Friday News And Views

Ride With GPS Announces Integration With Apple Watch:

Ever since 'smart phones' have debuted, the promise of using that device as a cycling computer has been a dream, and the times where it has been tried end with poor experiences, typically due to short battery life issues.

However; a recent development by Ride With GPS, (RWGPS) may point to a time soon where your smart phone takes on new life as a cycling computer/data gathering/dispensing hub. 

The just announced Apple integration with RWGPS goes a long way toward this goal. Using an Apple Watch as a means to gather route data, a rider can then swipe right in the RWGPS app and that route will then be automatically synced to your RWGPS account and would be available later as a turn-by-turn navigable route. The hitch? You need to use you phone and the watch for turn-by-turn navigation, and you'd need a RWGPS upgraded account (monthly subscription) to make it work. 

You might wonder, and rightly so, about battery life. A comment answered by a representative of RWGPS in the press release, (Like it was a live Facebook thread or something. Weird!) states:

"In our testing on the latest app version, we found that the battery lasted 6+ hours (and plenty of juice let [sic]) while running paired navigation, monitoring heart rate, playing music (from Spotify), and checking metrics frequently. "

Comments: This bears watching, (pun not intended), and this may actually prove to be a viable solution for many people who cannot find a reason to be bothered with having to own a GPS cycling computer that does turn-by-turn navigation that costs hundreds of dollars. Not when they already have a smart phone capable of doing the task. Sure, it may not be for those who have ultra-long distance events on the menu, but most folks aren't riding 5-6 hours at a crack either. Still, external battery packs can extend your phone battery life for well over a day. So, there is that, and then you can always think about a hub generator as well. There are a ton of possibilities here. 

I get why RWGPS puts the "good stuff" behind a subscription pay-wall, but I can see a time where Apple, or an Android phone app would be made available with a one-time cost that would essentially do this same thing, maybe even better.

Is the day drawing nigh where separate, GPS/cycling only data heads are going to become obsolete because our smart phones will be able to do everything those devices do and more? I think it is a distinct possibility.  

Big Payout At Iowa Gravel Events:

First of all, "How is this the third year for this event?" I've not heard about it until just recently. Anyway....

Fairfield, Iowa is hosting a gravel event with three distances on tap. The longest, a century plus a little, is paying out 1K to the Man and Woman who place first. (!!)

Comments: I've scouted the area around Fairfield extensively for Trans Iowa. (No- you are not crazy if you think T.I. never went down that way, but I've scouted a LOT of territory I never used) So, I know that area has some stellar offerings for gravel, Level B roads, and terrain types. It can be dead flat or super hilly.

The event should be great fun, I'm sure, from that standpoint, but look at that purse money! That's gotta grab your attention, and I am thinking that you are going to see some cutthroat racing at the front end of that longer distance part of this event. A grand is no chump change and I figure that as small as this event is, Iowa riders will be thinking that they can take this one down. But you never know.  There are other race options like......

  ...the Snaggy Ridge 105 in Tipton, Iowa, which has been around several years now and also pays out 1K to the man or woman who finishes first. In fact, they have 500 for second and 250 for third, so you could always score some greenbacks if you are fast enough there. 

The Fairfield event cost $95.00 to get in on the payout possibilities, but Snaggy Ridge is a bargain at $40.00 no matter what distance you run. Sounds like the better bargain to me, but you decide what's best for you.

It's kind of crazy that a city running an event, like the Chamber of Commerce is in Fairfield, would choose to run an event the same day as an event that is set up to benefit children's resources, as Snaggy Ridge's is. Especially when the event venues are less than 90 miles apart from each other, but whatever. Gravel events are now so profuse and innumerable now that finding dates that do not conflict with other's event dates probably is impossible. But still, this seems fixable in the future.  

Speaking of the Snaggy Ridge 105, I and N.Y. Roll interviewed Dan Roberts, the RD of that event, on the 100th Episode of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch. Listen to it from that Spotify link or from Google Podcast feed. Search for the Guitar Ted Productions Podcast.

