Working On The Gravel Bus

Before.....

I like to try to get all my bikes ridden in the year, and if I have had one sitting for too long unridden it starts to wear on my brain. I don't like that I don't ride a certain bicycle I have and the longer it goes on the worse I feel about it. 

So, lately one of those bikes on this "list" came off the list as I started to ride the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 again. This is the bike I've dubbed "The Gravel Bus" because of the yellow and black scheme it sports which is not unlike the school bus paint schemes you may be familiar with. 

I decided to use the Gravel Bus for the Delium tire review I did recently and as I was doing that I noted I was feeling pretty beat up after one particular ride. Sore shoulders and rear end. Hmmm.... 

I considered swapping out the saddle, thinking it was the profile of the WTB saddle that was bugging me, but after comparing it to the Silverado I was going to swap over to, I noted the profile was nearly identical to the Silverado, so it wouldn't have been worth swapping to. The Silverado is a very comfortable saddle for me, so I'm chalking it up to a bibs issue. 

But I didn't particularly care for the Delium tires and I had a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem on another bike (that IS on the "List" of bikes to get out on) and I swapped the stem while going ahead with the tire change. 

.....and after.

The Gravel Bus has limited tire clearances, compared to many currently offered gravel bikes, at a claimed 43mm maximum. I ended up sliding in these WTB Raddler 700 X 44mm which are measuring out right at 44mm on GRX wheels with 25mm internal rim width. I've still got 'breathing room' too, so this should be a good pairing and I have always liked how Raddlers handle looser gravel. 

Now I need this ridiculously hot and humid weather to pass so I can test out everything in the country. I'm hopeful that I have hit on a good combination here and I will not have to keep experimenting. But you never know, and perhaps more changes will be coming.  

Big News Day: Salsa Cycles & WTB

 Yesterday was a big news day in cycling for new product with Salsa Cycles announcing a new mountain bike platform and WTB announcing new puncture protection gravel tires. First up, let's take a look at the news from Salsa Cycles from my viewpoint. I'm sure y'all have seen the news splashed across social media and endemic news sites already, so I'll spare the techy bits here. And as always.....

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

The Cassidy aluminum frame-only option.

Okay, with that out of the way, here's what I think about these new full suspension rigs. The Blackthorn and the Cassidy are, for all intents and purposes, basically modular platforms, both being capable of being set up similarly. Only the basic spec of parts would be different here. A switch of a linkage sets and the rear shock yields a 140mm or 165mm rear travel bike. So, you can essentially buy one of these, the spare linkage sets and rear shock, and have the ability to tune your suspension for wherever the heck you want to ride. 

Versatility in wheel size is also there, as the new bikes accept 27.5+ and 29" wheels. So, although the bikes are spendy, you can, with a little extra coin, get two bikes in one basic platform. Nice. 

I'm not real big on the new 'long/slack' geometry that 'new-school' mountain bikes use. It isn't very Mid-West friendly, for one thing. Since that's where I ride, the whole new geometry thing is kind of lost on me. However; I can see the application for real mountain biking. I have ridden in places where bikes like these would make a ton of sense. For those that live in such places, bikes like the Cassidy, especially, make a lot of sense. 

The Blackthorn 140mm travel bike.

But in my opinion, the mountain biking situation is becoming much like the skiing industry. Why buy when you can rent? Going to Colorado, Utah, or Arizona? How about NorCal or even Pisgah or The Kingdom Trails? Why drag a bike from the Mid-West that, for one thing, doesn't work well here, and just rent one out there that is tuned for the riding there? Especially when three years from now, likely sooner than that, your shocks will be requiring overhauls and, more than likely, will be outdated by some new standard or feature set. 

And how about that SuperBoost, speaking of standards. Yeah..... Makes me want to buy a new bike, for sure..... Plus, in many ways, owning a big full suspension rig like this here seems like an equivalent to owning a Toyota TRD Tundra and never driving it off-road. I mean, it seems sorta useless to my mind when a rigid hard tail gets you everything you really need here. Especially with the poofy tires and wide rims we have now. 

