3GR Report: Withering Wind

The Lilacs in bloom were sweet smelling

The 3GR for Saturday was an odd ball one, for sure, since I knew that many regulars were out of town for the Almanzo events.  I also had to push back the start to 2:30pm due to my neighborhood clean-up, which happened on Saturday morning. So, I knew there was a good chance this ride would be a solo one.

Turns out I was right about that. At least it was warm and clear out, for the most part. However; there was a wind, and it wasn't what I would call a "favorable wind", what with it coming out of the South and me going North to start out with. Yes- a tail wind North, but that meant a head wind to finish it off. I usually prefer that to be in reverse order, but it was what it was.

So, I set out alone on the Vaya and headed through the bike paths which get me out North of town and out to gravel. I met a few riders that probably are training for RAGBRAI, judging by the loud music they were playing on their bike mounted music systems. I was glad I was headed in the other direction. The music of the wind, birds, and the crunch of gravel on my tires was what I wanted to hear.

Of course, headed mostly North should have felt great, but for whatever reason, I was out of sorts. I never could get into a comfortable rhythm and I knew it wasn't going well for me. The Vaya has a couple of bugs to be worked out yet: a pedal, (I think), that is going bad, the seat and stem positions are not right yet, and the saddle isn't good enough.

I got this!

Along about this time I note that my right side bar tape is unraveling. Okay.....if there is one thing that ticks me off on a drop bar bike- it is unraveling or loose bar tape. So, I make the decision to stop right then and there to rewrap it. I carefully undo the finishing tape so I can reuse it, and then I get to work. Within minutes I have the job done and I am back riding again. One less thing to bug me while I am out riding!

Then I notice the rear derailleur cable is too loose, and I try fixing that on the fly. After a few attempts, I get that taken care of. Another issue to deal with when I get back home though. The barrel adjuster is pretty far out, and that isn't a good thing either. At least I can shift the thing up into lower gears now! I understand at this point why customers of the bike shop that do not have the skills to do this sort of stuff get frustrated though. If this happened to me and I was clueless on what to do, I would be pretty mad! Fortunately, I do know what to do when mini-disasters strike out on the road. (Gotta remember to put a little tape in the kit next time though!)

Good as new!

I roll out to finish off the Northward march. I finally hit on a bit of rhythm here, but I still feel slightly out of sorts. I can not really put my finger on it either. Just not feeling it today. I was trying to decide if I should go for the big loop, or cut back on the original route and then over toward home. My decision was helped when I turned East just past C-50. Wind! I would be hitting a pretty significant headwind going back. Probably 20mph with higher gusts. Not as bad as the week before, but this would be at the tail end of the ride and not in the beginning of the ride, like it was last week.

I'd been looking for a likely place to stop and have a "nature break", when I crested a small hill and the road went back North again. Here was a little turn off into a farmer's field that put me out of the general view of anyone around, so that was perfect. I swung over, ditched the bike, and did my business quickly. Then after a few shots with the camera I remounted and headed back out on the gravel. The road was strewn with newer gravel, but it had been beaten in pretty well by the copious amounts of farm traffic of late.

That's Ingawanis Woods in the distance.

Finally I go by Ingawanis Woods and hit the big rollers by the rock quarry. The road is always super-fast through here. Better than smooth pavement. I like this bit and it doesn't disappoint on this day. Even the wind seemed to relent and let me enjoy the climb and descent down to my right hand turn and back into that wind.

The Wind: I can remember thinking to myself, "Well....here we go!", as I made the turn. After a few rollers I was out in the open and getting pummeled. The wind was actually getting stronger, and puffs of gravel dust were being driven along which would sweep by me and keep on rolling Northward. Not me. I was resigned to going slowly South and hopefully, eventually, back home.

Every pedal stroke was laborious, hard, and was starting to hurt my right knee. These are the times that, overall, probably pretty much suck in terms of cycling and why I do this, but there are other reasons to be. I was trying to focus on those things. Overall, I would say I was successful, because, ya know, I made it back home to write about it!

There was the young buck in the rusty Chevy with a load of seed corn. I would say, if I didn't know any better, that he was slowing down after he passed me to dust me in his wake. Unfortunately for him, the slight Southeastward origins of the withering blast were directing his limestone assault off the road rather quickly. He then turned around and with an impish grin, waved hello as he drove back the other way to douse me one more, albeit brief, time. Bah!

A field of Hopes and Possibilities

Then there were the several farmers out planting in the fields. Frantically working against the clock, these farmers were putting in seed with the fainting hopes that it wasn't too late to get a good corn crop. Last year, in comparison, the corn was already knee high.

Beans will be next, but this is the time to plant those, so the rush isn't as extreme as it is for the corn crop. I was wishing them well as I passed slowly by on my way South. An insect compared to the behemoths of the fields which crawled back and forth across the newly tilled earth.

All these things kept me from thinking about how much this ride was actually hurting. It was definitely not fun to deal with that nasty wind and the heat, which wasn't too extreme, but it was in the 80's. I was often reminded of how the Dirty Kanza 200 could feel like this. A brutal wind, no where to hide, and running out of water. Been there, not quite "done that", but I'd given it my best shot all three times I'd tried it.

Eventually I made it all the way back into town. One thing I discovered, and I am pretty convinced of this now, is that  the BioPace ring I am using makes a definite difference. I found I was able to power through hills with out getting those peak loads on every revolution that really take your momentum of pedaling away, and cause you to shift down, or to stop altogether. I was glad to have that discovery.

Back home I was wiped out! Good thing it was family home made pizza night!

3GR Report: Withering Wind

The Lilacs in bloom were sweet smelling

The 3GR for Saturday was an odd ball one, for sure, since I knew that many regulars were out of town for the Almanzo events.  I also had to push back the start to 2:30pm due to my neighborhood clean-up, which happened on Saturday morning. So, I knew there was a good chance this ride would be a solo one.

Turns out I was right about that. At least it was warm and clear out, for the most part. However; there was a wind, and it wasn't what I would call a "favorable wind", what with it coming out of the South and me going North to start out with. Yes- a tail wind North, but that meant a head wind to finish it off. I usually prefer that to be in reverse order, but it was what it was.

