Planning Out The Rest Of The Year

With Fall here now I am thinking about the rest of 2025 and what I would like to accomplish before Winter shuts down riding to plowing through snow on my fat bikes. 

Obviously, this past Summer is a perfect example of why you can lay down plans and never see them come to fruition due to circumstances beyond your control. I certainly have had this experience over the past month and a half. 

So, risking possibilities of having all this nixed and never happening, I have the following ideas for how I'd like to see my riding go for the next few months. 

Obviously, I want to put in a lot of time on my new Peregrine Mk4. I already have a couple of tweaks in mind to accomplish concerning fit for the bike. This will mean a couple of component changes are in the mix. I know I need a different seat post with a hair more set back. I also want to swap out saddles. The current WTB SL8 was already attached to the seat post when I grabbed it out of the parts bin, so it was a choice made out of convenience. I now remember why it was not one of my favorites! 

I also have to put in miles on those Schwalbe G-One Overland tires for my review. So, gravel rides are on the menu here. I think since I have use of a vehicle again I can perhaps haul the bike to start points I would not have been able to do before this and since last October. This presents more options, and honestly, a bit more excitement from my perspective. 

You are probably going to get tires of seeing this bike. Well......hopefully you will!

Later on into Fall I want to try to do another metric century, or attempt a full century, but getting an entire day to myself is not easy now. This is merely a hope. I need to get in a solid base of consistent two to three hour rides before this can really be a reality anyway. 

Then I will also be doing the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge again this year around our Thanksgiving weekend holiday. I hope Winter doesn't come earlier than this! It should be the last big mileage weekend for the season for me. I also enjoy the stories which come in for the blog related to this. In case you are not familiar with the Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge, hit THIS LINK and it will take you to a post I wrote concerning the challenge so you can understand what it is. Maybe you will want to join in?  (There will be an "official" announcement coming for this in November.)

In the past I have not offered any reward other than having your story and images reproduced on the blog. This time I may do something like have some stickers made and have anyone who wants to participate send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope to send some stickers out for doing the challenge. I'll have to come up with a design for this. 

So, I know this is a bit unfocused and lacks any hard and fast dates, and whatnot, but I'm playing things by ear here and with what has happened to me over the past several weeks has made me a bit reticent to say "this will happen" or what have you. 

Goals

This Summer is about shot, and well.....you wouldn't guess it from what's happening this week, but Fall is just around the corner. Here I am with no big rides in 2023, and this year is looking a lot like 2022, which, quite frankly, I was not pleased with at all. 

My schedule, weather, and circumstances in Life have been roadblocks to a degree, but I am responsible, ultimately, for the lack of big rides. I get that. But I've made decisions that have prioritized family and other things, so I am somewhat at peace with how things have gone. That said, opportunities have arisen that I am pressing to take advantage of now. You have to take your shots when you get the chance, right?

The first chance I've been aware of for about a month now. It involves a rare instance where the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective will be closed on a Saturday. Due to a festival downtown in Waterloo where they close off the streets to traffic, essentially cutting off any businesses within the designated festival area from the outside world, the Board of Directors gave us the green light to shut down for that day. While I miss out on getting paid for those hours, I get a free pass to ride all day in return. 

Some of you may have noted that this coincides with the day Gravel Worlds takes place, and yes, I considered it briefly. However; I did not plan on that chance financially, nor did I register on time for the event, so.... Nope! That's not a real possibility for me. 

Instead, I have a long solo ride in mind, and we'll see how that goes. Stay tuned on that.....

Then there is the Fox Ridge Filth Ride. It just so happens that the organizer, Ben Petty, decided to run this on a date that I have open. Mainly, it isn't a Saturday! 

Sunday October 1st, and that's a perfect time for me to prepare for a 100 mile ride. Ben has shorter distances on tap too, but hey! I need to get in big rides and this is an opportunity. I am going to take a shot. 

So, there you go. I will say that if these two rides come out successfully, I will be pretty dang happy about 2023. If they don't? Well, at least I will have taken the opportunities. That's a big deal. And to be sure, there may be other opportunities as well, but I don't know about those just yet. There also may not be anything other than these two chances. 