OR- Where are all the Mid-West friendly designs Salsa used to make? It seems that the pendulum of geometry has swung hard over to the steep, long sight-line, manicured trails side. Anyway.......

Now as for the WTB thing.... They introduced a new technology for their tires, not any new tread patterns, just to clear up any confusion there. WTB sent me three sets of the SG2 infused tires about a month ago now.

I mounted the new SG2 Raddlers on the Orange Crush.

First of all- the newsy bits, techy stuff, and first impressions can be found here and here on Riding Gravel. 

Now for the opinions: It's about dang time WTB offered a puncture protection option. This has been an Achilles heel for the brand for many years. While all the other brands offered this, WTB suffered from folks having issues and puncture protection probably would have saved them a few customers. Oh well.... At least they offer it now.  

I like the way they added a supple casing and puncture protection to keep the ride feel basically the same as the 60TPI tires, which rode pretty well. WTB tires are not the smoothest riding, by any stretch, but typically those very smooth riding tires have their own issues and I've experienced them first hand. You can do a lot with air pressure and a tire like the new SG2 WTB tires which allow you to get that smoothness without the rest of the hassles of thin cased tires run tubeless. 

RidingGravel.com got three sets of tires- one set of Resolutes, one Raddler, one of the Byways. So far I am really liking the Byways, but that may be because they are the new ones to me. I put those on the G700 FLO Cycling wheels and I am really liking this combination. The Resolutes are.....Resolutes. I like Resolutes a lot. But the main thing is that they have that puncture protection belt. That's what is nice. If you need peace of mind or if you just like better air retention, or both. 

Oh, and the Raddlers? They are a curious tire. WTB and others have been sporting some models which seem to be more about trail riding than gravel/back road riding. The Raddler would fit that mold, to a degree. It isn't necessarily a bad tire for the Mid-West, but you can sure do a lot with less, as in the case of the Byways. The Raddler seems to my mind a tire best suited to Winter-ish riding around here, but that may be just me. 

More soon. 

Note: WTB sent over the three models of SG2 gravel tires to Riding Gravel for test and review at no charge. We were not paid nor bribed for this review and we always strive to give our honest thoughts and reviews throughout.

Big News Day: Salsa Cycles & WTB

 Yesterday was a big news day in cycling for new product with Salsa Cycles announcing a new mountain bike platform and WTB announcing new puncture protection gravel tires. First up, let's take a look at the news from Salsa Cycles from my viewpoint. I'm sure y'all have seen the news splashed across social media and endemic news sites already, so I'll spare the techy bits here. And as always.....

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

The Cassidy aluminum frame-only option.

Okay, with that out of the way, here's what I think about these new full suspension rigs. The Blackthorn and the Cassidy are, for all intents and purposes, basically modular platforms, both being capable of being set up similarly. Only the basic spec of parts would be different here. A switch of a linkage sets and the rear shock yields a 140mm or 165mm rear travel bike. So, you can essentially buy one of these, the spare linkage sets and rear shock, and have the ability to tune your suspension for wherever the heck you want to ride. 

Versatility in wheel size is also there, as the new bikes accept 27.5+ and 29" wheels. So, although the bikes are spendy, you can, with a little extra coin, get two bikes in one basic platform. Nice. 

I'm not real big on the new 'long/slack' geometry that 'new-school' mountain bikes use. It isn't very Mid-West friendly, for one thing. Since that's where I ride, the whole new geometry thing is kind of lost on me. However; I can see the application for real mountain biking. I have ridden in places where bikes like these would make a ton of sense. For those that live in such places, bikes like the Cassidy, especially, make a lot of sense. 

The Blackthorn 140mm travel bike.

But in my opinion, the mountain biking situation is becoming much like the skiing industry. Why buy when you can rent? Going to Colorado, Utah, or Arizona? How about NorCal or even Pisgah or The Kingdom Trails? Why drag a bike from the Mid-West that, for one thing, doesn't work well here, and just rent one out there that is tuned for the riding there? Especially when three years from now, likely sooner than that, your shocks will be requiring overhauls and, more than likely, will be outdated by some new standard or feature set. 

