Recalled - Replaced!

The carbon Whisky No. 9 was originally on the BMC MCD

Last week a recall was put out by Quality Bicycle Products concerning certain Whisky and Salsa Cycles carbon drop bars. (See my post on that HERE) This recall affects me in that I happen to have a Whisky No 9 24° bar.

So, that's that for the carbon drop bar which now is on the Standard Rando v2. Well, it was on that bike. That's kind of part of this post.

The Whisky carbon drop bar was on my pink BMC MCD bike when I originally built that bike up in the Summer of 2018. These handle bars are very closely related to Cowchippers. If there are any differences between the two, they are very subtle, and I have Cowchipper Bars and I really have enjoyed riding them. So, these whisky No9 bars were right up my alley.

The carbon saves about 70 grams over a set of alloy Cowchippers, but it isn't about weight so much here. Actually the compliance and vibration reduction is why I would run those bars, and it is why I kept them on the pink BMC for so long. They stayed there until a test of the Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Bar displaced them. 

That's when those Whisky bars found their way over to the Standard Rando v2. I had them off there for a bit while I ran the Winston Bar, the carbon mustache bar I tested, but they came back afterward. I've had zero issues with these bars, but apparently some have failed at the point where the brake lever clamp sits on the handle bar.

Apparently this Whisky N0 9 carbon drop bar could break at the point where the brake clamp sits.

I was thinking about drop bar levers and the clamp we have utilized for decades that affixes the lever to a handle bar. It is a decent enough way to do things on alloy bars, but I've always thought that the clamp was never really meant for an application where it has to work with a carbon handle bar. The shape of the clamp doesn't match the shape of the carbon tubing. The high leverage forces focused on one small area. The fact that carbon always fails under compression. All that seems to me to be a tough engineering puzzle and, perhaps, a different solution needs to happen with carbon drop bars. But then again- other companies seem to have it figured out. 

So, it must be doable.  Even Whisky has other carbon drops, as do Salsa, which don't seem to have this issue. Anyway, I'm not saying anyone did anything wrong here, but this is where my mind went when I considered this recall.

The replacement I used was a Cowchipper Bar in alloy.

So, anyway, the entire point here is that I had to get the handlebars off and swapped out. No big deal for me. I've changed out handle bars tons of times and it doesn't take all that long. Especially now with stems that have end caps. But before that happened with stems? This was a really tough job! This job, in comparison, was a piece of cake. 

The Cowchippers, being essentially just an alloy version of what I had on there, made everything even easier. I used a new roll of Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape which I had purchased earlier in the year. It's that extra thick stuff which is also extra wide. It is supposed to be black but it looks like a charcoal color to me. Ehhhhh.....It's alright. I'll admit that this is not my favorite handlebar tape, but it is what I had. 

 So, anyway, there ya go! Handle bars swapped and ready to roll once again. You may wonder about my thoughts on carbon bits here, so I'll close out this post with some of my thinking about that.

I see where people bag on carbon parts here and there. They say that they will never ride the stuff and that you are a stupid person if you do ride carbon parts. 

Well, I hope that many of you don't ride carbon fiber anything if you think that way. Oh, and toss all your aluminum stuff while you are at it, because it can fail as well. Then you are left with steel. Good ol' steel! Just don't think about how that can fail as well. (It does) But you're safe with titanium, right? 

Bontrager on the subject of warranty claims

Nope!

Bicycle parts fail. Get used to hearing about that. Especially lightweight, high performance bicycle parts. Sometimes designs aren't done well. Sometimes a manufacturing glitch happens. Sometimes it is just a few boneheads that didn't read instructions and then the whole component run gets recalled. (Yes- that has happened)  You will also hear more about recalls because companies are more proactive than ever when it comes to failures and possibilities for legal action. Sometimes it's just a few odd circumstances, but the entire run of parts gets recalled. (Again - That's happened as well before)

The result of all this recall stuff is that people get simple-minded and blanket-think a whole category/brand with a trite saying. You know- things like "Carbon sucks!". That's just goofy. I don't think that at all.

So, in this case, I figure a very small number of these failed for some reason, (we'll likely never know), and QBP is very conservative when it comes to stuff like this, so they just yanked all those bars off the market and recalled all that were ever sold, essentially. Were mine dangerous to ride? Not likely, but in this case, I have no reason to gamble on it. The bars were a gift to me and I got four years worth of riding out of them. I have other really good drop bars. No big deal to me. 

I get that some folks might be more inconvenienced than I, and I know frustration at having hit the wrong lottery can be a real thing. But in the end, we are all playing with some pretty fantastic, high-end machinery and we are definitely privileged to do so.

Recalled - Replaced!

The carbon Whisky No. 9 was originally on the BMC MCD

Last week a recall was put out by Quality Bicycle Products concerning certain Whisky and Salsa Cycles carbon drop bars. (See my post on that HERE) This recall affects me in that I happen to have a Whisky No 9 24° bar.

So, that's that for the carbon drop bar which now is on the Standard Rando v2. Well, it was on that bike. That's kind of part of this post.

The Whisky carbon drop bar was on my pink BMC MCD bike when I originally built that bike up in the Summer of 2018. These handle bars are very closely related to Cowchippers. If there are any differences between the two, they are very subtle, and I have Cowchipper Bars and I really have enjoyed riding them. So, these whisky No9 bars were right up my alley.

The carbon saves about 70 grams over a set of alloy Cowchippers, but it isn't about weight so much here. Actually the compliance and vibration reduction is why I would run those bars, and it is why I kept them on the pink BMC for so long. They stayed there until a test of the Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Bar displaced them. 

That's when those Whisky bars found their way over to the Standard Rando v2. I had them off there for a bit while I ran the Winston Bar, the carbon mustache bar I tested, but they came back afterward. I've had zero issues with these bars, but apparently some have failed at the point where the brake lever clamp sits on the handle bar.

Apparently this Whisky N0 9 carbon drop bar could break at the point where the brake clamp sits.

