Friday News And Views

Ritchey Classic Bigfoot (Image provided courtesy of Ritchey Design)

Ritchey Design Shows New Bigfoot Alloy Flat Pedals. 

Ritchey Design has had a flat pedal in the range for a while now called the Comp Bigfoot. It is a composite Nylon pedal body flat pedal. Now Ritchey has added two models to the Bigfoot range in alloy. The WCS and Classic Bigfoot pedals are machined 6061 alloy bodied pedals with replaceable pins and a concave profile to better retain the foot on the pedal during riding. 

The pedal dimensions are 105mm x 108.5mm and the pedal body is 18.5mm thick. Ten replaceable pins per side are on each pedal.  CroMo spindles run on an inner bushing and an outer sealed bearing for smooth spinning performance. There are two models in the range. The Classic Bigfoot is silver finish. The WCS version is all black anodized. Both cost the same at $119.00 USD. 

WCS Bigfoot (Image courtesy of Ritchey Design)

• Machined extruded 6061 alloy body, 105 x 108.5mm platform, 18.5mm deep
• CroMo axle on a bushing inner bearing and sealed cartridge outer bearing
• Ten replaceable anti-slip steel pins per side
• 63mm crank-to-center, 8.75mm stack height
• 445g +/-5g per pair
• Concave profile for confident foot placement and control 

The pedals will be available now from Ritchey Design and Ritchey dealers.  Pricing is as follows: 

• WCS Bigfoot – €99.90 / $119.95 / £86.90

• Classic Bigfoot – €99.90 / $119.95 / £86.90 

Image courtesy of Life Time

UCI Criticized For Mishandling Women's Pro Field At Euro Gravel Championships:

In an article posted on cyclingnews.com it was reported that the field for the Women's Pro European Gravel Championships was hindered in their event. This was due to having to navigate through the slower men's age group riders who were released onto the course ahead of them. Many top women Pros were quoted in the piece saying it was dangerous, and unfair, with some calling for changes. 

Comments: In a continuing failure to understand how Pro racing does not integrate into the traditional standards of gravel events, the UCI has once again stubbed its toe.  The attempts at having gravel event culture intertwine with the business and rules of "professional racing" often result in conflicts such as the ones described by the article linked above. None of this is news. That the UCI has failed to understand this in 2026 is inexcusable. 

Of course, North American event promoters have already been walking through this quagmire as well. I've said it all along: Traditional gravel events were developed to avoid the types of racers and racing which mainstream media, brands, and pundits define as "real racing". The two elements were at odds on purpose from the beginning.  

Gravel in the Modern Era was set up as a rejection of the racing rules and culture which was primarily motivated by money and notoriety.  Today's top-tier gravel race culture is one where only a select few are seen, or chosen to be, at the 'top of sport'. Whereas gravel originally was set up to celebrate all riders. It was not motivated by money, prizing, or sponsorship, but by gaining a personal growth and an experience not capable of being purchased. 

Image courtesy of Hunt Wheels

Hunt Wheels Offers Frt/R Specific Enduro V3 Rims:

Alloy rims are not very fashionable or noteworthy it seems anymore. However; alloy can represent a value proposition which is hard to ignore. Carbon rims, while not as pricey as they once were, still are not budget friendly. 

Hunt Wheels has just announced a front and rear specific set of Enduro V3 alloy rims with a 30mm internal rim width. (Note: Link is for rear specific rim)

These rims are tested in real world usage by Hunt sponsored enduro and DH riders. Using a sensible 32 spoke design, these are rims for bashing your FS 29"er around and at a cost of $119.00 each, these represent a pretty great bang for the buck. 

Comments: It is great to see a company willing to invest into R&D for alloy rims. In my searching for alloy rims for my Fargo Gen I project, it became apparent rather quickly that alloy rims are a bit less common than you'd think. 

New WTB 7X Hub (Image courtesy of WTB)

WTB 7X Hubs Figure Heavily In MTB World Championship Results:

In a July FN&V I had some news concerning a new hub design being used by Wilderness Trail Bikes. These hubs were being used by the Cannondale Factory Racing Team in World Cup MTB events. 

The design and partnership with the racing team has paid off with the Cannondale factory Racing Team athletes collecting five medals at the recently held World Championships in Val de Sole.  

Comments: WTB claims the hub set weighs in at a paltry "less than 300 grams", which seems crazy. Sporting oversize Enduro bearings and a ratchet drive system, these hubs are promised to appear in future wheel set offerings from WTB. 

There has been no indication WTB plans on selling the hubs as a stand-alone product. The press release states that these hubs will be commercially available as "part of WTB Mountain and Gravel wheel sets."

Look for news on some developments coming soon from WTB.  

New lube to be revealed soon...

New Lube-Off Contender Coming Soon:

I discovered a new contender for the Lube-Off which has some pretty interesting claims. I went ahead and ordered a bottle.  This brings to mind a point I wanted to make about my running lube tests which I feel hasn't been stressed enough. 

I buy all the products I test in this series with very few exceptions.(UPDATE: I did receive Stan's lubes for testing from Stan's, so there is another example of product I did not purchase.) 

Sure, in the past I received a few free samples from events. But I have not tested any lubricants in the last five years or more which I haven't purchased outright with my own money. (With exception of two Stan's lubricants) It is important to me that I am beholden to no company or marketing department when it comes to these tests. 

I will let you know that this newest contender's company owner or marketing guy reached out to me and wanted to send me a sample. But that is not how this deal works. I ordered a bottle, paid for it, and the lube will be here next week. 

I will say also that although Stan's sent over product, I do not treat it any differently than I would had I purchased it. But then, you dear readers will have to judge me on this for yourselves. Either way I can sleep at night knowing I've done my best to be objective and non-biased.  

Stay tuned.... 
 

That's all for this week! Get out and ride those bicycles! 

