Friday News And Views

The Horsethief Carbon XT for 2023 Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

 Salsa Cycles Shows Updates To Horsethief FS Bikes:

Salsa Cycles released the new colors and spec on the range of Horsethief full suspension bikes that they offer. 

Salsa has resisted the current theme many MTB companies use for their designs which make for a bent toward "gravity" oriented styles of riding. 

I like that Salsa hasn't gone all-in on that. Yes- these are not honed for Mid-West single track specifically, but they won't suck if you ride them here either. That's a nice nod to those many off-road bicyclists that do not live in mountainous areas. 

There is a lot more news if you are curious, and I'm sure many sites are covering this, or you could go to Salsa Cycles site and learn more. 

A snippet from the Trek Travel site

Used Bikes For Sale Direct?

It is no secret that Direct To Consumer sales are being done, or 'sort-of' being done, by most bigger bicycle companies nowadays. New bikes typically are sold nearly built, or in many cases direct to the local bike shop, where customers can then collect them, but avoid working through the local shop for payment. 

But recently I came across Trek Travel's site selling used bicycles at big discounts. I would assume that these were the same bikes used for Trek Travel's tours over the past year, and now they are liquidating them via D2C over the internet. 

Comments: I am 100% speculating here, but HPC/eBikes in the upper echelon of price range are not an easy sell for a local bike shop. Think about how a dealer might feel if they had an 8K HPC road bike like that Domane+ sitting on the floor and a customer came in and told them that they bought one "just like that", (disregarding that it was used, of course!), from Trek Travel for 40% off of the asking price. 

I'm sure that gives dealers a warm fuzzy feeling. But I could be wrong...... 

Tumbleweed Stargazer Ti. Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bikes

Tumbleweed Bikes Announces Ti Stargazer:

Last year I posted about the then new Tumbleweed Stargazer and said it was a "modernized Fargo Gen I" bike. That bike is a steel bike, and the next logical step for the Stargazer was to have it made in titanium.

Well, Tumbleweed has taken that 'next step', and the new Stargazer Ti is on pre-order. 

Tumbleweed copy on that linked page makes it sound as if this is a one-time deal, so if that Stargazer in steel was tempting you, but you needed it to be titanium, don't miss your chance, I guess.... Although things can always change, and I imagine that if enough orders went unfulfilled you'd have to think Tumbleweed would find a way to accommodate those potential sales. 

One thing I missed, I think, about the Stargazer was that it has a crazy "stack height" figure, which means that the handle bar would end up a lot higher in space than on many of my other bikes. Not sure I'd be about that. Otherwise, this seems like a solid choice for an adventure/bike packing rig. 

The Gravel Earth Series appears to be a European affair.

Gravel Earth Series Announced:

A new, a mostly European based, seven event series, dubbed "Gravel Earth Series", has been announced for 2023. 

With a promise that the organization behind the Gravel Earth Series is "..ready to change the rules", the series seems to draw at least some of its inspiration from Lincoln, Nebraska's Gravel Worlds. The event organizers claim a vision to: ".... make a dream come true, uniting some of the most impressive events in the world. The Gravel Earth Series was born with the aim of driving Gravel to the highest standards."

The first six events will set up the finale, (location is to be determined) and will be based off a points system set up by the organizers. Dates and more event information are on the site. Also, interested parties can sign up for their newsletter to keep abreast of the developments. 

Comments: Their site has a very annoying "dot" that follows your cursor around like an unwanted horsefly. Man! I generally don't comment on site formatting, but that's a new one on me that drove me crazy.Anyway.....

Their rules, which are......ah.....vague? Yeah.... The rules are more vision casting than actual rules. The points system seemed a bit complex to me, but okay. That's probably just me. Three categories, no mention of age groups, claims for lots of socializing (parties), and the like. Sounds like the venues are super cool. I look forward to hearing more about this. 

