Would You Pay For This?

A snip of a Facebook advertisement for "Beta" magazine.

 In 2006 or so, I was invited to go to a Gary Fisher/Trek press camp as part of "Twentynineinches.com", the 29"er MTB site I used to write for and was editor for a time. Back then, the owner, Tim, took me and we both attended this press camp as the only purely internet based writers in attendance. 

The rest of the room at this presentation was filled with print magazine editors and writers. People you've probably read, and people whose names you'd recognize yet today as being 'big time' journos. 

When the presentation was over, and one of those big-timers turned to Tim, my partner, and asked us when we'd be getting the story out to our audience. Tim smugly replied, "We already have it up.", as he turned his laptop around to show this man and a few others our website story which he wrote in real time during the presentation. 

This occurrence, to my mind, was the turning point. It was when web based news started to overtake traditional print media, eventually disrupting that industry to the point that many print magazines, newspapers, and periodicals went by the wayside. No longer would audiences be satisfied to have to wait on news. Not when it could be had instantaneously, or nearly so. Furthermore, 'news' was democratized to the point that when social media took a hold, everyone with a smart phone became a news gatherer/story teller. No longer would the world have a defined set of professionals whose dissemination of information was somewhat reliable. 'The News' basically became The Wild, Wild West. You probably get that by now......

I say all this because recently a new publication, online only, as far as I know, dubbed "Beta", rose from the ashes of "Bike" magazine, and hit the ground with a very controversial introductory post which drew the ire of many in the cycling journo ranks. Basically, it was very tone-deaf to current social issues and was steeped in misogynistic bike culture from yore. (Some would say it persists yet today, and I ain't arguing that point.) An apology was posted, and so I am not going to tread that ground here. Besides, that's not the real point.

The thing about "Beta", besides a weird name that does not evoke mountain biking at all to me, is that most of their content is behind a paywall. (Means ya gotta pay ta see it, dig?) I get that in these times you might want a paywall, because so much information is free, that writers have a difficult time getting paid for anything they create as content these days. And by 'writers' I mean anyone pounding a keyboard with regularity that has access to a working internet connection. Including me, by the way.

Now for context, I do subscribe to a site with a paywall called "The Athletic", which is where I followed one of my favorite NASCAR writers when that site hired him. My experience has been that one; I paid far too much since "The Athletic" regularly runs super-discounted subscriptions and I paid full boat. Secondly, that site often puts articles outside the paywall for general views and you never know which articles are what- pay or free- so it seems a bit cheap to do that to your subscribers. Thirdly, due to the previous point, I don't feel I am getting much value for my subscription, and I can get nearly identical coverage for free from outside that site.

So, this begs a question: Why pay for information I can get for free? Sure, there may be some exclusives given to "Beta" by different companies introducing new things, but typically, those are spread around to several outlets, so at some point you are going to be able to skirt that paywall easily. And of course, there is nothing to stop a paying reader to be the one to squawk on social media to gain some 'cred-likes' from their so-called 'friends' roster. And at that point, the cat is outta the bag anyway. 

Maybe you get some creativity and awesome imagery, or maybe you get access to things, or gifts, like what some folks get on Patreon for being supporters to a company, person, or whatever. Maybe the writers at "Beta" are so compelling and talented that I would just have to see what they are writing for fear of missing out. Maybe.... "Beta's" Editor in Chief, Nicole Formosa, was quoted in a recent article online posted by "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" where she addresses this point, "My team is tasked with a mandate to create dynamic content and introduce a variety of services and experiences — both virtual and in-person — that create value for POM's (Pocket Outdoor Media, the parent company of "Beta") Active Pass membership. To that end, our site is launching with a mix of high-impact video, beautiful photography, in-depth gear reviews (including the first video from our annual buyers' guide, The Beta Tests) and the kind of storytelling that will separate us from the competition."

Again- this doesn't seem compelling enough to my mind to pay for non-print info that isn't really anything different than I can get anywhere else, many times from "Beta's" own peers.  In my opinion, this is going to be a big climb. Can they make it?

Hmm.... Maybe someone can convince me otherwise, but I'd say that at this point, I'm not very convinced this will work.

Would You Pay For This?

A snip of a Facebook advertisement for "Beta" magazine.

 In 2006 or so, I was invited to go to a Gary Fisher/Trek press camp as part of "Twentynineinches.com", the 29"er MTB site I used to write for and was editor for a time. Back then, the owner, Tim, took me and we both attended this press camp as the only purely internet based writers in attendance. 

The rest of the room at this presentation was filled with print magazine editors and writers. People you've probably read, and people whose names you'd recognize yet today as being 'big time' journos. 

When the presentation was over, and one of those big-timers turned to Tim, my partner, and asked us when we'd be getting the story out to our audience. Tim smugly replied, "We already have it up.", as he turned his laptop around to show this man and a few others our website story which he wrote in real time during the presentation. 

This occurrence, to my mind, was the turning point. It was when web based news started to overtake traditional print media, eventually disrupting that industry to the point that many print magazines, newspapers, and periodicals went by the wayside. No longer would audiences be satisfied to have to wait on news. Not when it could be had instantaneously, or nearly so. Furthermore, 'news' was democratized to the point that when social media took a hold, everyone with a smart phone became a news gatherer/story teller. No longer would the world have a defined set of professionals whose dissemination of information was somewhat reliable. 'The News' basically became The Wild, Wild West. You probably get that by now......