Friday News And Views

Teravail Cannonball 32"ers Available:

Image courtesy of Teravail

The 32" wheel introductions have most often been focused on MTB product. However; gravel usage has been teased by several manufacturers and now we have a true gravel component in 32" diameter. The first "gravel" tire for 32'ers is the Teravail Cannonball. 

The Cannonball design was intentionally focused on gravel usage, so while this tire in a 2.2" width may strike some as still being XC MTB focused, it is by design intentions a gravel tire. 

The 32" Cannonball features Teravail's Superstructure Casing which is made up of extra-fine, hardened Nylon fibers to help reduce punctures but retain a supple riding casing. The rubber compound is Teravail's Fast Plus which is claimed to be Teravail's fastest rolling rubber compound in their range. 

You can check out either the tan wall or black wall version of the 32" Cannonball by clicking HERE. 

From Wilde Bicycle Co. social media.

32"er News From Wilde Bicycle Co. 

Seen on social media this week: A Wilde Bicycle Co. post teasing a new, as yet unreleased 32"er MTB XC bike. The post indicated this is a test mule for possible future production. 

There were no concrete dates or timelines given as Wilde wants to wait on a suitable suspension fork to test the frame with. 

Comments: Again, 32"ers are being jumped on by smaller, more agile companies which don't have to wait on production lines to be geared up for large runs. 

Although, I have heard through the grapevine that current factory production is not anywhere near maximum levels, and this may also play into how smaller companies have been able to push smaller production runs through for 32"ers. 

However this plays out, my theory is that there is a small amount of 32"er curious, bike nerdy folks who are possible sales targets for 32" wheels and once those folks have their bikes? I think any sort of larger, general cycling population being interested in 32"ers won't be as eager to bite on the unknown. Big brands who aren't going to have 32"ers out until late this year or early in 2027 may find the 32"er market has satisfied their appetite for this wheel size by buying from the smaller companies who were able to pivot to 32"ers more quickly. 

And I could be completely off my rocker. We will see.......
 

Image courtesy of SILCA

SILCA Announces Super-Secret v2 Lubricant:

SILCA Super-Secret lubricant has always fared quite well in my "Guitar Ted Lube-Off" tests and it is my current go-to lubricant for my gravel bikes. It does exceptionally well in dry gravel conditions. However; it wasn't all that great in the wet and so I never really trusted it for Spring, Winter, or if things got wet at any time of the year. 

SILCA has now upped its game with Super-Secret v2 lubricant. The claim is that it is faster, longer lasting, and holds up even in wet conditions. So, I bought some and it will be here shortly. Look for more "Guitar Ted Lube-Off" content soon!

And speaking of the Lube-Off, I last updated the testing HERE.  That was later into last year. I haven't been lax in testing since then, I just haven't updated anything here yet. This will certainly change, obviously, with the new Super-Secret v2 coming here soon. 

 I also have another lube which just arrived and is not yet on the open market. I will be testing it as well. So, this new Lube-Off should be interesting and pitted against the old contenders. Those include Super-Secret v1, the Effetto Mariposa Flowerpower wax lube, and Stan's Dry Lubricant. This Lube-Off should prove to reveal the best lubricant ever for gravel riding. 

I know.....big claim. But I think it will be true, and I am excited to try out these two new lubricants over the end of Summer and into Fall. Stay tuned..... 

New Dura Ace C-50 (mage courtesy of Shimano)

 Do New Dura Ace Wheels Point To What Could Come For Gravel?

On Wednesday Shimano released the poorly held secret that they have new Dura Ace carbon wheels available now. 

These are a range of rim depths and a rear disc wheel for road, triathlon, and perhaps cyclo cross usage. They don't have current "fashionable" inner rim widths for gravel. 

However; what we do see are carbon fiber spokes. The total wheel weight for the 50mm deep Dura Ace wheels (shown) is 1,302 grams for the pair. Curent Shimano RX-880 wheels have a 25mm (vs 23mm for Dura Ace) inner rim width and a 32mm depth vs the 50mm depth of the new Dura Ace. The total weight of the RX-880's is just shy of 1,400 grams at 1,397 grams. This is with stainless steel spokes. 

Obviously trends have changed and Shimano, never one to jump on changes right away, may not be pushing the cutting edges of wheel tech with a new RX series wheel yet. But it is hard to discount what Chinese wheel companies are doing now and for the prices they are doing it at, which are pretty incredibly low. 

Should Shimano come out with an even wider inner rim width gravel wheel set with carbon spokes with a total wheel weight of under 1,400 grams, it would be a huge development. Let's say the newer wheel had a 30mm inner rim width, and carbon spokes. Maybe a 40mm rim depth. It would be very competitive, as long as you bought a bike with those wheels already on it. Dura Ace wheels are well over 2K for the pair, and this is not at all competitive with Chinese gravel wheel sets, many selling for well under 1K for a pair.  

With Shimano you do get a company with service, widespread availability of repair parts, and most bike shops understand and can work on Shimano components. Chinese wheel sets? Hmm..... Not so much. But if you are willing to take a chance..... 

Image courtesy of DT Swiss

DT Swiss Revamps 1800 Wheel Range

Usually we talk about the bougie, expensive wheels here on the FN&V, but not everyone wants, needs, or can afford those carbon fiber wonder-wheels. So, what's a regular Joe or Jill supposed to look for?

How about a reliable, durable, and practical wheel set? This describes DT Swiss' 1800 range of wheels to a "T". 

There are three newly refreshed wheels in the 1800 Spline range now with the Aero (A), Endurance (E), and the Gravel (G) 1800 models. In those three divisions there are some options as well, most notably the option to get a front wheel with a DT Swiss branded Shutter Precision dynamo hub. 

Most of the range goes for a little north of $600.00 USD, so these won't break the bank and you can get solid DT Swiss reliability from the 370 hubs to the spokes and the new rims featuring a 26mm inner width. There are separate rims from this range available also for those looking to build some wheels. 

See the range HERE.  

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Updates Streem Handlebar:

It seems that the old odball tag which used to be used for flared drop bars is no longer valid. No more "alt-bar" descriptions for these drop bars in 2026. 

