Friday News And Views

A map of the Butterfield Stage gravel route

Butterfield Stage Experience Route Announced:

People that ride bicycles LOVE point to point routes and having them drawn up for them ahead of time. I don't typically roll that way, liking to do my own research, but from time to time, I see something that piques my interest that is a pre-planned route. This new route announcement coming out of Missouri is just such a thing.

Here is the lowdown from the Butterfield Stage Experience site:

In 1858, John Butterfield personally carried the first bag of mail, boarding the Pacific Railroad in St. Louis. Butterfield's journey took him through Jefferson City, California, Tipton, Syracuse, Florence, Cole Camp, Warsaw, Bolivar, and Springfield--a journey you can live again by bicycling the Butterfield Stage Experience route in Missouri.

 Your ride on the Butterfield Stage Experience will bring you to all of these historic routes and places--and more.

In the 1920s the Dry Wood Threshers Association of Sheldon, Missouri, erected stone monuments at the location of every known Butterfield Stage Station in Missouri.

In the 1950s, to commemorate the centennial of the Butterfield Stage, the Missouri State Historical Society erected metal signs at towns along the Butterfield route in Missouri. Most signs direct you to the actual Butterfield Stage Station location (and corresponding stone monument) a few miles outside of town.

Tracking down those markers and monuments--as well as dozens more historically significant buildings and places across Missouri--is a big part of what makes the Butterfield Stage Experience a real adventure--and a real experience.

So, this ticks all the boxes for me. Self-supported touring, history, and gravel, all combined in a route you can do all of, or parts of. I think I need to make time on my calendar to experience this. 

 Controversy Over Almanzo Changes:

The chain of events started with the original founder of the Almanzo 100, Chris Skogen, announcing in August of 2018, that he was taking over the reins as the organizer of the Almanzo events. This after three years of being "retired" from organizing the events which traditionally have been held the weekend after Mother's Day in Spring Valley. Then, in a bombshell announcement in November of 2018, Skogen announced that the event was leaving Spring Valley due to some communications and requirements from officials in Spring Valley that seemed to be untenable to Mr. Skogen. The Almanzo events (100, 165, and 380 mile events) were moved from Spring Valley, Minnesota to Northfield, Minnesota, requiring all new courses for the three traditional event distances plus the addition of a 50 mile event which was added as well. 

Then, on Tuesday of this week, a mere four days before the inaugural Northfield events, Skogen announced that all the Almanzo events were not going to be timed and scored, and that there would be no number plates issued to riders. This announcement produced a flurry of both supportive and negative reactions. Skogen then, according to my contacts that saw it, posted a Facebook video claiming that the negative comments were inflicting too much stress and that this year would be the last Alamnzo. That video was pulled down within an hour of its posting. Then the following day, (Wednesday), Skogen posted on Facebook saying that he stood by his decision to eliminate timing and scoring and to not issue bib numbers since it was "a barrier to participation". Skogen then went on to cite failing bicycle businesses and falling participation in events as a reason for this decision to stand. The question of whether or not this will actually be the last Almanzo has been left unanswered by the latest post I've seen.

Almanzo's "Alexander" distance, 380-ish miles, was to have started by the time you've probably read this. The remainder of the Almanzo events, the traditional 100, the Royal 165-ish, and the new Malanzo 50, are to be held tomorrow. 

Okay, so I've recounted the facts here. Make of that what you may. My personal take is that I find this very odd. Whether or not Almanzo should or should not be a timed, scored, and otherwise "traditionally marked" race is up for debate. To me, that is all secondary to the timing of the announcements. This strikes me as being unnecessary. Why not run this year's events as they have in the past, and make your changes next week for 2020? (Unless this truly is the last Almanzo) What happens to the number plates and work done to time and score the event, which, one would think,  surely must have been in place a week before the event?  Odd. Seems a waste and ill-timed to me, unless....well. I don't know the particulars. So, my questions stem from having run events. Again- you are welcome to have your opinions, these are my thoughts as a race/event director. 

Good luck to those riding from Northfield tomorrow.  

The Bubblegum Princess with IRC Boken Plus tires.

 Records Were Made To Be Broken:

The record I have in my tire roll down test I conduct with tires I am reviewing was set several years ago when I ran a set of Gravel King SK 40mm tires. There were tires that came close, but none that exceeded the lower rolling resistance of that set of tires.

I used to use the Tamland for all those tests, as much as I could. The Tamland has disc wheels and QR attachment for those. Most every wheel I had was in that standard, so it made sense to make the Tamland the "control" bike and keep things as similar as possible. 

But as standards changed, (and I use that term loosely), I decided to switch from using the Tamland to using the Black Mountain Cycles MCD. It has through axles, disc brakes, and otherwise is very "Tamland-ish" in that it is steel, with a steel fork. Anyway, it is what it is. A change was necessary since almost every wheel I'll test now, or own, will be 12mm through axle until such time that some knuckle headed enginerd decides we need to change that.  

So, anyway- the record. Well, I use a big, steep downhill that is paved in town, (surface remains consistent), that spills out into a double tracked gravel/dirt thing. The Gravel King was one of the only set of tires that rolled without pedaling into this double track. Now I have a set of IRC Boken Plus 650B X 47mm tires set up tubeless on the BMC MCD and I took it over to the "test track". 