I say all this because recently a new publication, online only, as far as I know, dubbed "Beta", rose from the ashes of "Bike" magazine, and hit the ground with a very controversial introductory post which drew the ire of many in the cycling journo ranks. Basically, it was very tone-deaf to current social issues and was steeped in misogynistic bike culture from yore. (Some would say it persists yet today, and I ain't arguing that point.) An apology was posted, and so I am not going to tread that ground here. Besides, that's not the real point.

The thing about "Beta", besides a weird name that does not evoke mountain biking at all to me, is that most of their content is behind a paywall. (Means ya gotta pay ta see it, dig?) I get that in these times you might want a paywall, because so much information is free, that writers have a difficult time getting paid for anything they create as content these days. And by 'writers' I mean anyone pounding a keyboard with regularity that has access to a working internet connection. Including me, by the way.

Now for context, I do subscribe to a site with a paywall called "The Athletic", which is where I followed one of my favorite NASCAR writers when that site hired him. My experience has been that one; I paid far too much since "The Athletic" regularly runs super-discounted subscriptions and I paid full boat. Secondly, that site often puts articles outside the paywall for general views and you never know which articles are what- pay or free- so it seems a bit cheap to do that to your subscribers. Thirdly, due to the previous point, I don't feel I am getting much value for my subscription, and I can get nearly identical coverage for free from outside that site.

So, this begs a question: Why pay for information I can get for free? Sure, there may be some exclusives given to "Beta" by different companies introducing new things, but typically, those are spread around to several outlets, so at some point you are going to be able to skirt that paywall easily. And of course, there is nothing to stop a paying reader to be the one to squawk on social media to gain some 'cred-likes' from their so-called 'friends' roster. And at that point, the cat is outta the bag anyway. 

Maybe you get some creativity and awesome imagery, or maybe you get access to things, or gifts, like what some folks get on Patreon for being supporters to a company, person, or whatever. Maybe the writers at "Beta" are so compelling and talented that I would just have to see what they are writing for fear of missing out. Maybe.... "Beta's" Editor in Chief, Nicole Formosa, was quoted in a recent article online posted by "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" where she addresses this point, "My team is tasked with a mandate to create dynamic content and introduce a variety of services and experiences — both virtual and in-person — that create value for POM's (Pocket Outdoor Media, the parent company of "Beta") Active Pass membership. To that end, our site is launching with a mix of high-impact video, beautiful photography, in-depth gear reviews (including the first video from our annual buyers' guide, The Beta Tests) and the kind of storytelling that will separate us from the competition."

Again- this doesn't seem compelling enough to my mind to pay for non-print info that isn't really anything different than I can get anywhere else, many times from "Beta's" own peers.  In my opinion, this is going to be a big climb. Can they make it?

Hmm.... Maybe someone can convince me otherwise, but I'd say that at this point, I'm not very convinced this will work.

Minus Ten Review 2009-41

Ten years ago I was extolling the virtues of single speed devices. Still am doing that.

Ten years ago on the blog I was chilling out and doing some work on some of my single speed rigs. I also was waiting patiently on any news on the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. The "festival" of 29"ers that was to occur near Brady, Nebraska at Potter's Pasture. But before I get wrapped up in the tale of ten year's ago, it may prove beneficial to you readers to recap the whole thread concerning the Ballyhoo idea.

I first was enamored of the idea of a barbecue/bike get-together when I read about what George Wissel was doing in Vermont via the old "Bike 29" blog. He was doing something he dubbed as a "Meat-Up", (where have you seen that before? Hint- Trans Iowa, and yes- I stole it from George!). The "Meat-Up" was essentially an excuse to gather up the 29"er faithful and have a hootenanny based loosely on the idea of mucking around on bicycles in the woods. It was all about fun. No real industry ties. No real organization necessary or desired.

The idea was perfect, and I was batting around the thought of doing something similar here in the Mid-West when my former head of operations at "Twenty Nine Inches", Tim Grahl, saw my meanderings on the subject and thought it should be something monetized for profit for the site. Well, we had a bit of back and forth, but with some industry interest voiced, Grahl's ideas won the day and the first "Big Wheeled Ballyhoo" was essentially an expo for 29"ers. Not my idea of a good time, although many of the Decorah people, where the event was held, tried to steer it in that direction. The event was kind of a dud, but there was enough potential there to encourage industry folks, Decorah folks, and Grahl to push for another go at it in 2008.

2008 was a disaster based upon the extreme weather and the effects it had on the expo/camping site. The event was cancelled. Grahl basically was no help whatsoever. He later basically abdicated all responsibilities for the websites he held later that year, and so the Ballyhoo idea was mine to do whatever I wanted to do with it. At the behest of MG and some other folks, it was decided to move the event to Potter's Pasture, although my initial idea was to put the event in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Fun" was back on the menu, but some industry interests pushed in and we had some sponsorship that year which was low key and cool. This was far more what I had in mind, but it wasn't to be.

As reported again in last week's "Minus Ten Review", my father in law suffered a stroke necessitating changed plans on my end. I could not attend. MG took over as the host, and no doubt the event would have been a success, but for the "wild card". The weather.

"Just got word that the site of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo was dumped on with 12-14 inches of snow last night. They decided to bag it and the event is off. Too bad really, a lot of work went into this. A lot of sweat equity on the part of the folks in Nebraska too."

That paragraph above is what I posted the morning the Ballyhoo was to kick off. It was a freak snow storm, and in my mind, it was a sign to quit. It just wasn't meant to be. Besides, at this point, going into 2010, 29"ers were not weird anymore. They were "mountain bikes" and 26"ers were obviously on their way out.  The unique factor was played out, and I couldn't see the point in basing an event on a gathering of "29"er freaks" when we weren't really freaks anymore. Which, in itself, was alright with me. I was happy to see 29"ers weren't going away anytime soon. Plus, I had enough crap on my plate to choke a horse. 

