Friday News And Views

Image Courtesy of Wilde Bicycles

Wilde Announces Dark Star Hardtail, Future Proof Fork:

Wilde Bicycles has released information on their soon-to-be-available Dark Star hardtail and Future Proof steel fork. First, let's look at the Dark Star, which is Wilde's take on an "everyday trail bike".

Wilde founder, Jeffrey Frane says the following about the bike and its his intentions for it:

"It (the Dark Star) bucks the current hardtail design trend of long wheel bases and super slack head tubes. These things make sense to me on my 150mm travel dual suspension bike, but on a 120-130mm travel hardtail I feel they miss the plot. I reach for my hardtail for typically two reasons, one it's the most fun on the tight techy singletrack (which we have a lot of around here) or two because I've got some pedaling to do and I want to do it fast and efficiently. Whether it's a big climb, riding to the trails, a local race, or simply a lot of ground to cover that day 

The Dark Star is built with air-hardened BOSS tubing designed and spec'ed by Wilde Bicycles. The head tube angle is 66° and the bike has sliding rear drop outs for wheelbase adjustability or for single speed set-ups. Recommended fork travel is 120mm - 130mm. The Dark Star is made in Taiwan  by the ORA factory. Dark Star frames start at $1,200.00 and the bike is available as a complete as well. Prices start at $3,600.00 for a Deore equipped bike. Other options are available.

The Future Proof Fork (Image courtesy of Wilde Bicycles)

Future Proof Fork: 

This fork is also made from steel, is Boost spaced, and has a 501mm axle to crown measurement which mimics a sagged 120mm suspension fork. Fork offset is 44mm.

The Future Proof Fork also has rack and fender mounts, the three-bolt accessory pack mounts on each leg, and has a straight, 1 1/8th steer tube so it can be fitted to any hardtail frame.

Tire clearance is for up to a 29" X 2.8" tire as well, so this would be a good fork for the appropriate hardtail in a bikepacking mode. Frane feels this offering is necessary to help keep older hardtails viable for such things as bikepacking, commuting, or for utilitarian purposes. He says in the press release, "We hate the notion that MTB standards change so quickly that in five years your new MTB may be “obsolete” as your trail rig. We don't believe in investing money or resources into anything that won't be useful for decades. This problem is easily solved though." 

The Future Proof Fork might just be the answer to keeping you hardtail viable for years to come. Future Proof Forks go for $250.00 USD. For more on these and other Wilde Bicycle products see Wilde Bicycles site. https://www.wildebikes.com/ 

Image courtesy of PAUL Components

100% Pure Paul Components Crank Arm Sets: 

Paul Components had a daring release on April 1st of their new 100% Crank Arm sets. These are even square taper (!!) which probably will make a lot of younger riders squint and shake their heads. However; square taper cranks work just fine, despite the horror stories you may have heard, as long as you install them correctly. 

The 100% Pure Cranks come in anodized purple, *shown), black, silver, and pewter hues. Obviously, the best hue for maximum power output is purple, (IYKYK), so that is the color you should get. Really.... (HA!)

Arms come in lengths from 155mm to 180mm in 5mm increments. Cost is $308.00 and this is just for the arms. You'll have to get a ring and bottom bracket to go with this. Check out these on Paul Components' website here: 100% Pure Cranks 

Comments: I have run various bikes with square taper crank sets for as long as I can remember. If you get into square taper, you can also find bottom brackets to customize your "Q" factor and clearance with frames, things hard to do, or which are impossible with other types of cranksets.

I was feeling these purple arms would look fantastic on the Honeman Flyer.  I'll have to see if I can scrape up some scratch and get a set. If I do I'm going with 170's this time around. 

Floating An Idea: 

Okay, N.Y. Roll and I have been kicking this idea around and it has come to a point where we need to make a plan or another year will go by without this happening.

We have wanted to do a ride to "The Tree In The Road" for a while now. We also wanted to offer an opportunity to ride with N.Y. Roll and I which would be closer to our friends in Nebraska so they could make the trip with less travel time. I suppose Missourians and Kansans might find a bit more ease in coming with this idea as well.

The Tree In The Road is located near Exira, Iowa which is about halfway in between Des Moines and Omaha, Nebraska. Guitar Ted Productions friend, Rob Evans, has provided a nice route of around sixty-ish miles which we will likely use that starts in Atlantic, Iowa, (I think), but I'll have to get that suggested route from him again. I inadvertently deleted it!

That is not a really big deal, but what is a big deal for some of you would be the date for this idea. N.Y. Roll and I are kicking around the date of June 28th, a Saturday. It would be the weekend before the 4th of July. We are not "set in stone" on this date, but if we do not get a lot of push-back, it will likely be on that date.

One other minor note: I don't have a car, so N.Y. Roll would be toting me and my stuff to this and back again. Part of this plan relies on his availability. Without his assistance, I'm not able to do this, or any other out of town rides for the foreseeable future.

With that I will leave you to consider the idea and, if you care at all, to leave a comment in the comment section or email me your thoughts. Thanks!  

Image courtesy of Adidas

New Adidas Eyewear:

Adidas has a new shield-type eye protection device out now called the SPO108. (Very inspiring name there!)

These have a few variants in terms of colors available, but all feature  lenses that have undergone hydrophobic, oleophobic, scratch-proof and dust-proof treatments. The temples are adjustable for a better fit and the tips are grippy to prevent slipping. This style is also adaptable to prescription inserts.

Suggested retail is $160.00 USD although I've seen links with these going for substantial discount prices. So, look around if you are interested in these. 

Image courtesy of KOM Cycling

KOM Cycling Debuts 1000 Lumen Quick Release Light: 

KOM Cycling just announced a new light which is compatible with Garmin and Wahoo type GPS mounts and their own KOM computer mount. Featuring 1000 Lumens with a claimed 2hr run time, the light also has a 30° adjustment feature so you can put the light right where you want it to be. (The end of the light unit swivels downward) 

This would allow you to mount a GPS unit on the top of the light body, position it so you could see the face of the gPS, yet swivel the light head down so it aimed your light correctly, for instance.

The Quick Release Light 1000 also has five other modes, including three flashing modes. Run times for the nighttime modes are as follows:

• Low Steady 300 Lumens @ 7 hrs
• Medium Steady 600 Lumens @ 3.5 hrs
• High Steady 1000 Lumens 2 hrs

This light is also rated at the IPX6 waterproofness rating so it should be able to withstand most weather conditions while in use. Mounting options for top or underneath mounts will also give the rider different ways to configure their set up. Price for the Quick Release 1000 light is $119.99 and you can check it out further HERE.  

