Friday News And Views

Virtual Turkey Burn Reports Start Soon!

The response to last week's Virtual Turkey Burn Challenge has been surprisingly good. Thanks to everyone who sent me a note, pictures, or both. 

My plan is to start running the reports next week starting on Monday. Two will be combined together and one will run singly due to their length. 

This was a lot of fun and I hope that you all that read the reports find some inspiration and shared experiences as I roll these out next week. Tomorrow will be John Ingham's long-form paper, and Sunday will be the typical place for the GTDRI stories. So, stay tuned for Monday and see who took up the challenge and where they rode.

A Note About My Review Work:

As of today, I have brought all my reviewing work over to "Guitar Ted Productions". I won't be writing reviews for the time being anywhere else. That may change in the future. I don't know.....

I'm doing this for several reasons, and at this time, that's all I am able to say about that. I can tell you that this has been something percolating for some time and that it has been a very negative experience for the last year and a half.

So, you've likely noticed an uptick in reviews posted here and now you have some clue as to why that might be. I may designate certain days to be review days here so I still have to sort through that as I get into 2024. 

That said, I suspect that reviewing opportunities will dwindle as I am not associated with any "official outlets" at this time. That's fine with me. I've been caught up in that scene since 2006 and that's quite a long time when I think about that. So, as of now I've no idea how this will all pan out here. Things could change and maybe they won't. I just wanted to give you all some kind of notice here that this may be happening (and already is, actually) and to expect a bit more of the review stuff to continue on at least in the short term. However it all pans out, I am excited to carry onward. 

Geometry drawing courtesy of 3T

3T's New Extreme Itlalia: A Study In Geometry:

You may have noted several online purveyor's of cycling industry press releases showing off this new 3T Extreme Italia model. (3T's site on the bike is HERE) I won't get into all the technical aspects of this "aero-twenty-niner" gravel bike. It takes biggie tires and looks crazy and is uber-expensive. 

No, what I wanted to focus in on is the strange geometry choices 3T made for this bicycle. I have perused the geometry chart from 3T's site and I have some observations. You will have to scroll the page waaaaay down, but I have the chart linked HERE so you can check this out. 

First, you might note a couple things. There is no standover height listed and the largest frame size is listed as something that should fit riders from 6' to 6'5". That's a wide spread! I suspect that stand-over clearance is tough to give when you have such a wide range of tire fitment as well. Still, this is odd to leave out. Especially for a frame/fork that costs over 5G. 

Elsewhere in their marketing spiel 3T claims to be using an extreme fork offset of 61mm - 73mm coupled with what 3T says is a "slightly slacker headtube angle". So, I read that before I got to the geometry chart, and I was left thinking, "Wow! They must have gone with something far less than a 70° angle there." Nope.... Their head angles are relatively conservative, in terms of a gravel bike, using 70+ degree angles for the three largest sizes with only the smallest size under 70°. Make no mistake, the smaller sizes are slacker because they are trying to avoid toe-overlap. Period. 

The offset then becomes concerning. That's going to result in a pretty low-ish trail figure, which on the largest size with a 72° head tube angle might be pretty twitchy. Perhaps 3T is making concessions for a loaded front end here in terms of bikepacking weight, but that is not specifically spelled out, and unloaded, this would make for a bike that I wouldn't be all that interested in, in terms of potential handling issues. And for its price, I'm certainly not going to be interested in taking chances. 

The bottom bracket drop is also fairly conservative, again owing perhaps to the thought that this bike might end up being used more in a MTB-light application. But I would point out that many similarly purposed bikes have deeper bottom bracket drops for the bigger tires meant for those bikes. 

In the end, I find the asking price and the design to be a bit of a negative. Other concepts of the bike I have no issues with, but I do think mixing aero road, gravel, and MTB is s stew that is perhaps best not eaten.

New "Shorty" Stem For The Gryphon Mk3:

I am testing out those new Tumbleweed Big Dipper Bars and when I initially set the Singular Gryphon Mk3 up with those handlebars I realized that the rear cable run to the brake was on the "tight" side. 

I was using an 80mm long stem so I figured since that stretched me out a wee bit too much on that bike that a shorter stem might kill two birds at once. So, I ordered a 60mm Whisky No. 7 silver stem.

I received the stem this week and stuck it on the Gryphon. A test ride with a front bag loaded down showed that it was fine, in terms of handling, the brake strain is relieved somewhat, ( but still not 100% gone), and my position on the bike seems much improved. 

I guess I could live with the results, but that cable being a touch too short yet still bugs me. I could replace the entire full run housing and cable, or..... 

I had an idea as I was working on this post. Stay tuned and we will see if it worked or not. 

It May Not Be Much, But It Is A Podcast!

Since I host my podcast on Spotify, I get a "Spotify Wrapped" overview of the last year, (December doesn't count?), and a lot of stats to go along with that. 

Of course, since the "Guitar Ted Podcast " essentially started at the beginning of 2023, all the stat lines look impressive. But really, this isn't a big deal. The podcast, that is. I mean, we don't move the needle in comparison to many other sports and cycling related pods. 

But the point I wanted to make is that some of you do listen,and for that, I am very grateful. With all the media blasting out all around us, the fact that some folks choose to listen to myself and N.Y. Roll have banter is amazing. It really is. 

