Friday News And Views

Update: Trans Iowa v13- I wanted to remind everyone that there is a bit of an announcement concerning registration ideas, (NOTE- Not an announcement of the opening of registration!) and you should check that out here. I am getting some early feedback on my ideas and so far it has all been positive. However; if there are any dissenting opinions, or folks that have an idea to share that they think might help, please feel free to share that in the comments or via e-mail @ g.ted.productions@gmail.com.

I'm giving this about ten days to settle in and gather feedback after which I will render a final decision and announce registration details. All details that you will need to know will be released at that time. I would suggest that anyone e-mailing me concerning when/how/where registration is happening before the news comes out would be making a poor decision, so just don't do that, all right? Good. Thank you.

Adventure Road Biking- It isn't anything new.

You're Going To Get Sick Of This:

The bicycling industry is frantically trying to find that "thing" to get you interested in buying. Yes.....it doesn't matter what, just buy something, damnit!! The "niche-du-jour" this year and next will be "adventure road/all road" cycling. Bicycles will be proffered with the aim of getting you to think that you will be able to go anywhere and do anything on this new fangled bicycle that will become "the next big wave in cycling", or so it is hoped.

Yeah, many of these rigs are things that are close to what I would have been pounding the table to get six years ago, but it isn't so much the hardware I am thinking I am having an issue with, it is more about how the industry is missing the message. The marketers all have, pretty much to a brand, missed the "why" of riding off paved roads. If they even mention that being a thing at all, actually.

Ask anyone that does gravel events, or just enjoys being out in rural areas, why they cycle there, and you'll begin to see a common picture being painted. Less cars, peaceful, beauty, mind clearing, and other terms in those veins will be gathered from those cyclists. Have you heard any bicycling company pick up this narrative? What is more likely is that you will see companies selling out on their corporate head's comments about gravel bikes being stupid or unnecessary. I've already noted one such 180 degree turnabout. Irony- It's what happens when your company sees dollar signs.

I don't see the proper narrative and I don't think you will. Therefore, it is my prediction that the bean counters will find out that units are not moving in the "adventure road category" and the industry will start pumping out some other half-baked theme to sell whatever the next big thing is deemed to be. In the meantime, brace yourselves for an ear and eyeful of misguided messages about country biking.

I could add this to the stable in a heartbeat but for lack of $$$'s.

What Would You Buy?

So, what does strike me as being a bicycle that makes sense for my cycling? The thing is, and I won't lie, I have just about every kind of bicycle I'll ever need. Note: I said "need". Of course, there are a lot of bicycles I want to have. The thing is, I wouldn't hardly ever ride them.

That said, there are a couple of "holes" in my stable, and one of them is a tandem. I have a wife and two kids I could put behind me on a Powderkeg. Well........not all at once, of course! But I think that a tandem would be an asset to my family. The thing is, coming up with that kind of cabbage all at once is......well, if I am being 100% honest here, it isn't a top priority. I could use the thousands fixing up some things on the house, or for buying the kids school clothes, or....well, you get the picture. It is an excuse, and it is incumbent upon me to overcome said excuse. I get that. Anyway.....that's a big hurdle. I struggle with that one, honestly.

Another one I have had on my radar forever is a Big Dummy. There are other cargo bikes, but the Surly Big Dummy is just a bit different and fits my style best. I already have some attachments for one of these rigs. I would use one a lot, if I had one. I just need to get it done. Make it a priority. Doing that instead of "getting by" with my Xtra-cycled Schwinn mtb from the 80's which, truth be told, is woefully inadequate, would be a smart move.

So, there are two things I would get, that are maybe out of the norm, but would make a great addition to what I already have. I don't think I can swing both this Winter, but I think I am going to swing for one of them soon.

Life is too short.

Have a great weekend and get out and ride!! 

Friday News And Views

Update: Trans Iowa v13- I wanted to remind everyone that there is a bit of an announcement concerning registration ideas, (NOTE- Not an announcement of the opening of registration!) and you should check that out here. I am getting some early feedback on my ideas and so far it has all been positive. However; if there are any dissenting opinions, or folks that have an idea to share that they think might help, please feel free to share that in the comments or via e-mail @ g.ted.productions@gmail.com.

I'm giving this about ten days to settle in and gather feedback after which I will render a final decision and announce registration details. All details that you will need to know will be released at that time. I would suggest that anyone e-mailing me concerning when/how/where registration is happening before the news comes out would be making a poor decision, so just don't do that, all right? Good. Thank you.

