Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Life Time Events

 Life Time To Offer Free Live Coverage Of Unbound Gravel

For the first time in the events history, Unbound Gravel will have live, start to finish race coverage of the Pro Men and Pro Women fields.

In a press release from Tuesday of this week, Life Time promised an approximately seven hour time slot for the  event, saying it will not end coverage until all podium interviews are completed.. 

The timing of coverage seems a bit odd in that the press release states in one place that coverage will start with a pre-race briefing on the event and then turn to the race reporters for an uninterrupted stream of the event on Life Time's You Tube channel. However; this coverage is stated to start at 10:00am CST, which is typically four hours after the event gets going. Further into the release it is stated that the time is yet to be determined. Here is the quote: "The program is due to commence at [insert time here] and conclude following the elite women’s post-race interviews." 

Comments: Obviously there was not a good job of editing before the release went out. If I get clarity on the timing of the coverage I will update this story. Maybe they won't cover the opening hours of the event?

(WARNING! Old Man Yelling At Sky) The release went on and on, with the expected self-congratulatory blather and stating the event is "..the world's premier gravel event". No real argument here, but the blathering and puffery gets a bit tiring. We get it, Life Time, you think highly of how you do things and this event, which you neither created nor elevated to be the World's Premier Gravel Event, was a nice purchase by the corporation. You've shepherded the asset well. I'm sure the shareholders are pleased. 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled gravel event coverage. Thanks to all our noisy helicopters and crews on vehicles scampering across what was once a peaceful prairie causing more mayhem than is necessary so we can be entertained. For "free". 

Image courtesy of Pony Express 150 Gravel event Facebook post.

Another "Mud Year"?

Speaking of Unbound Gravel, it might be that the motos and follow cars won't be able to cover certain portions of the course anyway. As seen in the accompanying image, courtesy of the Pony Express 150 event's Facebook feed, there appears to be an abundance of moisture in the Flint Hills of late.

 Of course, there is an entire week until the event, and things could change, and probably will. So, this may be much adieu about nothing. Then again it is supposed to be unusually cool and wet through the beginning of next week.  .

Definitely something to keep tabs on. The interesting thing is to see commentary over images like this from people who claim that "this isn't gravel racing!" or "whelp! I'm out!".  As I often point out, many of these folks don't know what they don't know. 2015 was a decade ago, and many of the infamous Trans Iowas longer ago than that, so how to deal with mud, or mentally handle it, are seemingly "lost arts" for today's riders.

It will be interesting to see if Unbound modifies the course if this mud persists. You might remember the fiasco from 2023.... We will see.

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth Components

Wolf Tooth Bottom Bracket Surfaces:

I saw mention during Sea Otter of a new component from Wolf Tooth. A bottom bracket, but no sign of an image or mention of it on Wolf Tooth's site could be found. Well, on Wednesday that changed.

Now the bottom brackets are up on their site (HERE) and several choices of color and type are available, as one would expect from Wolf Tooth.

The 100% user serviceable units come in BSA threaded and T-47 versions now and prices are reasonable with a standard threaded outboard bearing model costing $129.00 USD. These bottom brackets are designed and machined in the USA.

Comments: Another addition to the Wolf Tooth range which makes sense. While their design is touted as "best in class", I really do not see a huge difference in their design versus most other "boutique" brand bottom brackets. It is a machined and anodized cup, a cartridge bearing, and a couple of plastic sleeves.

For my money the Enduro Bearings Max-Hit bottom bracket truly is a different design and one which you can visually see a difference and feel a difference when using it. I'm not saying these Wolf Tooth bottom brackets are "bad" nor that you shouldn't buy one, but they are not what I would call "innovative". They are likely far better than a box-stock OEM model though. So, check them out if you need a good bottom bracket and if you like a touch of color on your bike.

Image courtesy of Mondraker Bikes

Mondraker Offers Arid Gravel Bike In Aluminum:

Last November I posted a story about the new Mondraker Arid carbon gravel bike. I found the story interesting from two standpoints. One: Mondraker was primarily a mountain bike brand before the Arid was offered. Two: The company was making a bigger push into the United States market.  