So, I set out alone on the Vaya and headed through the bike paths which get me out North of town and out to gravel. I met a few riders that probably are training for RAGBRAI, judging by the loud music they were playing on their bike mounted music systems. I was glad I was headed in the other direction. The music of the wind, birds, and the crunch of gravel on my tires was what I wanted to hear.

Of course, headed mostly North should have felt great, but for whatever reason, I was out of sorts. I never could get into a comfortable rhythm and I knew it wasn't going well for me. The Vaya has a couple of bugs to be worked out yet: a pedal, (I think), that is going bad, the seat and stem positions are not right yet, and the saddle isn't good enough.

I got this!

Along about this time I note that my right side bar tape is unraveling. Okay.....if there is one thing that ticks me off on a drop bar bike- it is unraveling or loose bar tape. So, I make the decision to stop right then and there to rewrap it. I carefully undo the finishing tape so I can reuse it, and then I get to work. Within minutes I have the job done and I am back riding again. One less thing to bug me while I am out riding!

Then I notice the rear derailleur cable is too loose, and I try fixing that on the fly. After a few attempts, I get that taken care of. Another issue to deal with when I get back home though. The barrel adjuster is pretty far out, and that isn't a good thing either. At least I can shift the thing up into lower gears now! I understand at this point why customers of the bike shop that do not have the skills to do this sort of stuff get frustrated though. If this happened to me and I was clueless on what to do, I would be pretty mad! Fortunately, I do know what to do when mini-disasters strike out on the road. (Gotta remember to put a little tape in the kit next time though!)

Good as new!

I roll out to finish off the Northward march. I finally hit on a bit of rhythm here, but I still feel slightly out of sorts. I can not really put my finger on it either. Just not feeling it today. I was trying to decide if I should go for the big loop, or cut back on the original route and then over toward home. My decision was helped when I turned East just past C-50. Wind! I would be hitting a pretty significant headwind going back. Probably 20mph with higher gusts. Not as bad as the week before, but this would be at the tail end of the ride and not in the beginning of the ride, like it was last week.

I'd been looking for a likely place to stop and have a "nature break", when I crested a small hill and the road went back North again. Here was a little turn off into a farmer's field that put me out of the general view of anyone around, so that was perfect. I swung over, ditched the bike, and did my business quickly. Then after a few shots with the camera I remounted and headed back out on the gravel. The road was strewn with newer gravel, but it had been beaten in pretty well by the copious amounts of farm traffic of late.

That's Ingawanis Woods in the distance.

Finally I go by Ingawanis Woods and hit the big rollers by the rock quarry. The road is always super-fast through here. Better than smooth pavement. I like this bit and it doesn't disappoint on this day. Even the wind seemed to relent and let me enjoy the climb and descent down to my right hand turn and back into that wind.

The Wind: I can remember thinking to myself, "Well....here we go!", as I made the turn. After a few rollers I was out in the open and getting pummeled. The wind was actually getting stronger, and puffs of gravel dust were being driven along which would sweep by me and keep on rolling Northward. Not me. I was resigned to going slowly South and hopefully, eventually, back home.

Every pedal stroke was laborious, hard, and was starting to hurt my right knee. These are the times that, overall, probably pretty much suck in terms of cycling and why I do this, but there are other reasons to be. I was trying to focus on those things. Overall, I would say I was successful, because, ya know, I made it back home to write about it!

There was the young buck in the rusty Chevy with a load of seed corn. I would say, if I didn't know any better, that he was slowing down after he passed me to dust me in his wake. Unfortunately for him, the slight Southeastward origins of the withering blast were directing his limestone assault off the road rather quickly. He then turned around and with an impish grin, waved hello as he drove back the other way to douse me one more, albeit brief, time. Bah!

A field of Hopes and Possibilities

Then there were the several farmers out planting in the fields. Frantically working against the clock, these farmers were putting in seed with the fainting hopes that it wasn't too late to get a good corn crop. Last year, in comparison, the corn was already knee high.

Beans will be next, but this is the time to plant those, so the rush isn't as extreme as it is for the corn crop. I was wishing them well as I passed slowly by on my way South. An insect compared to the behemoths of the fields which crawled back and forth across the newly tilled earth.

All these things kept me from thinking about how much this ride was actually hurting. It was definitely not fun to deal with that nasty wind and the heat, which wasn't too extreme, but it was in the 80's. I was often reminded of how the Dirty Kanza 200 could feel like this. A brutal wind, no where to hide, and running out of water. Been there, not quite "done that", but I'd given it my best shot all three times I'd tried it.

Eventually I made it all the way back into town. One thing I discovered, and I am pretty convinced of this now, is that  the BioPace ring I am using makes a definite difference. I found I was able to power through hills with out getting those peak loads on every revolution that really take your momentum of pedaling away, and cause you to shift down, or to stop altogether. I was glad to have that discovery.

Back home I was wiped out! Good thing it was family home made pizza night!

Gravel Mutt Project: Working On It.....

 The used to be a front derailleur here.

I've been doing a lot of hand sanding lately. Chasing irregularities and finding new ones along the way. I probably could have taken the frame somewhere and had it bead blasted, but for me, there is something.... Well, there is something about hand work and metal that I like. I used to be a bench jeweler, and I got to polish  up a lot of gold and silver, but I also would polish up about anything metal in my down time. I once polished a prong file's back side to a chrome-like, mirror finish. It's kind of a mental clearing activity, and I suppose I have something wrong with me.....

But you all knew that! 

Anywho, I enjoy the hand sanding, and I find it rewarding when I can make something look better than it used to, if it is metal. Maybe I should have built custom cars or something, I don't know....

But the point here is that I have large areas of exposed metal that I needed to cover up, and all I have around to keep rust at bay right now is some Pepto Bismal Pink spray bomb paint. So, most of this  rig looks mighty bright pink at the moment. Might just incorporate that color with another really bright hue and do some masking and....well we'll see. I am getting ahead of myself here.

I sanded off the down tube decals, just because, and I think I am going to sand all of them off. May as well, and that will leave a cleaner looking frame to lay ones eyes on. Stay tuned, this could get real interesting....

Gravel Mutt Project: Working On It.....

 The used to be a front derailleur here.

I've been doing a lot of hand sanding lately. Chasing irregularities and finding new ones along the way. I probably could have taken the frame somewhere and had it bead blasted, but for me, there is something.... Well, there is something about hand work and metal that I like. I used to be a bench jeweler, and I got to polish  up a lot of gold and silver, but I also would polish up about anything metal in my down time. I once polished a prong file's back side to a chrome-like, mirror finish. It's kind of a mental clearing activity, and I suppose I have something wrong with me.....

