Friday News And Views

The Great Plains Gravel Route Released:

The gravel version of The Great Divide Route, (well, this new route was inspired by the GDR, which itself is basically a gravel route), is finally out now. You can check it out HERE.

Comments: I know a lot of people are excited about this route. I am not one of them. I just don't see this project as being a cohesive route. It's essentially a highlights driven exercise with connectors to make it work as a route from end-to-end across the nation. The serpentine nature of the route is pretty much a tell-tale that this is the case here.

Not that this route is a bad idea, it just lacks an overarching theme for me. The Great Divide Route is a ride along the spine of the Great Divide. This makes sense. The Great Plains Gravel Route is a series of highlights which are not all parts of the Great Plains. (Black Hills, Big Bend area of Texas). The "need" to connect the highlights makes for a weird route, in my opinion. Again - in my opinion. This is "Friday News And Views", after all. So, you may not agree, and I understand this.

I would ride parts of this route. But I probably would research my own version of parts of it. So, this isn't something I'd jump at the chance to do as it is written. Maybe you are excited about it? Let me know in the comments.

Where We Came From Featuring Mike Marchand:

In case you missed this, The Guitar Ted Podcast released a new episode last weekend featuring early gravel pioneer and racer Mike Marchand.

Mike shared some incredible stories of events on gravel which pre-date the Modern Gravel Era by a few years, both examples being in Kansas. 

It was fun talking to Mike as I ended up learning a lot about him. It is funny, in a way, how preconceived perceptions of a person can be shattered  once you hear their story, and in Mike's case, I found I had him pegged wrong.

Mike won the 2009 Dirty Kanza 200 and the 2010 Gravel Worlds. Because of this I was under the impression Mike was some kind of racing honch, and had been for years. In fact, the DK200 in 2009 was Mike's first gravel race! Had I known this, I probably would have had a completely different idea of who he was in terms of gravel riding and racing. It was not that Mike wasn't good at gravel racing, because, obviously, he was. I was just under the impression he'd been at it for a long time, when in fact, it was all new to him, for the most part.

Anyway, give the episode a listen and if you like hearing about old, grassroots gravel events, you'll enjoy it, I think.  

A Borealis fat bike in 29"er mode I tested/reviewed in 2014

Borealis Pauses Business:

According to a Colorado news report seen on Facebook, Borealis Bicycles has decided to pause doing business effective at the end of July. 

Citing issues induced by the Trump tariffs, Borealis will sell through remaining stock and the owner said he'd wait to see what will happen after that.  Unfortunately the building Borealis uses and their employees will all be gone at the end of July.

Comments: Honestly, I thought Borealis was gone several years ago. But apparently they were still selling bikes assembled in Colorado. At any rate, this company joins Revel Bikes as recent casualties of tariff policies.

With still soft sales nationwide, I suspect this will not be the last we hear about a bicycle business shutting down.  

Nitto Introduces New Gravel Flared Drop Bar:

As seen on Soma Fabrications Facebook feed, it appears Nitto will have a new gravel oriented flared drop bar coming available soon. It will have "about 15° of flare, minimal reach, and drop. As you can see from the image, it will come in two colors. Soma says the bar will be available in only two widths in 31.8 mm clamp diameter and soon it will come in a 26.0 mm clamp diameter.

No price was listed and as of the time I wrote this, neither was it on Soma's site yet. 

Comments: The name? Uggh.... Whatever. There has always been a certain element of the cycling community which seems to think things having to do with gravel cycling need "cutesy" names. If you like this, fine. I think it is unnecessary. "M138" works for me.

As far as this offering is concerned, I think it is notable only because it is a Nitto product and that it is available in their silver anodized finish, which is really nice. If you are at all familiar with Nitto, you know what I mean.

Beyond this, it is a fine drop bar, but nothing unusual. there was a time when a bar like this would have caused quite the stir. This was when a flared drop bar was rare, and a Nitto offering then would have been a big deal. (I believe they had something early on in a flared drop, but I cannot recall now.)   

Image courtesy of Ritchey Design

Ritchey Announces Their First Platform Pedal:

The Ritchey Bigfoot pedal just dropped on Wednesday and it is a nice choice in a flat pedal.

Boasting replaceable steel traction pins, a reinforced nylon body with an inner bushing and outer cartridge bearing, the Bigfoot should work across four season use. (Metal bodied pedals suck heat from your feet in Winter!)

The pedals will be available now in black with a Desert Sand color coming later in the  year. Price for these is a modest $44.95USD.  