A Note On The Guitar Ted Productions Podcast:

I'm slowly getting more avenues to distribute this deal. Right now you can search "Guitar Ted Productions Podcast" and you'll get the Anchor.fm and Spotify avenues to listen through. I should be available on Google Podcasts and Amazon Podcast/Audible servers by the time you read this. The podcast has an RSS feed so that may help some of you as well. Later on I should have Apple Play as another source. Any others I should look into? Leave me a comment, please.

There are three Riding Gravel Radio Ranch episodes there so far. I hope to get more content on the podcast soon. Thanks for considering and if you are listening in, thanks for that as well. 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading and I hope that you all have a fantastic weekend!

Friday News And Views

Ride With GPS Announces Integration With Apple Watch:

Ever since 'smart phones' have debuted, the promise of using that device as a cycling computer has been a dream, and the times where it has been tried end with poor experiences, typically due to short battery life issues.

However; a recent development by Ride With GPS, (RWGPS) may point to a time soon where your smart phone takes on new life as a cycling computer/data gathering/dispensing hub. 

The just announced Apple integration with RWGPS goes a long way toward this goal. Using an Apple Watch as a means to gather route data, a rider can then swipe right in the RWGPS app and that route will then be automatically synced to your RWGPS account and would be available later as a turn-by-turn navigable route. The hitch? You need to use you phone and the watch for turn-by-turn navigation, and you'd need a RWGPS upgraded account (monthly subscription) to make it work. 

You might wonder, and rightly so, about battery life. A comment answered by a representative of RWGPS in the press release, (Like it was a live Facebook thread or something. Weird!) states:

"In our testing on the latest app version, we found that the battery lasted 6+ hours (and plenty of juice let [sic]) while running paired navigation, monitoring heart rate, playing music (from Spotify), and checking metrics frequently. "

Comments: This bears watching, (pun not intended), and this may actually prove to be a viable solution for many people who cannot find a reason to be bothered with having to own a GPS cycling computer that does turn-by-turn navigation that costs hundreds of dollars. Not when they already have a smart phone capable of doing the task. Sure, it may not be for those who have ultra-long distance events on the menu, but most folks aren't riding 5-6 hours at a crack either. Still, external battery packs can extend your phone battery life for well over a day. So, there is that, and then you can always think about a hub generator as well. There are a ton of possibilities here. 

I get why RWGPS puts the "good stuff" behind a subscription pay-wall, but I can see a time where Apple, or an Android phone app would be made available with a one-time cost that would essentially do this same thing, maybe even better.

Is the day drawing nigh where separate, GPS/cycling only data heads are going to become obsolete because our smart phones will be able to do everything those devices do and more? I think it is a distinct possibility.  

Big Payout At Iowa Gravel Events:

First of all, "How is this the third year for this event?" I've not heard about it until just recently. Anyway....

Fairfield, Iowa is hosting a gravel event with three distances on tap. The longest, a century plus a little, is paying out 1K to the Man and Woman who place first. (!!)

Comments: I've scouted the area around Fairfield extensively for Trans Iowa. (No- you are not crazy if you think T.I. never went down that way, but I've scouted a LOT of territory I never used) So, I know that area has some stellar offerings for gravel, Level B roads, and terrain types. It can be dead flat or super hilly.

The event should be great fun, I'm sure, from that standpoint, but look at that purse money! That's gotta grab your attention, and I am thinking that you are going to see some cutthroat racing at the front end of that longer distance part of this event. A grand is no chump change and I figure that as small as this event is, Iowa riders will be thinking that they can take this one down. But you never know.  There are other race options like......

  ...the Snaggy Ridge 105 in Tipton, Iowa, which has been around several years now and also pays out 1K to the man or woman who finishes first. In fact, they have 500 for second and 250 for third, so you could always score some greenbacks if you are fast enough there. 

The Fairfield event cost $95.00 to get in on the payout possibilities, but Snaggy Ridge is a bargain at $40.00 no matter what distance you run. Sounds like the better bargain to me, but you decide what's best for you.

