BRAN Gravel: Decisions Made

 It is getting closer to crunch time and the bags need to be packed up. Decisions need to be made. Last week I wrote about bike choice and for myself, it came down to two bicycles.

The Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I is a crowd favorite. I posted an image on Facebook and Instagram of that bike and it got a lot of views. It would be the "People's Choice" bike to take on BRAN for the gravel route. 

This may not be fair, as I did not post a similar image of the Black Mountain Cycles MCD.  The bike may have received as many views as the Fargo. I can only say the two bikes got a different take here on the blog as commenters seemed to lean toward the pink machine instead of the venerable veteran choice. 

And the MCD is actually the bike that is going to Nebraska this time. I thought about this a lot, but a couple of things came to mind which swung the pendulum towards the BMC. One of those has to do with tires and what I heard randomly at work last week. 

A man came in to the Collective who said he was from Northwestern Nebraska. We got to talking about things and the subject of goat heads came up. In case you are unaware, goat heads are round-ish, smallish thorny bombs of doom and can ruin a bicycle ride in a hurry. 

The man said that in Western Nebraska this year the goat heads are at a higher level than normal. He suggested to not even roll my bike through grass out there. And he strongly suggested I run a tubeless set up. 

Of course, both my bikes under consideration are tubeless currently. However, only one has puncture protected tires, and that is the BMC. I just mounted both sets up within the last few months, but I will inject just a little extra goop into the Schwalbes before I go. Plus I will take a Stan's DART tool, extra sealant, and valve cores. 

I also mounted my XTR 11 - 40T cassette which is paired with my 46/36T crank set. This gives me two gears of 1 to 1 or lower which should be enough to get me up any hill I encounter out there. As I (vaguely ) recall, the hills aren't super steep, but longer than we have out here in Iowa. The elevation profile on Ride With GPS also suggests this with climbs of a mile to a mile and a half in some places. 

You may be wondering if my GRX derailleur will actually work with this cassette. While Shimano does not suggest that it will, if you carefully choose the correct chain length and use the B tension screw you will find it shifts in and out of the 40T cog quite nicely.  I even still have a little B tension screw sticking out beyond the derailleur, but I wouldn't push the capacity any further than 40T and expect great shifting. 

 So, there is the bike I am taking and how it will look. The water carrying capacity is great. I have low enough gearing with fast enough road gearing to suit me. The Schwalbe tires roll excellently on pavement and there will be paved sections of this ride nearly every day significant enough in length that this will make a difference. 

There is a Redshift Sports ShockStop Pro stem on this bike which should help take the zing out of the gravel. The Ritchey Design Venturemax carbon handlebars will help as well. Their flattened ovalized top section will be a nice respite for tired hands on long climbs. 

Now I have to go through my tool roll and top tube bag to see what I do or do not have. I may need to get rid of some stuff as well. Otherwise this is it. Now on to packing the rest of the gear up! 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Panaracer

 Panaracer Announces New ZX Gravel King Tires:

Panaracer's Gravel King range of tires has an addition now with the latest racing focused Gravel King ZX.  

The ZX features a slick center section for speed. The shoulders have elongated tread blocks for cornering and braking traction. The Gravel King ZX also has a rounded casing which should promote riding on the center section for straight line speed and then as the rider leans into corners those side lugs come into play for stability in corners. 

The ZX version of the Gravel King will have Panaracer's proprietary ZSG Gravel compound developed specifically for gravel. This single compound will lend great ride characteristics and promote long-term durability. The Gravel King ZX tires also will have other Panaracer technologies utilized such as BeadLock and TufTex. 

Coming soon in sizes from 700 x 35mm,  700 x 40mm, 700 x 45mm, 700 x 50mm, and 700 x 55mm with the 45mm tire weighing a claimed 510 grams and the 50mm weighing 600 grams each. Price for each Gravel King ZX tire is set at $84.99 USD. Availability on the 45mm and 50mm tires is May 2026 with the 40mm scheduled for July, the 50mm scheduled for August, and the 35mm tire slated to be available in October 2026. 

Comments: The profile of this tire, with a flattened top section where the slicker part of the tread is, reminds me a lot of the old, original WTB Vulpine. The air pressure settings you used on that old Vulpine really were critical to the performance of the tire. Too much and the tire felt odd when leaned over in a turn. Too little and you started dragging those shoulder knobs into contact with the ground on straight sections, which kind of defeats the intentions of the design, I would be wary of the Gravel King ZX being similar in this vein.  

Confluence CUES 11 (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Salsa Cycles Announces Confluence CUES 11

Salsa Cycles has released a new version of the Confluence e-gravel bike. This Sea Foam Green bike features Shimano CUES 11 speed and a Mahle hub motor for an extra boost which Salsa claims can last up to 45 miles. 

Check out this bike at Salsa Cycles site HERE.  

A Viral Post:

I know most of you have heard the term "it's gone viral" or some form of this term. One thing I never thought I'd see is one of my social media posts going viral. I mean, most of what I post is either very cycling specific or just downright goofy. The latter was what my April 1st Instagram post could be defined as being. 

Here's the text I posted with the accompanying image. "When a steel bicycle frame reaches maturity it splits open and releases its reproductive spores into the atmosphere. These spores the settle in frame building shops where they bond with other frame spores to become new bicycles again."

I misspelled "then" by omitting the "n", but I did not care at the time because I figured hardly anyone would see this off the cuff April Fools post. But I was wrong.

So wrong!  

24,260 views and counting! It's kind of crazy. I cannot say why this took off, but "The Algorithm" must have thought it was funny, I guess.  

From Shimano social media

Shimano Offers Larger GRX 1X Chainrings, Shorter GRX Cranks, & New CUES 11's Rear Mech:

Shimano offered a few tweaks to GRX, its gravel going component group, recently. The trend toward shorter cranks and larger drive rings were addressed with the addition of a 44T and 46T 1X GRX rings coupled with a couple of shorter crank arm choices in GRX. 