I was thinking about drop bar levers and the clamp we have utilized for decades that affixes the lever to a handle bar. It is a decent enough way to do things on alloy bars, but I've always thought that the clamp was never really meant for an application where it has to work with a carbon handle bar. The shape of the clamp doesn't match the shape of the carbon tubing. The high leverage forces focused on one small area. The fact that carbon always fails under compression. All that seems to me to be a tough engineering puzzle and, perhaps, a different solution needs to happen with carbon drop bars. But then again- other companies seem to have it figured out. 

So, it must be doable.  Even Whisky has other carbon drops, as do Salsa, which don't seem to have this issue. Anyway, I'm not saying anyone did anything wrong here, but this is where my mind went when I considered this recall.

The replacement I used was a Cowchipper Bar in alloy.

So, anyway, the entire point here is that I had to get the handlebars off and swapped out. No big deal for me. I've changed out handle bars tons of times and it doesn't take all that long. Especially now with stems that have end caps. But before that happened with stems? This was a really tough job! This job, in comparison, was a piece of cake. 

The Cowchippers, being essentially just an alloy version of what I had on there, made everything even easier. I used a new roll of Wolf Tooth Supple Bar Tape which I had purchased earlier in the year. It's that extra thick stuff which is also extra wide. It is supposed to be black but it looks like a charcoal color to me. Ehhhhh.....It's alright. I'll admit that this is not my favorite handlebar tape, but it is what I had. 

 So, anyway, there ya go! Handle bars swapped and ready to roll once again. You may wonder about my thoughts on carbon bits here, so I'll close out this post with some of my thinking about that.

I see where people bag on carbon parts here and there. They say that they will never ride the stuff and that you are a stupid person if you do ride carbon parts. 

Well, I hope that many of you don't ride carbon fiber anything if you think that way. Oh, and toss all your aluminum stuff while you are at it, because it can fail as well. Then you are left with steel. Good ol' steel! Just don't think about how that can fail as well. (It does) But you're safe with titanium, right? 

Bontrager on the subject of warranty claims

Nope!

Bicycle parts fail. Get used to hearing about that. Especially lightweight, high performance bicycle parts. Sometimes designs aren't done well. Sometimes a manufacturing glitch happens. Sometimes it is just a few boneheads that didn't read instructions and then the whole component run gets recalled. (Yes- that has happened)  You will also hear more about recalls because companies are more proactive than ever when it comes to failures and possibilities for legal action. Sometimes it's just a few odd circumstances, but the entire run of parts gets recalled. (Again - That's happened as well before)

The result of all this recall stuff is that people get simple-minded and blanket-think a whole category/brand with a trite saying. You know- things like "Carbon sucks!". That's just goofy. I don't think that at all.

So, in this case, I figure a very small number of these failed for some reason, (we'll likely never know), and QBP is very conservative when it comes to stuff like this, so they just yanked all those bars off the market and recalled all that were ever sold, essentially. Were mine dangerous to ride? Not likely, but in this case, I have no reason to gamble on it. The bars were a gift to me and I got four years worth of riding out of them. I have other really good drop bars. No big deal to me. 

I get that some folks might be more inconvenienced than I, and I know frustration at having hit the wrong lottery can be a real thing. But in the end, we are all playing with some pretty fantastic, high-end machinery and we are definitely privileged to do so.

Update On The Whisky Parts Co. Winston Bar

The Whisky Parts Co. Winston Bar as seen on my T-6 Standard Rando v2

Last week I wrote an update on the Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar, (which you can read here). This post will be an update on the companion bar released at the same time as the Milhouse Bar by Whisky Parts Co., which is called the Winston Bar. 

This carbon fiber bar is a 'mustache bar' and will accept MTB or road controls. I decided to mount it up on my single speed Twin Six Standard Rando v2. So, I used road 'long pull' style levers only, since I have no shifty-bits on this rig. 

Now I need to make something perfectly clear- I love the idea of a mustache bar and so I think the Winston Bar is rad. You may think the mustache bar is silly because it has very little drop to it so why bother? However; if you almost exclusively ride 'on the hoods' and wished that you had more hand positions, (I know, but I see this a LOT), then you would love a mustache bar. TONS of hand positions that alter your back posture and arm positions. You can definitely get a great position for climbing, cruising, getting aggressive, or you can even 'get aero' if you are so inclined. 

I'll be honest, many recreational drop bar riders really should be on mustache bars. I can also tell you why they are not on mustache bars- Because all the cycling marketing you see shows racy drop bar set ups and this is what 'they' tell you is 'cool'. Mustache bars are seen then as weirdo bars for urban freaks that love oddball bikes. That's really a shame. If you've never tried mustache bars, and don't give a rip what people think about you if you were to show up on a group ride with mustache bars, well then.....step this way! 

A look from up top.

 The Winston Bar differs from the traditional mustache bars offered now in some pretty significant ways, which in my opinion, improves upon the classic shape and has better 'modern' adaptability. For starters, you can see from the image above here that the Winston Bar has extensions that sweep outward instead of pointing straight backward, as standard mustache bars do. This aligns better with how your hands and forearms align when relaxed. The other important details are harder to see, but make this a more versatile bar for modern bikes, mountain or road, or gravel. The bar clamp diameter here is 31.8mm, which covers a large swath of bicycles out there. Traditional mustache bars tend to be 26.0mm clamp diameter, (Old road standard), or 25.4mm (Old MTB standard). The bars diameter changes from the extensions where MTB controls would fit to road diameter standard where my levers are here. So, instead of buying one bar for MTB and another for road, you just get this bar for both. That means swapping the Winston around to different rides is a distinct option, and makes spending the money it takes to get one a bit less painful. Because, let's face it, these are expensive bars. 

A look from the front.

The Winston bar, being carbon and having the length it does in the extensions has a definite comfort factor. You can feel it giving under your hands as you hit bigger bumps and it absorbs vibrations a bit as well. The fact that you have all those variances in hand positions makes the Winston even more comfortable. I chose to mount road levers and used a traditional mounting position. The laid-over hoods also provide a platform to rest your hands while cruising. The hoods protrusions add a nice grip for seated climbing. Getting to the lever tips to brake while your hands are back in the extensions is super easy. 

