Friday News And Views

S-Phyre SH-RX910 (Image Courtesy of Shimano)

Shimano Offers New Range-Topping Gravel Racing Shoe:

Shimano quietly introduced a new range-topping gravel racing shoe this past week called the S-Phyre RX910. S-Phyre is typically reserved for all-out racing performance footwear in Shimano's nomenclature. 

Shimano gave the RX910 a slightly curved sole for better walk-ability.  Enhancing pedal stability was done by adding Shimano's "pontoon" plate under the cleats which features two rubber stabilizers adjacent to the cleat pocket. These stabilizers contact the SPD pedal body to give riders a better platform for pedaling. These also enhance off the bike walk-ability. 

The RX910's have a TPU upper, two drain holes in the soles to allow for faster drying of feet in case of wet weather, or water crossings, and on-the-fly adjustable BOA closures. The new SH-RX910 S-Phyre gravel shoes come in White, Black, Deep Sea Blue, and Blue. The RX910 has a suggested retail price of $480.00 USD. 

The Guitar Ted Podcast Episode #86:

A new episode just dropped this week where N.Y. Roll and I discuss the new Trek Checkpoint, new Surly Straggler, and that new, upcoming Salsa Cycles FS drop bar bike which should debut in a month. 

You can check out the Guitar Ted Podcast on most any podcast platform, or find the latest episode HERE on the Spotify page for the show.  

 I had a thought, which I expressed on this episode, which was about this new drop bar FS Salsa rig. I was wondering, "Is this going to be the Cutthroat FS?" 

If the image is true to the bike in the teaser, it is pretty plain to see this bike is no gravel bike. There is a decent amount of travel, a high bottom bracket, and beefy looking tires there. A bikepacking FS rig in carbon? To me this makes sense if it is a FS Cutthroat, but Salsa has probably decided upon some other name for this bike. 

We only have to wait one more month to find out.... 

Found On Ratio Tech's social media

Ratio Technology To Introduce T-Style Rear Mech:

There are many stories out now concerning Ratio Technology and their development of a T-Style mount rear derailleur. Ratio Technology already offers kits to convert SRAM components to have more speeds, or to be compatible with wide-range, 1X cassettes and drop bar levers.  

Digging a little further it appears as though this rear derailleur will also be compatible with regular hangars by removing the direct, co-axial mount and swapped out for a bit which will make the rear derailleur mount like traditional rear mechs. 

I also read on another post where this rear derailleur will be compatible with several drive train formats, making this perhaps the most versatile rear derailleur in existence. As long as you are pulling a cable, that is! 

There is even a hint of this thing being made in a silver color. That would be pretty radical! I'll be keeping my eye out for more about this system and I may get some Ratio bits in for testing for next season.  

From the GCHoF social media post

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations:

The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame soft-launched their window for nominations on October 1st. This will be open until November 30th according to a social media post put out by the GCHoF. 

The GCHoF does their nominations by a democratic process wherein anyone can send in a nomination with the following guidelines: 

"Your submission should clearly describe the nominee’s achievements and contributions, including specific examples such as events they have organized, races they have competed in, advocacy work, or initiatives that have helped grow and shape the gravel cycling community. "

Nominations must be at least 200 words long and up to 600 words in length, according to the GCHoF site. Click the link above for more details. 

Comments: It is no secret that (a) I am in the GCHoF, (b) that I have criticized their nomination process in the past, and (c) there is a glaring omission amongst the inductees. I will continue to hold my positions on these points until something changes to help me understand why certain alternatives are not explored for nominations. The way they do things now is a recipe for inclusion of folks at the exclusion of some who should be in the GCHoF from a historical and influential background. The Board knows my position, they know how I would like to see this handled, and this is all that matters. They can decide how this goes from this point on. 

But unless things change I don't see how there is any possibility for several seminal, pioneering gravel folks to ever see inclusion. It will become a "who's who" of gravel racers and promoters from the last ten years and forward. And I will leave it at this...... That is a sad state of affairs. 

Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes

Canyon Enters Wheel Market With Carbon Gravel Wheel Set:

Canyon, the direct-to-consumer brand, has just announced a new gravel wheel set. This complete wheel set will feature DT Swiss Spline 350 hubs, hookless rim design, and a 30mm deep rim profile. Boasting a 27mm internal rim width, these wheels will be good for the wider tire trend sweeping the racing fields at gravel events these days. 

The Canyon wheels, called the GR 30, will retail for around 1K here in the States but list for 899 Euros on Canyon's site HERE. Total weight for the set is claimed to be 1,600 grams by Canyon. 

Comments: You know Gravel™ is the hot ticket when a brand starts out by rolling out a new product and does so in the Gravel™ category first. This was my first impression. 

Secondly, these are not all that lightweight. There are alloy rimmed wheels which match this weight, so I'm not all that impressed by these wheels. Besides this, the entire hookless thing has me spooked and I'm not buying into the design. I just don't see why we need this and I'd rather stick with proven technology if the benefit is negligible or cancelled out by failures, which have been reported with hookless bead wheel sets. Finally, not all tires are hookless compatible, but all tires can be used with hooked design rims. I know which I'd rather be using. 

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride those bicycles!

Does The Color Of Your Shoes Matter?

The Udogg Distanza in Ash Grey

 I've been meaning to write about this for over a month now, (and maybe I have but I've forgotten), but here you go. Thoughts on color for footwear. 

See, when I was riding with Jeff Kerkove at the beginning of June, I was making fun of him for wearing white shoes for a gravel race. "White shoes?!, I said with a wry grin, "That's not going to look very good after a muddy race!"

