Rear View 2021: Winter Begins

Header from the beginning of Winter 2021.

  Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year there will be five Rear View posts looking back on Winter's End, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter's Beginning. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2022 near the end of the month. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

I have a confession to make: "I really do not like the months of November or December". Lots of bad things have happened to me in these months and as Winter approached, it seemed as though this was the case again. At the very end of October my Mother died and then on November 23rd, I found out my job at Andy's Bike Shop was over when Andy called and told me he was pulling the plug on the business. 

But I've weathered these month's storms before and worse ones than this. (If you can believe that.) And, of course, it wasn't all bad stuff. No, something happened which really was a huge surprise to me and alleviated much worry concerning my finances going forward for a bit. (Sorry about being so cryptic but I am not at liberty to say a lot more about what happened. Just that something good did happen.)  I had lots of riding going on yet. I had a nice surprise when a former coworker of mine had her son down for a visit and he came over to ride some gravel one day with me. That was a good time. There was also the wrapping up of review items for the year/season which kept me busy as well. 

Ben Morris snapped this image of me from our ride in November.

The weather, while often times so windy you dare not ride, was actually pretty nice. We did get a couple of good rains, but we are still really dry and the end of the year was mostly too dry again. Cracks in the roads in November are not a very good sign! Record temperatures (70 degrees plus! What!!) and tornadoes and high straight line winds (WHAT?!!) hit Iowa as well. Hopefully late Winter in 2022 will see snow and Spring will be wet enough to bring things back into balance again. 

On the blog I reviewed some oddball Tubolito tubes which weigh next to nothing, pack down to the size of a golf ball, and feel like plastic. They work great though, by the way. I also reviewed American Classic's 700c X 40mm tires here since I purchased them, and that published here late into November as well. 

I did a series on bikes I've kind of neglected. This one is my 2003 Karate Monkey

 I continued the series called "Neglected But Not Forgotten" which was concerned with bicycles I haven't used much or at all in 2021. I did this on a lark, but I'll be danged if it wasn't a popular series, based upon the hits those posts racked up. Who knew that you folks were into bicycles? (Ha! Only kidding. Of course you are into bicycles, if you read this blog, that is.) 

I did a post on not getting in a long ride on my single speed Standard Rando v2 and someone suggested that I do a "Virtual Turkey Burn" challenge over the Thanksgiving Day weekend where folks could drag out a 'neglected bike' and do a long ride. So I put the word out. I did my own long "Turkey Burn Ride" the Saturday after Thanksgiving on a glorious, warm, Sunny day which saw temperatures nearly reaching 60°F. 

A scene at the bridge over the West Fork of the Cedar River on Willow Road in Butler County.

I compiled a few folks images and stories into the "Virtual Turkey Burn Report" which ran on the blog here a week later. It was fun and I was pleased to see some folks get inspired by a reader's suggestion for a ride. I ended up getting four reports with images. I also found out a fifth ride was done in Kansas of 100 miles on gravel. So, I was glad the idea sparked some activity.

December came in warm at first, for December at least, and my focus became one of wrapping things up on the reviewing side, as mentioned above. There was some cleaning in the shop, (my personal shop!) and plans were made to clear out some more old junk that had accumulated over the years. I guess you could say I am a bit of a pack rat! 

Early in December we got Felix to come and live with us.

Early in the month of December we brought home a new cat from the animal shelter and named him Felix. He's been a ball of energy and is keeping me on my toes! 

I also reviewed the Bontrager Circuit WaveCel helmet here which is about the best fitting helmet I've ever used. I also wrapped up my take on the Twin Six wind vest I had gotten earlier in the Fall as well. 

December took a turn for the cold and windy just after the beginning of the month, but then it went all warm, (for this month) and nice again, which got me out for more riding. As mentioned earlier, on the 15th we broke a record for the warmest day of any December ever. Weird! As of this posting we just got snow on the ground! About three inches.....maybe. It's downright cold - in the single digits- and will be that way for a few days with more snow to come New Year's Day (/) Stay tuned on that.....

