Thinking About Winter

Like it or not, there is a season coming soon called "Winter". I put that in quotation marks because what I used to know as 'that season' is not like what I know Winter as now. There has been a change, and maybe what I used to expect can no longer be banked upon going forward.

I'm not going to delve into the whole climate change thing here. You know Winter is not like what it used to be like if you are over the age of 40. Winter used to be a solid four months of snow, ice, and sub-freezing temperatures. Not anymore......

Last year was a typical, for modern times, Winter where we had like four weeks of snow, two "big" snow storms, and the rest of it was "Brown Season". Too cold and windy to do much country riding, but not snowy and cold enough to do any fat biking worth getting the fat bike out for. Yes.....things may have been vastly different where you live, but here in Iowa? Winters mean something completely different than they used to mean in the days of yore. Maybe we'll cycle around back to that sort of Winter and maybe I'll be eating these words in late December. But I bet that won't be the case.

Last December. Cold enough for pogies - No snow to be seen anywhere!

Well, whatever happens, I probably should get on top of things by maintaining my Ti Muk and Blackborow DS just in case. I need to peel off the 26" x 4" Cake Eater tires and clean out the old sealant, refresh the sealant, and then see to changing out the oil in the Rohloff hub. 

The Blackborow DS probably just needs air in the tires. I think I rode that bike once or twice, at most, last Winter. I feel bad about even owning that bike because it doesn't hardly ever get used anymore. I just do not need a fat bike with the capabilities of the Blackborow if Winter is but a whimper again and again. I almost sold the BLackborow in 2021, but you know "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. 

And this is how I feel about Winter. It is an "almost, but not quite" season anymore these days. Why even have fat bikes? I probably could do with a stout 29"er with 2.8" tires all Winter if all we see are flurries and the occasional dump big enough to make a snowman from. 

Ha! Do you suppose I've jinxed myself, perhaps? Nah......I don't believe in such nonsense. If we get a Winter, well then huzzah! If not, well then - Same ol' - same ol'......

Friday News And Views

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch:

The newest "Riding Gravel Radio Ranch" Episode #103, is out now. (You can get the link here) We're podcasting about once every two weeks now and have the podcast moved to Anchor.fm hosting for a better, more timely distribution of the episodes than we experienced it before. 

I've had some concerns voiced over access. Well, we are growing the podcast from 'ground zero' now and that means our old access was gone and we had to start small and grow it. We are now on Apple podcast as of this episode, so that should help. We are also on Google podcast and on Spotify also. 

So, give it a listen, spread the news, and help this thing grow. I'll have more things to offer in the future, so stay tuned for that as I get to it. As always, please make comments and suggestions if you are so inclined.

From Surly's social media on Tuesday this week.

What's Up At Surly?

These days, social media is the prime vehicle for spreading news and for keeping brands in front of people's eyes.You don't have any media on paper anymore to do that. So, there are no ads to read. There are no "catalogs" either. Independent bike shops don't give you any bandwidth since there are far less of them than there used to be. So, the various social media marketing opportunities are all you really have these days. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Maybe Tic-Tok and Reddit. If a brand isn't on YouTube you seem to be missing something .

This is why what was witnessed on social media on Tuesday was so puzzling. Surly's social media person posted that - apparently- they were leaving the brand, which, in and of itself, is not such a big deal. But the line that indicated that "It is possible this channel will not be monitored for some time.", that was a bit concerning. Without any new content, that "channell" will go dead really fast. People won't see "Surly" and the brand will fall away from the forefront, because if you don't have it shoved down your eyeballs on socials, then it doesn't exist.

This Surly product was intro'ed by the QBP social, not Surly's

Comments: Of course, what that actually means in terms of Surly the brand and business is purely speculation at this point. But if I were a Surly dealer or fan, this would raise some red flags with me. It'll bear watching, for sure. 

Then again, it all could just be a program to bring all QBP's social media under "one roof", as it were. QBP has mostly run each brand it has as a separate company under the umbrella of QBP. But that may be getting streamlined as cost-cutting measures take hold of the cycling industry.  It would seem foolish, perhaps, to run separate social media departments when you could get that job done by a single department, for example. 

QBP has already had a round of lay-offs. Does this point to more? Could be. We're seeing many companies laying off from all sectors. Saris went bankrupt, The Pro's Closet, an online entity, cut staff, Thule cut 34 jobs and moved its R&D to Swedish headquarters from the USA. MIPS, the helmet technology supplier, saw sales dip 39% in the third quarter according to an industry report. So, if QBP has more cost-cutting to do, it would come as no surprise. Or- Is this a result of the recent lay-offs? That could very well be also.

Shimano RX801 Shoes On Test:

Well, Shimano made some big news this week about its shoe line. They updated the RX8's with the new 801's, but what probably was a bigger deal here was the RX8R, a shoe that adds in a feature found on many Enduro cycling shoes. That would be a "cuff" that is supposedly there to keep debris out and your feet dry. 

It may not seem as though the new RX801's are any different than their predecessor was, but upon careful inspection I found several differences. This is more of an 'evolution' of the RX8. A slightly "tweaked" version of the original, if you will.

One thing I didn't like about the original RX8 was that it was a bit of a pain to put it on and take it off your foot. Shimano addressed this by removing that elastic strap that held the top of the upper to the footbed inside the shoe and by separating the over-flap into what is more like two straps over the instep. 

At first glance, this new shoe seems like no big deal, but when you put the old one on one foot and the new one on the other, you feel a tremendous difference and the new one is definitely better. By the way, MG has the new RX8R, the one with the ankle-high cuff, and he says much the same as I am about the refinements. More soon.... (Standard Disclaimer applies) 

Schmidt Edelux II Dynamo Light. (Image courtesy of Cycle Monkey)

Need A Light:

So, you may recall that my Busch and Mueller IQ-X went belly-up on the Ti Muk II so now I need a light unit for that bike which runs a SON dynamo hub. The logical choice is a Schmidt light to stay with the hub brand I already have. 

