Friday News And Views

SunTour S-1 Rear Derailleur. (Image courtesy of Disraeli Gears)

 Really Old Rear Derailleur Idea Gets Resurrected - Again!

Bicycle technology is a strange soup made up of really smart ideas cooked up in the late 19th/early 20th Centuries and reinvented as "new" ideas decades later. Today I have a fun one that popped up because Rene Herse came out with a "Nivex" rear derailleur recently, a design manufactured around 1935. Then it was infamously resurrected by SunTour in the early 1990's. 

The new RH remake looks to be made of a CNC'ed aluminum, although their site gives little information on it. The piece is manufactured partially in the USA and Taiwan. The derailleur necessitates the use of a chain stay braze-on to mount it, and a special shifter that pulls a continuous cable is also part of the system, but not included in the $729.00 price for the rear derailleur. 

Comments: I've worked on several of the SunTour examples. They were indexed at the derailleur for seven speed cassettes and free wheels, usually. This rear derailleur from RH will be friction, so it could work with many different speed systems. Its main benefit is that it remains tucked up and out of the way from trail debris and it is less likely to be bent, or cause a bent hangar due to its more robust, low profile mount. 

The Nivex rear derailleur. (Image courtesy of Rene Herse)

This particular RH example is, in my opinion, inferior to the SunTour model in that it relies on a CNC type manufacturing design which, in my experience and observation, is not as robust a way to manufacture a thing like a rear derailleur as the stamped metal construction that most S-1 rear derailleurs employed. RH says the Nivex (The name is derived from one of the original makers of this design in the early 20th Century) is rebuildable and spares will be available. Yep! That's what the 1990's CNC rear derailleurs had going for them as well. That doesn't help when you grenade a rear derailleur in the middle of nowhere. (I blew two 1990's examples up, so I know about that) 

Then there is the price tag. Considering that you may have to modify your steel frame (aluminum and carbon frame owners probably aren't going with this, but you could) and that you need a shifter to match up, this is going to send your little weirdo rear derailleur experiment over the 1K mark easily. Hmm..... Why?

You could just as easily do an old friction shifter and an old 1990's XT rear derailleur for peanuts and not have to mod a frame. Same experience, less cabbage. You decide.....

The route for the 2009 Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational

Asking For A Friend:

Recently a reader of this blog asked about the 2009 route for the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational which I spoke about in detail in this post recently. the request was whether or not there were cues or a gpx file for the route. 

Upon further inspection, I found 2/3rds of the original route, but what happened to the rest is a mystery. No matter, because I can recreate that with little problems. However; I also would modify the route to reflect the way that we did it in 2014/15 instead.

The reason being is that when the route starts out of Backbone State Park, the options for over nights and resupply make a lot more sense. Starting in the State Park allows you the option of camping there, and Backbone State Park is a very nice venue to start from, with amenities for showers, camping, cabin rentals, and stuff to do for support/family members that are not riding, if that is the case for you. 

It also puts you in Elkader around lunchtime, (if you start bright and early, as you should), and that village has several lunch options. Resupply towns fall in good places as well. You'd have Wadena, Volga, (admittedly not much there) and Elgin. Plus Garber, and just off course, Edgewood, although by that time you'd be so close to coming back through Strawberry Point you may as well stay the course. 

So, anyway... Any interest in me doing up the route again, making it available in gpx and in cue sheet forms? Let me know. I probably would do this on a free will donation basis, just so you know. Merry Christmas!

Velo Orange's eccentric bottom bracket.

Velo Orange Teases New EBB Option:

Sometimes you just have to simplify, but if that means going single speed for you, it may not be an option with your particular bike. Some companies in the past have recognized this fault of some frames to have any way to tension a chain for single speed use and have offered eccentric bottom brackets, or in the case of the ENO hub, an eccentric rear hub. 

Velo Orange sent out an email to its subscribers to their newsletter last Monday showing, amongst other future offerings, an eccentric bottom bracket. It works by utilizing outboard cups which are then set up with a pair of offset bearings. This allows for a 24mm spindled crank set, (typically Shimano), to be adjusted to tension a chain even if your bicycle has vertical drop outs or a rear through axle set up.  

