Friday News And Views

 Rene Herse TPU Tubes On Test:

I went ahead and took shiggy's suggestion in the comments last week and ordered a set of Rene Herse TPU tubes for testing here. These will be going into a set of wheels with tires which will remain constant throughout this riding season to see how TPU tubes hold up. 

The Rene Herse TPU tubes, besides being clear, have the distinction of having aluminum valve stems with removable cores. So no flimsy plastic/TPU stems here! Hooray! 

However: I am going to ding Rene Herse's shipping department. They threw these two boxes into a bubble interior paper envelope and shipped them USPS. This flimsy envelope allowed the boxes with the tubes inside to get crushed. The boxes looked a bit beaten up coming out of the envelope. I actually adjusted this one seen here for the image to make it look not so sad. 

Hopefully the tubes are none the worse for wear! I'll be finding out soon enough. I'll have a full opening review on these soon. I expect these will work out well. I've been having pretty good experiences so far with TPU tubes and I am considering swapping over a few more bikes to these tubes. They are radically light, ride like tubeless, but do not need topping up with sealant after six months and these hold air even better than a tubeless tire typically does. 

So, I expect "great things" with these tubes. Stay tuned... 

Image courtesy of J. Zuniga

Running Back The R.A.G.?

N.Y. Roll and I are thinking about running back this t-shirt design I call "R.A.G." It was inspired during the last recon for the last gravel event I ever did.  We saw a lone Bald Eagle in a field alongside the road during the Spring time when everything was brown and dead. 

I was inspired and spouted out something about "Real American Gravel" which ended up on this t-shirt design because N.Y. Roll wanted to have the event we were putting on be for, and inspired by, veterans of the military. 

I had a few left overs of this shirt and since the event in question never happened and that was four years ago, I decided to donate the remainder to the Collective and sell them there. One of our board members, Joe Zuniga, a veteran himself, picked one up and gave it to his friend in Texas who wears it proudly. (The image is of Joe's friend) 

This inspired N.Y. Roll to ask me if we should run this back again, and to be honest, I've been thinking about this as well. So, what do you think? Let us know in the comments. 

Image courtesy of SRAM

Gravel Bike Tech Infiltrates Classics Bike Set Up:

The Spring Classics are beginning now over in Europe and all the cobble-specific tricks are being trotted out for those Pro riders to gain whatever advantage they can with them.

One of the more recent developments comes from the world of gravel bikes. Recent online purveyors of Pro race bike set up articles are ballyhooing the usage by some teams of 1X "mullet" set ups which have pie-plate sized rear cogs for the lower gearing necessary toi climb some of those steep Belgian hills.  

That is neat. However, the cobbled classics are their own beast and if we are honest, these races have always demanded unique and sometimes unusual solutions to provide the riders with their best possible outcomes. Drive train solutions for these races have always been a bit different due to their mostly flat profiles, with a few notable exceptions. 

I'm not going to get too excited about Pros using gravel gearing. It is not a big deal, really. But it is ironic, in a way, because roadies used to make snide remarks about gravel riding and racing back in the day, and here they are using stuff which grew out of the discipline. Nice. 

Welcome To Iowa Weather:

Wednesday we had a blizzard, Today it snowed, and this coming Monday it might be a record warm day here in Waterloo, Iowa. 

That's Spring in this area for you! It makes it rough to plan for rides and sometimes it can be downright disgusting.  Furthermore; it can really play havoc with the gravel roads. 

Fortunately - or maybe unfortunately - we are pretty dry and need the moisture, so the roads won't be too awful with frost heaves and big muddy patches, at least I don't think so. But yeah....roller coaster weather is always a treat. 

Things should smooth out soon enough, but when you are itching to get out, setbacks like we had this week are no fun. On the flip side, Iowa's cycling season should kick into high gear next week. Bike shops beware!

Where We Came From: The Lincoln Scene -

I had the honor and privilege of having two genuine gravel cycling pioneers as guests on the "Guitar Ted Podcast" Thursday. N.Y. Roll listened as Matt Gersib and Matt Wills unfolded the tale of their cycling journeys. Their stories intertwine since the two are friends and have been for decades. 

Their stories are informative and will show how several facets of cycling, technology, and the times had to come into focus at the right time to foster a community of gravel cyclists. Cyclists who influenced gravel cycling in a significant way to the point - in my opinion - that gravel cycling would have not been what it has become without this scene. 

If you care about gravel cycling, and if you want to know a bit of the story regarding how it all got started, I cannot recommend this episode enough. Check it out HERE or wherever you get your podcast feed from.
 

That's a wrap for this week! It's a slow news week, but with Mid-South next weekend, you can expect more newsy stuff. Get out and ride those bikes!

Friday News And Views

New Riding Gravel stickers are in.

 Riding Gravel Apparel & Stickers Are In:

Thanks to Bike Rags the newest editions of Riding Gravel t-shirts and the new stickers are in. We kept things simple and brought back a classic design this time. 

First up, Ben, my partner in RidingGravel.com brought up a tagline and posted it with one of our Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast postings. He came up with "Fun On The Rocks" and it was something that just struck a chord with me. I like that it points to this type of cycling as being a good time, not just gnarly adventure, racing, or suffer-fest nonsense. Not that those things cannot be a part of the gravel riding scene, or that they shouldn't be, but that is not the main attraction here. "Fun" is. 

