Is It Fixed?

New crank set: Will it "fix" the problems?

Last week I mentioned that I had finally diagnosed the issues with my Tamland Two. The crank set rings had been on the bike for a decade (!) and it was cheaper to buy a complete crank set rather than buy two chain rings. However; the narrative in the comments was all about crank length as I mentioned that I had ordered a 170mm length crank set. 

Well, the crank set came in and I decided that maybe I should try just the crank set first.The chain measured good yet and the cassette was put on at the same time as the chain. If the chain rings were the issue, the skipping of the chain over the teeth would most likely be eliminated with the new crank set. 

After installation a short neighborhood test ride revealed nothing but smooth going. So, a longer gravel ride was in store, and it happened on Saturday. 

The good news? I had no issues. Yet.... I'm not 100% convinced and more riding will be necessary before I am ready to say this is fixed. However; I will say this new crank shifts really good and smoothly. Just from that standpoint alone the change was worth it. 

Soooooo..... What about that crank length? You know, I'm not sure there is anything there. Not that there couldn't be, but again - I need to ride the bike more. All I can say now is the bike worked the way it was supposed to work.

I don't have power meters nor any technical equipment which would let me know if the shorter crank was better or worse. Maybe I had a good day Saturday and felt okay, or maybe it was something else. Actually, it was something else. It was the heat and wind! I don't know if you can really hang your hat on a crank length thing. Sure, bio-mechanically your knees may be happier, or maybe you adapted. Humans are good at adapting, by the way. Really good at it. 

Whatever. I'll keep riding these for a while and see. Meanwhile, I'm a lot more excited about how the bike is working as far as the drive train goes. No doubt, you readers are a lot more interested in crank length. Well, judging from the last post on this you all were seemingly all about that life. 

Stay tuned....

Ten Years Of Tamlanding: Part 2

The Tamland Two as it was when I purchased it in 2014

In the previous post I told the story of how the Tamland model from Raleigh came to be and my part in that story. Today I will answer the question about how I got my 2014 Tamland Two.

There was no mention ever from Raleigh, its representatives, or from anyone internally, that I would be receiving a Tamland for my advice to them. I know that in the past some folks, after hearing that from me, think that is "unfair" and that due to the Tamland's initial success that I should have been credited by Raleigh, or at least compensated in some way. 

While I can understand where those sentiments come from, I never felt entitled in that way. That said, I did seek out a Tamland Two through the shop where I worked, as they were a Raleigh dealer at that time. I was required to work through the channels for an "employee discount" from Raleigh which was usually pretty generous. 

That said, I wasn't guaranteed a Tamland by any means. Dealers got first crack at inventory, and as I stated in yesterday's post, the initial shipment of Tamlands had been completely committed to dealers via sales. So, I had to wait for the "second wave' of orders to hit which did not happen until Spring of 2014, despite the bike coming out in the Fall of '13. 

And it did, obviously, come in. So, I spent my own money on my Tamland, albeit at a nice discount, and was not "gifted" anything, in terms of the bike. I did get a nice Tamland hoodie later on as a gift from Brian Fournes for my part in helping with the design and promoting the bike in my writing for this blog and my gravel website. So, it wasn't as though Raleigh did not recognize my contribution. Brian said at the time that he thought my purchasing the bike would mean more to those thinking about the bike for themselves and that he was happy things worked out the way that they had.

Ten years is a long time to own and ride one bicycle, but obviously, this is one I'll likely not ever let go while I can still ride. And it "works" just as well today as I thought this sort of bicycle would back in 2009. It is what I would have had built, besides the brake standard, back then. So, in a way, I got the custom designed bicycle I was wanting backed by a "real company". Although now days Raleigh is a shell of its former self. 

That the Tamland still represents the bread and butter behind most gravel bicycle designs in 2024 is kind of amazing. The geometry has become something of a standard, and the features, like being able to swallow even larger tires than I had imagined, (I've had 47mm tires in this frame), is astounding. I never thought this design would be good for 650B tires and wheels, yet I've run those in this bike with great success. 

Since I spec'ed a standard bottom bracket, there will always be some way to modernize the drive train, if I want/need to. The only thing I regret was not spec'ing through axles, but that wasn't even on the radar in 2012. However; more recent Tamlands did have that feature. I also think sometimes that maybe having a 44mm head tube would have been nice, but I still think the Tamland was, and is, a classic gravel bike. 

Look for the latest on this bike in a week or so from now when I introduce a new item in for review.

Fixed Gear Bike Thoughts

Fixed gear dreaming

Back in March I spiffed up my old Raleigh Super Sport 'rat rod' fixed gear bike. I hadn't been using it much at all for a while but since then I've spent a fair amount of time on it. 

This has gotten me to thinking about a purpose-built, gravel road going fixed gear bike. Like I need another single speed bike! But I have a certain affinity for riding fixed gear at times and I would do a gravel ride or two fixed if I had the right bike. That Raleigh is okay, but it is kind of sketchy. The frame is pretty flexy. Those brakes are limiting, and the drop outs are not the greatest, and well, it just doesn't feel very good as it sits. I'd need to do a lot of modifications if I were to use that bike. 

I've had other fixed gear experiences that were better though. I spent a lot of time commuting on the old Surly 1X1 when I had that bike as a fixie commuter bike, but that wasn't an ideal fit for me and I did not think it would make for a good gravel set up. I used to use my old Surly Karate Monkey fixed gear at times, but I don't want to mess with that bike as it is pretty close to what I want it to stay as right now. 

So, thoughts have strayed to doing a fixed gear gravel frame, or getting something that would work as a fixed gear bike, and have clearance for gravel tires, that would be a drop bar bike as well. 

Maybe I already have the perfect bike for this? Maybe. The Twin Six Standard Rando v2 would make for a good fixed gear bike, but the one I have is pretty on point as a free wheeling single speed and again- I don't want to mess with that. And buying another Twin Six Standard Rando? Uh......I could, but this isn't that big of a need. 

I know that cheaper options exist, and are fixed specific, (State Bicycle company comes to mind here), and anyway, the geometry for most fixed specific designs have bottom bracket drops which are not deep enough for my tastes. I'm not going to be whirly-gigging through corners at all, so that is not a concern I have. 

