One That Got Away

  In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

Public Service Announcement: I am entering the final weeks of this series of posts. May 11th, 2025 will mark the start of my 20th year of blogging here on "Guitar Ted Productions". There will be a special post for this upcoming, but for now, please enjoy another look back at this topic from the days gone by on G-Ted Productions. 

Salsa Cycles Stormchaser in its debut color and configuration

I'm sure that if you are a seasoned cyclist there is probably a bicycle in your past which was "one that got away". A bicycle which, for whatever reasons, was one you sold, had stolen, or lost for a reason which you wish you had back again.

Now, you may be romanticizing this old memory, and in reality, maybe that bicycle is not "all that", but maybe it was great. I don't know your story, but for me "that bike" is the original Salsa Cycles Stormchaser which, ironically, was never "mine". It was a review bicycle for RidingGravel.com.

Of course, this was during the early, dark days of the pandemic, and I admit, this may have had something to do with my feelings toward the bike. The Stormchaser was my companion for many lonely gravel grinders that Spring. Rides where I was contemplating all the madness and trying to find peace for my mind and soul. The quiet Black Hawk County countryside helped with this. The Stormchaser was the vehicle which transported me there.

Of course, the Stormchaser was not perfect. Its brutal front fork gave no quarter. The aluminum frame was not the steel feel I prefer in a ride. I probably would have modded the thing to death had Salsa Cycles let me keep the bike. But that shiny, new-penny hue, the simple lines of the bike, and its single-speed purpose were very fetching. I liked the way the bike looked a lot.

I did end up stuffing 50mm tires into the frame and this helped the front end be smoother and not so unforgiving. I likely would have kept the big tires on this bike with a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem and had been just fine.

But......it wasn't meant to be. Salsa Cycles wanted the bike back, and at the time, I could easily see why. Bicycles were in super-short supply. The shop I was working at couldn't get anymore new bikes, and even bicycle staples like tubes and bar tape were non-existent in warehouses all across the country. I imagine the Stormchaser I tested ended up under some customer who had ordered one which Salsa couldn't get from overseas from its supplier. So, yeah....

And it isn't as though I don't have cool, fun to ride bicycles anyway. But in another world, where there was not a pandemic induced shortage, maybe the Stormchaser would have been available to me to keep. I don't know. If this were the case, it is very likely  that I would have not purchased the Twin Six Standard Rando v2 or had the Honeman Flyer built. So, maybe things worked out the way they should have anyway.

And in the end, I have memories and stories on this blog from a time I don't think we want to repeat, ever. But memories of the Stormchaser and my contemplative, peaceful 2020 rides will always bring a smile to my face. I think this is okay, and thanks to Salsa Cycles for even giving me the chance to try this out at a time when they really did not have any reason to allow me to enjoy such a bike. So again, thanks Salsa Cycles! I still am very appreciative of that opportunity.

And that's "the one that got away" story for me. What is yours?

A Couple Of Anniversarys

 This week a few social media posts reminded me of a couple of anniversaries - one good, one not so good. The "not-so-good" one is perhaps obvious when you stop a minute to consider times of the year. 

It was exactly five years ago today that N.Y. Roll and I put out the word that the C.O.G. 100 had been postponed due to the pandemic. It wasn't hard to do, and we did our due diligence in researching our options. I have to laugh now looking back because, apparently, the thinking was we'd pull out of the pandemic in six months. 

Ha!

Well, as we all know, it was much longer than six months. In fact, we ended up cancelling the event altogether. It ended up being the last gravel event/race I put effort into as far as being the lead/race director/promoter. I will not ever be doing anything like that again. Race/event productions, that is. That part of my life is a chapter closed now. 

The moment the modern gravel scene started. April 23rd, 2005

The anniversary for the beginning of my race promotion/director days is upcoming. Soon it will be 20 years since the first Trans Iowa took place on April 23rd, 2005. Twenty years! It is amazing how long ago that is, and how unreal it seems to me that I did that. 

The image above is from the roll-out from the high school parking lot on the East side of Hawarden, Iowa. I'm driving the old shop van ahead of a little more than 50 riders. (Jeff Kerkove let in a few more than the roster limit!) I am pretty sure Jeff's dad, Dave Kerkove, took this image. 

What is weird about this is that I can vividly remember certain parts of the day, like they happened yesterday. I was doing something really unusual and different for myself here, although I had helped put on a mountain bike event in the late 1990's. This? It was off the charts and quite the adventure.

I'll have a big post on this anniversary coming up on April 23rd, 2025. Stay tuned....

It All Seems So Long Ago

N.Y. Roll, early March 2020. If we only had known what was really up the road...

I was out doing some walking for fitness this past weekend and a memory struck me which caused me to feel a lot of emotions and wonderment. Sadness, thankfulness, gratitude, and maybe a bit of anger too. 

And yes, there is something about bicycles in all of this.

I did not know why this happened on this walk, or why it was at this time, but the loop I do is in a cemetery local to me and I started doing this in March of 2020. Maybe that was the trigger for all the memories and emotions. 

Maybe it is because, in the back of my mind, deep down in there somewhere, I felt that urge to become anxious for an upcoming event. The Gents Race? Sure, that could be it too. But I think this all runs a bit deeper than that for myself. 

Today marks the date that N.Y. Roll and I would have put on the C.O.G. 100 in 2020. The single speed, century distance gravel grinder out of Grinnell, Iowa. But, obviously, that did not happen. It all seems so long ago now, but really, it wasn't that long ago.

From the final recon in 2020 right before 'you-know-what' happened.