Bike Rags did all the printing and sourcing of the shirts. They did a great job. For shirts we have an ash grey colored "Addicted To Gravel" shirt featuring that phrase in a clearly read black font. Next up we decided to bring back a classic shirt from 2013-14. It is a dark grey shirt wth white printing showing an old time high-wheeler bike with the saying "Riding Stones Shaking Bones" above and below the cyclists in old Western style font. 

Bike Rags is also the sponsor of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch which just posted another episode which you can get the link to here. Fancy yourself a t shirt, or just want to check them out? See this link. Every order gets a free sticker too. Thanks!

March went out like a lion, I rode my Trek commuter bike anyway.

Townie Update:

That old Trek I featured here earlier in the year is getting out and getting used again. I thought some of you might be interested in how it has been going so far. 

My main concern was the seated position which put me a bit further out over the front end than I typically like. I do have a silver set-back seat post I want to install in the bike but I haven't gotten around to that yet. I am not in too big of a hurry to get that done, obviously!

Secondly, I was a bit concerned that this frame would flex, or that the quick release skewer would be too weak to hold the wheel straight under heavier pedaling, and the tire would rub on the chain stay. But so far? Nothing to report there. In fact, this frame does ride a bit stiffer than I would have imagined that it would have. It isn't all that smooth, to be honest. I was a bit surprised by that revelation.

I also do not like how the handle bars want to slam to one side or the other when I get off the bike, or if I try to push the bike without having a hand on the bars. Something is a bit off in the front geometry of this rig. Of course, all that forged stem weight and the additional weight from the bottle cages, sitting where that does, affects this trait negatively as well. It's not a 'deal killer' but it is really annoying at times.

But the bike does what I need it to. I get errands done on it and save wear, tear, and gas on the truck. I get exercise instead of no exercise while driving.  I get to dodge car traffic and wonder if 'that guy is going to pull out or.......?' (Of course, the same thing happens when I drive, so- no difference!) So, that's how it's been going with the old Trek. The bike doesn't carry much, so that's a bit problematic. I need to drag that old Schwinn with the rack and panniers out and get that going again. It is pretty much a 'pump the tires up and go' job but for one small detail- I have to recondition the old Brooks saddle on it. Once I get that squared away, I'm good to go. Then I'd be all set as far as cargo rigs and townies. 

Lezyne Gravel Floor Drive

Yes- Gravel Specific Pumps: 

If it is for bicycles and if it can be marketed it probably has an option which is 'Gravel® Specific'. It's weird, I know....... I wish it would stop as well, but trying to market to folks using 'gravel bikes' makes it harder to call this 'just a pump' which would be great for your gravel tires when you can sum that all up by saying "This is a gravel specific pump". (sigh!)

So, we get all this goofy 'gravel specific' this and that thrown at us to consider. The latest groan-inspiring marketing play came last week when I got information regarding Lezyne's new range of floor pumps for gravel. Now, maybe it is wrong, or maybe it is not, but most companies sending me stuff like this? I delete it. Garbage time. But I know Lezyne has quality pumps and so, I opened the email. 

Okay, here's the deal: I have floor pumps. Multiple floor pumps, but I have specific jobs for each. My basement/shop pump is an old, almost dead, Bontrager Charger pump. My 'upstairs' pump for years has been a Topeak Joe Blow. Both of those pumps are really aging out fast. I use them a LOT, and so, no surprises there. I've gotten my money's worth out of both of them. 

I have one other pump. A review item which Silca did not want back, which I have been using consistently since it arrived here. That's probably going to take over the 'upstairs' duties completely. The old Joe Blow will retire to the basement and I'll use that as a back-up pump to.......

What I hope to be getting in for a review is one of those Lezyne gravel specific pumps. I have had good luck with their stuff and I still have a Mini-Drive pump I bought something like 14 years ago that I rely on as an emergency pump in one of my top-tube bags. It should be said that that old Lezyne pump has saved the day on many an occasion since I've had it. For myself and others. 

So while the whole "Gravel®" thing gets long in the tooth, I do think that many products actually do deserve some of our attention. Perhaps if we can put aside our collective distaste for how a product is marketed and look at what things actually are- in this case, a decent floor pump - maybe then we'd find some worthwhile aids to our cycling experience. That's what I'm hoping to find here, anyway.

That's a wrap for this week! get out and ride if you can.

Friday News And Views

New Riding Gravel stickers are in.

 Riding Gravel Apparel & Stickers Are In:

Thanks to Bike Rags the newest editions of Riding Gravel t-shirts and the new stickers are in. We kept things simple and brought back a classic design this time. 

First up, Ben, my partner in RidingGravel.com brought up a tagline and posted it with one of our Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast postings. He came up with "Fun On The Rocks" and it was something that just struck a chord with me. I like that it points to this type of cycling as being a good time, not just gnarly adventure, racing, or suffer-fest nonsense. Not that those things cannot be a part of the gravel riding scene, or that they shouldn't be, but that is not the main attraction here. "Fun" is. 

