The GTDRI Stories; The 2018 GTDRI - Part 2

"The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

I mentioned how big groups travel fast last time I posted on this series. Well, that works on gravel as well, even though we stopped a few times before getting to our "lunch stop" 45 miles into the day. 

The previous year, with a smaller group, we got to Traer for our stop at around 11:00am, which was pretty early in my view. But in 2018 we arrived an hour earlier than that! This was kind of crazy, but it wasn't like any of us were getting dropped and left behind either. The group was just traveling efficiently. 

It was a great day in terms of weather as well, which also contributed to the higher speeds. There was hardly any wind, the humidity was held in check, and the temperatures were warm, but not baking hot. That all contributed to one of the - if not the fastest - faster starts of any GTDRI. You'd have thought it was a race!

All smiles at an early stoppage during the GTDRI 2018

Taking in the Level B Roads put more smiles on the faces of the riders.

Unlike the year before, I took a lot of images for this one. I am glad that I did that. This post will share some of those images for the first time. Ironically, I usually use up everything worth sharing in my post-event write-ups, but for some reason I did not do that for this GTDRI

We spent a lot of time here at the place with the weird monuments South of Dysart.

Jeremy Fry, in the red jersey here, caught up to us at the monument site.

My old friend, Jeremy Fry, who has been on several GTDRI's, handled this one as he had some others by starting behind us at a later time, riding like the wind, and then catching us somewhere on the route. I was aware that he would be doing this, but as I took the image above, where Jeremy is literally staring me down, I didn't realize it was him until after I got back from the ride and reviewed my camera roll! 

Another Level B Road before we got to Traer.

I think this was the last Level B before Traer.

Had the 2018 GTDRI ended in Traer that year I think it would have been marked as one of the best rides any of the 25 of us had been on. The weather, the roads, the company - all of it was awesome and so much fun was being had it was silly. 

But it wasn't even quite halfway over yet, and we had gotten to that point within in under four hours even with all the extended stops. It was simply on target to become the best GTDRI ever, even if nothing of note happened after Traer. But....it did. 

Speaking of Traer, as I mentioned in the previous post in this series, it would be the last time any organized ride I put on would visit there. I am glad it was this particular ride that has that honor. There would be more "last times" during this ride which will be marked as we go along. 

Next: The 2018 GTDRI Part 3

Brown Season: Some Turkeys Run Free

Escape Route: Bike paths to Evansdale

The unusual run of warm weather continued into this past week and provided a chance to get out into the country without wrapping myself in layers so thickly I cannot move or breathe properly. (Of course, that's over for now!) Wind? That's another issue altogether, but when it is as warm as it has been in November, you are going to have wind accompanying that warmer air. There just is no other way around it.

With winds blowing at 20+ mph and gusting to 30mph out of the South, well, I wasn't going to expose myself to a lot of that. I had a slightly tweaked tendon on my right knee and a lot of wind wouldn't be helping that. 

So, I decided to take the more sheltered and tack-into-the-wind route of the Cedar River trails towards Evansdale and then to the gravel and dirt roads that exist Northeast and East of Washburn. This would also allow me the chance to loop out at a point nearly on Highway 218 without pushing headwind and then get a three mile push back to Evansdale. 

I took the pink MCD as I had to do a finish-up on a review of a saddle I have on that bike. But it was also nice to get back on that bike again. It is definitely one of my favorites. The Redshift Sports ShockStop stem would become a godsend on this ride, but not for reasons that you might suspect.

A week out from Thanksgiving and there are still free turkeys roaming about!

The drought has decimated the Cedar River.

The Sun was out as I left for Evansdale and the temperatures were in the mid-40's. I wore a light pair of bib tights, a base layer, a short-sleeved, Summer weight wool jersey, and my Pirate Cycling League windbreaker. I was not wearing anything special for the feet, but I did wear a light pair of gloves for the first third of the ride. 

As I crossed the Cedar River after going through Evansdale I was dismayed at the sight of the Cedar. It is about two-thirds as wide as it should be and I bet you could walk across it without going under now, if you dared. Sad!

Weiden Road

The dirt section of Weiden Road

I mentioned my Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem. You'd think the images above would provide the reasons for wanting that stem on my bike for this ride. However; it was most appreciated on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. The sections of that trail overhung by woods are brutal to ride due to all the bumps, humps from roots, and patches with rough seams. Add in that the "strobe effect" of low angle Sunlight through branches, which was making for a tough go on its own, and this situation was not a pleasant one. 

On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being a chip seal road and 10 being local single track, the CVNT from the bridge over the Cedar to where I got off at Weiden Road would be an "8" in terms of how rough it was. Weiden Road's gravel section would be a "-1 to a +1 depending upon how much loose gravel there was. The point being, it was vastly more smooth and comfortable to ride on than the paved nature trail was. 

Glad I had that ShockStop Stem for the paved nature trail! 

Gollineaux Road

Coming off Rottinghaus Road here.