Comments: This is great news. I love my Fyxation Mesa MP's and these pedals are very similar to my favorites. I have no doubt that these will be a great pedal for anyone looking into a flat pedal option and who doesn't want to spend a lot of money on them. My Fyxations hold up really well. In fact, I've yet to have a pair wear out or fail on me, but I do use them sparingly across several bicycles, so my usage case might be skewed a bit!

However; I stand by my recommendation, and especially if you want a nice pedal for cold weather riding. These will not act like a heat sink, sucking warmth from you feet through your boots/shoes like metal pedals can in colder weather.  

UnPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley Announces Cash Purses, More Rider Options For 2025:

A press release sent out late on Wednesday  announced new tweaks to the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley Event. While all riders will receive a Whoopie Pie if they finish, now the full, 130 mile course riders will have a shot at a cash prize as well. Racers will vie for this prize over 13 hills, 11,500’ of climbing, and the infamous Longwell Draft “road” that was part of “The Difference” in the first few years of unPAved.

But if this is not for you, don't worry. unPAved routes are made up of interconnecting loops, so many options will be available to any rider. Here's a quote from the presser:

“It’s amazing to see the wide variety of gravel cyclists that come to unPAved,” said Cimarron Chacon, Race Director. “So, we’ve built the event to be with a lot of options. For those that want a big day, the Big Lick-200 is for the experienced backcountry adventurer. My favorite, the SlumberPArty, is a ride focused on camaraderie with a group camp-out and catered breakfast provided by Backyard Beans Coffee Company. And for those not quite ready to explore off road, we even have our FUNpaved rides on Saturday. There really is something for everyone at unPAved.”

Registration is open now HERE. unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley will be October 10 - 12 in Lewisburg PA.

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Get out and ride those bicycles! Special shout out to anyone going to The Heywood Ride tomorrow, Have a good time!

Changes Which May Extend Gravel Greatness

 Yesterday I opined about the reasons which may be pointing to a decline in the popularity of gravel riding. I also stated I did not feel gravel cycling was going away. It will survive in some form or another for as long as there is gravel and bicycles. 

In this post I want to share some reasons why gravel riding might stay as popular as it is today, and maybe even grow more in popularity. These are ideas which are being used today for both recreational, adventurous, and competitive events and rides.

First of all, in terms of competitive events, I would like to spotlight the efforts of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. One of this event's co-founders, Dave Pryor, was a guest on the most recent Guitar Ted Podcast, (listen to Episode #70 here)

Borrowing from enduro stage type events, and from ideas forged out of dealing with the COVID - 19 pandemic in 2020, Dave and his team came up with several features which not only have made the event more enjoyable, according to its participants, but safer as well. I encourage you to listen to the entire podcast, but here is a bullet point list of some of these ideas:

• Segment Timing: This allows competitors to ride casually in non-timed sections and then race hard in the timed sections. This allows competitors on the fast end to ride with their friends who may not be so fast, and of course, you can come up with other ways this makes sense as well. Secondly, non-timed sections can be placed at difficult road intersections, dangerous downhill bits, or near the end to prevent fast paced craziness in an urban setting. Other examples could also be utilized here as well. 
• Start Time Window: This idea allows a rider to decide when they want to start. For instance, the start time window could be 6:00am - 9:00am. Forgot your gloves, or nutrition? You've got time to go back and get it.  Pros can start later because it will take less time for them to do the course. And then they get to rub shoulders with other riders. (Now, this may not always be desirable, but see the first point, and I think it works. )
•  Course Length Choice: Feeling like a hero at the checkpoint but you signed up for the short course? Or - Maybe you are just off on this day and a hundy doesn't sound very fun, but 50? Yeah, that'd work! This rule allows a rider to switch courses at a prescribed point. The idea of allowing a person to finish in whatever way they choose opens up more chances for rider satisfaction. 

Now, you may say, "But that isn't how the big races are done.", and you are correct in saying this. The thing is, many gravel promoters decided their events should mimic a "certain other pattern" set before. However; while this may work for certain instances and for a certain, very small segment of talented athletes, these sorts of events which many promoters try to mimic with their gravel productions are one of  the very reasons gravel racing started. Gravel racing originally was in direct defiance of that ultra-competitive style of event and a rejection of all the rules and hoopla which those events represented. Over time though, it seems event promoters were wooed by the way big time Pro road style events did things.

Noted gravel cycling fun hog, Dave Pryor cracking an IC Lite.

