Project Fixed Gravel Bus

The key to it all. (Image by A. Andonopoulos.)

 I have hinted at this all throughout December and now it is time to share what I've been up to over the past four or five weeks. I will also add the weather was mostly not conducive to being outdoors throughout this period, so it was a good thing to have this to do during the dive into deep Winter weather we experienced. 

Just a quick recap for those new to this story: I had a Twin Six Standard Rando v2 set up geared since around 2022, and for a year or two before that, as a single speed. When tires for gravel started to plump out to the 47mm - 50mm widths I was finding the Twin Six to be lacking as it barely handles a 44mm wide tire. So, I dreamt of retiring the T-6 and ended up replacing the T-6 with my Singular Cycles Peregrine Mk4 last September. 

Meanwhile, I had become enamored of riding fixed gear again via my road bike standard Shogun 1000, a 1980's vintage road bike, which has very limited tire clearances. My thoughts began to swirl - What would a fatter tire fixie be like? Then it hit me.....

Build the T-6 as a fixed gear bike, and move the Shogun down the road. So, this is what I have done. This now brings you up to speed on my journey up to the point where this project started.  

The first order of business was to build wheels. 

Thanks to Ari Andonopoulos and Jay Barre, I have this sweet Paul Components fixed WORD through axle hub. It is great Paul Components does this part, because it is not only high-quality stuff, but it is about the only game in town for fixed, through axle, and disc brake all in the same hub. Wacky one-speed rear device indeed!

To build the wheel set I needed rims. Fortunately I had a set of Velocity USA Blunt SS rims just chillin' in my shop. They were waiting for such a time as this! I also needed a front hub. I had used the old original front wheel in the Noble Bikes GX5 before in the Standard Rando, but this wheel was a mismatch from the standpoint of the rim. So, I broke the wheel down and harvested the front Stan;s Neo hub for this project.

Topped off with hand-cut DT Swiss spokes from Ari in the rear, and Wheelsmith spokes for the front, and this set of wheels was ready to go. Of course, I used my "signature wheel set" spoke scheme where I use half black, half silver spokes and nipples. The black spokes on one side get silver nipples and the silver spokes on the other side get black nipples.  

The wheel builds were fairly straight forward and besides one spoke, I had no real issues. Then it came to drive train parts. I had two screw-on fixed gear cogs to choose from. One was an All City 17T but is an 1 1/8th pitch. I also have a Dura Ace, vintage 3/32nds pitch cog in a 16T.  Both are black anodized steel. Not sure how they do that, but they are definitely black and definitely steel! 

I went the all-3/32nds route and so I have the Dura Ace part on the hub. For a crank set I came up with a 172.5mm Shimano 105 triple, Hollowgram crank set and I dismounted the three rings and replaced the middle one with a 39T steel ring from some old road crank set. It is a Shimano ring though. 

This meant I had to modify my Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric insert for a PF-30 shell. The left side bearing has that old, pre-DU(M)B spindle which had a 24mm drive side diameter and stepped down non drive side bearing. I knocked the SRAM specific bearing out, grabbed a Shimano outboard bearing sealed bearing cartridge, a plastic bushing, (top-hat) from same bottom bracket, modified the plastic bit, and used this. It worked perfectly. 

With a new SRAM PC 853 chain it now is locked-in and ready to roll. All I needed now were controls, brakes, and cabling. The handle bar is an old favorite, the Kitchen Sink Bar from Redshift Sports. I also used the same Redshift Sports ShockStop stem I had on the T-6 before I broke it up. A Shimano PRO seat post topped with a WTB Silverado saddle gifted to me recently by MG was the seating arrangement. (Thanks MG!!!) Then old Tektro levers in black were mounted as well. All I needed were cables, housings, and brake calipers. 

With everything but the calipers, tape, and cabling. 

 So, with the year closing out I was on the hunt for some brake calipers. It was the only thing I didn't have yet to make this a complete bicycle. Of course, I needed flat mount brakes, but they also needed to be mechanically operated. This leaves you with precious few options. 

You could do the bougie route. Paul Components Klampers or Growtac brakes (Velo Orange sells them), but we're talking hundreds of dollars for two brake calipers. Then you have the next step down in TRP Spyre brakes. Far less money for sure, but no big drop-off in performance. TRP/Tektro has a lower end version of the Spyre, which is slightly less money. Then you get into the sub-100 dollar per caliper brakes which of the lot, only Shimano is a brand I would trust. 

I hemmed and hawed about what to do. I was texting with Ari a few days before Christmas and he pointed out the half price offer on TRP Spyre calipers from an online store. I ended up ordering those as it put the per-caliper price under $65.00. 

Two days before Christmas. No calipers, but I just couldn't resist a test ride!

 I had strung the cables, but no wires, by a couple of days ahead of Christmas. It was pretty nice out for late December, and I had time, so I decided to go out for a short, brakeless ride. This would be on totally flat terrain and maybe for a few blocks and back, but I wanted to get a read on how this gearing was going to work out for me. I knew it was a little steeper than I had my Shogun set up with. 