Anyway, just a random thought that has sort of become a theme in my mind of late.
 

Fixed Gear Bike Thoughts

Fixed gear dreaming

Back in March I spiffed up my old Raleigh Super Sport 'rat rod' fixed gear bike. I hadn't been using it much at all for a while but since then I've spent a fair amount of time on it. 

This has gotten me to thinking about a purpose-built, gravel road going fixed gear bike. Like I need another single speed bike! But I have a certain affinity for riding fixed gear at times and I would do a gravel ride or two fixed if I had the right bike. That Raleigh is okay, but it is kind of sketchy. The frame is pretty flexy. Those brakes are limiting, and the drop outs are not the greatest, and well, it just doesn't feel very good as it sits. I'd need to do a lot of modifications if I were to use that bike. 

I've had other fixed gear experiences that were better though. I spent a lot of time commuting on the old Surly 1X1 when I had that bike as a fixie commuter bike, but that wasn't an ideal fit for me and I did not think it would make for a good gravel set up. I used to use my old Surly Karate Monkey fixed gear at times, but I don't want to mess with that bike as it is pretty close to what I want it to stay as right now. 

So, thoughts have strayed to doing a fixed gear gravel frame, or getting something that would work as a fixed gear bike, and have clearance for gravel tires, that would be a drop bar bike as well. 

Maybe I already have the perfect bike for this? Maybe. The Twin Six Standard Rando v2 would make for a good fixed gear bike, but the one I have is pretty on point as a free wheeling single speed and again- I don't want to mess with that. And buying another Twin Six Standard Rando? Uh......I could, but this isn't that big of a need. 

I know that cheaper options exist, and are fixed specific, (State Bicycle company comes to mind here), and anyway, the geometry for most fixed specific designs have bottom bracket drops which are not deep enough for my tastes. I'm not going to be whirly-gigging through corners at all, so that is not a concern I have. 

Anyway, just a random thought that has sort of become a theme in my mind of late.
 

Fixie Fixing

Many years ago I got this old 70's vintage U.K. built Raleigh Gran Prix. It was a donation/trade to the old shop where I worked. My boss saw that it was pretty much stock and in N.O.S. condition. So, he offered it to me and I think he thought I would restore it. 

Well, I saw no reason to have a ten speed bicycle with plastic Simplex components. I'd never ride it that way, and it would be a waste of my time to restore a relatively inexpensive, pedestrian road bike like a Raleigh Gran Prix. But there was something this bicycle was perfect for.

Back in those same early days at this same shop, we would build one, maybe two, bicycles from used parts as 'winter hacks' and we would almost always sell them at some point. Now, this was far before any 'smart trainer devices' were popular and just before the big uptick in spin cycling took off. It was at the tail end of the era where dedicated cyclists who wanted to (a) continue cycling all year long, or (b) were needing real-conditions training rode a fixed gear bike in the off-season. 

We would take a suitable, old road bike, preferably with a spin-on free wheel hub, and convert it to a 'rat-rod fixie'. This was pretty easily done, if you had the right skills to tackle the job along with some 'insider knowledge'. 

First, you needed to convert the old rear wheel. That included centering the hub on the axle by using a correct amount and size of axle spacers. Then you had to re-dish the wheel by using the spokes and nipples to pull the rim to the new center of the wheel. Then, you needed a track cog with a bottom bracket lock ring. Once everything was threaded on and tightened within an inch of its life, you peened the lock ring in place, hoping against hope that whomever got the bike wasn't too hard of a back-pressure type of rider. 

The same crank you had was re-purposed by using the inner ring of the double as your drive ring. Shorten the chain, and- oh! I forgot to mention... This only works on a horizontal drop out frame. Anyway, you shorten the chain and tension it. Using a stout, usually steel Shimano quick release, you clamped the wheel super-tight and that's the major part done. 

Of course, all the derailleurs, shifters, and cables and housings for that get binned. I usually recommended that you keep the brake levers, and on any of these I ever built, that's what was done. Anyway, that was that. You had a 'rat-rod fixie' and the perfect, cheap, decent Winter hack bike for snow, ice, and poor conditions riding. 

Ice? Yes, and snow too. There is something about using a fixed gear bike that works a trick for ice and snow. You could get a skinny studded tire, but I've known fixed gear cyclists who could ride through deep snow and ice maybe even better than a fat biker could. 

So, back to my Gran Prix. I got the thing home and almost immediately stripped it down and converted it to a rat-rod fixie. The first day I rode it to work, my boss, who was into saving everything old, was visibly disappointed. But that wasn't the end of it. 

I got some - at that time- brand new tires from the company that is now named Donnelly, (then named Clement), and one set was a bit narrower and barely worked on the rat-rod fixed Raleigh. So, I took that set up out and did some gravel grinding with it. When the old boss learned of that, well.....That was sacrilegious! Ha! 

After that the Raleigh became my short errand bike. I'd run payments to the courthouse for taxes and licenses down with that bike. I'd deliver letters to the post office on that bike, but the best use of it turned out to be as my after-school, kids pick-up bike. 

I loved it because I could go into the school and just prop the bike against the wall outside of the door. I figured if anyone decided to grab it, they would end up in a heap about ten feet later when they intuitively tried to coast. Besides, this bike looked ratty. It was the perfect bike to not worry about. 

Well, then the kids graduated to secondary schools, rode the bus, or were taken to school further away by car, and the old Raleigh sat in the garage for several years. Then I started looking for drop bar levers and the ones I needed were on that Raleigh. So I stole them off that bike and of course, it was unrideable after that. 

So, there it is- the Rat-Rod Fixed Gear Raleigh.

Well, with more time on my hands due to some whacked out weather in the Mid-West this weekend, I decided in my mind that I had everything I needed to resurrect that old Raleigh from ignominy out there in that broken down old garage. I had a set of levers, I had some old, used bar tape. I had cables and housings. Plus, I had an old set of Planet Bike Freddy Fenders that weren't doing me any good anymore. 

