Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

 Ritchey Design Offers New Superlogic Carbon Handlebars:

Ritchey Design specializes in components along with frames and forks for bicycles. I am of the opinion that one of their most underrated ranges is their handlebar range. 

This week Ritchey sent out a press release concerning a new range of Superlogic Mountain Bars in carbon. 

The three handlebar range is aimed at cross country and trail riding, but these could just as easily be used on gravel bikes utilizing flat bars, or on bike packing rigs. The bars have zero, 20mm, or 40mm of rise. The flat bar has 7° of back sweep while the two with rise go one more degree to 8°.  

Width on all three is 760mm with cut-down marks for those wanting a narrower bar. Weight for the Superlogic Mountain Bars is as follows: Flat- 155gm, 20mm rise-  170gm, 40mm- 175gm. All three feature 5° of upsweep and all three feature the 31.8mm clamp diameter for interfacing with stems.  

Prices are as follows: Flat -  $239.95 / €199.90 (inc. VAT) / £173.90 (inc. VAT) 20mm rise- $251.95 / €209.90 (inc. VAT) / £182.90 (inc. VAT) 40mm rise- $263.95 / €219.90 (inc. VAT) / £191.90 (inc. VAT)

See Ritchey Design's website for more details. These bars are available now.  

Image courtesy of White Industries

White Industries Seat Post Collars Offered In Colors:

White Industries, who are known mostly for their hub sets, are now offering seat post collars in a variety of anodized finishes. 

The collars come in a variety of sizes to fit most frames which require a separate seat post clamp. 

White Industries makes these in California to exacting standards which results in a seat post collar that fits well, clamps evenly, and will work with repeated use over a long period of time. 

Priced at a reasonable $54.99USD, these collars and the rest of White Industries products can be seen HERE. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bicycles

Canyon Offers Grzl Gravel Adventure Bike In Aluminum:

Earlier this year I was thinking about aloy gravel frames and possibly getting one in. The trouble was that an alloy frame was either oddball geometry, but reasonably affordable, or it was a great design, but as expensive as some carbon frames. 

There did not seem to be any alternatives. Now Canyon has an aluminum version of its GRZL adventure/gravel bike available. Just not as a frame/fork only! 

The GRZL AL does tick almost every box though, as I see it. The geometry is good, with the exception of weird sizing. According to what I am seeing on Canyon's site, I would best fit a Medium, which never happens. Usually I am on a size large. 

Otherwise this bike has 54mm tire clearance, a T-47 bottom bracket, and everything is internally routed, of course. Thare are plenty of accessory mounts, as one would expect on a bike billed as an adventure bike. So, it would probably have everything I'd want in a modern day gravel/adventure bike in alloy, but I do not wish to buy a complete bike. So, while a sub-2K complete bike is very reasonable, I'm just not interested in parting out a SRAM drive train.  

Niner Bikes One-9 frame from 2005

Niner Bikes Reportedly Shutting Down Operations:

The original 29"er only bicycle company, Niner Bikes, has reportedly shut its doors according to "several reports". 

On Monday evening I saw a post on Facebook of a screen shot with a message saying Niner Bikes had closed its shop and operations while placing all employees on layoff. On Tuesday  major online sources were also reporting the same story, so it would appear that Nine Bikes is - at least for now - no more. 

Company officials at United Wheels are saying Niner as a brand is "paused" for now.  

The company hit the market in 2005 as a relatively unknown entity which sponsored the 29" page on mtbr.com, which raised some eyebrows at the time. The two co-founders of Niner Bikes, Steve Domahidy and Chris Sugai, were industry vets who decided 29" wheels were the future, with Sugai famously saying 29"ers would become the dominant wheel size in mountain biking. 

The company lost Domahidy who left and started his own Viral Bikes brand. Sugai eventually left the company as well and now is working for Gates, the belt company. Niner carried on, however, but then ran into financial issues causing the company to go into bankruptcy in 2017. The company was then purchased by United Wheels, also owner of Huffy Bicycles, for 3.1 million dollars. 

Then in late 2023 United Wheels consolidated Niner with Huffy and moved Niner Bikes headquarters to Ohio from Colorado. In 2024 Niner established a presence in Colorado again. However; with little innovation of their legacy MTB products, Niner was reliant on sales in the competitive gravel bike segment. Although new redesigns and upgrades began to appear in Ninre's line up late in 2025, it seems this was too little, too late.  

 Steve Domahidy commented on a story concerning this subject by "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" on Facebook by saying "Very sad news today. I poured 8 years of my full and total commitment to making this business what it was and saddened to see what it's (sic) has become,"

From Facebook on Twin Six's feed

The 32" Watch: Twin Six To Offer A 32"er:

Early this past week I was sent a sneak peek of a titanium 32"er from Twin Six. The image came from one of the co-owners of the brand I have known for years. He didn't say I could post the image,  so I didn't. Now I have seen the bike on Twin Six's Facebook page, so I am sharing their image here. 

All I know is the bike is designed for drops or flat bars. I was told it was "coming soon". The person I was contacted by said drop bars are going on it this week.  

N.Y. Roll says he's getting this. He already has a T-6 FSU bike he really likes. I know my friend Ari in Chicago is interested as well. Me? Well.......titanium is not cheap. Big hoops and tires would have to procured. I am spending money like I have it to go on this Nebraska trip. So.....I don't see it now, but never say never. 

Image courtesy of Twin Six

It's obvious the niche brands in cycling are scrambling to get behind this wheel size before any mid-tier or one of the "Big Four" brands gets a 32"er out. Selling your titanium 32"er will be a lot easier now than it will be when some entrenched brand comes around with a sub-2K 32"er. 

And it would appear the majority of sales are going to be flat bar/MTB style and not too many drop bar options will seemingly be on the table early on. There is a rumbling concerning Surly coming out with a 32"er, but all I'm hearing is that it will be based upon the Krampus or Karate Monkey design. 