Not everything is hunky-dory with the Winston Bar though. I found that my Tektro levers, which want to have the brake line exit kind of off to one side, makes for a difficult routing across either the top side of the bar or underneath, and neither is clean and smooth looking. It may have been nice for the bar to have had a molded channel for the brake and/or shift housings. I experimented with two different routes for my housings and neither was particularly satisfying to me. 

The other bit that may or may not bother you is that the ends of the bar are supposedly capable of having bar end shifters inserted into them. Ah.......I'd not advise that. My bar end shifters end diameter is slightly over 19mm, (SunTour or Shimano, didn't matter), and the actual measured inside diameter of the bar measured slightly less than 19mm, meaning that my bar end shifters were too large to insert into the Winston Bar. Not that I want to run those, I never would, but the claim is there from Whisky Parts Co. and I am not seeing that as a possibility with the ones they sent me. I may have an odd set? I do not know. I have communicated this to Whisky Parts Co, but I have not had any feedback since then. 

So, other than those few odd-ball nit-picks, I am completely enamored of the Winston Bar. I'm very glad that something like this is available. Perhaps a less expensive alloy version could be offered, and if that happens, perhaps a few different widths would be good to see offered as well. I feel these would make really awesome bars for many bikes. Bike packing, fat bikes, gravel rigs, or even road bikes. Mountain biking? Sure! They definitely are great for a single speed, I know that much. 

So, there ya go. My take on the Winston Bar.

UPDATE: 11/14/21: Someone asked about the forward reach on the Winston Bar. I noticed that no specification was given by Whisky Parts Co., nor anywhere else easily "Google-able", so here you go- The forward reach is 75mm as I measure it from the point where the bar clamps to the stem to the furthest outward/forward part of the curve, center to center. 

Note: Whisky Parts Co. sent over the Winston Bar for test and review at no charge. I was not paid nor was I bribed for this review and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and views throughout.

Update On The Whisky Parts Co. Winston Bar

The Whisky Parts Co. Winston Bar as seen on my T-6 Standard Rando v2

Last week I wrote an update on the Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar, (which you can read here). This post will be an update on the companion bar released at the same time as the Milhouse Bar by Whisky Parts Co., which is called the Winston Bar. 

This carbon fiber bar is a 'mustache bar' and will accept MTB or road controls. I decided to mount it up on my single speed Twin Six Standard Rando v2. So, I used road 'long pull' style levers only, since I have no shifty-bits on this rig. 

Now I need to make something perfectly clear- I love the idea of a mustache bar and so I think the Winston Bar is rad. You may think the mustache bar is silly because it has very little drop to it so why bother? However; if you almost exclusively ride 'on the hoods' and wished that you had more hand positions, (I know, but I see this a LOT), then you would love a mustache bar. TONS of hand positions that alter your back posture and arm positions. You can definitely get a great position for climbing, cruising, getting aggressive, or you can even 'get aero' if you are so inclined. 

I'll be honest, many recreational drop bar riders really should be on mustache bars. I can also tell you why they are not on mustache bars- Because all the cycling marketing you see shows racy drop bar set ups and this is what 'they' tell you is 'cool'. Mustache bars are seen then as weirdo bars for urban freaks that love oddball bikes. That's really a shame. If you've never tried mustache bars, and don't give a rip what people think about you if you were to show up on a group ride with mustache bars, well then.....step this way! 

A look from up top.

 The Winston Bar differs from the traditional mustache bars offered now in some pretty significant ways, which in my opinion, improves upon the classic shape and has better 'modern' adaptability. For starters, you can see from the image above here that the Winston Bar has extensions that sweep outward instead of pointing straight backward, as standard mustache bars do. This aligns better with how your hands and forearms align when relaxed. The other important details are harder to see, but make this a more versatile bar for modern bikes, mountain or road, or gravel. The bar clamp diameter here is 31.8mm, which covers a large swath of bicycles out there. Traditional mustache bars tend to be 26.0mm clamp diameter, (Old road standard), or 25.4mm (Old MTB standard). The bars diameter changes from the extensions where MTB controls would fit to road diameter standard where my levers are here. So, instead of buying one bar for MTB and another for road, you just get this bar for both. That means swapping the Winston around to different rides is a distinct option, and makes spending the money it takes to get one a bit less painful. Because, let's face it, these are expensive bars. 

A look from the front.

The Winston bar, being carbon and having the length it does in the extensions has a definite comfort factor. You can feel it giving under your hands as you hit bigger bumps and it absorbs vibrations a bit as well. The fact that you have all those variances in hand positions makes the Winston even more comfortable. I chose to mount road levers and used a traditional mounting position. The laid-over hoods also provide a platform to rest your hands while cruising. The hoods protrusions add a nice grip for seated climbing. Getting to the lever tips to brake while your hands are back in the extensions is super easy. 

Not everything is hunky-dory with the Winston Bar though. I found that my Tektro levers, which want to have the brake line exit kind of off to one side, makes for a difficult routing across either the top side of the bar or underneath, and neither is clean and smooth looking. It may have been nice for the bar to have had a molded channel for the brake and/or shift housings. I experimented with two different routes for my housings and neither was particularly satisfying to me. 

The other bit that may or may not bother you is that the ends of the bar are supposedly capable of having bar end shifters inserted into them. Ah.......I'd not advise that. My bar end shifters end diameter is slightly over 19mm, (SunTour or Shimano, didn't matter), and the actual measured inside diameter of the bar measured slightly less than 19mm, meaning that my bar end shifters were too large to insert into the Winston Bar. Not that I want to run those, I never would, but the claim is there from Whisky Parts Co. and I am not seeing that as a possibility with the ones they sent me. I may have an odd set? I do not know. I have communicated this to Whisky Parts Co, but I have not had any feedback since then. 

