Friday News And Views

New Bottle Trap colors from Velocity USA.

Velocity USA Debuts New Bottle Trap Colors:

If you've been an observant reader of this blog for some time you've probably heard about Velocity USA's "Bottle Trap" cages. I have been a faithful user of these for quite some time now.

These injection molded cages come in a variety of colors and now Velocity has added three more to its line. They are, from left to right in the image, "Terra Cotta","Sea Foam", and "Mocha".

Me being an artist and all, I see these as, from Left to Right: Brick, Sage, and Limestone. Your mileage may vary. We all see things differently. The bottom line is that these new colors reflect a bit of a muted palette which may fit your bike's paint scheme better than some of the more garish colors Velocity offers in the Bottle Trap.

If you've never tried a Bottle Trap, well, these are what they say in the name. They can vary a bit in terms of grip from "almost impossible to remove the bottle", to "Kinda Tough To Get Out", to "Meh! No Big Deal!". I have had all three, and let me tell ya, the first type is a pain! They can loosen up a bit with use, but even the loosest ones grip your bottle VERY securely. That's why I recommend them for fork mount cages, or anywhere you want to store a bottle on a bike where you don not need hand access to said bottle while riding.

For cages that you need to get to while riding I'd recommend Blackburn stainless steel, Lezyne side mounts, or the ultimate, King Cage. But if you like the colors, and you need a really safe cage, in terms of not losing a bottle, this is one of the least expensive and best for the job.

Revelate Designs, Wolf Tooth Collab On "ToolCash" Product: 

Tool rolls are a really efficient, highly organized way to carry "in-the-field" tools and small items like valve cores or a rolled up derailleur cable. This genre of products includes a lot of goofy ideas, but some of the better ones are of the 'wallet' type. This new collaboration between Wolf Tooth and Revelate Design is such a beast.

The ToolCash is made from Revelate's "Rev-X-Pac" fabric and ideally made to hold Wolf Tooth's own Pack Pliers and EnCase System, this little tri-fold wallet sells for $44.95.

Of course, you can put whatever you want into this wallet as long as it fits. So, money, quick links, extra bits of chain, wet-wipes, nutrition pills, tire patches- you get the idea. Whatever smaller items that you pack that might normally be easily lost in the whirlwind of stuff in a cyclists bag can be safely corralled in the ToolCash wallet.

The size is nice too. It is said to fit easily into a jersey pocket, so that means it'll easily go into most seat bags, handle bar bags, or feed bags. It might even fit into some top tube bags as well. That makes it a pretty cool organizational item.

One final thought. In these "Pamdemic Times", if you are out on a ride and need to buy something, keeping a card or cash in the wallet, along with a pair of disposable gloves, might not be a bad idea. Anti-septic wipes could go in there as well. Just a thought......

Teravail Tires Now Available On-Line:

Teravail Tires, a brand started up by powerhouse bicycle and bicycle parts distributor QBP, has announced that Teravail Tires are now available consumer direct. Previously Teravail Tires were only available through local bike shops Teravail will give a portion of each online sale to the nearest local Teravail dealer.

Comments: This isn't anything surprising when you look and see that most tires are available direct from manufacturers/brands these days. It makes buying more convenient for riders and that's obviously a good thing for the brands.

However; if you take the time to think about this as a shop owner, "why would you give any shelf space to a company that sells consumer direct?" That space needs to turn a profit, and if the convenience of a store having them on-hand is superseded by  on-line availability, then you maybe start looking at something else that isn't available online that would be worth the trip for a consumer.

This is why the days of super-stocked bike shops is coming, or more correctly, already has come to a close. Repair parts? Yes. Those have to be at hand for obvious reasons. But for those who look to upgrade and want that "different" thing? Well, there is where the old days are gone. And that is a workable deal for shops as long as their service department is good and open to "cooking other restaurants hamburgers", as it were.