That's a wrap on this week. Next week a bunch of Sea Otter news is going to hit, so stay tuned. Until then, ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Wolf Tooth Seat Collar

The Final Piece Of The Puzzle:

Wednesday Wolf Tooth made an announcement concerning a new component that they were going to add to their line. A seat collar. Just a seat collar.........

But, this one comes in PURPLE! 

Okay, so back in June I ordered a bunch of parts for my new Black Mountain Cycles MCD which, as everyone knows now, is pink. I wanted a purple seat collar and I had a really hard time tracking one down. Salsa used to make them, but I could not find anything in a small enough size that would work on the BMC frame which is steel, of course.

I tracked down a possibility but it was just too big, and so I went with the stock one that came with the frame. I'd pretty much given up hope that I'd ever track one down. But this news that came on Wednesday was well received here. I definitely will be getting one, and in a bonus- it is from the same company my head set is from. 

Of course, they make all the other cool anodized colors as well in several different sizes. You can go HERE to see the webpage on Wolf Tooth's site. MSRP is $24.95

The Mississippi Gravel Cup flyer

Why I Never!  

There is this thing called "preconceived notions" that can lead you astray. I know I have been led astray by these notions I have had about different things in the past. Sometimes we don't acknowledge these notions because it makes us seem "weak", "wrong", or whatever. I know sometimes people like to only talk about the aftermath of their preconceived notions getting torn down by saying "mind blown!", or by using some other clever, socially current phrase. Me? I'm just going to tell you right up front.

I was dead wrong about Mississippi. 

Jason Sheerer, a resident of Mississippi, came to ride in Trans Iowa last spring. He finished well, and afterward he said something to the effect that "Iowa is boring. Nothing but empty corn and soybean fields. But the race was great!" That bothered me a bit, and I thought to myself, "Yeah, but Mississippi isn't all that great. Probably nothing but cotton fields."

And that was that. Jason went home and I went on with my business. Then this whole deal with interviewing he and his wife came about for a "Featured Event" post for RidingGravel.com. (That should post this weekend, by the way) As I was speaking with them, I was getting a completely different picture of Mississippi painted for me. One of beautiful National Forests, winding gravel roads, and fun people to ride with. Their words made me excited to go ride there.

Then they sent me some pictures.

Let's just say that I am seriously considering making the trip down to take in one of their events. Check out their site here.

The Bubblegum Princess with 650B wheels

Gimme The Big Ones:

So, this whole 650B wheeled thing has been around here at Guitar Ted Laboratories for a couple years, maybe three now. Anyway, I've given them the good ol' "college try". I have compared and contrasted them with 700c wheels on three different bikes and with a few different tires and wheel sets. I think I've come to some good conclusions.

While the 650B wheels and tires do some things pretty well, the most impressed I ever was with them was when I rode on pavement. They just can be so pillowy-smooth that it is incredibly fun. On gravel it was a mixed bag. The best tires I ever used were Terrene Elwoods or WTB Byways. In either case, I could make an argument to always run 650B. However, when it comes to good, 700c X 42-45mm wheel and tires, hands down the ride and performance is better on gravel. It's almost as nice on pavement many times, and it is neck and neck with 650B on dirt and sand.

So, unless I am testing 650B tires, I am reverting back to 700c wheels and tires 24-7. It's just better all day, every day. At least it is for me. Now, like I said, if I was doing a road tour, I would seriously consider the 650B X 47mm Horizons or Byways. Fully bagged out, self-supported road touring would make sense, to me, on wheels like that. But out on the plains, on gravel, on Level B roads, in Kansas, in Nebraska, in Minnesota, I'm running 700c wheels without question.

End Of The Year Questions:

In May of 2019 I will be entering my 15th year of blogging. (!!!!) So, I was thinking about doing something special to celebrate that fact and I had a few questions for you as readers of the blog to ponder. Basically, I am searching for feedback, and if you'd be so kind as to respond via commenting here or by e-mail, that would be awesome.

I have a few ideas I wanted to run by y'all. In no particular order.....

• I've been thinking about a t-shirt. I could use the logo seen here, which I've used even before I started blogging, by the way. I also have the "OG" sketch for this logo which is a tiny bit different, but I've always liked it. Basically it is what you see here with a smoking skull on top of the cube. ha! Jeff Kerkove didn't like it back when he digitized this image for me. So that wasn't ever published. Anyway, a bit of blog history there. Let me know if a t-shirt would be something you'd like to see and purchase. 
• A New Series Idea: I can tell you right now that the most popular thing I am doing here, by far, is the "Touring Series" posts. Those posts are drawing twice the views most of my other stuff is. Obviously you folks like the series! The thing is, after January, the series will be over. So, I have room for some other regularly appearing series to take its place. My mind has settled on doing Trans Iowa stories. One of my readers has suggested I write a book about Trans Iowa. Well, this could be the beginning drafts of that. You could be a part of the process. I'm not sure how it will look, but I can cross that bridge later if y'all want to see me do this. 
• Don't Change A Thing!: I could also do nothing special. I could just keep chugging along as I always have. By the way, this year figures to be #2 on post count all time. So, yeah.......I'm keepin' busy here! 
• Change Something! Maybe you do want to see something I haven't mentioned done. Something you've always thought I should cover, talk about, or do. This is your chance to steer the ship. Say it now or forever hold yer peace! 

Anyway, this has been a banner year here. Thank you for reading and for coming back every day. I know some of you hit this space once or twice a week and catch up on several posts at a crack. I also do know, (because I've been told by many of you) that I am your morning coffee read, or "the first thing I do" read, and for that I say, THANK YOU!

That's enough for this edition of "FN&V" Have a great weekend and I'll be out riding. Will you?

Friday News And Views

Wolf Tooth Seat Collar

The Final Piece Of The Puzzle:

Wednesday Wolf Tooth made an announcement concerning a new component that they were going to add to their line. A seat collar. Just a seat collar.........

But, this one comes in PURPLE! 

Okay, so back in June I ordered a bunch of parts for my new Black Mountain Cycles MCD which, as everyone knows now, is pink. I wanted a purple seat collar and I had a really hard time tracking one down. Salsa used to make them, but I could not find anything in a small enough size that would work on the BMC frame which is steel, of course.