I have settled on getting the Edelux II with the Co-Axial Adapter. This new connector set-up looks more durable than the old blade connectors and those fine wires. 

I just have to decide what orientation I want the light in. (You have to chose due to the cut-off beam) So, when I do that, I am going to pull the trigger. That will get me back on the Ti Muk II and that needs to happen sooner than later since, well, you know.  Winter, that's why. 

Otherwise that bike is all good to go. I had just redone the drive train and had just done the hub service. So, having the light go down on me right after all of that was kind of a deflating experience. I guess I was a bit disappointed and, maybe even more so, I was just down about looking at spending a couple hundred plus more than I was prepared to spend. But it isn't as if I don't have the funds now. I just need to do it.

Okay folks, that'll do it for this week. I hope that you all get out for a ride. We're to have our "false Summer" spree here with temps in the 80's for the weekend. The Spotted Horse riders will melt! (Good luck to anyone doing that event this weekend, by the way.) 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch:

The newest "Riding Gravel Radio Ranch" Episode #103, is out now. (You can get the link here) We're podcasting about once every two weeks now and have the podcast moved to Anchor.fm hosting for a better, more timely distribution of the episodes than we experienced it before. 

I've had some concerns voiced over access. Well, we are growing the podcast from 'ground zero' now and that means our old access was gone and we had to start small and grow it. We are now on Apple podcast as of this episode, so that should help. We are also on Google podcast and on Spotify also. 

So, give it a listen, spread the news, and help this thing grow. I'll have more things to offer in the future, so stay tuned for that as I get to it. As always, please make comments and suggestions if you are so inclined.

From Surly's social media on Tuesday this week.

What's Up At Surly?

These days, social media is the prime vehicle for spreading news and for keeping brands in front of people's eyes.You don't have any media on paper anymore to do that. So, there are no ads to read. There are no "catalogs" either. Independent bike shops don't give you any bandwidth since there are far less of them than there used to be. So, the various social media marketing opportunities are all you really have these days. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Maybe Tic-Tok and Reddit. If a brand isn't on YouTube you seem to be missing something .

This is why what was witnessed on social media on Tuesday was so puzzling. Surly's social media person posted that - apparently- they were leaving the brand, which, in and of itself, is not such a big deal. But the line that indicated that "It is possible this channel will not be monitored for some time.", that was a bit concerning. Without any new content, that "channell" will go dead really fast. People won't see "Surly" and the brand will fall away from the forefront, because if you don't have it shoved down your eyeballs on socials, then it doesn't exist.

This Surly product was intro'ed by the QBP social, not Surly's

Comments: Of course, what that actually means in terms of Surly the brand and business is purely speculation at this point. But if I were a Surly dealer or fan, this would raise some red flags with me. It'll bear watching, for sure. 

Then again, it all could just be a program to bring all QBP's social media under "one roof", as it were. QBP has mostly run each brand it has as a separate company under the umbrella of QBP. But that may be getting streamlined as cost-cutting measures take hold of the cycling industry.  It would seem foolish, perhaps, to run separate social media departments when you could get that job done by a single department, for example. 

QBP has already had a round of lay-offs. Does this point to more? Could be. We're seeing many companies laying off from all sectors. Saris went bankrupt, The Pro's Closet, an online entity, cut staff, Thule cut 34 jobs and moved its R&D to Swedish headquarters from the USA. MIPS, the helmet technology supplier, saw sales dip 39% in the third quarter according to an industry report. So, if QBP has more cost-cutting to do, it would come as no surprise. Or- Is this a result of the recent lay-offs? That could very well be also.

Shimano RX801 Shoes On Test:

Well, Shimano made some big news this week about its shoe line. They updated the RX8's with the new 801's, but what probably was a bigger deal here was the RX8R, a shoe that adds in a feature found on many Enduro cycling shoes. That would be a "cuff" that is supposedly there to keep debris out and your feet dry. 

It may not seem as though the new RX801's are any different than their predecessor was, but upon careful inspection I found several differences. This is more of an 'evolution' of the RX8. A slightly "tweaked" version of the original, if you will.

One thing I didn't like about the original RX8 was that it was a bit of a pain to put it on and take it off your foot. Shimano addressed this by removing that elastic strap that held the top of the upper to the footbed inside the shoe and by separating the over-flap into what is more like two straps over the instep. 

At first glance, this new shoe seems like no big deal, but when you put the old one on one foot and the new one on the other, you feel a tremendous difference and the new one is definitely better. By the way, MG has the new RX8R, the one with the ankle-high cuff, and he says much the same as I am about the refinements. More soon.... (Standard Disclaimer applies) 

Schmidt Edelux II Dynamo Light. (Image courtesy of Cycle Monkey)

Need A Light:

So, you may recall that my Busch and Mueller IQ-X went belly-up on the Ti Muk II so now I need a light unit for that bike which runs a SON dynamo hub. The logical choice is a Schmidt light to stay with the hub brand I already have. 

I have settled on getting the Edelux II with the Co-Axial Adapter. This new connector set-up looks more durable than the old blade connectors and those fine wires. 

I just have to decide what orientation I want the light in. (You have to chose due to the cut-off beam) So, when I do that, I am going to pull the trigger. That will get me back on the Ti Muk II and that needs to happen sooner than later since, well, you know.  Winter, that's why. 

Otherwise that bike is all good to go. I had just redone the drive train and had just done the hub service. So, having the light go down on me right after all of that was kind of a deflating experience. I guess I was a bit disappointed and, maybe even more so, I was just down about looking at spending a couple hundred plus more than I was prepared to spend. But it isn't as if I don't have the funds now. I just need to do it.

