If I Had The Controls....

My old 2007 El Mariachi

Sometimes it is fun to play "What If?" when it comes to how things played out. One of the events in cycling design and branding that has always haunted me is, "Why did Trek kill off the Gary Fisher Brand?" That one has always baffled me. But there are other stories as well that have me thinking "what if" from time to time. 

Recently I was reminded of the old Salsa El Mariachi model hard tail 29"er bike. For anyone that doesn't remember, (I have to keep reminding myself that many of you don't catalog memories, or are not old enough to know things that I have stuffed into my brain closet), the Salsa El Mariachi was Salsa Cycles take on a 29" wheeled mountain bike. Not the first model that Salsa ever made with big wheels. That would be the Dos Niner in 2005. No, the El Mar, as we lovingly called it, was the steel hardtail, "do it all" 29"er hard tail bike meant to be tweaked into whatever it was you thought a 29"er should be. Suspension fork? Get one and throw it on. Single speed? The El Mar, well the original one, anyway, had an eccentric bottom bracket, so you could do that. Bike pack? Yes! Gravel bike? Yes! It was a super-versatile, really nice riding steel hard tail. 

Times changed. The El Mariachi spawned the Fargo, (Yes, in part it did), and then full suspension, slacker this, steeper that, and whatnot came into vogue. Salsa Cycles trimmed out the El Mariachi to be a single speed that could be geared, and sales plummeted. The geometry stayed stale, and finally it was time to upgrade the model. Only they didn't. They introduced the Timberjack. That's an okay bike, but what about a modernized El Mar? Many, well......maybe just me, thought that there was a place for a versatile, steel, 29"er MTB that could do anything. Why did the El Mariachi idea go away?

The Panorama Taiga. (Image courtesy of Panorama)

So, I saw a review for a bicycle recently called the Panorama Taiga which sparked my memories concerning my old El Mariachi. This bicycle was lauded as a great 'all-around' MTB by a reviewer, and so I'll take his word for that. But after looking at the geometry table and at the feature set this bike has, well, it's hard for me to not think about what could have been.

I always thought Salsa should have just updated the El Mariachi. Keep it steel. but allow a tapered steer tube fork. Modernize the geometry, but don't go overboard with that. Add on some Three-Pack bosses on a rigid fork option, or sell it with suspension. Keep the single speed option, but use the Alternator Drop Outs. Allow for big, fat 29"er tires on wider rims. If they only would have done that....

And since they haven't, we get bikes like Tumbleweed Prospectors and this Panorama Taiga. Remember when I mentioned that the El Mar spawned the Fargo? Well, even Panorama has a Taiga EXT which is a drop bar version of this idea. Take away something that was popular, modernize it, and sell it from another company. It could have been Salsa Cycles, but........maybe only if I had the controls! Maybe no one else would have bought this idea and if you look at this Panorama Taiga, check out that price. Oof! Yeah...... You're not going to sell many of those whether or not it is a Salsa.

But if I had a hankering for a mountain bike, this is probably what I would get, or something very similar to it.

If I Had The Controls....

My old 2007 El Mariachi

Sometimes it is fun to play "What If?" when it comes to how things played out. One of the events in cycling design and branding that has always haunted me is, "Why did Trek kill off the Gary Fisher Brand?" That one has always baffled me. But there are other stories as well that have me thinking "what if" from time to time. 

Recently I was reminded of the old Salsa El Mariachi model hard tail 29"er bike. For anyone that doesn't remember, (I have to keep reminding myself that many of you don't catalog memories, or are not old enough to know things that I have stuffed into my brain closet), the Salsa El Mariachi was Salsa Cycles take on a 29" wheeled mountain bike. Not the first model that Salsa ever made with big wheels. That would be the Dos Niner in 2005. No, the El Mar, as we lovingly called it, was the steel hardtail, "do it all" 29"er hard tail bike meant to be tweaked into whatever it was you thought a 29"er should be. Suspension fork? Get one and throw it on. Single speed? The El Mar, well the original one, anyway, had an eccentric bottom bracket, so you could do that. Bike pack? Yes! Gravel bike? Yes! It was a super-versatile, really nice riding steel hard tail. 

Times changed. The El Mariachi spawned the Fargo, (Yes, in part it did), and then full suspension, slacker this, steeper that, and whatnot came into vogue. Salsa Cycles trimmed out the El Mariachi to be a single speed that could be geared, and sales plummeted. The geometry stayed stale, and finally it was time to upgrade the model. Only they didn't. They introduced the Timberjack. That's an okay bike, but what about a modernized El Mar? Many, well......maybe just me, thought that there was a place for a versatile, steel, 29"er MTB that could do anything. Why did the El Mariachi idea go away?

The Panorama Taiga. (Image courtesy of Panorama)

So, I saw a review for a bicycle recently called the Panorama Taiga which sparked my memories concerning my old El Mariachi. This bicycle was lauded as a great 'all-around' MTB by a reviewer, and so I'll take his word for that. But after looking at the geometry table and at the feature set this bike has, well, it's hard for me to not think about what could have been.

I always thought Salsa should have just updated the El Mariachi. Keep it steel. but allow a tapered steer tube fork. Modernize the geometry, but don't go overboard with that. Add on some Three-Pack bosses on a rigid fork option, or sell it with suspension. Keep the single speed option, but use the Alternator Drop Outs. Allow for big, fat 29"er tires on wider rims. If they only would have done that....

And since they haven't, we get bikes like Tumbleweed Prospectors and this Panorama Taiga. Remember when I mentioned that the El Mar spawned the Fargo? Well, even Panorama has a Taiga EXT which is a drop bar version of this idea. Take away something that was popular, modernize it, and sell it from another company. It could have been Salsa Cycles, but........maybe only if I had the controls! Maybe no one else would have bought this idea and if you look at this Panorama Taiga, check out that price. Oof! Yeah...... You're not going to sell many of those whether or not it is a Salsa.

But if I had a hankering for a mountain bike, this is probably what I would get, or something very similar to it.

Friday News And Views

These were old, old ornaments I had somewhere...

Riding Gravel Gift Guide- 

Should we or shouldn't we? It wasn't a slam dunk, but MG had a good idea and well, there it is. A gift guide for gravel freaks of stuff under $60.00. Check it out here. https://www.ridinggravel.com/reviews-2/great-gifts-for-gravel-cyclists-60-and-under/

 I gotta hand it to MG, he did a great job. I'm not real excited when I do those types of articles because they just aren't really up my alley, so anyone that does a good job on such a thing deserves credit. Nicely done, MG! 