I tracked down a possibility but it was just too big, and so I went with the stock one that came with the frame. I'd pretty much given up hope that I'd ever track one down. But this news that came on Wednesday was well received here. I definitely will be getting one, and in a bonus- it is from the same company my head set is from. 

Of course, they make all the other cool anodized colors as well in several different sizes. You can go HERE to see the webpage on Wolf Tooth's site. MSRP is $24.95

The Mississippi Gravel Cup flyer

Why I Never!  

There is this thing called "preconceived notions" that can lead you astray. I know I have been led astray by these notions I have had about different things in the past. Sometimes we don't acknowledge these notions because it makes us seem "weak", "wrong", or whatever. I know sometimes people like to only talk about the aftermath of their preconceived notions getting torn down by saying "mind blown!", or by using some other clever, socially current phrase. Me? I'm just going to tell you right up front.

I was dead wrong about Mississippi. 

Jason Sheerer, a resident of Mississippi, came to ride in Trans Iowa last spring. He finished well, and afterward he said something to the effect that "Iowa is boring. Nothing but empty corn and soybean fields. But the race was great!" That bothered me a bit, and I thought to myself, "Yeah, but Mississippi isn't all that great. Probably nothing but cotton fields."

And that was that. Jason went home and I went on with my business. Then this whole deal with interviewing he and his wife came about for a "Featured Event" post for RidingGravel.com. (That should post this weekend, by the way) As I was speaking with them, I was getting a completely different picture of Mississippi painted for me. One of beautiful National Forests, winding gravel roads, and fun people to ride with. Their words made me excited to go ride there.

Then they sent me some pictures.

Let's just say that I am seriously considering making the trip down to take in one of their events. Check out their site here.

The Bubblegum Princess with 650B wheels

Gimme The Big Ones:

So, this whole 650B wheeled thing has been around here at Guitar Ted Laboratories for a couple years, maybe three now. Anyway, I've given them the good ol' "college try". I have compared and contrasted them with 700c wheels on three different bikes and with a few different tires and wheel sets. I think I've come to some good conclusions.

While the 650B wheels and tires do some things pretty well, the most impressed I ever was with them was when I rode on pavement. They just can be so pillowy-smooth that it is incredibly fun. On gravel it was a mixed bag. The best tires I ever used were Terrene Elwoods or WTB Byways. In either case, I could make an argument to always run 650B. However, when it comes to good, 700c X 42-45mm wheel and tires, hands down the ride and performance is better on gravel. It's almost as nice on pavement many times, and it is neck and neck with 650B on dirt and sand.

So, unless I am testing 650B tires, I am reverting back to 700c wheels and tires 24-7. It's just better all day, every day. At least it is for me. Now, like I said, if I was doing a road tour, I would seriously consider the 650B X 47mm Horizons or Byways. Fully bagged out, self-supported road touring would make sense, to me, on wheels like that. But out on the plains, on gravel, on Level B roads, in Kansas, in Nebraska, in Minnesota, I'm running 700c wheels without question.

End Of The Year Questions:

In May of 2019 I will be entering my 15th year of blogging. (!!!!) So, I was thinking about doing something special to celebrate that fact and I had a few questions for you as readers of the blog to ponder. Basically, I am searching for feedback, and if you'd be so kind as to respond via commenting here or by e-mail, that would be awesome.

I have a few ideas I wanted to run by y'all. In no particular order.....

• I've been thinking about a t-shirt. I could use the logo seen here, which I've used even before I started blogging, by the way. I also have the "OG" sketch for this logo which is a tiny bit different, but I've always liked it. Basically it is what you see here with a smoking skull on top of the cube. ha! Jeff Kerkove didn't like it back when he digitized this image for me. So that wasn't ever published. Anyway, a bit of blog history there. Let me know if a t-shirt would be something you'd like to see and purchase. 
• A New Series Idea: I can tell you right now that the most popular thing I am doing here, by far, is the "Touring Series" posts. Those posts are drawing twice the views most of my other stuff is. Obviously you folks like the series! The thing is, after January, the series will be over. So, I have room for some other regularly appearing series to take its place. My mind has settled on doing Trans Iowa stories. One of my readers has suggested I write a book about Trans Iowa. Well, this could be the beginning drafts of that. You could be a part of the process. I'm not sure how it will look, but I can cross that bridge later if y'all want to see me do this. 
• Don't Change A Thing!: I could also do nothing special. I could just keep chugging along as I always have. By the way, this year figures to be #2 on post count all time. So, yeah.......I'm keepin' busy here! 
• Change Something! Maybe you do want to see something I haven't mentioned done. Something you've always thought I should cover, talk about, or do. This is your chance to steer the ship. Say it now or forever hold yer peace! 

Anyway, this has been a banner year here. Thank you for reading and for coming back every day. I know some of you hit this space once or twice a week and catch up on several posts at a crack. I also do know, (because I've been told by many of you) that I am your morning coffee read, or "the first thing I do" read, and for that I say, THANK YOU!

That's enough for this edition of "FN&V" Have a great weekend and I'll be out riding. Will you?

Friday News And Views

NX Eagle- "Ease Of Entry" Component group, or just cheap?

Entry Level, Cheap, Budget Priced 1 X 12:

SRAM predictably dropped the quality of materials and manufacturing techniques enough that a full price range of Eagle components are now available. SRAM apparently is trying to spin the new NX Eagle as being an "ease of entry" group, but let's face it- it's a cheaper Eagle. Call it "budget", entry level, or whatever, but doing some new way of saying "this is the cheapest level" is kind of goofy. We get it- it costs less for a reason.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not bagging on SRAM, or NX Eagle. I just don't think their "marketing-speak" is genuine. The parts should be awesome. I've been thrashing 11 speed NX for two straight Winters on my Ti Muk and I see no reason why NX Eagle wouldn't be pretty much the same experience. It is what it is, so do not expect the most crisp, fastest shifting, great looking parts, or the lightest weights. You won't get that at this little amount of money. (You can buy the entire NX Eagle group for less than a top end Eagle Power Dome cassette.) What you will get is a good, yeoman's performance for a decent price.

To my way of thinking, Eagle only makes sense if you haven't already gone 1X, and/or if you need the range this group can give you. It isn't as good as the GX Eagle or above, because NX doesn't have the 10T fast cog. It fits Shimano cassette bodies though, so it can retrofit to older non-SRAMed rear wheels. So, on one hand, that could be a benefit to this, or it could be a bummer if ya gotta have that 10T cog.