I think it will be fine for most flattish terrain, but hills will be interesting! I'll just have to see how it goes over the course of Spring and determine what to do after that. 

 I think if Winter is going away, and for good, (fingers crossed), I will set up a different set of tires, But the 45NRTH Gravdal studded tires will grip ice and snow well. In case Winter comes back again, (more than likely), I'll keep them on. So we will see about tubeless tires at some point. Fenders may appear here in either case. I've got metal Planet Bike fenders or a brand new set of plastic Giant Revolt fenders too. We'll see how things fit to decide there. 

Finished Saturday evening 12/27/25

 Twin Six Standard Rando v2 (2020) in Saffron 

• Size: 59cm
• Frame: Steel (Twin Six never really says what, if anything, is special about their tube set) 
• Fork: Carbon T-6 (Again, no details but it does have internal routing for the front brake cable, Three-Pack mounts, and a 12mm through axle.) 
• Wheels: Hand-built using Velocity USA Blunt SS rims (28 spoke hole drilling), Mix of Wheelsmith (front) and DT Swiss spokes. Spokes in each wheel are all black on one side  with silver nipples, and all silver on the other side of the wheel with black nipples. Three cross lacing. (Guitar Ted Special Wheel build) Hubs are Paul Components WORD Fixed Disc (rear) and Stan's Neo (Front) 
• Track Cog: Vintage NOS black Dura Ace, 16T x 3/32nds.
• Chain: SRAM PC-853
• Chain Ring: Steel 39T Shimano of unknown vintage. (Likely 7 speed) 
• Crank Arms: Shimano 105 10 speed Triple modified for single speed use. 172.5mm length.
• Bottom Bracket: Modified Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric for PF-30 shell. 
• Seat Post: Shimano PRO
• Saddle: WTB Silverado
• Head Set: Enduro MaxHit stainless steel.
• Stem; Redshift Sports ShockStop Pro
• Handle Bars: Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink (46cm)
• Bar Tape: Ergon AllRoad
• Levers: Tektro short pull
• Brakes: TRP Spyre/Shimano rotors/Jagwire Pro housings.
• Pedals Fyxation Mesa MP's
• Tires: 45NRTH Gravdal, fully studded, with tubes. 
• Frame Pump: 1990's vintage Blackburn 

I'll have a ride report up once I can get out with this bike for a decently long ride. Indications are the stiffer T-6 frame will be a big benefit toward making the fixed drive train work its best. Gearing? Yeah..... I don't know yet! 

Stay tuned...  

Gravel Bus In 650B Mode

 The Gravel Bus with Irwin Aon GX 35 Carbon wheels in 650B.

 My Saturday plans were laid waste by duties having to do with my son's participation in football and rain. Basically, it was a double whammy, as I wasn't going to get to do what I had intended either way. Sometimes somethings weren't meant to happen. 

So, I had a lot of time on my hands Saturday and I used that to get some things done I had intended on doing. I had just purchased a Surly single speed spacer kit, a Surly 20T cog, and I had picked up a box of super-secret stuff for RidingGravel.com at Andy's Bike Shop as well. I decided to get cracking on the 650B wheel set up for the Gravel Bus. I had already set the tires up tubeless and all I needed was to match up the gearing so I wouldn't have to do any chain tensioning when I switched back and forth between the 700c and 650B set-ups. The box? Nunya. You'll have to wait for a little over a month to find out what's up there. 

I ended up running the first Standard Rando I had in 650B mode pretty much on a permanent basis until I sold it. That was because it was the only way to get any decent volume tires on that frame and fork. The clearances were tight on that design. With v2, Twin Six has allowed for a bigger tire to be fitted, so I can run 700 X 43mm tires with no issues. But that still allows for 650B as an option, so now this Standard Rando is actually more versatile, at least for my uses and intentions. 

So, how does it ride? Stiffer with smaller diameter wheels......maybe. The caveat here is that I had been riding Spinergy wheels on this which do ride pretty darn smoothly, so switching out to a deeper section carbon wheel with steel spokes and in a smaller diameter? Probably no surprise that the bigger hits are more sharply felt there, even with the cushy tires. One thing a lot of people do not take into account is that the 650B diameter- even with a 47mm wide tire- effectively lowers your gearing range. You can most acutely feel this when switching from 700c and keeping the cog size and chain ring size the same, as I have done here. 

The smaller diameter wheel/tire combo effectively lowered the gain ratio on the Gravel Bus.

This will come in handy when conditions are worse, in hillier areas, or on really windy days when I want to use a single speed. It's kind of a round-a-bout way to change ratios without changing anything on the cog/chain/chain ring front. Plus, it looks like I could squeeze in some fenders. That might be nice in muckier, transitional weather. 

So, this will end up being the dedicated 650B wheel set and my matching 700c Irwin Aon GX 35 Carbon wheels will end up becoming the alternate wheel set for the Gravel Bus. This will bring the Project Gravel Bus to a close. I doubt I will be doing anything major, in as far as changes go, to this rig anytime soon.

Gravel Bus In 650B Mode

 The Gravel Bus with Irwin Aon GX 35 Carbon wheels in 650B.

