Randomonium

'22 Trek Verve 2 Disc (Image courtesy of Trek)

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Sticker Shock: 

 One of the benchmarks for bicycle prices we use in this area is the price of 'entry level' pavement bikes. Bikes with flat bars and multiple gear, derailleur  drive trains which are sometimes called 'hybrid bikes' or 'fitness hybrids', or something along those lines. The price point on these bikes is where the 'meat' of the market is for many Mid-Western bicycle dealers. 

Well, as we have suspected, the price of entry is going up. Not by just a little bit either. I saw a price the other day for what I would term as Trek's most popular bike in this category, the Verve 2. I was shocked, quite frankly, and I think many consumers will be as well once they can come in and see new bicycles on dealer floors again. And that brings up another good point.

These are the type of customers who need to see the bike before they will buy. I don't discern any difference here when it comes to age groups either. Young, old, and in between- all want a test ride and to 'see what ya got' before parting with their hard earned, and now less powerful, dollars. 

Thinking about this, I feel like the last time any regular human being had any sense of what a bicycle from a bike shop cost, it was 2019. The pandemic erased market knowledge since, well....you know, there weren't any bicycles to look at. Now when these same folks see new bicycles, maybe in 2022, they will see completely different pricing. 

Here's what I found: A 2019 Trek Verve 2 (with rim brakes) was $569.00 MSRP. Trek has Verve 2 Disc bikes on their site right now at $749.00 MSRP. Yes- disc vs rim brake, but with the remaining specs being nearly identical, I'm not falling for a disc brake upgrade costing $180.00 more. Nope, and neither will consumers. All they will see is that bikes cost a LOT more now than they did pre-pandemic. And that is going to dampen sales to some degree. I'm thinking to a large degree, but I could be wrong. 

Bike boom? Ha! Hold my beer......

Rad Power Bikes To Build In The USA?

Last Thursday news broke that Rad Power Bikes, the direct-to-consumer brand for lower priced Hybrid Power Cycles (HPC's) was now funded again to the tune of $329 million USD. That's all well and fine, and some in the industry press have kind of poo-pooed this news, but it remains significant because of how Rad Power has made inroads into the US market. 

While other companies have more horsepower and have invested heavily into HPC (ebike) tech, they aren't actually showing up on the streets. Not like Rad Power and Pedego, (another upstart HPC brand) are around the US. Rad Power is beating the traditional brands in innovative ways, and at prices far below what traditional brands can offer, so what if 'bigger companies' have invested more? 

Anyway, what is really interesting is a hint given in a story on this new round of funding for Rad Power found online at "electrek" in this story. In that article it is hinted that something is going to be produced in the USA for Rad Power and it would stand to reason that it could mean assembly of bikes, much as with what I posted on concerning Cannondale in last week's "FN&V" post. But whatever happens there, it is obvious that Rad Power is going around end on major brands in several ways. This is the company that has purchased their own containers and leases smaller cargo ships to insure that they have product flowing into the market where other brands are stuck in the current supply chain morass. It is Rad Power that is bringing product that many consumers want, (Fat tires, On-demand throttle) whereas traditional bike companies tend to focus on eMTB and price thier fitness hybrid HPC's far above that of brands like Pedego and Rad Power. 

I see it in our area. Rad Power bikes are proliferating. So are other non-traditional brands of HPC's. Trek? Specialized? Giant? Not so much. I am afraid that traditional brands are really not understanding the consumer that an electrified bike appeals to. 

From Saturday's ride.

Twin Six "Ritual" Wind Vest Update:

Okay, so I thought I would give a quick update on this Twin Six wind vest I just got not long ago. You can read about the thing here if you missed it earlier. 

I thought I would say that first- this works as well as I'd hoped it would. It fits great and does keep the wind out. I LOVE the three pockets. But you knew I would if you'd have read the linked post above. 

What I really wanted to get at here with this quick update is that I have noticed that I have not had an issue with the zipper. You might recall that in my linked post above that I made note of the two-way zipper and how I thought that was a weak link in this vest.  

I still think that mostly, but I noticed that I did not have any issues at all with the zipper on my long ride Saturday. I had to stop, what was it? Three times, I think, to take a "Nature Break", and all three times I had to unzip the vest and re-zip when I was done. (Thermal bib tights, ya know?) Anyway, it was during one of those stops when I realized that the zipper went right up with no issues. Just like it should. No extra fidgeting with the thing at all. 