But you all knew that! 

Anywho, I enjoy the hand sanding, and I find it rewarding when I can make something look better than it used to, if it is metal. Maybe I should have built custom cars or something, I don't know....

But the point here is that I have large areas of exposed metal that I needed to cover up, and all I have around to keep rust at bay right now is some Pepto Bismal Pink spray bomb paint. So, most of this  rig looks mighty bright pink at the moment. Might just incorporate that color with another really bright hue and do some masking and....well we'll see. I am getting ahead of myself here.

I sanded off the down tube decals, just because, and I think I am going to sand all of them off. May as well, and that will leave a cleaner looking frame to lay ones eyes on. Stay tuned, this could get real interesting....

Friday News And Views

Trek Remedy 29 image found on Twitter

Trek Intros New Bikes- Tries New Approach To Intros:

Yesterday Trek Bicycles made a big announcement about two bicycles done up in 29 inch wheels. That isn't too news worthy, other than the fact that the two models in question probably should have made the leap to 29 inch wheels at least four years ago. (Those being the Remedy and Fuel EX)

More on the bikes later, but what I thought was really interesting was how Trek approached this and the new direction they are taking with introductions. Trek made the prototypes, tested the prototypes, spec'ed the bikes, did all the advertising and POP for the bikes, manufactured the bikes, stocked the bikes, and made then available to order all before the media announcements and before the dealers knew about the bikes. That is unprecedented, and that is a "big deal" when you think of traditional marketing, or even "new school" marketing.

Media launch is May 30th. A full two weeks away, and that says a lot about Trek wanting to control the message and do something different with the media. How that plays out will be quite interesting to see, (and I have opinions that I can not share just yet- stay tuned....), but this is going to mark a different approach to media/marketing/dealer relations that we haven't seen since the pre-internet days.

And what about those bikes? Well, that's also pretty interesting as well. Obviously there are legacy bikes/names from the Fisher era, and the Remedy and Fuel EX , (which are still also offered in 26, by the way), stayed out of the 29"er realm so as to not duplicate/overlap product. Well, with the Remedy and Fuel EX 29"ers, doesn't it make sense for Trek to ax the Rumblefish?  Seeing as how these new Trek Fuels are pretty much taking the place of the old HiFi as well, it would almost look like another washing away of the Fisher name from Trek's line.  I also saw a rumor that Domane technology is crossing over to the 29"er racing platform. If true, that would be another odd thing when seen up against some of the current models. Well, who knows.........we'll find out soon enough.

And wait until you hear what Trek says about 27.5"ers...... 

Good Luck Almanzo Riders!

 Big Weekend In Gravel Grinding:

Well, one of the "biggies" of the gravel grinding calendar happens this weekend with the latest edition of the Almanzo events. Things kick off tomorrow with the "Alexander", a 380 mile route that will take riders from Southern Minnesota to Southwestern Wisconsin, back in to Northeastern Iowa, and eventually back to Spring Valley Minnesota.  The Almanzo 100 and Royal 165 events kick off Saturday morning. I'd like to wish all the riders tailwinds and sunny skies, (with clear nights for the Alexander riders), and to keep the rubber side down.

3GR: 

This brings me to tomorrow's  3GR, which is going to happen. The thing is, I have a chance to take advantage of a neighborhood clean up and that happens in the morning tomorrow. So, I am going to push back the start of 3GR to 2:30pm at Gateway Park. If you are game, show up and we'll ride about 30-ish miles of primo gravel.

That's all for today! Have a great weekend and good riding wherever you are!

Friday News And Views

Trek Remedy 29 image found on Twitter

Trek Intros New Bikes- Tries New Approach To Intros:

Yesterday Trek Bicycles made a big announcement about two bicycles done up in 29 inch wheels. That isn't too news worthy, other than the fact that the two models in question probably should have made the leap to 29 inch wheels at least four years ago. (Those being the Remedy and Fuel EX)

More on the bikes later, but what I thought was really interesting was how Trek approached this and the new direction they are taking with introductions. Trek made the prototypes, tested the prototypes, spec'ed the bikes, did all the advertising and POP for the bikes, manufactured the bikes, stocked the bikes, and made then available to order all before the media announcements and before the dealers knew about the bikes. That is unprecedented, and that is a "big deal" when you think of traditional marketing, or even "new school" marketing.

Media launch is May 30th. A full two weeks away, and that says a lot about Trek wanting to control the message and do something different with the media. How that plays out will be quite interesting to see, (and I have opinions that I can not share just yet- stay tuned....), but this is going to mark a different approach to media/marketing/dealer relations that we haven't seen since the pre-internet days.

And what about those bikes? Well, that's also pretty interesting as well. Obviously there are legacy bikes/names from the Fisher era, and the Remedy and Fuel EX , (which are still also offered in 26, by the way), stayed out of the 29"er realm so as to not duplicate/overlap product. Well, with the Remedy and Fuel EX 29"ers, doesn't it make sense for Trek to ax the Rumblefish?  Seeing as how these new Trek Fuels are pretty much taking the place of the old HiFi as well, it would almost look like another washing away of the Fisher name from Trek's line.  I also saw a rumor that Domane technology is crossing over to the 29"er racing platform. If true, that would be another odd thing when seen up against some of the current models. Well, who knows.........we'll find out soon enough.

And wait until you hear what Trek says about 27.5"ers...... 

Good Luck Almanzo Riders!

 Big Weekend In Gravel Grinding:

Well, one of the "biggies" of the gravel grinding calendar happens this weekend with the latest edition of the Almanzo events. Things kick off tomorrow with the "Alexander", a 380 mile route that will take riders from Southern Minnesota to Southwestern Wisconsin, back in to Northeastern Iowa, and eventually back to Spring Valley Minnesota.  The Almanzo 100 and Royal 165 events kick off Saturday morning. I'd like to wish all the riders tailwinds and sunny skies, (with clear nights for the Alexander riders), and to keep the rubber side down.

3GR: 

This brings me to tomorrow's  3GR, which is going to happen. The thing is, I have a chance to take advantage of a neighborhood clean up and that happens in the morning tomorrow. So, I am going to push back the start of 3GR to 2:30pm at Gateway Park. If you are game, show up and we'll ride about 30-ish miles of primo gravel.