 My Saturday plans were laid waste by duties having to do with my son's participation in football and rain. Basically, it was a double whammy, as I wasn't going to get to do what I had intended either way. Sometimes somethings weren't meant to happen. 

So, I had a lot of time on my hands Saturday and I used that to get some things done I had intended on doing. I had just purchased a Surly single speed spacer kit, a Surly 20T cog, and I had picked up a box of super-secret stuff for RidingGravel.com at Andy's Bike Shop as well. I decided to get cracking on the 650B wheel set up for the Gravel Bus. I had already set the tires up tubeless and all I needed was to match up the gearing so I wouldn't have to do any chain tensioning when I switched back and forth between the 700c and 650B set-ups. The box? Nunya. You'll have to wait for a little over a month to find out what's up there. 

I ended up running the first Standard Rando I had in 650B mode pretty much on a permanent basis until I sold it. That was because it was the only way to get any decent volume tires on that frame and fork. The clearances were tight on that design. With v2, Twin Six has allowed for a bigger tire to be fitted, so I can run 700 X 43mm tires with no issues. But that still allows for 650B as an option, so now this Standard Rando is actually more versatile, at least for my uses and intentions. 

So, how does it ride? Stiffer with smaller diameter wheels......maybe. The caveat here is that I had been riding Spinergy wheels on this which do ride pretty darn smoothly, so switching out to a deeper section carbon wheel with steel spokes and in a smaller diameter? Probably no surprise that the bigger hits are more sharply felt there, even with the cushy tires. One thing a lot of people do not take into account is that the 650B diameter- even with a 47mm wide tire- effectively lowers your gearing range. You can most acutely feel this when switching from 700c and keeping the cog size and chain ring size the same, as I have done here. 

The smaller diameter wheel/tire combo effectively lowered the gain ratio on the Gravel Bus.

This will come in handy when conditions are worse, in hillier areas, or on really windy days when I want to use a single speed. It's kind of a round-a-bout way to change ratios without changing anything on the cog/chain/chain ring front. Plus, it looks like I could squeeze in some fenders. That might be nice in muckier, transitional weather. 

So, this will end up being the dedicated 650B wheel set and my matching 700c Irwin Aon GX 35 Carbon wheels will end up becoming the alternate wheel set for the Gravel Bus. This will bring the Project Gravel Bus to a close. I doubt I will be doing anything major, in as far as changes go, to this rig anytime soon.

Project Gravel Bus: First Impressions

The SRAM Rival 1 crank

Yesterday I gave you a glimpse of the Project Gravel Bus and a little reaction to it so far. Today I will get a bit more in-depth on the bike and how it is built up.

Obviously, the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 is a bit different than the previous iteration of this model, so I may draw some contrasts between it and the new one as we go along. The main differences are in wheel attachment and in the head tube/steer tube/fork area. So- fairly significant changes here, but there are a couple of nuances that some folks may not notice that are different too.

First off- The Spec:

• Twin Six Standard Rando v2 size 57cm. 44mm head tube, 12mm X 142mm rear through-bolt axle and 12mm X 100mm through-bolt front axle. Reinforced head tube and bottom bracket shell. Press-Fit 30 bottom bracket interface, screw on cable guides on down tube configurable for single speed, 1X, or fully geared. (I opted for the fully geared ones because- versatility) Official Color: Saffron. (School Bus Yellow is more like it though) Note: Also available in Black. Either color can have colored matched fenders- available separately. 
• Fork: Carbon, weighs 573gms with compression plug and with uncut steer tube. Painted to match. Note: Steel painted to match fork also available. 45mm offset. 
• Crank: SRAM Rival 1 1X with 40T 1X chain ring.
• Bottom Bracket: Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric Press-Fit with Enduro steel bearings
• Chain: SRAM PC951 9 speed.
• Rear Cog: 20T Surly with Surly spacer kit for a freehub
• Brakes: TRP Spyre flat mount F/R (Rotors are Hayes)
• Brake Levers: TRP canti/caliper short pull (Take-offs from another bike I have)
• Seat Post: Shimano PRO Carbon Dyneema
• Saddle WTB Volt
• Stem: Easton EC70 90mm
• Bar: Salsa Cowchipper 46cm, alloy
• Bar Tape: Marque Cycling, Black
• Wheels: Temporary place holders (Spinergy GX with WTB Resolute 700c X 43mm tires.)
• Pedal: Some beat-to-crap Shimano SPD's or another I had laying around. 
• Cables/Housings: Jagwire
• Accessories: Cages- Blackburn stainless (3), Bag: Bike Bag Dude Garage Top Tube bag, Bottles: Twin Six (3)

And that about covers the build. Now for the full monty........

Why Single Speed?: Well, as I said yesterday, that decision really wasn't on my radar until I rode the Stormchaser and also after I completed the Single Speed Century. I realized that I really missed single speed riding. My earliest gravel grinders were all done single speed. So, it stands to reason that I am okay with a single speed gravel bike, and actually, I am more than 'okay' with that. There is just 'something'.....I just really enjoy it.