Jeff replied that he'd rather have ugly looking shoes than wear black that typically causes his feet to get hot in Summer-time humidity and Sun. 

"Oh!....... I see...."

I was being a smarty-pants and well, Jeff was just being smart. 

Typical. Anyway, this got me to thinking, was I wearing the wrong color shoes? And so I started looking around at gravel shoes and well, most of them are black. Yeah.....There are some other colors here and there, but for the most part, black is the shoe color for gravel. I have two pair of shoes that are not black and they are both Shimano special edition colors. I have one pair of MTB shoes that are not black, they are actually a bright blue, but they are heavier than I'd like. So, I don't have anything that is light colored or white. Would that actually make any difference? 

I may not ever know because I don't do road shoes for gravel and well, white gravel shoes are weird. maybe "rare" is a better word choice. Either way, white gravel shoes, while they might make a difference, is something I probably will not get a chance to discover the truth about. 

Maybe what I need is "gravel colored" gravel shoes. Ha!

Does The Color Of Your Shoes Matter?

The Udogg Distanza in Ash Grey

 I've been meaning to write about this for over a month now, (and maybe I have but I've forgotten), but here you go. Thoughts on color for footwear. 

See, when I was riding with Jeff Kerkove at the beginning of June, I was making fun of him for wearing white shoes for a gravel race. "White shoes?!, I said with a wry grin, "That's not going to look very good after a muddy race!"

Jeff replied that he'd rather have ugly looking shoes than wear black that typically causes his feet to get hot in Summer-time humidity and Sun. 

"Oh!....... I see...."

I was being a smarty-pants and well, Jeff was just being smart. 

Typical. Anyway, this got me to thinking, was I wearing the wrong color shoes? And so I started looking around at gravel shoes and well, most of them are black. Yeah.....There are some other colors here and there, but for the most part, black is the shoe color for gravel. I have two pair of shoes that are not black and they are both Shimano special edition colors. I have one pair of MTB shoes that are not black, they are actually a bright blue, but they are heavier than I'd like. So, I don't have anything that is light colored or white. Would that actually make any difference? 

I may not ever know because I don't do road shoes for gravel and well, white gravel shoes are weird. maybe "rare" is a better word choice. Either way, white gravel shoes, while they might make a difference, is something I probably will not get a chance to discover the truth about. 

Maybe what I need is "gravel colored" gravel shoes. Ha!

Are Flat Pedals Good For Gravel?

The Redshift Sports flat pedals w/lights installed.

While I do not focus on mountain biking here much anymore, I do pay attention to what is going on with mountain biking. One of the trends I see growing is the use of "flat" pedals. The pedals that non-cyclists would call "normal" pedals. 

Before Shimano introduced the PD-M737 clipless pedals in the early 1990's, "flat" pedals are what all mountain bikers were riding. Well, those pedals weren't the flat pedals of today, but they were not clipless pedals either. No, mostly we were using caged pedals with toe straps.Uggh! Those were truly awful. 

At least they were for MTB, which required a lot of get-offs and remounts. Toe straps were just an impediment to doing what you had to do. 'True' flat pedals existed then, but weren't used widely, at least not around here. I say that because trends were a lot more regionally driven then than they are today. 

Nowadays I am seeing more flat pedals being made and more introductions of shoes for flat pedal mountain biking. Seeing as how mountain biking has an influence on gravel riding, I am wondering if flat pedal usage is going to be a thing in gravel riding. Could it become a trend in gravel much as it seems to be doing in MTB?

New flat pedal shoes from Unparalleled Sports. (Image from their site)

The title for today's post asks if this sort of flat pedal set up is "good for gravel". Well, of course it is! I've already proven that for myself, and in my mind there is no question that for every gravel pursuit outside of Pro/Semi-Pro gravel racing, flat pedals definitely have a space in the gravel riding niche. 

But..... There is always a "but"! This probably won't really take off as a trend for gravel until the shoes are made for it. The current MTB specific shoes just don't quite have "it". 

And right now, I'm not sure what "it" is. But I do know that MTB specific flat shoes are a bit too "heavy duty" and not as thin and breathable as I would want to wear. But I'm also not a shoe designer. Maybe I'll know it when I see it, but for now, I'm just going to say that the MTB flat shoes are not what I'd be looking for. 

I have done 100 miles of gravel on flat pedals wearing.........Vans! Yes those traditional skate/fashion sneakers that are canvas and rubber. They were fairly light, which was good, breathable, which was good, but they let in a lot of tiny bits of gravel and the soles were less than stiff for pedaling. So, not those shoes, but I am thinking whatever comes out, if anything comes out, will be closer to Vans than these MTB flat pedal shoes. 

And maybe this will never happen. I hope that it does, because I think a lot of people would ride more if their gravel bikes had flat pedals and shoes to go with that.

Are Flat Pedals Good For Gravel?

The Redshift Sports flat pedals w/lights installed.

While I do not focus on mountain biking here much anymore, I do pay attention to what is going on with mountain biking. One of the trends I see growing is the use of "flat" pedals. The pedals that non-cyclists would call "normal" pedals. 

Before Shimano introduced the PD-M737 clipless pedals in the early 1990's, "flat" pedals are what all mountain bikers were riding. Well, those pedals weren't the flat pedals of today, but they were not clipless pedals either. No, mostly we were using caged pedals with toe straps.Uggh! Those were truly awful. 

At least they were for MTB, which required a lot of get-offs and remounts. Toe straps were just an impediment to doing what you had to do. 'True' flat pedals existed then, but weren't used widely, at least not around here. I say that because trends were a lot more regionally driven then than they are today. 

