Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

New Timberjack Model:

Salsa Cycles revealed earlier this week that it has a new Timberjack model out. It features a Deore SLX 12 speed 1X drive train and a Rock Shox Psylo Silver fork with 140mm of travel. 

The 6061 T-6 aluminum frame feattures fully lined internal routing, a dropper post route, and plenty of accessory mounts. The bike also has the Alternator V2 drop outs for single speed or varying your wheel base. 

This model is set up with 29" wheels but Timberjacks can also support 27.5"er wheels and tires as well. The Timberjack Deore SLX is listed at $1,699.00 USD. You can see more on this bike HERE. 

Salsa also announced new Rangefinder models. These are Salsa's entry level hardtail MTB's with prices ranging from $899.00 to $1,499.00 in varying spec and colors with 27.5" and 29" wheels. Check those out HERE. 

Finally, Salsa also announced that they now offer a UDH compatible Alternator drop out. See your Salsa dealer for details. 

Blogs Making A Comeback?

Recently I have noticed a very small bit of chatter online concerning social media platforms, content creation, and the desire for created content to have more accessibility and permanence. It seems that many people are seeing certain social media platform owners as being not very palatable, and also there is a feeling of missing connections with prospective viewers/readers due to how social media platforms operate. Content can be dropped and can be buried in a feed quickly, making its impact of little import. 

So, there has been talk of people resurrecting, or creating blogs again. I saw one such instance where a blog which had been dormant since 2012 was started up again. Others are also thinking along these lines and some are pointing to content sites like Substack as a venue for more permanent content holding. 

There used to be a thriving network of cycling related bloggers which one could "make the rounds" on every day or weekly, depending on how often a creator uploaded content. That all died away in the late 2000's when Facebook basically took that role over. However; now many see that social media site as less than optimal. Many see the owner, "Mr Z", as being a person they do not wish to support by using the site. 

Another facet of this may be the disappearance of physical media, the lack of any quality, free centralized informative cycling sites or publications online, and the wish for reading material versus videos. Many have cited videos as being tiring and not how they want to connect. I don't know, but if blogging makes a comeback, I'm here for it. 

They say what comes around goes around....

Image courtesy of Dirtsixer's Instagram

Will 32" Tires Become A Thing?

Dirtysixer, a small company specializing in larger diameter wheeled bicycles, has shown a new tire from Maxxis on one of their gravel bike models recently with a promise that this tire will be available from Dirtysixer on their 32"er wheeled gravel and MTB models. 

Comments: The tire, an Aspen, would make sense from the perspective of being good at gravel, dirt, and broken up surfaces. The tire is a versatile model, very popular in Maxxis' range, and should be a very good performer. 

However; it is what this says about the future of 32" wheels which is possibly of more importance. Understanding that a company like Maxxis isn't going to open a new mold willy-nilly. No, they don't do things like this unless they plan on selling a lot of tires. 

It would seem to me, knowing what I know from the past and 29"er development, that someone else other than Dirtsixer is interested in doing 32"er bikes. Of course, that could be any brand out there, but if I had to guess, I would exclude Trek, Giant, Specialized, and Cannondale off the top. Now certainly, it is entirely possible I am wrong, but usually bigger companies wait on trends to see if they will take hold before stripping away resources from somewhere else to develop a heretofore unknown quantity. 

We will see. Next time you are riding in a big gravel event, look closely at those taller riders. If they are on a Dirtysixer, you may get a close-up of this new Maxxis tire, or the Vee Tire model also being offered in 32" by Dirtysixer. Happy tire spotting!

Image courtesy of Twin Six

A Gravel Road Themed T-Shirt:

Twin Six, the Minneapolis, Minnesota based apparel company, usually launches a "T-shirt of the Month" every 6th of any given month. They have been doing this for years now.  

February's T-shirt of the Month is a gravel road themed design that I have not seen the likes of from Twin Six. In fact, it may be their first ever gravel road oriented t-shirt design. I cannot think of another from the past, but I could be wrong. 

For what it is worth, these Twin Six offerings are fantastic t-shirts. I just got one last year in the Fall (Bicycle riding Jesus) and it feels great and launders well. These shirts from Twin Six run around 28 bucks and should last you for years. 