So, here's how it came to be that I switched from wanting to do this bike as a 1X 11 speed to a straight up single speed. Andy, of Andy's Bike Shop, got a T-6 Standard Rando v2 and along the way, he went from wanting a single speed to a geared bike. Part of that was my promise to him that I wold be handing off the Surly 1X1 to him, thus negating the need for a simple commuter bike. So, Andy had already gotten in the bottom bracket I used and the Surly spacer kit I ended up with. This all tipped the scales to me going single speed and avoiding having to riding a bike equipped with a SRAM shifter. I really don't like SRAM road shifters. Going single speed avoided this.

The Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric PF-30 insert really is pretty cool. If I recall correctly, Twin Six used a PF-30 shell for this reason, (and likely a few others), so one could single speed the bike. Their desire for the design all along was, for one thing, that people be able to choose a single speed option, or to be able to use an internally geared hub, both of which would require a chain tensioning system. The eccentric idea was the cleanest looking, and probably cheapest, option to allow for that, especially with a PF-30 style bottom bracket shell.

The Wheels Manufacturing insert worked perfectly. Really easy to put in and really easy to adjust, but you will need a good spanner to do the adjustment. The eccentric's shell is notched for something like Park HCW-5 wrench. So, make sure you have a hook spanner similar to that if you decide to use one of these eccentric inserts. The adjustment is held by two 5mm Allen head bolts that essentially sandwich the insert against the bottom bracket shell. To adjust the eccentric, you simply loosen the bolts and use the spanner wrench.

So, that's how the single speed portion of this build worked out. Now as for the tidbits that are different with this V2 of the Standard Rando, well, we have that front end. It's definitely a different look, what with the big head tube and bigger fork. The things that are not so noticeable is the tube manipulation at certain points and the bigger tire clearances.

Five years ago. This was the original T-6 Standard Rando. Notice the skinnier front end and lack of braze-ons.

Take a look at the original Standard Rando above. T-6 wanted the bike to be able to fit Bruce Gordon Rock and Road tires which are 700c X 42mm on most rims with tubes. That's pretty much what you are looking at above- tubed Rock and Roads on fairly normal width rims. And let me tell ya, there was barely any room around those tires at all! Especially where the tires passed under the fork crown and under the mono-stay. You couldn't fit a small stone between the tread and the frame in those areas. There was maybe 2mm of clearance at beast. Not good!

So, I resorted to using 38's if I ran 700c, or I could run 650B X 47mm with room to spare, so that's what ended up happening with that bike. It basically became a 650B only rig as tires got ever wider, tubeless, and on wider profiled rims to boot.

The new one sports the 700X43mm Resolutes which are more like 44+mm wide and there is room to spare. Not a lot of room, but more than I had with V1 of this bike. In fact, the Resolutes would not have fit V1 at all! That all said- 43mm is what T-6 recommends for max tire size in 700c on this bike and that is spot-on. Don't think you are going to squeeze in those WTB Riddlers in 45, or any of the wider 700c X 47mm tires out now. They simply will not fit this frame.

But otherwise, these two bikes are remarkably similar in looks. Which is by design, I am sure. Twin Six is a fashion company, first and foremost, but they do functional fashion, and this new V2 Rando is definitely more functional. And they ride really similar to each other, which is to say, really well, and I am happy with my decision to go in this direction over some of the other options I had. \

Stay tuned for a RidingGravel.com review of this and Andy's bike soon.

Note- I bought this frame and fork with my own damn money- so there! Twin Six did not ask for this review, nor did they know I was doing one. Double "so-there"!

Project Gravel Bus: First Impressions

The SRAM Rival 1 crank

Yesterday I gave you a glimpse of the Project Gravel Bus and a little reaction to it so far. Today I will get a bit more in-depth on the bike and how it is built up.

Obviously, the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 is a bit different than the previous iteration of this model, so I may draw some contrasts between it and the new one as we go along. The main differences are in wheel attachment and in the head tube/steer tube/fork area. So- fairly significant changes here, but there are a couple of nuances that some folks may not notice that are different too.

First off- The Spec:

• Twin Six Standard Rando v2 size 57cm. 44mm head tube, 12mm X 142mm rear through-bolt axle and 12mm X 100mm through-bolt front axle. Reinforced head tube and bottom bracket shell. Press-Fit 30 bottom bracket interface, screw on cable guides on down tube configurable for single speed, 1X, or fully geared. (I opted for the fully geared ones because- versatility) Official Color: Saffron. (School Bus Yellow is more like it though) Note: Also available in Black. Either color can have colored matched fenders- available separately. 
• Fork: Carbon, weighs 573gms with compression plug and with uncut steer tube. Painted to match. Note: Steel painted to match fork also available. 45mm offset. 
• Crank: SRAM Rival 1 1X with 40T 1X chain ring.
• Bottom Bracket: Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric Press-Fit with Enduro steel bearings
• Chain: SRAM PC951 9 speed.
• Rear Cog: 20T Surly with Surly spacer kit for a freehub
• Brakes: TRP Spyre flat mount F/R (Rotors are Hayes)
• Brake Levers: TRP canti/caliper short pull (Take-offs from another bike I have)
• Seat Post: Shimano PRO Carbon Dyneema
• Saddle WTB Volt
• Stem: Easton EC70 90mm
• Bar: Salsa Cowchipper 46cm, alloy
• Bar Tape: Marque Cycling, Black
• Wheels: Temporary place holders (Spinergy GX with WTB Resolute 700c X 43mm tires.)
• Pedal: Some beat-to-crap Shimano SPD's or another I had laying around. 
• Cables/Housings: Jagwire
• Accessories: Cages- Blackburn stainless (3), Bag: Bike Bag Dude Garage Top Tube bag, Bottles: Twin Six (3)

And that about covers the build. Now for the full monty........