Nothing crazy there, but a nice option for those who have a desire to follow this trend with their gravel set ups. 

The CUES thing is a bit more interesting, in my opinion. CUES has been out for a while now and while it was ballyhooed as a versatile, lifestyle group for the average cyclist, enthusiasts have largely ignored it. This is because CUES was designed in its own ecosystem which rendered it incompatible with other Shimano products past and present. 

CUES RD U6030 (Image courtesy of Shimano

Recently Shimano upgraded its lower tier Tiagra group from ten speed to eleven speed and in this upgrade they introduced an 11-36T cassette. Interestingly, CUES, which previous to this new CUES derailleur was designed for LinkGlide technology, has this new derailleur working with HyperGlide, which is what the Tiagra cassette technology is based upon. 

This raises some questions. Is CUES switching over to HypeGlide? What is the hierarchy placement for this new CUES versus Tiagra? Reports say the new CUES rear mech is actually lighter than other CUES derailleurs and the new Tiagra 11 speed rear mech. 

According to reporting online, Shimano has said this new CUES introduction is more about gravel bikes and Tiagra is for sport road riding, citing slight differences in chain line and Q factor between the two groups. 

So, this then leaves us with a question about CUES and Shimano's GRX groups. Shimano, at GRX's introduction, made the top tier GRX 800 an eleven speed group and the lower tiered GRX 400 was ten speed. Is this new CUES derailleur a precursor to a lower tiered GRX eleven or twelve speed group because GRX is going to 13 speeds at the top of the range?  

Maxxis 32" range. (Image poached off social media)

The 32" Watch: Maxxis Delivers On Rumors:

Yesterday at Sea Otter Maxxis showed a full range of MTB tires in 32" size. This was a rumor for months and now it has become a reality. 

This points to OEM acceptance of 32" wheels as a viable retail product. I will be very surprised if most top-tier brands do not have 32"ers in their ranges by 2027, (this Fall). 

In other 32"er news, there was the Fargo and Teravail tire intros yesterday. (See yesterday's post on these things for more details) Velo Orange showed a 32" rim in silver. Also, a couple of prototype bicycles were shown. One was from Esker Cycles and was based on the Lorax. The other was from Revel Bikes and was a 32"er titanium hardtail. Revel also had a "mullet 29"/32" bike in titanium as well.  

In perhaps the biggest news and sign that 32"ers are here to stay, at least for a while, was the spotting of a prototype 32" Fox fork on an Ari Bikes 32"er FS model. You know what this means? It means Fox has an OEM on the hook for production, or thinks it will soon. My bet is XC MTB bikes from one of the bigger brands will be the model type this shows up on.  

Image courtesy of Open Cycles

Open WI.DE 2.0 Announced:

Open Cycles sent a press release showing off its upcoming OPEN WI.DE 2.0 carbon adventure drop bar frame and fork.  

Claiming an amazing tire clearance of  29" x 2.6" (700 x 66mm)! To get this to work OPEN had to use a double-dropped chain stay design. OPEN claims that going from a 50mm to the 66mm tire doubles air volume. This will allow the rider to tackle even rougher terrain. 

To get this all to work, OPEN had quite a challenge on their hands. The result was still lighter, by only a little bit, than the outgoing model. Additionally only 1X drive trains are supported while retaining gravel group set compatibility.  

The OPEN WI.DE frame and fork is going into production now with a promised late Summer 2026 delivery.  

That's a wrap for this week. Get out there and ride a bicycle this weekend! 

Friday News And Views

 

Image courtesy of Shimano North America

GRX717 Di2 Introduced As Shimano's Budget Gravel Group:

On December 16th, news came out regarding a new level of GRX gravel components from Shimano. This new GRX717 level is electronic, 12 speed, 1X only, and is priced to compete with  SRAM's more entry level offerings. 

The new 717 is wireless, just like its more expensive sibling. In fact, it is practically a mash-up of current 105/Deore wireless 12 speed components with GRX branding. The 717 rear derailleur features the same WideLink design, ability to reset after a blow to the cage, and the same low-profile design as Deore MTB Di2.  

Levers are essentially 105 design, lacking the grippier hoods of the top-tier GRX Di2 12 speed. It bears mentioning the hoods are textured a little bit though. 

Crank set options include a 40T and 42T option. The rear cassette is meant to be a 10-51T range 12 speed MicroSpline compatible cassette. It should be noted also that all 12 speed wireless Di2 is interchangeable. So....say you want flat bar GRX, you just add flat bar Di2 Deore shifters and you are there. Other possibilities are available as long as you stick to the Shimano 12 speed wireless Di2 ecosystem. 

Comments: Prediction - Shimano sees more spec with this offering. They had ceded this segment of the market to SRAM by not having a more budget friendly option for electronic 12 speed shifting. Now that this is out there, Shimano only is missing a top-tier, super light Di2 gravel racing group. 

Special Statement Concerning The Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Challenge:

I was made aware of a VTBRC report which may have been sent and was received in the spam folder of my email instead of the regular email folder. Now I am aware this is a possibility, and now I have to wonder if other reports went to the same folder. The thing is, I never look at what is in the folder, I simply delete the whole thing every day. 

So, from comments left on the blog it seems at least one report met this fate and perhaps others have as well. I apologize for this! I was not thinking such a thing would become a problem, but there it is. 

So, in the future I will be more careful when deleting the spam file during times I expect reports on rides like the VTBRC. I sincerely hope those of you who sent in reports will forgive me of this oversight and I would be 100% good with publishing those reports if you let me know you'd like to do this. 

This little machine saved my bacon

Fixed Gear Build:

The Standard Rando v2 is being converted into a fixed gear bike and things have been progressing slowly with this build all December long. 

I ran into a situation which had me in a bit of a pickle. I was building the front wheel when I discovered one spoke was not accepting a nipple. This after I had everything laced up and ready to tension. 

To make matters worse, it was the only silver spoke I had which would fit this application, and I did not have access to a bike shop, as this happened at an odd time. 

