Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of ROTOR

ROTOR Unveils UNO Electronic Shifting Group Set:

ROTOR, the Spanish company best known for oval chain rings and crank sets, had Wheeltop, a Chinese component manufacturer, buy a majority stake in the company last year. Long rumored to be having an electronic group set in the making with Rotor branding, this now has become a reality with UNO. 

The "Gravel Upgrade Kit" version of UNO consists of the levers, hydraulic brake calipers, and the rear derailleur. Compatible with 1X only and with a 46T rear cassette limitation, the group set will cost $948.42 USD (Odd pricing, but likely a conversion from a foreign currency figure) 

The group set's rear derailleur is carbon with 7005 series aluminum bits. ROTOR claim the rear mech will shift up to 15,000 times on one battery charge. Interestingly, this group set is compatible with 10, 11, 12, and 13 speed cassettes as long as the rear cassette does not exceed a 46T low gear.

Comments: Well, another electronic, wireless choice which is breaking the 1K price point. Wheeltop's collaboration here is notable as previous efforts by ROTOR to make a group set were hydraulically controlled. This would appear to be more Wheeltop than not. Wheeltop users on the internet have reported mixed results with their group sets, and how ROTOR's UNO will fare is not known at this time. 

We will have to wait for the results to come in via real world usage, but for now, this marks a further march toward a wireless bicycle era which will feature no cables on bicycles. 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Velo Orange Announces Raffle For Charity:

Here's a fun bit of news. Velo Orange is holding a raffle for a Neutrino rolling chassis which has been custom Cerakoted by Weichel Coatings and has components from ATW Builds . Each $5.00 chance gets you in line for possibly winning this size Large Neutrino partial build. 

All proceeds go to helping out the mission of Happy Helpers of the Homeless, a charity who bring meals and support to homeless and poverty stricken men and women every weekend in the Halethorpe, Maryland area. 

The raffle runs through now to October 15th. A winner will be chosen at random the week of October 20th. See all details and rules for this raffle HERE. 

IMage courtesy of IRD Components

Airdrop Seat Post Provides Dropper Feature In Silver Ano:

IRD Components, who do a variety of niche items, have a new Airdrop dropper post which has a few unique features. You'll notice right away it is offered in a silver anodized finish rather than the common black anodization. 

The Airdrop also has no cable running to it or a lever to deal with on your handle bar. Rather, it uses a simple lever located off the seat post head to raise and lower the post through its 100mm of drop. 

The Airdrop comes in the common 27.2mm size only and has an overall length of 400mm. The maximum insertion is listed at 190mm and minimum insertion for the post is listed at 90mm.  

The Airdrop is available on IRD's site and runs $129.00 USD. 

Comments: This is kind of cool for anyone with a silver anodized build who may want to explore a dropper post on a gravel bike. Why would you want to do this? Well, for one, a dropper post can be used as a way to easily mount and dismount a bike by lowering the saddle when stopped. This is of particular benefit if you have a very heavily laden touring bike set up, or if you are bikepacking. 

Secondly, lowering the post on any longer downhill will help you get lower on the bike, and more aero. You'll bomb hills far faster with a dropper post lowered than not. It can be rather eye-opening, actually. Of course, there is the benefit while descending steep, rough terrain as well. 

US Customs Cites Giant For Forced Labor Practices, Holds Imports:

On Wednesday, "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" broke a story in which Giant Bicycles is being investigated for forced labor practices at its Taiwan factories. As a result, all Giant product and other branded product made there is being held at port until the matter is solved.  Giant is reportedly filing a petition to revoke the Withhold Release Order.,

You can read the story HERE.

Comments: This is an interesting development as it is widely known Giant also makes bicycles for several other well known brands. If, in fact, the Withhold Release Order is upheld, this could further disrupt the chain of supply and cause detriment to an already depressed economy for the cycling industry. 

This could also be seen as a bad public relations event, if this ends up becoming a larger issue. 

UPDATE: 9/26/25:  (From Bicycle Retailer and Industry News X Account) UPDATE: Giant clarified to BRAIN this morning that CBP is currently not holding any shipments from the company. The CBP's Withhold Release Order announced Wednesday applies to any products arriving after the order.

Image courtesy of Trek Bikes

That Full Suspension Gravel Bike From Trek Finally Is Official:

On Thursday Trek Bikes finally unleashed the Checkout SL- a 9K carbon fiber full-suspension gravel/bike packing bike. Replete with 55mm wide tires out of the box and the new Rudy XL (released yesterday) on the front. This bike has 60mm of travel up front, and according to a Instagram post I saw, 55mm in the back. 

Rumors and images of this bicycle were floating around the web since around the Unbound event back in early June, so those who caught the pictures then probably are not surprised here. 

And look at the flares and swept tops on this drop bar. Pretty radical for a 2025 release. I happen to like this sort of thing, but it does go in the opposite direction from the racing type handlebars on most newer gravel bikes. 

Comments: Hmm.... Much can be said about a bicycle like this. I will say it looks a little ungainly and the "Miami Vice| color palette is not my cup of tea. (The Checkout SL 5 is a more subdued black, by the way) The images of this bike kitted out for bikepacking look great, but the bare bike is sort of jarring to the eye with the tipped forward rack and MTB-looking fork. 

I could see an aluminum, more budget friendly version of this bike at some point if they sell these things. $8,999.00 for the Checkout SL 7 is no joke though, so you have to wonder if many of these will be sold. Mostly because (a) it is an oddball bike, not really XC MTB and not really gravel, and (b) it is a carbon frame bike. Most bikepackers are looking for Titanium or steel in this space. It is an interesting bicycle, nonetheless. 
 

That's a wrap on this week's news and views. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions. Get out and ride those bicycles!
 

Velo Orange Eccentric Bottom Bracket: Review

Note: The Velo Orange Eccentric English Threaded Bottom Bracket for 24mm spindle cranks was purchased by Guitar Ted at retail. Velo Orange did not ask for this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

In my posts about the "Crazy Idea" Singular Buzzard makeover, I have mentioned one of the key components to making my idea work was to somehow have the ability to convert the Buzzard to a single speed, should the need arise. The Buzzard has vertical dropout6s and a standard, threaded bottom bracket. So, how would I be able to convert to single speed?