Result? Record blown away! I not only made it into this double track, but I went about an eighth of a mile up it. So, I broke the record not by a little- by a LOT.  By more than the changes in bike would seem to affect things. If anything, I would have pegged the BMC as slower since the body position is a bit more upright. Anyway..... 

It is clear to me that the IRC Boken Plus is the fastest tire I have yet tested on that course. Scary fast! I suspect that record will stand for some time, but..... Records were made to be broken.  

Have a great weekend! 

Friday News And Views

A map of the Butterfield Stage gravel route

Butterfield Stage Experience Route Announced:

People that ride bicycles LOVE point to point routes and having them drawn up for them ahead of time. I don't typically roll that way, liking to do my own research, but from time to time, I see something that piques my interest that is a pre-planned route. This new route announcement coming out of Missouri is just such a thing.

Here is the lowdown from the Butterfield Stage Experience site:

In 1858, John Butterfield personally carried the first bag of mail, boarding the Pacific Railroad in St. Louis. Butterfield's journey took him through Jefferson City, California, Tipton, Syracuse, Florence, Cole Camp, Warsaw, Bolivar, and Springfield--a journey you can live again by bicycling the Butterfield Stage Experience route in Missouri.

 Your ride on the Butterfield Stage Experience will bring you to all of these historic routes and places--and more.

In the 1920s the Dry Wood Threshers Association of Sheldon, Missouri, erected stone monuments at the location of every known Butterfield Stage Station in Missouri.

In the 1950s, to commemorate the centennial of the Butterfield Stage, the Missouri State Historical Society erected metal signs at towns along the Butterfield route in Missouri. Most signs direct you to the actual Butterfield Stage Station location (and corresponding stone monument) a few miles outside of town.

Tracking down those markers and monuments--as well as dozens more historically significant buildings and places across Missouri--is a big part of what makes the Butterfield Stage Experience a real adventure--and a real experience.

So, this ticks all the boxes for me. Self-supported touring, history, and gravel, all combined in a route you can do all of, or parts of. I think I need to make time on my calendar to experience this. 

 Controversy Over Almanzo Changes:

The chain of events started with the original founder of the Almanzo 100, Chris Skogen, announcing in August of 2018, that he was taking over the reins as the organizer of the Almanzo events. This after three years of being "retired" from organizing the events which traditionally have been held the weekend after Mother's Day in Spring Valley. Then, in a bombshell announcement in November of 2018, Skogen announced that the event was leaving Spring Valley due to some communications and requirements from officials in Spring Valley that seemed to be untenable to Mr. Skogen. The Almanzo events (100, 165, and 380 mile events) were moved from Spring Valley, Minnesota to Northfield, Minnesota, requiring all new courses for the three traditional event distances plus the addition of a 50 mile event which was added as well. 

Then, on Tuesday of this week, a mere four days before the inaugural Northfield events, Skogen announced that all the Almanzo events were not going to be timed and scored, and that there would be no number plates issued to riders. This announcement produced a flurry of both supportive and negative reactions. Skogen then, according to my contacts that saw it, posted a Facebook video claiming that the negative comments were inflicting too much stress and that this year would be the last Alamnzo. That video was pulled down within an hour of its posting. Then the following day, (Wednesday), Skogen posted on Facebook saying that he stood by his decision to eliminate timing and scoring and to not issue bib numbers since it was "a barrier to participation". Skogen then went on to cite failing bicycle businesses and falling participation in events as a reason for this decision to stand. The question of whether or not this will actually be the last Almanzo has been left unanswered by the latest post I've seen.

Almanzo's "Alexander" distance, 380-ish miles, was to have started by the time you've probably read this. The remainder of the Almanzo events, the traditional 100, the Royal 165-ish, and the new Malanzo 50, are to be held tomorrow. 

Okay, so I've recounted the facts here. Make of that what you may. My personal take is that I find this very odd. Whether or not Almanzo should or should not be a timed, scored, and otherwise "traditionally marked" race is up for debate. To me, that is all secondary to the timing of the announcements. This strikes me as being unnecessary. Why not run this year's events as they have in the past, and make your changes next week for 2020? (Unless this truly is the last Almanzo) What happens to the number plates and work done to time and score the event, which, one would think,  surely must have been in place a week before the event?  Odd. Seems a waste and ill-timed to me, unless....well. I don't know the particulars. So, my questions stem from having run events. Again- you are welcome to have your opinions, these are my thoughts as a race/event director. 

Good luck to those riding from Northfield tomorrow.  

The Bubblegum Princess with IRC Boken Plus tires.

 Records Were Made To Be Broken:

The record I have in my tire roll down test I conduct with tires I am reviewing was set several years ago when I ran a set of Gravel King SK 40mm tires. There were tires that came close, but none that exceeded the lower rolling resistance of that set of tires.

I used to use the Tamland for all those tests, as much as I could. The Tamland has disc wheels and QR attachment for those. Most every wheel I had was in that standard, so it made sense to make the Tamland the "control" bike and keep things as similar as possible. 

But as standards changed, (and I use that term loosely), I decided to switch from using the Tamland to using the Black Mountain Cycles MCD. It has through axles, disc brakes, and otherwise is very "Tamland-ish" in that it is steel, with a steel fork. Anyway, it is what it is. A change was necessary since almost every wheel I'll test now, or own, will be 12mm through axle until such time that some knuckle headed enginerd decides we need to change that.  