Okay, so you are probably thinking I'm getting one of these. And I would, but for a hang-up I have with light colored/white t-shirts. I refuse to wear light colored/white t's. I just can't do it. I feel horrible in almost any color that isn't black, but I have been known to wear dark blue, dark grey, maroon, and maybe a few other colors here and there. But yeah.....I wish this woulda been a black T-shirt. But it isn't It's "Oatmeal". 

sigh!

Get yours if you don't have a hang-up like mine soon because Twin Six only does these T's of the Month in limited quantities. 

That's a wrap on this week's FN&V! Now get out there and ride a bicycle!

Friday News And Views

BMC URS LT One (Image courtesy of BMC)

 Will Gravel Bikes Have Suspension?:

Yet another stab at making gravel bikes into ultra-short travel MTB's has been unveiled by Swiss bicycle maker BMC. Their newest gravel bike, the URS LT One, has 20mm of hydraulically damped front suspension and a short travel elastomeric based rear suspension. 

The bikes are made in carbon fiber and feature rack and fender mounts along with a 45mm maximum tire clearance. The front fork is routed for a dynamo hub as well. The two versions of this bike offered will be quite expensive with the top of the range being 7K+. 

Comments: BMC dubs this suspension concept "Micro Travel", and at a mere 20mm of movement, I'd say that is pretty spot on marketing. I would also say that it is pretty useless to have the amount of complexity required to achieve such minuscule amounts of movement. The FOX AX fork I have ridden, with 40mm of travel, wasn't capable enough, in my opinion, to make it worth the extra weight and complexity. But this BMC deal is certainly lighter, yes? 

Actually, no, it isn't. Another report on the bike I have read claims that the BMC fork weighs about the same as the Fox AX. Really? And at half the travel? Wow..... Plus it is proprietary to the frame? Ah.....thanks but no thanks. Let's remind ourselves here that a Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem has 20mm of effective travel, weighs 260-300 grams ( depending upon length), and can be put on any bike with an 1 1/8th steer tube at a cost of $160.00. Plus, if you get tired of your ShockStop equipped bike, you can move on to a new bike and keep the stem. 

The ShockStop is easily tuned, has minimal moving parts, and almost zero maintenance. If I am going for 20mm of travel, the price of 160 bucks sounds a lot better than 7K+. Just my opinion.....

So, to answer the question which led this section- No. Not this way, at any rate. 

Oh! And One More Thing About That:

Just the other day. "Velo News" mentioned that "Another retired European road Pro jumps into the US  gravel scene". (Story here) His name is Paul Voss, and he states in the "Velo News" article that he came over to try out gravel racing because of the over-all feeling that it was closer to 'true sport' and that it seemed to have a more relaxed set of rules for participation. He specifically called out the camaraderie amongst riders who were willing to stop and help those that had crashed, had a flat tire, or other issues. 

We've heard this before from former Pro roadies who heard about gravel racing and dropped in to check it out. People like Ted King, in particular, have really understood and exemplified the 'gravel culture' as it was formulated in the Mid-West. But now all this would seem to be something akin to window dressing, at least amongst many of the Pro/former Pro road riders who are doing gravel events now. I reported here last Saturday that some dissatisfaction has been expressed by certain Pro riders over the lack of formal road racing style rules, especially "... if there's money on the line for the win...." 

And one more thing that I will add here- This UCI nonsense really should have zero effect upon the 'gravel scene', as it is mostly having to do with Pro rider issues and money. What they are about is not gravel racing. It's just more and more looking like Pro Road racing on a different surface. Hopefully Mr. Voss won't fall under that spell again.  

Oh yeah....The UCI is also doing a similar series and World Championships for fat bikes too. You're welcome.

Rangefinder Deore 12 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles Announces New Rangefinder Models:

Yesterday, no doubt, you saw the new Rangefinder models from Salsa Cycles. Sporting four different spec types across six different colors, (two colors for each level with Deore 10/MicroShift Advent sharing colors), the new models are Salsa Cycles entry level hard tail MTB's going forward. 