And how about that SuperBoost, speaking of standards. Yeah..... Makes me want to buy a new bike, for sure..... Plus, in many ways, owning a big full suspension rig like this here seems like an equivalent to owning a Toyota TRD Tundra and never driving it off-road. I mean, it seems sorta useless to my mind when a rigid hard tail gets you everything you really need here. Especially with the poofy tires and wide rims we have now. 

OR- Where are all the Mid-West friendly designs Salsa used to make? It seems that the pendulum of geometry has swung hard over to the steep, long sight-line, manicured trails side. Anyway.......

Now as for the WTB thing.... They introduced a new technology for their tires, not any new tread patterns, just to clear up any confusion there. WTB sent me three sets of the SG2 infused tires about a month ago now.

I mounted the new SG2 Raddlers on the Orange Crush.

First of all- the newsy bits, techy stuff, and first impressions can be found here and here on Riding Gravel. 

Now for the opinions: It's about dang time WTB offered a puncture protection option. This has been an Achilles heel for the brand for many years. While all the other brands offered this, WTB suffered from folks having issues and puncture protection probably would have saved them a few customers. Oh well.... At least they offer it now.  

I like the way they added a supple casing and puncture protection to keep the ride feel basically the same as the 60TPI tires, which rode pretty well. WTB tires are not the smoothest riding, by any stretch, but typically those very smooth riding tires have their own issues and I've experienced them first hand. You can do a lot with air pressure and a tire like the new SG2 WTB tires which allow you to get that smoothness without the rest of the hassles of thin cased tires run tubeless. 

RidingGravel.com got three sets of tires- one set of Resolutes, one Raddler, one of the Byways. So far I am really liking the Byways, but that may be because they are the new ones to me. I put those on the G700 FLO Cycling wheels and I am really liking this combination. The Resolutes are.....Resolutes. I like Resolutes a lot. But the main thing is that they have that puncture protection belt. That's what is nice. If you need peace of mind or if you just like better air retention, or both. 

Oh, and the Raddlers? They are a curious tire. WTB and others have been sporting some models which seem to be more about trail riding than gravel/back road riding. The Raddler would fit that mold, to a degree. It isn't necessarily a bad tire for the Mid-West, but you can sure do a lot with less, as in the case of the Byways. The Raddler seems to my mind a tire best suited to Winter-ish riding around here, but that may be just me. 

More soon. 

Note: WTB sent over the three models of SG2 gravel tires to Riding Gravel for test and review at no charge. We were not paid nor bribed for this review and we always strive to give our honest thoughts and reviews throughout.

Brown Season: March Winds Blow

I'm surprised I actually caught these clouds in the image. They were moving so fast!

March. Everyone knows that means "wind". In fact, I am betting that somewhere back in time this period of the year was once known by a name meaning "windy". Probably preceded by some appropriate malediction of the day.

If you live and ride in the Mid-West on the plains, you either embrace the wind, or you go insane because of it, or you don't ride outside. Those are your choices. I choose to embrace it. I'd rather not ride inside, ever, for any reason. I'm probably already insane anyway, so that choice is out the window.

I have a friend who told me once that he taunts the wind. "Is that all ya got? I'm still moving! Bring it on!", he says as he boldly mashes his pedals against the rushing air coming over the plains. I felt inspired by his attitude, so that's what I do now. I even say things out loud if I am alone riding. "C'mon now!, I'll say, "I'm okay!", I'll tell myself. It makes it easier than if you were to gripe about it. Being miserable doesn't help things, and it is a bicycle ride. I mean.....c'mon now! 

I am really just glad that the weather and the roads are cooperating to allow any kind of decent riding at this time of the year. Last year there was no way this was happening. This year we'll have an early Spring, and maybe.....just maybe, it will be a good long Spring, instead of a few days and then leaping straight into Summer's humidity.

The pink MCD. With The Redshift ShockStop stem and seat post, I may have to call this my "Pink Cadillac"!