Bike Rags did all the printing and sourcing of the shirts. They did a great job. For shirts we have an ash grey colored "Addicted To Gravel" shirt featuring that phrase in a clearly read black font. Next up we decided to bring back a classic shirt from 2013-14. It is a dark grey shirt wth white printing showing an old time high-wheeler bike with the saying "Riding Stones Shaking Bones" above and below the cyclists in old Western style font. 

Bike Rags is also the sponsor of the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch which just posted another episode which you can get the link to here. Fancy yourself a t shirt, or just want to check them out? See this link. Every order gets a free sticker too. Thanks!

March went out like a lion, I rode my Trek commuter bike anyway.

Townie Update:

That old Trek I featured here earlier in the year is getting out and getting used again. I thought some of you might be interested in how it has been going so far. 

My main concern was the seated position which put me a bit further out over the front end than I typically like. I do have a silver set-back seat post I want to install in the bike but I haven't gotten around to that yet. I am not in too big of a hurry to get that done, obviously!

Secondly, I was a bit concerned that this frame would flex, or that the quick release skewer would be too weak to hold the wheel straight under heavier pedaling, and the tire would rub on the chain stay. But so far? Nothing to report there. In fact, this frame does ride a bit stiffer than I would have imagined that it would have. It isn't all that smooth, to be honest. I was a bit surprised by that revelation.

I also do not like how the handle bars want to slam to one side or the other when I get off the bike, or if I try to push the bike without having a hand on the bars. Something is a bit off in the front geometry of this rig. Of course, all that forged stem weight and the additional weight from the bottle cages, sitting where that does, affects this trait negatively as well. It's not a 'deal killer' but it is really annoying at times.

But the bike does what I need it to. I get errands done on it and save wear, tear, and gas on the truck. I get exercise instead of no exercise while driving.  I get to dodge car traffic and wonder if 'that guy is going to pull out or.......?' (Of course, the same thing happens when I drive, so- no difference!) So, that's how it's been going with the old Trek. The bike doesn't carry much, so that's a bit problematic. I need to drag that old Schwinn with the rack and panniers out and get that going again. It is pretty much a 'pump the tires up and go' job but for one small detail- I have to recondition the old Brooks saddle on it. Once I get that squared away, I'm good to go. Then I'd be all set as far as cargo rigs and townies. 

Lezyne Gravel Floor Drive

Yes- Gravel Specific Pumps: 

If it is for bicycles and if it can be marketed it probably has an option which is 'Gravel® Specific'. It's weird, I know....... I wish it would stop as well, but trying to market to folks using 'gravel bikes' makes it harder to call this 'just a pump' which would be great for your gravel tires when you can sum that all up by saying "This is a gravel specific pump". (sigh!)

So, we get all this goofy 'gravel specific' this and that thrown at us to consider. The latest groan-inspiring marketing play came last week when I got information regarding Lezyne's new range of floor pumps for gravel. Now, maybe it is wrong, or maybe it is not, but most companies sending me stuff like this? I delete it. Garbage time. But I know Lezyne has quality pumps and so, I opened the email. 

Okay, here's the deal: I have floor pumps. Multiple floor pumps, but I have specific jobs for each. My basement/shop pump is an old, almost dead, Bontrager Charger pump. My 'upstairs' pump for years has been a Topeak Joe Blow. Both of those pumps are really aging out fast. I use them a LOT, and so, no surprises there. I've gotten my money's worth out of both of them. 

I have one other pump. A review item which Silca did not want back, which I have been using consistently since it arrived here. That's probably going to take over the 'upstairs' duties completely. The old Joe Blow will retire to the basement and I'll use that as a back-up pump to.......

What I hope to be getting in for a review is one of those Lezyne gravel specific pumps. I have had good luck with their stuff and I still have a Mini-Drive pump I bought something like 14 years ago that I rely on as an emergency pump in one of my top-tube bags. It should be said that that old Lezyne pump has saved the day on many an occasion since I've had it. For myself and others. 

So while the whole "Gravel®" thing gets long in the tooth, I do think that many products actually do deserve some of our attention. Perhaps if we can put aside our collective distaste for how a product is marketed and look at what things actually are- in this case, a decent floor pump - maybe then we'd find some worthwhile aids to our cycling experience. That's what I'm hoping to find here, anyway.

That's a wrap for this week! get out and ride if you can.

Friday News And Views

Brooks saddles, like the one on this bike, are made in the UK

You Cannot Get A UK Made Saddle In The UK Because Of Brexit?

In a weird twist of fate, Brooks, who have made saddles since the late 1800's (Really!) in the United Kingdom will no longer be able to sell them in their own country of manufacture, at least for the time being. This all due to Britain exiting the European Union, which became effective on New Year's Day. The story was broke by cycling journalist, Carlton Reid for Forbes online, and that article can be read HERE. 

