Some Sol Sessions Notes

<===Who needs Leadville when you can bring home hardware like this!

Well, the Salsa Cycles "Sol Sessions" are still going on up in the Cable area of Wisconsin, but I'm back home now. What a trip! And at the perfect time too. We needed to get away and clear our minds after all that has gone down around here this spring. We had great friends surrounding us and we had a great time with them. Thank you one and all, and I know some of you read this blog, so this means you!




<===Check out the details in this buckle. It is absolutely HUGE too!

The best part of the trip? Well, that's too hard to say. I know one highlight that I can share here is that riding the new Big Mama was sooo much fun. I said to Jason that the really cool thing about it was that it was a new bike to me, but I felt totally safe and confident in letting it rip on the downhills. It had tires I had never ridden before too, so that says a lot, I think. It climbed really well too. I think it would make a perfect endurance rig, really. Jason says it's an "all day kind of bike", but I would say it's an "all day-all night" kind of bike!




<===Sheesh! 25 years already?

The bikes will come spec'ed with a pretty Shimano XT heavy spec. I got to ride the XT stuff this past weekend too and it is pretty dang nice. Hard to fault the shifting of the Rapid Fire triggers and the Shadow rear derailleur. Man! That stuff shifted whenever and where ever I wanted. Load, no load, no problems.

Jason has raved about the XT brakes to me for quite some time now. I thought they were nice, but still not quite dialed in to how well I can make my Avid BB-7's feel. Power? It had gobs of it, and it was sorta controllable. I could have gotten used to it, but I thought the "modulation window" from pad contact to full lock up was still too small for my tastes. I still was getting that "whoops!" too much brake thing from time to time where you feel the wheels start to lock up and your weight shifting forward quickly. Not fun! Again, I could have learned how to get along with them and they are fantastic brakes when your mind starts to mesh with the way they work, it's just that I prefer a little more modulation in my brakes if I can have it.

The Big Mama. Yeah........it is on my radar! I'm pretty sold on it. They will be available as a frame set in September. Complete bike in January. Gonna have to get myself one of these for sure!

Some Sol Sessions Notes

<===Who needs Leadville when you can bring home hardware like this!

Well, the Salsa Cycles "Sol Sessions" are still going on up in the Cable area of Wisconsin, but I'm back home now. What a trip! And at the perfect time too. We needed to get away and clear our minds after all that has gone down around here this spring. We had great friends surrounding us and we had a great time with them. Thank you one and all, and I know some of you read this blog, so this means you!




<===Check out the details in this buckle. It is absolutely HUGE too!

The best part of the trip? Well, that's too hard to say. I know one highlight that I can share here is that riding the new Big Mama was sooo much fun. I said to Jason that the really cool thing about it was that it was a new bike to me, but I felt totally safe and confident in letting it rip on the downhills. It had tires I had never ridden before too, so that says a lot, I think. It climbed really well too. I think it would make a perfect endurance rig, really. Jason says it's an "all day kind of bike", but I would say it's an "all day-all night" kind of bike!




<===Sheesh! 25 years already?

The bikes will come spec'ed with a pretty Shimano XT heavy spec. I got to ride the XT stuff this past weekend too and it is pretty dang nice. Hard to fault the shifting of the Rapid Fire triggers and the Shadow rear derailleur. Man! That stuff shifted whenever and where ever I wanted. Load, no load, no problems.

Jason has raved about the XT brakes to me for quite some time now. I thought they were nice, but still not quite dialed in to how well I can make my Avid BB-7's feel. Power? It had gobs of it, and it was sorta controllable. I could have gotten used to it, but I thought the "modulation window" from pad contact to full lock up was still too small for my tastes. I still was getting that "whoops!" too much brake thing from time to time where you feel the wheels start to lock up and your weight shifting forward quickly. Not fun! Again, I could have learned how to get along with them and they are fantastic brakes when your mind starts to mesh with the way they work, it's just that I prefer a little more modulation in my brakes if I can have it.

The Big Mama. Yeah........it is on my radar! I'm pretty sold on it. They will be available as a frame set in September. Complete bike in January. Gonna have to get myself one of these for sure!

Salsa Cycles Introduces The Big Mama!

Salsa Cycles has been working on this new full suspension platform for quite some time and now……here it is!




The new model!












The Big Mama is a four inch travel suspension platform with several important features which I’ll get into a bit later. First off, I was able to get a chance to ride this bike on Sunday at the local Murphy-Hanrahan trail system. It is a great buff, fast, tight and twisty single track loop. I was able to put in 16 miles on the new rig and I will say, it was a very satisfying ride.















My observations of 29 inch wheeled full suspension bikes is that most of them are compromises of what I like in a 29″er. They seem to be good at some things, but have lost certain handling characteristics, aesthetic characteristics, or structural characteristics in the translation from hard tail to full suspension. There are few that seem to have it dialed and look good doing it. Is the Big Mama in that rarefied air? Let’s take a look.


I have ridden a lot of full suspension bikes and the first thing one should determine is “what type” of full suspension are we talking about. Salsa head honch, Jason Boucher, says this is first and foremost an “all day trail bike”. Taking that into consideration as I rode it, I could then discern if it fit into my expectations for such a bike. I would say that such a bike should be maneuverable, respond to pedaling input in a positive way, (read “like a hard tail”), be stiff laterally, and have overall handling that is easy to navigate when the rider is tired. It should also do what the best trail bike full suspension should do, that is, keep the rider fresh and keep the wheels in contact with the ground. Finally, it should be fun and look cool. (Hey! I like my rigs to look good!)

The heart of the Big Mama is it’s detailed suspension and frame fittings. Things like the one piece forged link, (pictured above) help keep things tracking correctly. The hidden part here is the Enduro brand bearings used at all pivot points. The drive side of the swing arm is even fitted with two bearings, while the non-drive side has the traditional single bearing, which helps keep the swing arm pivot stiff and resist twisting forces from the pedaling input of a rider. Did it work? Well, all I can say is that I never once felt anything close to flex in the bottom bracket area. The huge bottom bracket forging, which includes the swing arm pivot, no doubt helps in this area. In fact, that swing arm felt pretty stout too. The reason why was evident.............

