Friday News And Views

BMC is another company suffering from economic headwinds.

 Rumors Dominate Worrying 2024 Outlook:

I continue to see and listen to (on YouTube) that many brands and companies are having difficulties navigating the poor economic situation cycling is suffering through now. 

From brands like Swiss bicycle manufacturer BMC cutting employee hours back to rumors of one of the large bicycle parts distributors having difficulty staying afloat, things seem precarious, to say the least, in the cycling sector. 

A report came out on Tuesday of this week that Shimano's sales were way down and profits were cut in half. That's crazy!

Of course, if you are looking for deals, it doesn't get much better than it is now for someone looking to buy a bike or high-end parts. That won't last forever, and it remains to be seen if that by marking down so severely and flooding the market with product that it will perhaps damp any demand in the near future as people will have bought what they needed and won't be open to buy for some time. 

Some punters in the sector feel that will affect the market for at least two to three more years. Who will make it out the other side when it comes to brands and companies? Time will tell. 

Image courtesy of Twisted Spoke

Twisted Spoke Debuts Single-Serve Pour-Over Coffee:

Last year I went on a ride and stopped at a local park and made some pour-over coffee. It was a very pleasant experience and I've wanted to do that some more coming up this year.  

Now, I realize I am about 20 years late to this, or more, and that I know nothing about "how you are supposed to do this". However you are supposed to do that. Anyway, I received a presser recently that Twisted Spoke, the company famous for its CBD products, has a non-CBD coffee in single serve, pour-over packets now. 

I have zero affiliation with Twisted Spoke, and maybe other companies do this same thing, but I thought it was pretty cool. It would make what I was trying to do easier. What, if anything, do you do for coffee out in the field on a ride? Let me know in the comments. 

Image courtesy of SOMA

SOMA Announces New Vesrion Of Juice 29"er:

Lots of folks may not know, or remember, that SOMA was one of the first to offer a 29"er frame set for folks which was a great value and set many riders off on the path of big wheels. 

That frame set was the Juice 29"er, and it has been offered by SOMA almost as long as the Surly Karate Monkey. In fact, in many ways the Juice has followed the Karate Monkey's development with some important differences here and there, as with the previous version's belt drive capabilities. 

That feature, ironically, has been left off the latest version of the Juice which  is being billed as a somewhat "old school" single track/bike packing/all-day MTB with some modernized features like a steeper seat tube angle and a lowered bottom bracket. they did not go for a slack head tube angle, at least not anything like most of this year's hardtails. With a Soma 485 axle to crown rigid fork ($289.00 extra), the head angle comes out to be a relatively conservative 68.5°. The frame is single speed compatible with sliding drop outs. The frame comes in two color choices, the orange (shown) or a "Desert Metallic" which is a kind of champagne metallic color.

The Tange tubed frame has clearance for up to a 29" X 2.4" tire or a 27.5" X 2.8" tire. Price for just the frame alone is a reasonable $699.00. You can purchase one at the SOMA Shop HERE. 

Comments: It has been a while in coming, but I have often thought that the absence of a reasonably priced, high-value, single track oriented 29"er hard tail was sorely missing from choices out there. This Juice hard tail is a welcome breath of fresh air in a world of choppered-out downhill oriented hard tails that handle like barges on climbs and single track. 

I only wish that this bike had the capabilities to deal with bigger 29"er tires. But be that as it may, it is a great alternative to the usual slack, low, and long 29"er which currently dominates the marketplace. 

New Guitar Ted Podcast:

A new episode of the Guitar Ted Podcast just dropped last night. In it we have some pre-interview banter, N.Y. Roll and I, and then we bring on Dave Pryor.

Dave has been the person I have interviewed the most. He is one of the principals of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley gravel event in Lewistown Pennsylvania. Dave did understudy work in gravel race promotions at Unbound and has a long history of putting on cyclo-cross and other grassroots events on bicycles. So, he has a very unique perspective when it comes to events, how they are put together, how people integrate into them, and more. 

Anyway, if you want to check it out click the link HERE.
 

That's a wrap on this week's FN&V. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Wednesday Blues

The view from the front porch on Wednesday evening.

 Wednesdays.... Lately they have been quite the bummer. For the last three weeks in a row it has been stormy and caused me to miss riding, except for last week when I got caught in the rain.

Well, when it rains and storms, then you cannot bicycle safely in the country. So what do you do? You organize, clean, maintain, write stuff, and start new projects. Well......maybe you don't write, but you get the picture. I did a lot of stuff I would have put off had I not been sequestered by imminent danger of lightning or tornado action.

Let's see.....

