Swing Low, Sweet Bottom Bracket

Scribblin' to illustrate bottom bracket drop. Ahh.....hope that helps!

Sometimes I get comments on the posts I do that are great questions. Questions that deserve to be answered out in the open as opposed to being "just another comment" on a post you won't look at again. (Likely)

So, today I wanted to address a great question that I got on yesterday's post and today I am posting the answer. The Question:

"G-ted, it would be great to hear your thoughts on bb (bottom bracket) drop. I know you have mentioned it before, a refresher would be good or links to your older posts on the topic would be helpful" 

Okay, so first things first. What is bottom bracket drop? This is a feature of geometry that has to do with the relationship in space between the wheel axles and the center line of the crank spindle, (which goes through the bottom bracket shell).  Bottom bracket drop can be "negative", (think BMX bikes where the bottom bracket is higher than the wheel axles) and it can be "high" or "low". The image here, by the way, has my chicken scratches showing a line through the wheel axles and a line through the bottom bracket center line. The distance between the two, (red chicken scratches) is the bottom bracket drop.

This dimension will determine where your pedals describe a circle when you pedal -or not when you coast- in relation to the axles. Why does that matter? Well, it makes a bicycle feel different. "What?!", you may exclaim, "How can a few millimeters one way or the other make any difference at all in bottom bracket drop? You're loony." Well, I would answer by saying, "How about we drop you saddle 5mm and you get back to me after a 100 miles.". Yeah...... That 5mm may mean the difference between trashed knees or a great ride. You can feel that 5mm. You can also feel a 5mm lower bottom bracket. So yes- millimeters matter. 

Twin Six's Standard Rando has a 75mm bottom bracket drop. You can feel that.

 Okay, so here is the big question: What does a lower bottom bracket do for a rider?

Whoa buddy..... Hold on a min. The first thing we need to define is What is "Lower"? We need a base line. So, I will give you one. It's subjective, and my opinion here, but hey! We gotta draw a line somewhere, right?

Before there were "gravel bikes" we had road bikes, touring bikes, and cyclo-cross bikes which were the bikes that made up the majority of rigs using a "road bike standard" drive train set up. Typically road bikes in the USA used "crit geometry". This was, besides other things, a set up that allowed a rider to really lean the bike over in a turn and keep pedaling. That required that the bottom bracket be a "ceratin height" to avoid pedal strikes in corners. Touring bikes, which were not expected to be leaned over in turns and pedaled, were set up with lower bottom bracket heights than "crit geometry" (Not always. Trek being a major offender in this category). The theory being that lower bottom bracket heights put the center of a rider's gravity lower in the bike in relation to the axles, lending a feeling of more stability, among other sundry things that lower bottom bracket does. Cyclo cross bikes, on the other hand, had to be able to clear ruts while pedaling, clear rough grounds, and barriers. Higher bottom brackets were the norm.

So, from lowest to highest we had touring bikes, road bikes, then cyclo cross bikes. My theory back in the early part of this decade was that "gravel bikes", if they were ever to be made, should have lower bottom bracket height, similar to touring bikes. Why? Well, now we can answer that earlier question.....

What does a lower bottom bracket do for a rider? (On a gravel bike) Okay, again- my theory, and it was adopted by Raleigh for the Tamland, was that a lower bottom bracket height was okay because gravel riders typically were not going to pedal corners "criterium style" and we weren't hopping barriers or pedaling in ruts. (Well......Level B Roads notwithstanding) So, the typical cyclo cross bike, especially Euro influenced ones, were running 65mm drops. That is high! Road bikes were typically 70mm. Still too high in my mind. Raleigh was advised by me to go to a 72mm drop. I really wanted a 75mm drop, but I felt that was too radical for Raleigh to accept. In fact, a friend of mine, Ben Witt, and I were bandying about with the idea of a 77-80mm drop! Of course, we were dreaming of 45mm tires and the geometry would work with a big tire. However; in 2010 that did not exist.

650B tires change what you want in a bottom bracket drop

When is a lower bottom bracket a bad thing? So, how low can you go? Well, it depends. I gave a hint above. It will be dictated somewhat by tires. Especially if you want to go with 650B tires at times, or all the time.

I tried 650B tires on the Twin Six Standard Rando, which has a 75mm bottom bracket drop. It was a great bike in most every way with those tires, but I did experience a not insignificant amount of pedal strikes. Even on regular gravel roads. That was a bit of a concern.

In my experience, a 70mm bottom bracket drop is a great compromise dimension for wheel swapping between 700c and 650B. You could probably do a couple millimeters lower. My Tamland seems to be okay at 72mm drop with 650B wheels, but 70 is a figure a lot of companies use already, so that is readily available. Just know that 75 and deeper for a 700c design is going to start to cause pedal strikes when that bike is set up with the smaller 650B wheels and 47mm-ish tires.

Higher bottom brackets really make a gravel rig squirrely  on loose descents. I hate the feeling that the bike gets at speed when descending with a higher bottom bracket. It is unnerving. Lower bottom brackets quiet that down a lot. Let's face it, when you are descending at 30mph+ on loose gravel you are just along for the ride. Having a better feel can be the difference between riding that out, or scrubbing speed and crawling down the hill. I'd rather bomb the down hills, so I like a deeper bottom bracket.

It also is great when you are on the flats on looser gravel as well. I just feel like the wheels are less likely to be skittish over the marbles and that the tires track better. Now, it isn't always great to have a lower bottom bracket. Those lower bottom brackets make it marginally tougher to stand up out of the saddle and hammer, for one thing. So, on a single speed, I would opt for the higher bottom bracket and longer cranks, but that is my opinion.

Anyway, a long winded answer, but there you go. I hope that you find my opinion helpful. Try experimenting with different bikes yourself and make up your own mind. But as for me, I swing that bottom bracket low on my sweet chariot. It's my jam. It may not be for you.

Swing Low, Sweet Bottom Bracket

Scribblin' to illustrate bottom bracket drop. Ahh.....hope that helps!

