650B For Gravel: Dead, Dying, Or Dormant?

Back in 2016 WTB shocked the gravel world with the "Road Plus" idea. It was a 650B sized tire, but not in the traditional 42mm size. This tire was a 47mm width and brought with it more volume than the skinnier 650B tires did for road bikes. 

The first tire they debuted, the Horizon, was a slick tire, but it did okay on gravel. Then the Byway came along, and the Venture, and the Sendero. Meanwhile, other brands jumped onboard. Panaracer, Terrene, IRC, and others all started offering 650B X 47-50mm tires. 

The gravel bicycle manufacturers responded with advertising for swappable wheel sizes. Salsa Cycles Journeyman was sold with either wheel size, as an example. Other brands advertised their versatility in that they could support 650B wheels.

Wheel manufacturers came onboard, of course, and many company's press releases contained new information on wheels including that smaller diameter wheel, the 650B size. But in the last few years, the heat for 650B has seemed to cool off some. I've noted less tire news. I've noted fewer 650B alternative choices in wheel news. I've noted less talk about 650B in new bicycle introductions as well. 

My old T-6 Standard Rando with 650B Terrene tires.

Now, we have to take things in some context here. The past two-plus years we've seen economic weirdness. Supply chain issues still persist, and those issues certainly have affected the more niche categories of cycling than others. So, we can probably point to the pandemic as a reason we are not seeing more 650B news. 

That said, I still find it odd that the marketing talk has cooled way off for 650B. I'm not sure we can read a lot into that just yet, and more time will be needed to really get a handle on what is up with this wheel size. 

However; if I had to make a comment on where I thought 650B was in terms of relevancy to gravel/backroad riding right now, I would say that 650B is definitely waning in popularity. At least on the high-end, and on the OEM side. There are riders committed to the size, I am sure of that, and I don't think that this tire size will go away for gravel, but I also do not think it will be as prominent or an option many times going into the future. 

I do think 650B has a place in cycling. Rando riders like that size. Smaller statured folk need that size. So, I think the 650B wheel has its place, but I also believe that most adult humans should ride the biggest wheel available for their size, and for most of us that is 700c right now. 

650B For Gravel: Dead, Dying, Or Dormant?

Back in 2016 WTB shocked the gravel world with the "Road Plus" idea. It was a 650B sized tire, but not in the traditional 42mm size. This tire was a 47mm width and brought with it more volume than the skinnier 650B tires did for road bikes. 

The first tire they debuted, the Horizon, was a slick tire, but it did okay on gravel. Then the Byway came along, and the Venture, and the Sendero. Meanwhile, other brands jumped onboard. Panaracer, Terrene, IRC, and others all started offering 650B X 47-50mm tires. 

The gravel bicycle manufacturers responded with advertising for swappable wheel sizes. Salsa Cycles Journeyman was sold with either wheel size, as an example. Other brands advertised their versatility in that they could support 650B wheels.

Wheel manufacturers came onboard, of course, and many company's press releases contained new information on wheels including that smaller diameter wheel, the 650B size. But in the last few years, the heat for 650B has seemed to cool off some. I've noted less tire news. I've noted fewer 650B alternative choices in wheel news. I've noted less talk about 650B in new bicycle introductions as well. 

My old T-6 Standard Rando with 650B Terrene tires.

Now, we have to take things in some context here. The past two-plus years we've seen economic weirdness. Supply chain issues still persist, and those issues certainly have affected the more niche categories of cycling than others. So, we can probably point to the pandemic as a reason we are not seeing more 650B news. 

That said, I still find it odd that the marketing talk has cooled way off for 650B. I'm not sure we can read a lot into that just yet, and more time will be needed to really get a handle on what is up with this wheel size. 

However; if I had to make a comment on where I thought 650B was in terms of relevancy to gravel/backroad riding right now, I would say that 650B is definitely waning in popularity. At least on the high-end, and on the OEM side. There are riders committed to the size, I am sure of that, and I don't think that this tire size will go away for gravel, but I also do not think it will be as prominent or an option many times going into the future. 

I do think 650B has a place in cycling. Rando riders like that size. Smaller statured folk need that size. So, I think the 650B wheel has its place, but I also believe that most adult humans should ride the biggest wheel available for their size, and for most of us that is 700c right now. 

Friday News And Views

Police Bike Fallout:

Social unrest in many US cities has resulted in many skirmishes between protesters and Law Enforcement personnel which has been captured by anyone with a working smart phone. Much of the focus has been on police abuses of power, and in some instances, police with bicycles have been shown using these bikes in tactics taught for crowd control. Police using bicycles as a tool, (or weapons, depending upon your point of view), has aroused some concerns over which brands 'support' this by selling their bicycles to Law Enforcement departments. Trek bikes, being the most prominent in these instances, has been tagged by many as being offensive for not pulling support from Law Enforcement. Many have called for Trek to issue a public statement that they would no longer sell these bikes.

Coverage of the issue has been world-wide as seen here. Instead of pulling support for Law Enforcement bike sales, Trek quietly removed links to pages for the bikes on their site and then Trek President, John Burke, made the following blog post detailing Trek's in house plan to address its systemic racism in five steps.

Many hours later, after the blog post went up, Trek did finally address the police bike situation with the following statement:

 “Recently we have seen photos and video of Trek bikes that have been used by police in ways that are abhorrent and vastly different from their intended use. For over 25 years, we have seen police on bikes, out of cruisers and offices, building relationships in the neighborhoods they serve. The past two weeks have turned the view of police on bikes from a community asset to a liability. A positive outcome of the recent protests is that we are starting to see real police reform being discussed at local and national levels. We believe bikes can play a positive role by continuing to get officers out of cars and armored trucks and into the community where trust can be built.”

While many were disappointed that Trek did not axe their police bike program publicly, (and we really do not know if they have or have not), the five step plan detailed in the Trek blog post was hailed by some observers as being bold and a great step forward. I would agree. It looks that way up front for sure.

But the proof is in the pudding, and there is really no way to know if what this five step program details will be accomplished. I mean, who is going to check in on this in a year? What evidence will be shown that anything was done? I don't know...... Maybe Trek will publicly hold itself accountable, and maybe we all forget about this in a few years. I don't know, but this does bear watching.

 Colorado Classic Proposes Plan To Hold Race:

The Pro Women's event, the Colorado Classic, has proposed an interesting plan to go forward with its tentative date of August 27th-30th. The race organizers have essentially stripped down the event to only have essential personnel on site, with no spectators allowed. They have set up live streaming plans and a network to disseminate images to an online viewership.