So, anyway- the record. Well, I use a big, steep downhill that is paved in town, (surface remains consistent), that spills out into a double tracked gravel/dirt thing. The Gravel King was one of the only set of tires that rolled without pedaling into this double track. Now I have a set of IRC Boken Plus 650B X 47mm tires set up tubeless on the BMC MCD and I took it over to the "test track". 

Result? Record blown away! I not only made it into this double track, but I went about an eighth of a mile up it. So, I broke the record not by a little- by a LOT.  By more than the changes in bike would seem to affect things. If anything, I would have pegged the BMC as slower since the body position is a bit more upright. Anyway..... 

It is clear to me that the IRC Boken Plus is the fastest tire I have yet tested on that course. Scary fast! I suspect that record will stand for some time, but..... Records were made to be broken.  

Have a great weekend! 

Friday News And Views

Stick 'em up!

Riding Gravel News:

There are a couple of things to chat about here regarding the site I am partnered in with Ben Welnak, better known for his Mountain Bike Radio podcasts. Of course, that site is RidingGravel.com. Ben is definitely better at the promoting thing than I am. He's got t-shirts and stickers, and who knows what all going on for his various ventures. So, it shouldn't come as any surprise that he's been tweaking the look of the site, adding an "About" page and even something for anyone wanting to advertise. Ben is the man when it comes to all of that. Heck, all I know about is rocks, rock and roll, and bicycles. I'd never be able to do all of what Ben does so well.

So, anyway.......Ben came up with a plan to revamp the look of the logo and he sent me about two dozen renderings and we finally came up with the new logo, as seen on the stickers in the image here. Yep.....there is a heck of a lot of stickers there! If you want some, give me a holler and I'll work out how to get you some.

Beyond stickers and web design, we are active in the gravel road community putting on events, and now......helping support them with real labor!  Yep. I'll be working Checkpoint #3 with Ben and a couple of others for this weekend's running of the Almanzo 100. I've actually never been to this seminal gravel road event, so it is about time I did that, yes? Yes, I believe so, and helping to cheer on the riders is a good way for me to do that, I think. Oh......and yes- we will have stickers to hand out. Be nice! I'm planning on having my son be there and I think I will put him in charge of those. We will see..... Anyway, this all happened at the last minute when another entity pulled the plug on helping so Ben decided we'd step in and fill that void. Hopefully we can pull it together and give a good showing.

Rubber godz

The Religion of Rubber:

I don't think anything else about bicycles engenders more passionate feelings than tires. Just those rubber skins we either put a tube into or use sealant with. That one component that touches the ground, goes round and round, and gives us feedback from the surfaces we ride on. Tires. Those odd, mostly black, sometimes knobbly bits of circular goodness. They are just tires. 

But with the near zealous, religious fervor these mere things engender, you'd think that people were talking about gods. It's weird. There is no doubt that, more than anything else I write about, tires generate the most interest than anything else. Then it is maybe geometry of bikes, and finally, Trans Iowa.  I could probably write about new tires for months and no one would notice I wasn't writing anything else. Tires.......yeah. It's just really a weird thing.

So, I will be writing more about tires, real soon, and that shouldn't be a surprise at all. I have the Panaracer Gravel King 40's to wrap up, but I will say those are some very nice tires. Then it's on to a couple of unknowns. One I am doing some consulting on, so I cannot talk about that, but the other is coming and it is something brand new. New tires from a new brand. I'm sure these will raise some passionate feelings both good and bad. You know, tires always seem to do that. In the future I'll be looking at those WTB Riddler tires too. The ones we gave away a couple pair of at Trans Iowa. They looked pretty interesting.

Sheesh! It wasn't too long ago that every gravel road rider worth his or her salt ran Schwalbe Marathon series tires and that was your only/best choice. Maybe things were simpler and easier back then. I know that there was a lot less chatter about tires for gravel road riding!

Okay, that's a wrap on this week. Maybe I'll see ya at Almanzo, or if not, go have some good bicycling adventure!

Friday News And Views

Stick 'em up!

Riding Gravel News:

There are a couple of things to chat about here regarding the site I am partnered in with Ben Welnak, better known for his Mountain Bike Radio podcasts. Of course, that site is RidingGravel.com. Ben is definitely better at the promoting thing than I am. He's got t-shirts and stickers, and who knows what all going on for his various ventures. So, it shouldn't come as any surprise that he's been tweaking the look of the site, adding an "About" page and even something for anyone wanting to advertise. Ben is the man when it comes to all of that. Heck, all I know about is rocks, rock and roll, and bicycles. I'd never be able to do all of what Ben does so well.

So, anyway.......Ben came up with a plan to revamp the look of the logo and he sent me about two dozen renderings and we finally came up with the new logo, as seen on the stickers in the image here. Yep.....there is a heck of a lot of stickers there! If you want some, give me a holler and I'll work out how to get you some.

Beyond stickers and web design, we are active in the gravel road community putting on events, and now......helping support them with real labor!  Yep. I'll be working Checkpoint #3 with Ben and a couple of others for this weekend's running of the Almanzo 100. I've actually never been to this seminal gravel road event, so it is about time I did that, yes? Yes, I believe so, and helping to cheer on the riders is a good way for me to do that, I think. Oh......and yes- we will have stickers to hand out. Be nice! I'm planning on having my son be there and I think I will put him in charge of those. We will see..... Anyway, this all happened at the last minute when another entity pulled the plug on helping so Ben decided we'd step in and fill that void. Hopefully we can pull it together and give a good showing.