Grip Grab Overshoes: Image courtesy of Grip Grab

Grip Grab Gravel Overshoes:

The European based company, Grip Grab, has a new "Explorer" overshoe for gravel riding which is pretty interesting. It is waterproof, highly stretchable (probably a good thing) and has reinforcements in important places to enhance durability.

The Explorer overshoe is not distributed in the US yet, but you could order this direct from Grip Grab for about $95.00 plus shipping.

Comments:  First off, I have a few bad experiences with overshoe type covers and therefore I may be a bit more inclined to have a negative view of anything like these Explorer overshoes. That said, can you imagine pulling these on and off without a zipper of any kind? Or not having any other opening at all besides the leg opening?

I think the idea is sound, but the execution of the idea puts me off. The last thing I'd want to do after a muddy, wet, cold ride is to wrestle with a long overshoe, trying to peel it off over my shoes. No thank you! 

Especially when things like this or this exist which have no possibility of letting the elements in, and come off your feet far easier. (I know- There are other examples as well) Comparing those examples to this Grip Grab product, there is no cleat hole to accumulate and cause ingress of cold, wet mud, snow, or ice to allow those elements to suck the heat out from the bottom of your feet. There is no possibility that the cleat screw mounting hole of you cycling shoes allowing water to find its way to your foot. Basically, there are none of those overshoe's shortcomings. 

Hey, maybe it works as an idea for you, so don't let me yuck on your yum, (as N.Y. Roll is fond of saying). But I just have a hard time seeing how this would be any fun to use for my type of riding.
 

Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Have a fantastic weekend.

Friday News And Views

The Horsethief Carbon XT for 2023 Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

 Salsa Cycles Shows Updates To Horsethief FS Bikes:

Salsa Cycles released the new colors and spec on the range of Horsethief full suspension bikes that they offer. 

Salsa has resisted the current theme many MTB companies use for their designs which make for a bent toward "gravity" oriented styles of riding. 

I like that Salsa hasn't gone all-in on that. Yes- these are not honed for Mid-West single track specifically, but they won't suck if you ride them here either. That's a nice nod to those many off-road bicyclists that do not live in mountainous areas. 

There is a lot more news if you are curious, and I'm sure many sites are covering this, or you could go to Salsa Cycles site and learn more. 

A snippet from the Trek Travel site

Used Bikes For Sale Direct?

It is no secret that Direct To Consumer sales are being done, or 'sort-of' being done, by most bigger bicycle companies nowadays. New bikes typically are sold nearly built, or in many cases direct to the local bike shop, where customers can then collect them, but avoid working through the local shop for payment. 

But recently I came across Trek Travel's site selling used bicycles at big discounts. I would assume that these were the same bikes used for Trek Travel's tours over the past year, and now they are liquidating them via D2C over the internet. 

Comments: I am 100% speculating here, but HPC/eBikes in the upper echelon of price range are not an easy sell for a local bike shop. Think about how a dealer might feel if they had an 8K HPC road bike like that Domane+ sitting on the floor and a customer came in and told them that they bought one "just like that", (disregarding that it was used, of course!), from Trek Travel for 40% off of the asking price. 

I'm sure that gives dealers a warm fuzzy feeling. But I could be wrong...... 

Tumbleweed Stargazer Ti. Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bikes

Tumbleweed Bikes Announces Ti Stargazer:

Last year I posted about the then new Tumbleweed Stargazer and said it was a "modernized Fargo Gen I" bike. That bike is a steel bike, and the next logical step for the Stargazer was to have it made in titanium.

Well, Tumbleweed has taken that 'next step', and the new Stargazer Ti is on pre-order. 

Tumbleweed copy on that linked page makes it sound as if this is a one-time deal, so if that Stargazer in steel was tempting you, but you needed it to be titanium, don't miss your chance, I guess.... Although things can always change, and I imagine that if enough orders went unfulfilled you'd have to think Tumbleweed would find a way to accommodate those potential sales. 

One thing I missed, I think, about the Stargazer was that it has a crazy "stack height" figure, which means that the handle bar would end up a lot higher in space than on many of my other bikes. Not sure I'd be about that. Otherwise, this seems like a solid choice for an adventure/bike packing rig. 