So, the numbers are the numbers. You can laugh, scoff, or make fun all you want. I don't do the podcast for "numbers". I do the podcast because N.Y. Roll and I have fun doing it. When that ceases to be the case, or if some other unforeseen thing comes along, we may stop doing recordings, no matter what the numbers are, good or bad. 

Again, if you listen, that's awesome and I appreciate you very much for doing so. The latest podcast, which is an "end-of-year" retrospective, can be listened to HERE or wherever you get your podcasts from.

That's it for this week! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Friday News And Views

Updated logo colors

Welcome To The First "FN&V" for 2022!

Hey! We're back here with a new "Friday News and Views". This has become one of the most popular features on the blog here , so I appreciate all of you readers who have made this regular feature a big hit over the years. 

You'll also probably have noticed, (how could you not!), a new G-Ted logo color scheme. I decided the old blue/chartreuse and the grey scale versions were old in the teeth. So, I tweaked out the colors and this is what I came up with. I like the more 'eye-searing' color combinations, and since this is my blog, why not? It isn't like I'm going to offend any advertisers! Ha! 

Anyway, if you cannot handle the colors at all, let me know. If enough of you hate it, I can tweak it out to be something different. By the way, I should say that it was Jeff Kerkove who smoothed out my original design for this by using his college attained graphic design skills. So, thanks again, Jeff, if you ever happen upon this. I still appreciate what you did for me.

Profile Racing Announces New SS Freewheel Production:

As a single speed rider, you probably know that if you choose to go with a freewheel rear wheel, you have about three options for free wheels; Shimano, Dicta/Far East Brands, and White Industries. And we all know which one of those is best. 

Well, there is about to be another choice out there: Profile Racing's Elite Freewheel. It looks like something akin to the White Industries model, with the Profile version coming in with a titanium, six-pawl carrier, a tool steel outer ring, and with two ABEC sealed bearings. It will be rebuildable and it should provide single speed freaks what they want with 140 points of engagement at all times. 

They plan on a good run of choices in tooth count with anything from 16T-22T being made. Look for these in shops by Spring 2022. 

Will high end bike sales be D2C in the future? (Image courtesy of Kitzuma)

Changes In Retail Coming Soon?

The marketplace is in total flux at the moment, mostly amplified by COVID-19 effects. One of the changes which has been coming for a while that might fit into this massive shift in retail practices is a recent announcement by BikeExchange of Australia. 

While the acquisition of the Kitzuma bicycle shipping/delivery service itself may seem boring to many of you, it is worth paying attention here. Through some easy digging around, I found some signs that may point to this move by BikeExchange being a change in how new high end bicycles and motorized bicycles will be sold in the future. 

BikeExchange is a web hub for bicycle retailers who can post their inventory on pages hosted by BikeExchange which allows "Click-and-Collect" sales or, feasibly a delivered bicycle to your front door using a service like Kitzuma. While BikeExchange is an Australian based company, they have operations in several countries including the U.S. and in Europe.  

Kitzuma has already established a system for delivery, set up, and it wouldn't be far-fetched to see this as a way to do Direct to Consumer sales for high end accessories either. Think smart trainers, custom bike fitting, or fitting power meters/GPS/Bluetooth accessories for high end consumers. Kitzuma reportedly already charges its clients approximately $200.00/bike delivery/set up. That's not going to fly for your 'bread-and-butter' hybrid/bike path rider, but for a 12K electrified MTB? Heck yeah!

And with shrinking local bike shop opportunities for consumers due to shop counts going down, and with consumer buying trends changing, the "D2C" model will likely be explored not only more intently by BikeExchange, but by the big bike brands in North America like Trek, Giant, Specialized, and Cannondale. That said, as pointed out earlier, less expensive, 'every-day' bike sales probably are not going this route anytime soon. 

Stem Geekery:

Late last month MG and I were texting back and forth and he showed me a stem he put on his fat bike which allowed him to get enough elevation to use drop bars. He said it 'revolutionized' his bike and made it relevant again for him. 

A stem that can give an old dog of a bike new life has to be pretty special, and the Dischord Chromo Peeper Stem from Analog Cycles is that stem. It is a handmade in the U.S.A. stem and it essentially is a threadless riser stem with a really short extension. 

The theory here is that shorter stems and slacker head angles are more stable. You probably have noted that for many years stem lengths have been getting shorter. Well, 'back in the day', as in the 19th Century, stems pretty much were just like this Dischord Chromo Peeper. Steering was typically done from behind the steering axis. We got away from that and went to the opposite extreme by the mid to late 20th century. Since then, stem length has been creeping ever shorter. You can read why that might be on Analog Cycles' site. 

I'm a believer in shorter stems. To a point...... I do not think you can just summarily go ultra-short on stem length on a bicycle designed to have longer stems on it. You have to research your geometry, fit, and handling preferences. Then with all of that you can make a considered choice in stem length that makes sense, and go as short as you'd like to within those parameters that you set. If you can't get there from where you are at in terms of stem length/height, it may be time for a change in bicycles. But that said....

I wanted to grab a stem for another bike off my Pofahl Signature 29"er back in 2019. I needed a 'place-holder' stem so the handle bar assembly wouldn't be dangling from the brake housings. I grabbed the stem I figured I would least likely want to use on anything else. It was a 60mm stem off another MTB. Okay, fast forward to 2020. I decided to give that stem a whirl, since- why not? And you know what? It was a more stable, more comfortable ride with that stem, which was 30-40mm shorter than anything I'd used before on that bike. Wow! 

