Minus Ten Review 2009-34

Check out this 2010 Raleigh XXIX Pro. Remember when head tube angles were steep?

Ten years ago on the blog I was yakking about a new rim. A really wide rim. It was called the P-35 and was going to be offered by Velocity. It was the precursor to all this wider rim stuff we all take for granted now days.

There was also a big announcement from Trans Iowa. Jeff Kerkove knocked out another of his humorous Trans Iowa headers. I enjoyed having Jeff do these and he genuinely seemed to not be bothered by my requests for his artistic talents. The header for v6 was a mostly white background with black lettering and a "spilled pill bottle" theme. It actually inspired one entrant to send me a prescription bottle filled with gravel as his "post card" for that year. Pretty crazy. (And yes- I still have that bottle filled with gravel)

Then another thing that happened annually for a few years was when Raleigh was headed up by Brian Fornes. They were arguably the coolest during his tenure at the helm of that company. The 29"ers Raleigh made, especially the XXIX Pro models, were to die for. They rode awesomely, the spec was unreal, and the frames were top notch steel.

By the time they were hitting their stride I had far too many bikes sitting around and I never could bring myself to getting one. I maybe should have, because I likely would still have it. The geometry wasn't so laid back, low, and stretched as it is today and those bikes would have been perfect for around here.

But, times changed, geometry went whacko, and now most hard tails are so slacked out and short in the rear end that they are like riding wheel barrows here. maybe someday it'll all pull back toward something that makes sense for slicing through Mid-West single track.

Oh, and you probably are yelling at the computer now wondering why I didn't post an image of that T.I.v6 header. Well, here ya go.....

Designed by Jeff Kerkove

Minus Ten Review 2009-34

Check out this 2010 Raleigh XXIX Pro. Remember when head tube angles were steep?

Ten years ago on the blog I was yakking about a new rim. A really wide rim. It was called the P-35 and was going to be offered by Velocity. It was the precursor to all this wider rim stuff we all take for granted now days.

There was also a big announcement from Trans Iowa. Jeff Kerkove knocked out another of his humorous Trans Iowa headers. I enjoyed having Jeff do these and he genuinely seemed to not be bothered by my requests for his artistic talents. The header for v6 was a mostly white background with black lettering and a "spilled pill bottle" theme. It actually inspired one entrant to send me a prescription bottle filled with gravel as his "post card" for that year. Pretty crazy. (And yes- I still have that bottle filled with gravel)

Then another thing that happened annually for a few years was when Raleigh was headed up by Brian Fornes. They were arguably the coolest during his tenure at the helm of that company. The 29"ers Raleigh made, especially the XXIX Pro models, were to die for. They rode awesomely, the spec was unreal, and the frames were top notch steel.

By the time they were hitting their stride I had far too many bikes sitting around and I never could bring myself to getting one. I maybe should have, because I likely would still have it. The geometry wasn't so laid back, low, and stretched as it is today and those bikes would have been perfect for around here.

But, times changed, geometry went whacko, and now most hard tails are so slacked out and short in the rear end that they are like riding wheel barrows here. maybe someday it'll all pull back toward something that makes sense for slicing through Mid-West single track.

Oh, and you probably are yelling at the computer now wondering why I didn't post an image of that T.I.v6 header. Well, here ya go.....

Designed by Jeff Kerkove

Changing Direction (After A Long Delay)

The old build

There was a plan back in 2011: It was to strip down the old 2007 El Mariachi that I had Gun Koted for its head set. Yes- I scrapped an entire rig just to get the head set for my titanium Mukluk!

The rest of the parts were to go on a green 2012 El Mariachi frame set, but I never got around to getting that frame set, so the project basically was forgotten. Since then, many of the parts of the old El Mariachi build have been floating around the Lab unused.

Ironically enough, the resurrection of this frame from the dusty rafters was due to a totally unrelated wheel set. I had an old Velocity P-35 rimmed wheel set from a couple years ago that featured a single speed rear hub and a 20mm through axle hub front. I was using that on a Soul Cycles Dillinger, which had to move on, since it was a bit too rangy for me. That left the wheels from that bike in limbo until I had heard about the Salsa Cro Moto Grande with a through axle drop out.