So, I grabbed my Hozan Spoke Screwing Machine, an extra long silver spoke, and got to work. I first cut the spoke down to the proper length. Then I mounted the Spoke Screwing machine in my vise. A few minutes later and I had a replacement spoke ready to install. Problem solved!  

These little machines can be a life saver. While one could thread spokes for an entire wheel build with this little guy, I wouldn't recommend it. This is best suited for spoke replacements running up to a handful of spokes in number. More than a half dozen and you'll get real tired, real fast of the tediousness of the process. You have to be patient with this machine! 

These are still available, so if you think you'd like one, you should be able to find one easily enough. By the way, I'll have a lot more on this build coming up here on the blog soon.  

L.O.G. Ride  Logo Updated:

I received an email a while back here from Jesse Petersen, a reader of these digital pages and a graphic designer, by the looks of it. He took my caveman drawing of the L.O.G. Ride logo, "cleaned it up a bit", and sent it my way so it can be used by the promoters of the ride. 

(That is right, I'm not in charge of this ride. I just came up with an idea for a logo)

If you want to know more about the Legends Of Gravel Ride, seek the page out on Facebook for all the news. And thank you Jesse for an awesome "clean up" job on my artwork! 

I did get confirmation that the registration should be up by now, or any day now. The Legends of Gravel will have two levels you can sign up for. One: Anyone wanting to stay at the Lodge, and Two: Those staying elsewhere, but wanting to join the ride. Sorry, this is all I know at this time, but you can check out BikeReg and search "Legends of Gravel" to learn more, or go to the Facebook group page for this event.  

Adventure Cycling Debuts Golden Gravel Trail Route:

The Adventure Cycling organization is about to celebrate its 50th year. To do this they decided to draw up a mostly gravel road route from Oregon to the Mississippi River on Missouri's border. The route will total 3,700 miles and will be released to the public in March of this year on their Ride With GPS  account. 

Route diagram courtesy of Adventure Cycling

The route is described on the Adventure Cycling blog page (HERE) as being somewhat similar to the Great Divide Route (Tour Divide), and riders should expect similar experiences. 

Adventure Cycling reminds riders who want to ride this route that it is not going to be 100% perfect and will likely need tweaking in its infancy. 

Comments: Obviously this is what Adventure Cycling is all about, but also it is noteworthy they chose a mostly (reportedly 70% gravel) gravel route. NOT a paved route. Also notable is their West-East routing versus what the Great Plains Gravel Route does, which is to meander North-South. Also, The Spinistry is developing a route which will traverse the entire nation East to West on mostly unpaved roads, (See the next story for more). So, the Adventure Cycling folks are not the only group doing things like this. 

It stands to reason a route like this would be done, as gravel is more safely traversed these days due to distracted drivers on paved roads. But then again - You need to know even in the remotest places you could still get smoked by an inattentive driver. Just ask Jay Petervary. 

So, when will the race be announced? (Only half kidding)

TUBA Trail: The Longest Off-Pavement Route Being Developed:

In other long route news of the unpaved sort, N.Y. Roll and I were able to pin down the industrious Kevin Lee of the Spinistry for a chat. Our conversation centered around the newest off-pavement route for bike packing and touring, the TUBA Trail. 

Kevin and The Spinistry are no strangers to long off-pavement routes. They have developed the RAT 1000, a route across Texas and have been maintaining it for several years already. In fact, the RAT 1000 route idea is the genesis for the idea for the TUBA Trail. 

I won't dive into too much of the detail on this new trail route, but you can check out the conversation we had with Kevin by listening to the latest Guitar Ted Podcast HERE. (Spotify home page link, but you can find the show on most major podcast platforms.) 

I enjoyed hearing about how Kevin pays attention to details which I related to having routed Trans Iowa over the years I did that. I also appreciated Kevin's mentioning the costs involved in doing route finding, a thing most riders tend not to appreciate.  

I also wanted to thank Kevin again for his time and for sharing the news of the TUBA Trail, which is set to be completed sometime this year.  

Image courtesy of Singular Cycles

The 32" Watch: One More For The Album:

Singular Cycles posted this image on their socials and asked for names for this new model with 32" wheels. Most Singular models are named for avians, so the bulk of the suggestions were of this nature. 

Comments: This is a good look at what this model may look like in production. If I had to guess, this appears to be titanium. I hope Sam Alison is thinking about a steel version because a titanium version would be quite pricey. Nice, but expensive for sure. 

I've no idea for a name for this, but I'm sure it will be appropriately named. One thing you can always count on from Singular Cycles, and that is they have always done things with class. From aesthetics to the names for their models, it is hard to find fault with anything the company has done. Not that Singular is perfect, mind you. Far from it. I will only say other "big wheeled" purveyors do not have the same level of attention to detail when it comes to how their products are presented and perceived in the marketplace. It doesn't hurt any to have bicycles which handle and ride nicely also, and Singular has a reputation for this as well. 

So, I expect nothing less than a really well sorted and classy looking 32"er from Singular. My proclivities run more toward trying a 32 inch wheel out in a drop bar format. Maybe Sam could name it the  "Hræsvelgr". I think that would be appropriate. 

Give me that and a reissued Luxy Bar. I might have to get rid of a bike to bring one like this in.  

Thanks for reading! Get out and put in your first ride of 2026, if you have not already!

Friday News And Views

GRX goes to 12 speed mechanical (Image by Matt Gersib)

Leaked Images Show Shimano GRX 12 Speed:

In a leaked set of images from the recently run Unbound Gravel event, we have learned what we thought was pretty much a given at thie point. That being that Shimano will be offering 12 speed GRX very soon. 

My good friend MG caught these images and we posted them up on Riding Gravel last Friday. There was another media person that saw the same 12 speed mechanical GRX on a racer's bike elsewhere as well. Following is what I know so far...

There is no Di2 12spd GRX being shown or anywhere in sight as of now. I am betting that probably won't happen this year. Due to over-supply issues in the industry everything is being slowed down and introductions of new stuff will be pushed back until this glut starts to clear out from warehouses. I would bet Di2 12spd GRX will happen, but probably not soon. Meanwhile, we have 12 speed mechanical GRX to drool over, or make fun of, depending upon your point of view.