So, other than those few odd-ball nit-picks, I am completely enamored of the Winston Bar. I'm very glad that something like this is available. Perhaps a less expensive alloy version could be offered, and if that happens, perhaps a few different widths would be good to see offered as well. I feel these would make really awesome bars for many bikes. Bike packing, fat bikes, gravel rigs, or even road bikes. Mountain biking? Sure! They definitely are great for a single speed, I know that much. 

So, there ya go. My take on the Winston Bar.

UPDATE: 11/14/21: Someone asked about the forward reach on the Winston Bar. I noticed that no specification was given by Whisky Parts Co., nor anywhere else easily "Google-able", so here you go- The forward reach is 75mm as I measure it from the point where the bar clamps to the stem to the furthest outward/forward part of the curve, center to center. 

Note: Whisky Parts Co. sent over the Winston Bar for test and review at no charge. I was not paid nor was I bribed for this review and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and views throughout.

 

Update On The Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar

The Snow Dog set up with the Milhouse Bar.

 After my Saturday of travel and volunteering at the Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra, (reported on yesterday), I took Sunday off from gravel travel to do a bit of testing with the Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar. This is their carbon moto-inspired handle bar which Whisky Parts Co. sent me to evaluate. I did not pay for this bar and am not being paid or bribed for this post. I just thought I'd get that cleared up first. I did want to let those who are curious know what I have thought about it so far. 

As I shared last week, I ended up sticking the Milhouse Bar on my old fat bike I call The Snow Dog. It just made a lot more sense on that bike than it did on the On One Inbred I originally had installed it on. The bar not only looks better on the Mukluk, but it does a better thing for that bike than it did on the Inbred. I'll get to that in a moment....

I took the Mukluk on a bit of a bushwhacking ride this time. The first thing I did was to check out the progress on the new section of University Avenue. To get to that meant I was going to have to climb a dike and then try to traverse some wet dirt. The Mukluk with this Milhouse Bar on it really makes a huge difference in weight distribution over the bike. This means it is really easy to loop out on a steep climb. At least if you try to stay seated. I ended up finding that standing and climbing actually worked better. 

Weight distribution is changed so much that I felt like almost all my weight was on the saddle. This meant that using the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post ended up being a great idea. I fact, it makes the bike ride super-smooth. The carbon bar has a wee bit of give too, so that helps as well. 

The Milhouse Bar is wiiiide! You may have trouble getting between trees in some places.

After getting a good look at the new pavement for University Avenue, I headed over toward George Wyth State Park with no real agenda. On the way I remembered "Casey's Trail", a new-ish single track along the expressway which I have ridden maybe three or four times, but not in 2020 at all. So, I figured why not go and check it out? It's really one of only a few "true" single track trails in the area. 

You'd never know by looking that you are about 50 yards from a busy highway right here.

The Milhouse Bar is so different from anything I've tried that my typical MTB control layout wasn't working as well as I'd like. I ended up stopping at three different spots to make incremental adjustments to the lever and shifter placements until I was satisfied with the ergonomics. I still have to adjust the lever reach a tiny bit, but I didn't have a small enough hex key with me on the ride to do it then.

The changes made the experience of riding with these bars even more enjoyable. I will take a bit longer to become better acquainted with how the handling of this set up works. The weight distribution, width of the bars, and how the steering geometry is now have made it so the Snow Dog rides like a completely new-to-me bike. 

The drive train needs an update too. These old 9 speed parts are pretty tired and the range of gearing is not what it should be. I almost am pulled toward going with a nice 2X front crank and front derailleur, but eh.....maybe I should stick to 1X here. At any rate, I need a clutch rear derailleur and a 1X specific ring up front. I almost torqued off the chain twice on my ride as it was. 

Nature is the 'hook", my clothing, the "loop".

Follow the Yellow (Leaf) Road!

I ended up doing some twisty single track for a bit and then heading to the house. The Milhouse Bar is a really different, but really nice bar. The 70mm rise and the 810mm width is a flavor I have never had the pleasure of experiencing before this. I would like to see this bar on a proper 'trail bike' type geometry bike where I could use a stubby stem and not the long-ish tiller I have to use on the Snow Dog so I could evaluate this on a 'proper' set up. That said, I can certainly see how this bar can make a fat bike handle better by allowing more rearward weight shift to allow for front tire flotation, but still have a good climbing capability (standing climbing) and turning grip. 

Obviously, if a handle bar like this is interesting to you, you generally had to accept that the bar would weigh quite a bit. However; the Milhouse bar brings all the attitude and benefits of a moto inspired riser bar without the weight and better comfort than a handle bar made out of metal in this style. That said, it ain't a cheap option, but carbon fiber handle bars made to a MTB testing standard are not inexpensive, generally speaking. Especially if they are unique, as this bar is. 

More soon.

Update On The Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar

The Snow Dog set up with the Milhouse Bar.

 After my Saturday of travel and volunteering at the Spotted Horse Gravel Ultra, (reported on yesterday), I took Sunday off from gravel travel to do a bit of testing with the Whisky Parts Co. Milhouse Bar. This is their carbon moto-inspired handle bar which Whisky Parts Co. sent me to evaluate. I did not pay for this bar and am not being paid or bribed for this post. I just thought I'd get that cleared up first. I did want to let those who are curious know what I have thought about it so far. 

As I shared last week, I ended up sticking the Milhouse Bar on my old fat bike I call The Snow Dog. It just made a lot more sense on that bike than it did on the On One Inbred I originally had installed it on. The bar not only looks better on the Mukluk, but it does a better thing for that bike than it did on the Inbred. I'll get to that in a moment....

I took the Mukluk on a bit of a bushwhacking ride this time. The first thing I did was to check out the progress on the new section of University Avenue. To get to that meant I was going to have to climb a dike and then try to traverse some wet dirt. The Mukluk with this Milhouse Bar on it really makes a huge difference in weight distribution over the bike. This means it is really easy to loop out on a steep climb. At least if you try to stay seated. I ended up finding that standing and climbing actually worked better. 

Weight distribution is changed so much that I felt like almost all my weight was on the saddle. This meant that using the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post ended up being a great idea. I fact, it makes the bike ride super-smooth. The carbon bar has a wee bit of give too, so that helps as well. 

