Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Wilderness Trail Bikes

 New CMR i30 Wheels Announced By WTB:

 WTB announced on Wednesday a companion to their recently announced gravel wheel set (article HERE) with similar features to that wheel set. Dubbed the CMR Light 130, this wheel set features a 30mm wide internal rim measurement more suitable for MTB. 

Boost spacing is a part of this as well, obviously. Otherwise this wheel set uses the same technology in the hubs as the CGR gravel wheel set.  

The CMR Light i30 wheel set carries the same warranty as the gravel wheels. As long as you are the original owner, WTB will replace any broken carbon rims, no questions asked. Prices are set accordingly: 

USD:  Front $850 / Rear $950 / Wheelset $1,800
EUR:  Front €727.45 / Rear €822.45 / Wheelset €1,549.90
GBP:  Front £609.50 / Rear £689.50 / Wheelset £1,299

 WTB CMR Light carbon mountain bike wheels will be available at authorized WTB dealers and at WTB.com for North America, or WTB.eu in Europe

Image from The Spinistry's social media

Texas Gravel Series by The Spinistry Set For 2027:

A teaser announcement was made this past week on The Spinistry's social media concerning a 2027 gravel series in Texas where the Spinistry is based. 

All the post said was, "Coming in 2027! It's not all about being fast..." That is an interesting statement. But we will have to wait until the Spinistry gives us more information to understand exactly what this means. 

Comments: The Spinistry has been in the gravel scene promoting gravel races since 2010. Their Red River Riot and Texas Chainring Massacre events are legendary in gravel racing and in the South especially. Kevin Lee, the head idea purveyor of The Spinistry, probably has something cool up his sleeves. We'll be interested in hearing about it soon. 

Stay tuned.... 

Image courtesy of Garmin

Garmin Introduces Edge 1060 GPS Cycling Computer:

Garmin just released a new Edge GPS unit with the 1060 now topping the range for cycling use. The unit has a few new features and many bells and whistles to its credit. 

One of those is talk-to-text (via Garmin Messenger app) and your voice can control the unit to leave your hands free to control your bicycle. It also features a points of interest guide, a road construction warning, and Garmin Coach, which can guide you through specific training regimens. 

There are a raft of other features as well, so click the link or see DC Rainmaker's video on this unit HERE. 

Comments: Yeah....you long time readers already know how I am not very "GPS computer compatible", shall we say? So, this thing is definitely NOT for me. Besides, I can already tell you that if there are more than about four to five things on a screen I cannot read or recognize the information while riding anyway. So, when I use my Wahoo, for instance, I toggle to a page with very basic information.  All the other stuff is 'fluff' anyway, and so I don't care to see it, even if I could. 

This is why last week's bit in the "FN&V" about the new SILCA Omata computer was compelling to me. Basic information with all the data gathered and accessible afterward. Perfect for an old geezer like myself. But it is $80.00, (and so is this new Garmin), so a little pricey. That said, Mrs. Guitar Ted actually told me to get the Omata. I resisted..... We'll see for how long. 

 

Pon Holdings To Cease Cannondale Operations In Connecticutt Headquarters In 2027 According To Reports:

Pon Holdings, the Dutch multi-brand company who owns Cannondale, is planning a new North American headquarters on the West Coast which will become operational in 2027. Meanwhile it plans to phase out its Wilton, Connecticut headquarters for Cannondale in mid-2027. 

The decision will affect over 140 employees and marks the end of an era in North American cycling.  

Comments: A rather pedestrian corporate move, but in North American cycling history, this marks the final tie to the original Cannondale, which started in 1971.  Cannondale started out with child trailers, clothing for cyclists, and touring bags. In the 1980's the US based and family operated company branched out into making aluminum bicycles, which at that time was a rare material in the mainstream cycling market. 