Sometimes I get comments on the posts I do that are great questions. Questions that deserve to be answered out in the open as opposed to being "just another comment" on a post you won't look at again. (Likely)

So, today I wanted to address a great question that I got on yesterday's post and today I am posting the answer. The Question:

"G-ted, it would be great to hear your thoughts on bb (bottom bracket) drop. I know you have mentioned it before, a refresher would be good or links to your older posts on the topic would be helpful" 

Okay, so first things first. What is bottom bracket drop? This is a feature of geometry that has to do with the relationship in space between the wheel axles and the center line of the crank spindle, (which goes through the bottom bracket shell).  Bottom bracket drop can be "negative", (think BMX bikes where the bottom bracket is higher than the wheel axles) and it can be "high" or "low". The image here, by the way, has my chicken scratches showing a line through the wheel axles and a line through the bottom bracket center line. The distance between the two, (red chicken scratches) is the bottom bracket drop.

This dimension will determine where your pedals describe a circle when you pedal -or not when you coast- in relation to the axles. Why does that matter? Well, it makes a bicycle feel different. "What?!", you may exclaim, "How can a few millimeters one way or the other make any difference at all in bottom bracket drop? You're loony." Well, I would answer by saying, "How about we drop you saddle 5mm and you get back to me after a 100 miles.". Yeah...... That 5mm may mean the difference between trashed knees or a great ride. You can feel that 5mm. You can also feel a 5mm lower bottom bracket. So yes- millimeters matter. 

Twin Six's Standard Rando has a 75mm bottom bracket drop. You can feel that.

 Okay, so here is the big question: What does a lower bottom bracket do for a rider?

Whoa buddy..... Hold on a min. The first thing we need to define is What is "Lower"? We need a base line. So, I will give you one. It's subjective, and my opinion here, but hey! We gotta draw a line somewhere, right?

Before there were "gravel bikes" we had road bikes, touring bikes, and cyclo-cross bikes which were the bikes that made up the majority of rigs using a "road bike standard" drive train set up. Typically road bikes in the USA used "crit geometry". This was, besides other things, a set up that allowed a rider to really lean the bike over in a turn and keep pedaling. That required that the bottom bracket be a "ceratin height" to avoid pedal strikes in corners. Touring bikes, which were not expected to be leaned over in turns and pedaled, were set up with lower bottom bracket heights than "crit geometry" (Not always. Trek being a major offender in this category). The theory being that lower bottom bracket heights put the center of a rider's gravity lower in the bike in relation to the axles, lending a feeling of more stability, among other sundry things that lower bottom bracket does. Cyclo cross bikes, on the other hand, had to be able to clear ruts while pedaling, clear rough grounds, and barriers. Higher bottom brackets were the norm.

So, from lowest to highest we had touring bikes, road bikes, then cyclo cross bikes. My theory back in the early part of this decade was that "gravel bikes", if they were ever to be made, should have lower bottom bracket height, similar to touring bikes. Why? Well, now we can answer that earlier question.....

What does a lower bottom bracket do for a rider? (On a gravel bike) Okay, again- my theory, and it was adopted by Raleigh for the Tamland, was that a lower bottom bracket height was okay because gravel riders typically were not going to pedal corners "criterium style" and we weren't hopping barriers or pedaling in ruts. (Well......Level B Roads notwithstanding) So, the typical cyclo cross bike, especially Euro influenced ones, were running 65mm drops. That is high! Road bikes were typically 70mm. Still too high in my mind. Raleigh was advised by me to go to a 72mm drop. I really wanted a 75mm drop, but I felt that was too radical for Raleigh to accept. In fact, a friend of mine, Ben Witt, and I were bandying about with the idea of a 77-80mm drop! Of course, we were dreaming of 45mm tires and the geometry would work with a big tire. However; in 2010 that did not exist.

650B tires change what you want in a bottom bracket drop

When is a lower bottom bracket a bad thing? So, how low can you go? Well, it depends. I gave a hint above. It will be dictated somewhat by tires. Especially if you want to go with 650B tires at times, or all the time.

I tried 650B tires on the Twin Six Standard Rando, which has a 75mm bottom bracket drop. It was a great bike in most every way with those tires, but I did experience a not insignificant amount of pedal strikes. Even on regular gravel roads. That was a bit of a concern.

In my experience, a 70mm bottom bracket drop is a great compromise dimension for wheel swapping between 700c and 650B. You could probably do a couple millimeters lower. My Tamland seems to be okay at 72mm drop with 650B wheels, but 70 is a figure a lot of companies use already, so that is readily available. Just know that 75 and deeper for a 700c design is going to start to cause pedal strikes when that bike is set up with the smaller 650B wheels and 47mm-ish tires.

Higher bottom brackets really make a gravel rig squirrely  on loose descents. I hate the feeling that the bike gets at speed when descending with a higher bottom bracket. It is unnerving. Lower bottom brackets quiet that down a lot. Let's face it, when you are descending at 30mph+ on loose gravel you are just along for the ride. Having a better feel can be the difference between riding that out, or scrubbing speed and crawling down the hill. I'd rather bomb the down hills, so I like a deeper bottom bracket.

It also is great when you are on the flats on looser gravel as well. I just feel like the wheels are less likely to be skittish over the marbles and that the tires track better. Now, it isn't always great to have a lower bottom bracket. Those lower bottom brackets make it marginally tougher to stand up out of the saddle and hammer, for one thing. So, on a single speed, I would opt for the higher bottom bracket and longer cranks, but that is my opinion.

Anyway, a long winded answer, but there you go. I hope that you find my opinion helpful. Try experimenting with different bikes yourself and make up your own mind. But as for me, I swing that bottom bracket low on my sweet chariot. It's my jam. It may not be for you.

Like Cake, Only Grittier

Gravel roads have been "Winterized" for the most part around here.

Wednesday I waited until it warmed up about as much as it was going to for the day before heading out for a quick jaunt South of town. I used the Bubblegum Princess with the Enve wheels attached and those fancy new Northwave boots with the long name. The Sun was out and it was looking pretty outside.

It's that time of year again and the light from the Sun is......weird. I've mentioned this in years past, but I never cease to be fascinated by this phenomenon. I suppose it has something to do with the lower angle of the Sun relative to Earth where I am at. Plus, the Sun was already Westering and it was probably more like riding in twilight than what I am used to for mid-afternoon Sun.

One thing the images here won't convey and that is that the wind was up and constantly blowing right at me as I went South at 20mph. Steady. It made for a rough go because the roads going South were all freshly graveled for Winter. Big, dusty, chunky goodness. All the way across the road.

