Friday News And Views

Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge Update:

Well, this time next week it will be on! The Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge will be happening all over the place. I'm excited to see where reports will be coming from, but I have had some off-line confirmations and comments elsewhere that lead me to believe that this could be the biggest turnout to date!

Riders living in Tennessee, Nebraska, Kansas, Washington, (the state) and even Spain have indicated to me that they will be taking part in this challenge. 

Wow! Even if these rides don't happen I am really honored and humbled that people are taking this seriously. And I'm sure these folks are 100% in for the challenge, I'm just saying that the mere thought that folks are excited about this is very meaningful to me. Thank you all! 

I'm watching the weather very carefully and trying to get my best shot in. I know weather can be tricky here in the Mid-West this time of the year, and darkness is a thing to contend with as well. So, we will see how it all falls out in a week and some days. 

Meanwhile, if all these folks and some surprise additions come in, I will have to take stock and jam in a lot of reports in a schedule jam-packed with stuff I have to get through for the end-of-year here. It'll be ......interesting! 

Gravel Worlds News:

Gravel Worlds announced last week that they are bringing back the 1000 Women of Gravel initiative where the Gravel Worlds team will try to raise up 1000 female participants across all categories of the event including the new Gravel Triathlon and Duathlon events, both of which are USA Cycling national championship events. 

Gravel Worlds also announced HED Cycling as their official wheel partner for the event as well. Finally, the organization claimed their original web address, "gravelworlds.com" again, which they had lost for several years. 

A Gentle Reminder: 

You've probably noticed that the "end-of-year" posts have kicked in already, but in case you haven't, I just wanted to take a quick minute to remind you all that this past week is pretty much what the rest of the year will look like here. 

I will be reviewing people, bikes, and my experiences throughout 2024. This will be in addition to the 20th anniversary of the blog reviews that are happening about weekly now also. 

Fridays will still be like this, and I will interject news and ride reports where they need to be as they happen. So, if this isn't your cup of tea, I will be back on a "regular schedule" in January. If you are up for the end-of-year stuff, hang on! I've got plenty to cover in the next several weeks! 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

DT Swiss, Shutter Precision Collaborate On New Dynamo Gravel Wheelset:

News popped up on Wednesday of this week regarding a new DT Swiss offering in conjunction with dynamo hub producer, Shutter Precision. 

The new DT Swiss hub has Shuuter Precision's internals to provide light on demand for any gravel/adventure rider. The hub will be offered on its own as well as a part of two different 350 hub based gravel wheel sets with aluminum rims. 

According to this report I read, the hubs and wheels are beginning to be available now, although for some areas of the world it may take until the end of this year for hubs and wheels to show up in consumer's hands. 

Comments: This should be a great deal, especially the pre-built 1600 and 1800 level wheel sets, for gravel riders. The only downside is that you will need to configure a wiring route suitable for your bike, install it, and buy a head lamp suitable for the dynamo hub. It is initially an expensive proposition, and it is tempting to think a self-contained LED based torch is easier. However; I have both systems and I never fail to be satisfied with my dynamo set up due to its ease of use and care-free nature regarding the need to maintain battery power, as you will have to do with a self-contained LED set up. 

However; you are tethered to THAT one wheel and bike set up. So, if you have multiple bikes you want to use, a self-contained LED set-up will be more efficient and less expensive overall. Plus if that hub goes down, you are without a bike and a light system. While Shutter Precision lights enjoy a reasonably good reputation, my research turned up some issues regarding these hubs and Winter riding in specific. Now DT Swiss' version uses straight-up Shutter Precision guts, but the hub shell and bearings are perhaps a better quality than the original. Hard to say at this point. 

New Episode Dropped!

N.Y. Roll and I had shiggy back on again to talk about tubeless tire stuff. You can check out the new episode HERE. 

We get into some - perhaps long forgotten - tubeless history. Then we talk about tires a bit, rim design, air pressures, and how we mount tires. There are a lot of tips and tricks shared here. 

Then we get into sealants and which work, which do not work, and I even give out MG's Secret Tubeless Formula so you can make your own sauce if you want to. 

Next up we may do a recap of Cold Weather Riding Tips with some updates to that. If you have any questions about the tubeless episode which we did not touch upon, or new questions about cold weather riding, let me know. 

I'm thinking we may squeeze in two more episodes before our Winter break. The last episode will be a recap of 2024 and the gravel scene, most likely. I expect our last episodes to drop in the beginning of December. That will close out Season #2 and we plan on Season #3 to start sometime in mid to late January. 

As always, thanks for reading and get out there and ride those bicycles!

Getting Lit: Part 3

Shiny! A look from the cockpit of the Ti Muk 2

 As I mentioned Friday, I got the Schmidt Edelux II light mounted and tested on my Ti Muk 2. I know that the Schmidt light looks rather simple and plain, but there is a lot going on "under the hood" here and I'll get to explaining all of that. It should help to make sense of the $270.00+ price tag for this piece of kit. 

Yeah.....that's expensive, but a good LED rechargeable is at least $120+ now, and you have to, you know......recharge the thing sometimes. You will do that a LOT if you run the light all the time at its brightest setting too. So, you have to keep that perspective when you compare an LED light to a stand-alone dynamo system. 

I'm not saying the Schmidt light is "better" or "worse". It is an option, and it may or may not make sense to you. For me and my purposes, this makes sense, especially on this bicycle. 