The gravel was fantastic on this day. Fast, smooth, and free from chunk. The fact that this entire area is river bottom plain makes it great for just pedaling out a good tempo. There was almost no traffic either, which was a bonus. Yes, it was windy, but it is the price you pay to ride outdoors in dry, warm air this time of the year. It could easily be below zero, snowy, and drifted in. I'll take what we were given every time with a smile on my face. 

McKellar Road

When I got to McKellar Road and stopped to take the image you see above I could hear the South wind roaring in those trees. Fortunately I was going West and then North on Foulk Road to the CVNT again and I stayed out of a head wind situation. 

Then it was back home. I got in a nice, tidy two hours in on a day at a time of the year that it is pretty hard to get anything solid together for a gravel/country ride. I was glad I took the opportunity for a ride.

Friday News And Views

It's been 9 years now....

Blackborow DS Nine Year Anniversary:

Those Facebook memories posts sure come in handy some days! Just this week I was reminded of my acquisition of a new fat bike. The Blackborow DS.

A lot of people were stoked about the Forest Service Green color, the very fat tires on 100mm rims, and thought the "dingle-speed" drive train was neat. That said, I don't see many images of these and when I do, they are almost always geared now. 

The dingle-speed bit was genius, I thought, after I had it awhile, and I would never gear this bike. It came from a specific idea: Beach riding in Alaska. Of course, that makes sense, but obviously, not many people would care for this set-up. So I completely understand the conversions to geared set-ups that people have done to these. 

My Blackborow DS is relatively unchanged. I did put a carbon Jones H-Bar on it, but that's about it. Otherwise it is stock, as delivered, and I still have the flat bar it came with along with the lock-on grips. There really is no reason to change much here. This bike is nearly perfect. Perfect for the specific job it is meant for, that is. And for what I want out of it, so there is that as well.

There is an image here posted from the day I received it and built it up. It started snowing around here shortly afterward and 2014 was a pretty decent Winter for fat biking. Not as good as some years, but not terrible. I do remember taking this out on Thanksgiving morning in some fresh snow and having an awesome ride.

I'll have more to say about this bike in my upcoming, end-of-year "Bikes of 2023" posts, which start in a couple of weeks or so. Stay tuned....

GCN App, GCN+ To Shutter In December:

News broke on Wednesday morning this week that the GCN App and GCN+ Network of cycling racing content was shutting down on December 19th. (Read GCN's statement HERE) 

Apparently this was a decision based upon the parent company of GCN, Warner Brothers Discovery. Coverage of Pro racing will continue on Eurosport TV and Discovery+. No plans for how GCN+ viewers in the US can see coverage have been announced yet. 

Comments: I do not watch Pro racing at all, since I am not interested in it much. I'll read about racing, but watching it, a lot of times, is less than exciting. But hey! Some people love it and this news may be a big bummer for some. According to the comments I've seen, there is a fair amount of dismay because many felt that, in the four years that GCN was covering Pro racing, that they did a really great job. Apparently Eurosport and Discovery+ are "too commercialized" and rife with content cycling fans do not want to see.

How's Your Inbox Doing?

If your inbox for email is anything like mine, your inbox is getting pummeled with sales announcements. The discounting pre-Black Friday is already pretty amazing. What will it be like a week from now? 40% off? Half off? 

I did get one email from a well-known UK based purveyor of cycling gear with offers of "up to 60% off" already. It's crazy, and I won't be surprised to see that some others match that, or come close to it.

While you may be numb to all of this, I want to remind everyone that this sort of deep discounting is unprecedented and generally in the realm of a "going out of business sale. Not a Holiday promotion level of discounting. 

So, I will be very surprised if we don't see companies announcing closures, sales/consolidations, or bankruptcies going into 2024. Especially if consumer apathy toward buying continues. I will also be super-surprised if we see anything coming close to these sorts of discounts again for a long time. 

We will see soon enough......

Image courtesy of Tumbleweed Bicycle Co.

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. Announces New Flared Drop Bar:

On Wednesday of this past week, Tumbleweed Bicycle Co. dropped a new handle bar. Called the Big Dipper Bar, it is a wide, flared drop bar designed for their Stargazer bicycle which is a bikepacking bike. 

The bar is notable for its width at a starting point of 51cm! There are three widths available: 51cm, 54cm, and a 57cm. The other notable dimension here is the reach, which is a very minimal 50mm. (Measured from the stem clamp area) 

Flared at 20°, the bar should provide copious amounts of arm/wrist clearance when in the drops. The 385 (claimed weight) bar is available in a black anodized finish for now with a polished silver option to come. Price is set at $115.00USD.

Comments: I'd gotten wind of this handlebar's imminent appearance back in early October. It is a specific purpose bar in that it is wide enough to have a bar bag nestle between the hoods and it does require a short stem in most cases to accommodate that wider stance on the hoods. 