……Notice something missing? Yep! No pivot. Salsa Cycles designed the suspension with no rear drop out pivot, not because they think the rear pivot idea wasn’t any good, it just rode better than the designs that had rear pivots in their testing. So, to get around the pivot and have it ride well, Salsa designers went to the toolbox and pulled out their experiences with the Dos Niner. The soft tail classic has chain stays designed to flex up to an inch and survive trail abuse over the long haul. The flattened Scandium enhanced structure makes a return here on the Big Mama in the seat stays and only has to flex a whopping 5mm throughout the stroke of the shock. Salsa claims it helps reduce starting shock pressures needed and with the custom tuned Fox RP2, it helps achieve full travel from the damper. Did it work? Well, with the shock set to the open position on my test ride the Big Mama rode with small bump sensitivity and didn’t feel like it ramped up or stiffened in any way towards the end of it’s travel. It just reacted to bumps with no drama and made me forget all about suspension. That’s what a good suspension design should do, become invisible.

Salsa Cycles tried to maximize the weld areas on the bike and to reduce the places that required welding on the Big Mama. To do this they utilized special forged frame fittings, like the drop outs and the bottom bracket area. They also shaped the Scandium tubes, which were all specially designed by Salsa, to help combat flex where riders don’t want it. Check out that down tube/ bottom bracket junction, pictured above, or that down tube/ head tube weld area. There is some serious manipulation of tubes going on with the Big Mama. Did it work? Well, one of my biggest pet peeves about 29″ers is that many of them exhibit a torsional twist in the front triangle which leads to a vague steering feel and in bad cases a total disconnect between tracking of the rear and front wheels. I can say that I felt the Big Mama tracking a good straight line and that it didn’t feel like it had any significant torsional flex in the front end. yeah, I’d say all that tube shaping and weld area work was worth it.

<====Tube selection, design, and manipulation all work together here! It's one stiff front triangle.














Of course, this being an all day trail bike sort of rig, it would only make sense that you would be able to run big meats and still have some clearance around the tire for mud and trail debris. Salsa engineers made sure that you will be able to mount up a 2.5″ wide tire on a 35mm wide rim and have that clearance. I’ll have to take their word on that, as the samples I rode and saw all had Nevegals on them, but to my eye, it looks like a sure fit. That swing arm forging also helps solidify things laterally too. Nicely done!

Salsa’s design goals for this project were to have reliability, durability, and attention to detail. In that vein, they chose to fit the Big Mama with post mount type fittings for the rear disc brake. This is in keeping with the move by fork makers who have gone to post mounts and should give the Big Mama better braking performance given that the brake caliper is now mounted to a sturdy forged bit directly welded to the frame.

A few notes on my ride that I have not mentioned: The Big Mama was easy to wheelie, and was nimble feeling with a slight nod to the stable side of the handling spectrum. When I rode the production prototype, I had no idea about the “numbers”, since they were kept from me. I found out only later that the head angle is 71 degrees and that the Fox fork has 46mm of off set here. With this combination, I felt the Big Mama felt calm and collected on hairy fast descents through the tight single track. Climbing didn’t require any extra attention to the front end other than that I had to weight the front a bit more or I could wheelie at will. Something that could be cured if I wanted to with positioning tweaks, but frankly, I liked it this way. The bike cornered really well and what impressed me most was its ability to carve around a really tight corner with stability. This rig should help you clean switchbacks that have given you fits on other big wheelers.

The Big Mama will also be available as I got to ride it with Fox suspension, Race Face stem and seat post, and a good helping of Shimano XT parts including the brakes, hubs, and drive train. Salsa bits round out the package which will be topped off with a WTB saddle. Frame sets will include the Fox RP2 and a Salsa Flip-Lock seat collar. Look for the frame sets to become available in September with a suggested MSRP of $1435-$1500. The complete Big Mama bikes will come in January of ‘09 and will be MSRP at about $3800-$4000. (One note, the bike pictured here has the black Fox shock, which is the color for the ‘09 120mm travel F-29. The complete bike will actually be spec’ed with the 100mm travel fork and was white in our hand outs) Go to Salsa Cycles and check out the specs and information on the Big Mama. I also should mention that the very similar 26″er model, the El Kaboing, will also be available and was presented at the press release as well.

In conclusion, I felt that Salsa Cycles has done their homework and applied solutions with elegance and effectiveness to the problem of making a great 29″er trail bike. Have they come up with something that fits my definition of a 29″er trail bike? If the 16 miles I got to ride it is any indication, I would say that the Big Mama is well on it’s way to filling that rare place in my mind. Will it work for you? I know that there will be those who won’t like it, but my guess is that the Big Mama will be a very popular rig with a lot of 29″er freaks. If the design fulfills the goals that Salsa Cycles set for it, and it gives every indication that it will, I would go as far as to say that this will be its best selling 29″er rig. Time will tell on that, but for now, this bike is high on my list of full suspension 29″ers.

Edit 6-22-08: Salsa Cycles Jason Boucher has informed me that the Fox F-29 will indeed be black as shown on the pics above. He especially spec'ed a black fork. It is still the 100mm travel fork. Sorry for the confusion this may have caused.

Salsa Cycles Introduces The Big Mama!

Salsa Cycles has been working on this new full suspension platform for quite some time and now……here it is!




The new model!












The Big Mama is a four inch travel suspension platform with several important features which I’ll get into a bit later. First off, I was able to get a chance to ride this bike on Sunday at the local Murphy-Hanrahan trail system. It is a great buff, fast, tight and twisty single track loop. I was able to put in 16 miles on the new rig and I will say, it was a very satisfying ride.















My observations of 29 inch wheeled full suspension bikes is that most of them are compromises of what I like in a 29″er. They seem to be good at some things, but have lost certain handling characteristics, aesthetic characteristics, or structural characteristics in the translation from hard tail to full suspension. There are few that seem to have it dialed and look good doing it. Is the Big Mama in that rarefied air? Let’s take a look.