So, I am all about trying one of these beasts on gravel around here, but a MTB? Yeah...... I don't see it for myself. I'd rather see  adrop bar garvel leaning bike which would definitely make me more interested. 

Everyone I've gotten feedback from who has actually ridden one of these 32"ers has positive things to say. It sounds all good, but I don't know right now if I'm in on this wheel size. 

Again, never say never, never say always. Maybe...... Stay tuned. 

That'll do it for this week. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend if you are reading this in the USA. Get out and ride those bicycles! 

Friday News And Views

From a 32"er thread on mtbr.com

The 32" Watch: Vittoria Peyote 32" :

I've had a few folks keeping me abreast of what is going on with 32"ers and I have been pointed to a thread on MTBR.com concerning these big wagon wheels. I also was tipped off to the existence of this Peyote 32"er tire, as shown here. (Thanks! You know who you are!)

This is interesting as N.Y. Roll has fallen in love with this tire and so has another local rider, (in 29"er size). It\s a popular tire, seemingly. It's also a new design. So, it is a tire on the cutting edge of tread design and compound makeup. They wouldn't use such a tire and technology unless they had some serious intentions in mind. This is telling us this 32"er thing is serious stuff. 

As if the other things we've already seen aren't enough to convince us. It seems as though all the things we've heard will be coming true. 

Only a few bicycle brands are committed so far to the 32"er along with some custom frame makers. Dirty Sixer, being the long time proponent of bigger than 29"er wheels, of course, and then you have Vassago, Singular, Lenz Sport, Genesis and perhaps a couple others here and there. 

For a look at what a gravel 32'er would maybe look like, see this report from the UK based iceBike Show by Bike Radar showing a Genesis prototype. HERE.  

My feeling is Sea Otter will be when the lid will come off this thing and we will see who of the major brands will be stepping into the 32"er scene. My guess is all of those bikes will be either MTB XC, gravel, or road bikes, in that order of prevalence. I am sure a few will get raced at Sea Otter in XC MTB and during the gravel event. 

Suspension fork prototypes will be shown, and perhaps demoed. Rigid forks will be coming as well, with Enve rumored to be developing one. It's going to be wild. 

New Podcast Episodes

The Guitar Ted Podcast has been churning out episodes at a pretty good clip of late. The latest went up on Wednesday of this week and we posted another the week before. 

This latest episode is about the proposed legislation regarding bicycles in Iowa, motivated by what is going on with e-scooters and e-bikes. The episode we posted last week was all about the latest class to be inducted into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. 

So, check those two episodes out in case you missed those. We typically don't do so many episodes in such a short period of time, so apologies if we caught you off guard! There is a reason for this though.

N.Y. Roll is on a "vacation" and we thought it best to get the last three episodes out before he went out on this short trip. A result of this will be that we have a bit of a mini-break and I would not expect our next episode to land until the end of this month. 

 One more thing- If you find our podcast on Spotify, please follow us there. New podcast episode drops will prompt an alert to your inbox, so you won't miss anything. If you find is on other platforms please subscribe, like, and review the show if possible. It helps us out a ton. 

Thanks for listening to the show! 

Gravel Racing For 2026 About To Begin:

February was always the month which kicked off gravel racing since the beginning of CIRREM back in the late 2000's. This year CIRREM is on the last day of February, the 28th. 

Now the international series, Gravel Earth, has its first event this weekend. The event, Santa Vall by the Traka, is located in Spain. So, a full two weeks ahead of CIRREM. 

There are probably some other gravel events in the South, in particular Florida, which are also happening in February. But traditionally speaking, February is the kick-off month for gravel activities in the competitive sense. 

Have you signed up for any races this year? Let me know in the comments section.  

Image provided by Ergon

Canyon-DT Swiss "Alt-Terrain" Team Announced:

Taking part in the season opener for the Gravel Earth Series will be a new team sponsored by DT Swiss, Canyon Biccyles, and Ergon called "Alt-Terrain Racing". 

 The press release says the 13 member team will be competing at the Santa Valla event under the name "The Wildcards". The team will be outfitted with Ergon saddles and handle bar tapes from their Allroad ranges. 

The team will serve as "rolling R&D platforms" for future Ergon products, according to the release. Ergon sees the team as an "unprecedented opportunity" to advance their drop bar product line. 

The team will compete in gravel, ultra-endurance, cyclo cross, and marathon MTB events throughout 2026. From the press release: “We are very much looking forward to working with this new professional team,” says Ergon’s athlete liaison manager Markus Zingen. “The team’s holistic new concept will significantly professionalize gravel racing and create a wide range of opportunities for both the athletes and us as a partner to drive targeted development forward.”

That is a wrap on this edition of the FN&V. Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out and ride a bicycle this weekend! 

Friday News And Views

S-Phyre SH-RX910 (Image Courtesy of Shimano)

Shimano Offers New Range-Topping Gravel Racing Shoe:

Shimano quietly introduced a new range-topping gravel racing shoe this past week called the S-Phyre RX910. S-Phyre is typically reserved for all-out racing performance footwear in Shimano's nomenclature. 

Shimano gave the RX910 a slightly curved sole for better walk-ability.  Enhancing pedal stability was done by adding Shimano's "pontoon" plate under the cleats which features two rubber stabilizers adjacent to the cleat pocket. These stabilizers contact the SPD pedal body to give riders a better platform for pedaling. These also enhance off the bike walk-ability. 

The RX910's have a TPU upper, two drain holes in the soles to allow for faster drying of feet in case of wet weather, or water crossings, and on-the-fly adjustable BOA closures. The new SH-RX910 S-Phyre gravel shoes come in White, Black, Deep Sea Blue, and Blue. The RX910 has a suggested retail price of $480.00 USD. 

The Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #86:

A new episode just dropped this week where N.Y. Roll and I discuss the new Trek Checkpoint, new Surly Straggler, and that new, upcoming Salsa Cycles FS drop bar bike which should debut in a month. 