Especially since a traditional road drop bar like the Streem now has 10° of flare. This road riding bar now has what Ritchey said in their press release is a design which is "...in line with how riders approach road riding today." And this - "....the compact shape, gentle backsweep, and increasing-radius bends give riders a natural interface for their hands when the road goes long or the pace gets honest. So, backsweep and flare. Hmm..... Gravel has made a dent, it would seem. 

The new Streem is available in aluminum construction in the WCS and Comp ranges with the difference being the WCS has triple-butted tubing. Check out the new bars, which have been priced lower than the outgoing models, and all of Ritchey's handlebar options HERE. 
 

Thanks so much for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Now get out there and ride those bicycles! Summer is fading fast! 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

 Ritchey Design Offers New Superlogic Carbon Handlebars:

Ritchey Design specializes in components along with frames and forks for bicycles. I am of the opinion that one of their most underrated ranges is their handlebar range. 

This week Ritchey sent out a press release concerning a new range of Superlogic Mountain Bars in carbon. 

The three handlebar range is aimed at cross country and trail riding, but these could just as easily be used on gravel bikes utilizing flat bars, or on bike packing rigs. The bars have zero, 20mm, or 40mm of rise. The flat bar has 7° of back sweep while the two with rise go one more degree to 8°.  

Width on all three is 760mm with cut-down marks for those wanting a narrower bar. Weight for the Superlogic Mountain Bars is as follows: Flat- 155gm, 20mm rise-  170gm, 40mm- 175gm. All three feature 5° of upsweep and all three feature the 31.8mm clamp diameter for interfacing with stems.  

Prices are as follows: Flat -  $239.95 / €199.90 (inc. VAT) / £173.90 (inc. VAT) 20mm rise- $251.95 / €209.90 (inc. VAT) / £182.90 (inc. VAT) 40mm rise- $263.95 / €219.90 (inc. VAT) / £191.90 (inc. VAT)

See Ritchey Design's website for more details. These bars are available now.  

Image courtesy of White Industries

White Industries Seat Post Collars Offered In Colors:

White Industries, who are known mostly for their hub sets, are now offering seat post collars in a variety of anodized finishes. 

The collars come in a variety of sizes to fit most frames which require a separate seat post clamp. 

White Industries makes these in California to exacting standards which results in a seat post collar that fits well, clamps evenly, and will work with repeated use over a long period of time. 

Priced at a reasonable $54.99USD, these collars and the rest of White Industries products can be seen HERE. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bicycles

Canyon Offers Grzl Gravel Adventure Bike In Aluminum:

Earlier this year I was thinking about aloy gravel frames and possibly getting one in. The trouble was that an alloy frame was either oddball geometry, but reasonably affordable, or it was a great design, but as expensive as some carbon frames. 

There did not seem to be any alternatives. Now Canyon has an aluminum version of its GRZL adventure/gravel bike available. Just not as a frame/fork only! 

The GRZL AL does tick almost every box though, as I see it. The geometry is good, with the exception of weird sizing. According to what I am seeing on Canyon's site, I would best fit a Medium, which never happens. Usually I am on a size large. 

Otherwise this bike has 54mm tire clearance, a T-47 bottom bracket, and everything is internally routed, of course. Thare are plenty of accessory mounts, as one would expect on a bike billed as an adventure bike. So, it would probably have everything I'd want in a modern day gravel/adventure bike in alloy, but I do not wish to buy a complete bike. So, while a sub-2K complete bike is very reasonable, I'm just not interested in parting out a SRAM drive train.  

Niner Bikes One-9 frame from 2005

Niner Bikes Reportedly Shutting Down Operations:

The original 29"er only bicycle company, Niner Bikes, has reportedly shut its doors according to "several reports". 

On Monday evening I saw a post on Facebook of a screen shot with a message saying Niner Bikes had closed its shop and operations while placing all employees on layoff. On Tuesday  major online sources were also reporting the same story, so it would appear that Nine Bikes is - at least for now - no more. 

Company officials at United Wheels are saying Niner as a brand is "paused" for now.  

The company hit the market in 2005 as a relatively unknown entity which sponsored the 29" page on mtbr.com, which raised some eyebrows at the time. The two co-founders of Niner Bikes, Steve Domahidy and Chris Sugai, were industry vets who decided 29" wheels were the future, with Sugai famously saying 29"ers would become the dominant wheel size in mountain biking. 

The company lost Domahidy who left and started his own Viral Bikes brand. Sugai eventually left the company as well and now is working for Gates, the belt company. Niner carried on, however, but then ran into financial issues causing the company to go into bankruptcy in 2017. The company was then purchased by United Wheels, also owner of Huffy Bicycles, for 3.1 million dollars. 

Then in late 2023 United Wheels consolidated Niner with Huffy and moved Niner Bikes headquarters to Ohio from Colorado. In 2024 Niner established a presence in Colorado again. However; with little innovation of their legacy MTB products, Niner was reliant on sales in the competitive gravel bike segment. Although new redesigns and upgrades began to appear in Ninre's line up late in 2025, it seems this was too little, too late.  

 Steve Domahidy commented on a story concerning this subject by "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" on Facebook by saying "Very sad news today. I poured 8 years of my full and total commitment to making this business what it was and saddened to see what it's (sic) has become,"

From Facebook on Twin Six's feed

The 32" Watch: Twin Six To Offer A 32"er:

Early this past week I was sent a sneak peek of a titanium 32"er from Twin Six. The image came from one of the co-owners of the brand I have known for years. He didn't say I could post the image,  so I didn't. Now I have seen the bike on Twin Six's Facebook page, so I am sharing their image here. 

All I know is the bike is designed for drops or flat bars. I was told it was "coming soon". The person I was contacted by said drop bars are going on it this week.  