It's kind of crazy that a city running an event, like the Chamber of Commerce is in Fairfield, would choose to run an event the same day as an event that is set up to benefit children's resources, as Snaggy Ridge's is. Especially when the event venues are less than 90 miles apart from each other, but whatever. Gravel events are now so profuse and innumerable now that finding dates that do not conflict with other's event dates probably is impossible. But still, this seems fixable in the future.  

Speaking of the Snaggy Ridge 105, I and N.Y. Roll interviewed Dan Roberts, the RD of that event, on the 100th Episode of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch. Listen to it from that Spotify link or from Google Podcast feed. Search for the Guitar Ted Productions Podcast.

A Note On The Guitar Ted Productions Podcast:

I'm slowly getting more avenues to distribute this deal. Right now you can search "Guitar Ted Productions Podcast" and you'll get the Anchor.fm and Spotify avenues to listen through. I should be available on Google Podcasts and Amazon Podcast/Audible servers by the time you read this. The podcast has an RSS feed so that may help some of you as well. Later on I should have Apple Play as another source. Any others I should look into? Leave me a comment, please.

There are three Riding Gravel Radio Ranch episodes there so far. I hope to get more content on the podcast soon. Thanks for considering and if you are listening in, thanks for that as well. 

That's a wrap for this week! Thank you for reading and I hope that you all have a fantastic weekend!

Friday News And Views

 Ride With GPS Debuts New Technology:

This week Ride With GPS debuted a new "Surface Types" technology for route finding and planning that, in many ways, is the pinnacle of what many riders will want out of technology for route finding. 

What is most impressive, to my mind anyway, is that Ride With GPS thought this through and realized that the information necessary to make this work would largely need to be tweakable by the users themselves. This is because, as I have preached on for years, due to the fact that there is no currently available information which you can rely upon 100% for surface data. 

This is due to the fact that most all of the GPS road data to date is focused on where people will most likely be wanting information- namely paved highways and interstate highways. NOT on gravel and dirt roads, which, let's face it, only a very small percentage of people even care about. So, as a result I have found blockages of roads which occurred decades ago which are still listed as through-roads, or as having bridges, etc. That this misinformation on roads and surface types exists should be no surprise then. This is also why, when I have seen people touting 'route surface type resources' in the past who relied purely on data focused on and for pavement users, I cried foul. 

This new Surface Types feature on Ride With GPS will be similarly handcuffed- at first- But if users take the opportunity to edit and make suggestions, as Ride With GPS says they will be able to do, then all the other sector features, elevation data, and mileage splits for paved/unpaved bits will suddenly start to become what we've dreamed of having as a resource. A dream since the times of the earliest modern-day gravel grinder events. 

I have checked the routes I have saved (private) on Ride With GPS to see how it does. On some it is spot on. The gravel to pavement ratio is correct. But on some older routes it isn't picking up on the gravel that is really there in many spots. This is where the rider input will be critical. 

I believe Ride With GPS, due to its oft used integration with GPS navigation head units widely in use by cyclists and events now, will be successful where others were not. Time will tell....

The Search Continues:

Which brings me to GPS units for my uses. I've been doing a bunch of research, and THANK YOU to the readers here for your valuable suggestions, by the way. I really appreciate those and I have been informed greatly by what you have shared. 

So, where am I on all of this? Well, I have it slightly narrowed down to a Garmin 830, a Garmin 130, or the Karoo 2 from Hammerhead. Disparate choices, I know....

The Garmin 130 does more of what I want and less of what I do not want, but it is tiny, harder to see, (old eyes here!), and it doesn't have a color screen. Honestly, that all may not matter if prompts are audible during the turn by turn navigation. (I don't think that they are audible, but I cannot confirm this via the web so far) It also happens to be the least expensive option I am looking at as well. This makes buying the mounts it doesn't come with less of a pain. 

The 830 is bigger, has color screen display, and audible turn by turn navigation prompts. It also has alerts for help if I get into trouble, (something Mrs. Guitar Ted would like) and it has rerouting/back to start functions which would be kind of nice to have sometimes as well. It is more expensive though, and that is a concern. Along with it comes a slew of stuff I'll never use also. Maybe a 530 here?