You can check out the Guitar Ted Podcast on most any podcast platform, or find the latest episode HERE on the Spotify page for the show.  

 I had a thought, which I expressed on this episode, which was about this new drop bar FS Salsa rig. I was wondering, "Is this going to be the Cutthroat FS?" 

If the image is true to the bike in the teaser, it is pretty plain to see this bike is no gravel bike. There is a decent amount of travel, a high bottom bracket, and beefy looking tires there. A bikepacking FS rig in carbon? To me this makes sense if it is a FS Cutthroat, but Salsa has probably decided upon some other name for this bike. 

We only have to wait one more month to find out.... 

Found On Ratio Tech's social media

Ratio Technology To Introduce T-Style Rear Mech:

There are many stories out now concerning Ratio Technology and their development of a T-Style mount rear derailleur. Ratio Technology already offers kits to convert SRAM components to have more speeds, or to be compatible with wide-range, 1X cassettes and drop bar levers.  

Digging a little further it appears as though this rear derailleur will also be compatible with regular hangars by removing the direct, co-axial mount and swapped out for a bit which will make the rear derailleur mount like traditional rear mechs. 

I also read on another post where this rear derailleur will be compatible with several drive train formats, making this perhaps the most versatile rear derailleur in existence. As long as you are pulling a cable, that is! 

There is even a hint of this thing being made in a silver color. That would be pretty radical! I'll be keeping my eye out for more about this system and I may get some Ratio bits in for testing for next season.  

From the GCHoF social media post

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations:

The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame soft-launched their window for nominations on October 1st. This will be open until November 30th according to a social media post put out by the GCHoF. 

The GCHoF does their nominations by a democratic process wherein anyone can send in a nomination with the following guidelines: 

"Your submission should clearly describe the nominee’s achievements and contributions, including specific examples such as events they have organized, races they have competed in, advocacy work, or initiatives that have helped grow and shape the gravel cycling community. "

Nominations must be at least 200 words long and up to 600 words in length, according to the GCHoF site. Click the link above for more details. 

Comments: It is no secret that (a) I am in the GCHoF, (b) that I have criticized their nomination process in the past, and (c) there is a glaring omission amongst the inductees. I will continue to hold my positions on these points until something changes to help me understand why certain alternatives are not explored for nominations. The way they do things now is a recipe for inclusion of folks at the exclusion of some who should be in the GCHoF from a historical and influential background. The Board knows my position, they know how I would like to see this handled, and this is all that matters. They can decide how this goes from this point on. 

But unless things change I don't see how there is any possibility for several seminal, pioneering gravel folks to ever see inclusion. It will become a "who's who" of gravel racers and promoters from the last ten years and forward. And I will leave it at this...... That is a sad state of affairs. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Canyon Enters Wheel Market With Carbon Gravel Wheel Set:

Canyon, the direct-to-consumer brand, has just announced a new gravel wheel set. This complete wheel set will feature DT Swiss Spline 350 hubs, hookless rim design, and a 30mm deep rim profile. Boasting a 27mm internal rim width, these wheels will be good for the wider tire trend sweeping the racing fields at gravel events these days. 

The Canyon wheels, called the GR 30, will retail for around 1K here in the States but list for 899 Euros on Canyon's site HERE. Total weight for the set is claimed to be 1,600 grams by Canyon. 

Comments: You know Gravel™ is the hot ticket when a brand starts out by rolling out a new product and does so in the Gravel™ category first. This was my first impression. 

Secondly, these are not all that lightweight. There are alloy rimmed wheels which match this weight, so I'm not all that impressed by these wheels. Besides this, the entire hookless thing has me spooked and I'm not buying into the design. I just don't see why we need this and I'd rather stick with proven technology if the benefit is negligible or cancelled out by failures, which have been reported with hookless bead wheel sets. Finally, not all tires are hookless compatible, but all tires can be used with hooked design rims. I know which I'd rather be using. 

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Canyon Unveils New Grail Rift Gravel Bike

Canyon announced on Tuesday of this week a new gravel bike which was the subject of many rumors over the past several months. The bike's main attraction being a suspension fork from DT Swiss tuned especially for gravel riding.

The range-topping Grail CFR Di2 Rift model in carbon fiber (natch!) will fetch a handsome price of $7,849.00 USD.

The bike is aimed at racing, so this is reflected in the geometry. The Grail Rift does not sport the slackest head angle, (71.5 degrees for a Large) and it has a stated 42mm tire clearance, which doesn't seem to be "cutting edge" these days.

The frame has internal storage, which is all the rage for the newest gravel bikes, and the range-topping model shown here has power meter crank arms from 4iii.

Comments: The press was going bonkers over the bike earlier this week, and at the asking price, it is a bargain. However; there are a few things which I've got opinions on which would render this bike, in reality, a rather pedestrian offering.

First off, while the DT Swiss fork has a lock-out option, and it probably works slightly differently than the other short-travel gravel forks out there, it still only has forty millimeters of travel. That is barely over an inch and a half for you folks who are not metric-fluent. Physics is a hard and fast science and there is no free lunch when it comes to what you can do with forty millimeters of travel. Add to this the extra weight of a suspension fork, the required, semi-yearly (at the least) maintenance, and you can see where the telescopic gravel suspension fork may not be all it is cracked up to be.

One can gain better function (absorption of vibrations), lighter weight, a no-maintenance part, and at less cost by going with one of the several gravel suspension stems. Plus, the stem can be transferred to other bikes easily. Of course, I highly recommend Redshift Sports here, but there are other options as well.

Then you have limited tire clearances, which is not ideal, plus the geometry, which steepens as you blow through forty millimeters of travel, by the way, and I just do not see the appeal of this bike. There are a lot better alternatives out there, in my opinion. 