Interestingly, Deore MTB components can be had now in 10, 11, or 12 speed variants. You'll also note that an alternate MicoShift Advent 10 speed choice is available at the same price as the Deore 10 speed. Prices are $1599.00 for the Deore 12, $1399.00 for the Deore 11, and $1099.00 for the Deore 10/Advent 10 speed models. 

Comments: Interestingly, the press release I got had zero information as to spec. Prices are going up, but the entry level Rangefinder holds the line at $1099.00 which is what the 2021 model was. However; I cannot compare the spec, so...... 

I think people are going to be shocked at what a "real" MTB is going to cost in 2022. Sub-grand MTB-looking bicycles are not going to cut it anymore, and let's be honest, they haven't for many years. But I feel this benchmark is going to be ending up well above 1K, more like $1200.00 to $1300.00 now for a "just okay" hard tail that will get you by.  

Specialized Buys Michigan Retail Chain:

After several years of Trek news breaking about the company buying up retail outlets, now it seems Specialized is also turning down that road as well. The news comes from "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" who reported that McClain's Cycle and Fitness has been sold to Specialized.

Specialized hasn't really pursued retail outlets run direct by the company up until this point.  Although, it has long run a few retail stores, mainly in SoCal.Trek, meanwhile, has been on a retail store buying spree over the last several years to the point that many industry insiders reckon that Trek is the largest specialty bicycle retailer in the U.S.A. now. 

In cases where Specialized has lost its footing due to Trek retail store chain takeovers, they have resorted to 'delivery operations' which fulfill online customer orders. But now it would appear that they are being a bit more aggressive in going toe-to-toe with Trek in the retail sector. 

What does it all mean? Time will tell, but it would point to more Brand specific stores, much like single brand car dealerships, in which consumers would then have no choices but for the brand that the store is owned by. This is not new in the bicycle industry, as anyone older can attest to. Schwinn tried the concept starting in the early 1960's and had the nation covered in "Authorized Schwinn Dealerships" by the early 1970's. When the mountain bike came into being, Schwinn failed to capitalize on its popularity until it was too late, which contributed to the company going bankrupt in the late 90's. This- and other factors - ended the 'Schwinn Approved' dealership model. Now it would seem that we are on the verge of seeing this revived in some form by Trek, Specialized, and who knows who else. 

That is all for this week! I hope you all get some riding in and have a safe weekend.

Friday News And Views

BMC URS LT One (Image courtesy of BMC)

 Will Gravel Bikes Have Suspension?:

Yet another stab at making gravel bikes into ultra-short travel MTB's has been unveiled by Swiss bicycle maker BMC. Their newest gravel bike, the URS LT One, has 20mm of hydraulically damped front suspension and a short travel elastomeric based rear suspension. 

The bikes are made in carbon fiber and feature rack and fender mounts along with a 45mm maximum tire clearance. The front fork is routed for a dynamo hub as well. The two versions of this bike offered will be quite expensive with the top of the range being 7K+. 

Comments: BMC dubs this suspension concept "Micro Travel", and at a mere 20mm of movement, I'd say that is pretty spot on marketing. I would also say that it is pretty useless to have the amount of complexity required to achieve such minuscule amounts of movement. The FOX AX fork I have ridden, with 40mm of travel, wasn't capable enough, in my opinion, to make it worth the extra weight and complexity. But this BMC deal is certainly lighter, yes? 

Actually, no, it isn't. Another report on the bike I have read claims that the BMC fork weighs about the same as the Fox AX. Really? And at half the travel? Wow..... Plus it is proprietary to the frame? Ah.....thanks but no thanks. Let's remind ourselves here that a Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem has 20mm of effective travel, weighs 260-300 grams ( depending upon length), and can be put on any bike with an 1 1/8th steer tube at a cost of $160.00. Plus, if you get tired of your ShockStop equipped bike, you can move on to a new bike and keep the stem. 

The ShockStop is easily tuned, has minimal moving parts, and almost zero maintenance. If I am going for 20mm of travel, the price of 160 bucks sounds a lot better than 7K+. Just my opinion.....

So, to answer the question which led this section- No. Not this way, at any rate. 