I have ridden a lot of full suspension bikes and the first thing one should determine is “what type” of full suspension are we talking about. Salsa head honch, Jason Boucher, says this is first and foremost an “all day trail bike”. Taking that into consideration as I rode it, I could then discern if it fit into my expectations for such a bike. I would say that such a bike should be maneuverable, respond to pedaling input in a positive way, (read “like a hard tail”), be stiff laterally, and have overall handling that is easy to navigate when the rider is tired. It should also do what the best trail bike full suspension should do, that is, keep the rider fresh and keep the wheels in contact with the ground. Finally, it should be fun and look cool. (Hey! I like my rigs to look good!)

The heart of the Big Mama is it’s detailed suspension and frame fittings. Things like the one piece forged link, (pictured above) help keep things tracking correctly. The hidden part here is the Enduro brand bearings used at all pivot points. The drive side of the swing arm is even fitted with two bearings, while the non-drive side has the traditional single bearing, which helps keep the swing arm pivot stiff and resist twisting forces from the pedaling input of a rider. Did it work? Well, all I can say is that I never once felt anything close to flex in the bottom bracket area. The huge bottom bracket forging, which includes the swing arm pivot, no doubt helps in this area. In fact, that swing arm felt pretty stout too. The reason why was evident.............

……Notice something missing? Yep! No pivot. Salsa Cycles designed the suspension with no rear drop out pivot, not because they think the rear pivot idea wasn’t any good, it just rode better than the designs that had rear pivots in their testing. So, to get around the pivot and have it ride well, Salsa designers went to the toolbox and pulled out their experiences with the Dos Niner. The soft tail classic has chain stays designed to flex up to an inch and survive trail abuse over the long haul. The flattened Scandium enhanced structure makes a return here on the Big Mama in the seat stays and only has to flex a whopping 5mm throughout the stroke of the shock. Salsa claims it helps reduce starting shock pressures needed and with the custom tuned Fox RP2, it helps achieve full travel from the damper. Did it work? Well, with the shock set to the open position on my test ride the Big Mama rode with small bump sensitivity and didn’t feel like it ramped up or stiffened in any way towards the end of it’s travel. It just reacted to bumps with no drama and made me forget all about suspension. That’s what a good suspension design should do, become invisible.

Salsa Cycles tried to maximize the weld areas on the bike and to reduce the places that required welding on the Big Mama. To do this they utilized special forged frame fittings, like the drop outs and the bottom bracket area. They also shaped the Scandium tubes, which were all specially designed by Salsa, to help combat flex where riders don’t want it. Check out that down tube/ bottom bracket junction, pictured above, or that down tube/ head tube weld area. There is some serious manipulation of tubes going on with the Big Mama. Did it work? Well, one of my biggest pet peeves about 29″ers is that many of them exhibit a torsional twist in the front triangle which leads to a vague steering feel and in bad cases a total disconnect between tracking of the rear and front wheels. I can say that I felt the Big Mama tracking a good straight line and that it didn’t feel like it had any significant torsional flex in the front end. yeah, I’d say all that tube shaping and weld area work was worth it.

<====Tube selection, design, and manipulation all work together here! It's one stiff front triangle.














Of course, this being an all day trail bike sort of rig, it would only make sense that you would be able to run big meats and still have some clearance around the tire for mud and trail debris. Salsa engineers made sure that you will be able to mount up a 2.5″ wide tire on a 35mm wide rim and have that clearance. I’ll have to take their word on that, as the samples I rode and saw all had Nevegals on them, but to my eye, it looks like a sure fit. That swing arm forging also helps solidify things laterally too. Nicely done!

Salsa’s design goals for this project were to have reliability, durability, and attention to detail. In that vein, they chose to fit the Big Mama with post mount type fittings for the rear disc brake. This is in keeping with the move by fork makers who have gone to post mounts and should give the Big Mama better braking performance given that the brake caliper is now mounted to a sturdy forged bit directly welded to the frame.

A few notes on my ride that I have not mentioned: The Big Mama was easy to wheelie, and was nimble feeling with a slight nod to the stable side of the handling spectrum. When I rode the production prototype, I had no idea about the “numbers”, since they were kept from me. I found out only later that the head angle is 71 degrees and that the Fox fork has 46mm of off set here. With this combination, I felt the Big Mama felt calm and collected on hairy fast descents through the tight single track. Climbing didn’t require any extra attention to the front end other than that I had to weight the front a bit more or I could wheelie at will. Something that could be cured if I wanted to with positioning tweaks, but frankly, I liked it this way. The bike cornered really well and what impressed me most was its ability to carve around a really tight corner with stability. This rig should help you clean switchbacks that have given you fits on other big wheelers.

The Big Mama will also be available as I got to ride it with Fox suspension, Race Face stem and seat post, and a good helping of Shimano XT parts including the brakes, hubs, and drive train. Salsa bits round out the package which will be topped off with a WTB saddle. Frame sets will include the Fox RP2 and a Salsa Flip-Lock seat collar. Look for the frame sets to become available in September with a suggested MSRP of $1435-$1500. The complete Big Mama bikes will come in January of ‘09 and will be MSRP at about $3800-$4000. (One note, the bike pictured here has the black Fox shock, which is the color for the ‘09 120mm travel F-29. The complete bike will actually be spec’ed with the 100mm travel fork and was white in our hand outs) Go to Salsa Cycles and check out the specs and information on the Big Mama. I also should mention that the very similar 26″er model, the El Kaboing, will also be available and was presented at the press release as well.

In conclusion, I felt that Salsa Cycles has done their homework and applied solutions with elegance and effectiveness to the problem of making a great 29″er trail bike. Have they come up with something that fits my definition of a 29″er trail bike? If the 16 miles I got to ride it is any indication, I would say that the Big Mama is well on it’s way to filling that rare place in my mind. Will it work for you? I know that there will be those who won’t like it, but my guess is that the Big Mama will be a very popular rig with a lot of 29″er freaks. If the design fulfills the goals that Salsa Cycles set for it, and it gives every indication that it will, I would go as far as to say that this will be its best selling 29″er rig. Time will tell on that, but for now, this bike is high on my list of full suspension 29″ers.