HED Lincoln G25's (Image courtesy of HED Wheels)

HED Wheels Announces Stillwater 50, Lincoln 25 Carbon Gravel Wheels:

HED released information on Tuesday of this past week regarding two new carbon fiber rimmed gravel wheel sets. Named for the cities where two well known gravel events occur, the Limcoln G25 and Stillwater G50 feature wide inner rim widths and hooked beads for best tire retention.

The Stillwater G50 has, as the name implies, a 50mm rim depth. The inner rim width is a generous 28.5mm which HED claims can be paired with tires from 700 x 40mm to 29" x 2.25" wide. Cost for this model is $1,984.00 and wheelsets are estimated to weigh about 1,640 grams.

The Lincoln G25, is as you'd expect, a shallower rim profile of 25nmm, but it has the same internal rim width as the Stillwater.  The price is the same as well. Weight is less at an estimated 1,430 grams a pair.

One other difference is the weight limitation. The Stillwater G50 is limited to riders weighing 240lbs or less while the Lincoln had no weight limitation posted on its webpage. 

Check these wheels out HERE. 

Comments: I had just been checking out HED Wheels site about a week or so ago and saw nothing new, so maybe I had some premonition about this. Ha! Seriously, the honoring of gravel events, by way of naming these wheels after two iconic gravel race's home cities, is pretty cool and follows with the naming convention HED started when they changed the Eroica wheel range to be "Emporia". 

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Inducts Its 2025 Class:

Over the last three years I have been in Emporia, Kansas for the induction of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame nominees. This year, mostly due to my not having a vehicle anymore, I chose to stay at home. But the show must go on, (as if it matters if I am there or not!) so the GCHoF welcomed in four new people into its roster of feted gravel cycling greats.

This year the inductees were Amanda Nauman Sheek, Ted King, LeLan Dains, and John Hobbs. The festivities, held at the historic Grenada Theater,  were attended by a sold-out crowd who all enjoyed a fine meal and drinks. The event is sponsored by Shimano.

Comments: When the GCHoF announced the 2025 class of inductees in January I wrote a detailed post on each inductee and made a case for a glaring omission. You can read the post by clicking HERE if you want my takes on each inductee. 

Image courtesy of a blog reader from a Facebook post

Unbound Gravel Looking To Be Wetter Than Usual For 2025:

Here I have an image forwarded to me from a Facebook post from about a week ago showing the flooding at the time in and around the Unbound 200 course. These images appear to be from the flood plain area surrounding Emporia, Kansas. 

Emporia is in the midst of a confluence of several smaller creeks which feed into the Cottonwood River, which flows just South of the town. It is not uncommon to see flooding around the immediate area. So, if things have calmed down in regard to flooding by now, this may be much adieu about nothing.

Weather conditions should be fair for the event itself, but some low water crossings may have a good amount of water in them for the riders to deal with. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for flooding to rut out remote roads, and cause finer rock to be washed away in valleys where water crosses the road. This removal of finer material can leave chunky, sharp flint hidden under the water, and can cause issues with tires easily.  Whether or not this will be the case on Saturday, we shall soon see.

I've no reason to believe this year will be in any way like "The Mud Year" of 2015, or even like 2023, unless an oddball shower pops up at the right (wrong?) time. This doesn't seem likely for 2025. By the way, I will have an ode to the 10th anniversary of "The Mud Year" coming up for you to read tomorrow, so look for this post to get a feel for what it was like back then. 

Image courtesy of BTCHN Bikes.

 Titanium Flared Drop Bar? BTCHN Bikes Says "Yes!"

I came across a social media post showing a drop bar with welded in corners, which I assumed was titanium, but I inadvertantly lost the "story" and couldn't find it again. Then I found a Tweet on X which revealed the source as BTCHN Bikes, a custom titanium fabricator located in Chico, California.

The key to BTCHN Bikes Ti Drop Bar is a 3D printed 'corner' piece which is then welded to a tops section and a ramp/drop/extensions section on each side. Due to this unique construction method the width and flare of the Ti Drop is customizable. Prices start from $620.00USD and go up depending on finish options. Pre-orders are open now through June 4th, and you can check out this offering HERE. 

Comments: Titanium drop bars. I've always thought this would be a cool idea, since titanium flat bars seem to have quite a following, and titanium has certain attributes which would seem to make it ideal for a flared drop bar, in terms of ride feel. 

However; there was no good way to execute the tight bend from the tops section to the ramps and finally to the extensions. That is, until this new 3D printed idea BTCHN Bikes has was employed. I know we rely on welds every day we ride bicycles, but the thought of a welded handle bar in drop bar form made me a bit uncomfortable for a hot minute. Then I came to my senses and realized I was being silly. Heck, I'm riding handle bars with brazed on extensions now!  Which reminds me..... I need to get on the final review for those!

Anyway, I thought this was an interesting alternative for a flared drop bar which just might prove to be a decent riding bar for gravel. 

That is a wrap for this week folks! Get out there and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

 USAC Gravel Nationals Moves To Minnesota:

On Wednesday it was announced on USA Cycling's site that the USAC Gravel Nationals will be held in LaCrescent, Minnesota for 2025 and 2026. 

Quoted from the announcement:

“"We are excited to bring our Gravel National Championships to La Crescent/La Crosse for 2025-2026. The region’s diverse landscape offers multiple options for developing unique courses with challenging climbs, creating a new and different experience for riders out on the course. Combining our event with their renowned annual Apple Festival offers another unique experience that our riders and their families can enjoy off the course,” said Kyle Knott, USA Cycling’s Director of National Events."

Comments: Recently it was revealed that the Robidoux Rendezvous would be on "indefinite pause" and it is not understood at this time whether the USAC Gravel Nationals move was in response to this pause or if the pause was a reaction to USAC pulling out.  Reading the tea leaves I would guess it was the former. 

The Driftless Region of Southwestern Minnesota should provide some steep climbs and harrowing descents for those chasing a Stars and Stripes jersey. It will be interesting to see how USAC develops this event. 