So, I combined all of that, a little time, and some bits and pieces to get this rig out of the garage and back into rotation. I need another single speed like I need another hole in my head, but this is a fixed gear set up, so there is that. But whatever... It's ready and I'm going to find excuses to ride it.

Fixie Fixing

Many years ago I got this old 70's vintage U.K. built Raleigh Gran Prix. It was a donation/trade to the old shop where I worked. My boss saw that it was pretty much stock and in N.O.S. condition. So, he offered it to me and I think he thought I would restore it. 

Well, I saw no reason to have a ten speed bicycle with plastic Simplex components. I'd never ride it that way, and it would be a waste of my time to restore a relatively inexpensive, pedestrian road bike like a Raleigh Gran Prix. But there was something this bicycle was perfect for.

Back in those same early days at this same shop, we would build one, maybe two, bicycles from used parts as 'winter hacks' and we would almost always sell them at some point. Now, this was far before any 'smart trainer devices' were popular and just before the big uptick in spin cycling took off. It was at the tail end of the era where dedicated cyclists who wanted to (a) continue cycling all year long, or (b) were needing real-conditions training rode a fixed gear bike in the off-season. 

We would take a suitable, old road bike, preferably with a spin-on free wheel hub, and convert it to a 'rat-rod fixie'. This was pretty easily done, if you had the right skills to tackle the job along with some 'insider knowledge'. 

First, you needed to convert the old rear wheel. That included centering the hub on the axle by using a correct amount and size of axle spacers. Then you had to re-dish the wheel by using the spokes and nipples to pull the rim to the new center of the wheel. Then, you needed a track cog with a bottom bracket lock ring. Once everything was threaded on and tightened within an inch of its life, you peened the lock ring in place, hoping against hope that whomever got the bike wasn't too hard of a back-pressure type of rider. 

The same crank you had was re-purposed by using the inner ring of the double as your drive ring. Shorten the chain, and- oh! I forgot to mention... This only works on a horizontal drop out frame. Anyway, you shorten the chain and tension it. Using a stout, usually steel Shimano quick release, you clamped the wheel super-tight and that's the major part done. 

Of course, all the derailleurs, shifters, and cables and housings for that get binned. I usually recommended that you keep the brake levers, and on any of these I ever built, that's what was done. Anyway, that was that. You had a 'rat-rod fixie' and the perfect, cheap, decent Winter hack bike for snow, ice, and poor conditions riding. 

Ice? Yes, and snow too. There is something about using a fixed gear bike that works a trick for ice and snow. You could get a skinny studded tire, but I've known fixed gear cyclists who could ride through deep snow and ice maybe even better than a fat biker could. 

So, back to my Gran Prix. I got the thing home and almost immediately stripped it down and converted it to a rat-rod fixie. The first day I rode it to work, my boss, who was into saving everything old, was visibly disappointed. But that wasn't the end of it. 

I got some - at that time- brand new tires from the company that is now named Donnelly, (then named Clement), and one set was a bit narrower and barely worked on the rat-rod fixed Raleigh. So, I took that set up out and did some gravel grinding with it. When the old boss learned of that, well.....That was sacrilegious! Ha! 

After that the Raleigh became my short errand bike. I'd run payments to the courthouse for taxes and licenses down with that bike. I'd deliver letters to the post office on that bike, but the best use of it turned out to be as my after-school, kids pick-up bike. 

I loved it because I could go into the school and just prop the bike against the wall outside of the door. I figured if anyone decided to grab it, they would end up in a heap about ten feet later when they intuitively tried to coast. Besides, this bike looked ratty. It was the perfect bike to not worry about. 

Well, then the kids graduated to secondary schools, rode the bus, or were taken to school further away by car, and the old Raleigh sat in the garage for several years. Then I started looking for drop bar levers and the ones I needed were on that Raleigh. So I stole them off that bike and of course, it was unrideable after that. 

So, there it is- the Rat-Rod Fixed Gear Raleigh.

Well, with more time on my hands due to some whacked out weather in the Mid-West this weekend, I decided in my mind that I had everything I needed to resurrect that old Raleigh from ignominy out there in that broken down old garage. I had a set of levers, I had some old, used bar tape. I had cables and housings. Plus, I had an old set of Planet Bike Freddy Fenders that weren't doing me any good anymore. 

So, I combined all of that, a little time, and some bits and pieces to get this rig out of the garage and back into rotation. I need another single speed like I need another hole in my head, but this is a fixed gear set up, so there is that. But whatever... It's ready and I'm going to find excuses to ride it.

Minus Ten Review 2009-34

Check out this 2010 Raleigh XXIX Pro. Remember when head tube angles were steep?

Ten years ago on the blog I was yakking about a new rim. A really wide rim. It was called the P-35 and was going to be offered by Velocity. It was the precursor to all this wider rim stuff we all take for granted now days.

There was also a big announcement from Trans Iowa. Jeff Kerkove knocked out another of his humorous Trans Iowa headers. I enjoyed having Jeff do these and he genuinely seemed to not be bothered by my requests for his artistic talents. The header for v6 was a mostly white background with black lettering and a "spilled pill bottle" theme. It actually inspired one entrant to send me a prescription bottle filled with gravel as his "post card" for that year. Pretty crazy. (And yes- I still have that bottle filled with gravel)

Then another thing that happened annually for a few years was when Raleigh was headed up by Brian Fornes. They were arguably the coolest during his tenure at the helm of that company. The 29"ers Raleigh made, especially the XXIX Pro models, were to die for. They rode awesomely, the spec was unreal, and the frames were top notch steel.

By the time they were hitting their stride I had far too many bikes sitting around and I never could bring myself to getting one. I maybe should have, because I likely would still have it. The geometry wasn't so laid back, low, and stretched as it is today and those bikes would have been perfect for around here.

But, times changed, geometry went whacko, and now most hard tails are so slacked out and short in the rear end that they are like riding wheel barrows here. maybe someday it'll all pull back toward something that makes sense for slicing through Mid-West single track.

Oh, and you probably are yelling at the computer now wondering why I didn't post an image of that T.I.v6 header. Well, here ya go.....

Designed by Jeff Kerkove

Minus Ten Review 2009-34

Check out this 2010 Raleigh XXIX Pro. Remember when head tube angles were steep?