It used to be that shops would turn up their noses and refuse to work on stuff not purchased through their retail business, but if any shops are still doing that, well, I don't see that as being a workable strategy going forward. Obviously, there are certain things a shop just cannot do. Things like working on unsafe bicycles, putting things together that shouldn't be together, or working on specialized product, like some HPC/electrified bicycles that require specialized diagnostic equipment. (yes- like automobiles)

But outside of those obvious exclusions, shops just have to focus more on service and less on offering a wide array of parts and accessories. Decisions like those of QBP/Teravail and others like them just make it so that shop owners cannot afford to carry items, and really- have no motivation to do so when consumers can order things direct from the confines of their own bathroom throne- if that's what they dig. Whatever..... I'm just saying that there needs to be a compelling reason to go to a store these days, and the internet has pretty much usurped any of those reasons to make the effort to go. Add in these crazy times and the reasons are even less than ever.

Maybe in the area where things need to fit, in terms of actual color perception, and when things are very technical, there are reasons to visit a store. But when things we buy experience commoditization, no- Then the reasons to make the effort to go to a shop to see them becomes less and less.

Special Shout-Out: To my son, Jacob, who turns 17 today. I love you, Son!

Well, that's it for this week! have a great weekend and stay safe! Roll those miles of smiles!

Friday News And Views

New Bottle Trap colors from Velocity USA.

Velocity USA Debuts New Bottle Trap Colors:

If you've been an observant reader of this blog for some time you've probably heard about Velocity USA's "Bottle Trap" cages. I have been a faithful user of these for quite some time now.

These injection molded cages come in a variety of colors and now Velocity has added three more to its line. They are, from left to right in the image, "Terra Cotta","Sea Foam", and "Mocha".

Me being an artist and all, I see these as, from Left to Right: Brick, Sage, and Limestone. Your mileage may vary. We all see things differently. The bottom line is that these new colors reflect a bit of a muted palette which may fit your bike's paint scheme better than some of the more garish colors Velocity offers in the Bottle Trap.

If you've never tried a Bottle Trap, well, these are what they say in the name. They can vary a bit in terms of grip from "almost impossible to remove the bottle", to "Kinda Tough To Get Out", to "Meh! No Big Deal!". I have had all three, and let me tell ya, the first type is a pain! They can loosen up a bit with use, but even the loosest ones grip your bottle VERY securely. That's why I recommend them for fork mount cages, or anywhere you want to store a bottle on a bike where you don not need hand access to said bottle while riding.

For cages that you need to get to while riding I'd recommend Blackburn stainless steel, Lezyne side mounts, or the ultimate, King Cage. But if you like the colors, and you need a really safe cage, in terms of not losing a bottle, this is one of the least expensive and best for the job.

Revelate Designs, Wolf Tooth Collab On "ToolCash" Product: 

Tool rolls are a really efficient, highly organized way to carry "in-the-field" tools and small items like valve cores or a rolled up derailleur cable. This genre of products includes a lot of goofy ideas, but some of the better ones are of the 'wallet' type. This new collaboration between Wolf Tooth and Revelate Design is such a beast.

The ToolCash is made from Revelate's "Rev-X-Pac" fabric and ideally made to hold Wolf Tooth's own Pack Pliers and EnCase System, this little tri-fold wallet sells for $44.95.

Of course, you can put whatever you want into this wallet as long as it fits. So, money, quick links, extra bits of chain, wet-wipes, nutrition pills, tire patches- you get the idea. Whatever smaller items that you pack that might normally be easily lost in the whirlwind of stuff in a cyclists bag can be safely corralled in the ToolCash wallet.

The size is nice too. It is said to fit easily into a jersey pocket, so that means it'll easily go into most seat bags, handle bar bags, or feed bags. It might even fit into some top tube bags as well. That makes it a pretty cool organizational item.