The Edelux II is Schmidt's latest version of this light and it features the following things;  

•  High light output thanks to optimal LED-cooling with copper heat sink and aluminum-housing
• Easy handling with magnetic switch and automatic light sensor
• Long lifetime with potted electronics, robust housing and coaxial cable
• Bright standlight
• Conforms with German legal regulations StVZO
• Made in Germany | 5 years guarantee

The lens is an anti-reflective glass, not plastic, so it lets more light through and it will not degrade over time. It can be set off, on "light sensing mode", which allows the head lamp to turn on only when it gets dark enough to need a light, or "Always On" mode for day time running lights. This is all controlled by the magnetic switch and reed switch which allows the internals of the head lamp to remain sealed to the outside world. 

All the internal electronics are potted, (encased in silicone, most likely) to further protect them from the elements. The wire Schmidt uses is a coaxial wire instead of the double stranded, plastic coated wires you typically see and which are pretty fragile. The coaxial cable, if you aren't familiar, is a single strand in the center of copper wires encased in a heavy insulation which then is surrounded by a second conductor of braided copper wires and then this is encased in a thick, rubber insulation coating. This is a far more robust way to run a wire to the hub. 

Furthermore, the light came with a grounding tab and has a port with a spade connector for the SON rear tail light I have. So, that was a big plus in this case for me to purchase the Schmidt light. 

I only wanted to buy a head light once, so in my opinion, the Schmidt Edelux II was my best option here. 

The set up from the front.....

 It was important to me to have the light not be interfered by cables or any potential bags/loads I may choose to carry up front. This meant that in my case, a mount up high on the handlebars was optimal. I already had the Bausch and Mueller light mount, so I employed that to mount the Edelux II from. This put the light 'out front' of the cables and well above any load I may choose to place on the front rack. 

Note how the cable runs from the bottom of the light unit into an old floor pump hose which is peeking out on the non-drive side of the head tube by the Salsa Cycles head badge there. I did this with the previous cable as well. It insures an extra layer of protection against the elements in case things get mucky, wet, or rough. 

....and from the back side where the SON tail lamp is mounted to my rack.

Again, the SON tail lamp is rack mountable, and has a coaxial cable like the head lamp does. I ran that cable up another section of floor pump hose to the front of the bike from underneath the rack to underneath the top tube up to the head tube. From there that cable exits the floor pump hose and runs via some spiral-wound plastic wire loom protector, (much like you'd see on spark plug wire looms in automobiles) to the head lamp. 

 The connections at the hub.

Schmidt makes a coaxial connector for the disconnection of wires at the hub to ease front wheel removal. I did not get this option as I do not take the front wheel out often, or hardly ever, so I deemed that this feature was unnecessary for me. Although I did leave enough wire to install that should I decide to go with that in the future. 

So, that's about it. The light is pretty bright. Brighter than the previous Bausch and Mueller light, for sure. The SON tail lamp seems brighter as well. I don't know if that is possible, but that's my impression now. Of course, having the stand light feature is a big plus with being a commuter and all. I also like the stand light as it illuminates my way back into the house at night without trying to fumble for a light switch. 

That should wrap up the repairs and maintenance I started on this bike back in September! I'm good to go now through till next year sometime before I'll need to do another oil change on the Rohloff hub. 

Thanks to Waterloo Bicycle Works and Angry Catfish for the support and excellent service!

Getting Lit: Part 3

Shiny! A look from the cockpit of the Ti Muk 2

 As I mentioned Friday, I got the Schmidt Edelux II light mounted and tested on my Ti Muk 2. I know that the Schmidt light looks rather simple and plain, but there is a lot going on "under the hood" here and I'll get to explaining all of that. It should help to make sense of the $270.00+ price tag for this piece of kit. 

Yeah.....that's expensive, but a good LED rechargeable is at least $120+ now, and you have to, you know......recharge the thing sometimes. You will do that a LOT if you run the light all the time at its brightest setting too. So, you have to keep that perspective when you compare an LED light to a stand-alone dynamo system. 

I'm not saying the Schmidt light is "better" or "worse". It is an option, and it may or may not make sense to you. For me and my purposes, this makes sense, especially on this bicycle. 

The Edelux II is Schmidt's latest version of this light and it features the following things;  

•  High light output thanks to optimal LED-cooling with copper heat sink and aluminum-housing
• Easy handling with magnetic switch and automatic light sensor
• Long lifetime with potted electronics, robust housing and coaxial cable
• Bright standlight
• Conforms with German legal regulations StVZO
• Made in Germany | 5 years guarantee

The lens is an anti-reflective glass, not plastic, so it lets more light through and it will not degrade over time. It can be set off, on "light sensing mode", which allows the head lamp to turn on only when it gets dark enough to need a light, or "Always On" mode for day time running lights. This is all controlled by the magnetic switch and reed switch which allows the internals of the head lamp to remain sealed to the outside world. 

All the internal electronics are potted, (encased in silicone, most likely) to further protect them from the elements. The wire Schmidt uses is a coaxial wire instead of the double stranded, plastic coated wires you typically see and which are pretty fragile. The coaxial cable, if you aren't familiar, is a single strand in the center of copper wires encased in a heavy insulation which then is surrounded by a second conductor of braided copper wires and then this is encased in a thick, rubber insulation coating. This is a far more robust way to run a wire to the hub. 

Furthermore, the light came with a grounding tab and has a port with a spade connector for the SON rear tail light I have. So, that was a big plus in this case for me to purchase the Schmidt light. 

I only wanted to buy a head light once, so in my opinion, the Schmidt Edelux II was my best option here. 

The set up from the front.....

 It was important to me to have the light not be interfered by cables or any potential bags/loads I may choose to carry up front. This meant that in my case, a mount up high on the handlebars was optimal. I already had the Bausch and Mueller light mount, so I employed that to mount the Edelux II from. This put the light 'out front' of the cables and well above any load I may choose to place on the front rack. 