First, kudos once again to Twin Six for using a quality zipper. Secondly....yeah, but it still is a two-way zipper. It's a component with an extra point to fail. I'm not saying it will, but as I stated in my opener on this, I just am not a fan of this type of zipper. I see no reason to have it, but maybe I'm missing something here? Tell me if I am, but to my mind it is an unnecessary feature which could cause a failure of the zipper in the future. I've had other two-way zippers foul up, and long before the rest of the garment was ready to be retired. 

We'll see.......

And with that this brings this "Randomonium" to an end.

Randomonium

'22 Trek Verve 2 Disc (Image courtesy of Trek)

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Sticker Shock: 

 One of the benchmarks for bicycle prices we use in this area is the price of 'entry level' pavement bikes. Bikes with flat bars and multiple gear, derailleur  drive trains which are sometimes called 'hybrid bikes' or 'fitness hybrids', or something along those lines. The price point on these bikes is where the 'meat' of the market is for many Mid-Western bicycle dealers. 

Well, as we have suspected, the price of entry is going up. Not by just a little bit either. I saw a price the other day for what I would term as Trek's most popular bike in this category, the Verve 2. I was shocked, quite frankly, and I think many consumers will be as well once they can come in and see new bicycles on dealer floors again. And that brings up another good point.

These are the type of customers who need to see the bike before they will buy. I don't discern any difference here when it comes to age groups either. Young, old, and in between- all want a test ride and to 'see what ya got' before parting with their hard earned, and now less powerful, dollars. 

Thinking about this, I feel like the last time any regular human being had any sense of what a bicycle from a bike shop cost, it was 2019. The pandemic erased market knowledge since, well....you know, there weren't any bicycles to look at. Now when these same folks see new bicycles, maybe in 2022, they will see completely different pricing. 

Here's what I found: A 2019 Trek Verve 2 (with rim brakes) was $569.00 MSRP. Trek has Verve 2 Disc bikes on their site right now at $749.00 MSRP. Yes- disc vs rim brake, but with the remaining specs being nearly identical, I'm not falling for a disc brake upgrade costing $180.00 more. Nope, and neither will consumers. All they will see is that bikes cost a LOT more now than they did pre-pandemic. And that is going to dampen sales to some degree. I'm thinking to a large degree, but I could be wrong. 

Bike boom? Ha! Hold my beer......

Rad Power Bikes To Build In The USA?

Last Thursday news broke that Rad Power Bikes, the direct-to-consumer brand for lower priced Hybrid Power Cycles (HPC's) was now funded again to the tune of $329 million USD. That's all well and fine, and some in the industry press have kind of poo-pooed this news, but it remains significant because of how Rad Power has made inroads into the US market. 

While other companies have more horsepower and have invested heavily into HPC (ebike) tech, they aren't actually showing up on the streets. Not like Rad Power and Pedego, (another upstart HPC brand) are around the US. Rad Power is beating the traditional brands in innovative ways, and at prices far below what traditional brands can offer, so what if 'bigger companies' have invested more? 

Anyway, what is really interesting is a hint given in a story on this new round of funding for Rad Power found online at "electrek" in this story. In that article it is hinted that something is going to be produced in the USA for Rad Power and it would stand to reason that it could mean assembly of bikes, much as with what I posted on concerning Cannondale in last week's "FN&V" post. But whatever happens there, it is obvious that Rad Power is going around end on major brands in several ways. This is the company that has purchased their own containers and leases smaller cargo ships to insure that they have product flowing into the market where other brands are stuck in the current supply chain morass. It is Rad Power that is bringing product that many consumers want, (Fat tires, On-demand throttle) whereas traditional bike companies tend to focus on eMTB and price thier fitness hybrid HPC's far above that of brands like Pedego and Rad Power. 

I see it in our area. Rad Power bikes are proliferating. So are other non-traditional brands of HPC's. Trek? Specialized? Giant? Not so much. I am afraid that traditional brands are really not understanding the consumer that an electrified bike appeals to. 

From Saturday's ride.

Twin Six "Ritual" Wind Vest Update:

Okay, so I thought I would give a quick update on this Twin Six wind vest I just got not long ago. You can read about the thing here if you missed it earlier. 

I thought I would say that first- this works as well as I'd hoped it would. It fits great and does keep the wind out. I LOVE the three pockets. But you knew I would if you'd have read the linked post above. 

What I really wanted to get at here with this quick update is that I have noticed that I have not had an issue with the zipper. You might recall that in my linked post above that I made note of the two-way zipper and how I thought that was a weak link in this vest.  