And as an aside, the image he used is from one of the rare years I set up a Christmas tree in the house. (I'm not big on Christmas decorating, neither is Mrs. Guitar Ted, and so, that's the way it is here.) I gotta say, when I saw the post I was surprised!  

Canyon Bikes Stoic (Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes website)

 Canyon Debuts The Stoic Hard Tails:

 Tuesday this past week all the cycling media joints were ballyhooing the latest hard tail bike from Canyon. It's an aluminum mountain bike, okay? Nothing that different than say, oh, a Trek Marlin, or a Specialized Rockhopper. I mean, it's an entry level hard tail mountain bike. 

 The interesting thing was that the mainstream cycling media was covering an entry-level MTB hard tail at all. So, kudos! Secondly, it really doesn't matter if it is a Canyon, Trek, or a Specialized. Pick which one you can actually get, (not easy now or in the near future)hopefully one in your size, and if you have a choice in color, all the better. It really won't matter what brand it is out on the trail. 

It's been this way with mountain bikes most of the time in this range. It's a very competitive price point, and almost every brand is using the same parts bolted to aluminum frames with almost identical geometry. What has been the most interesting thing to me about bikes like this is that this category, for me, defines a line between 'mountain bike shaped objects' and 'Real Mountain Bikes®'. 

The difference generally is defined by what parts the companies bolt to these rather generic frames. A pretty dead giveaway is right up front. The fork will almost always tell you. If it says anything but Rock Shox or Fox, then yeah....mountain bike shaped object.  But derailleurs, brakes, and wheels will also tell you bits of the story. SRAM NX or anything below Deore from Shimano? Below the cut line. And the parts just above this? Barely serviceable in many cases. Well, that is, if you actually off-road these rigs. 

I'm not criticizing, merely making observations. Mountain biking, and by that I mean a steady diet of dirt, sand, mud, and rocks, is hard on equipment and riding off-road on single track takes a toll on stuff. Parts are out there that are 'up to snuff', but the line of demarcation for "Real Mountain Bikes®" in terms of price has now been over a grand for a few years now. It keeps creeping up too. It's really quite odd to me because, well, most of these bikes don't have front derailleurs anymore, and besides that, parts haven't changed all that much in the last decade. By all observations, the prices should be going down, but they don't. 

Meanwhile, a new Canyon Stoic 3 costs  just a hair over a grand. You wonder why people buy 'mart bikes"? The bikes look similar, still aren't really mountain bikes, and cost a third the amount. Hard to convince folks that 'see' that difference in price that the 1K bike is 'that much better'. Especially when it barely is much better. 

By the way, if you want to piece together your own entry level hard tail, (or bling-tastic one), THIS frame is available for under $400.00 and pretty much is representative of the genre. Except that it has a boatload more versatility. Anyway, I thought it was interesting. 

With a cover that might give your kids nightmares....

New Tome Covering The Life Of Gary Fisher Announced:

Gary Fisher is a very interesting man from the standpoint of mountain bikes. But did you know that he ran a psychedelic light show for the Grateful Dead in the late 60's? Did you know he was a very talented road and criterium rider in the 60's and 70's? Did you know he has driven Trek's engineering team bananas with ideas for 25 years? 

He's done all that and more. A new autobiography is out now featuring the life and times of Gray Fisher. The book, available through Trek for about 40 bucks, sports a cover reflecting Gary's personality and a wild-eyed look that might give the kids nightmares. I'm not much of a book reader, but even I might grab this one. 

I've met Gary Fisher a few times and I can say that each time I spoke with him he was brimming with ideas, passion, and all that with a very connected, in the moment manner that never made you feel like you weren't important to him. I also cannot imagine that if you have met him that you do not have your own "Gary Fisher Story" to tell. I know I have one from each time I have spoken with him. He's just that sort of a character. 

Say what you will, had we not had Gary Fisher a LOT of things would be VERY different in cycling. He is one of the people responsible for getting "The Tire" made, (the first 29"er tire, the WTB Nanoraptor in 1999), he pushed for 29"ers hard at Trek, and obviously Gary was instrumental in bringing mountain biking to a wider audience through his early efforts in Marin and beyond. 

I still say the dumbest thing Trek ever did was to can the Gary Fisher brand, but what do I know? Speaking of that, the day Trek announced this I was called by Gary Fisher himself so he could explain it all to me. I mean, wow! That still blows me away to this day. Okay, so one quickie Gary Fisher story.....

We were at a press camp deal at a remote location near Santa Cruz when someone asked me who I was as Gary Fisher was standing there. I mumbled something about being Guitar Ted but my name was Mark and just then Gary slapped my shoulder and said, "C'mon! You ARE Guitar Ted man!" 

Quite the character....

Guitar Ted Productions Merch:  

Just a quick reminder that there is G-Ted Productions merch for sale HERE 

Remember- I don't make a penny off this and it's just for fun. T-shirts, stickers, and more can be purchased. It's all just a way for me, and you, to celebrate 15 years of blogging. Have fun with it.... Also- I just got the spendy t-shirt. It's nice. I'll post a review sometime soon. Full  Disclosure: Artist proceeds from any sale of G-Ted merch will go to my daughter who has the page where the merch is displayed.

Also- All throughout the month of December there will be a lot of double-posts. That's right! TWO posts on one day for your reading pleasure. It's my way of saying "Thanks for reading"! So, don't forget to scroll back to make sure you haven't missed anything on the blog this month.  

That's a wrap for this week. I hope you all are safe and staying healthy and riding!

Friday News And Views

These were old, old ornaments I had somewhere...

Riding Gravel Gift Guide- 

Should we or shouldn't we? It wasn't a slam dunk, but MG had a good idea and well, there it is. A gift guide for gravel freaks of stuff under $60.00. Check it out here. https://www.ridinggravel.com/reviews-2/great-gifts-for-gravel-cyclists-60-and-under/

 I gotta hand it to MG, he did a great job. I'm not real excited when I do those types of articles because they just aren't really up my alley, so anyone that does a good job on such a thing deserves credit. Nicely done, MG! 

And as an aside, the image he used is from one of the rare years I set up a Christmas tree in the house. (I'm not big on Christmas decorating, neither is Mrs. Guitar Ted, and so, that's the way it is here.) I gotta say, when I saw the post I was surprised!  

Canyon Bikes Stoic (Image courtesy of Canyon Bikes website)

 Canyon Debuts The Stoic Hard Tails:

 Tuesday this past week all the cycling media joints were ballyhooing the latest hard tail bike from Canyon. It's an aluminum mountain bike, okay? Nothing that different than say, oh, a Trek Marlin, or a Specialized Rockhopper. I mean, it's an entry level hard tail mountain bike. 