I was headed down Ansbourough and I had decided I should climb that long climb up Petrie, then maybe go down Beck Road South a bit more. But after I reached the intersection with Petrie Road, I decided I had done enough pushing into the wind for one day. I headed straight West toward the Level B section of Petrie Road. I didn't think it would be dried up all the way yet, but I figured what moisture there was had frozen by now. Of course, it was above freezing as I rode, but it hadn't been for several days. I figured I'd be okay.

Surprise! It was wall to wall mud and water almost right out of the gate.

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Petrie Road was not only wet, but tore all up from harvesting machinery. I had to dismount just to get around some standing water, and the tread marks, ruts, and sand were treacherous until I passed the field opening where it seemed that the heavy machinery veered off into the adjacent corn field. That field was now empty. Just like every other field around now. Bonus- now there is absolutely nothing to hold up the wind! 

I moseyed on up the hill and as I went along the roadway here was sandy and underneath that the dirt was cake-like. My tires were doing the "pizza cutter" thing and resistance was high. I ended up having to dismount for a bit and walk along in the now dead weeds to avoid a short section that was not cake-like, but outright muddy. Once around that, it was difficult to get going again due to the spongy ground, but I managed to ride up to the top of the hill where that puddle of water almost always is.

The good news was that, while the mud was bad, it wasn't overwhelming. I could bounce the bike and knock a lot off that way. My boots still engaged the pedals. Mud wasn't fouling the wheels. So, not a disaster, like I thought it might have been. Just......an adventure! Once at the top I dismounted and got out my camera to shoot a few images for the reviews and then I just looked around a bit. It's a great place to see Northward since you can see Hudson, Waterloo, and everything in between from this ridge. I spied cattle grazing in a field not far off and decided to grab that image on this trip.

Cattle grazing with the outliers of Hudson in the distance. 

Water up top and more dead ahead in the distance to deal with. 

Cue the angelic voices......

Onward now and the descent off the ridge was hairy. LOTS of ruts, softer, muddier places, and I was feathering the brakes. Being very careful not to slip up and end up dumping myself into the mud . I also didn't want to cake up the wheels any worse than I had already.

I hopped off a couple of times briefly to negotiate water and mud, and then at the bottom there was a long stretch of hike-a-bike. Oddly enough, even though I was bushwhacking a lot through tall, dead weeds, I didn't get any stickers all over my wool socks. I had expected to look like a weedy, seedy mess, but I actually came out looking just fine.

The turn North was....whoa! Fast! That wind was kicking me straight up the road and I was carrying 18-20mph with little effort. Downhill speeds were higher. The road was chunky, of course, and the handling was a bit sketchy at times due to that. So, I wasn't able to just sit there for the ride. I had to pay attention or I may have eaten dust instead.

But all was well and I made it back okay. It was a perfect ride from the standpoint of length and effort. I'm very glad I decided not to go further into the wind. My body was dead tired afterward. Time to clean up the bike and get ready for the next nice day I have a chance to ride........

Like Cake, Only Grittier

Gravel roads have been "Winterized" for the most part around here.

Wednesday I waited until it warmed up about as much as it was going to for the day before heading out for a quick jaunt South of town. I used the Bubblegum Princess with the Enve wheels attached and those fancy new Northwave boots with the long name. The Sun was out and it was looking pretty outside.

It's that time of year again and the light from the Sun is......weird. I've mentioned this in years past, but I never cease to be fascinated by this phenomenon. I suppose it has something to do with the lower angle of the Sun relative to Earth where I am at. Plus, the Sun was already Westering and it was probably more like riding in twilight than what I am used to for mid-afternoon Sun.

One thing the images here won't convey and that is that the wind was up and constantly blowing right at me as I went South at 20mph. Steady. It made for a rough go because the roads going South were all freshly graveled for Winter. Big, dusty, chunky goodness. All the way across the road.

I was headed down Ansbourough and I had decided I should climb that long climb up Petrie, then maybe go down Beck Road South a bit more. But after I reached the intersection with Petrie Road, I decided I had done enough pushing into the wind for one day. I headed straight West toward the Level B section of Petrie Road. I didn't think it would be dried up all the way yet, but I figured what moisture there was had frozen by now. Of course, it was above freezing as I rode, but it hadn't been for several days. I figured I'd be okay.

Surprise! It was wall to wall mud and water almost right out of the gate.

Well, I couldn't have been more wrong. Petrie Road was not only wet, but tore all up from harvesting machinery. I had to dismount just to get around some standing water, and the tread marks, ruts, and sand were treacherous until I passed the field opening where it seemed that the heavy machinery veered off into the adjacent corn field. That field was now empty. Just like every other field around now. Bonus- now there is absolutely nothing to hold up the wind! 

I moseyed on up the hill and as I went along the roadway here was sandy and underneath that the dirt was cake-like. My tires were doing the "pizza cutter" thing and resistance was high. I ended up having to dismount for a bit and walk along in the now dead weeds to avoid a short section that was not cake-like, but outright muddy. Once around that, it was difficult to get going again due to the spongy ground, but I managed to ride up to the top of the hill where that puddle of water almost always is.

The good news was that, while the mud was bad, it wasn't overwhelming. I could bounce the bike and knock a lot off that way. My boots still engaged the pedals. Mud wasn't fouling the wheels. So, not a disaster, like I thought it might have been. Just......an adventure! Once at the top I dismounted and got out my camera to shoot a few images for the reviews and then I just looked around a bit. It's a great place to see Northward since you can see Hudson, Waterloo, and everything in between from this ridge. I spied cattle grazing in a field not far off and decided to grab that image on this trip.

Cattle grazing with the outliers of Hudson in the distance. 

Water up top and more dead ahead in the distance to deal with. 

Cue the angelic voices......

Onward now and the descent off the ridge was hairy. LOTS of ruts, softer, muddier places, and I was feathering the brakes. Being very careful not to slip up and end up dumping myself into the mud . I also didn't want to cake up the wheels any worse than I had already.

I hopped off a couple of times briefly to negotiate water and mud, and then at the bottom there was a long stretch of hike-a-bike. Oddly enough, even though I was bushwhacking a lot through tall, dead weeds, I didn't get any stickers all over my wool socks. I had expected to look like a weedy, seedy mess, but I actually came out looking just fine.