I could pack a chain tensioner device, but many rear derailleur mishaps involve the mangling of the frame drop out, and this might be a hindrance to using a chain tensioner device, which is essentially a derailleur cage without the parallelogram bits.

The other way to go about this would be to use an eccentric for the bottom bracket. This would allow a small amount of chain tensioning. Hopefully just enough to get you back home in case of an emergency/accident out on a bike packing trip. I'm not expecting a device which would allow single speed performance at a very high level, but if this is the case, I won't be angry about it! (If you need an explainer for my idea and how a single speed adapter would work in this scenario, see my article HERE)

The Velo Orange Eccentric Bottom Bracket comes with everything you see here and a wrench!

What It Is: The Velo Orange Eccentric Bottom Bracket is a device which allows for a small amount of chain tensioning via the offsetting of the spindle of a typical two-piece Shimano type crank. The device also comes with a shim to allow for certain SRAM crank sets to be used as well. It is important to note that any crank set with a larger than 24mm spindle will not adapt to this product.

Since the bike I am using has a Shimano SLX  2X crank set, I was hoping to be able to employ the VO bottom bracket as a way to tension my chain in case an emergency set up for single speed is required. There are shims and a wavy washer in the box which should allow one to properly set up the bottom bracket with your compatible crank set, but I do not expect these will be necessary in my case. Of course, I won't need the SRAM non-drive side spindle adapter either, but it is there in case you need it.

 The spanner wrench you get with a purchase of this component is actually pretty nice. It is steel, pretty beefy at about 3mm thickness, and is not only useful for setting up this bottom bracket, but might come in handy for track lock rings or old-school bottom brackets you may have around. 

The Velo Orange Eccentric English Threaded Bottom Bracket 24mm sells for $100.00 plus shipping. My first take on this bottom bracket is a good one. It is well made, the bearings are smooth, and in typical Velo Orange style, it looks great.. Read on to see how the eccentric works.  

Technical Details: The eccentric works  by way of three grub screws in the rim of each bottom bracket cup. When loosened, this allows the outer bit of the cup to rotate which changes the position of the eccentric hole, thus allowing for a small bit of chain tensioning. The bearings are pressed into this cup and it uses a similar "top hat" shim for the inner diameter of the bearing which the crank spindle comes into contact with.

It should be noted that the cups and the adjustment of the eccentric is independent on each side. Meaning you have to be careful to visually align the cups to get the bearings to line up symmetrically to avoid binding. While the instructions do not say this, I would suggest leaving the grub screws loose in one cup so you can insert the crank and move the loose cup's adjuster to align with the other, then tighten the grub screws to the indicated torque setting on the cup housing.  

The cups are threaded as with any traditional, threaded bottom bracket, with the left side being right hand thread and the right side being left hand thread. Velo Orange marks the cups so you won't get confused. There is no provided 'tube' between the cups, although I found a typical Shimano tube plugs right into the inner part of each cup perfectly.  Installation is pretty simple and the spanner wrench comes in handy here. 

Problems: Unfortunately I ran into a couple of problems with this bottom bracket. First off, I found the Shimano SLX 10 speed crank I wanted to use would not pass through the bearing/plastic shim on the drive side. It was as though I had the wrong size crank spindle for this bottom bracket. I tried two other HollowTech, 24mm spindles cranks and neither of those would pass through the bearing/shim. So, I disassembled the bottom bracket to do a few measurements.

Using a digital calipers, I found the inside diameter of the Velo Orange top hat shim on the driveside to be 23.92mm. Compared to the top hat shims in the Shimano bearing cup I saw a measurement of 23.97mm. This would account for why the inner diameter of the Velo Orange bearing/shim would not pass over the spindles of my crank sets. Oddly enough, inside diameter of the top hat shim in the non-driveside cup of the Velo Orange bottom bracket was slightly larger in diameter  So, placing it into the drive side I was able to insert the crank into the bottom bracket which led me to the next problem. 

The mounts for the inner chain ring on the crank would not clear the cup's outer dimension, so full penetration of the spindle into the cup was not possible. In effect, this means this bottom bracket likely is not compatible with any 2X HollowTech MTB crank set from Shimano.

Obviously I was very disappointed. This information was not available on the Velo Orange site, so I was unaware this might be the case. But I have informed Velo Orange of the issue. In response, my contact mentioned the design was "...really designed around being used with a 1 x set up". My contact person also very graciously offered a refund, but I have decided to keep this and try a 1X or find another application for it. Sadly, it means the idea I had for the Singular Buzzard will have to rely on a tensioner now for single speed set up if I stick with the SLX crank set. (Unless I decided to go 1X, which would fix the issue. I'll have an update on the "Crazy Idea" bike explaining my choices later)

So Far... I would like to see a product like this made with round cups instead of the current hexagonal shape which I believe would help the cups to clear a crank set like the one I am using currently on the Buzzard. My contact at Velo Orange when presented with this idea agreed it might help with a 2X set up.  I also would like to see a better quality control for those top hat shims. But in theory, this is a good product. I'll get this on the Buzzard with a 1X or on one of my other bicycles soon.Then I will be able to give further impressions on this product. 

Stay tuned.... 

Thoughts On The Velo Orange Chessie

The Velo Orange "Chessie" (Image courtesy of Velo Orange)

A Look At An Inexpensive All-Rounder:

Recently I was contacted by Velo Orange, (who apparently read this blog - at least occasionally) for my opinion on their newest adventure/gravel/all-arounder, the Chessie. I first noted the bike in a post from almost a year ago in coverage of the MADE Show.

The offering raised interest with me since the bike was to have a claimed 50mm tire clearance, several mounting points for accessories, and a single speed option. While the material for the Chessie was aluminum, this doesn't mean it will ride like a hay rack. Now days materials technology affords those using aluminum to tune ride quality and those "zingers" we used to feel while riding an aluminum frame from the past are potentially gone now.

This seemed like a good option for anyone building up a bike in a specific way to suit their needs. I love the single speed option, being a single speed guy, but also for the potential to be self-sufficient in case of any issues with a rear derailleur. Having the single speed option might allow you to make it back to the start, or the destination, without calling in someone to rescue you.

Geometry is important to me, and I'm not about to add a bicycle to my situation, which has far too many bicycles as it is, unless I can replace one I have with something "better". In other words, to make the cut here, the bike better well be spot-on, or I'm going to pass. Dialed geometry for my desires may not be a concern, or even relevant in any way for you, so please understand what I am about to share is really from my perspective. You should consider your own needs and choose wisely.