Purrrrrrple!

My favorite color is purple. This happened to come about for me when I was young. I lived on a highway and it was the zenith of the muscle car era. I saw them all- Chevelles, Novas, GTO's, Road Runners, 'Cudas, Challengers, and Mustangs. Even the rare Daytona would come zooming by once in awhile.

Well, the Chrysler Corporation ran these special colors on their muscle cars like "Slime Lime", "Hemi Orange", and who could forget "Plum Crazy". Those purple machines were my favorites, and that matched up with my early love of the Vikings football team. But they let me down big time in '68. That's another story........

Of course, the 90's were famous for anodized colors and purple was the king of that for a while. I had a 1996 Bontrager Race which was Plum colored, a darker hue, with a yellow panel with red lettering. I had Paul MotoLite purple brakes, and a purple American Classic seat post on that rig. Yep! I love me some purple ano!  I even had the purple ano Surly hubs, and I still rock a purple Chris King head set on my Ti Muk.

Now Paul Components is going to do another special anodized run of parts and this time they are running with purple. Hmm.......maybe I should get some Purple Klampers for the new BMC MCD rig. We'll see. The thing is that the delivery of these parts isn't until late July/early August. I'd hoped to be done with the build by then. But still. purple ano........ 

These are the 650B Carbon Aon GX wheels, but 700c ones will be here today.

 The Pink Puzzle Update:

Building up a bike from a frame and fork is like piecing together a jig-saw puzzle. You need a LOT of different parts and pieces to make it work, and what makes things worse is that certain things are predetermined and certain things are wide open to interpretation. 

One of the puzzle pieces will arrive today in the form of a wheel set. I have been testing wheels from Irwin Cycling recently on RidingGravel.com and I have been thoroughly impressed to the point that I am buying a 700c set for my Pink Puzzle Build. These wheels feature nice hubs with 3.75° engagement and a super smooth set of bearings. But I am most impressed with how these wheels are precisely molded and that transfers to getting a great seal on the tubeless tires.

I've been beating the snot out of both wheel sets Irwin sent to have reviewed and I haven't killed them, or even put a dint in their "armor", besides a few cosmetic scratches from being plowed through mud holes I normally wouldn't ride through on my own equipment. So, I am thoroughly satisfied that they will hold up and be great wheels for several years.

There will be more updates on the Pink Puzzle Build coming soon....

In the meantime, have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to those fathers out there!

Friday News And Views

NX Eagle- "Ease Of Entry" Component group, or just cheap?

Entry Level, Cheap, Budget Priced 1 X 12:

SRAM predictably dropped the quality of materials and manufacturing techniques enough that a full price range of Eagle components are now available. SRAM apparently is trying to spin the new NX Eagle as being an "ease of entry" group, but let's face it- it's a cheaper Eagle. Call it "budget", entry level, or whatever, but doing some new way of saying "this is the cheapest level" is kind of goofy. We get it- it costs less for a reason.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am not bagging on SRAM, or NX Eagle. I just don't think their "marketing-speak" is genuine. The parts should be awesome. I've been thrashing 11 speed NX for two straight Winters on my Ti Muk and I see no reason why NX Eagle wouldn't be pretty much the same experience. It is what it is, so do not expect the most crisp, fastest shifting, great looking parts, or the lightest weights. You won't get that at this little amount of money. (You can buy the entire NX Eagle group for less than a top end Eagle Power Dome cassette.) What you will get is a good, yeoman's performance for a decent price.

To my way of thinking, Eagle only makes sense if you haven't already gone 1X, and/or if you need the range this group can give you. It isn't as good as the GX Eagle or above, because NX doesn't have the 10T fast cog. It fits Shimano cassette bodies though, so it can retrofit to older non-SRAMed rear wheels. So, on one hand, that could be a benefit to this, or it could be a bummer if ya gotta have that 10T cog.

Purrrrrrple!

My favorite color is purple. This happened to come about for me when I was young. I lived on a highway and it was the zenith of the muscle car era. I saw them all- Chevelles, Novas, GTO's, Road Runners, 'Cudas, Challengers, and Mustangs. Even the rare Daytona would come zooming by once in awhile.

Well, the Chrysler Corporation ran these special colors on their muscle cars like "Slime Lime", "Hemi Orange", and who could forget "Plum Crazy". Those purple machines were my favorites, and that matched up with my early love of the Vikings football team. But they let me down big time in '68. That's another story........

Of course, the 90's were famous for anodized colors and purple was the king of that for a while. I had a 1996 Bontrager Race which was Plum colored, a darker hue, with a yellow panel with red lettering. I had Paul MotoLite purple brakes, and a purple American Classic seat post on that rig. Yep! I love me some purple ano!  I even had the purple ano Surly hubs, and I still rock a purple Chris King head set on my Ti Muk.

Now Paul Components is going to do another special anodized run of parts and this time they are running with purple. Hmm.......maybe I should get some Purple Klampers for the new BMC MCD rig. We'll see. The thing is that the delivery of these parts isn't until late July/early August. I'd hoped to be done with the build by then. But still. purple ano........ 

These are the 650B Carbon Aon GX wheels, but 700c ones will be here today.

 The Pink Puzzle Update:

Building up a bike from a frame and fork is like piecing together a jig-saw puzzle. You need a LOT of different parts and pieces to make it work, and what makes things worse is that certain things are predetermined and certain things are wide open to interpretation. 

One of the puzzle pieces will arrive today in the form of a wheel set. I have been testing wheels from Irwin Cycling recently on RidingGravel.com and I have been thoroughly impressed to the point that I am buying a 700c set for my Pink Puzzle Build. These wheels feature nice hubs with 3.75° engagement and a super smooth set of bearings. But I am most impressed with how these wheels are precisely molded and that transfers to getting a great seal on the tubeless tires.

I've been beating the snot out of both wheel sets Irwin sent to have reviewed and I haven't killed them, or even put a dint in their "armor", besides a few cosmetic scratches from being plowed through mud holes I normally wouldn't ride through on my own equipment. So, I am thoroughly satisfied that they will hold up and be great wheels for several years.

There will be more updates on the Pink Puzzle Build coming soon....

In the meantime, have a great weekend and Happy Father's Day to those fathers out there!