The turn North was....whoa! Fast! That wind was kicking me straight up the road and I was carrying 18-20mph with little effort. Downhill speeds were higher. The road was chunky, of course, and the handling was a bit sketchy at times due to that. So, I wasn't able to just sit there for the ride. I had to pay attention or I may have eaten dust instead.

But all was well and I made it back okay. It was a perfect ride from the standpoint of length and effort. I'm very glad I decided not to go further into the wind. My body was dead tired afterward. Time to clean up the bike and get ready for the next nice day I have a chance to ride........

Frozen Tundra

Winter has made an early appearance here in Iowa. We've had a skiff of snow, that melted, and now it is just plain cold. Really cold. My commute yesterday was at 9°F with a wind chill well below zero. And I forgot to take my neck scarf to put up over my face as I rode directly into the Northwest wind. Bah! The little things we have to relearn every Winter. Well, that and Winter pounced upon us all at once. No easing into it this year.

It rained and flooded not long ago and the water soaked ground is now rock hard. Frozen tundra. Riding on grass or dirt is like bounding over broken up pavement. There is no forgiveness at all. It's funny that you don't realize how much Earth has give to it until it doesn't.

The Bubblegum Princess rolling on the Enve wheels was getting a work out over the frozen dirt. Patches of ice gave me pause. I ran through a couple of those puddles with thin sheets of ice layered like thin window panes. The loud crunching of ice breaking as my WTB Resolutes cut through was alarming, but somehow satisfying all the same.

I kept telling myself it was okay. The Sun was shining. It could be worse. I was warm-ish. Work harder to get warmer, and on and on. It's funny how that self-talk can take your mind off the negative and you end up being okay. I made it to work and my face didn't even freeze off.

November in a bike shop in Iowa. Nuff said. That was tough. I think working during this time of year is actually harder than it is when we can't get ahead on jobs. Too much time on my hands makes for a long day. Of course, we'd all rather be busier now, but this cold intrusion has pretty much chased all but the most hardcore cyclist off the trails and roads. Even some of them are doing their "smart trainer" work indoors now.

Flood waters that had yet to evaporate or get absorbed by the ground are now beginning to freeze.

The ride home promised to be warmer, but for whatever reason, I felt just as cold as I did in the morning. Weird! I took the long way home from work, doing the out and back on Shirey Way and then cruising Riverside Trail over toward Waterloo and my neck of the woods. The Northwave boots I talked about yesterday are looking to be pretty good. I wasn't cold in the feet on the way to work and an hour ride after work proved to leave my toes just "chilly", but considering I had sweat in my shoes at work...... Well, more testing needs to be done there.

The weather is supposed to moderate to highs in the upper 30's, maybe low 40's? That will feel like a heatwave after this cold shot. I will be enjoying it the best I can. You know it won't last, because we are nearly halfway to December and Winter will be in full force, or it should be, by that time.

Frozen Tundra

Winter has made an early appearance here in Iowa. We've had a skiff of snow, that melted, and now it is just plain cold. Really cold. My commute yesterday was at 9°F with a wind chill well below zero. And I forgot to take my neck scarf to put up over my face as I rode directly into the Northwest wind. Bah! The little things we have to relearn every Winter. Well, that and Winter pounced upon us all at once. No easing into it this year.

It rained and flooded not long ago and the water soaked ground is now rock hard. Frozen tundra. Riding on grass or dirt is like bounding over broken up pavement. There is no forgiveness at all. It's funny that you don't realize how much Earth has give to it until it doesn't.

The Bubblegum Princess rolling on the Enve wheels was getting a work out over the frozen dirt. Patches of ice gave me pause. I ran through a couple of those puddles with thin sheets of ice layered like thin window panes. The loud crunching of ice breaking as my WTB Resolutes cut through was alarming, but somehow satisfying all the same.

I kept telling myself it was okay. The Sun was shining. It could be worse. I was warm-ish. Work harder to get warmer, and on and on. It's funny how that self-talk can take your mind off the negative and you end up being okay. I made it to work and my face didn't even freeze off.

November in a bike shop in Iowa. Nuff said. That was tough. I think working during this time of year is actually harder than it is when we can't get ahead on jobs. Too much time on my hands makes for a long day. Of course, we'd all rather be busier now, but this cold intrusion has pretty much chased all but the most hardcore cyclist off the trails and roads. Even some of them are doing their "smart trainer" work indoors now.

Flood waters that had yet to evaporate or get absorbed by the ground are now beginning to freeze.

The ride home promised to be warmer, but for whatever reason, I felt just as cold as I did in the morning. Weird! I took the long way home from work, doing the out and back on Shirey Way and then cruising Riverside Trail over toward Waterloo and my neck of the woods. The Northwave boots I talked about yesterday are looking to be pretty good. I wasn't cold in the feet on the way to work and an hour ride after work proved to leave my toes just "chilly", but considering I had sweat in my shoes at work...... Well, more testing needs to be done there.

The weather is supposed to moderate to highs in the upper 30's, maybe low 40's? That will feel like a heatwave after this cold shot. I will be enjoying it the best I can. You know it won't last, because we are nearly halfway to December and Winter will be in full force, or it should be, by that time.

Seeking Balance

A gorgeous afternoon to ride.

They say that nature seeks balance. You'd be forgiven for thinking that saying is B.S. when it rains for six weeks straight. From late September to mid-October, the weather was negative. Rain came in bucket loads. We flooded. Twice. The last time it was a "major flood" category event.

So, I was thinking that we'd get cheated out of some of our usually nice Fall riding. However; it looks as though we're going to get a bit of balance back after all. The last two days have been stellar Fall days. Little wind, clear skies, comfortable upper 50's/lower 60's for temperatures. Just really nice Fall weather, and it is forecast to continue on like this for several days.

Of course, I love that news, but farmers here are overjoyed. They are out en force reaping the harvest and I cannot blame them. The recent activity in the rural areas has been intense, and I expect nothing less than totally gleaned fields next time I get out there. That should be very soon, by the way. (Probably today)

So, pretty much everyone is happier now. The Sun shining has a lot to do with it, and we did miss that a lot during those rainy weeks. But not everything is roses now. Of course it isn't. The single track is wrecked as of now. Standing water is everywhere in the woods. The rivers are still pretty high, so water drainage is slow to occur. Evaporation of the waters which are sitting in pools now is a slow affair with these temperatures and light winds. Trees and branches litter the trails. 