Geometry for the Chessie (Image courtesy of Velo Orange)

Usually when I see a bicycle I am interested in there is one area the geometry disappoints me in. The Chessie is no different in this regard,. But before I get to what I specifically did not like about this bike, I want to share what I want to see in a bike's geometry chart.

• Head Tube Angle: I need to see slacker than 72° and maybe I'd go as slack as 69° here. (Depends upon fork offset, bottom bracket drop, and Stack numbers)
• Bottom Bracket Drop: I'll never get a bike with anything less than a 72mm bottom bracket drop which has tire clearances for 50mm or less tires. I've ridden a few bikes, and I own one, which have high bottom brackets and they are not a lot of fun on loose, crushed rock descents and just in general, on any loose rock infested road. Nope! Been there - done that. I prefer to see something like a 75mm drop, which I believe to be "perfect for me". More than this gets a little sketchy with the pedals potentially striking, but now with shorter crank sets being all the rage, maybe I could make a low, 75+mm bottom bracket drop work. 
•  Seat Tube Angle: Nothing too steep. I'm not super picky here, but an upright, steep seat tube is not what I like to see on a bike I am considering. 
• Chainstay Length:  I like something between 430mm and 440mm. This can change depending upon the seat tube angle. and bottom bracket drop. (See my Honeman Flyer as an example of this) 

So, how does the Chessie stack up and where doesn't it? This design is really pretty good from my view, but for the bottom bracket drop. In fact, looking across the sizes, the bottom bracket drop seems pretty crazy. I cannot recall seeing this before where every size has a pretty big difference in the bottom bracket drop. I could maybe make sense of it all but for the size Medium frame which is the only size I'd be happy with all-around. Unfortunately I need to be on a size Large, and a 68mm drop is a definite no-go for myself.

The Chessie got a couple rave reviews from a couple of online cycling sites. That is encouraging, but I cannot compromise on any of my points, so this bike would not be something I'd bring in for myself. I was hoping it might be a T-6 Standard Rando replacement, as the T-6 has limited tire clearances, but I'll have to keep looking.....  

Crazy Idea: Update

Back in mid-June I showed you dear readers this "sketch" I had for the old Singular Buzzard. If you missed the introduction to my nutty thoughts, you can go back and read them HERE. 

The short story, in case you don't go back to read the first post on this, is that I wanted to rebuild the Buzzard, but not as a trail bike. I am going with a "bikepacking/Pugsley" idea, where the rear and front wheels will be interchangeable.

The first order of business was to rebuild the single speed rear hub I have, which was laced to a 26" Marge Lite rim, as seen in the image above/left here. (depending on which platform you are viewing the blog on)

Then, since I wanted to reuse the On One Chunky Monkey 29" x 2.4" tires, I had to clean out all the old sealant. Let me tell you, there was a lot of 'skin to peel' off! But it came out swell, and the tire looked great, even if it is about a dozen years old! By the way, I will have to do the same with the rear, but I haven't gotten around to it quite yet.

With the tire cleaned up, and the 29" Dually rim rebuilt onto the single speed hub, I had to re-tape the rim, and I decided that for now I would insert a tube. This will press the tape down nice and evenly onto the rim's inner walls, and suffice for the time being to test out the idea. If things pan out, I will set up the bike tubeless, or maybe I'll go TPU. We will see when, and if, I get to this point what I decide.
 

The second mock-up looks more promising. I think I am warming up to this idea!

So there is what I have so far. I like what I am seeing now much better. A few points to note here:

• The seat height is correct, so I am happy with the saddle-to-bar drop I am seeing without adding more spacers. The fact that this fork was made for a first generation titanium Mukluk helps in that the steer tube was extra long.
• Speaking of that Enabler fork, this is the key to the entire idea being worthwhile, in my opinion. The context here is that Salsa, for better or worse, based the first iterations of their fat bike on the Surly Pugsley, which had as one of its central ideas the interchangeable front and rear wheel feature. This was done to allow for a "bail-out" option where a failed derailleur or frozen up free hub could be swapped out as an entire wheel assembly for your front wheel which would have a single speed free wheel mounted, or a fixed cog. (Or if you went with only a rear brake, both fixed and free wheel single speed options!)  This meant that the Enabler fork was designed with a 135mm, rear brake specific, quick release drop out spacing. The same as the rear of the Singular Buzzard. 
• The Velo Orange Utility Bar and Utility Rack will be utilized for water bottle mounts as well as cargo-carrying duties. The original set up on the Buzzard was predicated on a MTB usage which was based upon the assumption a rider would be using a hydration pack. This one-bottle set up was not going to cut it as a bikepacking rig, so the additional capacity for the Utility Bar and Rack to handle water bottles is a boon here. Obviously the Enabler Fork also adds two water bottle mounts. So water carrying needs are all covered here.
• I will make use of a Topeak rear seat bag/dry bag carrier for more cargo capacity when necessary. I will also be looking to add a "gas tank" style top tube bag.
• The drive train will be a 2X 11 speed set up utilizing an XTR shifter and  rear derailleur which I was gifted by N.Y. Roll. (The current STX rear mech will be replaced). 

There will be a lot of details to take care of before I get this thing up and running, so I am far from the finish line with this project. However; I am encouraged by the outcome so far. If you have any comments or suggestions, I would welcome them.

Stay tuned.... 

Okay, I Have This Crazy Idea...

My idea is inspired by this venerable bike. 

Once in a while I get these crazy ideas for bicycles. Sometimes I act on them and you end up seeing the results here. Bikes like my Pofahl Signature, or the latest to be realized, the Honeman Flyer. 

Sometimes they remain in my mind never to be realized. Which, in some cases is probably a good thing! It doesn't help things when I have several frame sets around and lots of parts not doing anything. I naturally want to just find creative ways to put this stuff together and see what the outcome might be.

Lately I have had this idea percolating in my head which was inspired by the venerable Surly Pugsley. That weird, versatile, early fat bike option which had some unique design features. First of all, you could use parts from a hard tail MTB to build one up, including the hubs. Well, the rear hubs. See, the Pugsley was designed specifically to utilize two rear hubs so a rider could have a geared hub as the main drive wheel, and the front would be set up with a single speed free wheel 'just in case of emergency'. Say you whack the rear dangly bit off. Well, you simply swap wheels, utilize the Pugsley track ends to tension the shortened chain, (you did remember the chain tool, right?), and you can then pedal your way out of a tight spot.