Some rumors are flying around about this new 12 speed GRX having a MicroSpline hub to accommodate current MTB cassettes. This has been confirmed by at least one site, but not officially by Shimano. So, a lot of current fancy-pants carbon wheel sets could become "old hat" - or "not cutting edge", soon. Further cementing this idea is that the other GRX 12 speed group seen at Unbound had a MTB cassette on it. Rumors are rampant that new GRX will accommodate wider range MTB cassettes for 1X usage to compete with SRAM. This would point toward MicroSpline as well. I think this is a given with the new 12spd GRX. However; that doesn't mean Shimano won't offer a traditional HyperGlide freehub for GRX. All we know now is that new 12spd GRX will most likely have MicroSpline hub compatibility.

Otherwise there is a new design for the brake caliper and a tweak to the brake lever pivot. The pivot placement for the current Di2 GRX is now coming over to 12 speed mechanical. Beyond that there isn't really much to say here other than that it is significant that Shimano released mechanical 12 speed GRX first. 

This should be a shot across the bow to those who are lamenting the death of mechanically shifted group sets with more than 11 speeds. Obviously, that is no longer a worry now.

Wilde Bikes Introduces Steel Rambler Bike:

Wilde Bikes introduced a new model on Tuesday, the Rambler, a made in Taiwan steel frame and fork bike which can be had in a frameset form or built as a complete.

The bike uses a production model that helps bring the cost down to $1200.00USD for the frame and fork. The bike is designed with a bottom bracket height and geometry which will lend itself to being set up with 650B wheels (up to 2.2") or 29"er wheels and tires. (Up to 2")

The frame will have all the common braze-ons we expect an adventure bike to have these days along with the Three-Pack fork mounts also. The frame has a 142 12mm through axle rear, the fork has 100mm through axle standard with a straight 1 1/8th steer tube. Flat mount brakes and a threaded bottom bracket shell round out the design.

Comments: Is this a Black Mountain Cycles Mod Zero? The two sure look close, don't they? There is not a lot of difference between the two geometry-wise either. That said, I'm a BMC guy and the slightly lower bottom bracket wins me over toward the BMC rather than the Wilde. Although that sparkly paint job on the Wilde is pretty nice. 

American Classic Introduces ProjectP4B:

American Classic, now a tire company, more or less, has announced that certain tires in their range will now be available under the ProjectP4B initiative. This is an effort to benefit the People For Bikes organization. 

If consumers buy the American Classic Torchbearer or Wentworth gravel tire, American Classic is earmarking the profits from those tires to a special Community Grants Program by People For Bikes which aims to create safer routes, bike lanes, and community education opportunities, amongst other benefits. 

Intial offerings in this program include the 700c X 30mm Torchbearer and the 700c X 40mm Wentworth tires. Both are tubeless ready, have 60TPI casings, and have special "hot patch" branding designating these as the Project P4B tires. 

These tires are only available via American Classic's Amazon portal and cost $29.99 each, according to the press release. The retail packaging for these tires is also made from recycled materials and can be recycled after use. 

Comments: Wow! That's cheap! And Wentworths are a pretty decent tire overall. Not your top of the range, high-performance tires, but even at their higher price, which is $45.00 each for a 120TPI tire with puncture protection, these are pretty phenomenal values. Now, despite the slightly lower tech spec, these tires are a crazy good value. 

Michelin Power Adventure Classic (Image from webstore)

Michelin's New Power Adventure Tires:

I didn't catch this back in March, but Michelin overhauled their gravel tire range and along with the new Power Gravel model they have a new design called the Power Adventure. 

Available in seven sizes ranging from a 700 X 30mm to a 700 X 47mm, the tire features a smoother tread and a lower treaded edge for grip in corners. Meant for a 80%/20% pavement to gravel mix, the tire has a puncture protection belt and three 100TPI layers of fabric in the casing. Claimed weight on the 700 X 42mm version is sub-500 grams, which is pretty impressive. You can check the Power Adventure line out HERE. 

Comments:  Power Adventure, Power Gravel...... Did those French marketing folks watch a lot of Power Rangers shows as kids? (HA!) 

Seriously, the trend for smoother treaded "gravel" tires is just another evolution in the market. It is another example that "gravel" is still somewhat misunderstood. You take a look at what Michelin says about the use intents and they mention that the Power Adventure is less about (MTB) trails. 

Huh? See, the entire idea of "gravel" is that we ARE ON ROADS, not mountain bike trails. Unpaved roads preferably, but ROADS nonetheless. This whole misunderstanding of what should have been called "all-roads" is frustrating to me because the industry latched on to a term without considering the consequences of using that term. "All-Roads" is gravel plus other stuff that is road oriented. Single track? No. 

Sorry about the rant, but that stuff gets me going....

And back to this tire, which should work really well on gravel, by the way. We will see. I may have to get a set to try out. If I do, it'll be the classic "tan wall" shown, although you can also get this is black.

That's a wrap for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

GRX goes to 12 speed mechanical (Image by Matt Gersib)

Leaked Images Show Shimano GRX 12 Speed:

In a leaked set of images from the recently run Unbound Gravel event, we have learned what we thought was pretty much a given at thie point. That being that Shimano will be offering 12 speed GRX very soon. 

My good friend MG caught these images and we posted them up on Riding Gravel last Friday. There was another media person that saw the same 12 speed mechanical GRX on a racer's bike elsewhere as well. Following is what I know so far...

There is no Di2 12spd GRX being shown or anywhere in sight as of now. I am betting that probably won't happen this year. Due to over-supply issues in the industry everything is being slowed down and introductions of new stuff will be pushed back until this glut starts to clear out from warehouses. I would bet Di2 12spd GRX will happen, but probably not soon. Meanwhile, we have 12 speed mechanical GRX to drool over, or make fun of, depending upon your point of view.