The bike I rode is the familiar pink MCD from Black Mountain Cycles. I have the Redshift Sports ShockStop stem and seat post on it. Talk about smooth! It gives me a Cadillac ride. The poofy WTB Raddler 44mm tires don't hurt either. In fact, maybe it is almost too much squish. With the saddle, stem, and tires giving way, it seems I have lost a bit of road feedback which maybe is leading to handling issues. Or......it could be the 20+ mph cross winds. Reserving judgment! Going South or North wasn't too bad, but that West-Northwest cross wind was knocking my bike around a bit. Going West?  Ugggh!

The roads South of town are in excellent shape.

 I decided that beating myself up against this gale was not in my best interests, so I chose a route that featured mostly cross wind and a little bit of head and tail wind. It worked perfectly. The roads actually are the best they've been in a long, long time. I saw no soft spots, but perhaps the frost hasn't been drawn out just yet.

As you can see from these images, the snow is almost kaput. Which is fantastic, as the ground now will absorb more of the Sun's energy, kick starting this season into high gear sooner than it got going last year. Last year we had big snow drifts alongside the roads until mid-March and longer. The roads were a big mess, which took all year to recover from, so this respite from a ravaging Winter is good.It also means more riding is being done earlier than last year, so I am hopeful that I'll be in much netter shape for the Renegade Gent's Race at the beginning of April.

Brown Season: March Winds Blow

I'm surprised I actually caught these clouds in the image. They were moving so fast!

March. Everyone knows that means "wind". In fact, I am betting that somewhere back in time this period of the year was once known by a name meaning "windy". Probably preceded by some appropriate malediction of the day.

If you live and ride in the Mid-West on the plains, you either embrace the wind, or you go insane because of it, or you don't ride outside. Those are your choices. I choose to embrace it. I'd rather not ride inside, ever, for any reason. I'm probably already insane anyway, so that choice is out the window.

I have a friend who told me once that he taunts the wind. "Is that all ya got? I'm still moving! Bring it on!", he says as he boldly mashes his pedals against the rushing air coming over the plains. I felt inspired by his attitude, so that's what I do now. I even say things out loud if I am alone riding. "C'mon now!, I'll say, "I'm okay!", I'll tell myself. It makes it easier than if you were to gripe about it. Being miserable doesn't help things, and it is a bicycle ride. I mean.....c'mon now! 

I am really just glad that the weather and the roads are cooperating to allow any kind of decent riding at this time of the year. Last year there was no way this was happening. This year we'll have an early Spring, and maybe.....just maybe, it will be a good long Spring, instead of a few days and then leaping straight into Summer's humidity.

The pink MCD. With The Redshift ShockStop stem and seat post, I may have to call this my "Pink Cadillac"!

The bike I rode is the familiar pink MCD from Black Mountain Cycles. I have the Redshift Sports ShockStop stem and seat post on it. Talk about smooth! It gives me a Cadillac ride. The poofy WTB Raddler 44mm tires don't hurt either. In fact, maybe it is almost too much squish. With the saddle, stem, and tires giving way, it seems I have lost a bit of road feedback which maybe is leading to handling issues. Or......it could be the 20+ mph cross winds. Reserving judgment! Going South or North wasn't too bad, but that West-Northwest cross wind was knocking my bike around a bit. Going West?  Ugggh!

The roads South of town are in excellent shape.

 I decided that beating myself up against this gale was not in my best interests, so I chose a route that featured mostly cross wind and a little bit of head and tail wind. It worked perfectly. The roads actually are the best they've been in a long, long time. I saw no soft spots, but perhaps the frost hasn't been drawn out just yet.

As you can see from these images, the snow is almost kaput. Which is fantastic, as the ground now will absorb more of the Sun's energy, kick starting this season into high gear sooner than it got going last year. Last year we had big snow drifts alongside the roads until mid-March and longer. The roads were a big mess, which took all year to recover from, so this respite from a ravaging Winter is good.It also means more riding is being done earlier than last year, so I am hopeful that I'll be in much netter shape for the Renegade Gent's Race at the beginning of April.