Okay folks, that'll do it for this week. I hope that you all get out for a ride. We're to have our "false Summer" spree here with temps in the 80's for the weekend. The Spotted Horse riders will melt! (Good luck to anyone doing that event this weekend, by the way.) 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

A Thank You:

Leading off today I wanted to say "Thank You" to all you readers for hanging in there with the GTDRI coverage. Now that the event is in the rear view mirror, I will be focusing on getting my back in shape for the Gravel Worlds event coming in a couple of weeks now.

The back- yeah.... It's coming along slowly. I can go okay from a daily living perspective and then the muscles get tired out and I'm done early for the day. No "pain", really, just fatigue and some mild dull pain in the muscles from time to time. I don't even get stiff, so it's kind of a weird deal.

Concerning the GTDRI- Actually, on Sunday when I got home I was ready to never do another one again. I was pretty discouraged by my situation. But that is passing, so.......stay tuned. My inclination now is to do the event at the same time and on the same course again as this past one, but I want to sit on it and see how I feel about things in a month or so. Time to let that GTDRI stuff go for a while. Although, I will try to straighten out the cues for anyone wanting to download the cues in the future.

Besides the recent events and Gravel Worlds, it is time to start thinking about the C.O.G. 100 again. An "official announcement" will be made by N.Y. Roll and myself yet this month concerning the event. So stay tuned for that coming soon.

Working on Wiring

The Wiring:

This week I dove into the wiring for the generator on the Ti Muk 2. I knew it was a "bird's nest" of a mess and it needed taking care of at some point. The rack I purchased and installed has the correct 50mm bolt spacing to affix a tail light powered by the generator hub, a SON 28. So, I have this seat stay mounted light and while I could move it to the rack, I think I am going to go for the new Schmidt rack mounted tail light that comes in a nice aluminum anodized case. It looks more robust than my current plastic cased light.

I also may go all in for coaxial cables, but we'll see. I think that would be an upgrade worth pursuing as it looks like a much more robust way to wire the lights and the connector is a much easier connector to unplug and plug back in again. Those fiddly spade connectors are so last century, and I cannot stand those things. That said, simple is easier to fix, and a plug end complicates things and is tougher to fix. Especially out in the middle of nowhere, so I get it, but I don't see myself having an issue that would stop me from riding.

The wiring I have is far too long, so at any rate, I will need spade connectors and careful measuring to make the wires the correct lengths. Then I plan on using some shrink tubing on connections and the wires will get tucked out of harm's way when I get everything working correctly. It'll take a bit to get everything lined up, but once this gets squared away, the Ti Muk 2 will be completely ready for action.

Rig Of Choice:

I mentioned Gravel Worlds a bit ago here. So, I am contemplating what bike to ride for this event the other day and I think I have come to a rather forgone conclusion. I need to get my Gen I Fargo up and running! That back injury and all has kind of forced me into this corner, and really, I think its best all around. 

This bike got me my only Gravel Worlds finish I've had in what? Seven tries? Six? Something like that. Anyway, it is the bike I feel is the best choice from all standpoints right now, and it won't take much to get it going either. It just needs tires and a good going over. Then it should be a no-brainer to ride it anywhere.

There may be a tiny bit of accessorizing, but beyond that, it will make my getting ready for Gravel Worlds that much easier. Easy is good. And I don't have to go back and forth about what bike to use now, which is nice. But.....I do need some new tires! Ha! Probably something in the 50mm range. I also probably have something that will work too. I just need to get around to getting around to it. Ya know? Ha!

Okay, that's all for now! Have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

A Thank You:

Leading off today I wanted to say "Thank You" to all you readers for hanging in there with the GTDRI coverage. Now that the event is in the rear view mirror, I will be focusing on getting my back in shape for the Gravel Worlds event coming in a couple of weeks now.

The back- yeah.... It's coming along slowly. I can go okay from a daily living perspective and then the muscles get tired out and I'm done early for the day. No "pain", really, just fatigue and some mild dull pain in the muscles from time to time. I don't even get stiff, so it's kind of a weird deal.

Concerning the GTDRI- Actually, on Sunday when I got home I was ready to never do another one again. I was pretty discouraged by my situation. But that is passing, so.......stay tuned. My inclination now is to do the event at the same time and on the same course again as this past one, but I want to sit on it and see how I feel about things in a month or so. Time to let that GTDRI stuff go for a while. Although, I will try to straighten out the cues for anyone wanting to download the cues in the future.

Besides the recent events and Gravel Worlds, it is time to start thinking about the C.O.G. 100 again. An "official announcement" will be made by N.Y. Roll and myself yet this month concerning the event. So stay tuned for that coming soon.

Working on Wiring

The Wiring:

This week I dove into the wiring for the generator on the Ti Muk 2. I knew it was a "bird's nest" of a mess and it needed taking care of at some point. The rack I purchased and installed has the correct 50mm bolt spacing to affix a tail light powered by the generator hub, a SON 28. So, I have this seat stay mounted light and while I could move it to the rack, I think I am going to go for the new Schmidt rack mounted tail light that comes in a nice aluminum anodized case. It looks more robust than my current plastic cased light.

I also may go all in for coaxial cables, but we'll see. I think that would be an upgrade worth pursuing as it looks like a much more robust way to wire the lights and the connector is a much easier connector to unplug and plug back in again. Those fiddly spade connectors are so last century, and I cannot stand those things. That said, simple is easier to fix, and a plug end complicates things and is tougher to fix. Especially out in the middle of nowhere, so I get it, but I don't see myself having an issue that would stop me from riding.