Why Single Speed?: Well, as I said yesterday, that decision really wasn't on my radar until I rode the Stormchaser and also after I completed the Single Speed Century. I realized that I really missed single speed riding. My earliest gravel grinders were all done single speed. So, it stands to reason that I am okay with a single speed gravel bike, and actually, I am more than 'okay' with that. There is just 'something'.....I just really enjoy it.

So, here's how it came to be that I switched from wanting to do this bike as a 1X 11 speed to a straight up single speed. Andy, of Andy's Bike Shop, got a T-6 Standard Rando v2 and along the way, he went from wanting a single speed to a geared bike. Part of that was my promise to him that I wold be handing off the Surly 1X1 to him, thus negating the need for a simple commuter bike. So, Andy had already gotten in the bottom bracket I used and the Surly spacer kit I ended up with. This all tipped the scales to me going single speed and avoiding having to riding a bike equipped with a SRAM shifter. I really don't like SRAM road shifters. Going single speed avoided this.

The Wheels Manufacturing Eccentric PF-30 insert really is pretty cool. If I recall correctly, Twin Six used a PF-30 shell for this reason, (and likely a few others), so one could single speed the bike. Their desire for the design all along was, for one thing, that people be able to choose a single speed option, or to be able to use an internally geared hub, both of which would require a chain tensioning system. The eccentric idea was the cleanest looking, and probably cheapest, option to allow for that, especially with a PF-30 style bottom bracket shell.

The Wheels Manufacturing insert worked perfectly. Really easy to put in and really easy to adjust, but you will need a good spanner to do the adjustment. The eccentric's shell is notched for something like Park HCW-5 wrench. So, make sure you have a hook spanner similar to that if you decide to use one of these eccentric inserts. The adjustment is held by two 5mm Allen head bolts that essentially sandwich the insert against the bottom bracket shell. To adjust the eccentric, you simply loosen the bolts and use the spanner wrench.

So, that's how the single speed portion of this build worked out. Now as for the tidbits that are different with this V2 of the Standard Rando, well, we have that front end. It's definitely a different look, what with the big head tube and bigger fork. The things that are not so noticeable is the tube manipulation at certain points and the bigger tire clearances.

Five years ago. This was the original T-6 Standard Rando. Notice the skinnier front end and lack of braze-ons.

Take a look at the original Standard Rando above. T-6 wanted the bike to be able to fit Bruce Gordon Rock and Road tires which are 700c X 42mm on most rims with tubes. That's pretty much what you are looking at above- tubed Rock and Roads on fairly normal width rims. And let me tell ya, there was barely any room around those tires at all! Especially where the tires passed under the fork crown and under the mono-stay. You couldn't fit a small stone between the tread and the frame in those areas. There was maybe 2mm of clearance at beast. Not good!

So, I resorted to using 38's if I ran 700c, or I could run 650B X 47mm with room to spare, so that's what ended up happening with that bike. It basically became a 650B only rig as tires got ever wider, tubeless, and on wider profiled rims to boot.

The new one sports the 700X43mm Resolutes which are more like 44+mm wide and there is room to spare. Not a lot of room, but more than I had with V1 of this bike. In fact, the Resolutes would not have fit V1 at all! That all said- 43mm is what T-6 recommends for max tire size in 700c on this bike and that is spot-on. Don't think you are going to squeeze in those WTB Riddlers in 45, or any of the wider 700c X 47mm tires out now. They simply will not fit this frame.

But otherwise, these two bikes are remarkably similar in looks. Which is by design, I am sure. Twin Six is a fashion company, first and foremost, but they do functional fashion, and this new V2 Rando is definitely more functional. And they ride really similar to each other, which is to say, really well, and I am happy with my decision to go in this direction over some of the other options I had. \

Stay tuned for a RidingGravel.com review of this and Andy's bike soon.

Note- I bought this frame and fork with my own damn money- so there! Twin Six did not ask for this review, nor did they know I was doing one. Double "so-there"!

Country Views: Standard Rando Maiden Voyage

A blue-sky window of opportunity

Saturday I got out and rode during the best time of the day- between storms! It was really nice out, not too hot, not very windy, and the roads were really good. The plan was to test the brand-spanking new Standard Rando v2, the bike dubbed, "The Gravel Bus", out since I got it assembled on Friday evening late.

This was unexpected, by the way. I had not planned on having the Gravel Bus readied so soon. I had ordered the incorrect caliper for the front brake and I had re-ordered that, but the tracking on the package said it would not arrive until Monday. However, on Friday the package was in the mail box, so the assembly mode was on!

