Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Chris King

 News Of More Speeds And Plastic Tubes Today

Chris King Announces Gen 4 Hubs:

The venerable component company, Chris King, has announced an evolution to their hub range. The new Gen 4 hubs feature the same style drive system but it is now compatible with all current drive types without needing to be completely different for each type. 

The streamlining of the drive and axle systems will reduce costs in manufacturing, and this will be passed down to consumers as a lowering of the retail price. Not only that, but now drive systems can be changed by consumers at a lower cost. For instance, it used to cost $380.00. Now, riders using Gen 4 hubs will pay only $80.00 for a switch to a different drive system. 

For more details see Chris King Precision Components site HERE. 

Comments: This is good news for Chris King fans or anyone that might want to support the brand. As long as the durability and quality control remains at a high level, this should help the brand going forward. 

I like Chris King stuff, but whoo!  They are an expensive brand to get into. Their Ring Drive system is pretty bomber though and I found that the hubs are very worthwhile as an investment into a component that you can maintain and keep going for years and years. That even despite heavy abuse. The press release even stated that the free-coasting resistance has been lowered with the new Gen 4 design, so that's even better news.

Image sourced from Google

Shimano Rumored To Be Introducing 13 Speed Wireless Dura Ace Soon:

It's all over the internet - Shimano's long rumored move to 100% wireless shifting is going to happen and with that will come an extra cog. Thirteen to be exact.

Shimano has often filed patents just ahead of releases of new group sets and with Dura Ace needing a refresh it makes sense that this might happen. Additionally, the Tour de France often sees new groups introduced unofficially, or officially, and so this rumor lines right up with that. 

Comments: As I have oft told the story here, I will not delve into the full details, but I have been aware that Shimano has had working group sets up to and including 14 rear cassette speeds since 2010, (or before that, most likely). That they would periodically march out something new with an extra cog out back is not a surprise to me. 

But at some point you reach a place of diminishing returns and\or a place where no further technical advances can be made within the current parameters. Keeping in mind that 130mm rear spacing,(excepting the road disc specific142mm) has been around since the late 1980's for road bikes and you can probably guess that something will have to change radically for any further additional gears past 14 speeds. 

Can that happen? Will that happen? I would guess that we will know the answer in less than ten years from now. It's a no-brainer that we will see 14 speed cassettes in my opinion. This jump to 13 will last a few years, maybe five, and then you will see the 14's coming out. And what about SRAM? 

Stay tuned next week for more on their offering. 

Gravel Amplifier: Prairie Burn 100 -

Next month, on June 8th, the Prairie Burn 100 and 5K run will occur, starting in Downtown Grinnell, and utilizing the fantastic gravel roads surrounding the area. 

This year the loops are all new. That's right - loops. You will ride approximately 25 mile loops each ending back in Grinnell and if you want to continue, you can, or you could just hang and have some fun with the other activities scheduled for that event in Grinnell. Those include a beer garden, food trucks, a farmer's market, and live music by the Surf Zombies.

To learn more, see their website:  https://www.prairieburn100.com/event-info Registration is $50.00 and you can sign up HERE. 

Note: I have no affiliation with this event and I do not benefit if you use the links from here in any way.

Continental Tires Gets Into The TPU Tube Game:

Continental announced on Wednesday that they now have a range of TPU tubes for 700c tires and wheels ranging from sizes that will work with 25mm all the way through to 29"er sizes. 

Their TPU material and construction of the tubes is all done in Germany using the highest quality materials and processes. This is reflected in the use of clear TPU which Continental also claims is free from imperfections that can occur when TPU is dyed. You can read the full press release on Conti's website HERE. 

Comments: One thing that surprised me about TPU in general is something I saw on the press release that stated that "TPU tubes must never be used in conjunction with rim brakes. Excessive heat exposure can lead to a sudden loss of air pressure." I don't recall seeing this stressed regarding TPU tubes before and it comes as something of an alarm to me as I run a TPU tube in my Karate Monkey which has rim brakes currently. Something to consider there if you have long hills or will be riding in such an area and you have rim brakes and TPU tubes.

That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to those who celebrate that.

Gravel Grinder News: Prairie Burn 100

There are literally hundreds of gravel events all over the place these days. Heck, there are so many now that I even saw where one race director is shutting down his event citing that as one of his reasons for doing so. 

Crazy!

I never thought I'd see that day, but here we are. So, why write about another gravel event? You can hardly turn around now without finding out that there is something going on out on the gravel involving bicycles almost every day of the week now. Why jam another event down your throat? 

Well, I hope that you really don't feel that jaded about the whole gravel scene, but there are an awful lot of events anymore, and I would not write about one more gravel event without a good reason. I think the Prairie Burn 100 qualifies as one event that has something going on for it and is a cool ride with a great venue. 

The event, on June 11th of this year, has distances of 100, 50, and 25 miles. But that isn't even scratching the surface. The Prairie Burn is a year-long effort which includes "Burner Gravel Clinics" and a weekly no-drop gravel ride (in season). They also are a fund raiser, which is cool, and this lends a bit of a different feel than for-profit gravel events. 

The fund raiser supports Imagine Grinnel which does a lot of community service work including:

• 1000Trees planting initiative
• Plate to Plant curbside composting service 
•  South Lakes revitalization project 
•  Giving Gardens community garden maintenance 

Grinnell has awesome gravel roads surrounding it which are used for the Prairie Burn 100. (Image courtesy of Prairie Burn 100)

So, if you are looking for something a little different and want to ride some crazy great gravel roads, (many used in past Trans Iowa events), then do yourself a favor and check out thePrairie Burn 100 which happens June 11th.