Some rumors are flying around about this new 12 speed GRX having a MicroSpline hub to accommodate current MTB cassettes. This has been confirmed by at least one site, but not officially by Shimano. So, a lot of current fancy-pants carbon wheel sets could become "old hat" - or "not cutting edge", soon. Further cementing this idea is that the other GRX 12 speed group seen at Unbound had a MTB cassette on it. Rumors are rampant that new GRX will accommodate wider range MTB cassettes for 1X usage to compete with SRAM. This would point toward MicroSpline as well. I think this is a given with the new 12spd GRX. However; that doesn't mean Shimano won't offer a traditional HyperGlide freehub for GRX. All we know now is that new 12spd GRX will most likely have MicroSpline hub compatibility.

Otherwise there is a new design for the brake caliper and a tweak to the brake lever pivot. The pivot placement for the current Di2 GRX is now coming over to 12 speed mechanical. Beyond that there isn't really much to say here other than that it is significant that Shimano released mechanical 12 speed GRX first. 

This should be a shot across the bow to those who are lamenting the death of mechanically shifted group sets with more than 11 speeds. Obviously, that is no longer a worry now.

Wilde Bikes Introduces Steel Rambler Bike:

Wilde Bikes introduced a new model on Tuesday, the Rambler, a made in Taiwan steel frame and fork bike which can be had in a frameset form or built as a complete.

The bike uses a production model that helps bring the cost down to $1200.00USD for the frame and fork. The bike is designed with a bottom bracket height and geometry which will lend itself to being set up with 650B wheels (up to 2.2") or 29"er wheels and tires. (Up to 2")

The frame will have all the common braze-ons we expect an adventure bike to have these days along with the Three-Pack fork mounts also. The frame has a 142 12mm through axle rear, the fork has 100mm through axle standard with a straight 1 1/8th steer tube. Flat mount brakes and a threaded bottom bracket shell round out the design.

Comments: Is this a Black Mountain Cycles Mod Zero? The two sure look close, don't they? There is not a lot of difference between the two geometry-wise either. That said, I'm a BMC guy and the slightly lower bottom bracket wins me over toward the BMC rather than the Wilde. Although that sparkly paint job on the Wilde is pretty nice. 

American Classic Introduces ProjectP4B:

American Classic, now a tire company, more or less, has announced that certain tires in their range will now be available under the ProjectP4B initiative. This is an effort to benefit the People For Bikes organization. 

If consumers buy the American Classic Torchbearer or Wentworth gravel tire, American Classic is earmarking the profits from those tires to a special Community Grants Program by People For Bikes which aims to create safer routes, bike lanes, and community education opportunities, amongst other benefits. 

Intial offerings in this program include the 700c X 30mm Torchbearer and the 700c X 40mm Wentworth tires. Both are tubeless ready, have 60TPI casings, and have special "hot patch" branding designating these as the Project P4B tires. 

These tires are only available via American Classic's Amazon portal and cost $29.99 each, according to the press release. The retail packaging for these tires is also made from recycled materials and can be recycled after use. 

Comments: Wow! That's cheap! And Wentworths are a pretty decent tire overall. Not your top of the range, high-performance tires, but even at their higher price, which is $45.00 each for a 120TPI tire with puncture protection, these are pretty phenomenal values. Now, despite the slightly lower tech spec, these tires are a crazy good value. 

Michelin Power Adventure Classic (Image from webstore)

Michelin's New Power Adventure Tires:

I didn't catch this back in March, but Michelin overhauled their gravel tire range and along with the new Power Gravel model they have a new design called the Power Adventure. 

Available in seven sizes ranging from a 700 X 30mm to a 700 X 47mm, the tire features a smoother tread and a lower treaded edge for grip in corners. Meant for a 80%/20% pavement to gravel mix, the tire has a puncture protection belt and three 100TPI layers of fabric in the casing. Claimed weight on the 700 X 42mm version is sub-500 grams, which is pretty impressive. You can check the Power Adventure line out HERE. 

Comments:  Power Adventure, Power Gravel...... Did those French marketing folks watch a lot of Power Rangers shows as kids? (HA!) 

Seriously, the trend for smoother treaded "gravel" tires is just another evolution in the market. It is another example that "gravel" is still somewhat misunderstood. You take a look at what Michelin says about the use intents and they mention that the Power Adventure is less about (MTB) trails. 

Huh? See, the entire idea of "gravel" is that we ARE ON ROADS, not mountain bike trails. Unpaved roads preferably, but ROADS nonetheless. This whole misunderstanding of what should have been called "all-roads" is frustrating to me because the industry latched on to a term without considering the consequences of using that term. "All-Roads" is gravel plus other stuff that is road oriented. Single track? No. 

Sorry about the rant, but that stuff gets me going....

And back to this tire, which should work really well on gravel, by the way. We will see. I may have to get a set to try out. If I do, it'll be the classic "tan wall" shown, although you can also get this is black.

That's a wrap for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Brake Job

A slotted fastener? C'mon Shimano! Really?

 Not long ago I had a weird thing happen on a ride on the Noble GX5 where I applied the brakes hard to slowly descend a flood control dike. There was no issue there, but later into the ride I had the rear brake lever come all the way back to the bars with little braking power. While a brake bleed may be the initial diagnosis, it has been my experience as a mechanic working with Shimano hydraulic brakes that worn pads can cause this same effect. 

But all at once? I had great rear brake feel, then bad brake feel all in the same ride. Well, I decided to hedge my bets and I got both the brake bleed kit, mineral oil fluid, and a new set of organic pads. 

I figured on changing the pads first as that is the easiest fix. As I sat down to work on this, I discovered that the brake pad retention bolt had a slotted head. Not a hex interface, not a Torx interface, a slotted interface. What?!!

Warning! Rant Alert: As a mechanic it is my opinion that slotted interfaces should be banished from Planet Earth. There is no reason to use that anymore when superior technology exists and is extensively used in the industry. Why do I feel this way? Because a slotted interface fastener is super easy to damage, harder to work with, and .....well.....it just is not a good choice anymore. As stated above, better ideas exist and are readily available to any manufacturer. Okay....rant over. 