So, thus ended the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

Minus Ten Review 2009-41

Ten years ago I was extolling the virtues of single speed devices. Still am doing that.

Ten years ago on the blog I was chilling out and doing some work on some of my single speed rigs. I also was waiting patiently on any news on the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. The "festival" of 29"ers that was to occur near Brady, Nebraska at Potter's Pasture. But before I get wrapped up in the tale of ten year's ago, it may prove beneficial to you readers to recap the whole thread concerning the Ballyhoo idea.

I first was enamored of the idea of a barbecue/bike get-together when I read about what George Wissel was doing in Vermont via the old "Bike 29" blog. He was doing something he dubbed as a "Meat-Up", (where have you seen that before? Hint- Trans Iowa, and yes- I stole it from George!). The "Meat-Up" was essentially an excuse to gather up the 29"er faithful and have a hootenanny based loosely on the idea of mucking around on bicycles in the woods. It was all about fun. No real industry ties. No real organization necessary or desired.

The idea was perfect, and I was batting around the thought of doing something similar here in the Mid-West when my former head of operations at "Twenty Nine Inches", Tim Grahl, saw my meanderings on the subject and thought it should be something monetized for profit for the site. Well, we had a bit of back and forth, but with some industry interest voiced, Grahl's ideas won the day and the first "Big Wheeled Ballyhoo" was essentially an expo for 29"ers. Not my idea of a good time, although many of the Decorah people, where the event was held, tried to steer it in that direction. The event was kind of a dud, but there was enough potential there to encourage industry folks, Decorah folks, and Grahl to push for another go at it in 2008.

2008 was a disaster based upon the extreme weather and the effects it had on the expo/camping site. The event was cancelled. Grahl basically was no help whatsoever. He later basically abdicated all responsibilities for the websites he held later that year, and so the Ballyhoo idea was mine to do whatever I wanted to do with it. At the behest of MG and some other folks, it was decided to move the event to Potter's Pasture, although my initial idea was to put the event in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Fun" was back on the menu, but some industry interests pushed in and we had some sponsorship that year which was low key and cool. This was far more what I had in mind, but it wasn't to be.

As reported again in last week's "Minus Ten Review", my father in law suffered a stroke necessitating changed plans on my end. I could not attend. MG took over as the host, and no doubt the event would have been a success, but for the "wild card". The weather.

"Just got word that the site of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo was dumped on with 12-14 inches of snow last night. They decided to bag it and the event is off. Too bad really, a lot of work went into this. A lot of sweat equity on the part of the folks in Nebraska too."

That paragraph above is what I posted the morning the Ballyhoo was to kick off. It was a freak snow storm, and in my mind, it was a sign to quit. It just wasn't meant to be. Besides, at this point, going into 2010, 29"ers were not weird anymore. They were "mountain bikes" and 26"ers were obviously on their way out.  The unique factor was played out, and I couldn't see the point in basing an event on a gathering of "29"er freaks" when we weren't really freaks anymore. Which, in itself, was alright with me. I was happy to see 29"ers weren't going away anytime soon. Plus, I had enough crap on my plate to choke a horse. 

So, thus ended the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

Minus Ten Review 2009-33

The last one. The ill-fated 2009 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo poster.

Ten years ago this week on the blog there was a LOT of 29"er news. Gary Fisher Bikes, (remember that brand?) announced their new MTB's for 2010. It would be the last year that Gary Fisher would be a stand alone brand. But, of course, we didn't know that then.

I also had news of a 29" Maverick American bike with one of those Maverick American forks on it. Remember THAT brand?

Weird handle bars were still a big deal back then and several were introduced into the market. What was it about 29"ers and "alt bars"? Gotta say this- 29 inch wheeled bikes really opened up a can-o-worms not just in the wheel size realm, but in several other areas as well.

I also announced the details on the 2009 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. While it didn't all turn out the way I wanted it to, due to a family emergency and weather, this was the version I had in mind from the beginning. No vendors. No hoopla. Just a bunch of yahoos getting together to ride 29"ers. In fact, it was still too tied to media and the industry for my tastes. But whatever..... It was what it was.

Ah! The "what ifs" about this idea still haunt me to this day. Had I not listened to Tim Grahl and just done it my way, ya know? But you cannot re-live the past. Only learn from it. In fact, the failures of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo actually reinforced my desires to do better and to "do it my way" in regard to Trans Iowa. The lessons from this deal finally pushed me out of "Twenty Nine Inches" and into doing something else I really wanted to do. The lessons of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo helped me to end Trans Iowa in the way I wanted to do it.

So, while on the surface of it, the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo may seem like a colossal failure, it was not. It gave me some good lessons in life. It helped me forge friendships and I owe a lot to the event for that. Yes- I have regrets. But had it not gone the way that it did, who knows what my life would be like now.

Not as good, I bet.

Minus Ten Review 2009-33

The last one. The ill-fated 2009 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo poster.

Ten years ago this week on the blog there was a LOT of 29"er news. Gary Fisher Bikes, (remember that brand?) announced their new MTB's for 2010. It would be the last year that Gary Fisher would be a stand alone brand. But, of course, we didn't know that then.

I also had news of a 29" Maverick American bike with one of those Maverick American forks on it. Remember THAT brand?

Weird handle bars were still a big deal back then and several were introduced into the market. What was it about 29"ers and "alt bars"? Gotta say this- 29 inch wheeled bikes really opened up a can-o-worms not just in the wheel size realm, but in several other areas as well.