Nowadays I am seeing more flat pedals being made and more introductions of shoes for flat pedal mountain biking. Seeing as how mountain biking has an influence on gravel riding, I am wondering if flat pedal usage is going to be a thing in gravel riding. Could it become a trend in gravel much as it seems to be doing in MTB?

New flat pedal shoes from Unparalleled Sports. (Image from their site)

The title for today's post asks if this sort of flat pedal set up is "good for gravel". Well, of course it is! I've already proven that for myself, and in my mind there is no question that for every gravel pursuit outside of Pro/Semi-Pro gravel racing, flat pedals definitely have a space in the gravel riding niche. 

But..... There is always a "but"! This probably won't really take off as a trend for gravel until the shoes are made for it. The current MTB specific shoes just don't quite have "it". 

And right now, I'm not sure what "it" is. But I do know that MTB specific flat shoes are a bit too "heavy duty" and not as thin and breathable as I would want to wear. But I'm also not a shoe designer. Maybe I'll know it when I see it, but for now, I'm just going to say that the MTB flat shoes are not what I'd be looking for. 

I have done 100 miles of gravel on flat pedals wearing.........Vans! Yes those traditional skate/fashion sneakers that are canvas and rubber. They were fairly light, which was good, breathable, which was good, but they let in a lot of tiny bits of gravel and the soles were less than stiff for pedaling. So, not those shoes, but I am thinking whatever comes out, if anything comes out, will be closer to Vans than these MTB flat pedal shoes. 

And maybe this will never happen. I hope that it does, because I think a lot of people would ride more if their gravel bikes had flat pedals and shoes to go with that.

Friday News And Views

 Great Iowa Fall Ride Slated For October:

Last year a big announcement was made to the effect that there would be a big three day ride out of Iowa Falls in the Fall of 2020. It was sort of an answer to RAGBRAI being cancelled and also another revenue stream for the RAGBRAI organization. However, restrictions due to COVID did not relax enough in time to hold that ride. Many have wondered since what, if anything, might become of this ride.

Well, earlier this week news was announced regarding the ride, but now it was going to start and end in Cumming, Iowa, a small village Southwest of Des Moines. The ride now would be a one day event, feature several bar/restaurant stops along its 37 mile loop, and feature a concert by the Iowa band, The Pork Tornadoes. 

The ride is on Sunday, October the 10th, and cost $60.00 if you beat the early-bird registration deadline. You can learn more about the Great Iowa Fall Ride here. 

Giro's new Latch shoe- Dampers for your feet. Image courtesy of Giro

Vibration Damping Idea Not For Gravel?!

The term "vibration damping" is a buzz-word in the gravel scene these days. Frames, tires, heck, even wheels claim to cut down on the buzz of crushed rock roads. So, when I see the term in someone's marketing chutzpah, I take note.

This time the product is shoes, but they are not aimed at the gravel market. The Giro Latch shoes are supposed to have a damping effect for riders of flat pedals on rough trails. They call the mid-sole material "Mute Foam". I'm surprised this has not been applied to Giro's shoes for gravel, to be honest. Well, perhaps I shouldn't be. I took a look at Giro's site and they do not have a category for 'gravel shoes'. Ha! Figures.....

Putting Andy To Work:

Once in a great while I get Andy from Andy's Bike Shop to test something for RidingGravel.com. Well, he hasn't had anything to test for about a year now, but that has changed since he has these new skins for his Twin Six Standard Rando. 

He chose to test out these new Maxxis Receptor tires. These were announced just last February and I wrote about them on an "FN&V" post here. They appealed to Andy as a tire he expects to be fast on pavement and decent on gravel. 

They certainly have that look. Smoother center, edge knobs for support. As I said in February, much like a WTB Byway, or maybe these have a passing resemblance to a Challenge Gravel Grinder model. But at any rate, they should be fast. 

As for how they mounted, I haven't heard about that yet from Andy. He'll let me know and I'll get something written up for the site soon, but hopefully they were not like the old Ramblers, which are a pain in the butt to set up tubeless. (UPDATE: Andy informed me that yes- these are just like the Ramblers and are really hard to mount tubeless. Yay!) Stay tuned for more on the Receptors soon.....

  Cycling Pros Start Red Bull Sponsored Gravel Event In Texas:

Colin Strickland and Payson McElveen have known Texas as home and want folks to get into it via a gravel event they have cooked up with their mutual sponsor, Red Bull. The event, to be known as the "Red Bull Rio Grande Gravel Event" is set to take place on November 13 with registration opening soon on September 17th. There is a 500 rider field limit for this 100 miler. The event will take place out of Marfa, Texas which is in the Big Bend region of the state. 

Comments: Marketing hype is big with this one. Keeping in mind that this race has never been run, even once, they say, " Bar none, the hardest 100-mile gravel race on the planet." Wow! But, whatever. They can say what they want to and ya know what? People that end up going to this will just believe it and no one else will care. So, there is that. Truth? Pfft! Doesn't matter anymore, I guess. 

Interesting side note: Red Bull was a sponsor of the very first modern day gravel event. I happen to know since I was there. So, Red Bull is no stranger to the gravel scene. They also prominently have sponsored other gravel events, most notably Rebecca's Private Idaho. Red Bull is into all sorts of stuff, so if you know anything about this company, it shouldn't be a surprise that they would sponsor a (soon to be big, I guess) gravel event in Texas. 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend and thanks for reading G-Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

 Great Iowa Fall Ride Slated For October:

Last year a big announcement was made to the effect that there would be a big three day ride out of Iowa Falls in the Fall of 2020. It was sort of an answer to RAGBRAI being cancelled and also another revenue stream for the RAGBRAI organization. However, restrictions due to COVID did not relax enough in time to hold that ride. Many have wondered since what, if anything, might become of this ride.