 The interesting thing was that the mainstream cycling media was covering an entry-level MTB hard tail at all. So, kudos! Secondly, it really doesn't matter if it is a Canyon, Trek, or a Specialized. Pick which one you can actually get, (not easy now or in the near future)hopefully one in your size, and if you have a choice in color, all the better. It really won't matter what brand it is out on the trail. 

It's been this way with mountain bikes most of the time in this range. It's a very competitive price point, and almost every brand is using the same parts bolted to aluminum frames with almost identical geometry. What has been the most interesting thing to me about bikes like this is that this category, for me, defines a line between 'mountain bike shaped objects' and 'Real Mountain Bikes®'. 

The difference generally is defined by what parts the companies bolt to these rather generic frames. A pretty dead giveaway is right up front. The fork will almost always tell you. If it says anything but Rock Shox or Fox, then yeah....mountain bike shaped object.  But derailleurs, brakes, and wheels will also tell you bits of the story. SRAM NX or anything below Deore from Shimano? Below the cut line. And the parts just above this? Barely serviceable in many cases. Well, that is, if you actually off-road these rigs. 

I'm not criticizing, merely making observations. Mountain biking, and by that I mean a steady diet of dirt, sand, mud, and rocks, is hard on equipment and riding off-road on single track takes a toll on stuff. Parts are out there that are 'up to snuff', but the line of demarcation for "Real Mountain Bikes®" in terms of price has now been over a grand for a few years now. It keeps creeping up too. It's really quite odd to me because, well, most of these bikes don't have front derailleurs anymore, and besides that, parts haven't changed all that much in the last decade. By all observations, the prices should be going down, but they don't. 

Meanwhile, a new Canyon Stoic 3 costs  just a hair over a grand. You wonder why people buy 'mart bikes"? The bikes look similar, still aren't really mountain bikes, and cost a third the amount. Hard to convince folks that 'see' that difference in price that the 1K bike is 'that much better'. Especially when it barely is much better. 

By the way, if you want to piece together your own entry level hard tail, (or bling-tastic one), THIS frame is available for under $400.00 and pretty much is representative of the genre. Except that it has a boatload more versatility. Anyway, I thought it was interesting. 

With a cover that might give your kids nightmares....

New Tome Covering The Life Of Gary Fisher Announced:

Gary Fisher is a very interesting man from the standpoint of mountain bikes. But did you know that he ran a psychedelic light show for the Grateful Dead in the late 60's? Did you know he was a very talented road and criterium rider in the 60's and 70's? Did you know he has driven Trek's engineering team bananas with ideas for 25 years? 

He's done all that and more. A new autobiography is out now featuring the life and times of Gray Fisher. The book, available through Trek for about 40 bucks, sports a cover reflecting Gary's personality and a wild-eyed look that might give the kids nightmares. I'm not much of a book reader, but even I might grab this one. 

I've met Gary Fisher a few times and I can say that each time I spoke with him he was brimming with ideas, passion, and all that with a very connected, in the moment manner that never made you feel like you weren't important to him. I also cannot imagine that if you have met him that you do not have your own "Gary Fisher Story" to tell. I know I have one from each time I have spoken with him. He's just that sort of a character. 

Say what you will, had we not had Gary Fisher a LOT of things would be VERY different in cycling. He is one of the people responsible for getting "The Tire" made, (the first 29"er tire, the WTB Nanoraptor in 1999), he pushed for 29"ers hard at Trek, and obviously Gary was instrumental in bringing mountain biking to a wider audience through his early efforts in Marin and beyond. 

I still say the dumbest thing Trek ever did was to can the Gary Fisher brand, but what do I know? Speaking of that, the day Trek announced this I was called by Gary Fisher himself so he could explain it all to me. I mean, wow! That still blows me away to this day. Okay, so one quickie Gary Fisher story.....

We were at a press camp deal at a remote location near Santa Cruz when someone asked me who I was as Gary Fisher was standing there. I mumbled something about being Guitar Ted but my name was Mark and just then Gary slapped my shoulder and said, "C'mon! You ARE Guitar Ted man!" 

Quite the character....

Guitar Ted Productions Merch:  

Just a quick reminder that there is G-Ted Productions merch for sale HERE 

Remember- I don't make a penny off this and it's just for fun. T-shirts, stickers, and more can be purchased. It's all just a way for me, and you, to celebrate 15 years of blogging. Have fun with it.... Also- I just got the spendy t-shirt. It's nice. I'll post a review sometime soon. Full  Disclosure: Artist proceeds from any sale of G-Ted merch will go to my daughter who has the page where the merch is displayed.

Also- All throughout the month of December there will be a lot of double-posts. That's right! TWO posts on one day for your reading pleasure. It's my way of saying "Thanks for reading"! So, don't forget to scroll back to make sure you haven't missed anything on the blog this month.  

That's a wrap for this week. I hope you all are safe and staying healthy and riding!

Friday News And Views

Riding Gravel Jersey Update:

Last week I posted that we at RidingGravel.com were thinking about rebooting the jersey idea and I posted two new designs courtesy of Bike Rags. I then asked you readers, if you cared to, to give me feedback on which one you'd like. I also posted these designs to the Riding Gravel Facebook page for consideration.

So, after all of that..... there was no clear winner! So, I'm not quite sure what to make of those results. Here's the kicker: We are not doing both. So the decision will likely fall on my shoulders to make. I'm going to allow this to carry on through the week next week, and if I do not get anymore feedback, the light blue one (with a slight mod) will be my choice. 

Now.......there is still time to swing things the other way, so let me know now or it will definitely be the lighter blue one. The changes I want to make would be to go with a shade darker orange and add a strip of orange to the top of the rear pockets like the dark blue design has on it.

The orange on the darker jersey is not how dark I would go on the lighter blue jersey, just for reference. The orange on the light blue one just looks a bit too 'creamsicle' for my tastes. And if the deal is left in my hands to make the call, that's what it'll be. 

So, one more week and we will then see how it goes. This isn't a super-high priority deal for RidingGravel.com. We do have our eyes on doing two t-shirts, classic designs we have done in the past that we are bringing back, and maybe a hoodie design. Stay tuned......

There also will be sticker packs and maybe one other kind of goodie as well. I doubt that we will get any of this off the ground for gift giving this holiday season. It will likely be later into the Winter before anything becomes available, unless I get surprised by something. We will see. 

Oh! And just for the record, I don't hate the darker blue design, I just like it less than the lighter blue design. Plus, the lighter blue is more in keeping with our other jersey we put out a few years back. So, the continuity of that appeals to me a bit. Just thought I'd throw that out there. 