I also announced the details on the 2009 Big Wheeled Ballyhoo. While it didn't all turn out the way I wanted it to, due to a family emergency and weather, this was the version I had in mind from the beginning. No vendors. No hoopla. Just a bunch of yahoos getting together to ride 29"ers. In fact, it was still too tied to media and the industry for my tastes. But whatever..... It was what it was.

Ah! The "what ifs" about this idea still haunt me to this day. Had I not listened to Tim Grahl and just done it my way, ya know? But you cannot re-live the past. Only learn from it. In fact, the failures of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo actually reinforced my desires to do better and to "do it my way" in regard to Trans Iowa. The lessons from this deal finally pushed me out of "Twenty Nine Inches" and into doing something else I really wanted to do. The lessons of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo helped me to end Trans Iowa in the way I wanted to do it.

So, while on the surface of it, the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo may seem like a colossal failure, it was not. It gave me some good lessons in life. It helped me forge friendships and I owe a lot to the event for that. Yes- I have regrets. But had it not gone the way that it did, who knows what my life would be like now.

Not as good, I bet.

Minus Ten Review 2009-20

So, this was the poster for the last hurrah for this deal.

Ten years ago on the site I had just closed out the retelling of the Trans Iowa v5 story and was moving on. The next gig on my plate was The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo 2009.

Okay, so follow along here- The first one of these was in 2007. Two knuckleheads put the thing on and we were waaaay over our heads. But that said, it happened. It wasn't great, but it was not all that bad either. So, a second attempt was planned. Now, bear in mind that at this point I have zero idea of what a festival/mtb gathering/whatcha-ma-callit woodsie deal on bikes was supposed to look like for vendors and the industry. I mean, I knew how to have fun, but "fun" doesn't pay the bills and ya know..... The vendors have businesses to run.

So, 2008 comes along and the "BWB" is planned but major flooding ensues and the venue is not suitable for vendors or campers. I cancelled the event. Oh yes......did you notice the "I cancelled" part? Yes, I was ditched off on by Tim Grahl, the whole deal dumped into my lap with zero assistance on his end. bah! Then that precipitates the decision to move Trans Iowa. So, you'd think I'd have had enough sense to not do a Ballyhoo again. Nope. I was prevailed upon by a few folks to give it another go. Grahl ceded control of the website to me, and off I went. Well, the announcement was that the whole shebang was moving to Brady, Nebraska, which was the nearest village to the venue, I guess. I wanted to do the thing in Lincoln, but I was persuaded to try Potter's Pasture.

The rest of that crazy tale will be told later into the year.

In other news I committed to another Dirty Kanza 200, and my family was coming along with me. Also, my local reviewing friend in "Twenty Nine Inches" decided to quit. I understood why, but it did put the binders on me to step up my game.

So, I cannot recall now exactly when this happened, but by now I was taking Wednesdays off from wrenching on bicycles to do riding so I could review all the things entrusted to me to review. Good thing Mrs. Guitar Ted was supporting us, because I took another big hit financially, and of course, the website did not pay me squat to do all of that work.

Those were tough, tough days. Website crashes, bugs, spam attacks, monitoring comments on the site, learning web stuff, trying to make new advertiser relationships, and more. It was overwhelming. Then here I was trying to organize a festival. I shouldn't have been doing it. Too stubborn and loyal not to. See, I figured I owed the cycling community something back for what they had made of me. By 2009, "Guitar Ted" was a well known 29"er advocate. People treated me "weird", like I was some celebrity, and I thought it was......well, I didn't know what to think of it all. 

I remember telling Gary Fisher about it once, how I thought I was really just this "regular guy". He scoffed and said, "But you ARE Guitar Ted!"

Yep. He was correct. To a lot of people, I wasn't "just a regular guy". Just a short four years before no one had heard of me. This new thing was a blessing and a curse. It took me time to get used to it. In the meantime, I busted my head against the wall trying to make the website successful. Maybe someday it would turn around and I'd actually benefit from my work. That's what I thought anyway back ten years ago.

Minus Ten Review 2009-20

So, this was the poster for the last hurrah for this deal.

Ten years ago on the site I had just closed out the retelling of the Trans Iowa v5 story and was moving on. The next gig on my plate was The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo 2009.

Okay, so follow along here- The first one of these was in 2007. Two knuckleheads put the thing on and we were waaaay over our heads. But that said, it happened. It wasn't great, but it was not all that bad either. So, a second attempt was planned. Now, bear in mind that at this point I have zero idea of what a festival/mtb gathering/whatcha-ma-callit woodsie deal on bikes was supposed to look like for vendors and the industry. I mean, I knew how to have fun, but "fun" doesn't pay the bills and ya know..... The vendors have businesses to run.

So, 2008 comes along and the "BWB" is planned but major flooding ensues and the venue is not suitable for vendors or campers. I cancelled the event. Oh yes......did you notice the "I cancelled" part? Yes, I was ditched off on by Tim Grahl, the whole deal dumped into my lap with zero assistance on his end. bah! Then that precipitates the decision to move Trans Iowa. So, you'd think I'd have had enough sense to not do a Ballyhoo again. Nope. I was prevailed upon by a few folks to give it another go. Grahl ceded control of the website to me, and off I went. Well, the announcement was that the whole shebang was moving to Brady, Nebraska, which was the nearest village to the venue, I guess. I wanted to do the thing in Lincoln, but I was persuaded to try Potter's Pasture.