That's all for today! Have a great weekend and good riding wherever you are!

The Elusive Promise Of Carbon Fiber

I've been around this bicycle stuff for a while now and because I am blessed with something of a decent memory, sometimes things float to the top of consciousness that make me ponder whay the things are the way they are now. One of those times was yesterday, when I was out speeding around on a carbon hard tail wonderbike.

Yesterday at Ingawanis Woods

I recall that back in the early 90's, the bicycle companies were touting carbon fiber as the material that could be "tuned". Up until that point, frame materials were some sort of metal, for the most part, and of those, most had a "reputation" for a certain ride trait.

Steel was the "springy, lively" material, but heavy, aluminum was the "dead, harsh riding" material, but had lighter weight, and titanium was the "magic carpet ride", but was very expensive and had a reputation for being flexy.

Carbon fiber, it was being said, was a material that could be all of those things, because it is man made and controllable as far as how one would want it to feel in terms of a bicycle's ride qualities. It had a "promise" of being light, like titanium and aluminum, but ride like steel, and still be stiff where you wanted it to be, but maybe not as stiff where you wanted rider comfort.

This didn't happen right away. This didn't happen in a few years after it was being said. Maybe.....just maybe, it is happening now, a full 20 years afterward. Is that not sort of weird? Maybe, maybe not. Bicycles are not at the top of the heap when it comes to getting new technology. No, that goes to defense, aero-space, and the auto industry first, and maybe that's why the promise took so long to trickle down to the lowly cyclist.

Check out those bluebells!

So, whatever.....yesterday I was riding this Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon rig. I had one of these back in 2010 here, which was a great bike. Carbon fiber and all, and it rode quite nicely, but it was dead feeling and actually, it was a bit harsh in the saddle. But I liked the way it handled, the way it accelerated, and it was decently lightweight.

Now I am riding this 2013 model as a review bike for Twenty Nine Inches, and it is night and day different in feeling. This bike.....it rides like a steel bike. It springs and smooths out things, and all at an amazing light weight. Is this finally the fulfillment of that "carbon promise" made all those years ago? Hmm.........ya know, maybe it is. 

And maybe it isn't either. I mean.....this bike is expensive! You don't get a front shock,  and heck....you don't even get a front derailleur! So, there is that money factor, the price to buy in, that carbon fiber has seemed to always been  at the extreme of. You also still have that specter of failure to hang over your head as well. Carbon fails catastrophically, most of the time. Not an appealing feature, and added in to this is the fact that carbon can be quite weak in resisting blows if they are applied at an angle the frame wasn't meant to deal with them at. Snap! Crack! Yeah.....

While that is getting rarer and carbon fiber frames are used in DH competitions and in other realms thought to be the exclusive place for steel, (BMX), and aluminum and titanium, (XC/Trail), it still figures into the public's consciousness.

Carbon fat bikes? Why yes...

But carbon marches on and is being put to use in many places. Even fat bikes are going to get the carbon fiber treatment and you have to figure that those big rims will be another thing rendered in carbon and resin soon.

But unless something can be done about these things costing $2000.00-$2500.00 for frames and forks, (at least for the "best" quality stuff), and until the public can accept this material fully and trust it wholeheartedly, the "promise" remains an elusive one in the bicycle world. A promise reserved for the well heeled and fortunate to taste? Mostly, it would seem that way. Yes, there are the direct from China offerings, but those are generally not the "latest-greatest" technology on the planet for bicycles either. The price is definitely a lot more appealing though. That's for sure!

So, I am saying that while the "promise" of a smooth riding, lively carbon frame can now be manufactured and is available, it still is a rarefied air sort of product that not many are going to be able to justify. Certainly not when you see titanium frames with outstanding features and competitive weights selling for less. And those are "metal" frames with a reputation for resiliency that resonates with consumers. So a "steel-like riding" carbon fiber frame- elusive, yes- but possible.

The saying goes that carbon is just too labor intensive to come down in price much, but you never know. Maybe manufacturers will drop all this super-stiffness nonsense. Maybe someday the promise won't be quite so elusive,(and expensive!).

The Elusive Promise Of Carbon Fiber

I've been around this bicycle stuff for a while now and because I am blessed with something of a decent memory, sometimes things float to the top of consciousness that make me ponder whay the things are the way they are now. One of those times was yesterday, when I was out speeding around on a carbon hard tail wonderbike.

Yesterday at Ingawanis Woods

I recall that back in the early 90's, the bicycle companies were touting carbon fiber as the material that could be "tuned". Up until that point, frame materials were some sort of metal, for the most part, and of those, most had a "reputation" for a certain ride trait.

Steel was the "springy, lively" material, but heavy, aluminum was the "dead, harsh riding" material, but had lighter weight, and titanium was the "magic carpet ride", but was very expensive and had a reputation for being flexy.

Carbon fiber, it was being said, was a material that could be all of those things, because it is man made and controllable as far as how one would want it to feel in terms of a bicycle's ride qualities. It had a "promise" of being light, like titanium and aluminum, but ride like steel, and still be stiff where you wanted it to be, but maybe not as stiff where you wanted rider comfort.

This didn't happen right away. This didn't happen in a few years after it was being said. Maybe.....just maybe, it is happening now, a full 20 years afterward. Is that not sort of weird? Maybe, maybe not. Bicycles are not at the top of the heap when it comes to getting new technology. No, that goes to defense, aero-space, and the auto industry first, and maybe that's why the promise took so long to trickle down to the lowly cyclist.

Check out those bluebells!

So, whatever.....yesterday I was riding this Specialized Stumpjumper Expert Carbon rig. I had one of these back in 2010 here, which was a great bike. Carbon fiber and all, and it rode quite nicely, but it was dead feeling and actually, it was a bit harsh in the saddle. But I liked the way it handled, the way it accelerated, and it was decently lightweight.

Now I am riding this 2013 model as a review bike for Twenty Nine Inches, and it is night and day different in feeling. This bike.....it rides like a steel bike. It springs and smooths out things, and all at an amazing light weight. Is this finally the fulfillment of that "carbon promise" made all those years ago? Hmm.........ya know, maybe it is. 