This idea spawned my thoughts regarding my forlorn, but rare, Singular Buzzard frame. I was trying to sell it for a while, and I actually had some interest in it, which then pushed me over the edge to jump off and do this idea. (Apologies once again to the person who expressed interest)

Anyway, check this out. It's just a mock-up. A sketch, if you will. I'll explain after the image.

Okay, so here we have the Buzzard, a hard tail MTB with a kind-of slack geometry. This bike was designed just previous to the radical "long/slack/low" geometry craze we all know these days, so the head angle is not super choppered out, but it is slacker than older 29"ers. The top tube is not crazy long, but it isn't short. This is kind of a transitional design from the early "first gen" 29"er to what we have out there now. 

Now, it is not a typical Singular in that the frame is not single speedable. This is a critical factor in my idea. Fortunately Velo Orange makes an eccentric which accepts a 24mm spindle, two piece Shimano crank set. Now, the next critical piece is the front wheel. I happen to have this oddball single speed 135mm rear hub laced to a Marge Lite rim. This happens to work really well with this old Salsa Cycles Enabler fork I have lying around. The plan is to re-lace the red single speed hub into the old front wheel from this bike, which matches the rear wheel, and is a Velocity Dually. The rear is laced to a Velocity geared rear hub. Also of importance: The fork is a rear brake standard. So, I can use two rear hubs, one geared, one single speed, and if something went wrong on a ride? I could use the Velo Orange eccentric bottom bracket and swap wheels.

Crazy, right?  

Friday News And Views

WCS Mountain Adventure Fork (Image courtesy of Ritchey Design)

 Sea Otter Edition of the FN&V:

Today marks the second to last day of the Sea Otter festival at Laguna Seca Raceway. Here is the first item from Sea Otter for today from Ritchey design.

Ritchey design Releases Mt Adventure Fork, News On A Tom Ritchey Book:

 Today Ritchey Design released news on their new "WCS Mountain Adventure Fork". A carbon fiber fork meant to adapt 120-130mm hard tail 29"ers to full-rigid status. This fork is in a similar vein as the recently announced Wilde "Future Proof Fork".

Featuring rack and fender mounts, internal dynamo lighting route, accessory mounts on each fork leg, and capability to handle a tire up to 2.4" wide, this fork should find a home on bikepacker's rigs. It is light,as well being made from carbon, so the overall weight is listed at 565 grams with an uncut 1 1/8th to 1 1/2" tapered steer tube. Boost spacing should accommodate most modern MTB wheels. No price was listed for the WCS Adventure Fork in the press release but the fork is at Sea Otter in the Ritchey booth. Available from April 15th onward.

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Furthermore, Ritchey Design is proud to announce a new book detailing the story of Tom Ritchey's life in "cycling history, professional triumphs and rebounds from near devastating mishaps".

Ritchey is starting a Kickstrater to fund this project. Early adopters will be in for access to (depending on donor level) a choice of a special limited edition of One Ride Away, a discounted from MSRP standard edition or supporter shirt with their purchase.

Comments: The Adventure fork is interesting in that it has a tapered steer tube and is made from carbon fiber. The tapered steer tube would be a non-issue with any other brand, but Ritchey typically eschews this type of steerer saying the straight steer tube designs lend a better ride quality to rigid forks.

I think carbon forks are not that big of a deal when it comes to knocking about on a trail bike or for bikepacking, but a certain element of the cycling world does still have reservations when it comes to carbon. Of course, there are choices, so maybe these folks are more of the type which would choose the Wilde offering. 

Sea Otter Switches To Gravel:

Today the big event will be the kick-off to the Life Time Grand Prix series for 2025. Instead of the traditional XC MTB event, the riders will now be doing a "gravel race", although some of the course will be essentially from the XC event.  (??)

The riders will be taking on the 88.8 total miles on a loop course which is done three times. Prizing has been increased over 2024, so each event in the Grand Prix will now have a purse of  $30,000.00 evenly split between the Men's and Women's fields. That should spark some pretty motivated racing, if this is how you are funding Life through 2025.

Comments: It should be noted the series will also add a XC MTB event at the end of the series with the new "Little Sugar" mtb event which will be the penultimate event in the series which ends with the Big Sugar gravel event. Both of those events happening in Arkansas. 

This new "gravel" event at Sea Otter is kind of weird in that the terrain is super-hilly, but is dirt, pavement, and pretty tame looking gravel not unlike what we have around town here in our alleys. Obviously, they are doing their best to find some kind of a course and honestly, it looks tough. So, we'll see what folks think, but I saw the course preview on You Tube, and the climbing is no joke. Good luck to all that take this on.

Image courtesy of Continental Tires

Continental Introduces New MTB Tires:

Continental released information on three new tires for its MTB range which replace the Race King, Mountain King, and Trail King models. I will only be focusing on the new "Dubnital" XC race tire as it has direct crossover to gravel usage.

The new Dubnital has a fast, lower block tread and features Continentals "Rapid" or "Grip" compounds depending upon the model chosen. Then you can choose between Trail or Race casings. Trail being the tougher of the two with Race being the lightest. These come in black wall or Conti's "tan" wall. Sizes are listed as all 29"er with one exception in black wall/Trail casing/Grip compound for 27.5"ers. Prices are around 67 to 74 bucks each depending upon the model's features.

Comments: I think the go-to tire here would be a Rapid compound, Race casing Dubnital in the 2.20" size, while a Fargo rider might opt for the wider 2.4 in a Trail casing. But either way, these tubeless ready, hookless bead compatible tires look to find a home on many a gravel oriented bicycle's wheels. 

Image courtesy of Niner Bikes.

Niner Bikes Introduces the O.R.E. RDO Gravel Bike:

Niner Bikes announced a new model this past Monday. It is called the "O.R.E. RDO, in their typical acronym nomenclature. This model's name stands for "Off Road Explorer Race Day Only". The RDO part generally confers the carbon frame material in Niner's range.

The marketing on this bike is pointing straight at the mountain biker who is looking for their first gravel bike. A 69° head tube angle mated with a longer front-center establishes what Niner thinks will be an "at home feel" for the avid mountain biker coming over to gravel. Furthering the MTB-like appeal the O.R.E. RDO is suspension corrected for a 40mm travel gravel fork.