The wiring I have is far too long, so at any rate, I will need spade connectors and careful measuring to make the wires the correct lengths. Then I plan on using some shrink tubing on connections and the wires will get tucked out of harm's way when I get everything working correctly. It'll take a bit to get everything lined up, but once this gets squared away, the Ti Muk 2 will be completely ready for action.

Rig Of Choice:

I mentioned Gravel Worlds a bit ago here. So, I am contemplating what bike to ride for this event the other day and I think I have come to a rather forgone conclusion. I need to get my Gen I Fargo up and running! That back injury and all has kind of forced me into this corner, and really, I think its best all around. 

This bike got me my only Gravel Worlds finish I've had in what? Seven tries? Six? Something like that. Anyway, it is the bike I feel is the best choice from all standpoints right now, and it won't take much to get it going either. It just needs tires and a good going over. Then it should be a no-brainer to ride it anywhere.

There may be a tiny bit of accessorizing, but beyond that, it will make my getting ready for Gravel Worlds that much easier. Easy is good. And I don't have to go back and forth about what bike to use now, which is nice. But.....I do need some new tires! Ha! Probably something in the 50mm range. I also probably have something that will work too. I just need to get around to getting around to it. Ya know? Ha!

Okay, that's all for now! Have a great weekend!

Ti Muk 2 Upgrade Path

 

Now that I have had the Ti Muk 2 for a bit I have a few things I want to get upgraded/straightened out on it. One thing is going to happen very soon here, the next thing fairly quickly, and the third thing probably not for a long time- if ever. 

The imminent upgrade happening is tires. the Ti Muk 2 came to me with Flowbeist and Dunderbeist tires which are great for traction but have a LOT of "rolling thunder", and they can be a lot of work on harder surfaces. Plus, I probably should save these for Winter and true off road.

So, I have a set of Terrene Cake Eaters coming. Lower knobs. Still has traction, but more for drier conditions and not bad on gravel. I have a big idea which a couple of other guys are wanting to join me for and those 45NRTH tires are just too rumbly and slow for this idea. Once those tires come in I will probably go tubless on the Whiskey carbon rims and see how that goes.

The second upgrade, which will happen soon is getting a rear rack. The reason for the rack is to get that rear generator light away from the rear tire and off that seat stay. It is in a position now that almost guarantees that I will destroy it. So, a rear rack settles that issue, and allows me versatility in carrying stuff, maybe even using panniers. The only question is what rack? Obviously the Salsa Alternator Rack is a good choice. If I can find a 170mm spaced one. Then I like the looks of the Tubus, but OMG! The thing is a tank. I don't need anything that gnarly. But anyway, whatever I get, I can then put that light on the back where it belongs and have a lead dress for the wiring that is tidy and safe.

The final upgrade is being considered, and I know what I want, but it will be so expensive, and not 100% necessary. I'm thinking about the fork. Salsa has a Kingpin Deluxe Fork with dynamo routing. Obviously that would really clean up the routing for the front end and make it more protected against harsh conditions. But.......five hundred clams. Ouch!

Stay tuned......more soon.

Ti Muk 2 Upgrade Path

 

Now that I have had the Ti Muk 2 for a bit I have a few things I want to get upgraded/straightened out on it. One thing is going to happen very soon here, the next thing fairly quickly, and the third thing probably not for a long time- if ever. 

The imminent upgrade happening is tires. the Ti Muk 2 came to me with Flowbeist and Dunderbeist tires which are great for traction but have a LOT of "rolling thunder", and they can be a lot of work on harder surfaces. Plus, I probably should save these for Winter and true off road.

So, I have a set of Terrene Cake Eaters coming. Lower knobs. Still has traction, but more for drier conditions and not bad on gravel. I have a big idea which a couple of other guys are wanting to join me for and those 45NRTH tires are just too rumbly and slow for this idea. Once those tires come in I will probably go tubless on the Whiskey carbon rims and see how that goes.

The second upgrade, which will happen soon is getting a rear rack. The reason for the rack is to get that rear generator light away from the rear tire and off that seat stay. It is in a position now that almost guarantees that I will destroy it. So, a rear rack settles that issue, and allows me versatility in carrying stuff, maybe even using panniers. The only question is what rack? Obviously the Salsa Alternator Rack is a good choice. If I can find a 170mm spaced one. Then I like the looks of the Tubus, but OMG! The thing is a tank. I don't need anything that gnarly. But anyway, whatever I get, I can then put that light on the back where it belongs and have a lead dress for the wiring that is tidy and safe.

The final upgrade is being considered, and I know what I want, but it will be so expensive, and not 100% necessary. I'm thinking about the fork. Salsa has a Kingpin Deluxe Fork with dynamo routing. Obviously that would really clean up the routing for the front end and make it more protected against harsh conditions. But.......five hundred clams. Ouch!

Stay tuned......more soon.

Ti Muk II Ride Report

A little "Dirt Home From Work" action to test out the Ti Muk II ride.

Well, with yesterday's announcement out of the way, I figured y'all might want to know what I think about this new rig's ride. I didn't waste any time gettin' to it.

Saturday when we got back with the new-to-me Ti Muk, I couldn't ride as it was pouring rain and lightning outside. So, I waited until Sunday to get a bit better acquainted with this bike, its shifting, and its generator light. That went okay, but getting used to how the Rohloff shifter is indexed will take a little getting used to. It is kind of vague, especially going into a faster/higher gear. I shift one position and I cannot always feel the indexing. But going the other way- to a lower gear- is easier to feel. Plus, it won't shift at all if you have any kind of pressure on the pedals in that direction anyway.