And maybe it isn't either. I mean.....this bike is expensive! You don't get a front shock,  and heck....you don't even get a front derailleur! So, there is that money factor, the price to buy in, that carbon fiber has seemed to always been  at the extreme of. You also still have that specter of failure to hang over your head as well. Carbon fails catastrophically, most of the time. Not an appealing feature, and added in to this is the fact that carbon can be quite weak in resisting blows if they are applied at an angle the frame wasn't meant to deal with them at. Snap! Crack! Yeah.....

While that is getting rarer and carbon fiber frames are used in DH competitions and in other realms thought to be the exclusive place for steel, (BMX), and aluminum and titanium, (XC/Trail), it still figures into the public's consciousness.

Carbon fat bikes? Why yes...

But carbon marches on and is being put to use in many places. Even fat bikes are going to get the carbon fiber treatment and you have to figure that those big rims will be another thing rendered in carbon and resin soon.

But unless something can be done about these things costing $2000.00-$2500.00 for frames and forks, (at least for the "best" quality stuff), and until the public can accept this material fully and trust it wholeheartedly, the "promise" remains an elusive one in the bicycle world. A promise reserved for the well heeled and fortunate to taste? Mostly, it would seem that way. Yes, there are the direct from China offerings, but those are generally not the "latest-greatest" technology on the planet for bicycles either. The price is definitely a lot more appealing though. That's for sure!

So, I am saying that while the "promise" of a smooth riding, lively carbon frame can now be manufactured and is available, it still is a rarefied air sort of product that not many are going to be able to justify. Certainly not when you see titanium frames with outstanding features and competitive weights selling for less. And those are "metal" frames with a reputation for resiliency that resonates with consumers. So a "steel-like riding" carbon fiber frame- elusive, yes- but possible.

The saying goes that carbon is just too labor intensive to come down in price much, but you never know. Maybe manufacturers will drop all this super-stiffness nonsense. Maybe someday the promise won't be quite so elusive,(and expensive!).

The Monkey Decade: Part 6

Intro: This year marks the tenth year I have been riding 29"ers. It also is my ten year anniversary of owning my Campstove Green Karate Monkey. There will be several posts throughout the coming months about my story with my KM and what is going to be happening to it now. Here is the last update.

The Battle has been enjoined...

Enough talk..... I've been all over the history, the "why" of how I came to get this Campstove Green 2003 Karate Monkey. I've detailed out some great memories that were created while riding upon this rig. Now it's time for action.

As I stated in my last post, the biggest hurdle to overcome here will be the removal of the dying UN-52 cartridge bottom bracket. The first thing I knew was that this was going to require some extreme force to accomplish. To be able to apply that force, I was going to need to be able to stabilize my bottom bracket removal tool, so it would not "walk out" when I wrenched on it.

I'm kind of good at improvising things mechanically. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes it is just "okay", but it is a talent I possess at any rate. I grabbed my tool for the bottom bracket, located a crank bolt, and found a SRAM cassette lock ring, but I needed one more piece to the puzzle. Something that would cover the hole in the cassette lock ring, but be big enough in the center to be able to pass the crank bolt through. Aha! I found a derailleur jockey wheel that was without its bushing. Perfect!

The bolt would go through the jockey wheel, and then through the cassette lock ring, which was positioned so the threaded part sat against the tool, and essentially acted as a standoff to give the wrench room to purchase the tool. Tightened down, the tool has no chance of walking out, or stripping the bottom bracket cup. Hammer time........nuthin. 

So, I removed the seat post and introduced a copious amount of penetrant and let it marinate. I'll let that sit a day or so, then I will revisit this little battle and ......win!

Stay tuned for further updates.

The Monkey Decade: Part 6

Intro: This year marks the tenth year I have been riding 29"ers. It also is my ten year anniversary of owning my Campstove Green Karate Monkey. There will be several posts throughout the coming months about my story with my KM and what is going to be happening to it now. Here is the last update.

The Battle has been enjoined...

Enough talk..... I've been all over the history, the "why" of how I came to get this Campstove Green 2003 Karate Monkey. I've detailed out some great memories that were created while riding upon this rig. Now it's time for action.

As I stated in my last post, the biggest hurdle to overcome here will be the removal of the dying UN-52 cartridge bottom bracket. The first thing I knew was that this was going to require some extreme force to accomplish. To be able to apply that force, I was going to need to be able to stabilize my bottom bracket removal tool, so it would not "walk out" when I wrenched on it.

I'm kind of good at improvising things mechanically. Sometimes it works out great, sometimes it is just "okay", but it is a talent I possess at any rate. I grabbed my tool for the bottom bracket, located a crank bolt, and found a SRAM cassette lock ring, but I needed one more piece to the puzzle. Something that would cover the hole in the cassette lock ring, but be big enough in the center to be able to pass the crank bolt through. Aha! I found a derailleur jockey wheel that was without its bushing. Perfect!

The bolt would go through the jockey wheel, and then through the cassette lock ring, which was positioned so the threaded part sat against the tool, and essentially acted as a standoff to give the wrench room to purchase the tool. Tightened down, the tool has no chance of walking out, or stripping the bottom bracket cup. Hammer time........nuthin. 

So, I removed the seat post and introduced a copious amount of penetrant and let it marinate. I'll let that sit a day or so, then I will revisit this little battle and ......win!

Stay tuned for further updates.

Two In A Row

We didn't get very far Saturday...

This past weekend my Son decided it was high time he and I resumed our weekend riding. So despite the fact that I had already wasted myself on a 3+ hour slog in 25-30mph winds, I suited up and went out with him in the afternoon after lunch. The wind had not abated, by the way, but at least we were in town!

I decided to trundle along on my titanium Mukluk and I got stopped by someone with the obligatory questions: Where did ya get that? How does it pedal? 

We got to the downtown area and as we were traversing a street, a big, violent blast of wind came rushing down on us. Now my Son has never liked being taken by surprise, and especially by loud sounds.   I heard him cry out and turned to see him straddling his bike with his hands over his ears, (standard operating procedure when exposed to sudden loud noises for him), and I realized he has never experienced such a wind blast out on his bike. I suppose it is kind of frightning if you've not been exposed to that before.

Anyhow, we didn't get much farther because he was ready to get out of the wind after that point! We found a good place to have our snacks. We hung out and chatted for awhile and then we turned about afterward and headed for the shed. That was okay with me! I was tired out already from the morning's 3GR.