The rest of that crazy tale will be told later into the year.

In other news I committed to another Dirty Kanza 200, and my family was coming along with me. Also, my local reviewing friend in "Twenty Nine Inches" decided to quit. I understood why, but it did put the binders on me to step up my game.

So, I cannot recall now exactly when this happened, but by now I was taking Wednesdays off from wrenching on bicycles to do riding so I could review all the things entrusted to me to review. Good thing Mrs. Guitar Ted was supporting us, because I took another big hit financially, and of course, the website did not pay me squat to do all of that work.

Those were tough, tough days. Website crashes, bugs, spam attacks, monitoring comments on the site, learning web stuff, trying to make new advertiser relationships, and more. It was overwhelming. Then here I was trying to organize a festival. I shouldn't have been doing it. Too stubborn and loyal not to. See, I figured I owed the cycling community something back for what they had made of me. By 2009, "Guitar Ted" was a well known 29"er advocate. People treated me "weird", like I was some celebrity, and I thought it was......well, I didn't know what to think of it all. 

I remember telling Gary Fisher about it once, how I thought I was really just this "regular guy". He scoffed and said, "But you ARE Guitar Ted!"

Yep. He was correct. To a lot of people, I wasn't "just a regular guy". Just a short four years before no one had heard of me. This new thing was a blessing and a curse. It took me time to get used to it. In the meantime, I busted my head against the wall trying to make the website successful. Maybe someday it would turn around and I'd actually benefit from my work. That's what I thought anyway back ten years ago.

Minus Ten Review 2009-16

Gary Fisher grabbing a bite to eat at Sea Otter 2009

Sea Otter 2009. It was to be my last trip there, (so far), and it was by far the most fun trip there. My third year in a row of attending the event. I think back to that trip and find it so amazing even to this day.

I was not quite four years into blogging. Keep in mind that I was a "nobody", not even a blip on the radar, before this. No one had ever heard of me. Not that it matters one way or the other, but by 2009, I was going to Sea Otter, gabbing with Gary Fisher, and people I didn't even know were tapping me on the shoulder to tell me they appreciated what I was doing on the web. It's crazy. Still is.........I am so blown away by how blessed I have been in this gig called blogging, in the cycling industry, and from the standpoint of event promotion. I'm very thankful and I try to be mindful of my privilege. I will continue to strive to make all this a better thing than when I came into it. It is the least I can do to thank you, everyone, this industry.....

Anyway- Sea Otter. Yeah.... I was in cahoots with Arleigh Jenkins at this point. She had been a part of the recently closed up "Crooked Cog Network". She had convinced me that we could continue the work under a new banner dubbed "The Cyclistsite". (It still exists, but the URL was bought by another entity after we let it lapse) We made a press release and handed it out at Sea Otter. I saw her  maybe twice while I was there. Weird for someone who you might think of as a "partner", but I was in uncharted waters here. Tim Grahl had given me "Twenty Nine Inches" at this point, but that was a tenuous deal, and I was still stressed out about that. Added to that was the impending T.I.v5, and now this debut. I was pretty overwhelmed. Way over my head.

To compound matters after only a couple of months Arleigh sent me an e-mail telling me she was bailing out on the "Cyclistsite". So, I went through all of that stress only to be left standing at the alter, so to speak. Oh well...... Misplaced trust. It's a thing. Good thing Grannygear was willing to step in and take up the reins which kept that site going for a few years into the future.

The last view I had of Sea Otter taken as I left the venue in 2009. A foggy day made for dramatic lighting.

The Grahl deal came through, everything he promised, and that was a big surprise. A rental car, room, airfare to and from- it all was covered. I guess that was my severance package, or back pay, or was meant to assuage me for broken promises. I don't know. Probably never will. It was all a bit surreal. It reminds me how communication goes a long way in making relationships work right.

While I was there I got lost and found myself on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Carmel By The Sea. I saw quaint cottages draped in vegetation, flowers in abundance, and tight, narrow lanes. I saw stuff that in Iowa would cost well below $100,000 but because it was California and on the ocean, it was probably multi-millions of dollars in real estate. Mind boggling. I ate at a McDonald's for breakfast three days in a row and saw the same two guys, old hippies, each morning having coffee. It was fun eavesdropping in on their memories of being beach bums. I drove through old Fort Ord every day on my way to the venue. It was all like a dream. Faded into the mists of time now......

I came back with a short stretch to T.I.v5. There was a LOT to get into order in a short two weeks time.

Minus Ten Review 2009-16

Gary Fisher grabbing a bite to eat at Sea Otter 2009

Sea Otter 2009. It was to be my last trip there, (so far), and it was by far the most fun trip there. My third year in a row of attending the event. I think back to that trip and find it so amazing even to this day.

I was not quite four years into blogging. Keep in mind that I was a "nobody", not even a blip on the radar, before this. No one had ever heard of me. Not that it matters one way or the other, but by 2009, I was going to Sea Otter, gabbing with Gary Fisher, and people I didn't even know were tapping me on the shoulder to tell me they appreciated what I was doing on the web. It's crazy. Still is.........I am so blown away by how blessed I have been in this gig called blogging, in the cycling industry, and from the standpoint of event promotion. I'm very thankful and I try to be mindful of my privilege. I will continue to strive to make all this a better thing than when I came into it. It is the least I can do to thank you, everyone, this industry.....