The new Japhy from Esker Cycles.

Esker Cycles Debuts The Japhy Hardtail:

I had heard via Esker Cycles' head honcho on Facebook that there would be a new hardtail capable of handling a 29+ tire. Well, it was released Tuesday and it is a steel frame called the Japhy. 

You may be familiar with the Esker Hayduke, which has been around now for a while. This seems to be Esker's 27.5 platform now that the Japhy is out which has been designated the 29"er in the range. The Japhy has all the up-to-date slack/long/low thing going on with its geometry. No real difference from many bikes like it in that regard. But what I see here is a great value in a steel hard tail.

The Japhy frame set, which has a 148 Boost rear through axle, the sliding Portage rear drop out, a seat collar, and a Wolf Tooth head set, is fairly priced at $750.00. Not just in one color either. No, you get to choose from four different colors. That's crazy value, but the frame isn't some gas pipe tube set either. Esker says it is a quad-butted, seamless ChroMoly tube set. It has a dropper route, and with those Portage drop outs, it can be set up to accept various hub widths and supports a rack as well. 

I think it is a fetching bike for the buck. Especially compared to many others in this category. I'd look strongly at getting one if I lived in a place where it would make sense. The thing is, I don't live in a place where this makes sense. 

Image courtesy of Twampa

Wood You? Ride A Wooden Bike, That Is.....

The idea for using wood as a structural element isn't anything newsworthy, but when it comes to something that is like a bicycle? Well, that's a bit more unusual, although not unprecedented. Wood has been used to make bicycles and parts of bicycles for the entirety of the history of bicycles. But you'd have to agree that it isn't something you see everyday now. 

I have seen wooden rims, handle bars, and a complete wooden bicycle before. The last one I recall being pretty noteworthy was the Renovo road bike. I actually worked on one at the shop I was at prior to my gig at Andy's Bike Shop. (Renovo went out of business in 2018) Wood is a very qualified material to use to make a bicycle frame. It has its challenges, but the unique characteristics of wood become immediately familiar when we associate its use in some everyday things we know well. Like tool handles. Many are made from hardwoods like ash because they are strong and absorb shock well. Think about Major League baseball bats. They are made from wood as well for similar reasons. 

So, it makes sense that a frame for a gravel bike made from ash might be a worthwhile thing to do, and that's exactly where the company Twampa, from the U.K., is coming from with its new 'GR 1.0' gravel bike. Their unique take on a bicycle uses some cool machine work which features puzzle-piece junctions at major frame member joints and looks like a regular frame with, you know......wood grain.

Image courtesy of Twampa

Now, I looked over the Twampa website and there was no overt reference to pricing, but using the old Renovo bikes as a historical touch point, I cannot imagine these bikes would be inexpensive. A story I saw about the company said a frame is about $3000,00 USD though. Then we in North America know that the Emerald Ash Borer beetle has decimated ash tree populations here and it is expected that ash will no longer be available as a material to work with very soon. You have to wonder if English ash trees are under any similar threat. 

Then you have the suitability for any given bit of timber to be used in a structure like a bicycle frame where a material's characteristics are pushed to their outer limits. Select trees may only produce a finite amount of suitable material. That's probably why you don't see a lot of wooden bicycle frames. Getting a consistency from 'nature' in quantities on demand at fair prices? Good luck with that. That's why prices for such objects generally are quite high. (Thinking about guitars here especially)

But it is an interesting thought- a wooden bike- and I would ride one, given the opportunity. It would have to be spectacularly awesome and loads more comfortable than say, carbon fiber, or steel, for me to even give thought to buying one. Why? because I don't see the value proposition being an advantage over what I can buy for, (likely) a lot less. I mean, if this frame alone, with no fork, mind you, is 3K? Yeah..... That's very difficult to justify unless it is so much better than titanium, carbon, or high end steel. But, you'd have an unusual bike, that's for sure! 

And that's a wrap. REJECT BLACK FRIDAY! Go for a bicycle ride.....or a walk even...instead! have an awesome weekend!

Friday News And Views

Riding Gravel Jersey Update:

Last week I posted that we at RidingGravel.com were thinking about rebooting the jersey idea and I posted two new designs courtesy of Bike Rags. I then asked you readers, if you cared to, to give me feedback on which one you'd like. I also posted these designs to the Riding Gravel Facebook page for consideration.

So, after all of that..... there was no clear winner! So, I'm not quite sure what to make of those results. Here's the kicker: We are not doing both. So the decision will likely fall on my shoulders to make. I'm going to allow this to carry on through the week next week, and if I do not get anymore feedback, the light blue one (with a slight mod) will be my choice. 

Now.......there is still time to swing things the other way, so let me know now or it will definitely be the lighter blue one. The changes I want to make would be to go with a shade darker orange and add a strip of orange to the top of the rear pockets like the dark blue design has on it.

The orange on the darker jersey is not how dark I would go on the lighter blue jersey, just for reference. The orange on the light blue one just looks a bit too 'creamsicle' for my tastes. And if the deal is left in my hands to make the call, that's what it'll be. 

So, one more week and we will then see how it goes. This isn't a super-high priority deal for RidingGravel.com. We do have our eyes on doing two t-shirts, classic designs we have done in the past that we are bringing back, and maybe a hoodie design. Stay tuned......

There also will be sticker packs and maybe one other kind of goodie as well. I doubt that we will get any of this off the ground for gift giving this holiday season. It will likely be later into the Winter before anything becomes available, unless I get surprised by something. We will see. 

Oh! And just for the record, I don't hate the darker blue design, I just like it less than the lighter blue design. Plus, the lighter blue is more in keeping with our other jersey we put out a few years back. So, the continuity of that appeals to me a bit. Just thought I'd throw that out there. 

The new Japhy from Esker Cycles.

Esker Cycles Debuts The Japhy Hardtail:

I had heard via Esker Cycles' head honcho on Facebook that there would be a new hardtail capable of handling a 29+ tire. Well, it was released Tuesday and it is a steel frame called the Japhy. 

You may be familiar with the Esker Hayduke, which has been around now for a while. This seems to be Esker's 27.5 platform now that the Japhy is out which has been designated the 29"er in the range. The Japhy has all the up-to-date slack/long/low thing going on with its geometry. No real difference from many bikes like it in that regard. But what I see here is a great value in a steel hard tail.

The Japhy frame set, which has a 148 Boost rear through axle, the sliding Portage rear drop out, a seat collar, and a Wolf Tooth head set, is fairly priced at $750.00. Not just in one color either. No, you get to choose from four different colors. That's crazy value, but the frame isn't some gas pipe tube set either. Esker says it is a quad-butted, seamless ChroMoly tube set. It has a dropper route, and with those Portage drop outs, it can be set up to accept various hub widths and supports a rack as well. 