...but we had a good ride on Sunday.

The next day was Mother's Day, and after I cooked up lunch and sent Mrs. Guitar Ted to the library, (she loves books), my Son and I hit the trails again. This time it was a much more tranquil day and we made a big loop around the Waterloo trails along the Cedar River.

Part of every ride with my Son has to include a stop to eat. So I typically bring along some healthy cycling style grub and we find a nice place to sit and chew some Clif Bars, or whatever I've brought along for us. This ride found us stopping alongside the Cedar at a point where there were a few large trees and some concrete blocks set up for folks to lounge on and rest in the shade.

I spied a younger man leaning back on one of the trees looking out at the river as we pulled up. He had given me a friendly wave. I looked again and could see that he was smoking weed, and my nose told me I was right about that, as we were downwind from him. My Son didn't notice anything right away, but the younger man, after seeing we had stopped, got up and moved on down the bank about a 100 yards and continued his activity.

Not that there is anything wrong with all of that, (in my opinion), but I did point out to my Son that putting smoke in your lungs of any sort isn't the best idea. I left it at that. We then continued to munch our snacks as I contimplated the odds of all that happening just then. Then we rode on. The steep ramps to the top of the dike in several places was getting the best of the boy. I tried working with him on shift points. He is getting the hang of it. I'm sure he'll be cleaning those ramps with ease very soon.

We meandered along until we finally reached home and my Son was tuckered out. Another adventure in the books. 

Two In A Row

We didn't get very far Saturday...

This past weekend my Son decided it was high time he and I resumed our weekend riding. So despite the fact that I had already wasted myself on a 3+ hour slog in 25-30mph winds, I suited up and went out with him in the afternoon after lunch. The wind had not abated, by the way, but at least we were in town!

I decided to trundle along on my titanium Mukluk and I got stopped by someone with the obligatory questions: Where did ya get that? How does it pedal? 

We got to the downtown area and as we were traversing a street, a big, violent blast of wind came rushing down on us. Now my Son has never liked being taken by surprise, and especially by loud sounds.   I heard him cry out and turned to see him straddling his bike with his hands over his ears, (standard operating procedure when exposed to sudden loud noises for him), and I realized he has never experienced such a wind blast out on his bike. I suppose it is kind of frightning if you've not been exposed to that before.

Anyhow, we didn't get much farther because he was ready to get out of the wind after that point! We found a good place to have our snacks. We hung out and chatted for awhile and then we turned about afterward and headed for the shed. That was okay with me! I was tired out already from the morning's 3GR.

...but we had a good ride on Sunday.

The next day was Mother's Day, and after I cooked up lunch and sent Mrs. Guitar Ted to the library, (she loves books), my Son and I hit the trails again. This time it was a much more tranquil day and we made a big loop around the Waterloo trails along the Cedar River.

Part of every ride with my Son has to include a stop to eat. So I typically bring along some healthy cycling style grub and we find a nice place to sit and chew some Clif Bars, or whatever I've brought along for us. This ride found us stopping alongside the Cedar at a point where there were a few large trees and some concrete blocks set up for folks to lounge on and rest in the shade.

I spied a younger man leaning back on one of the trees looking out at the river as we pulled up. He had given me a friendly wave. I looked again and could see that he was smoking weed, and my nose told me I was right about that, as we were downwind from him. My Son didn't notice anything right away, but the younger man, after seeing we had stopped, got up and moved on down the bank about a 100 yards and continued his activity.

Not that there is anything wrong with all of that, (in my opinion), but I did point out to my Son that putting smoke in your lungs of any sort isn't the best idea. I left it at that. We then continued to munch our snacks as I contimplated the odds of all that happening just then. Then we rode on. The steep ramps to the top of the dike in several places was getting the best of the boy. I tried working with him on shift points. He is getting the hang of it. I'm sure he'll be cleaning those ramps with ease very soon.

We meandered along until we finally reached home and my Son was tuckered out. Another adventure in the books. 

Gravel Mutt Project: An Introduction

Trek 520 frame

Saturday I mentioned the "Gravel Mutt Project", the concept and the reasons for doing it. Here I will introduce the bits I am using and working on currently.

The frame and fork are early 90's vintage lugged Trek steel and made in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The original finish is a version of "Trek Green", which Trek must have had semi truck loads of back in the 90's. I can't count how many Trek bicycles were some version of this color, or this color and purple.

Although the frame was made with lugs, Trek had an assembly line set up where all the lugs were joined to True Temper tubes by machines which expedited the process of making lugged frames. So, it is not a "hand made" in the truest sense of the word, but these frames do have a good reputation for ride quality and handling.

Previous attempts at customization

The previous owner was the original purchaser of the frame, and he put something like 40,000 plus miles on this. Over the years, he made attempts at touching up certain scratches, oxidation, and paint chips by applying his own gold and green paint. So, the frame and fork were well on their way to "mutt bike" status before I got ahold of it!

The main area of concern for me was an oval patch of rust pitting that showed through the paint on the top tube. I immediately attacked this spot and sanded it down to determine if I was dealing with a frame in need of further repair, or just a surface irregularity. While the pitting was bad, it did sand out and I feel I will be just fine with a paint job and rebuilding of the bike.

So, there is another reason to pursue the "mutt bike" status. The original paint job has basically been destroyed by the previous owner and myself. Now for an appropriate paint job to reflect the "true mutt bike" soul of this project.

Wheels that came with it...

The original wheels would certainly have been laced up with some Matrix branded box section rim, but the bike came to me with some oddball aero section rims laced to the original DX level Shimano hubs. The smart money would be on the rebuild of the excellent DX hubs and shoeing the rims with appropriate gravel gobbling tires. However; these aero rims are extremely narrow and heavy. I am opting to use a set of rim brake wheels I have in reserve that are XTR hubs laced to Salsa Delgado rims.

At some point I will cut out the DX hubs and relace them to an appropriate rim as back up wheels. The XTR set are much lighter, more durable, smoother, and the Delgado rims sport a much wider inner rim dimension that is perfectly suited to the mounting and use of gravel appropriate rubber. The frame can handle some pretty beefy tires, so I'll likely go with something in the 38mm-42mm range on tires here.

7 speeds!