Adventure Road Biking- It isn't anything new.

You're Going To Get Sick Of This:

The bicycling industry is frantically trying to find that "thing" to get you interested in buying. Yes.....it doesn't matter what, just buy something, damnit!! The "niche-du-jour" this year and next will be "adventure road/all road" cycling. Bicycles will be proffered with the aim of getting you to think that you will be able to go anywhere and do anything on this new fangled bicycle that will become "the next big wave in cycling", or so it is hoped.

Yeah, many of these rigs are things that are close to what I would have been pounding the table to get six years ago, but it isn't so much the hardware I am thinking I am having an issue with, it is more about how the industry is missing the message. The marketers all have, pretty much to a brand, missed the "why" of riding off paved roads. If they even mention that being a thing at all, actually.

Ask anyone that does gravel events, or just enjoys being out in rural areas, why they cycle there, and you'll begin to see a common picture being painted. Less cars, peaceful, beauty, mind clearing, and other terms in those veins will be gathered from those cyclists. Have you heard any bicycling company pick up this narrative? What is more likely is that you will see companies selling out on their corporate head's comments about gravel bikes being stupid or unnecessary. I've already noted one such 180 degree turnabout. Irony- It's what happens when your company sees dollar signs.

I don't see the proper narrative and I don't think you will. Therefore, it is my prediction that the bean counters will find out that units are not moving in the "adventure road category" and the industry will start pumping out some other half-baked theme to sell whatever the next big thing is deemed to be. In the meantime, brace yourselves for an ear and eyeful of misguided messages about country biking.

I could add this to the stable in a heartbeat but for lack of $$$'s.

What Would You Buy?

So, what does strike me as being a bicycle that makes sense for my cycling? The thing is, and I won't lie, I have just about every kind of bicycle I'll ever need. Note: I said "need". Of course, there are a lot of bicycles I want to have. The thing is, I wouldn't hardly ever ride them.

That said, there are a couple of "holes" in my stable, and one of them is a tandem. I have a wife and two kids I could put behind me on a Powderkeg. Well........not all at once, of course! But I think that a tandem would be an asset to my family. The thing is, coming up with that kind of cabbage all at once is......well, if I am being 100% honest here, it isn't a top priority. I could use the thousands fixing up some things on the house, or for buying the kids school clothes, or....well, you get the picture. It is an excuse, and it is incumbent upon me to overcome said excuse. I get that. Anyway.....that's a big hurdle. I struggle with that one, honestly.

Another one I have had on my radar forever is a Big Dummy. There are other cargo bikes, but the Surly Big Dummy is just a bit different and fits my style best. I already have some attachments for one of these rigs. I would use one a lot, if I had one. I just need to get it done. Make it a priority. Doing that instead of "getting by" with my Xtra-cycled Schwinn mtb from the 80's which, truth be told, is woefully inadequate, would be a smart move.

So, there are two things I would get, that are maybe out of the norm, but would make a great addition to what I already have. I don't think I can swing both this Winter, but I think I am going to swing for one of them soon.

Life is too short.

Have a great weekend and get out and ride!! 

Frostbike 2015: Salsa Cycles' New Tandem

Finally! Salsa is going to unleash the Powderkeg

NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Tandems- You can't live with 'em, and you can't live without them. At least from the standpoint of the cycling industry, I feel this is true. I get why people like them. I mean, if you are going to ride together, why not work together? No one gets dropped and you both experience the scenery together. If you have compatibility issues, tandems can be a nightmare, but for the right team, it can be awesome.

Tandems, in my opinion, are also one of the least understood machines in cycling by the non-tandem riding public. To design a tandem the right way, tons of R&D and testing should be done. Components are stressed far more than on traditional bikes, so wheels, forks, and drive train parts have to be up to the abuse. That's why good tandems cost a lot of money. The cost of entry to try a tandem is at odds with most people's commitment level. Most folks are just curious, but tandem bicycles demand a strong commitment. Well....the good ones do. 

 Salsa went with a mountain bike tandem, which I know is going to disappoint many folks looking for "road bike" tandems, but c'mon! 90% of tandems that come through my stand in a year are not being raced or being ridden in group rides. They are mostly recreationalists that want a tandem to ride on for fun, recreational rides. Most never use the drops on drop bars, so why even demand that you get a "road bike tandem". It's silly.