My Pofahl Signature 29"er during 2020's Single Speed century ride with the shorter stem.

So, I like the idea of maybe going a bit shorter than I've considered going on stem length and that with drop bars. This Analog Cycles offering looks intriguing, but it is not a cheap experiment. At nearly 200 bucks, you have to be pretty committed to the idea. I've tried tall, short reach stems before on bikes designed for flat bars, (Cigne Stem on a Karate Monkey) but although I was pretty sold on it, I found it to be too much of a good thing in terms of height. So, I went back to a slightly lower height stem and sold that Cigne Stem. 

I'll have to do some careful measurements and a mock-up of a drop bar on my Snow Dog fat bike, but I am strongly considering this Dischord Chromo Peeper Stem for that bike. Stay tuned.....

Geoff Kabush Has Concerns About The Life Time Gran Prix Events:

Gravel racing hits the news again? Already? Didn't I just have three days worth of gab on the gravel scene this week? 

Yes. 

And I've a feeling that now that thousands of dollars in prize money is being waved in rider's faces that we'll be seeing a LOT more news about gravel racing. The latest stir is over how Life Time Fitness set up their six event series called the Gran Prix. Three gravel, three MTB events, bigger prize money, and only 60 athletes were chosen. Geoff Kabush tried getting in, but after he publicly outed Life Time on their selection process and gave them some "smarty-pants" answers to the selection committee, (Kabush said he was giving 'honest feedback'), the selection process was - not surprisingly- unsuccessful for him. So, that's number one here.

Now he has taken an opportunity to write up an opinion piece on the Cyclingtips website here. I read through his reasons for his concerns. My overall feeling is that his concerns are a bit misdirected and, ultimately, a moot point. Why? Because Life Time made the series up, created the rules, and put that all out there for whomever wanted to sign up. If you got selected as one of the "lucky" 60 athletes, well now you have agreed to those rules. It is Life Time's 'sand box'. If ya don't like the rules- don't sign up. No one is making these athletes do anything- or are they??? 

You see, if you pay attention, press releases are coming out now about athletes signing on with new teams and getting new endorsement deals since they have been selected as one of the 60 riders in the series. Hmm....which came first? The signing on with the team, or getting the plumb position on the Gran Prix roster? There are probably instances where it worked both ways, but the timing of some of these announcements is suspect in that manner. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that maybe some of these deals were predicated on the athlete getting in the Gran Prix.

But, however that may be, if Life Time made it clear that you were going to be a social media maven (slave?) for Life Time's Gran Prix when you signed up, well then- you should have known better if you didn't think that was really going to be a thing. Again- no one is making these folks do this series against their will.....that we are aware of anyway.

And Kabush brings up doping controls, because, as he rightly points out, the game gets changed when the money comes out. It is a known fact that cheating has occurred back when there wasn't money in the gravel scene, so, yeah- totally! People will dope to win these events. Why wouldn't they? Especially with no controls at all happening in gravel racing. This is why I have been saying that this whole corporate gravel scene is not going to go well. It may take several years, but the few that make up the niche group of upper echelon athletes participating in this nonsense will eventually go right down the same road that Pro MTB, Road, and other sports have gone. 

It's kind of ironic because these are the reasons the gravel scene got going. The gravel scene was a rejection of top level racing and those who felt they "had" to participate in it. It was a rejection of the focus on the few upper tier of participants at the expense of the masses. It was a rejection of all the rules and regulations that stifled the sport. And now? 

Wash, rinse, repeat.

That's a wrap for the first "FN&V" for 2022! Have a fantastic weekend and get outside!

Friday News And Views

Updated logo colors

Welcome To The First "FN&V" for 2022!

Hey! We're back here with a new "Friday News and Views". This has become one of the most popular features on the blog here , so I appreciate all of you readers who have made this regular feature a big hit over the years. 

You'll also probably have noticed, (how could you not!), a new G-Ted logo color scheme. I decided the old blue/chartreuse and the grey scale versions were old in the teeth. So, I tweaked out the colors and this is what I came up with. I like the more 'eye-searing' color combinations, and since this is my blog, why not? It isn't like I'm going to offend any advertisers! Ha! 

Anyway, if you cannot handle the colors at all, let me know. If enough of you hate it, I can tweak it out to be something different. By the way, I should say that it was Jeff Kerkove who smoothed out my original design for this by using his college attained graphic design skills. So, thanks again, Jeff, if you ever happen upon this. I still appreciate what you did for me.

Profile Racing Announces New SS Freewheel Production:

As a single speed rider, you probably know that if you choose to go with a freewheel rear wheel, you have about three options for free wheels; Shimano, Dicta/Far East Brands, and White Industries. And we all know which one of those is best. 

Well, there is about to be another choice out there: Profile Racing's Elite Freewheel. It looks like something akin to the White Industries model, with the Profile version coming in with a titanium, six-pawl carrier, a tool steel outer ring, and with two ABEC sealed bearings. It will be rebuildable and it should provide single speed freaks what they want with 140 points of engagement at all times. 

They plan on a good run of choices in tooth count with anything from 16T-22T being made. Look for these in shops by Spring 2022. 

Will high end bike sales be D2C in the future? (Image courtesy of Kitzuma)

Changes In Retail Coming Soon?