Meanwhile we are in for triple digit, dangerous temperatures for a few days this week. If that covers you as well, be careful! I doubt I'll get out much, if at all this week, but there is this "tapering" thing people do before big rides. I guess I'll just chalk it up to that then.

Goals

This Summer is about shot, and well.....you wouldn't guess it from what's happening this week, but Fall is just around the corner. Here I am with no big rides in 2023, and this year is looking a lot like 2022, which, quite frankly, I was not pleased with at all. 

My schedule, weather, and circumstances in Life have been roadblocks to a degree, but I am responsible, ultimately, for the lack of big rides. I get that. But I've made decisions that have prioritized family and other things, so I am somewhat at peace with how things have gone. That said, opportunities have arisen that I am pressing to take advantage of now. You have to take your shots when you get the chance, right?

The first chance I've been aware of for about a month now. It involves a rare instance where the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective will be closed on a Saturday. Due to a festival downtown in Waterloo where they close off the streets to traffic, essentially cutting off any businesses within the designated festival area from the outside world, the Board of Directors gave us the green light to shut down for that day. While I miss out on getting paid for those hours, I get a free pass to ride all day in return. 

Some of you may have noted that this coincides with the day Gravel Worlds takes place, and yes, I considered it briefly. However; I did not plan on that chance financially, nor did I register on time for the event, so.... Nope! That's not a real possibility for me. 

Instead, I have a long solo ride in mind, and we'll see how that goes. Stay tuned on that.....

Then there is the Fox Ridge Filth Ride. It just so happens that the organizer, Ben Petty, decided to run this on a date that I have open. Mainly, it isn't a Saturday! 

Sunday October 1st, and that's a perfect time for me to prepare for a 100 mile ride. Ben has shorter distances on tap too, but hey! I need to get in big rides and this is an opportunity. I am going to take a shot. 

So, there you go. I will say that if these two rides come out successfully, I will be pretty dang happy about 2023. If they don't? Well, at least I will have taken the opportunities. That's a big deal. And to be sure, there may be other opportunities as well, but I don't know about those just yet. There also may not be anything other than these two chances. 

Meanwhile we are in for triple digit, dangerous temperatures for a few days this week. If that covers you as well, be careful! I doubt I'll get out much, if at all this week, but there is this "tapering" thing people do before big rides. I guess I'll just chalk it up to that then.

Fall Schedule

It's August and that means Fall is coming soon. The days will be shorter, the temperatures will be cooler, and it will be what is possibly my most favorite time of the year to ride. So, with that in mind I am taking this day to make a post about what I expect to be doing through the Fall here. 

So, August: There will be no planned events since I work on Saturdays and I am pretty much the only option for an employee on that day. Getting a stand in is possible, but things don't go well with my assistant, nor with the shop in general, if I am not there on Saturdays. So, no events for me. 

My open day for adventure is going to be Friday, and maybe Thursdays, so some time away from the house and opportunities for longer rides do exist there. That's when I am planning to fit in any century ride, sub24 trip, or the like. Again, things like nails in car tires and other life happenings can, and probably will, rear their ugly heads during this time, so no guarantees. And weather, as always, is the wildcard. 

But, I am ready for both a longer ride, possibly a century, and the sub24 ride. I can be out of the house with a minimum of notice, so, if the opportunity arises, I'm gone. Stay tuned on any of of that.  Besides these things being possibilities, I have pre-Winter maintenance to attend to. In fact, I've already started it.

First in the stand for maintenance was the Blackborow DS

The above image from Winter 2023 may have been the last time I've ridden the Blackborow DS because when I drug it out for maintenance it was set up exactly as shown there. Well, here is the deal with this bike. It needs a new chain, since the Rustbuster chain it came with in 2014 is about shot. No surprise there.

But other than that? Not much other than some accessorizing. Through a set of strange and unfortunate circumstances, I ended up in possession of a set of 45NRTH pogies that will be going on this bike. They will replace the big, overgrown ATV pogies I've had since 2011. 

I also came into possession of a Thomson seat post in the correct size and I attached a WTB Volt saddle to that. A bit lighter than the stock set up I've run on the bike since 2014. I still may do a set of wheels for this bike, but that has been pushed back by the next project/update which will be happening soon.

