Friday News And Views

Luke Hoffman, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. (Image courtesy of the IBC)

 Iowa Bicycle Coalition Hires New Executive Director:

Recently the Iowa Bicycle Coalition announced the hire of Luke Hoffman to fill its Executive Director position after former Executive Director, Mark Wyatt announced his departure. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition, an organization that promotes safe cycling in Iowa, educational programs, policy change at the government level, and growing a support community amongst cyclists in Iowa, now looks to Mr. Hoffman to drive these initiatives. 

Hoffman, a life-long cyclists from Iowa, will transition into the executive Director role with the aid of former Executive Director, Mark Wyatt who is staying on briefly to smooth out the change in leadership. Hoffman is already hard at work learning about the influencers and important issues in the Iowa cycling scene. 

Comments: The Iowa Bicycle Coalition mostly has been felt, in my experience, as the organization that implements changes at the Iowa Statehouse level through lobbying. The organizer also generally has a big presence at the Iowa Bicycle Expo, with their Iowa Bicycle Summit, usually held in January in Des Moines, Iowa. I spoke at the Iowa Bicycle Summit in 2017. 

Mr. Hoffman has already reached out to me, which I found pretty impressive since I don't generally see myself as being "that big of a deal", which...... I probably should, but I don't, generally, so the call caught me by surprise a bit. But since I've started working at The Cedar Valley Bicycle collective my aims have been more in alignment with what the Coalition is all about, so this is a good thing. 

Good luck to Mr. Hoffman in his endeavors! I loo forward to possibly meeting him at some point in the future. 

Time to dig back into this.

Second (Third? Fourth?) Chances:

You may not have noticed but I have not been using a GPS computer for cycling since early Summer. Boy! I gotta say that the rides I have gotten in have been just fine without that frustrating device. 

But a recent chat with a local runner in the Cedar Valley has me thinking I need to either figure this out or move on and never be a part of you folks that use GPS stuff. Well....at least not until things get figured out better.

See, the local runner, unprompted by myself, brought up a lot of the same things that drives me nuts about GPS units. His experiences were very similar to mine, plus he had some that were maybe more related to running that I did not have experiences with. 

But the chat did serve to bring to mind that I need to definitively figure out where I am headed in the near future. Either I use these things or I do not. I want to make up my mind and move on. The issue cannot be left undecided or I will end up wondering "what if" and that's no good. 

So, here are a few reasons I do not need GPS: Training, racing, navigation, data, and communication. I can do all of that stuff without a GPS at all. Would GPS computers like the Wahoo I have make things easier? Maybe..... It hasn't so far though. 

You might be thinking that I definitely need a GPS to do an event with. No, not really, I don't. While it is true that many race courses guidance is only provided via GPS, those tracks are almost always made available far ahead of the event on sites like Ride With GPS, and guess what? You can download cues for those, or, most likely, I'd write my own up and use the hard copy during the event. 

Oh yeah, and I don't do Strava or anything like that. I find that to be totally uninteresting. 

You might think that a GPS computer distance data would be more accurate than my hard-wired computer. Actually, that answer is "no" as well. Even my running friend, who used a traditional distance roll-out device to set up a quarter mile interval training route, has seen GPS not get the 1/4 mile splits correct on several other runners GPS units. And my roll-out measurement on my computer yields results that have consistently been dead-on with Iowa DOT mile markers. So, no- you don't need a GPS for that either. 

So the scales are tipped heavily against GPS in my view. Not only that, but I still have not been able to get one to work consistently well enough to be convinced otherwise. But I am going to try again. Stay tuned....

Speaking Of Technology...

The landscape for logistics for long, ultra-endurance events is changing due to technology. It's something that seems obvious when you stop to think about it. 

Maybe the pandemic put this sort of an idea on people's radar, but whatever it was, finding food and water became a heck of a lot easier than ever. It used to be that if you missed a store during open hours you were out of luck. But not anymore!

Riders have figured out how to leverage technology to gain an advantage over the long distance cycling challenges which are "self-supported" type events. Phone apps are one way this is being done. 

Call ahead and have an order placed outside in a bag with your name on it. Boom! When you get there, you have some savory vittles and maybe water waiting for you. Of course, it's risky. The village mutt might take advantage of your late arrival, but hey! It's take that risk or go without. 

Want to geek out on exactly how far down a rabit hole people go with regard to this? Check out THIS LINK and be amazed. Heck, I don't even understand half of that! It does reinforce my assertion that people will find every way possible to make an event easier within the rules, and sometimes outside of them.

Redshift Sports Expands Seatpost Offerings:

Redshift Sports makes a nice suspension seat post, but it only came in one diameter- 27.2mm. Well, now that will no longer be the case going forward. 

Redshift ShockStop Seatposts will now come in a few popular sizes and in some longer lengths. This should be of particular interest to fat bikers who ride in Winter on post-holed trails as this sort of seat post will totally change your riding. 

It should be noted that some of the sizes will not come into stock until late December of this year and January of 2024. You can check these out HERE. Note- This is the original ShockStop seatpost. The "PRO" model does not come in any other size but 27.2mm. 