Oh! And One More Thing About That:

Just the other day. "Velo News" mentioned that "Another retired European road Pro jumps into the US  gravel scene". (Story here) His name is Paul Voss, and he states in the "Velo News" article that he came over to try out gravel racing because of the over-all feeling that it was closer to 'true sport' and that it seemed to have a more relaxed set of rules for participation. He specifically called out the camaraderie amongst riders who were willing to stop and help those that had crashed, had a flat tire, or other issues. 

We've heard this before from former Pro roadies who heard about gravel racing and dropped in to check it out. People like Ted King, in particular, have really understood and exemplified the 'gravel culture' as it was formulated in the Mid-West. But now all this would seem to be something akin to window dressing, at least amongst many of the Pro/former Pro road riders who are doing gravel events now. I reported here last Saturday that some dissatisfaction has been expressed by certain Pro riders over the lack of formal road racing style rules, especially "... if there's money on the line for the win...." 

And one more thing that I will add here- This UCI nonsense really should have zero effect upon the 'gravel scene', as it is mostly having to do with Pro rider issues and money. What they are about is not gravel racing. It's just more and more looking like Pro Road racing on a different surface. Hopefully Mr. Voss won't fall under that spell again.  

Oh yeah....The UCI is also doing a similar series and World Championships for fat bikes too. You're welcome.

Rangefinder Deore 12 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles Announces New Rangefinder Models:

Yesterday, no doubt, you saw the new Rangefinder models from Salsa Cycles. Sporting four different spec types across six different colors, (two colors for each level with Deore 10/MicroShift Advent sharing colors), the new models are Salsa Cycles entry level hard tail MTB's going forward. 

Interestingly, Deore MTB components can be had now in 10, 11, or 12 speed variants. You'll also note that an alternate MicoShift Advent 10 speed choice is available at the same price as the Deore 10 speed. Prices are $1599.00 for the Deore 12, $1399.00 for the Deore 11, and $1099.00 for the Deore 10/Advent 10 speed models. 

Comments: Interestingly, the press release I got had zero information as to spec. Prices are going up, but the entry level Rangefinder holds the line at $1099.00 which is what the 2021 model was. However; I cannot compare the spec, so...... 

I think people are going to be shocked at what a "real" MTB is going to cost in 2022. Sub-grand MTB-looking bicycles are not going to cut it anymore, and let's be honest, they haven't for many years. But I feel this benchmark is going to be ending up well above 1K, more like $1200.00 to $1300.00 now for a "just okay" hard tail that will get you by.  

Specialized Buys Michigan Retail Chain:

After several years of Trek news breaking about the company buying up retail outlets, now it seems Specialized is also turning down that road as well. The news comes from "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" who reported that McClain's Cycle and Fitness has been sold to Specialized.

Specialized hasn't really pursued retail outlets run direct by the company up until this point.  Although, it has long run a few retail stores, mainly in SoCal.Trek, meanwhile, has been on a retail store buying spree over the last several years to the point that many industry insiders reckon that Trek is the largest specialty bicycle retailer in the U.S.A. now. 

In cases where Specialized has lost its footing due to Trek retail store chain takeovers, they have resorted to 'delivery operations' which fulfill online customer orders. But now it would appear that they are being a bit more aggressive in going toe-to-toe with Trek in the retail sector. 

What does it all mean? Time will tell, but it would point to more Brand specific stores, much like single brand car dealerships, in which consumers would then have no choices but for the brand that the store is owned by. This is not new in the bicycle industry, as anyone older can attest to. Schwinn tried the concept starting in the early 1960's and had the nation covered in "Authorized Schwinn Dealerships" by the early 1970's. When the mountain bike came into being, Schwinn failed to capitalize on its popularity until it was too late, which contributed to the company going bankrupt in the late 90's. This- and other factors - ended the 'Schwinn Approved' dealership model. Now it would seem that we are on the verge of seeing this revived in some form by Trek, Specialized, and who knows who else. 

That is all for this week! I hope you all get some riding in and have a safe weekend.

Salsa Cycles Introduces The Rangefinder

Rangefinder SX Eagle 29

There is a new hard tail in Salsa's line up now, which you probably heard all about yesterday. I am writing this post up ahead of the actual release, so I have no idea how this will be received by the marketplace, but I have my opinions, so.......

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

Okay, this seems like a weird bike to add to the line up. It almost strikes me as the Mukluk/Beargrease thing does. One has Alternators and the other doesn't. One has a certain geometry and the other seems like a mild tweak to its counterpart. Both use similar frame materials. Yeah.... It's hard to make distinctions with the Rangefinder and the Timberjack, except when you look at the pricing and some finer details. But on the surface of things, it looks as though the new Timberjacks are up-spec and more expensive and the Rangefinders are priced where the Timberjack used to be.

The Rangefinder comes in two spec levels and in two wheel sizes for each spec level- 27.5+ and 29"er. There are two color choices in each spec level. Four bikes total in the range. One is Eagle SX, two colors, one has 29"ers, the other 27.5"ers. Same for the Deore spec. All four bikes use similar wheels, and the rear wheel is 141mmQR standard. Fronts are 100 X 15mm through axle.

Rangefinder Deore 29

This is a very competitive price point, so you are going to find a LOT of hard tails with similar specs. It's just the way of the world when you are talking entry level mountain bikes, and that's what these are- Entry level. Anything less expensive is making far too many compromises to be considered a "real mountain bike" in terms of expectations off road. In fact, there are some spec choices on these rigs which are.......meh.... Not so awesome, shall we say?

All bikes in this range are fitted with SR Suntour forks. I've been in the bicycle business a long time, and SR Suntour has a checkered history in forks and they are not what I consider a good choice if one is really going to be pushing this sort of bike off-road. I've just seen too many disappointed people with SR Suntour spec'ed bikes. And this isn't a bash on Salsa. It's just the nature of this price point. I mean, take the dropper post- a TransX branded one. Yeah..... You just are barely getting by on this price for a mountain bike. Maybe it'll work for you, but don't be surprised when it doesn't. That's my take on this price point. For any brand's bikes at this price point. It is what it is.

That's why people need to be conscious of spec and what their expectations are. Going mountain biking and you don't want issues? Then the Rangefinder may not be for you, that's my opinion. At that point, a Timberjack is where I'd point you in Salsa's line up. The spec is solid where it matters: Rock Shox forks, rear through axle hubs, better drive train spec, and good wheels.

Timberjack SLX 29

And even then you are only getting a Rock Shox Sektor fork, SLX drive train, and the same dropper post. Look.....real mountain bikes are expensive. They always have been. I recall back in the mid-90's it was that way, and it has remained so ever since. I mean, decent, reliable front forks retail at upwards of a half a grand to a grand anymore, and top of the line forks are more than that.

That's just the fork, add in some good hubs, decent hoops, and a set of tires, and you've already spent more than an entire Rangefinder. I know.....I get it, completes are always a better deal than spec'ing piece by piece. But to illustrate a point, I think it helps to understand that the Rangefinder is not a mid-range spec bike, and a Timberjack is maybe barely that. In the mountain biking world, if you want "no worries" and top performing bikes, you'd better warm up that credit card. It's gonna get used up.

This might be a reason why gravel riding has taken off. You can get a decent rig that will work just fine at Rangefinder pricing. Not "just barely getting by" either, but a really decent bike. Mountain biking is equipment intensive, as they like to say, and the correct tools for the job are going to be expensive.

Then again- ya gotta wonder, do we really need a slacked out, long/low 130mm travel mountain bike in the Mid-West? Just think how much better a fully rigid, slightly steeper MTB could be spec'ed. Maybe an aluminum frame, steel fork, decent components, cost maybe a grand? It'd be all the mountain bike most folks would ever need. I bought a rigid MTB in 1989 for about $400.00. It was serviceable. Today that same money would translate into about an $830.00 bike. (According to Google) So, yeah.... I figure about a thousand bucks is basement price for a fully rigid bike with decent parts. Better wheels, better drive train, and less issues than a compromise that has a suspension fork and dropper post from any brand.

But what do I know.....

Note: Images and some information provided by Salsa Cycles.