 During my walk this past weekend it struck me how we have "moved on" and all of the events of the past three years seems like ancient history. Part of me finds this offensive. Another part of me doesn't want to think about it. But I found myself in a deep state of thought about the past three years for some reason, and I think there has to be a reckoning here. 

I'll speak for myself, but that reckoning has partly to do with resolving the fears and anxieties I had back through the past three years. Specifically in terms of cycling, for myself, that would probably be about the C.O.G. 100, feeling guilty about not being able to put it on, and then how that eventually led to a state where I was done with promoting and organizing gravel events. 

Sometimes, like this past weekend, I feel like I miss doing all the prep work, the planning, and that I miss the excitement of the riders, and the production of the event, watching it all play out in front of me. Being able to do all of that for as long as I did was a great privilege that I do not take lightly. I am deeply thankful for being graced with the opportunities I have had to put on events like Trans Iowa, the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, the 3GR rides, the Geezer Ride, and the C.O.G. 100. 

Still trying to figure this all out....

Then I also feel as though I am deeply satisfied and grateful for the feelings I have surrounding my not doing those events anymore. I emptied the tank and left it all out there many times during the years I have done the events I did, especially concerning Trans Iowa. I don't need to put myself through that wringer anymore, and once I realized that sometime during 2020, I found a peace I hadn't felt in a long time. 

And I needed to remind myself of that this weekend while I was thinking all of these thoughts. So while I miss part of all of those times, and I think that is only natural, I also am very happy I moved on and left that time behind. There is freedom there that, and maybe this is selfish, but that is deeply satisfying. 

Now as to what lies ahead.....

Who knows? I'm still trying to figure that all out.

It All Seems So Long Ago

N.Y. Roll, early March 2020. If we only had known what was really up the road...

I was out doing some walking for fitness this past weekend and a memory struck me which caused me to feel a lot of emotions and wonderment. Sadness, thankfulness, gratitude, and maybe a bit of anger too. 

And yes, there is something about bicycles in all of this.

I did not know why this happened on this walk, or why it was at this time, but the loop I do is in a cemetery local to me and I started doing this in March of 2020. Maybe that was the trigger for all the memories and emotions. 

Maybe it is because, in the back of my mind, deep down in there somewhere, I felt that urge to become anxious for an upcoming event. The Gents Race? Sure, that could be it too. But I think this all runs a bit deeper than that for myself. 

Today marks the date that N.Y. Roll and I would have put on the C.O.G. 100 in 2020. The single speed, century distance gravel grinder out of Grinnell, Iowa. But, obviously, that did not happen. It all seems so long ago now, but really, it wasn't that long ago.

From the final recon in 2020 right before 'you-know-what' happened.

 During my walk this past weekend it struck me how we have "moved on" and all of the events of the past three years seems like ancient history. Part of me finds this offensive. Another part of me doesn't want to think about it. But I found myself in a deep state of thought about the past three years for some reason, and I think there has to be a reckoning here. 

I'll speak for myself, but that reckoning has partly to do with resolving the fears and anxieties I had back through the past three years. Specifically in terms of cycling, for myself, that would probably be about the C.O.G. 100, feeling guilty about not being able to put it on, and then how that eventually led to a state where I was done with promoting and organizing gravel events. 

Sometimes, like this past weekend, I feel like I miss doing all the prep work, the planning, and that I miss the excitement of the riders, and the production of the event, watching it all play out in front of me. Being able to do all of that for as long as I did was a great privilege that I do not take lightly. I am deeply thankful for being graced with the opportunities I have had to put on events like Trans Iowa, the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational, the 3GR rides, the Geezer Ride, and the C.O.G. 100. 

Still trying to figure this all out....

Then I also feel as though I am deeply satisfied and grateful for the feelings I have surrounding my not doing those events anymore. I emptied the tank and left it all out there many times during the years I have done the events I did, especially concerning Trans Iowa. I don't need to put myself through that wringer anymore, and once I realized that sometime during 2020, I found a peace I hadn't felt in a long time. 

And I needed to remind myself of that this weekend while I was thinking all of these thoughts. So while I miss part of all of those times, and I think that is only natural, I also am very happy I moved on and left that time behind. There is freedom there that, and maybe this is selfish, but that is deeply satisfying. 

Now as to what lies ahead.....

Who knows? I'm still trying to figure that all out.

Friday News And Views

New Guitar Ted Podcast Out:

If you haven't heard it yet, check out the longest Guitar Ted Podcast yet which was published last Tuesday. In it N.Y. Roll and I interview Kevin Lee, "ride host" of The Spinistry.

The Spinistry is an organization that has been around in North Texas since 2009. They have put on several classic gravel events like The Red River Riot, The Texas Chainring Massacre, and The Hell of North Texas, to name a few. 

In this new episode, Kevin takes us from the early days of his backroad explorations and how those eventually informed his take on gravel events. The Spinistry's vision for the present and future is laid out and  we learned an awful lot.

In my estimation, The Spinistry has been one of gravel grinding's best kept secrets. Maybe that will change now, but I bet a lot of people have never heard about The Spinistry or their events. Check out the podcast where you get you podcast feeds or at Anchor.fm HERE. 

The new Ritchey Skyline. (Image courtesy of Ritchey)

Ritchey Announces New Skyline Drop Bar:

Ritchey announced their newest drop bar called the Skyline early in the week. It is an ergonomic bar with a classic road drop style. (No flare - No sweep to the extensions)

Now normally I wouldn't bother with a roadie drop bar in the news, but..... It seems that flare and sweep for drop bars is falling out of favor with the Pro/Elite classes of gravel racers. I have noted a slight swing backward to "classic road drop designs" of late, and a LOT of weirdness surrounding aero bits for cycling. 