N.Y. Roll says he's getting this. He already has a T-6 FSU bike he really likes. I know my friend Ari in Chicago is interested as well. Me? Well.......titanium is not cheap. Big hoops and tires would have to procured. I am spending money like I have it to go on this Nebraska trip. So.....I don't see it now, but never say never. 

Image courtesy of Twin Six

It's obvious the niche brands in cycling are scrambling to get behind this wheel size before any mid-tier or one of the "Big Four" brands gets a 32"er out. Selling your titanium 32"er will be a lot easier now than it will be when some entrenched brand comes around with a sub-2K 32"er. 

And it would appear the majority of sales are going to be flat bar/MTB style and not too many drop bar options will seemingly be on the table early on. There is a rumbling concerning Surly coming out with a 32"er, but all I'm hearing is that it will be based upon the Krampus or Karate Monkey design. 

So, I am all about trying one of these beasts on gravel around here, but a MTB? Yeah...... I don't see it for myself. I'd rather see  adrop bar garvel leaning bike which would definitely make me more interested. 

Everyone I've gotten feedback from who has actually ridden one of these 32"ers has positive things to say. It sounds all good, but I don't know right now if I'm in on this wheel size. 

Again, never say never, never say always. Maybe...... Stay tuned. 

That'll do it for this week. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend if you are reading this in the USA. Get out and ride those bicycles! 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Design Announces Comp El Camino Handlebar:

Ritchey Design makes a lot of cool handlebars and is one of the brands which keeps the "alt bar" flag flying high. Their latest design hearkens back to cruiser bike design and is called the Comp El Camino. 

Featuring a generous 35° degrees of backsweep, 50mm of rise and a 750mm width, the Comp El Camino could be a great addition to many types of bicycles. 

The handlebar is constructed from double butted 6061 aluminum alloy which gets the weight down to a nice 340 grams (claimed) and should result in a nice ride quality. The bar comes in "BB Black" and is priced at $59.95 USD. (€51.90 (inc. VAT), £45.90 (inc. VAT))

Comments: This is a cool handlebar. I cannot count how many times I've seen similar handlebars at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective which were steel, chrome plated, with rust pits, and thought, "This would be such a great handlebar if it were modernized". Well, this El Camino design is about as close as you can get to that old shape but with modern appointments such as the 31.8mm clamp section, room to mount accessories, and in a decent width. 

Image courtesy of Life Time

Sea Otter Soon:

This time in two weeks we will be in the thick of Sea Otter craziness. Before this I would expect several press releases will go live. In fact, I know this because I am sitting on several. (Embargoed, don't cha know!)

Without giving anything away, what can we expect? 

Well, we all are waiting to see what gets shown in the way of 32"ers. I can say there will be news. It definitely will spark debate and attention. 

Besides 32"ers? Well......not a lot to be excited about, really. There is some component news, but nothing earth-shattering. I do suspect Shimano will drop something 13 speed, probably Dura Ace, I don't know, but Shimano typically announces stuff at Sea Otter and the road side is up for change after Shimano overhauled their MTB groups recently. 

SRAM typically has a big deal announcement at Sea Otter as well, so I'd expect something there, but again, we'd probably not be too surprised by anything they would announce either. At this point with electronically controlled shifting the only big surprise I could see would be wireless braking, which SRAM has worked on, and something I'd have ZERO interest in even looking at. Maybe I'm the odd man out. 

At any rate, stay tuned.... Things are going to be busy for a bit on the news front. 

Image courtesy of Vittoria Tires

Vittoria Offers Really Wide Road Tires:

Vittoria Tires says, " Road tires are getting bigger. Much bigger."

Several weeks ago I talked a bit on this site about the move many companies are making to include wider tire clearances on their "endurance" road bike models. 

Vittoria's introduction of a 700 x 38mm and 700 x 42mm Corsa Pro Control road tire points to this being a solid trend. Although it should be mentioned that Vittoria also sees these tires as being replacements for gravel treads where riders are focused more on pavement. 

I'll also mention a comment left on my February 19th post, (link above) mentioned the 42mm Corsa Pro was on a Cervelo as stock, but the person commenting did not know if the tire was available separately. It would appear that this is now the case. 

On their Facebook page, Vittoria posted about the Corsa Pro tires by saying the following: "Developed to bring race-level road performance to the new generation of crossover bikes, these slick tires are built to handle asphalt, pavé, cobbles, and compact gravel while preserving the speed and ride feel of the Corsa PRO family."

Comments: This also lines up with my thoughts of how the "road bikes for the people" will be wider tired, less racy bikes with a LOT more capability when it comes to terrain use. Honestly, a bicycle with 42mm tires like the Corsa Pro tires is right up my alley. There are a lot of times when a tire like this with a wide-range drive train makes tons of sense here, especially a bike that has fender mounts. 

In my opinion, most tread is useless on crushed rock roads. I've ridden a Donnelly tire which was very similar to this Vittoria tire on gravel here and it was fine. You can run the pressures down and on a wider rim something like this, with its lighter weight and nicer ride quality would be awesome. 

Image courtesy of Aeron TPU Tubes

Review Announcement: Aeron TPU Tubes:

 Today I should be receiving some Aeron TPU tubes in the post which I plan on reviewing here for GTP. 

You may have seen my Rene Herse TPU tube review from last year.  I've also looked at WTB TPU tubes, (With an update on those HERE) and the original TPU tube, Tubolito. 

As you might notice from looking at all those reviews and updates, if you do, you will mark a slow evolution in TPU tubes and performance. Most notably around the valve stem part of the TPU tube. 

Manufacturers are still dialing in and fine tuning TPU tubes to be reliable, easy to use, and have better features. My attention has been brought to bear on what Aeron is offering and I thought it would be good to see how this product stacks up against others in this field. 

The Aeron valve stem is partially threaded for grip when using friction interface pumps and screw-on pump heads.  The valve core is removable as well. Aeron claims their tube is a multi-layer construction and this allows the tube to fit anywhere from a 32mm tire to a 52mm tire. Quite a difference from previous TPU tubes I've tried. 