Edit 6-22-08: Salsa Cycles Jason Boucher has informed me that the Fox F-29 will indeed be black as shown on the pics above. He especially spec'ed a black fork. It is still the 100mm travel fork. Sorry for the confusion this may have caused.

Ahhh! Refreshing Yet Tactfully Dirty!

<===If he turns sideways just a bit more he disappears!

This weekend and the first day or two of this week I am up here in Minneapolis for the Salsa Sol Sessions and to visit my friend Jason and his great family. We got into town Sunday after escaping another round of severe thunderstorms Saturday that left quarter sized hail and knocked out our power last night for three hours.

The first thing I have to say is that the weather can still be good! In fact, it was a perfect Father's Day here in the Twin Cities.

Jason hauled me out to Murphy-Hanrahan, a newer trail system up here that I had never been on. Usually I ride at Lebanon Hills whilst I'm here and I really like that place. But I gotta say, there's a new sheriff in town and I'm likin' it a whole bunch. In fact, t is soo good, I have to do that again!


<===We didn't ride so hard that we didn't stop to check out some flowers though!

The thing about "Murph", as the locals call it, is that it is the flowiest, buffest, fastest single track I've ridden in a good long while. Some grizzled old locals may recall how George Wyth Park's "Bridge Trail" used to be about the funnest stretch of single track in Waterloo/Cedar Falls. Well, I just rode 16 miles of it up here that was twice as good as that ever was. Really!



<===Shed a little blood, but I didn't even notice till later!

Of course, the "big deal" was the "what I rode", and not so much the "where I rode", but I'll get to that later. I have to hold off on that part for just a bit longer but it will be worth waiting to check out. Really........

For now I will say that a day spent riding some sweet trail, sharing it with a friend, and hanging out and chowing down some fine grub with some brew to wash it down was a perfect remedy for the last week and a half. Thanks Jason! I needed that more than you know!

Tomorrow has some lazing around, riding, and the "official product launch" on tap for me here. I'll be downloading that info for release on Tuesday, so check it out. Until then, me and my sore legs are hittin' the hay!

Ahhh! Refreshing Yet Tactfully Dirty!

<===If he turns sideways just a bit more he disappears!

This weekend and the first day or two of this week I am up here in Minneapolis for the Salsa Sol Sessions and to visit my friend Jason and his great family. We got into town Sunday after escaping another round of severe thunderstorms Saturday that left quarter sized hail and knocked out our power last night for three hours.

The first thing I have to say is that the weather can still be good! In fact, it was a perfect Father's Day here in the Twin Cities.

Jason hauled me out to Murphy-Hanrahan, a newer trail system up here that I had never been on. Usually I ride at Lebanon Hills whilst I'm here and I really like that place. But I gotta say, there's a new sheriff in town and I'm likin' it a whole bunch. In fact, t is soo good, I have to do that again!


<===We didn't ride so hard that we didn't stop to check out some flowers though!

The thing about "Murph", as the locals call it, is that it is the flowiest, buffest, fastest single track I've ridden in a good long while. Some grizzled old locals may recall how George Wyth Park's "Bridge Trail" used to be about the funnest stretch of single track in Waterloo/Cedar Falls. Well, I just rode 16 miles of it up here that was twice as good as that ever was. Really!



<===Shed a little blood, but I didn't even notice till later!

Of course, the "big deal" was the "what I rode", and not so much the "where I rode", but I'll get to that later. I have to hold off on that part for just a bit longer but it will be worth waiting to check out. Really........

For now I will say that a day spent riding some sweet trail, sharing it with a friend, and hanging out and chowing down some fine grub with some brew to wash it down was a perfect remedy for the last week and a half. Thanks Jason! I needed that more than you know!

Tomorrow has some lazing around, riding, and the "official product launch" on tap for me here. I'll be downloading that info for release on Tuesday, so check it out. Until then, me and my sore legs are hittin' the hay!

Watch This Space!

<===Not new.....just new to me!

Well, I got this El Mariachi from Captain Bob recently and managed to get it up and running today. The run down is as follows: 2007 El Mariachi in Superior Blue with matching fork and stem, Salsa seat post, CroMoto stem, Delgado Disc Rims, and skewers. DT Swis 340 hubs, Bontrager Race Lite crank (older ISIS model), Ultegra long cage rear derailleur with ceramic bearing BBB jockey wheels, SRAM cassette, Avid BB-7 brakes and levers. Salsa 17 degree Moto Ace bar, cut down Ergon Team Green grips with the bar ends, and SRAM Attack "grip"shifters. Salsa seat post QR and Bontrager Inform RL saddle. Tires are WTB Stouts. Cages are Profile.

It rides great, but then again, I knew that it would. I've ridden a few examples of these before throughout the last year or so. I've always admired the sweet steel ride and handling of the original El Mariachi. When salsa changed them for this year, I must admit to being a bit bummed that I never snagged one of the Tomatillo colored ones, but this chance to own a blue one will do just fine! I rode it a bit today, a shake down of the new build, and I can't wait to ride it off road!

The Baja Epic Stage Race is slated to take place in early November. Call me stupid, but this looks like fun. Not that I could ever afford to go. With things headed in the direction that they are, I suspect that travel expenses will severely limit how many folks will go to this. Still, something about this intrigues me. Maybe I have a secret death wish, I don't know. Anyway, I like the idea of the event.

Then there is the Oregon Manifest in October. It is a handmade bicycle show, cyclo cross races, and general tom-foolery on bikes located in Portland. (Where else?!) Seems that they had so much fun in March they wanted to do it all over again in October. Hmm......but maybe there is more to this. Perhaps it is really a "do over" for some of the local builders who weren't pleased with the outcome of NAHBS. Or maybe some of the builders just didn't get their rigs done on time for NAHBS, so they figured an extra six months ought to cover them. Or maybe they want to turn Portland into the defacto cultural center of the North American cycling universe. I don't know, but it seems that they have the definite possibility for turning all French on us. I mean, their has to be more portuer bikes per capita in Portland than anywhere else on the Continent.