Gonna get rid of that lean.

I use the Big Dummy on a fairly regular basis as a bike to haul our orders for the Cedar Valley Biccyle Collective and as a hauler for recycling stuff from G-Ted Headquarters. This has brought up the single most glaring weakness of the bike, ts kickstand. 

To load this bike with a single legged kickstand is a very dicey thing to do if the loads are heavy, big, or both. You have to have a level, solid surface to work from, hopefully no wind, and the load has to be carefully placed before you secure it or all hell breaks loose. It's not an easy task to load this rig. 

That all will go away when I get the dual-legged Surly kickstand this week. Stay tuned for more on that to come.

I have to fab up a new rear fender flap-thingie for the Ti Muk, (or should this be called a Ti Heyday! ? - more on that later this week....) I also have to re-up the tubeless sealant and this one will likely be fine to go through another Winter. Plus, it may be a candidate for a fat Tire Century, if I can ever get around to it, that is. 

Anyway, that's it for this update on the schedule for Fall. I'll be playing it by ear, mostly, as opportunities to ride longer, more focused rides will happen more spontaneously than ever before here.

Fall Schedule

It's August and that means Fall is coming soon. The days will be shorter, the temperatures will be cooler, and it will be what is possibly my most favorite time of the year to ride. So, with that in mind I am taking this day to make a post about what I expect to be doing through the Fall here. 

So, August: There will be no planned events since I work on Saturdays and I am pretty much the only option for an employee on that day. Getting a stand in is possible, but things don't go well with my assistant, nor with the shop in general, if I am not there on Saturdays. So, no events for me. 

My open day for adventure is going to be Friday, and maybe Thursdays, so some time away from the house and opportunities for longer rides do exist there. That's when I am planning to fit in any century ride, sub24 trip, or the like. Again, things like nails in car tires and other life happenings can, and probably will, rear their ugly heads during this time, so no guarantees. And weather, as always, is the wildcard. 

But, I am ready for both a longer ride, possibly a century, and the sub24 ride. I can be out of the house with a minimum of notice, so, if the opportunity arises, I'm gone. Stay tuned on any of of that.  Besides these things being possibilities, I have pre-Winter maintenance to attend to. In fact, I've already started it.

First in the stand for maintenance was the Blackborow DS

The above image from Winter 2023 may have been the last time I've ridden the Blackborow DS because when I drug it out for maintenance it was set up exactly as shown there. Well, here is the deal with this bike. It needs a new chain, since the Rustbuster chain it came with in 2014 is about shot. No surprise there.

But other than that? Not much other than some accessorizing. Through a set of strange and unfortunate circumstances, I ended up in possession of a set of 45NRTH pogies that will be going on this bike. They will replace the big, overgrown ATV pogies I've had since 2011. 

I also came into possession of a Thomson seat post in the correct size and I attached a WTB Volt saddle to that. A bit lighter than the stock set up I've run on the bike since 2014. I still may do a set of wheels for this bike, but that has been pushed back by the next project/update which will be happening soon.

Gonna get rid of that lean.

I use the Big Dummy on a fairly regular basis as a bike to haul our orders for the Cedar Valley Biccyle Collective and as a hauler for recycling stuff from G-Ted Headquarters. This has brought up the single most glaring weakness of the bike, ts kickstand. 

To load this bike with a single legged kickstand is a very dicey thing to do if the loads are heavy, big, or both. You have to have a level, solid surface to work from, hopefully no wind, and the load has to be carefully placed before you secure it or all hell breaks loose. It's not an easy task to load this rig. 

That all will go away when I get the dual-legged Surly kickstand this week. Stay tuned for more on that to come.

I have to fab up a new rear fender flap-thingie for the Ti Muk, (or should this be called a Ti Heyday! ? - more on that later this week....) I also have to re-up the tubeless sealant and this one will likely be fine to go through another Winter. Plus, it may be a candidate for a fat Tire Century, if I can ever get around to it, that is. 

Anyway, that's it for this update on the schedule for Fall. I'll be playing it by ear, mostly, as opportunities to ride longer, more focused rides will happen more spontaneously than ever before here.

