Rear View 2014: Part 4

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone. Rear View Part 3 can be seen HERE

September came on and I was still getting over being sick and injured from back in late July, but I was out riding again. I had a box of tires to test and I had to build up two sets of wheels to test them on. I had Labor Day tradition to uphold as well, so I went to the Iowa Falls car show and had a great time with my family.


Two things were on the radar- One was Trans Iowa recon and registration, the other was not going to Interbike. One was necessary for an event next year and the other traditionally was a total pain and very disruptive to my life every Fall. Yes.....I met many great folks and had awesome experiences. Obviously none of those things would have happened had I not gone to eight straight Interbike shows. But that was enough. I am truly grateful for those times with good people and the things that came from that, but I don't like Las Vegas and the show was pure tedium by the time I went there last year. It was time for me to take a break from it all, and in regard to how I feel about the trip and being here instead, well I was super happy this Fall to stay at home. That was the right decision for me at this point.


Trans Iowa recon happened and it was a frustrating day from the standpoint of the sketched out route, which didn't pan out at all the way I had hoped it would. I came home from that very concerned and unhappy with the several reroutes we had to figure out. However; it was a fun day with Jeremy and it was good to get a jump on the process of figuring out a route for T.I.V11.

One of the cool roads we had to cut out of the route in September.

Then it was setting up for registration for T.I.V11. I announced the details in early October right after the first recon, and right on the heels of that, I announced fine details for the mid-October grinder, "The Geezer Ride". Meanwhile, the body started coming around and with the awesome Fall weather I was able to string together some great night rides on an old trail I made and on gravel roads as well.

My Fargo Gen I bike went down with a bad free hub right before the Geezer Ride and so I took the Tamland. I hadn't really ridden it much since the GTDRI crash, but I did sneak in  one longer ride just before the Geezer Ride to reacquaint myself with it. The Geezer Ride itself was an amazing success. It went over far better than I had ever imagined it would, and as it turns out, it was one of the major highlights of the year for me. Requests to hold other Geezer Rides were heard from many folks and I do plan on having one in the Springtime out of Grinnell Iowa. Look for a date on that sometime soon in the New Year.

The scene at the beginning of the Geezer Ride. I was astounded by the turnout.

The T.I.V11 registration kicked off soon after and post cards rolled in for past Winners and Finishers of the event. It was shaping up to be a stacked field just from this group alone, but the real fireworks regarding the registration were yet to come.


Fat bike musings were many, and I transferred the "ultra-fat" set up from the old Snow Dog to the Ti Muk by month's end, relegating the 29+ wheels that were on the Muk to the parts bin. I eventually sold them off in December to fund a guitar for Mrs. Guitar Ted's Master's Degree accomplishments. Honestly, I don't think I would dabble in 29+ again unless it were for a frame and fork designed around the platform. Grafting them onto the Mukluk was a good experience, but the bike didn't suit me well in that guise and so the experiment ended.


November! What can I say! It was a November to remember for sure. Way crazier and busier than ever before for me. First was the finishing touches on the Trans Iowa route, which went really well. Then the Trans Iowa registration madness with the Rookies was unprecedented. The process was amped up even more by a prank card entry supposedly sent in by a disgraced former Pro roadie. Fall officially ended on November 12th when a cold front came in and we went into the deep freeze. Then it was on to an early delivery of my Blackborow DS, which I figured wouldn't show up until maybe around now. Not only that, but after Brian left the employment of the shop where I work, I came in to find the old shop employee owned Surly 1X1 on my bench one morning.

It came just in time for the only snow we've had so far this Winter.

Bad news came in the form of Steve Hed's death and then it was Thanksgiving, which I spent with my family. This marked a warm up and the end of the snow. Oh, and the end of November as well.


The beginning of December was no less busy, as a behind the scenes plan came into the light of day on December 3rd when I announced that Gravel Grinder News was merging with RidingGravel.com. Then it was on to the second Trans Iowa Clinic in Des Moines which went over pretty well, I think.