The marketplace is in total flux at the moment, mostly amplified by COVID-19 effects. One of the changes which has been coming for a while that might fit into this massive shift in retail practices is a recent announcement by BikeExchange of Australia. 

While the acquisition of the Kitzuma bicycle shipping/delivery service itself may seem boring to many of you, it is worth paying attention here. Through some easy digging around, I found some signs that may point to this move by BikeExchange being a change in how new high end bicycles and motorized bicycles will be sold in the future. 

BikeExchange is a web hub for bicycle retailers who can post their inventory on pages hosted by BikeExchange which allows "Click-and-Collect" sales or, feasibly a delivered bicycle to your front door using a service like Kitzuma. While BikeExchange is an Australian based company, they have operations in several countries including the U.S. and in Europe.  

Kitzuma has already established a system for delivery, set up, and it wouldn't be far-fetched to see this as a way to do Direct to Consumer sales for high end accessories either. Think smart trainers, custom bike fitting, or fitting power meters/GPS/Bluetooth accessories for high end consumers. Kitzuma reportedly already charges its clients approximately $200.00/bike delivery/set up. That's not going to fly for your 'bread-and-butter' hybrid/bike path rider, but for a 12K electrified MTB? Heck yeah!

And with shrinking local bike shop opportunities for consumers due to shop counts going down, and with consumer buying trends changing, the "D2C" model will likely be explored not only more intently by BikeExchange, but by the big bike brands in North America like Trek, Giant, Specialized, and Cannondale. That said, as pointed out earlier, less expensive, 'every-day' bike sales probably are not going this route anytime soon. 

Stem Geekery:

Late last month MG and I were texting back and forth and he showed me a stem he put on his fat bike which allowed him to get enough elevation to use drop bars. He said it 'revolutionized' his bike and made it relevant again for him. 

A stem that can give an old dog of a bike new life has to be pretty special, and the Dischord Chromo Peeper Stem from Analog Cycles is that stem. It is a handmade in the U.S.A. stem and it essentially is a threadless riser stem with a really short extension. 

The theory here is that shorter stems and slacker head angles are more stable. You probably have noted that for many years stem lengths have been getting shorter. Well, 'back in the day', as in the 19th Century, stems pretty much were just like this Dischord Chromo Peeper. Steering was typically done from behind the steering axis. We got away from that and went to the opposite extreme by the mid to late 20th century. Since then, stem length has been creeping ever shorter. You can read why that might be on Analog Cycles' site. 

I'm a believer in shorter stems. To a point...... I do not think you can just summarily go ultra-short on stem length on a bicycle designed to have longer stems on it. You have to research your geometry, fit, and handling preferences. Then with all of that you can make a considered choice in stem length that makes sense, and go as short as you'd like to within those parameters that you set. If you can't get there from where you are at in terms of stem length/height, it may be time for a change in bicycles. But that said....

I wanted to grab a stem for another bike off my Pofahl Signature 29"er back in 2019. I needed a 'place-holder' stem so the handle bar assembly wouldn't be dangling from the brake housings. I grabbed the stem I figured I would least likely want to use on anything else. It was a 60mm stem off another MTB. Okay, fast forward to 2020. I decided to give that stem a whirl, since- why not? And you know what? It was a more stable, more comfortable ride with that stem, which was 30-40mm shorter than anything I'd used before on that bike. Wow! 

My Pofahl Signature 29"er during 2020's Single Speed century ride with the shorter stem.

So, I like the idea of maybe going a bit shorter than I've considered going on stem length and that with drop bars. This Analog Cycles offering looks intriguing, but it is not a cheap experiment. At nearly 200 bucks, you have to be pretty committed to the idea. I've tried tall, short reach stems before on bikes designed for flat bars, (Cigne Stem on a Karate Monkey) but although I was pretty sold on it, I found it to be too much of a good thing in terms of height. So, I went back to a slightly lower height stem and sold that Cigne Stem. 

I'll have to do some careful measurements and a mock-up of a drop bar on my Snow Dog fat bike, but I am strongly considering this Dischord Chromo Peeper Stem for that bike. Stay tuned.....

Geoff Kabush Has Concerns About The Life Time Gran Prix Events:

Gravel racing hits the news again? Already? Didn't I just have three days worth of gab on the gravel scene this week? 

Yes. 

And I've a feeling that now that thousands of dollars in prize money is being waved in rider's faces that we'll be seeing a LOT more news about gravel racing. The latest stir is over how Life Time Fitness set up their six event series called the Gran Prix. Three gravel, three MTB events, bigger prize money, and only 60 athletes were chosen. Geoff Kabush tried getting in, but after he publicly outed Life Time on their selection process and gave them some "smarty-pants" answers to the selection committee, (Kabush said he was giving 'honest feedback'), the selection process was - not surprisingly- unsuccessful for him. So, that's number one here.

Now he has taken an opportunity to write up an opinion piece on the Cyclingtips website here. I read through his reasons for his concerns. My overall feeling is that his concerns are a bit misdirected and, ultimately, a moot point. Why? Because Life Time made the series up, created the rules, and put that all out there for whomever wanted to sign up. If you got selected as one of the "lucky" 60 athletes, well now you have agreed to those rules. It is Life Time's 'sand box'. If ya don't like the rules- don't sign up. No one is making these athletes do anything- or are they??? 

