Country Views: Testing Session

 

#67, West High's Jacob Stevenson

Saturday was a gorgeous day to ride. That is, if you didn't have a son that was playing in a big team scrimmage. So, yeah, that pretty much took control of my day, and I didn't get out to ride Saturday. 

That's fine by me, as this may be the last time my son straps on a helmet and gets to play. I'd better be there to support him and to see this chapter in his life. I've got lots of time to be bicycling. His football season may not even get started, or may get cut short. Who knows? 

Just a reminder to any of my readers that may have young children: You've heard it said, "They grow up fast!" Well, it is no joke. You'll see........

So, any plans for riding had to be put off until Sunday morning. Fortunately, Sunday was to be a carbon copy of Saturday. (By the way, if you are young and reading this, do you even know what "carbon copy" is?) I made specific plans to test the FLO Cycling G700 wheels in a back-to-back test with my Shimano GRX wheels. I am not able to get my hands on 'fancy-pants' testing equipment, so this was going to be the best I could do. I brought a pen and paper along to jot down my impressions right away. I took everything down to Prairie Grove Park and got off a bit before 10:00am. 

The first up wheel set was the G700 set. I've been really impressed with these wheels and how they ride. Of course, these wheels are supposed to give the rider a big aerodynamic benefit. But surprisingly they are probably the smoothest feeling wheels I've ever ridden as well. I thought a deep section carbon wheel would be harsh to ride. I was totally wrong about that.

There were winds, which was a good thing to help me to determine what- if any- aerodynamic benefits these G700's might have over a standard wheel like the GRX. The winds were 10mph with gusts of 21mph out of the West-Northwest. Perfect! 

I could have ridden all day in this weather, but testing duties called.

This 'copter was spraying a hybrid seed corn field

Black Hawk County has been on-point with their gravel applications this Summer, that's for sure. All the roads have copious amounts of chunky goodness all the way across them. This was also good for the test, as it would help me to determine which wheel might be less damped. The only negative was that I didn't have two sets of the same tire, but it is what it is. Again- I cannot afford to spend 100's of dollars to test. Gotta run what I have to run. 

Not necessarily 'extra-chunky', but a lot of this over a hard base is pretty rough.

The helicopter crew off to the next fields to spray left me in their dust.

The testing proved to be pretty revealing, actually, and I got some really good notes. this sort of riding is completely different than when I just go out for a longer ride. Many times I devote a section of a longer ride to 'thinking about the review', but not for most of it, unless something really jumps out at me. No, this was 100% testing, and thinking, and comparing, and making sure I set things up the same, rode the same lines, and I even went as far as to hold the bars in the same places in the same sections. All for two laps of a short course I set up. I even went as far as to only use the same gears in the same places. 

It wasn't easy, but when you are trying to remove as many variables as possible, this is what you have to do. But in the end, many folks will just sit at their computers and bang out how I did it wrong and I should have done such-and-such instead. So, even just writing this down is dangerous. But whatever- I am the one doing the things. Read it or don't when I post the article. That's all you need to do with it. 

Testing and writing opinions based upon that testing is just going to result in a subjective opinion article in the end. And you know what they say about opinions........

Country Views: Testing Session

 

#67, West High's Jacob Stevenson

Saturday was a gorgeous day to ride. That is, if you didn't have a son that was playing in a big team scrimmage. So, yeah, that pretty much took control of my day, and I didn't get out to ride Saturday. 

That's fine by me, as this may be the last time my son straps on a helmet and gets to play. I'd better be there to support him and to see this chapter in his life. I've got lots of time to be bicycling. His football season may not even get started, or may get cut short. Who knows? 

Just a reminder to any of my readers that may have young children: You've heard it said, "They grow up fast!" Well, it is no joke. You'll see........