Before I get too far in the weeds here, there is a link to the Ritchey bar HERE.  

Okay, so what do I think about aero for gravel? Well, it is at odds with the "mountain bike-ification" of gravel, that's for sure. But there is a point to be made about being aero-concious. I mean, you probably wouldn't consider wearing a flappy jacket on a windy day because it catches the wind like a sail and you know that is sapping your strength. So, if you care about that, you actually do care about being aero. It's just a matter of degrees at that point. 

But sacrificing comfort and control for being aero on gravel? I think that's not a good trade-off. So, there are more times I'd want a flared drop bar - for comfort and control - than I would want a traditional road drop for being aero. Your mileage may vary.

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame To Announce The 2nd Class of Inductees:

I voted as a previous inductee and I am excited to see who will be announced next week to be inducted into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame on May 31st in Emporia, Kansas.

So, as I understand it, there will be some sort of ride with the GCHoF members on the 31st as well. (Details TBA) I'm trying to arrange my schedule to attend and Mrs. Guitar Ted may even be coming with me. All kind of up in the air right now, but we will soon know what I can or cannot do.

I have a feeling some of this year's inductees will be a bit 'polarizing' for some and maybe a bit of a 'slam dunk' for others when the list gets revealed. I don't know who is getting in and who is not, but I did see the list we could select from and well, the possibilities for some interesting choices exist, I'll just say that.

At any rate, you'll know as soon as I do, and we can all dissect and comment on the choices made afterward. I think that things will pan out for the best, so I am hopeful that how the GCHoF started out last year will be the direction it goes in this year as well.

Mid-South Kicks Off Gravel Season:

I know, there has been a Belgian Waffle and a few other gravelly events already in 2023, but to my mind, the Mid-South is the "official" start of the gravel season. 

This weekend it happens again, and while I know that Bobby Wintle probably would rather not have this be the case for anyone, but this event will always be a "time marker" for when the pandemic hit in 2020. 

There was a lot of speculation as to whether Mid-South should, or even could, safely hold an event in light of what we thought then, but they did it and got away with it, I suppose. Not that they did anything wrong, but in the context of 2020, it was a huge risk then. 

I know, this may seem unfair to many of you out there, but those two things are what I think of when Mid-South happens in March. It's gravel event time again and I remember what my feelings were in mid-March of 2020 once again. 

All the best to those who are attending the event this year!

 That's a wrap for this week! I hope that you all get out for a ride! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

New Guitar Ted Podcast Out:

If you haven't heard it yet, check out the longest Guitar Ted Podcast yet which was published last Tuesday. In it N.Y. Roll and I interview Kevin Lee, "ride host" of The Spinistry.

The Spinistry is an organization that has been around in North Texas since 2009. They have put on several classic gravel events like The Red River Riot, The Texas Chainring Massacre, and The Hell of North Texas, to name a few. 

In this new episode, Kevin takes us from the early days of his backroad explorations and how those eventually informed his take on gravel events. The Spinistry's vision for the present and future is laid out and  we learned an awful lot.

In my estimation, The Spinistry has been one of gravel grinding's best kept secrets. Maybe that will change now, but I bet a lot of people have never heard about The Spinistry or their events. Check out the podcast where you get you podcast feeds or at Anchor.fm HERE. 

The new Ritchey Skyline. (Image courtesy of Ritchey)

Ritchey Announces New Skyline Drop Bar:

Ritchey announced their newest drop bar called the Skyline early in the week. It is an ergonomic bar with a classic road drop style. (No flare - No sweep to the extensions)

Now normally I wouldn't bother with a roadie drop bar in the news, but..... It seems that flare and sweep for drop bars is falling out of favor with the Pro/Elite classes of gravel racers. I have noted a slight swing backward to "classic road drop designs" of late, and a LOT of weirdness surrounding aero bits for cycling. 

Before I get too far in the weeds here, there is a link to the Ritchey bar HERE.  

Okay, so what do I think about aero for gravel? Well, it is at odds with the "mountain bike-ification" of gravel, that's for sure. But there is a point to be made about being aero-concious. I mean, you probably wouldn't consider wearing a flappy jacket on a windy day because it catches the wind like a sail and you know that is sapping your strength. So, if you care about that, you actually do care about being aero. It's just a matter of degrees at that point. 

But sacrificing comfort and control for being aero on gravel? I think that's not a good trade-off. So, there are more times I'd want a flared drop bar - for comfort and control - than I would want a traditional road drop for being aero. Your mileage may vary.

Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame To Announce The 2nd Class of Inductees:

I voted as a previous inductee and I am excited to see who will be announced next week to be inducted into the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame on May 31st in Emporia, Kansas.

So, as I understand it, there will be some sort of ride with the GCHoF members on the 31st as well. (Details TBA) I'm trying to arrange my schedule to attend and Mrs. Guitar Ted may even be coming with me. All kind of up in the air right now, but we will soon know what I can or cannot do.

I have a feeling some of this year's inductees will be a bit 'polarizing' for some and maybe a bit of a 'slam dunk' for others when the list gets revealed. I don't know who is getting in and who is not, but I did see the list we could select from and well, the possibilities for some interesting choices exist, I'll just say that.

At any rate, you'll know as soon as I do, and we can all dissect and comment on the choices made afterward. I think that things will pan out for the best, so I am hopeful that how the GCHoF started out last year will be the direction it goes in this year as well.

Mid-South Kicks Off Gravel Season:

I know, there has been a Belgian Waffle and a few other gravelly events already in 2023, but to my mind, the Mid-South is the "official" start of the gravel season. 