The generator hub is turned on by a big button on the back of the light. I didn't realize this until after I looked up the information on the light on the excellent Peter White Cycles site. I accidentally got it on Sunday and then I noted that the light strobes and didn't have a solid beam. I figured I would have to look the model information up, and when I did, I found out that the light has a sensor and automatically switches to a solid beam when it is dark. Hmm..... technology. Okay, cool. I haven't double checked this yet, but I will get around to that soon. I did find out that the tail light has a standby function. I figured it would. Most high end generator lighting systems have this now. So, what it does, when you are moving, is that the hub charges up a capacitor which is part of the generator system. When you stop, the generator stops, but the capacitor, which stores voltage, starts to slowly drain and this voltage keeps the head light and tail light on when you are stopped for a period of time. And that "period of time" seems to be several minutes. Longer than any stop light sequence for sure.

I was stoked to learn that my purple Bike Bag Dude bags fit the new Ti Muk.

I went home Sunday and planned on riding the bike to work on Monday. I decided then to dub it the "Ti Muk II", since it is my second Titanium Mukluk and Salsa Cycles' second, and final, version of this model. So, this will hereafter be known as "Ti Muk II" on this blog. FYI- The history of the Ti Muk model is 2012-13 was the Lynskey made version with bead blasted graphics. The 2014 Mukluk was the first year of Taiwanese made titanium models and had a green painted front section. The last year, 2015, was this bike with the white painted front end. USA made Ti Muks have straight 1 1/8th steer tubes and the Taiwanese Muks have 44mm head tubes compatible with tapered steer tubes. The geometry was changed slightly on the later Taiwanese models also to accommodate front suspension. Thus, the front triangle is slightly different than the earlier Ti Muks.

Tour de Fungus- Check out the blaze orange mushrooms.

This slight difference had me worried that my newest Bike Bag Dude purple frame bag wouldn't fit, but it does, so that was a relief! I should note that Sam gave me a Surly branded Revelate made frame bag for this which fits it perfectly, but I will likely use the BBD bag most of the time. (Although it clashes with the crank set! Hmm.....) Sam also passed on to me a set of Jones H-Bar compatible Revelate pogies. Supposedly the very last set ever made by Revelate. They are nice, ginormous, and will be put to use in colder weather. Not anytime soon! (Thanks Sam!)

The rest of the BBD bags look and fit perfectly on here as well. It should make adventuring a bit easier. The Ti Muk II also has a rack mount, and I am contemplating getting a rack for this. The Alternator model this bike is supposed to have should work well. But I haven't decided whether or not to pull the trigger on that idea. I guess I have plenty of time to figure that out.

Monday I rode to work the regular route and then did the "Dirt Home From Work" route I have done a lot before. I was getting the hang of shifting by the time I was into the middle of my ride home. There is a bit of a trick to it, and sometime soon that will become second nature. The gearing is biased to the low side, as I would expect for a bike like this. That said, I can cruise along at what seems like 12-14mph all day long and that seems to be about 10th gear or so. The jumps between gears are bigger with a Rohloff, so I have tended to fall back on being more like a single speed guy, sticking with a gear a bit too long. The nice thing is that if I found myself stuck in a too-high gear, I simply could stop, shift it way down to a low gear, and start again, all while in the saddle. Or, if momentum could carry me, stop pedaling and swipe down to a much lower gear and then gas it back up, shifting to higher gears as necessary. It's definitely a different experience.

Interestingly, although the geometry is slightly different on the Ti Muk II, it still is really stable. Sam had a lot of spacers set up under the stem and the Carbon H-Bar is "up there", and I wondered if I might not like that. This would be pretty close to how Jeff Jones would probably recommend setting it up though, based upon what Jeff has told me personally. So, I figured I'd give it a solid try.

As it turns out, I think it is pretty close to, if not spot on. I'm at the very least going to run this set up longer term until I can figure it out in a more permanent way. The saddle, however, I think is going to be a different story.

I may like this saddle with a chamois, but I ride a bike like this so much in "civilian clothes", that it has to have a saddle that agrees with me in all situations. I feel like this saddle is a tiny bit too narrow though. Maybe. We will see after some more riding, but Monday's ride was pointing to the "too narrow" verdict by the time I got home. I may only have to tilt it back a bit too. This is set up dead flat and I never run my WTB saddles that way. Always a bit nose up for me. So, that will be the next thing to try. Oddly enough, the saddle height is dead on. Apparently Sam and I have very similar saddle height requirements. (As do Ben Witt and I. Weird!)

I did also notice something I was a bit surprised by. Both on Sunday's and Monday's rides it was quite noticeable that this bike has a pretty springy rear end, but only when seated. It isn't as stiff feeling when pedaling in the saddle as the old Ti Muk was, and that was far better than an aluminum Mukluk. That with a larger diameter seat post than a US made Ti Muk like my older one. So, that is pretty remarkable. The combination of the smooth riding rear and the Carbon H-Bar and Advocate fork make for a pretty nice riding bike, really.

More on this bike in the future. I have to get some details on the wiring harness tucked away and tidied up, then this will be fully operational.

Ti Muk II Ride Report

A little "Dirt Home From Work" action to test out the Ti Muk II ride.

Well, with yesterday's announcement out of the way, I figured y'all might want to know what I think about this new rig's ride. I didn't waste any time gettin' to it.

Saturday when we got back with the new-to-me Ti Muk, I couldn't ride as it was pouring rain and lightning outside. So, I waited until Sunday to get a bit better acquainted with this bike, its shifting, and its generator light. That went okay, but getting used to how the Rohloff shifter is indexed will take a little getting used to. It is kind of vague, especially going into a faster/higher gear. I shift one position and I cannot always feel the indexing. But going the other way- to a lower gear- is easier to feel. Plus, it won't shift at all if you have any kind of pressure on the pedals in that direction anyway.