Anyway- Sea Otter. Yeah.... I was in cahoots with Arleigh Jenkins at this point. She had been a part of the recently closed up "Crooked Cog Network". She had convinced me that we could continue the work under a new banner dubbed "The Cyclistsite". (It still exists, but the URL was bought by another entity after we let it lapse) We made a press release and handed it out at Sea Otter. I saw her  maybe twice while I was there. Weird for someone who you might think of as a "partner", but I was in uncharted waters here. Tim Grahl had given me "Twenty Nine Inches" at this point, but that was a tenuous deal, and I was still stressed out about that. Added to that was the impending T.I.v5, and now this debut. I was pretty overwhelmed. Way over my head.

To compound matters after only a couple of months Arleigh sent me an e-mail telling me she was bailing out on the "Cyclistsite". So, I went through all of that stress only to be left standing at the alter, so to speak. Oh well...... Misplaced trust. It's a thing. Good thing Grannygear was willing to step in and take up the reins which kept that site going for a few years into the future.

The last view I had of Sea Otter taken as I left the venue in 2009. A foggy day made for dramatic lighting.

The Grahl deal came through, everything he promised, and that was a big surprise. A rental car, room, airfare to and from- it all was covered. I guess that was my severance package, or back pay, or was meant to assuage me for broken promises. I don't know. Probably never will. It was all a bit surreal. It reminds me how communication goes a long way in making relationships work right.

While I was there I got lost and found myself on the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Carmel By The Sea. I saw quaint cottages draped in vegetation, flowers in abundance, and tight, narrow lanes. I saw stuff that in Iowa would cost well below $100,000 but because it was California and on the ocean, it was probably multi-millions of dollars in real estate. Mind boggling. I ate at a McDonald's for breakfast three days in a row and saw the same two guys, old hippies, each morning having coffee. It was fun eavesdropping in on their memories of being beach bums. I drove through old Fort Ord every day on my way to the venue. It was all like a dream. Faded into the mists of time now......

I came back with a short stretch to T.I.v5. There was a LOT to get into order in a short two weeks time.

Minus Ten Review 2009-15

Rules Of Single Speed Engagement

Ten years ago this week on the blog I had two main things on my mind. Sea Otter and Trans Iowa v5. Sea Otter was a weird deal. It was all being paid for quietly by Tim Grahl. He sent me an email saying that all the arrangements had been made, a rental car, room, and airfare to and from- all paid for, and all I had to do was pack up and go.

This was odd since up until that weird e-mail I hadn't heard much from Grahl and any efforts on my end to contact him were generally labored and often ignored. By this time it had been agreed that "Twenty Nine Inches" was my baby, and I owned it. But beyond that, there were a LOT of uncertainties, especially on the monetized end, which I suspect went on in favor of Grahl for sometime until Grannygear helped me to swipe the old for a new, revamped "Twenty Nine Inches" site later on in 2010.

I just recall that it was odd not knowing for certain if everything was going to happen the way Grahl said it would. I mean, I could get out there and there may be an issue with the rental car. Then what? I had no way to contact him, or have any recourse. That was a stressful situation, but my plan was to get on the plane and see what would happen.

Of course, Trans Iowa plans were coming to a point. That was also very stressful, as at this point we were still not sure where a pre-race meeting would be held. Cues needed to be done yet, and details with sponsors, volunteers, and more were all still very much not nailed down yet. But that was par for the course with Trans Iowa up to that point.

I also posted a bit about single speed gearing that week derrived from a conversation I had with Brent Gale of Twin Six. I called it "T-6 Brent's Rule of Single Speeding" Basically, it was a plan to get stronger by not being complacent and end up sticking with the same ratio for ever. It was a fun rule, and actually, it works, if you apply yourself. Of course, it has its limits too, but as a way to challenge your fitness and prowess on a single gear? Pretty fine wisdom there, I'd say. 

Minus Ten Review 2009-15

Rules Of Single Speed Engagement

Ten years ago this week on the blog I had two main things on my mind. Sea Otter and Trans Iowa v5. Sea Otter was a weird deal. It was all being paid for quietly by Tim Grahl. He sent me an email saying that all the arrangements had been made, a rental car, room, and airfare to and from- all paid for, and all I had to do was pack up and go.

This was odd since up until that weird e-mail I hadn't heard much from Grahl and any efforts on my end to contact him were generally labored and often ignored. By this time it had been agreed that "Twenty Nine Inches" was my baby, and I owned it. But beyond that, there were a LOT of uncertainties, especially on the monetized end, which I suspect went on in favor of Grahl for sometime until Grannygear helped me to swipe the old for a new, revamped "Twenty Nine Inches" site later on in 2010.

I just recall that it was odd not knowing for certain if everything was going to happen the way Grahl said it would. I mean, I could get out there and there may be an issue with the rental car. Then what? I had no way to contact him, or have any recourse. That was a stressful situation, but my plan was to get on the plane and see what would happen.

Of course, Trans Iowa plans were coming to a point. That was also very stressful, as at this point we were still not sure where a pre-race meeting would be held. Cues needed to be done yet, and details with sponsors, volunteers, and more were all still very much not nailed down yet. But that was par for the course with Trans Iowa up to that point.

I also posted a bit about single speed gearing that week derrived from a conversation I had with Brent Gale of Twin Six. I called it "T-6 Brent's Rule of Single Speeding" Basically, it was a plan to get stronger by not being complacent and end up sticking with the same ratio for ever. It was a fun rule, and actually, it works, if you apply yourself. Of course, it has its limits too, but as a way to challenge your fitness and prowess on a single gear? Pretty fine wisdom there, I'd say. 

Minus Ten Review 2009-4

The Lynskey Ridgeline frame announced in 2009.