Colorado, noted for some of the more strict stay at home orders in the US during the early stages of the pandemic, has not fully lifted its restrictions as of June. Organizers of the Colorado Classic have submitted their plans, including a change of venue for the final day from ending in Denver to ending the event at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. The Colorado Classic does not have a confirmation from the State that it can, in fact, go forward with its plans. The press release had this to say:

".....State approval to host the event has not yet been granted but conditions are changing daily. The race organizers are targeting an early July date for the next update release of information and will provide more details to the media at that time."

Comments: Indeed, conditions are changing daily. Tuesday this week it was reported that 14 states had rising cases of COVID-19 and many in the medical field expect to see spiking cases due to states re-opening too soon, or from the mass protests held across the country recently. The Iowa State Fair, which has only been cancelled once due to WWII, cancelled their plans to hold a fair in August this year and will plan for a 2021 return. Obviously, the situation is fluid and whether or not the Colorado Classic still happens is up in the air. It is impressive to see the determination from the event organizers to put together a plan though, and it reflects the vacuum of 'goals' out there for professional road cyclists to train for. 

Perhaps the lesson here is to just ride your bicycles for the joy of it.  

Waiting.......

Standard Rando Update:

The "Saffron" yellow Standard Rando frame and carbon fork are still coming to me and I have an update on when that will be. The frame and fork were supposed to have come by now, but the hang up was in that the painted to match fork wasn't quite right, according to Twin Six.

They gave me options. I could defer until the forks were in and done right, probably in July. I could switch to the steel fork and get the frame and fork right away. The third option was to pay a small fee, get the steel fork now, and then get the carbon fork when it was in and right.

I deferred and decided to wait until the carbon fork was in and right only because I really do not want the steel fork, and I do not need another fork around here just taking up space. Besides, it would be school bus yellow, and what, if any, other bike would that work for? The word was that both forks 'ride stiff', so I figured that there was no advantage to get the steel fork. The advantage of a lighter weight carbon fork won out there. So, I probably won't be building my Standard Rando up for a while yet. Andy, the guy I work for now, has his already, since he went with a steel fork right away.

In the meantime I have sourced a bottom bracket and I have found my Cane Creek head set that will work on this bike. So, those two critical components are on hand which I need to get the bike going. The rest of the stuff I should have. There will be a bit of swapping of parts as well. I am going to switch over the Redshift ShockStop stem and seat post which are on the Black Mountain Cycles MCD. The drive train will be the Force 1 SRAM stuff I have around here in a box. Now that said, there is a thought bubbling here that I may do this bike as a single speed. There is an extenuating circumstance which may modify my desire to do that. It's a situation that is still fluid, so I cannot say now. Hopefully that situation will sort itself out while I am waiting on the Standard Rando to show up.

Finally, wheels..... I have been contemplating setting up this one as a 650B bike, but.... I don't know. It will pull 650B duties, but I think I'll keep it 'dual-purpose' for now and set it up initially with the 700c wheel set I have in mind for this bike. I'm thinking that will be how I use it most anyway.

That's all for this week! I hope that you all can get out and enjoy some bicycle riding this weekend!

Friday News And Views

Police Bike Fallout:

Social unrest in many US cities has resulted in many skirmishes between protesters and Law Enforcement personnel which has been captured by anyone with a working smart phone. Much of the focus has been on police abuses of power, and in some instances, police with bicycles have been shown using these bikes in tactics taught for crowd control. Police using bicycles as a tool, (or weapons, depending upon your point of view), has aroused some concerns over which brands 'support' this by selling their bicycles to Law Enforcement departments. Trek bikes, being the most prominent in these instances, has been tagged by many as being offensive for not pulling support from Law Enforcement. Many have called for Trek to issue a public statement that they would no longer sell these bikes.

Coverage of the issue has been world-wide as seen here. Instead of pulling support for Law Enforcement bike sales, Trek quietly removed links to pages for the bikes on their site and then Trek President, John Burke, made the following blog post detailing Trek's in house plan to address its systemic racism in five steps.

Many hours later, after the blog post went up, Trek did finally address the police bike situation with the following statement:

 “Recently we have seen photos and video of Trek bikes that have been used by police in ways that are abhorrent and vastly different from their intended use. For over 25 years, we have seen police on bikes, out of cruisers and offices, building relationships in the neighborhoods they serve. The past two weeks have turned the view of police on bikes from a community asset to a liability. A positive outcome of the recent protests is that we are starting to see real police reform being discussed at local and national levels. We believe bikes can play a positive role by continuing to get officers out of cars and armored trucks and into the community where trust can be built.”

While many were disappointed that Trek did not axe their police bike program publicly, (and we really do not know if they have or have not), the five step plan detailed in the Trek blog post was hailed by some observers as being bold and a great step forward. I would agree. It looks that way up front for sure.

But the proof is in the pudding, and there is really no way to know if what this five step program details will be accomplished. I mean, who is going to check in on this in a year? What evidence will be shown that anything was done? I don't know...... Maybe Trek will publicly hold itself accountable, and maybe we all forget about this in a few years. I don't know, but this does bear watching.

 Colorado Classic Proposes Plan To Hold Race:

The Pro Women's event, the Colorado Classic, has proposed an interesting plan to go forward with its tentative date of August 27th-30th. The race organizers have essentially stripped down the event to only have essential personnel on site, with no spectators allowed. They have set up live streaming plans and a network to disseminate images to an online viewership.

Colorado, noted for some of the more strict stay at home orders in the US during the early stages of the pandemic, has not fully lifted its restrictions as of June. Organizers of the Colorado Classic have submitted their plans, including a change of venue for the final day from ending in Denver to ending the event at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. The Colorado Classic does not have a confirmation from the State that it can, in fact, go forward with its plans. The press release had this to say:

".....State approval to host the event has not yet been granted but conditions are changing daily. The race organizers are targeting an early July date for the next update release of information and will provide more details to the media at that time."

Comments: Indeed, conditions are changing daily. Tuesday this week it was reported that 14 states had rising cases of COVID-19 and many in the medical field expect to see spiking cases due to states re-opening too soon, or from the mass protests held across the country recently. The Iowa State Fair, which has only been cancelled once due to WWII, cancelled their plans to hold a fair in August this year and will plan for a 2021 return. Obviously, the situation is fluid and whether or not the Colorado Classic still happens is up in the air. It is impressive to see the determination from the event organizers to put together a plan though, and it reflects the vacuum of 'goals' out there for professional road cyclists to train for. 