The venue is straight across the Mississippi River from LaCrosse, Wisconsin, so there should be plenty of infrastructure and resources for putting the event on at a level USAC will expect. Heck, it is close enough to me that I might have to go and do some live reporting on it. We will see. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Canyon Bikes Shows New Stingr CFR Helmet:

Canyon Bikes has a new helmet with an unusual retention system. The helmet, called the Stingr CFR, boasts watt-saving aerodynamics and great cooling as well for the wearer.

The retention system, which eschews the typical Nylon straps and buckles, is called the HighBar System. It uses two arms which articulate off the main chassis of the retention system near where the rider's ears would be. These arms are micro-adjustable with a dial at the chin area. 

Canyon claims this way of retention saves watts, is cooler, and causes less wind-generated noise by the rider's ears. The helmet also utilizes MIPS technology to help protect the rider in the event of a crash.

The helmet weighs 0.6lbs and costs $299.99 USD. 

Comments: A bold move, yet one wonders why helmet manufacturers have held on to the tried and true Nylon strap system all these years. Perhaps it "just works"? Maybe, but I credit Canyon's team for trying something different. 

My concern initially from looking at this would be how this retention system would work with small faces, wider faces, and other human anomalies that may not be compatible with a rigid arm take on helmet retention. I also would have to wonder how much noise really would be reduced by these arms versus straps. I'm thinking Iowa wind doesn't care. I could be wrong...

Podcast News & More:

The recent visit I made to see Ari Andonopoulous resulted in a podcast that I have gotten some good feedback from. Ari and I talked about gravel history, mostly as it pertained to how we did things back then. We also touched upon Trans Iowa a bit. Then we talked about how much things have changed, a bit about event production, and more. In case you missed this episode, you can find it HERE. 

My vision going forward  would be to try to find more participants in the early gravel scene, and specifically from Trans Iowa, but not necessarily from the event alone. I wanted to try to get as many takes on what that time was like to preserve those memories and have a place where those facts can live on. 

But if people don't find that to be an interesting thing to listen to, I may not pursue the idea. Or I might anyway in spite of that. Ari feels folks would dig it. And what about you? Would you find this to be an interesting thing to listen to, or have curated? Let me know in the comments. Or you can e-mail me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

Image courtesy of BMC Bikes.

BMC Overhauls URS Gravel Range:

BMC announced on Thursday that they had revamped the entire URS gravel bike range. The top-line URS Two has an interesting take on geometry. By the way, there is an URS One. That is the frame with the "Micro-Travel" rear end, a feature BMC have had for a few years now. 

Comments: Here we have a great example of a gravel bike being made to appeal to mountain bikers. While I feel elements of MTB geometry are interesting in gravel bikes, (slack head tube, lower bottom bracket, longer top tubes), there is one element I do not think is a good thing in a gravel bike at all. Keeping in mind that a gravel bike is really an "All-Roads" bike, not a mountain bike with drop bars. 

What I don't like is the steep seat tube angles being borrowed from MTB. This doesn't really make a road bike "better". Well, unless you use a dropper post and are scrambling up short, steep climbs on dirt. But again, a gravel bike and a drop bar MTB are two very different things, and they should be. 

Added to that is the limited (47mm in this case) tire clearance and the URS Two becomes an oddball bike. It can neither be a true MTB, (not enough tire clearance), or a good gravel riding bike, (too steep a seat tube angle). I'm sure it is okay, but at the prices people pay for such bikes, you should be getting a bike that is dialed in for one or the other thing. Not an "underbike" that is trying to be something via its geometry that it cannot truly do well. 

That's my take.

Image courtesy of Trek Bikes

Trek Announces New Checkpoint v3 and Checkmate SLR:

Trek announced the version 3 of their venerable Checkpoint bike Thursday alongside a new racing gravel bike called the Checkmate SLR. 

The new Checkpoint features all kinds of accessory mounts, tire clearance for up to 50mm tires, and the ISO rear end compliance design. 

The new Checkmate SLR differes in that it isn't as fully featured in terms of accessory mounts, and it has a narrower maximum tire clearance of 45mm. Most notably this bike features a 4mm deeper bottom bracket drop at 80mm than the Checkpoint does.

The Checkmate SLR (Image courtesy of Trek Bikes.

Trek also tightened up the rear chain stay length and steepened the seat tube angle by about one degree over the Checkpoint v3. 

Comments: Here I see a more road-focused design, which makes sense since unpaved roads are still roads, not MTB trails. I like Trek's take on things, for the most part, but I would rather see a slacker, by one degree, head tube angle and the rear end of the Checkpoint v3 on the SLR with the SLR's lower BB. 

And the frame set is 4K? Ouch! Unbelievable. I'll get a custom frame for that price, thank you very much! (In fact, I could easily buy two steel custom frames for that much!) But I am sure that Trek will sell many of these bikes since a lot of people will think that this is what they have to have to be "competitive", or something!

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

Two Things

Canyon Grail v2 (Image courtesy of Canyon)

 Canyon Announces V2 of the Grail Gravel Bike:

Canyon Bikes announced the second version of their Grail gravel bike recently. Stating that they had spent hours and hours testing a prototype with adjustable geometry and with race feedback from Pro level gravel racers, they had arrived at the perfect geometry for a gravel bike. 

They needn't have gone to all that trouble though. These things were figured out many decades ago. I wrote a series (which that link is one entry of four in that series) about gravel bike geometry and why things have come to be the way that they are now. Again- these geometry issues have all been thoroughly vetted out and tested. Years and years ago. 

But Canyon did their research and ended up with geometry which is nearly identical to my 2014 Raleigh Tamland Two which was inspired by, you guessed it, geometry from the early 20th Century. I find it not so much a silly thing that we keep hitting on similar things in terms of geometry for gravel/all-road bikes, but I think it is more a validation of those ideas which early bicycle designers found which worked. Yes, the materials have changed, the way we utilize technology has changed, but the basics really have not changed. What makes a bike handle well on rough roads? It seems to be a generally accepted idea that something along the lines of a Tamland Two and a Canyon Grail is where the target is for good geometry.