Actually there was a third reason. I liked the design from a geometry standpoint. The Arid has a "gravel bike geometry". Bicycles which are not in the ball park in terms of geometry just will not see coverage here. I don't see the point of promoting "old" geometry or anything which is too road-ish or is really a cyclo cross bike.

Now Mondraker has offered the Arid, an aluminum version of the Arid C, and it has the same geometry specifications, A 75mm bottom bracket drop coupled with a 70 degree head tube angle. This is the sort of geometry I feel is "right" for gravel and will perform in a way which makes gravel riding more fun and safer.

Of course, an aluminum frame is going to bring the price down. Mondraker Arids start at around $2,500.00. But that isn't what I would call "budget friendly". Compared to carbon? It seems like a bargain. I just wish Mondraker would offer the Arid as a frame set. While it would likely still cost close to 2K, I would be more inclined to build up an Arid transferring parts from my Noble GX5, as an example, than buying an entire complete Arid model.  Of course, I likely do not represent one of a possibly large enough number of sales for Mondraker to pull the trigger on aluminum frame only offerings. (NOTE: You can find Arid carbon frame sets online for about $2.100.00)

An interesting plant is growing outside of the Collective!

Being A Responsible Steward:

Part of the mission the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective has relates to keeping bicycles out of the local landfill. To that end, we collect donated bicycles which are sorted for potential uses. If the parts or bikes are deemed not useful they go to a local metal recycler.

This past week has been a BIG recycling week at the Collective. We had a couple of organizations from Northeast Iowa discover what we are doing and they brought down 44 bicycles to be recycled. We also received nearly 60 bicycles from the local police department.

Of course, what we can save for use by people here in the Cedar Valley we will do, but obviously many bicycles are just not going to be savable. Fortunately many are, and these help underprivileged, destitute, immigrant, veterans in need, and low income folks get on two wheels. An example: We recently have put eight immigrants on bikes so they can get to jobs. We have sold several bicycles to folks recently who cannot afford new, bicycle shop quality bikes. We also have been busy supporting local school programs which have bicycle safety and phys-ed program needs with loaner bikes.

If you are a local reading this, please consider being a part of the efforts of the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. If you have a local collective, please consider supporting it. Help your local bicycle non-profits be good stewards of bicycles and bicycle knowledge!

Image courtesy of SRAM

Zipp Wheels Now Available With AXS Pressure Sensors:

Zipp announced on Thursday that their 353 NSW and 303 NS wheels will be available with AXS air pressure sensors embedded into the rims. The AXS sensors can send pressure monitoring information to a computer head, (Hammerhead is SRAM's preferred brand since they own it), which will allow riders to detect an issue more quickly. Riders can also set pressure levels which the AXS sensor can react to with a green light, letting the rider know the pressure has been set correctly.

Comments: This may seem unnecessary now, but I feel it is a portent of things to come. No doubt this sensor would be even more useful with a pressure regulating system so riders could air up or down while riding. This sort of system already exists and has been race proven in the Pro roadie ranks.

 I'm not sure how SRAM would do this. Perhaps a green light for your up or down settings and perhaps a red one for out of range indicating a problem? The possibilities are fascinating. Imagine a gravel racer with the ability to set a higher pressure for stretches of pavement and then being able to dump air out for the gravel, or rougher sections with less traction.

That is it for this week! Have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend, if you celebrate this holiday. Otherwise, get out there and ride those bicycles!

Opinions On Wide Rims For Gravel

Image courtesy of SRAM

This week saw the release of several items from SRAM and their brands for the gravel rider. One of these items was a wheel set from Zipp Wheels. 

Dubbed the "303 XPLR S and SW", the wheels were designed as "a speed-focused gravel wheel" and are intended to be used only with two tire models that were designed in conjunction with Goodyear to work best on these rims. 

The rims are a hookless design, which will put a lot of folks off right there besides the proprietary nature of the tire choice. That all is a debate for another day. I want to focus on the rim width detail which in this case is 32mm wide internal. 

Many riders are going to read about this wider rim and how Goodyear and Zipp managed to build a tire to mate with the rim to be very aerodynamic. This sounds like it makes sense, and in reality, having that tire/rim interface be optimized for aero is an advantage to racers. But gravel riders being who they are, I know that they will want to use whatever tires they want to use, and I know tire manufacturers are not going to come to a consensus on rim/tire interface for the best aero numbers. Nope! That ain't-a-gonna happen. 