Rubber godz

The Religion of Rubber:

I don't think anything else about bicycles engenders more passionate feelings than tires. Just those rubber skins we either put a tube into or use sealant with. That one component that touches the ground, goes round and round, and gives us feedback from the surfaces we ride on. Tires. Those odd, mostly black, sometimes knobbly bits of circular goodness. They are just tires. 

But with the near zealous, religious fervor these mere things engender, you'd think that people were talking about gods. It's weird. There is no doubt that, more than anything else I write about, tires generate the most interest than anything else. Then it is maybe geometry of bikes, and finally, Trans Iowa.  I could probably write about new tires for months and no one would notice I wasn't writing anything else. Tires.......yeah. It's just really a weird thing.

So, I will be writing more about tires, real soon, and that shouldn't be a surprise at all. I have the Panaracer Gravel King 40's to wrap up, but I will say those are some very nice tires. Then it's on to a couple of unknowns. One I am doing some consulting on, so I cannot talk about that, but the other is coming and it is something brand new. New tires from a new brand. I'm sure these will raise some passionate feelings both good and bad. You know, tires always seem to do that. In the future I'll be looking at those WTB Riddler tires too. The ones we gave away a couple pair of at Trans Iowa. They looked pretty interesting.

Sheesh! It wasn't too long ago that every gravel road rider worth his or her salt ran Schwalbe Marathon series tires and that was your only/best choice. Maybe things were simpler and easier back then. I know that there was a lot less chatter about tires for gravel road riding!

Okay, that's a wrap on this week. Maybe I'll see ya at Almanzo, or if not, go have some good bicycling adventure!

Switcheroo: Update

Glad to have these on the Tamland yesterday.

The new wheels with the huge Panaracer SK 40mm tires went to the Renegade Gents Race yesterday, (full recap tomorrow), but I wanted to get out an impression of the set up while I had time here.

The Gent's Race has it's courses change up from time to time, but there is one consistent thing about all of them- The gravel in that area has a higher sand content than many places in Iowa. It is very similar to Nebraska, "Gravel World's" type stuff. Loose, shifty, and deep at times. While there had been a lot of rain down that way recently, and some of the roads were pretty firm, there was still a fair amount of that sandy, loose stuff.

The other factor was the high winds. We were obligated to head straight into the teeth of a 25-30mph wind with higher gusts for a stretch over 10 miles in one crack. In order to keep our team of five together we had to ride in echelon, which required us to be in pretty close and tight to one another to make it effective. That meant that you had to run over whatever was coming your way. No picking your line or looking for the smoothest parts of the road to ride on.

So, having to run over all the deeper, loose stuff on the edges of the road, since I was helping to pull, meant that if I had a tire/rim combo that knifed in, I was going to have a really hard time staying up there and keeping my line. I'm glad to say that this wheel and tire combo passed muster in this scenario. I couldn't have been happier.

More soon......

Switcheroo: Update

Glad to have these on the Tamland yesterday.

The new wheels with the huge Panaracer SK 40mm tires went to the Renegade Gents Race yesterday, (full recap tomorrow), but I wanted to get out an impression of the set up while I had time here.

The Gent's Race has it's courses change up from time to time, but there is one consistent thing about all of them- The gravel in that area has a higher sand content than many places in Iowa. It is very similar to Nebraska, "Gravel World's" type stuff. Loose, shifty, and deep at times. While there had been a lot of rain down that way recently, and some of the roads were pretty firm, there was still a fair amount of that sandy, loose stuff.

The other factor was the high winds. We were obligated to head straight into the teeth of a 25-30mph wind with higher gusts for a stretch over 10 miles in one crack. In order to keep our team of five together we had to ride in echelon, which required us to be in pretty close and tight to one another to make it effective. That meant that you had to run over whatever was coming your way. No picking your line or looking for the smoothest parts of the road to ride on.

So, having to run over all the deeper, loose stuff on the edges of the road, since I was helping to pull, meant that if I had a tire/rim combo that knifed in, I was going to have a really hard time staying up there and keeping my line. I'm glad to say that this wheel and tire combo passed muster in this scenario. I couldn't have been happier.

More soon......

Trying To Make Lemonade

That's not mud spewed all over, that's sealant from my rear tire.

There was a great plan. Ride home from work the super long way. That would be to go out of Cedar Falls Northward to hit the gravel and cut across Eastward on Mt. Vernon Road to Burton Avenue and then back home. Great plan, and it was really nice weather. Not too windy, sunny, and a light Northwest breeze.

Great plans often get derailed, and that's obviously what happened to me. My almost brand new Gravel King 40 rear tire was cut down somewhere on the Big Woods Lake bike path. A hole, or possibly a cut, so big that almost all my sealant spewed out before 30 seconds went past.

I couldn't get it to seal, and no wonder, since the sealant was all over my bike and not in the tire. I resorted to a tube, pumped it up with my new pump, and then I decided to investigate what it might be that caused the flat tire. I vaguely recalled seeing a large object that I nailed dead on with my rear tire. It shouldn't be too hard to locate, I thought. Well, it wasn't, and I was not surprised to see the reason why I had flatted. The bike path was strewn with broken shards of thick, irregularly shaped glass in a 10' X 10' area. There was no way to not hit glass. I saw the chunk I hit which I had smashed into smaller bits. Crap!