Pretty much the same story with the Karoo 2 from Hammerhead. I like this one because it seems to be backed by a company that is trying to update the unit with newer features on a regular basis, (thus giving me more value for the money spent, potentially) and that perhaps bodes well for issues which Garmin and Wahoo seem to have which are not being addressed for their users. Should a Karoo 2 start 'locking up', I would hope that their aggressive plan to update their units in the field would address such an issue quickly. But again- it has lots of stuff I'll never use and it also is spendy to purchase. 

Still looking and researching.......

Mosaic Cycles Announces GT-X Series:

If you are a well heeled cyclist with a penchant for adventure cycling off-pavement then the new Mosaic Cycles GT-X series might be for you. Offered in a full custom, double butted titanium version or as a stock geometry, single wall version in titanium, the bikes are capable of being drop bar or flat bar, depending upon rider preference, due to the geometry having a longer front center than a standard drop bar bike would. 

Tire clearances are 29" X 2.25" or narrower, but keep in mind that the bottom bracket drop is 75mm, so a 650B set may not work, and Mosaic does not give any indication that it would either. However; while it does not give the 650B fans any love, this bike does go the non-sus corrected route, and I like that simplicity and aesthetic. 

But you'd better open the credit limits up. The base GT-2X is $4500.00 for the frame only, and a GT-1X frame and fork are nearly 7G!! Don't look at me to be one who will be getting one of these rigs. I don't make anywhere near the kind of income to be looking at such bikes!

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #91:

Keeping things local, Andy and I interviewed Dan Roberts of the Snaggy Ridge 105 gravel event recently. That event takes place October 2nd in Tipton, Iowa. 

I met Dan first at one of the Iowa Gravel Expos that N.Y. Roll and I put on a few years ago. He showed up to promote his event and has been to a couple of these since to do the same. It sounds like a great event and if you can get in, you should. I realize a LOT of stuff is going down in the Fall, but this event deserves your attention. 

Plus, RidingGravel.com is sponsoring it, and I am sending over some schwag to help support the event. So if you go you could score a few items and have a great day in the saddle to boot. Check it out!

Plus, you can listen to our podcast with Dan here. We had a lot of fun talking with him and playing our game called "Function or Fashion" as well. You can hear that podcast wherever you get your podcast feed from as also. Thanks!

This Wentworth tire comes in a 700 X 40 or 50mm and in 650B

American Classic Is Back! With Tires?!

 American Classic, the brand started by Bill Shook in 1982, was well known as a wheel and component company for years until slow sales in the business for them caused them to shutter the company in 2018. 

The assets of the company were offered for sale at that point along with all intellectual properties, but as of now no official industry news has been announced as to whether or not that sale has happened. Although this news article about the brand relaunch states that the sale did occur, but offers no clear details.

At any rate, now the brand appears to be back and with tires. Of course, they are selling gravel oriented tires and they offer quite a wide range from a mostly smooth treaded type to full-on, aggressive MTB-like tires. All offerings in their gravel range are available in 700c X 40mm, or 700c X 50mm widths along with 650B X 47mm sizes in black or tan wall sides. Prices are all the same, a paltry $35.00 per tire!

Comments: Wow! Tires? That pricing! Okay, here's the thing, with tire prices on the rise and many tires being out of stock, and with American Classic being a brand off the radar for a few years, this is probably an attention getting move - an introductory offer, if you will.  I am guessing the pricing, and stock of tires, will be gone rather quickly. Once the brand is established, (if it ever is as a tire brand), I suspect that you will see pricing increase dramatically. 

That 35 buck price - if the tires are decent - is basically at retail cost. I would be immensely surprised if they are making any money at that price, again- if the tires actually measure up to what the competition is offering. Normally gravel tires with high quality casings and rubber compounds are sold is at nearly double that 35 dollar price and even higher in some instances. I mean, you could be getting what you pay for here, which could be not-so-great.