One final thought. In these "Pamdemic Times", if you are out on a ride and need to buy something, keeping a card or cash in the wallet, along with a pair of disposable gloves, might not be a bad idea. Anti-septic wipes could go in there as well. Just a thought......

Teravail Tires Now Available On-Line:

Teravail Tires, a brand started up by powerhouse bicycle and bicycle parts distributor QBP, has announced that Teravail Tires are now available consumer direct. Previously Teravail Tires were only available through local bike shops Teravail will give a portion of each online sale to the nearest local Teravail dealer.

Comments: This isn't anything surprising when you look and see that most tires are available direct from manufacturers/brands these days. It makes buying more convenient for riders and that's obviously a good thing for the brands.

However; if you take the time to think about this as a shop owner, "why would you give any shelf space to a company that sells consumer direct?" That space needs to turn a profit, and if the convenience of a store having them on-hand is superseded by  on-line availability, then you maybe start looking at something else that isn't available online that would be worth the trip for a consumer.

This is why the days of super-stocked bike shops is coming, or more correctly, already has come to a close. Repair parts? Yes. Those have to be at hand for obvious reasons. But for those who look to upgrade and want that "different" thing? Well, there is where the old days are gone. And that is a workable deal for shops as long as their service department is good and open to "cooking other restaurants hamburgers", as it were.

It used to be that shops would turn up their noses and refuse to work on stuff not purchased through their retail business, but if any shops are still doing that, well, I don't see that as being a workable strategy going forward. Obviously, there are certain things a shop just cannot do. Things like working on unsafe bicycles, putting things together that shouldn't be together, or working on specialized product, like some HPC/electrified bicycles that require specialized diagnostic equipment. (yes- like automobiles)

But outside of those obvious exclusions, shops just have to focus more on service and less on offering a wide array of parts and accessories. Decisions like those of QBP/Teravail and others like them just make it so that shop owners cannot afford to carry items, and really- have no motivation to do so when consumers can order things direct from the confines of their own bathroom throne- if that's what they dig. Whatever..... I'm just saying that there needs to be a compelling reason to go to a store these days, and the internet has pretty much usurped any of those reasons to make the effort to go. Add in these crazy times and the reasons are even less than ever.

Maybe in the area where things need to fit, in terms of actual color perception, and when things are very technical, there are reasons to visit a store. But when things we buy experience commoditization, no- Then the reasons to make the effort to go to a shop to see them becomes less and less.

Special Shout-Out: To my son, Jacob, who turns 17 today. I love you, Son!

Well, that's it for this week! have a great weekend and stay safe! Roll those miles of smiles!

Dissecting The Gravel Grinder Set Up

I mentioned last week in this post that I wanted to break down my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" rig for you all to let you in on the "why" of each choice I made on it. Well, now is as good a time as any.......

First off, this is just my opinion. This works for me and my needs for a lighter, more speed oriented gravel grinding rig. You may or may not agree, and that is fine. I encourage each and everyone of you thinking about a gravel grinder bike to carefully consider for yourself what might work, and then go test it out for yourself. That's what I've done. This works well for me.

Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" frame and Fork:

I won't go into a whole lot of detail on this choice, since I want to do a separate full review on it, but this fit my needs in several ways. It is steel, which as long as I wasn't going to spend the dough for titanium, was my only choice. I just prefer how it rides. The BMC also has cantilever brakes, which I wanted, (reasons for this in the brake section), two water bottle mounts, (Not all cyclo-cross type frames have this), slightly longer chain stays than most CX bikes, single speed capability, and a bit taller head tube than many CX bikes out there. Finally, it has bigger tire clearances, which was key for me.

Ritchey Classic Series Seat Post and Stem: I wanted a silver component group for my gravel grinder. I like the classic look, and it looks better when dusty! The Ritchey Design Classic Series stem and seat post were no-brainers in the category of parts I was looking at. Light, well designed, easy to install, and ultimately invisible when in use.