Ten years ago on the blog I was yakking about a new rim. A really wide rim. It was called the P-35 and was going to be offered by Velocity. It was the precursor to all this wider rim stuff we all take for granted now days.

There was also a big announcement from Trans Iowa. Jeff Kerkove knocked out another of his humorous Trans Iowa headers. I enjoyed having Jeff do these and he genuinely seemed to not be bothered by my requests for his artistic talents. The header for v6 was a mostly white background with black lettering and a "spilled pill bottle" theme. It actually inspired one entrant to send me a prescription bottle filled with gravel as his "post card" for that year. Pretty crazy. (And yes- I still have that bottle filled with gravel)

Then another thing that happened annually for a few years was when Raleigh was headed up by Brian Fornes. They were arguably the coolest during his tenure at the helm of that company. The 29"ers Raleigh made, especially the XXIX Pro models, were to die for. They rode awesomely, the spec was unreal, and the frames were top notch steel.

By the time they were hitting their stride I had far too many bikes sitting around and I never could bring myself to getting one. I maybe should have, because I likely would still have it. The geometry wasn't so laid back, low, and stretched as it is today and those bikes would have been perfect for around here.

But, times changed, geometry went whacko, and now most hard tails are so slacked out and short in the rear end that they are like riding wheel barrows here. maybe someday it'll all pull back toward something that makes sense for slicing through Mid-West single track.

Oh, and you probably are yelling at the computer now wondering why I didn't post an image of that T.I.v6 header. Well, here ya go.....

Designed by Jeff Kerkove

Friday News And Views

Diamondback and a couple of other brands were sold off recently for a dollar.

I'd Buy That For A Dollar:

The bicycle business is in a tumultuous state of flux. The latest evidence being the sale of Diamonback, Redline, and Izip brands by their former owner, Accell Group N.V., to investment company Regent LP., who happen to have recently purchased Mavic.

You can read the dry details of this story here on "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News". The reported sale price for the three brands was one U.S. dollar.

The Raleigh brand, which Accell calls one of their "global cycling brands" will be distributed in the U.S. market with Regent LP on a two year agreement. The Raleigh, Diamondback, and Redline brands were sold in a separate sale in the Canadian market to Canadian Tire, according to the "BRAIN" report.

Several years ago the Diamondback brand wasn't making a killing, but it did have a separate identity and served as the mountain biking brand alongside of Raleigh, which basically stayed out of any "serious" mountain biking product. It was typically sold to dealers as a package- Raleigh and Diamondback, which made a bit more sense. Redline, for its part, mostly a BMX brand, was handled by distributor Seattle Bicycle Supply (SBS). Redline did a decent business in BMX, cyclo cross, and urban bikes back then.

When Accell stepped in, they scooped up all of these brands, homogenized Diamondback, Raleigh, and Redline, much in the same way General Motors did with their sub-brands, and basically made them so similar, one to another, that only the paint jobs and decals were different. Accell then sold Diamondback as a department store/big box retailer brand, primarily through Dick's Sporting Goods, and further muddied the waters. When both Diamondback and Raleigh circumvented their local bike shop dealers further by selling direct on-line, the North American market support from those dealers fizzled into thin air. Oh, and SBS? Accell shuttered that distribution company years ago. Again, alienating their local bike shop customers.

So, when Accell looked at North American markets for their brands recently, they saw a deficit. (duh) This precipitated the sale, and of course, after so many years of torpedoing their base customers in the US, it is no wonder the brands were sold for a measly buck. By the way, Accell is the number one distributor of HPC's (e-bikes) in Europe. So, that should give you an idea of their main focus. European stock markets and financial people were pleased that Accell, as the industry news source "Bike Europe" so succinctly put it, "....has been able to get rid of its troublesome subsidiary that showed rapidly growing losses."

It will be interesting to see what Regent LP does with Diamondback and Redline. Recent news stories suggest that they are keen on reviving Mavic as a leader in component sales and having a bicycle brand to market along side of that maybe is what they were after. One thing is for sure- times are a changin'. 

Ashton Lambie, (doubled over) speaking to MG at the Solstice 100, which Ashton won.

Gravel Grinder Wins Gold (Again)

This has been kind of a story that has shaken the traditional road racing segment. That story surrounding Ashton Lambie, a native Nebraskan and accomplished gravel racer, who set the World Record in the individual pursuit at the Pan-American Games last year, and just won a gold medal this past August 4th at this year's Pan-American Games in Peru. 

Stories pop up in mainstream cycling media from time to time with story lines about his rural upbringing and music background, which is interesting. I don't know, he seems like a nice enough guy to me. Extraordinarily talented, yes, but very down to Earth. It's pretty cool to see someone from a gravel racing/riding background break the mold set by traditionalists in road and track racing with World records and podiums on his way to the 2020 Olympics.

Check out what the local paper said about his story here.

I'll be interested to see where Mr Lambie goes from here. It'd be pretty cool to see him bring home some medals from Tokyo.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek in Trans Iowa v14 Image by Jon Duke

The Story Behind The Rider:

Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt that there was something special about them? Something about that person that commands your respect, even though you have just met? Well, I have had that happen. In fact, with regard to Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek USMC, I knew just from reading his name on the post card he sent in for Trans Iowa v12 that there was "something about this guy" that required my respect to be shown.

I could have just listed him as "Matthew Kutilek" on the roster, but I added his name like this: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek, USMC" (his rank at that time) and even when I called him up at the Pre-Race Meat-Up, I believe that is the name I called him up with. Was I being a smart-ass? Fair question, because, well, if you know me, I do have that gene in my make-up. But not this time, I just "knew" that's how I needed to respect him.

Well, as it turned out, Matthew finished that first attempt at Trans Iowa in 2016. At the finish line, I shook Matthew's hand and congratulated him. He responded with a breathless "Thank you, Sir! That was the most difficult thing I have done, Sir!" I was a bit taken aback by his military-type respect in his response, and I seriously doubted it was "the most difficult thing" he'd done. I thought I was correct in that assumption directly, and when his story came out later about his wounding in Afghanistan, and the radical surgical technique that saved his right leg, I was sure T.I.v12 wasn't even close to the toughest thing he'd ever done.