Well, earlier this week news was announced regarding the ride, but now it was going to start and end in Cumming, Iowa, a small village Southwest of Des Moines. The ride now would be a one day event, feature several bar/restaurant stops along its 37 mile loop, and feature a concert by the Iowa band, The Pork Tornadoes. 

The ride is on Sunday, October the 10th, and cost $60.00 if you beat the early-bird registration deadline. You can learn more about the Great Iowa Fall Ride here. 

Giro's new Latch shoe- Dampers for your feet. Image courtesy of Giro

Vibration Damping Idea Not For Gravel?!

The term "vibration damping" is a buzz-word in the gravel scene these days. Frames, tires, heck, even wheels claim to cut down on the buzz of crushed rock roads. So, when I see the term in someone's marketing chutzpah, I take note.

This time the product is shoes, but they are not aimed at the gravel market. The Giro Latch shoes are supposed to have a damping effect for riders of flat pedals on rough trails. They call the mid-sole material "Mute Foam". I'm surprised this has not been applied to Giro's shoes for gravel, to be honest. Well, perhaps I shouldn't be. I took a look at Giro's site and they do not have a category for 'gravel shoes'. Ha! Figures.....

Putting Andy To Work:

Once in a great while I get Andy from Andy's Bike Shop to test something for RidingGravel.com. Well, he hasn't had anything to test for about a year now, but that has changed since he has these new skins for his Twin Six Standard Rando. 

He chose to test out these new Maxxis Receptor tires. These were announced just last February and I wrote about them on an "FN&V" post here. They appealed to Andy as a tire he expects to be fast on pavement and decent on gravel. 

They certainly have that look. Smoother center, edge knobs for support. As I said in February, much like a WTB Byway, or maybe these have a passing resemblance to a Challenge Gravel Grinder model. But at any rate, they should be fast. 

As for how they mounted, I haven't heard about that yet from Andy. He'll let me know and I'll get something written up for the site soon, but hopefully they were not like the old Ramblers, which are a pain in the butt to set up tubeless. (UPDATE: Andy informed me that yes- these are just like the Ramblers and are really hard to mount tubeless. Yay!) Stay tuned for more on the Receptors soon.....

  Cycling Pros Start Red Bull Sponsored Gravel Event In Texas:

Colin Strickland and Payson McElveen have known Texas as home and want folks to get into it via a gravel event they have cooked up with their mutual sponsor, Red Bull. The event, to be known as the "Red Bull Rio Grande Gravel Event" is set to take place on November 13 with registration opening soon on September 17th. There is a 500 rider field limit for this 100 miler. The event will take place out of Marfa, Texas which is in the Big Bend region of the state. 

Comments: Marketing hype is big with this one. Keeping in mind that this race has never been run, even once, they say, " Bar none, the hardest 100-mile gravel race on the planet." Wow! But, whatever. They can say what they want to and ya know what? People that end up going to this will just believe it and no one else will care. So, there is that. Truth? Pfft! Doesn't matter anymore, I guess. 

Interesting side note: Red Bull was a sponsor of the very first modern day gravel event. I happen to know since I was there. So, Red Bull is no stranger to the gravel scene. They also prominently have sponsored other gravel events, most notably Rebecca's Private Idaho. Red Bull is into all sorts of stuff, so if you know anything about this company, it shouldn't be a surprise that they would sponsor a (soon to be big, I guess) gravel event in Texas. 

That's a wrap for this week! Have a great weekend and thanks for reading G-Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

A bare Zipp 101 XPLR rim: Image courtesy of SRAM

 On Wednesday I gave my rundown of opinions on the new SRAM XPLR group. (Read that here if you missed it) Today I want to comment specifically on the rim design for the XPLR 101 wheel from Zipp.

This struck me as odd, but the design has merits which I understand as valid in gravel design. That said, the results- spec-wise and pricing-wise- are puzzling. Let's take a look...

The design for the rim is, basically, a carbon fat bike rim design shrunk down to fit a gravel bike. It has single wall construction which does a couple of things here that make a bit of sense for a gravel road rider. 

First, that single wall construction, theoretically speaking, should be able to flex a bit more freely in a vertical plane than a box section rim, or a triangulated, shallow section rim. There is a reinforced ridge for the spoke beds, and other than that, one might expect a bit less impact resistance, but here we are speaking of gravel riding- not MTB. So Zipp maybe saw this as a way to introduce some rider comfort.  

The second thing a single wall rim does is that it presents - most likely- the least amount of side drag from cross winds that is possible without doing super-aero stuff with the rim design. But if there are any cross-wind benefits, this is probably secondary to this design. 

A possible third benefit might be light weight, but curiously this complete wheel set weighs in at 1665 grams for the pair. That's kinda heavy, and many aluminum wheel sets weigh similarly, cost less, and have similar comfort claims. Add in the asking price of $1800.00 USD and that value prospect seems to go up in a puff of smoked credit card plastic. 

I like that they dared to go to a 27mm wide inner width here, but I'll have a lot more to say to this feature once I get my Project Wide Gravel Wheels going after Gravel Worlds is over. Stay tuned for that...

Remember this? Well- that didn't work out so well!

Finish Line Introduces FiberLink Sealant:

Back in 2018 I noted on another "FN&V" that Finish Line had introduced a sealant which they said would "..last the usable lifetime of the tire". While I did not say exactly what I thought was going on there in that 2018 post, I had serious misgivings about this new 'wonder sealant', and as it turned out, my instincts about it were largely correct. 

Finish Line sealant quickly became a byword amongst mechanics who tried it out as it became known that by using it the tires would not seal up correctly and it made servicing new tubeless set-ups a total nightmare. Riders found that it sealed punctures poorly as well. So, the sealant was quickly dismissed by the consumer and the industry. It wasn't long before Finish Line started looking into its replacement. By 2019 they were already working on that.