My widest drop bar that I've ever used is the Ragley Luxy Bar which is about 60cm where I have my hands in the drops on those wildly swept extensions. So, I guess a wider hoods placement is okay. But the Luxy Bar hoods position is 44cm, so that's quite a lot of variance between hand positions with that bar. Of course, you wouldn't have all that bar bag space with a Luxy as you would with a Big Dipper Bar. 

Tumbleweed sent me this 54cm wide Big Dipper Bar to review

I just received a 54cm version of this handlebar for review. (Standard Disclaimer) So, I'll have my thoughts about this handle bar coming up for you soon. I've never tried one of these wider flared drops like the PNW one or this new Tumbleweed offering. I understand that the shorter reach is supposed to help with the width, and as I stated, I already am somewhat used to "wide" in terms of hand position with the Luxy Bar. This handle bar is going on my Singular Gryphon Mk3 for now. Stay tuned....

That's all for this week! Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Thirty Years Later: A Perspective

An ancient Poloroid from 1996

My first gig as a bicycle mechanic started in late 1993, but it almost never happened. I noted that it was 30 years ago this month when something that I thought was terrible at the time happened to me. 

At the time, I had been working as a salesman/bench jeweler/designer for a local jeweler for about a decade already. I had gone through gemology school, was a second place finisher in a state-wide design contest, and I was the top salesperson in a three-store chain. Things were looking good, career-wise, and while I wasn't pulling down crazy money doing this jewelry job, I was making a decent living. I had no worries. 

But that all ended one day when I came into work in November 1993. A partner in the business, who was also an owner of a jewelry store in another city, but not directly affiliated with where I worked, had a love interest in my boss, and was jealous of all the time I spent with my boss. So, I was fired. 

And there ya go. I had no job for the first time since I was in the fifth grade. I was about 32 years old at this point, by the way. I was devastated. I had no idea what to do, but going on unemployment was where I ended up immediately afterward. 

Part of that entailed having to "look for work" so I could claim benefits to keep myself afloat until I figured out what to do. I had to turn in evidence of three applications for jobs every week. I was into cycling then, so I used my local bike shop, where I had purchased my 1992 Klein Attitude, as a reference. 

Since I didn't really have anything to do, I would stop by the bike shop last, and then I'd hang out until they closed. Finally, the owner sidled up to me one day and proposed that I might be able to get a job there, but it wouldn't be at the pay scale I was used to. I jumped on that immediately.

The rest, as they say, was history. I became an apprentice of the owner, learned a lot, and well, you probably can figure out some of the rest now. But if it hadn't been for a weird jealousy that motivated a firing, I might not be sitting here writing this blog post. 

And that whole ordeal turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to me. Obviously, at the point when I was fired, you'd have been hard-pressed to convince me of that! But now? Yeah.... I'm very happy it all went down the way that it did.

Review Briefs

 As many of you know, I get in a fair amount of stuff to review and sometimes just to give feedback on/test for others. I figured I may as well shoot a few words this way on some things being currently tested and reviewed by giving a few, brief thoughts on those items. As always, The Standard Disclaimer applies.

Orange Seal Sub-Zero Sealant:

Tubeless tires are ubiquitous within many segments of cycling now. It's not just for mountain bikes anymore and with that, we have run into issues with colder weather use of tubeless sealant. Particularly with fat bikes, but not necessarily relegated to those bikes. 

My sealant that I learned to make from MG isn't cold-weather compliant, and neither is the sealant I have been predominantly using for the past several years. So, when Orange Seal reached out and asked me if I wanted to try out their Sub Zero formula, I agreed to give it a whirl. 

The Sub-Zero formula is rated for temperatures down to -20°F and it is rated as their longest lasting formula as well. Rated for 60 - 180 days. So, that's going to cover me for my Winter riding! 

I'm no stranger to Orange Seal either, by the way, having reviewed it before. (Their "Regular" formula), but they also have an "Endurance" formula which is rated down to 0°F, and it seals a bit bigger punctures and tears, so maybe if sub-zero riding isn't in your future, you might get on with that sealant.That said, their best sealing formula, the "Regular" version, is good to 11°F, so..... Yeah. Pick yer poison. 

I'm going to stick this Sub Zero stuff into the Ti Muk and see how it does.  Orange Seal actually sent me samples of the other two as well, so I'll be testing out those also. Stay tuned....

 

State Cargo Cage & Silicone Molded Straps:

Back in mid-August I received the State Bicycle Co. Cargo Cage and the Molded Straps that you can get with that cage. I immediately mounted that to my Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3 and mounted a stuff sack filled with cargo as well. 

The cage held up well and never was an issue. I did like that there are several ways to mount things to it. All the odd shapes cut into the aluminum cage make for a lot of options to attach straps, bungees, or the Molded Straps, which were really pretty slick, by the way. 