"It's a trap", as the noted Star Wars general said, which is easily fallen into. However; as Mr. Pryor said in the podcast, "Not all gravel events have to be the same" and he is not only right, but he takes his own medicine. And it works.

But this is not all Mr. Pryor and his accomplices are doing to set a course for gravelly goodness. They are trying to promote gravel riding as a lifestyle.

Getting people to be jazzed about riding gravel in Pennsylvania is what is next on the menu. This includes events promotions, but it is also going to be more than this. Highlighting cool places to ride, cool places to visit, and the businesses and people which will help tie all this together will hopefully begin to put Pennsylvania's gravel roads on people's radar as a destination for vacations, adventures, and maybe even a place they'd want to call home.

These are the sort of ideas which go beyond creating a "bucket list" event to come and ride once, or a few times in one's life. That is all fine, of course, but there are only so many people who will be attracted to doing those types of events. Maybe you just want to have an adventure, or historical, cultural, and geographical highlights are what gets your interests up. What unpavedpennsylvania.com hopes to accomplish is being the information hub to guiding riders to come to Pennsylvania to ride for all the reasons stated above.

It is my opinion that efforts like this are what will extend gravel cycling's popularity and also could make gravel cycling something non-cyclists might want to help foster due to its potential economic and social benefits. Benefits that last beyond a weekend's impact from an event.

I think it is obvious where this could go in terms of impact. Other states should take note. I know Kansas has something similar, but not an all-encompassing effort such as this one I am highlighting today.

If gravel cycling going to keep riding at the high level it finds itself at now, it has to do so based upon more than a few "bucket list events" and competitiveness in general. This does not mean what is going on in Pennsylvania in regard to events and more is comprehensive and the exact template other states or regions should use. It is a fine example of what could be done though, and in my opinion, thinking like this just might save gravel cycling in the long run. 

Note: I'd like to thank and credit Dave Pryor for the images and information used in this post.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Twin Six

 The "I'm Green With Envy" Edition of the FN&V:

This past week Twin Six introduced another new color for its Standard Rando v2 frame set. This time it comes in a green they call "Grasshopper". Very appropriate as it is currently grasshopper season in the upper Mid-West!

I just posted about my "Saffron" colored Twin Six Standard Rando v2 yesterday. Love the bike! This was my dedicated single speed gravel bike until I got the Limited Edition GRX group and then had to build  up the Honeman Flyer to replace it with. Now it is my geared classic looking gravel grinder. 

I love this green color! The original Standard Rando was also green and I owned one until I sold it because the original had QR axles and everything was going to through axle standard. I was without a T-6 bike until the new v2 Rando emerged in 2020. I liked the original green T-6 Rando, but that was a darker hue than this one and I like this hue better. But I already have a yellow one, so....

The Standard Rando v2 will not win any lightweight awards nor does it have fancy internal cable routing or anything "aero". It is that stalwart, durable, reliable frame set that rides the way it should and can take anything you throw at it. (Within reason, of course) All that with a stellar price and classic good looks. Recommended. (I get nothing for saying that. It is how I feel about the bike. Take that for what it is worth to you.)

Guitar Ted Podcast Covers CORE4 & More:

The latest "Guitar Ted Podcast" is pretty good, if I do say so myself. I interviewed Morgan Osgood, who I interviewed last year when she was just dipping her toes into the gravel scene. (Learning From A Beginner) This time she shares her CORE4 experience and what she has learned since her last event. (LINK)

Then I tried to interview N.Y. Roll about his experience at CORE4, but it all went sideways. Hey! I tried! He and I ended up gabbing about how motivations for racing are vastly different between the Pro and everyone else doing gravel and how that informs events and whatnot. 

Anyway, give it a listen if you dare! (You might get offended, just a warning!)

I'll try to get someone on to give us a look at gravel history from a first hand perspective on one of the next upcoming episodes, so stay tuned for that.

Storm Clouds Of Doping Gathering On The Horizon?

As professional gravel racing develops and becomes more lucrative, I am hearing more rumblings concerning doping in gravel racing. 

It stands to reason that since most gravel events have no organization overseeing the enforcement of fair play in regards to doping the blood, or for detecting the use of illegal human performance drugs, that it might be happening out there now. 

This started to become an issue several years ago, according to one Pro racer that gave me a heads up under the conditions of anonymity. Now I am hearing that people in the competitive end of gravel racing are suggesting that it might be happening as well. 

Is there an unfair advantage, which some racers are enjoying, which is fueled by chemical enhancements that are forbidden? Is there blood doping going on, such as we have heard about in Pro road cycling? The undercurrent amongst many would suggest that - yes - it is happening. 