Things quieted down a lot after that, and that was okay after a whirlwind of a year. But what's new, right? Anyway, that brings us up to the moment and the end of my "Rear View" for 2014. I had mentioned a year ago that there would be changes in my life and a big one I expected never happened. Trans Iowa carries onward! Much to the delight of many riders, I am sure. The other thing wasn't planned specifically, but RidingGravel.com came along and helped provide a piece of the puzzle that was missing.

A Look Forward into 2015 will finish up the year........

Rear View 2014: Part 4

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone. Rear View Part 3 can be seen HERE

September came on and I was still getting over being sick and injured from back in late July, but I was out riding again. I had a box of tires to test and I had to build up two sets of wheels to test them on. I had Labor Day tradition to uphold as well, so I went to the Iowa Falls car show and had a great time with my family.


Two things were on the radar- One was Trans Iowa recon and registration, the other was not going to Interbike. One was necessary for an event next year and the other traditionally was a total pain and very disruptive to my life every Fall. Yes.....I met many great folks and had awesome experiences. Obviously none of those things would have happened had I not gone to eight straight Interbike shows. But that was enough. I am truly grateful for those times with good people and the things that came from that, but I don't like Las Vegas and the show was pure tedium by the time I went there last year. It was time for me to take a break from it all, and in regard to how I feel about the trip and being here instead, well I was super happy this Fall to stay at home. That was the right decision for me at this point.


Trans Iowa recon happened and it was a frustrating day from the standpoint of the sketched out route, which didn't pan out at all the way I had hoped it would. I came home from that very concerned and unhappy with the several reroutes we had to figure out. However; it was a fun day with Jeremy and it was good to get a jump on the process of figuring out a route for T.I.V11.

One of the cool roads we had to cut out of the route in September.

Then it was setting up for registration for T.I.V11. I announced the details in early October right after the first recon, and right on the heels of that, I announced fine details for the mid-October grinder, "The Geezer Ride". Meanwhile, the body started coming around and with the awesome Fall weather I was able to string together some great night rides on an old trail I made and on gravel roads as well.

My Fargo Gen I bike went down with a bad free hub right before the Geezer Ride and so I took the Tamland. I hadn't really ridden it much since the GTDRI crash, but I did sneak in  one longer ride just before the Geezer Ride to reacquaint myself with it. The Geezer Ride itself was an amazing success. It went over far better than I had ever imagined it would, and as it turns out, it was one of the major highlights of the year for me. Requests to hold other Geezer Rides were heard from many folks and I do plan on having one in the Springtime out of Grinnell Iowa. Look for a date on that sometime soon in the New Year.

The scene at the beginning of the Geezer Ride. I was astounded by the turnout.

The T.I.V11 registration kicked off soon after and post cards rolled in for past Winners and Finishers of the event. It was shaping up to be a stacked field just from this group alone, but the real fireworks regarding the registration were yet to come.


Fat bike musings were many, and I transferred the "ultra-fat" set up from the old Snow Dog to the Ti Muk by month's end, relegating the 29+ wheels that were on the Muk to the parts bin. I eventually sold them off in December to fund a guitar for Mrs. Guitar Ted's Master's Degree accomplishments. Honestly, I don't think I would dabble in 29+ again unless it were for a frame and fork designed around the platform. Grafting them onto the Mukluk was a good experience, but the bike didn't suit me well in that guise and so the experiment ended.


November! What can I say! It was a November to remember for sure. Way crazier and busier than ever before for me. First was the finishing touches on the Trans Iowa route, which went really well. Then the Trans Iowa registration madness with the Rookies was unprecedented. The process was amped up even more by a prank card entry supposedly sent in by a disgraced former Pro roadie. Fall officially ended on November 12th when a cold front came in and we went into the deep freeze. Then it was on to an early delivery of my Blackborow DS, which I figured wouldn't show up until maybe around now. Not only that, but after Brian left the employment of the shop where I work, I came in to find the old shop employee owned Surly 1X1 on my bench one morning.

It came just in time for the only snow we've had so far this Winter.

Bad news came in the form of Steve Hed's death and then it was Thanksgiving, which I spent with my family. This marked a warm up and the end of the snow. Oh, and the end of November as well.