As a brand relaunch, sticking to the gravel category, (with a small nod to the past with some road tires), and going with tires, (a BIG talking point on forums and websites), is a smart move. The buzz created by this launch is a good start. If the product is worthy, and if American Classic can sustain the force of this launch over the long haul, then they may have life for the long term. However; if the product turns out to be lackluster and their stock lists are depleted with no quick restocking? Ooof! It could be the greatest time to relaunch or the worst possible time to relaunch the brand. We will see....

But I have to give American Classic credit for this eye-opening relaunch. It is a pretty bold move. Also- they promise more components to come. Now we will see if it sticks.

And that's a wrap for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for reading G-Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

 Ride With GPS Debuts New Technology:

This week Ride With GPS debuted a new "Surface Types" technology for route finding and planning that, in many ways, is the pinnacle of what many riders will want out of technology for route finding. 

What is most impressive, to my mind anyway, is that Ride With GPS thought this through and realized that the information necessary to make this work would largely need to be tweakable by the users themselves. This is because, as I have preached on for years, due to the fact that there is no currently available information which you can rely upon 100% for surface data. 

This is due to the fact that most all of the GPS road data to date is focused on where people will most likely be wanting information- namely paved highways and interstate highways. NOT on gravel and dirt roads, which, let's face it, only a very small percentage of people even care about. So, as a result I have found blockages of roads which occurred decades ago which are still listed as through-roads, or as having bridges, etc. That this misinformation on roads and surface types exists should be no surprise then. This is also why, when I have seen people touting 'route surface type resources' in the past who relied purely on data focused on and for pavement users, I cried foul. 

This new Surface Types feature on Ride With GPS will be similarly handcuffed- at first- But if users take the opportunity to edit and make suggestions, as Ride With GPS says they will be able to do, then all the other sector features, elevation data, and mileage splits for paved/unpaved bits will suddenly start to become what we've dreamed of having as a resource. A dream since the times of the earliest modern-day gravel grinder events. 

I have checked the routes I have saved (private) on Ride With GPS to see how it does. On some it is spot on. The gravel to pavement ratio is correct. But on some older routes it isn't picking up on the gravel that is really there in many spots. This is where the rider input will be critical. 

I believe Ride With GPS, due to its oft used integration with GPS navigation head units widely in use by cyclists and events now, will be successful where others were not. Time will tell....

The Search Continues:

Which brings me to GPS units for my uses. I've been doing a bunch of research, and THANK YOU to the readers here for your valuable suggestions, by the way. I really appreciate those and I have been informed greatly by what you have shared. 

So, where am I on all of this? Well, I have it slightly narrowed down to a Garmin 830, a Garmin 130, or the Karoo 2 from Hammerhead. Disparate choices, I know....

The Garmin 130 does more of what I want and less of what I do not want, but it is tiny, harder to see, (old eyes here!), and it doesn't have a color screen. Honestly, that all may not matter if prompts are audible during the turn by turn navigation. (I don't think that they are audible, but I cannot confirm this via the web so far) It also happens to be the least expensive option I am looking at as well. This makes buying the mounts it doesn't come with less of a pain. 

The 830 is bigger, has color screen display, and audible turn by turn navigation prompts. It also has alerts for help if I get into trouble, (something Mrs. Guitar Ted would like) and it has rerouting/back to start functions which would be kind of nice to have sometimes as well. It is more expensive though, and that is a concern. Along with it comes a slew of stuff I'll never use also. Maybe a 530 here?

Pretty much the same story with the Karoo 2 from Hammerhead. I like this one because it seems to be backed by a company that is trying to update the unit with newer features on a regular basis, (thus giving me more value for the money spent, potentially) and that perhaps bodes well for issues which Garmin and Wahoo seem to have which are not being addressed for their users. Should a Karoo 2 start 'locking up', I would hope that their aggressive plan to update their units in the field would address such an issue quickly. But again- it has lots of stuff I'll never use and it also is spendy to purchase. 

Still looking and researching.......