I only received one of the Cargo cages so I matched it up with a Salsa HD Anything Cage. The Salsa cage can only be mounted in one way, while I was able to mount the State cage lower, which is an advantage to some degree if you can get away with a lower center of gravity and not get into trouble hitting things where you ride. I can do that, and I appreciated the option to mount the State cage lower. 

The cage functions well and has options. But its looks might be too kitschy for some. It's fine, but I could have done without the unnecessary "cuteness". Matched with the excellent Molded Cargo Straps this can be a great way to carry stuff on a bikepacking rig. So, in the end I can say it is good, as long as you get on with the design look.

The Old Man Mountain Juniper Trunk Bag

Old Man Mountain Juniper Trunk Bag:

The Juniper Trunk Bag was also originally on my Singular, but it really came into its own mounted to my Salsa rack on my Ti Muk 2. 

The thing about this bag is that it essentially is a roll-top grocery bag. It obviously has straps to mount it to a rack, and it is made from a durable, waterproof material, but I think of it in terms of practical uses since the design is that of a standard grocery bag. 

I've carried all manner of stuff in the Juniper Trunk Bag and as long as you roll the top tightly and cinch that down with the strap and buckle it, the cargo you carry will be pretty stable and almost "invisible" in terms of riding. 

Honestly, this trunk bag solves a problem on the Ti Muk because I generally would want a frame bag for storage of extra gloves, clothes, and repair gear, but that takes away from water capacity and it makes portaging a bit tougher. The Juniper Trunk Bag adds a copious amount of space that is just enough to do what I want, but is pretty much out of the way otherwise. 

The bag is simple, yet well designed and made from quality materials. I have found it to be immensely useful already, but I think this Winter that practicality will be amped up even further. Plus, a strap and roll top is something a gloved hand can handle, which is important to keep in mind. 

I'll have a Long Term update on this bag and the Ponderosa Panniers here at some point next year. So, look for that coming here at some point in 2024

Blurred Lines Or Just Bicycles? Part 2

Specialized Roubaix SL8 Apex Sport (Image courtesy of Specialized)

About three weeks ago I wrote a post concerning the blurred lines with regard to drop bar bicycles. Ten years ago a "drop bar bicycle" was generally a road racing style bike, a touring bike, or maybe a cyclo-cross bike. This new, weird segment being foisted upon the marketplace called "gravel bikes" was just coming on-line at that time. But everyone knew all you really needed was a cyclo-cross bike. These so-called "gravel bikes" were an invention by marketers to cause you to feel that you needed to buy another bicycle. That was all THAT was about. (Remember those comments?) 

Also, as I have written on these pages ad nauseum, these gravel bikes, so-called,were really meant to be "all-roads bikes", and not pigeonholed by a name like "gravel". That is like calling what we now know as "fat bikes" snow bikes. Remember that? That name was dropped pretty quickly when marketers found out that "snow" was a turn-off for consumers. 

I wanted to point those things out because today we have bicycle companies marketing bicycles which are "all-roads" bikes as "endurance road bikes" (Because why? What a weird category!) which are confusing some people because they think they might be gravel bikes. 

What?!!

This one takes up to 38mm tires (Image courtesy of Trek)

With tires from 38mm to 40mm fitting these bikes, what is the difference between these and gravel bikes? 

Well, first you need to understand what a "gravel bike" even is. 

Back in 2012 Salsa Cycles created the category with the introduction of the Warbird Titanium and Aluminum models.The tire clearance? Up to a 38mm width.

In 2012 you'd be lucky to squeeze a 28mm tire into any "road bike" of that time. So, keep that in mind.

The "endurance" name for these current, new "road bikes" is just another way to say "comfort-focused". But saying that would be....what? Marketing suicide? Can't say that now, can we? So "endurance" is the word used because, c'mon? Who doesn't want to have "endurance"?  That sounds a LOT better than "comfort-road bike". 

And what sells? Gravel™! That's what. So if you had an "endurance" road bike that you could ride on "Gravel™", well, that's a winning combination, and you wouldn't have to buy into this trendy BS called Gravel Bikes", right? 

But these are gravel bikes, aren't they? Yes. These are gravel bikes because you could easily ride these on gravel. So, what the heck? 

Is this all just marketing gone haywire? Perhaps a little bit of that is going on here. But there is a silver lining to this. People have more access than ever before to "all-roads bikes", no matter what the media wonks and marketers want to call them. 

I'd say they are just "nice bicycles".

Well, It's About Time!

Saturday in the Turkey Burn announcement, (You missed it? Click Here!), I mentioned that I was going to use the Fargo Gen I because I didn't think that I had ridden it all year. 

Well, upon thinking about that further, I was in error. I had ridden it several times to work earlier in the year. But....I hadn't had the bike out of town on a ride and not since last year had I ridden gravel with it. 

So, I decided it was about time to get that out of the way and end that drought for the Fargo. To that end, I needed to do a few things to get it back into tip-top shape. Plus, I wanted to add some more comfort to the set up for the metric century I have planned for the Virtual Turkey Burn. So, that's what this post will be about.