• I routed the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational as a ride starting and ending at the Broad Street Brewing Company.
• I made a tentative GPS file for the course which will be released pending recon.
• I turned around the Fargo post Kansas thrashing. 
• I updated my Lezyne Super GPS. (YES- a full review is still pending)
• I organized some random tools donated to me because "you're a bicycle guy". 
• I purchased two Bontrager Scandium 24 hole rims for a project I am going to do. (Only a wheel build)
• I took all the random change I found on my dresser and desk, added it to the full piggy bank, and turned it in at the Credit Union. All of $21.15, so not a lot. (The piggy bank was all pennies)

I also cleaned more in the Lab, washed some clothes, answered some e-mails, posted on social media, and surfed the innergoogles because......internet. That's what you do.

Oh.........and I drank a lot of coffee. 

Of course......it barely rained all day. Gah! Dang weathermen and their fear mongering. But then again, there was a lot of severe weather around. Who knows......

All I know is I am about done with Wednesdays like these!

Wednesday Blues

The view from the front porch on Wednesday evening.

 Wednesdays.... Lately they have been quite the bummer. For the last three weeks in a row it has been stormy and caused me to miss riding, except for last week when I got caught in the rain.

Well, when it rains and storms, then you cannot bicycle safely in the country. So what do you do? You organize, clean, maintain, write stuff, and start new projects. Well......maybe you don't write, but you get the picture. I did a lot of stuff I would have put off had I not been sequestered by imminent danger of lightning or tornado action.

Let's see.....

• I routed the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational as a ride starting and ending at the Broad Street Brewing Company.
• I made a tentative GPS file for the course which will be released pending recon.
• I turned around the Fargo post Kansas thrashing. 
• I updated my Lezyne Super GPS. (YES- a full review is still pending)
• I organized some random tools donated to me because "you're a bicycle guy". 
• I purchased two Bontrager Scandium 24 hole rims for a project I am going to do. (Only a wheel build)
• I took all the random change I found on my dresser and desk, added it to the full piggy bank, and turned it in at the Credit Union. All of $21.15, so not a lot. (The piggy bank was all pennies)

I also cleaned more in the Lab, washed some clothes, answered some e-mails, posted on social media, and surfed the innergoogles because......internet. That's what you do.

Oh.........and I drank a lot of coffee. 

Of course......it barely rained all day. Gah! Dang weathermen and their fear mongering. But then again, there was a lot of severe weather around. Who knows......

All I know is I am about done with Wednesdays like these!

Friday News And Views

My new cup

I have a new coffee cup. I know.....big deal. Well, it was a gift, and it is kind of a unique piece, so I am going to talk about it here.

I received it courtesy of Donnie at VeloDirt. Donnie and his crew have really got a cool scene going out there in Oregon where they have been riding gravel for several years and have put on some killer events. Their newest event, The Oregon Outback, generated a huge amount of interest from the grassroots riders and the cycling industry. Anyway, Donnie and I have e-mailed each other about events and how they are run and whatnot over the years. So, he sends me an e-mail the other day.....

Send me your address, I have something I want to send you. 

Okay, so I do that, and promptly forget that I did that. So, when a box shows up at the house, I am puzzled. What's in the box? I tear it open and find a very carefully wrapped ceramic coffee cup, as you see here. Thanks Donnie! (And thanks to Laura Cooke Ceramics)

I really should go visit Oregon......

This is fun.

B+ Update:

The fattish, large-ish wheels have made it over to the Sawyer for now. Suspension with mid-fat tires. Hmmm.......

I'm liking this even better with suspension and on this particular bike. The squishy tire and the squishy fork work in combination to erase bumps and the Sawyer is a nice riding rig anyway. The rear tire only enhances this.

Now the Sawyer, in its stock set up, was a nice bike. Heavy, but it rode very well, and I enjoyed it. The suspension fork was good. However; when I stripped the gears off, went with a belt, and changed a few other things, something went wrong with this bike. I never felt "right" on it after that. A switch to the taller stem and Carnegie's Bar helped immensely. It got my weight off the front. Now I see where an even shorter reach and a layback post will help even more.

But back to the wheels and tires- I don't think these can really be compared to 29+ wheels. This is just something different that is fun and should work on a lot of 29"ers. It has qualities of fat bike tires. I am running pressures in the teens with these. The absorption of bumps and the additional traction is there, but it feels much different than 29+. I'll be putting in more time on this set up, and maybe I'll resurrect an old full suspension bike here to see how that would feel. Maybe.

Nebraskan dirt

Omaha Jackrabbit:

On October 18th, I'm doing the Geezer Ride, but if I wasn't, I'd likely be going to this- The Omaha Jackrabbit. 

The fellows running the show over there are scouring the rural roads, leaving no stone unturned to find the most interesting roads to ride on that they can. This really appeals to me. I've been following along on their Facebook page and watching the puzzle pieces come together. Every image of a lonely dirt road makes me want to head Southwest and check it all out.