So, here's the deal. Lots and lots of people use this trail, yet not one of them had the idea that maybe they should clear the trail of the glass? My hope in humanity was somewhat dimmed at this realization. Despite following the herd, which would have been too easy, I did the rebellious thing and I actually swept the trail as best I could. You know...... Because it was the right thing to do, maybe?

The Weeping Willow is always one of the first to sprout leaves in Spring. 

Wow. My countenance was not the best after this. Yeah, I was upset about the tire, for sure, but I was maybe more ticked off about people that don't do anything, even when it would be so easy to do the right thing. I had some steam to burn off, so I put it into the big ring and hammered along the bike paths, dirt roads, and back streets along the river to make my way home. Bicycles are a great medicine for what ails ya.

An Iowan bayou?

After several miles, my now cooler head prevailed and I eased back a bit, and even stopped to take in a few sights along the way. Spring is emerging all around us here. Yards have green grass, the flowers are out, the early daffodils and the like are, at any rate. The willows are green and sprouting leaves. Touches of color stand in stark contrast to the dead browns and tans of Winter. In fact, the whole scene will shift from dun colors to the deep greens and splashes of color from flowers very soon. It's all a bit early this year, but that's okay.

Soon I found that I had calmed down. I had a perfectly good tube in the tire now. I was riding. The tire was still working, and I had the satisfaction that I had done something to change the condition of that little spot in the world for the better. Sure, I was still a little sore about what had happened, but I was trying to turn my lemon of a ride, (to start out with), into lemonade. I know.....pretty cheesy, but it mostly worked, and that's what matters most.

Trying To Make Lemonade

That's not mud spewed all over, that's sealant from my rear tire.

There was a great plan. Ride home from work the super long way. That would be to go out of Cedar Falls Northward to hit the gravel and cut across Eastward on Mt. Vernon Road to Burton Avenue and then back home. Great plan, and it was really nice weather. Not too windy, sunny, and a light Northwest breeze.

Great plans often get derailed, and that's obviously what happened to me. My almost brand new Gravel King 40 rear tire was cut down somewhere on the Big Woods Lake bike path. A hole, or possibly a cut, so big that almost all my sealant spewed out before 30 seconds went past.

I couldn't get it to seal, and no wonder, since the sealant was all over my bike and not in the tire. I resorted to a tube, pumped it up with my new pump, and then I decided to investigate what it might be that caused the flat tire. I vaguely recalled seeing a large object that I nailed dead on with my rear tire. It shouldn't be too hard to locate, I thought. Well, it wasn't, and I was not surprised to see the reason why I had flatted. The bike path was strewn with broken shards of thick, irregularly shaped glass in a 10' X 10' area. There was no way to not hit glass. I saw the chunk I hit which I had smashed into smaller bits. Crap!

So, here's the deal. Lots and lots of people use this trail, yet not one of them had the idea that maybe they should clear the trail of the glass? My hope in humanity was somewhat dimmed at this realization. Despite following the herd, which would have been too easy, I did the rebellious thing and I actually swept the trail as best I could. You know...... Because it was the right thing to do, maybe?

The Weeping Willow is always one of the first to sprout leaves in Spring. 

Wow. My countenance was not the best after this. Yeah, I was upset about the tire, for sure, but I was maybe more ticked off about people that don't do anything, even when it would be so easy to do the right thing. I had some steam to burn off, so I put it into the big ring and hammered along the bike paths, dirt roads, and back streets along the river to make my way home. Bicycles are a great medicine for what ails ya.

An Iowan bayou?

After several miles, my now cooler head prevailed and I eased back a bit, and even stopped to take in a few sights along the way. Spring is emerging all around us here. Yards have green grass, the flowers are out, the early daffodils and the like are, at any rate. The willows are green and sprouting leaves. Touches of color stand in stark contrast to the dead browns and tans of Winter. In fact, the whole scene will shift from dun colors to the deep greens and splashes of color from flowers very soon. It's all a bit early this year, but that's okay.

Soon I found that I had calmed down. I had a perfectly good tube in the tire now. I was riding. The tire was still working, and I had the satisfaction that I had done something to change the condition of that little spot in the world for the better. Sure, I was still a little sore about what had happened, but I was trying to turn my lemon of a ride, (to start out with), into lemonade. I know.....pretty cheesy, but it mostly worked, and that's what matters most.

Switcheroo

Tight!

Okay, so I've had these Gravel King 40's on for a bit, (See my review of them so far HERE), and I put them on the Twin Six Standard Rando first. I thought that is where they would fit the best, since these tires have less tall tread blocks than the Nano 40 TCS tires have. Those Nanos ended up being 42mm on the wide, KOM i25 rims, so the thinking was that the GK's would be better here and I thought everything was going to work out. Bzzzt! Wrong!

The GK's stretched, a lot! Initially they did look better, and there was a decent air space there under the momo-stay and fork crown. However; that all disappeared within about 24 hours of having mounted them. The measurement just after inflation wasn't taken, but I am going to say these things grew at least a couple of millimeters all around. I was floored when I put the calipers on them and they read 43.11mm!

Well, that was just too much for the ol' Standard Rando as I said last Saturday here. Something had to be done about that. I couldn't be having small chunks of gravel jamming in between the tire and fork crown or under the mono-stay in the rear. They already were doing that with the Nano 40's. So, I did the ol' switcheroo. It occurred to me that now I have two eleven speed wheel sets. I had almost forgotten about the Tamland Two's Ultegra 11 speed drive train.