Perhaps the lesson here is to just ride your bicycles for the joy of it.  

Waiting.......

Standard Rando Update:

The "Saffron" yellow Standard Rando frame and carbon fork are still coming to me and I have an update on when that will be. The frame and fork were supposed to have come by now, but the hang up was in that the painted to match fork wasn't quite right, according to Twin Six.

They gave me options. I could defer until the forks were in and done right, probably in July. I could switch to the steel fork and get the frame and fork right away. The third option was to pay a small fee, get the steel fork now, and then get the carbon fork when it was in and right.

I deferred and decided to wait until the carbon fork was in and right only because I really do not want the steel fork, and I do not need another fork around here just taking up space. Besides, it would be school bus yellow, and what, if any, other bike would that work for? The word was that both forks 'ride stiff', so I figured that there was no advantage to get the steel fork. The advantage of a lighter weight carbon fork won out there. So, I probably won't be building my Standard Rando up for a while yet. Andy, the guy I work for now, has his already, since he went with a steel fork right away.

In the meantime I have sourced a bottom bracket and I have found my Cane Creek head set that will work on this bike. So, those two critical components are on hand which I need to get the bike going. The rest of the stuff I should have. There will be a bit of swapping of parts as well. I am going to switch over the Redshift ShockStop stem and seat post which are on the Black Mountain Cycles MCD. The drive train will be the Force 1 SRAM stuff I have around here in a box. Now that said, there is a thought bubbling here that I may do this bike as a single speed. There is an extenuating circumstance which may modify my desire to do that. It's a situation that is still fluid, so I cannot say now. Hopefully that situation will sort itself out while I am waiting on the Standard Rando to show up.

Finally, wheels..... I have been contemplating setting up this one as a 650B bike, but.... I don't know. It will pull 650B duties, but I think I'll keep it 'dual-purpose' for now and set it up initially with the 700c wheel set I have in mind for this bike. I'm thinking that will be how I use it most anyway.

That's all for this week! I hope that you all can get out and enjoy some bicycle riding this weekend!

Planning For The Gravel Bus

Plans are coming together....

Well, if you have been paying attention you know that I have a Twin Six Standard Rando v2 coming soon. I mentioned that I already have a lot of stuff for it. However; I don't have a couple major components necessary to make this thing into a rideable bike. One being the bottom bracket. The other is a head set.

I cannot hardly even work on a frame-up build until I have the head set in first. The fork and frame have to be together or I just cannot seem to assemble anything. So, a head set needs to be procured. I might have one. It would be a Cane Creek average one if I do. Gotta get down into the lab and dig around for that.

Now the bottom bracket, well, this Twin Six deal takes a Press Fit type, which......I know, I know.....nobody likes this style, but listen, get a thread together bottom bracket. Don't use the plastic cup deals. Anyway... I ended up getting something, quite by accident actually, that will work and give me options.

Options? Yes. This bottom bracket came to me because Andy, of Andy's Bike Shop, is also getting one of these bikes and is going single speed, or he was going to. That's another story. Moving on.... Well, Andy got this PF-30 eccentric bottom bracket for a SRAM crank. Now he's going in a different direction, so he doesn't need that bottom bracket, which got me to thinking. I'm using a SRAM Force 1 build on this thing, so I need a SRAM compatible insert. Why not use the eccentric? 

I can do single speed, or geared, and I can adjust my 'virtual bottom bracket height' by clocking the bottom bracket in a different position, say like at the six o'clock position if I want the 'lowest' possible drop. So, that should be interesting. With that figured out, all I have to do is get that head set rounded up.

Time to go scrounging.........

Planning For The Gravel Bus

Plans are coming together....

Well, if you have been paying attention you know that I have a Twin Six Standard Rando v2 coming soon. I mentioned that I already have a lot of stuff for it. However; I don't have a couple major components necessary to make this thing into a rideable bike. One being the bottom bracket. The other is a head set.

I cannot hardly even work on a frame-up build until I have the head set in first. The fork and frame have to be together or I just cannot seem to assemble anything. So, a head set needs to be procured. I might have one. It would be a Cane Creek average one if I do. Gotta get down into the lab and dig around for that.

Now the bottom bracket, well, this Twin Six deal takes a Press Fit type, which......I know, I know.....nobody likes this style, but listen, get a thread together bottom bracket. Don't use the plastic cup deals. Anyway... I ended up getting something, quite by accident actually, that will work and give me options.

Options? Yes. This bottom bracket came to me because Andy, of Andy's Bike Shop, is also getting one of these bikes and is going single speed, or he was going to. That's another story. Moving on.... Well, Andy got this PF-30 eccentric bottom bracket for a SRAM crank. Now he's going in a different direction, so he doesn't need that bottom bracket, which got me to thinking. I'm using a SRAM Force 1 build on this thing, so I need a SRAM compatible insert. Why not use the eccentric? 

I can do single speed, or geared, and I can adjust my 'virtual bottom bracket height' by clocking the bottom bracket in a different position, say like at the six o'clock position if I want the 'lowest' possible drop. So, that should be interesting. With that figured out, all I have to do is get that head set rounded up.

Time to go scrounging.........

Friday News And Views

More New Gravel Tires:

Tires. Say no more! Tires are argued about more, fussed over more, worried about more, and have maybe the biggest effect on bikes than anything else. So, when we see another new tire coming out, it gets folks excited. No one says, "Really? More tires? Stop it!", at least I don't see that. Also worth noting- We have so many 'gravel tires' now that I cannot keep track of them. I remember scouring the distributor's catalogs trying to find any 700c tire between 33mm (cyclo cross) and 50mm, (29"er) that wasn't a hybrid, wire bead tire, or some over-built touring tire. That wasn't all that long ago, by the way.

Hutchinson has been around a long time and have made many bicycle tires. You may not even know that. You could be forgiven for that easily. Hutchinson isn't known well in North America, and much less so in terms of gravel tires. So you may not have even known about their previous effort called the Overide. Frankly, I wasn't all that impressed with that tire. But this new one looks better. In fact, it looks a lot like a Donnelly MSO, so if it acts like a MSO, well then it should be pretty awesome. The big question isn't so much the tread, it's how the casing rides. If it isn't stiff, and has a modicum of forgiveness, I'll probably like it, at the least.