See their website here: https://www.prairieburn100.com/

Gravel Grinder News: Prairie Burn 100

There are literally hundreds of gravel events all over the place these days. Heck, there are so many now that I even saw where one race director is shutting down his event citing that as one of his reasons for doing so. 

Crazy!

I never thought I'd see that day, but here we are. So, why write about another gravel event? You can hardly turn around now without finding out that there is something going on out on the gravel involving bicycles almost every day of the week now. Why jam another event down your throat? 

Well, I hope that you really don't feel that jaded about the whole gravel scene, but there are an awful lot of events anymore, and I would not write about one more gravel event without a good reason. I think the Prairie Burn 100 qualifies as one event that has something going on for it and is a cool ride with a great venue. 

The event, on June 11th of this year, has distances of 100, 50, and 25 miles. But that isn't even scratching the surface. The Prairie Burn is a year-long effort which includes "Burner Gravel Clinics" and a weekly no-drop gravel ride (in season). They also are a fund raiser, which is cool, and this lends a bit of a different feel than for-profit gravel events. 

The fund raiser supports Imagine Grinnel which does a lot of community service work including:

• 1000Trees planting initiative
• Plate to Plant curbside composting service 
•  South Lakes revitalization project 
•  Giving Gardens community garden maintenance 

Grinnell has awesome gravel roads surrounding it which are used for the Prairie Burn 100. (Image courtesy of Prairie Burn 100)

So, if you are looking for something a little different and want to ride some crazy great gravel roads, (many used in past Trans Iowa events), then do yourself a favor and check out thePrairie Burn 100 which happens June 11th.

See their website here: https://www.prairieburn100.com/

Friday News And Views

 Gravel Riding Clinics To Be Held In Grinnell:

Several years ago I started up an idea to hold a clinic to help those wondering about Trans Iowa, and gravel riding in general. We held it in Des Moines, and at that time, there was an outcry for information to the extent that I was being asked to YouTube the event for consumption after the event was over. I just did not have the resources or emotional energy for such a project on top of everything else I had going on back in 2013.

I have helped with a gravel clinic series here in Waterloo which we called the Iowa Gravel Expo and Bike Party. N.Y. Roll and I put these series of events on locally from 2018-2020. Again, judging from attendance from all corners of the state I knew that this was a viable idea for the gravel-curious. 

So, it comes as no surprise to me that Grinnell's Prairie Burn 100 event directors and Imagine Grinnell have teamed up to put on the "Burner Gravel Clinics". (Note-Link takes you to the Prairie Burn 100's Face Book page) 

You can see all the pertinent info in my image here, but if you want to know more you can contact Imagine Grinnell through there website here, or head to Prairie Burn 100's Face Book page linked above. 

WTB Debuts The Vulpine 700 X 36mm Tire:

This past Tuesday WTB announced the newest tire for gravel in their range, the Vulpine. I was a bit surprised that this tire was only offered in the one size to start out with, (Hoping that wider sizes come out later), but hey! I am happy too, because I had been pushing for a gravel Vulpine in TCS (tubeless ready) for years. 

So, way back when the Fargo Gen I was introduced, it came with Vulpine 29" X 2.1" tires. The Vulpine back then was not a tubeless tire. It also had a LOT lower tread pattern down the middle as it was a semi-slick XC racing tire to begin with. Those types of tires were falling out of favor in 2008 after about ten years or so of prominence. 

Anyway, I ended up loving the Vulpine on gravel. At the time, tubeless tires were just getting a footing in the MTB market and anything coming out after 2010 for MTB was generally also released as a tubeless ready tire. But WTB was phasing out the older designs they had then, and the Vulpine was shelved. 

So, when WTB introduced the Nano 40 in TCS around 2016, I was on the warpath with WTB to get the Vulpine out again in the TCS format for gravel usage. Their former brand manager, Will Ritchie, knew all too well what I would say anytime talk of new gravel tires came up. "Make the Vulpine again!", I would say, and he'd always graciously reply that he was putting in my requests, but that was all he could really do to make it happen. Ultimately it was up to higher powers at WTB to pull that lever that would release a new Vulpine to the masses. 

Will even sent me the very last Vulpine 29"er tire WTB had in its warehouse. A survivor that had escaped notice until it surfaced one day and Will grabbed it and sent it off to me as a way to say that he had not let my requests fall upon deaf ears. I really and truly appreciated that gesture, and I still do to this day. 

For more on the new Vulpine read my RidingGravel.com post here.

Cannondale's Scalpel HT. Image courtesy of Cannondale.

Cannondale Debuts New Scapel HT XC Racing Bike:

It isn't often that I write about mountain bikes anymore. That is because most mountain bike news these days has been centered around "Enduro" or motorized bikes, or both things together. None of which is relevant to me at all. 

So, when something gets announced that I could see myself riding, I get my ears pricked up. Such was the case Tuesday of this week when Cannondale announced its new, range-topping hard tail XC racing bike, the Scalpel HT. 

It features a pretty slack head angle of 66.5° which is fairly radical when I think back ten years ago or more in terms of hard tail mountain bikes. I remember when anything slacker than 71° for a 29"er was considered "a wheel barrow" in terms of handling. But now? Pfft! Par for the course to have a choppered out front end on a hard tail. 

And seat angles have steepened up to 74° or so on several bikes. That's just super-weird to me, but hey! The kidz love it. What do I know? Maybe this Scalpel would rule on Iowa single track? Maybe...