The first thing to tackle was the sealant refresh. I noted that the rear tire wouldn't hold air overnight after I tried pumping both tires up last week. That's a sure-sign that the sealant needs a refresh, so I went ahead and did that to both wheels. The drive train was relatively new and I did not need to do anything there. 

So I focused on a few details. One being the handlebars. I had thought initially I was going to invert the stem from its positive rise to a negative to lower the bars a bit. However; after a short test ride I decided that, for now, things won't change. Even though this bike has the tallest handlebar in my stable, it just feels "right" for now.

But I did add the Redshift Sports Cruise Control Grips, (only the lower ones) and those are going to really help with hand pain. I re-used the old Salsa tape and just wrapped it with more overlay. That thickens things up, but more importantly, it gives those parts of the handlebars more "cush". And, of course, I didn't have to use up more handlebar tape when this stuff was still good. 

The Cruise Control grip is a lock-on style grip.

Much like the Ergon grips, you have to fine tune the angle of the 'paddle' on the Cruise Control Grip or it will seem like a waste of time to put it on. Once you get it right, it will be very noticeable. 

The grip is also a lock-on style grip, so it probably is a no-go on a carbon drop bar. Maybe if your carbon bar is rated for bar end shifters, but in any case, I'd check with the manufacturer of the carbon drops before trying to use a Cruise Control Grip. I am using the aluminum Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Bar here. 

The Kitchen Sink Bar has a loop out front which, at first glance, would seem like an aero bar kind of design. But the extension of that loop precludes it from really being used 'long-term' in that position. It does, however, make a great place to hang a bag from. And that's exactly what the folks at Redshift Sports must have been thinking because they made a nifty little bag that fits into the negative space outlined by the loop out front of the Kitchen Sink Bar.

The Kitchen Sink Bar Bag also has a Garmin/Wahoo mount.

This bag is pretty cool with its zippered and magnetically closed top. I leave mine unzipped most of the time so I can just flop the top open and let the magnet hold it closed, which it does well with the Wahoo Elemnt ROAM on top of it. That GPS unit fits because the bag comes with a Garmin mount that can be turned 90° so it can work with a Wahoo GPS as well. 

That helps solve a bit of storage issues with plenty of room in the bag for a camera and snacks. The light, a Raveman unit I bought a couple years ago, mounts off the front of the bar and so all my electronics can be right at hand along with that storage space. It makes the shortcomings concerning the aero bar use of this handlebar's loop a bit less of a bummer. 

I did a longer multi-terrain test ride Sunday and I am pleased. I need to do some cable housing/cable maintenance at some point. Those old housings are breaking down, but I will need an extra long rear derailleur cable, so I'll have to visit the local bike shop Tuesday. Stay tuned....

The GTDRI Stories: The 2018 GTDRI - Part 1

 "The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

It doesn't take too much to figure out that the 2018 GTDRI was the second to last one I ever put on. So, I feel safe in saying that after a thorough review of this one which I was able to accomplish due to researching this version, I can truly say that the 2018 version was "The Best". 

I mean, it would be hard to top from several standpoints. The course, the amount of riders, potato water... It was just nuts. 

But I'll get around to all of that in due time. The general theme here is that I was never sure how many folks, or who they would be, would actually show up for a GTDRI. And it was always miserably hot. I mean, brutal humidity. Typically, the last week of July/first week of August is maximum heat and humidity in Iowa. The GTDRI was right in that bullseye for weather. The only real benefit of running the event at that time was that it rarely ever storms around this time of the year. So I rarely ever had issues with rain, GTDRI #2 notwithstanding. 

So, with a very favorable forecast, I received NINE last minute confirmations for attendance on the eve of this GTDRI. That was unprecedented, and knowing that maybe only a small percentage of riders ever confirmed attendance with me, that meant that numbers could be pretty high. And well......they were!

A big, fat full moon sets as I head West to Reinbeck and the start of the 2018 GTDRI

Full moons figured heavily into events for 2018. There was one for the last Trans Iowa, and there was one for the start of my GTDRI. I had to leave pretty early to get everything rounded up and get down to Reinbeck by 6:00am or before. I wasn't the only one that had to do that early get-up. 

This GTDRI had several out-of-towners and none further away than Matt Gersib who came in from Lincoln, Nebraska. A couple of guys showed up from Cedar Rapids. A couple of guys came up from Des Moines. One fellow high school classmate came up from Charles City, Iowa. A fellow from Wisconsin showed up as did my old co-worker from Ames, Craig. Several Waterloo folks came over as well so we ended up with a solid 25 riders, at least tying the record for the most ever.

The first stop after the start on 110th in Tama County.

I'm pretty sure Reinbeck had never seen anything quite like the start of the 2018 GTDRI. There were likely more riders downtown that morning than all the awake, alert people in the town combined. Well, maybe not after the ruckus we made getting the rabble together! 