Note how the cable runs from the bottom of the light unit into an old floor pump hose which is peeking out on the non-drive side of the head tube by the Salsa Cycles head badge there. I did this with the previous cable as well. It insures an extra layer of protection against the elements in case things get mucky, wet, or rough. 

....and from the back side where the SON tail lamp is mounted to my rack.

Again, the SON tail lamp is rack mountable, and has a coaxial cable like the head lamp does. I ran that cable up another section of floor pump hose to the front of the bike from underneath the rack to underneath the top tube up to the head tube. From there that cable exits the floor pump hose and runs via some spiral-wound plastic wire loom protector, (much like you'd see on spark plug wire looms in automobiles) to the head lamp. 

 The connections at the hub.

Schmidt makes a coaxial connector for the disconnection of wires at the hub to ease front wheel removal. I did not get this option as I do not take the front wheel out often, or hardly ever, so I deemed that this feature was unnecessary for me. Although I did leave enough wire to install that should I decide to go with that in the future. 

So, that's about it. The light is pretty bright. Brighter than the previous Bausch and Mueller light, for sure. The SON tail lamp seems brighter as well. I don't know if that is possible, but that's my impression now. Of course, having the stand light feature is a big plus with being a commuter and all. I also like the stand light as it illuminates my way back into the house at night without trying to fumble for a light switch. 

That should wrap up the repairs and maintenance I started on this bike back in September! I'm good to go now through till next year sometime before I'll need to do another oil change on the Rohloff hub. 

Thanks to Waterloo Bicycle Works and Angry Catfish for the support and excellent service!

Friday News And Views

Nominations are open NOW!

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Nominations:

Just a reminder that nominations are open through the month of November for the next class of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. 

So, if you feel strongly enough about a person getting their due, then ask them, or their family in case of a death, and get permission to nominate them. Then write up a convincing paragraph as to why that person should be in the GCHof.

Then send that into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame by November 30th, 2022. After all the nominations have been gathered they will be given to the nominating committee for consideration and they will vote on the Class of 2023. 

Okay, so now you know, and you cannot say that no one told you so.

Getting Lit - An Update:

So the stuff came in this week. I have attached an image here showing everything I received in the box, minus some cool stickers that somebody at Angry Catfish threw in. I appreciated those, so whomever did that, "Thank You!"

So, Spoiler Alert! The stuff worked. I'll have a post on Monday that will detail all my thoughts on the installation and my initial reaction to how the light works. 

I said I'm done, but actually I have a few details to attend to regarding my set up. I need to weather seal a couple things and I need to address the leads to the wheel, since I left them a tad bit long. 

I'm pretty happy I was able to get this done now because we are entering that season where a fat bike is a thing and commuting with a dynamo light is really nice. There is one more thing that I need to do for the Ti Muk, and it is unrelated to the lights, it is fenders. 

I want to come up with something a bit more "full-coverage" than I have, which is a bodge of a few "origami" style clip-on type fat bike fenders. I see Jones Bikes is offering something interesting, but at $180.00....... Ouch! More on that idea later....

As If It Weren't Already Hard Enough To Get There:

Have you noticed that "That Certain Event In Emporia" has been getting harder and harder to get into? Well, now it has gotten even more difficult, well- that is unless you are a Life Time Fitness member.

Yup! That's how you become more inclusive, by being more exclusive. Gotta be so, right? I mean, this is a gravel event, after all. Or is it anymore? Maybe it's something else altogether these days.

 Look, I don't really care about Unbound Gravel as an event anymore. It isn't for me and that's fine. And of course, they can do whatever the heck they want down there. People will do whatever dance they need to do to get there, if they are into it. 

I will only say that this is completely the antithesis of "gravel events" now. I suspect it will only drift further away from its roots as well. I just have a really hard time believing this event represents the "premier gravel event in North America" anymore. I mean, who declared that? Oh! Yeah, the Unbound folks grabbed that claim, didn't they. Hmm.... 

I think if this were put to a vote, and people knew what they could vote for out there, something like THIS event would be a LOT higher up the ladder than Unbound is. And this event as well. Talk about inclusivity. Talk about having a grasp on gravel culture, well, Unbound is about as far from genuine gravel culture in terms of how its run than the East is from the West. 

Speaking Of Events....

Somehow I came across this event I hadn't heard of before on social media this past week. It's called the Starrucca Crossing. It is a 100 mile, (if you do the full-boat. A 75 miler is also offered), that is held in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

The date is May 20, 2023, and I thought it sounded like fun. There isn't much to go on, actually, but the short blurb about the course I saw said "...a course that is almost 80% dirt roads"

I thought that sounded intriguing, so I asked N.Y. Roll about the area, since it isn't far from New York and he goes through that way to get back to his home. 

N.Y. Roll said it was "all up and down", typical Appalachian bedrock based road beds. He said it would be quite the haul as far as doing that event. 

So, what exactly am I covering this for here? Am I going? Well......probably not. Number one- I can't afford going most anywhere anymore and two- I work on Saturdays, and getting a substitute to cover for me when there are two employees and a bunch of volunteers? Hard to do. So, just spit-ballin' here. But you should do this. It sounds like fun, and it's $65.00 if you register now. Pretty good deal there. 

I may feature events I think are cool from time to time here, so if you have any you think I should consider, hit me up in the comments or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

That's a wrap on this week! Have a great weekend and go ride a bicycle if you can!

Friday News And Views

Nominations are open NOW!

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Nominations:

Just a reminder that nominations are open through the month of November for the next class of the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. 

So, if you feel strongly enough about a person getting their due, then ask them, or their family in case of a death, and get permission to nominate them. Then write up a convincing paragraph as to why that person should be in the GCHof.

Then send that into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame by November 30th, 2022. After all the nominations have been gathered they will be given to the nominating committee for consideration and they will vote on the Class of 2023. 