I've ridden MTB's with pretty slack head angles on our single track and I found that you kind of have to steer them off the back wheel. Older, steeper bikes you could pin the front wheel down on and rail a corner, maybe even drifting the rear end around. It's just a very different way of doing things now with these slacker head angled bikes, in my opinion. One way isn't necessarily better than another. But maybe when it comes to short, steep climbs? Maybe there I prefer the older geometry which doesn't have all that wandering front wheel flop thing going on. Anyway....

An interesting twist to the traditional XC racing hard tail at least. 

A Guitar Ted Blast From The Past:

I was reminded the other day of an interview I did with "CX Mag" concerning the state of all things gravel. This was conducted in 2018, right at the end of my run with Trans Iowa, so I couldn't let on at the time that 2018's version of the event was my last. Anyway...

Here's the link.

From time to time I think I'll share old stories and tales from other sources where I was interviewed or that I had something to do with. I sometimes forget my own history with all things bicycle related and it maybe would be good for me to remind y'all of those things. Plus, you'll probably enjoy these looks back anyway if you read this blog. 

Okay, so that's a wrap on this week! Got snow coming? It's just around the corner, I think. Get out and ride if you can and have a great weekend.

Friday News And Views

 Gravel Riding Clinics To Be Held In Grinnell:

Several years ago I started up an idea to hold a clinic to help those wondering about Trans Iowa, and gravel riding in general. We held it in Des Moines, and at that time, there was an outcry for information to the extent that I was being asked to YouTube the event for consumption after the event was over. I just did not have the resources or emotional energy for such a project on top of everything else I had going on back in 2013.

I have helped with a gravel clinic series here in Waterloo which we called the Iowa Gravel Expo and Bike Party. N.Y. Roll and I put these series of events on locally from 2018-2020. Again, judging from attendance from all corners of the state I knew that this was a viable idea for the gravel-curious. 

So, it comes as no surprise to me that Grinnell's Prairie Burn 100 event directors and Imagine Grinnell have teamed up to put on the "Burner Gravel Clinics". (Note-Link takes you to the Prairie Burn 100's Face Book page) 

You can see all the pertinent info in my image here, but if you want to know more you can contact Imagine Grinnell through there website here, or head to Prairie Burn 100's Face Book page linked above. 

WTB Debuts The Vulpine 700 X 36mm Tire:

This past Tuesday WTB announced the newest tire for gravel in their range, the Vulpine. I was a bit surprised that this tire was only offered in the one size to start out with, (Hoping that wider sizes come out later), but hey! I am happy too, because I had been pushing for a gravel Vulpine in TCS (tubeless ready) for years. 

So, way back when the Fargo Gen I was introduced, it came with Vulpine 29" X 2.1" tires. The Vulpine back then was not a tubeless tire. It also had a LOT lower tread pattern down the middle as it was a semi-slick XC racing tire to begin with. Those types of tires were falling out of favor in 2008 after about ten years or so of prominence. 

Anyway, I ended up loving the Vulpine on gravel. At the time, tubeless tires were just getting a footing in the MTB market and anything coming out after 2010 for MTB was generally also released as a tubeless ready tire. But WTB was phasing out the older designs they had then, and the Vulpine was shelved. 

So, when WTB introduced the Nano 40 in TCS around 2016, I was on the warpath with WTB to get the Vulpine out again in the TCS format for gravel usage. Their former brand manager, Will Ritchie, knew all too well what I would say anytime talk of new gravel tires came up. "Make the Vulpine again!", I would say, and he'd always graciously reply that he was putting in my requests, but that was all he could really do to make it happen. Ultimately it was up to higher powers at WTB to pull that lever that would release a new Vulpine to the masses. 

Will even sent me the very last Vulpine 29"er tire WTB had in its warehouse. A survivor that had escaped notice until it surfaced one day and Will grabbed it and sent it off to me as a way to say that he had not let my requests fall upon deaf ears. I really and truly appreciated that gesture, and I still do to this day. 

For more on the new Vulpine read my RidingGravel.com post here.

Cannondale's Scalpel HT. Image courtesy of Cannondale.

Cannondale Debuts New Scapel HT XC Racing Bike:

It isn't often that I write about mountain bikes anymore. That is because most mountain bike news these days has been centered around "Enduro" or motorized bikes, or both things together. None of which is relevant to me at all. 

So, when something gets announced that I could see myself riding, I get my ears pricked up. Such was the case Tuesday of this week when Cannondale announced its new, range-topping hard tail XC racing bike, the Scalpel HT. 

It features a pretty slack head angle of 66.5° which is fairly radical when I think back ten years ago or more in terms of hard tail mountain bikes. I remember when anything slacker than 71° for a 29"er was considered "a wheel barrow" in terms of handling. But now? Pfft! Par for the course to have a choppered out front end on a hard tail. 

And seat angles have steepened up to 74° or so on several bikes. That's just super-weird to me, but hey! The kidz love it. What do I know? Maybe this Scalpel would rule on Iowa single track? Maybe...

I've ridden MTB's with pretty slack head angles on our single track and I found that you kind of have to steer them off the back wheel. Older, steeper bikes you could pin the front wheel down on and rail a corner, maybe even drifting the rear end around. It's just a very different way of doing things now with these slacker head angled bikes, in my opinion. One way isn't necessarily better than another. But maybe when it comes to short, steep climbs? Maybe there I prefer the older geometry which doesn't have all that wandering front wheel flop thing going on. Anyway....

An interesting twist to the traditional XC racing hard tail at least. 

A Guitar Ted Blast From The Past:

I was reminded the other day of an interview I did with "CX Mag" concerning the state of all things gravel. This was conducted in 2018, right at the end of my run with Trans Iowa, so I couldn't let on at the time that 2018's version of the event was my last. Anyway...