Big tires? Not a problem here!

I had tried out some 2.0" 29"er tires on a whim on the Tamland once. They were WTB Nineline tires. They were too big, because they had no mud clearance at all, but they both spun in the frame freely! That knowledge suddenly came back to me as well, so I already knew these GK's would work. I simply swapped wheel sets and bam! There ya go. Clearance for days and the Standard Rando has the tires on it that it should have now.

MUCH better now!

Lesson learned. Bigger gravel tires go on the Tamland, 35mm-38mm tires go on the Twin Six. The wheels that were on the Tamland are nothing spectacular, but they are decent wheels, as I have had zero issues with them in two years of pretty demanding riding at times. The wheels are set up with tubed Challenge Gravel Grinders, and those are really pretty nice tires. I've never even thought about converting those wheels to tubeless, and I don't think I will. If anything, I'd just re-lace the hubs to new tubeless ready rims at some point.

But that's for another time. Now I have the wheel set with the big meats in a frame and fork where everything fits comfortably, and the Standard Rando is fit to be ridden without fear of tearing up tires, the frame and fork, and me! This is a good thing. Now I did set up those wheels for the Standard Rando, but they always can be switched back and mounted with, say the 36mm Clements, and I think that should fit just fine. I think I may do that eventually.

Now I just have to decide upon which bike I want to ride at the upcoming Gents Race. I wanted to run my new wheels and tires in the T-6, but those are on the Tamland now, so maybe I'll just go with that. Or I could just ride the old standby- the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" rig. Heck, that's the bike I've used the most down there for that event. It's almost a tradition!

Switcheroo

Tight!

Okay, so I've had these Gravel King 40's on for a bit, (See my review of them so far HERE), and I put them on the Twin Six Standard Rando first. I thought that is where they would fit the best, since these tires have less tall tread blocks than the Nano 40 TCS tires have. Those Nanos ended up being 42mm on the wide, KOM i25 rims, so the thinking was that the GK's would be better here and I thought everything was going to work out. Bzzzt! Wrong!

The GK's stretched, a lot! Initially they did look better, and there was a decent air space there under the momo-stay and fork crown. However; that all disappeared within about 24 hours of having mounted them. The measurement just after inflation wasn't taken, but I am going to say these things grew at least a couple of millimeters all around. I was floored when I put the calipers on them and they read 43.11mm!

Well, that was just too much for the ol' Standard Rando as I said last Saturday here. Something had to be done about that. I couldn't be having small chunks of gravel jamming in between the tire and fork crown or under the mono-stay in the rear. They already were doing that with the Nano 40's. So, I did the ol' switcheroo. It occurred to me that now I have two eleven speed wheel sets. I had almost forgotten about the Tamland Two's Ultegra 11 speed drive train.

Big tires? Not a problem here!

I had tried out some 2.0" 29"er tires on a whim on the Tamland once. They were WTB Nineline tires. They were too big, because they had no mud clearance at all, but they both spun in the frame freely! That knowledge suddenly came back to me as well, so I already knew these GK's would work. I simply swapped wheel sets and bam! There ya go. Clearance for days and the Standard Rando has the tires on it that it should have now.

MUCH better now!

Lesson learned. Bigger gravel tires go on the Tamland, 35mm-38mm tires go on the Twin Six. The wheels that were on the Tamland are nothing spectacular, but they are decent wheels, as I have had zero issues with them in two years of pretty demanding riding at times. The wheels are set up with tubed Challenge Gravel Grinders, and those are really pretty nice tires. I've never even thought about converting those wheels to tubeless, and I don't think I will. If anything, I'd just re-lace the hubs to new tubeless ready rims at some point.

But that's for another time. Now I have the wheel set with the big meats in a frame and fork where everything fits comfortably, and the Standard Rando is fit to be ridden without fear of tearing up tires, the frame and fork, and me! This is a good thing. Now I did set up those wheels for the Standard Rando, but they always can be switched back and mounted with, say the 36mm Clements, and I think that should fit just fine. I think I may do that eventually.

Now I just have to decide upon which bike I want to ride at the upcoming Gents Race. I wanted to run my new wheels and tires in the T-6, but those are on the Tamland now, so maybe I'll just go with that. Or I could just ride the old standby- the Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" rig. Heck, that's the bike I've used the most down there for that event. It's almost a tradition!

Wheels For The Standard Rando: Update 2

Tires swapped to something "kingly"

Okay, here's an update on how the big gravel tires are doing on the big gravel rims. In my last post on this bike and wheels, I had Nano40TCS tires on which were measuring out at 42mm in width. I wanted to try out some Panaracer 40mm Gravel Kings  with the hope being that they would clear the frame a little better. Lower knobs and all of that. But, with a completely different manufacturer, it wasn't a sure thing.

The tires came in on Thursday and Thursday night I mounted them. By the next morning, they looked ginormous. They were taking up as much room as the Nano 40's, despite having lower knob action. I rode the bike into work, checked the air pressure, and measured the width of the casings with a digital calipers. The pressure was 35psi in the rear tire and it measured at 43.11mm.

43.11mm!