Then just the other day, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek sent me a link to this video. If you dare to watch, you will learn that my respect for this man is not misplaced. I am honored to have met this man, and to have had him in my event not once, but twice. You can scroll "The Roster" and see his entry that reads: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek USMC V12, V14"

Perhaps it is high time I edited that.

 That's a wrap for this week, folks! have a great weekend and go ride some bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Diamondback and a couple of other brands were sold off recently for a dollar.

I'd Buy That For A Dollar:

The bicycle business is in a tumultuous state of flux. The latest evidence being the sale of Diamonback, Redline, and Izip brands by their former owner, Accell Group N.V., to investment company Regent LP., who happen to have recently purchased Mavic.

You can read the dry details of this story here on "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News". The reported sale price for the three brands was one U.S. dollar.

The Raleigh brand, which Accell calls one of their "global cycling brands" will be distributed in the U.S. market with Regent LP on a two year agreement. The Raleigh, Diamondback, and Redline brands were sold in a separate sale in the Canadian market to Canadian Tire, according to the "BRAIN" report.

Several years ago the Diamondback brand wasn't making a killing, but it did have a separate identity and served as the mountain biking brand alongside of Raleigh, which basically stayed out of any "serious" mountain biking product. It was typically sold to dealers as a package- Raleigh and Diamondback, which made a bit more sense. Redline, for its part, mostly a BMX brand, was handled by distributor Seattle Bicycle Supply (SBS). Redline did a decent business in BMX, cyclo cross, and urban bikes back then.

When Accell stepped in, they scooped up all of these brands, homogenized Diamondback, Raleigh, and Redline, much in the same way General Motors did with their sub-brands, and basically made them so similar, one to another, that only the paint jobs and decals were different. Accell then sold Diamondback as a department store/big box retailer brand, primarily through Dick's Sporting Goods, and further muddied the waters. When both Diamondback and Raleigh circumvented their local bike shop dealers further by selling direct on-line, the North American market support from those dealers fizzled into thin air. Oh, and SBS? Accell shuttered that distribution company years ago. Again, alienating their local bike shop customers.

So, when Accell looked at North American markets for their brands recently, they saw a deficit. (duh) This precipitated the sale, and of course, after so many years of torpedoing their base customers in the US, it is no wonder the brands were sold for a measly buck. By the way, Accell is the number one distributor of HPC's (e-bikes) in Europe. So, that should give you an idea of their main focus. European stock markets and financial people were pleased that Accell, as the industry news source "Bike Europe" so succinctly put it, "....has been able to get rid of its troublesome subsidiary that showed rapidly growing losses."

It will be interesting to see what Regent LP does with Diamondback and Redline. Recent news stories suggest that they are keen on reviving Mavic as a leader in component sales and having a bicycle brand to market along side of that maybe is what they were after. One thing is for sure- times are a changin'. 

Ashton Lambie, (doubled over) speaking to MG at the Solstice 100, which Ashton won.

Gravel Grinder Wins Gold (Again)

This has been kind of a story that has shaken the traditional road racing segment. That story surrounding Ashton Lambie, a native Nebraskan and accomplished gravel racer, who set the World Record in the individual pursuit at the Pan-American Games last year, and just won a gold medal this past August 4th at this year's Pan-American Games in Peru. 

Stories pop up in mainstream cycling media from time to time with story lines about his rural upbringing and music background, which is interesting. I don't know, he seems like a nice enough guy to me. Extraordinarily talented, yes, but very down to Earth. It's pretty cool to see someone from a gravel racing/riding background break the mold set by traditionalists in road and track racing with World records and podiums on his way to the 2020 Olympics.

Check out what the local paper said about his story here.

I'll be interested to see where Mr Lambie goes from here. It'd be pretty cool to see him bring home some medals from Tokyo.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek in Trans Iowa v14 Image by Jon Duke

The Story Behind The Rider:

Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt that there was something special about them? Something about that person that commands your respect, even though you have just met? Well, I have had that happen. In fact, with regard to Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek USMC, I knew just from reading his name on the post card he sent in for Trans Iowa v12 that there was "something about this guy" that required my respect to be shown.

I could have just listed him as "Matthew Kutilek" on the roster, but I added his name like this: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek, USMC" (his rank at that time) and even when I called him up at the Pre-Race Meat-Up, I believe that is the name I called him up with. Was I being a smart-ass? Fair question, because, well, if you know me, I do have that gene in my make-up. But not this time, I just "knew" that's how I needed to respect him.

Well, as it turned out, Matthew finished that first attempt at Trans Iowa in 2016. At the finish line, I shook Matthew's hand and congratulated him. He responded with a breathless "Thank you, Sir! That was the most difficult thing I have done, Sir!" I was a bit taken aback by his military-type respect in his response, and I seriously doubted it was "the most difficult thing" he'd done. I thought I was correct in that assumption directly, and when his story came out later about his wounding in Afghanistan, and the radical surgical technique that saved his right leg, I was sure T.I.v12 wasn't even close to the toughest thing he'd ever done.

Then just the other day, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Kutilek sent me a link to this video. If you dare to watch, you will learn that my respect for this man is not misplaced. I am honored to have met this man, and to have had him in my event not once, but twice. You can scroll "The Roster" and see his entry that reads: "Maj. Matthew Kutilek USMC V12, V14"

Perhaps it is high time I edited that.

 That's a wrap for this week, folks! have a great weekend and go ride some bicycles!

Minus Ten Review 2009-29

In the "Whatever Happened To This?" files.

Ten years ago this week on the blog here I was sharing more 29"er news. There was news of a long travel bike by Niner Bikes dubbed the WFO 9, which was the precursor to the 150-170mm travel enduro style trail bike 29"ers of today. Keep in mind that even in 2009 people were saying long travel like this was always going to be the realm of 26" wheeled bicycles. Doing this with 29"er wheels was "stupid", "dumb", and other things unsuitable to put on the blog here.

Where are they who said these things now? Probably riding 29"ers, that's where.

