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!

Why "The Tire" Matters Today: 25 Years Of 29"ers

Now known as the "Nano" (Image courtesy of WTB)

Yesterday I covered three major players in 29"er development and acceptance that, in my opinion, helped 29"ers be successful and not just a passing fad. It is my belief that those three players, amongst a few others, were responsible for the early momentum behind big wheels for MTB. 

It all started with the 29" Nanoraptor, without which none of what followed it may have happened. So why should we give the Nano a nod in 2024 and beyond? Why should any cyclist care? 

Well, today I am going to play a game of "What if?" regarding the Nanoraptor, 29"ers in general, and the influence of big wheels on cycling. What if the Nanoraptor never happened? 

Well, for one thing there is a pretty good chance that you would still be riding a 26 inch wheeled mountain bike. Not only that, but front derailleurs would probably still be alive and well, since those smaller diameter wheels lower gearing range enough that getting a wide range of gears out of smaller wheels would pretty much exclude any 1X type drive trains. 

Fork Offset: The ability to tune your ride today is a given with the ability to choose different offsets for your suspension forks. This was not an option until 29"ers came along and Gary Fisher Bikes debuted their "G2" geometry which included a longer offset fork. Getting Fox to make this was a huge hurdle, and afterward other companies had to follow suit. Now you have choices, thanks to 29"ers.

Image courtesy of Pivot Cycles

Wider Spaced Wheels: 

While wide overlock dimension wheels probably came along due to tandems and down hill bikes, it may have not caught on for all MTB's if we were still stuck on 26"ers yet. 

29 inch wheels, with their longer spokes, needed a wider base (hub flnge spacing) to really get the wheels to work well off-road. I recall a set of wheels I was to review that were so laterally unstable that I made it about 100 yards down a trail and turned back to head for the shed. Wider spaced flanges helped 29"er wheels immensely and may not have happened had it not been for their existence. 

650B/27.5 Mountain Bike Wheels:

The "mid-sized" 27.5" wheels we still see being utilized on some mountain bikes may not have ever happened without the existence of 29"ers. It wasn't until after 29"ers were gaining a lot of market share that Kirk Pacenti literally stitched together a set of tires to stretch across a 650B rim and the first 2"+ wide 650B tires were seen for MTB. 

Had it not been for the 29"er this alternative to 29"ers may have been seen as just not enough of a difference from 26"ers to matter. In fact, 650B originally was a 26" diameter wheel size! It took the larger volume mountain bike sized 650B tires to get that 27.5" overall diameter. Of course, a bigger, more voluminous 26" tire would do about the same thing. So, in my "what if world", 650B MTB doesn't happen without 29"ers. 

Drop Bar MTB/Adventure Bikes:

Part of the early 29"er scene was about adopting niche, or one could say "weird" traits seen in MTB from years past. Certainly single speeding was one of those things widely adopted by 29"er freaks in the early days. This was so pervasive that brands often made their first 29"er offering a single speed. 

Another widely adopted niche component by 29"er fans was the flared drop bar. Many were drawn to these bars as a way to make a statement and stand out from the crowd of "same thing/different day" 26" wheeled bikes. 

This became something of a movement and became an influence on Salsa Cycles to introduce a drop bar 29"er "adventure" bike. In 2008, the Fargo, a bike well ahead of its time, debuted in the Fall of that year. This bike and its fans would forecast the emergence of the now commonplace drop bar 29"er adventure/bikepacking rigs. Had 29"ers not happened, would this segment of bicycles exist today? I am thinking that they would have been far less attractive, if they existed at all, as 26"ers.  

Gravel grinding on a drop barred Karate Monkey in 2006

Gravel Bikes:

This might seem like a bit of a stretch. But here I go anyway! My feeling is that had the 29"er not come into existence when it did that gravel bikes, as a category, would have been based upon road bikes a lot more than they were. However; elements of MTB have always been a part of gravel riding. This hasn't been more true than with today's fashion for bigger gravel tires bordering on 29"er sized rubber. 

Originally many gravel riders were using cyclo - cross bikes, drop bar 29"ers, or just any mountain bike they could find, for the lack of any true gravel designs. While a cyclo - cross style was eventually adopted, some features influenced by 29'ers were there right away in the flared drop bars and disc brakes. 