This and the price is just under 30 bucks a pop. So, there is a lot of promise there and the expectations are high. Stay tuned for this review to be started next week.  

That is a wrap for this week. Get out there and ride those bicycles! 

Friday News And Views

 Bicycle Sales Still Slumping:

You probably have noticed it. All the "Black Friday" sales stuff which kicked in right after Halloween was over here. We may as well call the month of November "Black Friday" and have no days other than Friday for 30 calendar days until December 1st.  

News coming out of all the trade publications are still showing sales numbers mostly down for the Summer. You can tell because some companies have been running ridiculous discounts for months already.  

There have been a few businesses shutting down, and many bicycle shops seem to be closing up across the world, not just here. I'm certain there are parts where shops are thriving and business is brisk, but this seems to be less common now. 

And there are "bicycle deserts" which are getting larger all the time. The city I live in currently has no bicycle shops at all. None. It's crazy to think about it. There are several places in Iowa which have no close local bicycle services at all. I'm sure nationwide it is commonplace. 

It will be interesting to see if 2026 brings any positive changes.  

Prototype known as "D62" Image courtesy of Brant Richards

Luxy Redux Update:

Last Friday I asked if anyone was interested in a Luxy Bar reissue. (IYKYK) I wanted to give those interested parties an update, as far as what I know. 

The Luxy Bar was sold through Chain Reactions Cycles, an online retailer which had many "in-house" brands. One of those brands was Ragley, and the main designer for Ragley Bikes at the time of the Luxy Bar's availability was Brant Richards. The Luxy was sold as a Ragley Bikes product. 

I do not know the particulars involved in a possible revival of a component which has a license through a company which went through financial distress and I do not know who owns the rights to the Luxy now. All I know is Brant is getting back into bicycle stuff again and asked if I thought the Luxy was a viable offering in 2025/26. 

I posted about this, as I stated, last Friday, and Brant has seen all of your comments. So, if those carry any weight, then .......maybe. Also, I did ask for a carbon version to which Brant replied to by saying, "You can ask. But I’m sticking with metal. Not plastic!"

You can read into this statement if you'd like. I am saying it still is a big "what if" until I see one for real. Stay tuned.....

Image courtesy of Ratio Tech

Ratio Mech Now Available:

Early in October I reported in another FN&V regarding Ratio Technologies stab at making a rear derailleur with an aim to be versatile enough to work with several different shifters. It appears now this component is now available from the U.K. based company and is called the "Mech".  

Riders can choose the correct Mech configuration for their preferred cassette and shifter right from the webpage.  The Mech can also be configured for traditional derailleur hangars or UDH style mounting. 

Comments: I think this sort of mechanical rear derailleur is really a thing filling a void. The major component makers have, for the most part, abandoned cable pull derailleurs. This Ratio offering fills a void in the marketplace for those who want 12 and 13 speed drive trains but do not want electronic shifting for whatever reasons they may have.  

The asking price of approximately $457.00 (based upon current exchange rates and no tariff or VAT) seems steep, but a SRAM AXS XPLR rear mech is only about one hundred bucks less. Given some competition in this space for high-end, cable pull rear mechs and some decent amount of demand, I could see this 457 number coming down. 

But who knows? Perhaps this will only be a niche offering for old-school, cable pull holdouts. Once the demand is met, and those folks age out, perhaps all we wil see is electronic rear mechs in the future.  Either way, it is nice to see a company offering an alternative to electronic shifting. 

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Design Septimer Carbon Breakaway Frame:

Whoops! I had to redact this news last Friday because I didn't read the embargo date correctly, so if you've already seen this here, or thought you might have, you did!

My bad! Sorry Ritchey Design! 

So, anyway, the Septimer is a break-away frame design in carbon. Ritchey has its own design for travel frames which come apart and can be packed into a small travel bag which can be checked at airports as regular baggage, saving on shipping costs for folks who like to travel with a bicycle. 

If you are interested you can check out the Ritchey Septimer and all their other fine products HERE. 

More 32"er Watch Rumors:

I was pointed to a mtbr.com thread by fellow blogger Rich Dillen which detailed the latest in 32"er news. With Mike Curiak being the current "Central Scrutinizer" of all things 32" in the MTB world, at least here in the USA, it was enlightening.  

Apparently the scuttlebutt from Mike is that at least "5-6 new 32" tires " are due out next year. I would assume this would mostly become news around and at Sea Otter, given the MTB nature of the event in April. 

Chatting via text messenger with "Mr Vague Idea Racing", we both agreed gravel stands to be addressed with the 32" wand as well. What exactly becomes of this is anyone's guess as of now, but more companies than Maxxis will have to jump in to make this viable. My guess is the German based tire brands will not be included due to their notorious conservative natures, I'd look for brands like Kenda, (who could use a shot in the arm), Panaracer, or maybe WTB to be brands which come in with 32" offerings for tires in 2026. 

This 32 inch nonsense reminds me a LOT of the heady days of 29"ers, fat bikes, and early gravel bike tire threads online where certain individuals were looked to for breaking news and posters would theorize on stuff they had no idea about. Ah! I recall this sort of thing and I understand it is "fun", but I'm not going to press into this too hard myself. The rewards are ethereal and fleeting for the amount of "grind" one has to exert. But with this said, I will be keeping a close eye on things in relation to 32" wheels and gravel bikes. 

That is a wrap on this week! The FN&V will be taking a break next week (unless there is breaking news) for Thanksgiving. Look for the next FN&V to appear at the end of the first week of December. 

Now get out and ride those bicycles!  

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Onza Tires

 Onza Tires Brings Full Range Of Gravel Tires To Market:

Onza Tires, better known for mountain bike fare, has just announced a new range of gravel tires called "Alegra X". In an effort to guide riders to a "best tire" choice, these tires are arrayed in a ranking to categorize them from least grippy, best rolling resistance to most grippy, higher rolling resistance. With "1" having the fastest tread all the way to "6", with the most off-road ready" tread, Onza expects riders will better be able to dial in an Alegra X model which best suits their needs. 