Here's the link.

From time to time I think I'll share old stories and tales from other sources where I was interviewed or that I had something to do with. I sometimes forget my own history with all things bicycle related and it maybe would be good for me to remind y'all of those things. Plus, you'll probably enjoy these looks back anyway if you read this blog. 

Okay, so that's a wrap on this week! Got snow coming? It's just around the corner, I think. Get out and ride if you can and have a great weekend.

Gonna Go Climb That Hill

Switching out to purple Bike Bag Dude bags for the event.

Well, my riding this year has been pretty much on the down low compared to years past. That weather thing, Life, and work stress has all conspired to make 2019 pretty dismal as far as riding time goes. All that to say that I'm not expecting much from this Saturday's Prairie Burn 100.

In fact, I'm going in and treating it like an "organized training ride" and that's all my goals are for this. Just a ride. Nothing more, and the distinct possibility that it will end up being a short one. But I gotta start somewhere and climbing that hill isn't going to get easier the longer the year goes on.

But anyway, this event is perfect for exactly the reasons I am going for. It is not a race. It's pretty much just an organized ride with number plates. Speaking of which, it was famously announced just before the Almanzo this year that number plates were being eliminated. They were perceived as being a "barrier" to participation. Yeah.......I don't buy into that at all. In my view, it's the opposite. Number plates, if anything, are attracting folks to events. They are souvenirs of participation. I don't see that having them, or not, is a barrier. It's just a thing. It shows you "were there" and rode.

I recall one year at Trans Iowa we didn't have numbers at all. (T.I.v7) If anything, we heard more grumbling that we didn't have them. We heard nothing about how cool it was that we didn't have them. But I digress.........

I hear a lot of locals are going to be at the Prairie Burn 100 too. That's awesome. My friend, Tony, mentioned it is the kind of event, "we all want to go to." It's just a fun ride, a potentially good time with bands, music, and food. Of course, the gravel family will show up. That and hopefully new folks too. I just don't see any downside to it.

So, I'll ride it and get whatever I can get out of the riding part, then I'll hang out maybe a bit and come home. Should be a good time.

Gonna Go Climb That Hill

Switching out to purple Bike Bag Dude bags for the event.

Well, my riding this year has been pretty much on the down low compared to years past. That weather thing, Life, and work stress has all conspired to make 2019 pretty dismal as far as riding time goes. All that to say that I'm not expecting much from this Saturday's Prairie Burn 100.

In fact, I'm going in and treating it like an "organized training ride" and that's all my goals are for this. Just a ride. Nothing more, and the distinct possibility that it will end up being a short one. But I gotta start somewhere and climbing that hill isn't going to get easier the longer the year goes on.

But anyway, this event is perfect for exactly the reasons I am going for. It is not a race. It's pretty much just an organized ride with number plates. Speaking of which, it was famously announced just before the Almanzo this year that number plates were being eliminated. They were perceived as being a "barrier" to participation. Yeah.......I don't buy into that at all. In my view, it's the opposite. Number plates, if anything, are attracting folks to events. They are souvenirs of participation. I don't see that having them, or not, is a barrier. It's just a thing. It shows you "were there" and rode.

I recall one year at Trans Iowa we didn't have numbers at all. (T.I.v7) If anything, we heard more grumbling that we didn't have them. We heard nothing about how cool it was that we didn't have them. But I digress.........

I hear a lot of locals are going to be at the Prairie Burn 100 too. That's awesome. My friend, Tony, mentioned it is the kind of event, "we all want to go to." It's just a fun ride, a potentially good time with bands, music, and food. Of course, the gravel family will show up. That and hopefully new folks too. I just don't see any downside to it.

So, I'll ride it and get whatever I can get out of the riding part, then I'll hang out maybe a bit and come home. Should be a good time.

Preparing Before I (Was Supposed To) Go

The Bubblegum Princess as it should look for the Prairie Burn 100

So, as I have stated in earlier posts, I was bound for Emporia, Kansas this week and was to be gone through Saturday. That all changed yesterday when MG and I discussed plans. It seems we are both betwixt rocks and hard places with regard to our domestic/family/home maintenance issues. Some of it exacerbated by the recent heavy rains, some by circumstances. So, the bottom line is I'm not going to Kansas afterall.

But I didn't know that until yesterday. That meant that I had to get the Bubblegum Princess ready for the Prairie Burn 100 this past weekend for June 8th. I didn't need to do much. But one major thing I wanted to do was to get some tubeless tires set up on it.

I had been running the Tioga Binary tires which I reviewed for RidingGravel.com recently. Since that review was over, I was free to swap to this set of WTB Resolutes which are my favorite gravel tires these days. They ride super smoothly and have really decent traction when things get iffy on Level B Roads and the like. I have been super impressed with how fast they roll, compared to a WTB Riddler 45, for example, or many other gravel tires. So, a fresh injection of home brew sealant and these went on well. This makes the Bubblegum Princess about as smooth a rig as I could ask for to tackle the big hills of gravel around Grinnell.

 Since I had expected to be gone the rest of the week I had scheduled some preliminary "Trans Iowa Stories" to run Thursday and Friday. I'll still let that stand, I think. Plus, I wasn't going to do a "Friday News And Views", but since I will be around after all, I am back on that.