And as for myself, I believe it. People are prone to cheating in events with zero financial gain and hardly any notoriety regionally or nationally. Several instances of age group category cheating have surfaced at road events and criteriums across the nation. So, why would gravel cycling, at least at the "pointy end", not be included in this form of cheating as well? Certainly there is monetary and career motivations for doing so. Other forms of gaining an unfair competitive advantage are most likely happening also, especially in the ultra-long distance events which most event organizers let run with little to no oversight because of the lack of resources to do so. 

This is a sticky wicket, isn't it? No one wants to have shade thrown their way in regard to having people think they may have "cheated" in some way, especially if they know they haven't. Event directors may bristle at the thought of someone thinking they haven't covered all their bases with regard to cheating. However; it is highly probable that some gravel racers are not on the up-and-up when it comes to "racing clean" and taking advantage of "grey areas" in the rules, or cheating when oversight is not present from the event organizers. 

What to do? I imagine USAC/UCI would love to step in and provide their turnkey solutions to cheating, but this would certainly come at a "cost", both in freedom to run events as seen fit and monetarily. So what then? I believe if the events in question offer thousands of dollars in prizing they might consider investing some of their monetary resources in enforcement of internationally recognized doping controls and in having better oversight in regard to how racers execute their race in the ultra-long distance events. Or....

Just let it all be the "Wild, Wild West" and see what happens. The current course is such and will lead to problems in the future. How each event wants to deal with this is certainly their business, and I'm "just a guy" out here "yelling at the clouds", perhaps. But knowing what I know about human behavior in competitive events, I would be very cautious about considering keeping things as they are now with regard to doping and cheating. That's just me..... 

unPAved Of The Susquehanna River Valley:

My friend in PA, Dave Pryor, is one of the principals running the unPAved gravel event out in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He wanted me to let you all know that registration is open now for the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley October 11th - 13th event. 

Featuring a scenic course with multiple distance options and even an overnight bikepacking option, this event is a unique event in gravel. The "race" is a part of it, but instead of a full-course timed competition, unPAved has timed segments and the rest of the course can be done at your leisure. Want to stop and get a photo of that beautiful overlook? You can, or not. Only the timed sections are competitive, so you can tailor your experience to how you want the ride to go. 

When you finish you can get a local treat to savor called a "Whoopie Pie". Now I always thought this was a commercial treat like a Hostess cake or something, or maybe one of those convenience store treats I've seen, but I was wrong. Thanks to a video Dave sent (HERE) I now understand that a Whoopie Pie is a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch treat which unPAved has handmade for their finish line prizing. 

So, anyway, if I could, I would go to this event. You should consider it. Recommended by Guitar Ted Productions as a good time. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Have a great Labor Day Weekend (USA) and ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

John Ingham (L) and Trenton Raygor (Image by D Markman)

New Article By John Ingham Tomorrow:

Tomorrow (Saturday) a new long form article by John Ingham will be posted. You may remember my introduction to John (Here) or perhaps you read his last article (Here).  

This article will be based upon a similar theme of how endurance training, and gravel riding in specific, can be a good thing for health and longevity. 

If you are unfamiliar with John's work, I suggest that you give the article a try tomorrow, or check out the link above. Be prepared! These are loooooong reads and there is a lot of stuff to think about in these pieces of John's. 

I just want to say that it is a distinct honor to have John's work presented here and I am humbled to be able to collaborate with him on these pieces and get them out in front of people. Truly - this meager site is far beneath what John deserves, so if you can see fit to share the article, that would be great. 

If you have any questions or comments for John just let me know at g.ted.productions@gmail.com and I'll make sure John sees them. Thanks!! 

Ridley & Tommorowland debut collection (Image courtesy of Ridley)

Ridley & Tomorrowland Debut Collection:

The Belgium companies of Ridley and Tomorrowland (Tomorrowland is a large-scale annual electronic dance music festival held in Boom, Belgium) have announced a collaboration which features matching bikes and apparel for those looking for a complete look. 

Calling those types of folks "People of Tomorrow", (gah!) the collection features Ridley's Kanzo Fast models in two configurations. 

Here's a bit from the presser I got:

" Tomorrowland and Ridley are two of a kind, pioneers from Belgium, the beating heart of the festival and cycling culture. By introducing 2 custom bikes, both companies want to encourage the People of Tomorrow to choose a greener and healthier way of traveling."