Now, as for aero, features, and weight, yes- the new Grail is light years better.  I like the integrated storage, the neat frame bag, and Canyon says that bag makes the bike more aero. Cool! That's some good thinking there. Tire size is limited out at 42mm, which is probably a bit tight for many folks, but this is right at where I think most people are wanting to be in terms of tires. Racers especially aren't going to run much bigger tires typically than that.

Yes- the Grail is expensive, but what carbon flagship gravel bike isn't? I don't like to see the prices escalate as that is just another barrier to entry to a sport that needs less stuff like this and more 'not-so-sexy', halo-ish product. But racers are going to want something like this, and I think that overall, the Canyon Grail looks pretty spot-on. 

Gravel Mutt v3: Return Of The Gravel Mutt:

Some years ago now I put together two bicycles from older Trek models to demonstrate the way many riders used to cobble together a bicycle for gravel travel before the advent of "gravel specific" bikes and gear. I used a Trek 720 and an old "barn-built" Trek from 1978. 

Neither were what I would be able to put up with for long and the experiments were both short-lived. The biggest issue I had were the too-high bottom brackets, especially on the 720, which surprised me. You'd think a touring bike would have a deep bottom bracket, but apparently Trek didn't see things that way. 

The older Trek was somewhat better, but there was something weird with the layout of that bike which put your weight way out over the front of the bike. That was a deal-killer. Both Treks went to the scrap heap as a result.

I've been on the lookout for a suitable replacement for those bikes and an old Raleigh I used as a fixed gear bike. Since I have been at the Collective, several near-misses have come and gone as donations there, but none have been close enough for me to take seriously as a project, until now, that is. 

What is really cool is that this bike is a bit of an outlier in terms of its geometry and what it is capable of in terms of gravel set up. I found an old catalog scan which confirmed my quick measurements of the geometry. I decided it was worthwhile and so this bike is nearly done now and it will be ready to show soon. 

In terms of my discussion of the Canyon above, I think we will see this "gravel mutt" is another example of a hold-over from an earlier time in terms of geometry and capabilities. A bike that will point to how the Canyon's geometry isn't anything all that new. 

Stay tuned....

Friday News And Views

Pinarello Nytro e-Gravel bike. (Image courtesy of Pinarello)

 Pinarello Announces New "Nytro" e-Gravel Bike:

Hybrid Powered Cycles (HPC's) have been getting more and more diverse and in some cases, hard to tell from fully human powered bicycles. That bike that passes you on that gravel climb in the future may very well be a hybrid powered bike featuring a well integrated electric motor which is giving the rider an unseen advantage. 

This new Pinarello Nytro e-Gravel bike is already such a bike. According to Pinarello, it offers a 300watt at peak assistance boost with 50nm of torque, even at high pedaling cadences. The Nytro e-Gravel has a range of approximately 63 miles, but with an additional "range extender", (the press kit does not say what this is, but it most likely is an external battery accessory), you could ride up to 89 miles. 

But does it weigh a lot? Actually, no- it doesn't. The bike weighs in at a claimed 26-27lbs, depending on the size, and that really is not a lot when you consider that this bike has assist. But yeah....no where near a racing bike for gravel which is going to be sub-20lbs by a fair amount. 

At $7800.00-$8800.00, depending on specifications, this isn't a cheap bike either. So, who is this for? 

Well-heeled, not-so-athletic, race-aspiring folks, I would guess. While there aren't many races coming in at sub-metric century distances, there are a lot that are right at that distance, and well..... Let the "Is this fair to have racing with fully-human powered bikes?" debates begin. Because this is coming everywhere and when battery technology gets better, and the motors are already imperceptibly quiet, well, then you've got a big problem on your hands if you are a race director. 

Fake websites are rearing their heads again.

Buyer Beware: Fake Websites & Counterfeit Goods On The Rise:

With the economy turning the corner in terms of cycling goods from a seller's market to a buyer's market, there has been an observed increase in web-based chicanery, 

This has come in two forms; fake websites and counterfeit goods. This "Bike Radar" story is a good primer on what to look for and how to protect yourself. 

Comments: With more and more on-line ordering going on, I think some of what you used to value in face-to-face retail is applicable to on-line retail. You've got to value the relationship over price. When price becomes the motivating factor, you can easily get burned. 

Now, I shop on-line a fair amount. I also support a local bike shop when I can. I'm not going to name names, but I will say I use the same vendors over and over again because they are very well established on-line retailers or bicycle shops. I've seen things cheaper from sites I never have heard of, and - nope! Not gonna go there. Not worth it in the long run. 

So, you do you, but as the saying goes: "Buyer Beware!"

Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback (Image courtesy of Canyon)

Canyon Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback: A Marketing Exercise With A Goofy Twist:

Tuesday of this week Canyon Bikes had a bicycle making the social news rounds. It is a version of their Grizl series gravel bikes called the Grizl SL 7 Throwback.

It is essentially a paint job and marketing shtick. And does the Canyon marketing team ever lay it on thick here! The theme overall is that "gravel bikes are just rigid 1990's MTB's".

Here's a bit of the blather from the bike's webpage:

"The bikes of the 90s didn’t flatter your skill level, skittering over what modern MTB riders wouldn’t even notice. Making ‘mellow’ trails deliver big grins, just like our gravel bikes do now.
But this time with brakes and shifting that work properly."

Comments: Bah! "brakes and shifting that work properly"? Really? What a load of BS. And later into the page they trot out the old saw that "under-biking" will hone your skill level and bring you more in-tune with your terrain. As if people really want that. (Hint: They don't, or rigid MTB's would still be a big category)

This is a perfect example of what I am calling the "mountain bike-ification" of gravel bikes. It's no where close to a 1990's MTB bike, and nothing like a rigid 29"er either, so yeah..... Don't fall for this ruse by the marketing departments. 