Had 29"ers never been in existence it also calls into question whether or not any tires for gravel bikes would have been done. Manufacturers were into playing it safe, up until the 29"er came along. The big wheels took a bit to catch on, but when they did, it was the hottest trend of the late 2000's in off-road and many brands were caught on the outside looking in. This fueled a sort of consciousness amongst brands and marketers to not miss "The Next Big Thing". When gravel bikes did hit the floors of dealers in 2012, brands started to get geared up to hop on that trend immediately. One of the big hold ups was the lack of "real" gravel tires. This spurred WTB, (Yes - them again!) to come out with the Nano 40, a tire probably chosen to reflect that this gravel trend was much like that of the 29"er. 

While other brands, notably Clement/Donnelly, had a gravel tire, it was WTB that stepped up the production levels and offered a true tubeless tire for gravel first. Their experiences with the Nanoraptor 29 were certainly an influence here. So, while gravel bikes and that whole scene may have happened without 29"ers, it probably would have looked a lot different than it has looked. 

That's a wrap on this series. I hope that you enjoyed that look back at the 25 years since 29"ers were first hitting the single track. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Could The Road Pros Soon Be Using Flared Drop Bars?

Last month the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing/sanctioning body of Pro cycling, came down against Pro road riders positioning their brake levers on drop bars in a canted inward position in order to gain an aero advantage. (Read why HERE) 

At first, the knee-jerk reaction was predictable and swift. "Stupid UCI!  Why don't they worry about something really important!" Well, actually, as it turns out, that's exactly what they were doing - worrying about something really important. Like rider safety. That's what. 

In the linked article from Cyclingnews.com you can read in more detail about the stress cracks discovered when they did research into this phenomenon over the course of 2023. Handlebars are being compromised, and this could lead to serious injury or death. The rule for 2024, banning the canted in brake levers, is supported by the rider's association, which is called the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés, or CPA. Their president, Adam Hansen, offers up a curious and novel solution for riders still wanting that aero advantage but needing to be safe and within the rule book's regulations. Flared drop bars.

Hansen seems to indicate in the article I linked to that since the flare of a drop bar gives the rider a wider platform in the drops that there would be no disadvantage while sprinting or accelerating in the drops, but since any significant flare would naturally cant the brake levers inward, that the aero advantages sought by some riders still could be there. 

Could Pro road riders soon be on flared drop bars so that they could have canted in levers like this soon?

Comments: This is sort of ironic in that these bars originated from MTB, and generally speaking, most MTB related tech is seen as not very desirable on the road side. Look how long it took Pro roadies to accept disc brakes, as an example. 

But I think since gravel riders sort of made the flared drop bar their drop bar of choice, it may make the leap to Pro road a bit more palatable and easier to understand from a Pro road rider's viewpoint. It also should be noted that many of the youngest Pro road riders have always known there were gravel events, and that this discipline of cycling is not new and very much akin to pavement road racing. 

However; if flared drops do come to Pro road cycling, my opinion is that the bars will be much narrower than what we see for gravel racing. That flare inward needs to be pretty tight to the stem, and that makes anything much more than a 40cm bar probably too wide for this idea, unless the rider is of a larger stature. (Assuming the bars would be sized as gravel bars are- from the centerline of where the controls attach)

At any rate, I thought the mention of flared drop bars in the same article as Pro road racing was notable from a gravel riding perspective.

How Wide Should Your Drop Bars Be?

 Recently I have posted on various social media and here on this blog about the new Tumbleweed Big Dipper flared drop bar. Of course, as a reviewer, you are expected to push the product out which benefits you - the reviewer - obviously, but also the brand. More eyeballs on my blog and more eyeballs on the product. So, that's why I did what I did. 

On Facebook, there was a long discussion about "How wide is too wide?" for a drop bar. I have to say before going on that the discussion wasn't rife with the usual "shots from the hip", but it had a lot of great viewpoints and I actually learned a thing or two. 

Isn't that how human interactions should work? 

Anyway, I apologize for the diversion, but it was quite noteworthy. Onward...

Anytime you get into how humans interface with a machine, in this case, with a bicycle, the outcomes of research and the science are often fraught with inconsistencies and generalizations. Take for instance bicycle saddles. There is a reason there are so may shapes and sizes of these components. Additionally, there are several ways to be seated on a bicycle, which is going to also affect what saddle you choose. 

Things can even get more sideways when you start talking about fit. How a component should be sized to fit any particular rider has no simple formula, although that never stopped anyone from trying to come up with one. Take crank arm length for one. How many formulas for that have been promoted throughout the years? And if you follow the current wisdom-du-jour, you would be thinking that you need a lot shorter crank arms than you ever dreamed of before. 