The Gravel Earth Series appears to be a European affair.

Gravel Earth Series Announced:

A new, a mostly European based, seven event series, dubbed "Gravel Earth Series", has been announced for 2023. 

With a promise that the organization behind the Gravel Earth Series is "..ready to change the rules", the series seems to draw at least some of its inspiration from Lincoln, Nebraska's Gravel Worlds. The event organizers claim a vision to: ".... make a dream come true, uniting some of the most impressive events in the world. The Gravel Earth Series was born with the aim of driving Gravel to the highest standards."

The first six events will set up the finale, (location is to be determined) and will be based off a points system set up by the organizers. Dates and more event information are on the site. Also, interested parties can sign up for their newsletter to keep abreast of the developments. 

Comments: Their site has a very annoying "dot" that follows your cursor around like an unwanted horsefly. Man! I generally don't comment on site formatting, but that's a new one on me that drove me crazy.Anyway.....

Their rules, which are......ah.....vague? Yeah.... The rules are more vision casting than actual rules. The points system seemed a bit complex to me, but okay. That's probably just me. Three categories, no mention of age groups, claims for lots of socializing (parties), and the like. Sounds like the venues are super cool. I look forward to hearing more about this. 

Grip Grab Overshoes: Image courtesy of Grip Grab

Grip Grab Gravel Overshoes:

The European based company, Grip Grab, has a new "Explorer" overshoe for gravel riding which is pretty interesting. It is waterproof, highly stretchable (probably a good thing) and has reinforcements in important places to enhance durability.

The Explorer overshoe is not distributed in the US yet, but you could order this direct from Grip Grab for about $95.00 plus shipping.

Comments:  First off, I have a few bad experiences with overshoe type covers and therefore I may be a bit more inclined to have a negative view of anything like these Explorer overshoes. That said, can you imagine pulling these on and off without a zipper of any kind? Or not having any other opening at all besides the leg opening?

I think the idea is sound, but the execution of the idea puts me off. The last thing I'd want to do after a muddy, wet, cold ride is to wrestle with a long overshoe, trying to peel it off over my shoes. No thank you! 

Especially when things like this or this exist which have no possibility of letting the elements in, and come off your feet far easier. (I know- There are other examples as well) Comparing those examples to this Grip Grab product, there is no cleat hole to accumulate and cause ingress of cold, wet mud, snow, or ice to allow those elements to suck the heat out from the bottom of your feet. There is no possibility that the cleat screw mounting hole of you cycling shoes allowing water to find its way to your foot. Basically, there are none of those overshoe's shortcomings. 

Hey, maybe it works as an idea for you, so don't let me yuck on your yum, (as N.Y. Roll is fond of saying). But I just have a hard time seeing how this would be any fun to use for my type of riding.
 

Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Have a fantastic weekend.

Like A Modernized Gen I

The Tumbleweed Stargazer. Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bikes.

 In 2008 I laid eyes on my first Fargo. It was ridden to a Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational ride that year at Hickory Hills County Park in Iowa, just a wee bit South of where I live. 

The bike's rider, Jason Boucher, then the Brand Manager of Salsa Cycles, was a very proud 'papa' that day. He was getting out Salsa's latest bike, a bike that would help to redefine the company, give it its own legacy under QBP's ownership, and arguably was the bike that kicked off the whole bikepacking/adventure biking craze which is still happening to this day. 

We got to see an actual production prototype, which was just how the bike came out later in the Fall that year. But we didn't get to see the model name. Jason had covered that up so loose lips could not spill the beans on the bike's name. What he used to cover that name up with- a strip of black electrical tape- became the bike's unofficial name for about a month and a half. "Black Electrical Tape" was a big hit already with many of us 29"er/gravel freaks, and when the name "Fargo" was revealed, well the enthusiasm for this bike was enormous. 