Once I had carefully selected the proper size flat blade screwdriver, the fastener came out undamaged. Whew! That was the worst of the job right there, and the rest was a breeze to finish up. I buttoned up everything and went out to bed in the pads to the rotor. 

And how did that go? Well, the brakes are better. But they are not what they were yet, so I may do a brake bleed anyway just to see if I can't bring the lever feel back to what it was. I mean, I can lock up the rear wheel and braking power, modulation, and all is just fine. It's the pad contact feel that is lacking and it seems to me that the lever travel is just a bit much yet. But here again, I've had Shimano road brakes on many bikes in my workstand where you couldn't get the rear to feel like the front no matter how much you bled the brakes.

And I had zero evidence of brake fluid leakage, which would indicate that the system is still sealed, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything here. It just points to the fact that it was mostly the pads that went away, but there may be something else going on here. 

Stay tuned. I may end up bleeding the brakes after all.

Brake Job

A slotted fastener? C'mon Shimano! Really?

 Not long ago I had a weird thing happen on a ride on the Noble GX5 where I applied the brakes hard to slowly descend a flood control dike. There was no issue there, but later into the ride I had the rear brake lever come all the way back to the bars with little braking power. While a brake bleed may be the initial diagnosis, it has been my experience as a mechanic working with Shimano hydraulic brakes that worn pads can cause this same effect. 

But all at once? I had great rear brake feel, then bad brake feel all in the same ride. Well, I decided to hedge my bets and I got both the brake bleed kit, mineral oil fluid, and a new set of organic pads. 

I figured on changing the pads first as that is the easiest fix. As I sat down to work on this, I discovered that the brake pad retention bolt had a slotted head. Not a hex interface, not a Torx interface, a slotted interface. What?!!

Warning! Rant Alert: As a mechanic it is my opinion that slotted interfaces should be banished from Planet Earth. There is no reason to use that anymore when superior technology exists and is extensively used in the industry. Why do I feel this way? Because a slotted interface fastener is super easy to damage, harder to work with, and .....well.....it just is not a good choice anymore. As stated above, better ideas exist and are readily available to any manufacturer. Okay....rant over. 

Once I had carefully selected the proper size flat blade screwdriver, the fastener came out undamaged. Whew! That was the worst of the job right there, and the rest was a breeze to finish up. I buttoned up everything and went out to bed in the pads to the rotor. 

And how did that go? Well, the brakes are better. But they are not what they were yet, so I may do a brake bleed anyway just to see if I can't bring the lever feel back to what it was. I mean, I can lock up the rear wheel and braking power, modulation, and all is just fine. It's the pad contact feel that is lacking and it seems to me that the lever travel is just a bit much yet. But here again, I've had Shimano road brakes on many bikes in my workstand where you couldn't get the rear to feel like the front no matter how much you bled the brakes.

And I had zero evidence of brake fluid leakage, which would indicate that the system is still sealed, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything here. It just points to the fact that it was mostly the pads that went away, but there may be something else going on here. 

Stay tuned. I may end up bleeding the brakes after all.

Thoughts On Shimano CUES

CUES should revolutionize mid-priced cycling (Image courtesy of Shimano)

Yesterday Shimano introduced a new group range which eliminated a slew of its former hierarchy of components from the mid-range on down to the entry levels. 

You've probably seen a bunch of reporting on the CUES (Create Unique Rider ExperienceS) elsewhere, so I won't delve into all the technicalities. I want to share my thoughts on what this does to cycling in retail and in practice. 

The nuts and bolts of this are that Altus, Acera, Alivio, and the 10spd and 11spd elements of Deore are now retired. CUES will cover this range now with the 11 speed only U8000, the 10spd and 11spd U6000, and the 9spd U4000 ranges of components. While, on the surface of it, that may seem like it is three new component ranges, it really isn't. 

That is because everything in CUES is based on 11 speed and a single cable pull ratio, (Shimano didn't say what that was in its presentation), so you can mix any 11 speed crankset, even non-Shimano stuff, in with a 11, 10, or 9spd CUES drive train. Any CUES derailleur will work on any CUES Cassette, theoretically, as long as it has the correct range. You don't need a special chain. Any 11 speed one will do, but of course, you should use a Shimano one. Any CUES shifter will work with any of the CUES rear derailleurs. (You may have to "limit out" a rear derailleur in certain circumstances or relinquish a few cogs in other circumstances that would not be available due to shifter/derailleur/cassette combinations that don't match in speed.) So, in a pinch, you could "get someone going" as a shop mechanic again even though they may have a broken 9 speed CUES shifter and all you have is 11 speed shifter.

All the CUES stuff is claimed to be super-durable, but the key is in the cassette. (Image courtesy of Shimano)

So, in many ways this reminds me of how things used to be with regard to 7,8.and 9 speed stuff that was semi-interchangeable and road and MTB was compatible with each other. While I did not get a specific confirmation that drop bar levers were going to be part of CUES, well they are going to be. You can pretty much count on that to happen very soon. 

Combine all of that tantalizing news and possibilities with the claimed durability of LINKGLIDE cassettes, and well, you've got something cooking here. These LINKGLIDE cassettes have something  which reminds me a whole lot of 7 speed HyperGlide cassettes in that the cogs in each cassette are thicker, taller, and have deeper ramps for shifting than other Shimano cassettes. That should make for great shifting for longer times than with typical cassettes. 

AND this stuff is mechanical. Many were lamenting that the possibility that mechanical shifting stuff was going to become extinct, especially on the road side in light of the Di2 105 group announcement. Well, this should quiet that down. 

U4000 CUES rear derailleur (Image courtesy of Shimano)

I can see myself using U8000 CUES stuff, maybe the U6000 11 speed stuff, especially for day-to-day gravel riding. Gravel accelerates wear, but if I'm using CUES cassettes and drive line gear, I should get more miles and better shifting for a longer time with CUES.