Okay, I must also add here that I'll be away from Guitar Ted Laboratories for a couple of days now covering the Salsa Sol Sessions for Twenty Nine Inches. My blog posts might be a bit irregular for Monday and Tuesday, but stay tuned, because it will be well worth waiting to read them!

Stay safe and healthy out there. Pray for the victims here in the Mid West. Ride a bike if you can!

Watch This Space!

<===Not new.....just new to me!

Well, I got this El Mariachi from Captain Bob recently and managed to get it up and running today. The run down is as follows: 2007 El Mariachi in Superior Blue with matching fork and stem, Salsa seat post, CroMoto stem, Delgado Disc Rims, and skewers. DT Swis 340 hubs, Bontrager Race Lite crank (older ISIS model), Ultegra long cage rear derailleur with ceramic bearing BBB jockey wheels, SRAM cassette, Avid BB-7 brakes and levers. Salsa 17 degree Moto Ace bar, cut down Ergon Team Green grips with the bar ends, and SRAM Attack "grip"shifters. Salsa seat post QR and Bontrager Inform RL saddle. Tires are WTB Stouts. Cages are Profile.

It rides great, but then again, I knew that it would. I've ridden a few examples of these before throughout the last year or so. I've always admired the sweet steel ride and handling of the original El Mariachi. When salsa changed them for this year, I must admit to being a bit bummed that I never snagged one of the Tomatillo colored ones, but this chance to own a blue one will do just fine! I rode it a bit today, a shake down of the new build, and I can't wait to ride it off road!

The Baja Epic Stage Race is slated to take place in early November. Call me stupid, but this looks like fun. Not that I could ever afford to go. With things headed in the direction that they are, I suspect that travel expenses will severely limit how many folks will go to this. Still, something about this intrigues me. Maybe I have a secret death wish, I don't know. Anyway, I like the idea of the event.

Then there is the Oregon Manifest in October. It is a handmade bicycle show, cyclo cross races, and general tom-foolery on bikes located in Portland. (Where else?!) Seems that they had so much fun in March they wanted to do it all over again in October. Hmm......but maybe there is more to this. Perhaps it is really a "do over" for some of the local builders who weren't pleased with the outcome of NAHBS. Or maybe some of the builders just didn't get their rigs done on time for NAHBS, so they figured an extra six months ought to cover them. Or maybe they want to turn Portland into the defacto cultural center of the North American cycling universe. I don't know, but it seems that they have the definite possibility for turning all French on us. I mean, their has to be more portuer bikes per capita in Portland than anywhere else on the Continent.

Okay, I must also add here that I'll be away from Guitar Ted Laboratories for a couple of days now covering the Salsa Sol Sessions for Twenty Nine Inches. My blog posts might be a bit irregular for Monday and Tuesday, but stay tuned, because it will be well worth waiting to read them!

Stay safe and healthy out there. Pray for the victims here in the Mid West. Ride a bike if you can!

Riding A Bicycle Sounds Good Right About Now

It's been said that a good bicycle ride can clear the mind, reduce stress, and give you a new perspective on things.

Sounds like the antidote for what ails us about right now.

While it might seem silly to some, I think it is a perfect idea. Especially around here in Iowa. Of course, you must be very, very careful! Stay outta the water and all of that, but ride where you can.

My bike ride is coming, but not quite here just yet. Over the last several days I haven't been able to ride due to the problems here. Normal daycare for one of my children has been interupted and I have had to find an alternate choice across town in Cedar Falls. That means an hour drive, or close to it due to all of the road closures. Not conducive to bicycle riding, that's for sure!

Some good news there though: We have had some bridges re-opened and some road choices are back on the menu, hopefully easing up the craziness here in the city. I know it is a regular thing elsewhere, but it took me at least a half an hour to go about a mile on Ansborough Avenue yesterday. We're not used to anything like that!

And more good news! Captain Bob and I recieved some parts for our little project bike and we should have something to show for everyone real soon. Also, the Decorah folks decided to throw a party on the original Big Wheeled Ballyhoo weekend anyway. Looks like there will be camping out, riding, and general tom-foolery going on up there. I might have to show up for that.

So anyway, getting out for a bike ride. Sounds like a perfect idea!

Riding A Bicycle Sounds Good Right About Now

It's been said that a good bicycle ride can clear the mind, reduce stress, and give you a new perspective on things.

Sounds like the antidote for what ails us about right now.

While it might seem silly to some, I think it is a perfect idea. Especially around here in Iowa. Of course, you must be very, very careful! Stay outta the water and all of that, but ride where you can.

My bike ride is coming, but not quite here just yet. Over the last several days I haven't been able to ride due to the problems here. Normal daycare for one of my children has been interupted and I have had to find an alternate choice across town in Cedar Falls. That means an hour drive, or close to it due to all of the road closures. Not conducive to bicycle riding, that's for sure!

Some good news there though: We have had some bridges re-opened and some road choices are back on the menu, hopefully easing up the craziness here in the city. I know it is a regular thing elsewhere, but it took me at least a half an hour to go about a mile on Ansborough Avenue yesterday. We're not used to anything like that!

And more good news! Captain Bob and I recieved some parts for our little project bike and we should have something to show for everyone real soon. Also, the Decorah folks decided to throw a party on the original Big Wheeled Ballyhoo weekend anyway. Looks like there will be camping out, riding, and general tom-foolery going on up there. I might have to show up for that.

So anyway, getting out for a bike ride. Sounds like a perfect idea!

What To Do? Part II

First of all, for those of you who are not aware, the situation regarding flooding here in the Mid-West, Iowa, and right here in the area I live in is intensifying. More rain, (it is raining as I type this) is hitting the area which is already suffering from the worst flooding in known history.

Add to this the threat of severe weather and more killer tornado activity where we have already suffered greatly from both. I find it hard to write anything today that is not related to what is happening all around me.