I still think that mostly, but I noticed that I did not have any issues at all with the zipper on my long ride Saturday. I had to stop, what was it? Three times, I think, to take a "Nature Break", and all three times I had to unzip the vest and re-zip when I was done. (Thermal bib tights, ya know?) Anyway, it was during one of those stops when I realized that the zipper went right up with no issues. Just like it should. No extra fidgeting with the thing at all. 

First, kudos once again to Twin Six for using a quality zipper. Secondly....yeah, but it still is a two-way zipper. It's a component with an extra point to fail. I'm not saying it will, but as I stated in my opener on this, I just am not a fan of this type of zipper. I see no reason to have it, but maybe I'm missing something here? Tell me if I am, but to my mind it is an unnecessary feature which could cause a failure of the zipper in the future. I've had other two-way zippers foul up, and long before the rest of the garment was ready to be retired. 

We'll see.......

And with that this brings this "Randomonium" to an end.

Twin Six Ritual Wind Vest Review- Part 1

 NOTE: I bought these Twin Six products with my own damn money. This is not a paid review. I am doing the review without the knowledge of Twin Six or its distributors and marketing folks.

Another disclaimer- I've been a fan of the Twin Six guys and their stuff since, what? 2005? Since they cranked out their first thing, which was a pair of socks. I had those, and since then I've had several things from Twin Six. I used to be on their "Team" as a sponsored rider, and I've received product from them in the past at no cost to me. I happen to really like their stuff. 

I already have purchased a bicycle at employee discount and several items of apparel, along with some water bottles from them at full retail in the past few years. 

So, that's where I'm coming from with this review here, so you understand ahead of time my biases. That said, I won't hold back with any criticisms of this wind vest if they are warranted. 

Okay, so why a vest? Great question. I was not a 'vest fan' until a few years ago when Ben, my partner in RidingGravel.com made the suggestion that I get one when we did the custom Riding Gravel jerseys. Well, it really wasn't a 'suggestion' as much as it was done at his insistence. So, I got one thinking it very well may be a waste, but that I would try it out. And you know what? Ben was spot on about how versatile vests are and about how much I would like them. 

Well, you cannot have just one vest! So eventually I got a 45NRTH Naughtvind vest, which is nice, but it is really lightweight. I mean, I barely use the thing since there are very few days that its light, barely there fabric is worth having on. So, I decided to give this T-6 vest a try as it much more closely resembles the one I have with the Riding Gravel livery on it. Plus, it has flowers on it. Y'all know I like me some flowers, right? 

The back view. Note how the design crosses the pockets with barely any visual break. Pretty fancy!

 Okay, so here's a bit of the technical babel from the T-6 website. 

FINELY DESIGNED WEARABLES

• Lightweight, wind-proof micro-fiber ripstop fabric front
• Micro denier perforated fabric on back for ventilation
• Water and wind resistant
• Three back pockets
• Full length two-way zipper
• Unisex sizing
• Temp range: 50˚ to 60˚ F
• Made in the USA

 Okay, a few words on the above spec. First, this stuff is pretty true to size. Check the T-6 sizing charts before pulling the trigger on anything and you will be rewarded with a correctly fitting garment. This is a wind vest, so it fits snugger than not, as it should. You don't want a wind garment that flaps in the wind, if you care about aero and working less than you have to. 

The three back pockets are deep. Water bottles will stay put. Yes- that makes getting smaller stuff from the bottom harder while riding. The two-way, full-length zippers are beefy and high quality. I really despise poor zippers, and many garments for cycling I have, and have had in the past, fail because of chintzy zippers. I believe these T-6 zippers look a lot more like something that should hold up. That said, I am not a fan of two-way zippers. It is not something I would ever use, and they are fussy. It's an over-complication of a simple thing that should not be over-complicated, in my opinion. YMMV. 

The suggested temperature range is just that- suggested. I find garments like this to go well below 50°F for me, and in fact, I wouldn't even consider putting this wind vest on at anything above 50°. But there again, I am not like most folks, or maybe just some folks. 

Made in the "Oooo-sa!". Yeah, that's cool. More so now than ever, actually. But again- this may not hit you in the same way it does for me. I think it does inform the sizing though, as many overseas made apparel items are sometimes ridiculously small for the stated sizing. 