Hutchinsom is hitting all the most obvious things here. Skin wall, black wall options, and sizes in 700c X 40mm and 45mm along with 650B X 47mm. I noticed that their website says they have a 700c X 47mm. I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be 650B X 47. It wouldn't make any sense to do a 45mm tire and a 47mm one. Besides that, there is a puncture protection belt, which goes bead to bead, and these are tubeless ready, of course. All sizes and variations are $64.99 each MSRP.

RidingGravel.com will be getting some of these to check out, so hopefully you'll get to see them here as well. Stay tuned......

 SRAM AXS Pressure Guide:

SRAM, who call their electronic shifting group AXS, have an interesting tool on the AXS website which can guide you to a suggested air pressure setting for any tire, bicycle, and rider. It's unique and is based on an algorithm that calculates the outcome based upon user defined values. We've tried it at Andy's Bike Shop, and while it isn't perfect, we think it gives the rider a good reference starting point. As the site says, you should use the value suggested as a starting point for experimentation. We couldn't agree more.

At the very least, it is going to show casual, recreational cyclists that they are likely using too high a pressure. Obviously, we bike nerds are more tuned in to such minutiae, but maybe some of you are not? Give that site a whirl and let me know what you think. I think it is decent, but not perfect.

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast Rolls On:

The podcast, which already has more episodes published than it has for the last year and a half, is rolling along really well. That was one of my main goals for the podcast going into 2020. Which, by the way, has had many goals trashed due to this damn pandemic. (Latest episode here)
 .

My hope is that we can manage to keep things rolling throughout 2020 this way. But in order to be more inclusive, I am asking you readers here to let me know what you would like to hear. Just post something in the comments, or as always, feel free to email me @g.ted.productions@gmail.com. I'd love to hear your suggestions.

We have started one new feature. It's called "Gravel History With Guitar Ted". We talked about the Flint Hills Death Ride last Tuesday. But I'd like to hear about more old events, or just stories to look in to. I have some ideas based upon my experiences, but I don't know everything. Let's hear it folks!

Bike Bag Dude Top Tube Bag known as "The Garage".

 Parts Acquisition Mode: ON

Well, we'll be having a Twin Six Standard Rando v2 frame and fork headed this way soon, so I need to get accessorized. I do have a ton of stuff around to get that frame built up, but there are a few things missing that I need to get this bike 'just so'.

Actually, I was rummaging through my vortex of stuff in the Lab to find a top tube bag for the Pofahl the other day when I realized I just needed to get more Bike Bag Dude stuff to really solve the problem here.

Kath and Kedan of the Bike Bag Dude company live in Australia and are some of the most dedicated, finest bag makers around. You probably know a few very talented endurance athletes who use their bags, sometimes without the "BBD" logo, because they are supposed to be using their sponsor's stuff, but they thought BBD was better. That speaks volumes to me, but hey! I already know BBD stuff is the bomb because I've been using it for years. Like......almost ten years. 

Their stuff is really well made and lasts and lasts. I already have two of their "Garage" Top Tube Bags, and they are the 'just right size' top tube bags that don't get in the way and have a really pleasing shape to them. So, I already know I'm going to like the new ones. The best part? BBD can make these (and their other stuff) in a wide palette of colors, so one of the Garage Bags will be black and yellow to go with the new T-6 Standard Rando. The other will be more neutral colored to go with other bikes.


Okay, that's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get out to ride some bikes if ya can!

Friday News And Views

More New Gravel Tires:

Tires. Say no more! Tires are argued about more, fussed over more, worried about more, and have maybe the biggest effect on bikes than anything else. So, when we see another new tire coming out, it gets folks excited. No one says, "Really? More tires? Stop it!", at least I don't see that. Also worth noting- We have so many 'gravel tires' now that I cannot keep track of them. I remember scouring the distributor's catalogs trying to find any 700c tire between 33mm (cyclo cross) and 50mm, (29"er) that wasn't a hybrid, wire bead tire, or some over-built touring tire. That wasn't all that long ago, by the way.

Hutchinson has been around a long time and have made many bicycle tires. You may not even know that. You could be forgiven for that easily. Hutchinson isn't known well in North America, and much less so in terms of gravel tires. So you may not have even known about their previous effort called the Overide. Frankly, I wasn't all that impressed with that tire. But this new one looks better. In fact, it looks a lot like a Donnelly MSO, so if it acts like a MSO, well then it should be pretty awesome. The big question isn't so much the tread, it's how the casing rides. If it isn't stiff, and has a modicum of forgiveness, I'll probably like it, at the least.

Hutchinsom is hitting all the most obvious things here. Skin wall, black wall options, and sizes in 700c X 40mm and 45mm along with 650B X 47mm. I noticed that their website says they have a 700c X 47mm. I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be 650B X 47. It wouldn't make any sense to do a 45mm tire and a 47mm one. Besides that, there is a puncture protection belt, which goes bead to bead, and these are tubeless ready, of course. All sizes and variations are $64.99 each MSRP.

RidingGravel.com will be getting some of these to check out, so hopefully you'll get to see them here as well. Stay tuned......

 SRAM AXS Pressure Guide:

SRAM, who call their electronic shifting group AXS, have an interesting tool on the AXS website which can guide you to a suggested air pressure setting for any tire, bicycle, and rider. It's unique and is based on an algorithm that calculates the outcome based upon user defined values. We've tried it at Andy's Bike Shop, and while it isn't perfect, we think it gives the rider a good reference starting point. As the site says, you should use the value suggested as a starting point for experimentation. We couldn't agree more.

At the very least, it is going to show casual, recreational cyclists that they are likely using too high a pressure. Obviously, we bike nerds are more tuned in to such minutiae, but maybe some of you are not? Give that site a whirl and let me know what you think. I think it is decent, but not perfect.

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast Rolls On:

The podcast, which already has more episodes published than it has for the last year and a half, is rolling along really well. That was one of my main goals for the podcast going into 2020. Which, by the way, has had many goals trashed due to this damn pandemic. (Latest episode here)
 .

My hope is that we can manage to keep things rolling throughout 2020 this way. But in order to be more inclusive, I am asking you readers here to let me know what you would like to hear. Just post something in the comments, or as always, feel free to email me @g.ted.productions@gmail.com. I'd love to hear your suggestions.