Moving On

 With last week's trip in the rear view mirror, now I am looking at Summer and trying to get in at least a couple of "big" rides in. I'm tempering my expectations here. Last year taught me that I have to do that. So, despite my wanderlust being at an all-time high, I will have to try to dial it all back a bit so I don't come away with a big disappointment at the end of this year. 

I may as well address something else that came up the other day on a messenger thread. I was asked about attending a certain gravel event this Summer. My answer to that is pretty much my answer going forward for the foreseeable future concerning any gravel - or other - events held typically on weekends. 

So, as many of you readers know I have taken a job as a bicycle mechanic/director/educator at a local bicycle collective. That place is open on a limited basis and has two employees. Myself and an assistant mechanic. The place is open on Saturdays, and well, I just cannot go taking the time off. 

That would be enough to answer the question right there, but there is more to it than just that. See, I took a big pay-cut when I went there and with little income comes fewer traveling opportunities. In fact, after going to the Gents Race in April and now with this last trip, I am tapped out for the remainder of this year. 

It has been difficult turning down the many opportunities I have been offered ranging from events here in Iowa to Nebraska and an invitation with amenities covered to go to Rebecca's Private Idaho, but the reality of my situation is that I cannot take those opportunities due to my job situation and my income. But also: Thank you for these kind offers. They don't get passed by without a lot of regret on my part.

But it is what it is. In the end, this places me in a very "stay at home" adventure mode and only where I can ride from Waterloo Iowa is practical for me to consider. That limits me to doing just a couple of big rides at this point, and thus my having to adjust my expectations. 

So, I want to try to get in that two-day mini-bikepacking deal I was all set to do last year. That got nixed when my son did not pass his drivers license test, but he eventually did. That means I can finagle a time for this trip now. 

The second thing is a century ride. Just anywhere out of here, really. That may end up being my "Death Ride" this year. Hopefully so. Stay tuned on that one. 

That's it really. I just wanted to put that down as goals and then to explain as a sort of "PSA" why I won't be going to any gravel events the rest of this year. It isn't because I don't want to.

Moving On

 With last week's trip in the rear view mirror, now I am looking at Summer and trying to get in at least a couple of "big" rides in. I'm tempering my expectations here. Last year taught me that I have to do that. So, despite my wanderlust being at an all-time high, I will have to try to dial it all back a bit so I don't come away with a big disappointment at the end of this year. 

I may as well address something else that came up the other day on a messenger thread. I was asked about attending a certain gravel event this Summer. My answer to that is pretty much my answer going forward for the foreseeable future concerning any gravel - or other - events held typically on weekends. 

So, as many of you readers know I have taken a job as a bicycle mechanic/director/educator at a local bicycle collective. That place is open on a limited basis and has two employees. Myself and an assistant mechanic. The place is open on Saturdays, and well, I just cannot go taking the time off. 

That would be enough to answer the question right there, but there is more to it than just that. See, I took a big pay-cut when I went there and with little income comes fewer traveling opportunities. In fact, after going to the Gents Race in April and now with this last trip, I am tapped out for the remainder of this year. 

It has been difficult turning down the many opportunities I have been offered ranging from events here in Iowa to Nebraska and an invitation with amenities covered to go to Rebecca's Private Idaho, but the reality of my situation is that I cannot take those opportunities due to my job situation and my income. But also: Thank you for these kind offers. They don't get passed by without a lot of regret on my part.

But it is what it is. In the end, this places me in a very "stay at home" adventure mode and only where I can ride from Waterloo Iowa is practical for me to consider. That limits me to doing just a couple of big rides at this point, and thus my having to adjust my expectations. 

So, I want to try to get in that two-day mini-bikepacking deal I was all set to do last year. That got nixed when my son did not pass his drivers license test, but he eventually did. That means I can finagle a time for this trip now. 

The second thing is a century ride. Just anywhere out of here, really. That may end up being my "Death Ride" this year. Hopefully so. Stay tuned on that one. 

That's it really. I just wanted to put that down as goals and then to explain as a sort of "PSA" why I won't be going to any gravel events the rest of this year. It isn't because I don't want to.