Later in the month I brought home all my stuff from Andy's and that kind of put a bit of finality on the bike shop days for the time being. 20 years straight (between two bike shop gigs) is a long time to be doing anything. I did pick up a part time, fill-in gig as a mover just to keep busy. 

Of course, the blog was rife with the usual end-of-year stuff and now that brings us to today. Tomorrow I will have a look at the future here and what may happen with me for next year. Thanks for reading, as always!

Rear View 2021: Winter Begins

Header from the beginning of Winter 2021.

  Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year there will be five Rear View posts looking back on Winter's End, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter's Beginning. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2022 near the end of the month. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

I have a confession to make: "I really do not like the months of November or December". Lots of bad things have happened to me in these months and as Winter approached, it seemed as though this was the case again. At the very end of October my Mother died and then on November 23rd, I found out my job at Andy's Bike Shop was over when Andy called and told me he was pulling the plug on the business. 

But I've weathered these month's storms before and worse ones than this. (If you can believe that.) And, of course, it wasn't all bad stuff. No, something happened which really was a huge surprise to me and alleviated much worry concerning my finances going forward for a bit. (Sorry about being so cryptic but I am not at liberty to say a lot more about what happened. Just that something good did happen.)  I had lots of riding going on yet. I had a nice surprise when a former coworker of mine had her son down for a visit and he came over to ride some gravel one day with me. That was a good time. There was also the wrapping up of review items for the year/season which kept me busy as well. 

Ben Morris snapped this image of me from our ride in November.

The weather, while often times so windy you dare not ride, was actually pretty nice. We did get a couple of good rains, but we are still really dry and the end of the year was mostly too dry again. Cracks in the roads in November are not a very good sign! Record temperatures (70 degrees plus! What!!) and tornadoes and high straight line winds (WHAT?!!) hit Iowa as well. Hopefully late Winter in 2022 will see snow and Spring will be wet enough to bring things back into balance again. 

On the blog I reviewed some oddball Tubolito tubes which weigh next to nothing, pack down to the size of a golf ball, and feel like plastic. They work great though, by the way. I also reviewed American Classic's 700c X 40mm tires here since I purchased them, and that published here late into November as well. 

I did a series on bikes I've kind of neglected. This one is my 2003 Karate Monkey

 I continued the series called "Neglected But Not Forgotten" which was concerned with bicycles I haven't used much or at all in 2021. I did this on a lark, but I'll be danged if it wasn't a popular series, based upon the hits those posts racked up. Who knew that you folks were into bicycles? (Ha! Only kidding. Of course you are into bicycles, if you read this blog, that is.) 

I did a post on not getting in a long ride on my single speed Standard Rando v2 and someone suggested that I do a "Virtual Turkey Burn" challenge over the Thanksgiving Day weekend where folks could drag out a 'neglected bike' and do a long ride. So I put the word out. I did my own long "Turkey Burn Ride" the Saturday after Thanksgiving on a glorious, warm, Sunny day which saw temperatures nearly reaching 60°F. 

A scene at the bridge over the West Fork of the Cedar River on Willow Road in Butler County.

I compiled a few folks images and stories into the "Virtual Turkey Burn Report" which ran on the blog here a week later. It was fun and I was pleased to see some folks get inspired by a reader's suggestion for a ride. I ended up getting four reports with images. I also found out a fifth ride was done in Kansas of 100 miles on gravel. So, I was glad the idea sparked some activity.

December came in warm at first, for December at least, and my focus became one of wrapping things up on the reviewing side, as mentioned above. There was some cleaning in the shop, (my personal shop!) and plans were made to clear out some more old junk that had accumulated over the years. I guess you could say I am a bit of a pack rat! 

Early in December we got Felix to come and live with us.

Early in the month of December we brought home a new cat from the animal shelter and named him Felix. He's been a ball of energy and is keeping me on my toes! 

I also reviewed the Bontrager Circuit WaveCel helmet here which is about the best fitting helmet I've ever used. I also wrapped up my take on the Twin Six wind vest I had gotten earlier in the Fall as well. 