I have been a casual observer of this whole exit of the UK from the European Union for a few years now. It seems as though, at least from this outsider's viewpoint, to have been a not very well thought through, or executed plan, and this laughingstock of a story about a UK manufactured product would seem to be evidence of this. The issue with Brooks arose out of the fact that Brooks is owned by Italian bicycle saddle manufacturer Selle Italia. The Brooks saddles are distributed out of their facility in Italy, so all production from Brooks goes to Italy, and due to the convoluted importing laws that "Brexit" has imposed upon the UK, the Selle Italia company has chosen to not import any saddles for sale to the UK, which includes Brooks saddles. 

Weird and, well......stupid. I've seen some other import nonsense concerning stuff coming into the UK from Ireland as well. Someone posted a diagram showing the requirements needed to move goods between the two countries and it was simply mind boggling. Makes me glad we don't have those sorts of trading issues within the U.S., (but if you check history, we very nearly did have those issues early on)

I've mentioned this before, but it would be hard not to imagine that the raw materials necessary to manufacture goods in the UK wouldn't be affected since those need to be imported as well. Could this mean higher prices for us outside the UK for their products, like stuff from Hope, as an example? Matched up with increased demand for cycling product and it is hard to say that we wouldn't see higher pricing on those things coming to us from the UK.  

UPDATE: A story was released on Wednesday saying that, in fact, you still could buy Brooks saddles in the UK and would be able to. I'll post more if there is a definitive answer to which way it will actually be. Right now this is pretty confusing!

Public Service Announcements:

Just a few things to share here concerning the blog/what I do. First up, another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast dropped Monday night. It was meant to be dropped during the holidays, but oh well! Lots of ranting by yours truly on this episode. Get it at this link or wherever you get your favorite podcast feed. https://www.ridinggravel.com/podcast/episode-69/

Next I wanted to post the link to the latest "State of the Gravel Scene" opinion piece. I have been doing this along the turn of the year for the past few years now. The first was a series and so was the second, but I've cut it down to one, easier to read post for 2021. You can always find the links at the bottom of the page listed at the base of the blog header above or here is a direct link for your convenience: https://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-state-of-gravel-scene-2021.html

Finally, I wanted to post the link to the Redbubble page for G-Ted Productions merchandise. Any purchases will have part of the proceeds go to my daughter to help her out with college and just getting going in life. You'll always be able to access this link, as long as the merch is available, by looking over at the far right side-bar of this blog under the heading "My Events and Websites" - https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/62984846

Wireless, cable-less gear systems are already in development.

A Wireless Future?

A recent story published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" online suggests that Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano all are working on various ways to do things by wireless means on bicycles. The story I read focused on shifting ideas, including a couple ideas from SRAM and Campagnolo using a glove with sensors in it which then could be pinched together with the forefinger and thumb to activate a derailleur. Wild! 

Not that this would ever become a reality, as "BRAIN" noted, since one of these ideas has been in the bag for five years with no further development. It is commonplace for companies to develop, patent, and sit on ideas without any intentions of using them. This is done for two reasons: One is that these ideas form a repository of knowledge and a basis for further product development at a later time. Secondly, it keeps other companies from developing similar ideas and beating them to market. So, the electronic glove idea may never see the light of day. 

But we still should pay attention to these wild-eyed ideas because it means that other, more scalable/marketable ideas are being developed in the same vein. What wireless controls might we see in the future? It isn't out of the realm of possibilities that 'remote shifter' points could be embedded into bar tape, or grips, as an example. And then we have to think about what a wireless controller could, you know......control. Brakes? Suspension settings? Tire pressures? 

Obviously, the HPC vehicles being developed will leverage a lot of wireless tech and I can see where that will be where these ideas get implemented first. A wireless shifter in a grip would be something I could see on an electrified bicycle, as an example. Not something you need to rotate, just a pressure sensitive thing-a-ma-bob. I wrote in this segment not long ago about a bike that was shifting automatically by sensing rider pressure on pedals, so this sort of thing is already in development. 

The DBR from Archer Components. (Image courtesy of Archer Components)

 Archer Components DBR Unit Available Soon:

If you've been following the blog over the last several months or so, you probably remember the Archer Components D1X on my original Mukluk fat bike. That's the remote and shifter box which can turn any drive train into an electronically controlled one. (See the tie-in with the above points?) Well, now Archer has released pre-sales of their new DBR (Drop Bar Remote) system and we now have a few of the questions answered that I had about this idea. 

My biggest question was how in the world Archer was going to integrate a remote into a system with so many proprietary variants. How would it integrate with Shimano, SRAM, or even Campagnolo shifting? Well., as you can plainly see, Archer didn't try to kludge a remote to work with everybody else's levers. No, they partnered with TRP who have a hydraulic lever with no integrated shifter and made the DBR to integrate into it instead. Probably a smarter idea, but for consumers, it complicates things a bit versus the D1X flat bar system. 

Now you have to buy into a brake and lever system. Of course, not many people are familiar with the TRP drop bar brakes either. Are they any good? How do they feel? Well, as it happens, I've been using TRP made brakes and levers on my Tamland now for a few years. The very same brakes as what these DBR hoods are meant for. Yes, the remote is a hood replacement for the TRP Hylex brakes. (I told you it was a bit more complex than the D1X) 

Many of you will have already tuned out by now, but if you are still reading this, the TRP Hylex brakes are incredibly powerful and require very little input to bring your bike down to a halt. In fact, they require so little input that it is super-easy to lock up the brakes. At least mine have been that way. So, these are incredibly powerful brakes. WAY more power than you'd ever need on gravel. 