There is also something to be said for a larger group of riders and speed. You travel faster with not much more energy spent. You just do, and this group was ripping fast down the gravel all day long until maybe after Garwin's stop. But there was a good reason for that which you will see later. 

 One of my favorite images from the morning of the 2018 GTDRI, but it is misleading as we had quite the group!

Leading the group, on the left, is Matt Gersib and on the right, the late Kyle Platts.

One of my regrets in the running of the GTDRI was that I did not get to talk to a lot of the riders much on years we had big groups, like that year out of Sabula, Iowa. This was never more piercingly in focus for me due to the sudden, unexpected death of Kyle Platts in September of 2020. 

Kyle found cycling late in his life, around 2015, and he soon gravitated to gravel events, which he was getting darn good at figuring out. By 2018 he was riding at a pretty high level for someone with as little experience on a bike as he had. But the thing that endeared Kyle to all who ever had a brush with him was his personality. He was always bright, smiling, helpful, and encouraging. He was a perfect volunteer at Trans Iowa because of those characteristics. 

I just never really got to know him and that bites because I rode with him all day that day in 2018 but I just never got to really chat much with him due to all the riders and my concerns for them. Anyway, here's to Kyle! We miss ya! 

Next: One More Stop In Traer

Virtual Turkey Burn 3

Virtual: (In terms of meeting) A virtual meeting is when people around the world, regardless of their location, use video, audio, and text to link up online. Virtual meetings allow people to share information and data in real-time without being physically located together.

Turkey Burn: (relating to cycling) The day after or weekend after Thanksgiving when cyclists ride long distances to "burn" off their Thanksgiving feast. A way to kick off the Winter cycling training season. Also a means for getting outdoors when it is cold. 

For the last two years I have held a "Virtual Turkey Burn" challenge to you readers and you have all responded nicely both years I have asked you to do this. last year I had an overwhelming response and so I figured I may as well offer the chance to join in this virtual group ride once again this year. 

Following is the original post from 2021 which will spell out the idea and time-stamp for this challenge. (Dates changed to reflect 2023)

The idea is that perhaps I could call for a 'virtual' ride to be done on your bike which you have maybe left out of your plans more than you might like over the past, oh I don't know.....year? Last few years? Whatever. You don't necessarily even have to do this on a 'forlorn, forgotten bike'. It could be your favorite one. No matter. Here's the deal......

I propose a "Virtual Turkey Burn Century". Here are the parameters for participation:

1. Pick a bike. As stated, the more 'forlorn, forgotten, and neglected' of your choices, all the better. But also- Run what ya brung. If you want to use your favorite, most used bike- go for it. 
2. Ride a "century". Metric or full-on hundy, I don't care. Pavement, single track, gravel, back alleys, whatever. You decide. 
3. Take a picture. Take several if you want to. Digital works best for this.
4. Send me your pic and a few words with a name I can credit to. 
5. Do this between Thursday, November 23rd to Sunday November 26th. (Thanksgiving 'weekend' in the USA) You can do a century over several days even- if you want to. Whatever.
   
6. Send in your pics and words to g.ted.productions@gmail.com by Tuesday November 28th. I will put up a "Virtual Turkey Burn Report" Monday December 4th, (or after- Depending upon the number of submissions)  showing off everyone's submissions. (That is, if there are any daring enough to actually do this deal.)
   

You can join in the fun or just come back to see if anyone actually did something and read about it here. I am committed to the idea, so there will be one report, at the least. What do you get as a participant? Just a fun activity and possibly an infamous reputation from having your images and words posted on Guitar Ted Productions. Sorry, but if you participate, thems the ree-wards folks! This ain't no fancy-pants organization here. If you get laughed at by your peers for having your stuff show up here, well then, I am sorry, but I warned ya! 

Okay, that's the plan. Now..... GO!

Friday News And Views

Ze Mango ze Tango!

 Chris King Brings Matte Mango Back:

Despite the dark times of the late 90's/early 2000's, Chris King has been a stalwart against the "Age of Black". Those days when cycling went dark and everybody was trying to make their bikes as black as possible. I never did get on with that ide.

Black........ Boring!

 Well, that is, unless you add in splashes of color, and Chris King was about the only game in town for many years. Then other companies started bringing the color, and well, Chris King had to "innovate", so they started doing odd anodized colors, like Coffee Brown, and then matte finishes in various anodized colors. They were successes, but there was a problem.

Despite CK's experiences in the anodization process, which they fully control and know inside and out, variances in batch colors affected certain runs, especially that Matte Mango color, so CK pulled that from the line about 18 months ago. But now that the process of anodizing Matte Mango has been refined, King felt compelled to bring the color back again and make it a part of their regular line once more. Those hues include Black, Matte Black, Two Tone Black Gold, Midnight, Matte Turquoise, Red, Silver, Gold, and 3D Violet.