Between traditionalism, science, the innergoogles, and mere seat-of-the-pants feel, things can get real murky really fast. So, let's start from the point of traditionalism and build from there. 

Image courtesy of Bicycle Stack Exchange.

As you can see from the image to the left here, the width of a drop bar is measured from the centerline of the point where the levers would mount on a drop bar. NOTE: Flared drop bars will actually end up being wider in the drops due to the flare than the measurement will indicate for any particular flared drop bar. 

Traditionally, a drop bar width was determined by the measurement of an individual's acronium protrusion where the top of the scapula meets the collarbone. This measurement, in metric standard, should match up with a width of handlebar from 36cm to 46cm. 

So, as an example, if your measurement across the acronium protrusions was, say, 390mm, you would go up to a 40cm bar (400mm). 

Now, some say you should size up up to two centimeters, and that is okay. I was never taught that back in my apprenticeship days. But there ya go... Another one of those wrenches in the works! 

Okay, so that is what traditionalists would tell you. But what if you were like me, and your acronium protrusions were 49cm apart? Well, you were screwed, basically. That's because for years drop bars were made for smaller, athletic, racers, not your average Mid-Western Guitar Ted-shaped fellow. 

Now, what does science say? Well, it tracks right along with traditionalism, in that shoulder width is a big factor. However, fit specialists will also ascertain your body type, riding position, and other body measurements to arrive at a place that, ergonomically speaking, should be your ideal drop bar width. But what if you have a drop bar MTB, flared drops, a gravel bike, or what if you are a time -trial specialist or track racer? 

More wrenches in the works.... 

Image courtesy of AeroCoach

A newer trendy way to go with handlebar width for road and gravel is very narrow. I first ran into super-narrow drop bars when I met Ashton Lambie, the track riding ace from Nebraska. He was at The Solstice 100 when I did that event in 2019. He had these crazy-narrow bars on his gravel bike because, as he put it, that was what he was used to from track racing. 

Track racing takes aero very seriously, and so perhaps this idea grew out of the track racing scene. I'm not sure, but it has popped up in the gravel racing segment as well. 

Obviously, this idea gives no regard to ergonomics, and it is all about 'saving watts'. Is that how we should be sizing up drop bars? Wait! Don't answer that just yet. There is more! 

You also have the burgeoning bikepacking scene, and that element of riding has taken a lot of cues from mountain biking. Mountain biking has evolved a LOT since I started riding in the late 1980's when a "wide" flat bar was 660mm. That grew as the 90's came to a close and as the 2000's drew to a close we were looking at handle bars in the 700mm width range and beyond. Take a gander at most flat bar mountain bikes today and you are talking about 800mm handle bars. 

What?!! 

The Tumbleweed Big Dipper Bar in a 54cm width.

So, the drop bar off-roading bikepackers were looking at all of that and thinking, "Hey! Why is the widest flared drop bar a 46cm bar?" And then the next thing ya know we have these wider flared drops all the way up to 600mm in width, which, on the surface of it, doesn't sound all that crazy when flat bars are super-wide. But does that make sense for everybody? 

No, of course not! 

All of the above should illustrate that we are not going to get a straight answer to "How wide should your drop bars be?" because the real answer is a dissatisfying, "It depends". It depends on your body make-up, what you feel is right, how you ride, how you sit on a bike, pain management, riding time, terrain.... You get the picture. 

This is why there are a thousand saddles to choose from, several shoe lasts for different feet, helmets that are roundish, ovalish, and on and on. We need various widths of drop bars, and I - for one - am really excited that the flared drop bar idea spawned wider drop bar choices than 46cm. I am happy for those aero-freakazoids that want super-narrow bars. It's all necessary. 

Yes, necessary. Because if that helps riders feel comfortable, confident, and makes them want to ride, then good. If we have to swap out handlebars, there are lots of choices. Which, yes, can be paralyzing, but also good. Because if you have to get something different, or want to, you can.

So, as I review this Tumbleweed Big Dipper Bar, I am going to look at it from the lens of what it is intended for, (obviously not track racing!), and how something this wide might be, or might not be, a good thing for bikepacking. And of course, I'll throw a little gravel dust thinking on top. 

Stay tuned......

Friday News And Views

It's been 9 years now....

Blackborow DS Nine Year Anniversary:

Those Facebook memories posts sure come in handy some days! Just this week I was reminded of my acquisition of a new fat bike. The Blackborow DS.