Okay, so now you know, and you cannot say that no one told you so.

Getting Lit - An Update:

So the stuff came in this week. I have attached an image here showing everything I received in the box, minus some cool stickers that somebody at Angry Catfish threw in. I appreciated those, so whomever did that, "Thank You!"

So, Spoiler Alert! The stuff worked. I'll have a post on Monday that will detail all my thoughts on the installation and my initial reaction to how the light works. 

I said I'm done, but actually I have a few details to attend to regarding my set up. I need to weather seal a couple things and I need to address the leads to the wheel, since I left them a tad bit long. 

I'm pretty happy I was able to get this done now because we are entering that season where a fat bike is a thing and commuting with a dynamo light is really nice. There is one more thing that I need to do for the Ti Muk, and it is unrelated to the lights, it is fenders. 

I want to come up with something a bit more "full-coverage" than I have, which is a bodge of a few "origami" style clip-on type fat bike fenders. I see Jones Bikes is offering something interesting, but at $180.00....... Ouch! More on that idea later....

As If It Weren't Already Hard Enough To Get There:

Have you noticed that "That Certain Event In Emporia" has been getting harder and harder to get into? Well, now it has gotten even more difficult, well- that is unless you are a Life Time Fitness member.

Yup! That's how you become more inclusive, by being more exclusive. Gotta be so, right? I mean, this is a gravel event, after all. Or is it anymore? Maybe it's something else altogether these days.

 Look, I don't really care about Unbound Gravel as an event anymore. It isn't for me and that's fine. And of course, they can do whatever the heck they want down there. People will do whatever dance they need to do to get there, if they are into it. 

I will only say that this is completely the antithesis of "gravel events" now. I suspect it will only drift further away from its roots as well. I just have a really hard time believing this event represents the "premier gravel event in North America" anymore. I mean, who declared that? Oh! Yeah, the Unbound folks grabbed that claim, didn't they. Hmm.... 

I think if this were put to a vote, and people knew what they could vote for out there, something like THIS event would be a LOT higher up the ladder than Unbound is. And this event as well. Talk about inclusivity. Talk about having a grasp on gravel culture, well, Unbound is about as far from genuine gravel culture in terms of how its run than the East is from the West. 

Speaking Of Events....

Somehow I came across this event I hadn't heard of before on social media this past week. It's called the Starrucca Crossing. It is a 100 mile, (if you do the full-boat. A 75 miler is also offered), that is held in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 

The date is May 20, 2023, and I thought it sounded like fun. There isn't much to go on, actually, but the short blurb about the course I saw said "...a course that is almost 80% dirt roads"

I thought that sounded intriguing, so I asked N.Y. Roll about the area, since it isn't far from New York and he goes through that way to get back to his home. 

N.Y. Roll said it was "all up and down", typical Appalachian bedrock based road beds. He said it would be quite the haul as far as doing that event. 

So, what exactly am I covering this for here? Am I going? Well......probably not. Number one- I can't afford going most anywhere anymore and two- I work on Saturdays, and getting a substitute to cover for me when there are two employees and a bunch of volunteers? Hard to do. So, just spit-ballin' here. But you should do this. It sounds like fun, and it's $65.00 if you register now. Pretty good deal there. 

I may feature events I think are cool from time to time here, so if you have any you think I should consider, hit me up in the comments or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

That's a wrap on this week! Have a great weekend and go ride a bicycle if you can!

Getting Lit: Part 2

Hooray! the light is on its way! Saturday I received an email from the folks at Angry Catfish that they had received a few Schmidt Edelux II lights and wondered if I wanted a polished silver or a satin silver one. 

I went with the shiny silver one, and so I should have it in hand by the end of the week. I have to say- so far anyway- that Angry Catfish has been really good in terms of customer service. I am impressed. Typically you do not get emails direct from employees and any emails you do get are auto-generated types, if you even get that. So, I am noting that this experience has been reassuring and, as I say- so far- very impressive. 

I should also note that I am getting the standard wired version in a longer length, not the coaxial cable type shown here, mostly because I needed to have a longer wire and the coaxial cable in the extra long length is seemingly not available, or at least I did not see that option. I could have missed that, but if I did, it's okay. I'm alright dealing with wires, especially so since I "MacGyvered" a conduit from an air pump hose to run the wires through anyway. 

Quick update on my weekend: Rain! Wind! So, no real riding at all. I'll be out again, hopefully this week, so look for more "Brown Season" posts soon!

Getting Lit: Part 2

Hooray! the light is on its way! Saturday I received an email from the folks at Angry Catfish that they had received a few Schmidt Edelux II lights and wondered if I wanted a polished silver or a satin silver one. 

I went with the shiny silver one, and so I should have it in hand by the end of the week. I have to say- so far anyway- that Angry Catfish has been really good in terms of customer service. I am impressed. Typically you do not get emails direct from employees and any emails you do get are auto-generated types, if you even get that. So, I am noting that this experience has been reassuring and, as I say- so far- very impressive. 

I should also note that I am getting the standard wired version in a longer length, not the coaxial cable type shown here, mostly because I needed to have a longer wire and the coaxial cable in the extra long length is seemingly not available, or at least I did not see that option. I could have missed that, but if I did, it's okay. I'm alright dealing with wires, especially so since I "MacGyvered" a conduit from an air pump hose to run the wires through anyway. 

Quick update on my weekend: Rain! Wind! So, no real riding at all. I'll be out again, hopefully this week, so look for more "Brown Season" posts soon!

Getting Lit

Schmidt Edulx II (Image courtesy of Angry Catfish)

I'd been putting this off for far too long, this fixing of my Ti Muk II. It's getting on into the year and Winter is coming soon. I figured I'd better just pull the trigger on something and get it here before it was too late. 