The fizik Ergolace GTX shoe (Image courtesy of fizik)

And More Colorful Stuff For Your Viewing Pleasure:

Colors other than black or white, (mostly seen in the roadie side of cycling) were also once rare. But over the past several years components and apparel have taken on more colorful patterns and hues. 

Take for instance the collaboration here between PEdALED and fizik with the brick red and tan Ergolace GTX shoes. That's a bold look, and fizik isn't the only company stepping outside the traditional boundaries of what cycling apparel and components have been. 

My first job in cycling was at a shop in Cedar Falls, Iowa where I worked for a man named Tom Webb who said something to the effect of, "Cycling is a colorful sport. Your stuff should reflect that. It's fun, so why not?" I found that sentiment to have a great impact upon me and I have always remembered the late Mr. Webb's philosophy on cycling apparel and components. 

I know colors are really hard on retailers because then we start getting into fashion and that usually has a shelf-life measured in months. What was 'cool' for anodized bits one season could be next season's pariah. Having a bunch of 3D Violet bits in a case that no one wants makes for bad profit and loss statements. 

Or that's how it used to be, at any rate. Now? Well, it seems color sells and I think more companies are emboldened to stick their necks out with more risky options, like the fizik shoes here. 

Grip Idea:

Recently I have tested out the new evolution of Ergon's GP1, the GP1 Evo, (seen here) and it got me to thinking about those Redshift Sports Cruise Control grips and others like those (seen here). That made me wonder why in the heck haven't I been using those Cruise Control grips lately? 

So, that was one thing. The next part is that I don't think I have ridden my gen I Fargo at all this year. Not even once. Crime committed!

It just so happens that I have a Kitchen Sink bar from Redshift on the Fargo. So..... Those Cruise Control grips are going on there, and I have a few other tweaks in mind for that bike which also will be implemented. That's my next project and I have a goal in mind to make the bike rideable with the new updates. Look for more on that ride idea in tomorrow's post. 

I hope to get all this fixed up and test ridden soon, so stay tuned here for a post detailing the changes and I am really looking forward to riding the Fargo again real soon. I cannot believe I haven't ridden it for so long! 

Big Discounts Expected For Black Friday:

In other Turkey Day related news, the feeling I get from different sources is that this early Holiday season will be marked by some incredible deals on bicycles, components, and accessories. 

I am already getting hit in my inbox with messages from companies telling me to be on the look-out for deals the weekend after Thanksgiving, and especially that day known as "Black Friday"

Pre-holiday discounting is already on the upswing. I have also noted several 25%-30% deals on apparel and other stuff out there. It just continues to point to the fact that the industry is bloated in terms of inventory and will be seeking to offer deals "too good to be true" for the end of 2023. 

So, let's say that all this massive discounting of overstock is successful. Will people be looking to buy during the opening months of 2024? Why would they be, if, as is somewhat hoped for by the business, people have all they need going into the New Year? 

It doesn't bode well, and I suspect that either way, successful sell-off or no, that depressed sales will be the norm and overstock will take a while to trickle out over the next six months to a year. And I would think that current manufacturing orders are down by a lot. Once the glut moves through, you may see another short-supply situation again until the market can finally find its bearings. And who knows how long that will take. 

At any rate, this situation brought on by the crazy daze of the pandemic are going to affect the cycling marketplace for months to come, maybe over a year yet. 

That's it for today! Have a fantastic weekend and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

What Will The "Post-Gravel" Era Look Like?

A week or so ago N.Y. Roll asked a question during the recording of the "Guitar Ted Podcast" concerning the post-gravel era when he said, "Are we seeing the end of the Age of Gravel?" 

I found that question to be particularly intriguing. I am a strong believer that there are the beginnings and endings of things. Sometimes you see a cyclical, rise and fall, thing happening with trends and styles, but mainly, it is more of a beginning, middle period, and an ending. 

N.Y. Roll also mentioned in our latest recording (which you can listen to HERE) that we may not know when we are off the "peak of gavel" until after about three years, in his estimation. Hmm..... Okay. Let's assume that's about right for argument's sake. 

In the beginnings of this "Modern Day Gravel" era, we didn't have anything "gravel specific" at all. N.Y. Roll likes to say that we were in a "discovery phase" back then, and I cannot say he's wrong about that. So, it is easy to say we were at "the beginning" then, right? 

Then we had a period of growth, events came on line, more people were showing up to these events and then the cycling industry kicked into gear with gravel specific things about ten years ago now. People became less and less reliant on "self-discovery" and more and more it became an experience you "bought into". Things that were once a conundrum, (how to set up non-tubeless touring tires as tubeless, route discovery, bike choice) were now on a checklist to be procured at your local bike shop or online retailer. 

There were "bucket-list" events, Pros started showing up, prize money went up, and big corporations came in like Life Time Fitness, and even the highest form of competitive bicycle racing has a "world championships". Social media is flooded with gravel-this, gravel that to the point that it becomes white noise. 

"Peak Gravel" anyone?