The Milhouse Bar is wiiiide! You may have trouble getting between trees in some places.

After getting a good look at the new pavement for University Avenue, I headed over toward George Wyth State Park with no real agenda. On the way I remembered "Casey's Trail", a new-ish single track along the expressway which I have ridden maybe three or four times, but not in 2020 at all. So, I figured why not go and check it out? It's really one of only a few "true" single track trails in the area. 

You'd never know by looking that you are about 50 yards from a busy highway right here.

The Milhouse Bar is so different from anything I've tried that my typical MTB control layout wasn't working as well as I'd like. I ended up stopping at three different spots to make incremental adjustments to the lever and shifter placements until I was satisfied with the ergonomics. I still have to adjust the lever reach a tiny bit, but I didn't have a small enough hex key with me on the ride to do it then.

The changes made the experience of riding with these bars even more enjoyable. I will take a bit longer to become better acquainted with how the handling of this set up works. The weight distribution, width of the bars, and how the steering geometry is now have made it so the Snow Dog rides like a completely new-to-me bike. 

The drive train needs an update too. These old 9 speed parts are pretty tired and the range of gearing is not what it should be. I almost am pulled toward going with a nice 2X front crank and front derailleur, but eh.....maybe I should stick to 1X here. At any rate, I need a clutch rear derailleur and a 1X specific ring up front. I almost torqued off the chain twice on my ride as it was. 

Nature is the 'hook", my clothing, the "loop".

Follow the Yellow (Leaf) Road!

I ended up doing some twisty single track for a bit and then heading to the house. The Milhouse Bar is a really different, but really nice bar. The 70mm rise and the 810mm width is a flavor I have never had the pleasure of experiencing before this. I would like to see this bar on a proper 'trail bike' type geometry bike where I could use a stubby stem and not the long-ish tiller I have to use on the Snow Dog so I could evaluate this on a 'proper' set up. That said, I can certainly see how this bar can make a fat bike handle better by allowing more rearward weight shift to allow for front tire flotation, but still have a good climbing capability (standing climbing) and turning grip. 

Obviously, if a handle bar like this is interesting to you, you generally had to accept that the bar would weigh quite a bit. However; the Milhouse bar brings all the attitude and benefits of a moto inspired riser bar without the weight and better comfort than a handle bar made out of metal in this style. That said, it ain't a cheap option, but carbon fiber handle bars made to a MTB testing standard are not inexpensive, generally speaking. Especially if they are unique, as this bar is. 

More soon.

Friday News And Views

The Snow Dog with the Milhouse Bar.

 The Snow Dog Modified:

Recently I told you about the upcoming tenth year anniversary of my getting my first fat bike, a Salsa Cycles Mukluk. I also added that I had thought about adding the Whisky Parts Co.  Milhouse Bar to this bike. Well, as you can plainly see, I have done just that. I basically just swapped bars between this bike and the On One Inbred.

This match is a much better pairing. The On One/Milhouse pairing just didn't work for me. Not sure why, but mostly I think it was an aesthetic issue. It just looked like a "gangly teenager" set up. On the Snow Dog it looks a bit more 'moto'. So, there is that. However; it also feels better on the Snow Dog and that big, wide bar helps overcome the inertia a fat bike wheel has when you want to turn. 

I also did a couple of other swaps while I was at it. The first was the swap of the pedals. I had a set of some clunky, but light and very grippy flat pedals on there. Those I took off and replaced with these Fyxation Mesa MP Subzero pedals. The Fyxations are a lot slimmer and I have really liked their performance in the past. 

The next swap was of the seat post and saddle. I had a Cane Creek Thudbuster on it with a WTB Pure saddle. This was replaced by the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post and a WTB Volt saddle. The Thudbuster is a decent post, but it gets loose in the pivots on me in short order, which then starts a clunk, and yeah...... Plus it is an elastomeric sprung system which doesn't play well with colder temperatures. The Redshift post has a coil spring which is not temperature sensitive and the pivots are bomber on this post. Super-solid, no worries. 

I still may be moving over the Archer Components D1x system to this bike. Stay tuned for that......

New Family Member At G-Ted Productions HQ:

Hey everyone, meet Minka. We just adopted her from the local animal shelter this past week. The story of her arrival here is a long one and has to do with a few odd things. None of that matters now, but the tipping point for getting a cat was a mouse problem we had been battling. All it took was for my daughter and I to find out that the mere presence of a cat was a good deterrent against mice coming  in to our abode. 

The surprise is that we have found out in a few short days that all our lives have been enhanced by the addition of Minka to the household. Mice prevention or no, we're all really happy to have her here. She's full of the berries, as she's only about five months and a little more in age. Still has to grow out of being a kitten, but that's okay. I grew up with cats, so I have a bit of experience with them, and it has been a quick refresher course with Minka running riot around the house here. 

I guess we shouldn't have waited so long to get a pet, but whatever. Now is the time and we have a cat now. Life will certainly be a bit different but we are all in on this and we will make it work. Got any cat tips to share? Go ahead and send them to me if you feel so inclined. 

The new Ritchey Ultra MTB frame

It's The Nostalgia Factor:

Every so often Ritchey Design produces one of their mountain bike frames in the iconic red/white/blue fade paint job. Every time I see it, I want it. Why? It's the "nostalgia factor". I remember those early 90's days looking at MTB mags and seeing these being raced, tested, and in the advertising. They were one of the most sophisticated, high performance, lightweight steel frames one could buy back then. Those final days of 'fully rigid' mountain biking were quite the innovative days. 

Ritchey Design has done it again with the Ultra, a 29" or 27.5+ machine with the conservative take on the 'modern trail geometry', so probably not a bad design for most single track here. I looked at this, and looked......and looked. But really? C'mon! When do I mountain bike anymore? I'm always out on the gravel and mountain bikes are a side show for me these days. I like mountain biking, but I can get on a gravel road, do some Level B Maintenance stuff, and get all my mountain biking vibes in that I ever could on what we have for single track around here. In fact, I would wager that many Level B's in Iowa are better than mountain biking anywhere in the state. 