December took a turn for the cold and windy just after the beginning of the month, but then it went all warm, (for this month) and nice again, which got me out for more riding. As mentioned earlier, on the 15th we broke a record for the warmest day of any December ever. Weird! As of this posting we just got snow on the ground! About three inches.....maybe. It's downright cold - in the single digits- and will be that way for a few days with more snow to come New Year's Day (/) Stay tuned on that.....

Later in the month I brought home all my stuff from Andy's and that kind of put a bit of finality on the bike shop days for the time being. 20 years straight (between two bike shop gigs) is a long time to be doing anything. I did pick up a part time, fill-in gig as a mover just to keep busy. 

Of course, the blog was rife with the usual end-of-year stuff and now that brings us to today. Tomorrow I will have a look at the future here and what may happen with me for next year. Thanks for reading, as always!

Rear View 2021: Top Ten Posts Of 2021

Last year I posted concerning the top posts of the past year. I thought it was another fun way to look back over the year via the perspective of what caught the reader's attention here. 

So, I thought it would be fun to rank the Top Ten posts from the blog during the calendar year 2021. These posts are ranked according to what Blogger stats tell me were the most read posts of the year. 

I'll start with #10 and work up to #1. Each post will be linked so you can go back and read it if you so choose. Then I will comment a bit on each post. 

#10: Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should - July 6th, 2021

This post was generated by response to a Tweet regarding the possibility that the governing body, USAC, was going to create a Pro level gravel series of events. While that has yet to come true here, the World governing body, UCI, did actually create a series for 2022. How much longer will it take for USAC to follow suit?  

Recently the CEO of USAC stepped down to take a better paying position at the mattress company, Purple. The CMO of USAC also recently quit. An influencer on social media who was on their Diversity Committee recently gave up their position. So......with USAC's leadership in disarray? It may take some time before we see anything like a gravel racing series from this organization.

#9: Twin Six Standard Rando v2: One Year Review - July 14th, 2021

The one year review of my Standard Rando v2 bike was the next most popular post on the blog for 2021. The bike was pretty much what I expected it to be having owned the previous quick release axle version of the Standard Rando. This time I got the carbon fork though, so this bike came out a bit lighter due to that choice. 

I like the much more versatile bottle boss arrangement of this version and that I could set it up as a single speed with a really clean look. My only real beef with the Standard Rando is that it has limited tire clearances compared to my other gravel bikes and to most current gravel offerings. That's okay though, as it forces me to keep relearning that one doesn't always need big tires to enjoy gravel travel.

#8: Life Time Fitness Announces New Series For Gravel & MTB - November 23rd, 2021

Well, while USAC waffled during 2021, Life Time Fitness wasted no time in creating a series of six events that they are dubbing the "Life Time Gran Prix". Half of the events are MTB while the other half are gravel. 

It's an interesting move with the series being closed to a small group of people and that group being not being very "representative" or "inclusive". Rather, it is a showcase group of top-tier athletes which are there as a way to attract rank and file athletes to Life Time's bigger cycling events. In fact, I make the point that these three 'gravel based' events in this series are not gravel events. They are Pro/Semi Pro showcase/publicity stunts attracting a small group of riders chasing money and endorsements. That's not how the gravel scene was built.

#7: Crank-Crankity-Crank-Crank - January 5th, 2021

  I wrote this post so long ago, and the title was so odd for it, that I couldn't remember what it was about! So, after re-reading it..... 

This is a paen to the triple crank, on one hand, and a severe criticism of 1X drive trains on the other, all tied up at the end with a whimsical prediction for the future. I was a bit surprised that it garnered the comments that it did and became the #7 most viewed post of the year. Sometimes you just never know what touches a nerve! 

#6: B.O.G. Series - What To Wear - March 10th, 2021 

Early this year I published a series of posts dubbed "Beginners On Gravel" or "B.O.G." for short. You can see the entire series here, or you can always check the link under the header of this blog.  

I found it rather surprising that this particular post in the series garnered more views than any of the rest. It also sparked more conversations and comments than any of the others. I will say that my audience here has a much more experiential, nuanced viewpoint of apparel for riding than what I was aiming for in terms of readers. 