The tires were actually bigger than the Nano 40 TCS tires on these 25mm internal width rims. That's breaching into monster-cross/29"er territory there. But my bigger concern was that the mono-stay design of the Twin Six Standard Rando was making clearance an issue with these tires. Even more so than with the Nano 40's. So, I am finding out that the bigger rims are making these tires not only wider, but so voluminous that they don't clear the T-6 frame with enough air space that I am comfortable with those big tires on that bike. Time for a change......

I've got something in mind for the short term and a longer term fix is in the works as well.

Wheels For The Standard Rando: Update 2

Tires swapped to something "kingly"

Okay, here's an update on how the big gravel tires are doing on the big gravel rims. In my last post on this bike and wheels, I had Nano40TCS tires on which were measuring out at 42mm in width. I wanted to try out some Panaracer 40mm Gravel Kings  with the hope being that they would clear the frame a little better. Lower knobs and all of that. But, with a completely different manufacturer, it wasn't a sure thing.

The tires came in on Thursday and Thursday night I mounted them. By the next morning, they looked ginormous. They were taking up as much room as the Nano 40's, despite having lower knob action. I rode the bike into work, checked the air pressure, and measured the width of the casings with a digital calipers. The pressure was 35psi in the rear tire and it measured at 43.11mm.

43.11mm!

The tires were actually bigger than the Nano 40 TCS tires on these 25mm internal width rims. That's breaching into monster-cross/29"er territory there. But my bigger concern was that the mono-stay design of the Twin Six Standard Rando was making clearance an issue with these tires. Even more so than with the Nano 40's. So, I am finding out that the bigger rims are making these tires not only wider, but so voluminous that they don't clear the T-6 frame with enough air space that I am comfortable with those big tires on that bike. Time for a change......

I've got something in mind for the short term and a longer term fix is in the works as well.

Friday News And Views

Spring Cleaning

Practical Cycling:

One of my favorite things to do is to figure out how I can use my bicycles for ordinary tasks. You know, like getting a gallon of milk. Grab the "townie" and pack the jug of moo juice home in a pannier. That sort of thing, but even on larger scales.So when Mrs. Guitar Ted said she had many bags of clothes to donate to Goodwill, I said that I would take care of that task. It was a perfect task for my Xtracycle.

One of my favorite things about the Xtracycle is that, if you put your mind to it, you can usually figure out how to carry some ridiculous loads. The one thing I hate about my Xtracycle is that those loads push it way beyond its practical capabilities.

See! This is why I need a Big Dummy! 

I know, I know..... "just go get one already!" I hear ya, but my "practical thinking mind" says that I already own such a beast, and that the wobbling, snaking down the road, flexy wheeled, poor braking beast is enough for me and my needs. Gah! I drive myself crazy with the back and forth of it all. Sometimes I wish the damn thing would just break, then my mind would be made up for me. Ha! Trouble is that this rig is like a cockroach. I cannot kill it. It isn't like I don't try to though......

How kingly art thou?

A Pretentious Name:

I got a pair of new tires for the Standard Rando to try out. When I first got the bike, almost a year ago now, to test for RidingGravel.com, it came shod with the narrower, 32mm Panaracer Gravel King tires. They weren't much fun on Iowa gravel, so off they went and I never looked back again at those tires. I knew at the time Panaracer was planning a 40mm version of the tire, so I held out until that tire was available, and here it is.

The really ironic thing about the whole Gravel King line up is that when it was introduced, the first tire was a smooth 28mm skinny-minnie that wouldn't do squat on gravel we have here but maybe cause you to work way too hard and pinch flat. "Some 'gravel king' that tire is!", I thought. Then the 32mm with tread appeared, and, well, that was another fail, at least here. So, now we have a 35mm, which I wanted to try, but was unavailable at this time, and this 40, which I expect to be more than capable. The testing will commence soon and be reported here and on RidingGravel.com.

The thing is, gravel isn't the same everywhere, but here is my point. Gravel tires should be such that you can tackle anything and do it with relative ease. A 28mm tire is not a gravel tire you can take anywhere. No......fat road tire? Maybe. Heck, it is almost a "normal width" for a pavement road bike tire now. Now, a 35-40mm tire? Yes...now we're talking. Is that overkill for some places? Sure it is, but you won't be wanting when you do go to those "other places". And....if your bike can handle big tires, you can always mount skinnier ones. Try that on your Trek Madone.  Okay, that's my rant on the name. It is silly, it doesn't make sense across the range, but whatever. It is what it is......

Trans Iowa v12 Update: 

This past week was spent mostly on dialing in cue sheets. The mileage, which we strive to get right, was off in one, small section, and it would seem to be easy to fix. However; you underestimate the complexity and enormity of the task if you think that.

With several turns, this way and that, markers for road crossings, and name changes, the mileages pile up. Figures differing only one digit or two are common, and it gets to be really easy to mis-transcribe numbers. However; what got us screwed up was our mapping program, which wanted to route back and forth over itself unless you dialed up the resolution on the map to the point you couldn't see the forest for the trees, so to speak. I missed one spot after map clean up and it made the route in one section a quarter mile longer than it should have been. Why the route making program didn't reconfigure the entire route a quarter mile longer, I don't know. I have a way of messing up these sorts of things.

The point is, finally we got the thing straightened out. It went back and forth over the period of a day, but between Jeremy and I, we got it. Now we just have to verify the route via recon the week before Trans Iowa, and print the cues, and..... Whew!

I've gotten a few drop out notices from riders, thanks! It saves us work on our end if we know ahead of time that you cannot make T.I.v12. 