That's a bold statement, but those that know- well they know. So, I really am not in the market for a bike like this Ritchey, but I really like the way it looks and the history it represents. Bad reasons to get a frame, right? And besides, look at that fat bike up there. That's a mountain bike too. I feel like that fat bike is actually a more versatile bike around here than a straight up mountain bike is. My opinion, your mileage may vary.

And that's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get in some riding if you can.....outdoors!

Friday News And Views

The Snow Dog with the Milhouse Bar.

 The Snow Dog Modified:

Recently I told you about the upcoming tenth year anniversary of my getting my first fat bike, a Salsa Cycles Mukluk. I also added that I had thought about adding the Whisky Parts Co.  Milhouse Bar to this bike. Well, as you can plainly see, I have done just that. I basically just swapped bars between this bike and the On One Inbred.

This match is a much better pairing. The On One/Milhouse pairing just didn't work for me. Not sure why, but mostly I think it was an aesthetic issue. It just looked like a "gangly teenager" set up. On the Snow Dog it looks a bit more 'moto'. So, there is that. However; it also feels better on the Snow Dog and that big, wide bar helps overcome the inertia a fat bike wheel has when you want to turn. 

I also did a couple of other swaps while I was at it. The first was the swap of the pedals. I had a set of some clunky, but light and very grippy flat pedals on there. Those I took off and replaced with these Fyxation Mesa MP Subzero pedals. The Fyxations are a lot slimmer and I have really liked their performance in the past. 

The next swap was of the seat post and saddle. I had a Cane Creek Thudbuster on it with a WTB Pure saddle. This was replaced by the Redshift Sports ShockStop seat post and a WTB Volt saddle. The Thudbuster is a decent post, but it gets loose in the pivots on me in short order, which then starts a clunk, and yeah...... Plus it is an elastomeric sprung system which doesn't play well with colder temperatures. The Redshift post has a coil spring which is not temperature sensitive and the pivots are bomber on this post. Super-solid, no worries. 

I still may be moving over the Archer Components D1x system to this bike. Stay tuned for that......

New Family Member At G-Ted Productions HQ:

Hey everyone, meet Minka. We just adopted her from the local animal shelter this past week. The story of her arrival here is a long one and has to do with a few odd things. None of that matters now, but the tipping point for getting a cat was a mouse problem we had been battling. All it took was for my daughter and I to find out that the mere presence of a cat was a good deterrent against mice coming  in to our abode. 

The surprise is that we have found out in a few short days that all our lives have been enhanced by the addition of Minka to the household. Mice prevention or no, we're all really happy to have her here. She's full of the berries, as she's only about five months and a little more in age. Still has to grow out of being a kitten, but that's okay. I grew up with cats, so I have a bit of experience with them, and it has been a quick refresher course with Minka running riot around the house here. 

I guess we shouldn't have waited so long to get a pet, but whatever. Now is the time and we have a cat now. Life will certainly be a bit different but we are all in on this and we will make it work. Got any cat tips to share? Go ahead and send them to me if you feel so inclined. 

The new Ritchey Ultra MTB frame

It's The Nostalgia Factor:

Every so often Ritchey Design produces one of their mountain bike frames in the iconic red/white/blue fade paint job. Every time I see it, I want it. Why? It's the "nostalgia factor". I remember those early 90's days looking at MTB mags and seeing these being raced, tested, and in the advertising. They were one of the most sophisticated, high performance, lightweight steel frames one could buy back then. Those final days of 'fully rigid' mountain biking were quite the innovative days. 

Ritchey Design has done it again with the Ultra, a 29" or 27.5+ machine with the conservative take on the 'modern trail geometry', so probably not a bad design for most single track here. I looked at this, and looked......and looked. But really? C'mon! When do I mountain bike anymore? I'm always out on the gravel and mountain bikes are a side show for me these days. I like mountain biking, but I can get on a gravel road, do some Level B Maintenance stuff, and get all my mountain biking vibes in that I ever could on what we have for single track around here. In fact, I would wager that many Level B's in Iowa are better than mountain biking anywhere in the state. 

That's a bold statement, but those that know- well they know. So, I really am not in the market for a bike like this Ritchey, but I really like the way it looks and the history it represents. Bad reasons to get a frame, right? And besides, look at that fat bike up there. That's a mountain bike too. I feel like that fat bike is actually a more versatile bike around here than a straight up mountain bike is. My opinion, your mileage may vary.

And that's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get in some riding if you can.....outdoors!

pMCD Update: The Build And First Ride Report

Wolf Tooth head sets are the bomb!

The Build:

I started building up the pMCD frame Wednesday night but a text message that evening kind of made me put the brakes on the build till Friday. It was okay, since the turn in plans eventually was something that was better than I was going to do in the first place.

When I build a bicycle up from a frame and fork, the very first order of business is to get the head set in. Now you may want to do it a different way, but to my way of thinking, a frame is a bad unicycle until the fork is on it!

So, I installed the purple Wolf Tooth head set first and then came the conundrum of where to cut the steer tube. I did not measure the stock steer tube length, but it is looooong! I decided to go with 11 1/2" length and cut it there, because I didn't want to leave myself short with no option to have a healthy amount of exposed steer tube. However, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles had designed the frame to have an extended head tube so that steer tube spacer use would be at a minimum. So, with that unknown hanging out there, I measured bikes I already have here and approximated as best I could, with an eye towards leaving too much steer tube rather than cutting it close.

I'm glad that I did, because it came out that I had too much steer tube, but not a ridiculous amount. For the record, I think I cut off about three inches! I know I could go lower, but I'll try riding it with different arrangements of the stem and spacers until I arrive at what I like. Then there will be a final cut and that will be that.

Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket here. Made in the USA!

After a head set gets installed and a fork is mounted, the next task I go after is to get the bottom bracket in there. You can scooter if you'd like, but a bicycle is pretty worthless without a crank set and pedals.