Salsa Cycles Introduces The Rangefinder

Rangefinder SX Eagle 29

There is a new hard tail in Salsa's line up now, which you probably heard all about yesterday. I am writing this post up ahead of the actual release, so I have no idea how this will be received by the marketplace, but I have my opinions, so.......

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

Okay, this seems like a weird bike to add to the line up. It almost strikes me as the Mukluk/Beargrease thing does. One has Alternators and the other doesn't. One has a certain geometry and the other seems like a mild tweak to its counterpart. Both use similar frame materials. Yeah.... It's hard to make distinctions with the Rangefinder and the Timberjack, except when you look at the pricing and some finer details. But on the surface of things, it looks as though the new Timberjacks are up-spec and more expensive and the Rangefinders are priced where the Timberjack used to be.

The Rangefinder comes in two spec levels and in two wheel sizes for each spec level- 27.5+ and 29"er. There are two color choices in each spec level. Four bikes total in the range. One is Eagle SX, two colors, one has 29"ers, the other 27.5"ers. Same for the Deore spec. All four bikes use similar wheels, and the rear wheel is 141mmQR standard. Fronts are 100 X 15mm through axle.

Rangefinder Deore 29

This is a very competitive price point, so you are going to find a LOT of hard tails with similar specs. It's just the way of the world when you are talking entry level mountain bikes, and that's what these are- Entry level. Anything less expensive is making far too many compromises to be considered a "real mountain bike" in terms of expectations off road. In fact, there are some spec choices on these rigs which are.......meh.... Not so awesome, shall we say?

All bikes in this range are fitted with SR Suntour forks. I've been in the bicycle business a long time, and SR Suntour has a checkered history in forks and they are not what I consider a good choice if one is really going to be pushing this sort of bike off-road. I've just seen too many disappointed people with SR Suntour spec'ed bikes. And this isn't a bash on Salsa. It's just the nature of this price point. I mean, take the dropper post- a TransX branded one. Yeah..... You just are barely getting by on this price for a mountain bike. Maybe it'll work for you, but don't be surprised when it doesn't. That's my take on this price point. For any brand's bikes at this price point. It is what it is.

That's why people need to be conscious of spec and what their expectations are. Going mountain biking and you don't want issues? Then the Rangefinder may not be for you, that's my opinion. At that point, a Timberjack is where I'd point you in Salsa's line up. The spec is solid where it matters: Rock Shox forks, rear through axle hubs, better drive train spec, and good wheels.

Timberjack SLX 29

And even then you are only getting a Rock Shox Sektor fork, SLX drive train, and the same dropper post. Look.....real mountain bikes are expensive. They always have been. I recall back in the mid-90's it was that way, and it has remained so ever since. I mean, decent, reliable front forks retail at upwards of a half a grand to a grand anymore, and top of the line forks are more than that.

That's just the fork, add in some good hubs, decent hoops, and a set of tires, and you've already spent more than an entire Rangefinder. I know.....I get it, completes are always a better deal than spec'ing piece by piece. But to illustrate a point, I think it helps to understand that the Rangefinder is not a mid-range spec bike, and a Timberjack is maybe barely that. In the mountain biking world, if you want "no worries" and top performing bikes, you'd better warm up that credit card. It's gonna get used up.

This might be a reason why gravel riding has taken off. You can get a decent rig that will work just fine at Rangefinder pricing. Not "just barely getting by" either, but a really decent bike. Mountain biking is equipment intensive, as they like to say, and the correct tools for the job are going to be expensive.

Then again- ya gotta wonder, do we really need a slacked out, long/low 130mm travel mountain bike in the Mid-West? Just think how much better a fully rigid, slightly steeper MTB could be spec'ed. Maybe an aluminum frame, steel fork, decent components, cost maybe a grand? It'd be all the mountain bike most folks would ever need. I bought a rigid MTB in 1989 for about $400.00. It was serviceable. Today that same money would translate into about an $830.00 bike. (According to Google) So, yeah.... I figure about a thousand bucks is basement price for a fully rigid bike with decent parts. Better wheels, better drive train, and less issues than a compromise that has a suspension fork and dropper post from any brand.

But what do I know.....

Note: Images and some information provided by Salsa Cycles.