So, any plans for riding had to be put off until Sunday morning. Fortunately, Sunday was to be a carbon copy of Saturday. (By the way, if you are young and reading this, do you even know what "carbon copy" is?) I made specific plans to test the FLO Cycling G700 wheels in a back-to-back test with my Shimano GRX wheels. I am not able to get my hands on 'fancy-pants' testing equipment, so this was going to be the best I could do. I brought a pen and paper along to jot down my impressions right away. I took everything down to Prairie Grove Park and got off a bit before 10:00am. 

The first up wheel set was the G700 set. I've been really impressed with these wheels and how they ride. Of course, these wheels are supposed to give the rider a big aerodynamic benefit. But surprisingly they are probably the smoothest feeling wheels I've ever ridden as well. I thought a deep section carbon wheel would be harsh to ride. I was totally wrong about that.

There were winds, which was a good thing to help me to determine what- if any- aerodynamic benefits these G700's might have over a standard wheel like the GRX. The winds were 10mph with gusts of 21mph out of the West-Northwest. Perfect! 

I could have ridden all day in this weather, but testing duties called.

This 'copter was spraying a hybrid seed corn field

Black Hawk County has been on-point with their gravel applications this Summer, that's for sure. All the roads have copious amounts of chunky goodness all the way across them. This was also good for the test, as it would help me to determine which wheel might be less damped. The only negative was that I didn't have two sets of the same tire, but it is what it is. Again- I cannot afford to spend 100's of dollars to test. Gotta run what I have to run. 

Not necessarily 'extra-chunky', but a lot of this over a hard base is pretty rough.

The helicopter crew off to the next fields to spray left me in their dust.

The testing proved to be pretty revealing, actually, and I got some really good notes. this sort of riding is completely different than when I just go out for a longer ride. Many times I devote a section of a longer ride to 'thinking about the review', but not for most of it, unless something really jumps out at me. No, this was 100% testing, and thinking, and comparing, and making sure I set things up the same, rode the same lines, and I even went as far as to hold the bars in the same places in the same sections. All for two laps of a short course I set up. I even went as far as to only use the same gears in the same places. 

It wasn't easy, but when you are trying to remove as many variables as possible, this is what you have to do. But in the end, many folks will just sit at their computers and bang out how I did it wrong and I should have done such-and-such instead. So, even just writing this down is dangerous. But whatever- I am the one doing the things. Read it or don't when I post the article. That's all you need to do with it. 

Testing and writing opinions based upon that testing is just going to result in a subjective opinion article in the end. And you know what they say about opinions........

Test Mules

The ol' Raleigh Tamland Two Test Sled Of Doom

In the review gig I have found myself in over the last 14 years, I have had several "test mules" as they are called sometimes in the business. That term means that a certain vehicle is used as a base for testing various components or ideas. Those of you who have been around the blog here know some of these "mules" well. The one that I have probably used the longest is the old Gen 1 Fargo, but I have definitely used the Raleigh Tamland Two more frequently. In fact, it was noted by a reader here at one time that almost nothing on the bike is original anymore except the frame and fork. And now even the fork is gone.

Well, not "gone" as in "never coming back", it just isn't on the bike at the present time since I am testing the Fyxation carbon fork on it for a while. When that review is over I'll likely put the original fork back on there again, just because that's the way I originally had intended the bike to be. Raleigh asked if there should be a carbon fork originally and I said a steel fork would be better than some jackhammer cyclo cross fork, unless they were to develope a new fork for gravel. They said it would be easier to go with a steel fork, and so that's what they did. Anyway, some backstory for ya there.....

So, back to the whole test mule thing..... Now I am testing the aforementioned fork and some new tires. IRC Tires, to be exact. As with many companies, they are jumping into the gravel scene with tires meant for the purpose. The "Boken" tires I have on there are pretty smooth riding and fast, but not very grippy on mud, that's for sure! I'll have more on these later. But yeah, tires are a big thing as far as testing goes. I mean, I have no idea how many sets of tires have been on this bike, but there have been a LOT for sure. This has been a great bike for doing tire testing. Lots of clearance and room to slide in 650B stuff too. In that way, the Tamland was waaaay ahead of its time. 

The "new school" test mule.

