650B For Gravel: Dead, Dying, Or Dormant?

Back in 2016 WTB shocked the gravel world with the "Road Plus" idea. It was a 650B sized tire, but not in the traditional 42mm size. This tire was a 47mm width and brought with it more volume than the skinnier 650B tires did for road bikes. 

The first tire they debuted, the Horizon, was a slick tire, but it did okay on gravel. Then the Byway came along, and the Venture, and the Sendero. Meanwhile, other brands jumped onboard. Panaracer, Terrene, IRC, and others all started offering 650B X 47-50mm tires. 

The gravel bicycle manufacturers responded with advertising for swappable wheel sizes. Salsa Cycles Journeyman was sold with either wheel size, as an example. Other brands advertised their versatility in that they could support 650B wheels.

Wheel manufacturers came onboard, of course, and many company's press releases contained new information on wheels including that smaller diameter wheel, the 650B size. But in the last few years, the heat for 650B has seemed to cool off some. I've noted less tire news. I've noted fewer 650B alternative choices in wheel news. I've noted less talk about 650B in new bicycle introductions as well. 

My old T-6 Standard Rando with 650B Terrene tires.

Now, we have to take things in some context here. The past two-plus years we've seen economic weirdness. Supply chain issues still persist, and those issues certainly have affected the more niche categories of cycling than others. So, we can probably point to the pandemic as a reason we are not seeing more 650B news. 

That said, I still find it odd that the marketing talk has cooled way off for 650B. I'm not sure we can read a lot into that just yet, and more time will be needed to really get a handle on what is up with this wheel size. 

However; if I had to make a comment on where I thought 650B was in terms of relevancy to gravel/backroad riding right now, I would say that 650B is definitely waning in popularity. At least on the high-end, and on the OEM side. There are riders committed to the size, I am sure of that, and I don't think that this tire size will go away for gravel, but I also do not think it will be as prominent or an option many times going into the future. 

I do think 650B has a place in cycling. Rando riders like that size. Smaller statured folk need that size. So, I think the 650B wheel has its place, but I also believe that most adult humans should ride the biggest wheel available for their size, and for most of us that is 700c right now. 

650B For Gravel: Dead, Dying, Or Dormant?

Back in 2016 WTB shocked the gravel world with the "Road Plus" idea. It was a 650B sized tire, but not in the traditional 42mm size. This tire was a 47mm width and brought with it more volume than the skinnier 650B tires did for road bikes. 

The first tire they debuted, the Horizon, was a slick tire, but it did okay on gravel. Then the Byway came along, and the Venture, and the Sendero. Meanwhile, other brands jumped onboard. Panaracer, Terrene, IRC, and others all started offering 650B X 47-50mm tires. 

The gravel bicycle manufacturers responded with advertising for swappable wheel sizes. Salsa Cycles Journeyman was sold with either wheel size, as an example. Other brands advertised their versatility in that they could support 650B wheels.

Wheel manufacturers came onboard, of course, and many company's press releases contained new information on wheels including that smaller diameter wheel, the 650B size. But in the last few years, the heat for 650B has seemed to cool off some. I've noted less tire news. I've noted fewer 650B alternative choices in wheel news. I've noted less talk about 650B in new bicycle introductions as well. 

My old T-6 Standard Rando with 650B Terrene tires.

Now, we have to take things in some context here. The past two-plus years we've seen economic weirdness. Supply chain issues still persist, and those issues certainly have affected the more niche categories of cycling than others. So, we can probably point to the pandemic as a reason we are not seeing more 650B news. 

That said, I still find it odd that the marketing talk has cooled way off for 650B. I'm not sure we can read a lot into that just yet, and more time will be needed to really get a handle on what is up with this wheel size. 

However; if I had to make a comment on where I thought 650B was in terms of relevancy to gravel/backroad riding right now, I would say that 650B is definitely waning in popularity. At least on the high-end, and on the OEM side. There are riders committed to the size, I am sure of that, and I don't think that this tire size will go away for gravel, but I also do not think it will be as prominent or an option many times going into the future. 

I do think 650B has a place in cycling. Rando riders like that size. Smaller statured folk need that size. So, I think the 650B wheel has its place, but I also believe that most adult humans should ride the biggest wheel available for their size, and for most of us that is 700c right now. 

2 650B Or Not 2 650B: That Is The Question

Last March I thought 650B tires were the bomb on this ride.

The 650B tire/wheel size seems like a bit of an odd man out in the gravel world. I see that size sometimes, but not a lot. I'm not really sure why that is either. I have a guess or two, but I don't know enough to say for sure.

I do know that I vacillate back and forth between thinking these wheels are great, and then back to not even caring if I ever rode another 650B wheel again in my life. Generally speaking, for my tastes, diameter is "king" and unless a smaller wheel is exceptional at something, I don't get too excited. That said, there have been more than a few times I thought the wheel size was rad.

I think there are a few things I need to see out of a 650B wheel before I get too excited. First of all, don't even come around here with a 650B wheel with a tire narrower than the Road Plus standard, which is 47mm. In fact, I am beginning to feel that is too small. Poofy tires, if they must exist, must be exactly that- big, voluminous, and worth their weight. Using a 42mm tire in a 650B format seems......backward, especially when most gravel bikes worth their salt can fit a 43mm tire with ease in a 700c diameter. Remember- diameter is king, and if you are going to go smaller, then you need to make up for that smaller diameter with air volume. Otherwise, why bother? 