In the late 1990's Cannondale embarked on what would end up becoming its bane when the company sought to manufacture a motocross bike. The company ended up going bankrupt in 2003 when it was acquired by Pegasus Capital Advisors. The manufacturing of aluminum bicycles continued in the USA until 2008 when the Dorel company, based out of Canada, purchased Cannondale adding them to its Schwinn, Mongoose, and GT bicycle brands..This ended US production of Cannondale bicycles, but a US based headquarters was maintained in Wilton, Connecticut. 

In 2022 Dorel completed a sale of their cycling portfolio to Pon Holdings, which also owns Santa Cruz and Cervelo. With this announcement this week, the final US chapter in Cannondale's history will come to a close. 

Image courtesy of COROS.

COROS Dura 2 GPS Announced:

Another evolution of a GPS cycling computer was announced this week with the release of the COROS Dura 2. This GPS device has a ton of features, solar charging capabilities, and an impressive claimed battery life. 

The solar charging is interesting. COROS claims riding in 2 hours of bright sunlight will give you an hour of battery life. This may help extend battery life on long rides and allow you to get by without constant recharging of the unit. 

Controls are a combination of physical buttons, haptic buttons, and COROS claims the device can be voice controlled as well. Of course, there are a ton of interesting features. I watched a video from "Bikepacking.com" which you can see HERE that explains everything very well. The COROS Dura 2 is $499.00 USD. 

Comments: I use a Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM (around $300.00 USD) and I find it to be useable, not 100% reliable, and not all that intuitive to use. I like the climb feature, elevation readouts, and the navigation is "okay". So, I'm always on the lookout for an improvement, and this COROS device seems to have some nice features and the ability to simplify things, which would be my preference. 

The review I linked above has a pretty frank and honest take, I feel, and the comments given in the review reflect what is close to being inline with what I'd want out of a GPS head unit. So, I'm intrigued here, as I still need a navigation device. (Something is about 90% going to happen next year where I'll need reliable GPS navigation). 

The COROS might be a good investment. I like it over the Garmin right now. Wahoo hasn't updated in a bit, so maybe they will have an impressive update soon, but for now, I'm leaning toward this COROS. We'll see......

That'll do it for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Now get out there and ride those bicycles! 

Friday News And Views

Coros Dura GPS computer. (Image courtesy of Coros)

Time to Navigate Through Another FN&V!

Coros Finally Unveils The Dura GPS Computer:

After teasing this GPS device since April the Coros Dura finally has been unveiled. This new entry in the GPS device market for bicycles has a big claim and looks to unseat your Garmin, Wahoo, and Hammerhead GPS devices from your handlebars. Is it really a contender? 

Well, Coros claims that with all systems on, and with no benefit from the solar charger, (more on that in a minute) you can squeeze 70 hours out of the device for run time. They claim that you can extend that to 120 hours, still without using the solar recharging function. Pretty impressive if true, and if you've already seen DC Rainmaker's review, it probably isn't quite there yet.

As stated, there is a solar recharging function. Coros claims that in full Sunlight, a rider going out for an hour will gain 2 hours of battery time. Again, very impressive. But that solar function comes at the cost of  space on your handlebar. (And the recharge rate hasn't been verified by independent reviewers yet.)

According to my quick measurements of my Hammerhead Karoo 2 and Wahoo Elemnt ROAM sitting here, the Dura is larger both in length and width than those two computers. The touch-screen of the Dura falls in between that of the Wahoo and Hammerhead with the Hammerhead edging out the Dura by just a hair. 

The Dura combines the touch-screen with a dial as well, so I'm not sure how the user interface will be here, (Again - not the greatest yet) but all this comes at a fairly reasonable price of $249.00 USD. Coros is taking pre-orders for July delivery now. By the way, the Dura has a lot more value if you also buy into the Coros smartwatch ecosystem. So, if you have not chosen a path in regard to a GPS device, this may alter your decision. Might want to wait until the bugs get worked out first though.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments. By the way, I'll have an update on my Wahoo experience coming soon. Stay tuned....