Winter Views: A Bit Of A Thaw

The Black Mountain Cycles MCD set up with a few of the latest goodies.

Recently we had a bit of a thaw. It's typical for a "normal" Winter to have that happen. Nature's way of giving us all a bit of a break from the gray, cold, snowy mundanity of January.

I have still not dared go ride the gravel roads yet. I could, but the bundling up, the dangerous icy patches, and the "not much fun" of it all puts me off. I would rather spend my time fat biking, and that just around town. Once in a while I can be coaxed into doing some skinnier tire action. Not very often though.

Since the Raddler tires dropped and I can now discuss the Redshift ShockStop seat post, I decided that the streets and alleys had cleared enough to allow for some mild testing. I also took the opportunity to slap the 700c wheels back on the MCD, which I like better, to be honest. They just look right. The Raddlers have a bit more aggressive tread than the Riddlers they are based on, so I thought a bit of a neighborhood cruise on the still solid packed in snow would be okay.

I also tweaked the Redshift ShockStop seat post's preload a bit. Redshift says you should have a little sag, similar to a suspension fork or rear suspension set up, but I wasn't enamored of the "floaty feeling". There was too much movement for my tastes. So I cranked the pre-load all the way up, and then I took the bike for a bit of a ride.

The post was far more to my liking. It activates when I hit a big enough thing on the road surface, but it has minimal, if any movement when pedaling. Obviously with negative travel built in by using a sagged set up, well it's very difficult not to "bob" while pedaling. However; now I get a bit of a top out feeling. It's not bothersome, just there. I may back off the pre-load a hair to see how that suits me, or I may wait until actual gravel riding kicks in again. I will say that the stem and post feel more balanced. Oh! Yeah, I have the ShockStop stem on the bike as well.

I decided not to blow a gasket here and got out on the pavement.

The following day it was even warmer. I think it was in the mid-30's the entire day into Sunday when it got really warm. Anyway, I got out on the Blackborow DS again and decided to go explore the Riverview bike path where I found things barely rideable, but because no one and nothing had traveled the path since the snows, I was spiking my heart rate working so hard.

Finally I just decided it was time to back off. I had no reason to keep that up when three feet to my left was bare pavement where the street was. So I swallowed my pride, kept my heart rate in check, and trundled on down to the former (?) Cattle Congress grounds.

I say "former" because the sign on the gates, which had for decades announced the dates for the upcoming Cattle Congress, typically held in September, now advertised the "Black Hawk County Fair". Now this still is the National Cattle Congress too, it isn't "former", but I cannot say I've ever heard about the Black Hawk County Fair, and come to find out that's been going on since like, forever. Weird. I've lived here in this area since 1981 and I never thought there was a Black Hawk County fair. This is why I ride bicycles. I learn stuff I never knew! I probably was going by too fast in my car to notice there ever was a fair here other than Cattle Congress.

Then I looped around my former place of employment which is gone now, and came back home. A good two hours of occasional busting of trail and a whole lot of spinny-spinning in a way too low of a gear for pavement riding. But that's good stuff for me now. That sort of a ride will pay dividends once the gravel straightens out. Plus, it beats trainer riding any day for me. Rides to nowhere are not my cuppa tea.

Winter Views: A Bit Of A Thaw

The Black Mountain Cycles MCD set up with a few of the latest goodies.

Recently we had a bit of a thaw. It's typical for a "normal" Winter to have that happen. Nature's way of giving us all a bit of a break from the gray, cold, snowy mundanity of January.

I have still not dared go ride the gravel roads yet. I could, but the bundling up, the dangerous icy patches, and the "not much fun" of it all puts me off. I would rather spend my time fat biking, and that just around town. Once in a while I can be coaxed into doing some skinnier tire action. Not very often though.

Since the Raddler tires dropped and I can now discuss the Redshift ShockStop seat post, I decided that the streets and alleys had cleared enough to allow for some mild testing. I also took the opportunity to slap the 700c wheels back on the MCD, which I like better, to be honest. They just look right. The Raddlers have a bit more aggressive tread than the Riddlers they are based on, so I thought a bit of a neighborhood cruise on the still solid packed in snow would be okay.