Standing water cuts off a single track trail in Lower Hartman here. 

Broken branches and downed trees cut off other single track routes in Lower Hartman.

So, I toodled around where I could in Lower Hartman and along old Shirey Road. Then I headed back toward the house on paved bike paths and down several Waterloo city alleyways. It never fails that when I pop down an alley that somewhere I surprise a motorist, citizen, or resident who isn't expecting a cyclist to be rip-roaring down the alley. Don't they know alleys are public and a lot of fun to bomb down?

A beautiful day for a bicycle ride.

I definitely stopped a few times to soak it all in. These days go by so quickly and I just was so happy to be out and about when the weather was so good. The leaves are still turning colors and despite the wicked weekend winds, most trees still retain their foliage. That in itself is amazing!

So, I hope to get in some good rides before the weather takes a turn for the colder and Winter hits. We'll have to see how long we get before that happens, but just several weeks is my guess. Stay tuned on that......

Seeking Balance

A gorgeous afternoon to ride.

They say that nature seeks balance. You'd be forgiven for thinking that saying is B.S. when it rains for six weeks straight. From late September to mid-October, the weather was negative. Rain came in bucket loads. We flooded. Twice. The last time it was a "major flood" category event.

So, I was thinking that we'd get cheated out of some of our usually nice Fall riding. However; it looks as though we're going to get a bit of balance back after all. The last two days have been stellar Fall days. Little wind, clear skies, comfortable upper 50's/lower 60's for temperatures. Just really nice Fall weather, and it is forecast to continue on like this for several days.

Of course, I love that news, but farmers here are overjoyed. They are out en force reaping the harvest and I cannot blame them. The recent activity in the rural areas has been intense, and I expect nothing less than totally gleaned fields next time I get out there. That should be very soon, by the way. (Probably today)

So, pretty much everyone is happier now. The Sun shining has a lot to do with it, and we did miss that a lot during those rainy weeks. But not everything is roses now. Of course it isn't. The single track is wrecked as of now. Standing water is everywhere in the woods. The rivers are still pretty high, so water drainage is slow to occur. Evaporation of the waters which are sitting in pools now is a slow affair with these temperatures and light winds. Trees and branches litter the trails. 

Standing water cuts off a single track trail in Lower Hartman here. 

Broken branches and downed trees cut off other single track routes in Lower Hartman.

So, I toodled around where I could in Lower Hartman and along old Shirey Road. Then I headed back toward the house on paved bike paths and down several Waterloo city alleyways. It never fails that when I pop down an alley that somewhere I surprise a motorist, citizen, or resident who isn't expecting a cyclist to be rip-roaring down the alley. Don't they know alleys are public and a lot of fun to bomb down?

A beautiful day for a bicycle ride.

I definitely stopped a few times to soak it all in. These days go by so quickly and I just was so happy to be out and about when the weather was so good. The leaves are still turning colors and despite the wicked weekend winds, most trees still retain their foliage. That in itself is amazing!

So, I hope to get in some good rides before the weather takes a turn for the colder and Winter hits. We'll have to see how long we get before that happens, but just several weeks is my guess. Stay tuned on that......

Friday News And Views

New perches from WTB are wider

WTB Introduces Wider Saddles In Silverado and SL8:

Okay, I have to say up front that I am a huge fan of WTB saddles going way back to the 1990's. My love affair with these saddles started with the old SST model and then I moved on to the Pure V.

WTB had this street/commuter high performance saddle for a while I liked, but it was too narrow. So too was the Silverado, and while I was attracted to the shape of that model, I knew that since it was offered in only a narrow width, I couldn't afford to try it.

Meanwhile, my brother-from-another-mother, MG, tried the Silverado and has loved it since. He has nothing but good things to say about it, but his posterior parts are not as "wide-load" as mine are, so he needs that narrower saddle. Well, now WTB has Silverado saddles in a 142mm width, just perfect for my undercarriage. They also are doing the SL8 (say: "S-L-8, not slate) in wider widths and not only 142mm, but 150mm as well. Unfortunately there is no 150mm offered in the Silverado for those wondering about that.

Well, the SL8 is not one I paid attention to, it being initially offered only in an ultra-narrow 127mm width. (Ouch! That hurts me just thinking about it!) Anyway, now they have it in the 142mm width as well, so I can actually sit on it and not fear being split in half. And sit on that saddle as well as the Silverado is what I intend to do. See, WTB sent out a press kit to RidingGravel.com so I could try these two saddles out and write about my experience. That'll get posted there later.

New direct-to-consumer brand Thesis launched this week.

Thesis Launches Direct-To-Consumer OB1 Model:

Direct to consumer brands are nothing new, but since retail is languishing in the brick and mortar category, many entrepreneurs are looking at this business model. A new brand dubbed Thesis is the latest that I have heard about to hit the scene.

Of course, their first model to market would be an "all-road", gravel type bike because, other than e-bikes, that is the hot category now. Promising what many direct to consumer brands do, (nearly half price of typical bike shop brands), and the latest technologies with several options available, the Thesis brand hopes to carve out a niche in the ever more crowded direct-to-consumer marketplace.

I have two reactions to their press release. One- The language in the release, and especially on their site, is heavily anti-traditional retail and discretely tries to lead you to believe that you are not very smart if you buy from a bike shop. Yet they suggest that you go there to be fit, because, well.....Thesis cannot support you that way, amongst other ways which aren't pointed out. Secondly, the release and the website state that the business model of bicycle brands is to fragment the market and lead you to believe that you "need all these bicycles". Which, on the surface of it, sounds plausible. However; if you consider that after everyone gets a Thesis they will no longer ever need another bicycle, (if what they say is true), then their business model has quite a finite lifespan, no?

I think marketing is marketing, and I smell a strong scent of it in Thesis' presser. They are definitely reaching out to the anti-business, anti-bike shop conspiracy theorists which are out there. Let's make no mistake, if that wasn't the case there would be no Bikes Direct. (Or Canyon, or others in the category)

Here We Go.....