Comments: Besides my take on these posts for snow riding with fat bikes, the ShockStop seatpost is a really well done suspension post. I like that the original is adjustable. You can make it really compliant or stiffen it up as much as you'd probably ever need to. (I mean, if you're going to make it nearly rigid, why bother at all) 

These are also a great post for bikes that do not have a lot of exposed seat post and allow some "give" to those riders with bikes like that which you wouldn't otherwise have available to you. Of course, these aren't for everyone, but this is a nice expansion in offerings for a suspension seat post in terms of sizes.

That's all for this week! Have a great weekend and get out for a ride if you can!

Friday News And Views

Ritchey finally has their gravel road bike available.

Ritchey Announces Availability Of Their Gravel Bike:

From the company whose head honch said, "All road bikes are gravel bikes", comes a bike designed specifically for gravel road riding.

I know........I know. 

Marketing 180's and trends aside, here are a couple of things I noted about this bike now that it is out and the geometry and spec has been revealed.

First of all, it is a 1X specific bike. (Note- While the videos I saw showed the bike as a 1X I have been corrected and it is front derailleur compatible. Thanks to you commenters for being astute and pointing that out) That is certainly on trend, but it is certainly a deal killer for many folks. We can debate the 1X vs 2X for gravel all day long, but here is my take on that in a nutshell: 1X designs cater to the gravel rider with mtb leanings. Whether or not 1X for gravel makes any sense or not is another debate, but simply from the mtb side, you can see why 1X is being pushed here. It indicates to me that several companies aren't sure what a gravel bike is so they are shooting darts at a target they cannot see. In the end, they interpret the genre' from their viewpoint. Ritchey is based on the West Coast, they are a mountain bike heavy company, and their lens for seeing the gravel world is West Coast based. Taken in that light, I get it. Again- whether or not that is right is some other discussion. UPDATE: So, I got that part wrong. However; as stated all the press release stuff I've seen shows the bike as a 1X with no technical bullet points leading me to believe otherwise. But I never saw the website on the bike, and that's my fault. Sorry about the misinformation here. Perhaps, as one commenter implied on a post earlier, I am getting senile. Oh well! That said, because the bike is featured as a 1X in the promotions for this rig, I will still leave in my take on why the Ritchey folks set it up that way.


Secondly- This bike has zero braze ons. None other than water bottle mounts. This also speaks to the Ritchey design type over the years where a race focused, stripped down, purposeful bike has been the norm rather than the exception from that company. However; in my opinion, it limits the appeal of the bike. The Ritchey Ascent, another "adventure based" design, seems to have all these braze on points, but it is only offered in the Breakaway version which adds a lot of cost to the frame and fork. It looks like "Riding Gravel" is going to get a go on one of these Outbacks, so stay tuned for that if it happens.

I attended a People For Bikes Draft meeting Thursday evening.

 Let's Talk Bikes:

The organization, "People For Bikes", is well known amongst those who stay close to advocacy issues for cyclists. Recently they have helped organize "meet ups" where local cycling communities can gather for beers and conversations to get to know what is up in their area as far as cycling initiatives go. They call it "Draft"

I went to the Waterloo, Iowa event held at Single Speed Brewery. There I learned why the Park Avenue bike lanes seem so jacked up, (they are just a beginning and a work in progress), I learned about a new bike share company called "Koloni", (aiming at getting low cost bike shares at trail heads and communities outside of large metropolitan areas), and how the Cedar Valley Nature Trail needs funds to maintain and repair infrastructure that will make it a complete trail again. Plus I heard from a couple of local State legislators on issues concerning cyclists in Iowa. I met a few folks and hung out with some acquaintances.

Oh......and I had a few beers!

The meeting was well attended and received. I thought I came away from it enriched and more knowledgeable in our areas cycling culture. There will be a Draft meet-up in Des Moines on January 25th, so you folks down that way should show up and check it out. It is good stuff. Draft is also being held in other communities across the nation. Check it out here.

Fairies wear booties. Just ask Ozzy.

Okay......One More Time!

I used to wear booties, or "shoe covers", if you'd rather, all the time whenever the weather got cold. They pretty much sucked. All of them. Then came the 45NRTH boots with the "shoe cover" built in. Wow! What an improvement.

Yes, those boots had their issues, (I still rock them, by the way), but the basic premise was brilliant. While it meant that you had to buy another pair of cycling specific footwear, who doesn't like shoes and boots? Okay, maybe if you are a Hobbit, but otherwise......

So, I swore off booties and I figured as long as I could get these "tweener" season boots, I was going to go that route. Then came these Bont shoes in for review on Riding Gravel. Obviously, going deeper into Fall and approaching Winter fast, those shoes weren't going to be optimal without additional armoring against the bitter winds and cold, frosty air. That's when I figured I had better take another look at booties. (Apologies to those who say "shoe covers". For me, these will forever be "booties")

I work at a Trek/Bontrager dealer so I took home these Bontrager RXL Waterproof "booties". Well, I must admit. Things have changed a bit since I last wore these accursed booties of doom. They are actually not too bad. A big pain to draw over your shoes, but they look well designed and as long as they do not come apart, expose my toes, or get snagged in the drive train, I'll be good. Time will tell.