I think it is a fetching bike for the buck. Especially compared to many others in this category. I'd look strongly at getting one if I lived in a place where it would make sense. The thing is, I don't live in a place where this makes sense. 

Image courtesy of Twampa

Wood You? Ride A Wooden Bike, That Is.....

The idea for using wood as a structural element isn't anything newsworthy, but when it comes to something that is like a bicycle? Well, that's a bit more unusual, although not unprecedented. Wood has been used to make bicycles and parts of bicycles for the entirety of the history of bicycles. But you'd have to agree that it isn't something you see everyday now. 

I have seen wooden rims, handle bars, and a complete wooden bicycle before. The last one I recall being pretty noteworthy was the Renovo road bike. I actually worked on one at the shop I was at prior to my gig at Andy's Bike Shop. (Renovo went out of business in 2018) Wood is a very qualified material to use to make a bicycle frame. It has its challenges, but the unique characteristics of wood become immediately familiar when we associate its use in some everyday things we know well. Like tool handles. Many are made from hardwoods like ash because they are strong and absorb shock well. Think about Major League baseball bats. They are made from wood as well for similar reasons. 

So, it makes sense that a frame for a gravel bike made from ash might be a worthwhile thing to do, and that's exactly where the company Twampa, from the U.K., is coming from with its new 'GR 1.0' gravel bike. Their unique take on a bicycle uses some cool machine work which features puzzle-piece junctions at major frame member joints and looks like a regular frame with, you know......wood grain.

Image courtesy of Twampa

Now, I looked over the Twampa website and there was no overt reference to pricing, but using the old Renovo bikes as a historical touch point, I cannot imagine these bikes would be inexpensive. A story I saw about the company said a frame is about $3000,00 USD though. Then we in North America know that the Emerald Ash Borer beetle has decimated ash tree populations here and it is expected that ash will no longer be available as a material to work with very soon. You have to wonder if English ash trees are under any similar threat. 

Then you have the suitability for any given bit of timber to be used in a structure like a bicycle frame where a material's characteristics are pushed to their outer limits. Select trees may only produce a finite amount of suitable material. That's probably why you don't see a lot of wooden bicycle frames. Getting a consistency from 'nature' in quantities on demand at fair prices? Good luck with that. That's why prices for such objects generally are quite high. (Thinking about guitars here especially)

But it is an interesting thought- a wooden bike- and I would ride one, given the opportunity. It would have to be spectacularly awesome and loads more comfortable than say, carbon fiber, or steel, for me to even give thought to buying one. Why? because I don't see the value proposition being an advantage over what I can buy for, (likely) a lot less. I mean, if this frame alone, with no fork, mind you, is 3K? Yeah..... That's very difficult to justify unless it is so much better than titanium, carbon, or high end steel. But, you'd have an unusual bike, that's for sure! 

And that's a wrap. REJECT BLACK FRIDAY! Go for a bicycle ride.....or a walk even...instead! have an awesome weekend!

Minus Ten Review 2009-34

Check out this 2010 Raleigh XXIX Pro. Remember when head tube angles were steep?

Ten years ago on the blog I was yakking about a new rim. A really wide rim. It was called the P-35 and was going to be offered by Velocity. It was the precursor to all this wider rim stuff we all take for granted now days.

There was also a big announcement from Trans Iowa. Jeff Kerkove knocked out another of his humorous Trans Iowa headers. I enjoyed having Jeff do these and he genuinely seemed to not be bothered by my requests for his artistic talents. The header for v6 was a mostly white background with black lettering and a "spilled pill bottle" theme. It actually inspired one entrant to send me a prescription bottle filled with gravel as his "post card" for that year. Pretty crazy. (And yes- I still have that bottle filled with gravel)

Then another thing that happened annually for a few years was when Raleigh was headed up by Brian Fornes. They were arguably the coolest during his tenure at the helm of that company. The 29"ers Raleigh made, especially the XXIX Pro models, were to die for. They rode awesomely, the spec was unreal, and the frames were top notch steel.

By the time they were hitting their stride I had far too many bikes sitting around and I never could bring myself to getting one. I maybe should have, because I likely would still have it. The geometry wasn't so laid back, low, and stretched as it is today and those bikes would have been perfect for around here.

But, times changed, geometry went whacko, and now most hard tails are so slacked out and short in the rear end that they are like riding wheel barrows here. maybe someday it'll all pull back toward something that makes sense for slicing through Mid-West single track.

Oh, and you probably are yelling at the computer now wondering why I didn't post an image of that T.I.v6 header. Well, here ya go.....

Designed by Jeff Kerkove

Minus Ten Review 2009-34

Check out this 2010 Raleigh XXIX Pro. Remember when head tube angles were steep?

Ten years ago on the blog I was yakking about a new rim. A really wide rim. It was called the P-35 and was going to be offered by Velocity. It was the precursor to all this wider rim stuff we all take for granted now days.

There was also a big announcement from Trans Iowa. Jeff Kerkove knocked out another of his humorous Trans Iowa headers. I enjoyed having Jeff do these and he genuinely seemed to not be bothered by my requests for his artistic talents. The header for v6 was a mostly white background with black lettering and a "spilled pill bottle" theme. It actually inspired one entrant to send me a prescription bottle filled with gravel as his "post card" for that year. Pretty crazy. (And yes- I still have that bottle filled with gravel)

Then another thing that happened annually for a few years was when Raleigh was headed up by Brian Fornes. They were arguably the coolest during his tenure at the helm of that company. The 29"ers Raleigh made, especially the XXIX Pro models, were to die for. They rode awesomely, the spec was unreal, and the frames were top notch steel.

By the time they were hitting their stride I had far too many bikes sitting around and I never could bring myself to getting one. I maybe should have, because I likely would still have it. The geometry wasn't so laid back, low, and stretched as it is today and those bikes would have been perfect for around here.

But, times changed, geometry went whacko, and now most hard tails are so slacked out and short in the rear end that they are like riding wheel barrows here. maybe someday it'll all pull back toward something that makes sense for slicing through Mid-West single track.

Oh, and you probably are yelling at the computer now wondering why I didn't post an image of that T.I.v6 header. Well, here ya go.....

Designed by Jeff Kerkove

Minus Ten Review 2009-25

The Badger Dorothy. Not many of these around, and it is a sad tale.

Ten years ago on the blog it was Summer in full swing. Green was everywhere, and so were the skeeters. Hmm....2019 seems about the same, ya know?