This weekend I am going to do something I haven't done in over a decade. A 24hr event. I'm on a two man team with Sam Auen, he of Tacopocalypse and Krunkwich fame. Together we are "Team Pink", since we are both going to ride pink bicycles, for better or for worse!

The event is on gravel and is called the 24hrs of Cumming. Team Pink will be there and doing the 400K distance option. Each loop is about 60 miles in length and there are 4 loops which are all different, mostly in the area Southwest of Des Moines, Iowa. In other words, it is very hilly. 

I'll be riding my new Black Mountain Cycles MCD, of course, which, if you haven't heard, was dubbed the "Bubblegum Princess" by my daughter. Sam will be riding his pink Twin Six Standard Rando. This will be the BgP's (that's short for Bubblegum Princess) first big outing and I'm looking forward to seeing how it handles the high speed descents down there. It should be interesting at night! 

Also, it is Sam's birthday weekend. Yikes! I've heard stories about Sam's B'day celebrations and they are...... Well, let's hope I survive it! The bike riding will be a piece of cake if the legends I've heard are true about the birthday celebrations of Sam's! 

That's a warp on this week. Get out and ride those bicycles, folks! 

Friday News And Views

New perches from WTB are wider

WTB Introduces Wider Saddles In Silverado and SL8:

Okay, I have to say up front that I am a huge fan of WTB saddles going way back to the 1990's. My love affair with these saddles started with the old SST model and then I moved on to the Pure V.

WTB had this street/commuter high performance saddle for a while I liked, but it was too narrow. So too was the Silverado, and while I was attracted to the shape of that model, I knew that since it was offered in only a narrow width, I couldn't afford to try it.

Meanwhile, my brother-from-another-mother, MG, tried the Silverado and has loved it since. He has nothing but good things to say about it, but his posterior parts are not as "wide-load" as mine are, so he needs that narrower saddle. Well, now WTB has Silverado saddles in a 142mm width, just perfect for my undercarriage. They also are doing the SL8 (say: "S-L-8, not slate) in wider widths and not only 142mm, but 150mm as well. Unfortunately there is no 150mm offered in the Silverado for those wondering about that.

Well, the SL8 is not one I paid attention to, it being initially offered only in an ultra-narrow 127mm width. (Ouch! That hurts me just thinking about it!) Anyway, now they have it in the 142mm width as well, so I can actually sit on it and not fear being split in half. And sit on that saddle as well as the Silverado is what I intend to do. See, WTB sent out a press kit to RidingGravel.com so I could try these two saddles out and write about my experience. That'll get posted there later.

New direct-to-consumer brand Thesis launched this week.

Thesis Launches Direct-To-Consumer OB1 Model:

Direct to consumer brands are nothing new, but since retail is languishing in the brick and mortar category, many entrepreneurs are looking at this business model. A new brand dubbed Thesis is the latest that I have heard about to hit the scene.

Of course, their first model to market would be an "all-road", gravel type bike because, other than e-bikes, that is the hot category now. Promising what many direct to consumer brands do, (nearly half price of typical bike shop brands), and the latest technologies with several options available, the Thesis brand hopes to carve out a niche in the ever more crowded direct-to-consumer marketplace.

I have two reactions to their press release. One- The language in the release, and especially on their site, is heavily anti-traditional retail and discretely tries to lead you to believe that you are not very smart if you buy from a bike shop. Yet they suggest that you go there to be fit, because, well.....Thesis cannot support you that way, amongst other ways which aren't pointed out. Secondly, the release and the website state that the business model of bicycle brands is to fragment the market and lead you to believe that you "need all these bicycles". Which, on the surface of it, sounds plausible. However; if you consider that after everyone gets a Thesis they will no longer ever need another bicycle, (if what they say is true), then their business model has quite a finite lifespan, no?

I think marketing is marketing, and I smell a strong scent of it in Thesis' presser. They are definitely reaching out to the anti-business, anti-bike shop conspiracy theorists which are out there. Let's make no mistake, if that wasn't the case there would be no Bikes Direct. (Or Canyon, or others in the category)

Here We Go.....

This weekend I am going to do something I haven't done in over a decade. A 24hr event. I'm on a two man team with Sam Auen, he of Tacopocalypse and Krunkwich fame. Together we are "Team Pink", since we are both going to ride pink bicycles, for better or for worse!

The event is on gravel and is called the 24hrs of Cumming. Team Pink will be there and doing the 400K distance option. Each loop is about 60 miles in length and there are 4 loops which are all different, mostly in the area Southwest of Des Moines, Iowa. In other words, it is very hilly. 

I'll be riding my new Black Mountain Cycles MCD, of course, which, if you haven't heard, was dubbed the "Bubblegum Princess" by my daughter. Sam will be riding his pink Twin Six Standard Rando. This will be the BgP's (that's short for Bubblegum Princess) first big outing and I'm looking forward to seeing how it handles the high speed descents down there. It should be interesting at night! 

Also, it is Sam's birthday weekend. Yikes! I've heard stories about Sam's B'day celebrations and they are...... Well, let's hope I survive it! The bike riding will be a piece of cake if the legends I've heard are true about the birthday celebrations of Sam's! 

That's a warp on this week. Get out and ride those bicycles, folks! 

pMCD Update: The Build And First Ride Report

Wolf Tooth head sets are the bomb!

The Build:

I started building up the pMCD frame Wednesday night but a text message that evening kind of made me put the brakes on the build till Friday. It was okay, since the turn in plans eventually was something that was better than I was going to do in the first place.

When I build a bicycle up from a frame and fork, the very first order of business is to get the head set in. Now you may want to do it a different way, but to my way of thinking, a frame is a bad unicycle until the fork is on it!

So, I installed the purple Wolf Tooth head set first and then came the conundrum of where to cut the steer tube. I did not measure the stock steer tube length, but it is looooong! I decided to go with 11 1/2" length and cut it there, because I didn't want to leave myself short with no option to have a healthy amount of exposed steer tube. However, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles had designed the frame to have an extended head tube so that steer tube spacer use would be at a minimum. So, with that unknown hanging out there, I measured bikes I already have here and approximated as best I could, with an eye towards leaving too much steer tube rather than cutting it close.