All models seem to have 120TPI casings, single compound rubber, and a choice of tan or black wall sidewalls. Most are $59.99 USD. Sizes range from 40mm to 50mm, but not all models are available in all sizes or sidewall styles. 

See Onza's website for more details HERE.  

Comments: The ranking system is similar to how Vittoria Tires is doing things now within their range of gravel tires. Onza is not a big name in the States, so it remains to be seen how this range will be accepted. However; in my opinion this looks like a more budget friendly, high-value, low in features range. Tread designs are right in the current fashion trends for gravel, and you might be reminded of several better known brands and models while perusing the Onza range. 

Everything in the Alegra X range looks "safe" as far as how it will work on gravel, and I suspect these will all be okay for most people. However; I don't see much in the way of innovative design or anything overly inspiring here. Most of these tread designs are derivative, and look to be based off designs known to work just fine. Maybe Onza makes a dent here, but there are a LOT of choices in gravel tires in 2025/26, so the competition for space on rider's wheels is intense. 

Image courtesy of Madrone Cycles

Madrone Cycles Offers "Jab" Rebuildable Rear Mech:

Last year I featured the Madrone Cycles rear mech prototype in an FN&V segment. Now the rear derailleur for 1X systems from Shimano or SRAM is available to purchase. 

With a configurable, rebuildable design, the Jab rear mech promises versatility, longevity, and customization based upon the choice of different anodized colors. The Jab has received decent reviews so far, so the product looks promising. 

Prices will range depending upon configuration, but a standard gravel Jab runs about $298.00 USD. A Jab configured with a purple body and for Shimano 11 speed gravel usage, (shown) would run $327.00 USD. 

You can learn more on the page for the Jab HERE. 

Comments: Rebuildable? Okay......when was the last time you thought, "Hey! Why can't I rebuild my rear mech?" Maybe you've destroyed one in a wreck, or in poor conditions. Okay, maybe then. However, most rear derailleurs I have replaced over the past 30 years of repair work were 50% - 100% destroyed. You'd likely have to purchase a new rear mech anyway, unless Madrone sells all the individual parts for the Jab aftermarket. Sure, they sell most of the parts now, but what if you tweak the linkage parallelogram bits?

Then there is the price of admission. Again, as I stated in 2024, you can buy a brand new Shimano GRX rear mech for quite a bit less money. SRAM as well. Obviously, the Madrone offering looks completely cool and rad, but is it worth that much more? This is really what the piece boils down to. The way you answer this question will determine the part's value to you. There is no "wrong" answer here for a consumer, assuming it does its job. It's just that I'm not seeing what question this piece answers from a technical standpoint.  

Courtesy of Salsa Cycles social media

Salsa Reveals Another New Drop Bar Model:

The Mega Mid-South happened last weekend and both the men's and women's events were won on a new Salsa Cycles model which has not been released yet. 

The bike was feted in a Salsa Cycles social media post this week and the name of the model was revealed. The new model is going to be known as the "Flyway". 

This bike will, according to Salsa Cycles, be released this coming February. Details are said to become known about the Flyway in January, most likely because this is when dealers will be informed of those details.  

You may recall another teased new model from Salsa Cycles earlier in the Fall. I reported on this in an FN&V HERE. You may note that bike being a full suspension model with drop bars. This is not the same as the Flyway, which obviously is a hard tail, rigid front fork bike in the image shown here. 

Comments: Salsa Cycles has not redesigned, or tweaked the Warbird gravel racing bike for several years. It is long overdue for a refresh. Could the Flyway be a Warbird replacement? My guess is it will be replacing the Warbird, as Salsa's parent company has been sanitizing model names for several years. The Warbird refresh is a perfect time to axe the "militaristic" nomenclature and christen the refresh with a new, unoffensive name. Besides this, Salsa posted on their Facebook page that this bike is their "..... fifth generation gravel racing bike." Note: This is purely speculation on my part, but we've already seen a few re-namings in Salsa's line, so this would track if it is true.  

We can deduce from the images the  Flyway has a suspension corrected fork, larger tire clearances, and accessory fork mounts. The sloping top tube can be seen in this escape collective post, (paywalled if you want to read the entire post), which indicates dropper post compatibility. I'd also assume there is in-frame storage, full-internal routing, and possibly no support for mechanical group-sets, as is the fashion these days.  

We'll be keeping our eyes open for more on this "new" model after the turn of the New Year.  

The 32 Inch Wheel Watch:

More and more it seems apparent the 32 inch MTB wheel is going to be a thing in 2026. Rumors are being passed around saying more choices in tires are on the way, and more people are starting to move in a direction which points to small production runs of frames and forks for the wheel size. 

While I have ridden a 36"er, I haven't ridden one off-road, so I cannot say what a 32"er would be like. Furthermore, I'm not really interested in spending a bunch of money on an off-road bike I'd barely ever use. 

If I were to get into this wheel size, it would be for gravel, and for my sort of riding, a 32"er wheel makes a ton of sense. So, I am interested in what becomes of this sort of idea, and if it ever became possible, and the tires were there which made sense, I'd probably get one of these newer, bigger wagon wheelers for my stable. 

I think the rolling momentum of such a wheel would be primo for the rolling hills of Iowa. The vibration reducing possibilities are tantalizing for a man of my age who is not getting any younger. A drop bar, single speed 32"er makes a lot of sense to me, and if I would have to use 2"-plus wide tires, I'm good with it as long as the geometry is correct. 

So, while I do not need another gravel bike, I might need  a 32"er, especially if it was something which would extend my years as a gravel cyclist. 

 

Gore To Cease Marketing Cycling Wear:

In a surprise announcement via Gorewear's parent company, WL Gore & Associates GmbH, it has been learned the Gore cycling business will cease operations and remaining inventory will be sold out with no further replacements. 