The beginning of December was no less busy, as a behind the scenes plan came into the light of day on December 3rd when I announced that Gravel Grinder News was merging with RidingGravel.com. Then it was on to the second Trans Iowa Clinic in Des Moines which went over pretty well, I think.


Things quieted down a lot after that, and that was okay after a whirlwind of a year. But what's new, right? Anyway, that brings us up to the moment and the end of my "Rear View" for 2014. I had mentioned a year ago that there would be changes in my life and a big one I expected never happened. Trans Iowa carries onward! Much to the delight of many riders, I am sure. The other thing wasn't planned specifically, but RidingGravel.com came along and helped provide a piece of the puzzle that was missing.

A Look Forward into 2015 will finish up the year........

Rear View 2014: Part 3

Leaving for the last time? I thought so here as I left T.I.V10

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone. Rear View Part 2 can be seen HERE

Going into May I was being slowly convinced by several e-mails and by my own inner thoughts that there would indeed be a T.I.V11. As tired as I was after T.I.V10 I didn't think it would be possible to think about doing anymore, and after all, I had decided to quit years ago after T.I.V10's completion. Well, that thought slowly died during May!

Trans Iowa thoughts continued in the form of getting things set up for the Trans Iowa Master's Program route/challenge. I also continued on with the discussion of gravel road riding and bicycles in light of many pundits negative articles about the genre. Seems that getting "hits" was more important than actually looking into the deal. I have a standing invite to any poo-pooers of gravel road riding to come out and do Trans Iowa this April.

Seriously.

If any pundits that have published "negative nancy" articles on gravel riding in 2014 want to check out the real deal, I'm all for it. Then we'll talk.

Anyway, back to the Rear View here..... It finally warmed up and I was on the road to getting ready for another crack at Odin's Revenge. I was going to ride the Ti Mukluk with 29"er wheels, but knee pain issues forced me to go with the Fargo Gen I and I also had an unusual Cirrus Cycles titanium suspension seat post to check out along with that. Meanwhile, the first two to finish the TIMP were Scott Sumpter and Andy Zeiner who had a pretty epic adventure with rain, mud, and late night visions all wrapped into one big ride of 380 miles.

Slick, muddy roads and big hills deep sixed my '14 Odin's attempt

My own muddy adventure to Odin's Revenge was marked by a failure to be on pace to reach the checkpoint on time, so I bailed after CP#1 and rode back to the start. It was by far the hardest 40+ miles I have ever ridden in years. Maybe the first time I did Triple D was tougher, but that only lasted 20-ish miles and then there was relief. This was non-stop tough riding in wet, mushy gravel and slick-as-snot Minimum Maintenance road mud. It was all good though as I had an awesome time with Mike, Mike, and Amy along with the other Odin's Revengers.

I went to a couple of NASCAR events with my son, which was a good time except for the epic thunderstorm we rode out in our tent at Rock Creek State Park. I never want to have to do that again! Speaking of my son, he "graduated" from elementary school and we walked home together from school for the last time ever. A big milestone, I'd say. I'll miss walking those two kids of mine to school and back! Glad I decided to commit to that up front. July brought heat and we still were having really windy days which was a theme since Spring.

Next on the menu was the Guitar Ted Death Ride invitational and I was busy getting the route dialled in for that and trying to prepare for the ride as well. I got a new camera, the Olympus Tough TG-3, which replaced the battered and beaten Fuji I busted at the Gents Race back in April. Rides happened and one of them was a fun ride at Volga Recreation Area on a Borealis Echo I was testing/reviewing. That was a great day on the bike!

The GTDRI ended with this view for me.

A not so great end of a day on the bike, but everything leading up to that end was good- The GTDRI unfortunately ended in calamity as an impaired driver veered into our group standing alongside the road and sent me sailing into the ditch at Mile 95 of our ride. I got carted to a hospital, and checked over, but no serious injuries were detected. All is well, right? Not so fast......