Well, after two years, Finish Line have come out with what they are calling "FiberLink" sealant. As you might suspect, it is now a latex based sealant but it is infused with Kevlar® fibers which, as Finish Line claims, should seal punctures more quickly and with a longer lasting effect. My 'instincts' tell me that -this time- this stuff should work pretty well. 

There is only one real question I have, and that is how well will this work with valve stems, (will it clog them more easily because of the fibers?) and how long will it last before it coagulates and becomes ineffective? Typically, any coagulant enhancing substance in a latex based sealant tends to clog valve stems and/or does not last a long time at all in a tire before it needs to be serviced. If Finish Line dodges those pitfalls with its new FiberLink sealant, then this could be a big deal in sealants. We'll see......

My Adidas!- Got No Stones In 'Em! 

Adidas Shoes just announced a new gravel cycling shoe which is brilliantly named. You won't believe what the name they chose for it is! Check it out:

Introducing, the new "Gravel Cycling Shoe"! 

The name just blows me away it is sooo good! Ahem......right then, so really Adidas? Wow... Okay, let's move on.... 

Yeah, so it is a $170.00 shoe with a 'sock' dealio around the ankle to keep dust and small stones out. Hmm.....okay...I can see that. I mean, I do get stones of the smaller size inside my shoes at times. So, that cuff may not be as goofy as it seems at first glance. However; I would say that as of right now, in this air we have had that is so thick and juicy that you feel like you are being enveloped in a warm blanket, in 90°F weather, that a neoprene cuff is not exactly what I would want sealing off my Earth pads from air flow. 

I could be 100% wrong here though. Maybe there is great air-flow around the feet with these... what is the name again? It's so unique and different that you'd think I'd remember....oh yes! The Gravel Cycling Shoe! Yes! That's it.... 

Anyway, there is supposedly a variant on the black theme with some outlandish, 80's inspired brightness. Now those would get you noticed at the local small village convenience store! Thankfully the basic black is much more fitting in rural conservative America. Hey! I own a pink bicycle, I should know! 

The bottoms look like they took scraps of Schwalbe G-One tires and used them for the walkable soles. I would be slipping like a farm animal on ice if I wore those on a soft or wet Level B Road around here. But for dry gravel travel? That's probably okay. Gotta wonder how long those little nubbins would last though. But you know what? If these made your toes happy, who am I to say? Shoes are highly personal fit items and these look okay to me. Price is fair if they perform and last a decent amount of time.  (All images courtesy of Adidas)

Update: New Riding Gravel radio ranch Podcast Out!

The latest gab-fest between myself and Andy of Andy's Bike shop is live now. Check out the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch here or look for it n your favorite podcast feed. 

We typically get 2-3 episodes out a month and sometimes 4! I'm pretty pumped that this has been a steady flow of content now for about two years straight. You can thank, (or blame- however you feel about this), Andy. He was pretty adamant that we get the ball rolling more often with the podcast and for us to make sure we have a constant flow of content there. 

Andy does provide much of the equipment and the space for recording is his office, so he is a big reason why the streak of content has been fairly steady since early 2020. Thank you Andy for that! Of course, it was a goal of mine, as well, to reinvigorate the podcast and get it coming more consistently as it had kind of petered out there in 2019. Or was that 2018? I can't remember... Time flies! 

There is another podcast in the can which should be published really soon and then we have a special guest coming up which I am excited about. Check out tomorrow's post for more on who that is and why I am stoked. Until then.....
 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

A bare Zipp 101 XPLR rim: Image courtesy of SRAM

 On Wednesday I gave my rundown of opinions on the new SRAM XPLR group. (Read that here if you missed it) Today I want to comment specifically on the rim design for the XPLR 101 wheel from Zipp.

This struck me as odd, but the design has merits which I understand as valid in gravel design. That said, the results- spec-wise and pricing-wise- are puzzling. Let's take a look...

The design for the rim is, basically, a carbon fat bike rim design shrunk down to fit a gravel bike. It has single wall construction which does a couple of things here that make a bit of sense for a gravel road rider. 

First, that single wall construction, theoretically speaking, should be able to flex a bit more freely in a vertical plane than a box section rim, or a triangulated, shallow section rim. There is a reinforced ridge for the spoke beds, and other than that, one might expect a bit less impact resistance, but here we are speaking of gravel riding- not MTB. So Zipp maybe saw this as a way to introduce some rider comfort.  

The second thing a single wall rim does is that it presents - most likely- the least amount of side drag from cross winds that is possible without doing super-aero stuff with the rim design. But if there are any cross-wind benefits, this is probably secondary to this design. 

A possible third benefit might be light weight, but curiously this complete wheel set weighs in at 1665 grams for the pair. That's kinda heavy, and many aluminum wheel sets weigh similarly, cost less, and have similar comfort claims. Add in the asking price of $1800.00 USD and that value prospect seems to go up in a puff of smoked credit card plastic. 

I like that they dared to go to a 27mm wide inner width here, but I'll have a lot more to say to this feature once I get my Project Wide Gravel Wheels going after Gravel Worlds is over. Stay tuned for that...

Remember this? Well- that didn't work out so well!

Finish Line Introduces FiberLink Sealant:

Back in 2018 I noted on another "FN&V" that Finish Line had introduced a sealant which they said would "..last the usable lifetime of the tire". While I did not say exactly what I thought was going on there in that 2018 post, I had serious misgivings about this new 'wonder sealant', and as it turned out, my instincts about it were largely correct. 