I've said it before here- Nebraska is not flat. The reputation for boring scenery is unwarranted. The Interstate route has been all most folks ever see of this awesome state. I'm telling ya again- Nebraska has more great scenery than you can shake a stick at. Get off that concrete ribbon and you'll find out I am right.

Now these brilliant Nebraskan crushed rock road rangers are contemplating a cross state gravel route and plan on riding it from West to East. I say it will be one of the coolest gravel road routes ever. 

 And I'm willing to bet I'll be right about that too.

Have a great weekend and ride those bikes!

Friday News And Views

My new cup

I have a new coffee cup. I know.....big deal. Well, it was a gift, and it is kind of a unique piece, so I am going to talk about it here.

I received it courtesy of Donnie at VeloDirt. Donnie and his crew have really got a cool scene going out there in Oregon where they have been riding gravel for several years and have put on some killer events. Their newest event, The Oregon Outback, generated a huge amount of interest from the grassroots riders and the cycling industry. Anyway, Donnie and I have e-mailed each other about events and how they are run and whatnot over the years. So, he sends me an e-mail the other day.....

Send me your address, I have something I want to send you. 

Okay, so I do that, and promptly forget that I did that. So, when a box shows up at the house, I am puzzled. What's in the box? I tear it open and find a very carefully wrapped ceramic coffee cup, as you see here. Thanks Donnie! (And thanks to Laura Cooke Ceramics)

I really should go visit Oregon......

This is fun.

B+ Update:

The fattish, large-ish wheels have made it over to the Sawyer for now. Suspension with mid-fat tires. Hmmm.......

I'm liking this even better with suspension and on this particular bike. The squishy tire and the squishy fork work in combination to erase bumps and the Sawyer is a nice riding rig anyway. The rear tire only enhances this.

Now the Sawyer, in its stock set up, was a nice bike. Heavy, but it rode very well, and I enjoyed it. The suspension fork was good. However; when I stripped the gears off, went with a belt, and changed a few other things, something went wrong with this bike. I never felt "right" on it after that. A switch to the taller stem and Carnegie's Bar helped immensely. It got my weight off the front. Now I see where an even shorter reach and a layback post will help even more.

But back to the wheels and tires- I don't think these can really be compared to 29+ wheels. This is just something different that is fun and should work on a lot of 29"ers. It has qualities of fat bike tires. I am running pressures in the teens with these. The absorption of bumps and the additional traction is there, but it feels much different than 29+. I'll be putting in more time on this set up, and maybe I'll resurrect an old full suspension bike here to see how that would feel. Maybe.

Nebraskan dirt

Omaha Jackrabbit:

On October 18th, I'm doing the Geezer Ride, but if I wasn't, I'd likely be going to this- The Omaha Jackrabbit. 

The fellows running the show over there are scouring the rural roads, leaving no stone unturned to find the most interesting roads to ride on that they can. This really appeals to me. I've been following along on their Facebook page and watching the puzzle pieces come together. Every image of a lonely dirt road makes me want to head Southwest and check it all out.

I've said it before here- Nebraska is not flat. The reputation for boring scenery is unwarranted. The Interstate route has been all most folks ever see of this awesome state. I'm telling ya again- Nebraska has more great scenery than you can shake a stick at. Get off that concrete ribbon and you'll find out I am right.

Now these brilliant Nebraskan crushed rock road rangers are contemplating a cross state gravel route and plan on riding it from West to East. I say it will be one of the coolest gravel road routes ever. 

 And I'm willing to bet I'll be right about that too.

Have a great weekend and ride those bikes!

The Local Scene: The Kickstand

I live in an area that is a unique one with a pretty strong cycling culture. I figured that I would start a series of posts under the moniker, "The Local Scene", in which I could talk about some things we have going on here in regards to cycling and its related activities. 

I'd like to kick that off with a visit I made to a new local establishment that has tied its fortunes to the local trail scene, The Kickstand. It's a coffee shop and more....

I live in an area where there are a lot of paved bicycle paths. The oldest and most well known of these, (an image of which is shown here), runs through a State Park, but we have close to, if not over, 100 miles of paved bike paths that are really nice.

As you can imagine, these are quite a draw. In fact, we have tourism based on these paths as a destination for cyclists from around the country. Since that is the case, a local couple decided to open a coffee shop near the trail system in hopes of garnering some business from trail users and make some new friends along the way. The place is called "The Kickstand", fittingly enough.

The Kickstand is located a stones throw off the trail on 12th Street just before you cross Dry Run Creek going south away from Cedar Falls. The bike path runs about 50 yards from The Kickstand's front door, which is located on the patio behind the owner's home. It's pretty nice and intimate, and on a nice day, you can sit around at tables provided outside, or step in to the cozy confines of the coffee shop itself.