Of course, that means you have to buy the brakes too. At $220 a set, plus installation, that's not small potatoes. Add in the DBR ay the introductory price of $400.00 and you're talking a pretty expensive set up now. But......it may be great for your situation. If you run a 9spd set up, here you go. Even 10 speed set ups would benefit since there are hardly any 10 speed electronic groups out there to lay your hands on, and even the ones that are out there aren't being fully supported anymore. So, for the right situation? Yeah....this DBR deal from Archer might be good. 

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride if you can!

Friday News And Views

Brooks saddles, like the one on this bike, are made in the UK

You Cannot Get A UK Made Saddle In The UK Because Of Brexit?

In a weird twist of fate, Brooks, who have made saddles since the late 1800's (Really!) in the United Kingdom will no longer be able to sell them in their own country of manufacture, at least for the time being. This all due to Britain exiting the European Union, which became effective on New Year's Day. The story was broke by cycling journalist, Carlton Reid for Forbes online, and that article can be read HERE. 

I have been a casual observer of this whole exit of the UK from the European Union for a few years now. It seems as though, at least from this outsider's viewpoint, to have been a not very well thought through, or executed plan, and this laughingstock of a story about a UK manufactured product would seem to be evidence of this. The issue with Brooks arose out of the fact that Brooks is owned by Italian bicycle saddle manufacturer Selle Italia. The Brooks saddles are distributed out of their facility in Italy, so all production from Brooks goes to Italy, and due to the convoluted importing laws that "Brexit" has imposed upon the UK, the Selle Italia company has chosen to not import any saddles for sale to the UK, which includes Brooks saddles. 

Weird and, well......stupid. I've seen some other import nonsense concerning stuff coming into the UK from Ireland as well. Someone posted a diagram showing the requirements needed to move goods between the two countries and it was simply mind boggling. Makes me glad we don't have those sorts of trading issues within the U.S., (but if you check history, we very nearly did have those issues early on)

I've mentioned this before, but it would be hard not to imagine that the raw materials necessary to manufacture goods in the UK wouldn't be affected since those need to be imported as well. Could this mean higher prices for us outside the UK for their products, like stuff from Hope, as an example? Matched up with increased demand for cycling product and it is hard to say that we wouldn't see higher pricing on those things coming to us from the UK.  

UPDATE: A story was released on Wednesday saying that, in fact, you still could buy Brooks saddles in the UK and would be able to. I'll post more if there is a definitive answer to which way it will actually be. Right now this is pretty confusing!

Public Service Announcements:

Just a few things to share here concerning the blog/what I do. First up, another Riding Gravel Radio Ranch podcast dropped Monday night. It was meant to be dropped during the holidays, but oh well! Lots of ranting by yours truly on this episode. Get it at this link or wherever you get your favorite podcast feed. https://www.ridinggravel.com/podcast/episode-69/

Next I wanted to post the link to the latest "State of the Gravel Scene" opinion piece. I have been doing this along the turn of the year for the past few years now. The first was a series and so was the second, but I've cut it down to one, easier to read post for 2021. You can always find the links at the bottom of the page listed at the base of the blog header above or here is a direct link for your convenience: https://g-tedproductions.blogspot.com/2021/01/the-state-of-gravel-scene-2021.html

Finally, I wanted to post the link to the Redbubble page for G-Ted Productions merchandise. Any purchases will have part of the proceeds go to my daughter to help her out with college and just getting going in life. You'll always be able to access this link, as long as the merch is available, by looking over at the far right side-bar of this blog under the heading "My Events and Websites" - https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/62984846

Wireless, cable-less gear systems are already in development.

A Wireless Future?

A recent story published in "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" online suggests that Campagnolo, SRAM, and Shimano all are working on various ways to do things by wireless means on bicycles. The story I read focused on shifting ideas, including a couple ideas from SRAM and Campagnolo using a glove with sensors in it which then could be pinched together with the forefinger and thumb to activate a derailleur. Wild! 

Not that this would ever become a reality, as "BRAIN" noted, since one of these ideas has been in the bag for five years with no further development. It is commonplace for companies to develop, patent, and sit on ideas without any intentions of using them. This is done for two reasons: One is that these ideas form a repository of knowledge and a basis for further product development at a later time. Secondly, it keeps other companies from developing similar ideas and beating them to market. So, the electronic glove idea may never see the light of day. 

But we still should pay attention to these wild-eyed ideas because it means that other, more scalable/marketable ideas are being developed in the same vein. What wireless controls might we see in the future? It isn't out of the realm of possibilities that 'remote shifter' points could be embedded into bar tape, or grips, as an example. And then we have to think about what a wireless controller could, you know......control. Brakes? Suspension settings? Tire pressures? 

Obviously, the HPC vehicles being developed will leverage a lot of wireless tech and I can see where that will be where these ideas get implemented first. A wireless shifter in a grip would be something I could see on an electrified bicycle, as an example. Not something you need to rotate, just a pressure sensitive thing-a-ma-bob. I wrote in this segment not long ago about a bike that was shifting automatically by sensing rider pressure on pedals, so this sort of thing is already in development. 