The CroMoto Grande through axle version was delayed and then it was delayed again. I sort of lost sight of it after a while due to that. The wheels, which were not convertible to another drop out standard,  "disappeared" into the backdrop of clutter in the Lab and the fork was all but forgotten . Besides, at the time, I didn't have a frame in mind for it anyway.

CroMoto Grande Thru-axle fork

Then a job came into the shop that required me to look up a Salsa fork for it. I came across the Maxle CroMoto in the catalog and thoughts began to stir. The Velocity wheels came to mind, but what frame? Well, I would figure that out later, but instead of waffling away more time, I just went ahead and ordered the dang fork. There! At least I was committed.

The fork came in, meanwhile, I cogitated on what frame to use it on. Immediately the OS Bikes Blackbuck came to mind, but I have that set up with a suspension fork at this time, and I kind of am enjoying that. Hmm.....

I don't know why, but that old El Mariachi came into my mind. Heck- I didn't even know where the frame was for certain. It had been a long time since I had even considered the frame at all. I went down and searched for it, and when I found it hanging from a hook, I noted that it still had its bottom bracket installed. The crank, which has been in the way on my bench for like....ever- was right at hand. Well, well! I was on my way to having most everything I needed to get the El Mar back together. Headset-check. Brakes-check. Seat post-check. Handle bars- check. And on and on.

So, the El Mar will reborn and it sure will have a different look this time around. Stay tuned for the unveiling.....

Changing Direction (After A Long Delay)

The old build

There was a plan back in 2011: It was to strip down the old 2007 El Mariachi that I had Gun Koted for its head set. Yes- I scrapped an entire rig just to get the head set for my titanium Mukluk!

The rest of the parts were to go on a green 2012 El Mariachi frame set, but I never got around to getting that frame set, so the project basically was forgotten. Since then, many of the parts of the old El Mariachi build have been floating around the Lab unused.

Ironically enough, the resurrection of this frame from the dusty rafters was due to a totally unrelated wheel set. I had an old Velocity P-35 rimmed wheel set from a couple years ago that featured a single speed rear hub and a 20mm through axle hub front. I was using that on a Soul Cycles Dillinger, which had to move on, since it was a bit too rangy for me. That left the wheels from that bike in limbo until I had heard about the Salsa Cro Moto Grande with a through axle drop out.

The CroMoto Grande through axle version was delayed and then it was delayed again. I sort of lost sight of it after a while due to that. The wheels, which were not convertible to another drop out standard,  "disappeared" into the backdrop of clutter in the Lab and the fork was all but forgotten . Besides, at the time, I didn't have a frame in mind for it anyway.

CroMoto Grande Thru-axle fork

Then a job came into the shop that required me to look up a Salsa fork for it. I came across the Maxle CroMoto in the catalog and thoughts began to stir. The Velocity wheels came to mind, but what frame? Well, I would figure that out later, but instead of waffling away more time, I just went ahead and ordered the dang fork. There! At least I was committed.

The fork came in, meanwhile, I cogitated on what frame to use it on. Immediately the OS Bikes Blackbuck came to mind, but I have that set up with a suspension fork at this time, and I kind of am enjoying that. Hmm.....

I don't know why, but that old El Mariachi came into my mind. Heck- I didn't even know where the frame was for certain. It had been a long time since I had even considered the frame at all. I went down and searched for it, and when I found it hanging from a hook, I noted that it still had its bottom bracket installed. The crank, which has been in the way on my bench for like....ever- was right at hand. Well, well! I was on my way to having most everything I needed to get the El Mar back together. Headset-check. Brakes-check. Seat post-check. Handle bars- check. And on and on.

So, the El Mar will reborn and it sure will have a different look this time around. Stay tuned for the unveiling.....

What's This "Dirt" You Speak Of?

Yeah.......more snow riding. Yay me! I'm getting to the point now where it is like, "Hmmm.......I bet I could ride through there if I walked through with my snowshoes a time or three."

Desperate?

Maybe. Getting old? Definitely.

So here are a few observations from my outdoor exploits yesterday.............