I want to take this opportunity to respond back to all of you who have reached out in the comments and through e-mail. Thank you. I greatly appreciate your thoughts and concerns. Myself and my family are safe and the home we live in is safe. I would ask that you keep the people of this area in your thoughts and prayers as many are not so fortunate here.

In regards to the announcement concerning The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, look for an official statement on Twenty Nine Inches later today. Unofficially I will say that I think it is obvious what we're going to do with that.

Okay, sorry for such a bummer post, but I really can't bring myself to write anything other than what I have this morning. Let's hope and pray for an end to all this.

What To Do? Part II

First of all, for those of you who are not aware, the situation regarding flooding here in the Mid-West, Iowa, and right here in the area I live in is intensifying. More rain, (it is raining as I type this) is hitting the area which is already suffering from the worst flooding in known history.

Add to this the threat of severe weather and more killer tornado activity where we have already suffered greatly from both. I find it hard to write anything today that is not related to what is happening all around me.

I want to take this opportunity to respond back to all of you who have reached out in the comments and through e-mail. Thank you. I greatly appreciate your thoughts and concerns. Myself and my family are safe and the home we live in is safe. I would ask that you keep the people of this area in your thoughts and prayers as many are not so fortunate here.

In regards to the announcement concerning The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, look for an official statement on Twenty Nine Inches later today. Unofficially I will say that I think it is obvious what we're going to do with that.

Okay, sorry for such a bummer post, but I really can't bring myself to write anything other than what I have this morning. Let's hope and pray for an end to all this.

What To Do?

<===The Upper Iowa River at Decorah in the area where the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo is supposed to be set at.

If you have not heard yet, we are currently experiencing the worst flooding in history....ever....here in Iowa and all over the Mid-West. It is affecting my town too, but for the purposes of this blog, the impact falls squarely on The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

The event is to happen ten days from now, so whether or not the Ballyhoo will even happen is the question that needs to be answered and answered really soon. This is a decision that has fallen squarely onto my shoulders. It seems to be the way things have gone for me this year. Big decisions that affect a lot of people. Let me tell you, it ain't easy folks!

On one hand, I can see that the clean up of the area in question, (assuming the flood recedes soon enough), will be a monumental task. And then you have to wonder if that saturated ground will recover enough in ten days to support vehicles that would have to be driven in there to set up demo rides and campers.

I'm thinking that is a tall order. Add to that the fact that we are facing another round of slow moving thunderstorms, (already in western Iowa) and you can see that this problem isn't going to go away quietly or even soon.

On the other hand I have a lot of people looking forward to seeing me and other folks. I have companies that want to debut new product here at the ballyhoo, and I have folks that want to ride some of the new 29"ers coming out. A lot of fun will be snuffed out if this doesn't happen.

See, I told you it wasn't easy being me! Ha ha!

Well, later today the axe will either fall or be held up for the Ballyhoo. I'm not too hopeful that it won't fall and cut this event off before it even happens. Stay tuned................

Update: 11:00 am The "decision" has been postponed until tomorrow morning in deference to the Decoarah folks. Once I have their input, an official announcement will be forthcoming on the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo site by noon tomorrow and later here and elsewhere.

Commenter's suggesting a fall date for the Ballyhoo must keep in mind that "trade show" season would prevent most companies from showing up, and Twenty Nine Inches staff (me included) would also be affected by this. Fall might be nice, but essentially it is already booked up and a Ballyhoo for that time period wouldn't be possible as it is formatted right now.

If the Ballyhoo is cancelled (likely at this point) there will not be one in 2008. Stay tuned.......

What To Do?

<===The Upper Iowa River at Decorah in the area where the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo is supposed to be set at.

If you have not heard yet, we are currently experiencing the worst flooding in history....ever....here in Iowa and all over the Mid-West. It is affecting my town too, but for the purposes of this blog, the impact falls squarely on The Big Wheeled Ballyhoo.

The event is to happen ten days from now, so whether or not the Ballyhoo will even happen is the question that needs to be answered and answered really soon. This is a decision that has fallen squarely onto my shoulders. It seems to be the way things have gone for me this year. Big decisions that affect a lot of people. Let me tell you, it ain't easy folks!

On one hand, I can see that the clean up of the area in question, (assuming the flood recedes soon enough), will be a monumental task. And then you have to wonder if that saturated ground will recover enough in ten days to support vehicles that would have to be driven in there to set up demo rides and campers.

I'm thinking that is a tall order. Add to that the fact that we are facing another round of slow moving thunderstorms, (already in western Iowa) and you can see that this problem isn't going to go away quietly or even soon.

On the other hand I have a lot of people looking forward to seeing me and other folks. I have companies that want to debut new product here at the ballyhoo, and I have folks that want to ride some of the new 29"ers coming out. A lot of fun will be snuffed out if this doesn't happen.

See, I told you it wasn't easy being me! Ha ha!

Well, later today the axe will either fall or be held up for the Ballyhoo. I'm not too hopeful that it won't fall and cut this event off before it even happens. Stay tuned................

Update: 11:00 am The "decision" has been postponed until tomorrow morning in deference to the Decoarah folks. Once I have their input, an official announcement will be forthcoming on the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo site by noon tomorrow and later here and elsewhere.

Commenter's suggesting a fall date for the Ballyhoo must keep in mind that "trade show" season would prevent most companies from showing up, and Twenty Nine Inches staff (me included) would also be affected by this. Fall might be nice, but essentially it is already booked up and a Ballyhoo for that time period wouldn't be possible as it is formatted right now.

If the Ballyhoo is cancelled (likely at this point) there will not be one in 2008. Stay tuned.......

Bike Lust

<===If it's bigger it must be better, right?

Lately there has been an uptick in the activity in the 36"er world. Okay......."world" might be too strong a word here. Let's see......how about "corner"? Heh heh!

Anyway, the thing is, I want one of these bikes. I haven't pulled the trigger yet because, well......there still is some figuring out to do. While I think they are cool as is, the advancements in the design and technology are still in flux. I'm waiting it out, but you may ask, "Why"? Well, let me tell you!