Speaking of "where are they now", I also showed a sneak peek of a proposed livery for a Raleigh XXIX 29" single speed bike. Brian Fournes, the marketing honch for the brand back in those days, was fearless when it came to ideas to liven up the Raleigh line of bikes. This was back before Raleigh became the hollow, online retailer of today. Back then, Raleigh was enjoying some resurgence as a second tier brand and had some relevant mountain bikes for the first time in well over a decade.

Anyway, he forwarded this to me and I was very excited that it might become available in a very limited edition form. Now, I was , and still am, over-loaded with single speed 29"ers, but for this, I would have made room. And why not? I live in the town that put John Deere on the map in terms of farm tractor machines. But, as you probably have guessed by now, there was a visitation from some legal department in letter form and that was that.

Still, I gotta wonder where this ended up.

Also from ten years ago. Just look at that view! GTDRI course.

The Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational was run this weekend ten years ago as well. I had a successful ride and about seven or eight folks joined me.

I've said it before, and I still believe it- This is by far the most beautiful gravel course in Iowa that I've ever seen or heard about. At least from start to finish, and it is over 100 miles in length.

The views anywhere along this route are often beautiful, and in many spots they are jaw-droppingly stunning. I need to go try this course out during Fall colors season sometime, because I bet it would be even better, if that is possible.

Oh yeah, and it ranks as one of the toughest courses I've ever ridden as well. LOTS of climbing. I did not ever run my own GPS device on this route, but riders that did told me there are lots of 10+% grades and several in the 12-15% range. There is one grade that maxed out at 18%, according to what I've been told. It's such a tough climb that a local well drilling concern has to use a Caterpillar tractor to pull its rig up that particular grade. Trucks cannot do it because they lose traction on the gravel!

I also have a sort of reticence to riding here again though, as it is the course I was struck by a drunk driver on. I still deal with some physical issues from that impact to this day. So, there is that bad memory to this course for me as well.

Minus Ten Review 2009-29

In the "Whatever Happened To This?" files.

Ten years ago this week on the blog here I was sharing more 29"er news. There was news of a long travel bike by Niner Bikes dubbed the WFO 9, which was the precursor to the 150-170mm travel enduro style trail bike 29"ers of today. Keep in mind that even in 2009 people were saying long travel like this was always going to be the realm of 26" wheeled bicycles. Doing this with 29"er wheels was "stupid", "dumb", and other things unsuitable to put on the blog here.

Where are they who said these things now? Probably riding 29"ers, that's where.

Speaking of "where are they now", I also showed a sneak peek of a proposed livery for a Raleigh XXIX 29" single speed bike. Brian Fournes, the marketing honch for the brand back in those days, was fearless when it came to ideas to liven up the Raleigh line of bikes. This was back before Raleigh became the hollow, online retailer of today. Back then, Raleigh was enjoying some resurgence as a second tier brand and had some relevant mountain bikes for the first time in well over a decade.

Anyway, he forwarded this to me and I was very excited that it might become available in a very limited edition form. Now, I was , and still am, over-loaded with single speed 29"ers, but for this, I would have made room. And why not? I live in the town that put John Deere on the map in terms of farm tractor machines. But, as you probably have guessed by now, there was a visitation from some legal department in letter form and that was that.

Still, I gotta wonder where this ended up.

Also from ten years ago. Just look at that view! GTDRI course.

The Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational was run this weekend ten years ago as well. I had a successful ride and about seven or eight folks joined me.

I've said it before, and I still believe it- This is by far the most beautiful gravel course in Iowa that I've ever seen or heard about. At least from start to finish, and it is over 100 miles in length.

The views anywhere along this route are often beautiful, and in many spots they are jaw-droppingly stunning. I need to go try this course out during Fall colors season sometime, because I bet it would be even better, if that is possible.

Oh yeah, and it ranks as one of the toughest courses I've ever ridden as well. LOTS of climbing. I did not ever run my own GPS device on this route, but riders that did told me there are lots of 10+% grades and several in the 12-15% range. There is one grade that maxed out at 18%, according to what I've been told. It's such a tough climb that a local well drilling concern has to use a Caterpillar tractor to pull its rig up that particular grade. Trucks cannot do it because they lose traction on the gravel!

I also have a sort of reticence to riding here again though, as it is the course I was struck by a drunk driver on. I still deal with some physical issues from that impact to this day. So, there is that bad memory to this course for me as well.

Friday News And Views

Trans Iowa v14 Video Surfaces:

The other day I received a message from my friend Ari who found the following video and posted it on his blog. It is a film concept featuring a rider in need of a "gravel fix" (Played by Nicholas McColloch) and then morphs into a music video and GoPro footage from the event itself. I've posted the YouTube link below here. 

It's a little rough in the beginning, but the event footage is telling. You get some pre-dawn riding from Grinnell, a scene of the group rolling into Hartwick which was CP#1, then some convenince store shots of Casey's in Brooklyn, Iowa and North English, Iowa. Then there is the brief appearance of a barn with a barn quilt, which is the remnants of Hinkletown, Iowa. After this you get a couple views of the chunky gravel in Johnson County, the torn up road North of Kalona, and then the fade into night. Nicholas stopped at CP#2, so there was no footage past the fall of night. 

All the while, Nicholas and his merry pranksters, including Charles Parsons and Trenton Raygor, take shots of whiskey along the way. Enjoy this unique look at a Trans Iowa!

Shimano Shows Heavy Investment Into Gravel Cycling:

Screen shot from Shimano's

I was cruising the "innergoogles" the other day and came across the new Shimano webpage all about gravel cycling. Check it out HERE.

A bit of background is in order here. First off, Shimano is a company that doesn't just "jump into stuff". They study things, do research, and test theories before announcing anything publicly. This is why a lot of people mistakenly thought Shimano was sleeping when SRAM introduced 1X. They were not sleeping, they were doing their homework. So, the "sudden appearance" of a gravel website should tell you that Shimano has been working on gravel specific components and accessories for years. In fact, if you dig into the site, you will find out that this has been in  development for two years already.