Those Ardent 2.4"ers are plumping up! Like a Dubuque HotDog, they are pretty swollen from their original size. I'd guess they are actually approaching the 2.4 inch status. Amazingly enough! The best part is the ride though. I have them set up tubeless and they are really rolling nice and smoothly! Very supple and the traction seems decent, so far. I mean, it is only snow and ice, afterall!

The Dillinger Gen III frame is riding just great as well. The frame swallows the fat Ardent with about three millimeters to spare. One thought kept leaping into my mind as I rode through the snowy cemetery roads at warp speed, and that was "stable". I could get all squirrely in the ice and still keep it upright. Cool! The frame squirts forward with instant acceleration too. Nice and responsive. The fat tires masked anything I might be able to feel from the frame as far as ride quality goes though. I'll have to put the XC set up under it later and figure out that part.

Finally, the Velocity P-35 rims/hubs are performing really well too. I'll tell you what- if there was any flex in that rear wheel the tire would hit the frame. Nothing of the sort has happened yet. I will have to touch up the front wheel though. It seems to sit in the Reba Team fork off center a hair. I'll re-check the dish here soon.

Then after all of that I went snow shoeing. Man! That works the legs, that's for sure. It was good and I tramped all over the Green Belt. It's funny to find boot tracks crossing the woods out there in the middle of nowhere! You know that post holing they are doing is really giving them a workout!

So, any idea when this "dirt" thing will show its face again round these parts? I've forgotten what it looks like!

What's This "Dirt" You Speak Of?

Yeah.......more snow riding. Yay me! I'm getting to the point now where it is like, "Hmmm.......I bet I could ride through there if I walked through with my snowshoes a time or three."

Desperate?

Maybe. Getting old? Definitely.

So here are a few observations from my outdoor exploits yesterday.............

Those Ardent 2.4"ers are plumping up! Like a Dubuque HotDog, they are pretty swollen from their original size. I'd guess they are actually approaching the 2.4 inch status. Amazingly enough! The best part is the ride though. I have them set up tubeless and they are really rolling nice and smoothly! Very supple and the traction seems decent, so far. I mean, it is only snow and ice, afterall!

The Dillinger Gen III frame is riding just great as well. The frame swallows the fat Ardent with about three millimeters to spare. One thought kept leaping into my mind as I rode through the snowy cemetery roads at warp speed, and that was "stable". I could get all squirrely in the ice and still keep it upright. Cool! The frame squirts forward with instant acceleration too. Nice and responsive. The fat tires masked anything I might be able to feel from the frame as far as ride quality goes though. I'll have to put the XC set up under it later and figure out that part.

Finally, the Velocity P-35 rims/hubs are performing really well too. I'll tell you what- if there was any flex in that rear wheel the tire would hit the frame. Nothing of the sort has happened yet. I will have to touch up the front wheel though. It seems to sit in the Reba Team fork off center a hair. I'll re-check the dish here soon.

Then after all of that I went snow shoeing. Man! That works the legs, that's for sure. It was good and I tramped all over the Green Belt. It's funny to find boot tracks crossing the woods out there in the middle of nowhere! You know that post holing they are doing is really giving them a workout!

So, any idea when this "dirt" thing will show its face again round these parts? I've forgotten what it looks like!

Day Three Of Mr. Mom

<===Huge? Not so much!

Well, this is going to be Day Three of playing Mr. Mom at home with the kids. Mrs. Guitar Ted is an R.N. and has to be "on call" once in awhile, which in terms of reality means she spends nearly every waking moment at the hospital where she works. That means I got to take care of the two children we have all weekend and of course today is a holiday. No school. We lost our daycare for the time being, so.........day three it is!

So not much has been happening with me in terms of anything that isn't family related, including bicycles. I did get the Maxxis Ardent 2.4"ers mounted though, and you know what? I almost don't even want to say what I have found.

The Maxxis 29"er tire line has been pretty good so far. First we had the Ignitor, which was and still is a great all around tread design. Then the excellent CrossMark came out which made a lot of XC/Trail riders smile. (Curiously, I have never ridden a CrossMark. Hmmm......) Then the Ardent 2.25 came out and trail riders were practically falling over themselves with accolades for this tread design.

I wasn't one of them.