This weekend it happens again, and while I know that Bobby Wintle probably would rather not have this be the case for anyone, but this event will always be a "time marker" for when the pandemic hit in 2020. 

There was a lot of speculation as to whether Mid-South should, or even could, safely hold an event in light of what we thought then, but they did it and got away with it, I suppose. Not that they did anything wrong, but in the context of 2020, it was a huge risk then. 

I know, this may seem unfair to many of you out there, but those two things are what I think of when Mid-South happens in March. It's gravel event time again and I remember what my feelings were in mid-March of 2020 once again. 

All the best to those who are attending the event this year!

 That's a wrap for this week! I hope that you all get out for a ride! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

 Inventory Builds Up As Consumer Demand Cools:

You've already seen the ads on your feeds, most likely. The discounting of bicycles and cycling gear is full-on once again. This marks the final swing induced by the pandemic which will affect us all going into 2023. 

Riders will enjoy more choices and bargains on those choices as time marches on toward the holidays. Inventory levels have reached critical mass in some categories with the result being that shipping costs are being forgiven at lower ordering levels for shops and from what I heard, some folks even lost their jobs due to ordering too much stuff at a certain distributor that shall remain nameless.

The inflationary climate has doused the fires of consumer demand as well, sending retailers skittering toward big sales and discounts as we head into the New Year. Some prognosticators of the cycling industry are claiming the fall-out from this may be that retail will suffer and seeing closures is not out of the question. 

Interesting times, to be sure.

The Esker Lorax in titanium (Image courtesy of Esker)

Ti Lorax Introduced:

Last week Esker Cycles announced a couple of new titanium frame offerings- The Walden fat bike and the Lorax gravel bike. 

The Lorax was a steel offering in Esker Cycles previous incarnation, Advocate Cycles. That was back in 2015, but now the Lorax is not Reynolds 531, but titanium. 

It has several mounting options for accessories, as you would expect, tire clearance is a claimed 2" wide for a 700c wheel, and the geometry is pretty good. 75mm bottom bracket drop, 71.5° head tube angles, and a top tube that isn't sloped super crazy so it won't need a really long seat post. The adjustable "Portage" drop outs are cool in case you have to do the single speed bail-out mission. Price with a Wolf Tooth head set, seat collar, and rear through axle is set at $2300.00 USD.

Comments: Not bad, Esker, not bad at all. I always felt as though that the Lorax was a take on the Vaya from Salsa Cycles, and this titanium version does nothing to dispel that notion for me. That's a good thing, because the Vaya is a great, and very underrated, gravel bike choice. I would suspect that this bike would handle very much in the Vaya's vein, which I welcome. 

The price is more than reasonable here, and with a double butted tube set, I would bet that this bike would ride like a dream.

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #105: The Gravel Amplifier:

Monday afternoon N.Y. Roll and I met at The Stone Castle Estates and recorded the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast #105. We're calling it "The Gravel Amplifier". 

This goes along with the post I made Tuesday which also is about the same thing. But do make sure you click through to the podcast, because there I list a few more events than I did on Tuesday. (See those in the Show Notes)

So, going forward, this could become a series, but that is entirely up to you- the readers. If I get submissions and they pass the sniff test, boom! Amplification happens. If I get radio silence? Then I move on, and nothing gets amplified. I'm not doing the search and destroy for this anymore these days. Here's why......

You'll hear a bit about this if you listen to the podcast, but when I started the Gravel Grinder News calendar in 2009, there was no one else doing what I was doing. As gravel became more popular and more lucrative, players came in to capitalize on my work, and much of what I had dug up and compiled ended up becoming their "content" with no recognition or acknowledgement for where it came from. 

I get it- It's all public knowledge, but it was a cheesy, classless way to obtain a calendar which I did not appreciate. So, I am not going to publish and maintain a calendar to benefit other sites. They can dig up their own stuff. But I will take submissions for certain events, amplify them, and spread the word as best as I can on my channels. So, no calendar of events, but I will help to push those events that otherwise would not get any publicity in cycling media. 

If you are a fan of an event, or like what is happening at an event and want to see it succeed, let me know. Likewise for event promoters. I am here for ya.....

Lay-offs Affect Cyclingtips:

Late on Tuesday afternoon word started to spread via social media that several cuts were made at Outside and especially at Cyclintips, which is a news/technical review site that employs some very well known cycling media personalities. There were several social media posts claiming that Outside had released up to 12% of the staff. (Now confirmed) One person that was confirmed as a lay-off was Senior Editor, Caley Fretz who had joined Cyclingtips in late 2017. 

Lead technical writer for Cyclingtips, James Huang, who retained his position with the company, Tweeted the following on Tuesday evening, "To be clear, I’m still at CyclingTips. But given everyone who was let go, it still feels like I lost a close friend today."

Outside, who had acquired Cyclingtips, Pink Bike, and Trailforks in 2021, also made cuts to Cyclingtips and shut down the mountain bike title, Beta, completely earlier this year in May. 

Comments: As I said, back in May, I don't trust corporations that own a bunch of media titles. But, on the other hand, what should they do? It would seem that most people consume their "news" on social media, podcasts, or on YouTube these days. It would seem that "real", physical magazines are now dinosaurs. It would also appear that trying to get people to give up money to get behind a paywall is not drawing the money/numbers that some thought it might. Advertisers are looking for max-clicks, and apparently, Cyclingtips wasn't drawing big enough numbers. (For a more in-depth look at the situation see this Cycling Industry News article or this from AdWeek)

Interestingly, Pink Bike, which is said to be Outside's biggest draw digitally speaking, is a massive success. It would seem that we are in an era of consolidation/ending of titles and singular, monolithic entities will now control recreational media and, perhaps someday, even your events. (See both Outside and Life Time for examples) 

Lauf, Gravel Worlds, PCL Debut Collab On Seigla Gravel Bike:

Wednesday big news came from the gang at Gravel Worlds. They have partnered with long-time sponsor, Lauf Cycling, to bring a PCL themed Seigla to the masses. 