News Season: Salsa Cycles 2017 Highlights

"Fat Fargo" straight from the factory.

Salsa Cycles 2017 Bike Highlights:

Well, everybody and their brother has probably seen the Salsa 2017 line up by now, so no news here for you on that front, most likely. That said, here are my thoughts on what's new for 2017......

Fargo Gen V: The Fargo may look kinda the same, but it really is pretty much a new bike for 2017. The frame is still steel, but that's about it. Now made in the "Cobra-Kai" tubing instead of the old "Kung Fu" used previously, the frame is said to be "stronger", (stiffer?) than before. Plus, it now uses Boost spacing, although reducer plates are available for backwards compatibility with 135OLD and 142 through axles. Boost is important here because now you can run real 27.5+ wheels and tires. "Real" because Salsa believes 27.5+ means a full three inch tire. Of course, 29 inch wheels and tires work here as well. The weird thing is that they are saying 29+ works on every Fargo but the smallest ones, which isn't clear to me now. (By the way, that means the Deadwood is.....er, dead!) I'm not sure how that doesn't jack up the bottom bracket sky high, but I've been tipped off that there is some magical Alternator plate that makes that work. I'll find out and report back later.... Oh yeah.....it is belt drive compatible as well.

There are two models. A 27.5+ one (seen here), and a great looking 29"er one in Forest Service Green, which is the same color as my Blackborow DS. That one comes with a steel fork. The one shown here has the carbon Firestarter. Salsa also tweaked the head tube angle a bit slacker to 69° to accommodate a 51mm offset fork, which is weird because both rigid forks they use are 45mm offset. Hmm...... Frame only is also still available in the weird, rather sedate looking gray scheme shown here. (Not digging it really, but whatever.....Salsa's images never do the colors justice and I may change my mind here.)

Blackborow gone- Enter bigger, more carbon-y Mukluk

Mukluk:

The Mukluk is Salsa's first fat bike model and has always been the one that was more "adventure-exploration" than "race" which is the Beargrease's game. The Blackborow kind of made the Mukluk an off-the-back fat bike with its more trail/progressive geometry and nimble handling all wrapped up in 4.8" tires, which Mukluks couldn't handle on 100mm rims. Well, Salsa fixed that by calling the Blackborow a Mukluk and introducing a carbon frame as well.

This bike still has the Alternator drop outs, albeit a new, carbon fiber compatible one that allows tuning of the chain stay length for tire size.  The aluminum Mukluk has the original Alternator drop. While I like titanium for a fat bike a lot, the carbon Muk is sure going to be a hard one to pass by with its lighter weight. Salsa says it fine tuned the layup of the carbon for a more compliant ride than the Beargrease, so that sounds even more enticing. Would it fit those crazy 5-point-whatever inch Vee Tire Snowshoe XL's? That would be cool if so. I could totally see the soft compound version of that tire, the creme colored one, on the red Muk pictured here. That would be cool.

There are several models of the Carbon Muk and a couple aluminum ones as well.

To my mind, the most interesting new model- The Timberjack

Timberjack:

The El Mariachi is gone folks.......

Okay, with that said, here's the deal- Something had to give with the El Mar. It was woefully out of date, not a competitive bike in the market place, and it hasn't been for years, by the way. You can get all teary eyed about the steel, the tradition, blah-blah..... Meanwhile bikes like the Canfield Nimble 9, Diamondback's Mason, and others had blazed a trail of long, slack, and low hard tails that are ubiquitous in the hard tail trail market now days. And they did that years ago. The El Mar was a dinosaur. Either Salsa brought it up to date, or created a new model. This bike is so different, I can see why the new moniker was brought in. Timberjack brings Salsa into the "hard tail du jour" category and also brings with it a decent, affordable price which the El Mar didn't have.

Behold! A 29"er or a 27.5+ bike, slack angled, short stayed, and modern dropper post capabilities. Alternators, yes! And.......curiously hidden in the specs, a mention that this model will also handle 29+ wheels. How? Again, I don't know. (NOTE- I have been tipped off that the info I saw on the 29+ compatibility with the Timberjack frame has been removed from the page on the Timberjack on Salsa Cycle's site. So, apparently it does not fit a 29+ wheel.) The 29"er version sells for under a grand. The 27.5+, a better equipped model, sells for about a grand and a half. The old El Mar retailed at about the same as the nicer 27.5+ Timberjack, and was, again, woefully under spec'ed and outdated. No contest. Timberjack wins. (By the way, if you have to have a steel bike, hold on till the end......)

Woodsmoke with 29 inch wheels......

.....Woodsmoke with 27.5+ wheels........

......and Woodsmoke with 29+ wheels

Woodsmoke:

Okay, here's the showstopper, folks. Salsa Cycles Woodsmoke "all-wheel" monster-bike. Same frame, three different wheel sizes. If you can't fall in love with anything you can stuff under this frame, you probably are a 26"er holdout, or a roadie. That's the idea here.

Alternator V2 drop outs, all models have the same carbon frame, and suspension travel is mostly 120mm with the exception of the one 27.5+ model that has a 130mm fork stock. Boost obviously. Stache-like, yes, very. In a gangly teenager sort of way, to my eyes. The once weird Stache actually looks somewhat refined after seeing this mash-up of bent shapes and swoops in weird spots.

Trek will introduce a Stache Carbon very soon, by the way...

Oh! But you say that at least it is carbon fiber? Well, Trek is coming out with a Carbon Stache, so there will be that as competition. Anyway, Salsa does have the Stache beat when it comes to all the wheel madness, or so it seems now.

I don't know....... In the looks department, I have a real hard time not saying the Woodsmoke isn't working for me. The Stache just looks like it makes more sense, but maybe it would win me over after a while. Besides that, the chain ring overlap with the rear tire seems like a problem to me in terms of gunk getting dumped right on your chain by that mahoosive rear tire, ala fat bikes, and that super-short chain stay can't be a good thing in the extremes on a 1X drive train. But hey! What do I know? Back in the early 90's super-duper short, elevated chain stays were all the rage and look what happened then. Oh.......yeah. Well.......moving on now.......

While this bike will certainly drive the head lines and be the "I have the weirdest, coolest, super-special niche bike" darling for a while, we'll have to see how it stacks up in the real world of riding. Stay tuned on that front......

Acme Bikes posted this image of the new Karate Monkey from Surly.