But there was this one thing I had going on back then that I didn't say a whole lot about at the time. Probably still won't. It has to do with this baby blue beauty pictured here. It's a Badger Dorothy. One of six ever built.

And I got to ride two of the six. The first one I tested for the old "Twenty Nine Inches" site was a hard tail with verticle drop outs. That was a magical handling bike. Man! That thing could slice and dice Mid-West single track like nothing else. Then that had to go back, and well, that was that, or so I thought, until I got a strange e-mail one day in 2009.

The current owner of the rig wanted to sell it, and supposedly, the only person he could sell it to was me. Stipulation of the original owner of the Dorothy brand. apparently, and so, I was quite puzzled by this. Of course, remembering the previous ride of the Dorothy, I did want the bike. It was set up as a single speed and had Paragon sliding drop outs, a blinged up spec, and one bad thing- It had a dent about the size of a half dollar on the underside of the downtube. I maybe posted about this bike a few times, then I dropped it. The story was just too volatile and personal at the time.

Well, the price was negotiated and I ended up getting it. I rode it maybe three times, but the ding in the downtube weighed upon my mind, and I ended up stripping it, using the parts on other bikes, and hanging the rare bird from a peg in the Lab. "Someday", I thought, "I'll get that fixed."

Well, "someday" still hasn't come. I need to get that taken care of, but yeah. It's a pretty bike. I love sky/Robin's Egg, powder blue colors and the combination of that and the sparkly panels in deep blue. To die for. Plus, no one makes anything like this anymore. This is a hand made, fillet brazed frame and it does ride really sweetly. I should get it back together again, but..... Too many projects!

Minus Ten Review 2009-25

The Badger Dorothy. Not many of these around, and it is a sad tale.

Ten years ago on the blog it was Summer in full swing. Green was everywhere, and so were the skeeters. Hmm....2019 seems about the same, ya know?

But there was this one thing I had going on back then that I didn't say a whole lot about at the time. Probably still won't. It has to do with this baby blue beauty pictured here. It's a Badger Dorothy. One of six ever built.

And I got to ride two of the six. The first one I tested for the old "Twenty Nine Inches" site was a hard tail with verticle drop outs. That was a magical handling bike. Man! That thing could slice and dice Mid-West single track like nothing else. Then that had to go back, and well, that was that, or so I thought, until I got a strange e-mail one day in 2009.

The current owner of the rig wanted to sell it, and supposedly, the only person he could sell it to was me. Stipulation of the original owner of the Dorothy brand. apparently, and so, I was quite puzzled by this. Of course, remembering the previous ride of the Dorothy, I did want the bike. It was set up as a single speed and had Paragon sliding drop outs, a blinged up spec, and one bad thing- It had a dent about the size of a half dollar on the underside of the downtube. I maybe posted about this bike a few times, then I dropped it. The story was just too volatile and personal at the time.

Well, the price was negotiated and I ended up getting it. I rode it maybe three times, but the ding in the downtube weighed upon my mind, and I ended up stripping it, using the parts on other bikes, and hanging the rare bird from a peg in the Lab. "Someday", I thought, "I'll get that fixed."

Well, "someday" still hasn't come. I need to get that taken care of, but yeah. It's a pretty bike. I love sky/Robin's Egg, powder blue colors and the combination of that and the sparkly panels in deep blue. To die for. Plus, no one makes anything like this anymore. This is a hand made, fillet brazed frame and it does ride really sweetly. I should get it back together again, but..... Too many projects!

Minus Ten Review 2009-5

Using the bottom bracket taps doesn't happen as much as it used to.

Ten years ago on the blog I was wrapping up the Ritchey Design survey concerning which tire size each Trans Iowa v5 rider was planning on using. It was an interesting survey, as I've said before, and pointed out that tire sizing, back then, was maybe more a function of limited availability than it was what people wanted to see.

Then I had the opportunity to start working directly with more companies regarding reviewing items. Previous to 2009, I mostly was getting things directed to me via whomever was in charge of the website I wrote for at the time. A little more of the actual communications were directed my way during 2008, but 2009 I had the reins of the 29"er website, and one of my first, 100% controlled by me interactions with an outside company came via Misfit Psycles.

They sent me a frame and fork to test, which honestly, was a great little rig. It rode very nicely, despite its being aluminum, and the rigid fork it came with was actually pleasant to ride. This was at about the end of what I would call the "Single Speed Era" when it comes to 29"ers. The bigger wheel size not only was responsible for the revival of the hard tail mountain bike, but it extended the single speed craze for about ten years longer than it should have lasted.

29"er single speeds, arguably, were the single biggest "ambassador" of the big wheels. More accessible than front suspended or full suspended 29"ers, and cheaper to buy in to than either of those types, the single speed 29"er was the single most influential type of bike in modern times. It turned more people on to big wheels than anything the companies, marketing, or media could hope to do. Especially from 2005 (Fisher Rig) to 2009. After this point design and economies of scale made 29'ers cheaper, plus Pro riders were switching over in droves by this point, further influencing riders and companies. So, after 2009, the ubiquitous 29'er single speed hard tail fell off the radar as the bike everyone got their feet wet on with big wheels.

Anyway, the Misfit was a perfect example of the genre at the time. It was a fun bike, but things sure have changed a ton in the ten years since that point.

Minus Ten Review 2009-5

Using the bottom bracket taps doesn't happen as much as it used to.

Ten years ago on the blog I was wrapping up the Ritchey Design survey concerning which tire size each Trans Iowa v5 rider was planning on using. It was an interesting survey, as I've said before, and pointed out that tire sizing, back then, was maybe more a function of limited availability than it was what people wanted to see.

Then I had the opportunity to start working directly with more companies regarding reviewing items. Previous to 2009, I mostly was getting things directed to me via whomever was in charge of the website I wrote for at the time. A little more of the actual communications were directed my way during 2008, but 2009 I had the reins of the 29"er website, and one of my first, 100% controlled by me interactions with an outside company came via Misfit Psycles.

They sent me a frame and fork to test, which honestly, was a great little rig. It rode very nicely, despite its being aluminum, and the rigid fork it came with was actually pleasant to ride. This was at about the end of what I would call the "Single Speed Era" when it comes to 29"ers. The bigger wheel size not only was responsible for the revival of the hard tail mountain bike, but it extended the single speed craze for about ten years longer than it should have lasted.