Okay, that wraps up another Friday News And Views. Take care and have an awesome weekend!

Friday News And Views

Ritchey finally has their gravel road bike available.

Ritchey Announces Availability Of Their Gravel Bike:

From the company whose head honch said, "All road bikes are gravel bikes", comes a bike designed specifically for gravel road riding.

I know........I know. 

Marketing 180's and trends aside, here are a couple of things I noted about this bike now that it is out and the geometry and spec has been revealed.

First of all, it is a 1X specific bike. (Note- While the videos I saw showed the bike as a 1X I have been corrected and it is front derailleur compatible. Thanks to you commenters for being astute and pointing that out) That is certainly on trend, but it is certainly a deal killer for many folks. We can debate the 1X vs 2X for gravel all day long, but here is my take on that in a nutshell: 1X designs cater to the gravel rider with mtb leanings. Whether or not 1X for gravel makes any sense or not is another debate, but simply from the mtb side, you can see why 1X is being pushed here. It indicates to me that several companies aren't sure what a gravel bike is so they are shooting darts at a target they cannot see. In the end, they interpret the genre' from their viewpoint. Ritchey is based on the West Coast, they are a mountain bike heavy company, and their lens for seeing the gravel world is West Coast based. Taken in that light, I get it. Again- whether or not that is right is some other discussion. UPDATE: So, I got that part wrong. However; as stated all the press release stuff I've seen shows the bike as a 1X with no technical bullet points leading me to believe otherwise. But I never saw the website on the bike, and that's my fault. Sorry about the misinformation here. Perhaps, as one commenter implied on a post earlier, I am getting senile. Oh well! That said, because the bike is featured as a 1X in the promotions for this rig, I will still leave in my take on why the Ritchey folks set it up that way.


Secondly- This bike has zero braze ons. None other than water bottle mounts. This also speaks to the Ritchey design type over the years where a race focused, stripped down, purposeful bike has been the norm rather than the exception from that company. However; in my opinion, it limits the appeal of the bike. The Ritchey Ascent, another "adventure based" design, seems to have all these braze on points, but it is only offered in the Breakaway version which adds a lot of cost to the frame and fork. It looks like "Riding Gravel" is going to get a go on one of these Outbacks, so stay tuned for that if it happens.

I attended a People For Bikes Draft meeting Thursday evening.

 Let's Talk Bikes:

The organization, "People For Bikes", is well known amongst those who stay close to advocacy issues for cyclists. Recently they have helped organize "meet ups" where local cycling communities can gather for beers and conversations to get to know what is up in their area as far as cycling initiatives go. They call it "Draft"

I went to the Waterloo, Iowa event held at Single Speed Brewery. There I learned why the Park Avenue bike lanes seem so jacked up, (they are just a beginning and a work in progress), I learned about a new bike share company called "Koloni", (aiming at getting low cost bike shares at trail heads and communities outside of large metropolitan areas), and how the Cedar Valley Nature Trail needs funds to maintain and repair infrastructure that will make it a complete trail again. Plus I heard from a couple of local State legislators on issues concerning cyclists in Iowa. I met a few folks and hung out with some acquaintances.

Oh......and I had a few beers!

The meeting was well attended and received. I thought I came away from it enriched and more knowledgeable in our areas cycling culture. There will be a Draft meet-up in Des Moines on January 25th, so you folks down that way should show up and check it out. It is good stuff. Draft is also being held in other communities across the nation. Check it out here.

Fairies wear booties. Just ask Ozzy.

Okay......One More Time!

I used to wear booties, or "shoe covers", if you'd rather, all the time whenever the weather got cold. They pretty much sucked. All of them. Then came the 45NRTH boots with the "shoe cover" built in. Wow! What an improvement.

Yes, those boots had their issues, (I still rock them, by the way), but the basic premise was brilliant. While it meant that you had to buy another pair of cycling specific footwear, who doesn't like shoes and boots? Okay, maybe if you are a Hobbit, but otherwise......

So, I swore off booties and I figured as long as I could get these "tweener" season boots, I was going to go that route. Then came these Bont shoes in for review on Riding Gravel. Obviously, going deeper into Fall and approaching Winter fast, those shoes weren't going to be optimal without additional armoring against the bitter winds and cold, frosty air. That's when I figured I had better take another look at booties. (Apologies to those who say "shoe covers". For me, these will forever be "booties")

I work at a Trek/Bontrager dealer so I took home these Bontrager RXL Waterproof "booties". Well, I must admit. Things have changed a bit since I last wore these accursed booties of doom. They are actually not too bad. A big pain to draw over your shoes, but they look well designed and as long as they do not come apart, expose my toes, or get snagged in the drive train, I'll be good. Time will tell.

Okay, that wraps up another Friday News And Views. Take care and have an awesome weekend!