For example, when Surly came out with the Extraterrestrial tire in 26" diameter, they did not offer it in a 26" X 2.1....noooo. They went right out to 2.5" and good for them. If you ever ride one, you'll get it. They are awesome at about 20psi tubeless. Almost makes me want to run 26"ers again it does!

Smaller diameter, but super volume and super smooth ride. Make it worthwhile if you drop down a size in diameter and go wide, or go home. I'm not at all interested in 650B X (anything less than) 47mm. Nope. Give me a big, voluminous 650B, and maybe I'll fall in love with that. So then, why not just go wide and keep it 700c? Yes indeed- why not? 

700 X 50? Why yes. Don't mind if I do.

 The trouble is that then you end up with a bike that almost cannot be anything but a Fargo or clone thereof. I was online the other night perusing Kona's line up for 2020 at the suggestion of a reader here. They make the Sutra model which sports 700c X 50mm tires, but it isn't a whole lot different than a Fargo and has limitations which a Fargo does not have regarding the drive train and tire clearances. (Or you could see that the other way around too.) The 700c X 45+ size tires start to get into a territory that road based drive trains were never meant to live in. That and the emasculation of MTB gearing choices down to a single chain ring has really pinched the rider that understands wide range gearing that promotes a straight chain line. Your choices are more limited than ever on the mountain biking side of things.

So, 650B to the rescue. I guess. There you can get that wider tire stuffed into a frame and still get away with a road based, wide range drive train. You lose that diameter component, but the choices are greater when looking at gearing and all. I'll be checking out some more tire choices and running 650B sizes in the future, and I'll probably still be going back and forth about it.

Stay tuned....

2 650B Or Not 2 650B: That Is The Question

Last March I thought 650B tires were the bomb on this ride.

The 650B tire/wheel size seems like a bit of an odd man out in the gravel world. I see that size sometimes, but not a lot. I'm not really sure why that is either. I have a guess or two, but I don't know enough to say for sure.

I do know that I vacillate back and forth between thinking these wheels are great, and then back to not even caring if I ever rode another 650B wheel again in my life. Generally speaking, for my tastes, diameter is "king" and unless a smaller wheel is exceptional at something, I don't get too excited. That said, there have been more than a few times I thought the wheel size was rad.

I think there are a few things I need to see out of a 650B wheel before I get too excited. First of all, don't even come around here with a 650B wheel with a tire narrower than the Road Plus standard, which is 47mm. In fact, I am beginning to feel that is too small. Poofy tires, if they must exist, must be exactly that- big, voluminous, and worth their weight. Using a 42mm tire in a 650B format seems......backward, especially when most gravel bikes worth their salt can fit a 43mm tire with ease in a 700c diameter. Remember- diameter is king, and if you are going to go smaller, then you need to make up for that smaller diameter with air volume. Otherwise, why bother? 

For example, when Surly came out with the Extraterrestrial tire in 26" diameter, they did not offer it in a 26" X 2.1....noooo. They went right out to 2.5" and good for them. If you ever ride one, you'll get it. They are awesome at about 20psi tubeless. Almost makes me want to run 26"ers again it does!

Smaller diameter, but super volume and super smooth ride. Make it worthwhile if you drop down a size in diameter and go wide, or go home. I'm not at all interested in 650B X (anything less than) 47mm. Nope. Give me a big, voluminous 650B, and maybe I'll fall in love with that. So then, why not just go wide and keep it 700c? Yes indeed- why not? 

700 X 50? Why yes. Don't mind if I do.

 The trouble is that then you end up with a bike that almost cannot be anything but a Fargo or clone thereof. I was online the other night perusing Kona's line up for 2020 at the suggestion of a reader here. They make the Sutra model which sports 700c X 50mm tires, but it isn't a whole lot different than a Fargo and has limitations which a Fargo does not have regarding the drive train and tire clearances. (Or you could see that the other way around too.) The 700c X 45+ size tires start to get into a territory that road based drive trains were never meant to live in. That and the emasculation of MTB gearing choices down to a single chain ring has really pinched the rider that understands wide range gearing that promotes a straight chain line. Your choices are more limited than ever on the mountain biking side of things.

So, 650B to the rescue. I guess. There you can get that wider tire stuffed into a frame and still get away with a road based, wide range drive train. You lose that diameter component, but the choices are greater when looking at gearing and all. I'll be checking out some more tire choices and running 650B sizes in the future, and I'll probably still be going back and forth about it.

Stay tuned....

Friday News And Views

WTB Hints At 700c Versions Of Popular Road Plus Models:

While at Gravel Worlds last Friday, my friend Tony and I visited several company's booths. One of the most intriguing stops was at the WTB booth.

Of course, WTB's main business is tires and saddles which were both on display there. Tony stepped up and asked something about them making a 700c X 50mm Byway. The rep had a very interesting answer. 

"Keep an eye on our website for the next couple of weeks."