Shopping for dynamo lighting is a weird experience. At least, here in the U.S. it is. You don't have a lot of choices, and when you find something interesting, the information you'd like to have about the product is pretty shallow. 

In my case, I needed to understand what length the leads were off the light head unit. The Ti Muk is a bit of an oddball in terms of dynamo lights. Usually this sort of thing would be going on a randonnuer bike, or maybe an "adventure hard tail" MTB. But with a fat bike, the little details matter, and things like leads need to be a bit longer, so that's one of the things I needed to understand. 

You also have to know if you are getting the mount for the light, because - it appears to me at any rate- some companies don't provide that and seem to give you a "better deal" on the light. Well, that does me no good, ya know.....because I'm not duct taping this thing on! 

I'm also sure some of the retailers are fine, but when many of the ones I saw pop up in my Google search are companies I've never heard of, that gives me pause as well. There were a couple of hits that were from places I knew of, so I went with those choices. Interestingly, one of those had such a wordy and - in my opinion - gruff stance on ordering, that I decided that maybe this was just not going to be a seamless experience. So, I bailed on that choice and took a look at a more local one, Angry Catfish out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

It's coming......whether we want it or not!

The order page had all the info I needed to make a decision, and so I went with Angry Catfish, (that name!), and I actually received a call after I placed the order from them. This was due to the fact that the site had indicated what I had ordered was in stock, but in reality, it was not. I was offered a no-hassle refund, or I could wait for them to order one in. 

Since what I had ordered was in a color I didn't really want, but ya know- it was in stock -only it wasn't. Anyway, that afforded me the chance to order the color I did want at no extra charge to me. Nice! 

So, I have to wait a bit, but at least this problem will get solved and I'll be back on the Ti Muk II just in time for Winter to arrive. As long as the new light install goes smoothly, I'll be good to go now. New drive train, new bottom bracket, new light, and heck.....some more new sealant! That should do me. 

I'll report back when I get the light and let you know- and see- how it goes.

Note: I have no affiliation with Angry Catfish and I paid full retail for the light.

Getting Lit

Schmidt Edulx II (Image courtesy of Angry Catfish)

I'd been putting this off for far too long, this fixing of my Ti Muk II. It's getting on into the year and Winter is coming soon. I figured I'd better just pull the trigger on something and get it here before it was too late. 

Shopping for dynamo lighting is a weird experience. At least, here in the U.S. it is. You don't have a lot of choices, and when you find something interesting, the information you'd like to have about the product is pretty shallow. 

In my case, I needed to understand what length the leads were off the light head unit. The Ti Muk is a bit of an oddball in terms of dynamo lights. Usually this sort of thing would be going on a randonnuer bike, or maybe an "adventure hard tail" MTB. But with a fat bike, the little details matter, and things like leads need to be a bit longer, so that's one of the things I needed to understand. 

You also have to know if you are getting the mount for the light, because - it appears to me at any rate- some companies don't provide that and seem to give you a "better deal" on the light. Well, that does me no good, ya know.....because I'm not duct taping this thing on! 

I'm also sure some of the retailers are fine, but when many of the ones I saw pop up in my Google search are companies I've never heard of, that gives me pause as well. There were a couple of hits that were from places I knew of, so I went with those choices. Interestingly, one of those had such a wordy and - in my opinion - gruff stance on ordering, that I decided that maybe this was just not going to be a seamless experience. So, I bailed on that choice and took a look at a more local one, Angry Catfish out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

It's coming......whether we want it or not!

The order page had all the info I needed to make a decision, and so I went with Angry Catfish, (that name!), and I actually received a call after I placed the order from them. This was due to the fact that the site had indicated what I had ordered was in stock, but in reality, it was not. I was offered a no-hassle refund, or I could wait for them to order one in. 

Since what I had ordered was in a color I didn't really want, but ya know- it was in stock -only it wasn't. Anyway, that afforded me the chance to order the color I did want at no extra charge to me. Nice! 

So, I have to wait a bit, but at least this problem will get solved and I'll be back on the Ti Muk II just in time for Winter to arrive. As long as the new light install goes smoothly, I'll be good to go now. New drive train, new bottom bracket, new light, and heck.....some more new sealant! That should do me. 

I'll report back when I get the light and let you know- and see- how it goes.

Note: I have no affiliation with Angry Catfish and I paid full retail for the light.

Friday News And Views

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch:

The newest "Riding Gravel Radio Ranch" Episode #103, is out now. (You can get the link here) We're podcasting about once every two weeks now and have the podcast moved to Anchor.fm hosting for a better, more timely distribution of the episodes than we experienced it before. 

I've had some concerns voiced over access. Well, we are growing the podcast from 'ground zero' now and that means our old access was gone and we had to start small and grow it. We are now on Apple podcast as of this episode, so that should help. We are also on Google podcast and on Spotify also. 

So, give it a listen, spread the news, and help this thing grow. I'll have more things to offer in the future, so stay tuned for that as I get to it. As always, please make comments and suggestions if you are so inclined.

From Surly's social media on Tuesday this week.

What's Up At Surly?

These days, social media is the prime vehicle for spreading news and for keeping brands in front of people's eyes.You don't have any media on paper anymore to do that. So, there are no ads to read. There are no "catalogs" either. Independent bike shops don't give you any bandwidth since there are far less of them than there used to be. So, the various social media marketing opportunities are all you really have these days. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Maybe Tic-Tok and Reddit. If a brand isn't on YouTube you seem to be missing something .