(L-R) President G. Bush, Steve Domahidy, Chris Sugai. circa 2011.

Chris Sugai Leaves Niner Bikes For Gates:

Back in 2005 an unheard of company called "Niner Bikes" appeared as the sponsor banner on the then dominant site for 29'er news and rumors, the 29"er page on MTBR.com. "Who are these guys?", was the comment from us, and we were all very suspicious of the intentions of this new player on the scene. The fear being that this company was just a ruse to make a quick buck on a new trend and that they were not a serious concern that would bring more credibility to the nascent 29"er movement.  

Well, as it turned out, Niner Bikes, and their two founders, Chris Sugai and Steve Domahidy were dead serious and all-in on 29"ers. Nothing to fear here! In fact, I learned as much in a "Ted-terview" I did with the pair back in 2006. (Read a partial text of the interview here)

Chris Sugai famously made a statement at Interbike proclaiming the death of the 26" wheel as the dominant wheel size for MTB, going as far as saying it would die out as a choice. And back then, people thought he was off his rocker. But we all know what happened.....

In 2011, co-founder of Niner Bikes, Steve Domahidy, left the company. Several years later, Niner Bikes filed for bankruptcy, and was eventually bought up by the same company that owns Huffy in 2018. Now in 2023, the final original member of Niner Bikes is leaving the company which pioneered and pushed forward the technology of 29"er wheels for the masses. Chris leaves Niner Bikes to join Gates, the belt manufacturer, to work in their mobility department where he will help develop drive train solutions for e-Bikes, e-Scooters, e-Motorcycles, and the like. 

It's a sub-note on the history of 29 inch wheels. I've seen the very beginnings of the genre, its rise, its acceptance as "just a bike", and now this may seem like no big deal. However; there once was a time when what Chris was doing was moving the needle big time in the realm of 29'ers, so I feel as though he, (and Steve) deserve a little respect from the MTB community for his contributions. So, if you ever read this: Thanks Chris! Good luck on your future with Gates and I hope that future is a bright one!  

USAC Announces Gravel National Championships In Gering, NE.:

Well, they finally did it. USAC stakes a claim on legitimacy in the field of gravel racing by announcing that they are holding their inaugural Gravel National Championships in Gering, Nebraska in September of this year. 

Using elements of the remote High Plains area which have been a part of the Robidoux gravel event in the past, USAC is staging this event with no prerequisite requirements for participation other than that you have to be a holder of a USAC license. The price for entry has not been set, but the webpage for the event states that "Pricing will be aligned with other large domestic gravel events." 

There will be several age categories and an Open and Pro/Elite Mens and Womens categories with a further breakdown in classment featuring single speed, para cycling, and collegiate. Both the Mens and Womens Pro/Elite classes will be paid equally with a total prize purse to be $60,000.00 according to the press release. It is claimed to be the biggest single day payout for a gravel race ever. registration opens July 14th. 

Comments: Yeah, I expected something like this, but Gering Nebraska? I was a bit surprised by that.  But this is a plum event landing for the Scottsbluff area. Just for context, the area has close to 25.000 residents. 

Pricing to be "in line with other large gravel events", eh? So, above $200.00 a head? Probably, because USAC is funding most of the prize purse off racer's entry fees. So, those pack-fodder athletes will be paying the people standing on the podium. USAC says they also plan on gaining funds from sponsorships, which in this economic climate may be a bit hard to come by, but we'll see. 

This is a watershed moment for USAC and the UCI in gravel, since this event is a qualifier for the  Gravel World Championships held by the UCI. If they don't get the numbers of folks they need to make it float, it will be a difficult thing to sustain. Don't kid yourself, USAC needs you to buy into this. It's all about money to attract the sponsored Pro athletes, and in the end, the only way they've ever been able to make their system work is to have a LOT of average folks paying money to support the pointy-end of the racer pool. Otherwise, this is going to fail miserably, just like road racing has in the USA under their watch.

That's a wrap on the News and Views for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

Pinarello Nytro e-Gravel bike. (Image courtesy of Pinarello)

 Pinarello Announces New "Nytro" e-Gravel Bike:

Hybrid Powered Cycles (HPC's) have been getting more and more diverse and in some cases, hard to tell from fully human powered bicycles. That bike that passes you on that gravel climb in the future may very well be a hybrid powered bike featuring a well integrated electric motor which is giving the rider an unseen advantage. 

This new Pinarello Nytro e-Gravel bike is already such a bike. According to Pinarello, it offers a 300watt at peak assistance boost with 50nm of torque, even at high pedaling cadences. The Nytro e-Gravel has a range of approximately 63 miles, but with an additional "range extender", (the press kit does not say what this is, but it most likely is an external battery accessory), you could ride up to 89 miles. 

But does it weigh a lot? Actually, no- it doesn't. The bike weighs in at a claimed 26-27lbs, depending on the size, and that really is not a lot when you consider that this bike has assist. But yeah....no where near a racing bike for gravel which is going to be sub-20lbs by a fair amount. 

At $7800.00-$8800.00, depending on specifications, this isn't a cheap bike either. So, who is this for? 

Well-heeled, not-so-athletic, race-aspiring folks, I would guess. While there aren't many races coming in at sub-metric century distances, there are a lot that are right at that distance, and well..... Let the "Is this fair to have racing with fully-human powered bikes?" debates begin. Because this is coming everywhere and when battery technology gets better, and the motors are already imperceptibly quiet, well, then you've got a big problem on your hands if you are a race director. 

Fake websites are rearing their heads again.

Buyer Beware: Fake Websites & Counterfeit Goods On The Rise:

With the economy turning the corner in terms of cycling goods from a seller's market to a buyer's market, there has been an observed increase in web-based chicanery, 

This has come in two forms; fake websites and counterfeit goods. This "Bike Radar" story is a good primer on what to look for and how to protect yourself. 