The crash effects were subtle, but they were definitely noticed throughout the Fall. I had messed up GI tract functions, inflammation that caused numbness in my extremities off and on throughout the following months, and every time I see a late model GMC or Chevy truck in white, I get a strange ache in my right kidney area. I may not have communicated that I found it rather difficult to even look at my Tamland Two- the bike I rode on GTDRI- for a good month and a half. I forced myself to use it for the Geezer Ride in October, which was maybe the second or third day I'd ridden it since getting hit. Oh, by the way, I got deathly ill right after the crash as well. I think I was off the bike most of September.

Speaking of September I'll get to that in my next installment.

Rear View 2014: Part 3

Leaving for the last time? I thought so here as I left T.I.V10

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone. Rear View Part 2 can be seen HERE

Going into May I was being slowly convinced by several e-mails and by my own inner thoughts that there would indeed be a T.I.V11. As tired as I was after T.I.V10 I didn't think it would be possible to think about doing anymore, and after all, I had decided to quit years ago after T.I.V10's completion. Well, that thought slowly died during May!

Trans Iowa thoughts continued in the form of getting things set up for the Trans Iowa Master's Program route/challenge. I also continued on with the discussion of gravel road riding and bicycles in light of many pundits negative articles about the genre. Seems that getting "hits" was more important than actually looking into the deal. I have a standing invite to any poo-pooers of gravel road riding to come out and do Trans Iowa this April.

Seriously.

If any pundits that have published "negative nancy" articles on gravel riding in 2014 want to check out the real deal, I'm all for it. Then we'll talk.

Anyway, back to the Rear View here..... It finally warmed up and I was on the road to getting ready for another crack at Odin's Revenge. I was going to ride the Ti Mukluk with 29"er wheels, but knee pain issues forced me to go with the Fargo Gen I and I also had an unusual Cirrus Cycles titanium suspension seat post to check out along with that. Meanwhile, the first two to finish the TIMP were Scott Sumpter and Andy Zeiner who had a pretty epic adventure with rain, mud, and late night visions all wrapped into one big ride of 380 miles.

Slick, muddy roads and big hills deep sixed my '14 Odin's attempt

My own muddy adventure to Odin's Revenge was marked by a failure to be on pace to reach the checkpoint on time, so I bailed after CP#1 and rode back to the start. It was by far the hardest 40+ miles I have ever ridden in years. Maybe the first time I did Triple D was tougher, but that only lasted 20-ish miles and then there was relief. This was non-stop tough riding in wet, mushy gravel and slick-as-snot Minimum Maintenance road mud. It was all good though as I had an awesome time with Mike, Mike, and Amy along with the other Odin's Revengers.

I went to a couple of NASCAR events with my son, which was a good time except for the epic thunderstorm we rode out in our tent at Rock Creek State Park. I never want to have to do that again! Speaking of my son, he "graduated" from elementary school and we walked home together from school for the last time ever. A big milestone, I'd say. I'll miss walking those two kids of mine to school and back! Glad I decided to commit to that up front. July brought heat and we still were having really windy days which was a theme since Spring.

Next on the menu was the Guitar Ted Death Ride invitational and I was busy getting the route dialled in for that and trying to prepare for the ride as well. I got a new camera, the Olympus Tough TG-3, which replaced the battered and beaten Fuji I busted at the Gents Race back in April. Rides happened and one of them was a fun ride at Volga Recreation Area on a Borealis Echo I was testing/reviewing. That was a great day on the bike!

The GTDRI ended with this view for me.

A not so great end of a day on the bike, but everything leading up to that end was good- The GTDRI unfortunately ended in calamity as an impaired driver veered into our group standing alongside the road and sent me sailing into the ditch at Mile 95 of our ride. I got carted to a hospital, and checked over, but no serious injuries were detected. All is well, right? Not so fast......

The crash effects were subtle, but they were definitely noticed throughout the Fall. I had messed up GI tract functions, inflammation that caused numbness in my extremities off and on throughout the following months, and every time I see a late model GMC or Chevy truck in white, I get a strange ache in my right kidney area. I may not have communicated that I found it rather difficult to even look at my Tamland Two- the bike I rode on GTDRI- for a good month and a half. I forced myself to use it for the Geezer Ride in October, which was maybe the second or third day I'd ridden it since getting hit. Oh, by the way, I got deathly ill right after the crash as well. I think I was off the bike most of September.