The DBR from Archer Components. (Image courtesy of Archer Components)

 Archer Components DBR Unit Available Soon:

If you've been following the blog over the last several months or so, you probably remember the Archer Components D1X on my original Mukluk fat bike. That's the remote and shifter box which can turn any drive train into an electronically controlled one. (See the tie-in with the above points?) Well, now Archer has released pre-sales of their new DBR (Drop Bar Remote) system and we now have a few of the questions answered that I had about this idea. 

My biggest question was how in the world Archer was going to integrate a remote into a system with so many proprietary variants. How would it integrate with Shimano, SRAM, or even Campagnolo shifting? Well., as you can plainly see, Archer didn't try to kludge a remote to work with everybody else's levers. No, they partnered with TRP who have a hydraulic lever with no integrated shifter and made the DBR to integrate into it instead. Probably a smarter idea, but for consumers, it complicates things a bit versus the D1X flat bar system. 

Now you have to buy into a brake and lever system. Of course, not many people are familiar with the TRP drop bar brakes either. Are they any good? How do they feel? Well, as it happens, I've been using TRP made brakes and levers on my Tamland now for a few years. The very same brakes as what these DBR hoods are meant for. Yes, the remote is a hood replacement for the TRP Hylex brakes. (I told you it was a bit more complex than the D1X) 

Many of you will have already tuned out by now, but if you are still reading this, the TRP Hylex brakes are incredibly powerful and require very little input to bring your bike down to a halt. In fact, they require so little input that it is super-easy to lock up the brakes. At least mine have been that way. So, these are incredibly powerful brakes. WAY more power than you'd ever need on gravel. 

Of course, that means you have to buy the brakes too. At $220 a set, plus installation, that's not small potatoes. Add in the DBR ay the introductory price of $400.00 and you're talking a pretty expensive set up now. But......it may be great for your situation. If you run a 9spd set up, here you go. Even 10 speed set ups would benefit since there are hardly any 10 speed electronic groups out there to lay your hands on, and even the ones that are out there aren't being fully supported anymore. So, for the right situation? Yeah....this DBR deal from Archer might be good. 

That's a wrap for this week! Get out and ride if you can!

Friday News And Views

Trek introduces a 29" wheeled DH sled. Yes......Trek.

Trek Announces A Production DH Big Wheeler:

Trek, and by extension, the former Gary Fisher brand, have been on the forefront of 29 inch wheeled developments for close to two decades now. I have to hand it to Trek. They have kept their feet to the fire, (mostly), that entire stretch of time. This production DH sled with big wheels is yet another example of this.

While Trek gets poo-pooed often because they are a "big brand", or "corporate" or whatever, you also cannot deny that Trek has put a lot of R&D effort into the 29"er over the years. Have you ever wondered why there are forks with 51mm of offset, frames with shorter rear ends and slacker head angles, and components like Fox Shox and Rock Shox forks for 29"ers? You can thank Trek for all of that. Trek tested ideas in labs and in the field to come up with many of the innovations in 29"ers we take for granted today.

So when I hear that Trek tested their Session 27.5"er against the Session with 29"er wheels and found that the big wheels were faster everywhere by up to three seconds per minute, I believe that. When they claim the 27.5"er was not better in any form of their testing, you can believe that they actually did legitimate testing, and those were the results.

Again, I was a naysayer when it came to 29"ers and DH competition, but kudos to Trek for proving me wrong here. Not that a 29"er DH sled matters at all to me or most folks. But when it does show to what extent 29" wheels make sense across the board for any mountain biking, well, that is significant.

The alt design which we didn't use.....

Tremendous Response:

Thank you so much to all who purchased t-shirts over the past week. I was floored by the response and I sure hope that these t-shirts bring a smile when they get worn.

By the way, if you wear a size medium, you could get one as well. I have about 9 left, and when they are gone, that's it! Interested? Go to the Garage Sale Page for the deets.

I'd sure like to see those final sized medium shirts get used up, but if they don't I will likely figure out another plan of action. But thank you again folks! Because I only have 9 shirts to handle now, not three times that many! As far as the money goes, I am thinking I may need to do some sprucing up on the "Truck With No Name", since that is the main recon rig. The tires are getting pretty chewed up on that vehicle, so I am thinking I'll get some new ones soon. And then, who knows.... If there is another TI the truck will be all good to go for it. All I can say is that all the gravel miles have started to take a toll on that truck's shoes.

The flowers are back again!

Flower Power:

 I have gotten a couple rides in recently out in the country and the views are really getting good again. The ditch flowers are popping already and the purples, yellows, pinks, and whites flourish in different corners of the county now.

So, I have gotten some time on this suspension stem I am testing and more time on the WTB Byway tires also. I will be posting about those things as well as some Banjo Brothers bags I have and a couple of other odd parts I am checking out as well.

But the main thing is getting out to see what is going on in the country and also to get some miles in my legs. I'll be honest,this year has been a struggle and yesterday I jacked up some muscles in my left calf taking of a shoe of all things. Mrs.Guitar Ted has been made aware of the problem and has a course of action for me to take. I am not bad, it is just a muscle issue, but it hurts like the dickens.