We have started one new feature. It's called "Gravel History With Guitar Ted". We talked about the Flint Hills Death Ride last Tuesday. But I'd like to hear about more old events, or just stories to look in to. I have some ideas based upon my experiences, but I don't know everything. Let's hear it folks!

Bike Bag Dude Top Tube Bag known as "The Garage".

 Parts Acquisition Mode: ON

Well, we'll be having a Twin Six Standard Rando v2 frame and fork headed this way soon, so I need to get accessorized. I do have a ton of stuff around to get that frame built up, but there are a few things missing that I need to get this bike 'just so'.

Actually, I was rummaging through my vortex of stuff in the Lab to find a top tube bag for the Pofahl the other day when I realized I just needed to get more Bike Bag Dude stuff to really solve the problem here.

Kath and Kedan of the Bike Bag Dude company live in Australia and are some of the most dedicated, finest bag makers around. You probably know a few very talented endurance athletes who use their bags, sometimes without the "BBD" logo, because they are supposed to be using their sponsor's stuff, but they thought BBD was better. That speaks volumes to me, but hey! I already know BBD stuff is the bomb because I've been using it for years. Like......almost ten years. 

Their stuff is really well made and lasts and lasts. I already have two of their "Garage" Top Tube Bags, and they are the 'just right size' top tube bags that don't get in the way and have a really pleasing shape to them. So, I already know I'm going to like the new ones. The best part? BBD can make these (and their other stuff) in a wide palette of colors, so one of the Garage Bags will be black and yellow to go with the new T-6 Standard Rando. The other will be more neutral colored to go with other bikes.


Okay, that's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get out to ride some bikes if ya can!

Friday News And Views

Specialized Lays Of Workers- Industry Sees Product Availability Issue:

Late last week the industry news outlet, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" related a story that Specialized had laid off 46 employees, mostly in the Global Support staff in Europe. The news was blamed on shutdowns in Europe related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is on top of the news of a week prior when I learned via Facebook that several QBP employees had been furloughed due to the economic downturn caused by the government shutdowns related to the same pandemic issues.

It also has come to my attention that the previously mentioned shortages of product here are now beginning to have an effect upon the industry. While demand is higher in many places due to the city government mandated shelter in place orders and recommendations of the same for most states, the shutdown of factories in China earlier in the year is causing shortages now. It typically takes about 45-90 days for shortages to work through the system, so you can figure that most of the prime selling season for North American bike shops will be negatively affected by this.

A Theory On RAGBRAI's Postponing:

Last week I reported on the postponing of RAGBRAI until 2021. I figured the rival Iowa's Ride would follow suit. I figured it was all the pandemic's fault that these rides would be nixed for 2020, but since then developments have come to light which may change my mind a bit. Here following is pure speculation on my part as to what might be going on here.

Last week it was revealed via a story in several Twitter posts and substantiated by this story on a site called "Poynter", that Gannett Corporation, the owners of RAGBRAI, are shedding employees across their newspaper empire. Apparently the reasoning is the COVID-19 crisis and the fact that Gannett recently merged with another media company. Usually mergers are followed up with a clearing of duplicated employees, but that seems to be a bit of a reach in this case. It's obvious that a financial reckoning of a serious nature is occurring within Gannett.

If you are trying to pare down company expenses, and your plumb event looks to be a divided affair, and probably substantially affected by consumer's reticence to be in large groups due to this pandemic, even if restrictions are lifted, well then maybe you postpone your event. Just a thought. Iowa's Ride, and this pandemic, which will have lasting effect for quite a few years going forward, plus a new organizational team- who were thrown together at the eleventh hour, considering money is tight......yeah, I can totally see it. 

But again- this is all pure speculation on my part. Oh, and Iowa's ride cancelled for 2020. That came out late Monday evening.

The Farr Aero Gravel Bar

Try Removing These Aero Bars:

Aero bar usage was a hot-button topic for a hot minute a few years ago at the DK200, but since then, a few small manufacturers have been toying with the idea of a one-piece handle bar/aero bar set up. Redshift Sports showed something they are cooking up called the "Kitchen Sink" bar which will have a loop out front, like an aero bar extension. Well, the other day I came across these- the Farr Aero Gravel Alloy Bars.

These bars seem to have a healthy amount of 'sweep', at the extensions, and the site says that they have 25° of 'flare'. I'm not sure they are talking about 'flare' or 'sweep', but whatever. (Here's a good tutorial I wrote about the features of an off-road drop bar)

Ninety-nine bucks ain't bad. But here's the issue I have with one piece bar/stem/aero bar things. IF you like what the company chose for positions, well then you are good to go. IF however; you want to, let's say, drop the aero bar part down a bit, but leave the hoods of your levers where they are? Too bad. Ya can't do that! So, buyer beware. Unless this company hits a good middle ground of aero bar position versus the rest of the bar, well then it won't be too popular. How would you know if it might work for you?

Pony up Ninety-Nine Bucks. Good luck........

T-6 Standard Rando now available with a carbon fork and looky there! Three pack bosses!

So It Does Come With Warts Then!

After Tuesday's popular post about two new steel frames for gravel travel, Twin Six did reveal that the optional carbon fork does come with the six warts, or pimples, or whatever smarty-pants thing you want to call them.

Here's the deal from where I sit: Twin Six will sell through those carbon forks like hotcakes because of two things- People's mis-perception that carbon automatically rides better and because they look better than the steel fork does. First off- carbon forks don't ride all that well, most of the time. Usually they are over-engineered to pass the requisite tests products have to pass. Essentially they end up being too stiff. The one thing you will get is a better looking, (if you think so- it is) fork, and it will be significantly lighter than the steel fork is.. 

I hope I am wrong about this carbon fork being too stiff, but if I had to bet..... No, I think I am going to be correct, but I will be finding out soon enough. (More on that later) The steel fork is also overbuilt for the same reasons, but steel being steel, it generally doesn't kill the ride quality as badly as when you have to sell/spec a beefy carbon fork.

So, yeah- the plan is in play for me to be getting a frame and fork. We are working on the details at Andy's Bike Shop and I'll know more soon, but this bike is the one that will be taking over duties from the old Raleigh Tamland Two which I have had in service since 2014? (Checks blog) Yes! Since late March of 2014. So, that's a lot of hard riding in mostly severe conditions. Not that the Tamland couldn't continue onward, because it certainly could. No, it's just woefully out of date in terms of certain standards, like with the wheels and brakes, and steer tube size. But don't worry! The Tamland isn't going away. No......not that bike. You who know that story know why.