Citing economic hardships in the business, Gore stated in a letter to retailers obtained by a German bicycle industry publication that they saw no good future prospects for success for the brand. You can read more about the closing of Gorewear in this Bike Radar article HERE. 

Comments: Gore was very aggressive in terms of marketing throughout the last 15 years. They were not shy about sending kit to several outlets, including some I have been associated with in the past. However; it never seemed as though Gore could gain a foothold against the Raphas, MAAP's, and other trendy companies. 

Gore did find itself with a hit when they developed the Shake Dry rain jacket, (shown) which had immediate effect in the marketplace, being heralded as a major technology breakthrough in wet weather cycling gear. However; it had to pull the technology off the market due to PFAS concerns and Gore's own commitments to environmentally friendly products. This was something that was a blow to the company as they never really had any answer to the Shake Dry jacket. 

This news comes on the heels of YT Bikes closure in North America, and with a slew of deep-discount sales for "Pre-Black Friday" within the industry. All of this is not very encouraging heading into Winter. 
 

That's a wrap on this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Now get out and ride a bicycle! 

Friday News And Views

YT Industries Enters Self-Administration, Cites Troubled Market:

Direct to consumer mountain bike brand, YT Industries, entered 'self-administration' in Germany to restructure its finances in order to survive as a company. According to a story recently in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News", the company has "exciting new products" coming but financial troubles have forced the company to reorganize its finances to continue onward. 

Comments: As expected, I thought we'd be seeing news like this crop up this year. To be honest, I expected to read more news like this. Battling back from the post-COVID mistakes and having to battle deep discounting across the industry has to be taxing on any company's financials. One way we can note this would be the lack of new product introductions.

Hopefully news like this ceases and economic times are rosier in the near term, however; I'm not expecting this to be the case. 

New Guitar Ted Podcast Episode:

It has been a while since we have dropped a new Guitar Ted Podcast episode, but there is one out now which we posted this week. The Spotify link is HERE, but you should be able to find the podcast on your favorite platform as well. 

We went kind of long on this episode, (an hour and a half!), so you may want to listen on a trip, while doing some mundane task, or if you need to go to sleep. (Just kidding on the last suggestion, maybe.....)

We talked a lot about several different subjects this time including the two tire reviews, the Tree In The Road Ride, and about the recent relegation at Coast To Coast event in Michigan.

With Summer on the wane, we will be looking at getting back into some more "Where We Came From" episodes again. If you have anyone in mind who you would like to hear from, let me know in the comments. We typically are looking for an interview with someone who was prominent in gravel riding and racing previous to 2015. 

I figure we will be doing around 15 more episodes for 2025 and then we will take our normal holiday break over December and the first week or so of January. Thanks for checking out the podcast, if you do. If not, give this one a whirl and see if you might enjoy it.  

Team Cofidis Targeted By Thieves:

Disaster at the tour de France earlier this month for Team Cofidis was averted after 22 bikes were stolen out of their team trailer, but were quickly recovered the following day. However; news has come out telling of another robbery of Cofidis team bikes, this time from the women's team.

According to the story, the women's team bikes were not the time trial bikes which the Cofidis woman's team rode for the opening stage of the Baloise Ladies Tour. Which bikes were stolen and how many were taken was not information released to the public pending investigation by the authorities.

Comments: Kind of unbelievable that the Cofidis teams are suffering such bad luck with thievery. Hopefully the ladies bikes can be recovered quickly. One might think Team Cofidis LOOK bikes shouldn't be too hard to find out in public, but I wonder if these types of robberies are more about stripping valuable group sets off the frames along with wheels which would be harder to trace back to the thieves.

Courtesy of 'girlsgonegravel' social media.

Elite Woman Gravel Riders Have Concerns Over Rider Safety:

A trend has appeared recently within the women's field of Elite gravel racers contesting UCI gravel events. The discontent stems from the UCI's formatting of the Pro Women gravel event within male 'age-group' fields at UCI gravel events on the Gravel World Series calendar.

Apparently more Pro and Elite women are opting out of the fields for these UCI gravel events stating that crashes, poor riding skills, and just a general dissatisfaction with having to deal with riders not in their category has women deciding not to contest these events. This obviously is something of an issue since women's fields typically are not as deep as male fields in the Pro and Elite categories of gravel racing.

Comments: We've noted similar issues in the USA with Pro/Elite gravel racers on the women's side. Drafting issues, male fields being a way to create 'picks' for other women riders, and so on. Unbound finally separated women from men in the Elite category recently, and some other US based events have done things to help the woman's field have more equity and less mixing in  with other fields.

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

 Ritchey Design Offers Team Issue P-29 Frame:

 The P-29 frame from Ritchey Design is not new, but the new Team Issue color is. This is a classic Ritchey color scheme. One the Team racing bikes has used since the late 1980's.

Ritchey P-29's are interesting in that they can be built up with a drop bar, flat bar, rigid fork, or with front suspension. I was attracted to the rigid, drop bar example shown here.

While this bike is an XC hard tail MTB, I think Ritchey is doing well to sell it as a platform to make of it what you will. I also will add that this is the sort of bicycle sorely missing from many brand's ranges now. A basic steel hard tail with options. A "Trek SingleTrack Series" bike for the modern off-roader, if you will. I say this because Ritchey resists the "long, slack. low" design which has taken over the hard tail MTB market.

The price is also pretty reasonable. Plus you get the classic Ritchey name and now, the signature paint job to go with it. While Red, White, and Blue may not be everyone's cup of tea, Ritchey also offers this in a blood red hue also. 

I always thought owning a Ritchey would be fun and their bikes were ones I thought were cool back in my earlier years. But I need another bike like I need another hole in my head, so.... 

 That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and good luck to all the RAGBRAI riders! 

Friday News And Views

The Great Plains Gravel Route Released:

The gravel version of The Great Divide Route, (well, this new route was inspired by the GDR, which itself is basically a gravel route), is finally out now. You can check it out HERE.