Furthermore, I have experimented with wide internal width rims and typical width gravel tires already. Now, my focus wasn't on ultimate aerodynamic efficiencies. My focus was on what that rim did to my tires, and what that resulted in when I rode my bicycle. Those things matter more to me, and I would wager that they matter more to most gravel riders, not just racers. 

So, instead of re-writing a bunch of text I've already written, I will direct you to two posts I wrote in the Fall of 2021. The first is HERE and the second is HERE. 

Essentially, for those who want a condensed version, inner rim width and tire width need to be in ranges that compliment each other. There are rims that are too narrow for wide tires and tires that are too narrow for wide rims. This seems obvious, but click and read the links, especially the first one, to get a bead on why I feel that way. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Friday News And Views

A bare Zipp 101 XPLR rim: Image courtesy of SRAM

 On Wednesday I gave my rundown of opinions on the new SRAM XPLR group. (Read that here if you missed it) Today I want to comment specifically on the rim design for the XPLR 101 wheel from Zipp.

This struck me as odd, but the design has merits which I understand as valid in gravel design. That said, the results- spec-wise and pricing-wise- are puzzling. Let's take a look...

The design for the rim is, basically, a carbon fat bike rim design shrunk down to fit a gravel bike. It has single wall construction which does a couple of things here that make a bit of sense for a gravel road rider. 

First, that single wall construction, theoretically speaking, should be able to flex a bit more freely in a vertical plane than a box section rim, or a triangulated, shallow section rim. There is a reinforced ridge for the spoke beds, and other than that, one might expect a bit less impact resistance, but here we are speaking of gravel riding- not MTB. So Zipp maybe saw this as a way to introduce some rider comfort.  

The second thing a single wall rim does is that it presents - most likely- the least amount of side drag from cross winds that is possible without doing super-aero stuff with the rim design. But if there are any cross-wind benefits, this is probably secondary to this design. 

A possible third benefit might be light weight, but curiously this complete wheel set weighs in at 1665 grams for the pair. That's kinda heavy, and many aluminum wheel sets weigh similarly, cost less, and have similar comfort claims. Add in the asking price of $1800.00 USD and that value prospect seems to go up in a puff of smoked credit card plastic. 

I like that they dared to go to a 27mm wide inner width here, but I'll have a lot more to say to this feature once I get my Project Wide Gravel Wheels going after Gravel Worlds is over. Stay tuned for that...

Remember this? Well- that didn't work out so well!

Finish Line Introduces FiberLink Sealant:

Back in 2018 I noted on another "FN&V" that Finish Line had introduced a sealant which they said would "..last the usable lifetime of the tire". While I did not say exactly what I thought was going on there in that 2018 post, I had serious misgivings about this new 'wonder sealant', and as it turned out, my instincts about it were largely correct. 

Finish Line sealant quickly became a byword amongst mechanics who tried it out as it became known that by using it the tires would not seal up correctly and it made servicing new tubeless set-ups a total nightmare. Riders found that it sealed punctures poorly as well. So, the sealant was quickly dismissed by the consumer and the industry. It wasn't long before Finish Line started looking into its replacement. By 2019 they were already working on that.

Well, after two years, Finish Line have come out with what they are calling "FiberLink" sealant. As you might suspect, it is now a latex based sealant but it is infused with Kevlar® fibers which, as Finish Line claims, should seal punctures more quickly and with a longer lasting effect. My 'instincts' tell me that -this time- this stuff should work pretty well. 

There is only one real question I have, and that is how well will this work with valve stems, (will it clog them more easily because of the fibers?) and how long will it last before it coagulates and becomes ineffective? Typically, any coagulant enhancing substance in a latex based sealant tends to clog valve stems and/or does not last a long time at all in a tire before it needs to be serviced. If Finish Line dodges those pitfalls with its new FiberLink sealant, then this could be a big deal in sealants. We'll see......

My Adidas!- Got No Stones In 'Em! 

Adidas Shoes just announced a new gravel cycling shoe which is brilliantly named. You won't believe what the name they chose for it is! Check it out:

Introducing, the new "Gravel Cycling Shoe"! 