Mike Varley preps every frame before it leaves his Black Mountain Cycles shop to you, so the threading on the bottom bracket was super smooth and allowed easy installation of my Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket. Then I slotted in my Shimano CX series 46T/36T crank set for 11spd.

Now normally at this point I'd set up a stem and handle bar, and then work on mounting controls. However; part of the text mentioned above made me decide not to go that way. Instead, I mounted my Spyre brakes and tested them with the Irwin Cycling Aon GX 35  carbon wheels I already had waiting on this build. I ended up having to spacer out the rear caliper a bit, but otherwise I had zero issues getting things to line up.

I tried running a few cable housings just to get a feel for how I would route things. The cable routing is really well thought out on this bike. Everything going to the rear of the bike is full run housing. The front brake, obviously being a disc, is as well. Only the front derailleur is a bottom run, exposed cable set up. That may seem weird, but here is why that is actually brilliant. The break in the housing run from the shifter goes to a traditionally mounted road bike style cable stop with a barrel adjuster. This means no oddball in-line cable adjuster is necessary and the front derailleur can be easily adjusted on the fly. Those worried about mud fouling the cable have too much time to think about things. In all my years of riding, that style of cable run has never been the reason my front derailleur did not work. Your mileage may vary......

The finished product. (Well......almost finished!)

Friday I received a set of Whisky No. 9 Carbon 24F handle bars. In that package was also a No. 7 Carbon seat post. Friday evening I spent down in the Lab putting it all together. There were some old parts from my Raleigh Tamland Two. The Ultegra levers, front and rear derailleurs, and the aforementioned calipers for the brakes. I got a new SRAM 11-36T 11 speed cassette and I used a Shimano 11 speed chain, the new Ultegra one with the quick link. (Yay!) The stem was my Redshift Sports ShockStop stem in the 90mm length. The saddle is my Brooks Cambium from the old T-6 I sold.

Tires are an old set of WTB Riddler 45mm tires that barely went on. Those Irwin rims fit tires tightly! I won't be worrying about throwing off a tire if one goes flat, and burping a tire seems very unlikely. I used an old beat up set of Shimano SPD's and added three purple Velocity Bottle Traps. I got three pink ones, but the purple looked better to my eyes.

Then it was nearly time to ride after I set up my tires tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce", (a home brew recipe- you cannot buy it from the bike shop!), and that was successful due to one product. That would be Uncle Dick's Bead Slip. No issues with getting the tires straight and even using Uncle Dick's. Note- I'm not sure where you get this stuff anymore, but if I find out I'll let ya know.

Whiskey No. 7 Carbon post

The Whisky components look great on the bike. I like the "ghost" branding and the sheen of the black is cool. The only issue with that post is that it uses a thumb wheel up under the saddle as one of the securing fasteners. It is easier to use than some I've encountered, so at least there wasn't any swearing.

The handle bar is much the same as far as looks. The shape is very similar to a Cowchipper, but different...... It's hard to describe. The flare is 24° but the reach seems less and the drop seems less. Not by much either. And this bar features flat sections to accommodate cable runs and a little wider 31.8mm center clamp section that makes mounting accessories easier.

The bar was covered in the Marque handle bar tape salvaged from the T-6 when I sold it. Then I capped off the Whiskey Components bar's ends with pink bar end caps. It all is good with the pink frame and helps tie the look together since the parts look more like an ensemble instead of a hodge podge.

There she be!

The Ride:

The Black Mountain Cycles rig is fun to ride for sure. Smooth? Oh yeah! But that may be because of the ShockStop stem and the Whiskey No. 7 post. That post has a sweet ride to it. Plus the Whisky No. 9 24F carbon bar also has a bit of give at the extensions so that when you are in the drops it feels smoother yet. Add in 45mm Riddler tires and it gets smooth fast. But that said, the frame is pretty nice in this regard. While the disc factor caused the fork to be stiffer than my rim brake BMC, it still can be seen working over the rough stuff on gravel. It isn't the "immovable object" that many carbon fiber forks are.

I stuck the bars at a height that was neither the highest I could go, nor the lowest. I'm close, but I'll be swapping around stem spacers till I get it figured out. But otherwise the position I was able to get is spot on. Not too much seat post is extended, and I don't have to get a crazy different length stem. In fact, I may go a touch longer depending upon where I end up at with bar height.

Something struck me as I was riding it. That was that I was feeling similar feelings to something I'd ridden in the past. The steel frame of the MCD felt somehow familiar. Then it hit me. The Vaya! I used to love that bike for its crazy ability to give back what you put into it, eventually. Kind of like winding up a spring and then it recoils. Anyway, the MCD felt like that, like the Vaya used to.

So, is it the uber-Vaya? Maybe. It just reminds me of that old bike. Only the Black Mountain Cycles bike has more features. More tire clearance, through axles, livelier tubing choices, a better steel fork, and smarter details. So, it is a different beast altogether.

I'll be doing some tweaking in the near future beyond the stem position. I may be switching bar tape, tweaking out the saddle position, and stuff like that. I'll also be doing a switch on the wheels to try 650B X 47mm tires. That said,  yes- I am happy. I like it, and I don't think this one will be going anywhere unless I am riding it in the near future.

Don't ask what it weighs, because I won't tell you. That isn't the point of this bike, but if you have other questions, I'm happy to answer them.

pMCD Update: The Build And First Ride Report

Wolf Tooth head sets are the bomb!

The Build:

I started building up the pMCD frame Wednesday night but a text message that evening kind of made me put the brakes on the build till Friday. It was okay, since the turn in plans eventually was something that was better than I was going to do in the first place.

When I build a bicycle up from a frame and fork, the very first order of business is to get the head set in. Now you may want to do it a different way, but to my way of thinking, a frame is a bad unicycle until the fork is on it!

So, I installed the purple Wolf Tooth head set first and then came the conundrum of where to cut the steer tube. I did not measure the stock steer tube length, but it is looooong! I decided to go with 11 1/2" length and cut it there, because I didn't want to leave myself short with no option to have a healthy amount of exposed steer tube. However, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles had designed the frame to have an extended head tube so that steer tube spacer use would be at a minimum. So, with that unknown hanging out there, I measured bikes I already have here and approximated as best I could, with an eye towards leaving too much steer tube rather than cutting it close.