Fun: I don't know anbody who doesn't like fun. This bike has "fun" in spades. If you don't smile after riding this rig, you are a certified curmudgeon, and are to be avoided at all costs. Ask Carlos, who rode this very 36"er last winter and tried not to smile as he did it. Guess what? He came back with a grin despite himself. Who wouldn't want to own a contagious fun machine? I know I would!

It's a great bicycle: As bicycles go, a 36"er is pretty cool. It can carry momentum like crazy, it is super stable, and rolls over curbs like they were not there! I can see the 36"er as being a great commuter rig too. I mean, who wouldn't see those hoops rolling down the road? Plus gravel grinding would be another realm altogether with these monsterous circles rolling underneath you.

It's different: Yeah....................'nuff said!

So, someday I'm going to have to add one of these to the stable. It just makes too much sense not too! Or so I think.

Bike Lust

<===If it's bigger it must be better, right?

Lately there has been an uptick in the activity in the 36"er world. Okay......."world" might be too strong a word here. Let's see......how about "corner"? Heh heh!

Anyway, the thing is, I want one of these bikes. I haven't pulled the trigger yet because, well......there still is some figuring out to do. While I think they are cool as is, the advancements in the design and technology are still in flux. I'm waiting it out, but you may ask, "Why"? Well, let me tell you!

Fun: I don't know anbody who doesn't like fun. This bike has "fun" in spades. If you don't smile after riding this rig, you are a certified curmudgeon, and are to be avoided at all costs. Ask Carlos, who rode this very 36"er last winter and tried not to smile as he did it. Guess what? He came back with a grin despite himself. Who wouldn't want to own a contagious fun machine? I know I would!

It's a great bicycle: As bicycles go, a 36"er is pretty cool. It can carry momentum like crazy, it is super stable, and rolls over curbs like they were not there! I can see the 36"er as being a great commuter rig too. I mean, who wouldn't see those hoops rolling down the road? Plus gravel grinding would be another realm altogether with these monsterous circles rolling underneath you.

It's different: Yeah....................'nuff said!

So, someday I'm going to have to add one of these to the stable. It just makes too much sense not too! Or so I think.

Before The Monsoon

I managed to sneak a ride in Saturday before the monsoon that was Sunday set in. I decided that I would just head out on my Badger and see where things took me.

I decided to head south on the bike path to Hudson. Straight into a pretty stiff Southwesterly breeze. I was working pretty hard, and the path is dead level! Must have been a pretty decent wind, or my legs sucked!

Actually, my legs did not feel all that snappy, so it probably was a bit of both.





The ditches along the path and the fields beyond them were all full of water. They are saying that things are getting to the 1993 flood levels around here. Hmm............don't know about that, I do know that Iowa City/Coralville is pretty much there, but we've got a ways to go before I'd say it was that bad. Don't get me wrong though.....this is really bad!

That line of trees in the distance, yeah........that's where I would have normally been riding. The Green Belt dirt trails are all under a lot of water right now. I doubt we'll be able to ride there until fall. Too bad because all our local off road choices are pretty much down for the count.



I saw this looming in the distance as I went west on Ridgeway out of Cedar Falls. It's laminated wood. Hmm......about time they figured that out. I dunno, maybe they have been doing this where you live for years, but that's the first I've seen of this.

Anyway, I thought it was rusty painted steel for awhile!

You can also see the sky is getting darker. Yeah, it was about this time I decided to head for the shed. I wasn't keen on getting caught out if things got nasty, and that Southwest wind told me something was up.


I was sporting the Snappy Cap and the Twin Six look on the ride. Those are some Tifosi shades there. I like Tifosi stuff, not expensive and it works. My favorite model isn't these but the Vogel. It wraps around my face for better peripheral vision. My two examples of that model got roached though, so I'm back to wearing these!

I was riding with the wind here, so I thought it would be a great time to practice the "Kerkove Shot"

How am I doing, Blue? (He's the only local I know that has perfected the "Kerkove Shot") Well, I suppose The Jackal has it down, but he hasn't been using his skilz that way lately!


Here we have one of the most dangerous intersections in town.........for cars! We can't even measure the danger factor for local cyclists, yet in their infinite wisdom, the city has the bike path cross this intersection twice! Brilliant! Then there is that other intersection to the south of here where a bike path crosses the road again! Oh yeah, did I mention that folks get killed out here in their cars all the time?

Usually, I try and avoid this area like the plague because of this situation, but I was in a hurry to get back home, and this was the most direct route.

Just across the road on Greenhill Roads bike path I got passed by a recumbent rider and a Cannondale roadie rider as I was getting clipped in. On the slight uphill I caught them and the recumbent rider called out to the Cannondale roadie dude that I was coming through. Well, the Cannondale roadie dude clicks down a gear. You know, the cyclists signal that "I'm not gonna let you pass me. This is a race!" signal? Yeah, well I just kept on the guys wheel. I figured that if he had the motor to keep this pace up the hill then I'll let him pull me up too.

Well, about three quarters of the way up, he sat up. I pulled through and I just upped the cadence a hair and next thing I know he's gone. Off the back. Now on the down hill I just kept it on until I decided to pull off to the left for a few city back streets. (More turns = more fun) I ended up getting directed to the old Green Hill street which dead ends at cedar Heights drive. You have to pass over a bit of grass and go around the signage with a bunny hop over a curb or two thrown in. Well, I look to my right and there is Cannondale roadie dude at the corner of Green Hill Road and Cedar heights looking at me. He just rolled up as well, only he was on straight bike path and was about half a block to the south of me. He looked a bit surprised. Ha ha! That was fun.

I rolled on home just in time for lunch with my family. Perfect timing. Not only for lunch, but for a ride, since Sunday was a complete washout. Well, I hope this rain quits, or the Ballyhoo is gonna be a mess!

Before The Monsoon

I managed to sneak a ride in Saturday before the monsoon that was Sunday set in. I decided that I would just head out on my Badger and see where things took me.

I decided to head south on the bike path to Hudson. Straight into a pretty stiff Southwesterly breeze. I was working pretty hard, and the path is dead level! Must have been a pretty decent wind, or my legs sucked!