The name just blows me away it is sooo good! Ahem......right then, so really Adidas? Wow... Okay, let's move on.... 

Yeah, so it is a $170.00 shoe with a 'sock' dealio around the ankle to keep dust and small stones out. Hmm.....okay...I can see that. I mean, I do get stones of the smaller size inside my shoes at times. So, that cuff may not be as goofy as it seems at first glance. However; I would say that as of right now, in this air we have had that is so thick and juicy that you feel like you are being enveloped in a warm blanket, in 90°F weather, that a neoprene cuff is not exactly what I would want sealing off my Earth pads from air flow. 

I could be 100% wrong here though. Maybe there is great air-flow around the feet with these... what is the name again? It's so unique and different that you'd think I'd remember....oh yes! The Gravel Cycling Shoe! Yes! That's it.... 

Anyway, there is supposedly a variant on the black theme with some outlandish, 80's inspired brightness. Now those would get you noticed at the local small village convenience store! Thankfully the basic black is much more fitting in rural conservative America. Hey! I own a pink bicycle, I should know! 

The bottoms look like they took scraps of Schwalbe G-One tires and used them for the walkable soles. I would be slipping like a farm animal on ice if I wore those on a soft or wet Level B Road around here. But for dry gravel travel? That's probably okay. Gotta wonder how long those little nubbins would last though. But you know what? If these made your toes happy, who am I to say? Shoes are highly personal fit items and these look okay to me. Price is fair if they perform and last a decent amount of time.  (All images courtesy of Adidas)

Update: New Riding Gravel radio ranch Podcast Out!

The latest gab-fest between myself and Andy of Andy's Bike shop is live now. Check out the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch here or look for it n your favorite podcast feed. 

We typically get 2-3 episodes out a month and sometimes 4! I'm pretty pumped that this has been a steady flow of content now for about two years straight. You can thank, (or blame- however you feel about this), Andy. He was pretty adamant that we get the ball rolling more often with the podcast and for us to make sure we have a constant flow of content there. 

Andy does provide much of the equipment and the space for recording is his office, so he is a big reason why the streak of content has been fairly steady since early 2020. Thank you Andy for that! Of course, it was a goal of mine, as well, to reinvigorate the podcast and get it coming more consistently as it had kind of petered out there in 2019. Or was that 2018? I can't remember... Time flies! 

There is another podcast in the can which should be published really soon and then we have a special guest coming up which I am excited about. Check out tomorrow's post for more on who that is and why I am stoked. Until then.....
 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

A bare Zipp 101 XPLR rim: Image courtesy of SRAM

 On Wednesday I gave my rundown of opinions on the new SRAM XPLR group. (Read that here if you missed it) Today I want to comment specifically on the rim design for the XPLR 101 wheel from Zipp.

This struck me as odd, but the design has merits which I understand as valid in gravel design. That said, the results- spec-wise and pricing-wise- are puzzling. Let's take a look...

The design for the rim is, basically, a carbon fat bike rim design shrunk down to fit a gravel bike. It has single wall construction which does a couple of things here that make a bit of sense for a gravel road rider. 

First, that single wall construction, theoretically speaking, should be able to flex a bit more freely in a vertical plane than a box section rim, or a triangulated, shallow section rim. There is a reinforced ridge for the spoke beds, and other than that, one might expect a bit less impact resistance, but here we are speaking of gravel riding- not MTB. So Zipp maybe saw this as a way to introduce some rider comfort.  

The second thing a single wall rim does is that it presents - most likely- the least amount of side drag from cross winds that is possible without doing super-aero stuff with the rim design. But if there are any cross-wind benefits, this is probably secondary to this design. 

A possible third benefit might be light weight, but curiously this complete wheel set weighs in at 1665 grams for the pair. That's kinda heavy, and many aluminum wheel sets weigh similarly, cost less, and have similar comfort claims. Add in the asking price of $1800.00 USD and that value prospect seems to go up in a puff of smoked credit card plastic. 

I like that they dared to go to a 27mm wide inner width here, but I'll have a lot more to say to this feature once I get my Project Wide Gravel Wheels going after Gravel Worlds is over. Stay tuned for that...

Remember this? Well- that didn't work out so well!