The Seigla is the newest incarnation of a gravel bike from Lauf  which features the unmistakable Lauf Grit fork, now in its third generation, and clearances for up to 57mm tires. 

Comments: This is a cool collaboration. I like the bike but for its high bottom bracket, which is something I cannot compromise on, but that's maybe just me. 

I love that Lauf and the folks at Gravel Worlds arrived on, what I consider to be, the classic PCL colors of army green and black. I recall that in 2011 at Trans Iowa v7, second place finisher Troy Krause had on the original PCL Army Green/Black jersey and that I just loved that combo. The PCL came out with a reissue of that design which I snagged right away. So, this scheme on the Seigla is a really great idea, to my mind. 

Want one? Check out this link. 
 

 That's all for this week! get out and ride! (Layer up, y'all!) Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Friday News And Views

 Inventory Builds Up As Consumer Demand Cools:

You've already seen the ads on your feeds, most likely. The discounting of bicycles and cycling gear is full-on once again. This marks the final swing induced by the pandemic which will affect us all going into 2023. 

Riders will enjoy more choices and bargains on those choices as time marches on toward the holidays. Inventory levels have reached critical mass in some categories with the result being that shipping costs are being forgiven at lower ordering levels for shops and from what I heard, some folks even lost their jobs due to ordering too much stuff at a certain distributor that shall remain nameless.

The inflationary climate has doused the fires of consumer demand as well, sending retailers skittering toward big sales and discounts as we head into the New Year. Some prognosticators of the cycling industry are claiming the fall-out from this may be that retail will suffer and seeing closures is not out of the question. 

Interesting times, to be sure.

The Esker Lorax in titanium (Image courtesy of Esker)

Ti Lorax Introduced:

Last week Esker Cycles announced a couple of new titanium frame offerings- The Walden fat bike and the Lorax gravel bike. 

The Lorax was a steel offering in Esker Cycles previous incarnation, Advocate Cycles. That was back in 2015, but now the Lorax is not Reynolds 531, but titanium. 

It has several mounting options for accessories, as you would expect, tire clearance is a claimed 2" wide for a 700c wheel, and the geometry is pretty good. 75mm bottom bracket drop, 71.5° head tube angles, and a top tube that isn't sloped super crazy so it won't need a really long seat post. The adjustable "Portage" drop outs are cool in case you have to do the single speed bail-out mission. Price with a Wolf Tooth head set, seat collar, and rear through axle is set at $2300.00 USD.

Comments: Not bad, Esker, not bad at all. I always felt as though that the Lorax was a take on the Vaya from Salsa Cycles, and this titanium version does nothing to dispel that notion for me. That's a good thing, because the Vaya is a great, and very underrated, gravel bike choice. I would suspect that this bike would handle very much in the Vaya's vein, which I welcome. 

The price is more than reasonable here, and with a double butted tube set, I would bet that this bike would ride like a dream.

Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Episode #105: The Gravel Amplifier:

Monday afternoon N.Y. Roll and I met at The Stone Castle Estates and recorded the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast #105. We're calling it "The Gravel Amplifier". 

This goes along with the post I made Tuesday which also is about the same thing. But do make sure you click through to the podcast, because there I list a few more events than I did on Tuesday. (See those in the Show Notes)

So, going forward, this could become a series, but that is entirely up to you- the readers. If I get submissions and they pass the sniff test, boom! Amplification happens. If I get radio silence? Then I move on, and nothing gets amplified. I'm not doing the search and destroy for this anymore these days. Here's why......

You'll hear a bit about this if you listen to the podcast, but when I started the Gravel Grinder News calendar in 2009, there was no one else doing what I was doing. As gravel became more popular and more lucrative, players came in to capitalize on my work, and much of what I had dug up and compiled ended up becoming their "content" with no recognition or acknowledgement for where it came from. 

I get it- It's all public knowledge, but it was a cheesy, classless way to obtain a calendar which I did not appreciate. So, I am not going to publish and maintain a calendar to benefit other sites. They can dig up their own stuff. But I will take submissions for certain events, amplify them, and spread the word as best as I can on my channels. So, no calendar of events, but I will help to push those events that otherwise would not get any publicity in cycling media. 

If you are a fan of an event, or like what is happening at an event and want to see it succeed, let me know. Likewise for event promoters. I am here for ya.....

Lay-offs Affect Cyclingtips:

Late on Tuesday afternoon word started to spread via social media that several cuts were made at Outside and especially at Cyclintips, which is a news/technical review site that employs some very well known cycling media personalities. There were several social media posts claiming that Outside had released up to 12% of the staff. (Now confirmed) One person that was confirmed as a lay-off was Senior Editor, Caley Fretz who had joined Cyclingtips in late 2017. 

Lead technical writer for Cyclingtips, James Huang, who retained his position with the company, Tweeted the following on Tuesday evening, "To be clear, I’m still at CyclingTips. But given everyone who was let go, it still feels like I lost a close friend today."

Outside, who had acquired Cyclingtips, Pink Bike, and Trailforks in 2021, also made cuts to Cyclingtips and shut down the mountain bike title, Beta, completely earlier this year in May. 