Things went together really well, to be honest. Generally there is some difficult bits during a frame-up assembly. Things unforeseen that pop up to bite you. Fortunately, the only thing I screwed up on was the caliper, and otherwise everything went according to plan. Almost too good, one might think. Even the previously unknown to me eccentric bottom bracket from Wheels Manufacturing went in and adjusted up so well it was almost child's play to do the install. Scary. Things never work like this in the 'real world' of bicycle mechanic work where several different parts come together in a way never foreseen and you are the one that gets to discover that something is not as compatible as it was sold to be.

So, I was wary of all of that success and did a pretty thorough check-over twice before going to bed Friday night. Then on Saturday, I packed an unusual tool kit, to ward against any possibility of failure or maladjustment, and a little 'fore-noon', (Official Old Farmer Jargon), I set sail on the gravel seas to see how this Standard Rando v2 would stack up against my other bikes.

Temporary wheel set here, but otherwise, this is it.

I planned on two initial stops to double check my work and to see if anything was coming loose, or if I missed anything. The previous night's smoothness of assembly was spooking me out. However; despite my worries, nothing turned up. Hrrumpf! Maybe things can go right like that sometimes? Guess so..... Onward....

I came across this field of red clover.

The wild day lilies were popping all over.

I decided to hit up the 'big rock' on Big Rock Road as a spot to stop to double check things and for a photo opp. Then it was Eastward on Big Rock Road to Crane Creek Road to go see that mysterious engraved rock, the glacial erratic, that is in the West ditch just before you cross Airline Highway's intersection with Crane Creek Road. I wanted to investigate that more thoroughly on this trip.

I met these two shy pooches along the way to seeing that big glacial erratic.

There really is nothing near this rock that would help in discovering the reason it was engraved.

A close up of the engraving in the rock's face.

I finally came up on this rock and dismounted to clamber down through a steep ditch and into man-high weeds to approach the rock. As I pushed aside some dead vines, I could discern the name "Thiltgen" easily and the date of 1875. Looking at this, I am going to say that this is some recently done work. Getting close up, it is easy to see that the lettering is pretty crisp and the engraving has some sort of black paint or other substance which makes the lettering stand out better against the pale grey rock. My educated guess is that this wouldn't be so clean looking if it had been here for a long time, but I could be wrong. 

A quick check of the records I could find online turned up Frank Thiltgen, born in Luxemborg in 1846 and records show that he had property near where this rock is. This would have been off of Crane Creek Road back toward Elk Run Creek proper to the West. It could be that this stone marks the place where the road went back to the family farm at one time. Perhaps settled in 1875? I also learned that Frank Thiltgen is buried nearby at the St. Francis Cemetery, which I have images of on the blog here from time to time. So, the whole thing may be solved by that and may no longer be a mystery to me. History, the internet, and a little searching. 

Another field full of different wild flowers.

A barn quilt on a shed? Shed quilt? Found on Crane Creek Road.

I decided to head on Southward as by this time I had received notice on my phone that severe thunderstorms were expected in the area by around 2:30pm. This also allowed me to explore some new-to-me Black Hawk County gravel. Cool! I was up for that.

Barns for Jason #1

Barns for Jason #2. This one is a real stunner!

I ended up doing bits of East Donald Street I had not been on, then I turned on Pilot Grove Road, to Newell Street, and back into town for a 2+ hour ride. I could have gone longer, but I had no idea how fast the storms would develop so better safe than sorry.

Tiiiiiin roof!...................rusted! Love shack baby!

The corn here must have been 8 feet tall.

So, how about that Standard Rando, eh? Well, I couldn't be happier. That everything stayed together for the first ride, for one thing! But other than that? Yeah, I like it. The goal was to do two things. First off- It had to be a good replacement for the Raleigh Tamland. Second- I wanted to get close to what I felt and experienced on the Stormchaser. I know the first is working out. The second? More time needed......

Another big rock- This one larger than a dump truck. 

Moo!

So, yeah.... That Stormchaser was a fine bike, and I really got on with it. Of course, it was aluminum, and it had a few things that the Twin Six doesn't have. The Class 5 VRS rear end, the big tire clearances, and those rad rear sliding drop outs. But the Stormchaser was harsh up front. Really harsh. The only way I would have ever lived with that bike was with the bigger 50mm tires I ran on it at the end of the review. The Standard Rando, while sporting a burly looking carbon fork itself, is not anywhere near as harsh up front. So, that's a win right there. (More on the bike tomorrow)

And the whole single speed thing, well...... I am really enjoying it. I really believe I am a single speeder at heart. I just don't have any problems riding a single gear bike at all anywhere. It may limit me at times, for sure, but there is something about single speed riding that just makes me feel 'right', for lack of a better explanation.

But that said, I ain't givin' up any geared bikes anytime soon!

Country Views: Standard Rando Maiden Voyage

A blue-sky window of opportunity

Saturday I got out and rode during the best time of the day- between storms! It was really nice out, not too hot, not very windy, and the roads were really good. The plan was to test the brand-spanking new Standard Rando v2, the bike dubbed, "The Gravel Bus", out since I got it assembled on Friday evening late.