Finish Line Introduces FiberLink Sealant:

Back in 2018 I noted on another "FN&V" that Finish Line had introduced a sealant which they said would "..last the usable lifetime of the tire". While I did not say exactly what I thought was going on there in that 2018 post, I had serious misgivings about this new 'wonder sealant', and as it turned out, my instincts about it were largely correct. 

Finish Line sealant quickly became a byword amongst mechanics who tried it out as it became known that by using it the tires would not seal up correctly and it made servicing new tubeless set-ups a total nightmare. Riders found that it sealed punctures poorly as well. So, the sealant was quickly dismissed by the consumer and the industry. It wasn't long before Finish Line started looking into its replacement. By 2019 they were already working on that.

Well, after two years, Finish Line have come out with what they are calling "FiberLink" sealant. As you might suspect, it is now a latex based sealant but it is infused with Kevlar® fibers which, as Finish Line claims, should seal punctures more quickly and with a longer lasting effect. My 'instincts' tell me that -this time- this stuff should work pretty well. 

There is only one real question I have, and that is how well will this work with valve stems, (will it clog them more easily because of the fibers?) and how long will it last before it coagulates and becomes ineffective? Typically, any coagulant enhancing substance in a latex based sealant tends to clog valve stems and/or does not last a long time at all in a tire before it needs to be serviced. If Finish Line dodges those pitfalls with its new FiberLink sealant, then this could be a big deal in sealants. We'll see......

My Adidas!- Got No Stones In 'Em! 

Adidas Shoes just announced a new gravel cycling shoe which is brilliantly named. You won't believe what the name they chose for it is! Check it out:

Introducing, the new "Gravel Cycling Shoe"! 

The name just blows me away it is sooo good! Ahem......right then, so really Adidas? Wow... Okay, let's move on.... 

Yeah, so it is a $170.00 shoe with a 'sock' dealio around the ankle to keep dust and small stones out. Hmm.....okay...I can see that. I mean, I do get stones of the smaller size inside my shoes at times. So, that cuff may not be as goofy as it seems at first glance. However; I would say that as of right now, in this air we have had that is so thick and juicy that you feel like you are being enveloped in a warm blanket, in 90°F weather, that a neoprene cuff is not exactly what I would want sealing off my Earth pads from air flow. 

I could be 100% wrong here though. Maybe there is great air-flow around the feet with these... what is the name again? It's so unique and different that you'd think I'd remember....oh yes! The Gravel Cycling Shoe! Yes! That's it.... 

Anyway, there is supposedly a variant on the black theme with some outlandish, 80's inspired brightness. Now those would get you noticed at the local small village convenience store! Thankfully the basic black is much more fitting in rural conservative America. Hey! I own a pink bicycle, I should know! 

The bottoms look like they took scraps of Schwalbe G-One tires and used them for the walkable soles. I would be slipping like a farm animal on ice if I wore those on a soft or wet Level B Road around here. But for dry gravel travel? That's probably okay. Gotta wonder how long those little nubbins would last though. But you know what? If these made your toes happy, who am I to say? Shoes are highly personal fit items and these look okay to me. Price is fair if they perform and last a decent amount of time.  (All images courtesy of Adidas)

Update: New Riding Gravel radio ranch Podcast Out!

The latest gab-fest between myself and Andy of Andy's Bike shop is live now. Check out the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch here or look for it n your favorite podcast feed. 

We typically get 2-3 episodes out a month and sometimes 4! I'm pretty pumped that this has been a steady flow of content now for about two years straight. You can thank, (or blame- however you feel about this), Andy. He was pretty adamant that we get the ball rolling more often with the podcast and for us to make sure we have a constant flow of content there. 

Andy does provide much of the equipment and the space for recording is his office, so he is a big reason why the streak of content has been fairly steady since early 2020. Thank you Andy for that! Of course, it was a goal of mine, as well, to reinvigorate the podcast and get it coming more consistently as it had kind of petered out there in 2019. Or was that 2018? I can't remember... Time flies! 

There is another podcast in the can which should be published really soon and then we have a special guest coming up which I am excited about. Check out tomorrow's post for more on who that is and why I am stoked. Until then.....
 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

2007: You can't do that with 29"er wheels. 2021: Hold my beer...