Since that Summer sneak-peek at the GTDRI, the Fargo has gone on to become the longest lived model in Salsa's line. It is there for good reason. The bike is versatile, comfortable, and does what it does very well. However; there was never a bike- a "Fargo Gen I" - like that 2008/9-2010 one. After Salsa started tweaking the bike, all that charm and non-suspension corrected glory went missing. 

The Singular Gryphon- Not influenced by the Fargo!

There have been many very similar bikes which have graced the Earth's byways introduced since. The Singular Gryphon, designed simultaneously alongside the Fargo's timeline, was not influenced by the Fargo. But it never really gained the notoriety that the Fargo did. However; since the Fargo/Gryphon introductions in the late 2000's, we've seen plenty of other players taking cues from the drop bar MTB/Gravel/Bikepacking pages which were largely written by Salsa's Fargo. 

The Bombtrack Beyond, Kona Sutra, Breezer Radar, and many others have tried to bring that Fargo-flavor. Some do it well, others.....? meh! There was just something about those earliest Fargo bikes and many are still coveted rides to this day. However; 2008 was a long time ago in terms of bicycle technologies and standards. So those older Gen I Fargo bikes are starting to get a little long in the tooth. 

Well, Tumbleweed Bikes, who have had one model, the Prospector, for several years now, have just announced a new, drop bar design for fat 27.5" wheels or big 29"er wheels. It's called the Stargazer, but you can totally see this as what a 2008/2009 Fargo would be like if it were updated to 2021 standards. 

 The Stargazer can fit 27.5 X 3.0" tires. (29'ers shown) Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bikes

The Stargazer has Boost spaced axles front and rear, and those are through axles, of course. There is dropper post routing. The head tube has a 44mm internal diameter to accommodate a tapered steer tube fork. Of course, this final detail could be seen as a regression, but the frame is 1X compatible only. That's the 'modern way' folks, so many will see that as an 'update'. 

But many things which endeared the Fargo Gen I to its fans are still here in the Stargazer. First and foremost is the non-suspension corrected steel fork with a 440mm axle to crown. That fork also has rack mounts along with the triple bosses which are ubiquitous on adventure bikes these days. Rear rack bosses are there, as well as the under-the-downtube bottle bosses. The longer head tube gets those drops up where an adventure biker wants them without the janky 'stack-o-spacers' look. The fork and head angle are right out of the Fargo Gen I stats- 69° and 55mm of offset. 

And the frame and fork are steel, of course. NOT aluminum, not carbon, and nothing weird here- just steel. If you are going after that Fargo theme, steel is a requisite frame and fork material. It is just the way that it is. 

I like that this bike can be fitted with big, fat 27.5" tires or the 2.5" X 29"er tires. I know some may wish for those 3.0" 29"er+ tires, but honestly, those are getting on to be dinosaurs in the bicycle world these days. 29+ is pretty much on its way out, and I can see why Tumbleweed chose to stop at 2.5" for clearance on 29"ers. 

Here's my verdict- At the asking price, this frame and fork is a steal. I think it nails the look and geo numbers are so close, that this may as well be a Fargo Gen I updated. But.....I do not need this! My Gen I Fargo is still a good bike. My Ti Muk can cover a lot of what the Gen I does not. Plus, I'd rather put my money towards a Rohloff "Summer" wheel set for the Ti Muk someday rather than get a whole 'nuther bike, which would be redundant. But for you? Maybe this tics a lot of boxes. Tumbleweed Bikes website.

Like A Modernized Gen I

The Tumbleweed Stargazer. Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bikes.

 In 2008 I laid eyes on my first Fargo. It was ridden to a Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational ride that year at Hickory Hills County Park in Iowa, just a wee bit South of where I live. 

The bike's rider, Jason Boucher, then the Brand Manager of Salsa Cycles, was a very proud 'papa' that day. He was getting out Salsa's latest bike, a bike that would help to redefine the company, give it its own legacy under QBP's ownership, and arguably was the bike that kicked off the whole bikepacking/adventure biking craze which is still happening to this day. 