I think that is what sparked the comments and discussions more than anything else. People with passionate opinions on 'how you do it' were not the people I wrote the post for, but they usually are the ones with the loudest voices. Anyway......

#5: A Discussion Concerning Types Of Geometry For 'Gravel' Bikes - February 27th, 2021 

Unlike the post at #6, which was written for rank beginners, this post was a total 'nerd-alert' post! I figured that this would resonate, and it did, coming in as it does as the #5 most read post of 2021. Geometry and bicycles always is a good way to get interest up here at the ol' 'G-Ted Productions' blog. 

I was motivated to post about this- again- since manufacturers and brands are starting to think that by combining cross bike geometry with gravel bike tire clearances, attachment points, and a bit taller stack height, that they can make just one bike and call it good for both.

Bzzt! Wrong way to do it! And that is why I posted that article. This post shows the 'why' of gravel geometry and where cross bikes are quite a different animal. I also point out that this geometry isn't anything 'new' and that most of this stuff has been figured out for years. Making something a buzz-word and claiming that a bike has a radical new way of doing things is pretty much your standard marketing B.S. ploy. Making one geometry to cover two completely different disciplines is really goofy. This post calls that out.  

#4: Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2: A Tire Swap & Impressions - September 14th, 2021

A few years back I tried a wider internal rim width for a set of gravel wheels and it ended up becoming a standard of sorts in the industry for internal rim width on gravel tires. So, I decided to try again with something really wide. This post, coming in at #4 for the year, was pretty much my conclusions on the experiment.

While I have a wheel set now that, for what I have around here, is pretty unusable, I did find out that where I landed on internal rim width a few years ago probably is spot-on for gravel tires and what bikes will fit for tires going forward. Anything 'more' ends up becoming MTB territory stuff. 

#3: A Ten Year Review Of The Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross - February 22nd, 2021 

Ten years is a long time to hold onto one bicycle, much less to continuously keep having adventures on it. The Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" model bike I have is one rare example of that in my stable of bicycles. This bike was from the very first run of Monster Cross models which were the creation of Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles. 

Purchased at a time when there weren't any gravel specific bikes, the Monster Cross did what I needed it to do. Yes, it is not perfect, but I do like this bike and it is a great reminder of what gravel cycling was all about pre-2012 when we all just 'made do' with whatever bikes we could make work for us. 

Black Mountain Cycles and this blog have had a long relationship and influence. I know at one point Mike Varley mentioned to me that the majority of Monster Cross frame/fork sales came with a mention that the customer had heard about the bike here on this blog.  So, it makes sense then that this post was #3 on the year for the most popular post in 2021. 

#2: SRAM XPLR: Impressions And Commentary - August 11th, 2021

SRAM was bound to answer Shimano's pitch to the gravel going cyclist with something. Shimano's GRX was really something new- a complete drive train offering for gravel cycling needs. But what would SRAM come up with? Instead of answering with their own, from the ground up design, they made a variation on AXS technology which was lacking in versatility and appeal across the spectrum of gravel riders. 

I think the article can be summed up with this quote from it:

" Which kind of begs a question: Is SRAM's answer to GRX really a 'gravel group', or is it just a minor variation on a SRAM theme with limited options? "

Essentially the answer is "Yes- it is a minor variation on a theme". SRAM chose to try to sell riders on a limited choice ecosystem  philosophy instead of allowing riders a vast array of choices and price ranges as Shimano did with their GRX offerings. 

At any rate, it garnered enough attention that  this post easily slots into the #2 position in my ten most read posts of the year. 

  #1: Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Handlebar- March 16th, 2021

This review of the unusual drop bar from Redshift Sports drew the most attention of any other post throughout the year. It wasn't even close! And that really came as a surprise for me. A handle bar review? Yes, a handle bar review! 

I have no idea why this is the case, but congratulations to Redshift Sports for making the Kitchen Sink Handlebar and allowing me to review it. This result from my blog readers- making this post the most read one in 2021 by a large margin, is quite amazing. And I am still running it on my BMC MCD bike. So, I guess I do like it very much. My only wish at this point? Could we get this in carbon? 