The drive train the bike came with, a seven speed DX group with a bar end shifter set up, will mostly be retained. I'll likely go with a single ring up front and only the rear bar end shifter with the seven speed rear end. The drive ring will be a 40T ring which should get me a good enough low gear to crawl up most hills around here. I'll likely swap out the crank to an old Sante' crank which I have that is powder coated black. The serviceable bottom bracket in the bike is perfectly fine, but I may go with a Shimano UN series cartridge since they are pretty much impervious to dust and grime.

The bike has a 1" steer tube, threaded headset, which is a Shimano 600 cartridge unit, and that will stay on the bike. The old bars were Modolo Anatomics, and I will ditch those in favor of a new set of Cowbell 2's. Of course, that'll mean something will have to be done about the stem to get the 31.8mm Cowbells to work. I haven't settled on a solution to that yet.

Stay tuned....Gravel Mutt Project will be ongoing for a bit.

Gravel Mutt Project: An Introduction

Trek 520 frame

Saturday I mentioned the "Gravel Mutt Project", the concept and the reasons for doing it. Here I will introduce the bits I am using and working on currently.

The frame and fork are early 90's vintage lugged Trek steel and made in Waterloo, Wisconsin. The original finish is a version of "Trek Green", which Trek must have had semi truck loads of back in the 90's. I can't count how many Trek bicycles were some version of this color, or this color and purple.

Although the frame was made with lugs, Trek had an assembly line set up where all the lugs were joined to True Temper tubes by machines which expedited the process of making lugged frames. So, it is not a "hand made" in the truest sense of the word, but these frames do have a good reputation for ride quality and handling.

Previous attempts at customization

The previous owner was the original purchaser of the frame, and he put something like 40,000 plus miles on this. Over the years, he made attempts at touching up certain scratches, oxidation, and paint chips by applying his own gold and green paint. So, the frame and fork were well on their way to "mutt bike" status before I got ahold of it!

The main area of concern for me was an oval patch of rust pitting that showed through the paint on the top tube. I immediately attacked this spot and sanded it down to determine if I was dealing with a frame in need of further repair, or just a surface irregularity. While the pitting was bad, it did sand out and I feel I will be just fine with a paint job and rebuilding of the bike.

So, there is another reason to pursue the "mutt bike" status. The original paint job has basically been destroyed by the previous owner and myself. Now for an appropriate paint job to reflect the "true mutt bike" soul of this project.

Wheels that came with it...

The original wheels would certainly have been laced up with some Matrix branded box section rim, but the bike came to me with some oddball aero section rims laced to the original DX level Shimano hubs. The smart money would be on the rebuild of the excellent DX hubs and shoeing the rims with appropriate gravel gobbling tires. However; these aero rims are extremely narrow and heavy. I am opting to use a set of rim brake wheels I have in reserve that are XTR hubs laced to Salsa Delgado rims.

At some point I will cut out the DX hubs and relace them to an appropriate rim as back up wheels. The XTR set are much lighter, more durable, smoother, and the Delgado rims sport a much wider inner rim dimension that is perfectly suited to the mounting and use of gravel appropriate rubber. The frame can handle some pretty beefy tires, so I'll likely go with something in the 38mm-42mm range on tires here.

7 speeds!

The drive train the bike came with, a seven speed DX group with a bar end shifter set up, will mostly be retained. I'll likely go with a single ring up front and only the rear bar end shifter with the seven speed rear end. The drive ring will be a 40T ring which should get me a good enough low gear to crawl up most hills around here. I'll likely swap out the crank to an old Sante' crank which I have that is powder coated black. The serviceable bottom bracket in the bike is perfectly fine, but I may go with a Shimano UN series cartridge since they are pretty much impervious to dust and grime.

The bike has a 1" steer tube, threaded headset, which is a Shimano 600 cartridge unit, and that will stay on the bike. The old bars were Modolo Anatomics, and I will ditch those in favor of a new set of Cowbell 2's. Of course, that'll mean something will have to be done about the stem to get the 31.8mm Cowbells to work. I haven't settled on a solution to that yet.

Stay tuned....Gravel Mutt Project will be ongoing for a bit.

3GR Report: The Good And The Bad About Wind

The Shadow Of The Gravel Buddha

Wind: That was the operative word coming into Saturday's 3GR. That and a new starting venue. The water was still over much of the trails leading out of Cedar Falls, so I had planned on leaving from Gates Park in Waterloo instead, which has a great exit to gravel a about 3/4's of a mile away.

Trouble is, there was wind, (lot's of it), and I moved the starting point. You never know who will just decide it isn't worth hitting up the ride for that, so going in, I had a hunch I would be alone on this one. Going over, I was getting blasted by gusts of wind that would nearly stop me, and also getting a good sand blasting here and there to boot. My thoughts were that "this ride is going to suck!", but I got over to the Gates swimming pool parking lot anyway by 8:20am.

It was a big, lonely, windy spot, and as time ticked away, I just thought more and more that this would be a solo attempt. Then I heard that crazy sound I thought I heard coming over. Like a kid playing a recorder that didn't know how to play correctly.This tonal whistling. While I was waiting, I decided I may as well see what it might be. My ears led me to the area of the front hub.

Turns out it was the vent holes in the Black Mountain Cycles rigid fork. Crazy! But the wind was blowing 25mph and gusting from there, so I suppose anything is possible with enough air velocity going by those holes.

Mike with a full load on

Well, the time ticked down and I was going to head out when up over the hill comes a cyclist. It turned out to be Mike, who just caught me before I left, and he was working hard to get there by 8:30am, so I allowed for a minute or two for him to catch his breath, then we set out to go North up Moline Road.

Mike is training for Tour divide, and has been stacking up miles with his full load on his Titanium Fargo to get ready. It was no different this day, as he had full bags on and loaded. I could tell he'd been out for awhile before hooking up with me by the dried sweat on his brow showing up as a white crust. We both set our faces into the wind and with steady but determined strokes we made our way up the rollers going Northward.

I was riding the BMC "Orange Crush", as I said, so I had a bit of an advantage weight-wise, but Mike showed how strong he was by matching my every effort with ease. Impressive. I had asked at some point in the ride how he felt he was coming along with training, and he was reporting that it was good, but maybe not enough, or what he wanted. Trust me- he's crushing the pedals now. I told him I thought he was looking great.