This is why what was witnessed on social media on Tuesday was so puzzling. Surly's social media person posted that - apparently- they were leaving the brand, which, in and of itself, is not such a big deal. But the line that indicated that "It is possible this channel will not be monitored for some time.", that was a bit concerning. Without any new content, that "channell" will go dead really fast. People won't see "Surly" and the brand will fall away from the forefront, because if you don't have it shoved down your eyeballs on socials, then it doesn't exist.

This Surly product was intro'ed by the QBP social, not Surly's

Comments: Of course, what that actually means in terms of Surly the brand and business is purely speculation at this point. But if I were a Surly dealer or fan, this would raise some red flags with me. It'll bear watching, for sure. 

Then again, it all could just be a program to bring all QBP's social media under "one roof", as it were. QBP has mostly run each brand it has as a separate company under the umbrella of QBP. But that may be getting streamlined as cost-cutting measures take hold of the cycling industry.  It would seem foolish, perhaps, to run separate social media departments when you could get that job done by a single department, for example. 

QBP has already had a round of lay-offs. Does this point to more? Could be. We're seeing many companies laying off from all sectors. Saris went bankrupt, The Pro's Closet, an online entity, cut staff, Thule cut 34 jobs and moved its R&D to Swedish headquarters from the USA. MIPS, the helmet technology supplier, saw sales dip 39% in the third quarter according to an industry report. So, if QBP has more cost-cutting to do, it would come as no surprise. Or- Is this a result of the recent lay-offs? That could very well be also.

Shimano RX801 Shoes On Test:

Well, Shimano made some big news this week about its shoe line. They updated the RX8's with the new 801's, but what probably was a bigger deal here was the RX8R, a shoe that adds in a feature found on many Enduro cycling shoes. That would be a "cuff" that is supposedly there to keep debris out and your feet dry. 

It may not seem as though the new RX801's are any different than their predecessor was, but upon careful inspection I found several differences. This is more of an 'evolution' of the RX8. A slightly "tweaked" version of the original, if you will.

One thing I didn't like about the original RX8 was that it was a bit of a pain to put it on and take it off your foot. Shimano addressed this by removing that elastic strap that held the top of the upper to the footbed inside the shoe and by separating the over-flap into what is more like two straps over the instep. 

At first glance, this new shoe seems like no big deal, but when you put the old one on one foot and the new one on the other, you feel a tremendous difference and the new one is definitely better. By the way, MG has the new RX8R, the one with the ankle-high cuff, and he says much the same as I am about the refinements. More soon.... (Standard Disclaimer applies) 

Schmidt Edelux II Dynamo Light. (Image courtesy of Cycle Monkey)

Need A Light:

So, you may recall that my Busch and Mueller IQ-X went belly-up on the Ti Muk II so now I need a light unit for that bike which runs a SON dynamo hub. The logical choice is a Schmidt light to stay with the hub brand I already have. 

I have settled on getting the Edelux II with the Co-Axial Adapter. This new connector set-up looks more durable than the old blade connectors and those fine wires. 

I just have to decide what orientation I want the light in. (You have to chose due to the cut-off beam) So, when I do that, I am going to pull the trigger. That will get me back on the Ti Muk II and that needs to happen sooner than later since, well, you know.  Winter, that's why. 

Otherwise that bike is all good to go. I had just redone the drive train and had just done the hub service. So, having the light go down on me right after all of that was kind of a deflating experience. I guess I was a bit disappointed and, maybe even more so, I was just down about looking at spending a couple hundred plus more than I was prepared to spend. But it isn't as if I don't have the funds now. I just need to do it.

Okay folks, that'll do it for this week. I hope that you all get out for a ride. We're to have our "false Summer" spree here with temps in the 80's for the weekend. The Spotted Horse riders will melt! (Good luck to anyone doing that event this weekend, by the way.) 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch:

The newest "Riding Gravel Radio Ranch" Episode #103, is out now. (You can get the link here) We're podcasting about once every two weeks now and have the podcast moved to Anchor.fm hosting for a better, more timely distribution of the episodes than we experienced it before. 

I've had some concerns voiced over access. Well, we are growing the podcast from 'ground zero' now and that means our old access was gone and we had to start small and grow it. We are now on Apple podcast as of this episode, so that should help. We are also on Google podcast and on Spotify also. 

So, give it a listen, spread the news, and help this thing grow. I'll have more things to offer in the future, so stay tuned for that as I get to it. As always, please make comments and suggestions if you are so inclined.

From Surly's social media on Tuesday this week.

What's Up At Surly?

These days, social media is the prime vehicle for spreading news and for keeping brands in front of people's eyes.You don't have any media on paper anymore to do that. So, there are no ads to read. There are no "catalogs" either. Independent bike shops don't give you any bandwidth since there are far less of them than there used to be. So, the various social media marketing opportunities are all you really have these days. Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Maybe Tic-Tok and Reddit. If a brand isn't on YouTube you seem to be missing something .

This is why what was witnessed on social media on Tuesday was so puzzling. Surly's social media person posted that - apparently- they were leaving the brand, which, in and of itself, is not such a big deal. But the line that indicated that "It is possible this channel will not be monitored for some time.", that was a bit concerning. Without any new content, that "channell" will go dead really fast. People won't see "Surly" and the brand will fall away from the forefront, because if you don't have it shoved down your eyeballs on socials, then it doesn't exist.

This Surly product was intro'ed by the QBP social, not Surly's

Comments: Of course, what that actually means in terms of Surly the brand and business is purely speculation at this point. But if I were a Surly dealer or fan, this would raise some red flags with me. It'll bear watching, for sure. 

Then again, it all could just be a program to bring all QBP's social media under "one roof", as it were. QBP has mostly run each brand it has as a separate company under the umbrella of QBP. But that may be getting streamlined as cost-cutting measures take hold of the cycling industry.  It would seem foolish, perhaps, to run separate social media departments when you could get that job done by a single department, for example. 