That's a wrap on the most read posts of 2021. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Rear View 2021: Top Ten Posts Of 2021

Last year I posted concerning the top posts of the past year. I thought it was another fun way to look back over the year via the perspective of what caught the reader's attention here. 

So, I thought it would be fun to rank the Top Ten posts from the blog during the calendar year 2021. These posts are ranked according to what Blogger stats tell me were the most read posts of the year. 

I'll start with #10 and work up to #1. Each post will be linked so you can go back and read it if you so choose. Then I will comment a bit on each post. 

#10: Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should - July 6th, 2021

This post was generated by response to a Tweet regarding the possibility that the governing body, USAC, was going to create a Pro level gravel series of events. While that has yet to come true here, the World governing body, UCI, did actually create a series for 2022. How much longer will it take for USAC to follow suit?  

Recently the CEO of USAC stepped down to take a better paying position at the mattress company, Purple. The CMO of USAC also recently quit. An influencer on social media who was on their Diversity Committee recently gave up their position. So......with USAC's leadership in disarray? It may take some time before we see anything like a gravel racing series from this organization.

#9: Twin Six Standard Rando v2: One Year Review - July 14th, 2021

The one year review of my Standard Rando v2 bike was the next most popular post on the blog for 2021. The bike was pretty much what I expected it to be having owned the previous quick release axle version of the Standard Rando. This time I got the carbon fork though, so this bike came out a bit lighter due to that choice. 

I like the much more versatile bottle boss arrangement of this version and that I could set it up as a single speed with a really clean look. My only real beef with the Standard Rando is that it has limited tire clearances compared to my other gravel bikes and to most current gravel offerings. That's okay though, as it forces me to keep relearning that one doesn't always need big tires to enjoy gravel travel.

#8: Life Time Fitness Announces New Series For Gravel & MTB - November 23rd, 2021

Well, while USAC waffled during 2021, Life Time Fitness wasted no time in creating a series of six events that they are dubbing the "Life Time Gran Prix". Half of the events are MTB while the other half are gravel. 

It's an interesting move with the series being closed to a small group of people and that group being not being very "representative" or "inclusive". Rather, it is a showcase group of top-tier athletes which are there as a way to attract rank and file athletes to Life Time's bigger cycling events. In fact, I make the point that these three 'gravel based' events in this series are not gravel events. They are Pro/Semi Pro showcase/publicity stunts attracting a small group of riders chasing money and endorsements. That's not how the gravel scene was built.

#7: Crank-Crankity-Crank-Crank - January 5th, 2021

  I wrote this post so long ago, and the title was so odd for it, that I couldn't remember what it was about! So, after re-reading it..... 

This is a paen to the triple crank, on one hand, and a severe criticism of 1X drive trains on the other, all tied up at the end with a whimsical prediction for the future. I was a bit surprised that it garnered the comments that it did and became the #7 most viewed post of the year. Sometimes you just never know what touches a nerve! 

#6: B.O.G. Series - What To Wear - March 10th, 2021 

Early this year I published a series of posts dubbed "Beginners On Gravel" or "B.O.G." for short. You can see the entire series here, or you can always check the link under the header of this blog.  

I found it rather surprising that this particular post in the series garnered more views than any of the rest. It also sparked more conversations and comments than any of the others. I will say that my audience here has a much more experiential, nuanced viewpoint of apparel for riding than what I was aiming for in terms of readers. 

I think that is what sparked the comments and discussions more than anything else. People with passionate opinions on 'how you do it' were not the people I wrote the post for, but they usually are the ones with the loudest voices. Anyway......

#5: A Discussion Concerning Types Of Geometry For 'Gravel' Bikes - February 27th, 2021 

Unlike the post at #6, which was written for rank beginners, this post was a total 'nerd-alert' post! I figured that this would resonate, and it did, coming in as it does as the #5 most read post of 2021. Geometry and bicycles always is a good way to get interest up here at the ol' 'G-Ted Productions' blog. 

I was motivated to post about this- again- since manufacturers and brands are starting to think that by combining cross bike geometry with gravel bike tire clearances, attachment points, and a bit taller stack height, that they can make just one bike and call it good for both.