Now, you can read all sorts of things into that remark, but here are a few facts that might help support my guess, which I will share here in a bit:

First off, WTB has already told me that a 700 X 42 and 700 X 50 Venture tire was due this Summer. (Obviously- that hasn't happened yet) At the time that was announced, there was no word about any other of the Road Plus tires being brought to 700c. However; the rep at Gravel Worlds said the Byway is their number one selling tire. Hmmm....

Also, considering the fact that Eurobike is about to happen starting on September the 4th, an announcement of something new around that time would be totally believable. Many companies announce product ahead of shows so dealers will look for it when they attend a show. That would put an announcement "in a couple of weeks" in the perfect time window for Eurobike.

Finally, WTB, who arguably single handedly made 650B tires a "thing" for gravel with the Road Plus line, have none of those models available in 700c, which is the diameter of tire most gravel bikes come stocked with. Original Equipment (OE) contracts with manufacturers are what makes new product roll into the marketplace. So, if a manufacturer says, "Hey, WTB! Make us this Byway in a 700 X 50 and we'll buy thousands of them.", what do you think WTB would say?

Put all that together and what do you come up with? I am saying that the entire Road Plus line will be announced in 700c sizes. We'll see.......

For more of what I saw at the Gravel Worlds Expo, check out my RidingGravel.com report here.

A Shimano PRO Koryak external actuated dropper post in 27.2mm.

The Dropper Post Cometh:

Have you noted that many new gravel bikes come with dropper post routing but that you almost never see the actual dropper posts on any of these bikes? Yeah.....me too, but that is about to change.

One of the big reasons why this has been is due to the size of almost all gravel bikes internal diameter (ID) on the seat tube. Traditionally this has been 27.2mm. The reason why dropper posts haven't been prominent on gravel bikes is because most dropper posts are 30.9mm and 31.6mm in size, which reflects what an MTB bike's seat tube ID is most commonly.  There are 27.2mm dropper posts, of course, but generally speaking, the dropper range is either too much, the post is too expensive, (Thomson and Fox being prime examples of 27.2mm dropper posts here), or the quality is so poor, that manufacturers are possibly avoiding spec'ing them.

However; and this has been my experience using a dropper post on gravel, the component is something that would be a huge asset to anyone that rides on gravel. Free speed is there for the taking and I, for one, will eventually own a gravel bike with a dropper post. It isn't just a little bit faster on downhills, it is dramatically faster. 

"But", you may be thinking,"a dropper post is only for off road, or racers." Think about this scenario then: My fastest downhill speed at Gravel Worlds last weekend was a tic under 40mph. There is no doubt in my mind, based upon my experience riding a dropper post on gravel, that the max speed I would have seen had I been using a dropper post would have easily been closer to 45mph. Think that might affect average speed a bit? Multiply that over tens of down hills where I reached speeds of around 30mph regularly, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that the effect on overall time and speed on course would be greatly affected in a positive way simply by using a dropper post. All that with practically zero energy expenditure to gain that speed and time.

Now with several manufacturers stepping up with quality dropper posts in 27.2mm size, and more gravel/adventure bikes coming with the internal routing for these components, my bet is that dropper posts will become very common at rides in 2020 and beyond. I saw several in use at Gravel Worlds. No longer will you have to sacrifice your nether regions to the abuses of sitting on your top tube, ala Pro roadies, on descents. (And please- don't do that on gravel. It isn't really very safe on pavement!

The fargo Gen I with the Schwalbe G-One tires mounted.

I Missed You, Knobbies, I Missed You:

One thing I wanted to cover before moving on from Gravel Worlds was the gear I used. and in particular, the Schwalbe G - One 29" X 2.35 tires. Of course, you all that have been reading along already know about the issues I had with air loss in the rear tire.

The culprit ended up being a failed rim strip over a spoke hole. That was my fault since that wheel only had one run of tape, and I should have laid down two. Most times I do it that way, but for whatever reasons I had then, I didn't when I built up that wheel set.

Now- I'll talk about the performance of the tires, because I am taking them off this wheel set, and I'll tell you why in a minute. First- these tires are very light and very fast! I weighed them in at 553 and 556 grams. They had absolutely blazing downhill speed and I was able to out-coast anyone around me. That said, I had to really be careful in Nebraska's looser, sandy corners. These tires have very little grip unless the surface is hard and smooth. So, not much to dislike there, but I would also surmise that in Iowa's looser, deep gravel these tires would also be a handful.

Now, as to why I won't be keeping them on this wheel set. First off, these are WTB i19 rims you see in the image and they typically fit tubeless tires from several manufacturers really well. I've used these rims for at least 7 years, I think it has been, and all sorts of different tires have been mounted on these. And.....they all mounted pretty easily. Not so these G - Ones. They were utter Hell to mount because they were too loose! I had to take eight stabs at mounting one of them last week. Eight! I almost gave up. The other one took a few tries. Now that they have been on there, and that I had to dismount the one that gave me the most trouble, it- of course - is looser than when it was new. It's silly. I cannot mount it, nor would I leave it on,  if it would go, because of fear of blowing it off at some point. Of course, I tried it, it will not mount, and there is just no way I am going to fight to make that work. Not in 2019.