Gravel Worlds Announces Live Coverage Of 2024 event: 

From the press release:

"For the first time in the event’s 15-year history, the Garmin Gravel Worlds gravel road bicycle race will feature live-streamed video.

2024 Garmin Gravel Worlds event coverage will begin before the Men’s Pro 150-mile start Saturday, August 24, and end after the final rider has finished late into Saturday evening. The live coverage will include lead and follow motorcycles for both the Men’s and Women’s Pro fields, as well as a fifth camera focused on riders deeper in the pack. There will also be live commentating from beginning to end. The live stream video will be free for viewers worldwide.

Thanks to expanded sponsorship from Goodlife Brands, the event has also added $10,000 to its Women’s Pro prize purse, while adding a fresh twist to the racing. The first twenty Pro Women to arrive at the second race checkpoint ahead of riders from the general race field, which starts 25 minutes later, will receive $500, regardless of where they finish the race."

Gravel Worlds will employ staggered start times, much like Unbound has, for thge event which is scheduled to take place on August, 21 - 25, 2024 in Lincoln, Nebraska from their recently announced new starting area. 

Other recent Gravel Worlds news can be seen HERE and HERE.

Have You Heard About This?

I was sent an email on Wednesday informing me that some ultra-distance cyclists would be coming through the area soon. Like right down my local bike trail! 

Apparently it is all around a race called The Great American Wheel Race. Here's the description from the registration page for the event:

"The 2024 inaugural Great American Wheel Race is a 3,600 mile self-supported race that begins at the landmark Seattle Space Needle on June 9, 2024, and ends at the Washington Monument in Washington D.C. This fabulous and scenic route across the U.S. utilizes established Great American Rail-Trails across the U.S. while linking other bike trails and the safest less traveled roads possible. The route consists of gravel paths, paved paths, gravel and paved roadways, with a goal to be separated from vehicle traffic as much as possible with gentle grades. Come “Get Some” and enjoy this phenomenal race crossing the U.S. from the West Coast to the East Coast."

You can "dot watch" this event, but for whatever reason, the tracking page on the event site is not functioning. However; THIS ONE on Bikepacking.com does work. I'm going to try to see if I can intercept a racer or two on their way down through here. Stay tuned.... 

Image courtesy of Hope Tech.

Hope Tech Offers Durable Gravel Wheel Set:

Often times we all get caught up in the latest aero, carbon fiber, light weight wheel set for gravel and I even can forget about the riders that aren't looking for that. Thankfully companies like Hope Tech from the uK haven't forgotten that some folks would like a wheel set that they can actually ride on without having to worry about weight limits, durability, and still have some nice features. 

Hope offers up the RX24 wheel set for your consideration. I thought it was interesting that this wheel set can be ordered up with 32 spoke hubs and rims. That's getting rarer to find these days as what constitutes a "high spoke count" wheel in pre-builts now days is 28 holes, maybe, with 24 hole rims being the average anymore. 

The rims are 24mm inner width, great for most gravel tires. (Hope recommends up to a 60mm tire) Plus the total system weight (rider and gear) is 284lbs. That's not going to cover everybody, but it is better than a lot of the bling carbon wheels will allow. 

You also get the reliable, rebuildable Hope hub here, which I have ridden in the older Pro 4  form, and can vouch that they do well. But again, Hope does support their hubs with parts and even their legacy hubs are still supported. 

Prices are reasonable. Depending on spec you'll spend somewhere around $600.00 - $800.00 USD. Check them out here.
 

Guitar Ted Podcast Update:

We have a new podcasts up now and it is about the evolution of gravel bikes and how they are not really innovating anything. That one went up last week. You can listen to it HERE. Then N.Y. Roll and I decided to hit up another episode before he vacates the area for New York for a couple of weeks.

I may be putting out a solo podcast yet today at some point, so if you see another episode up, you'll know I decided to do that. Otherwise it may be a while before the next episode is out unless I can get an interview I've been thinking about doing. We will see.

That's a wrap for this week. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out and ride those bikes! The days are getting shorter starting now!