Speaking of September I'll get to that in my next installment.

Rear View 2014: Part 2

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone. Rear View Part 1 can be seen HERE.

In the last post, I left off with the end of February and the brutal grip Winter had over the area here was vice like. That extended into March. The month was marked by a lot of Trans Iowa and gravel road talk. In personal news, I was sick to the point of being incapacitated for the second time in a month and a half. To say that between the cold and the illnesses that I wasn't riding is an understatement. Somehow or another I squeezed in a few rides, and in very raw, windy conditions, for the most part. It was mostly a forgettable month with the exception of one thing.

I was informed that my close friend MG was coming up to the area to visit relatives and he wanted to know if I could meet him. I agreed and we had a great ride that day, talking, exploring, getting lost, and just goofing around. Then it was back to the deep freeze and not feeling so great for a couple more weeks. In the meantime, I got another new bicycle! This was a bit more special to me since it was a Raleigh Tamland that I had some influence on in terms of geometry and certain frame details. It showed up in late March and I was able to get enough rides in on it to dial in a fit and use it during the 4th Annual Renegade Gent's Race.

This perfectly sums up the Gents Race for me (Image by S. Auen)

Four years and eight months ago I was invited to be on a "team" for the first "Renegade Gent's Race" to be held near Ankeny, Iowa. Our "Team Captain" was the organizer of the team and invited me to be a part of the five man squad. The thing was, I didn't know anyone on the team but Steve, the Captain.

It's one of those things that could have gone very wrong, but every April since then this event has become a highlight of my year, and apparently, that of the other four as well, since the "Careless Whispers", as we've named our team, is the only intact from the beginning team to have been at every Renegade Gent's race.

I used the Tamland on this 4th running of the Gent's race and had a great time doing it. This event has grown to the point that several folks come from miles around now to get in on the action. I remember the first one where I was the odd man out coming from as far away as I did. Now that is routine. I'm already looking forward to going again next Spring and I hope the Careless Whispers can make it five straight years in a row.

That's generally the last "fun" thing I get to do until Trans Iowa is over at the end of April. The rest of the month after the Gent's Race is almost all preparation for the big event and I had a recon with Wally and George, (well......that's more fun, actually, so.....), I met Chris Skogen of the Almanzo 100, (again- more fun), and then making cue sheets and getting all the "I's" dotted and "T's" crossed before I head down to Grinnell once again. The tenth Trans Iowa would prove to be an awesome event, but an exhausting one both physically and mentally. I could go on and on about that, but I won't.......

One of the things I expected to do was quit Trans Iowa after that event was done. I didn't, and obviously, a Trans Iowa V11 will occur next Spring. I guess I'll never learn! Anyway, June was coming fast and Odin's Revenge was in my sights.

Next Up- Summertime!

Rear View 2014: Part 2

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone. Rear View Part 1 can be seen HERE.

In the last post, I left off with the end of February and the brutal grip Winter had over the area here was vice like. That extended into March. The month was marked by a lot of Trans Iowa and gravel road talk. In personal news, I was sick to the point of being incapacitated for the second time in a month and a half. To say that between the cold and the illnesses that I wasn't riding is an understatement. Somehow or another I squeezed in a few rides, and in very raw, windy conditions, for the most part. It was mostly a forgettable month with the exception of one thing.

I was informed that my close friend MG was coming up to the area to visit relatives and he wanted to know if I could meet him. I agreed and we had a great ride that day, talking, exploring, getting lost, and just goofing around. Then it was back to the deep freeze and not feeling so great for a couple more weeks. In the meantime, I got another new bicycle! This was a bit more special to me since it was a Raleigh Tamland that I had some influence on in terms of geometry and certain frame details. It showed up in late March and I was able to get enough rides in on it to dial in a fit and use it during the 4th Annual Renegade Gent's Race.