Secondly, Shimano sent over a contingent of employees from Japan to ride in the recently completed Almanzo 100. I actually saw a few of them come through Cherry Grove. Shimano also had a few of its new "Gravel Alliance" riders in the event who were supported by a Shimano course support van. (boo! Almanzo was supposedly a self-supported event at one time.) "So what?!", you say? Well, in reality, Shimano doesn't generally do this. That's why this effort to come to Almanzo was a very big deal.

You can bet that Shimano studied the riders, their gear, the needs of riders, and took in a ton of information which is going to get dissected in Japan and end up being stuff you and I can buy. They already are well on their way in terms of developing things if we are getting a "public display" (website presence, rider advocates) of their "gravel focus". Yes folks, this will be a big deal. It will also drive OEM product in the future as well. In fact, this nay be a result of OEM inquiries. Either way, gravel isn't going away, and if you thought there was a lot of product now, just wait.........

Raleigh's Tamland iE Step Over

Electric Gravel Boogaloo:

While it isn't the first e-gravel bike I've heard of, it may be the most refined version of one. Yep......electric gravel mopeds. It's coming  to a race near you, unless some wily promoters don't allow it.

Check it out on Raleigh's site HERE , but if you want the particulars, here they are. Pony up 4700 bucks and get assisted stroke that will take you to a breath taking 28mph maximum and go as far as 50-80 miles on a single charge.

Not specified- Weight. What happens when you are 20 miles out and the battery goes kaput? Maybe the gravel was fresh, causing higher resistance, or maybe you had a 20mph head wind. Well, your ride will really suck now, pedaling that heavy beast to town. Also curious: Do high profile events now have to provide charging stations at checkpoints, or do we get neutral battery support?

Seriously- I really don't care if you want an e-bike anything. But make no mistake- you are not experiencing cycling like I and many others do. Whether that is "good", "bad", or whatever is still up for debate. But what isn't up for debate is that e-cycling isn't the same as riding a human powered vehicle with two wheels. So, my take on this Raleigh is that it isn't in the spirit of cycling, or  gravel cycling in particular, where self-reliance on one's wits and athleticism is one of the tenets that I hold dear. Your mileage may vary.

MCD frame clearance with a Nano 2.1 mounted to an i23mm rim. Image courtesy of Mike Varley

 Getting Excited:

There is going to be a "new bike day" for me this year as I am acquiring a Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross Disc", or MCD, for short. It is a design similar to my "Orange Crush" rig, but with a bit different cut to its jib. The frame will have disc brakes instead of rim brakes, of course, and it has a much more severely sloping top tube/shorter seat tube than the original Monster Cross.

The frames are apparently quite popular. Check out the latest from Black Mountain Cycles here.  I am in for a pink one, and I am pretty excited about it too. Of course, when this frame and fork comes in, there are going to be a lot of changes in the Guitar Ted stable. Here's what I envision happening here:

• The Twin Six Standard Rando is up for sale already. I will be transitioning the original build back onto this bike soon, but if you are interested it is on my Garage Sale Page already at a bargain price. 
• I'm likely going to retire the Tamland. It looks as though gravel cycling is going all in on through axles and I need to swap the wheel fleet over to that direction. The frame is getting pretty beat up, so after 4 years of abuses it is time to hang it up on the wall. It is never going to get sold, as this represents a design I had an influence on, so I think I'd better keep it around. The "official" retirement ride will happen later this year. 
• The Orange Crush will get made into a single speed. I set this bike up that way at the very first and I loved having a single speed gravel rig. The rim brake fleet of wheels will get SS'ed and be exclusively used on this bike with the possibility of one wheel set getting sold or used on a completely different bike. 
• There may be a wheel set for sale or two.

Hey! It's Memorial Day Weekend! Stay safe and get out and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Trans Iowa v14 Video Surfaces:

The other day I received a message from my friend Ari who found the following video and posted it on his blog. It is a film concept featuring a rider in need of a "gravel fix" (Played by Nicholas McColloch) and then morphs into a music video and GoPro footage from the event itself. I've posted the YouTube link below here. 

It's a little rough in the beginning, but the event footage is telling. You get some pre-dawn riding from Grinnell, a scene of the group rolling into Hartwick which was CP#1, then some convenince store shots of Casey's in Brooklyn, Iowa and North English, Iowa. Then there is the brief appearance of a barn with a barn quilt, which is the remnants of Hinkletown, Iowa. After this you get a couple views of the chunky gravel in Johnson County, the torn up road North of Kalona, and then the fade into night. Nicholas stopped at CP#2, so there was no footage past the fall of night. 

All the while, Nicholas and his merry pranksters, including Charles Parsons and Trenton Raygor, take shots of whiskey along the way. Enjoy this unique look at a Trans Iowa!

Shimano Shows Heavy Investment Into Gravel Cycling:

Screen shot from Shimano's

I was cruising the "innergoogles" the other day and came across the new Shimano webpage all about gravel cycling. Check it out HERE.

A bit of background is in order here. First off, Shimano is a company that doesn't just "jump into stuff". They study things, do research, and test theories before announcing anything publicly. This is why a lot of people mistakenly thought Shimano was sleeping when SRAM introduced 1X. They were not sleeping, they were doing their homework. So, the "sudden appearance" of a gravel website should tell you that Shimano has been working on gravel specific components and accessories for years. In fact, if you dig into the site, you will find out that this has been in  development for two years already.

Secondly, Shimano sent over a contingent of employees from Japan to ride in the recently completed Almanzo 100. I actually saw a few of them come through Cherry Grove. Shimano also had a few of its new "Gravel Alliance" riders in the event who were supported by a Shimano course support van. (boo! Almanzo was supposedly a self-supported event at one time.) "So what?!", you say? Well, in reality, Shimano doesn't generally do this. That's why this effort to come to Almanzo was a very big deal.

You can bet that Shimano studied the riders, their gear, the needs of riders, and took in a ton of information which is going to get dissected in Japan and end up being stuff you and I can buy. They already are well on their way in terms of developing things if we are getting a "public display" (website presence, rider advocates) of their "gravel focus". Yes folks, this will be a big deal. It will also drive OEM product in the future as well. In fact, this nay be a result of OEM inquiries. Either way, gravel isn't going away, and if you thought there was a lot of product now, just wait.........