So, yeah, I may be riding more now but I'll be riding slower! At least for a while until this issue clears up. I just hope that I can get out there and enjoy the scenery, ride against the wind, and be gone on my bicycle for several hours. I rode my bicycle yesterday and that was right after I injured my leg. It was fine, but I have to take it easy. The flowers are waiting though! I'll be getting out there, don't you worry about that!

That's it for today. Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Trek introduces a 29" wheeled DH sled. Yes......Trek.

Trek Announces A Production DH Big Wheeler:

Trek, and by extension, the former Gary Fisher brand, have been on the forefront of 29 inch wheeled developments for close to two decades now. I have to hand it to Trek. They have kept their feet to the fire, (mostly), that entire stretch of time. This production DH sled with big wheels is yet another example of this.

While Trek gets poo-pooed often because they are a "big brand", or "corporate" or whatever, you also cannot deny that Trek has put a lot of R&D effort into the 29"er over the years. Have you ever wondered why there are forks with 51mm of offset, frames with shorter rear ends and slacker head angles, and components like Fox Shox and Rock Shox forks for 29"ers? You can thank Trek for all of that. Trek tested ideas in labs and in the field to come up with many of the innovations in 29"ers we take for granted today.

So when I hear that Trek tested their Session 27.5"er against the Session with 29"er wheels and found that the big wheels were faster everywhere by up to three seconds per minute, I believe that. When they claim the 27.5"er was not better in any form of their testing, you can believe that they actually did legitimate testing, and those were the results.

Again, I was a naysayer when it came to 29"ers and DH competition, but kudos to Trek for proving me wrong here. Not that a 29"er DH sled matters at all to me or most folks. But when it does show to what extent 29" wheels make sense across the board for any mountain biking, well, that is significant.

The alt design which we didn't use.....

Tremendous Response:

Thank you so much to all who purchased t-shirts over the past week. I was floored by the response and I sure hope that these t-shirts bring a smile when they get worn.

By the way, if you wear a size medium, you could get one as well. I have about 9 left, and when they are gone, that's it! Interested? Go to the Garage Sale Page for the deets.

I'd sure like to see those final sized medium shirts get used up, but if they don't I will likely figure out another plan of action. But thank you again folks! Because I only have 9 shirts to handle now, not three times that many! As far as the money goes, I am thinking I may need to do some sprucing up on the "Truck With No Name", since that is the main recon rig. The tires are getting pretty chewed up on that vehicle, so I am thinking I'll get some new ones soon. And then, who knows.... If there is another TI the truck will be all good to go for it. All I can say is that all the gravel miles have started to take a toll on that truck's shoes.

The flowers are back again!

Flower Power:

 I have gotten a couple rides in recently out in the country and the views are really getting good again. The ditch flowers are popping already and the purples, yellows, pinks, and whites flourish in different corners of the county now.

So, I have gotten some time on this suspension stem I am testing and more time on the WTB Byway tires also. I will be posting about those things as well as some Banjo Brothers bags I have and a couple of other odd parts I am checking out as well.

But the main thing is getting out to see what is going on in the country and also to get some miles in my legs. I'll be honest,this year has been a struggle and yesterday I jacked up some muscles in my left calf taking of a shoe of all things. Mrs.Guitar Ted has been made aware of the problem and has a course of action for me to take. I am not bad, it is just a muscle issue, but it hurts like the dickens.

So, yeah, I may be riding more now but I'll be riding slower! At least for a while until this issue clears up. I just hope that I can get out there and enjoy the scenery, ride against the wind, and be gone on my bicycle for several hours. I rode my bicycle yesterday and that was right after I injured my leg. It was fine, but I have to take it easy. The flowers are waiting though! I'll be getting out there, don't you worry about that!

That's it for today. Have a great weekend and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

Limited supply. Help me clear out my house of these!

Garage Sale:

Some of you may have noticed that I have a "Garage Sale Page" here on G-Ted Productions. I put the odd part or bicycle up there that I need to move on down the road. I don't always "advertise" that, and some folks have stumbled upon a good deal by watching that page. Anyway.....

If you were thinking that the TIv13 t-shirt was cool, you aren't alone. They were a big hit at the event this year. Unfortunately, I was stiffed by several late droppers from the event that asked to have a t-shirt reserved for themselves. Now, I am stuck with a pile of t-shirts that are (mostly) not my size, so I cannot use them. Maybe you could?

I'm not going to lay it all out here, go to that Garage Sale Page and read it. The info is all there. I'm just going to ask you to help me free up some space here and to help me get these on people's backs so they are getting put to good use. The price is right, (basically cost plus shipping), so you cannot go wrong here for a limited run design in three colors on a quality cotton t-shirt. Shirts will be sent out in cardboard boxes and I may throw in a couple stickers there as well.UPDATE: Thanks for the awesome response so far! I am out of size Small and XL now. Plenty of Mediums, and 4 XXL's as of 7:00am.

 I have some other hardware that I will be putting on the page later on this Spring/early Summer. It is low priority on the "To Do List", but eventually there will be some cool stuff popping up there. This would be all bicycle related, of course. Things like frame/forks, maybe a wheel set, or other parts. Stay tuned.....