Niner Bikes Releases New WFO-9:

Occasionally something significant still happens in the world of big wheels. Recently it came from a company once known for pushing boundaries with big, 29"er wheels. That company has been a bit silent in the 29"er scene over the past decade, but this week, Niner Bikes once again lived up to their moniker and posted news concerning a big wheeled monster of a bike, the WFO-9. 

When the first WFO-9 was whispered about in 2007, it drew a lot of criticism and negativity. "You can't do that with 29"er wheels!", and more was heard on all the major forums. However, Niner, only a couple of years into their existence, was pushing ahead regardless of their not being 'real tires' or 'real forks' for this endeavor. It was cutting edge, forward thinking, and disruptive. Looking back on that early WFO-9, one can now see that Niner Bikes, whatever you may think of them today, should be credited with helping to break the barriers down to what a 29'er could be. 

Another individual who also brought big wheels and long travel together in a way that shocked the mainstream was Devin Lenz. His Lenz Sport brand also has to be recognized in the same breath as Niner as Devin was also independently pushing the big wheeled idea forward with amazingly capable rides that blew away the criticisms of 29 inch wheeled bikes and what they were capable of. 

It's a crazy world of big wheeled bikes these days and back in the 00's, no one was thinking things would be like they are today. Well, except a couple of crazy companies that turned out not to be quite so crazy as we thought. Congratulations to Niner Bikes on the new WFO-9. It may seem like no big deal in 2021, but when you consider that at one time, 29"ers were relegated to being thought of only as single speed bikes or maybe XC bikes, it is a big deal. 

It Costs How Much?

Zipp Wheels have never been what I would call "inexpensive" wheels. Many of their past models would easily be called "halo products"- Products with heady price tags which people aspire to own, but probably never will. 

Well, Zipp didn't do anything to dent that reputation with the recent introduction of their new "353 NSW" wheel set. Yep, you need four thousand Benjamins to get these in your mitts. Carbon wheels for bicycles have been trending downward in price of late, but Zipp? Ha! Obviously they went in the opposite direction with the 353 NSW.

Okay, so what do you get for 4G, (and I ain't talkin' about ancient cell phone connectivity rates). Well, you'd better be getting a light wheel set, and Zipp delivers there with a sub-1300 gram wheel set weight. Okay, well, you'd better be getting an aerodynamic, watt-saving wheel. Once again- if the claims can be believed - Zipp delivers. That saw-toothed design is supposedly a big deal here. Okay- well, what about being able to use it for gravel? Actually- this is the most interesting part. This is basically a gravel wheel set. 25mm internal width? That's not a road racing inner rim width folks. Add in a disc only brake standard and this wheel screams "aero-gravel".

I tested the FLO Cycling wheels last year and stated that these would not be the last we'd here about aero wheels for gravel. While Zipp doesn't claim that these are only for gravel, a companion press release sent at the same time features Zipps rebadged 40mm gravel tire and shows it on.....you guessed it- the 353 NSW wheel set. They may not say it overtly, but this is aimed at the gravel market.
 

Bike Shop News: 

In the world of bike shops, I have been hearing that shortages are happening all across the nation yet. It seems to ebb and flow between different products, but certainly the situation with tires, tubes, cassettes, chains, free wheels, and other maintenance/wear items is still a bad situation. Getting accessory items is also still hit or miss. We've gotten in some stuff, like floor pumps, which were rare last year, yet we cannot get other things at all right now. It's unpredictable and frustrating for everyone. 

In terms of bicycles we actually are getting some few things through the shop. We get them built and they disappear about as fast as we build them. But I am hopeful that at least a trickle of bikes will continue throughout the Summer.  

In other bike shop related news, my friend and El Presidente' of the Slender Fungus, Ari, has been telling me that the Chicago metro region shops are desperate for qualified bicycle mechanics. Ari tells me most shops are four weeks behind in repairs in the region and that there is no end in sight. If you know how to wrench on bikes, and if you want to hang in the Chi-town area for the Spring and Summer, you can definitely find work. 

Again, this situation doesn't seem to have any resolution in sight for the near future. It's so odd working under such constraints and during such unusual times. How this shakes out is anybody's guess at the present time. All I know is that this roller coaster of a bike season in Iowa is going to be an odd one. Especially with RAGBRAI happening. (Oh, and what the heck happened with that whole "Iowa's Ride" thing? Who knows.....)