A lot of people were stoked about the Forest Service Green color, the very fat tires on 100mm rims, and thought the "dingle-speed" drive train was neat. That said, I don't see many images of these and when I do, they are almost always geared now. 

The dingle-speed bit was genius, I thought, after I had it awhile, and I would never gear this bike. It came from a specific idea: Beach riding in Alaska. Of course, that makes sense, but obviously, not many people would care for this set-up. So I completely understand the conversions to geared set-ups that people have done to these. 

My Blackborow DS is relatively unchanged. I did put a carbon Jones H-Bar on it, but that's about it. Otherwise it is stock, as delivered, and I still have the flat bar it came with along with the lock-on grips. There really is no reason to change much here. This bike is nearly perfect. Perfect for the specific job it is meant for, that is. And for what I want out of it, so there is that as well.

There is an image here posted from the day I received it and built it up. It started snowing around here shortly afterward and 2014 was a pretty decent Winter for fat biking. Not as good as some years, but not terrible. I do remember taking this out on Thanksgiving morning in some fresh snow and having an awesome ride.

I'll have more to say about this bike in my upcoming, end-of-year "Bikes of 2023" posts, which start in a couple of weeks or so. Stay tuned....

GCN App, GCN+ To Shutter In December:

News broke on Wednesday morning this week that the GCN App and GCN+ Network of cycling racing content was shutting down on December 19th. (Read GCN's statement HERE) 

Apparently this was a decision based upon the parent company of GCN, Warner Brothers Discovery. Coverage of Pro racing will continue on Eurosport TV and Discovery+. No plans for how GCN+ viewers in the US can see coverage have been announced yet. 

Comments: I do not watch Pro racing at all, since I am not interested in it much. I'll read about racing, but watching it, a lot of times, is less than exciting. But hey! Some people love it and this news may be a big bummer for some. According to the comments I've seen, there is a fair amount of dismay because many felt that, in the four years that GCN was covering Pro racing, that they did a really great job. Apparently Eurosport and Discovery+ are "too commercialized" and rife with content cycling fans do not want to see.

How's Your Inbox Doing?

If your inbox for email is anything like mine, your inbox is getting pummeled with sales announcements. The discounting pre-Black Friday is already pretty amazing. What will it be like a week from now? 40% off? Half off? 

I did get one email from a well-known UK based purveyor of cycling gear with offers of "up to 60% off" already. It's crazy, and I won't be surprised to see that some others match that, or come close to it.

While you may be numb to all of this, I want to remind everyone that this sort of deep discounting is unprecedented and generally in the realm of a "going out of business sale. Not a Holiday promotion level of discounting. 

So, I will be very surprised if we don't see companies announcing closures, sales/consolidations, or bankruptcies going into 2024. Especially if consumer apathy toward buying continues. I will also be super-surprised if we see anything coming close to these sorts of discounts again for a long time. 

We will see soon enough......

Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bicycle Co.

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. Announces New Flared Drop Bar:

On Wednesday of this past week, Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. dropped a new handle bar. Called the Big Dipper Bar, it is a wide, flared drop bar designed for their Stargazer bicycle which is a bikepacking bike. 

The bar is notable for its width at a starting point of 51cm! There are three widths available: 51cm, 54cm, and a 57cm. The other notable dimension here is the reach, which is a very minimal 50mm. (Measured from the stem clamp area) 

Flared at 20°, the bar should provide copious amounts of arm/wrist clearance when in the drops. The 385 (claimed weight) bar is available in a black anodized finish for now with a polished silver option to come. Price is set at $115.00USD.

Comments: I'd gotten wind of this handlebar's imminent appearance back in early October. It is a specific purpose bar in that it is wide enough to have a bar bag nestle between the hoods and it does require a short stem in most cases to accommodate that wider stance on the hoods. 

My widest drop bar that I've ever used is the Ragley Luxy Bar which is about 60cm where I have my hands in the drops on those wildly swept extensions. So, I guess a wider hoods placement is okay. But the Luxy Bar hoods position is 44cm, so that's quite a lot of variance between hand positions with that bar. Of course, you wouldn't have all that bar bag space with a Luxy as you would with a Big Dipper Bar. 

Tumbleweed sent me this 54cm wide Big Dipper Bar to review

I just received a 54cm version of this handlebar for review. (Standard Disclaimer) So, I'll have my thoughts about this handle bar coming up for you soon. I've never tried one of these wider flared drops like the PNW one or this new Tumbleweed offering. I understand that the shorter reach is supposed to help with the width, and as I stated, I already am somewhat used to "wide" in terms of hand position with the Luxy Bar. This handle bar is going on my Singular Gryphon Mk3 for now. Stay tuned....