I'm glad that I did, because it came out that I had too much steer tube, but not a ridiculous amount. For the record, I think I cut off about three inches! I know I could go lower, but I'll try riding it with different arrangements of the stem and spacers until I arrive at what I like. Then there will be a final cut and that will be that.

Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket here. Made in the USA!

After a head set gets installed and a fork is mounted, the next task I go after is to get the bottom bracket in there. You can scooter if you'd like, but a bicycle is pretty worthless without a crank set and pedals.

Mike Varley preps every frame before it leaves his Black Mountain Cycles shop to you, so the threading on the bottom bracket was super smooth and allowed easy installation of my Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket. Then I slotted in my Shimano CX series 46T/36T crank set for 11spd.

Now normally at this point I'd set up a stem and handle bar, and then work on mounting controls. However; part of the text mentioned above made me decide not to go that way. Instead, I mounted my Spyre brakes and tested them with the Irwin Cycling Aon GX 35  carbon wheels I already had waiting on this build. I ended up having to spacer out the rear caliper a bit, but otherwise I had zero issues getting things to line up.

I tried running a few cable housings just to get a feel for how I would route things. The cable routing is really well thought out on this bike. Everything going to the rear of the bike is full run housing. The front brake, obviously being a disc, is as well. Only the front derailleur is a bottom run, exposed cable set up. That may seem weird, but here is why that is actually brilliant. The break in the housing run from the shifter goes to a traditionally mounted road bike style cable stop with a barrel adjuster. This means no oddball in-line cable adjuster is necessary and the front derailleur can be easily adjusted on the fly. Those worried about mud fouling the cable have too much time to think about things. In all my years of riding, that style of cable run has never been the reason my front derailleur did not work. Your mileage may vary......

The finished product. (Well......almost finished!)

Friday I received a set of Whisky No. 9 Carbon 24F handle bars. In that package was also a No. 7 Carbon seat post. Friday evening I spent down in the Lab putting it all together. There were some old parts from my Raleigh Tamland Two. The Ultegra levers, front and rear derailleurs, and the aforementioned calipers for the brakes. I got a new SRAM 11-36T 11 speed cassette and I used a Shimano 11 speed chain, the new Ultegra one with the quick link. (Yay!) The stem was my Redshift Sports ShockStop stem in the 90mm length. The saddle is my Brooks Cambium from the old T-6 I sold.

Tires are an old set of WTB Riddler 45mm tires that barely went on. Those Irwin rims fit tires tightly! I won't be worrying about throwing off a tire if one goes flat, and burping a tire seems very unlikely. I used an old beat up set of Shimano SPD's and added three purple Velocity Bottle Traps. I got three pink ones, but the purple looked better to my eyes.

Then it was nearly time to ride after I set up my tires tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce", (a home brew recipe- you cannot buy it from the bike shop!), and that was successful due to one product. That would be Uncle Dick's Bead Slip. No issues with getting the tires straight and even using Uncle Dick's. Note- I'm not sure where you get this stuff anymore, but if I find out I'll let ya know.

Whiskey No. 7 Carbon post

The Whisky components look great on the bike. I like the "ghost" branding and the sheen of the black is cool. The only issue with that post is that it uses a thumb wheel up under the saddle as one of the securing fasteners. It is easier to use than some I've encountered, so at least there wasn't any swearing.

The handle bar is much the same as far as looks. The shape is very similar to a Cowchipper, but different...... It's hard to describe. The flare is 24° but the reach seems less and the drop seems less. Not by much either. And this bar features flat sections to accommodate cable runs and a little wider 31.8mm center clamp section that makes mounting accessories easier.

The bar was covered in the Marque handle bar tape salvaged from the T-6 when I sold it. Then I capped off the Whiskey Components bar's ends with pink bar end caps. It all is good with the pink frame and helps tie the look together since the parts look more like an ensemble instead of a hodge podge.

There she be!

The Ride:

The Black Mountain Cycles rig is fun to ride for sure. Smooth? Oh yeah! But that may be because of the ShockStop stem and the Whiskey No. 7 post. That post has a sweet ride to it. Plus the Whisky No. 9 24F carbon bar also has a bit of give at the extensions so that when you are in the drops it feels smoother yet. Add in 45mm Riddler tires and it gets smooth fast. But that said, the frame is pretty nice in this regard. While the disc factor caused the fork to be stiffer than my rim brake BMC, it still can be seen working over the rough stuff on gravel. It isn't the "immovable object" that many carbon fiber forks are.

I stuck the bars at a height that was neither the highest I could go, nor the lowest. I'm close, but I'll be swapping around stem spacers till I get it figured out. But otherwise the position I was able to get is spot on. Not too much seat post is extended, and I don't have to get a crazy different length stem. In fact, I may go a touch longer depending upon where I end up at with bar height.

Something struck me as I was riding it. That was that I was feeling similar feelings to something I'd ridden in the past. The steel frame of the MCD felt somehow familiar. Then it hit me. The Vaya! I used to love that bike for its crazy ability to give back what you put into it, eventually. Kind of like winding up a spring and then it recoils. Anyway, the MCD felt like that, like the Vaya used to.

So, is it the uber-Vaya? Maybe. It just reminds me of that old bike. Only the Black Mountain Cycles bike has more features. More tire clearance, through axles, livelier tubing choices, a better steel fork, and smarter details. So, it is a different beast altogether.

I'll be doing some tweaking in the near future beyond the stem position. I may be switching bar tape, tweaking out the saddle position, and stuff like that. I'll also be doing a switch on the wheels to try 650B X 47mm tires. That said,  yes- I am happy. I like it, and I don't think this one will be going anywhere unless I am riding it in the near future.

Don't ask what it weighs, because I won't tell you. That isn't the point of this bike, but if you have other questions, I'm happy to answer them.