The generator hub is turned on by a big button on the back of the light. I didn't realize this until after I looked up the information on the light on the excellent Peter White Cycles site. I accidentally got it on Sunday and then I noted that the light strobes and didn't have a solid beam. I figured I would have to look the model information up, and when I did, I found out that the light has a sensor and automatically switches to a solid beam when it is dark. Hmm..... technology. Okay, cool. I haven't double checked this yet, but I will get around to that soon. I did find out that the tail light has a standby function. I figured it would. Most high end generator lighting systems have this now. So, what it does, when you are moving, is that the hub charges up a capacitor which is part of the generator system. When you stop, the generator stops, but the capacitor, which stores voltage, starts to slowly drain and this voltage keeps the head light and tail light on when you are stopped for a period of time. And that "period of time" seems to be several minutes. Longer than any stop light sequence for sure.

I was stoked to learn that my purple Bike Bag Dude bags fit the new Ti Muk.

I went home Sunday and planned on riding the bike to work on Monday. I decided then to dub it the "Ti Muk II", since it is my second Titanium Mukluk and Salsa Cycles' second, and final, version of this model. So, this will hereafter be known as "Ti Muk II" on this blog. FYI- The history of the Ti Muk model is 2012-13 was the Lynskey made version with bead blasted graphics. The 2014 Mukluk was the first year of Taiwanese made titanium models and had a green painted front section. The last year, 2015, was this bike with the white painted front end. USA made Ti Muks have straight 1 1/8th steer tubes and the Taiwanese Muks have 44mm head tubes compatible with tapered steer tubes. The geometry was changed slightly on the later Taiwanese models also to accommodate front suspension. Thus, the front triangle is slightly different than the earlier Ti Muks.

Tour de Fungus- Check out the blaze orange mushrooms.

This slight difference had me worried that my newest Bike Bag Dude purple frame bag wouldn't fit, but it does, so that was a relief! I should note that Sam gave me a Surly branded Revelate made frame bag for this which fits it perfectly, but I will likely use the BBD bag most of the time. (Although it clashes with the crank set! Hmm.....) Sam also passed on to me a set of Jones H-Bar compatible Revelate pogies. Supposedly the very last set ever made by Revelate. They are nice, ginormous, and will be put to use in colder weather. Not anytime soon! (Thanks Sam!)

The rest of the BBD bags look and fit perfectly on here as well. It should make adventuring a bit easier. The Ti Muk II also has a rack mount, and I am contemplating getting a rack for this. The Alternator model this bike is supposed to have should work well. But I haven't decided whether or not to pull the trigger on that idea. I guess I have plenty of time to figure that out.

Monday I rode to work the regular route and then did the "Dirt Home From Work" route I have done a lot before. I was getting the hang of shifting by the time I was into the middle of my ride home. There is a bit of a trick to it, and sometime soon that will become second nature. The gearing is biased to the low side, as I would expect for a bike like this. That said, I can cruise along at what seems like 12-14mph all day long and that seems to be about 10th gear or so. The jumps between gears are bigger with a Rohloff, so I have tended to fall back on being more like a single speed guy, sticking with a gear a bit too long. The nice thing is that if I found myself stuck in a too-high gear, I simply could stop, shift it way down to a low gear, and start again, all while in the saddle. Or, if momentum could carry me, stop pedaling and swipe down to a much lower gear and then gas it back up, shifting to higher gears as necessary. It's definitely a different experience.

Interestingly, although the geometry is slightly different on the Ti Muk II, it still is really stable. Sam had a lot of spacers set up under the stem and the Carbon H-Bar is "up there", and I wondered if I might not like that. This would be pretty close to how Jeff Jones would probably recommend setting it up though, based upon what Jeff has told me personally. So, I figured I'd give it a solid try.

As it turns out, I think it is pretty close to, if not spot on. I'm at the very least going to run this set up longer term until I can figure it out in a more permanent way. The saddle, however, I think is going to be a different story.

I may like this saddle with a chamois, but I ride a bike like this so much in "civilian clothes", that it has to have a saddle that agrees with me in all situations. I feel like this saddle is a tiny bit too narrow though. Maybe. We will see after some more riding, but Monday's ride was pointing to the "too narrow" verdict by the time I got home. I may only have to tilt it back a bit too. This is set up dead flat and I never run my WTB saddles that way. Always a bit nose up for me. So, that will be the next thing to try. Oddly enough, the saddle height is dead on. Apparently Sam and I have very similar saddle height requirements. (As do Ben Witt and I. Weird!)

I did also notice something I was a bit surprised by. Both on Sunday's and Monday's rides it was quite noticeable that this bike has a pretty springy rear end, but only when seated. It isn't as stiff feeling when pedaling in the saddle as the old Ti Muk was, and that was far better than an aluminum Mukluk. That with a larger diameter seat post than a US made Ti Muk like my older one. So, that is pretty remarkable. The combination of the smooth riding rear and the Carbon H-Bar and Advocate fork make for a pretty nice riding bike, really.

More on this bike in the future. I have to get some details on the wiring harness tucked away and tidied up, then this will be fully operational.

A Big, Fat, Titanium Thank You

GT (L) and Sam Auen with the Ti Mukluk

Okay..... I'm not sure where to start with this, so I'll just go to the beginning of this story and hopefully it will all make sense. I'm still processing through what happened and I may never fully get my head around this, but here goes......

Several years ago, when I had my original Ti Muk, Ben Witt and I were gabbing about how "the perfect fat bike set up" would be a titanium frame and a Rohloff based drive train. Well, I already had my bike and a Rohloff is, while awesome, very expensive. That didn't stop Ben from trying though. He got a 2015 Titanium Mukluk frame and had built a rear wheel using a Whiskey carbon rim with a then new 170mm rear spaced Rohloff 14 speed internal geared hub. I remember seeing this in his basement when I stayed with him during the 2016 Fargo Reunion Ride.