So far I haven't been disappointed in their performance in use either. The seat post holds its position for the saddle like a vice, but is easily tweaked if needed. The stem holds my bars with a similar vice-like grip, and seems to be plenty stiff torsionally when yanking on the bars in climbs.

Revelate Designs Tangle Bag: My Revelate Designs Tangle Bag is a mainstay of my set up, since it can easily pack my 70 oz. Camelbak reservoir. (Note: Newer Camelbak reservoirs are wider and may not fit in a Tangle bag. Be sure you buy a reservoir that is long and narrow if you plan on stuffing one in a frame bag) Plus, I can get my tubes, tools, and a few other things in there as well. This is huge since it gets everything off my back.

I could even add a seat bag if I needed more storage, but this will do for 90% of the rides I will do with this bike. I also use a Banjo Brothers Top Tube bag. This thing works fantastically well. It is super simple to open, holds what I need it to, (Usually a couple gels, a camera, and a phone or more food), and is stable on the bike. It isn't too wide, so it doesn't graze my legs in out of the saddle climbing either.

Ragley Bikes Luxy Bar: The drop bar choices for rough/off roading have been getting better, and the Luxy by Ragley Bikes was the latest to be offered. I tried them and liked them quite well. Certainly, they are not for everyone, but they seemed to do the trick for me. I especially like the hooks on this bar. The silver color is a bonus as well. (Note: Curiously, Ragley Bikes does not list the Luxy as one of their products on their site. However; Chain Reaction Cycles shows them in stock)

I could use any ol' bar, but I like the Luxy, or a Woodchipper best so far for gravel grinding.

Velocity A-23 Wheel Set: Sure, I could have built my own wheels, but these Velocity A-23's were built by hand in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and they roll on great hubs that should hold up well. My big attraction to these was that the rims are 23mm wide, and therefore provide a better platform for my Bontrager XR-1 tires to work off of. So far, the A-23's have not disappointed, and spin up fast. They have shown me that they have good lateral stiffness, and that's all I need for a gravel grinding set of wheels. These get stopped by some old Shimano cantilevers. I chose cantilevers because they are lighter weight in terms of not only the brakes, but in terms of the hubs as well, since the hubs do not need to be disc compatible. I could get some lighter brakes, and I may do so, but right now the brakes are working very, very well. I would be hard pressed to make this any better, in terms of performance.

Components: Here I just went with Shimano stuff. Ultegra 9sp STI, non-series R600 compact crank set, an Ultegra long cage rear derailleur, and an old STX mtb front that works to shift the compact front gearing. Pedals are Shimano SPD's, and the saddle is a Bontrager Inform RL. The bars are double wrapped Bontrager Gel. I used two Velocity Bottle Traps for water bottle cages. Solid stuff that has worked well so far. I may change the front crank to a more CX like gearing, but so far the 50 X 34 is okay. I mated that with a 11 X 34 rear cassette for ridiculously low gearing. (I figured I'd need it for the Dirty Kanza 200, but....) I may change the cassette to a more reasonable 11 X 28T at some point.

So, that's it. I like everything I picked well enough to ride it just the way it is for a long, long time, but there are always ideas and small tweaks will happen, I am sure. Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them.

Dissecting The Gravel Grinder Set Up

I mentioned last week in this post that I wanted to break down my Black Mountain Cycles "Orange Crush" rig for you all to let you in on the "why" of each choice I made on it. Well, now is as good a time as any.......

First off, this is just my opinion. This works for me and my needs for a lighter, more speed oriented gravel grinding rig. You may or may not agree, and that is fine. I encourage each and everyone of you thinking about a gravel grinder bike to carefully consider for yourself what might work, and then go test it out for yourself. That's what I've done. This works well for me.

Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" frame and Fork:

I won't go into a whole lot of detail on this choice, since I want to do a separate full review on it, but this fit my needs in several ways. It is steel, which as long as I wasn't going to spend the dough for titanium, was my only choice. I just prefer how it rides. The BMC also has cantilever brakes, which I wanted, (reasons for this in the brake section), two water bottle mounts, (Not all cyclo-cross type frames have this), slightly longer chain stays than most CX bikes, single speed capability, and a bit taller head tube than many CX bikes out there. Finally, it has bigger tire clearances, which was key for me.

Ritchey Classic Series Seat Post and Stem: I wanted a silver component group for my gravel grinder. I like the classic look, and it looks better when dusty! The Ritchey Design Classic Series stem and seat post were no-brainers in the category of parts I was looking at. Light, well designed, easy to install, and ultimately invisible when in use.

So far I haven't been disappointed in their performance in use either. The seat post holds its position for the saddle like a vice, but is easily tweaked if needed. The stem holds my bars with a similar vice-like grip, and seems to be plenty stiff torsionally when yanking on the bars in climbs.

Revelate Designs Tangle Bag: My Revelate Designs Tangle Bag is a mainstay of my set up, since it can easily pack my 70 oz. Camelbak reservoir. (Note: Newer Camelbak reservoirs are wider and may not fit in a Tangle bag. Be sure you buy a reservoir that is long and narrow if you plan on stuffing one in a frame bag) Plus, I can get my tubes, tools, and a few other things in there as well. This is huge since it gets everything off my back.

I could even add a seat bag if I needed more storage, but this will do for 90% of the rides I will do with this bike. I also use a Banjo Brothers Top Tube bag. This thing works fantastically well. It is super simple to open, holds what I need it to, (Usually a couple gels, a camera, and a phone or more food), and is stable on the bike. It isn't too wide, so it doesn't graze my legs in out of the saddle climbing either.

Ragley Bikes Luxy Bar: The drop bar choices for rough/off roading have been getting better, and the Luxy by Ragley Bikes was the latest to be offered. I tried them and liked them quite well. Certainly, they are not for everyone, but they seemed to do the trick for me. I especially like the hooks on this bar. The silver color is a bonus as well. (Note: Curiously, Ragley Bikes does not list the Luxy as one of their products on their site. However; Chain Reaction Cycles shows them in stock)

I could use any ol' bar, but I like the Luxy, or a Woodchipper best so far for gravel grinding.

Velocity A-23 Wheel Set: Sure, I could have built my own wheels, but these Velocity A-23's were built by hand in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and they roll on great hubs that should hold up well. My big attraction to these was that the rims are 23mm wide, and therefore provide a better platform for my Bontrager XR-1 tires to work off of. So far, the A-23's have not disappointed, and spin up fast. They have shown me that they have good lateral stiffness, and that's all I need for a gravel grinding set of wheels. These get stopped by some old Shimano cantilevers. I chose cantilevers because they are lighter weight in terms of not only the brakes, but in terms of the hubs as well, since the hubs do not need to be disc compatible. I could get some lighter brakes, and I may do so, but right now the brakes are working very, very well. I would be hard pressed to make this any better, in terms of performance.

Components: Here I just went with Shimano stuff. Ultegra 9sp STI, non-series R600 compact crank set, an Ultegra long cage rear derailleur, and an old STX mtb front that works to shift the compact front gearing. Pedals are Shimano SPD's, and the saddle is a Bontrager Inform RL. The bars are double wrapped Bontrager Gel. I used two Velocity Bottle Traps for water bottle cages. Solid stuff that has worked well so far. I may change the front crank to a more CX like gearing, but so far the 50 X 34 is okay. I mated that with a 11 X 34 rear cassette for ridiculously low gearing. (I figured I'd need it for the Dirty Kanza 200, but....) I may change the cassette to a more reasonable 11 X 28T at some point.

So, that's it. I like everything I picked well enough to ride it just the way it is for a long, long time, but there are always ideas and small tweaks will happen, I am sure. Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them.