Take off the Schwalbe mountain bike tires on this, slap on some fun lovin', fast, comfortable Big Apples and cruise pavement till the cows come home in comfort. Go ahead, mount a set of aero bar clip ons if you must, but don't hate on this bike because it isn't a road racing tandem. Besides, the Powderkeg can be far more versatile than any road bike tandem. It can be a RAGBRAI fun machine, (and the color helps there for certain!), and it could be your fire road exploration bike, or it could be the perfect rig to explore any unpaved road anywhere. Try that on a "road racing tandem".

The Powderkeg was perhaps the least well kept secret in the Salsa line up for years. Prototypes were wielded right out in the open, and Salsa Cycles even showed one in their booth a couple of Frostbikes ago. Everyone knew it existed, but you couldn't buy one. Now you can buy this highly refined, battle tested rig for 4G. That isn't bad at all when you consider that many Salsa bikes easily eclipse that figure and are not tandems. Would I get one? Yes- if I can scrape up the cabbage. In my little world it would solve several issues, like getting my son out on gravel, my wife on a quick recreational ride, and my daughter on a bike at all. (That's right, she's never ridden a bike at 14 years old because she doesn't want to crash.) We will see.....

Bottom line is that this is a rare bike in a world where "good" tandems cost at least this much and far more. Too bad that this rig was overshadowed by the massive interest in the new Warbirds, because this bike is cool, really, and I think it deserved more attention than it got.


 

Frostbike 2015: Salsa Cycles' New Tandem

Finally! Salsa is going to unleash the Powderkeg

NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops today. You've been forewarned.....

Tandems- You can't live with 'em, and you can't live without them. At least from the standpoint of the cycling industry, I feel this is true. I get why people like them. I mean, if you are going to ride together, why not work together? No one gets dropped and you both experience the scenery together. If you have compatibility issues, tandems can be a nightmare, but for the right team, it can be awesome.

Tandems, in my opinion, are also one of the least understood machines in cycling by the non-tandem riding public. To design a tandem the right way, tons of R&D and testing should be done. Components are stressed far more than on traditional bikes, so wheels, forks, and drive train parts have to be up to the abuse. That's why good tandems cost a lot of money. The cost of entry to try a tandem is at odds with most people's commitment level. Most folks are just curious, but tandem bicycles demand a strong commitment. Well....the good ones do. 

 Salsa went with a mountain bike tandem, which I know is going to disappoint many folks looking for "road bike" tandems, but c'mon! 90% of tandems that come through my stand in a year are not being raced or being ridden in group rides. They are mostly recreationalists that want a tandem to ride on for fun, recreational rides. Most never use the drops on drop bars, so why even demand that you get a "road bike tandem". It's silly.

Take off the Schwalbe mountain bike tires on this, slap on some fun lovin', fast, comfortable Big Apples and cruise pavement till the cows come home in comfort. Go ahead, mount a set of aero bar clip ons if you must, but don't hate on this bike because it isn't a road racing tandem. Besides, the Powderkeg can be far more versatile than any road bike tandem. It can be a RAGBRAI fun machine, (and the color helps there for certain!), and it could be your fire road exploration bike, or it could be the perfect rig to explore any unpaved road anywhere. Try that on a "road racing tandem".

The Powderkeg was perhaps the least well kept secret in the Salsa line up for years. Prototypes were wielded right out in the open, and Salsa Cycles even showed one in their booth a couple of Frostbikes ago. Everyone knew it existed, but you couldn't buy one. Now you can buy this highly refined, battle tested rig for 4G. That isn't bad at all when you consider that many Salsa bikes easily eclipse that figure and are not tandems. Would I get one? Yes- if I can scrape up the cabbage. In my little world it would solve several issues, like getting my son out on gravel, my wife on a quick recreational ride, and my daughter on a bike at all. (That's right, she's never ridden a bike at 14 years old because she doesn't want to crash.) We will see.....

Bottom line is that this is a rare bike in a world where "good" tandems cost at least this much and far more. Too bad that this rig was overshadowed by the massive interest in the new Warbirds, because this bike is cool, really, and I think it deserved more attention than it got.


 

News Season: Part 2- More Fat & Gravel

 

Scott Bikes "Big Ed" (Image courtesy of MTB-News.de)

Scott "Big Ed" Fatbike: This will get to be a common theme for 2015- More companies entering into the fat bike market. You thought last year brought out a ton of new entries? This year I expect a lot more new bikes in the marketplace.