Ten years ago this week I was snowed in and not doing much riding. There were things going on nonetheless. First and foremost was a tidbit I slid in on a post, under the radar, but was, in fact, a huge deal in my life.

I got the reins, officially, of "Twenty Nine Inches", the website which was all about 29"ers. The deal I had been offered was to take control of the old "Crooked Cog Network", but in reality all I got out of the deal was two of the five or so websites associated with that old network.

So, basically the only good thing that came out of it was that I didn't have to deal with Mr. Grahl any longer. Well.......sort of. There was one last hurrah that happened which will get talked about in the coming months. Then the other good thing was that I had started to get a handle on all the things that, previously, had been beyond my reach. But I will tell you now that without having met Grannygear the previous fall at Interbike, "Twenty Nine Inches" would have folded in 2009. The technical acumen necessary to run things was not passed on to me by the former owner.

Anyway, that was all in the background. I never did post anything about my troubles and travails which were going on then. I did post about a Lynskey titanium mtb frame, which I ended up getting in to test, and I also reported that I got in on CIRREM, the early season gravel event held down in Madison County every late Winter. So, I had an event to get ready for. That was a bit concerning at that time! I hadn't been getting out to do much of anything, and I had about a month to get in gear!

Minus Ten Review 2009-4

The Lynskey Ridgeline frame announced in 2009.

Ten years ago this week I was snowed in and not doing much riding. There were things going on nonetheless. First and foremost was a tidbit I slid in on a post, under the radar, but was, in fact, a huge deal in my life.

I got the reins, officially, of "Twenty Nine Inches", the website which was all about 29"ers. The deal I had been offered was to take control of the old "Crooked Cog Network", but in reality all I got out of the deal was two of the five or so websites associated with that old network.

So, basically the only good thing that came out of it was that I didn't have to deal with Mr. Grahl any longer. Well.......sort of. There was one last hurrah that happened which will get talked about in the coming months. Then the other good thing was that I had started to get a handle on all the things that, previously, had been beyond my reach. But I will tell you now that without having met Grannygear the previous fall at Interbike, "Twenty Nine Inches" would have folded in 2009. The technical acumen necessary to run things was not passed on to me by the former owner.

Anyway, that was all in the background. I never did post anything about my troubles and travails which were going on then. I did post about a Lynskey titanium mtb frame, which I ended up getting in to test, and I also reported that I got in on CIRREM, the early season gravel event held down in Madison County every late Winter. So, I had an event to get ready for. That was a bit concerning at that time! I hadn't been getting out to do much of anything, and I had about a month to get in gear!

Minus Ten Review- 52

Ten years ago on the blog I was doing all the year end stuff you see now on the blog, so there really wasn't anything news worthy that got posted up. But behind the scenes there was a LOT going on.

It seemed all prearranged somehow, but just as Tim Grahl seemed to be turning his back on his promises to me, and leaving us all who were contributing to a few of his sites in the lurch, along comes the cavalry to save the day. That came in the form of a guy from SoCal who went by the curious name of "Grannygear" online. He and I found each other at Interbike in 2008, and that was not by accident, nor by chance. Grannygear ended up keeping things going when I was ready to throw in the towel on "Twenty Nine Inches".

Between Grannygear and I, and Grahl's finally just giving me the site in the end, we kept things afloat in '08. Things got even better when a German native named "CG" online also started contributing along about this time as well. Between the three of us, we brought back the site from near death at the end of 2008. 

I was in a big time funk though at the turn of the year. I was in the midst of all of this craziness with the site, and there were a few other irons in the fire starting in 2009 which I'll get to later in other "Minus Ten Reviews". 

Meanwhile we had a Trans Iowa to run in 2009, I had review stuff to do, and life forged on......

Minus Ten Review- 52

Ten years ago on the blog I was doing all the year end stuff you see now on the blog, so there really wasn't anything news worthy that got posted up. But behind the scenes there was a LOT going on.

It seemed all prearranged somehow, but just as Tim Grahl seemed to be turning his back on his promises to me, and leaving us all who were contributing to a few of his sites in the lurch, along comes the cavalry to save the day. That came in the form of a guy from SoCal who went by the curious name of "Grannygear" online. He and I found each other at Interbike in 2008, and that was not by accident, nor by chance. Grannygear ended up keeping things going when I was ready to throw in the towel on "Twenty Nine Inches".

Between Grannygear and I, and Grahl's finally just giving me the site in the end, we kept things afloat in '08. Things got even better when a German native named "CG" online also started contributing along about this time as well. Between the three of us, we brought back the site from near death at the end of 2008. 

I was in a big time funk though at the turn of the year. I was in the midst of all of this craziness with the site, and there were a few other irons in the fire starting in 2009 which I'll get to later in other "Minus Ten Reviews". 

Meanwhile we had a Trans Iowa to run in 2009, I had review stuff to do, and life forged on......

Minus Ten Review- 49

From the inaugural Trans Iowa- Jeff Kerkove. (Photographer unknown)

Ten years ago here I was floating the idea about doing a historical archive for Trans Iowa events. The real story here is that I was already in the midst of putting that together. I wasn't going to release it though unless I got feedback that it was something folks wanted.

This all came at a time when I was doing some rearranging behind the scenes. First, I was in the throes of possibly not doing anything with "Twenty Nine Inches" or the "Crooked Cog Network", which was started by Tim Grahl and which he was, or had already, walked away from.

Things behind the scenes at those Grahl owned sites were in total chaos. No one knew what was going on and Grahl was unresponsive to our requests for information. I ended up getting a few short replies regarding a possibility of my buying the site "Twenty Nine Inches", but after I refused to pay anything, the site was ceded over to me sometime in the beginning of 2009.