The bike will be available in a few complete build options and as a frame and fork in two colors. Frames start at $2,500.00. 

Comments: A "mountain biker's gravel bike". How many times has this line been used for a gravel bike by a predominantly MTB oriented company? I was a bit dismayed to see only 50mm tire clearance and a 70mm bottom bracket drop. That is not very progressive in this current evolution of gravel bikes, but it isn't terrible. I really scratch my head though when I see high bottom brackets like this, especially when short crank arms are all the rage with MTB'ers these days. That's a T47 bottom bracket, by the way. I like that.

These claims of having this "forward thinking geometry" make me laugh when I look at my Honeman Flyer with geometry that is similar in many ways to this bike and comes from the 1930's. Ha! 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Growtac Equal Friction Shifters:

Velo Orange released information on Tuesday for their new Growtac Equal Control Levers. They are friction shifters, which means you don't have any indexing - no 'clicks'. Essentially a rider moves the lever until the chain makes its 'shift' and then the rider can adjust, or 'trim' the derailleur, until the chain is centered over the gear selected. Front derailleurs are infinitely adjustable so rubbing chains can be a thing of the past.

It might sound hard, but once you get the hang of it, (yes- there is some skill involved and a learning curve), it becomes second nature. I used a friction shifting bike as a commuter for several years and it is amazing how 'in-tune' you get to the system over time.

Another bonus: You can mix and match previously unmatchable components. SRAM Eagle derailleur, eight speed cassette, and a triple crank with a Campy front derailleur? Yep. As long as the chain tension can be maintained by the rear derailleur, you are good to go with a friction shifter. 

The Growtac Equal levers are also available as a brake lever only. This makes 1X or single speed set-ups possible without having a need for the shifting bits. The levers look great, and the word from Velo Orange is that they work quite nicely with mechanical disc brakes. You can read more HERE from Velo Orange.

Comments: I am honestly kind of excited about these levers. But holy-moly, the price isn't cheap! At $212.00  per shift lever and $125.00 for each brake lever, these will test your commitment level to friction shifting! Still, a very cool alternative to have available. 

Image courtesy of Allied Bikes

Allied Bikes Debuts Able With Big Tire Clearances:

Allied dropped this new Able bike on Tuesday of this week which features clearances for up to a 57mm 29"er tire.  Boasting "gravel racing geometry", the bike has a 70.5° head tube angle, a 74° seat tube angle, and an 80mm bottom bracket drop.

Due to the massive bottom bracket drop Allied warns Able owners to not use any tire smaller than a 700 X 45mm. This is perhaps a first. A recommendation for minimum tire size! 

Able bikes are ready to be ordered and you can also get a frame set. A frameset will set you back a cool $4,500.00 for the base model and options can take it up from there. (And it isn't even a Made in the USA frame!) More information can be seen on Allied's site HERE. 

Comments: Woo! That is a large tire clearance! Drop bar MTB? Hmm.... I do like the geometry. Raleigh had a bike very similar to this several years ago. I forget the model's name but it was a quite displeasing shade of brown! Anyway, nothing new here in terms of the geometry, so saying things like "gravel racing geometry" is but another phrase from the Book of Marketing Chutzpah.

And yeah.....that's a lotta money for this bike!

That wraps up this FN&V. If I find more Sea Otter stuff to post I'll run another article tomorrow, maybe..... Get on those bikes and Ride!

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Ridley Bikes

Ridley Announces New Aero Gravel Racing Bike:

On Tuesday of this past week Ridley announced a new aero gravel bike model to compliment their current Kanzo Adventure and Kanzo Fast bicycles. The new bike will be offered in both carbon frame and fork (Astr RS) and a lower grade carbon frame/carbon fork (Astr) models.

The Astr (Is there a fear of vowels in marketing these days?) is a full-on racing bike for gravel which anticipates the expansion of sanctioned gravel events world-wide. (More on that next up) So the Astr models feature clearance for up to 52mm tires in 1X mode with a limitation of 47mm if set up in 2X configurations. Furthermore, head tube angle is 71.5° while the seat tube angle is a steep 74°. This along with a lower stack height puts the rider in a more forward, aerodynamic position on the bike, perfect for a fit athlete to race as fast as possible. (This is no adventure bike!)

As one might expect, all cables are internally routed starting at the handlebars and those bars are an integrated stem/bar in carbon featuring a narrower stance at the hoods. Again - a nod to aerodynamics. The chain stays were also kept as short as possible to give the rider the feeling of instant acceleration. 

The Astr, the lesser grade carbon counterpart to the Astr RS, is a less expensive option for riders that cannot afford the ultra-aero carbon model. The Astr RS frame, fork, seat post is approximately $5,550.00 USD currently. So, the bike is not inexpensive but the Astr model saves you about 3K from that for a frame/fork.  It's just a little heavier and the seat post is not an aero one. 

Notable: The Astr RS is UCI approved. 

Comments: So, with the UCI ramping its sanctioning of gravel events up (see next bit), we are seeing the ultra-race forms of gravel bicycles appearing which will have the influence of making gravel as much like road racing as possible. Expect to see a LOT of companies jumping onboard with high priced aero carbon gravel bikes with an aim to get those customers who believe that riding bikes "just like the Pros ride" is the pinnacle of cycling. Which it isn't, but belief is 9/10's of the truth in this matter, so whatever.... It's here and we are going to see more of it. 

Image courtesy of Union Cycliste Internatinale

Gravel World Championships & More Events Planned for 2025:

In an article published on the Cycling News website (HERE) concerning this year's Gravel World Championships, sanctioned by the UCI, Edwin Vervecken has foreshadowed what the plan is for Golazo/UCI and gravel racing worldwide. 

The plan is to increase the UCI sanctioned worldwide gravel calendar to 35 events under the auspices of Golazo. (For a primer on how Golazo and the UCI are working together, see my  article posted this past June HERE)

Vervecken goes on to say that there will be a limit to how many events a country can host, which is two, with the exception of the USA, Australia, and Canada, which may have up to three.  Vervecken claims that there will be three in the USA next year and possibly a fourth event. (Wait....isn't the limit three? )

Comments: The UCI is really pushing hard to get their grip on US gravel and making the case for it by dangling the carrot of the rest of the World's acceptance of their formatting for gravel events. Again, this flies in the face of what reality is currently for the small field of Pro gravel riders based in North America. But what about world-wide? Well, Gravel World Championships are this weekend and for a "world-wide" event, supposedly drawing from all over the world, the entire Elite Men's and Women's field is 429 riders. (I checked the official start list to get this number) So we're supposed to "do gravel" like this everywhere because less than 500 Pros worldwide want to, (or think they have to) ride the UCI sanctioned way?