The wide-range cassettes are lending themselves to 1X at this point, but we were told "more is coming" later this year, next year, and the following year. So, I see a full range of cassette options and especially so if the OEM brands get a hold of this and push CUES heavily, which I feel is going to happen. 

One of the other things that slipped in a bit under the radar with the CUES announcement was the new hubs which point to a sea change with Shimano. Formerly they were not about cartridge bearings or swappable axle standards. But that has changed and furthermore; you can swap freehub bodies in a tool-less manner. That makes Shimano hubs a lot more versatile, and therefore attractive, to build wheels with. 

Drop Bar Shifters? Shimano intimated that drop bar compatible CUES was going to happen and that it likely will eliminate Claris, Sora, and some options within the current Tiagra group set. This is awesome, and it would allow a wide range 9, 10, or 11 speed "mullet" set up, (only it wouldn't really be "mullet" since it would be intentional and part of one group, but...). This only brings up the question of what will become of GRX 10 and 11 speed. 

Well, you are going to see 12 speed GRX, that's what. (My opinion, I have no official word here) 

There are a lot more details to the CUES announcement, and a lot more to come, but I think it is an exciting announcement, and a good move by Shimano.

Thoughts On Shimano CUES

CUES should revolutionize mid-priced cycling (Image courtesy of Shimano)

Yesterday Shimano introduced a new group range which eliminated a slew of its former hierarchy of components from the mid-range on down to the entry levels. 

You've probably seen a bunch of reporting on the CUES (Create Unique Rider ExperienceS) elsewhere, so I won't delve into all the technicalities. I want to share my thoughts on what this does to cycling in retail and in practice. 

The nuts and bolts of this are that Altus, Acera, Alivio, and the 10spd and 11spd elements of Deore are now retired. CUES will cover this range now with the 11 speed only U8000, the 10spd and 11spd U6000, and the 9spd U4000 ranges of components. While, on the surface of it, that may seem like it is three new component ranges, it really isn't. 

That is because everything in CUES is based on 11 speed and a single cable pull ratio, (Shimano didn't say what that was in its presentation), so you can mix any 11 speed crankset, even non-Shimano stuff, in with a 11, 10, or 9spd CUES drive train. Any CUES derailleur will work on any CUES Cassette, theoretically, as long as it has the correct range. You don't need a special chain. Any 11 speed one will do, but of course, you should use a Shimano one. Any CUES shifter will work with any of the CUES rear derailleurs. (You may have to "limit out" a rear derailleur in certain circumstances or relinquish a few cogs in other circumstances that would not be available due to shifter/derailleur/cassette combinations that don't match in speed.) So, in a pinch, you could "get someone going" as a shop mechanic again even though they may have a broken 9 speed CUES shifter and all you have is 11 speed shifter.

All the CUES stuff is claimed to be super-durable, but the key is in the cassette. (Image courtesy of Shimano)

So, in many ways this reminds me of how things used to be with regard to 7,8.and 9 speed stuff that was semi-interchangeable and road and MTB was compatible with each other. While I did not get a specific confirmation that drop bar levers were going to be part of CUES, well they are going to be. You can pretty much count on that to happen very soon. 

Combine all of that tantalizing news and possibilities with the claimed durability of LINKGLIDE cassettes, and well, you've got something cooking here. These LINKGLIDE cassettes have something  which reminds me a whole lot of 7 speed HyperGlide cassettes in that the cogs in each cassette are thicker, taller, and have deeper ramps for shifting than other Shimano cassettes. That should make for great shifting for longer times than with typical cassettes. 

AND this stuff is mechanical. Many were lamenting that the possibility that mechanical shifting stuff was going to become extinct, especially on the road side in light of the Di2 105 group announcement. Well, this should quiet that down. 

U4000 CUES rear derailleur (Image courtesy of Shimano)

I can see myself using U8000 CUES stuff, maybe the U6000 11 speed stuff, especially for day-to-day gravel riding. Gravel accelerates wear, but if I'm using CUES cassettes and drive line gear, I should get more miles and better shifting for a longer time with CUES.

The wide-range cassettes are lending themselves to 1X at this point, but we were told "more is coming" later this year, next year, and the following year. So, I see a full range of cassette options and especially so if the OEM brands get a hold of this and push CUES heavily, which I feel is going to happen. 

One of the other things that slipped in a bit under the radar with the CUES announcement was the new hubs which point to a sea change with Shimano. Formerly they were not about cartridge bearings or swappable axle standards. But that has changed and furthermore; you can swap freehub bodies in a tool-less manner. That makes Shimano hubs a lot more versatile, and therefore attractive, to build wheels with. 

Drop Bar Shifters? Shimano intimated that drop bar compatible CUES was going to happen and that it likely will eliminate Claris, Sora, and some options within the current Tiagra group set. This is awesome, and it would allow a wide range 9, 10, or 11 speed "mullet" set up, (only it wouldn't really be "mullet" since it would be intentional and part of one group, but...). This only brings up the question of what will become of GRX 10 and 11 speed. 

Well, you are going to see 12 speed GRX, that's what. (My opinion, I have no official word here) 

There are a lot more details to the CUES announcement, and a lot more to come, but I think it is an exciting announcement, and a good move by Shimano.

Shimano GRX Carbon Wheels

Shimano's new GRX Carbon Wheels are in for review

 Note: Standard Disclaimer Applicable

I got an opportunity extended to me recently to review the new Shimano GRX Carbon wheels and I took them up on it. So, here they are in all their 'glory'. I will be writing up the review proper on RidingGravel.com, so go there for the details. 

In this post I wanted to share my thoughts on how Shimano has finally progressed to a more modern standard on one hand and yet doggedly sticks to its guns in terms of another standard. It is an interesting dichotomy and I think this encapsulates the "Shimano Philosophy" in a nutshell. At least for me this wheel set does illustrate that. We'll see if you agree...