That's all for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Get A Grip

The Redshift Sports Cruise Control Grips

Recently my experience with the new Ergon GP1 Evo grips reminded me of how I thought that Ergon should have tried a drop bar specific variation on the GP1 back when I first got a hold of the GP1's in 2005. I know that back then the market for such grips probably was pretty limited, but now?

Well, there are "drop bar specific grips" from several companies and they are starting to catch on. I saw where Jay Petervary was using some of the Redshift Sports Cruise Control grips on that longtail Esker bike. That's a pretty high-profile endorsement of such a grip for long gravel rides. 

But Redshift isn't the only idea out there. I used some longer ESI silicone grips on my Pofahl briefly back more than ten years ago to try to find some relief from the gravel. For myself, that didn't work so well, but those are still a good idea for some folks. Now Ritchey Design has a similar grip out for drops in their WCS Drop Bar Grips.   

The Ritchey WCS Drop Bar Grip (Image courtesy of Ritchey Design)

To my way of thinking the best design for a drop bar grip is more like an Ergon grip, but not everyone may agree with me there. That said, you've got two basic choices in grips with a variation that could be seen as a third variation on the theme, I suppose. then you also have shaped handle bars, which are a separate component and which have their own sets of plusses and minuses for the gravel rider. 

The Ritchey Design grip is representative of what I call "track bar style grips". Grips that go on a drop bar's extensions and maybe as far as up to the lever clamp. There are certainly those who may think, "Just buy a track grip!", and be done with it. Well, that is an option, but the gravel influence usually means that this sort of grip has some "beef" to it and that it is designed to absorb vibrations. That's the idea behind the Ritchey grip. 

My Pofahl custom signature bike with the original set-up featured ESI silicone grips on the drop bar.

 The other variation on this "track bar style grip" is similar but they have "ergonomic bumps" to aid in grip on the drop bar's extensions. I haven't seen a lot of this sort of thing, but examples do exist and I have photographic evidence to share below.

ERE Research grips

The "Shape My Grip" accessory grips fit over the bar and then are wrapped over.

My feelings on this sort of adaptation to drop bars is that they don't really do anything for vibration reduction. The may give you a bit more purchase on the bar in slippery situations, but most of the time they aren't doing much for you.

And maybe that is a criticism to be leveled at all of the solutions I've presented so far, because, ya know, most folks are riding on the hoods a large percentage of the time that they are on the bike. Things down on the extensions aren't of much use to them. That's why shaped bars have become more popular. 

The PRO brand "Vibe" bars (Image courtesy of PRO)

Shaped, "ergonomic" bars, especially carbon handle bars, are very popular because the manufacturer can put the "comfort features" closer to where riders will actually use that. The "tops" section is probably the most commonly affected section of a drop bar in that regard, but the PRO branded "Vibe" bar takes this to an extreme because they have designed that bar to mate with Shimano levers. Understandably so, since PRO is owned by Shimano! 

The thing is, the ergonomic bar has two things going against it. One: The angles and positioning overall of any ergo features are not adjustable. Either you get on with what the designer did, or you do not. The expense of such handlebars makes risking choosing one a harder thing to do. Two: We are hamstrung by the brake lever clamp standard which has been in use for a century and dictates the way we attach levers and therefore it makes any radical changes to the bar shape tough to accomplish. 

Because Whisky designed the Mason Bar to have MTB sized extensions, I was able to mount these Ergon grips.

So, at this point grip technology for drop bars is kind of at a standstill. To my way of thinking, although many people don't ride in the drops, the Redshift Sports Cruise Control grips are still the best thing I've come across for comfort and vibration reduction for drop bars. Yes, the fact that they are very "ergon-like" is not lost on me. But it only makes sense that this is what should be pursued for that particular position on the bars. 

I love the more integrated idea that PRO used on the Vibe bar which transitions the lever to the bars well. That's probably the smartest place to work on for other companies to innovate in because of all the time most people's hands are on the hoods or right there where the lever connects to the bar. 

Time will tell if anybody comes up with some solutions, but I think this is an area ripe for the taking in the gravel market now.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Discover Gravel LLC

New Flint Hills Route For Touring/Ultra-Distance Challenges:

Monday saw the "official" announcement for the Flint Hills Ultra-Gravel Route. This is a self-supported, 1,050 mile loop set up by Discover Gravel LLC's Bobby Thompson. It is pretty much his "love letter to gravel" in that there are no plans for him to profit off of this. As he said to me in an email, his wish is that this route will be "....ultimately providing an experience for the Riders that will hopefully fan the gravel fire for another generation."