As of now, Life Time Event's "Grand Prix" is the "big time" when it comes to gravel events in the USA. Life Time's purse for the events and overall winner is such that overseas travel to participate in a series which culminates in offering a jersey isn't seen as being worthwhile. (See Lauren De Crescenzo) There is no prestige or history behind the rainbow stripes for an unpaved roads World Champion like there is for the Road or MTB versions of the UCI's racing. 

Add in big prize purses for Gravel Worlds and a jersey that actually has history in gravel racing, (the Lincoln, Nebraska version), the Belgian Waffle rides, and a few other events, and you can see that by sticking to a USA based calendar the Pro athlete can make a privateer or marginally backed program work. (It is reported that the top athletes in North American gravel racing receive a six figure income from racing gravel) To get a "real" Pro roadie-like gravel series going it is going to take Pro road-like sponsored teams and that hasn't happened yet. Besides, the USA hasn't proven itself in being able to sustain a team in the Pro roadie ranks long-term, and I don't see that happening for gravel. Add in the Golazo/UCI formula for what they call a gravel event, (lame) and you can see that this is really not workable for the USA based Pro and semi-Pro gravel racer. 

Finally, the views of how Golazo/UCI see Women's racing versus Men's, in terms of distances, etc, would be brought over to gravel here. That's not going to sit well with many folks, (again, read my post from June for details). Not that the UCI won't get their way, but - This is just exchanging pavement for gravel, otherwise it is the same-ol'-same-ol' Pro roadie crap we already have seen here. If that's your bag, you do you, but it isn't "gravel racing" as it was formatted here from the get-go. 

Image courtesy of 45NRTH

45NRTH Offers New Oland Waterproof Boot:

Yeah, Winter is on the way and cold weather riding, either for commuting or sport, is going to be on the menu for many of us. 45NRTH offers their new Oland boot to tackle this problem and promises warm feet and all-day usage. 

Featuring 100 grams of Primaloft insulation and an environmentally conscientious manufacturing process for the leather uppers, this boot is rated down to 20°F and up to 45°F as far as temperature range goes.  

The Oland also features glass fiber bits embedded into the real rubber soles to enhance traction in slippery situations. The Oland has traditional lace closure and is compatible with two-bolt cleat interfaces for clipless pedal usage or leave the removable plate on and ride flat pedals. 

The Oland is available in whole sizes from 38 to 50 and costs $260.00 USD. 

Comments: This boot is going after the commuter and recreational rider, judging by the marketing and styling of the Oland. I think it is a smart move to "normalize" cycling apparel for everyone, and especially cyclists. I'd be more apt to wear this boot than some of the other cycling footwear I see for Winter on my bike and obviously, the Oland is set for off the bike usage as well. 

However; if this is what 45NRTH is thinking of style-wise and for usage type, then I think you can do a whole lot better with other non-cycling brands that do Winter footwear. As an example, I've been a user of Keen footwear on my Winter biking forays for many years and this boot they offer for quite a bit less than the Oland has similar features and twice the insulation. I'm sure other companies are doing similar hiker style boots at notable savings over the 45NRTH offering. Yes, they are not clipless compatible, but I would counter by saying flat pedals are a lot smarter Winter choice and especially composite pedals which will not transfer heat from your feet like a clipless or metal pedal does. Try them and let me know if I am wrong. I'll be here...... 

Camp Snap Camera Update:

Some of you might recall that I purchased a Camp Snap Camera last Spring and reviewed it on the site HERE. In the review I mentioned my poor experience with image quality, especially with the tendency of the sensor to "blow out" images if there was any intense light source, like the Sun, shining. 

Well, Velo Orange, who sell these (as well as other outlets) announced a v2 of the camera is now available which promises better jpeg processing and a "significantly faster shutter speed". This is probably in response to the problems I, and likely others, were having with v1 of the camera. It still is $65.00USD, so not a bad chance to take on a cheaply made camera for fun. 

Image courtesy of Boone Technologies

Boone Technologies Titanium Goodness: 

Somewhere in the depths of time I came into possession of a Boone Titanium single speed cog and matching spacer kit. I treasured those bits and one of my single speed bikes has that set up, (I think it is on my Pofahl Signature single speed gravel bike)

Anyway, the "big deal" was that Boone had gone back to making jewelry and had dropped the cycling products. But I found out via Mike Curiak's blog that they are back again making not only single speed cogs but chain rings, spiders, and titanium crank sets. 

The website is here if you want to check those out. 

What is cool is that now those cogs can be had in various anodized colors. I grabbed an image of a purple one here but there are a lot more colors available. These bits are not cheap. The cogs are nearly a hundred bucks alone, but they are well made, last a long time and are light. Check out this USA based and manufactured product line if you want to get something cool in titanium for your bike. 

Note: I get nothing for mentioning this, I just think these are good products worth checking in to.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! get out there and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Early FOX gravel sus fork effort

Will Your Next Gravel Bike Really Be A Drop Bar MTB?

Recently a "Bike Rumor" article showing an in-development DT Swiss gravel fork surfaced. Coupled with this are the various social media reports from Pro level gravel riders that they are running 29"er XC racing tires on their "gravel bikes". Wheels are starting to pop up with inner rim widths of 30mm or wider for "gravel". Most "gravel" related social media posts showing any of this look freakishly similar to what I recall seeing for MTB racing at one time. Lots of dirt single and double track, steep descents, and lots of rocks. Which reminds me, tire inserts are another trend for "gravel". 

I won't belabor the whole "gravel suspension fork" thing here as I already have tackled that subject in detail HERE. But what I do want to point out is that perhaps we are seeing this development and push for a mash-up of gravel and MTB because of two things. 

One: Gravel cycling is still the fastest growing market in cycling in terms of bikes and events. That is fact. At least here in the USA it is. Second: Mountain biking, on the other hand, is struggling to be relevant in terms of events and in terms of sales of new mountain bikes things are dismal. Current inventories of MTB bikes are still at too-high levels, and the demand is flat for them. Price -slashing on MTB bikes currently in stock is amazing at the moment. 