 Almanzo Weekend:

My son and I will be spending tomorrow up at Cherry Grove, Minnesota to help support the Almanzo 100 with RidingGravel.com. We should be dodging rain drops, by the sounds of it, so there maybe will not be the throngs of riders that we saw last year. Hard to say. It's been my experience that when you have a free to enter event with a bad weather forecast it tends to put a damper on turn out. 

But regardless, we will have fun. I'm not sure exactly what Ben has planned, he just wants me to show up and I'm sure he will have everything in order. I do know we have a RidingGravel.com banner, the signs from last year, and we will be in a Surly Brewing pop up tent. Same location as shown here in the image, so it shouldn't be too tough to find us. You should be going right by us on the road and we will be on your left side, if you are planning on riding this event. 

And if you are riding, and worried about the weather, well, just go and ride. Any day out riding is better than not riding. Have fun, and enjoy the gravelly good times. I hope to see some of you up there, and if you are riding, or just hanging out, please stop by and say hello. 

I'll have a report on Monday, so stay tuned.  

I will be back grinding gravel in Kansas' Flint Hills again soon

The Next Big Ride:

After the Almanzo support weekend I will be dialing in my rig that I will be taking to Kansas to ride the Flint Hills with. As of now I have no reason not to be doing that ride on anything but my Gen I Fargo, but that could change in a couple of weeks! 

I have a route plan in mind, and I probably will be doing a similar ride as I did last year when I was down there. I'll have to start checking the weather and looking at maps here so I have a better idea of where I will be going before I get down there. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing some of the same stuff I saw last year again. It was good and I am sure I will have to include at least a few things from last year's ride. Well, depending on the wind! I should probably plan an alternative route just in case of contrary winds.

 Okay, that's a wrap. Try to get out and ride, and if you are doing the Almanzo, good luck!

Friday News And Views

Limited supply. Help me clear out my house of these!

Garage Sale:

Some of you may have noticed that I have a "Garage Sale Page" here on G-Ted Productions. I put the odd part or bicycle up there that I need to move on down the road. I don't always "advertise" that, and some folks have stumbled upon a good deal by watching that page. Anyway.....

If you were thinking that the TIv13 t-shirt was cool, you aren't alone. They were a big hit at the event this year. Unfortunately, I was stiffed by several late droppers from the event that asked to have a t-shirt reserved for themselves. Now, I am stuck with a pile of t-shirts that are (mostly) not my size, so I cannot use them. Maybe you could?

I'm not going to lay it all out here, go to that Garage Sale Page and read it. The info is all there. I'm just going to ask you to help me free up some space here and to help me get these on people's backs so they are getting put to good use. The price is right, (basically cost plus shipping), so you cannot go wrong here for a limited run design in three colors on a quality cotton t-shirt. Shirts will be sent out in cardboard boxes and I may throw in a couple stickers there as well.UPDATE: Thanks for the awesome response so far! I am out of size Small and XL now. Plenty of Mediums, and 4 XXL's as of 7:00am.

 I have some other hardware that I will be putting on the page later on this Spring/early Summer. It is low priority on the "To Do List", but eventually there will be some cool stuff popping up there. This would be all bicycle related, of course. Things like frame/forks, maybe a wheel set, or other parts. Stay tuned.....

 Almanzo Weekend:

My son and I will be spending tomorrow up at Cherry Grove, Minnesota to help support the Almanzo 100 with RidingGravel.com. We should be dodging rain drops, by the sounds of it, so there maybe will not be the throngs of riders that we saw last year. Hard to say. It's been my experience that when you have a free to enter event with a bad weather forecast it tends to put a damper on turn out. 

But regardless, we will have fun. I'm not sure exactly what Ben has planned, he just wants me to show up and I'm sure he will have everything in order. I do know we have a RidingGravel.com banner, the signs from last year, and we will be in a Surly Brewing pop up tent. Same location as shown here in the image, so it shouldn't be too tough to find us. You should be going right by us on the road and we will be on your left side, if you are planning on riding this event. 

And if you are riding, and worried about the weather, well, just go and ride. Any day out riding is better than not riding. Have fun, and enjoy the gravelly good times. I hope to see some of you up there, and if you are riding, or just hanging out, please stop by and say hello. 

I'll have a report on Monday, so stay tuned.  

I will be back grinding gravel in Kansas' Flint Hills again soon

The Next Big Ride:

After the Almanzo support weekend I will be dialing in my rig that I will be taking to Kansas to ride the Flint Hills with. As of now I have no reason not to be doing that ride on anything but my Gen I Fargo, but that could change in a couple of weeks! 

I have a route plan in mind, and I probably will be doing a similar ride as I did last year when I was down there. I'll have to start checking the weather and looking at maps here so I have a better idea of where I will be going before I get down there. That said, I wouldn't mind seeing some of the same stuff I saw last year again. It was good and I am sure I will have to include at least a few things from last year's ride. Well, depending on the wind! I should probably plan an alternative route just in case of contrary winds.

 Okay, that's a wrap. Try to get out and ride, and if you are doing the Almanzo, good luck!