The slog North was steady, but grueling and the wind was relentless. We gained the county line road and turned West. It felt like stones had been lifted off our bikes, yet we were still bucking a cross wind. A few miles West and we both noted that the wind had ratcheted up in intensity a bit. If it wasn't 30mph steady with higher gusts than I would be quite surprised.

Back North again, but we only had to go about three miles before we reached some trees and bigger hills which broke up the blast and gave us a slight respite from the roaring of the wind. We were obliged to go a bit further West, then North by the Camp, past there, and finally we would get to turn East and Southeast down Ivanhoe Road, which is one of my favorite roads.

Due to the intensity of the wind, and my wearing a windbreaker, there are no images here of us going out. I stopped shortly after getting on Ivanhoe to take off the wind jacket, less I cook in a tailwind situation, and stuff it into the El Cofrecito bag. Here I was drawing the ire of a Saint Bernard dog, but I just kept yakking at it, and finally the owner stepped out to find out what all the commotion was and the dog backed off a bit. I wasn't concerned, but I kept the bike between myself and the dog.....you know....just in case. 

Mike is in this image going down Mt Vernon Rd.

 We got going again and man- we were flying! The payoff for suffering through the headwind. Ivanhoe did not disappoint again. It was clean, fast, and packed in. Mike's Nanoraptors were singing as we clipped along in the upper 20's mph with little effort.

Eventually Ivanhoe dumps you out North of Denver on Highway 63, and we continued East another mile plus to a Southward turn onto Midway, which becomes Moline Road in Black Hawk County. The roads had patches here and there of fresh gravel, but nothing of any significance. With the mighty wind at our backs, we were quickly raising the average speed of this ride! Rollers were nothing, and we could actually coast the down hills for 1/2 a mile at a crack sometimes. Fun!

Mike decided to turn off and head for home when we reached Mount Vernon Road, so he took the right hander there and I continued straight on solo. I reached town lickety split, and zig-zagged my way South to the house eventually. As I was going I thought, "This ride with the wind was awesome!"

Yes, it was fun. It all just depends upon which way the wind is blowing sometimes!

3GR Report: The Good And The Bad About Wind

The Shadow Of The Gravel Buddha

Wind: That was the operative word coming into Saturday's 3GR. That and a new starting venue. The water was still over much of the trails leading out of Cedar Falls, so I had planned on leaving from Gates Park in Waterloo instead, which has a great exit to gravel a about 3/4's of a mile away.

Trouble is, there was wind, (lot's of it), and I moved the starting point. You never know who will just decide it isn't worth hitting up the ride for that, so going in, I had a hunch I would be alone on this one. Going over, I was getting blasted by gusts of wind that would nearly stop me, and also getting a good sand blasting here and there to boot. My thoughts were that "this ride is going to suck!", but I got over to the Gates swimming pool parking lot anyway by 8:20am.

It was a big, lonely, windy spot, and as time ticked away, I just thought more and more that this would be a solo attempt. Then I heard that crazy sound I thought I heard coming over. Like a kid playing a recorder that didn't know how to play correctly.This tonal whistling. While I was waiting, I decided I may as well see what it might be. My ears led me to the area of the front hub.

Turns out it was the vent holes in the Black Mountain Cycles rigid fork. Crazy! But the wind was blowing 25mph and gusting from there, so I suppose anything is possible with enough air velocity going by those holes.

Mike with a full load on

Well, the time ticked down and I was going to head out when up over the hill comes a cyclist. It turned out to be Mike, who just caught me before I left, and he was working hard to get there by 8:30am, so I allowed for a minute or two for him to catch his breath, then we set out to go North up Moline Road.

Mike is training for Tour divide, and has been stacking up miles with his full load on his Titanium Fargo to get ready. It was no different this day, as he had full bags on and loaded. I could tell he'd been out for awhile before hooking up with me by the dried sweat on his brow showing up as a white crust. We both set our faces into the wind and with steady but determined strokes we made our way up the rollers going Northward.

I was riding the BMC "Orange Crush", as I said, so I had a bit of an advantage weight-wise, but Mike showed how strong he was by matching my every effort with ease. Impressive. I had asked at some point in the ride how he felt he was coming along with training, and he was reporting that it was good, but maybe not enough, or what he wanted. Trust me- he's crushing the pedals now. I told him I thought he was looking great.

The slog North was steady, but grueling and the wind was relentless. We gained the county line road and turned West. It felt like stones had been lifted off our bikes, yet we were still bucking a cross wind. A few miles West and we both noted that the wind had ratcheted up in intensity a bit. If it wasn't 30mph steady with higher gusts than I would be quite surprised.

Back North again, but we only had to go about three miles before we reached some trees and bigger hills which broke up the blast and gave us a slight respite from the roaring of the wind. We were obliged to go a bit further West, then North by the Camp, past there, and finally we would get to turn East and Southeast down Ivanhoe Road, which is one of my favorite roads.

Due to the intensity of the wind, and my wearing a windbreaker, there are no images here of us going out. I stopped shortly after getting on Ivanhoe to take off the wind jacket, less I cook in a tailwind situation, and stuff it into the El Cofrecito bag. Here I was drawing the ire of a Saint Bernard dog, but I just kept yakking at it, and finally the owner stepped out to find out what all the commotion was and the dog backed off a bit. I wasn't concerned, but I kept the bike between myself and the dog.....you know....just in case. 

Mike is in this image going down Mt Vernon Rd.

 We got going again and man- we were flying! The payoff for suffering through the headwind. Ivanhoe did not disappoint again. It was clean, fast, and packed in. Mike's Nanoraptors were singing as we clipped along in the upper 20's mph with little effort.

Eventually Ivanhoe dumps you out North of Denver on Highway 63, and we continued East another mile plus to a Southward turn onto Midway, which becomes Moline Road in Black Hawk County. The roads had patches here and there of fresh gravel, but nothing of any significance. With the mighty wind at our backs, we were quickly raising the average speed of this ride! Rollers were nothing, and we could actually coast the down hills for 1/2 a mile at a crack sometimes. Fun!

Mike decided to turn off and head for home when we reached Mount Vernon Road, so he took the right hander there and I continued straight on solo. I reached town lickety split, and zig-zagged my way South to the house eventually. As I was going I thought, "This ride with the wind was awesome!"

Yes, it was fun. It all just depends upon which way the wind is blowing sometimes!