Shimano is often seen as 'not very innovative' or as a company that is 'slow to respond' to other company's moves, in particular, SRAM's offerings. If you feel this way, I would submit that you are making an error in judgement. Shimano doesn't jump on trends, and their company ethos is one that abhors failure, values solid research, and will not rush development to assuage popular opinions until those opinions are vetted out. 

Shimano is conservative in its approach. Note the stickers.

I've seen this in nearly 30 years of dealing with Shimano and other companies. Shimano rarely has recalls, failures are not taken lightly when they do happen, and their record of successes is outstanding amongst component manufacturers at any level. Now add in that Shimano has been the largest component manufacturer of bicycle parts for decades and that track record becomes something pretty amazing to consider.

So, I find criticisms of Shimano's approach to innovations somewhat lacking in perspective. That doesn't mean that I am not sometimes baffled and frustrated with how they do things. For an example, I was a bit deflated when back in the early 2010's Shimano released a new XT 29"er wheel set with an inner rim width of 23mm. This at the time when wider rims for mountain bikes were all the rage. Even XC racing rims were wider than this back then. But Shimano stuck to its guns and put out a robust, strong, durable wheel for XC racing that was, honestly, not where the riding populace was at that time. 

This wheel set was an excuse to use the awesome Hutchinson tires again.

That was a head-scratcher for sure. However; Shimano generally ends up coming around and I feel that this new GRX Carbon wheel set is on-point for today's gravel rider. The inner rim width? 25mm.

So, that's a relief and nice to see. But there are things that Shimano doesn't compromise on, and one of them is their complete and total devotion to angular contact, adjustable ball bearings. 

Sealed bearings are a given with any high-end offering from other companies in terms of hubs, but not with Shimano. Now one might be inclined to think that is just a dogmatic devotion to a tradition, but I would counter that with Shimano's vast experience with forging, metal, and bearing technology which goes back to the very roots of the company. Their first product for bicycles was a single speed free wheel, so bearing technology is Shimano's business, and in my opinion, they know what they are about. 

A well designed, high-end ball bearing race, cup and cone arrangement, and hub shell are hard to beat when it comes to longevity of service life, serviceability, and rolling performance. I find most folks that criticize Shimano's angular contact, loose ball bearing idea are thinking about their lower end product. Shimano makes really low end stuff all the way up to high end components, so you have to compare "apples to apples" and many folks forget that detail when criticizing angular contact ball bearings in hubs.

So, Shimano's philosophy on design and execution of design trumps marketing, in terms of what we see. They stick with what works and innovate only where it makes sense and isn't prone to fail, (some recent road crank sets are an exception here) Other companies? (Don't ask me about SRAM brakes, for one thing)

More on the wheels soon.....

Shimano GRX Carbon Wheels

Shimano's new GRX Carbon Wheels are in for review

 Note: Standard Disclaimer Applicable

I got an opportunity extended to me recently to review the new Shimano GRX Carbon wheels and I took them up on it. So, here they are in all their 'glory'. I will be writing up the review proper on RidingGravel.com, so go there for the details. 

In this post I wanted to share my thoughts on how Shimano has finally progressed to a more modern standard on one hand and yet doggedly sticks to its guns in terms of another standard. It is an interesting dichotomy and I think this encapsulates the "Shimano Philosophy" in a nutshell. At least for me this wheel set does illustrate that. We'll see if you agree...

Shimano is often seen as 'not very innovative' or as a company that is 'slow to respond' to other company's moves, in particular, SRAM's offerings. If you feel this way, I would submit that you are making an error in judgement. Shimano doesn't jump on trends, and their company ethos is one that abhors failure, values solid research, and will not rush development to assuage popular opinions until those opinions are vetted out. 

Shimano is conservative in its approach. Note the stickers.

I've seen this in nearly 30 years of dealing with Shimano and other companies. Shimano rarely has recalls, failures are not taken lightly when they do happen, and their record of successes is outstanding amongst component manufacturers at any level. Now add in that Shimano has been the largest component manufacturer of bicycle parts for decades and that track record becomes something pretty amazing to consider.

So, I find criticisms of Shimano's approach to innovations somewhat lacking in perspective. That doesn't mean that I am not sometimes baffled and frustrated with how they do things. For an example, I was a bit deflated when back in the early 2010's Shimano released a new XT 29"er wheel set with an inner rim width of 23mm. This at the time when wider rims for mountain bikes were all the rage. Even XC racing rims were wider than this back then. But Shimano stuck to its guns and put out a robust, strong, durable wheel for XC racing that was, honestly, not where the riding populace was at that time. 

This wheel set was an excuse to use the awesome Hutchinson tires again.

That was a head-scratcher for sure. However; Shimano generally ends up coming around and I feel that this new GRX Carbon wheel set is on-point for today's gravel rider. The inner rim width? 25mm.

So, that's a relief and nice to see. But there are things that Shimano doesn't compromise on, and one of them is their complete and total devotion to angular contact, adjustable ball bearings. 

Sealed bearings are a given with any high-end offering from other companies in terms of hubs, but not with Shimano. Now one might be inclined to think that is just a dogmatic devotion to a tradition, but I would counter that with Shimano's vast experience with forging, metal, and bearing technology which goes back to the very roots of the company. Their first product for bicycles was a single speed free wheel, so bearing technology is Shimano's business, and in my opinion, they know what they are about. 

A well designed, high-end ball bearing race, cup and cone arrangement, and hub shell are hard to beat when it comes to longevity of service life, serviceability, and rolling performance. I find most folks that criticize Shimano's angular contact, loose ball bearing idea are thinking about their lower end product. Shimano makes really low end stuff all the way up to high end components, so you have to compare "apples to apples" and many folks forget that detail when criticizing angular contact ball bearings in hubs.

So, Shimano's philosophy on design and execution of design trumps marketing, in terms of what we see. They stick with what works and innovate only where it makes sense and isn't prone to fail, (some recent road crank sets are an exception here) Other companies? (Don't ask me about SRAM brakes, for one thing)

More on the wheels soon.....