Preparing Before I (Was Supposed To) Go

The Bubblegum Princess as it should look for the Prairie Burn 100

So, as I have stated in earlier posts, I was bound for Emporia, Kansas this week and was to be gone through Saturday. That all changed yesterday when MG and I discussed plans. It seems we are both betwixt rocks and hard places with regard to our domestic/family/home maintenance issues. Some of it exacerbated by the recent heavy rains, some by circumstances. So, the bottom line is I'm not going to Kansas afterall.

But I didn't know that until yesterday. That meant that I had to get the Bubblegum Princess ready for the Prairie Burn 100 this past weekend for June 8th. I didn't need to do much. But one major thing I wanted to do was to get some tubeless tires set up on it.

I had been running the Tioga Binary tires which I reviewed for RidingGravel.com recently. Since that review was over, I was free to swap to this set of WTB Resolutes which are my favorite gravel tires these days. They ride super smoothly and have really decent traction when things get iffy on Level B Roads and the like. I have been super impressed with how fast they roll, compared to a WTB Riddler 45, for example, or many other gravel tires. So, a fresh injection of home brew sealant and these went on well. This makes the Bubblegum Princess about as smooth a rig as I could ask for to tackle the big hills of gravel around Grinnell.

 Since I had expected to be gone the rest of the week I had scheduled some preliminary "Trans Iowa Stories" to run Thursday and Friday. I'll still let that stand, I think. Plus, I wasn't going to do a "Friday News And Views", but since I will be around after all, I am back on that.

Saying Goodbye To May

This pretty much sums up May- Wet, cool, windy, and rough roads.

You know, I cannot say that I can remember a May that was so consistently wet, cool, windy, and that produced the rough roads we've had this Spring before. . (Really, the roads are just a carry-over from April.)

Anyway, this has been a tough month in that so many chances I had to get some ride time in were wash outs due to rain, or really heavy winds, which made for a pretty depressed Guitar Ted at times. I try not to let it get me down, but I have a responsibility to my readers (reviewing stuff) and I feel like I am letting myself down by not being as "ready" as I could be to do things like June 8ths Prairie Burn 100. At least Memorial Day Weekend didn't turn into the wash-out it was forecast to be. That allowed at least a couple of rides.

Saturday I got out and decided to just head South as the West wind was stiff and I was definitely NOT feeling it Saturday. In fact, it was a struggle to ride for most of the loop I got in, and I cannot really pinpoint why. I felt......blah. Not until almost the very end did I feel anything positive about the ride, other than it was just good to be out riding. And maybe that all has to do with being pretty stressed out lately. I won't go into details here, but wrenching at work, this upcoming DK200 "All Things Gravel" expo trip, My daughter graduating from high school tonight, coupled with my wife and daughter going to El Paso to visit at the same time as my trip, while my son stays home with a family friend, is all a bit much right now. I'll be glad when this week is over. Then maybe I can breathe a bit easier and have a good time at Prairie Burn.

Barns For Jason

At least I was able to decompress a little bit on Saturday's ride. It was certainly nice enough out. The Sun was riding high and the puffy, white cumulus clouds were hurrying on the back of the wind. The clouds were leaving shadows upon the landscape which were moving and changing the contrast continually as I rode along. I think it was in the 80's, and the air wasn't too humid, actually. It felt nice out.

Barns For Jason

Some roads were still wet and pock-marked. Some were still showing signs of having been mud at one point, but were solid as rock. Those roads had ruts which were pretty tough to navigate at times. Some roads were perfectly fine, with fresher, deep gravel. There weren't too many spots anymore that were that deep, sandyish gravel which is basically a fluffing up from frost. That seems to be past us now. I am glad for that.

Very few fields have been left alone. Most are planted around here. (Oh! And another Barns For Jason!)

Either Mario Cipollini is a gravel grinder, or someone loves a Disney movie.

I've been giving that unusual Tioga saddle a ride lately. Hmm.......not sure that is going to cut the mustard with me. I have bouts of thinking it is fine, and then I have times when I am sure it is hurting me. It's "oh-so-close" to being spot on, and I think this is why I am having issues. I remember thinking similar thoughts about the fizik brand Aliante saddle. That saddle was a bit too rounded for me, and I think that is exactly the same thing going on with the Tioga. I like a bit flatter saddle but keep the "depression in the middle", or "the bucket", as I call it, of WTB saddles like the Pure and SST. The Silverado has this to a lesser extent, but I like that one better, I think, than the Tioga.

The Undercover Saddle by Tioga. Not completely in love here, but I'm trying!

I'm going to "nose up" this Tioga saddle before I give up on it. That is how I have to have my WTB saddles, or I don't like them. So, I'll give that a shot before dismissing this saddle. Trouble is I did that with the Aliante and it helped....a tiny bit....but I took it off my Tamland eventually anyway. Still, ya gotta give it a solid try, so I will.

Tioga says the padding has a vibration absorbing character. The good news is I think they have that right on. There is something to that claim. The trouble becomes that this is a saddle and they are so personal as for fit, that regardless of the vibration damping claim, it has to actually interface with yer undercarriage, if you catch my meaning there.

Bin it!

I did get out and ride again on Memorial Day in the afternoon for a short ride. I didn't get out into the country as it was wicked windy........again! In fact, tornadoes were spotted about 60 miles North of here. It was a very wet Monday morning as well, so the gravel may not have been all that great. Hard for me to say.

But, I settled on a set up for the Prairie Burn that is complete with the exception of the saddle. (The Tioga may have to go) I set up my WTB Resolutes on these Spinergy wheels and tested that out. I think that combo will be a winning one, as far as it working, that is. The Prairie Burn isn't a race, so there won't be any winners.

It was a fine, relaxing weekend. I need it. Today the madness starts!

Saying Goodbye To May

This pretty much sums up May- Wet, cool, windy, and rough roads.

You know, I cannot say that I can remember a May that was so consistently wet, cool, windy, and that produced the rough roads we've had this Spring before. . (Really, the roads are just a carry-over from April.)

Anyway, this has been a tough month in that so many chances I had to get some ride time in were wash outs due to rain, or really heavy winds, which made for a pretty depressed Guitar Ted at times. I try not to let it get me down, but I have a responsibility to my readers (reviewing stuff) and I feel like I am letting myself down by not being as "ready" as I could be to do things like June 8ths Prairie Burn 100. At least Memorial Day Weekend didn't turn into the wash-out it was forecast to be. That allowed at least a couple of rides.

Saturday I got out and decided to just head South as the West wind was stiff and I was definitely NOT feeling it Saturday. In fact, it was a struggle to ride for most of the loop I got in, and I cannot really pinpoint why. I felt......blah. Not until almost the very end did I feel anything positive about the ride, other than it was just good to be out riding. And maybe that all has to do with being pretty stressed out lately. I won't go into details here, but wrenching at work, this upcoming DK200 "All Things Gravel" expo trip, My daughter graduating from high school tonight, coupled with my wife and daughter going to El Paso to visit at the same time as my trip, while my son stays home with a family friend, is all a bit much right now. I'll be glad when this week is over. Then maybe I can breathe a bit easier and have a good time at Prairie Burn.

Barns For Jason

At least I was able to decompress a little bit on Saturday's ride. It was certainly nice enough out. The Sun was riding high and the puffy, white cumulus clouds were hurrying on the back of the wind. The clouds were leaving shadows upon the landscape which were moving and changing the contrast continually as I rode along. I think it was in the 80's, and the air wasn't too humid, actually. It felt nice out.

Barns For Jason

Some roads were still wet and pock-marked. Some were still showing signs of having been mud at one point, but were solid as rock. Those roads had ruts which were pretty tough to navigate at times. Some roads were perfectly fine, with fresher, deep gravel. There weren't too many spots anymore that were that deep, sandyish gravel which is basically a fluffing up from frost. That seems to be past us now. I am glad for that.

Very few fields have been left alone. Most are planted around here. (Oh! And another Barns For Jason!)

Either Mario Cipollini is a gravel grinder, or someone loves a Disney movie.

I've been giving that unusual Tioga saddle a ride lately. Hmm.......not sure that is going to cut the mustard with me. I have bouts of thinking it is fine, and then I have times when I am sure it is hurting me. It's "oh-so-close" to being spot on, and I think this is why I am having issues. I remember thinking similar thoughts about the fizik brand Aliante saddle. That saddle was a bit too rounded for me, and I think that is exactly the same thing going on with the Tioga. I like a bit flatter saddle but keep the "depression in the middle", or "the bucket", as I call it, of WTB saddles like the Pure and SST. The Silverado has this to a lesser extent, but I like that one better, I think, than the Tioga.

The Undercover Saddle by Tioga. Not completely in love here, but I'm trying!

I'm going to "nose up" this Tioga saddle before I give up on it. That is how I have to have my WTB saddles, or I don't like them. So, I'll give that a shot before dismissing this saddle. Trouble is I did that with the Aliante and it helped....a tiny bit....but I took it off my Tamland eventually anyway. Still, ya gotta give it a solid try, so I will.

Tioga says the padding has a vibration absorbing character. The good news is I think they have that right on. There is something to that claim. The trouble becomes that this is a saddle and they are so personal as for fit, that regardless of the vibration damping claim, it has to actually interface with yer undercarriage, if you catch my meaning there.

Bin it!

I did get out and ride again on Memorial Day in the afternoon for a short ride. I didn't get out into the country as it was wicked windy........again! In fact, tornadoes were spotted about 60 miles North of here. It was a very wet Monday morning as well, so the gravel may not have been all that great. Hard for me to say.

But, I settled on a set up for the Prairie Burn that is complete with the exception of the saddle. (The Tioga may have to go) I set up my WTB Resolutes on these Spinergy wheels and tested that out. I think that combo will be a winning one, as far as it working, that is. The Prairie Burn isn't a race, so there won't be any winners.

It was a fine, relaxing weekend. I need it. Today the madness starts!

Friday News And Views

Paul Thumbies- New! (But not really) Image courtesy of Paul Components

You Should Totally E-Bay Those!

Wednesday I'm cruising my Twitter feed when I scroll up on some newsy bits from a couple of sources saying that Paul Components has released a SRAM TT shifter compatible mount that turns these bar end shifters into old school thumb shifters. Now normally, I would just scroll right on by something like that. However; I was immediately struck by the fact that someone, (actually it was Tweeted by three different accounts I follow), thought these were "new". "They are not new!", I thought to myself.  Heck, I could walk down into my Lab and grab a pair I've had kicking around for years now. New? I don't think so. I went down, within two minutes had them in hand, and shot an image, then tweeted it out asking if my circa 2011 Paul Thumbies could be "new".

A couple of the accounts I "@'ed" (code for adding an account to a Tweet which then directs said Tweet "at" the account.- Pronounced "at-ed") responded with a social media equivalent of a shrug, and they in turn "@'ed" Paul Components account for a definitive answer.

The answer I got from Paul Components on Twitter

So, I had jumped on getting those at the right time, apparently, because back then, I had no clue they were a very limited edition sort of product. I actually got them for my Ti Mukluk, which I used the right shifter by itself at first since I ran 1 X 10 SRAM to start out with. That didn't last long, the shifter came off, and the pair of mounts has been basically sitting on my bench in my little box of bar end shifter parts ever since. I just don't do much with geared, flat bar bikes these days. Anyway, I thanked Paul Components and figured that was that.

Then one of the accounts that was part of the thread snaps back with "hangs up, dials e-bay......" I replied back that this was a well played comment, but I wasn't looking to make a buck from my newfound knowledge dumped on me by Paul Components. Then another follower of mine on Twitter basically answered that and said "take the money and run!"

Social media. Weird. Sometimes it's a fun, knowledge builder. Other times.....well. 

Ingrid's 12 sped rear derailleur Courtesy of Ingrid's Instagram feed

 They Said It Would Last Forever:

Back on the 1990's heyday of CNC craziness, I purchased a "Made In The USA", CNC'ed, lightweight rear derailleur by a company called ProShift. It was "totally rebuild-able" and theoretically would last "forever" since you would be able to purchase any piece or part of that derailleur and rebuild it. It was VERY EXPENSIVE. I bolted it to my 1992 Klein Attitude and started riding.

Well, one day, under no extraordinary circumstances, I heard a "ker-CHUNK!", felt a tug on the chain, and then no power. I looked down and what was left of that derailleur was dangling from a very slack chain. In fact, the only part that survived was a jockey wheel! Every other part was ripped, twisted, or bent beyond recognition. I boxed up all the bits I could find, shipped it to ProShift, and they sent me another under warranty. That derailleur suffered the same fate exactly two weeks later. Again- the only part that survived was the lower jockey wheel.

Well, I had had enough. I got a "real" rear derailleur, went on my merry way, and ProShift quickly became a thing of mountain bike legend. I was reminded of that story again when I read about an Italian based company called "INGRID".

They have, what looks like CNC'ed metal, in the form of a rear derailleur and are saying "it will last forever because it is rebuild-able". Yeah.......

Once bitten, twice shy.

Flat pedal shoes from Giant Bicycles.

 Shoes To Get The Fargo Ready:

Yes, you read that right. I've got some shoes and that is motivating me to get the Fargo up and running. Why? Because the Fargo has flat pedals on it now. The idea is that I am going off to do some longer gravel rides on flats. To test the shoes. The shoes I have on test for RidingGravel.com. Those shoes.....

Anyway, I think it is high time for some new treads for the Fargo as well. I've got me eye on the new Vittoria Terreno Cross Country tires. They have the Graphene compound and I've had experience with this in their Terreno Dry 40mm tire. Those Graphene infused tires have "something" going on and that is something good. It is an uncanny tire in that it shouldn't grip as well as it does, nor roll as fast as it does, but it does. I've also heard it wears like iron. Too good to be true? Maybe, but I am convinced there is a lot more good to these tires than bad.

So, once the tires are on, I am shooting to do some longer rides on flats and hopefully get ready for the Prairie Burn 100 and the Solstice 100, both events coming up really soon! I need to get some miles in my legs and fast.

That's all for this cold, wet week. Let's hope the weather turns around and warmer weather comes. Oh.....and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Friday News And Views

Paul Thumbies- New! (But not really) Image courtesy of Paul Components

You Should Totally E-Bay Those!

Wednesday I'm cruising my Twitter feed when I scroll up on some newsy bits from a couple of sources saying that Paul Components has released a SRAM TT shifter compatible mount that turns these bar end shifters into old school thumb shifters. Now normally, I would just scroll right on by something like that. However; I was immediately struck by the fact that someone, (actually it was Tweeted by three different accounts I follow), thought these were "new". "They are not new!", I thought to myself.  Heck, I could walk down into my Lab and grab a pair I've had kicking around for years now. New? I don't think so. I went down, within two minutes had them in hand, and shot an image, then tweeted it out asking if my circa 2011 Paul Thumbies could be "new".

A couple of the accounts I "@'ed" (code for adding an account to a Tweet which then directs said Tweet "at" the account.- Pronounced "at-ed") responded with a social media equivalent of a shrug, and they in turn "@'ed" Paul Components account for a definitive answer.

The answer I got from Paul Components on Twitter

So, I had jumped on getting those at the right time, apparently, because back then, I had no clue they were a very limited edition sort of product. I actually got them for my Ti Mukluk, which I used the right shifter by itself at first since I ran 1 X 10 SRAM to start out with. That didn't last long, the shifter came off, and the pair of mounts has been basically sitting on my bench in my little box of bar end shifter parts ever since. I just don't do much with geared, flat bar bikes these days. Anyway, I thanked Paul Components and figured that was that.

Then one of the accounts that was part of the thread snaps back with "hangs up, dials e-bay......" I replied back that this was a well played comment, but I wasn't looking to make a buck from my newfound knowledge dumped on me by Paul Components. Then another follower of mine on Twitter basically answered that and said "take the money and run!"

Social media. Weird. Sometimes it's a fun, knowledge builder. Other times.....well. 

Ingrid's 12 sped rear derailleur Courtesy of Ingrid's Instagram feed

 They Said It Would Last Forever:

Back on the 1990's heyday of CNC craziness, I purchased a "Made In The USA", CNC'ed, lightweight rear derailleur by a company called ProShift. It was "totally rebuild-able" and theoretically would last "forever" since you would be able to purchase any piece or part of that derailleur and rebuild it. It was VERY EXPENSIVE. I bolted it to my 1992 Klein Attitude and started riding.

Well, one day, under no extraordinary circumstances, I heard a "ker-CHUNK!", felt a tug on the chain, and then no power. I looked down and what was left of that derailleur was dangling from a very slack chain. In fact, the only part that survived was a jockey wheel! Every other part was ripped, twisted, or bent beyond recognition. I boxed up all the bits I could find, shipped it to ProShift, and they sent me another under warranty. That derailleur suffered the same fate exactly two weeks later. Again- the only part that survived was the lower jockey wheel.

Well, I had had enough. I got a "real" rear derailleur, went on my merry way, and ProShift quickly became a thing of mountain bike legend. I was reminded of that story again when I read about an Italian based company called "INGRID".

They have, what looks like CNC'ed metal, in the form of a rear derailleur and are saying "it will last forever because it is rebuild-able". Yeah.......

Once bitten, twice shy.

Flat pedal shoes from Giant Bicycles.

 Shoes To Get The Fargo Ready:

Yes, you read that right. I've got some shoes and that is motivating me to get the Fargo up and running. Why? Because the Fargo has flat pedals on it now. The idea is that I am going off to do some longer gravel rides on flats. To test the shoes. The shoes I have on test for RidingGravel.com. Those shoes.....

Anyway, I think it is high time for some new treads for the Fargo as well. I've got me eye on the new Vittoria Terreno Cross Country tires. They have the Graphene compound and I've had experience with this in their Terreno Dry 40mm tire. Those Graphene infused tires have "something" going on and that is something good. It is an uncanny tire in that it shouldn't grip as well as it does, nor roll as fast as it does, but it does. I've also heard it wears like iron. Too good to be true? Maybe, but I am convinced there is a lot more good to these tires than bad.

So, once the tires are on, I am shooting to do some longer rides on flats and hopefully get ready for the Prairie Burn 100 and the Solstice 100, both events coming up really soon! I need to get some miles in my legs and fast.

That's all for this cold, wet week. Let's hope the weather turns around and warmer weather comes. Oh.....and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Friday News And Views

The new Donnelly "EMP" gravel tire

Look Out Kansas! Another Tire Has Been Influenced By You!

First there was the "Official Tire of Dirty Kansas", the Teravail Cannonball. (remember that?) Then there was the Flintridge Pro, another tire from Kenda Tires which was influenced by the Dirty Kanza 200. Now you can add another tire which has taken its cues from the flinty roads around Emporia, Kansas.

Donnelly's Donn Kellogg had told me about a new tire which would be named after Emporia's airport code, (that's how all Donnelly tires are named, by three letter airport codes) and here it is, the "EMP". It is supposed to be Donnelly's "most aggressive gravel road tire". It'll be out right around now in a 700c X 38mm size and next Spring in a 700c X 45mm size. Tubeless and folding beads at $72.00 and $47.00 respectively. No word on a 650B variant or skin walls. (Boo!)

This sounded like a good time, so I signed up.

Signing On:

Over the past weekend I signed up for two events that are happening next year. The first is the brand new Prairie Burn 100 which is happening in Grinnell, Iowa on June 8th, 2019. That's a week after the Dirty Kanza 200, in case you were wondering.

The Prairie Burn is going to be a loop format/lap type event. Non-competitive too. You just go out for a ride on 25-ish mile loops which all bring you back into Grinnell so if you want to stop after, 25, 50 miles, well, you can. Music and food with beverages of different sorts will also be going down at the same time in the city park. I plan on riding a single speed, so we will see how that goes!

The other event I signed up for is Gravel Worlds which will happen on August 17th. Of course, if you have been following this blog at all, you already know what I think about Gravel Worlds. The big deal this year is that Gravel Worlds is in its tenth year, so that's a big deal and I wanted to be a part of that. So far as I know now, I will contest that one on the "Bubblegum Princess". But that's nine months from now. Who knows what might happen......

Four season pogies?

Bike Iowa Pogie Lites:

First off, if you haven't checked out BikeIowa.com and you are a cyclist in Iowa or close to this state, what the heck are you doing? All the pertinent cycling news, events, and more is there for this state. Check it out.

Bike Iowa's own Scott Sumpter helped design,  test, and manufacture these new handle bar accessory items called "Pogie Lites".  They are coverings which are supremely versatile. Tested in the worst of conditions at Trans Iowa, Land Run 100, Winter events, and more, these items are refined and ready to help riders get more riding in under adverse conditions.

Scott and his partner, Jess, make these and sell them direct, or at select bike shops. I was sent a pair to test and review for here and RidingGravel.com. (Read about disclaimer below) I've been very intrigued by this product and have watched as Scott and Jess have tweaked out the design. The Pogie Lites are wind-proof, water resistant, and will fit on drop bars, staright bars, and Jones Bars. Whatta ya know! I have all of those!

So, be on the lookout for my thoughts on this product here and at Riding Gravel. I suspect they will prove to be a valuable asset for cold weather riding, which is what we have on tap now. I'll also say up front that I am not a big fan of traditional pogies as seen on fat bikes. For me, they just get in the way, and they are bulky, clunky things. I know many of you would never consider riding without them. I get it, as I have some traditional pogies and I have ridden with them. I'll definitely be doing a compare and contrast between the two types.

And Now For A Public Announcement: You've often seen my disclaimers- The "gloppy dollops of my opinion", the "I bought this with my own damn money", or the "I received this from XYZ for test and review at no charge. I will strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout".

Well, I have recently learned about how You Tubers are being paid by companies to receive products in return for positive reviews, mentions, and in some cases, to denigrate competitors products. I thought that was super crazy. I also am probably naive, behind the times, and not very smart. Anyway, I was sent an e-mail by a company just the other evening about a CBD product with a proposal that would include my receiving said product free and being paid in return for a review.

I flatly refuse to ever do such a thing for anybody. 

Just so you know.

Have a great weekend!