I also tweaked the Redshift ShockStop seat post's preload a bit. Redshift says you should have a little sag, similar to a suspension fork or rear suspension set up, but I wasn't enamored of the "floaty feeling". There was too much movement for my tastes. So I cranked the pre-load all the way up, and then I took the bike for a bit of a ride.

The post was far more to my liking. It activates when I hit a big enough thing on the road surface, but it has minimal, if any movement when pedaling. Obviously with negative travel built in by using a sagged set up, well it's very difficult not to "bob" while pedaling. However; now I get a bit of a top out feeling. It's not bothersome, just there. I may back off the pre-load a hair to see how that suits me, or I may wait until actual gravel riding kicks in again. I will say that the stem and post feel more balanced. Oh! Yeah, I have the ShockStop stem on the bike as well.

I decided not to blow a gasket here and got out on the pavement.

The following day it was even warmer. I think it was in the mid-30's the entire day into Sunday when it got really warm. Anyway, I got out on the Blackborow DS again and decided to go explore the Riverview bike path where I found things barely rideable, but because no one and nothing had traveled the path since the snows, I was spiking my heart rate working so hard.

Finally I just decided it was time to back off. I had no reason to keep that up when three feet to my left was bare pavement where the street was. So I swallowed my pride, kept my heart rate in check, and trundled on down to the former (?) Cattle Congress grounds.

I say "former" because the sign on the gates, which had for decades announced the dates for the upcoming Cattle Congress, typically held in September, now advertised the "Black Hawk County Fair". Now this still is the National Cattle Congress too, it isn't "former", but I cannot say I've ever heard about the Black Hawk County Fair, and come to find out that's been going on since like, forever. Weird. I've lived here in this area since 1981 and I never thought there was a Black Hawk County fair. This is why I ride bicycles. I learn stuff I never knew! I probably was going by too fast in my car to notice there ever was a fair here other than Cattle Congress.

Then I looped around my former place of employment which is gone now, and came back home. A good two hours of occasional busting of trail and a whole lot of spinny-spinning in a way too low of a gear for pavement riding. But that's good stuff for me now. That sort of a ride will pay dividends once the gravel straightens out. Plus, it beats trainer riding any day for me. Rides to nowhere are not my cuppa tea.

Gravel Grinder News: Bouncey Stems And Rubber Bits

More rad Riddler> Yes! Meet the Raddler.

WTB Tires Introduces The Raddler: 

One of WTB's more popular gravel tires is the Riddler. It's got edge knobbies and little centralized "zits" down the middle, Generally speaking it rocks gravel and smoother, hard dirt. However; some folks were wanting something a bit more. Something that had a higher "rad" quotient. WTB thought about it. More? Radder? Wait!......

We'll call it the Raddler!

Or something like that, is how I imagine it went, maybe...... Anywho.....

The Raddler comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes in blackwall and skinwall. $59.99 no matter. Both 700c. Tubeless, of course. 

The tread is bulked up and features deeper lugs, bigger knobs, and a more aggressive look. WTB says it still rolls like the dickens. Well, I will be finding out, as I have a set of these to test for RidingGravel.com. (Note- I did not pay for the tires. they are sent to RidingGravel.com for review. I was not paid to write this post and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

So, with that bit of business taken care of, I am excited to try these out. Actually, it is a good time to get a hold of a tire like this. Late Winter riding generally calls out for something with a bit of bite to the tread. Stay tuned for the lowdown coming soon.....

More boing for your bars.

Kinekt Announces Kickstarter For Suspension Stem:

Kinekt, or Body Float by Cirrus Cycles, the folks that brought you that parallelogram suspension seat post I have had in the past, now have a companion piece in a stem featuring similar design.