Comments: Okay, okay.....enough already. I get the matchy-matchy thing, but this seems like a bit of a fashion-fluff piece. Nothing wrong with the bike, per se', but a bike and a music festival that is pretty far outside of what the gravel scene is seems weird. Who knows....maybe the UCI will sanction a music festival now.

Gravel Amplifier: Waterville Gravel Populaire:

A long time ago I was talking about gravel events, the way we used to do them, with written cues and no support, and someone said, "Oh! You mean like an audax?" I said, "Aw-what?" 

Ha! Well, as you may know, "audax" is a form of non-competitive cycling which is time based and generally formatted so that you are cue-sheet navigated and so that you have to hit pre-determined checkpoints within certain time marks. There are two forms of audax cycling: Euraudax and Randoneuring. The event on today's Gravel Amplifier is of the randoneuring type. 

It is put on by the Seattle Randoneurs and it's called the Waterville Gravel Populaire. The event is set for June 1st and will be held out of Waterville, Washington. (Hit the link for finer details.

Image from Whit Johnson/Meriwether Cycles Instagram

More On 750D Wheels:

Cruising Instagram recently I came across a post by Whit Johnson of Meriwether Cycles. He was showing off a bike he made for himself that he calls the "Old Guy's All Terrain Bicycle" or OGATB. In the Instagram post he spoke about the different wheels he has tried on the bike including a set of WTB 750D X 40mm tires. 

It wasn't clear when Whit tried the wheels and tires but we learn from his post that the bike was built in 2021, so at least it was sometime in the last couple of years. 

Whit said in the post that he did not much care for the wheels and tires, as they weren't tubeless, "and they were very heavy...". He went on to say that he much preferred 29"er wheels in the bike and that this would become a model he would offer sometime in 2024. So, stay tuned for that.

Comments: So, it is plain to see that at least a few folks are playing around with this wheel and tire size out there. I have to imagine others are checking it out but aren't talking. I wouldn't expect much movement in regard to the 750D size as the climate for introducing a new, controversial wheel size now is poor. However; it seems that the idea is - at least for now - being considered. 

New Podcast Episode #37:

Thursday we dropped another podcast episode and we were responding to some listener feedback. 

I already posted about the feedback we got earlier this week in my "A Conversation About Group Rides: A Follow-Up" . But if you'd like to listen to what N.Y. Roll and I have to say further on the subject you can check it out at THIS LINK or wherever you get your podcasts from. 

The next podcast will cover another subject on the gravel scene that was prompted by Dave Pryor, he of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. 

He texted me the following query: "Did Racing ruin Gravel, or did Gravel save Racing?"

To be fair, Dave's position is that Gravel DID save racing (in North America), but I thought it might be more interesting to pose the thought Dave had as a question. Reason being is because it was a popular thought that Gravel would be "ruined" by "Racing" back in the earlier parts of the twenty-teens. 

So....what say you? Did Racing "ruin" gravel or did Gravel "save" Racing? Let me know in the comments.

That's a wrap on this week's ramblings here. Stay tuned for John Ingham's long-form article tomorrow and have a great weekend! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Country Views: Dave Squared

Escape Route: I-380 to Cedar Rapids

 Several weeks ago I was made aware of an opportunity to share a ride and perhaps get a podcast in with Dave Pryor. Dave is the co-founder of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event in central Pennsylvania. I've known Dave since the early "twenty-teens" and I have interviewed him several times already, but we'd never really spent any significant time together. 

Dave had an opportunity crop up with his day job that was to send him to Marion, Iowa, just a stone's throw from Cedar Rapids, and he'd signed up for Gravel Worlds as well. He wanted to squeeze in some time on the Sunday after Gravel Worlds to meet up with N.Y.Roll and I. 

So, the plans were laid and everything came together to allow for me to get down there and ride with Dave, and since N.Y. Roll's first given name is also Dave, I think the title to today's post should be self-explanatory. 

So, there ya go.... 

Dave's bike still sporting his number plate from Gravel Worlds.

 

We rode from the heart of Cedar Rapids down this paved bike path to Ely, Iowa.

Our adventure started with some great grub we procured from the NewBo Market. Then we repaired to Goldfinch Cyclery to hook up with Dave. I can highly recommend both places and they are very close to each other in location as well. Goldfinch is a stellar shop, and I enjoyed poking around in there. Thaddeus and the rest of the crew were super nice and confirmed our planned route was a good one. They have a lot of gravel routes figured out down that way, so check in with them if you're ever in the area. 

The first hill on gravel. Welcome to Iowa, Dave!