One For The Steel Freaks:

Just like the El Mar, the venerable Karate Monkey had fallen on mediocrity in the market place. The Instigator V2, which came out a couple years back, kind of made me wonder when, or if, Surly would wave that same trail geometry wand of power over the Karate Monkey. To me, it made perfect sense. And guess what? They finally have done it!

The new KM will sport either 27.5+ X 3.0" tires and wheels to match, or your 29"er X 2.5" meats on the 700c format. There is a "yellowy-orange" geared version with the 27.5+ wheels or a purple SS 29"er that will be available and the frame only version will be in black. Surly had a demo in purple set up with the geared 27.5+ stuff and that's the way I would do this bike up. Unfortunately, I'd have to get the SS 29"er set up to get there, but that's okay. Two wheel sets, one bike, right?

Not only that, but the rigid fork that comes with the bike has rack mounts, triple pack bosses, and would make for a great off-road touring set up. I can dig it! Purple is also my favorite color. Yes.....I could be seriously tempted. Same slack, long, low-ish trail geometry as the Timberjack, but in steel. I have a Singular Buzzard which is cool, but a SS-able, versatile, bike-packable, rack-able Karate Monkey has my name written all over it. Of all the new bikes here, I am most intrigued by this one.

Note: All Salsa Cycles images courtesy of the Salsa Cycles website. Stache pic pilfered from the internet. Acme Cycles had the KM pic on their Facecrack page.

News Season: Salsa Cycles 2017 Highlights

"Fat Fargo" straight from the factory.

Salsa Cycles 2017 Bike Highlights:

Well, everybody and their brother has probably seen the Salsa 2017 line up by now, so no news here for you on that front, most likely. That said, here are my thoughts on what's new for 2017......

Fargo Gen V: The Fargo may look kinda the same, but it really is pretty much a new bike for 2017. The frame is still steel, but that's about it. Now made in the "Cobra-Kai" tubing instead of the old "Kung Fu" used previously, the frame is said to be "stronger", (stiffer?) than before. Plus, it now uses Boost spacing, although reducer plates are available for backwards compatibility with 135OLD and 142 through axles. Boost is important here because now you can run real 27.5+ wheels and tires. "Real" because Salsa believes 27.5+ means a full three inch tire. Of course, 29 inch wheels and tires work here as well. The weird thing is that they are saying 29+ works on every Fargo but the smallest ones, which isn't clear to me now. (By the way, that means the Deadwood is.....er, dead!) I'm not sure how that doesn't jack up the bottom bracket sky high, but I've been tipped off that there is some magical Alternator plate that makes that work. I'll find out and report back later.... Oh yeah.....it is belt drive compatible as well.

There are two models. A 27.5+ one (seen here), and a great looking 29"er one in Forest Service Green, which is the same color as my Blackborow DS. That one comes with a steel fork. The one shown here has the carbon Firestarter. Salsa also tweaked the head tube angle a bit slacker to 69° to accommodate a 51mm offset fork, which is weird because both rigid forks they use are 45mm offset. Hmm...... Frame only is also still available in the weird, rather sedate looking gray scheme shown here. (Not digging it really, but whatever.....Salsa's images never do the colors justice and I may change my mind here.)

Blackborow gone- Enter bigger, more carbon-y Mukluk

Mukluk:

The Mukluk is Salsa's first fat bike model and has always been the one that was more "adventure-exploration" than "race" which is the Beargrease's game. The Blackborow kind of made the Mukluk an off-the-back fat bike with its more trail/progressive geometry and nimble handling all wrapped up in 4.8" tires, which Mukluks couldn't handle on 100mm rims. Well, Salsa fixed that by calling the Blackborow a Mukluk and introducing a carbon frame as well.

This bike still has the Alternator drop outs, albeit a new, carbon fiber compatible one that allows tuning of the chain stay length for tire size.  The aluminum Mukluk has the original Alternator drop. While I like titanium for a fat bike a lot, the carbon Muk is sure going to be a hard one to pass by with its lighter weight. Salsa says it fine tuned the layup of the carbon for a more compliant ride than the Beargrease, so that sounds even more enticing. Would it fit those crazy 5-point-whatever inch Vee Tire Snowshoe XL's? That would be cool if so. I could totally see the soft compound version of that tire, the creme colored one, on the red Muk pictured here. That would be cool.

There are several models of the Carbon Muk and a couple aluminum ones as well.

To my mind, the most interesting new model- The Timberjack

Timberjack:

The El Mariachi is gone folks.......

Okay, with that said, here's the deal- Something had to give with the El Mar. It was woefully out of date, not a competitive bike in the market place, and it hasn't been for years, by the way. You can get all teary eyed about the steel, the tradition, blah-blah..... Meanwhile bikes like the Canfield Nimble 9, Diamondback's Mason, and others had blazed a trail of long, slack, and low hard tails that are ubiquitous in the hard tail trail market now days. And they did that years ago. The El Mar was a dinosaur. Either Salsa brought it up to date, or created a new model. This bike is so different, I can see why the new moniker was brought in. Timberjack brings Salsa into the "hard tail du jour" category and also brings with it a decent, affordable price which the El Mar didn't have.

Behold! A 29"er or a 27.5+ bike, slack angled, short stayed, and modern dropper post capabilities. Alternators, yes! And.......curiously hidden in the specs, a mention that this model will also handle 29+ wheels. How? Again, I don't know. (NOTE- I have been tipped off that the info I saw on the 29+ compatibility with the Timberjack frame has been removed from the page on the Timberjack on Salsa Cycle's site. So, apparently it does not fit a 29+ wheel.) The 29"er version sells for under a grand. The 27.5+, a better equipped model, sells for about a grand and a half. The old El Mar retailed at about the same as the nicer 27.5+ Timberjack, and was, again, woefully under spec'ed and outdated. No contest. Timberjack wins. (By the way, if you have to have a steel bike, hold on till the end......)

Woodsmoke with 29 inch wheels......

.....Woodsmoke with 27.5+ wheels........

......and Woodsmoke with 29+ wheels

Woodsmoke:

Okay, here's the showstopper, folks. Salsa Cycles Woodsmoke "all-wheel" monster-bike. Same frame, three different wheel sizes. If you can't fall in love with anything you can stuff under this frame, you probably are a 26"er holdout, or a roadie. That's the idea here.