Comments: As I said, back in May, I don't trust corporations that own a bunch of media titles. But, on the other hand, what should they do? It would seem that most people consume their "news" on social media, podcasts, or on YouTube these days. It would seem that "real", physical magazines are now dinosaurs. It would also appear that trying to get people to give up money to get behind a paywall is not drawing the money/numbers that some thought it might. Advertisers are looking for max-clicks, and apparently, Cyclingtips wasn't drawing big enough numbers. (For a more in-depth look at the situation see this Cycling Industry News article or this from AdWeek)

Interestingly, Pink Bike, which is said to be Outside's biggest draw digitally speaking, is a massive success. It would seem that we are in an era of consolidation/ending of titles and singular, monolithic entities will now control recreational media and, perhaps someday, even your events. (See both Outside and Life Time for examples) 

Lauf, Gravel Worlds, PCL Debut Collab On Seigla Gravel Bike:

Wednesday big news came from the gang at Gravel Worlds. They have partnered with long-time sponsor, Lauf Cycling, to bring a PCL themed Seigla to the masses. 

The Seigla is the newest incarnation of a gravel bike from Lauf  which features the unmistakable Lauf Grit fork, now in its third generation, and clearances for up to 57mm tires. 

Comments: This is a cool collaboration. I like the bike but for its high bottom bracket, which is something I cannot compromise on, but that's maybe just me. 

I love that Lauf and the folks at Gravel Worlds arrived on, what I consider to be, the classic PCL colors of army green and black. I recall that in 2011 at Trans Iowa v7, second place finisher Troy Krause had on the original PCL Army Green/Black jersey and that I just loved that combo. The PCL came out with a reissue of that design which I snagged right away. So, this scheme on the Seigla is a really great idea, to my mind. 

Want one? Check out this link. 
 

 That's all for this week! get out and ride! (Layer up, y'all!) Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

The Story Of A Forced Retirement

It is very likely this was my last action as a race director

I'm kind of reminiscing today since we are coming out of the pandemic almost two years to the month that we went into it. Two years ago this week our world was changing on an hourly basis. I also was on the job of being a race promoter. I had a couple of important things to figure out for an event I was putting on with N.Y. Roll called the C.O.G.100. 

We'd put the event on for the first time in 2019, and in many ways it was a test. First of all, it was a test to see if I was really ready to call it quits in the race promotion business. Not that it was an actual 'business' in that I made a profit. Ha! Yeah.....far from it! 

But I had recently stopped Trans Iowa and N.Y. Roll thought my crazy idea for a single speed only gravel event was a good way to just, you know, test the waters and see if I'd be willing to help him put on an event that I may or may not be a part of in the future. There was talk of a two year stint for me, then maybe I'd be involved yet, or maybe N.Y. Roll would just take things over. We didn't really know what would happen exactly, but we had a loose plan going on back then for something to be continued for a time. 

So, year one of the C.O.G. went well enough and year two was coming together as planned. I had to do a recon of part of the second year's course, which was different than the previous year's course, and that was to determine a new way to do the resupply town routing. I had seen a possibility on the map, but it needed verification. Once I had that part verified, it would eliminate a possibly confusing bit we had in the original course's planned route. 

And it worked. It was going to really clean up the cues too. But when I got back home that day two years ago, the news made my heart sink. I was in contact with N.Y. Roll and we tentatively had planned on postponing the event for a year right then and there. Of course, we didn't make that official for several more days, but that decision was pretty well made right then and there.

And of course, a year later we were in no better shape, and so N.Y. Roll and I just cancelled the entire thing. In between that final cancellation in 2021 and the last recon two years ago, I discovered that 'just riding for fun' and not having anything to plan for was actually pretty liberating. Refreshed and with a load of 15+ years of planning and worrying, and  thinking all the time about events behind me, because I couldn't do those things due to the pandemic, this period brought me a sense of clarity. I was free. 

And then I knew I was done. 

The last time I did that. C.O.G. 100 from 2019.

 So, that last recon two years ago is a kind of weird, odd way to have it all end, but I'm not sad about it at all. I didn't plan on things going the way that they did, and you could say, the pandemic sort of forced my hand. But in the end, it was a good thing. I've given enough. Now its time for others to do so....

So, I know many of you secretly, (and some not-so-secretly), hope for a return of an event I put on or another, well...... That won't be happening. 

That all ended two years ago, and I just don't see myself ever doing those things in that way again. 

The Story Of A Forced Retirement

It is very likely this was my last action as a race director

I'm kind of reminiscing today since we are coming out of the pandemic almost two years to the month that we went into it. Two years ago this week our world was changing on an hourly basis. I also was on the job of being a race promoter. I had a couple of important things to figure out for an event I was putting on with N.Y. Roll called the C.O.G.100. 

We'd put the event on for the first time in 2019, and in many ways it was a test. First of all, it was a test to see if I was really ready to call it quits in the race promotion business. Not that it was an actual 'business' in that I made a profit. Ha! Yeah.....far from it! 

But I had recently stopped Trans Iowa and N.Y. Roll thought my crazy idea for a single speed only gravel event was a good way to just, you know, test the waters and see if I'd be willing to help him put on an event that I may or may not be a part of in the future. There was talk of a two year stint for me, then maybe I'd be involved yet, or maybe N.Y. Roll would just take things over. We didn't really know what would happen exactly, but we had a loose plan going on back then for something to be continued for a time. 

So, year one of the C.O.G. went well enough and year two was coming together as planned. I had to do a recon of part of the second year's course, which was different than the previous year's course, and that was to determine a new way to do the resupply town routing. I had seen a possibility on the map, but it needed verification. Once I had that part verified, it would eliminate a possibly confusing bit we had in the original course's planned route. 