Combined that puts pressure on marketing and research departments to come up with solutions. Maybe if these "gravel bikers" would see drop bar bikes being used as MTB bikes they might gravitate to getting back into MTB. And to be sure, that will work for a lot of people. I've already seen and heard about people leaving gravel bikes for MTB. 

But for the vast majority of "gravel"/all-road riders this trend is not beneficial. These fatter tired, suspended bikes will work less well on paved and harder surfaced roads. They will be heavier, in most cases, than previous non-suspended, "skinnier" tired gravel bikes are. In other words, the cycling industry is once again hell-bent on turning a category into what Pros want and "maybe" need versus what is good for most folks. 

Perhaps making more utilitarian MTB hard tails would be more prudent. I know I am selling every decent spec, 1990's hard tail MTB I can get my hands on at the Collective where I work. Simple, easy to maintain, and versatile bikes which are reasonably lightweight and not full of techno-wow electronic bits. But yeah....that's not very exciting, I guess.  

USAC Gravel Nationals:

Did you even know this happened? Well, it did. Once again it was not very well attended by elite level athletes. Much like last year's Gravel Nats weren't well attended, only 49 Elite males and 17 Elite females took the start. Notable: The largest fields in the age group cats were the 50 years old to 70 years old males. Go figure.....

You can see the results HERE.

That sounds not so good for a National gravel race that awards a Stars and Stripes jersey, right? But let's compare. What did Gravel Worlds get for Elite/Pro fields? Looking at their officially posted results, it appears that only a field of 37 male riders and a field of 15 women toed the line. Now contrast this with Unbound Gravel, whose officially posted results show a men's field of 135 starters and a women's field of 56 starters.

It is abundantly clear which event is producing the best competitive results. But look at those numbers a minute and consider this: All the media hype and much of what you see now as being "good for gravel" is based around this minuscule amount of riders. Ask yourself this: Does that seem like the right thing to do? The "fair thing" to do? 

In other words, most cycling media and many brands aren't catering to what the most people need or want. Of course, you could say the same about most facets of our society now..... 

Image courtesy of Planet Bike

Planet Bike Beamer 400:

Planet Bike is a company that puts out some solid kit for utilitarian purposes. I have had fantastic luck with several of their fender models over the years. Planet Bike also offers some nice, inexpensive lighting options for your bike, front and rear. 

Their newest bike front light is the Beamer 400, which, as the name implies, has a maximum power output of 400 Lumens at 3.5hr run time (claimed). 

Featuring TIR lens technology for better reflective properties and a clamp which adjusts to handle bars from 25.4 mm to 31.8 mm, this $35.00 retail light might be just the thing for your townie or commuter rig. The one feature I am impressed by is the ability of the light to adapt to mount on to any Garmin type computer mount using the adapter provided with the light. Planet Bike also has a new heavy-duty chain link lock which retails for $40.00 which you can check out HERE. 

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth

Another App:

Wolf Tooth announced on Tuesday that they now have a smart phone app that will help you figure out where to start with air pressure on any bicycle. Users download the Wolf Tooth app, enter in their type of bike, wheel size, tire width, rider weight, and then get a customized starting point for air pressure experimentation. 

Comments: N.Y. Roll told me he has the app on his phone and gave it a try. He stated that it led him to a recommendation about 3 psi higher than he was already using. Not bad....

Here's the thing, "There are no single, RIGHT tire pressures, but there are a LOT OF WRONG PRESSURES." Much of the mystery of what your particular tire pressure should be is wrapped up in some things which are in constant flux. Things like air temperature, terrain conditions, and rider/load overall weight. If your stance on air pressure is not taking those things into consideration then you are probably not using the "right" tire pressure in any particular instance. 

There is no "set it and forget it" if you really care about this when it comes to bicycle tires. You can do things in this manner, but if you do, please - don't ever advise anyone on tire pressure in any online forum. While it may seem like a pain in the behind, getting pressures set correctly involves a lot of thought, observation, trial and error, and experiential considerations. But again - you do you. 

Image courtesy of Growtac

Velo Orange To Offer Growtac Levers:

Back in March of 2023, I wrote in another "FN&V" that Growtac of Japan would be offering a combination brake/shifter lever that would work on almost any drive train from 2 speed to 13 speeds. It is a mechanical shifting lever with mechanical brake compatibility. Note: Growtac makes a high-end mechanical disc brake caliper already. 

Comments: The levers look set to be released soon by Velo Orange. Reports are that by the end of November these will be on their site. As of now there is no official word from Velo Orange. Prices are not set or even hinted at as of this writing. 

It also remains to be seen if Velo Orange will offer the full range of options for the levers or if they just sell it as a friction shifter. I'm sure that the word will come down soon. 

If these do appear as an option it will be a step up from my old Gevenalle set ups and I would be extremely interested in getting a set in to try out. So, stay tuned to see what happens on this front.
 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Now get out there and ride those bicycles!

Review: Velo Orange Mojave Cage

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

 Note: The Velo Orange Mojave Cage was purchased by Guitar Ted for test and review on this site. Guitar Ted was not paid nor bribed for this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

The Velo Orange Mojave Cage is a cage for oversized bottles, such as a Nalgene bottle, or any cylindrical canister/bag that comes close to the diameter described by the Mojave Cage's two sprung arms. 

I have used this cage on my Singular Gryphon Mk3 bike as a fork mounted accessory. The cage does have multiple mounting points on its back plate and could be positioned in many ways. Typical uses besides a fork mounted cage might include a down tube, either above or below, or off a rack of the type that Tumbleweed Bicycles makes, or the Old Man Mountain Elkhorn or Axle Pack racks. 

Initially I used a plastic food canister with the Mojave Cage, (seen HERE) and that worked quite well. Because the canister was pliable, the cage could actually make an impression into the plastic and eventually this almost molded the canister into the Mojave Cage! 

This made getting the plastic canister out a chore, but it was doable. I likely would go with a harder plastic canister for a longer tour to store dry food items in if I were planning a bike packing/tour. I don't have a Nalgene, or equivalent canister to try this with, but I do have an ancient Thermos bottle/canister which I tried as a carrier for some coffee on a recent outing. 

The Thermos would not fit all the way in, but the cage held it anyway!