Alternator V2 drop outs, all models have the same carbon frame, and suspension travel is mostly 120mm with the exception of the one 27.5+ model that has a 130mm fork stock. Boost obviously. Stache-like, yes, very. In a gangly teenager sort of way, to my eyes. The once weird Stache actually looks somewhat refined after seeing this mash-up of bent shapes and swoops in weird spots.

Trek will introduce a Stache Carbon very soon, by the way...

Oh! But you say that at least it is carbon fiber? Well, Trek is coming out with a Carbon Stache, so there will be that as competition. Anyway, Salsa does have the Stache beat when it comes to all the wheel madness, or so it seems now.

I don't know....... In the looks department, I have a real hard time not saying the Woodsmoke isn't working for me. The Stache just looks like it makes more sense, but maybe it would win me over after a while. Besides that, the chain ring overlap with the rear tire seems like a problem to me in terms of gunk getting dumped right on your chain by that mahoosive rear tire, ala fat bikes, and that super-short chain stay can't be a good thing in the extremes on a 1X drive train. But hey! What do I know? Back in the early 90's super-duper short, elevated chain stays were all the rage and look what happened then. Oh.......yeah. Well.......moving on now.......

While this bike will certainly drive the head lines and be the "I have the weirdest, coolest, super-special niche bike" darling for a while, we'll have to see how it stacks up in the real world of riding. Stay tuned on that front......

Acme Bikes posted this image of the new Karate Monkey from Surly.

One For The Steel Freaks:

Just like the El Mar, the venerable Karate Monkey had fallen on mediocrity in the market place. The Instigator V2, which came out a couple years back, kind of made me wonder when, or if, Surly would wave that same trail geometry wand of power over the Karate Monkey. To me, it made perfect sense. And guess what? They finally have done it!

The new KM will sport either 27.5+ X 3.0" tires and wheels to match, or your 29"er X 2.5" meats on the 700c format. There is a "yellowy-orange" geared version with the 27.5+ wheels or a purple SS 29"er that will be available and the frame only version will be in black. Surly had a demo in purple set up with the geared 27.5+ stuff and that's the way I would do this bike up. Unfortunately, I'd have to get the SS 29"er set up to get there, but that's okay. Two wheel sets, one bike, right?

Not only that, but the rigid fork that comes with the bike has rack mounts, triple pack bosses, and would make for a great off-road touring set up. I can dig it! Purple is also my favorite color. Yes.....I could be seriously tempted. Same slack, long, low-ish trail geometry as the Timberjack, but in steel. I have a Singular Buzzard which is cool, but a SS-able, versatile, bike-packable, rack-able Karate Monkey has my name written all over it. Of all the new bikes here, I am most intrigued by this one.

Note: All Salsa Cycles images courtesy of the Salsa Cycles website. Stache pic pilfered from the internet. Acme Cycles had the KM pic on their Facecrack page.

Building From Scratch

Chase And Face

It isn't every day that you get to build up a bike from the "frame up", but I was given that opportunity at the shop the other day by a local rider. He was keen on doing a gravel/touring/any road bike and since he is also a Minnesota Vikings fan, the obvious choice was Surly's Straggler model. He got the frame, fork, and a box-o-parts and brought the whole shootin' match down to the shop where I began the long process of making it all a bicycle.

Now if you are an older bicycle mechanic like myself, you get all excited when the frame you get to build up is a steel one. Why? Because you get to "chase and face", that's why. It all involves a nearly antiquated tool that is made of machined steel cutting bits and a heavy, steel shaft and handle apparatus. This hand run thread chaser and bottom bracket facing tool was made to clean up the threads in a metal bottom bracket and "face" the outer shell so that both "edges" of the bottom bracket are perfectly flat and perfectly parallel to one another. This makes for a nicer, smoother, aligned bottom bracket. Is it all really necessary? Probably not as much as it used to be when serviceable bottom brackets were still being used, but I'll tell ya what- those cups threaded in so smoothly it was uncanny after the machining operation. So, yeah.....it makes a difference.

After that was accomplished I always move on to what I consider the next essential step in building up a bicycle. That's installing the head set and fork. To my mind, it isn't a bicycle to build until the head set and fork are joined to the rest of the frame.

Chris King, Gevenalle, Old Edge wheels, and Cowbell bars.

The owner chose a gold anodized Chris King headset for this project and so that was carefully pressed in and then it was on to the matching Straggler fork. This is where things can get touchy since you never know how much steer tube is too little. So, after I consulted with the owner, I chose to err to the "too long" side and added three 10mm spacers in addition to the spacers provided by the owner for the build. That should be enough, right? The thing is, Surly Cross Checks and Stragglers have notoriously short head tubes for their size. It's a good thing I added those three spacers!

Well, now I had a bicycle. The rest went pretty well until I ran into a missing couple of bits that were essential to getting this build completed. The old style shifter bosses that Surly uses needed cable stop adjusters. Bah! The owner hadn't thought of those, which is completely understandable. Those little gubbins are easy to forget about until you need them! Fortunately, I am something of a pack rat when it comes to the essential gubbins, and after a half an hour search, I came across a pair of old Profile cable stop adjusters in black ano. Perfect for this build. Now it was on to stringing up cables in some blingy gold Jagwire housings.

Finished build- (Image by Andy)

Fortunately, Jagwire sent its brake housing in one, giant length because I needed a full run housing to the back of the bike. The rest was easy-peasy, and then it came time to mount a Brooks Cambium c-17 saddle on a vintage Dean titanium post, wrap the bars with some synthetic Cinelli tape, and dial in the Gevenalle GX shifters. The chain is a blingy gold KMC ten speed chain and that wraps around a 11-36T cassette and a Shimano 105 triple crankset for a big, wide range of gear ratios.

The owner was pretty stoked when he saw images of the bike on the shop's Facecrack page, and was only a bit ambivalent about the tires, but those may be swapped out soon. Otherwise the build was dubbed a success.

Anyway, building a bike up like this with quality parts is always a fun thing and definitely a good respite from the typical "MalWart" bike tune ups and neglected road bike refreshes that normally populate my work stand.Thanks to Mr. Z for the opportunity and I hope the rig brings you joy for many years to come.

Building From Scratch

Chase And Face

It isn't every day that you get to build up a bike from the "frame up", but I was given that opportunity at the shop the other day by a local rider. He was keen on doing a gravel/touring/any road bike and since he is also a Minnesota Vikings fan, the obvious choice was Surly's Straggler model. He got the frame, fork, and a box-o-parts and brought the whole shootin' match down to the shop where I began the long process of making it all a bicycle.