29"er single speeds, arguably, were the single biggest "ambassador" of the big wheels. More accessible than front suspended or full suspended 29"ers, and cheaper to buy in to than either of those types, the single speed 29"er was the single most influential type of bike in modern times. It turned more people on to big wheels than anything the companies, marketing, or media could hope to do. Especially from 2005 (Fisher Rig) to 2009. After this point design and economies of scale made 29'ers cheaper, plus Pro riders were switching over in droves by this point, further influencing riders and companies. So, after 2009, the ubiquitous 29'er single speed hard tail fell off the radar as the bike everyone got their feet wet on with big wheels.

Anyway, the Misfit was a perfect example of the genre at the time. It was a fun bike, but things sure have changed a ton in the ten years since that point.

News Season: Pre-Interbike Intros

Hayduke Lives: Esker Cycles Hayduke steel hardtail

Note: A bonus post detailing some interesting bits that are coming out around the time of the Interbike trade show, which happens this coming week in Reno, Nevada. I won't be there, but anything I find interesting, I'll post here if I think it warrants it. Thanks!

Hard tail mountain bikes were, arguably, brought back from the dead by the 29 inch wheel in the early 00's. Steel hard tails led the way back then, and with the advent of adventure cycling and "bikepacking", steel hard tails have reserved a special place in the hearts and minds of many off road cyclists, this one included. All my current off-road bikes are steel. Even a couple I don't even have up and running!

Salsa Cycles axed its venerable and long running El Mariachi model a few years ago now, and since then the crown for the best steel, mass produced hard tail 29"er has been passed around to a few companies. Niner Bikes came out with a revised SIR 9 a while back that most closely approximated what I felt was an "evolution" of the El Mariachi. Another contender for that was the Advocate Cycles Hayduke model. But then the company, and its bikes, sort of faded away. However; recently the folks behind Advocate have revised their business model, canned Advocate, and re-branded and launched a new company called "Esker Cycles". They brought the Hayduke over, albeit a new Hayduke with some new frame tubing and minor geometry tweaks.

Since this has the closest relationship, via one of the company's principals, to the old El Mar, I would say that the successor to the El Mar has to the Hayduke, a fully modern steel hard tail. A choice of two swappable rear drop out plates,  multi-wheel size and drive train capabilities, and a price for the frame, rear through axle, Wolf Tooth head set, and seat collar at $675.00 make this look pretty attractive. Completes will be offered starting at 2G. Pretty cool. Plus, it is supposed to be lighter and more responsive than the original Hayduke. See Esker's site linked above for more.

The new 45NRTH Ragnorok Boot

45NRTH Introduces Third Generation Transition Season Boot:

45NRTH is kind of a funny company when it comes to its naming conventions. Their tires are often named after obscure black metal bands or old Minneapolis area punk bands. Their boots get renamed every time they offer an evolution on the old design.

Yeah........so, think of this as the latest version of the Fasterkatt, only with several design changes and upgrades. The last model, which supplanted the Fasterkatt, was the Japanther. This, the Ragnorok, would be version three, if I am counting correctly.

Anyway...... The Ragnorok features a move to the BOA closure system and a rubberized, neoprene upper "sock"which has been redesigned as well. The silver edition, shown here at left, is fully reflective and will retail at $235.00. A non-reflective, black upper model is offered as well at $195.00. The soles, by the way, look like a dead ringer for my first edition Fasterkatt's, so apparently no changes were made there.

The shop where I work received a full size run of these boots and they look like a great boot. I still rock the original Fasterkatt boots and they have been rock solid for me as a way to ride in conditions which are wet and cold down to about 25 F, but much below that and my feet get chilled. These Ragnorok's are rated similarly, and I've no doubt they are actually better made and function better than my Fasterkatts do. Available at 45NRTH dealers now......

SKS Bluemels 65mm Fenders

SKS Offers New Blumels 65mm Fender Set:

SKS is a German based company best known for inflation devices and fenders. They make a full line of fenders which are well known in certain cycling circles.

Being introduced at Interbike this year, and available at dealers in November, is this new Bluemels 65mm fender suitable for 29"ers. SKS claims the front fender is 680mm long and the rear is 920mm long. MSRP is set at $74.99.

The only image I got was of what looks like a rear fender. You can make out some wide clearanced stays and what appears to be a rubber edge on the end of the fender itself. If this is indeed a rear fender, I would judge from the image that coverage is not all the way down the back, so perhaps this is meant more for mountain bike/off-road use.

But that said, it might be a handy design for bikes like Fargos and the lot which are used across a wide range of terrains and in varying conditions. I could see this being very useful for early season "sloppy" gravel rides or for those commutes where run-off from daytime melting is a concern during Winter.

SKS is also introducing a foot pump. I see another inflation device selling company is also doing a foot operated bicycle pump. Maybe this is a new thing for the near future. Ditch that old floor pump with a handle and tall profile that is so tippy! Use your feet instead! Ha! Well, to be fair, when I was a younginz, these types of foot operated pumps were still around. They were a relic even back then, but apparently the idea is being revived for 2019.

Stay tuned for more as I get things in...........

News Season: Pre-Interbike Intros

Hayduke Lives: Esker Cycles Hayduke steel hardtail

Note: A bonus post detailing some interesting bits that are coming out around the time of the Interbike trade show, which happens this coming week in Reno, Nevada. I won't be there, but anything I find interesting, I'll post here if I think it warrants it. Thanks!

Hard tail mountain bikes were, arguably, brought back from the dead by the 29 inch wheel in the early 00's. Steel hard tails led the way back then, and with the advent of adventure cycling and "bikepacking", steel hard tails have reserved a special place in the hearts and minds of many off road cyclists, this one included. All my current off-road bikes are steel. Even a couple I don't even have up and running!

Salsa Cycles axed its venerable and long running El Mariachi model a few years ago now, and since then the crown for the best steel, mass produced hard tail 29"er has been passed around to a few companies. Niner Bikes came out with a revised SIR 9 a while back that most closely approximated what I felt was an "evolution" of the El Mariachi. Another contender for that was the Advocate Cycles Hayduke model. But then the company, and its bikes, sort of faded away. However; recently the folks behind Advocate have revised their business model, canned Advocate, and re-branded and launched a new company called "Esker Cycles". They brought the Hayduke over, albeit a new Hayduke with some new frame tubing and minor geometry tweaks.

Since this has the closest relationship, via one of the company's principals, to the old El Mar, I would say that the successor to the El Mar has to the Hayduke, a fully modern steel hard tail. A choice of two swappable rear drop out plates,  multi-wheel size and drive train capabilities, and a price for the frame, rear through axle, Wolf Tooth head set, and seat collar at $675.00 make this look pretty attractive. Completes will be offered starting at 2G. Pretty cool. Plus, it is supposed to be lighter and more responsive than the original Hayduke. See Esker's site linked above for more.