You see, if you pay attention, press releases are coming out now about athletes signing on with new teams and getting new endorsement deals since they have been selected as one of the 60 riders in the series. Hmm....which came first? The signing on with the team, or getting the plumb position on the Gran Prix roster? There are probably instances where it worked both ways, but the timing of some of these announcements is suspect in that manner. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that maybe some of these deals were predicated on the athlete getting in the Gran Prix.

But, however that may be, if Life Time made it clear that you were going to be a social media maven (slave?) for Life Time's Gran Prix when you signed up, well then- you should have known better if you didn't think that was really going to be a thing. Again- no one is making these folks do this series against their will.....that we are aware of anyway.

And Kabush brings up doping controls, because, as he rightly points out, the game gets changed when the money comes out. It is a known fact that cheating has occurred back when there wasn't money in the gravel scene, so, yeah- totally! People will dope to win these events. Why wouldn't they? Especially with no controls at all happening in gravel racing. This is why I have been saying that this whole corporate gravel scene is not going to go well. It may take several years, but the few that make up the niche group of upper echelon athletes participating in this nonsense will eventually go right down the same road that Pro MTB, Road, and other sports have gone. 

It's kind of ironic because these are the reasons the gravel scene got going. The gravel scene was a rejection of top level racing and those who felt they "had" to participate in it. It was a rejection of the focus on the few upper tier of participants at the expense of the masses. It was a rejection of all the rules and regulations that stifled the sport. And now? 

Wash, rinse, repeat.

That's a wrap for the first "FN&V" for 2022! Have a fantastic weekend and get outside!

News Season Part 1: Industry Nine Announces The A 35 Stem

The new Industry 9 A 35 stem is available in a bunch of colors and several different lengths.

Industry 9 Announces The A 35 Stem:

If you have been paying attention, you know that Enduro and Downhill racers have been gravitating toward 35mm stem clamp diameter stems and handlebars. Industry 9 noticed too.

The newest product and one not related to wheels, (unusual here), they have is named after Industry 9's five axis machining centers, (The "A Axis", to be specific), and is a 35mm stem clamp diameter. It is available in four lengths and a myriad of different colors. Industry 9 will even mix a different face plate color in there for an upcharge.


MSRP for single color A 35 stems is $125.00 and two color versions are $140.00. The stems are available now. Completely designed and manufactured in Asheville, NC.

Comments: This was a bit of a surprise to me. Industry 9 is branching out here and making a cool looking component. This kind of reminds me of the mid-90's American machinists boom in the mtb world with all the in-house machining and anodizing.

Now, the whole 35mm stem and handle bar thing is an unknown to me......now. I have a set up on my Singular Cycles Buzzard in this standard, but I haven't really tested it out yet. With the season winding down, I may not get around to it either. We'll see. But back to the stem!

Yeah, so this may be your new standard going forward for mtb's. It's good to see another option and it is curious as it makes one wonder what Industry 9 might come up with next. Are they the "Paul Components" of the East? Maybe not that quite yet, but I could see it.

Note- Industry 9 provided the information and image for this post.

News Season Part 1: Industry Nine Announces The A 35 Stem

The new Industry 9 A 35 stem is available in a bunch of colors and several different lengths.

Industry 9 Announces The A 35 Stem:

If you have been paying attention, you know that Enduro and Downhill racers have been gravitating toward 35mm stem clamp diameter stems and handlebars. Industry 9 noticed too.

The newest product and one not related to wheels, (unusual here), they have is named after Industry 9's five axis machining centers, (The "A Axis", to be specific), and is a 35mm stem clamp diameter. It is available in four lengths and a myriad of different colors. Industry 9 will even mix a different face plate color in there for an upcharge.


MSRP for single color A 35 stems is $125.00 and two color versions are $140.00. The stems are available now. Completely designed and manufactured in Asheville, NC.

Comments: This was a bit of a surprise to me. Industry 9 is branching out here and making a cool looking component. This kind of reminds me of the mid-90's American machinists boom in the mtb world with all the in-house machining and anodizing.

Now, the whole 35mm stem and handle bar thing is an unknown to me......now. I have a set up on my Singular Cycles Buzzard in this standard, but I haven't really tested it out yet. With the season winding down, I may not get around to it either. We'll see. But back to the stem!

Yeah, so this may be your new standard going forward for mtb's. It's good to see another option and it is curious as it makes one wonder what Industry 9 might come up with next. Are they the "Paul Components" of the East? Maybe not that quite yet, but I could see it.

Note- Industry 9 provided the information and image for this post.

Friday News And Views

Paul Components Boxcar 35mm long stem

Larger And Larger:

Nothing really "new" here, but maybe you weren't aware that stems are gradually moving toward a 35mm clamp diameter standard. As with previously enlarged clamp diameter moves, this is motivated by down hill and mountain biking.

Road cycling pretty much jumped right on when 31.8mm handle bar clamp diameter stems were introduced, because sprinters claimed it made the bikes handle more precisely in those frenzied, end-of-stage melee's. However; this hasn't yet happened to any real extent with this 35mm diameter clamp standard.

That doesn't mean that this standard won't supplant 31.8mm for mountain biking. Longer travel mountain bikes and wider handle bars have driven this standard forward and more and more companies are starting to offer stems in this standard. Paul Components being one of latest to do so. (Whoops- Thanks to a smarter reader than I this is actually a 35mm long stem  Thanks for the catch. But 35mm clamp diameter stems do exist.) It seems ironic that in 20 years we've gone from the old 25.4mm clamp standard stem and 135mm long stems to 35mm clamp stems with 50mm lengths! It makes one wonder if there won't be a "correction" in geometry and components in the future. Maybe a little longer stems, less wide handle bars. Not to mention front center lengths coming back down a bit along with less slack head angles.

