycles "Monsercross" model bike I have. The one I call either "Orange Crush" for obvious reasons, or "#49", which refers to its serial number designating it as the 49th BMC ever made and sold. I have it set up single speed, so this was factored into my route and how far I'd end up going.

The roads were really pretty tame. Lots of good lines and hardly any chunky gravel.

It is too wet and chilly for planting now. The only activity I saw was this farmer moving some feed for cattle. 

I tried riding from the house and then down Sergeant Road bicycle trail to Aker Road and then I thought I'd go to Quarry Road and see how it was going there for me. I also needed a 'nature break', so I thought maybe that might happen there as well. The roads were fantastic. Lots of good lines due to the recent wet weather and hardly any chunky gravel sectors, although there were a few.

Quarry Road looking East

I finally stopped here near the intersection of Quarry Road and Kimbal Avenue.

I got to Quarry Road and just kept going East from that point. I felt pretty good, and the southeasterly headwind was no big deal. I kept pedaling until I found a bridge over a tributary of Miller Creek and there I stopped, finally, for that long awaited 'nature break'. It's tougher to find discrete places to take care of business when the crops are out!

A little respite from the winds was provided by these woods near the intersection of Dysart Road and Quarry Road.

It has been a few years since I've seen standing water from rainfall in ditches!

I had decided that I would try to get to Foulk Road at this point and then North to its intersection with the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. From there I'd have bike trail back almost to my home. But first I had to weather a few more miles of headwind and hills to get there. 

Once I turned North on to Foulk Road, I was out of that headwind, but Foulk was covered in more chunky gravel than any of the other roads that I had been on so far, so it was basically a wash. But that was okay as I had on the WTB Raddler tires, which are really squared off tires, and those rode over the loose rocks just fine. 

A rough looking shack seen along Foulk Road.

I only had to ride about a mile of the CVNT to get to Evansdale.

Once Foulk Road crosses HWY 218, it turns to a chip seal road until you get a couple more miles in and then it dead ends at the CVNT. Here I turned left and went about a mile before crossing the Cedar River. Just before the bridge I saw a figure crouched alongside the trail ahead in the distance. A rider with bike trouble? Nope! It was a woman taking her leisure during a 'nature break' of her own. What can you do? I just waved politely and kept on moving. She returned the wave. Life goes on....

The Cedar River as seen from the dike near Evansdale. The river hasn't been this high in two and a half years.

I wound my way through Evansdale on bike paths and the designated bike lane until I got to the riverside trail which leads from the outskirts of Evansdale to down town Waterloo. Then it was an easy six or seven blocks to the house, and that was the end of the ride. 

I got in a solid two and a half hours on the ol' single speed Orange Crush. It was a very nice outing. Not too much of anything, and I was happy I got to ride for more than two hours.

Country Views: Too Wet To Plow

Escape Route: Sergeant Road Bike Trail South

Recent rains, which have been consistent and at times, heavy, have contributed to a resurgence in water levels in local streams and rivers. That's a good thing, but the consistency of rain added to the colder than normal temperatures have led to a situation for farmers that may get critical soon. Time to plant is running out, and the fields are too wet.

That doesn't keep me from riding out there though. When I get the opportunity, that is, and with my son now serving as a juror I have a window for riding opened up to me now that I wouldn't have had he still been going to college. 

So, last Wednesday, before it got gloomy and rainy again, I got out for a great ride South of Waterloo. Things were not normal in terms of temperatures for this time of the month, but they weren't really cold and it was not real windy. That meant arm warmers and a wind vest, otherwise it was normal riding gear. 

I decided to ride the Black Mountain Cycles "Monsercross" model bike I have. The one I call either "Orange Crush" for obvious reasons, or "#49", which refers to its serial number designating it as the 49th BMC ever made and sold. I have it set up single speed, so this was factored into my route and how far I'd end up going.

The roads were really pretty tame. Lots of good lines and hardly any chunky gravel.

It is too wet and chilly for planting now. The only activity I saw was this farmer moving some feed for cattle. 

I tried riding from the house and then down Sergeant Road bicycle trail to Aker Road and then I thought I'd go to Quarry Road and see how it was going there for me. I also needed a 'nature break', so I thought maybe that might happen there as well. The roads were fantastic. Lots of good lines due to the recent wet weather and hardly any chunky gravel sectors, although there were a few.

Quarry Road looking East

I finally stopped here near the intersection of Quarry Road and Kimbal Avenue.

I got to Quarry Road and just kept going East from that point. I felt pretty good, and the southeasterly headwind was no big deal. I kept pedaling until I found a bridge over a tributary of Miller Creek and there I stopped, finally, for that long awaited 'nature break'. It's tougher to find discrete places to take care of business when the crops are out!

A little respite from the winds was provided by these woods near the intersection of Dysart Road and Quarry Road.

It has been a few years since I've seen standing water from rainfall in ditches!

I had decided that I would try to get to Foulk Road at this point and then North to its intersection with the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. From there I'd have bike trail back almost to my home. But first I had to weather a few more miles of headwind and hills to get there. 

Once I turned North on to Foulk Road, I was out of that headwind, but Foulk was covered in more chunky gravel than any of the other roads that I had been on so far, so it was basically a wash. But that was okay as I had on the WTB Raddler tires, which are really squared off tires, and those rode over the loose rocks just fine. 

A rough looking shack seen along Foulk Road.

I only had to ride about a mile of the CVNT to get to Evansdale.

Once Foulk Road crosses HWY 218, it turns to a chip seal road until you get a couple more miles in and then it dead ends at the CVNT. Here I turned left and went about a mile before crossing the Cedar River. Just before the bridge I saw a figure crouched alongside the trail ahead in the distance. A rider with bike trouble? Nope! It was a woman taking her leisure during a 'nature break' of her own. What can you do? I just waved politely and kept on moving. She returned the wave. Life goes on....

The Cedar River as seen from the dike near Evansdale. The river hasn't been this high in two and a half years.

I wound my way through Evansdale on bike paths and the designated bike lane until I got to the riverside trail which leads from the outskirts of Evansdale to down town Waterloo. Then it was an easy six or seven blocks to the house, and that was the end of the ride. 

I got in a solid two and a half hours on the ol' single speed Orange Crush. It was a very nice outing. Not too much of anything, and I was happy I got to ride for more than two hours.