Mosaic Cycles Announces GT-X Series:

If you are a well heeled cyclist with a penchant for adventure cycling off-pavement then the new Mosaic Cycles GT-X series might be for you. Offered in a full custom, double butted titanium version or as a stock geometry, single wall version in titanium, the bikes are capable of being drop bar or flat bar, depending upon rider preference, due to the geometry having a longer front center than a standard drop bar bike would. 

Tire clearances are 29" X 2.25" or narrower, but keep in mind that the bottom bracket drop is 75mm, so a 650B set may not work, and Mosaic does not give any indication that it would either. However; while it does not give the 650B fans any love, this bike does go the non-sus corrected route, and I like that simplicity and aesthetic. 

But you'd better open the credit limits up. The base GT-2X is $4500.00 for the frame only, and a GT-1X frame and fork are nearly 7G!! Don't look at me to be one who will be getting one of these rigs. I don't make anywhere near the kind of income to be looking at such bikes!

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #91:

Keeping things local, Andy and I interviewed Dan Roberts of the Snaggy Ridge 105 gravel event recently. That event takes place October 2nd in Tipton, Iowa. 

I met Dan first at one of the Iowa Gravel Expos that N.Y. Roll and I put on a few years ago. He showed up to promote his event and has been to a couple of these since to do the same. It sounds like a great event and if you can get in, you should. I realize a LOT of stuff is going down in the Fall, but this event deserves your attention. 

Plus, RidingGravel.com is sponsoring it, and I am sending over some schwag to help support the event. So if you go you could score a few items and have a great day in the saddle to boot. Check it out!

Plus, you can listen to our podcast with Dan here. We had a lot of fun talking with him and playing our game called "Function or Fashion" as well. You can hear that podcast wherever you get your podcast feed from as also. Thanks!

This Wentworth tire comes in a 700 X 40 or 50mm and in 650B

American Classic Is Back! With Tires?!

 American Classic, the brand started by Bill Shook in 1982, was well known as a wheel and component company for years until slow sales in the business for them caused them to shutter the company in 2018. 

The assets of the company were offered for sale at that point along with all intellectual properties, but as of now no official industry news has been announced as to whether or not that sale has happened. Although this news article about the brand relaunch states that the sale did occur, but offers no clear details.

At any rate, now the brand appears to be back and with tires. Of course, they are selling gravel oriented tires and they offer quite a wide range from a mostly smooth treaded type to full-on, aggressive MTB-like tires. All offerings in their gravel range are available in 700c X 40mm, or 700c X 50mm widths along with 650B X 47mm sizes in black or tan wall sides. Prices are all the same, a paltry $35.00 per tire!

Comments: Wow! Tires? That pricing! Okay, here's the thing, with tire prices on the rise and many tires being out of stock, and with American Classic being a brand off the radar for a few years, this is probably an attention getting move - an introductory offer, if you will.  I am guessing the pricing, and stock of tires, will be gone rather quickly. Once the brand is established, (if it ever is as a tire brand), I suspect that you will see pricing increase dramatically. 

That 35 buck price - if the tires are decent - is basically at retail cost. I would be immensely surprised if they are making any money at that price, again- if the tires actually measure up to what the competition is offering. Normally gravel tires with high quality casings and rubber compounds are sold is at nearly double that 35 dollar price and even higher in some instances. I mean, you could be getting what you pay for here, which could be not-so-great.

As a brand relaunch, sticking to the gravel category, (with a small nod to the past with some road tires), and going with tires, (a BIG talking point on forums and websites), is a smart move. The buzz created by this launch is a good start. If the product is worthy, and if American Classic can sustain the force of this launch over the long haul, then they may have life for the long term. However; if the product turns out to be lackluster and their stock lists are depleted with no quick restocking? Ooof! It could be the greatest time to relaunch or the worst possible time to relaunch the brand. We will see....

But I have to give American Classic credit for this eye-opening relaunch. It is a pretty bold move. Also- they promise more components to come. Now we will see if it sticks.

And that's a wrap for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for reading G-Ted Productions!