QBP has already had a round of lay-offs. Does this point to more? Could be. We're seeing many companies laying off from all sectors. Saris went bankrupt, The Pro's Closet, an online entity, cut staff, Thule cut 34 jobs and moved its R&D to Swedish headquarters from the USA. MIPS, the helmet technology supplier, saw sales dip 39% in the third quarter according to an industry report. So, if QBP has more cost-cutting to do, it would come as no surprise. Or- Is this a result of the recent lay-offs? That could very well be also.

Shimano RX801 Shoes On Test:

Well, Shimano made some big news this week about its shoe line. They updated the RX8's with the new 801's, but what probably was a bigger deal here was the RX8R, a shoe that adds in a feature found on many Enduro cycling shoes. That would be a "cuff" that is supposedly there to keep debris out and your feet dry. 

It may not seem as though the new RX801's are any different than their predecessor was, but upon careful inspection I found several differences. This is more of an 'evolution' of the RX8. A slightly "tweaked" version of the original, if you will.

One thing I didn't like about the original RX8 was that it was a bit of a pain to put it on and take it off your foot. Shimano addressed this by removing that elastic strap that held the top of the upper to the footbed inside the shoe and by separating the over-flap into what is more like two straps over the instep. 

At first glance, this new shoe seems like no big deal, but when you put the old one on one foot and the new one on the other, you feel a tremendous difference and the new one is definitely better. By the way, MG has the new RX8R, the one with the ankle-high cuff, and he says much the same as I am about the refinements. More soon.... (Standard Disclaimer applies) 

Schmidt Edelux II Dynamo Light. (Image courtesy of Cycle Monkey)

Need A Light:

So, you may recall that my Busch and Mueller IQ-X went belly-up on the Ti Muk II so now I need a light unit for that bike which runs a SON dynamo hub. The logical choice is a Schmidt light to stay with the hub brand I already have. 

I have settled on getting the Edelux II with the Co-Axial Adapter. This new connector set-up looks more durable than the old blade connectors and those fine wires. 

I just have to decide what orientation I want the light in. (You have to chose due to the cut-off beam) So, when I do that, I am going to pull the trigger. That will get me back on the Ti Muk II and that needs to happen sooner than later since, well, you know.  Winter, that's why. 

Otherwise that bike is all good to go. I had just redone the drive train and had just done the hub service. So, having the light go down on me right after all of that was kind of a deflating experience. I guess I was a bit disappointed and, maybe even more so, I was just down about looking at spending a couple hundred plus more than I was prepared to spend. But it isn't as if I don't have the funds now. I just need to do it.

Okay folks, that'll do it for this week. I hope that you all get out for a ride. We're to have our "false Summer" spree here with temps in the 80's for the weekend. The Spotted Horse riders will melt! (Good luck to anyone doing that event this weekend, by the way.) 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Mukluk Maintenance: Part 3

Several days of chasing wires have past....

I mentioned in my last maintenance post on the Ti Muk 2 that I had a generator light failure riding home from work. Well, this put the Ti Muk 2 back on the rack and in between other responsibilities, I plied the trade of electrician to trace the signal from the hub upward toward the lights to se if this was a wire related issue.

Trying to determine faults in a dynamo hub had me doing a ton of online research to determine how to approach this problem. Let me tell ya.....there ain't a lot of clear info out there! First of all, did you know almost all modern "generator" lights are, in fact, magnetos? And that the way you determine if your hub is good is by dead shorting the terminals momentarily. (If'n ya gets a spark, she's a gud'un!) 

Crude, but effective, I guess. (As I slide the multi-meter back across the bench.....)

Anyway, I have connections, and I checked those out too. There were some questionable connections there, but that turned out not to be the issue. I kept on with my multi-meter set to check continuity and ended up finding that the only bit that wasn't passing current was the light unit itself. Which makes sense if the rest of it is checking out good, which it did. 

The B&M light seems to be the issue.

Further research revealed that it could be that the "super capacitor" may have failed, which is the electronic component that helps with low speed and stopped conditions so that the light doesn't dim or go off at stop lights, etc. 

But whatever it might be, the unit seems sealed and I don't see any good way to crack that aluminum egg without damaging it anyway. So.... 

A new light is in order. I've been digging into this of late, and with a couple of solid recommendations, I think that the SON Edelux II is the top runner in the field of possibilities at this time. That dovetails in well since I already own a SON rear light. 

Now, these critters are not cheap, and with the harnesses and what-nots I think I'll end up somewhere close to three hundred bucks on this. But there is no other good choice and since I have a SON system (mostly) already, may as well stay in that ecosystem, especially considering the experiences and expetise of those who recommended this to me. 

Anyway, property taxes and bills will take precedence until I can find the funds to get this back up and running again. Gotta put this in perspective here, and in due time, I'll have this all sorted. Until then, I've got bikes, USB rechargeable LED headlights, and taillights to get me by with. 

Stay tuned.....

Mukluk Maintenance: Part 3

Several days of chasing wires have past....

I mentioned in my last maintenance post on the Ti Muk 2 that I had a generator light failure riding home from work. Well, this put the Ti Muk 2 back on the rack and in between other responsibilities, I plied the trade of electrician to trace the signal from the hub upward toward the lights to se if this was a wire related issue.

Trying to determine faults in a dynamo hub had me doing a ton of online research to determine how to approach this problem. Let me tell ya.....there ain't a lot of clear info out there! First of all, did you know almost all modern "generator" lights are, in fact, magnetos? And that the way you determine if your hub is good is by dead shorting the terminals momentarily. (If'n ya gets a spark, she's a gud'un!) 