I used a similar idea that was offered by Wheels Manufacturing to set up my Twin Six Standard Rando v2 as a single speed, only thing being that my bike had a PF-30 shell. The Velo Orange offering will work with a threaded BSA bottom bracket shell in 68mm or 73mm widths. So, for instance, I could get this and set up my Gen I Fargo as a single speed, or- I could use that bottom bracket to allow for a single speed bail-out option should I have a rear derailleur failure. 

This bottom bracket that VO is offering looks to be adjusted via the hexagonal shaped outer casing using a large wrench, I would assume. There seems to be what looks like a grub screw there which I would imagine sets the tension so the eccentric stays where you adjust it. No price has been revealed, but VO says that they expect these in for sale in late February, early March. 

Scott Bikes Debuts Solace eGravel Bike:

Scott bikes introduced a new electrified bicycle yesterday for gravel riding/racing called the Solace. Featuring a sleek, integrated motor and battery, the bike weighs in with zero accessories at 26.5lbs. It has great geometry, and it is claimed that it's new mid-motor has almost zero drag, so that if you had to go without the electrical assistance, it wouldn't feel draggy. It has a generous weight limitation of approximately 262lbs including rider and gear.

Comments: First, a question- Aren't electrified bicycles supposed to "get people who cannot/normally would not ride out riding? Aren't these bicycles supposedly here to improve the cycling experience for those who could not participate well, or at all, without electrification? 

Your answer to those questions should inform your opinion of this new bike. I would argue that this new Scott Solace does none of the things those questions seek to answer. 

First off, it costs over ten thousand dollars. Nuff said there, I think.

Secondly, its range for assistance, which admittedly can vary due to terrain, rider weight, etc, is very limited. One reviewer I read said that at 82K rider weight, he was only able to get twenty-seven miles before he ran out of battery, and that was with 900Ft of elevation gain. (!!!) 

Finally, the bike weighs over 26 pounds. Great for an electrified bike, but it is obvious that most of the time you are riding it won't be that sort of bike, especially if you like your rides to go for a few hours at a crack. So, spending 10k+ for that? 

Fail.

That's a wrap for this week. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Friday News And Views

SunTour S-1 Rear Derailleur. (Image courtesy of Disraeli Gears)

 Really Old Rear Derailleur Idea Gets Resurrected - Again!

Bicycle technology is a strange soup made up of really smart ideas cooked up in the late 19th/early 20th Centuries and reinvented as "new" ideas decades later. Today I have a fun one that popped up because Rene Herse came out with a "Nivex" rear derailleur recently, a design manufactured around 1935. Then it was infamously resurrected by SunTour in the early 1990's. 

The new RH remake looks to be made of a CNC'ed aluminum, although their site gives little information on it. The piece is manufactured partially in the USA and Taiwan. The derailleur necessitates the use of a chain stay braze-on to mount it, and a special shifter that pulls a continuous cable is also part of the system, but not included in the $729.00 price for the rear derailleur. 

Comments: I've worked on several of the SunTour examples. They were indexed at the derailleur for seven speed cassettes and free wheels, usually. This rear derailleur from RH will be friction, so it could work with many different speed systems. Its main benefit is that it remains tucked up and out of the way from trail debris and it is less likely to be bent, or cause a bent hangar due to its more robust, low profile mount. 

The Nivex rear derailleur. (Image courtesy of Rene Herse)

This particular RH example is, in my opinion, inferior to the SunTour model in that it relies on a CNC type manufacturing design which, in my experience and observation, is not as robust a way to manufacture a thing like a rear derailleur as the stamped metal construction that most S-1 rear derailleurs employed. RH says the Nivex (The name is derived from one of the original makers of this design in the early 20th Century) is rebuildable and spares will be available. Yep! That's what the 1990's CNC rear derailleurs had going for them as well. That doesn't help when you grenade a rear derailleur in the middle of nowhere. (I blew two 1990's examples up, so I know about that) 

Then there is the price tag. Considering that you may have to modify your steel frame (aluminum and carbon frame owners probably aren't going with this, but you could) and that you need a shifter to match up, this is going to send your little weirdo rear derailleur experiment over the 1K mark easily. Hmm..... Why?

You could just as easily do an old friction shifter and an old 1990's XT rear derailleur for peanuts and not have to mod a frame. Same experience, less cabbage. You decide.....

The route for the 2009 Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational

Asking For A Friend:

Recently a reader of this blog asked about the 2009 route for the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational which I spoke about in detail in this post recently. the request was whether or not there were cues or a gpx file for the route. 