What a great day for a ride!

The bike path scene in Cedar Rapids is serious business. I saw far more people out than I ever do around Waterloo or Cedar Falls. Sure, Cedar Rapids is a big city, but they've got us beat hands down from a vibrant cycling community perspective. 

Once we got close to Ely, we peeled off the bike path, rode a big hill into the edge of town, hung a downhill to the left and off into gravel. The first hill was a doozy and here I was on my Pofahl single speed! Grunt!

New roads to me means one thing: Barns For Jason #1

Big hills were the order of the day on gravel.

I wasn't of the understanding that this part of Iowa had such big rollers, or I'd have brought the Standard Rando v2, most likely. As it was, I was getting hammered by these hills. I haven't spent a lot of time on a single speed on big rollers in a while and it showed!

Barns For Jason #2

The prairie sunflowers reminded me of last year's Gravel Worlds in places we rode Sunday.

Fortunately "The Daves" would stop and allow me to compose myself after a few of the nastier climbs. I was appreciative of that, and I knew I was dragging a bit, but hey! I was having fun.

The last big climb brought us up to a ridge where we could look out for miles. That's Ely in the distance.

Barns For Jason #3

The route alternated between paved and gravel sections. This close to such a big city, that is not a surprise. There weren't many cars, as I recall, not until we got within a few miles of Cedar Rapids again, so it was all good. The views were spectacular though. 

A nice, twisty section of gravel that went mostly down was a welcome relief.

Barns For Jason #4

We eventually descended down to a chip seal road which was hard up against the Cedar River. We took this toward Cedar Rapids until we reached the same bike path we'd taken out of town. That led us back to the car.

That wasn't the end of the goings on though. Nope! We went then to Dave Pryor's motel room and proceeded to have a great podcast recording session. This should get released soon, and I'll likely put the link up in a future "FN&V" soon, so stay tuned for that coming up. 

Thanks to Dave Pryor for making the time for us after having to ride Gravel Worlds and drive five hours to meet us.

Country Views: Dave Squared

Escape Route: I-380 to Cedar Rapids

 Several weeks ago I was made aware of an opportunity to share a ride and perhaps get a podcast in with Dave Pryor. Dave is the co-founder of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event in central Pennsylvania. I've known Dave since the early "twenty-teens" and I have interviewed him several times already, but we'd never really spent any significant time together. 

Dave had an opportunity crop up with his day job that was to send him to Marion, Iowa, just a stone's throw from Cedar Rapids, and he'd signed up for Gravel Worlds as well. He wanted to squeeze in some time on the Sunday after Gravel Worlds to meet up with N.Y.Roll and I. 

So, the plans were laid and everything came together to allow for me to get down there and ride with Dave, and since N.Y. Roll's first given name is also Dave, I think the title to today's post should be self-explanatory. 

So, there ya go.... 

Dave's bike still sporting his number plate from Gravel Worlds.

 

We rode from the heart of Cedar Rapids down this paved bike path to Ely, Iowa.

Our adventure started with some great grub we procured from the NewBo Market. Then we repaired to Goldfinch Cyclery to hook up with Dave. I can highly recommend both places and they are very close to each other in location as well. Goldfinch is a stellar shop, and I enjoyed poking around in there. Thaddeus and the rest of the crew were super nice and confirmed our planned route was a good one. They have a lot of gravel routes figured out down that way, so check in with them if you're ever in the area. 

The first hill on gravel. Welcome to Iowa, Dave!

What a great day for a ride!

The bike path scene in Cedar Rapids is serious business. I saw far more people out than I ever do around Waterloo or Cedar Falls. Sure, Cedar Rapids is a big city, but they've got us beat hands down from a vibrant cycling community perspective. 

Once we got close to Ely, we peeled off the bike path, rode a big hill into the edge of town, hung a downhill to the left and off into gravel. The first hill was a doozy and here I was on my Pofahl single speed! Grunt!

New roads to me means one thing: Barns For Jason #1

Big hills were the order of the day on gravel.

I wasn't of the understanding that this part of Iowa had such big rollers, or I'd have brought the Standard Rando v2, most likely. As it was, I was getting hammered by these hills. I haven't spent a lot of time on a single speed on big rollers in a while and it showed!

Barns For Jason #2

The prairie sunflowers reminded me of last year's Gravel Worlds in places we rode Sunday.

Fortunately "The Daves" would stop and allow me to compose myself after a few of the nastier climbs. I was appreciative of that, and I knew I was dragging a bit, but hey! I was having fun.