From the press release:

 "The route is entirely on public roads and is available to ride year round. FHUGR takes you through 16 counties in two states. Fourteen of those counties are in Kansas and two are in Oklahoma. The two Oklahoma counties are Kay and Osage. Kay county is home to the Kaw Nation. Osage county is home to the Osage Nation. Towns in all 16 counties vary from "ghost" to towns of a few thousand. Emporia KS is by far the largest town on the route although many others are within a few hours pedal from the route."

There will be a mass start for this route called the "Flint Hills Ultra Gravel Tour". this will occur on Memorial Day Weekend out of Emporia, Kansas. Riders are invited to take on the route starting in front of the Emporia Zoo at 8am on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. While there is no entry fee, Bobby is asking folks to pre-register so he can navigate logistical planning better. Things like long term parking, etc.. 

To learn more you can go to www.discovergravel.com. I also will have Bobby on for an interview on   "The Guitar Ted Podcast" soon. 

The Easton EC90 ALX Carbon Gravel Bar (Image courtesy of Easton)

Easton Announces New, Racer-Oriented Carbon Drop Bar:

Elite athletes in the upper echelons of gravel racing are influencing product design now and one of the areas that racers have not liked about traditional gravel style is flared drop bars. 

So, now we're seeing a trend towards less flare and less wide bars in a quest for more aerodynamically efficient racing. Obviously carbon and lightweight are also concerns here. Easton has developed, along with the input from several of their sponsored athletes in the gravel scene, this new EC90 ALX Carbon Drop Bar. 

Featuring 10° of flare only, these bars have optimized, size-specific carbon profiles aimed at reducing vibrations for the rider. The ergonomic top section is optimized for each size as well, giving a similar ride feel across the range of sizes available. Those sizes include a new, 38cm width which was also requested by some of the the Easton sponsored athletes. 

Ridden by overall Life Time Grand Prix winner, Haley Hunter-Smith and other top gravel athletes, this bar weighs in at 205 grams for the 42cm size and costs $299.99 USD/$399.99CAD.

Comments: As the "roadification" of gravel steams forward at an alarming pace, it is no wonder that bars like these are being offered. Knowing how the 12° of flare in a Salsa Cycles Cowbell bar works though, I suspect that this bar will be okay as well. Still, I would contend that anytime a compromise for going fast is made, it takes away from comfort, in general. Easton claims this bar has an engineered-in comfort factor while it is supposed to retain torsional stiffness. I guess I'll find out soon enough. Easton has one on the way in for test and review for Riding Gravel. Stay tuned....
 

That's N.Y. Roll's dog, Ella.

Podcast Alert:

We posted another podcast episode late last week. (AND one THIS week here.) In case you missed that, the link to listen is HERE. (or HERE!- for this week's show) Thanks to those who have, or will listen, and especially to those of you that have donated to help support the podcast. (Interested in supporting the show? Simply donate at PayPal to g.ted.productions@gmail.com)

In news for the podcast, we picked up a new sponsor in The Spinistry, a Texas based outfit that has been promoting gravel events since 2010. They have and still put on popular gravel events like the Red River Riot, the Texas Chainring Massacre, and the ultra-distance, gravel/bikepacking event, the RAT. (Ride Across Texas)

We are also lining up interviews now with a couple of promoters of gravel events from different states, as noted above in the FHUG story above. So, look for that to be happening in the weeks to come. You might also notice a slight change to the name of the podcast. I will be trying to make tweaks and changes that make sense for the show this year. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. 

Fox Racing's Union in Red (Image courtesy of Fox)

Fox Racing Enters The MTB Shoe Market:

Those of you that know that Fox Racing got its start in the late 70's in motocross know that Fox has done boots for moto riders for years. Well, now they have tossed their helmet into the ring as a cycling shoe manufacturer as well.

They introduced the Union range of MTB shoes yesterday. These tend toward the flat pedal, street shoe look, and not the roadie/XC MTB type of shoe. A couple of the shoes even have laces. So, I feel that these shoes will appeal to the adventurous gravel rider, bike packer, and tourist as well as being a shoe for MTB.