Upon further inspection, I found 2/3rds of the original route, but what happened to the rest is a mystery. No matter, because I can recreate that with little problems. However; I also would modify the route to reflect the way that we did it in 2014/15 instead.

The reason being is that when the route starts out of Backbone State Park, the options for over nights and resupply make a lot more sense. Starting in the State Park allows you the option of camping there, and Backbone State Park is a very nice venue to start from, with amenities for showers, camping, cabin rentals, and stuff to do for support/family members that are not riding, if that is the case for you. 

It also puts you in Elkader around lunchtime, (if you start bright and early, as you should), and that village has several lunch options. Resupply towns fall in good places as well. You'd have Wadena, Volga, (admittedly not much there) and Elgin. Plus Garber, and just off course, Edgewood, although by that time you'd be so close to coming back through Strawberry Point you may as well stay the course. 

So, anyway... Any interest in me doing up the route again, making it available in gpx and in cue sheet forms? Let me know. I probably would do this on a free will donation basis, just so you know. Merry Christmas!

Velo Orange's eccentric bottom bracket.

Velo Orange Teases New EBB Option:

Sometimes you just have to simplify, but if that means going single speed for you, it may not be an option with your particular bike. Some companies in the past have recognized this fault of some frames to have any way to tension a chain for single speed use and have offered eccentric bottom brackets, or in the case of the ENO hub, an eccentric rear hub. 

Velo Orange sent out an email to its subscribers to their newsletter last Monday showing, amongst other future offerings, an eccentric bottom bracket. It works by utilizing outboard cups which are then set up with a pair of offset bearings. This allows for a 24mm spindled crank set, (typically Shimano), to be adjusted to tension a chain even if your bicycle has vertical drop outs or a rear through axle set up.  

I used a similar idea that was offered by Wheels Manufacturing to set up my Twin Six Standard Rando v2 as a single speed, only thing being that my bike had a PF-30 shell. The Velo Orange offering will work with a threaded BSA bottom bracket shell in 68mm or 73mm widths. So, for instance, I could get this and set up my Gen I Fargo as a single speed, or- I could use that bottom bracket to allow for a single speed bail-out option should I have a rear derailleur failure. 

This bottom bracket that VO is offering looks to be adjusted via the hexagonal shaped outer casing using a large wrench, I would assume. There seems to be what looks like a grub screw there which I would imagine sets the tension so the eccentric stays where you adjust it. No price has been revealed, but VO says that they expect these in for sale in late February, early March. 

Scott Bikes Debuts Solace eGravel Bike:

Scott bikes introduced a new electrified bicycle yesterday for gravel riding/racing called the Solace. Featuring a sleek, integrated motor and battery, the bike weighs in with zero accessories at 26.5lbs. It has great geometry, and it is claimed that it's new mid-motor has almost zero drag, so that if you had to go without the electrical assistance, it wouldn't feel draggy. It has a generous weight limitation of approximately 262lbs including rider and gear.

Comments: First, a question- Aren't electrified bicycles supposed to "get people who cannot/normally would not ride out riding? Aren't these bicycles supposedly here to improve the cycling experience for those who could not participate well, or at all, without electrification? 

Your answer to those questions should inform your opinion of this new bike. I would argue that this new Scott Solace does none of the things those questions seek to answer. 

First off, it costs over ten thousand dollars. Nuff said there, I think.

Secondly, its range for assistance, which admittedly can vary due to terrain, rider weight, etc, is very limited. One reviewer I read said that at 82K rider weight, he was only able to get twenty-seven miles before he ran out of battery, and that was with 900Ft of elevation gain. (!!!) 

Finally, the bike weighs over 26 pounds. Great for an electrified bike, but it is obvious that most of the time you are riding it won't be that sort of bike, especially if you like your rides to go for a few hours at a crack. So, spending 10k+ for that? 

Fail.

That's a wrap for this week. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Friday News And Views

Gravel Worlds seeks to have at least 1000 women in '22

Gravel Worlds Launches Women's Initiative:

In an effort to balance out the participation of women in Gravel Worlds with the men, Gravel Worlds is offering a 1000 spots across its various distances exclusively for women ahead of the opening of regular registration next month. 