Comments: I know a lot of people are excited about this route. I am not one of them. I just don't see this project as being a cohesive route. It's essentially a highlights driven exercise with connectors to make it work as a route from end-to-end across the nation. The serpentine nature of the route is pretty much a tell-tale that this is the case here.

Not that this route is a bad idea, it just lacks an overarching theme for me. The Great Divide Route is a ride along the spine of the Great Divide. This makes sense. The Great Plains Gravel Route is a series of highlights which are not all parts of the Great Plains. (Black Hills, Big Bend area of Texas). The "need" to connect the highlights makes for a weird route, in my opinion. Again - in my opinion. This is "Friday News And Views", after all. So, you may not agree, and I understand this.

I would ride parts of this route. But I probably would research my own version of parts of it. So, this isn't something I'd jump at the chance to do as it is written. Maybe you are excited about it? Let me know in the comments.

Where We Came From Featuring Mike Marchand:

In case you missed this, The Guitar Ted Podcast released a new episode last weekend featuring early gravel pioneer and racer Mike Marchand.

Mike shared some incredible stories of events on gravel which pre-date the Modern Gravel Era by a few years, both examples being in Kansas. 

It was fun talking to Mike as I ended up learning a lot about him. It is funny, in a way, how preconceived perceptions of a person can be shattered  once you hear their story, and in Mike's case, I found I had him pegged wrong.

Mike won the 2009 Dirty Kanza 200 and the 2010 Gravel Worlds. Because of this I was under the impression Mike was some kind of racing honch, and had been for years. In fact, the DK200 in 2009 was Mike's first gravel race! Had I known this, I probably would have had a completely different idea of who he was in terms of gravel riding and racing. It was not that Mike wasn't good at gravel racing, because, obviously, he was. I was just under the impression he'd been at it for a long time, when in fact, it was all new to him, for the most part.

Anyway, give the episode a listen and if you like hearing about old, grassroots gravel events, you'll enjoy it, I think.  

A Borealis fat bike in 29"er mode I tested/reviewed in 2014

Borealis Pauses Business:

According to a Colorado news report seen on Facebook, Borealis Bicycles has decided to pause doing business effective at the end of July. 

Citing issues induced by the Trump tariffs, Borealis will sell through remaining stock and the owner said he'd wait to see what will happen after that.  Unfortunately the building Borealis uses and their employees will all be gone at the end of July.

Comments: Honestly, I thought Borealis was gone several years ago. But apparently they were still selling bikes assembled in Colorado. At any rate, this company joins Revel Bikes as recent casualties of tariff policies.

With still soft sales nationwide, I suspect this will not be the last we hear about a bicycle business shutting down.  

Nitto Introduces New Gravel Flared Drop Bar:

As seen on Soma Fabrications Facebook feed, it appears Nitto will have a new gravel oriented flared drop bar coming available soon. It will have "about 15° of flare, minimal reach, and drop. As you can see from the image, it will come in two colors. Soma says the bar will be available in only two widths in 31.8 mm clamp diameter and soon it will come in a 26.0 mm clamp diameter.

No price was listed and as of the time I wrote this, neither was it on Soma's site yet. 

Comments: The name? Uggh.... Whatever. There has always been a certain element of the cycling community which seems to think things having to do with gravel cycling need "cutesy" names. If you like this, fine. I think it is unnecessary. "M138" works for me.

As far as this offering is concerned, I think it is notable only because it is a Nitto product and that it is available in their silver anodized finish, which is really nice. If you are at all familiar with Nitto, you know what I mean.

Beyond this, it is a fine drop bar, but nothing unusual. there was a time when a bar like this would have caused quite the stir. This was when a flared drop bar was rare, and a Nitto offering then would have been a big deal. (I believe they had something early on in a flared drop, but I cannot recall now.)   

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Announces Their First Platform Pedal:

The Ritchey Bigfoot pedal just dropped on Wednesday and it is a nice choice in a flat pedal.

Boasting replaceable steel traction pins, a reinforced nylon body with an inner bushing and outer cartridge bearing, the Bigfoot should work across four season use. (Metal bodied pedals suck heat from your feet in Winter!)

The pedals will be available now in black with a Desert Sand color coming later in the  year. Price for these is a modest $44.95USD.  

Comments: This is great news. I love my Fyxation Mesa MP's and these pedals are very similar to my favorites. I have no doubt that these will be a great pedal for anyone looking into a flat pedal option and who doesn't want to spend a lot of money on them. My Fyxations hold up really well. In fact, I've yet to have a pair wear out or fail on me, but I do use them sparingly across several bicycles, so my usage case might be skewed a bit!

However; I stand by my recommendation, and especially if you want a nice pedal for cold weather riding. These will not act like a heat sink, sucking warmth from you feet through your boots/shoes like metal pedals can in colder weather.  

UnPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley Announces Cash Purses, More Rider Options For 2025:

A press release sent out late on Wednesday  announced new tweaks to the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley Event. While all riders will receive a Whoopie Pie if they finish, now the full, 130 mile course riders will have a shot at a cash prize as well. Racers will vie for this prize over 13 hills, 11,500’ of climbing, and the infamous Longwell Draft “road” that was part of “The Difference” in the first few years of unPAved.

But if this is not for you, don't worry. unPAved routes are made up of interconnecting loops, so many options will be available to any rider. Here's a quote from the presser:

“It’s amazing to see the wide variety of gravel cyclists that come to unPAved,” said Cimarron Chacon, Race Director. “So, we’ve built the event to be with a lot of options. For those that want a big day, the Big Lick-200 is for the experienced backcountry adventurer. My favorite, the SlumberPArty, is a ride focused on camaraderie with a group camp-out and catered breakfast provided by Backyard Beans Coffee Company. And for those not quite ready to explore off road, we even have our FUNpaved rides on Saturday. There really is something for everyone at unPAved.”

Registration is open now HERE. unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley will be October 10 - 12 in Lewisburg PA.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out and ride those bicycles! Special shout out to anyone going to The Heywood Ride tomorrow, Have a good time!