Actually, my legs did not feel all that snappy, so it probably was a bit of both.





The ditches along the path and the fields beyond them were all full of water. They are saying that things are getting to the 1993 flood levels around here. Hmm............don't know about that, I do know that Iowa City/Coralville is pretty much there, but we've got a ways to go before I'd say it was that bad. Don't get me wrong though.....this is really bad!

That line of trees in the distance, yeah........that's where I would have normally been riding. The Green Belt dirt trails are all under a lot of water right now. I doubt we'll be able to ride there until fall. Too bad because all our local off road choices are pretty much down for the count.



I saw this looming in the distance as I went west on Ridgeway out of Cedar Falls. It's laminated wood. Hmm......about time they figured that out. I dunno, maybe they have been doing this where you live for years, but that's the first I've seen of this.

Anyway, I thought it was rusty painted steel for awhile!

You can also see the sky is getting darker. Yeah, it was about this time I decided to head for the shed. I wasn't keen on getting caught out if things got nasty, and that Southwest wind told me something was up.


I was sporting the Snappy Cap and the Twin Six look on the ride. Those are some Tifosi shades there. I like Tifosi stuff, not expensive and it works. My favorite model isn't these but the Vogel. It wraps around my face for better peripheral vision. My two examples of that model got roached though, so I'm back to wearing these!

I was riding with the wind here, so I thought it would be a great time to practice the "Kerkove Shot"

How am I doing, Blue? (He's the only local I know that has perfected the "Kerkove Shot") Well, I suppose The Jackal has it down, but he hasn't been using his skilz that way lately!


Here we have one of the most dangerous intersections in town.........for cars! We can't even measure the danger factor for local cyclists, yet in their infinite wisdom, the city has the bike path cross this intersection twice! Brilliant! Then there is that other intersection to the south of here where a bike path crosses the road again! Oh yeah, did I mention that folks get killed out here in their cars all the time?

Usually, I try and avoid this area like the plague because of this situation, but I was in a hurry to get back home, and this was the most direct route.

Just across the road on Greenhill Roads bike path I got passed by a recumbent rider and a Cannondale roadie rider as I was getting clipped in. On the slight uphill I caught them and the recumbent rider called out to the Cannondale roadie dude that I was coming through. Well, the Cannondale roadie dude clicks down a gear. You know, the cyclists signal that "I'm not gonna let you pass me. This is a race!" signal? Yeah, well I just kept on the guys wheel. I figured that if he had the motor to keep this pace up the hill then I'll let him pull me up too.

Well, about three quarters of the way up, he sat up. I pulled through and I just upped the cadence a hair and next thing I know he's gone. Off the back. Now on the down hill I just kept it on until I decided to pull off to the left for a few city back streets. (More turns = more fun) I ended up getting directed to the old Green Hill street which dead ends at cedar Heights drive. You have to pass over a bit of grass and go around the signage with a bunny hop over a curb or two thrown in. Well, I look to my right and there is Cannondale roadie dude at the corner of Green Hill Road and Cedar heights looking at me. He just rolled up as well, only he was on straight bike path and was about half a block to the south of me. He looked a bit surprised. Ha ha! That was fun.

I rolled on home just in time for lunch with my family. Perfect timing. Not only for lunch, but for a ride, since Sunday was a complete washout. Well, I hope this rain quits, or the Ballyhoo is gonna be a mess!

Origin 8 Space Bar Review

<==== The Space Bar, upside down on a geared bike.

I was asked about an On One Mary Bar yesterday and it is a fantastic bar. (Do go to the link and read through Brant Richards excellent take on why these types of bars work so well.) The thing about the Mary, Midge, and Mungo is that while they are great bars, they cost a heck of a lot more and are not as easy to get a hold of as Origin 8's Gary and Space Bar. Quite simply, it's a matter of supply and economics for me. Otherwise much of what I will be writing here could be said of the Mary bar and it would be a great bar to own. Maybe someday......



<====You can use the Space Bar with your "regular" stem.

Some folks might be a bit concerned with positioning with a Space Bar. Not to worry! I have found that by overlaying a "standard" swept bar over a mounted Space Bar, that the actual end position for the hands is virtually the same. The difference being the angle that your hands are at. The angle of the grip section is close to 40 degrees and there is plenty of room for controls of your choice. The bars do have rise (or drop) and you can gain about an inch and a half of rise if you so desire. I have run the Space Bar upside down with excellent results as well.




<===The Space Bar plays quite well with Ergon grips and becomes even more useful with them, in my opinion.

Out riding, the Space Bar puts your elbows in a more relaxed, next to your body position and aligns your wrists and fore arms in a more natural way. My riding has shown me that they work just fine in single track and turning tight corners isn't a problem. I especially like the leverage I can generate out of the saddle on climbs. Imagine hoisting a pail full of water upwards with one hand and you might see how it is while out of the saddle pulling upwards on the Space Bar. The bar is plenty stiff, no noodle bar here! That means that if you run a rigid set up, the Space Bar may not be to your liking from a comfort standpoint. It doesn't yield to trail obstacles much at all!

I will give you my thoughts on the Mary bar in comparison here. (I think I can speak on this from my Midge Bar experience) The On One product is a much finer looking piece, no doubt. I would also suspect that it is slightly lighter than the Kalloy made Space Bar. The center section of the Mary is slightly different, most notably the clamp area, which looks much cleaner and neater than the Space Bar's does. Overall, it is a better looking, slightly lighter, and probably a slightly more comfortable bar than the Space Bar. However; you will pay nigh onto three times the price of a Space bar for a Mary Bar, so it comes at a premium.

In my mind, the Space Bar wins for it's versatility, toughness, and value. The average retail price for a Space Bar is about $25.00. Not bad for a handle bar and great for something that breaks from the normal 5-7 degree flat bars and riser bars that don't have more than 10 degrees sweep. You don't have to use a different stem, and you can use non-traditional grips, like Ergon grips. All your controls will work, no special considerations there either.

Try a Space Bar out. I highly recommend them!