Finish Line sealant quickly became a byword amongst mechanics who tried it out as it became known that by using it the tires would not seal up correctly and it made servicing new tubeless set-ups a total nightmare. Riders found that it sealed punctures poorly as well. So, the sealant was quickly dismissed by the consumer and the industry. It wasn't long before Finish Line started looking into its replacement. By 2019 they were already working on that.

Well, after two years, Finish Line have come out with what they are calling "FiberLink" sealant. As you might suspect, it is now a latex based sealant but it is infused with Kevlar® fibers which, as Finish Line claims, should seal punctures more quickly and with a longer lasting effect. My 'instincts' tell me that -this time- this stuff should work pretty well. 

There is only one real question I have, and that is how well will this work with valve stems, (will it clog them more easily because of the fibers?) and how long will it last before it coagulates and becomes ineffective? Typically, any coagulant enhancing substance in a latex based sealant tends to clog valve stems and/or does not last a long time at all in a tire before it needs to be serviced. If Finish Line dodges those pitfalls with its new FiberLink sealant, then this could be a big deal in sealants. We'll see......

My Adidas!- Got No Stones In 'Em! 

Adidas Shoes just announced a new gravel cycling shoe which is brilliantly named. You won't believe what the name they chose for it is! Check it out:

Introducing, the new "Gravel Cycling Shoe"! 

The name just blows me away it is sooo good! Ahem......right then, so really Adidas? Wow... Okay, let's move on.... 

Yeah, so it is a $170.00 shoe with a 'sock' dealio around the ankle to keep dust and small stones out. Hmm.....okay...I can see that. I mean, I do get stones of the smaller size inside my shoes at times. So, that cuff may not be as goofy as it seems at first glance. However; I would say that as of right now, in this air we have had that is so thick and juicy that you feel like you are being enveloped in a warm blanket, in 90°F weather, that a neoprene cuff is not exactly what I would want sealing off my Earth pads from air flow. 

I could be 100% wrong here though. Maybe there is great air-flow around the feet with these... what is the name again? It's so unique and different that you'd think I'd remember....oh yes! The Gravel Cycling Shoe! Yes! That's it.... 

Anyway, there is supposedly a variant on the black theme with some outlandish, 80's inspired brightness. Now those would get you noticed at the local small village convenience store! Thankfully the basic black is much more fitting in rural conservative America. Hey! I own a pink bicycle, I should know! 

The bottoms look like they took scraps of Schwalbe G-One tires and used them for the walkable soles. I would be slipping like a farm animal on ice if I wore those on a soft or wet Level B Road around here. But for dry gravel travel? That's probably okay. Gotta wonder how long those little nubbins would last though. But you know what? If these made your toes happy, who am I to say? Shoes are highly personal fit items and these look okay to me. Price is fair if they perform and last a decent amount of time.  (All images courtesy of Adidas)

Update: New Riding Gravel radio ranch Podcast Out!

The latest gab-fest between myself and Andy of Andy's Bike shop is live now. Check out the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch here or look for it n your favorite podcast feed. 

We typically get 2-3 episodes out a month and sometimes 4! I'm pretty pumped that this has been a steady flow of content now for about two years straight. You can thank, (or blame- however you feel about this), Andy. He was pretty adamant that we get the ball rolling more often with the podcast and for us to make sure we have a constant flow of content there. 

Andy does provide much of the equipment and the space for recording is his office, so he is a big reason why the streak of content has been fairly steady since early 2020. Thank you Andy for that! Of course, it was a goal of mine, as well, to reinvigorate the podcast and get it coming more consistently as it had kind of petered out there in 2019. Or was that 2018? I can't remember... Time flies! 

There is another podcast in the can which should be published really soon and then we have a special guest coming up which I am excited about. Check out tomorrow's post for more on who that is and why I am stoked. Until then.....
 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

Paul Thumbies- New! (But not really) Image courtesy of Paul Components

You Should Totally E-Bay Those!

Wednesday I'm cruising my Twitter feed when I scroll up on some newsy bits from a couple of sources saying that Paul Components has released a SRAM TT shifter compatible mount that turns these bar end shifters into old school thumb shifters. Now normally, I would just scroll right on by something like that. However; I was immediately struck by the fact that someone, (actually it was Tweeted by three different accounts I follow), thought these were "new". "They are not new!", I thought to myself.  Heck, I could walk down into my Lab and grab a pair I've had kicking around for years now. New? I don't think so. I went down, within two minutes had them in hand, and shot an image, then tweeted it out asking if my circa 2011 Paul Thumbies could be "new".

A couple of the accounts I "@'ed" (code for adding an account to a Tweet which then directs said Tweet "at" the account.- Pronounced "at-ed") responded with a social media equivalent of a shrug, and they in turn "@'ed" Paul Components account for a definitive answer.

The answer I got from Paul Components on Twitter

So, I had jumped on getting those at the right time, apparently, because back then, I had no clue they were a very limited edition sort of product. I actually got them for my Ti Mukluk, which I used the right shifter by itself at first since I ran 1 X 10 SRAM to start out with. That didn't last long, the shifter came off, and the pair of mounts has been basically sitting on my bench in my little box of bar end shifter parts ever since. I just don't do much with geared, flat bar bikes these days. Anyway, I thanked Paul Components and figured that was that.

Then one of the accounts that was part of the thread snaps back with "hangs up, dials e-bay......" I replied back that this was a well played comment, but I wasn't looking to make a buck from my newfound knowledge dumped on me by Paul Components. Then another follower of mine on Twitter basically answered that and said "take the money and run!"

Social media. Weird. Sometimes it's a fun, knowledge builder. Other times.....well. 