The new 45NRTH Ragnorok Boot

45NRTH Introduces Third Generation Transition Season Boot:

45NRTH is kind of a funny company when it comes to its naming conventions. Their tires are often named after obscure black metal bands or old Minneapolis area punk bands. Their boots get renamed every time they offer an evolution on the old design.

Yeah........so, think of this as the latest version of the Fasterkatt, only with several design changes and upgrades. The last model, which supplanted the Fasterkatt, was the Japanther. This, the Ragnorok, would be version three, if I am counting correctly.

Anyway...... The Ragnorok features a move to the BOA closure system and a rubberized, neoprene upper "sock"which has been redesigned as well. The silver edition, shown here at left, is fully reflective and will retail at $235.00. A non-reflective, black upper model is offered as well at $195.00. The soles, by the way, look like a dead ringer for my first edition Fasterkatt's, so apparently no changes were made there.

The shop where I work received a full size run of these boots and they look like a great boot. I still rock the original Fasterkatt boots and they have been rock solid for me as a way to ride in conditions which are wet and cold down to about 25 F, but much below that and my feet get chilled. These Ragnorok's are rated similarly, and I've no doubt they are actually better made and function better than my Fasterkatts do. Available at 45NRTH dealers now......

SKS Bluemels 65mm Fenders

SKS Offers New Blumels 65mm Fender Set:

SKS is a German based company best known for inflation devices and fenders. They make a full line of fenders which are well known in certain cycling circles.

Being introduced at Interbike this year, and available at dealers in November, is this new Bluemels 65mm fender suitable for 29"ers. SKS claims the front fender is 680mm long and the rear is 920mm long. MSRP is set at $74.99.

The only image I got was of what looks like a rear fender. You can make out some wide clearanced stays and what appears to be a rubber edge on the end of the fender itself. If this is indeed a rear fender, I would judge from the image that coverage is not all the way down the back, so perhaps this is meant more for mountain bike/off-road use.

But that said, it might be a handy design for bikes like Fargos and the lot which are used across a wide range of terrains and in varying conditions. I could see this being very useful for early season "sloppy" gravel rides or for those commutes where run-off from daytime melting is a concern during Winter.

SKS is also introducing a foot pump. I see another inflation device selling company is also doing a foot operated bicycle pump. Maybe this is a new thing for the near future. Ditch that old floor pump with a handle and tall profile that is so tippy! Use your feet instead! Ha! Well, to be fair, when I was a younginz, these types of foot operated pumps were still around. They were a relic even back then, but apparently the idea is being revived for 2019.

Stay tuned for more as I get things in...........

Friday News And Views

This and three other designs coming soon....

Stickers:

I found out yesterday that my partner in Riding Gravel, Ben Welnak, has come up with four new stickers that should be available sometime soon. When I know more I will pass it along here.

There will be "Addicted To Gravel" stickers in this run, in case you were wondering. Stay tuned.....

News on next year's Grinder Nats has come out...

 Grinder Nats, Gravelleurs Raid Join Forces:

The Gravelleur's Raid event has been an annual event for a while now and when Grinder Nationals announced that they were going to have an event in the same area, but later in June, it sent out a red flag to the organizers. To their credit, instead of fighting with each other these events have now joined forces and Grinder Nationals will now happen in conjunction with Gravelleur's Raid on April 7th, 2018.

Here's the Press release:

PRESS RELEASE: Alright gravel peeps here we go.
The Gravelleur's Raid 100 mile gravel road race will now be your gravel Grinder Nationals event. It will be a fully supported gravel event.
It is owned and operated by the United States Endurance Cycling Federation. http://www.usecf.com/
We will be growing the event and making it one of the top gravel races in the United States.
More info to come.
The 50 mile non-competitive event will be called Gravelleur's Raid and become a bigger and better event also.

There ya go......

Commentary: There will be a lot of folks that want to piss and moan about how "gravel racing is being  ruined", or by expressing some similar comments. I have talked with one of the USECF head honches, Troy, worked alongside of him, and have interviewed him. He gets it. The USECF grew up out of a grassroots background. The USECF wants to keep the vibe that gravel racing has always had, but they want to also have an opportunity for its best racers to gain recognition and be rewraded with a jersey that shows that. As far as I know, that's all they want to do. 

Like I have said, I've spoken with Troy from the USECF. Have any of the other commenters dug into this and asked folks from the organization what's up? Or are we just shooting from the hip? Uh huh.......

I will pass along this: The USECF jumped at the chance to do a "Gravel Nationals" because they knew that the USAC Federation was going to try to do it. I doubt that USAC would be interested in doing things in a "grassroots way" judging by how they have operated throughout their history. So, there is that nugget to chew on as well.

Finally, I feel that the Grinder Nationals is not doing anything now, or will do anything in the future that say, an event like Dirty Kanza has not already done before. That's likely what the organizers are shooting for here. So, the DK200 draws well over 2000 racers and supporting folks to Emporia every June. If that is the Grinder Nats template, I don't see how that "ruins" gravel racing, or the scene. I guess if it rankles your feathers, you could always just not bother with it, ya know....... We do have a choice.

2018 Trek Roscoe 8- A 27.5+ rig (Image courtesy of Trek Bicycles)

Trek Resurrects The Roscoe Model, Gives it Plus Wheels:

Remember the old Fisher Roscoe? Well, Trek has dredged up another old Fisher Bikes model name and tacked it on to this new, 27.5+ wheeled hard tail. You can think of it as a smaller wheeled Stache.

There will be two models offered to start with. The Roscoe 7 will retail for right at a grand and the Roscoe 8 will basically be $1200.00 list. The Orange Roscoe 8 has an aluminum frame with internal rear derailleur and dropper post routing, an NX 1X 11 group, and comes with a dropper. It also has a 141mm, open drop out rear end that is like a Boost hub but with a quick release. The fork has 120mm travel, by the way, and the bike is surprisingly shown with Schwalbe tires.I imagine at some point Bontrager will have 27.5+ rubber for these bikes.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out going forward because the X Cal series, also redesigned for 2018, is in this same price point. Trek will certainly be eyeballing which line does better and I wouldn't be surprised to see one or the other go away in the future. But then again, this is Trek and they manufacture a boat load of models.

I like the Roscoe 8. It seems like a better spec than a Timberjack and you'll likely be able to actually find one to test ride. I am a little leery of the rear axle spacing, which seems out of step with the current "axle du jour" standards. But otherwise it seems like a decent entry to plus bikes from a good name brand company.

Okay, that's it for this week. Have a great weekend and stay cool!