So, I have a Stan's based wheel set, a Sun Ringle' pre-built wheel set, and I'll try mounting them on there, but I am in no hurry to do this. Despite the speed and the size of these, I think I wasted my money if all they will securely fit is a Stan's based rim.  I think that is despicable these days. There is no reason for a tubeless tire manufacturer of Schwalbe's stature to have such poor tolerances in their product on the market. Bottom line- If the G - One 29" X 2.35" tires are all like mine, and unless you use Stan's rims, these tires are not recommended.

Note- I spent my own damn money on this product and was not paid, nor bribed for this opinion. 

Thanks for reading. have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

WTB Hints At 700c Versions Of Popular Road Plus Models:

While at Gravel Worlds last Friday, my friend Tony and I visited several company's booths. One of the most intriguing stops was at the WTB booth.

Of course, WTB's main business is tires and saddles which were both on display there. Tony stepped up and asked something about them making a 700c X 50mm Byway. The rep had a very interesting answer. 

"Keep an eye on our website for the next couple of weeks."

Now, you can read all sorts of things into that remark, but here are a few facts that might help support my guess, which I will share here in a bit:

First off, WTB has already told me that a 700 X 42 and 700 X 50 Venture tire was due this Summer. (Obviously- that hasn't happened yet) At the time that was announced, there was no word about any other of the Road Plus tires being brought to 700c. However; the rep at Gravel Worlds said the Byway is their number one selling tire. Hmmm....

Also, considering the fact that Eurobike is about to happen starting on September the 4th, an announcement of something new around that time would be totally believable. Many companies announce product ahead of shows so dealers will look for it when they attend a show. That would put an announcement "in a couple of weeks" in the perfect time window for Eurobike.

Finally, WTB, who arguably single handedly made 650B tires a "thing" for gravel with the Road Plus line, have none of those models available in 700c, which is the diameter of tire most gravel bikes come stocked with. Original Equipment (OE) contracts with manufacturers are what makes new product roll into the marketplace. So, if a manufacturer says, "Hey, WTB! Make us this Byway in a 700 X 50 and we'll buy thousands of them.", what do you think WTB would say?

Put all that together and what do you come up with? I am saying that the entire Road Plus line will be announced in 700c sizes. We'll see.......

For more of what I saw at the Gravel Worlds Expo, check out my RidingGravel.com report here.

A Shimano PRO Koryak external actuated dropper post in 27.2mm.

The Dropper Post Cometh:

Have you noted that many new gravel bikes come with dropper post routing but that you almost never see the actual dropper posts on any of these bikes? Yeah.....me too, but that is about to change.

One of the big reasons why this has been is due to the size of almost all gravel bikes internal diameter (ID) on the seat tube. Traditionally this has been 27.2mm. The reason why dropper posts haven't been prominent on gravel bikes is because most dropper posts are 30.9mm and 31.6mm in size, which reflects what an MTB bike's seat tube ID is most commonly.  There are 27.2mm dropper posts, of course, but generally speaking, the dropper range is either too much, the post is too expensive, (Thomson and Fox being prime examples of 27.2mm dropper posts here), or the quality is so poor, that manufacturers are possibly avoiding spec'ing them.

However; and this has been my experience using a dropper post on gravel, the component is something that would be a huge asset to anyone that rides on gravel. Free speed is there for the taking and I, for one, will eventually own a gravel bike with a dropper post. It isn't just a little bit faster on downhills, it is dramatically faster. 

"But", you may be thinking,"a dropper post is only for off road, or racers." Think about this scenario then: My fastest downhill speed at Gravel Worlds last weekend was a tic under 40mph. There is no doubt in my mind, based upon my experience riding a dropper post on gravel, that the max speed I would have seen had I been using a dropper post would have easily been closer to 45mph. Think that might affect average speed a bit? Multiply that over tens of down hills where I reached speeds of around 30mph regularly, and it doesn't take a genius to realize that the effect on overall time and speed on course would be greatly affected in a positive way simply by using a dropper post. All that with practically zero energy expenditure to gain that speed and time.

Now with several manufacturers stepping up with quality dropper posts in 27.2mm size, and more gravel/adventure bikes coming with the internal routing for these components, my bet is that dropper posts will become very common at rides in 2020 and beyond. I saw several in use at Gravel Worlds. No longer will you have to sacrifice your nether regions to the abuses of sitting on your top tube, ala Pro roadies, on descents. (And please- don't do that on gravel. It isn't really very safe on pavement!

The fargo Gen I with the Schwalbe G-One tires mounted.

I Missed You, Knobbies, I Missed You:

One thing I wanted to cover before moving on from Gravel Worlds was the gear I used. and in particular, the Schwalbe G - One 29" X 2.35 tires. Of course, you all that have been reading along already know about the issues I had with air loss in the rear tire.

The culprit ended up being a failed rim strip over a spoke hole. That was my fault since that wheel only had one run of tape, and I should have laid down two. Most times I do it that way, but for whatever reasons I had then, I didn't when I built up that wheel set.

Now- I'll talk about the performance of the tires, because I am taking them off this wheel set, and I'll tell you why in a minute. First- these tires are very light and very fast! I weighed them in at 553 and 556 grams. They had absolutely blazing downhill speed and I was able to out-coast anyone around me. That said, I had to really be careful in Nebraska's looser, sandy corners. These tires have very little grip unless the surface is hard and smooth. So, not much to dislike there, but I would also surmise that in Iowa's looser, deep gravel these tires would also be a handful.

Now, as to why I won't be keeping them on this wheel set. First off, these are WTB i19 rims you see in the image and they typically fit tubeless tires from several manufacturers really well. I've used these rims for at least 7 years, I think it has been, and all sorts of different tires have been mounted on these. And.....they all mounted pretty easily. Not so these G - Ones. They were utter Hell to mount because they were too loose! I had to take eight stabs at mounting one of them last week. Eight! I almost gave up. The other one took a few tries. Now that they have been on there, and that I had to dismount the one that gave me the most trouble, it- of course - is looser than when it was new. It's silly. I cannot mount it, nor would I leave it on,  if it would go, because of fear of blowing it off at some point. Of course, I tried it, it will not mount, and there is just no way I am going to fight to make that work. Not in 2019.

So, I have a Stan's based wheel set, a Sun Ringle' pre-built wheel set, and I'll try mounting them on there, but I am in no hurry to do this. Despite the speed and the size of these, I think I wasted my money if all they will securely fit is a Stan's based rim.  I think that is despicable these days. There is no reason for a tubeless tire manufacturer of Schwalbe's stature to have such poor tolerances in their product on the market. Bottom line- If the G - One 29" X 2.35" tires are all like mine, and unless you use Stan's rims, these tires are not recommended.

Note- I spent my own damn money on this product and was not paid, nor bribed for this opinion. 

Thanks for reading. have a great weekend!

Friday News And Views

Looks weird, rides great.

Road Plus Experiment: Update

So, I have a few rides in on these corpulent tires in the slightly diminutive diameter and........

There is something to this.

The whole "plus" tire movement tends to make riders draw lines and get their pants all wadded up claiming it isn't anything new, the claims are false, and yada, yada, yada..... Well, like I say, there is something to it all, and if there weren't, well, don't you think that by now all those "plus sized bikes" would be sitting on dealer's floors not selling? The thing is, while maybe they are not selling like hot cakes, they are selling. The customers are voting with their dollars, and apparently the riders feel that, yes, there is a benefit here. 

So, WTB takes an age old idea, repackages it, brings modern tubeless tire technology to bear, and we have something that they call "Road Plus". Ya know, I suggest that we all just don't get hung up on the name. It is something different, (tubeless), and the format isn't well known in gravel circles. Maybe it should have been, but that was yesterday. Today, we're looking at this for gravel travel, and I have seen that these wheels and tires hold some promise. I'll have more soon.

Just like 100 years ago- Looking less "bike", more motorcycle.

Trading Fossil Fuels For Electrons:

For years now on this blog I have said that any motor + bike = motorcycle. Readers scoffed, said I was out of touch, and that this was the way to get non-cyclists out on "bicycles".

I still don't believe that, not for one minute. All you have to do is hop on Facebook, type "e-bike" in the search box, and start scrolling. You will see at least 60% of the results are going to be more "motorcycle styled" than looking anything like a bicycle. Which doesn't really say anything necessarily, that is, until you start looking a bit closer.

Then you will find things like "cruising speed of 28mph" , "thumb actuated throttle control", and you will see LOTS of videos where riders are not pedaling at all. Did I remember to write that these are motorcycles? How is it that if the vehicle in question has a gasoline powered motor, it is a motorcycle, but trade that for an electric motor, and somehow it isn't a motorcycle anymore? Who cares if you have to pedal some to make it work, there still is that pesky motor, and by the looks of the search results I am seeing, you can get something very electric, very "motorcyclish", for the same, or as in some cases, less than a "pedelec".

Ya know, if Honda, Suzuki, or Yamaha decided to go full bore into electric motorcycles they would blow these pithy "e-bikes" out of the water and it will be game over for the vehicles with those "pedal thingies" on them that were called e-bikes. Just like old 1900's era motorcycles were bicycle based, and a lot like the moped craze of the 80's, e-bikes will morph into electric motorcycles and this nonsense about getting non-cyclists to pedal via an e-bike will finally be shown to be the bovine excrement that it is. I've seen the evidence out there and that's the way this looks to be headed.

That's my take.

Sarah Cooper (L- obviously!) and me, GT

 Chicked:

I heard some old bike racers yakking it up at my first Sea Otter years ago, and one of them mentioned a really good female rider and said that he had gotten "chicked" by her because she beat him. I'd never heard that term before then used in that manner.

Sarah Cooper has done Trans Iowa a couple of times, and she has done really well. Winning the Women's Open category this year handily, she has also won Odin's Revenge, and she's done pretty darn good at these ultra-endurance road biking gigs. This deal called Sebring is one, and by the time you've read this, Sarah Cooper will have won the overall in the Race Across The West, a 930 mile ultra-cycling race in record time for the Women's category. Yes.....she beat all the guys and gals.

Sarah is obviously a tough gal, but you won't meet a nicer person. She's the mother of four and holds down a job as well as being a wife. I tell ya, when they say, "I don't know how they do it", I think about Sarah and her accomplishments.

Hats off to ya, Sarah.

Have a great, safe, and fun weekend, y'all. Keep the rubber side down.

Friday News And Views

Looks weird, rides great.

Road Plus Experiment: Update

So, I have a few rides in on these corpulent tires in the slightly diminutive diameter and........

There is something to this.

The whole "plus" tire movement tends to make riders draw lines and get their pants all wadded up claiming it isn't anything new, the claims are false, and yada, yada, yada..... Well, like I say, there is something to it all, and if there weren't, well, don't you think that by now all those "plus sized bikes" would be sitting on dealer's floors not selling? The thing is, while maybe they are not selling like hot cakes, they are selling. The customers are voting with their dollars, and apparently the riders feel that, yes, there is a benefit here. 

So, WTB takes an age old idea, repackages it, brings modern tubeless tire technology to bear, and we have something that they call "Road Plus". Ya know, I suggest that we all just don't get hung up on the name. It is something different, (tubeless), and the format isn't well known in gravel circles. Maybe it should have been, but that was yesterday. Today, we're looking at this for gravel travel, and I have seen that these wheels and tires hold some promise. I'll have more soon.

Just like 100 years ago- Looking less "bike", more motorcycle.

Trading Fossil Fuels For Electrons:

For years now on this blog I have said that any motor + bike = motorcycle. Readers scoffed, said I was out of touch, and that this was the way to get non-cyclists out on "bicycles".

I still don't believe that, not for one minute. All you have to do is hop on Facebook, type "e-bike" in the search box, and start scrolling. You will see at least 60% of the results are going to be more "motorcycle styled" than looking anything like a bicycle. Which doesn't really say anything necessarily, that is, until you start looking a bit closer.

Then you will find things like "cruising speed of 28mph" , "thumb actuated throttle control", and you will see LOTS of videos where riders are not pedaling at all. Did I remember to write that these are motorcycles? How is it that if the vehicle in question has a gasoline powered motor, it is a motorcycle, but trade that for an electric motor, and somehow it isn't a motorcycle anymore? Who cares if you have to pedal some to make it work, there still is that pesky motor, and by the looks of the search results I am seeing, you can get something very electric, very "motorcyclish", for the same, or as in some cases, less than a "pedelec".

Ya know, if Honda, Suzuki, or Yamaha decided to go full bore into electric motorcycles they would blow these pithy "e-bikes" out of the water and it will be game over for the vehicles with those "pedal thingies" on them that were called e-bikes. Just like old 1900's era motorcycles were bicycle based, and a lot like the moped craze of the 80's, e-bikes will morph into electric motorcycles and this nonsense about getting non-cyclists to pedal via an e-bike will finally be shown to be the bovine excrement that it is. I've seen the evidence out there and that's the way this looks to be headed.

That's my take.

Sarah Cooper (L- obviously!) and me, GT

 Chicked:

I heard some old bike racers yakking it up at my first Sea Otter years ago, and one of them mentioned a really good female rider and said that he had gotten "chicked" by her because she beat him. I'd never heard that term before then used in that manner.

Sarah Cooper has done Trans Iowa a couple of times, and she has done really well. Winning the Women's Open category this year handily, she has also won Odin's Revenge, and she's done pretty darn good at these ultra-endurance road biking gigs. This deal called Sebring is one, and by the time you've read this, Sarah Cooper will have won the overall in the Race Across The West, a 930 mile ultra-cycling race in record time for the Women's category. Yes.....she beat all the guys and gals.

Sarah is obviously a tough gal, but you won't meet a nicer person. She's the mother of four and holds down a job as well as being a wife. I tell ya, when they say, "I don't know how they do it", I think about Sarah and her accomplishments.

Hats off to ya, Sarah.

Have a great, safe, and fun weekend, y'all. Keep the rubber side down.

The "Road Plus" Experiment: Introduction

It says so right on the packaging.

Back in late February of this year, I posted about the new WTB Horizon tires which are being marketed as "Road Plus" sized tires. The concept, a fat, voluminous tire based on the old 650B/584ISO tire size, was first made popular in France during the WWII era bike camping fad and then became the tire favored for the "rando thing". Afterward the conversion of 27"/700c bikes to 650B picked up steam which kept the nearly dead wheel size alive long enough that the advent of the internet came along which spurred on the interest in 650B further. Now days you can hardly turn around without hitting a 584ISO bead diameter wheel, but there was a time not more than a decade ago when this wheel size was super rare.

Gravel bikes have breathed new life into the 650B "demi-balon" sized tire, which the old conversion scene knew was very close to a 700c X 28mm tire in diameter. This makes it a good alternative choice for the gravel bikes which have been proliferated in the last few years by several manufacturers. Okay.....cool. But why? 

Well, going back to the 40's and 50's, it was for comfort, vibration damping, and grip over bad roads. With the advent of gravel riding, riders have been seeking out similar attributes for their rigs. Now with Compass Tires and WTB, along with a few oddball, rare tires, riders can now enjoy the similar benefits that riders did 75 years ago. The main difference with the Horizon tires is that they are part of a tubeless tire system, which other tires in this category are not.

Tire, rim, rim strip, valves, and sealant all by WTB; Image courtesy of WTB

So, since this idea has become something of a "thing", I have been asked a few times what I think about it all. Well, I am about to find out. Thanks to my RidingGravel.com side of things, our good friends at WTB and Velocity USA are going to help out with putting me on a set of these wheels shod with these fat, puffy tires to see about their performance on gravel roads. I also will be looking into what sort of things to look out for when making the switch from 700c X 38-40mm tires to these 650B X 47mm tires.

Right now I am looking at trying these out on my Raleigh Tamland Two, my Standard Rando, and my Vaya. The thing I will be looking hard at, besides the obvious tire clearances, is where the bottom bracket height ends up being at with these three bikes. Obviously, if WTB is right and these tires are akin to the diameter of a 700 X 28-30mm tire, I will be lowering the bottom bracket heights on all three bikes which may not work out so well. Especially in the case of the T-6 bike which has a 75mm drop, but we will see. Obviously, I am going with a disc brake hub and rim, or I would slot these into my Black Mountain Cycles bike for a test run, but that won't be happening with these wheels.

Stay tuned......

The "Road Plus" Experiment: Introduction

It says so right on the packaging.

Back in late February of this year, I posted about the new WTB Horizon tires which are being marketed as "Road Plus" sized tires. The concept, a fat, voluminous tire based on the old 650B/584ISO tire size, was first made popular in France during the WWII era bike camping fad and then became the tire favored for the "rando thing". Afterward the conversion of 27"/700c bikes to 650B picked up steam which kept the nearly dead wheel size alive long enough that the advent of the internet came along which spurred on the interest in 650B further. Now days you can hardly turn around without hitting a 584ISO bead diameter wheel, but there was a time not more than a decade ago when this wheel size was super rare.

Gravel bikes have breathed new life into the 650B "demi-balon" sized tire, which the old conversion scene knew was very close to a 700c X 28mm tire in diameter. This makes it a good alternative choice for the gravel bikes which have been proliferated in the last few years by several manufacturers. Okay.....cool. But why? 

Well, going back to the 40's and 50's, it was for comfort, vibration damping, and grip over bad roads. With the advent of gravel riding, riders have been seeking out similar attributes for their rigs. Now with Compass Tires and WTB, along with a few oddball, rare tires, riders can now enjoy the similar benefits that riders did 75 years ago. The main difference with the Horizon tires is that they are part of a tubeless tire system, which other tires in this category are not.

Tire, rim, rim strip, valves, and sealant all by WTB; Image courtesy of WTB

So, since this idea has become something of a "thing", I have been asked a few times what I think about it all. Well, I am about to find out. Thanks to my RidingGravel.com side of things, our good friends at WTB and Velocity USA are going to help out with putting me on a set of these wheels shod with these fat, puffy tires to see about their performance on gravel roads. I also will be looking into what sort of things to look out for when making the switch from 700c X 38-40mm tires to these 650B X 47mm tires.

Right now I am looking at trying these out on my Raleigh Tamland Two, my Standard Rando, and my Vaya. The thing I will be looking hard at, besides the obvious tire clearances, is where the bottom bracket height ends up being at with these three bikes. Obviously, if WTB is right and these tires are akin to the diameter of a 700 X 28-30mm tire, I will be lowering the bottom bracket heights on all three bikes which may not work out so well. Especially in the case of the T-6 bike which has a 75mm drop, but we will see. Obviously, I am going with a disc brake hub and rim, or I would slot these into my Black Mountain Cycles bike for a test run, but that won't be happening with these wheels.

Stay tuned......

Friday News And Views

WTB says it is "Plus Road". Others say "Welcome to the party". (Image courtesy of WTB)

Road Plus?!!

Fat, 650B tires and steel frames have been a "thing" since the 1940's or so. In certain times, the style and availability of parts was almost non-existent, but it never went away, and builders and small, niche companies kept the flame going for years up until now. Compass Tires, Velo Orange, Kogswell, and Rawland, amongst others, have spurred on an inetrest in 650B road-ish rigs with fat, 42mm-50mm tires all these years, and now some upstart mtb company has the chutzpah to come around with a similar tire and say it is a new thing.

You can read all about that here, but I find that some of the reactions to the news are very predictable. On the one hand, we have all the rando freaks, bike nerds, and traditionalists saying that this isn't any big deal, but have a variation on "this isn't as cool as "X" brand", or on the other hand say, "welcome to the freak show". I also wonder about some of the reactions since it is a company like WTB and that there is a new marketing twist on the old theme now. It's almost as if some are feeling put out that their niche is now being "exploited" and revealed to the masses. I remember seeing similar reactions when Specialized and finally when Giant came out with 29"ers. Well, whatever the deal there is, I will say I was a bit surprised that WTB did this.

Will it catch on? Look.....WTB introduced the 27.5+ tire to the market and everyone laughed. WTB also introduced 29"er tires first back in 2009 and everybody laughed. Hmm......

Heller Bikes "Shagamaw" 27.5+ bike (Image pinched from Fitzgerald Bikes Facebook page)

The Bike The Teens Will Be Noted For

I had to work on a Diamondback Ascent the other day at the shop. I was explaining to a young co-worker, just out of college, that this was the bike style that defined mountain bikes in the 90's: A steel hard tail, 26" wheels, of course, rigid fork, low head tube, long seat post extension, and a relatively long, flat rise stem with really narrow "broom stick" handle bars. You could argue that the "oughts" were defined by the hard tail 29"er with everything new that the format brought. Now we're solidly into the "teens", and fast ending this decade. I feel that the defining bike of this decade is something like the new Heller Bikes Shagamaw. (Is that a city in Michigan that made sub-par 4 speed manual transmissions? Hmm....) Anyway, this bike features a slack head angle, long front/center dimension, a stubby stem, really wide bars, "plus" sized 27.5 wheels, and a Chinese "catalog" carbon fiber frame.

NOT a carbon Stache. (Pinched from Lamere's Facebook page)

27.5+ sized wheels are really taking off now, and the geometry the hard tails use these days is anything but XC racing. Nope- it's all about enduro/all mountain now, so the geo reflects that- Slack, long, stubby stemmed. The frame reflects the growing trend of "consumer direct purchase" type frames, which has spawned a cottage industry of small brands who have stepped in to broker deals on batches of frames and sell with prices that maybe are not as good as the direct from factory to consumer buys, but not too much higher, plus there is a company Stateside to deal with any issues. Heck, even industry giant QBP sat up and took notice, creating their own Heller Brand to basically do the same thing as the smaller brands have been doing.

So, where will the "standard" mountain bike end up growing next? Hard to say, but I never would have predicted we'd be looking at a bike like the Lamere or Heller back ten years ago. By the way, the Heller bike is brand new, and if you are going to Frostbike, you'll get to see it. I won't, as I am not going to be there, as I said yesterday. I'll be out riding my gravel bike since it will be the best day yet all year to do that.

Okay, so, if you are like me, and are itching to ride in decent weather, by all means, do so! CIRREM riding this weekend? Good luck! Going to NAHBS? Geek out! See ya later and keep the rubber side down!

Friday News And Views

WTB says it is "Plus Road". Others say "Welcome to the party". (Image courtesy of WTB)

Road Plus?!!

Fat, 650B tires and steel frames have been a "thing" since the 1940's or so. In certain times, the style and availability of parts was almost non-existent, but it never went away, and builders and small, niche companies kept the flame going for years up until now. Compass Tires, Velo Orange, Kogswell, and Rawland, amongst others, have spurred on an inetrest in 650B road-ish rigs with fat, 42mm-50mm tires all these years, and now some upstart mtb company has the chutzpah to come around with a similar tire and say it is a new thing.

You can read all about that here, but I find that some of the reactions to the news are very predictable. On the one hand, we have all the rando freaks, bike nerds, and traditionalists saying that this isn't any big deal, but have a variation on "this isn't as cool as "X" brand", or on the other hand say, "welcome to the freak show". I also wonder about some of the reactions since it is a company like WTB and that there is a new marketing twist on the old theme now. It's almost as if some are feeling put out that their niche is now being "exploited" and revealed to the masses. I remember seeing similar reactions when Specialized and finally when Giant came out with 29"ers. Well, whatever the deal there is, I will say I was a bit surprised that WTB did this.

Will it catch on? Look.....WTB introduced the 27.5+ tire to the market and everyone laughed. WTB also introduced 29"er tires first back in 2009 and everybody laughed. Hmm......

Heller Bikes "Shagamaw" 27.5+ bike (Image pinched from Fitzgerald Bikes Facebook page)

The Bike The Teens Will Be Noted For

I had to work on a Diamondback Ascent the other day at the shop. I was explaining to a young co-worker, just out of college, that this was the bike style that defined mountain bikes in the 90's: A steel hard tail, 26" wheels, of course, rigid fork, low head tube, long seat post extension, and a relatively long, flat rise stem with really narrow "broom stick" handle bars. You could argue that the "oughts" were defined by the hard tail 29"er with everything new that the format brought. Now we're solidly into the "teens", and fast ending this decade. I feel that the defining bike of this decade is something like the new Heller Bikes Shagamaw. (Is that a city in Michigan that made sub-par 4 speed manual transmissions? Hmm....) Anyway, this bike features a slack head angle, long front/center dimension, a stubby stem, really wide bars, "plus" sized 27.5 wheels, and a Chinese "catalog" carbon fiber frame.

NOT a carbon Stache. (Pinched from Lamere's Facebook page)

27.5+ sized wheels are really taking off now, and the geometry the hard tails use these days is anything but XC racing. Nope- it's all about enduro/all mountain now, so the geo reflects that- Slack, long, stubby stemmed. The frame reflects the growing trend of "consumer direct purchase" type frames, which has spawned a cottage industry of small brands who have stepped in to broker deals on batches of frames and sell with prices that maybe are not as good as the direct from factory to consumer buys, but not too much higher, plus there is a company Stateside to deal with any issues. Heck, even industry giant QBP sat up and took notice, creating their own Heller Brand to basically do the same thing as the smaller brands have been doing.

So, where will the "standard" mountain bike end up growing next? Hard to say, but I never would have predicted we'd be looking at a bike like the Lamere or Heller back ten years ago. By the way, the Heller bike is brand new, and if you are going to Frostbike, you'll get to see it. I won't, as I am not going to be there, as I said yesterday. I'll be out riding my gravel bike since it will be the best day yet all year to do that.

Okay, so, if you are like me, and are itching to ride in decent weather, by all means, do so! CIRREM riding this weekend? Good luck! Going to NAHBS? Geek out! See ya later and keep the rubber side down!