New Logo from the RidingGravel.com Facebook Page

 RidingGravel.com Logo:

We've been working on a new look for RidingGravel.com lately, and we have been coming up with some awesome ideas. Sometimes though, the simplest idea can be way better than anything else you have been looking at.

Case in point: The traffic sign logo that my partner, Ben, came up with, is just killer. In fact, it was so good that he went right ahead and made it our Facebook page avatar. I think it is brilliant.

Now, this doesn't mean that our other ideas went in the circular file. No- It just means that this is the perfect way for us to depict what it is to be riding gravel. Rural, somewhat dangerous, and it is eye catching in a super simple format. I don't know- maybe I am all wrong here- but I like this and I think it fits really well. What do you think?



That's a wrap! Have a fantastic weekend and keep the rubber side down.

Friday News And Views

Spring Cleaning

Practical Cycling:

One of my favorite things to do is to figure out how I can use my bicycles for ordinary tasks. You know, like getting a gallon of milk. Grab the "townie" and pack the jug of moo juice home in a pannier. That sort of thing, but even on larger scales.So when Mrs. Guitar Ted said she had many bags of clothes to donate to Goodwill, I said that I would take care of that task. It was a perfect task for my Xtracycle.

One of my favorite things about the Xtracycle is that, if you put your mind to it, you can usually figure out how to carry some ridiculous loads. The one thing I hate about my Xtracycle is that those loads push it way beyond its practical capabilities.

See! This is why I need a Big Dummy! 

I know, I know..... "just go get one already!" I hear ya, but my "practical thinking mind" says that I already own such a beast, and that the wobbling, snaking down the road, flexy wheeled, poor braking beast is enough for me and my needs. Gah! I drive myself crazy with the back and forth of it all. Sometimes I wish the damn thing would just break, then my mind would be made up for me. Ha! Trouble is that this rig is like a cockroach. I cannot kill it. It isn't like I don't try to though......

How kingly art thou?

A Pretentious Name:

I got a pair of new tires for the Standard Rando to try out. When I first got the bike, almost a year ago now, to test for RidingGravel.com, it came shod with the narrower, 32mm Panaracer Gravel King tires. They weren't much fun on Iowa gravel, so off they went and I never looked back again at those tires. I knew at the time Panaracer was planning a 40mm version of the tire, so I held out until that tire was available, and here it is.

The really ironic thing about the whole Gravel King line up is that when it was introduced, the first tire was a smooth 28mm skinny-minnie that wouldn't do squat on gravel we have here but maybe cause you to work way too hard and pinch flat. "Some 'gravel king' that tire is!", I thought. Then the 32mm with tread appeared, and, well, that was another fail, at least here. So, now we have a 35mm, which I wanted to try, but was unavailable at this time, and this 40, which I expect to be more than capable. The testing will commence soon and be reported here and on RidingGravel.com.

The thing is, gravel isn't the same everywhere, but here is my point. Gravel tires should be such that you can tackle anything and do it with relative ease. A 28mm tire is not a gravel tire you can take anywhere. No......fat road tire? Maybe. Heck, it is almost a "normal width" for a pavement road bike tire now. Now, a 35-40mm tire? Yes...now we're talking. Is that overkill for some places? Sure it is, but you won't be wanting when you do go to those "other places". And....if your bike can handle big tires, you can always mount skinnier ones. Try that on your Trek Madone.  Okay, that's my rant on the name. It is silly, it doesn't make sense across the range, but whatever. It is what it is......

Trans Iowa v12 Update: 

This past week was spent mostly on dialing in cue sheets. The mileage, which we strive to get right, was off in one, small section, and it would seem to be easy to fix. However; you underestimate the complexity and enormity of the task if you think that.

With several turns, this way and that, markers for road crossings, and name changes, the mileages pile up. Figures differing only one digit or two are common, and it gets to be really easy to mis-transcribe numbers. However; what got us screwed up was our mapping program, which wanted to route back and forth over itself unless you dialed up the resolution on the map to the point you couldn't see the forest for the trees, so to speak. I missed one spot after map clean up and it made the route in one section a quarter mile longer than it should have been. Why the route making program didn't reconfigure the entire route a quarter mile longer, I don't know. I have a way of messing up these sorts of things.

The point is, finally we got the thing straightened out. It went back and forth over the period of a day, but between Jeremy and I, we got it. Now we just have to verify the route via recon the week before Trans Iowa, and print the cues, and..... Whew!

I've gotten a few drop out notices from riders, thanks! It saves us work on our end if we know ahead of time that you cannot make T.I.v12. 

New Logo from the RidingGravel.com Facebook Page

 RidingGravel.com Logo:

We've been working on a new look for RidingGravel.com lately, and we have been coming up with some awesome ideas. Sometimes though, the simplest idea can be way better than anything else you have been looking at.

Case in point: The traffic sign logo that my partner, Ben, came up with, is just killer. In fact, it was so good that he went right ahead and made it our Facebook page avatar. I think it is brilliant.

Now, this doesn't mean that our other ideas went in the circular file. No- It just means that this is the perfect way for us to depict what it is to be riding gravel. Rural, somewhat dangerous, and it is eye catching in a super simple format. I don't know- maybe I am all wrong here- but I like this and I think it fits really well. What do you think?



That's a wrap! Have a fantastic weekend and keep the rubber side down.