This perfectly sums up the Gents Race for me (Image by S. Auen)

Four years and eight months ago I was invited to be on a "team" for the first "Renegade Gent's Race" to be held near Ankeny, Iowa. Our "Team Captain" was the organizer of the team and invited me to be a part of the five man squad. The thing was, I didn't know anyone on the team but Steve, the Captain.

It's one of those things that could have gone very wrong, but every April since then this event has become a highlight of my year, and apparently, that of the other four as well, since the "Careless Whispers", as we've named our team, is the only intact from the beginning team to have been at every Renegade Gent's race.

I used the Tamland on this 4th running of the Gent's race and had a great time doing it. This event has grown to the point that several folks come from miles around now to get in on the action. I remember the first one where I was the odd man out coming from as far away as I did. Now that is routine. I'm already looking forward to going again next Spring and I hope the Careless Whispers can make it five straight years in a row.

That's generally the last "fun" thing I get to do until Trans Iowa is over at the end of April. The rest of the month after the Gent's Race is almost all preparation for the big event and I had a recon with Wally and George, (well......that's more fun, actually, so.....), I met Chris Skogen of the Almanzo 100, (again- more fun), and then making cue sheets and getting all the "I's" dotted and "T's" crossed before I head down to Grinnell once again. The tenth Trans Iowa would prove to be an awesome event, but an exhausting one both physically and mentally. I could go on and on about that, but I won't.......

One of the things I expected to do was quit Trans Iowa after that event was done. I didn't, and obviously, a Trans Iowa V11 will occur next Spring. I guess I'll never learn! Anyway, June was coming fast and Odin's Revenge was in my sights.

Next Up- Summertime!

Rear View 2014- Part 1

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone.

Hard to believe it, but this old year is about to become history. It seems like a long, long time ago, in 2013 at the end of the year, that I hinted about some changes coming along, and some of those things are happening/will happen very soon, while one other thing almost did happen, but didn't. I'll get to all of that later....

First things first- January was all about getting ready for my third attempt at Triple D, the Winter bike/ski/run event held in the middle of January in Dubuque. I was going to ride the Ti Mukluk and shortly before the event, I went tubeless with the tires and got a Velocity Dually 26"er fat bike wheel set to try out for that event. I was pretty deep into my looking back at all previous Trans Iowas on the blog here, and Winter was kicking it down hard all month.

Triple D went well, as I had gotten very ill earlier in the month and wasn't as trained up as I wanted to be. Still, I finished for a third time in a row and got 33rd out of almost 90 riders. Not too shabby for an old guy! The rest of the month was filled up with more snow, more cold, and ramblings about gravel stuff.

One for Odin

I sent my post card off for my second Odin's Revenge attempt and decided to take the Fargo Gen I again. I also decided to use a wider range gearing than I had before and placed a triple ring set up on it that I figured would work well.

In other bicycle news I got my old Snow Dog back together finally after having had it robbed of parts to get my son's Mukluk going the previous Fall. It was nice having it back, but I also had really frustrating rides on both Mukluks due to the lack of flotation and control in the drier, blown out conditions for snow we endured last Winter. I had decided to get on board with big rims and tires and with that decision came a set of purple ano Salsa Conversion hubs that would see a totally different usage down the road.

Part of a Trans Iowa booth display at Frostbike

In the middle of this terrible Winter and of the month of February I received news of a friend's death and I played at his "Celebration of Life" ceremony. If you ever see me riding with an orange bandana on my head, it is in memory of this person. That hit me harder than I thought it might.

Then it was Frostbike. Whoo boy! Mrs Guitar Ted and I drove up to the Twin Cities in the worst weather I've driven in for years. The interstate was actually closed at one point, but we somehow got on it anyway and eventually we made it. It wasn't fun at all! Frostbike itself was another marathon session of seeing old friends and making new acquaintances.

After that it was more Trans Iowa stories and working on the t-shirts, which a few had gotten finished so I could give Jeff Kerkove one at Frostbike. Then I received the news that Grinnell had awarded Trans Iowa the 2014 Tourism Experience Award. So, in one month I see a trade show booth with a Trans Iowa theme and a city gives the event an award based on tourism. That was pretty surreal and humbling. I never figured I'd ever see the day.