Maybe someday we'll look back in a bin and say, "Hey! Remember when we all used to run these stubby stems? Wow, that was odd, wasn't it?"

It makes people grumpy, that technology.

 Get Your Air Pressure Via One Of 79 Channels:

Whenever something hits the consumer marketplace that has been infused with some newfangled technology when previously it has been just a mundane object, we all seem to lose our minds. I'm a self-avowed "retro-grouch", but I have been getting around my proclivities over the last decade for not being very open minded about "gizmos", although, I am often not very taken with some of them. Like GPS computers, for instance. I just really have a hard time getting enthused about what they do. Meh! Don't mind me.

I still use a GPS based computer, but mostly just as I would an analog computer. The rest of what it can do doesn't capture my imagination. But I don't get all bent out of shape about this existing as a potentially powerful tool in the hands of others. If it trips yer trigger, fine. But many folks do get bent, and yes....I used to too. Take Di2 for instance. I wasn't a fan early on, then I rode the stuff.

Whoa!

Mind blown and all. Anyway...... Silca released this mini-pump with technology which talks to your smartphone via "Bluetooth" radio transmission and transfers pressure data to your phone via an app. It essentially makes your phone part of a highly accurate pressure gauge. I wrote a review on the one Silca sent over here. There have been some interesting responses to the review that remind me of how I used to be about stuff like this. I get it.....

And while it may not be for you, investing any amount of angst about its very existence seems like a waste of energy. There will be adopters and as long as the product does what they say it will do, then hey.....what the heck. The world doesn't need "just another mini-pump", but one that adds a cool feature? Maybe that is worthwhile. Expensive? Darn tootin' it is, but maybe this will catch on and competition could drive the prices down. Or it won't fly and it will go away. Who knows......

Ice jam on the Black Hawk Creek.

Brown Season Returns:

 With the recent warmer weather and our light snow cover, we have seen it all melt away and now are in the clutches of "Brown Season" once again.

I find it kind of irritating when we have single digit temperatures, wind chills way below zero, and it looks like Fall outside. This is "fake Winter"! Heck, the only things around here that are white and frozen are the occasional water puddles in the single track and the ice jams on the creeks. Snow? Pfffft!

It's like being stuck in some kind of seasonal version of Purgatory. Neither Fall nor Winter, and too windy and cold to get out on the gravel without being bundled up to the point that all you can comfortably ride is a fat bike. May as well stay in the woods and plunk around. That's exactly what I've been doing of late too.

The good news is that we are supposed to get some sort of weather over the weekend through Monday which has a promise of snow. The bad news is that it is the typical lower moisture snow which is being predicted. That usually blows around until there is a thin covering on the trails then it evaporates at the first sign of bright Sunshine due to ts low moisture content. In otherwords, not snow that adds up to fun Winter sporting activities.

But, we have a maximum of six more weeks of Winter and then it will be over. Spring will be in the air and we can move on to a new season to complain about! Ha!

Everyone have a great weekend and don't get too crazy Sunday over that "super game"!

Friday News And Views

Paul Components Boxcar 35mm long stem

Larger And Larger:

Nothing really "new" here, but maybe you weren't aware that stems are gradually moving toward a 35mm clamp diameter standard. As with previously enlarged clamp diameter moves, this is motivated by down hill and mountain biking.

Road cycling pretty much jumped right on when 31.8mm handle bar clamp diameter stems were introduced, because sprinters claimed it made the bikes handle more precisely in those frenzied, end-of-stage melee's. However; this hasn't yet happened to any real extent with this 35mm diameter clamp standard.

That doesn't mean that this standard won't supplant 31.8mm for mountain biking. Longer travel mountain bikes and wider handle bars have driven this standard forward and more and more companies are starting to offer stems in this standard. Paul Components being one of latest to do so. (Whoops- Thanks to a smarter reader than I this is actually a 35mm long stem  Thanks for the catch. But 35mm clamp diameter stems do exist.) It seems ironic that in 20 years we've gone from the old 25.4mm clamp standard stem and 135mm long stems to 35mm clamp stems with 50mm lengths! It makes one wonder if there won't be a "correction" in geometry and components in the future. Maybe a little longer stems, less wide handle bars. Not to mention front center lengths coming back down a bit along with less slack head angles.

Maybe someday we'll look back in a bin and say, "Hey! Remember when we all used to run these stubby stems? Wow, that was odd, wasn't it?"

It makes people grumpy, that technology.

 Get Your Air Pressure Via One Of 79 Channels:

Whenever something hits the consumer marketplace that has been infused with some newfangled technology when previously it has been just a mundane object, we all seem to lose our minds. I'm a self-avowed "retro-grouch", but I have been getting around my proclivities over the last decade for not being very open minded about "gizmos", although, I am often not very taken with some of them. Like GPS computers, for instance. I just really have a hard time getting enthused about what they do. Meh! Don't mind me.

I still use a GPS based computer, but mostly just as I would an analog computer. The rest of what it can do doesn't capture my imagination. But I don't get all bent out of shape about this existing as a potentially powerful tool in the hands of others. If it trips yer trigger, fine. But many folks do get bent, and yes....I used to too. Take Di2 for instance. I wasn't a fan early on, then I rode the stuff.