The grip of the Mojave Cage is pretty stout if you have a larger diameter canister or bottle. The Thermos seemed to be on the larger side for the Mojave Cage, but that was not the limitation I thought it was at first. Actually one of my mounting bolts was protruding out enough that the steel edge of the Thermos was catching on it, which acted like a stop. However; the Mojave Cage's grip was so strong I figured I would give it a go and see how the cage would handle a Thermos filled with coffee on rougher trail with only half a grip on the bottle. 

Of course, I was risking destroying an antique Thermos jug, but hey! Someone has to test these things, and this looked like a good way to test the Mojave Cage's grip level. I am happy to report that coffee was enjoyed alongside a local lake and it was a very good morning. The Mojave Cage was not fazed by this test at all. 

The Mojave Cage delivered my coffee to this spot with no issues.

Final Word:

I think if I were to go on an extended trip by bicycle and needed a bigger cage for water, food, or other storage that the Mojave Cage would provide me with a safe, reliable way to do just that. As long as the canister you choose is large enough to spread the arms a bit on the cage I would think that the grip this cage exerts on things would be perfect for such a trip. 

One thing about this design which might be a concern is that if your canister is larger in diameter, those arms get really tough to spread apart far enough to release the canister. The hand strength required to push the arms apart (a pinching motion, by the way) is pretty high in such cases. Perhaps smaller hands or weaker hands would be prevented from moving the cage's arms enough to release a larger canister. It is something to think about, say if you are cold, wet, or really tired after a long day in the saddle. 

Other than that, I like and recommend this cage to anyone looking for something along these lines to carry oversized bottles on their bicycle. You can find a more detailed description of the Mojave Cage here. 

Review: Velo Orange Burrito Supreme Handle Bar Bag

If you look closely you can see the Burrito Supreme on my bike here.

Note: The handle bar bag mentioned in this post has been paid for out-of-pocket by Guitar Ted. Velo Orange has no affiliation with Guitar Ted Productions, nor are they aware of this review. Hey! Maybe they will get tipped off to it later, but all I know is I am independently conducting these reviews and I will give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

I recently gave a first impressions of this bag HERE, in case you missed that. Please check that out as I won't go over some things I wrote about there in this Final Review. 

I used the Burrito Supreme on two different bikes. The last ride before this review was done on my Honeman Flyer custom steel single speed gravel bike. The bag fit fine with just a little interference from the front brake cable. It wasn't a big deal, but it was there. This is something that comes up a lot with front handle bar bags that dangle off the bar and have no solid connection to the bike other than straps. I noted that the Burrito Supreme did sit without contact to the head tube though, which is important if you want to preserve your bike's finish.

The ride I used the bag for on this bike was a 52 mile gravel ride with some pavement thrown in here and there. The bag was stable and never caused me any concerns, The only time I knew it was there was when I had to bunny-hop a few transitions from asphalt to concrete due to the different levels of the two surfaces and then the contents of the bag would get rattled. But other than that, this bag was not a problem at all. 

Between using the Burrito Supreme on the Raleigh and now my custom bike, I have some "Good" and some "Not-so Good" to share about this accessory bag. 

The Good:

The Burrito Supreme sits under the handlebars in a way that makes sense. The opening is where it should be. The straps to attach a front light or other smaller bags is facing forward. These details are important and the Road Runner made bag is done correctly. 

Speaking of the construction, it is impressive and the bag should hold up for years if treated with a due amount of care and respect. The zipper is sewn in very well and the seam-work looks to be done at a high level of craftsmanship. 

I had my doubts about the plastic buckles, but so far those doubts have been unfounded. If the buckles were prone to opening or allowing the straps to loosen I would have experienced that by this point. I have noted none of that sort of thing here at all. 

I did also like the size of this bag. It is big enough to stuff an extra layer in but not so big that it gets to be in the way. As a for instance, if the Burrito Supreme were longer, it might be an issue for a person with narrower drop bars. If it were mounted to a bike with a short head tube and the bag was larger, it wouldn't be a good fit for smaller bikes. I think Velo Orange spec'ed a perfect size here that should accommodate most rider's needs and fitment situations. 

The Not-so Good:

The beefy zipper is a little difficult to operate one-handed while riding. Especially when trying to close the bag. I opted to not try opening it while riding because of this. The other things that were a bit of a negative here was that the opening of the bag was a bit tight for my average-sized hands. The stiff zipper and the double stitched border were not helping here either. That construction gets a big thumbs up from me, but it does become a bit of a hassle to get your hand in the bag to grab stuff because of that.

Finally, because the bag was made with a dark colored fabric in the interior, it is harder to see what you've got in there. I would have preferred a brighter and lighter colored fabric which would have contrasted the items I had in the bag in a better way for me to to be able to see what I had in there. 

Then there is always the issue with any bag that uses the "marsupial pouch" approach to carrying accessories and nutrition. You'll have to fish around to find what you want which may not be right where you thought it should be. Things in the interior of the Burrito Supreme are apt to shift around while riding, so it is simply something that is inherent in this sort of design. 

Final Verdict:

The Velo Orange Burrito Supreme is a fine bag, well-made, and should serve its owner well for years. The bag is designed well and does its job quietly and without any need for concern from the rider. I think it holds a good amount of stuff. Not too much, and the bag is neither too small or too big, in my opinion, for its intended purpose. 

But I don't think it is a bag you can access things from easily while riding due to the very well made zipper and how it is attached to this bag material. That and not being able to see in the bag from the saddle of the bike makes this more of a bag to stash stuff you'll only need to get at while stopped. That's okay, but if you wanted a handlebar bag that you can access while riding, I don't think the Burrito Supreme is 'that bag'.  

I think this bag is perfect for bikepacking and storage of nutrition or clothing which you might want along for the ride but won't need for the entire ride. Things like wind jackets, vests, and maybe lighter rain wear would go in here. Arm warmers, and that sort of thing, which comes on and off during rides in the mountains or during "shoulder season". 

You could use it to store anything that fits in it, of course, but keep in mind it is hard to see in the bag and smaller items could get lost in a sea of swirling accessories easily in the large, open interior space. I still feel it is really a good bag, but it isn't a bag for everybody, and the Burrito Supreme is better suited for some purposes than it would be for others. 

If it is "right" for your purposes, I don't think you'll be disappointed in this high-quality bar bag choice.