The top of the range Union BOA has, as you might expect, BOA closures and is the most expensive at $249.95. The mid-range Union is the one I think is the most interesting as it has laces, still has the SPD capabilities of the Union BOA. but clocks in at $179.95. About 70 bucks less, and basically is the same shoe functionally. The Union Flat is cheaper still at about 30 bucks less, but is for flat pedals only and lacks the Velcro strap to harness in those loose laces. 

I may have a pair show up here to test. Stay tuned on that......
 
That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get out and ride if you can! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Discover Gravel LLC

New Flint Hills Route For Touring/Ultra-Distance Challenges:

Monday saw the "official" announcement for the Flint Hills Ultra-Gravel Route. This is a self-supported, 1,050 mile loop set up by Discover Gravel LLC's Bobby Thompson. It is pretty much his "love letter to gravel" in that there are no plans for him to profit off of this. As he said to me in an email, his wish is that this route will be "....ultimately providing an experience for the Riders that will hopefully fan the gravel fire for another generation."

From the press release:

 "The route is entirely on public roads and is available to ride year round. FHUGR takes you through 16 counties in two states. Fourteen of those counties are in Kansas and two are in Oklahoma. The two Oklahoma counties are Kay and Osage. Kay county is home to the Kaw Nation. Osage county is home to the Osage Nation. Towns in all 16 counties vary from "ghost" to towns of a few thousand. Emporia KS is by far the largest town on the route although many others are within a few hours pedal from the route."

There will be a mass start for this route called the "Flint Hills Ultra Gravel Tour". this will occur on Memorial Day Weekend out of Emporia, Kansas. Riders are invited to take on the route starting in front of the Emporia Zoo at 8am on Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. While there is no entry fee, Bobby is asking folks to pre-register so he can navigate logistical planning better. Things like long term parking, etc.. 

To learn more you can go to www.discovergravel.com. I also will have Bobby on for an interview on   "The Guitar Ted Podcast" soon. 

The Easton EC90 ALX Carbon Gravel Bar (Image courtesy of Easton)

Easton Announces New, Racer-Oriented Carbon Drop Bar:

Elite athletes in the upper echelons of gravel racing are influencing product design now and one of the areas that racers have not liked about traditional gravel style is flared drop bars. 

So, now we're seeing a trend towards less flare and less wide bars in a quest for more aerodynamically efficient racing. Obviously carbon and lightweight are also concerns here. Easton has developed, along with the input from several of their sponsored athletes in the gravel scene, this new EC90 ALX Carbon Drop Bar. 

Featuring 10° of flare only, these bars have optimized, size-specific carbon profiles aimed at reducing vibrations for the rider. The ergonomic top section is optimized for each size as well, giving a similar ride feel across the range of sizes available. Those sizes include a new, 38cm width which was also requested by some of the the Easton sponsored athletes. 

Ridden by overall Life Time Grand Prix winner, Haley Hunter-Smith and other top gravel athletes, this bar weighs in at 205 grams for the 42cm size and costs $299.99 USD/$399.99CAD.

Comments: As the "roadification" of gravel steams forward at an alarming pace, it is no wonder that bars like these are being offered. Knowing how the 12° of flare in a Salsa Cycles Cowbell bar works though, I suspect that this bar will be okay as well. Still, I would contend that anytime a compromise for going fast is made, it takes away from comfort, in general. Easton claims this bar has an engineered-in comfort factor while it is supposed to retain torsional stiffness. I guess I'll find out soon enough. Easton has one on the way in for test and review for Riding Gravel. Stay tuned....
 

That's N.Y. Roll's dog, Ella.

Podcast Alert:

We posted another podcast episode late last week. (AND one THIS week here.) In case you missed that, the link to listen is HERE. (or HERE!- for this week's show) Thanks to those who have, or will listen, and especially to those of you that have donated to help support the podcast. (Interested in supporting the show? Simply donate at PayPal to g.ted.productions@gmail.com)

In news for the podcast, we picked up a new sponsor in The Spinistry, a Texas based outfit that has been promoting gravel events since 2010. They have and still put on popular gravel events like the Red River Riot, the Texas Chainring Massacre, and the ultra-distance, gravel/bikepacking event, the RAT. (Ride Across Texas)

We are also lining up interviews now with a couple of promoters of gravel events from different states, as noted above in the FHUG story above. So, look for that to be happening in the weeks to come. You might also notice a slight change to the name of the podcast. I will be trying to make tweaks and changes that make sense for the show this year. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears. 

Fox Racing's Union in Red (Image courtesy of Fox)

Fox Racing Enters The MTB Shoe Market:

Those of you that know that Fox Racing got its start in the late 70's in motocross know that Fox has done boots for moto riders for years. Well, now they have tossed their helmet into the ring as a cycling shoe manufacturer as well.