Now if you are an older bicycle mechanic like myself, you get all excited when the frame you get to build up is a steel one. Why? Because you get to "chase and face", that's why. It all involves a nearly antiquated tool that is made of machined steel cutting bits and a heavy, steel shaft and handle apparatus. This hand run thread chaser and bottom bracket facing tool was made to clean up the threads in a metal bottom bracket and "face" the outer shell so that both "edges" of the bottom bracket are perfectly flat and perfectly parallel to one another. This makes for a nicer, smoother, aligned bottom bracket. Is it all really necessary? Probably not as much as it used to be when serviceable bottom brackets were still being used, but I'll tell ya what- those cups threaded in so smoothly it was uncanny after the machining operation. So, yeah.....it makes a difference.

After that was accomplished I always move on to what I consider the next essential step in building up a bicycle. That's installing the head set and fork. To my mind, it isn't a bicycle to build until the head set and fork are joined to the rest of the frame.

Chris King, Gevenalle, Old Edge wheels, and Cowbell bars.

The owner chose a gold anodized Chris King headset for this project and so that was carefully pressed in and then it was on to the matching Straggler fork. This is where things can get touchy since you never know how much steer tube is too little. So, after I consulted with the owner, I chose to err to the "too long" side and added three 10mm spacers in addition to the spacers provided by the owner for the build. That should be enough, right? The thing is, Surly Cross Checks and Stragglers have notoriously short head tubes for their size. It's a good thing I added those three spacers!

Well, now I had a bicycle. The rest went pretty well until I ran into a missing couple of bits that were essential to getting this build completed. The old style shifter bosses that Surly uses needed cable stop adjusters. Bah! The owner hadn't thought of those, which is completely understandable. Those little gubbins are easy to forget about until you need them! Fortunately, I am something of a pack rat when it comes to the essential gubbins, and after a half an hour search, I came across a pair of old Profile cable stop adjusters in black ano. Perfect for this build. Now it was on to stringing up cables in some blingy gold Jagwire housings.

Finished build- (Image by Andy)

Fortunately, Jagwire sent its brake housing in one, giant length because I needed a full run housing to the back of the bike. The rest was easy-peasy, and then it came time to mount a Brooks Cambium c-17 saddle on a vintage Dean titanium post, wrap the bars with some synthetic Cinelli tape, and dial in the Gevenalle GX shifters. The chain is a blingy gold KMC ten speed chain and that wraps around a 11-36T cassette and a Shimano 105 triple crankset for a big, wide range of gear ratios.

The owner was pretty stoked when he saw images of the bike on the shop's Facecrack page, and was only a bit ambivalent about the tires, but those may be swapped out soon. Otherwise the build was dubbed a success.

Anyway, building a bike up like this with quality parts is always a fun thing and definitely a good respite from the typical "MalWart" bike tune ups and neglected road bike refreshes that normally populate my work stand.Thanks to Mr. Z for the opportunity and I hope the rig brings you joy for many years to come.

Riding In The Broomwagon For Now

Ti Muk wheels

This has been a tough week. I think my friend Mike Johnson said it best when he put it this way: "Stress to the body comes in many forms and is often delayed." He's right on in my case. 

Monday I got right back on the bike after resting hard all day Sunday. Sure- I had aches and pains, but it ain't no thing with me. I always have aches and pains. I was cooked by the end of the day though. Tuesday I rode back and forth to work again. Feeling "okay", but still worked, still achy. Then Tuesday night I knew something was really wrong. I got a feeling that I was sick. By Wednesday morning I was really hurting. It was flu. I had a temperature of 102°F most of the day. Sweating, pain, aches. It was awful. Thursday saw my wife put me on a regimen of Ibuprofen and Tylenol, with plenty of fluids and rest. No bicycles, no alcohol. 

Thursday night I decided to not take the Ibuprofen before I went to bed. I was feeling really good, and I wanted to know if I was over it, or was it just being managed by drugs. I found out Friday morning it was "managed by drugs". I hurt all over and had a slight fever again. Not to mention a stuffy head and cold now. So the "No bikes-No alcohol" rule is still in effect. Mrs Guitar Ted says until Monday at the earliest. Boo. 

The Slender Fungus sent me a Get Well Package.

Oh well. I suppose this getting bounced off a Silverado thing will take time to get around. I better just be patient. In the meantime I got a nice "get well" package from the Slender Fungus Friday. (Thanks Crew!) I'll have to wait to use the koozie though. Under orders and all.....

Then there are the new wheels for the titanium Mukluk/ I got some purple anodized Salsa Conversion hubs some time ago now, and finally had Velocity lace those up to some Dually rims with purple nips. These are the 29"er Duallys, so they will be getting some Knard 29 X 3" tires soon, and yes- tubeless. That will be a set up then that will get these special Alternator style drop outs that will push the wheel back as it relates to the frame, so the rear 29+ will clear the brace across the seat stays better. (Thank you MJ & DG!) I now will have to get a fork that fits the 135 front disc standard so I can have a brake and I also need the tires yet. Baby steps. I'll get this done soon! I definitely have the time to do that now!

The Odin's dirt still needs cleaning away.....

I also need to attend to the Fargo Gen I rig. It hasn't gotten a proper clean up post Odin's Revenge, (I know! It's been too long) Then I need to pick up a proper granny ring for this rig as well. The 22T that is on there now chain sucks and I don't need anything that low. I have seen where I can get a 24 or possibly a 26T granny, which would be ideal and less likely to chin suck, if it fits. Maybe the 24T then! 

The tires need a sealant recharge as well. Then I think everything will be good to go, despite it having gotten thrashed in the dirt and mud to the point I figured the entire drive train would need to be replaced when I was riding Odin's. Beyond the obvious maintenance, I would really like to get a hold of a nicer seat post for that bike. The test post from Cirrus Cycles was sweet. I may have to save up for one of those. It really made the Fargo Gen I a better bike. 

I've professed my love for the Fargo Gen I here before, and I am hoping that some tweaks to the Ti Muk will come to fruition that will make it as much a "go-to" bike as the Fargo is now. If it all works out, I think a Luxy Bar of mine may find its way over to that Ti Muk and with its titanium seat post, bigger 29+ rubber, and new drop outs, it will be that sort of a bike for me. We will see.