But things get old, standards change, and this old Tamland is becoming less relevant as the days go by from the standpoint of testing stuff. No through axles, a straight steer tube fork, and not a lot of braze ons for accessories. It's time to move this one to the pasture. It's testing mule days are coming to a close.

 That said, I'll not be parting with this old bike, and I will still ride it when I have no testing going on, or if I just need to be on a steel rig that I like a lot. Plus, I cannot say there will ever be a bike that I had a hand in the design of again. That is a rare deal if you are not inside in a brand. I mean, I was just a shop mechanic that wrote a blog and here I was on the phone tellin' 'em what ta do. So, no....this bike, (which I purchased at employee discount from the shop where I work, by the way), isn't going anywhere soon.

The newer replacement "test mule" is already in service, and you've seen a lot of it too. It is the "Bubblegum Princess", or the Black Mountain Cycles MCD, (official name), and it has the through axles and braze ons, but......still has the 1 1/8th steer tube. So, I am in search of one more "test mule" bike, and there are a couple of things I want it to be before I pull the trigger. Through axles front and rear, of course, but I am thinking carbon fiber and........ Stay tuned. I've nothing on the radar for sure now, so the playing field is wide open at this point.

Test Mules

The ol' Raleigh Tamland Two Test Sled Of Doom

In the review gig I have found myself in over the last 14 years, I have had several "test mules" as they are called sometimes in the business. That term means that a certain vehicle is used as a base for testing various components or ideas. Those of you who have been around the blog here know some of these "mules" well. The one that I have probably used the longest is the old Gen 1 Fargo, but I have definitely used the Raleigh Tamland Two more frequently. In fact, it was noted by a reader here at one time that almost nothing on the bike is original anymore except the frame and fork. And now even the fork is gone.

Well, not "gone" as in "never coming back", it just isn't on the bike at the present time since I am testing the Fyxation carbon fork on it for a while. When that review is over I'll likely put the original fork back on there again, just because that's the way I originally had intended the bike to be. Raleigh asked if there should be a carbon fork originally and I said a steel fork would be better than some jackhammer cyclo cross fork, unless they were to develope a new fork for gravel. They said it would be easier to go with a steel fork, and so that's what they did. Anyway, some backstory for ya there.....

So, back to the whole test mule thing..... Now I am testing the aforementioned fork and some new tires. IRC Tires, to be exact. As with many companies, they are jumping into the gravel scene with tires meant for the purpose. The "Boken" tires I have on there are pretty smooth riding and fast, but not very grippy on mud, that's for sure! I'll have more on these later. But yeah, tires are a big thing as far as testing goes. I mean, I have no idea how many sets of tires have been on this bike, but there have been a LOT for sure. This has been a great bike for doing tire testing. Lots of clearance and room to slide in 650B stuff too. In that way, the Tamland was waaaay ahead of its time. 

The "new school" test mule.

But things get old, standards change, and this old Tamland is becoming less relevant as the days go by from the standpoint of testing stuff. No through axles, a straight steer tube fork, and not a lot of braze ons for accessories. It's time to move this one to the pasture. It's testing mule days are coming to a close.

 That said, I'll not be parting with this old bike, and I will still ride it when I have no testing going on, or if I just need to be on a steel rig that I like a lot. Plus, I cannot say there will ever be a bike that I had a hand in the design of again. That is a rare deal if you are not inside in a brand. I mean, I was just a shop mechanic that wrote a blog and here I was on the phone tellin' 'em what ta do. So, no....this bike, (which I purchased at employee discount from the shop where I work, by the way), isn't going anywhere soon.

The newer replacement "test mule" is already in service, and you've seen a lot of it too. It is the "Bubblegum Princess", or the Black Mountain Cycles MCD, (official name), and it has the through axles and braze ons, but......still has the 1 1/8th steer tube. So, I am in search of one more "test mule" bike, and there are a couple of things I want it to be before I pull the trigger. Through axles front and rear, of course, but I am thinking carbon fiber and........ Stay tuned. I've nothing on the radar for sure now, so the playing field is wide open at this point.