The shortages are also affecting what I do at RidingGravel.com as well. But it's all okay. Somehow we'll muddle through this. I'm not worried. I just marvel at the weirdness and how it seems to have no end at this point. They keep saying 2022...... We'll see. 

Podcast And Shirts:

Hey, just a reminder that the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast has it's latest episode up. Hear it here or wherever you get your podcast feed from. We try to keep these episodes at about an hour or a little less, so you don't have to invest a ton of your time into these. My co-host is Andy of Andy's Bike Shop, so sometimes we drop a little local stuff as well. 

Also, you can still get the "Riding Stones - Shaking Bones" or "Addicted To Gravel" shirt designs at the RidingGravel.com website. The link to those shirt designs is here. 

And finally, my own designs for the former C.O.G 100 in hats and jerseys and G-Ted merch are still available and you can find that link over there on the right side or just go to the Garage Sale Page for the C.O.G. 100 stuff. 

NOTE: I've been blogging for over 15 years now, I have been doing Riding Gravel since 2015, and putting on events for 20 years or more. These small ways of making some money help me to keep going, defray some costs for making some of the content I put out, and honestly, with the C.O.G. stuff, I just don't want it to go to waste. In the case of the G-Ted merchandise, that actually helps my daughter and I don't get any monetary benefit there at all. I'm not going to apologize for occasionally making you all aware of these things as I feel it is just giving you an opportunity to give recognition to, and give back to what I have have been doing for all these years. If you don't feel led to do anything, no big deal. I'm good. I just wanted to provide the opportunity for you all to say "thanks" and if that speaks to you it does. If not, don't worry about me. I'll keep on keepin' on regardless of whether this stuff gets purchased or not. 

So, don't pull out your credit card unless you really want to. (But get this C.O.G. stuff outta here, or it is going to the landfill before long)
 

That's a wrap for this week. Hoping for warmer weather here. I also hope you get out for a ride!

Friday News And Views

2007: You can't do that with 29"er wheels. 2021: Hold my beer...

Niner Bikes Releases New WFO-9:

Occasionally something significant still happens in the world of big wheels. Recently it came from a company once known for pushing boundaries with big, 29"er wheels. That company has been a bit silent in the 29"er scene over the past decade, but this week, Niner Bikes once again lived up to their moniker and posted news concerning a big wheeled monster of a bike, the WFO-9. 

When the first WFO-9 was whispered about in 2007, it drew a lot of criticism and negativity. "You can't do that with 29"er wheels!", and more was heard on all the major forums. However, Niner, only a couple of years into their existence, was pushing ahead regardless of their not being 'real tires' or 'real forks' for this endeavor. It was cutting edge, forward thinking, and disruptive. Looking back on that early WFO-9, one can now see that Niner Bikes, whatever you may think of them today, should be credited with helping to break the barriers down to what a 29'er could be. 

Another individual who also brought big wheels and long travel together in a way that shocked the mainstream was Devin Lenz. His Lenz Sport brand also has to be recognized in the same breath as Niner as Devin was also independently pushing the big wheeled idea forward with amazingly capable rides that blew away the criticisms of 29 inch wheeled bikes and what they were capable of. 

It's a crazy world of big wheeled bikes these days and back in the 00's, no one was thinking things would be like they are today. Well, except a couple of crazy companies that turned out not to be quite so crazy as we thought. Congratulations to Niner Bikes on the new WFO-9. It may seem like no big deal in 2021, but when you consider that at one time, 29"ers were relegated to being thought of only as single speed bikes or maybe XC bikes, it is a big deal. 

It Costs How Much?

Zipp Wheels have never been what I would call "inexpensive" wheels. Many of their past models would easily be called "halo products"- Products with heady price tags which people aspire to own, but probably never will. 

Well, Zipp didn't do anything to dent that reputation with the recent introduction of their new "353 NSW" wheel set. Yep, you need four thousand Benjamins to get these in your mitts. Carbon wheels for bicycles have been trending downward in price of late, but Zipp? Ha! Obviously they went in the opposite direction with the 353 NSW.