Bzzt! Wrong way to do it! And that is why I posted that article. This post shows the 'why' of gravel geometry and where cross bikes are quite a different animal. I also point out that this geometry isn't anything 'new' and that most of this stuff has been figured out for years. Making something a buzz-word and claiming that a bike has a radical new way of doing things is pretty much your standard marketing B.S. ploy. Making one geometry to cover two completely different disciplines is really goofy. This post calls that out.  

#4: Project Wide Gravel Wheels v2: A Tire Swap & Impressions - September 14th, 2021

A few years back I tried a wider internal rim width for a set of gravel wheels and it ended up becoming a standard of sorts in the industry for internal rim width on gravel tires. So, I decided to try again with something really wide. This post, coming in at #4 for the year, was pretty much my conclusions on the experiment.

While I have a wheel set now that, for what I have around here, is pretty unusable, I did find out that where I landed on internal rim width a few years ago probably is spot-on for gravel tires and what bikes will fit for tires going forward. Anything 'more' ends up becoming MTB territory stuff. 

#3: A Ten Year Review Of The Black Mountain Cycles Monster Cross - February 22nd, 2021 

Ten years is a long time to hold onto one bicycle, much less to continuously keep having adventures on it. The Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" model bike I have is one rare example of that in my stable of bicycles. This bike was from the very first run of Monster Cross models which were the creation of Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles. 

Purchased at a time when there weren't any gravel specific bikes, the Monster Cross did what I needed it to do. Yes, it is not perfect, but I do like this bike and it is a great reminder of what gravel cycling was all about pre-2012 when we all just 'made do' with whatever bikes we could make work for us. 

Black Mountain Cycles and this blog have had a long relationship and influence. I know at one point Mike Varley mentioned to me that the majority of Monster Cross frame/fork sales came with a mention that the customer had heard about the bike here on this blog.  So, it makes sense then that this post was #3 on the year for the most popular post in 2021. 

#2: SRAM XPLR: Impressions And Commentary - August 11th, 2021

SRAM was bound to answer Shimano's pitch to the gravel going cyclist with something. Shimano's GRX was really something new- a complete drive train offering for gravel cycling needs. But what would SRAM come up with? Instead of answering with their own, from the ground up design, they made a variation on AXS technology which was lacking in versatility and appeal across the spectrum of gravel riders. 

I think the article can be summed up with this quote from it:

" Which kind of begs a question: Is SRAM's answer to GRX really a 'gravel group', or is it just a minor variation on a SRAM theme with limited options? "

Essentially the answer is "Yes- it is a minor variation on a theme". SRAM chose to try to sell riders on a limited choice ecosystem  philosophy instead of allowing riders a vast array of choices and price ranges as Shimano did with their GRX offerings. 

At any rate, it garnered enough attention that  this post easily slots into the #2 position in my ten most read posts of the year. 

  #1: Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Handlebar- March 16th, 2021

This review of the unusual drop bar from Redshift Sports drew the most attention of any other post throughout the year. It wasn't even close! And that really came as a surprise for me. A handle bar review? Yes, a handle bar review! 

I have no idea why this is the case, but congratulations to Redshift Sports for making the Kitchen Sink Handlebar and allowing me to review it. This result from my blog readers- making this post the most read one in 2021 by a large margin, is quite amazing. And I am still running it on my BMC MCD bike. So, I guess I do like it very much. My only wish at this point? Could we get this in carbon? 

That's a wrap on the most read posts of 2021. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Rear View 2021: Top 12 Images

 The 12 best images from the blog for 2021 as chosen by me, Guitar Ted. All decisions are final! (HA!) Not that this is a contest, but I have my opinion which may or may not align with yours. Here they are listed in order from January onward and a couple may have some commentary to go with them. Enjoy! 

January: Two horses seen on an early gravel outing in '21. 

February: Intense cold and snow forces me to take refuge in the shop doing work on a commuter project.

March: Image taken for a four season art project I am doing. Scene from eastern Black hawk County.