The last big climb brought us up to a ridge where we could look out for miles. That's Ely in the distance.

Barns For Jason #3

The route alternated between paved and gravel sections. This close to such a big city, that is not a surprise. There weren't many cars, as I recall, not until we got within a few miles of Cedar Rapids again, so it was all good. The views were spectacular though. 

A nice, twisty section of gravel that went mostly down was a welcome relief.

Barns For Jason #4

We eventually descended down to a chip seal road which was hard up against the Cedar River. We took this toward Cedar Rapids until we reached the same bike path we'd taken out of town. That led us back to the car.

That wasn't the end of the goings on though. Nope! We went then to Dave Pryor's motel room and proceeded to have a great podcast recording session. This should get released soon, and I'll likely put the link up in a future "FN&V" soon, so stay tuned for that coming up. 

Thanks to Dave Pryor for making the time for us after having to ride Gravel Worlds and drive five hours to meet us.

The Radio Ranch Goes On The Road

 This coming Sunday I am supposed to be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to do an interview with Dave Pryor of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. 

Dave has been on the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch as a guest more times than anyone else, and is a great interview. This time I suspect it will be the best one yet. 

That's because Dave will have just come off his attempt at Gravel Worlds and I will be expecting a full race report from him on his race and beyond to his take on the event as a whole and how everything went down. 

Our plan, (N.Y. Roll is driving me down, by the way), is to take bicycles and do a bit of an easy spin, then to retire to Dave's motel room and to conduct the interview there with him. I guess I hadn't thought of this, but we'll be stuck in our chamois the entire time. Hmm.... Well, it's like Jeff Kerkove used to say, "Chamois time is training time!". Ha ha! 

So, anyway, look forward to that coming out in the near future. Maybe next week even, and I'll be sure to link to that here when it does.

The Radio Ranch Goes On The Road

 This coming Sunday I am supposed to be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to do an interview with Dave Pryor of the unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. 

Dave has been on the Riding Gravel Radio Ranch as a guest more times than anyone else, and is a great interview. This time I suspect it will be the best one yet. 

That's because Dave will have just come off his attempt at Gravel Worlds and I will be expecting a full race report from him on his race and beyond to his take on the event as a whole and how everything went down. 

Our plan, (N.Y. Roll is driving me down, by the way), is to take bicycles and do a bit of an easy spin, then to retire to Dave's motel room and to conduct the interview there with him. I guess I hadn't thought of this, but we'll be stuck in our chamois the entire time. Hmm.... Well, it's like Jeff Kerkove used to say, "Chamois time is training time!". Ha ha! 

So, anyway, look forward to that coming out in the near future. Maybe next week even, and I'll be sure to link to that here when it does.

Friday News And Views

New Radio Ranch podcasts out this week.

The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Branches Out:

With this week's podcast posts, we have done 14 new podcasts this year, which is 2/3rds of the output of the podcast up to 2020. We've been busy!  If you want to listen to the latest episodes, check them out here, or find them on your favorite podcast feeds.

Not only are we doing more consistent downloads, we are branching out to now include interviews via the phone. We now have a podcaster outfit which will Bluetooth a cell phone to its recording capabilities so we can get remote interview subjects as part of the podcast. The first of these has already been recorded with one of the RD's for this Fall's unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. Dave Pryor's interview will be published soon. Stay tuned for that one.

I'm pretty stoked about this as I've known Dave for several years. He's the "Guy With The Bacon Suit", seen at many East Coast CX events and elsewhere. He is a great guy and as a fellow event promoter, we kind of have a certain bond there.

I am also excited now that we can have people call in to the show and we can take the show on the road, which opens up a ton of possibilities for future episodes. I've already utilized both possibilities this year and I look forward to doing more of those things. Stay tuned for updates.....

Kinekt Suspension Stem Test/Review:

Wednesday the Kinekt Suspension Stem arrived at Andy's Bike Shop so I can test/review it for RidingGravel.com. This is a direct competitor to the Redshift Sports ShockStop stem which I have on a couple of bikes here.

I've also spent a lot of time on Kinekt's own seat post, often called the Body Float Post. I had a previous generation Body Float post on my original Ti Muk fat bike and I used one for a while on my Gen I Fargo. So, it will be interesting to see how their stem works, not only in terms of how it might pair with the Kinekt seatpost, but as a competitor to the ShockStop stem. I've often thought that components like the stems and seat posts offered by Kineckt and Redshift Sports were the way to go because these parts are removable, transferable, and tunable. Unlike proprietary features on some bikes, like rear suspended bits, flexing bits, or special integrated stem/suspension bits, these components are more traditional looking and offer more versatility.