Initially the plan will be to set the T-6 up as a 1X with a SRAM Force 1 group I have laying around the shop. I've got the XD driver wheels, running gear, hydraulic brakes- everything. The seat post, stem, bars, saddle, yeah. Got that. So, once I can lay my mitts on the bike it should be go time for a build.

Stay tuned......

 Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #41: 

Andy from Andy's Bike Shop joins me for the latest episode of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast here. You should be able to click the link and listen from there, or you should be able to find the podcast on Apple or other podcast providers feeds.

In this episode Andy and I cover more about the latest Riding Gravel reviews, news about RAGBRAI and then we cover more in-depth on the Dirty Kanza 200 name controversy. We've already got Episode #42 recorded and off to production, so check this one out and stay up to date with us as we try to keep the content coming during these strange days.


Thanks for reading this week! Stay safe, stay healthy, and get some riding in!

Friday News And Views

Specialized Lays Of Workers- Industry Sees Product Availability Issue:

Late last week the industry news outlet, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" related a story that Specialized had laid off 46 employees, mostly in the Global Support staff in Europe. The news was blamed on shutdowns in Europe related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is on top of the news of a week prior when I learned via Facebook that several QBP employees had been furloughed due to the economic downturn caused by the government shutdowns related to the same pandemic issues.

It also has come to my attention that the previously mentioned shortages of product here are now beginning to have an effect upon the industry. While demand is higher in many places due to the city government mandated shelter in place orders and recommendations of the same for most states, the shutdown of factories in China earlier in the year is causing shortages now. It typically takes about 45-90 days for shortages to work through the system, so you can figure that most of the prime selling season for North American bike shops will be negatively affected by this.

A Theory On RAGBRAI's Postponing:

Last week I reported on the postponing of RAGBRAI until 2021. I figured the rival Iowa's Ride would follow suit. I figured it was all the pandemic's fault that these rides would be nixed for 2020, but since then developments have come to light which may change my mind a bit. Here following is pure speculation on my part as to what might be going on here.

Last week it was revealed via a story in several Twitter posts and substantiated by this story on a site called "Poynter", that Gannett Corporation, the owners of RAGBRAI, are shedding employees across their newspaper empire. Apparently the reasoning is the COVID-19 crisis and the fact that Gannett recently merged with another media company. Usually mergers are followed up with a clearing of duplicated employees, but that seems to be a bit of a reach in this case. It's obvious that a financial reckoning of a serious nature is occurring within Gannett.

If you are trying to pare down company expenses, and your plumb event looks to be a divided affair, and probably substantially affected by consumer's reticence to be in large groups due to this pandemic, even if restrictions are lifted, well then maybe you postpone your event. Just a thought. Iowa's Ride, and this pandemic, which will have lasting effect for quite a few years going forward, plus a new organizational team- who were thrown together at the eleventh hour, considering money is tight......yeah, I can totally see it. 

But again- this is all pure speculation on my part. Oh, and Iowa's ride cancelled for 2020. That came out late Monday evening.

The Farr Aero Gravel Bar

Try Removing These Aero Bars:

Aero bar usage was a hot-button topic for a hot minute a few years ago at the DK200, but since then, a few small manufacturers have been toying with the idea of a one-piece handle bar/aero bar set up. Redshift Sports showed something they are cooking up called the "Kitchen Sink" bar which will have a loop out front, like an aero bar extension. Well, the other day I came across these- the Farr Aero Gravel Alloy Bars.

These bars seem to have a healthy amount of 'sweep', at the extensions, and the site says that they have 25° of 'flare'. I'm not sure they are talking about 'flare' or 'sweep', but whatever. (Here's a good tutorial I wrote about the features of an off-road drop bar)

Ninety-nine bucks ain't bad. But here's the issue I have with one piece bar/stem/aero bar things. IF you like what the company chose for positions, well then you are good to go. IF however; you want to, let's say, drop the aero bar part down a bit, but leave the hoods of your levers where they are? Too bad. Ya can't do that! So, buyer beware. Unless this company hits a good middle ground of aero bar position versus the rest of the bar, well then it won't be too popular. How would you know if it might work for you?

Pony up Ninety-Nine Bucks. Good luck........

T-6 Standard Rando now available with a carbon fork and looky there! Three pack bosses!

So It Does Come With Warts Then!

After Tuesday's popular post about two new steel frames for gravel travel, Twin Six did reveal that the optional carbon fork does come with the six warts, or pimples, or whatever smarty-pants thing you want to call them.

Here's the deal from where I sit: Twin Six will sell through those carbon forks like hotcakes because of two things- People's mis-perception that carbon automatically rides better and because they look better than the steel fork does. First off- carbon forks don't ride all that well, most of the time. Usually they are over-engineered to pass the requisite tests products have to pass. Essentially they end up being too stiff. The one thing you will get is a better looking, (if you think so- it is) fork, and it will be significantly lighter than the steel fork is.. 

I hope I am wrong about this carbon fork being too stiff, but if I had to bet..... No, I think I am going to be correct, but I will be finding out soon enough. (More on that later) The steel fork is also overbuilt for the same reasons, but steel being steel, it generally doesn't kill the ride quality as badly as when you have to sell/spec a beefy carbon fork.

So, yeah- the plan is in play for me to be getting a frame and fork. We are working on the details at Andy's Bike Shop and I'll know more soon, but this bike is the one that will be taking over duties from the old Raleigh Tamland Two which I have had in service since 2014? (Checks blog) Yes! Since late March of 2014. So, that's a lot of hard riding in mostly severe conditions. Not that the Tamland couldn't continue onward, because it certainly could. No, it's just woefully out of date in terms of certain standards, like with the wheels and brakes, and steer tube size. But don't worry! The Tamland isn't going away. No......not that bike. You who know that story know why.

Initially the plan will be to set the T-6 up as a 1X with a SRAM Force 1 group I have laying around the shop. I've got the XD driver wheels, running gear, hydraulic brakes- everything. The seat post, stem, bars, saddle, yeah. Got that. So, once I can lay my mitts on the bike it should be go time for a build.

Stay tuned......

 Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #41: 

Andy from Andy's Bike Shop joins me for the latest episode of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast here. You should be able to click the link and listen from there, or you should be able to find the podcast on Apple or other podcast providers feeds.