<===The Kickstand is located behind the home of Heidi and Steve Aldrich, which is located at 317 East 14th Street just off 12th, shown here. (That's their home in the image)

I decided to stop in on Friday and have a look-see. It was a beautiful early fall day and the weather was great. Heidi Aldrich, one of the proprietors, was  behind the counter and greeted me with a warm smile. I ordered up a "pour through" coffee. Yeah.....I had never heard of that before, so I had to try it out.

 <===A "pour through" happening right before my very eyes!

Well, it wasn't long before I had chosen a dark roast from about four types of coffee available for a pour through and watched as Heidi "poured through" some hot water on the grounds and then the coffee came dripping out into an awaiting cup. Cool!

And it tasted fantastic as well.

But that isn't all The Kickstand does....oh no! They had pies with your choice of whipped cream or ice cream toppings, and the pie could be heated up. They had some other pastries and sodas to wash it down with if coffee isn't your thing. Heidi also showed me some cold pressed coffee which tasted very good! I think they even had a few souvenir trinkets and what nots to sell as well.

<===The Kickstand has a cozy, warm, inviting atmosphere.

As I sat and consumed my delicious coffee, Heidi explained to me that she and Steve want to start bringing in some entertainment and grow the business as a place to go for all trail users and even those that come by car!

I figured I'd even use The Kickstand as an excuse to roll my upcoming Salsa Cycles Mukluk out for a December cruise and warm up inside with a hot, steamy cuppa-joe, then return to Waterloo afterward. (That's right, I am buying a snow bike!) 

The business is still being fine tuned, but it is well worth a stop and the coffee is black and really good! I give it a hearty recommendo. Check out The Kickstand soon, ya'all!

The Local Scene: The Kickstand

I live in an area that is a unique one with a pretty strong cycling culture. I figured that I would start a series of posts under the moniker, "The Local Scene", in which I could talk about some things we have going on here in regards to cycling and its related activities. 

I'd like to kick that off with a visit I made to a new local establishment that has tied its fortunes to the local trail scene, The Kickstand. It's a coffee shop and more....

I live in an area where there are a lot of paved bicycle paths. The oldest and most well known of these, (an image of which is shown here), runs through a State Park, but we have close to, if not over, 100 miles of paved bike paths that are really nice.

As you can imagine, these are quite a draw. In fact, we have tourism based on these paths as a destination for cyclists from around the country. Since that is the case, a local couple decided to open a coffee shop near the trail system in hopes of garnering some business from trail users and make some new friends along the way. The place is called "The Kickstand", fittingly enough.

The Kickstand is located a stones throw off the trail on 12th Street just before you cross Dry Run Creek going south away from Cedar Falls. The bike path runs about 50 yards from The Kickstand's front door, which is located on the patio behind the owner's home. It's pretty nice and intimate, and on a nice day, you can sit around at tables provided outside, or step in to the cozy confines of the coffee shop itself.

<===The Kickstand is located behind the home of Heidi and Steve Aldrich, which is located at 317 East 14th Street just off 12th, shown here. (That's their home in the image)

I decided to stop in on Friday and have a look-see. It was a beautiful early fall day and the weather was great. Heidi Aldrich, one of the proprietors, was  behind the counter and greeted me with a warm smile. I ordered up a "pour through" coffee. Yeah.....I had never heard of that before, so I had to try it out.

 <===A "pour through" happening right before my very eyes!

Well, it wasn't long before I had chosen a dark roast from about four types of coffee available for a pour through and watched as Heidi "poured through" some hot water on the grounds and then the coffee came dripping out into an awaiting cup. Cool!

And it tasted fantastic as well.

But that isn't all The Kickstand does....oh no! They had pies with your choice of whipped cream or ice cream toppings, and the pie could be heated up. They had some other pastries and sodas to wash it down with if coffee isn't your thing. Heidi also showed me some cold pressed coffee which tasted very good! I think they even had a few souvenir trinkets and what nots to sell as well.

<===The Kickstand has a cozy, warm, inviting atmosphere.

As I sat and consumed my delicious coffee, Heidi explained to me that she and Steve want to start bringing in some entertainment and grow the business as a place to go for all trail users and even those that come by car!

I figured I'd even use The Kickstand as an excuse to roll my upcoming Salsa Cycles Mukluk out for a December cruise and warm up inside with a hot, steamy cuppa-joe, then return to Waterloo afterward. (That's right, I am buying a snow bike!) 

The business is still being fine tuned, but it is well worth a stop and the coffee is black and really good! I give it a hearty recommendo. Check out The Kickstand soon, ya'all!