Ingrid's 12 sped rear derailleur Courtesy of Ingrid's Instagram feed

 They Said It Would Last Forever:

Back on the 1990's heyday of CNC craziness, I purchased a "Made In The USA", CNC'ed, lightweight rear derailleur by a company called ProShift. It was "totally rebuild-able" and theoretically would last "forever" since you would be able to purchase any piece or part of that derailleur and rebuild it. It was VERY EXPENSIVE. I bolted it to my 1992 Klein Attitude and started riding.

Well, one day, under no extraordinary circumstances, I heard a "ker-CHUNK!", felt a tug on the chain, and then no power. I looked down and what was left of that derailleur was dangling from a very slack chain. In fact, the only part that survived was a jockey wheel! Every other part was ripped, twisted, or bent beyond recognition. I boxed up all the bits I could find, shipped it to ProShift, and they sent me another under warranty. That derailleur suffered the same fate exactly two weeks later. Again- the only part that survived was the lower jockey wheel.

Well, I had had enough. I got a "real" rear derailleur, went on my merry way, and ProShift quickly became a thing of mountain bike legend. I was reminded of that story again when I read about an Italian based company called "INGRID".

They have, what looks like CNC'ed metal, in the form of a rear derailleur and are saying "it will last forever because it is rebuild-able". Yeah.......

Once bitten, twice shy.

Flat pedal shoes from Giant Bicycles.

 Shoes To Get The Fargo Ready:

Yes, you read that right. I've got some shoes and that is motivating me to get the Fargo up and running. Why? Because the Fargo has flat pedals on it now. The idea is that I am going off to do some longer gravel rides on flats. To test the shoes. The shoes I have on test for RidingGravel.com. Those shoes.....

Anyway, I think it is high time for some new treads for the Fargo as well. I've got me eye on the new Vittoria Terreno Cross Country tires. They have the Graphene compound and I've had experience with this in their Terreno Dry 40mm tire. Those Graphene infused tires have "something" going on and that is something good. It is an uncanny tire in that it shouldn't grip as well as it does, nor roll as fast as it does, but it does. I've also heard it wears like iron. Too good to be true? Maybe, but I am convinced there is a lot more good to these tires than bad.

So, once the tires are on, I am shooting to do some longer rides on flats and hopefully get ready for the Prairie Burn 100 and the Solstice 100, both events coming up really soon! I need to get some miles in my legs and fast.

That's all for this cold, wet week. Let's hope the weather turns around and warmer weather comes. Oh.....and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Friday News And Views

Paul Thumbies- New! (But not really) Image courtesy of Paul Components

You Should Totally E-Bay Those!

Wednesday I'm cruising my Twitter feed when I scroll up on some newsy bits from a couple of sources saying that Paul Components has released a SRAM TT shifter compatible mount that turns these bar end shifters into old school thumb shifters. Now normally, I would just scroll right on by something like that. However; I was immediately struck by the fact that someone, (actually it was Tweeted by three different accounts I follow), thought these were "new". "They are not new!", I thought to myself.  Heck, I could walk down into my Lab and grab a pair I've had kicking around for years now. New? I don't think so. I went down, within two minutes had them in hand, and shot an image, then tweeted it out asking if my circa 2011 Paul Thumbies could be "new".

A couple of the accounts I "@'ed" (code for adding an account to a Tweet which then directs said Tweet "at" the account.- Pronounced "at-ed") responded with a social media equivalent of a shrug, and they in turn "@'ed" Paul Components account for a definitive answer.

The answer I got from Paul Components on Twitter

So, I had jumped on getting those at the right time, apparently, because back then, I had no clue they were a very limited edition sort of product. I actually got them for my Ti Mukluk, which I used the right shifter by itself at first since I ran 1 X 10 SRAM to start out with. That didn't last long, the shifter came off, and the pair of mounts has been basically sitting on my bench in my little box of bar end shifter parts ever since. I just don't do much with geared, flat bar bikes these days. Anyway, I thanked Paul Components and figured that was that.

Then one of the accounts that was part of the thread snaps back with "hangs up, dials e-bay......" I replied back that this was a well played comment, but I wasn't looking to make a buck from my newfound knowledge dumped on me by Paul Components. Then another follower of mine on Twitter basically answered that and said "take the money and run!"

Social media. Weird. Sometimes it's a fun, knowledge builder. Other times.....well. 

Ingrid's 12 sped rear derailleur Courtesy of Ingrid's Instagram feed

 They Said It Would Last Forever:

Back on the 1990's heyday of CNC craziness, I purchased a "Made In The USA", CNC'ed, lightweight rear derailleur by a company called ProShift. It was "totally rebuild-able" and theoretically would last "forever" since you would be able to purchase any piece or part of that derailleur and rebuild it. It was VERY EXPENSIVE. I bolted it to my 1992 Klein Attitude and started riding.

Well, one day, under no extraordinary circumstances, I heard a "ker-CHUNK!", felt a tug on the chain, and then no power. I looked down and what was left of that derailleur was dangling from a very slack chain. In fact, the only part that survived was a jockey wheel! Every other part was ripped, twisted, or bent beyond recognition. I boxed up all the bits I could find, shipped it to ProShift, and they sent me another under warranty. That derailleur suffered the same fate exactly two weeks later. Again- the only part that survived was the lower jockey wheel.

Well, I had had enough. I got a "real" rear derailleur, went on my merry way, and ProShift quickly became a thing of mountain bike legend. I was reminded of that story again when I read about an Italian based company called "INGRID".

They have, what looks like CNC'ed metal, in the form of a rear derailleur and are saying "it will last forever because it is rebuild-able". Yeah.......

Once bitten, twice shy.