They introduced the Union range of MTB shoes yesterday. These tend toward the flat pedal, street shoe look, and not the roadie/XC MTB type of shoe. A couple of the shoes even have laces. So, I feel that these shoes will appeal to the adventurous gravel rider, bike packer, and tourist as well as being a shoe for MTB.

The top of the range Union BOA has, as you might expect, BOA closures and is the most expensive at $249.95. The mid-range Union is the one I think is the most interesting as it has laces, still has the SPD capabilities of the Union BOA. but clocks in at $179.95. About 70 bucks less, and basically is the same shoe functionally. The Union Flat is cheaper still at about 30 bucks less, but is for flat pedals only and lacks the Velcro strap to harness in those loose laces. 

I may have a pair show up here to test. Stay tuned on that......
 
That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get out and ride if you can! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Friday News And Views

WTB Adds 40mm Vulpine gravel tire range. (Image courtesy of WTB)

WTB Adds Wider Vulpine To Gravel Tire Range:

 Late last year I was able to review the WTB Vulpine 700 X 36mm tires for Riding Gravel. (HERE) I really liked them, but I was so hoping that WTB would make a wider version, because our gravel here really demands a 40+ size tire, maybe up to a 47mm tire. Anything in that range would be best here, and honestly, most riders want a 40-42mm tire. It is the "sweet-spot" for width on a 700c diameter wheel. 

In the linked review I mention, I had this to say about the 36mm Vulpine: "The Vulpine is- by far– WTB’s best riding tire for gravel yet." I can only imagine that this wider version will not only ride as well, but handle a whole lot better than the 36mm one did. 

And maybe I'll be getting the chance to find out. Stay tuned on that one.....

For now all you need to know is that the 700 X 40mm is available in a 60TPI folding skin wall and the 120TPI black wall SG2 puncture protected version. Available now at WTB.com 

Redshift Sports Announces The Kitchen Sink Handle Bar Bag:

If you have paid attention to my bike set up and read thoroughly here you already know I use a Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Handle Bar.  One of the comments I made about it back then was that it might make sense to have the space the loop outlines from the front of  the handle bar be a space for a bag.

Well, I am not going to say that I had any influence here, but that is exactly what Redshift Sports has done. They call it- not surprisingly- the Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink handle bar bag. 

Redshift sent me one to try out a while back and I have a review of it on Riding Gravel here. I will say that it is about perfect for this handle bar. Not too big, but not so small it might have been not useful. There are two magnets for the 'flip-top' lid or you can zip it up. I unzipped the top and just used the magnetic closure. It is very secure, very easy to use, and well made. The loops on top can be used to lash another bag, or a jacket to the bag top, or there is an accessory computer mount that wedges into the webbing that might be of interest. 

Anyway, I like it. Standard Disclaimer applies. 

Need A Loop But Want Carbon?   

The new Merit Rodla carbon fiber flared drop bar might be a good choice if you like a Kitchen Sink bar type of idea, but want a lightweight version of that. Merit claims this one is about 365 grams, which is around 200 less than an aluminum Kitchen Sink bar. 

The price is not terrible either at about $220.00 direct from Merit. That seems pretty reasonable for a carbon fiber drop bar. It's got a claimed 25° flare and 110mm of drop with 75mm of reach, so it is pretty spot on with the geometry. 

Comments: Question: Would the Kitchen Sink Handle Bar bag work? Maybe..... Probably not perfectly, if at all. It'd be cool if it did though. Anyway, how about that angle to the extensions? That's the thing though, right? Any of these loop extension drop bars, or with any handle bar that predetermines stem/bar relationships for you, you get what you get. There is no adjustability once the pieces are fixed permanently in space. Might agree with you, might not.

While the bar is reasonably priced, that experimentation with fit is not possible, so it is a big risk to try bars like this when they are this expensive. Get it wrong and good luck getting anywhere close to your money back on it. Plus, you'd have the hassle of hawking it on the innerwebs. Fun!

Otherwise this is a cool idea, and I like the flattened tops too. It would be interesting to try one out.

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast Episode #101:

The latest podcast is up and ready for you to listen to. As of now I am still working on Apple podcast service but you can access this from Google Podcast, Spotify, or Anchor.fm for now. 

Here's the Link

Thanks for listening, if you do, and for your support!

That's it for this week's "FN&V"! Have a fun weekend and get in some riding!