Crude, but effective, I guess. (As I slide the multi-meter back across the bench.....)

Anyway, I have connections, and I checked those out too. There were some questionable connections there, but that turned out not to be the issue. I kept on with my multi-meter set to check continuity and ended up finding that the only bit that wasn't passing current was the light unit itself. Which makes sense if the rest of it is checking out good, which it did. 

The B&M light seems to be the issue.

Further research revealed that it could be that the "super capacitor" may have failed, which is the electronic component that helps with low speed and stopped conditions so that the light doesn't dim or go off at stop lights, etc. 

But whatever it might be, the unit seems sealed and I don't see any good way to crack that aluminum egg without damaging it anyway. So.... 

A new light is in order. I've been digging into this of late, and with a couple of solid recommendations, I think that the SON Edelux II is the top runner in the field of possibilities at this time. That dovetails in well since I already own a SON rear light. 

Now, these critters are not cheap, and with the harnesses and what-nots I think I'll end up somewhere close to three hundred bucks on this. But there is no other good choice and since I have a SON system (mostly) already, may as well stay in that ecosystem, especially considering the experiences and expetise of those who recommended this to me. 

Anyway, property taxes and bills will take precedence until I can find the funds to get this back up and running again. Gotta put this in perspective here, and in due time, I'll have this all sorted. Until then, I've got bikes, USB rechargeable LED headlights, and taillights to get me by with. 

Stay tuned.....

It's The Light Time For Night Time

I've got the silver version of this light, purchased with my own money, in 2017.

Lights. You're going to be digging yours out soon, if you haven't already, and looking for that dratted USB cord to charge it with. Yep. It's about "Light Time" in these here latitudes.

I was reminded of this the other day when a guy I follow on Instagram was showing his morning group ride and it was dark. "Gosh! Is it already time for lights?", I thought to myself. Yep. It is that time for sure. I got to thinking more about this since then.

So, the first thought I had was, that for a guy like myself, the ultimate set up is definitely what I have on the Ti Muk 2. I cannot imagine a more simple, easy, and less thought intensive way to light the night than with a SON 28 dynamo hub and lighting system. I mean.....I just pedal and the lights work! I don't have to charge them, I don't have to remember to turn them on or to turn them off. I just ride. It cannot possibly be easier than this.

Now, I know that there are downsides. Like, I would have to duplicate the expensive hub into a wheel to be able to switch out to, let's say, a Summer wheel set. That's a big ouch because the SON 28 hub for through axle fat bike set ups is close to five hundred dollars alone. Just the hub! So, I guess I could put up with a measly $200.00 LED, self-contained unit and a separate "blinky" for what? Another $50.00 for something really nice? And that would cover all my bikes? Yeah......that's a good deal.

But I'm tellin' ya. There is no denying "The Power of the Dynamo Hub". Once bitten, you'll find it hard to look at other lighting systems in the same manner. It's just the money, which is a big obstacle, to get over with those. Otherwise, yeah.....I'm completely sold on dynamo lighting now. But until the entire world decides that dynamo hubs are the bomb, (unlikely), and until I come up with a truckload of cash, (also not very likely), to convert my fleet, I'm also going to be running "traditional" LED-type lights for cycling. Oh, and what about a light for the helmet? You aren't going to run that off a dynamo hub......yet. Maybe someday. But for now, you are probably looking at traditional LED lights for the helmet as well.

So, pretty soon I am supposed to be getting in some lights for review that have some crazy features. Every year these self-contained, LED lights are getting less and less expensive and feature more and more things which I did not know I needed.

Stay tuned.......

It's The Light Time For Night Time

I've got the silver version of this light, purchased with my own money, in 2017.

Lights. You're going to be digging yours out soon, if you haven't already, and looking for that dratted USB cord to charge it with. Yep. It's about "Light Time" in these here latitudes.

I was reminded of this the other day when a guy I follow on Instagram was showing his morning group ride and it was dark. "Gosh! Is it already time for lights?", I thought to myself. Yep. It is that time for sure. I got to thinking more about this since then.

So, the first thought I had was, that for a guy like myself, the ultimate set up is definitely what I have on the Ti Muk 2. I cannot imagine a more simple, easy, and less thought intensive way to light the night than with a SON 28 dynamo hub and lighting system. I mean.....I just pedal and the lights work! I don't have to charge them, I don't have to remember to turn them on or to turn them off. I just ride. It cannot possibly be easier than this.

Now, I know that there are downsides. Like, I would have to duplicate the expensive hub into a wheel to be able to switch out to, let's say, a Summer wheel set. That's a big ouch because the SON 28 hub for through axle fat bike set ups is close to five hundred dollars alone. Just the hub! So, I guess I could put up with a measly $200.00 LED, self-contained unit and a separate "blinky" for what? Another $50.00 for something really nice? And that would cover all my bikes? Yeah......that's a good deal.

But I'm tellin' ya. There is no denying "The Power of the Dynamo Hub". Once bitten, you'll find it hard to look at other lighting systems in the same manner. It's just the money, which is a big obstacle, to get over with those. Otherwise, yeah.....I'm completely sold on dynamo lighting now. But until the entire world decides that dynamo hubs are the bomb, (unlikely), and until I come up with a truckload of cash, (also not very likely), to convert my fleet, I'm also going to be running "traditional" LED-type lights for cycling. Oh, and what about a light for the helmet? You aren't going to run that off a dynamo hub......yet. Maybe someday. But for now, you are probably looking at traditional LED lights for the helmet as well.

So, pretty soon I am supposed to be getting in some lights for review that have some crazy features. Every year these self-contained, LED lights are getting less and less expensive and feature more and more things which I did not know I needed.

Stay tuned.......