Raleigh's Tamland iE Step Over

Electric Gravel Boogaloo:

While it isn't the first e-gravel bike I've heard of, it may be the most refined version of one. Yep......electric gravel mopeds. It's coming  to a race near you, unless some wily promoters don't allow it.

Check it out on Raleigh's site HERE , but if you want the particulars, here they are. Pony up 4700 bucks and get assisted stroke that will take you to a breath taking 28mph maximum and go as far as 50-80 miles on a single charge.

Not specified- Weight. What happens when you are 20 miles out and the battery goes kaput? Maybe the gravel was fresh, causing higher resistance, or maybe you had a 20mph head wind. Well, your ride will really suck now, pedaling that heavy beast to town. Also curious: Do high profile events now have to provide charging stations at checkpoints, or do we get neutral battery support?

Seriously- I really don't care if you want an e-bike anything. But make no mistake- you are not experiencing cycling like I and many others do. Whether that is "good", "bad", or whatever is still up for debate. But what isn't up for debate is that e-cycling isn't the same as riding a human powered vehicle with two wheels. So, my take on this Raleigh is that it isn't in the spirit of cycling, or  gravel cycling in particular, where self-reliance on one's wits and athleticism is one of the tenets that I hold dear. Your mileage may vary.

MCD frame clearance with a Nano 2.1 mounted to an i23mm rim. Image courtesy of Mike Varley

 Getting Excited:

There is going to be a "new bike day" for me this year as I am acquiring a Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross Disc", or MCD, for short. It is a design similar to my "Orange Crush" rig, but with a bit different cut to its jib. The frame will have disc brakes instead of rim brakes, of course, and it has a much more severely sloping top tube/shorter seat tube than the original Monster Cross.

The frames are apparently quite popular. Check out the latest from Black Mountain Cycles here.  I am in for a pink one, and I am pretty excited about it too. Of course, when this frame and fork comes in, there are going to be a lot of changes in the Guitar Ted stable. Here's what I envision happening here:

• The Twin Six Standard Rando is up for sale already. I will be transitioning the original build back onto this bike soon, but if you are interested it is on my Garage Sale Page already at a bargain price. 
• I'm likely going to retire the Tamland. It looks as though gravel cycling is going all in on through axles and I need to swap the wheel fleet over to that direction. The frame is getting pretty beat up, so after 4 years of abuses it is time to hang it up on the wall. It is never going to get sold, as this represents a design I had an influence on, so I think I'd better keep it around. The "official" retirement ride will happen later this year. 
• The Orange Crush will get made into a single speed. I set this bike up that way at the very first and I loved having a single speed gravel rig. The rim brake fleet of wheels will get SS'ed and be exclusively used on this bike with the possibility of one wheel set getting sold or used on a completely different bike. 
• There may be a wheel set for sale or two.

Hey! It's Memorial Day Weekend! Stay safe and get out and ride those bicycles!

Minus Ten Review- 28

Huh...... The neighbor's privacy fence sure looked a lot nicer ten years ago!

Ten years ago this week on the blog I got this review set of wheels for Twenty Nine Inches. I noted when I researched this that I mentioned that only one set of tires were recommended to be used on these. 

One. Think about that.  

Now 29"er tires are a dime a dozen. Back then the selection could be recited from memory, the list was that short. These wheels were tubeless compatible as well, so the one set Mavic recommended, the Hutchinson Python, was actually a tubeless ready tire. So that was at least some progress. 

Ten years ago I also sold the Haro Mary I had received as "payment" for doing the Haro Mary catalog copy, which I had written the previous year. Like an idiot, I ordered a size medium, and that did not fit me at all. So, I sold it to a guy that moved to Kansas City and I never saw that bike again. I also, by this time, had probably sold my Raleigh XXIX single speed for similar reasons. I got a size medium. Lesson learned back then. I was a size Large in 29"er wheeled bicycles. 

I also noted something I had written ten years ago that relates to my "Views On Singletrack" post I wrote just last Wednesday. Here is a quote from that post entitled "Riding In The Jungle": 

 "Man! It's like riding in the jungle!"

That's Captain Bob's exclamation there from yesterday afternoons ride in the GW. (That's George Wyth State Park for you non-locals) Yeah, it's high summer in Iowa and the vegetation is at it's peak right about now. Tree branches full of leaves hanging down, slapping you in the face as you speed along. Weeds with itchy oily secretions making it burn! Nice thorny scratches across your shin bones. Yep! It's a jungle out there all right!

Things have changed a bit in ten years..........

Minus Ten Review- 28

Huh...... The neighbor's privacy fence sure looked a lot nicer ten years ago!

Ten years ago this week on the blog I got this review set of wheels for Twenty Nine Inches. I noted when I researched this that I mentioned that only one set of tires were recommended to be used on these. 

One. Think about that.  

Now 29"er tires are a dime a dozen. Back then the selection could be recited from memory, the list was that short. These wheels were tubeless compatible as well, so the one set Mavic recommended, the Hutchinson Python, was actually a tubeless ready tire. So that was at least some progress. 

Ten years ago I also sold the Haro Mary I had received as "payment" for doing the Haro Mary catalog copy, which I had written the previous year. Like an idiot, I ordered a size medium, and that did not fit me at all. So, I sold it to a guy that moved to Kansas City and I never saw that bike again. I also, by this time, had probably sold my Raleigh XXIX single speed for similar reasons. I got a size medium. Lesson learned back then. I was a size Large in 29"er wheeled bicycles. 

I also noted something I had written ten years ago that relates to my "Views On Singletrack" post I wrote just last Wednesday. Here is a quote from that post entitled "Riding In The Jungle": 

 "Man! It's like riding in the jungle!"

That's Captain Bob's exclamation there from yesterday afternoons ride in the GW. (That's George Wyth State Park for you non-locals) Yeah, it's high summer in Iowa and the vegetation is at it's peak right about now. Tree branches full of leaves hanging down, slapping you in the face as you speed along. Weeds with itchy oily secretions making it burn! Nice thorny scratches across your shin bones. Yep! It's a jungle out there all right!

Things have changed a bit in ten years..........