Whoa!

Mind blown and all. Anyway...... Silca released this mini-pump with technology which talks to your smartphone via "Bluetooth" radio transmission and transfers pressure data to your phone via an app. It essentially makes your phone part of a highly accurate pressure gauge. I wrote a review on the one Silca sent over here. There have been some interesting responses to the review that remind me of how I used to be about stuff like this. I get it.....

And while it may not be for you, investing any amount of angst about its very existence seems like a waste of energy. There will be adopters and as long as the product does what they say it will do, then hey.....what the heck. The world doesn't need "just another mini-pump", but one that adds a cool feature? Maybe that is worthwhile. Expensive? Darn tootin' it is, but maybe this will catch on and competition could drive the prices down. Or it won't fly and it will go away. Who knows......

Ice jam on the Black Hawk Creek.

Brown Season Returns:

 With the recent warmer weather and our light snow cover, we have seen it all melt away and now are in the clutches of "Brown Season" once again.

I find it kind of irritating when we have single digit temperatures, wind chills way below zero, and it looks like Fall outside. This is "fake Winter"! Heck, the only things around here that are white and frozen are the occasional water puddles in the single track and the ice jams on the creeks. Snow? Pfffft!

It's like being stuck in some kind of seasonal version of Purgatory. Neither Fall nor Winter, and too windy and cold to get out on the gravel without being bundled up to the point that all you can comfortably ride is a fat bike. May as well stay in the woods and plunk around. That's exactly what I've been doing of late too.

The good news is that we are supposed to get some sort of weather over the weekend through Monday which has a promise of snow. The bad news is that it is the typical lower moisture snow which is being predicted. That usually blows around until there is a thin covering on the trails then it evaporates at the first sign of bright Sunshine due to ts low moisture content. In otherwords, not snow that adds up to fun Winter sporting activities.

But, we have a maximum of six more weeks of Winter and then it will be over. Spring will be in the air and we can move on to a new season to complain about! Ha!

Everyone have a great weekend and don't get too crazy Sunday over that "super game"!

New Season- New Look

Ditched the green bar tape for black.

This past weekend was interrupted by some volunteer work, so I didn't get a big ride in, nor would I have anyhow. I've been nursing along a low-level could and I am sure I could manage to make it worse with a nice long ride in the country. So, instead, I did some maintenance on the fleet. Mostly involving tubeless tire things. Inflating, doing short rides on each bike, inspecting the valves, and just making sure everything was in tip-top shape.

I shifted, braked, and checked for rattles. I double checked the Black Mountain Cycles bike, as that one got the new Cowbell and Dimension stem. I also ditched the green tape I've used almost since the bike was new and went with black. A new era? Call it "The Black Tape Era" of the Orange Crush.

The Dimension stem is really quite nice. I am impressed with the way it is made made and I hope it holds up as well as the Ritchey one that came off of the bike. I will say that the finish on the Dimension stem is actually better than the Ritchey's ever was. That is a surprise. The black bar tape is fizik. It is about the only thing they make I can endorse fully. It is really nice bar tape. It is like that wrap we used to put on our steering wheels in the 70's to mimic leather driving tape. It has contour and give, but not too much, so the grip is good, but your hands don't get fatigued holding on to it. Plus, it dampens vibrations on gravel better than most tape does, and you can clean it.

Well, the bottom line is whether or not the BMC feels at least as good as before and hopefully better. I can say from my short test ride that it seems at least as good. That's a success so far then. Now for the season to turn. that won't be long now........

New Season- New Look

Ditched the green bar tape for black.

This past weekend was interrupted by some volunteer work, so I didn't get a big ride in, nor would I have anyhow. I've been nursing along a low-level could and I am sure I could manage to make it worse with a nice long ride in the country. So, instead, I did some maintenance on the fleet. Mostly involving tubeless tire things. Inflating, doing short rides on each bike, inspecting the valves, and just making sure everything was in tip-top shape.

I shifted, braked, and checked for rattles. I double checked the Black Mountain Cycles bike, as that one got the new Cowbell and Dimension stem. I also ditched the green tape I've used almost since the bike was new and went with black. A new era? Call it "The Black Tape Era" of the Orange Crush.

The Dimension stem is really quite nice. I am impressed with the way it is made made and I hope it holds up as well as the Ritchey one that came off of the bike. I will say that the finish on the Dimension stem is actually better than the Ritchey's ever was. That is a surprise. The black bar tape is fizik. It is about the only thing they make I can endorse fully. It is really nice bar tape. It is like that wrap we used to put on our steering wheels in the 70's to mimic leather driving tape. It has contour and give, but not too much, so the grip is good, but your hands don't get fatigued holding on to it. Plus, it dampens vibrations on gravel better than most tape does, and you can clean it.

Well, the bottom line is whether or not the BMC feels at least as good as before and hopefully better. I can say from my short test ride that it seems at least as good. That's a success so far then. Now for the season to turn. that won't be long now........

Posting On A Post

Adding more Titanium to the mix.

It has been some time ago now that I added a Salsa Regulator Seatpost to my Ti Mukluk. I had heard about the nice ride imparted by titanium seat posts from close friends and acquaintances that were riding them. Everyone agreed, there was nothing like the ride quality of a titanium seat post, you gotta get one! Except that then the only ones you could get your hands on easily cost $300.00 plus dollars.