The stem features a coil sprung parallelogram which is tunable for rider weight and preferences with three springs, which are included in the package. The stem is available in 90mm, 105mm, and 120mm with a 7° rise or a 100 X 30° rise model. I couldn't find anywhere that said the stem in 7° could be flipped for a negative rise, like the Redshift Sports Shock Stop can be, but maybe I missed that. By the looks of the design, I'd guess the answer is that it wasn't intended to be run in a negative rise.

Early reactions to the stem are that it reminds people of the old Girvin/Soft Ride product from the 90's which also had a parallelogram design. That old design was susceptible to some pretty bad brake dive when hitting the binders hard. Hopefully Kinekt took that characteristic out of this new offering.

 Another New Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast:

Whoa! Hold on to your britches, 'cause we recorded another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast last Wednesday. I know, it's crazy times, but it is true. Not fake news here!

Ben and I discuss news and reviews on the RidingGravel.com site and then we dive into the big dust-up over talk that the UCI wants to get involved in maybe putting on a Gravel World Championships.

It's a pretty good show, and I think it should make for a good listen. Plus, afterward Ben asked me about doing something a bit different in terms of an audio offering. I won't say too much just yet because it still is in its nascent stages. But if all goes as we think, it should prove to be an interesting way to share more of my work, both from here and from Riding Gravel.

Okay, that's all for this edition. Thanks for reading!

Gravel Grinder News: Bouncey Stems And Rubber Bits

More rad Riddler> Yes! Meet the Raddler.

WTB Tires Introduces The Raddler: 

One of WTB's more popular gravel tires is the Riddler. It's got edge knobbies and little centralized "zits" down the middle, Generally speaking it rocks gravel and smoother, hard dirt. However; some folks were wanting something a bit more. Something that had a higher "rad" quotient. WTB thought about it. More? Radder? Wait!......

We'll call it the Raddler!

Or something like that, is how I imagine it went, maybe...... Anywho.....

The Raddler comes in 40mm and 44mm sizes in blackwall and skinwall. $59.99 no matter. Both 700c. Tubeless, of course. 

The tread is bulked up and features deeper lugs, bigger knobs, and a more aggressive look. WTB says it still rolls like the dickens. Well, I will be finding out, as I have a set of these to test for RidingGravel.com. (Note- I did not pay for the tires. they are sent to RidingGravel.com for review. I was not paid to write this post and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

So, with that bit of business taken care of, I am excited to try these out. Actually, it is a good time to get a hold of a tire like this. Late Winter riding generally calls out for something with a bit of bite to the tread. Stay tuned for the lowdown coming soon.....

More boing for your bars.

Kinekt Announces Kickstarter For Suspension Stem:

Kinekt, or Body Float by Cirrus Cycles, the folks that brought you that parallelogram suspension seat post I have had in the past, now have a companion piece in a stem featuring similar design.

The stem features a coil sprung parallelogram which is tunable for rider weight and preferences with three springs, which are included in the package. The stem is available in 90mm, 105mm, and 120mm with a 7° rise or a 100 X 30° rise model. I couldn't find anywhere that said the stem in 7° could be flipped for a negative rise, like the Redshift Sports Shock Stop can be, but maybe I missed that. By the looks of the design, I'd guess the answer is that it wasn't intended to be run in a negative rise.

Early reactions to the stem are that it reminds people of the old Girvin/Soft Ride product from the 90's which also had a parallelogram design. That old design was susceptible to some pretty bad brake dive when hitting the binders hard. Hopefully Kinekt took that characteristic out of this new offering.

 Another New Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast:

Whoa! Hold on to your britches, 'cause we recorded another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast last Wednesday. I know, it's crazy times, but it is true. Not fake news here!

Ben and I discuss news and reviews on the RidingGravel.com site and then we dive into the big dust-up over talk that the UCI wants to get involved in maybe putting on a Gravel World Championships.

It's a pretty good show, and I think it should make for a good listen. Plus, afterward Ben asked me about doing something a bit different in terms of an audio offering. I won't say too much just yet because it still is in its nascent stages. But if all goes as we think, it should prove to be an interesting way to share more of my work, both from here and from Riding Gravel.

Okay, that's all for this edition. Thanks for reading!