This one is going to be a common theme- Rock Shox Bluto, aluminum frame "designed more for trail riding", (read: Not Just For Sand & Snow!), Non-Surly tires and rims, and $2000-$3000 price points. This particular model is interesting for the fact that the rims are branded Syncros, (a brand Scott Sports owns), and the claimed 4.5" wide Kenda Juggernaut tires.

Interestingly, Scott went with the 190mm rear axle, so there are going to be a mixed bag of axle standards out there. My money is on the offset 135mm rear fat bike standard going away with 170mm rear and 190 rear based frames staying around a while. (Add a bit of width for through axles on either one, but those are based on 190 and 170 Quick Release Frame dimensions.) Claimed weight for the Big Ed, (purportedly named for Scott's founder), is 33lbs.

Fugitive by MBC: (Image courtesy of MBC's blog)

Milwaukee Bicycle Comapny "Fugitive":

Cruising the Twitterverse, I saw this teased by Ben's Cycles, the online shop that is home to the Milwaukee Bicycle Company brand. Apparently, they are working on a part touring, part gravel road riding rig. Seen here in full, you get a tiny taste of the Fugitive in touring mode.  It's hard to say if this is all "Long Haul Trucker" or really a "gravel rig with racks". I'm going with the touring bike angle here , but you never know.

All Ben's are saying now is that this is "a bike engineered for gravel and touring." So......like a Bruce Gordon "Rock & Road" bike then? If so, it should be a great steel frame set to build an off-beat gravel rig from. I don't know if anyone has really considered this, but with the ability to fit larger tires on many of these "gravel rigs", one could tour on "any road", which really gives you a lot of options, instead of being limited to pavement. I like that kind of thought myself. Hopefully there is room for big tires and fenders. That would likely keep the dust down off the drive train and whatnot.

Salsa tandem as seen in 2013 at Frostbike.

Salsa Cycles Tandem:

 Back at the 2013 Frostbike event, I saw this "Safety Yellow" painted Salsa tandem and was told that the working name for it was "Powderkeg", but to not say anything about that. Well, "Dirt Rag" printed the name anyway, so I felt okay with saying things about it back then as seen here. Again- I held up my end of the deal, so if anybody gets annoyed by this then go talk to Big Mo about it. (There was also some leakage on their part concerning the full suspension fat bike deal back then too, which is all out in the open now.)

I figured that Salsa should do this tandem back then, because I think it is a hole in the marketplace that they stand to fill in nicely. You have Santana, CoMotion, and.....and..... Yes there are a few small tandem specialists, but try finding one to look at, or even better, to test ride.

This was found on Facebook.....hmmm.

 So cruising around on Facebook recently I see the same, (or so similar it is uncanny), bike in a different color with Alternator drop outs and all. In every image I've seen of this, (yes- I've seen it posted several times), it is always with the foam shipping protectors over (presumably) the logos.

My guess is that Salsa Cycles is finally ready to bring this tandem to market and that is why the logos are covered. I cannot imagine it being anything but a Salsa, since the Alternator drop outs are pretty much a dead give away on the identity of the brand here. Also obvious is that this has its own fork now, which I am sure was a challenge to design and to get it to pass the rigorous testing protocol that Salsa subjects itself to.

The only thing left to the imagination here is what the name really is and how much this will sell for. In my view, Salsa stands to gain some market on the tandem side if the price isn't stratospheric and if it has the right features. Yes.....if it is sold as shown it is an "mtb tandem", but you do realize that smaller tires can be fitted, right? Not everyone wants or really needs a drop bar racing style bike, which is what most high end tandems are now.

Vanhelga: By 8am today the internet will be buzzing with the news of 45NRTH's newest tire, the Vanhelga, and the matching Whiskey No. 9 rim. Both are designed to be tubeless ready and are the first "system" to be introduced. (Not the first tubeless ready tires, since Vee Rubber has had its "Sealant Compatible" tires out for awhile already.)


45NRTH had to get this done, and I am glad to see it. The prices for the tires are reasonable, and the carbon rim should be nice, so this brings something to the table that Salsa Cycles and Surly Bikes might be able to use to bring their fat bikes into the 21st Century in regards to tire technology. The upcoming Bontrager system will be a competitor, and perhaps one or two others will crop up yet this Fall. Things are getting interesting on the tubeless fat bike tire market!

The Vanhelga 26 X 4.0

News Season: Part 2- More Fat & Gravel

 

Scott Bikes "Big Ed" (Image courtesy of MTB-News.de)

Scott "Big Ed" Fatbike: This will get to be a common theme for 2015- More companies entering into the fat bike market. You thought last year brought out a ton of new entries? This year I expect a lot more new bikes in the marketplace.