Yeah.......not happening.

Then I heard about the Salsa Regulator and since the shop was a Salsa dealer I could get one cheaper than normal. So.....what the heck! That was enough to get me to bite on a titanium post and see what the fuss was about. Well, the "fuss" was real. They do actually ride really well.

I ended up running that post on the fat bike and then on the Gen 2 Fargo. I liked it so much I decided I wanted another, but there were no more and there was no ETA for when the posts would be back in stock, if they ever would be again. Then Salsa Cycles started getting out of titanium bicycles which seemed to point to them not bringing that seat post back ever again.

Then I hear that they are back! Well, lucky for me that I just had my birthday and that my Mom gave me some money for a present. So......I got another Regulator. This one will be going on a special project at first. If it all turns out it may stay with this bike, but since those posts are essentially an heirloom component, I may move it around to other bicycles. I would get three more of these if I could afford it now, I think they are that good.

The odd thing I think people have difficulty with is that the Regulator weighs a bit more than the other titanium posts and that it is still really expensive at almost $300.00. Well, I don't really care what it weighs, it is how it rides that matters to me. That and the fact that it is really a tough post. I've come down on mine awkwardly a few times and it shrugs it off like it is nothing. I have done a similar awkward landing on a carbon post with catastrophic results.

For a "house" brand stem, these are really quite nice and fairly lightweight as well.

I also picked up a couple of these shiny Dimension stems. There are a few choices for polished stems out there, but most are pretty pricey. I've owned Thomson, Ritchey, and Salsa stems all which are very nice and do the job. However; for the money, you cannot beat the value here. Plus, they are lightweight as well.

I got two, since, as I say, they aren't expensive, and I have two places I need a shiny stem. One is to replace the stem on my Black Mountain Bikes rig which is also getting the new Cowbell Bar. The other is going on the same bike as the Regulator post. That bike will have a silver component scheme, as much as I can keep things silver.

The bicycle industry has this infatuation with black anodized stuff that is kind of old and overdone, in my opinion. Silver can be nice too, and as far as gravel riding goes, silver, polished components seem to be easier to keep looking nice. Black ano, unless it is a high polished finish, is tough to keep from looking dingy after it has been in the dust s few times. Maybe it is just me. Maybe it is my "retro-grouch" tendencies. Whatever; I just wish that there were more nice choices in silver ano for things like hubs, rims, and stems, for that matter.

Speaking of rims, I see Velocity USA has some Blunt SS rims that they do in polished. Hmm.......

Posting On A Post

Adding more Titanium to the mix.

It has been some time ago now that I added a Salsa Regulator Seatpost to my Ti Mukluk. I had heard about the nice ride imparted by titanium seat posts from close friends and acquaintances that were riding them. Everyone agreed, there was nothing like the ride quality of a titanium seat post, you gotta get one! Except that then the only ones you could get your hands on easily cost $300.00 plus dollars.

Yeah.......not happening.

Then I heard about the Salsa Regulator and since the shop was a Salsa dealer I could get one cheaper than normal. So.....what the heck! That was enough to get me to bite on a titanium post and see what the fuss was about. Well, the "fuss" was real. They do actually ride really well.

I ended up running that post on the fat bike and then on the Gen 2 Fargo. I liked it so much I decided I wanted another, but there were no more and there was no ETA for when the posts would be back in stock, if they ever would be again. Then Salsa Cycles started getting out of titanium bicycles which seemed to point to them not bringing that seat post back ever again.

Then I hear that they are back! Well, lucky for me that I just had my birthday and that my Mom gave me some money for a present. So......I got another Regulator. This one will be going on a special project at first. If it all turns out it may stay with this bike, but since those posts are essentially an heirloom component, I may move it around to other bicycles. I would get three more of these if I could afford it now, I think they are that good.

The odd thing I think people have difficulty with is that the Regulator weighs a bit more than the other titanium posts and that it is still really expensive at almost $300.00. Well, I don't really care what it weighs, it is how it rides that matters to me. That and the fact that it is really a tough post. I've come down on mine awkwardly a few times and it shrugs it off like it is nothing. I have done a similar awkward landing on a carbon post with catastrophic results.

For a "house" brand stem, these are really quite nice and fairly lightweight as well.

I also picked up a couple of these shiny Dimension stems. There are a few choices for polished stems out there, but most are pretty pricey. I've owned Thomson, Ritchey, and Salsa stems all which are very nice and do the job. However; for the money, you cannot beat the value here. Plus, they are lightweight as well.

I got two, since, as I say, they aren't expensive, and I have two places I need a shiny stem. One is to replace the stem on my Black Mountain Bikes rig which is also getting the new Cowbell Bar. The other is going on the same bike as the Regulator post. That bike will have a silver component scheme, as much as I can keep things silver.

The bicycle industry has this infatuation with black anodized stuff that is kind of old and overdone, in my opinion. Silver can be nice too, and as far as gravel riding goes, silver, polished components seem to be easier to keep looking nice. Black ano, unless it is a high polished finish, is tough to keep from looking dingy after it has been in the dust s few times. Maybe it is just me. Maybe it is my "retro-grouch" tendencies. Whatever; I just wish that there were more nice choices in silver ano for things like hubs, rims, and stems, for that matter.

Speaking of rims, I see Velocity USA has some Blunt SS rims that they do in polished. Hmm.......