I thought the Ardent 2.25 was merely "okay". It is pretty close to a Bontrager XR in my mind as far as design and not nearly as good a performer. The Ardent was horrible in mud, and it washed out in the dust over hard pack we get here in summer. I felt it was all right if trail conditions were dry, and near perfect, but a lot of other tires will do that and more. Ardent 2.25? Meh!

Then the word came through that Maxxis was going to do a wider version of the Ardent. Okay, maybe the knobs would be deeper and larger too. And guess what? They are. Cool! A new Maxxis tire that might be a great tread for 29"ers. I was interested. So a pair came in for testing at Twenty Nine Inches. I was excited.

I decided to put them on the Velocity P-35 rimmed wheel I have and a 28mm wide WTB rim as a comparison. So whatta ya know? They came out to be undersized. Not just a little either, but by a fair margin. Like in a "Continental" sort of way. Not very impressive.

I know tires stretch, but at just shy of 2.3 inches after 24 hours, these will have to do an amazing job at stretching to get to what they should be on a 35mm wide rim. You can forget about these getting to 2.4 inches on a 28mm wide rim with tubes. It isn't going to happen. Actually, on a 35mm wide rim, I would expect these to be over 2.4 inches wide. I don't think that is going to happen either. I could be wrong though.

So, I know that the Ardent fans, (pun intended) will not be liking what I have to say to start out with in regards to this 2.4 inch version of this Maxxis tire. Just like they thought I was off my rocker about the things I said about the 2.25 version. But, the calipers don't lie, what am I supposed to say? I just hope the performance is there. I won't be finding that out for a wee bit yet though! We've got this issue with winter to deal with first.

Day Three Of Mr. Mom

<===Huge? Not so much!

Well, this is going to be Day Three of playing Mr. Mom at home with the kids. Mrs. Guitar Ted is an R.N. and has to be "on call" once in awhile, which in terms of reality means she spends nearly every waking moment at the hospital where she works. That means I got to take care of the two children we have all weekend and of course today is a holiday. No school. We lost our daycare for the time being, so.........day three it is!

So not much has been happening with me in terms of anything that isn't family related, including bicycles. I did get the Maxxis Ardent 2.4"ers mounted though, and you know what? I almost don't even want to say what I have found.

The Maxxis 29"er tire line has been pretty good so far. First we had the Ignitor, which was and still is a great all around tread design. Then the excellent CrossMark came out which made a lot of XC/Trail riders smile. (Curiously, I have never ridden a CrossMark. Hmmm......) Then the Ardent 2.25 came out and trail riders were practically falling over themselves with accolades for this tread design.

I wasn't one of them.

I thought the Ardent 2.25 was merely "okay". It is pretty close to a Bontrager XR in my mind as far as design and not nearly as good a performer. The Ardent was horrible in mud, and it washed out in the dust over hard pack we get here in summer. I felt it was all right if trail conditions were dry, and near perfect, but a lot of other tires will do that and more. Ardent 2.25? Meh!

Then the word came through that Maxxis was going to do a wider version of the Ardent. Okay, maybe the knobs would be deeper and larger too. And guess what? They are. Cool! A new Maxxis tire that might be a great tread for 29"ers. I was interested. So a pair came in for testing at Twenty Nine Inches. I was excited.

I decided to put them on the Velocity P-35 rimmed wheel I have and a 28mm wide WTB rim as a comparison. So whatta ya know? They came out to be undersized. Not just a little either, but by a fair margin. Like in a "Continental" sort of way. Not very impressive.

I know tires stretch, but at just shy of 2.3 inches after 24 hours, these will have to do an amazing job at stretching to get to what they should be on a 35mm wide rim. You can forget about these getting to 2.4 inches on a 28mm wide rim with tubes. It isn't going to happen. Actually, on a 35mm wide rim, I would expect these to be over 2.4 inches wide. I don't think that is going to happen either. I could be wrong though.

So, I know that the Ardent fans, (pun intended) will not be liking what I have to say to start out with in regards to this 2.4 inch version of this Maxxis tire. Just like they thought I was off my rocker about the things I said about the 2.25 version. But, the calipers don't lie, what am I supposed to say? I just hope the performance is there. I won't be finding that out for a wee bit yet though! We've got this issue with winter to deal with first.