This one is going to be a common theme- Rock Shox Bluto, aluminum frame "designed more for trail riding", (read: Not Just For Sand & Snow!), Non-Surly tires and rims, and $2000-$3000 price points. This particular model is interesting for the fact that the rims are branded Syncros, (a brand Scott Sports owns), and the claimed 4.5" wide Kenda Juggernaut tires.

Interestingly, Scott went with the 190mm rear axle, so there are going to be a mixed bag of axle standards out there. My money is on the offset 135mm rear fat bike standard going away with 170mm rear and 190 rear based frames staying around a while. (Add a bit of width for through axles on either one, but those are based on 190 and 170 Quick Release Frame dimensions.) Claimed weight for the Big Ed, (purportedly named for Scott's founder), is 33lbs.

Fugitive by MBC: (Image courtesy of MBC's blog)

Milwaukee Bicycle Comapny "Fugitive":

Cruising the Twitterverse, I saw this teased by Ben's Cycles, the online shop that is home to the Milwaukee Bicycle Company brand. Apparently, they are working on a part touring, part gravel road riding rig. Seen here in full, you get a tiny taste of the Fugitive in touring mode.  It's hard to say if this is all "Long Haul Trucker" or really a "gravel rig with racks". I'm going with the touring bike angle here , but you never know.

All Ben's are saying now is that this is "a bike engineered for gravel and touring." So......like a Bruce Gordon "Rock & Road" bike then? If so, it should be a great steel frame set to build an off-beat gravel rig from. I don't know if anyone has really considered this, but with the ability to fit larger tires on many of these "gravel rigs", one could tour on "any road", which really gives you a lot of options, instead of being limited to pavement. I like that kind of thought myself. Hopefully there is room for big tires and fenders. That would likely keep the dust down off the drive train and whatnot.

Salsa tandem as seen in 2013 at Frostbike.

Salsa Cycles Tandem:

 Back at the 2013 Frostbike event, I saw this "Safety Yellow" painted Salsa tandem and was told that the working name for it was "Powderkeg", but to not say anything about that. Well, "Dirt Rag" printed the name anyway, so I felt okay with saying things about it back then as seen here. Again- I held up my end of the deal, so if anybody gets annoyed by this then go talk to Big Mo about it. (There was also some leakage on their part concerning the full suspension fat bike deal back then too, which is all out in the open now.)

I figured that Salsa should do this tandem back then, because I think it is a hole in the marketplace that they stand to fill in nicely. You have Santana, CoMotion, and.....and..... Yes there are a few small tandem specialists, but try finding one to look at, or even better, to test ride.

This was found on Facebook.....hmmm.

 So cruising around on Facebook recently I see the same, (or so similar it is uncanny), bike in a different color with Alternator drop outs and all. In every image I've seen of this, (yes- I've seen it posted several times), it is always with the foam shipping protectors over (presumably) the logos.

My guess is that Salsa Cycles is finally ready to bring this tandem to market and that is why the logos are covered. I cannot imagine it being anything but a Salsa, since the Alternator drop outs are pretty much a dead give away on the identity of the brand here. Also obvious is that this has its own fork now, which I am sure was a challenge to design and to get it to pass the rigorous testing protocol that Salsa subjects itself to.

The only thing left to the imagination here is what the name really is and how much this will sell for. In my view, Salsa stands to gain some market on the tandem side if the price isn't stratospheric and if it has the right features. Yes.....if it is sold as shown it is an "mtb tandem", but you do realize that smaller tires can be fitted, right? Not everyone wants or really needs a drop bar racing style bike, which is what most high end tandems are now.

Vanhelga: By 8am today the internet will be buzzing with the news of 45NRTH's newest tire, the Vanhelga, and the matching Whiskey No. 9 rim. Both are designed to be tubeless ready and are the first "system" to be introduced. (Not the first tubeless ready tires, since Vee Rubber has had its "Sealant Compatible" tires out for awhile already.)


45NRTH had to get this done, and I am glad to see it. The prices for the tires are reasonable, and the carbon rim should be nice, so this brings something to the table that Salsa Cycles and Surly Bikes might be able to use to bring their fat bikes into the 21st Century in regards to tire technology. The upcoming Bontrager system will be a competitor, and perhaps one or two others will crop up yet this Fall. Things are getting interesting on the tubeless fat bike tire market!

The Vanhelga 26 X 4.0