In this episode Andy and I cover more about the latest Riding Gravel reviews, news about RAGBRAI and then we cover more in-depth on the Dirty Kanza 200 name controversy. We've already got Episode #42 recorded and off to production, so check this one out and stay up to date with us as we try to keep the content coming during these strange days.


Thanks for reading this week! Stay safe, stay healthy, and get some riding in!

A Tale Of Two New Frame Sets

The new Twin Six Standard Rando v2 in Saffron.

This past week a couple new frames were introduced in steel. That's weird and really awesome. I am happy to have this happening in 2020. Carbon and aluminum stuff comes out all the time. Big whoop! But steel stuff isn't as common, (unless your company is run by QBP), and two steel frame intros in the space of one week? That's crazy.

I thought it might be fun to check these two introductions out and cross-compare the two to see which, if any of them, are in the wheelhouse of what I'd call a 'good gravel bike'.

The first frame under the microscope will be the new Ritchey Outback v2. It is redesigned for adventure and features a new Ritchey Adventure fork in carbon with the requisite 'three-pack' bosses made famous by Salsa Cycles. The frame has the integrated cup head set style and a straight steer tube. The fork features an integrated crown race as well. Through axles front and rear, of course, as well as the now standard flat mount disc brake caliper mounting points on the chain stay and fork leg. The frame holds two water bottles in my size within the front triangle. It has rack and fender mounts as well.

The geometry chart tells us that the Outback has a relatively shallow bottom bracket drop in my size at 68mm. The head angle is a nice 71° though, but the chain stays are long at 453mm. Tire clearances are listed as 650B X 2" and 700c X 48mm. That's pretty generous.

Next up we have the Twin Six Standard Rando v2. This is pretty much a tweak on the first Standard Rando with the major differences being a new through axles and flat mount disc brake caliper mounts. The original Standard Rando also had a straight 1 1/8th head tube/fork steer tube arrangement, but the new one has a 44mm head tube which will accept a tapered steer tube. A more traditional pressed cup head set is also retained. While the Standard Rando features a steel fork, a carbon version, painted to match, is available as an upgrade.

The new Ritchey Outback v2 frame set in "Guac y Crema".

Water bottle capacity has been expanded on the T-6 with three bottle mounts on the internal side of the front triangle, and the appearance of the 'three-pack bosses' again on the steel fork. Plus, the T-6 has an under the down tube water bottle boss set as well. (I don't know that the carbon upgrade fork has those triple bosses, by the way.) UPDATE: It appears from a T-6 Instagram post that the carbon fork does indeed have the three-pack bosses.

The geometry of the Standard Rando has not changed since the first one came out. 72° head tube angle, 75mm bottom bracket drop, and 435mm chain stay lengths here. Tire clearance is 700 X 43mm or 650B X 48mm tires here, so not quite as generous as the Ritchey. However; the T-6 can be ordered with painted-to-match fenders. Rack mounts exist, of course. It also can be set up as a single speed with the appropriate bottom bracket.

Comparison: Tom Ritchey has his ideas of 'what works' based upon his riding style and where he rides. It shows in all the bikes with his name on the downtube. Typically his skinnier tire, off-road going bikes feature high bottom brackets, and the Outback follows suit. The bike strikes me as more of a touring bike, but the lighter gauge tubing would reflect a nicer ride quality than a typical touring bike might have. The integrated head set is okay until it isn't. Of course, you are stuck with the included Ritchey headset as well. Not necessarily a bad thing as long as Ritchey keeps making parts. The fork 'matchy-matches' the head set, so again- you are most likely stuck with that choice as well. Hopefully the carbon lay-up for the fork is forgiving. Gotta hand it to the Outback on tire clearances though.

The T-6 has a LOT lower bottom bracket, a touch steeper head angle, and shorter stays at 435mm vs Ritchey's long 453mm ones. Yes- the T-6 limits your 700c tire size to a 43mm, but that should be okay, as long as it plays out to be that for clearances. The original T-6 Standard Rando also claimed that for clearance, but it really was more like a 40mm limit in reality. If the new one has 43mm with a little room to spare? I'm okay with that.

For an adventure bike to limit you to four water bottles is a bit.....weird. Maybe Tom Ritchey doesn't need much water. (NOTE- I have  since found out, via a comment and some more research, that the Outback has a mount under the down tube, although their spec page doesn't list this fact) I don't know, but the T-6 has room, (in my size) for six bottles of water. I'd need all six on a longer ride in Summer. The Outback could be your bike packing rig/touring bike, and the T-6 would be a much more adept light, longer distance gravel sled. Oh yeah....speaking of sleds. That Outback frame and fork probably is lighter than the Twin Six's frame and steel fork. I had an original T-6 SR, and it was definitely NOT light. If the new one is anything like the old one for tubing, well.....you know what to expect there. 

My old Standard Rando from Twin Six.

So, which one does it for me? Which frame set would be the better Iowa gravel traveler? There is no question in my mind. It is the Standard Rando. The Outback is probably the better 'mountain bike' of the two, but I already have a great drop bar mountain bike in the Fargo. And if you want to know, the Gen I Fargo beats the pants off that Outback in my opinion as well.

Anyway... The T-6 Standard Rando has that all important lower bottom bracket which brings a stable feel in loose gravel. A higher bottom bracket, like my Orange Crush #49 has, (which happens to be about exactly what the Outback's is, by the way), is total sketch on loose gravel down hills. That's why I don't go far afield with the BMC anymore. I'll take the new MCD, or another gravel bike with a lower BB first.

Yes....that lower BB gets you in the weeds with 650B wheels and tires. But I'm okay with that for as little as I'd run the smaller wheels. The old T-6 I had rode smoooooth! I would hope that this newer one would too, and with expanded capabilities in water carrying, it fits my way of riding better as well. The Outback curiously does not provide this option. Another interesting bit is that the fit numbers are almost identical for my size between the two contenders with the exception of stack height where the T-6 is slightly higher. A good thing, probably. I don't know though because the new Salsa Stormchaser is literally slammed and I am getting on with that just fine.

Go figure......

So, the search for the Tamland 2 replacement may end up being the new T-6 Standard Rando in the School Bus Yellow scheme. I know, I know...... They call it Saffron Yellow. Tell me that frame doesn't remind you of a school bus. It's totally school bus yellow. The other color is black. Blecch! Not happening here. Give me the "Don't Hit Me Yellow" over black any day.