Comments: With more and more on-line ordering going on, I think some of what you used to value in face-to-face retail is applicable to on-line retail. You've got to value the relationship over price. When price becomes the motivating factor, you can easily get burned. 

Now, I shop on-line a fair amount. I also support a local bike shop when I can. I'm not going to name names, but I will say I use the same vendors over and over again because they are very well established on-line retailers or bicycle shops. I've seen things cheaper from sites I never have heard of, and - nope! Not gonna go there. Not worth it in the long run. 

So, you do you, but as the saying goes: "Buyer Beware!"

Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback (Image courtesy of Canyon)

Canyon Grizl CF SL 7 Throwback: A Marketing Exercise With A Goofy Twist:

Tuesday of this week Canyon Bikes had a bicycle making the social news rounds. It is a version of their Grizl series gravel bikes called the Grizl SL 7 Throwback.

It is essentially a paint job and marketing shtick. And does the Canyon marketing team ever lay it on thick here! The theme overall is that "gravel bikes are just rigid 1990's MTB's".

Here's a bit of the blather from the bike's webpage:

"The bikes of the 90s didn’t flatter your skill level, skittering over what modern MTB riders wouldn’t even notice. Making ‘mellow’ trails deliver big grins, just like our gravel bikes do now.
But this time with brakes and shifting that work properly."

Comments: Bah! "brakes and shifting that work properly"? Really? What a load of BS. And later into the page they trot out the old saw that "under-biking" will hone your skill level and bring you more in-tune with your terrain. As if people really want that. (Hint: They don't, or rigid MTB's would still be a big category)

This is a perfect example of what I am calling the "mountain bike-ification" of gravel bikes. It's no where close to a 1990's MTB bike, and nothing like a rigid 29"er either, so yeah..... Don't fall for this ruse by the marketing departments. 

(L-R) President G. Bush, Steve Domahidy, Chris Sugai. circa 2011.

Chris Sugai Leaves Niner Bikes For Gates:

Back in 2005 an unheard of company called "Niner Bikes" appeared as the sponsor banner on the then dominant site for 29'er news and rumors, the 29"er page on MTBR.com. "Who are these guys?", was the comment from us, and we were all very suspicious of the intentions of this new player on the scene. The fear being that this company was just a ruse to make a quick buck on a new trend and that they were not a serious concern that would bring more credibility to the nascent 29"er movement.  

Well, as it turned out, Niner Bikes, and their two founders, Chris Sugai and Steve Domahidy were dead serious and all-in on 29"ers. Nothing to fear here! In fact, I learned as much in a "Ted-terview" I did with the pair back in 2006. (Read a partial text of the interview here)

Chris Sugai famously made a statement at Interbike proclaiming the death of the 26" wheel as the dominant wheel size for MTB, going as far as saying it would die out as a choice. And back then, people thought he was off his rocker. But we all know what happened.....

In 2011, co-founder of Niner Bikes, Steve Domahidy, left the company. Several years later, Niner Bikes filed for bankruptcy, and was eventually bought up by the same company that owns Huffy in 2018. Now in 2023, the final original member of Niner Bikes is leaving the company which pioneered and pushed forward the technology of 29"er wheels for the masses. Chris leaves Niner Bikes to join Gates, the belt manufacturer, to work in their mobility department where he will help develop drive train solutions for e-Bikes, e-Scooters, e-Motorcycles, and the like. 

It's a sub-note on the history of 29 inch wheels. I've seen the very beginnings of the genre, its rise, its acceptance as "just a bike", and now this may seem like no big deal. However; there once was a time when what Chris was doing was moving the needle big time in the realm of 29'ers, so I feel as though he, (and Steve) deserve a little respect from the MTB community for his contributions. So, if you ever read this: Thanks Chris! Good luck on your future with Gates and I hope that future is a bright one!  

USAC Announces Gravel National Championships In Gering, NE.:

Well, they finally did it. USAC stakes a claim on legitimacy in the field of gravel racing by announcing that they are holding their inaugural Gravel National Championships in Gering, Nebraska in September of this year. 

Using elements of the remote High Plains area which have been a part of the Robidoux gravel event in the past, USAC is staging this event with no prerequisite requirements for participation other than that you have to be a holder of a USAC license. The price for entry has not been set, but the webpage for the event states that "Pricing will be aligned with other large domestic gravel events." 

There will be several age categories and an Open and Pro/Elite Mens and Womens categories with a further breakdown in classment featuring single speed, para cycling, and collegiate. Both the Mens and Womens Pro/Elite classes will be paid equally with a total prize purse to be $60,000.00 according to the press release. It is claimed to be the biggest single day payout for a gravel race ever. registration opens July 14th. 

Comments: Yeah, I expected something like this, but Gering Nebraska? I was a bit surprised by that.  But this is a plum event landing for the Scottsbluff area. Just for context, the area has close to 25.000 residents. 

Pricing to be "in line with other large gravel events", eh? So, above $200.00 a head? Probably, because USAC is funding most of the prize purse off racer's entry fees. So, those pack-fodder athletes will be paying the people standing on the podium. USAC says they also plan on gaining funds from sponsorships, which in this economic climate may be a bit hard to come by, but we'll see. 

This is a watershed moment for USAC and the UCI in gravel, since this event is a qualifier for the  Gravel World Championships held by the UCI. If they don't get the numbers of folks they need to make it float, it will be a difficult thing to sustain. Don't kid yourself, USAC needs you to buy into this. It's all about money to attract the sponsored Pro athletes, and in the end, the only way they've ever been able to make their system work is to have a LOT of average folks paying money to support the pointy-end of the racer pool. Otherwise, this is going to fail miserably, just like road racing has in the USA under their watch.

That's a wrap on the News and Views for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride!