Two Things

PSA: Gravel Grinder News Today At 9:00am:

Just a short note for you early morning blog readers. There is an embargoed announcement being released at 9:00am CST this morning, so please check back for this. (Hint: Salsa Cycles related)

Embargoed information is a sore topic with some folks involved in cycling. Dealers get information with "Respect the Embargo" stamped all over it. They can face some stiff reprimands for showing stuff to the wrong people. Meanwhile internet sleuths dig up images all the time and post them on social sites like Reddit with source material sometimes alongside which may have been shown to someone in confidence. No one ever gets their hand slapped for it, and dealers get shafted by the process sometimes when it devalues current inventory. 

I used to see issues with this all the time when I worked retail. You had customers you could sell the new thing to on the side, but "embargo", so .....? Meanwhile they see it on some subversive's post and wonder why you didn't say anything to help them out and now you are the "bad guy". 

And, of course, you can immediately be blackballed out of sharing PR if you slip up and post something before the embargo, or get greedy to be "first" on a story. 

My stance is that - if the press release is relevant to my focus here - I will post the information when the marketers want me to post it. I'm here to help. I don't care about being first or whatever, and I make zero bucks either way. So.... I'm here to help. But some brands don't see it that way and so I do not hear from them, or I get "second tier" treatment. Whatever.... It doesn't do anything to me. It only hurts them.  

March False Spring > March Snow > March Winter > March Spring:

And the weather! Wow, what a roller coaster we've been on here in Iowa. One minute it's nearly 70°F and then a couple days later it is snowing. 

This makes it hard on me and my schedule is not lining up with the "good days" either. Riding has been limited. 

I know sooner or later this will straighten out, and to be honest, generally speaking we'd still normally be melting off Winter snow pack yet at around this time. So, the teasing of this warmer weather is what has gotten me all turned around. 

And then on a short test ride around the neighborhood the other day I came home and discovered an unpleasant surprise. I picked my Honeman Flyer up and reoriented it for entry into the portal for Guitar Ted Headquarters. I heard a strange noise, looked down and saw a rear spoke dangling in the breeze. 

Great!

Now I have to remove the tubeless tire, tubeless tape, and fish out a nipple banging around inside the rim. Fun times! Maybe I'll do this when it is forecast to be only 24°F this coming Monday. Hmm..... I wonder if the tulips will survive a day of that? 

Welcome to another Spring in Iowa.......

Brown Season: The Freshies

Escape Route: Sergeant Road bike path.

The Continental Terra Adventure tires I have in for review needed to be ridden, and with Friday being a nearly windless day, (what?!), I decided to ask myself, "What better time to go than now?" The answer: There is no better time than now.

So, out came the 3/4's Twin Six bibs, my longsleeved Bontrager wool jersey I've had for years, and my Twin Six wind vest. I put half a plastic shopping bag around each foot and wore my old Giant MTB shoes.

It was around 50°F, so it wasn't 'warm', and with a mostly cloudy sky, I had little help from the Sun. As it turned out, I was dressed perfectly. The Conti tires were aired up to 30psi, the water bottles were filled, and I was off to find Petrie Road's Level B section to test these knobby little tires.

Spring-time gravel road maintenance has begun. Great!

The farmers are readying their toys for Spring play-time.

Well, I found out I hit the "gravel jack-pot" on the first stretch of gravel of the day. The County has hit Aker Road hard with the freshies. Deep, loose, fresh ground and crushed rock. Mmmmm.... The Noble GX5 was darting and slipping around on the white rock. Dust was being kicked up by passing cars and made the dust look like thunderheads, but I was fortunate in that every car and truck slowed to make sure I wasn't too blinded.

Taking a break at "The Usual Spot".

Once I passed by Hudson, Iowa, to my right, Aker Road cleared up. A little bit!

That fresh gravel was jarring. I expected sooner or later we would be seeing this happen. It is about the time when farmer's are getting ready to plant and the County likes to get its 530 miles of gravel squared away before their heavy equipment hits the gravels. 

Where the dirt begins on the East side of Petrie Road's Level B section.

There is usually water here all year long, but with the drought it has been hit or miss.

Level B roads, the good ones, change periodically. Petrie Road's Level B section is no different. Right now it is rough and rutted out. We haven't had a ton of moisture around here, and you would think things couldn't get too tore up, but they are right now.

I was remarking to myself how it was back when we ran Trans Iowa v12 through this road and it was super-smooth. I think it was in the best condition I'd ever seen this section of road be in. Now, it should be said that a certain landowner adjacent to this section of dirt road would like nothing more than to have the County declassify it to a C Level road and have it gated off. So, this landowner has let their end of this road "go to hell" and they even took down the street sign on their corner along with the Levl B warning sign so it looks more like a farmer's lane. Maybe someday this farmer will get their wish, but it is still open to traffic in 2025.....

The first hill on the East end.NOTE: This shot is from a similar vantage point as the header (as of 4/14/25)

Headed down to the last bit which is flat, riddled with ruts, and in Summer, overgrown with weeds.

I was picking my way through trying to avoid the ruts, the decomposed clay, which sucks yoiur wheel in, and the mud where it was prevalent. On the West end, near where "that farmer lives", it gets real gnarly with really deep ruts, mud, and water. I was 50 yards from the West entrance when I finally made a wrong move and dumped myself unceremoniously on my left side.

I was laughing. I almost made it and, well.....darn it!  I got back up still chuckling to myself, remounted, and got to the end with no further issues. A quick look at the Terra Adventure, to see how much mud stuck to it, and I was off on my way back North on Holmes Road.

I don't notice this erratic too often, but it appears this farmer is stacking more rock on it.

Freshies on Aker Road. The right side by the ditch was way smoother!

I was out almost two and a half hours. It was a good ride and I learned a lot about the new tires. (I'll post again on those soon.) I was happy it wasn't windy and at least I felt pretty good once I got back home. Now I just need to get out more consistently and keep stacking those pennies.

Rear View 2023: Spring

 Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year there will be five Rear View posts looking back on Winter's End, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter's Beginning. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2024 near the end of the month. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

 The beginning of April for the last decade-plus has been mostly marked by my participation in the Gents Race. The team I have been a part of has been participating in this event since 2011 and I have been on the ride every year with the exception of 2020. 

This is a great gravel event. I have loved it for years, and now it has become something of a reunion with regard to those guys that have been on the team all these years. I never see them unless it is at the Gents Race, and that is also true for many who are not on my team, but have entered this event along with me for many years. A "gathering of the tribe", if you will, and when it is over, I go my way and they all go theirs and maybe we'll see each other gain next time. Maybe not..... 

My teammates on the "Careless Whispers" team at the Gents Race in April.

Afterwards I was doing several gravel rides to get stuff reviewed and also to test out my brand new Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 which I had got together finally in March of this year. I was really very pleased with the bike and how it all came together. Which was a good thing since I bought the frame and fork sight unseen and waited a little over a year to get it! 

Getting the Gryphon out on the gravel was a highlight of my Spring.

Then it was on to getting ready to go to Emporia, Kansas again for the 2023 Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame induction and goings on. That will get covered in my next segment, but I was wanting to be in good shape for a ride which was planned and I wanted to take a few rides on my chosen bike, the pink BMC MCD. 

Portents of things to come. Lots of fresh gravel and dust. The ongoing drought in Iowa is still not over in December here.

The whole Spring time lead-up to the trip to Emporia was preceded by my swapping over the Karate Monkey to a flat bar set up. This was done to accommodate the review of the Velo Orange Utility Bar and Utility handlebar. After I got everything lined up for the bike, hand grips, a bag, some custom fabbed mounting hardware, I then had an errand to run with the bike. 

The Karate Monkey in flat bar mode on a gravelly errand.

The Gravel Cycling Hall of fame wanted each previous inductee to bring a jar of local gravel to eventually be put on display at wherever they end up getting a brick and mortar place to display stuff at. So, I rode out to the corner of Sage Road and Big Rock Road, which to me has always been a place of significance due to the "Big Rock". There I gathered my gravel and stowed it in the handle bar bag for the ride back home. 

I don't know why, but that moment was one of those "kind of a big deal" moments in my life. Here I was, a member of a "hall of fame", riding my first "gravel bike", and gathering that substance that helped get me into that hall in the first place. I stood there for a while and just took the moment in. 

It may not mean anything, but somehow, this was one of the highlights of 2023.

Next: Summer

Brown Season: Searching

Escape Route: Shaulis Road

Well, I'm pretty sure Spring is here and it is stuck in. Winter might throw another desperate punch at us, but it will largely be a grazing blow, and Spring may stumble but it isn't disappearing until Summer takes over. 

That's my take on it, anyway. And I feel pretty justified in that. We're experiencing upper 50's, the snow is almost completely gone, and the ground is unfreezing. The birds are coming back too. 

Robins, Red Winged Blackbirds, and geese waaaaay up high are telling me Spring is here and it is not a lie this time. No more freezing, snowy mornings with a biting Northwest wind. Nope. We're done with that for now. I'm pretty confident in that.

Speaking of geese, I saw probably thousands of them up high in the sky on Monday morning here. They were so high I could barely discern the phalanx after phalanx of "V" shaped formations heading Northwest as they flew over here. Maybe younger eyes than mine could have seen them more clearly. I don't know. I could barely make out their cacophonous honking, which was a sweet sound to my ears.

It's dry, hard, and crusty out here. We desperately need rain.

The Black Mountain cycles MCD. Turns out I don't need a fender now. Oh well!

So I finally got out after lunch. Well, it was well after lunch, actually. But I had hit gravel by 3:00pm and was cruising South on a day where Ceylon Blue Sapphire skies met reddish-brown fields. The roads were dusty, hard, and crusty. The gritty sound of my tires and the whisper of a gentle breeze were all I could hear. I was searching for Spring birds, but I wasn't seeing anything. 

Two deer leap across Aker Road in front of me.

It was about as good as it gets out there yesterday.

Two deer suddenly were running across a field on my left which were far enough away from the road that I had time to grab my camera and time a shot when they crossed the road in front of me. Now that wouldn't have happened a couple of months from now because deer will not be seen from a distance due to crop cover. So, the barren landscape was a bonus and I got the shot. 

Cattle silhouetted against the blue sky (Yes- there are two there - and one in the shadows you cannot see)

Blue sky, brownish-red grass. Makes for a cool contrast.

I was going over a lot of ground and the landscape was devoid of most any animal. I saw a few cattle. I saw a family with their kids enjoying the Sunshine outside of their farmhouse. A friendly wave and I was gone....

But no birds to speak of. No signs of Spring. I kept pedaling and searching. Up and down hills and around farms and clumps of trees along small burbling streams. Nope. Nuthin! 

A distant farm is the only thing breaking the horizon line out here.

The last vestiges of massive snow drifts are all that is left to remind you of Winter out here now.

Hmm....maybe I didn't see Robins the other day. But I swear I heard their chaotic warbling in the morning while I was puttering around the house. Anyway, I was turning now back to the truck. About two and a half miles out I crossed a small stream where there was a small farm house and some trees in the yard. That's where I heard it.

The familiar whistling and unmistakable harsh musical trill of the Red Winged Blackbird. There were a bunch of them in those trees I passed by. 

I guess I found what I was looking for.

Brown Season: Searching

Escape Route: Shaulis Road

Well, I'm pretty sure Spring is here and it is stuck in. Winter might throw another desperate punch at us, but it will largely be a grazing blow, and Spring may stumble but it isn't disappearing until Summer takes over. 

That's my take on it, anyway. And I feel pretty justified in that. We're experiencing upper 50's, the snow is almost completely gone, and the ground is unfreezing. The birds are coming back too. 

Robins, Red Winged Blackbirds, and geese waaaaay up high are telling me Spring is here and it is not a lie this time. No more freezing, snowy mornings with a biting Northwest wind. Nope. We're done with that for now. I'm pretty confident in that.

Speaking of geese, I saw probably thousands of them up high in the sky on Monday morning here. They were so high I could barely discern the phalanx after phalanx of "V" shaped formations heading Northwest as they flew over here. Maybe younger eyes than mine could have seen them more clearly. I don't know. I could barely make out their cacophonous honking, which was a sweet sound to my ears.

It's dry, hard, and crusty out here. We desperately need rain.

The Black Mountain cycles MCD. Turns out I don't need a fender now. Oh well!

So I finally got out after lunch. Well, it was well after lunch, actually. But I had hit gravel by 3:00pm and was cruising South on a day where Ceylon Blue Sapphire skies met reddish-brown fields. The roads were dusty, hard, and crusty. The gritty sound of my tires and the whisper of a gentle breeze were all I could hear. I was searching for Spring birds, but I wasn't seeing anything. 

Two deer leap across Aker Road in front of me.

It was about as good as it gets out there yesterday.

Two deer suddenly were running across a field on my left which were far enough away from the road that I had time to grab my camera and time a shot when they crossed the road in front of me. Now that wouldn't have happened a couple of months from now because deer will not be seen from a distance due to crop cover. So, the barren landscape was a bonus and I got the shot. 

Cattle silhouetted against the blue sky (Yes- there are two there - and one in the shadows you cannot see)

Blue sky, brownish-red grass. Makes for a cool contrast.

I was going over a lot of ground and the landscape was devoid of most any animal. I saw a few cattle. I saw a family with their kids enjoying the Sunshine outside of their farmhouse. A friendly wave and I was gone....

But no birds to speak of. No signs of Spring. I kept pedaling and searching. Up and down hills and around farms and clumps of trees along small burbling streams. Nope. Nuthin! 

A distant farm is the only thing breaking the horizon line out here.

The last vestiges of massive snow drifts are all that is left to remind you of Winter out here now.

Hmm....maybe I didn't see Robins the other day. But I swear I heard their chaotic warbling in the morning while I was puttering around the house. Anyway, I was turning now back to the truck. About two and a half miles out I crossed a small stream where there was a small farm house and some trees in the yard. That's where I heard it.

The familiar whistling and unmistakable harsh musical trill of the Red Winged Blackbird. There were a bunch of them in those trees I passed by. 

I guess I found what I was looking for.

Making Up For It

Making for the muck. It's all about testing!

Recently I was lamenting the fact that we went through the transition from Winter to Spring without much of a "slop season' in between. Usually I wouldn't mind that much. It makes for cleaner bikes and longer lasting drive train bits, that's for sure. However; there are a couple of things I am tasked with which sometimes requires bad weather and bad conditions to accomplish my goals. 

Well, as if on cue, the rains came this week and soaked out everything. So now we have mud, puddles, wet dirt, and more to slog through and that's exactly what I have been doing when I have time to get out. In particular, I needed to get that Showers Pass jacket review done and I need to abuse these WTB Proterra wheels more.

We also need rain for more than just my own personal desires, of course, so I am happy to see it coming down. I was a bit surprised that Thursday and Friday were sort of wet days since the forecast said these days would be Sunny. Ha! So much for that! 

But again, that's fine. Things that grow need the water. We were uncommonly dry last Fall and early Spring, so even this wet stretch won't be enough to make it through the rest of Spring. We'll need to see even more rain yet, and hopefully it comes at regular intervals. 

I'll be out today and I'll be interested to see how this rain has affected the roads. As dry as things were, I'm betting that the roads will absorb the moisture up really well. in fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find the roads dusty yet. Especially if the County has kept up with laying down even more crushed rock, which I fully expect that they will have. 

I maybe won't be getting a big ride in. there are home duties calling. I have to set up a new bed for my son, and I have to get the lawn mower ready for the year. But definitely there has to be a ride put in. I also have concocted a couple of ideas for rides coming up soon. These will be different than I've done for quite some time. I also will have a big 100 miler in the works soon. So, consistency in the riding is important. 

Stay tuned....

Making Up For It

Making for the muck. It's all about testing!

Recently I was lamenting the fact that we went through the transition from Winter to Spring without much of a "slop season' in between. Usually I wouldn't mind that much. It makes for cleaner bikes and longer lasting drive train bits, that's for sure. However; there are a couple of things I am tasked with which sometimes requires bad weather and bad conditions to accomplish my goals. 

Well, as if on cue, the rains came this week and soaked out everything. So now we have mud, puddles, wet dirt, and more to slog through and that's exactly what I have been doing when I have time to get out. In particular, I needed to get that Showers Pass jacket review done and I need to abuse these WTB Proterra wheels more.

We also need rain for more than just my own personal desires, of course, so I am happy to see it coming down. I was a bit surprised that Thursday and Friday were sort of wet days since the forecast said these days would be Sunny. Ha! So much for that! 

But again, that's fine. Things that grow need the water. We were uncommonly dry last Fall and early Spring, so even this wet stretch won't be enough to make it through the rest of Spring. We'll need to see even more rain yet, and hopefully it comes at regular intervals. 

I'll be out today and I'll be interested to see how this rain has affected the roads. As dry as things were, I'm betting that the roads will absorb the moisture up really well. in fact, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find the roads dusty yet. Especially if the County has kept up with laying down even more crushed rock, which I fully expect that they will have. 

I maybe won't be getting a big ride in. there are home duties calling. I have to set up a new bed for my son, and I have to get the lawn mower ready for the year. But definitely there has to be a ride put in. I also have concocted a couple of ideas for rides coming up soon. These will be different than I've done for quite some time. I also will have a big 100 miler in the works soon. So, consistency in the riding is important. 

Stay tuned....

Friday News And Views

Do I have to "Throw the Horns" if I ride tires made of METL? (Image courtesy of the SMART TIRE Co.)

SMART Tire Company Wants To Deflate Your Tires:

"Here we go again!", I thought to myself as I read the press release. More airless tire nonsense! But wait! This is NASA level tech used for rovers on foreign planets. It might be a bit different, and, as it turns out, it is very different. 

The tires are called METL and are, of course, made out of 'metal'. A Nickle/Titanium mixture, to be exact, and are made in a mesh. Think 'microphone screen' and you might get an idea, if you've ever pondered the cover of a Shure SM-58.  The mesh can deform and spring back, in a manner better than a fine bicycle tire's casing, the company claims. 

The tires use no air, and are claimed to have a lifespan greater than that of your bicycle. Of course, whenever you hear 'great things' you can expect some 'not so great things' are probably following not far behind. So, as a for instance, the SMART METL tires for bicycles will have an outer tread of rubber which can wear away and will need regular replacement. Ah.......okay? And, of course, no weights were given and no prices were revealed. Also......how you install them wasn't mentioned. 

Comments: There is too much unrevealed here for me to really give a take on these, but the fact that much important information was withheld for the time being says that I should be very skeptical of this being a workable solution for my bicycle. Another obvious thing about the SMART Tire Company is revealed right in their mission statement: "....The SMART Tire Company, with hopes of becoming the next, great American tire company..." 

The 'next great American tire company', eh? So, bicycles are really just a proof of concept exercise? Sounds like it to me. Maybe I'm being too cynical. We'll see........ 

My Apple Watch face on March 22nd, 2021.

A Time Marker:

Lots of people are marking dates now with regard to the ongoing pandemic. "It's been a year since....." whatever happened in relation to COVID-19 type reminisces have been filling social media. Well, I haven't been one to be any different in that regard. This was, and still is, kind of a 'big deal' in my life. 

I'm not sure what ever prompted me to start a streak to fill all three 'rings' of activity monitoring on my Apple Watch on March 22nd, 2020, but I bet I had some personal challenge in mind having to do with keeping my mind focused on something positive during that dark time. Whatever the motivation was, it stuck.

Monday I completed all three rings- Move, Exercise, and Stand, for the 365th consecutive day. A full year. This challenge I undertook has changed me. I did gain fitness, for sure, but more importantly, I gained a new habit or two, and I am able to tear myself away from social media, website work, and be free from technology without feeling like I am missing something, or feeling the least little bit guilty about it. 

To me, that is huge. But trust me, I have a long way to go yet. I have seen a little bit of 'the Light', if you will, and it is tantalizing. If I can move away from this seat I am sat in as I type this more during 2021 than I did in 2020 it will be counted as another goal and a success. You may be thinking I should include my mobile smart phone in this, but I forget about that thing far too often as it is. In fact, I lose it about three times a day and it doesn't bother me. Well, it doesn't until I have to find it!

So, where do I go from here? I figure I may as well keep on truckin'. Why not? It has been a good thing and I don't see a downside. Also- I am already at peace having set a year straight goal and achieving it, so if a day comes where I get sick or injured and cannot do one or all three 'rings' of activity, I am okay with that too. No worries now. But heck- why not go for two years straight? So, that's the plan for now. We'll see how it pans out in a year. 

Shimano Celebrates 100th Anniversary Of Business:

Shimano is the big bicycle parts manufacturer from Japan which we all might be familiar with, but do you know what their first bicycle part was? It was made in 1921 and it was a single speed free wheel called the "3.3.3.". Shimano also went on to make internal gear hubs, and of course, they were the first into MTB specific parts and the first to market a gravel specific group, amongst many other fine accomplishments. Some of you also may not know that Shimano is a big player in the fishing reel segment. I happen to own a fine example of an 80's era Shimano spinning reel. 

Want to check out more Shimano history? They have a special Centennial website here.

You're always on my mind....

Can't Stop Thinking About You:

Back in my 20's, I often would get a feeling come around about August time. The way the Sun light hit the grass, and the smell of a fresh-cut lawn would send my mind back to football practice. Two-a-days and humidity, sore muscles and running, running, running....Those memories haunted me every Fall for several years. And to think I only played organized football games for what? Five or six seasons? That memory really stuck with me for quite a while into my early adulthood though.

So, it should come as no surprise to me that every Spring the sights, sounds, and smells take me back to something I did for 15 years. I put on an organized bicycle event that exacted a lot of energy and emotion. Such was the case over this past week as the grass started turning greener and the smells of earth and whatever aromatic sensations are carried to me by the stiff Spring winds began to stir thoughts of organizing gravel events. 

How I did things still rolls around in my head from time to time. This past week it was how I organized the logistics regarding navigation for the event. Things that were getting to be a concern, and would be now, prompted a thought for a solution. It was exciting, if I am honest, to wonder how this new idea would play out. 

But don't get too aroused out there folks. I am not going to come out of retirement anytime soon. It is just that since I have been doing that thing for so many years that it is hard to just throw the switch and turn it off. Frankly, for me at any rate, that isn't possible. My mind will probably be permanently altered due to all those years of thinking about gravel events and how to do them from a director's viewpoint. 

Oh well.....

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Gravel Worlds has just announced that they have received approval from their local Health Department and have added 250 extra roster spots as a result. From the press release:

"Lincoln, Neb. (Mar 25,2021) — The Pirate Cycling League has received approval from Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to hold Gravel Worlds 2021 as an in-person event the weekend of August 21, 2021. The LLCHD also approved 250 additional rider entries, bringing the total number of participants to 1,600."

Go to  www.gravel-worlds.com to register.

That's a wrap for this week! I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend , hopefully on bicycles.

Friday News And Views

Do I have to "Throw the Horns" if I ride tires made of METL? (Image courtesy of the SMART TIRE Co.)

SMART Tire Company Wants To Deflate Your Tires:

"Here we go again!", I thought to myself as I read the press release. More airless tire nonsense! But wait! This is NASA level tech used for rovers on foreign planets. It might be a bit different, and, as it turns out, it is very different. 

The tires are called METL and are, of course, made out of 'metal'. A Nickle/Titanium mixture, to be exact, and are made in a mesh. Think 'microphone screen' and you might get an idea, if you've ever pondered the cover of a Shure SM-58.  The mesh can deform and spring back, in a manner better than a fine bicycle tire's casing, the company claims. 

The tires use no air, and are claimed to have a lifespan greater than that of your bicycle. Of course, whenever you hear 'great things' you can expect some 'not so great things' are probably following not far behind. So, as a for instance, the SMART METL tires for bicycles will have an outer tread of rubber which can wear away and will need regular replacement. Ah.......okay? And, of course, no weights were given and no prices were revealed. Also......how you install them wasn't mentioned. 

Comments: There is too much unrevealed here for me to really give a take on these, but the fact that much important information was withheld for the time being says that I should be very skeptical of this being a workable solution for my bicycle. Another obvious thing about the SMART Tire Company is revealed right in their mission statement: "....The SMART Tire Company, with hopes of becoming the next, great American tire company..." 

The 'next great American tire company', eh? So, bicycles are really just a proof of concept exercise? Sounds like it to me. Maybe I'm being too cynical. We'll see........ 

My Apple Watch face on March 22nd, 2021.

A Time Marker:

Lots of people are marking dates now with regard to the ongoing pandemic. "It's been a year since....." whatever happened in relation to COVID-19 type reminisces have been filling social media. Well, I haven't been one to be any different in that regard. This was, and still is, kind of a 'big deal' in my life. 

I'm not sure what ever prompted me to start a streak to fill all three 'rings' of activity monitoring on my Apple Watch on March 22nd, 2020, but I bet I had some personal challenge in mind having to do with keeping my mind focused on something positive during that dark time. Whatever the motivation was, it stuck.

Monday I completed all three rings- Move, Exercise, and Stand, for the 365th consecutive day. A full year. This challenge I undertook has changed me. I did gain fitness, for sure, but more importantly, I gained a new habit or two, and I am able to tear myself away from social media, website work, and be free from technology without feeling like I am missing something, or feeling the least little bit guilty about it. 

To me, that is huge. But trust me, I have a long way to go yet. I have seen a little bit of 'the Light', if you will, and it is tantalizing. If I can move away from this seat I am sat in as I type this more during 2021 than I did in 2020 it will be counted as another goal and a success. You may be thinking I should include my mobile smart phone in this, but I forget about that thing far too often as it is. In fact, I lose it about three times a day and it doesn't bother me. Well, it doesn't until I have to find it!

So, where do I go from here? I figure I may as well keep on truckin'. Why not? It has been a good thing and I don't see a downside. Also- I am already at peace having set a year straight goal and achieving it, so if a day comes where I get sick or injured and cannot do one or all three 'rings' of activity, I am okay with that too. No worries now. But heck- why not go for two years straight? So, that's the plan for now. We'll see how it pans out in a year. 

Shimano Celebrates 100th Anniversary Of Business:

Shimano is the big bicycle parts manufacturer from Japan which we all might be familiar with, but do you know what their first bicycle part was? It was made in 1921 and it was a single speed free wheel called the "3.3.3.". Shimano also went on to make internal gear hubs, and of course, they were the first into MTB specific parts and the first to market a gravel specific group, amongst many other fine accomplishments. Some of you also may not know that Shimano is a big player in the fishing reel segment. I happen to own a fine example of an 80's era Shimano spinning reel. 

Want to check out more Shimano history? They have a special Centennial website here.

You're always on my mind....

Can't Stop Thinking About You:

Back in my 20's, I often would get a feeling come around about August time. The way the Sun light hit the grass, and the smell of a fresh-cut lawn would send my mind back to football practice. Two-a-days and humidity, sore muscles and running, running, running....Those memories haunted me every Fall for several years. And to think I only played organized football games for what? Five or six seasons? That memory really stuck with me for quite a while into my early adulthood though.

So, it should come as no surprise to me that every Spring the sights, sounds, and smells take me back to something I did for 15 years. I put on an organized bicycle event that exacted a lot of energy and emotion. Such was the case over this past week as the grass started turning greener and the smells of earth and whatever aromatic sensations are carried to me by the stiff Spring winds began to stir thoughts of organizing gravel events. 

How I did things still rolls around in my head from time to time. This past week it was how I organized the logistics regarding navigation for the event. Things that were getting to be a concern, and would be now, prompted a thought for a solution. It was exciting, if I am honest, to wonder how this new idea would play out. 

But don't get too aroused out there folks. I am not going to come out of retirement anytime soon. It is just that since I have been doing that thing for so many years that it is hard to just throw the switch and turn it off. Frankly, for me at any rate, that isn't possible. My mind will probably be permanently altered due to all those years of thinking about gravel events and how to do them from a director's viewpoint. 

Oh well.....

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Gravel Worlds has just announced that they have received approval from their local Health Department and have added 250 extra roster spots as a result. From the press release:

"Lincoln, Neb. (Mar 25,2021) — The Pirate Cycling League has received approval from Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department to hold Gravel Worlds 2021 as an in-person event the weekend of August 21, 2021. The LLCHD also approved 250 additional rider entries, bringing the total number of participants to 1,600."

Go to  www.gravel-worlds.com to register.

That's a wrap for this week! I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend , hopefully on bicycles.

Friday News And Views

New Radio Ranch podcast is up.

The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast:

One of my goals for 2020 was to get the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast up more regularly. Well, we've done five and four are up already for 2020. The train is just gettin' rollin' though.

Andy's Bike Shop is hosting the recording of the podcast for the foreseeable future. In fact, Andy himself is co-hosting the podcast with me now. The plan is to record a new episode every Tuesday and keep putting out content on a regular basis throughout the pandemic we are all experiencing now.

The latest episode published is #39. Andy and I discussed several topics and one is about the new Stormchaser, which figures heavily in the next episode we recorded already. Other topics coming in the next episode include virtual "sim" gravel racing, Strava-based solo gravel events, some other news about current reviews, and stories about creaking bits. (Which, if you are a regular reader here you've already read about)

If you have any good ideas on topics you'd like to see Andy and I cover, please email me at guitarted@ridinggravel.com or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com .

And stay tuned for the next podcast. It's coming out soon!

The announcement concerning the Tour as seen on Twitter Wednesday, April 15th, 2020.

Le Tour Postponed: 

It was inevitable, wasn't it? The Tour de France just wasn't going to happen in July. I think we all knew that, but the big question was "postponement or cancellation?" That question was answered Wednesday when the Tour announced via social media that it was going to postpone the event until a late August start. They stated in their posts that there would be no alterations to the scheduled stages, and that the event would last through September 20th, 2020.

While one can debate whether or not the cancellation option may have been better, it is now evident that with almost all major cycling events being pushed back to Fall, what sort of attention can be given to any of it by fans? Where to go? And what of cyclo-cross, or other traditional Fall sports and activities which, theoretically should be vying for our energies and attention? Will it all be too much so that we all "tune out"? Plus, who knows if gathering in large crowds will even be a good idea then? No one, that's who.

My final thought here is that if France is suggesting no large group gatherings through July, (which is what precipitated the Tour announcement), and their "pandemic peak" was previous to ours, (or will be), then what about Iowa's Ride/RAGBRAI? It would stand to reason that even these events would be unwise to hold on their scheduled dates. Prediction: Both will cancel for 2020. That's my opinion. RAGBRAI pushed back their "decision" date from the 15th to the 20th. (Monday) We'll see......

Getting acquainted with the Stormchaser- now creak-free!

 Winter Punches Back:

Those of us in the Mid-West got a quick reminder that Winter can and will make ugly reappearances at times in April. This past week has been more representative of February than April, at least in terms of temperatures. Lows each morning this week have hovered around the 20°F mark with some days not even getting to 40°F for a high.

The first three days were marked by wicked Northwest winds with brutal wind chill factors. It takes time to get re-acclimated to such nonsense, and especially so after it had been 80°F only just last week. You get used to the warmth in a big hurry!

Thankfully this weekend the warmer, more Spring-like temperatures are forecast to return, albeit with a healthy dose of wind. Of course! It is Spring after-all. But I plan on getting out on the Stormchaser on a proper gravel ride none the less. Wind or no, this has to happen, and with it being tolerable in the temperature department, I can deal with some wind. Maybe it'll have to be a flatter route into it, then get blown back. That's the plan anyway. We will see.

A Brief Word On The Stormchaser:

I have gotten out a few times on the Stormchaser, and I am happy to say it is dead silent, now that the offending bottle cage has been replaced. (Read the story posted on Wednesday this week for details) I think I am growing to like this bike. One thing it has that I have been intrigued by for well over ten years is the slack, for a gravel bike, 70° head angle. I have wanted to try a bike like this for years, as it tics almost every box I have had in terms of a gravel specific bike. the only downside, in the geometry, of the Stormchaser for me is the 70mm bottom racket drop. For what this bike is intended for, it makes sense, as Salsa figures you may want 650B wheels. But if I had my druthers, it would be a 700c only bike with a deeper drop, say 75mm. But otherwise, this bike is almost spot on for the geometry I have always wanted to try out.

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. I hope that all you readers are safe, well, and are staying sane with what is going on in the world now. I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend.

Friday News And Views

New Radio Ranch podcast is up.

The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Podcast:

One of my goals for 2020 was to get the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast up more regularly. Well, we've done five and four are up already for 2020. The train is just gettin' rollin' though.

Andy's Bike Shop is hosting the recording of the podcast for the foreseeable future. In fact, Andy himself is co-hosting the podcast with me now. The plan is to record a new episode every Tuesday and keep putting out content on a regular basis throughout the pandemic we are all experiencing now.

The latest episode published is #39. Andy and I discussed several topics and one is about the new Stormchaser, which figures heavily in the next episode we recorded already. Other topics coming in the next episode include virtual "sim" gravel racing, Strava-based solo gravel events, some other news about current reviews, and stories about creaking bits. (Which, if you are a regular reader here you've already read about)

If you have any good ideas on topics you'd like to see Andy and I cover, please email me at guitarted@ridinggravel.com or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com .

And stay tuned for the next podcast. It's coming out soon!

The announcement concerning the Tour as seen on Twitter Wednesday, April 15th, 2020.

Le Tour Postponed: 

It was inevitable, wasn't it? The Tour de France just wasn't going to happen in July. I think we all knew that, but the big question was "postponement or cancellation?" That question was answered Wednesday when the Tour announced via social media that it was going to postpone the event until a late August start. They stated in their posts that there would be no alterations to the scheduled stages, and that the event would last through September 20th, 2020.

While one can debate whether or not the cancellation option may have been better, it is now evident that with almost all major cycling events being pushed back to Fall, what sort of attention can be given to any of it by fans? Where to go? And what of cyclo-cross, or other traditional Fall sports and activities which, theoretically should be vying for our energies and attention? Will it all be too much so that we all "tune out"? Plus, who knows if gathering in large crowds will even be a good idea then? No one, that's who.

My final thought here is that if France is suggesting no large group gatherings through July, (which is what precipitated the Tour announcement), and their "pandemic peak" was previous to ours, (or will be), then what about Iowa's Ride/RAGBRAI? It would stand to reason that even these events would be unwise to hold on their scheduled dates. Prediction: Both will cancel for 2020. That's my opinion. RAGBRAI pushed back their "decision" date from the 15th to the 20th. (Monday) We'll see......

Getting acquainted with the Stormchaser- now creak-free!

 Winter Punches Back:

Those of us in the Mid-West got a quick reminder that Winter can and will make ugly reappearances at times in April. This past week has been more representative of February than April, at least in terms of temperatures. Lows each morning this week have hovered around the 20°F mark with some days not even getting to 40°F for a high.

The first three days were marked by wicked Northwest winds with brutal wind chill factors. It takes time to get re-acclimated to such nonsense, and especially so after it had been 80°F only just last week. You get used to the warmth in a big hurry!

Thankfully this weekend the warmer, more Spring-like temperatures are forecast to return, albeit with a healthy dose of wind. Of course! It is Spring after-all. But I plan on getting out on the Stormchaser on a proper gravel ride none the less. Wind or no, this has to happen, and with it being tolerable in the temperature department, I can deal with some wind. Maybe it'll have to be a flatter route into it, then get blown back. That's the plan anyway. We will see.

A Brief Word On The Stormchaser:

I have gotten out a few times on the Stormchaser, and I am happy to say it is dead silent, now that the offending bottle cage has been replaced. (Read the story posted on Wednesday this week for details) I think I am growing to like this bike. One thing it has that I have been intrigued by for well over ten years is the slack, for a gravel bike, 70° head angle. I have wanted to try a bike like this for years, as it tics almost every box I have had in terms of a gravel specific bike. the only downside, in the geometry, of the Stormchaser for me is the 70mm bottom racket drop. For what this bike is intended for, it makes sense, as Salsa figures you may want 650B wheels. But if I had my druthers, it would be a 700c only bike with a deeper drop, say 75mm. But otherwise, this bike is almost spot on for the geometry I have always wanted to try out.

Okay, that's a wrap for this week. I hope that all you readers are safe, well, and are staying sane with what is going on in the world now. I hope that you all have an enjoyable weekend.