Flat pedal shoes from Giant Bicycles.

 Shoes To Get The Fargo Ready:

Yes, you read that right. I've got some shoes and that is motivating me to get the Fargo up and running. Why? Because the Fargo has flat pedals on it now. The idea is that I am going off to do some longer gravel rides on flats. To test the shoes. The shoes I have on test for RidingGravel.com. Those shoes.....

Anyway, I think it is high time for some new treads for the Fargo as well. I've got me eye on the new Vittoria Terreno Cross Country tires. They have the Graphene compound and I've had experience with this in their Terreno Dry 40mm tire. Those Graphene infused tires have "something" going on and that is something good. It is an uncanny tire in that it shouldn't grip as well as it does, nor roll as fast as it does, but it does. I've also heard it wears like iron. Too good to be true? Maybe, but I am convinced there is a lot more good to these tires than bad.

So, once the tires are on, I am shooting to do some longer rides on flats and hopefully get ready for the Prairie Burn 100 and the Solstice 100, both events coming up really soon! I need to get some miles in my legs and fast.

That's all for this cold, wet week. Let's hope the weather turns around and warmer weather comes. Oh.....and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Old Shoes- New Shoes

Me wearing my trusty Shimano three strap shoes at the 2015, DK200 Image By A. Andonopoulous

Shoes. You don't give them much thought unless your shoe string is untied, and calamity strikes. Or maybe if your foot hurts, gets hot, is too cold, or is sticking out of a hole in said shoe. Wait a minute........ I guess we do think a lot about our shoes! 

Anyway, cycling shoes are maybe less thought about, because you likely have only one pair and they either work or they do not work. Well, one of my several pairs, (yes, a cycling shoe fashion plate!), wore out Saturday. My favorite pair, actually. A lowly pair of Shimano three strap Velcro closure shoes. I got them......I don't know for sure....maybe five-six years ago? Pretty sure it has been a while.

Anyway, it is a wonder they lasted as long as they did. Commuting and gravel travel are tough on equipment. But some of the days I had with those shoes on should have taken out a lesser shoe. I mean, just take the 2015 Dirty Kanza, you know- the "Mud Year", for instance. Or how about that one muddy year at Odin's Revenge? Then there was that cesspool we walked through a couple of years ago at Gravel Worlds. Well........you get the picture. 

So, I had a twinge of nostalgia when I opened the dust bin to toss them away. I had all those crazy adventures flash before my mind's eye. No.....I threw them out. The last thing I need around here is another pair of dead shoes. I already have a pair of Sidi Dominator's from 1997 I think I'm going to resurrect someday.

The new shoes have been ordered.

In fact, I've already ordered a new pair of shoes to replace my old ones with. They are the new Shimano XC500 shoes in the limited edition "Camo". Yeah....... I have no idea what you'd be blending in with wearing these shoes, but whatever it is, I'm sure it would mean big trouble, and I never want to see it. Whatever "it" is.

I just like the "not-blackness" of them and they kind of remind me of the old Sidi Dominator colors, which were blue and Hi-Viz yellow. And the pattern is something that I'm attracted to, so they work for me. Besides, they won't stay looking like that for long!

I'm sure a few muddy Level B roads, some rainy rides, maybe some snow, and lots of gravel are in their future, not to mention the occasional dirt ride. That said, if they are half the shoe the old Shimano shoes were, I'll be a satisfied customer.

Maybe I'll toss out those Sidi shoes after all..........

Old Shoes- New Shoes

Me wearing my trusty Shimano three strap shoes at the 2015, DK200 Image By A. Andonopoulous

Shoes. You don't give them much thought unless your shoe string is untied, and calamity strikes. Or maybe if your foot hurts, gets hot, is too cold, or is sticking out of a hole in said shoe. Wait a minute........ I guess we do think a lot about our shoes! 

Anyway, cycling shoes are maybe less thought about, because you likely have only one pair and they either work or they do not work. Well, one of my several pairs, (yes, a cycling shoe fashion plate!), wore out Saturday. My favorite pair, actually. A lowly pair of Shimano three strap Velcro closure shoes. I got them......I don't know for sure....maybe five-six years ago? Pretty sure it has been a while.

Anyway, it is a wonder they lasted as long as they did. Commuting and gravel travel are tough on equipment. But some of the days I had with those shoes on should have taken out a lesser shoe. I mean, just take the 2015 Dirty Kanza, you know- the "Mud Year", for instance. Or how about that one muddy year at Odin's Revenge? Then there was that cesspool we walked through a couple of years ago at Gravel Worlds. Well........you get the picture. 

So, I had a twinge of nostalgia when I opened the dust bin to toss them away. I had all those crazy adventures flash before my mind's eye. No.....I threw them out. The last thing I need around here is another pair of dead shoes. I already have a pair of Sidi Dominator's from 1997 I think I'm going to resurrect someday.

The new shoes have been ordered.

In fact, I've already ordered a new pair of shoes to replace my old ones with. They are the new Shimano XC500 shoes in the limited edition "Camo". Yeah....... I have no idea what you'd be blending in with wearing these shoes, but whatever it is, I'm sure it would mean big trouble, and I never want to see it. Whatever "it" is.

I just like the "not-blackness" of them and they kind of remind me of the old Sidi Dominator colors, which were blue and Hi-Viz yellow. And the pattern is something that I'm attracted to, so they work for me. Besides, they won't stay looking like that for long!

I'm sure a few muddy Level B roads, some rainy rides, maybe some snow, and lots of gravel are in their future, not to mention the occasional dirt ride. That said, if they are half the shoe the old Shimano shoes were, I'll be a satisfied customer.

Maybe I'll toss out those Sidi shoes after all..........