And it worked. It was going to really clean up the cues too. But when I got back home that day two years ago, the news made my heart sink. I was in contact with N.Y. Roll and we tentatively had planned on postponing the event for a year right then and there. Of course, we didn't make that official for several more days, but that decision was pretty well made right then and there.

And of course, a year later we were in no better shape, and so N.Y. Roll and I just cancelled the entire thing. In between that final cancellation in 2021 and the last recon two years ago, I discovered that 'just riding for fun' and not having anything to plan for was actually pretty liberating. Refreshed and with a load of 15+ years of planning and worrying, and  thinking all the time about events behind me, because I couldn't do those things due to the pandemic, this period brought me a sense of clarity. I was free. 

And then I knew I was done. 

The last time I did that. C.O.G. 100 from 2019.

 So, that last recon two years ago is a kind of weird, odd way to have it all end, but I'm not sad about it at all. I didn't plan on things going the way that they did, and you could say, the pandemic sort of forced my hand. But in the end, it was a good thing. I've given enough. Now its time for others to do so....

So, I know many of you secretly, (and some not-so-secretly), hope for a return of an event I put on or another, well...... That won't be happening. 

That all ended two years ago, and I just don't see myself ever doing those things in that way again. 

Randomonium

'22 Trek Verve 2 Disc (Image courtesy of Trek)

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Sticker Shock: 

 One of the benchmarks for bicycle prices we use in this area is the price of 'entry level' pavement bikes. Bikes with flat bars and multiple gear, derailleur  drive trains which are sometimes called 'hybrid bikes' or 'fitness hybrids', or something along those lines. The price point on these bikes is where the 'meat' of the market is for many Mid-Western bicycle dealers. 

Well, as we have suspected, the price of entry is going up. Not by just a little bit either. I saw a price the other day for what I would term as Trek's most popular bike in this category, the Verve 2. I was shocked, quite frankly, and I think many consumers will be as well once they can come in and see new bicycles on dealer floors again. And that brings up another good point.

These are the type of customers who need to see the bike before they will buy. I don't discern any difference here when it comes to age groups either. Young, old, and in between- all want a test ride and to 'see what ya got' before parting with their hard earned, and now less powerful, dollars. 

Thinking about this, I feel like the last time any regular human being had any sense of what a bicycle from a bike shop cost, it was 2019. The pandemic erased market knowledge since, well....you know, there weren't any bicycles to look at. Now when these same folks see new bicycles, maybe in 2022, they will see completely different pricing. 

Here's what I found: A 2019 Trek Verve 2 (with rim brakes) was $569.00 MSRP. Trek has Verve 2 Disc bikes on their site right now at $749.00 MSRP. Yes- disc vs rim brake, but with the remaining specs being nearly identical, I'm not falling for a disc brake upgrade costing $180.00 more. Nope, and neither will consumers. All they will see is that bikes cost a LOT more now than they did pre-pandemic. And that is going to dampen sales to some degree. I'm thinking to a large degree, but I could be wrong. 

Bike boom? Ha! Hold my beer......

Rad Power Bikes To Build In The USA?

Last Thursday news broke that Rad Power Bikes, the direct-to-consumer brand for lower priced Hybrid Power Cycles (HPC's) was now funded again to the tune of $329 million USD. That's all well and fine, and some in the industry press have kind of poo-pooed this news, but it remains significant because of how Rad Power has made inroads into the US market. 

While other companies have more horsepower and have invested heavily into HPC (ebike) tech, they aren't actually showing up on the streets. Not like Rad Power and Pedego, (another upstart HPC brand) are around the US. Rad Power is beating the traditional brands in innovative ways, and at prices far below what traditional brands can offer, so what if 'bigger companies' have invested more? 

Anyway, what is really interesting is a hint given in a story on this new round of funding for Rad Power found online at "electrek" in this story. In that article it is hinted that something is going to be produced in the USA for Rad Power and it would stand to reason that it could mean assembly of bikes, much as with what I posted on concerning Cannondale in last week's "FN&V" post. But whatever happens there, it is obvious that Rad Power is going around end on major brands in several ways. This is the company that has purchased their own containers and leases smaller cargo ships to insure that they have product flowing into the market where other brands are stuck in the current supply chain morass. It is Rad Power that is bringing product that many consumers want, (Fat tires, On-demand throttle) whereas traditional bike companies tend to focus on eMTB and price thier fitness hybrid HPC's far above that of brands like Pedego and Rad Power. 

I see it in our area. Rad Power bikes are proliferating. So are other non-traditional brands of HPC's. Trek? Specialized? Giant? Not so much. I am afraid that traditional brands are really not understanding the consumer that an electrified bike appeals to. 

From Saturday's ride.

Twin Six "Ritual" Wind Vest Update:

Okay, so I thought I would give a quick update on this Twin Six wind vest I just got not long ago. You can read about the thing here if you missed it earlier. 

I thought I would say that first- this works as well as I'd hoped it would. It fits great and does keep the wind out. I LOVE the three pockets. But you knew I would if you'd have read the linked post above. 

What I really wanted to get at here with this quick update is that I have noticed that I have not had an issue with the zipper. You might recall that in my linked post above that I made note of the two-way zipper and how I thought that was a weak link in this vest.  

I still think that mostly, but I noticed that I did not have any issues at all with the zipper on my long ride Saturday. I had to stop, what was it? Three times, I think, to take a "Nature Break", and all three times I had to unzip the vest and re-zip when I was done. (Thermal bib tights, ya know?) Anyway, it was during one of those stops when I realized that the zipper went right up with no issues. Just like it should. No extra fidgeting with the thing at all. 