Okay, so what do you get for 4G, (and I ain't talkin' about ancient cell phone connectivity rates). Well, you'd better be getting a light wheel set, and Zipp delivers there with a sub-1300 gram wheel set weight. Okay, well, you'd better be getting an aerodynamic, watt-saving wheel. Once again- if the claims can be believed - Zipp delivers. That saw-toothed design is supposedly a big deal here. Okay- well, what about being able to use it for gravel? Actually- this is the most interesting part. This is basically a gravel wheel set. 25mm internal width? That's not a road racing inner rim width folks. Add in a disc only brake standard and this wheel screams "aero-gravel".

I tested the FLO Cycling wheels last year and stated that these would not be the last we'd here about aero wheels for gravel. While Zipp doesn't claim that these are only for gravel, a companion press release sent at the same time features Zipps rebadged 40mm gravel tire and shows it on.....you guessed it- the 353 NSW wheel set. They may not say it overtly, but this is aimed at the gravel market.
 

Bike Shop News: 

In the world of bike shops, I have been hearing that shortages are happening all across the nation yet. It seems to ebb and flow between different products, but certainly the situation with tires, tubes, cassettes, chains, free wheels, and other maintenance/wear items is still a bad situation. Getting accessory items is also still hit or miss. We've gotten in some stuff, like floor pumps, which were rare last year, yet we cannot get other things at all right now. It's unpredictable and frustrating for everyone. 

In terms of bicycles we actually are getting some few things through the shop. We get them built and they disappear about as fast as we build them. But I am hopeful that at least a trickle of bikes will continue throughout the Summer.  

In other bike shop related news, my friend and El Presidente' of the Slender Fungus, Ari, has been telling me that the Chicago metro region shops are desperate for qualified bicycle mechanics. Ari tells me most shops are four weeks behind in repairs in the region and that there is no end in sight. If you know how to wrench on bikes, and if you want to hang in the Chi-town area for the Spring and Summer, you can definitely find work. 

Again, this situation doesn't seem to have any resolution in sight for the near future. It's so odd working under such constraints and during such unusual times. How this shakes out is anybody's guess at the present time. All I know is that this roller coaster of a bike season in Iowa is going to be an odd one. Especially with RAGBRAI happening. (Oh, and what the heck happened with that whole "Iowa's Ride" thing? Who knows.....)

The shortages are also affecting what I do at RidingGravel.com as well. But it's all okay. Somehow we'll muddle through this. I'm not worried. I just marvel at the weirdness and how it seems to have no end at this point. They keep saying 2022...... We'll see. 

Podcast And Shirts:

Hey, just a reminder that the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast has it's latest episode up. Hear it here or wherever you get your podcast feed from. We try to keep these episodes at about an hour or a little less, so you don't have to invest a ton of your time into these. My co-host is Andy of Andy's Bike Shop, so sometimes we drop a little local stuff as well. 

Also, you can still get the "Riding Stones - Shaking Bones" or "Addicted To Gravel" shirt designs at the RidingGravel.com website. The link to those shirt designs is here. 

And finally, my own designs for the former C.O.G 100 in hats and jerseys and G-Ted merch are still available and you can find that link over there on the right side or just go to the Garage Sale Page for the C.O.G. 100 stuff. 

NOTE: I've been blogging for over 15 years now, I have been doing Riding Gravel since 2015, and putting on events for 20 years or more. These small ways of making some money help me to keep going, defray some costs for making some of the content I put out, and honestly, with the C.O.G. stuff, I just don't want it to go to waste. In the case of the G-Ted merchandise, that actually helps my daughter and I don't get any monetary benefit there at all. I'm not going to apologize for occasionally making you all aware of these things as I feel it is just giving you an opportunity to give recognition to, and give back to what I have have been doing for all these years. If you don't feel led to do anything, no big deal. I'm good. I just wanted to provide the opportunity for you all to say "thanks" and if that speaks to you it does. If not, don't worry about me. I'll keep on keepin' on regardless of whether this stuff gets purchased or not. 

So, don't pull out your credit card unless you really want to. (But get this C.O.G. stuff outta here, or it is going to the landfill before long)
 

That's a wrap for this week. Hoping for warmer weather here. I also hope you get out for a ride!