Two Things

700c based Tumbeleweed Sunliner (Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bicycles)

32" Done Right:

When the idea started looking real concerning 32" wheeled bicycles, I stated here what I thought should happen with this platform. Specifically with regard to wheel axle standards. 

I stated that SuperBoost rear and 150mm OLD front axles should be considered. Some agreed with the rear axle ideas, but most laughed at, or dismissed my thoughts on the front being 150mm wide. 

Well, I feel a little bit validated now due to what I saw and heard listening to the Bikepacking.com video from the MADE Show. (See the written page with the Sunliner 32"er HERE. Scroll WAY down the page!) NOTE - that link won't tell you about the axle spacing. It's only found in the video. 

Anyway, like Daniel from Tumbleweed says, this wider axle in front lends a ton of stability and precision in terms of handling, especially with a load. I experienced this when I transitioned from fat 26"er wheels to 29"er wheels in a fat bike. Those wheels were so much better than most 29"er wheels it was not even a discussion. 

Tumbleweeds are not cheap. But if I were to get a 32"er, the 32" Sunliner would top my list because of this design choice. That and it would make a killer flat bar gravel touring rig. I know someone who might just know about this. Maybe we need to talk....

2012 Salsa Cycles Titanium Warbird

The Evolution Of The Species:

This past weekend marked the anniversary of my trying out the first purposely designed bicycle for gravel racing, the Salsa Cycles Warbird. 

It was August 22nd 2012. I was at a Salsa Cycles demo in the Twin Cities. My test ride was on single track, so..... Not really representative of what I wanted to see in terms of what the bike was capable of, but it was a portent of how many would eventually see "gravel bikes". 

My test rides were on both the titanium and aluminum versions of the bike. Looking back, the original Warbird was analogous to what an "endurance road bike" is in 2026 terms. Maximum tire clearance was 38mm. (!!!) A far cry from the bikes labled "gravel" today which can swallow 29"er rubber with ease. 

It is notable to remember the context of those times though. First of all, it was 2012. The bike was developed over a period of two to three years, so the idea was hatched somewhere around 2008 -2009. Think about this: Gravel racing was a very niche sport. Obviously Salsa Cycles saw the potential for gravel racing to become something more significant, so this bicycle came into existence, but from a lens of nearly twenty years ago, it was a big gamble. 

What was, perhaps, a bit of a saving grace to making this decision was that a Warbird could just as easily have been a cyclo- cross bike, making the "excuse" to buy one a little easier to swallow, perhaps. But this is just my feeling from my recollections of those days. 

Another point: There were no tires for gravel in 2008. Getting Clement ( which became Donnelly after a few years) to jump in with the MSO tire was key to getting the Warbird off the ground, (no pun intended). Remember folks: Tires drive market trends. You can make a "gravel bike", but if Salsa had been stuck putting touring tires in this bike it would have been a big fail. 

Now we have gravel aero bikes, 2.2" wide tires, and carbon everything. But wait! Now there are 32" wheels! (Monster Gravel, right "Bike Rumor? You saw that here first.) So the breed evolves yet again. 

One could say much of this is being perpetuated to keep Gravel™ afloat as a driver in the market. Perhaps this theory has some merit. But I'll say it again: The bicycle industry cannot help itself. Everything it does gravitates toward racing, top level competition, and technical innovations for the sake of technical innovations. It is painfully obvious that the vast majority of cyclists are expected to hang on to where the industry goes or risk getting spat out the back, (shamed), so.....get on board with the latest! 

Or just 'eff it all' and ride for fun. 

Where will it evolve from here? 

The consumer will decide. 

NOTE: Tomorrows post  won't publish until 7:00am CST due to an embargo. 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Colnago

 A Relatively Quiet Week Edition of the FN&V

Colnago Announces Rim Brake C 68 Frameset:

Rim brakes for road bikes have not been an option from many brands now for a few years. Especially on upper end bikes. This has raised some ire amongst road bike fans as the simplicity and - more importantly - lightweight of rim brake design, is still something many riders desire from a new road bike.

Now top-end brand Colnago has announced a US $7,750.00 carbon fiber rim brake frameset. The C-68 Rim Brake model is definitely a throwback to ten years ago when quick release wheels and non-hydraulic brake levers were still being offered in top-range drive train choices from Campagnolo, SRAM and Shimano. 

Comments: Should bikes like this still be considered range-topping bikes, or even bikes that average roadies could buy? The industry seems bent upon making every top-end bike, (and even mid-range bikes) 'feats of electronic technology and proprietary parts' instead of beautifully crafted, simple machines that draw the best out of humans. Bikes that show sustainability versus bikes that use batteries which will take energy and effort to recycle safely. 