First, kudos once again to Twin Six for using a quality zipper. Secondly....yeah, but it still is a two-way zipper. It's a component with an extra point to fail. I'm not saying it will, but as I stated in my opener on this, I just am not a fan of this type of zipper. I see no reason to have it, but maybe I'm missing something here? Tell me if I am, but to my mind it is an unnecessary feature which could cause a failure of the zipper in the future. I've had other two-way zippers foul up, and long before the rest of the garment was ready to be retired. 

We'll see.......

And with that this brings this "Randomonium" to an end.

Randomonium

'22 Trek Verve 2 Disc (Image courtesy of Trek)

 NOTE: Okay folks, if you haven't been around long enough here to know what a "Randomonium" post is, then here is the deal. I ramble, rant, and randomly moan about all things cycling in one, incohesive, bizarre post. "Randomonium", okay?

Sticker Shock: 

 One of the benchmarks for bicycle prices we use in this area is the price of 'entry level' pavement bikes. Bikes with flat bars and multiple gear, derailleur  drive trains which are sometimes called 'hybrid bikes' or 'fitness hybrids', or something along those lines. The price point on these bikes is where the 'meat' of the market is for many Mid-Western bicycle dealers. 

Well, as we have suspected, the price of entry is going up. Not by just a little bit either. I saw a price the other day for what I would term as Trek's most popular bike in this category, the Verve 2. I was shocked, quite frankly, and I think many consumers will be as well once they can come in and see new bicycles on dealer floors again. And that brings up another good point.

These are the type of customers who need to see the bike before they will buy. I don't discern any difference here when it comes to age groups either. Young, old, and in between- all want a test ride and to 'see what ya got' before parting with their hard earned, and now less powerful, dollars. 

Thinking about this, I feel like the last time any regular human being had any sense of what a bicycle from a bike shop cost, it was 2019. The pandemic erased market knowledge since, well....you know, there weren't any bicycles to look at. Now when these same folks see new bicycles, maybe in 2022, they will see completely different pricing. 

Here's what I found: A 2019 Trek Verve 2 (with rim brakes) was $569.00 MSRP. Trek has Verve 2 Disc bikes on their site right now at $749.00 MSRP. Yes- disc vs rim brake, but with the remaining specs being nearly identical, I'm not falling for a disc brake upgrade costing $180.00 more. Nope, and neither will consumers. All they will see is that bikes cost a LOT more now than they did pre-pandemic. And that is going to dampen sales to some degree. I'm thinking to a large degree, but I could be wrong. 

Bike boom? Ha! Hold my beer......

Rad Power Bikes To Build In The USA?

Last Thursday news broke that Rad Power Bikes, the direct-to-consumer brand for lower priced Hybrid Power Cycles (HPC's) was now funded again to the tune of $329 million USD. That's all well and fine, and some in the industry press have kind of poo-pooed this news, but it remains significant because of how Rad Power has made inroads into the US market. 

While other companies have more horsepower and have invested heavily into HPC (ebike) tech, they aren't actually showing up on the streets. Not like Rad Power and Pedego, (another upstart HPC brand) are around the US. Rad Power is beating the traditional brands in innovative ways, and at prices far below what traditional brands can offer, so what if 'bigger companies' have invested more? 

Anyway, what is really interesting is a hint given in a story on this new round of funding for Rad Power found online at "electrek" in this story. In that article it is hinted that something is going to be produced in the USA for Rad Power and it would stand to reason that it could mean assembly of bikes, much as with what I posted on concerning Cannondale in last week's "FN&V" post. But whatever happens there, it is obvious that Rad Power is going around end on major brands in several ways. This is the company that has purchased their own containers and leases smaller cargo ships to insure that they have product flowing into the market where other brands are stuck in the current supply chain morass. It is Rad Power that is bringing product that many consumers want, (Fat tires, On-demand throttle) whereas traditional bike companies tend to focus on eMTB and price thier fitness hybrid HPC's far above that of brands like Pedego and Rad Power. 

I see it in our area. Rad Power bikes are proliferating. So are other non-traditional brands of HPC's. Trek? Specialized? Giant? Not so much. I am afraid that traditional brands are really not understanding the consumer that an electrified bike appeals to. 

From Saturday's ride.

Twin Six "Ritual" Wind Vest Update:

Okay, so I thought I would give a quick update on this Twin Six wind vest I just got not long ago. You can read about the thing here if you missed it earlier. 

I thought I would say that first- this works as well as I'd hoped it would. It fits great and does keep the wind out. I LOVE the three pockets. But you knew I would if you'd have read the linked post above. 

What I really wanted to get at here with this quick update is that I have noticed that I have not had an issue with the zipper. You might recall that in my linked post above that I made note of the two-way zipper and how I thought that was a weak link in this vest.  

I still think that mostly, but I noticed that I did not have any issues at all with the zipper on my long ride Saturday. I had to stop, what was it? Three times, I think, to take a "Nature Break", and all three times I had to unzip the vest and re-zip when I was done. (Thermal bib tights, ya know?) Anyway, it was during one of those stops when I realized that the zipper went right up with no issues. Just like it should. No extra fidgeting with the thing at all. 

First, kudos once again to Twin Six for using a quality zipper. Secondly....yeah, but it still is a two-way zipper. It's a component with an extra point to fail. I'm not saying it will, but as I stated in my opener on this, I just am not a fan of this type of zipper. I see no reason to have it, but maybe I'm missing something here? Tell me if I am, but to my mind it is an unnecessary feature which could cause a failure of the zipper in the future. I've had other two-way zippers foul up, and long before the rest of the garment was ready to be retired. 

We'll see.......

And with that this brings this "Randomonium" to an end.