Seriously though. This frame, at $700.00 is a steal if it is what I think it is. This may end up being the next test sled at the G-Ted Headquarters. Stay tuned.........

A Tale Of Two New Frame Sets

The new Twin Six Standard Rando v2 in Saffron.

This past week a couple new frames were introduced in steel. That's weird and really awesome. I am happy to have this happening in 2020. Carbon and aluminum stuff comes out all the time. Big whoop! But steel stuff isn't as common, (unless your company is run by QBP), and two steel frame intros in the space of one week? That's crazy.

I thought it might be fun to check these two introductions out and cross-compare the two to see which, if any of them, are in the wheelhouse of what I'd call a 'good gravel bike'.

The first frame under the microscope will be the new Ritchey Outback v2. It is redesigned for adventure and features a new Ritchey Adventure fork in carbon with the requisite 'three-pack' bosses made famous by Salsa Cycles. The frame has the integrated cup head set style and a straight steer tube. The fork features an integrated crown race as well. Through axles front and rear, of course, as well as the now standard flat mount disc brake caliper mounting points on the chain stay and fork leg. The frame holds two water bottles in my size within the front triangle. It has rack and fender mounts as well.

The geometry chart tells us that the Outback has a relatively shallow bottom bracket drop in my size at 68mm. The head angle is a nice 71° though, but the chain stays are long at 453mm. Tire clearances are listed as 650B X 2" and 700c X 48mm. That's pretty generous.

Next up we have the Twin Six Standard Rando v2. This is pretty much a tweak on the first Standard Rando with the major differences being a new through axles and flat mount disc brake caliper mounts. The original Standard Rando also had a straight 1 1/8th head tube/fork steer tube arrangement, but the new one has a 44mm head tube which will accept a tapered steer tube. A more traditional pressed cup head set is also retained. While the Standard Rando features a steel fork, a carbon version, painted to match, is available as an upgrade.

The new Ritchey Outback v2 frame set in "Guac y Crema".

Water bottle capacity has been expanded on the T-6 with three bottle mounts on the internal side of the front triangle, and the appearance of the 'three-pack bosses' again on the steel fork. Plus, the T-6 has an under the down tube water bottle boss set as well. (I don't know that the carbon upgrade fork has those triple bosses, by the way.) UPDATE: It appears from a T-6 Instagram post that the carbon fork does indeed have the three-pack bosses.

The geometry of the Standard Rando has not changed since the first one came out. 72° head tube angle, 75mm bottom bracket drop, and 435mm chain stay lengths here. Tire clearance is 700 X 43mm or 650B X 48mm tires here, so not quite as generous as the Ritchey. However; the T-6 can be ordered with painted-to-match fenders. Rack mounts exist, of course. It also can be set up as a single speed with the appropriate bottom bracket.

Comparison: Tom Ritchey has his ideas of 'what works' based upon his riding style and where he rides. It shows in all the bikes with his name on the downtube. Typically his skinnier tire, off-road going bikes feature high bottom brackets, and the Outback follows suit. The bike strikes me as more of a touring bike, but the lighter gauge tubing would reflect a nicer ride quality than a typical touring bike might have. The integrated head set is okay until it isn't. Of course, you are stuck with the included Ritchey headset as well. Not necessarily a bad thing as long as Ritchey keeps making parts. The fork 'matchy-matches' the head set, so again- you are most likely stuck with that choice as well. Hopefully the carbon lay-up for the fork is forgiving. Gotta hand it to the Outback on tire clearances though.

The T-6 has a LOT lower bottom bracket, a touch steeper head angle, and shorter stays at 435mm vs Ritchey's long 453mm ones. Yes- the T-6 limits your 700c tire size to a 43mm, but that should be okay, as long as it plays out to be that for clearances. The original T-6 Standard Rando also claimed that for clearance, but it really was more like a 40mm limit in reality. If the new one has 43mm with a little room to spare? I'm okay with that.

For an adventure bike to limit you to four water bottles is a bit.....weird. Maybe Tom Ritchey doesn't need much water. (NOTE- I have  since found out, via a comment and some more research, that the Outback has a mount under the down tube, although their spec page doesn't list this fact) I don't know, but the T-6 has room, (in my size) for six bottles of water. I'd need all six on a longer ride in Summer. The Outback could be your bike packing rig/touring bike, and the T-6 would be a much more adept light, longer distance gravel sled. Oh yeah....speaking of sleds. That Outback frame and fork probably is lighter than the Twin Six's frame and steel fork. I had an original T-6 SR, and it was definitely NOT light. If the new one is anything like the old one for tubing, well.....you know what to expect there. 

My old Standard Rando from Twin Six.

So, which one does it for me? Which frame set would be the better Iowa gravel traveler? There is no question in my mind. It is the Standard Rando. The Outback is probably the better 'mountain bike' of the two, but I already have a great drop bar mountain bike in the Fargo. And if you want to know, the Gen I Fargo beats the pants off that Outback in my opinion as well.

Anyway... The T-6 Standard Rando has that all important lower bottom bracket which brings a stable feel in loose gravel. A higher bottom bracket, like my Orange Crush #49 has, (which happens to be about exactly what the Outback's is, by the way), is total sketch on loose gravel down hills. That's why I don't go far afield with the BMC anymore. I'll take the new MCD, or another gravel bike with a lower BB first.

Yes....that lower BB gets you in the weeds with 650B wheels and tires. But I'm okay with that for as little as I'd run the smaller wheels. The old T-6 I had rode smoooooth! I would hope that this newer one would too, and with expanded capabilities in water carrying, it fits my way of riding better as well. The Outback curiously does not provide this option. Another interesting bit is that the fit numbers are almost identical for my size between the two contenders with the exception of stack height where the T-6 is slightly higher. A good thing, probably. I don't know though because the new Salsa Stormchaser is literally slammed and I am getting on with that just fine.

Go figure......

So, the search for the Tamland 2 replacement may end up being the new T-6 Standard Rando in the School Bus Yellow scheme. I know, I know...... They call it Saffron Yellow. Tell me that frame doesn't remind you of a school bus. It's totally school bus yellow. The other color is black. Blecch! Not happening here. Give me the "Don't Hit Me Yellow" over black any day.

Seriously though. This frame, at $700.00 is a steal if it is what I think it is. This may end up being the next test sled at the G-Ted Headquarters. Stay tuned.........