Stay tuned as I get this stem on a bike and get rolling on it. I think the test mule for this one will be the Twin Six Standard Rando v2. But that could change tomorrow depending on the appearance of an "aha! moment" which may end up being a better idea.

'Events' Update: 

I haven't forgotten about my 'events' which I have set up for myself to attempt yet this Summer. I recently pretty much dialed in the Ti Muk 2 for the Fat Bike Century attempt, and now I will be looking for an opportune time to take a day off everything else and go.

And to be honest, that time is hard to come by. With this pandemic thing, we just end up spending time with the immediate family. The kids don't really see anyone but Mrs Guitar Ted and I. This means that if one of us is gone, it REALLY is a bad deal for the kids because they need people to do stuff with. The guilt when I go for a ride is more real than ever these days.

But I'm intending on doing both the Fat Bike Century and a solo GTDRI ride later this month or early in August. I'd like to sneak both of those in before fall kicks in, if I can. If that happens, I have a couple ideas I want to pursue after that which may or may not be century rides, but will certainly be rides in other parts of Iowa that I have wanted to get around to riding for some time now.   

That's a wrap for this week. get out and ride! Summer will be gone before we know it! 

Friday News And Views

New Radio Ranch podcasts out this week.

The Riding Gravel Radio Ranch Branches Out:

With this week's podcast posts, we have done 14 new podcasts this year, which is 2/3rds of the output of the podcast up to 2020. We've been busy!  If you want to listen to the latest episodes, check them out here, or find them on your favorite podcast feeds.

Not only are we doing more consistent downloads, we are branching out to now include interviews via the phone. We now have a podcaster outfit which will Bluetooth a cell phone to its recording capabilities so we can get remote interview subjects as part of the podcast. The first of these has already been recorded with one of the RD's for this Fall's unPAved of the Susquehanna River Valley event. Dave Pryor's interview will be published soon. Stay tuned for that one.

I'm pretty stoked about this as I've known Dave for several years. He's the "Guy With The Bacon Suit", seen at many East Coast CX events and elsewhere. He is a great guy and as a fellow event promoter, we kind of have a certain bond there.

I am also excited now that we can have people call in to the show and we can take the show on the road, which opens up a ton of possibilities for future episodes. I've already utilized both possibilities this year and I look forward to doing more of those things. Stay tuned for updates.....

Kinekt Suspension Stem Test/Review:

Wednesday the Kinekt Suspension Stem arrived at Andy's Bike Shop so I can test/review it for RidingGravel.com. This is a direct competitor to the Redshift Sports ShockStop stem which I have on a couple of bikes here.

I've also spent a lot of time on Kinekt's own seat post, often called the Body Float Post. I had a previous generation Body Float post on my original Ti Muk fat bike and I used one for a while on my Gen I Fargo. So, it will be interesting to see how their stem works, not only in terms of how it might pair with the Kinekt seatpost, but as a competitor to the ShockStop stem. I've often thought that components like the stems and seat posts offered by Kineckt and Redshift Sports were the way to go because these parts are removable, transferable, and tunable. Unlike proprietary features on some bikes, like rear suspended bits, flexing bits, or special integrated stem/suspension bits, these components are more traditional looking and offer more versatility.

Stay tuned as I get this stem on a bike and get rolling on it. I think the test mule for this one will be the Twin Six Standard Rando v2. But that could change tomorrow depending on the appearance of an "aha! moment" which may end up being a better idea.

'Events' Update: 

I haven't forgotten about my 'events' which I have set up for myself to attempt yet this Summer. I recently pretty much dialed in the Ti Muk 2 for the Fat Bike Century attempt, and now I will be looking for an opportune time to take a day off everything else and go.

And to be honest, that time is hard to come by. With this pandemic thing, we just end up spending time with the immediate family. The kids don't really see anyone but Mrs Guitar Ted and I. This means that if one of us is gone, it REALLY is a bad deal for the kids because they need people to do stuff with. The guilt when I go for a ride is more real than ever these days.

But I'm intending on doing both the Fat Bike Century and a solo GTDRI ride later this month or early in August. I'd like to sneak both of those in before fall kicks in, if I can. If that happens, I have a couple ideas I want to pursue after that which may or may not be century rides, but will certainly be rides in other parts of Iowa that I have wanted to get around to riding for some time now.   

That's a wrap for this week. get out and ride! Summer will be gone before we know it!