Then there was the "Gravel Grinder News" calendar, which I had hosted on Blogger, and I was considering changing that to something else. Originally the site was the Trans Iowa site, as I nixed plans for a new Guitar Ted Productions site which I was going to move over to Wordpress. That site became the Trans Iowa History site in the end. The GGN site had "transiowahistory.blogspot.com" as its' address, (or something along those lines, I cannot find that now), and that was kind of not ideal. I had intended all along to do a proper GGN addressed site, and eventually, in 2013, it became a reality.

But anyway- the Trans Iowa History site got a big thumbs up and it still exists. But you'll notice the address is "guitarted1961" and now you know why. Well, that story and I had no clue what I was doing! I've learned a trick or two in ten years, but back then, it should be pointed out that I had only been writing and doing stuff on the internet for three years. 

 

Minus Ten Review- 49

From the inaugural Trans Iowa- Jeff Kerkove. (Photographer unknown)

Ten years ago here I was floating the idea about doing a historical archive for Trans Iowa events. The real story here is that I was already in the midst of putting that together. I wasn't going to release it though unless I got feedback that it was something folks wanted.

This all came at a time when I was doing some rearranging behind the scenes. First, I was in the throes of possibly not doing anything with "Twenty Nine Inches" or the "Crooked Cog Network", which was started by Tim Grahl and which he was, or had already, walked away from.

Things behind the scenes at those Grahl owned sites were in total chaos. No one knew what was going on and Grahl was unresponsive to our requests for information. I ended up getting a few short replies regarding a possibility of my buying the site "Twenty Nine Inches", but after I refused to pay anything, the site was ceded over to me sometime in the beginning of 2009.

Then there was the "Gravel Grinder News" calendar, which I had hosted on Blogger, and I was considering changing that to something else. Originally the site was the Trans Iowa site, as I nixed plans for a new Guitar Ted Productions site which I was going to move over to Wordpress. That site became the Trans Iowa History site in the end. The GGN site had "transiowahistory.blogspot.com" as its' address, (or something along those lines, I cannot find that now), and that was kind of not ideal. I had intended all along to do a proper GGN addressed site, and eventually, in 2013, it became a reality.

But anyway- the Trans Iowa History site got a big thumbs up and it still exists. But you'll notice the address is "guitarted1961" and now you know why. Well, that story and I had no clue what I was doing! I've learned a trick or two in ten years, but back then, it should be pointed out that I had only been writing and doing stuff on the internet for three years. 

 

Minus Ten Review - 47

You get this instead of a big, blank white square.

Ten Years ago on the blog here I was chugging along doing all sorts of things. I was testing product for "Twenty Nine Inches". I was riding a lot. There was Trans Iowa v5 recon going on. There were topics discussed.....

But forgive me if I sound bitter. This period was the height of my trust in the former owner of the "Crooked Cog Network" who had me dumping all my images into a hosting site which he pretty much insisted that I use. He was paying the fee to the hosting company to hold all our images. Unfortunately, it was at about this time that he stopped paying the hosting site and unbeknownst to me one day that hosting site pulled their support of our images and my stuff was gone since it was linked back to that site.

My bad for not backing up my stuff on my own hard drive. It literally showed how naive I was about anything to do with the "innergoogles". Remember, I had only just begun to do anything regularly on the internet just a few short years before this. Basically, I had no real experience doing anything on the computer. In fat, Jeff Kerkove, who pretty much insisted I start blogging, did a lot of my "behind the scenes" formatting in the earlier years here. Once he had left for Ergon, and Colorado, I relied on Tim Grahl for technical assistance.

Then that failed me. This was a pretty big turning point in my life. December and January of 2008/09 were very stressful times for me. I had been hung out to dry by my "employer", who never did come through on any of his promises of paying me. I had no backend support on the site, or for my blog. I didn't know anyone well versed in the things I needed to know that could find time to help me out. In fact, I nearly walked away from all of it back then.

But I didn't, obviously. That story will play out in the coming weeks and months.

Minus Ten Review - 47

You get this instead of a big, blank white square.

Ten Years ago on the blog here I was chugging along doing all sorts of things. I was testing product for "Twenty Nine Inches". I was riding a lot. There was Trans Iowa v5 recon going on. There were topics discussed.....

But forgive me if I sound bitter. This period was the height of my trust in the former owner of the "Crooked Cog Network" who had me dumping all my images into a hosting site which he pretty much insisted that I use. He was paying the fee to the hosting company to hold all our images. Unfortunately, it was at about this time that he stopped paying the hosting site and unbeknownst to me one day that hosting site pulled their support of our images and my stuff was gone since it was linked back to that site.

My bad for not backing up my stuff on my own hard drive. It literally showed how naive I was about anything to do with the "innergoogles". Remember, I had only just begun to do anything regularly on the internet just a few short years before this. Basically, I had no real experience doing anything on the computer. In fat, Jeff Kerkove, who pretty much insisted I start blogging, did a lot of my "behind the scenes" formatting in the earlier years here. Once he had left for Ergon, and Colorado, I relied on Tim Grahl for technical assistance.

Then that failed me. This was a pretty big turning point in my life. December and January of 2008/09 were very stressful times for me. I had been hung out to dry by my "employer", who never did come through on any of his promises of paying me. I had no backend support on the site, or for my blog. I didn't know anyone well versed in the things I needed to know that could find time to help me out. In fact, I nearly walked away from all of it back then.

But I didn't, obviously. That story will play out in the coming weeks and months.