April: From one of my favorite Black Hawk County roads, Schenk Road.

May: Spring on Petrie Road's Level B sector.

June: A day lily along a rustic section of road in Cedar Falls.

July: An early morning ride with N.Y. Roll

August: Seen during what will likely be my final Gravel Worlds appearance.

September: A fleeting moment where the light was 'just so' on a ride in Black Hawk County.

October: I got hooked on early morning rides this past few months!

November: A scene from my Turkey Burn Ride.

December: More shop scenes. A relic from Trans Iowa v5 here.

That's a wrap on the top pics from 2021 here. Thanks for reading!

Rear View 2021: Top 12 Images

 The 12 best images from the blog for 2021 as chosen by me, Guitar Ted. All decisions are final! (HA!) Not that this is a contest, but I have my opinion which may or may not align with yours. Here they are listed in order from January onward and a couple may have some commentary to go with them. Enjoy! 

January: Two horses seen on an early gravel outing in '21. 

February: Intense cold and snow forces me to take refuge in the shop doing work on a commuter project.

March: Image taken for a four season art project I am doing. Scene from eastern Black hawk County.

April: From one of my favorite Black Hawk County roads, Schenk Road.

May: Spring on Petrie Road's Level B sector.

June: A day lily along a rustic section of road in Cedar Falls.

July: An early morning ride with N.Y. Roll

August: Seen during what will likely be my final Gravel Worlds appearance.

September: A fleeting moment where the light was 'just so' on a ride in Black Hawk County.

October: I got hooked on early morning rides this past few months!

November: A scene from my Turkey Burn Ride.

December: More shop scenes. A relic from Trans Iowa v5 here.

That's a wrap on the top pics from 2021 here. Thanks for reading!

Rear View 2021: Fall

A header from early into Fall.

 Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year there will be five Rear View posts looking back on Winter's End, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter's Beginning. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2022 near the end of the month. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

I've always held that Fall starts when Gravel Worlds is over. I guess I'll have to change that in 2022.... Anyway! So, Fall came and after I was recovered from that century ride in Nebraska I wanted to get back out as soon as I could to do the Tour of Black Hawk County. This ride had been another plan going on most of the Summer months and I was bound and determined to get that done. Once I completed that ride I kind of got hooked on early morning rides which provided a lot of spectacular imagery for the blog.

As far as the blog went I had wrapped up the Project Wide Gravel Wheels and then I introduced the Tubolito review here. That brought out the old Raleigh Tamland Two for some riding which was nice. I wrote up an article about torque wrenches which went over well. I started looking at some of my bicycles which I hadn't been riding much and posted about those, which drew a lot of interest. I also did a Tubeless 101 maintenance article which was in response to a reader's question. I featured a rebuild of my old Topeak floor pump, which got a lot of attention, oddly enough. 

I got a lot of reader responses to my GPS computer questions, (Thank you!), I ended up getting a Hammerhead Karoo 2, by the way, just recently. (There is a review series started on that already this December) I got some American Classic tires in, (final review should be here), and I bought a new Twin Six wind vest which I shared about here. But the biggest thing for me this Fall was the death of my mother late in October. 

The ToBHC got me hooked on doing early morning rides for a while because of scenes like this.

So, that crazy idea to circumnavigate Black Hawk County via as many gravel roads as possible was also my "Guitar Ted Death Ride" for the year. It worked out really well on all fronts. It was a crazy weather day with temperatures dipping into the upper 30's at the start and topping out at over 90 degrees by mid-afternoon. I was taxed pretty hard by that and the gravel which was a mix of 100% deep, fresh gravel or normal conditions with a slight headwind. 

Being surrounded by thousands of birds was just another reason the T0BHC ride was so memorable.

It was perfect on so many levels. The sights, the experiences, and the complete exhaustion factor, (requisite for "Death Ride" status) were all there. I was really pretty much 100% satisfied with how it all went down. 

And that made for my thirst to get out and ride early mornings almost unquenchable. I ended up planning future rides around when I could get out in the early mornings before Sunrise so I could experience the wonder and the sights of that time of day. I can't say I am sorry I posted so many Sunrise shots! I love them and that time of year is really a great one to grab such imagery. 