More Rear View 2014 coming soon........

Rear View 2014- Part 1

Well, as I forewarned, and as I have done about every year end now, here is my series on a look back over at 2014 before it is gone.

Hard to believe it, but this old year is about to become history. It seems like a long, long time ago, in 2013 at the end of the year, that I hinted about some changes coming along, and some of those things are happening/will happen very soon, while one other thing almost did happen, but didn't. I'll get to all of that later....

First things first- January was all about getting ready for my third attempt at Triple D, the Winter bike/ski/run event held in the middle of January in Dubuque. I was going to ride the Ti Mukluk and shortly before the event, I went tubeless with the tires and got a Velocity Dually 26"er fat bike wheel set to try out for that event. I was pretty deep into my looking back at all previous Trans Iowas on the blog here, and Winter was kicking it down hard all month.

Triple D went well, as I had gotten very ill earlier in the month and wasn't as trained up as I wanted to be. Still, I finished for a third time in a row and got 33rd out of almost 90 riders. Not too shabby for an old guy! The rest of the month was filled up with more snow, more cold, and ramblings about gravel stuff.

One for Odin

I sent my post card off for my second Odin's Revenge attempt and decided to take the Fargo Gen I again. I also decided to use a wider range gearing than I had before and placed a triple ring set up on it that I figured would work well.

In other bicycle news I got my old Snow Dog back together finally after having had it robbed of parts to get my son's Mukluk going the previous Fall. It was nice having it back, but I also had really frustrating rides on both Mukluks due to the lack of flotation and control in the drier, blown out conditions for snow we endured last Winter. I had decided to get on board with big rims and tires and with that decision came a set of purple ano Salsa Conversion hubs that would see a totally different usage down the road.

Part of a Trans Iowa booth display at Frostbike

In the middle of this terrible Winter and of the month of February I received news of a friend's death and I played at his "Celebration of Life" ceremony. If you ever see me riding with an orange bandana on my head, it is in memory of this person. That hit me harder than I thought it might.

Then it was Frostbike. Whoo boy! Mrs Guitar Ted and I drove up to the Twin Cities in the worst weather I've driven in for years. The interstate was actually closed at one point, but we somehow got on it anyway and eventually we made it. It wasn't fun at all! Frostbike itself was another marathon session of seeing old friends and making new acquaintances.

After that it was more Trans Iowa stories and working on the t-shirts, which a few had gotten finished so I could give Jeff Kerkove one at Frostbike. Then I received the news that Grinnell had awarded Trans Iowa the 2014 Tourism Experience Award. So, in one month I see a trade show booth with a Trans Iowa theme and a city gives the event an award based on tourism. That was pretty surreal and humbling. I never figured I'd ever see the day.

More Rear View 2014 coming soon........

Friday News And Views

The Soma Fab Cazadero 42mm tire

Same Song- Different Dance Partner:

Tubeless tires. Everybody wants to know about whether or not the latest tire can be set up tubeless or not. Fat bikes and gravel road going rigs that have no real good systems in place seem to be the next field where tubeless tinkering is taking off at a breakneck pace. It reminds me totally of circa 2006 29"er tubeless experimentations. Some times it worked, and other times......not so much. 

I got the Soma Fab Cazaderos recently and started the review , (here), and although I stated that since it isn't a tubeless ready tire I wouldn't be testing it this way, I am sure someone or three will say the review isn't any good without me trying them tubeless. I know this from my past experiences reviewing tires. The thing is, I cannot fairly review a tire if I use it as it is not intended.

Just like using a 23mm road slick for a cyclo cross race and then saying the tire stinks because it doesn't handle mud well is unfair, so it is with regard to "converting" any tire I am reviewing to tubeless for gravel. The Cazadero was never intended for tubeless usage, or if it was a thought during the design, Soma isn't saying so overtly. Either way, it isn't right for me to judge a tire for tubeless use and have it fail or not do well when it wasn't meant to be tested that way in the first place. Not to mention, there is no real, approved way of doing a tubeless conversion of a non-tubeless tire industry wide. Stan's No-Tubes notwithstanding, no tire manufacturer will approve of that openly.