Bicycles already have issues with being 'green' without the electronics and hydraulic fluids. Tires need to be recycled on a much larger scale than they are now, including tubes. This is happening, that is not the problem. The problem is that what is happening is a drop in the bucket. Then you have carbon fiber....

Ah! Do we need this Colnago to exist? Probably not. But at least it is an example that can be pointed to for the viability of mechanically operated brakes, at the minimum. 

Image courtesy of Iowa DNR

New Adventure Riding Opportunity In North Central Iowa:

A Facebook friend alerted me to a new opportunity for cycling in a reclaimed wetland wildlife preserve located just off I-35 near Swaledale and South of Thornton, Iowa. It is the Union Hills Wildlife and Waterfowl Production Area. 

Here is what was sent to me about the area and its cycling opportunities:

 " Just wanted to share an incredible ride that is now open at the Union Hills Wildlife Area south of Mason City and just west of I35. The DNR just mowed trails throughout the area that is one of the few places you get an idea of how North Central Iowa Looked like before settlement with pothole lakes and moraines with Bur Oak groves throughout."

 Area conservation groups and the State DNR have been working for several years to reclaim the area for wildlife and birding. The area boasts a section of native prairie that has never been plowed and many areas where one can "get lost" and feel as though they left civilization behind.

Apparently the trails are most easily ridden on fatter tires. So, a "plus bike" or fat bike might be best so as to not leave ruts and tear up the trails. This is a new opportunity, so don't "eff it up" folks. Keep your pizza-cutter tires on the gravel! Also, this area is heavily hunted during duck season, so please be aware of hunting seasons and maybe avoid this area then. Please be respectful of all the work that has gone into this and be kind to anyone you run across there if you go. If anyone has more information on this area and would like to share, let me know.

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Tom Ritchey To Show Off Brazing Skills At MADE Show:

In the beginnings of the modern mountain biking era, Tom Ritchey was single-handedly supplying frames, forks, and his "Bull Moose" handle bars for his customers. Tom hand-brazed each component and frame. Then the demand for his products took off and he was unable to keep pace with all the orders. Subsequently "a few hundred frames" were sold without their proper forks. 

Apparently, according to a recent Ritchey press release, Tom saw folks with his frames trying to source forks. “I've been witnessing this for years — where people don't have the fork or bar that was designed to go with their Ritchey frame, and they're scrounging around for them. I started seeing replacement parts for my frames that were missing details. They were made by others, and they weren’t doing them right. Now, after all these years I’m helping these fans do it right.” — Tom Ritchey

To help rectify this, owners of  original " Mountain Bikes by Ritchey " frames will be able to purchase Bi-Plane forks and Bull Moose bars brazed up by the man himself. Furthermore, Tom will be doing a seminar and lecture at the MADE show. He also can be seen brazing in the Ritchey booth, #358, on Saturday, August 24 at noon.

Ritchey will be doing this work under the moniker "Mountain Bikes by Tom" and a further announcement will be made at the show. For details on the MADE Show go HERE.

PCL Shirt Lands:

Ahoy! The newest PCL t-shirt has just arrived on the scene from Lincoln, Nebraska. This time I have one of the original logos for the Pirate Cycling League featuring a mustachioed skeleton astride a drop bar single speed. 

In case you are newer here the Pirate Cycling League is a loose-knit band of cyclists who identify as gravel riders, (mostly) that typify the original free-spirit and independent nature of gravel cycling. The group grew out of training rides for mountain biking which were typically held on gravel roads around Lincoln. 

These cyclists, who were really thinking about getting in miles for racing on dirt originally, ended up becoming a prototype gravel group who then found themselves putting on semi-formal "events" throughout the year. The group eventually was responsible for Gravel Worlds existence, although the PCL has officially now parted ways with Garmin Gravel Worlds. 

Since the split, the group has been putting out the occasional t-shirt and riding kit as well. If you want to support the PCL and become a "member" of the group, you only have to be cool and buy a shirt or jersey when they put one out. I've been purchasing PCL jerseys and tees for over a decade. You can find the group on Facebook. 

Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bicycles

Tumbleweed Sunliner:

Tumbleweed Bicycles announced their third model yesterday, a flat bar bikepacking bike with no suspension correction. The bike is called the Sunliner. 

With tire clearance for 29" X 3.0" tires, the Sunliner should appeal to anyone wanting a simple machine with big tire capabilities. That non-sus corrected fork also allowed Tumbleweed to maximize the space in the front triangle for the largest frame bag size. 

There are tons of rack mounts, bottle cage mounts, and fender mounts on the Sunliner. It should work great for carrying about anything you'd want on an off-road tour and with the design intent for a swept back handlebar, it should prove to be a comfortable, all-day riding bike. 

Frame and fork goes for US $1,400.00 with completes starting at $3,775.00.
 

Okay, that's a wrap on this week's news and my views. Keep ridin' those bikes!