I'm glad that I did, because it came out that I had too much steer tube, but not a ridiculous amount. For the record, I think I cut off about three inches! I know I could go lower, but I'll try riding it with different arrangements of the stem and spacers until I arrive at what I like. Then there will be a final cut and that will be that.

Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket here. Made in the USA!

After a head set gets installed and a fork is mounted, the next task I go after is to get the bottom bracket in there. You can scooter if you'd like, but a bicycle is pretty worthless without a crank set and pedals.

Mike Varley preps every frame before it leaves his Black Mountain Cycles shop to you, so the threading on the bottom bracket was super smooth and allowed easy installation of my Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket. Then I slotted in my Shimano CX series 46T/36T crank set for 11spd.

Now normally at this point I'd set up a stem and handle bar, and then work on mounting controls. However; part of the text mentioned above made me decide not to go that way. Instead, I mounted my Spyre brakes and tested them with the Irwin Cycling Aon GX 35  carbon wheels I already had waiting on this build. I ended up having to spacer out the rear caliper a bit, but otherwise I had zero issues getting things to line up.

I tried running a few cable housings just to get a feel for how I would route things. The cable routing is really well thought out on this bike. Everything going to the rear of the bike is full run housing. The front brake, obviously being a disc, is as well. Only the front derailleur is a bottom run, exposed cable set up. That may seem weird, but here is why that is actually brilliant. The break in the housing run from the shifter goes to a traditionally mounted road bike style cable stop with a barrel adjuster. This means no oddball in-line cable adjuster is necessary and the front derailleur can be easily adjusted on the fly. Those worried about mud fouling the cable have too much time to think about things. In all my years of riding, that style of cable run has never been the reason my front derailleur did not work. Your mileage may vary......

The finished product. (Well......almost finished!)

Friday I received a set of Whisky No. 9 Carbon 24F handle bars. In that package was also a No. 7 Carbon seat post. Friday evening I spent down in the Lab putting it all together. There were some old parts from my Raleigh Tamland Two. The Ultegra levers, front and rear derailleurs, and the aforementioned calipers for the brakes. I got a new SRAM 11-36T 11 speed cassette and I used a Shimano 11 speed chain, the new Ultegra one with the quick link. (Yay!) The stem was my Redshift Sports ShockStop stem in the 90mm length. The saddle is my Brooks Cambium from the old T-6 I sold.

Tires are an old set of WTB Riddler 45mm tires that barely went on. Those Irwin rims fit tires tightly! I won't be worrying about throwing off a tire if one goes flat, and burping a tire seems very unlikely. I used an old beat up set of Shimano SPD's and added three purple Velocity Bottle Traps. I got three pink ones, but the purple looked better to my eyes.

Then it was nearly time to ride after I set up my tires tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce", (a home brew recipe- you cannot buy it from the bike shop!), and that was successful due to one product. That would be Uncle Dick's Bead Slip. No issues with getting the tires straight and even using Uncle Dick's. Note- I'm not sure where you get this stuff anymore, but if I find out I'll let ya know.

Whiskey No. 7 Carbon post

The Whisky components look great on the bike. I like the "ghost" branding and the sheen of the black is cool. The only issue with that post is that it uses a thumb wheel up under the saddle as one of the securing fasteners. It is easier to use than some I've encountered, so at least there wasn't any swearing.

The handle bar is much the same as far as looks. The shape is very similar to a Cowchipper, but different...... It's hard to describe. The flare is 24° but the reach seems less and the drop seems less. Not by much either. And this bar features flat sections to accommodate cable runs and a little wider 31.8mm center clamp section that makes mounting accessories easier.

The bar was covered in the Marque handle bar tape salvaged from the T-6 when I sold it. Then I capped off the Whiskey Components bar's ends with pink bar end caps. It all is good with the pink frame and helps tie the look together since the parts look more like an ensemble instead of a hodge podge.

There she be!

The Ride:

The Black Mountain Cycles rig is fun to ride for sure. Smooth? Oh yeah! But that may be because of the ShockStop stem and the Whiskey No. 7 post. That post has a sweet ride to it. Plus the Whisky No. 9 24F carbon bar also has a bit of give at the extensions so that when you are in the drops it feels smoother yet. Add in 45mm Riddler tires and it gets smooth fast. But that said, the frame is pretty nice in this regard. While the disc factor caused the fork to be stiffer than my rim brake BMC, it still can be seen working over the rough stuff on gravel. It isn't the "immovable object" that many carbon fiber forks are.

I stuck the bars at a height that was neither the highest I could go, nor the lowest. I'm close, but I'll be swapping around stem spacers till I get it figured out. But otherwise the position I was able to get is spot on. Not too much seat post is extended, and I don't have to get a crazy different length stem. In fact, I may go a touch longer depending upon where I end up at with bar height.

Something struck me as I was riding it. That was that I was feeling similar feelings to something I'd ridden in the past. The steel frame of the MCD felt somehow familiar. Then it hit me. The Vaya! I used to love that bike for its crazy ability to give back what you put into it, eventually. Kind of like winding up a spring and then it recoils. Anyway, the MCD felt like that, like the Vaya used to.

So, is it the uber-Vaya? Maybe. It just reminds me of that old bike. Only the Black Mountain Cycles bike has more features. More tire clearance, through axles, livelier tubing choices, a better steel fork, and smarter details. So, it is a different beast altogether.

I'll be doing some tweaking in the near future beyond the stem position. I may be switching bar tape, tweaking out the saddle position, and stuff like that. I'll also be doing a switch on the wheels to try 650B X 47mm tires. That said,  yes- I am happy. I like it, and I don't think this one will be going anywhere unless I am riding it in the near future.

Don't ask what it weighs, because I won't tell you. That isn't the point of this bike, but if you have other questions, I'm happy to answer them.

pMCD Update: The Build And First Ride Report

Wolf Tooth head sets are the bomb!

The Build:

I started building up the pMCD frame Wednesday night but a text message that evening kind of made me put the brakes on the build till Friday. It was okay, since the turn in plans eventually was something that was better than I was going to do in the first place.

When I build a bicycle up from a frame and fork, the very first order of business is to get the head set in. Now you may want to do it a different way, but to my way of thinking, a frame is a bad unicycle until the fork is on it!