We got to see an actual production prototype, which was just how the bike came out later in the Fall that year. But we didn't get to see the model name. Jason had covered that up so loose lips could not spill the beans on the bike's name. What he used to cover that name up with- a strip of black electrical tape- became the bike's unofficial name for about a month and a half. "Black Electrical Tape" was a big hit already with many of us 29"er/gravel freaks, and when the name "Fargo" was revealed, well the enthusiasm for this bike was enormous. 

Since that Summer sneak-peek at the GTDRI, the Fargo has gone on to become the longest lived model in Salsa's line. It is there for good reason. The bike is versatile, comfortable, and does what it does very well. However; there was never a bike- a "Fargo Gen I" - like that 2008/9-2010 one. After Salsa started tweaking the bike, all that charm and non-suspension corrected glory went missing. 

The Singular Gryphon- Not influenced by the Fargo!

There have been many very similar bikes which have graced the Earth's byways introduced since. The Singular Gryphon, designed simultaneously alongside the Fargo's timeline, was not influenced by the Fargo. But it never really gained the notoriety that the Fargo did. However; since the Fargo/Gryphon introductions in the late 2000's, we've seen plenty of other players taking cues from the drop bar MTB/Gravel/Bikepacking pages which were largely written by Salsa's Fargo. 

The Bombtrack Beyond, Kona Sutra, Breezer Radar, and many others have tried to bring that Fargo-flavor. Some do it well, others.....? meh! There was just something about those earliest Fargo bikes and many are still coveted rides to this day. However; 2008 was a long time ago in terms of bicycle technologies and standards. So those older Gen I Fargo bikes are starting to get a little long in the tooth. 

Well, Tumbleweed Bikes, who have had one model, the Prospector, for several years now, have just announced a new, drop bar design for fat 27.5" wheels or big 29"er wheels. It's called the Stargazer, but you can totally see this as what a 2008/2009 Fargo would be like if it were updated to 2021 standards. 

 The Stargazer can fit 27.5 X 3.0" tires. (29'ers shown) Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bikes

The Stargazer has Boost spaced axles front and rear, and those are through axles, of course. There is dropper post routing. The head tube has a 44mm internal diameter to accommodate a tapered steer tube fork. Of course, this final detail could be seen as a regression, but the frame is 1X compatible only. That's the 'modern way' folks, so many will see that as an 'update'. 

But many things which endeared the Fargo Gen I to its fans are still here in the Stargazer. First and foremost is the non-suspension corrected steel fork with a 440mm axle to crown. That fork also has rack mounts along with the triple bosses which are ubiquitous on adventure bikes these days. Rear rack bosses are there, as well as the under-the-downtube bottle bosses. The longer head tube gets those drops up where an adventure biker wants them without the janky 'stack-o-spacers' look. The fork and head angle are right out of the Fargo Gen I stats- 69° and 55mm of offset. 

And the frame and fork are steel, of course. NOT aluminum, not carbon, and nothing weird here- just steel. If you are going after that Fargo theme, steel is a requisite frame and fork material. It is just the way that it is. 

I like that this bike can be fitted with big, fat 27.5" tires or the 2.5" X 29"er tires. I know some may wish for those 3.0" 29"er+ tires, but honestly, those are getting on to be dinosaurs in the bicycle world these days. 29+ is pretty much on its way out, and I can see why Tumbleweed chose to stop at 2.5" for clearance on 29"ers. 

Here's my verdict- At the asking price, this frame and fork is a steal. I think it nails the look and geo numbers are so close, that this may as well be a Fargo Gen I updated. But.....I do not need this! My Gen I Fargo is still a good bike. My Ti Muk can cover a lot of what the Gen I does not. Plus, I'd rather put my money towards a Rohloff "Summer" wheel set for the Ti Muk someday rather than get a whole 'nuther bike, which would be redundant. But for you? Maybe this tics a lot of boxes. Tumbleweed Bikes website.