Okay, fast forwrad a bit to when Sam Auen bought the partial rolling chassis from Ben and obtained another Whiskey carbon rim, (via from myself - long story), and built the bike up into rideable shape. Sam then added the bike to his fleet and did a few rides here and there on it. Then came the time when my good friend Sam realized he needed to "thin the herd". The Ti Muk was on the short list of candidates for him to shed off the fleet to someone who would use it more than he was.

Sam then posted the idea of selling the bike on social media where I jumped in and commented something to the effect that this was the "perfect fat bike set up" and that someone should own this dream bike. My intentions were to help bring some notice to Sam's trying to sell the bike because I wanted to help a friend. Then I forgot about it because it was a temptation I could ill afford anyway, even though I would have purchased it on the spot had I had the money. I figured some other lucky person would get it, and that would be that.

14 internal hub gears of doom.

Then this is where MG got involved. He texted me that very day asking about some things. One of the things mentioned was what I thought about Sam selling that bike. Did I really think that was a "dream build" for a fat bike? I responded to MG that I felt it was "the perfect fat bike set up" for me. That was that. We moved on to other things, and I went about my life, unsuspecting. MG, on the other hand, had a plan.

He contacted a list of people and got them, somehow or another, to contribute to an effort to make the bike mine. Their motivation for doing so was not, and is not, totally understood by me. MG wrote me and explained it this way

" It's funny how your influence stretches much farther than you might think. All of the people who donated have been touched by you and/or your work in one way or another....."

I still find this hard to believe.......

Anyway, it happened. I have the bike and a big list of people I need to thank, so this post is a public thank you to those folks. MG has said that these folks are okay with my publishing their names on the blog, (If you do have issue with that, let me know and I'll strike your name from the list, but I felt you all deserved recognition for this uncommon gesture). So this, in no particular order, are the folks who made it possible for me to get this awesome Ti Mukluk Saturday.

• Bobby & Crystal Wintle
• The Gibson family – Christy, Russ and Sofia
• Joe Billsbach
• Jason Boucher
• Bruce Currin
• Steve Fuller
• Corey Godfrey
• Ben Shockey
• John Wilmeth 
• Venny Alub
• Rob Evans
• Ed and Janelle Gerlach
• Gary Little
• Kristi and Tim Mohn
• Errin Vasquez
• Walter Zitz
• Timothy Stephen
• Todd Masters
• Jim Phillips
• Joe Reed
• Joe Pahr
• Warren Weibe
• Ben Welnak
• Matt Gersib
• Sam Auen

And here it is. Thanks doesn't say enough, but THANK YOU!

 So, this past weekend my family and I visited my good brother Sam, collected the bike, and brought it home finally. This arrangement by my other good brother, MG is mind blowing. Wow...... Anyway, still wrapping my brain around what happened.

So, I cannot express my feelings. I just don't have the words to show my gratitude here. So, I'll talk about the bike, since it is unusual and I''m sure some of you are curious.

The fork is from an Advocate Watchman fat bike. It was the only 150mm spaced fork Sam could get his hands on at the time he built the bike up. He wanted that spacing for the SON dynamo hub he had someone lace the Whiskey carbon rim to.The handle bar is a Jones Carbon H-Bar with the ESI made Jones grips and the requisite Rohloff shifter. The seat post is another Salsa Regulator, which I love. The saddle is a Salsa branded WTB Silverado, (I think it is a Silverado), and that may go if it is too narrow. (Looks like it) The rims are the aforementioned Whiskey carbon ones in a 70mm width. The tires are the 45NRTH Dunder/Flowbeist models. I'll probably just run those till they are done. Brakes are simple Avid BB-5's with Avid levers.

Can-o-gears

The crank is a Race Face Turbine with a Race Face ring. Obviously, pretty basic outboard drive train stuff because the business end is all inside the 14 speed Rohloff hub.

The Rohloff is the 170mm OD model which came out a few years ago. Basically the internal gear hub is pretty bomb proof. As long as I keep changing the oil when it needs it and keep up on the maintenance of the external cog/chain/chain ring, the drive train shouldn't ever let me down either. That was why I was dreaming one day of owning a Rohloff. That and there are no "dangly bits"to get whacked off during explorations and in nasty conditions. 

I have ridden the bike for a bit. I haven't owned a Rohloff equipped bike before, but I have worked on a lot of internal geared hub bikes and they all have one thing in common- They do not like being shifted under power. Unlike a derailleur drive train, you cannot just shift while mashing the pedals. There is a bit of a special "hiccup" you have to learn to shift a IGH. (Internally Geared Hub) This is especially true with a down shift to get up a hill. I will need a lot of practice before I get this down smoothly with the Rohloff.

I also need to tidy up the wiring on the awesome Busch and Mueller IQ-X lighting system. It works fine, but there is a lot of extra wire and it needs to be routed a bit more permanently. This is also my first dynamo hub experience and so far, I totally see the appeal. I have worked on dynamo hubs before and I have a basic understanding of them, but owning/living with one is going to be a new learning experience.

Basically the entire set up will require some familiarization on my part. Just getting wheels on and off will be a bit more involved than your typical bike due to the complexities with wires, cables, and whatnot. But that said, this bike........wow! Sam insisted several times when I got it from him Saturday that I have "adventures" on it, and get some good use out of it. That is the plan for sure. So stay tuned for a lot of that to happen in the coming weeks and months.

Once again...... Thank You! I am overwhelmed by this act of kindness.

A Big, Fat, Titanium Thank You

GT (L) and Sam Auen with the Ti Mukluk

Okay..... I'm not sure where to start with this, so I'll just go to the beginning of this story and hopefully it will all make sense. I'm still processing through what happened and I may never fully get my head around this, but here goes......