And so it goes with the bicycle industry. We can make ridiculously light, mega-expensive bikes out of carbon fiber but we cannot have a true, standardized tubeless tire system for bicycles across the board? That's just weird. What other vehicle in existence suffers such disarray when it comes to their tires and rims? I believe a standardized tubeless system can be done, but the industry is so disconnected from what user experience is that it cannot find a way to make it happen. If the industry would come together and just make UST happen on every tire and rim, (for instance), and manufacture every tire to work tubeless, (you could always sub in a tube when you had to), then this whole dancing around with ghetto solutions to tubeless conversions and the roulette wheel riders have to negotiate to find success would not exist. But apparently what riders are doing is cheap R&D or something.........

This is just a random pic of our recently departed James in a cargo box.

End Of The Year Madness:

I'll be posting my annual "Rear View" series shortly and this has been a doozy of a year. I'll probably have to do this year in thirds, but however it comes out, look for that to start next week sometime and of course, the Holidays will bust that up some.

At the end of it all, I will make a special announcement and a few predictions for 2015. Looking ahead, there could be a lot of changes next year, or it could all just go "poof" and it could end up just being a regular year. We'll see....

Okay, that's all for today. Have a great weekend and get outside!

Friday News And Views

The Soma Fab Cazadero 42mm tire

Same Song- Different Dance Partner:

Tubeless tires. Everybody wants to know about whether or not the latest tire can be set up tubeless or not. Fat bikes and gravel road going rigs that have no real good systems in place seem to be the next field where tubeless tinkering is taking off at a breakneck pace. It reminds me totally of circa 2006 29"er tubeless experimentations. Some times it worked, and other times......not so much. 

I got the Soma Fab Cazaderos recently and started the review , (here), and although I stated that since it isn't a tubeless ready tire I wouldn't be testing it this way, I am sure someone or three will say the review isn't any good without me trying them tubeless. I know this from my past experiences reviewing tires. The thing is, I cannot fairly review a tire if I use it as it is not intended.

Just like using a 23mm road slick for a cyclo cross race and then saying the tire stinks because it doesn't handle mud well is unfair, so it is with regard to "converting" any tire I am reviewing to tubeless for gravel. The Cazadero was never intended for tubeless usage, or if it was a thought during the design, Soma isn't saying so overtly. Either way, it isn't right for me to judge a tire for tubeless use and have it fail or not do well when it wasn't meant to be tested that way in the first place. Not to mention, there is no real, approved way of doing a tubeless conversion of a non-tubeless tire industry wide. Stan's No-Tubes notwithstanding, no tire manufacturer will approve of that openly.

And so it goes with the bicycle industry. We can make ridiculously light, mega-expensive bikes out of carbon fiber but we cannot have a true, standardized tubeless tire system for bicycles across the board? That's just weird. What other vehicle in existence suffers such disarray when it comes to their tires and rims? I believe a standardized tubeless system can be done, but the industry is so disconnected from what user experience is that it cannot find a way to make it happen. If the industry would come together and just make UST happen on every tire and rim, (for instance), and manufacture every tire to work tubeless, (you could always sub in a tube when you had to), then this whole dancing around with ghetto solutions to tubeless conversions and the roulette wheel riders have to negotiate to find success would not exist. But apparently what riders are doing is cheap R&D or something.........

This is just a random pic of our recently departed James in a cargo box.

End Of The Year Madness:

I'll be posting my annual "Rear View" series shortly and this has been a doozy of a year. I'll probably have to do this year in thirds, but however it comes out, look for that to start next week sometime and of course, the Holidays will bust that up some.

At the end of it all, I will make a special announcement and a few predictions for 2015. Looking ahead, there could be a lot of changes next year, or it could all just go "poof" and it could end up just being a regular year. We'll see....

Okay, that's all for today. Have a great weekend and get outside!