An incentive for doing this is that Gravel Worlds will be donating a certain amount per registrant and they have a matching grant lined up to double the impact. From the press release:

"Gravel Worlds will be donating $5 per rider to the Nebraska Interscholastic Cycling League (Nebraska NICA Chapter) to their GRiT (Girls Riding Together) campaign for the first 1000 woman who sign up for the 300-mile, 150-mile, 75-mile, or 50k cycling distances. In addition, Gravel Worlds sponsor, HMH Logistics will be matching this donation for a potential total of $10,000 donated to GRiT."

Gravel Worlds also announced a gender nuetral category for their main event as well. More details can be seen at Gravel Worlds website. 

Gravel Routes Approved By Women:

I saw on social media where there is a site exclusively for women that curates routes on gravel. This is kind of Colorado/inter-mountain West-centric, but there are some rides from all across the US. 

Interest in routes has always been high and this probably will be a popular resource for those out West. However; I could see where someone might try a nationwide data base of gravel routes with information and ratings like this site has. 

It is interesting and I've been asked to drop routes I've come up with in the past, but there are a few issues with regard to providing 'curated routes' which you may not have thought of. For instance, let's say you draw up a route and give information on it with points of interest and places where you can resupply, or places you'll pass through to see and get things at. Well, let's say a bridge goes out, or a place closes that was the linchpin for resupply. Now let's say someone gets bitten by that who had planned a big vacation around 'your route' and deems their money spent and time taken off a waste due to 'your incompetent information'. You can say "Hey! I am only telling you this could be a good route to ride", but you'd be wasting your time and now you've got a ticked off person emailing you their negativity. 

You can disclaim things till the cows come home, but that won't change the hassle and the energy drain of dealing with ignorant people. I'm not saying that these women shouldn't do what they are doing, but I am saying why I won't ever do that. I know others provide routes, and you might think it is "no big deal", but after putting a gravel calendar out, (which I quit doing for reasons like I have pointed out), I know what can happen. 

PON Holdings Purchases Dorel Sports: 

A big merger in the bicycle industry happened this week when it was announced that Pon Holdings bought Dorel Sports for $810 million. This may sound like gibberish to you, so let me break it down into 'bike nerd' language. 

Essentially what this means is that A bunch of Euro bike brands owned by Pon, including the US MTB brand Santa Cruz and the Euro racing brand Cervelo, are now joined together with Cannondale, GT Bikes, Schwinn, and Pacific Cycle. 

The sale should be completed by Spring 2022, according to several reports. It is thought that this will form the world's largest specialty bicycle group, eclipsing the former top company, Giant. 

Comments:  Typical of Pon Holdings, I would expect them to make minimal changes to the brands they acquired in this sale. Santa Cruz, when it was purchased by Pon several years ago, basically continued on unchanged, as an example. What I would expect is an injection of capital with this acquisition allowing these companies to advance and grow further. It would be congruent with Pon's past historical bicycle business ventures. 

With electrified bicycles being all the rage in Europe and now in the US, I would also expect a big change in how many models some of these brands Pon acquired carries in their ranges. Anything beyond that is a mystery to me at this point, but again, most folks probably won't see a difference now, or in the near future, with regard to this sale.

The 2022 Carbon Mukluk XT (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Color Changes Highlight Salsa Fat Bike Line For '22:

Yesterday Salsa dropped the news on its 2022 line of fat bikes. It is pared down from previous years, probably due to supply chain issues. But whatever the reasons, you get basically two levels of Beargrease and Mukluk. 

Comments: It is interesting to see Salsa stick with the skinwall fat tires on the Mukluk. I like the look as it hearkens back to the original Pugsley, but I am sure it is a polarizing spec choice. The other notable thing here is that both the Beargrease and the Mukluk in current versions are pretty long in the tooth. There really hasn't been any innovation for 5 years. 

And what about the Blackborow longtail fat bike? There was nothing in the press release about that bike. I would assume it fell victim to the shortages and Salsa is only offering what it can make which sells the best for now. Clearly that is the Beargrease and Mukluk platforms. 

Parting Shot: Is Trek planning on going to a D2C model soon? This article shows why that may be true. 

That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

Gravel Worlds seeks to have at least 1000 women in '22

Gravel Worlds Launches Women's Initiative:

In an effort to balance out the participation of women in Gravel Worlds with the men, Gravel Worlds is offering a 1000 spots across its various distances exclusively for women ahead of the opening of regular registration next month. 