Several years ago, when I had my original Ti Muk, Ben Witt and I were gabbing about how "the perfect fat bike set up" would be a titanium frame and a Rohloff based drive train. Well, I already had my bike and a Rohloff is, while awesome, very expensive. That didn't stop Ben from trying though. He got a 2015 Titanium Mukluk frame and had built a rear wheel using a Whiskey carbon rim with a then new 170mm rear spaced Rohloff 14 speed internal geared hub. I remember seeing this in his basement when I stayed with him during the 2016 Fargo Reunion Ride.

Okay, fast forwrad a bit to when Sam Auen bought the partial rolling chassis from Ben and obtained another Whiskey carbon rim, (via from myself - long story), and built the bike up into rideable shape. Sam then added the bike to his fleet and did a few rides here and there on it. Then came the time when my good friend Sam realized he needed to "thin the herd". The Ti Muk was on the short list of candidates for him to shed off the fleet to someone who would use it more than he was.

Sam then posted the idea of selling the bike on social media where I jumped in and commented something to the effect that this was the "perfect fat bike set up" and that someone should own this dream bike. My intentions were to help bring some notice to Sam's trying to sell the bike because I wanted to help a friend. Then I forgot about it because it was a temptation I could ill afford anyway, even though I would have purchased it on the spot had I had the money. I figured some other lucky person would get it, and that would be that.

14 internal hub gears of doom.

Then this is where MG got involved. He texted me that very day asking about some things. One of the things mentioned was what I thought about Sam selling that bike. Did I really think that was a "dream build" for a fat bike? I responded to MG that I felt it was "the perfect fat bike set up" for me. That was that. We moved on to other things, and I went about my life, unsuspecting. MG, on the other hand, had a plan.

He contacted a list of people and got them, somehow or another, to contribute to an effort to make the bike mine. Their motivation for doing so was not, and is not, totally understood by me. MG wrote me and explained it this way

" It's funny how your influence stretches much farther than you might think. All of the people who donated have been touched by you and/or your work in one way or another....."

I still find this hard to believe.......

Anyway, it happened. I have the bike and a big list of people I need to thank, so this post is a public thank you to those folks. MG has said that these folks are okay with my publishing their names on the blog, (If you do have issue with that, let me know and I'll strike your name from the list, but I felt you all deserved recognition for this uncommon gesture). So this, in no particular order, are the folks who made it possible for me to get this awesome Ti Mukluk Saturday.

• Bobby & Crystal Wintle
• The Gibson family – Christy, Russ and Sofia
• Joe Billsbach
• Jason Boucher
• Bruce Currin
• Steve Fuller
• Corey Godfrey
• Ben Shockey
• John Wilmeth 
• Venny Alub
• Rob Evans
• Ed and Janelle Gerlach
• Gary Little
• Kristi and Tim Mohn
• Errin Vasquez
• Walter Zitz
• Timothy Stephen
• Todd Masters
• Jim Phillips
• Joe Reed
• Joe Pahr
• Warren Weibe
• Ben Welnak
• Matt Gersib
• Sam Auen

And here it is. Thanks doesn't say enough, but THANK YOU!

 So, this past weekend my family and I visited my good brother Sam, collected the bike, and brought it home finally. This arrangement by my other good brother, MG is mind blowing. Wow...... Anyway, still wrapping my brain around what happened.

So, I cannot express my feelings. I just don't have the words to show my gratitude here. So, I'll talk about the bike, since it is unusual and I''m sure some of you are curious.

The fork is from an Advocate Watchman fat bike. It was the only 150mm spaced fork Sam could get his hands on at the time he built the bike up. He wanted that spacing for the SON dynamo hub he had someone lace the Whiskey carbon rim to.The handle bar is a Jones Carbon H-Bar with the ESI made Jones grips and the requisite Rohloff shifter. The seat post is another Salsa Regulator, which I love. The saddle is a Salsa branded WTB Silverado, (I think it is a Silverado), and that may go if it is too narrow. (Looks like it) The rims are the aforementioned Whiskey carbon ones in a 70mm width. The tires are the 45NRTH Dunder/Flowbeist models. I'll probably just run those till they are done. Brakes are simple Avid BB-5's with Avid levers.

Can-o-gears

The crank is a Race Face Turbine with a Race Face ring. Obviously, pretty basic outboard drive train stuff because the business end is all inside the 14 speed Rohloff hub.

The Rohloff is the 170mm OD model which came out a few years ago. Basically the internal gear hub is pretty bomb proof. As long as I keep changing the oil when it needs it and keep up on the maintenance of the external cog/chain/chain ring, the drive train shouldn't ever let me down either. That was why I was dreaming one day of owning a Rohloff. That and there are no "dangly bits"to get whacked off during explorations and in nasty conditions. 

I have ridden the bike for a bit. I haven't owned a Rohloff equipped bike before, but I have worked on a lot of internal geared hub bikes and they all have one thing in common- They do not like being shifted under power. Unlike a derailleur drive train, you cannot just shift while mashing the pedals. There is a bit of a special "hiccup" you have to learn to shift a IGH. (Internally Geared Hub) This is especially true with a down shift to get up a hill. I will need a lot of practice before I get this down smoothly with the Rohloff.

I also need to tidy up the wiring on the awesome Busch and Mueller IQ-X lighting system. It works fine, but there is a lot of extra wire and it needs to be routed a bit more permanently. This is also my first dynamo hub experience and so far, I totally see the appeal. I have worked on dynamo hubs before and I have a basic understanding of them, but owning/living with one is going to be a new learning experience.

Basically the entire set up will require some familiarization on my part. Just getting wheels on and off will be a bit more involved than your typical bike due to the complexities with wires, cables, and whatnot. But that said, this bike........wow! Sam insisted several times when I got it from him Saturday that I have "adventures" on it, and get some good use out of it. That is the plan for sure. So stay tuned for a lot of that to happen in the coming weeks and months.

Once again...... Thank You! I am overwhelmed by this act of kindness.