This was unexpected, by the way. I had not planned on having the Gravel Bus readied so soon. I had ordered the incorrect caliper for the front brake and I had re-ordered that, but the tracking on the package said it would not arrive until Monday. However, on Friday the package was in the mail box, so the assembly mode was on!

Things went together really well, to be honest. Generally there is some difficult bits during a frame-up assembly. Things unforeseen that pop up to bite you. Fortunately, the only thing I screwed up on was the caliper, and otherwise everything went according to plan. Almost too good, one might think. Even the previously unknown to me eccentric bottom bracket from Wheels Manufacturing went in and adjusted up so well it was almost child's play to do the install. Scary. Things never work like this in the 'real world' of bicycle mechanic work where several different parts come together in a way never foreseen and you are the one that gets to discover that something is not as compatible as it was sold to be.

So, I was wary of all of that success and did a pretty thorough check-over twice before going to bed Friday night. Then on Saturday, I packed an unusual tool kit, to ward against any possibility of failure or maladjustment, and a little 'fore-noon', (Official Old Farmer Jargon), I set sail on the gravel seas to see how this Standard Rando v2 would stack up against my other bikes.

Temporary wheel set here, but otherwise, this is it.

I planned on two initial stops to double check my work and to see if anything was coming loose, or if I missed anything. The previous night's smoothness of assembly was spooking me out. However; despite my worries, nothing turned up. Hrrumpf! Maybe things can go right like that sometimes? Guess so..... Onward....

I came across this field of red clover.

The wild day lilies were popping all over.

I decided to hit up the 'big rock' on Big Rock Road as a spot to stop to double check things and for a photo opp. Then it was Eastward on Big Rock Road to Crane Creek Road to go see that mysterious engraved rock, the glacial erratic, that is in the West ditch just before you cross Airline Highway's intersection with Crane Creek Road. I wanted to investigate that more thoroughly on this trip.

I met these two shy pooches along the way to seeing that big glacial erratic.

There really is nothing near this rock that would help in discovering the reason it was engraved.

A close up of the engraving in the rock's face.

I finally came up on this rock and dismounted to clamber down through a steep ditch and into man-high weeds to approach the rock. As I pushed aside some dead vines, I could discern the name "Thiltgen" easily and the date of 1875. Looking at this, I am going to say that this is some recently done work. Getting close up, it is easy to see that the lettering is pretty crisp and the engraving has some sort of black paint or other substance which makes the lettering stand out better against the pale grey rock. My educated guess is that this wouldn't be so clean looking if it had been here for a long time, but I could be wrong. 

A quick check of the records I could find online turned up Frank Thiltgen, born in Luxemborg in 1846 and records show that he had property near where this rock is. This would have been off of Crane Creek Road back toward Elk Run Creek proper to the West. It could be that this stone marks the place where the road went back to the family farm at one time. Perhaps settled in 1875? I also learned that Frank Thiltgen is buried nearby at the St. Francis Cemetery, which I have images of on the blog here from time to time. So, the whole thing may be solved by that and may no longer be a mystery to me. History, the internet, and a little searching. 

Another field full of different wild flowers.

A barn quilt on a shed? Shed quilt? Found on Crane Creek Road.

I decided to head on Southward as by this time I had received notice on my phone that severe thunderstorms were expected in the area by around 2:30pm. This also allowed me to explore some new-to-me Black Hawk County gravel. Cool! I was up for that.

Barns for Jason #1

Barns for Jason #2. This one is a real stunner!

I ended up doing bits of East Donald Street I had not been on, then I turned on Pilot Grove Road, to Newell Street, and back into town for a 2+ hour ride. I could have gone longer, but I had no idea how fast the storms would develop so better safe than sorry.

Tiiiiiin roof!...................rusted! Love shack baby!

The corn here must have been 8 feet tall.

So, how about that Standard Rando, eh? Well, I couldn't be happier. That everything stayed together for the first ride, for one thing! But other than that? Yeah, I like it. The goal was to do two things. First off- It had to be a good replacement for the Raleigh Tamland. Second- I wanted to get close to what I felt and experienced on the Stormchaser. I know the first is working out. The second? More time needed......

Another big rock- This one larger than a dump truck. 

Moo!

So, yeah.... That Stormchaser was a fine bike, and I really got on with it. Of course, it was aluminum, and it had a few things that the Twin Six doesn't have. The Class 5 VRS rear end, the big tire clearances, and those rad rear sliding drop outs. But the Stormchaser was harsh up front. Really harsh. The only way I would have ever lived with that bike was with the bigger 50mm tires I ran on it at the end of the review. The Standard Rando, while sporting a burly looking carbon fork itself, is not anywhere near as harsh up front. So, that's a win right there. (More on the bike tomorrow)

And the whole single speed thing, well...... I am really enjoying it. I really believe I am a single speeder at heart. I just don't have any problems riding a single gear bike at all anywhere. It may limit me at times, for sure, but there is something about single speed riding that just makes me feel 'right', for lack of a better explanation.

But that said, I ain't givin' up any geared bikes anytime soon!