An incentive for doing this is that Gravel Worlds will be donating a certain amount per registrant and they have a matching grant lined up to double the impact. From the press release:

"Gravel Worlds will be donating $5 per rider to the Nebraska Interscholastic Cycling League (Nebraska NICA Chapter) to their GRiT (Girls Riding Together) campaign for the first 1000 woman who sign up for the 300-mile, 150-mile, 75-mile, or 50k cycling distances. In addition, Gravel Worlds sponsor, HMH Logistics will be matching this donation for a potential total of $10,000 donated to GRiT."

Gravel Worlds also announced a gender nuetral category for their main event as well. More details can be seen at Gravel Worlds website. 

Gravel Routes Approved By Women:

I saw on social media where there is a site exclusively for women that curates routes on gravel. This is kind of Colorado/inter-mountain West-centric, but there are some rides from all across the US. 

Interest in routes has always been high and this probably will be a popular resource for those out West. However; I could see where someone might try a nationwide data base of gravel routes with information and ratings like this site has. 

It is interesting and I've been asked to drop routes I've come up with in the past, but there are a few issues with regard to providing 'curated routes' which you may not have thought of. For instance, let's say you draw up a route and give information on it with points of interest and places where you can resupply, or places you'll pass through to see and get things at. Well, let's say a bridge goes out, or a place closes that was the linchpin for resupply. Now let's say someone gets bitten by that who had planned a big vacation around 'your route' and deems their money spent and time taken off a waste due to 'your incompetent information'. You can say "Hey! I am only telling you this could be a good route to ride", but you'd be wasting your time and now you've got a ticked off person emailing you their negativity. 

You can disclaim things till the cows come home, but that won't change the hassle and the energy drain of dealing with ignorant people. I'm not saying that these women shouldn't do what they are doing, but I am saying why I won't ever do that. I know others provide routes, and you might think it is "no big deal", but after putting a gravel calendar out, (which I quit doing for reasons like I have pointed out), I know what can happen. 

PON Holdings Purchases Dorel Sports: 

A big merger in the bicycle industry happened this week when it was announced that Pon Holdings bought Dorel Sports for $810 million. This may sound like gibberish to you, so let me break it down into 'bike nerd' language. 

Essentially what this means is that A bunch of Euro bike brands owned by Pon, including the US MTB brand Santa Cruz and the Euro racing brand Cervelo, are now joined together with Cannondale, GT Bikes, Schwinn, and Pacific Cycle. 

The sale should be completed by Spring 2022, according to several reports. It is thought that this will form the world's largest specialty bicycle group, eclipsing the former top company, Giant. 

Comments:  Typical of Pon Holdings, I would expect them to make minimal changes to the brands they acquired in this sale. Santa Cruz, when it was purchased by Pon several years ago, basically continued on unchanged, as an example. What I would expect is an injection of capital with this acquisition allowing these companies to advance and grow further. It would be congruent with Pon's past historical bicycle business ventures. 

With electrified bicycles being all the rage in Europe and now in the US, I would also expect a big change in how many models some of these brands Pon acquired carries in their ranges. Anything beyond that is a mystery to me at this point, but again, most folks probably won't see a difference now, or in the near future, with regard to this sale.

The 2022 Carbon Mukluk XT (Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles)

Color Changes Highlight Salsa Fat Bike Line For '22:

Yesterday Salsa dropped the news on its 2022 line of fat bikes. It is pared down from previous years, probably due to supply chain issues. But whatever the reasons, you get basically two levels of Beargrease and Mukluk. 

Comments: It is interesting to see Salsa stick with the skinwall fat tires on the Mukluk. I like the look as it hearkens back to the original Pugsley, but I am sure it is a polarizing spec choice. The other notable thing here is that both the Beargrease and the Mukluk in current versions are pretty long in the tooth. There really hasn't been any innovation for 5 years. 

And what about the Blackborow longtail fat bike? There was nothing in the press release about that bike. I would assume it fell victim to the shortages and Salsa is only offering what it can make which sells the best for now. Clearly that is the Beargrease and Mukluk platforms. 

Parting Shot: Is Trek planning on going to a D2C model soon? This article shows why that may be true. 

That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and get out and ride!