I did do rides in full Sun as well!

Fall was spectacular and rather long lasting this year. Typically the leaves are all down by the end of the month of October but we had plenty of Fall color yet this year at the end of the month. I took advantage and rode as often out in the country that I could, but with my son in college and needing me to drive him to campus, I had to stick close to home. 

That low angle of the Sun in late Fall makes every image look more dramatic than it should.

But Fall ended on a sour note for me, obviously, with the news that my mother had died. Mixed emotions there for sure with her suffering from Alzheimer's, so I've been sorting through that since then. Riding helps, but I have to admit that the wind was sucked out of my sails since that happened.

Next I'll cover the end of the year up to the present with my "Winter's Beginning" segment of the Rear View of 2021. I'll also post that day about my outlook and plans for 2022.

Rear View 2021: Fall

A header from early into Fall.

 Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year there will be five Rear View posts looking back on Winter's End, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter's Beginning. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2022 near the end of the month. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

I've always held that Fall starts when Gravel Worlds is over. I guess I'll have to change that in 2022.... Anyway! So, Fall came and after I was recovered from that century ride in Nebraska I wanted to get back out as soon as I could to do the Tour of Black Hawk County. This ride had been another plan going on most of the Summer months and I was bound and determined to get that done. Once I completed that ride I kind of got hooked on early morning rides which provided a lot of spectacular imagery for the blog.

As far as the blog went I had wrapped up the Project Wide Gravel Wheels and then I introduced the Tubolito review here. That brought out the old Raleigh Tamland Two for some riding which was nice. I wrote up an article about torque wrenches which went over well. I started looking at some of my bicycles which I hadn't been riding much and posted about those, which drew a lot of interest. I also did a Tubeless 101 maintenance article which was in response to a reader's question. I featured a rebuild of my old Topeak floor pump, which got a lot of attention, oddly enough. 

I got a lot of reader responses to my GPS computer questions, (Thank you!), I ended up getting a Hammerhead Karoo 2, by the way, just recently. (There is a review series started on that already this December) I got some American Classic tires in, (final review should be here), and I bought a new Twin Six wind vest which I shared about here. But the biggest thing for me this Fall was the death of my mother late in October. 

The ToBHC got me hooked on doing early morning rides for a while because of scenes like this.

So, that crazy idea to circumnavigate Black Hawk County via as many gravel roads as possible was also my "Guitar Ted Death Ride" for the year. It worked out really well on all fronts. It was a crazy weather day with temperatures dipping into the upper 30's at the start and topping out at over 90 degrees by mid-afternoon. I was taxed pretty hard by that and the gravel which was a mix of 100% deep, fresh gravel or normal conditions with a slight headwind. 

Being surrounded by thousands of birds was just another reason the T0BHC ride was so memorable.

It was perfect on so many levels. The sights, the experiences, and the complete exhaustion factor, (requisite for "Death Ride" status) were all there. I was really pretty much 100% satisfied with how it all went down. 

And that made for my thirst to get out and ride early mornings almost unquenchable. I ended up planning future rides around when I could get out in the early mornings before Sunrise so I could experience the wonder and the sights of that time of day. I can't say I am sorry I posted so many Sunrise shots! I love them and that time of year is really a great one to grab such imagery. 

I did do rides in full Sun as well!

Fall was spectacular and rather long lasting this year. Typically the leaves are all down by the end of the month of October but we had plenty of Fall color yet this year at the end of the month. I took advantage and rode as often out in the country that I could, but with my son in college and needing me to drive him to campus, I had to stick close to home. 

That low angle of the Sun in late Fall makes every image look more dramatic than it should.

But Fall ended on a sour note for me, obviously, with the news that my mother had died. Mixed emotions there for sure with her suffering from Alzheimer's, so I've been sorting through that since then. Riding helps, but I have to admit that the wind was sucked out of my sails since that happened.

Next I'll cover the end of the year up to the present with my "Winter's Beginning" segment of the Rear View of 2021. I'll also post that day about my outlook and plans for 2022.