Friday News And Views

Former Shimano Chairman Yoshizo Shimano Dies July 3rd, 2020-

The passing of one of the Shimano clan is not necessarily news I would share, but in this case, this man had an influence on us as mountain bikers and gravel cyclists that cannot be measured. Yoshizo Shimano was one of three sons of Shimano's founder and ran the company for many years. Of particular interest to us, Yoshizo Shimano was the man who saw mountain biking as a possible avenue of cycling that might prove quite popular. He brought a team of Shimano employees over to visit with pioneers of the sport, such as Gary Fisher and Charlie Kelly who ran a company at the time called Mountainbikes in about 1980 or so. (Yes- that's where the name "mountain bike" came from, by the way)

With the information gathered from the early MTB pioneers in hand, Shimano created the first mountain bike specific group set, Deore XT, and the rest, as they say, is history. Had this not happened, the segment, dubbed as a fluke, a fad, if you will, by the traditional cycling industry at large, may have been left to fizzle out and die then. Remember- These early pioneers were cobbling together drive trains using old tandem and touring bike parts mixed with BMX gear. It was a hodge-podge of barely workable bits that soon would have dried up and the industry would have evolved in another direction. Who knows when MTB as a segment would have resurfaced?

This sort of culture at Shimano- one that looked for a way to develop a segment that seemed popular and was growing, as they did with MTB, came up again when gravel bikes started to appear in 2012-2014. Shimano sent over teams of engineers, management, and athletes to see what was up with this new segment. They rode Almanzo 100, Dirty Kanza 200, and other events, and they talked to people along the way. Subsequently Shimano introduced a completely new group set for gravel called GRX last year.

Had Shimano not been the sort of company that Yoshizo Shimano shaped it to be, I doubt we'd have GRX, or mountain biking components as we do today.

 Sea Otter Play Promises Virtual Expo, Ride Challenges:

Sea Otter was cancelled for 2020, but the organization has found a 'virtual' means to allow people to participate and interact with over 350 brands which will be part of the first "Sea Otter Play" event September 17-20. Starting on September 1st, riders can also engage in several challenges set up to be governed by GPS data and be eligible to win prizes. The ride challenges end on 9-20-20.

Comments: This is indicative of 2020, right? Social distancing and protocols for dealing with COVID-19 have forced many events to delve into the 'virtual challenge' world. I suppose it is better to have those carrots dangling out there for the competitive at heart than not, but I know many are taking 2020 as a non-racing year and are setting sights on 2021 now already. I can imagine that the bigger names will be absent from these proceedings, but what would we have Sea Otter do? It's a big dilemma for racing for sure.

The expo? Interesting, and possibly game changing. If engagement numbers can be studied and deemed to be worthwhile, we may see more of this sort of thing in the future. It certainly tics a lot of boxes for the vendors. No shipping, no booth production, less labor, and less time. The big unanswered question will be how the consumer reacts to this. Will consumers flock to this like a Netflix series or will it fall flat on its face?

Hard to say now, but when the news was released on the 8th, I saw nary a mention on social media platforms. Heck, even Niner Bikes e-mtb thing garnered more attention than this festival deal. But perhaps marketing through the next month will realize more buzz about this effort. If not......it's gonna be ugly. 

 Update On The Project Gravel Bus:

Whenever you do a frame-up build, there is always some snafu when you go to build it. I've had several during the initial phases of building up the Gravel Bus.

First off, my head set was missing the crown race. After a lengthy search, I gave up, and decided I needed to do something dramatic. It was time to dismantle the Singular Buzzard. That bike has sat now for at least three years unused and, of course, it also has not sold either. So, there are parts on it I can use elsewhere, and the head set race on that fork was the one I needed, so off it came. I also grabbed the 10 speed cassette off it for another bike. I'll get into that later and also what will become of the rest of the Buzzard.

Then I realized that one of the levers I had planned on using had turned up missing. Gah! I contemplated ordering a pair, but then I realized I had the perfect set of levers all along out in the garage on my rat-rod Raleigh fixed gear bike, (also a bike not getting used enough), so I went out and harvested those off that bike. Okay, two issues covered! This was going well, albeit somewhat bumpy along the way.

Then came the stopper, literally and figuratively. I had ordered the wrong front caliper, or the company I got it from sent the wrong one, I don't know, but either way, that caliper was a post mount, not a flat mount style. (sigh) So, I am at a standstill until the new caliper comes along, and I hope it is the correct one! At least the order details are showing me it is the correct one. Funny thing- I am getting the caliper from Amazon, which had a price equal to wholesale, and they say they actually have it, unlike any of the distributors we work with at the shop. Yeah......crazy bizarro world. 

So, as for the Buzzard. I am breaking that bike up. It will be offered for sale as a frame only and the fork will be separate. I'll get all that up on the Garage Sale page soon. The rest of the parts I am keeping for a possible ECR build. Maybe.......We will see.... I need another bike like I need a hole in my head. It even could be the new Black Mountain Cycles rig Mike Varley is working on. Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out his Instagram feed and you'll find it.

Okay, that's a wrap for this FN&V. Have a fantastic weekend and I hope that you get some riding in!