 Now back to the choice of a vest. I thought of one other detail that pushed me toward this vest and not the similarly designed Ritual Wind Jacket. That jacket only cost a little bit more, but it did not have the three rear pockets that the vest has. I think a wind jacket that ends up covering up your jersey pockets is limiting, and the Ritual Wind Vest does not do this. If the wind jacket had the three back pockets, or even a zippered, 'marsupial' style pocket, I would have strongly considered it. But T-6 didn't do this, so I opted for the vest after much back-and-forth before pulling the trigger.

I do have wind jackets which do feature zippered pockets for carrying stuff, and I love that about them, however, they have bogus zippers. Did I mention how much I despise poorly made zippers?

Stay tuned for more soon...

Twin Six Ritual Wind Vest Review- Part 1

 NOTE: I bought these Twin Six products with my own damn money. This is not a paid review. I am doing the review without the knowledge of Twin Six or its distributors and marketing folks.

Another disclaimer- I've been a fan of the Twin Six guys and their stuff since, what? 2005? Since they cranked out their first thing, which was a pair of socks. I had those, and since then I've had several things from Twin Six. I used to be on their "Team" as a sponsored rider, and I've received product from them in the past at no cost to me. I happen to really like their stuff. 

I already have purchased a bicycle at employee discount and several items of apparel, along with some water bottles from them at full retail in the past few years. 

So, that's where I'm coming from with this review here, so you understand ahead of time my biases. That said, I won't hold back with any criticisms of this wind vest if they are warranted. 

Okay, so why a vest? Great question. I was not a 'vest fan' until a few years ago when Ben, my partner in RidingGravel.com made the suggestion that I get one when we did the custom Riding Gravel jerseys. Well, it really wasn't a 'suggestion' as much as it was done at his insistence. So, I got one thinking it very well may be a waste, but that I would try it out. And you know what? Ben was spot on about how versatile vests are and about how much I would like them. 

Well, you cannot have just one vest! So eventually I got a 45NRTH Naughtvind vest, which is nice, but it is really lightweight. I mean, I barely use the thing since there are very few days that its light, barely there fabric is worth having on. So, I decided to give this T-6 vest a try as it much more closely resembles the one I have with the Riding Gravel livery on it. Plus, it has flowers on it. Y'all know I like me some flowers, right? 

The back view. Note how the design crosses the pockets with barely any visual break. Pretty fancy!

 Okay, so here's a bit of the technical babel from the T-6 website. 

FINELY DESIGNED WEARABLES

• Lightweight, wind-proof micro-fiber ripstop fabric front
• Micro denier perforated fabric on back for ventilation
• Water and wind resistant
• Three back pockets
• Full length two-way zipper
• Unisex sizing
• Temp range: 50˚ to 60˚ F
• Made in the USA

 Okay, a few words on the above spec. First, this stuff is pretty true to size. Check the T-6 sizing charts before pulling the trigger on anything and you will be rewarded with a correctly fitting garment. This is a wind vest, so it fits snugger than not, as it should. You don't want a wind garment that flaps in the wind, if you care about aero and working less than you have to. 

The three back pockets are deep. Water bottles will stay put. Yes- that makes getting smaller stuff from the bottom harder while riding. The two-way, full-length zippers are beefy and high quality. I really despise poor zippers, and many garments for cycling I have, and have had in the past, fail because of chintzy zippers. I believe these T-6 zippers look a lot more like something that should hold up. That said, I am not a fan of two-way zippers. It is not something I would ever use, and they are fussy. It's an over-complication of a simple thing that should not be over-complicated, in my opinion. YMMV. 

The suggested temperature range is just that- suggested. I find garments like this to go well below 50°F for me, and in fact, I wouldn't even consider putting this wind vest on at anything above 50°. But there again, I am not like most folks, or maybe just some folks. 

Made in the "Oooo-sa!". Yeah, that's cool. More so now than ever, actually. But again- this may not hit you in the same way it does for me. I think it does inform the sizing though, as many overseas made apparel items are sometimes ridiculously small for the stated sizing. 

 Now back to the choice of a vest. I thought of one other detail that pushed me toward this vest and not the similarly designed Ritual Wind Jacket. That jacket only cost a little bit more, but it did not have the three rear pockets that the vest has. I think a wind jacket that ends up covering up your jersey pockets is limiting, and the Ritual Wind Vest does not do this. If the wind jacket had the three back pockets, or even a zippered, 'marsupial' style pocket, I would have strongly considered it. But T-6 didn't do this, so I opted for the vest after much back-and-forth before pulling the trigger.

I do have wind jackets which do feature zippered pockets for carrying stuff, and I love that about them, however, they have bogus zippers. Did I mention how much I despise poorly made zippers?

Stay tuned for more soon...