So, I installed the purple Wolf Tooth head set first and then came the conundrum of where to cut the steer tube. I did not measure the stock steer tube length, but it is looooong! I decided to go with 11 1/2" length and cut it there, because I didn't want to leave myself short with no option to have a healthy amount of exposed steer tube. However, Mike Varley of Black Mountain Cycles had designed the frame to have an extended head tube so that steer tube spacer use would be at a minimum. So, with that unknown hanging out there, I measured bikes I already have here and approximated as best I could, with an eye towards leaving too much steer tube rather than cutting it close.

I'm glad that I did, because it came out that I had too much steer tube, but not a ridiculous amount. For the record, I think I cut off about three inches! I know I could go lower, but I'll try riding it with different arrangements of the stem and spacers until I arrive at what I like. Then there will be a final cut and that will be that.

Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket here. Made in the USA!

After a head set gets installed and a fork is mounted, the next task I go after is to get the bottom bracket in there. You can scooter if you'd like, but a bicycle is pretty worthless without a crank set and pedals.

Mike Varley preps every frame before it leaves his Black Mountain Cycles shop to you, so the threading on the bottom bracket was super smooth and allowed easy installation of my Wheels Manufacturing angular contact bearing bottom bracket. Then I slotted in my Shimano CX series 46T/36T crank set for 11spd.

Now normally at this point I'd set up a stem and handle bar, and then work on mounting controls. However; part of the text mentioned above made me decide not to go that way. Instead, I mounted my Spyre brakes and tested them with the Irwin Cycling Aon GX 35  carbon wheels I already had waiting on this build. I ended up having to spacer out the rear caliper a bit, but otherwise I had zero issues getting things to line up.

I tried running a few cable housings just to get a feel for how I would route things. The cable routing is really well thought out on this bike. Everything going to the rear of the bike is full run housing. The front brake, obviously being a disc, is as well. Only the front derailleur is a bottom run, exposed cable set up. That may seem weird, but here is why that is actually brilliant. The break in the housing run from the shifter goes to a traditionally mounted road bike style cable stop with a barrel adjuster. This means no oddball in-line cable adjuster is necessary and the front derailleur can be easily adjusted on the fly. Those worried about mud fouling the cable have too much time to think about things. In all my years of riding, that style of cable run has never been the reason my front derailleur did not work. Your mileage may vary......

The finished product. (Well......almost finished!)

Friday I received a set of Whisky No. 9 Carbon 24F handle bars. In that package was also a No. 7 Carbon seat post. Friday evening I spent down in the Lab putting it all together. There were some old parts from my Raleigh Tamland Two. The Ultegra levers, front and rear derailleurs, and the aforementioned calipers for the brakes. I got a new SRAM 11-36T 11 speed cassette and I used a Shimano 11 speed chain, the new Ultegra one with the quick link. (Yay!) The stem was my Redshift Sports ShockStop stem in the 90mm length. The saddle is my Brooks Cambium from the old T-6 I sold.

Tires are an old set of WTB Riddler 45mm tires that barely went on. Those Irwin rims fit tires tightly! I won't be worrying about throwing off a tire if one goes flat, and burping a tire seems very unlikely. I used an old beat up set of Shimano SPD's and added three purple Velocity Bottle Traps. I got three pink ones, but the purple looked better to my eyes.

Then it was nearly time to ride after I set up my tires tubeless with "MG's Special Sauce", (a home brew recipe- you cannot buy it from the bike shop!), and that was successful due to one product. That would be Uncle Dick's Bead Slip. No issues with getting the tires straight and even using Uncle Dick's. Note- I'm not sure where you get this stuff anymore, but if I find out I'll let ya know.

Whiskey No. 7 Carbon post

The Whisky components look great on the bike. I like the "ghost" branding and the sheen of the black is cool. The only issue with that post is that it uses a thumb wheel up under the saddle as one of the securing fasteners. It is easier to use than some I've encountered, so at least there wasn't any swearing.

The handle bar is much the same as far as looks. The shape is very similar to a Cowchipper, but different...... It's hard to describe. The flare is 24° but the reach seems less and the drop seems less. Not by much either. And this bar features flat sections to accommodate cable runs and a little wider 31.8mm center clamp section that makes mounting accessories easier.

The bar was covered in the Marque handle bar tape salvaged from the T-6 when I sold it. Then I capped off the Whiskey Components bar's ends with pink bar end caps. It all is good with the pink frame and helps tie the look together since the parts look more like an ensemble instead of a hodge podge.

There she be!

The Ride:

The Black Mountain Cycles rig is fun to ride for sure. Smooth? Oh yeah! But that may be because of the ShockStop stem and the Whiskey No. 7 post. That post has a sweet ride to it. Plus the Whisky No. 9 24F carbon bar also has a bit of give at the extensions so that when you are in the drops it feels smoother yet. Add in 45mm Riddler tires and it gets smooth fast. But that said, the frame is pretty nice in this regard. While the disc factor caused the fork to be stiffer than my rim brake BMC, it still can be seen working over the rough stuff on gravel. It isn't the "immovable object" that many carbon fiber forks are.

I stuck the bars at a height that was neither the highest I could go, nor the lowest. I'm close, but I'll be swapping around stem spacers till I get it figured out. But otherwise the position I was able to get is spot on. Not too much seat post is extended, and I don't have to get a crazy different length stem. In fact, I may go a touch longer depending upon where I end up at with bar height.

Something struck me as I was riding it. That was that I was feeling similar feelings to something I'd ridden in the past. The steel frame of the MCD felt somehow familiar. Then it hit me. The Vaya! I used to love that bike for its crazy ability to give back what you put into it, eventually. Kind of like winding up a spring and then it recoils. Anyway, the MCD felt like that, like the Vaya used to.

So, is it the uber-Vaya? Maybe. It just reminds me of that old bike. Only the Black Mountain Cycles bike has more features. More tire clearance, through axles, livelier tubing choices, a better steel fork, and smarter details. So, it is a different beast altogether.

I'll be doing some tweaking in the near future beyond the stem position. I may be switching bar tape, tweaking out the saddle position, and stuff like that. I'll also be doing a switch on the wheels to try 650B X 47mm tires. That said,  yes- I am happy. I like it, and I don't think this one will be going anywhere unless I am riding it in the near future.

Don't ask what it weighs, because I won't tell you. That isn't the point of this bike, but if you have other questions, I'm happy to answer them.