There isn't anywhere else for "gravel" to go once it permeates everything.

I would submit that , yes, we have reached "Peak Gravel". When the genre has nowhere else to go in terms of reach, well....you are there, my friend!

So, I think it is safe to say that now we're on the backside of gravel cycling's growth curve. How will that look? Well, I think that in terms of cycling, we are in a depressed state, economically, right now. So, it is hard to say with any clarity what will happen right now without another form of cycling to come in and fill the void which will be left as gravel cycling declines in popularity. 

And make no mistake, gravel cycling cannot continue to grow forever, and it won't reach a plateau and stay there either. Evidence is all around us right now that supports this theory. People are selling gravel bikes and stating that they don't ride them, or that the niche of gravel is not for them. Sure....you are going to have that with any type of cycling. I understand that, but you gotta figure that the amount of folks that bought a gravel bike that are selling them off now have a certain element within that subgroup that came out a bit disillusioned with gravel cycling.  

Image courtesy of the Flint Hills Ultra Gravel Tour

There are splinters off the gravel scene proper which also may give us some clues as to what people will gravitate toward in the future. One of those activities is "touring/bikepacking". (Same thing?) Routes are popping up that cater to the gravel cyclist that can be done in a weekend or over several weeks and everything in between. Sites like Gravel Kansas are being populated with curated routes that have a story and historically significant landmarks to discover. I suspect that other states and counties may follow suit with this idea.

We even talked about this on the latest "Guitar Ted Podcast" with Bryan Hansel, a landscape photographer that lives in Northern Minnesota. He discovered an off-road vehicle route being proposed by the Minnesota DNR and went ahead and rode it recently. "Adventure by Bike", a concept initiated by Jason Boucher at Salsa Cycles, may actually make headway as an "alternative gravel style" via bikepacking routes across various states. 

Of course, traditional forms of cycling could certainly make comebacks. I feel that mountain biking is due for a bit of a renaissance. Same for road cycling, but on a much less popular stage due to the inherent risks involving motor vehicle/distracted driver issues. 

Those are my thoughts, but what about you? Have we reached "Peak Gravel"? What will be the "post-gravel" cycling form of choice? Let me know in the comments. 

Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions.

Review Briefs

 As many of you know, I get in a fair amount of stuff to review and sometimes just to give feedback on/test for others. I figured I may as well shoot a few words this way on some things being currently tested and reviewed by giving a few, brief thoughts on those items. As always, The Standard Disclaimer applies.

Ergon GP1 Evo Update:

I did a "Two Things" post on these grips a while back, but now that I have several rides in using them and one or two on gravel as well, I can finally chime in with my verdict here. 

They are very much like the original grip, but a bit better. A bit better feeling, a bit more forgiving, and a bit better design as well. Nothing "earth-shattering" here, but if you are an Ergon GP 1 user, and you need new grips, these will make you very happy. They didn't "screw them up". These are actually an evolutionary change for the good. 

And if you've ever wondered what the fuss was about, well, while there are a lot of imitators out there, the Ergon GP1 Evo is what those grips are all chasing after, and none have done it any better, or as in many cases, they don't even come close to being what a GP1 Evo is. 

One thing I've found that trips a LOT of people up with regard to an Ergon grip, especially the winged ones, is that they are very position sensitive. You really have to spend some time dialing them in because if you do not, the Ergon grip may actually seem like the worst grip ever. There is a 'sweet-spot' and it pays to search for it, because once you do, it will make all the difference in the world.

State Bicycle Co All Road Disc Brake Calipers:

I posted back in August about my first impressions concerning these brake calipers. (See that HERE) Since then I have ridden these mostly in a loaded (the bike had a fully racked and bagged set up with cargo) state. That, I figured, would test these calipers in a more stressful state than just riding them with an unloaded bike.

First of all, I think it bears consideration that your levers , cable, and housings will have a great bearing on braking feel and performance. As well, so will the way that they are set up, So, there are a lot of variables here that could negatively or positively affect the outcome of the braking performance. 

In my case I was using standard, box-stock brake housing, brass ferrules, and standard stainless steel cables. I have had the pleasure of setting up hundreds of mechanical brake calipers over the years. So, I kind of know what it is I am looking for in a set up. It really makes a big difference in feel and performance, so if you aren't getting what you are after, maybe someone else that has experience with setting up various brakes can help. Just a thought to chew on....

Now, with all that in mind I will say that these brakes are really quite good. I am sure some of my "modulation feel" I am getting is actually losses in the standard cable housing, but even so, the hydraulic caliper makes up for some of that by increasing efficiency in use to the point that I found it very easy to apply more than enough power to haul me and my rig down to zero mph in a big hurry. 

And fine-tuned braking was top-notch as well. So, no "on-off", no modulation feel here. No "super-mushy", low power affair either. But these work pretty much like a lot of drop bar, fully hydraulic set ups will work. And they are really quiet. At least my set up is.

The All Road Calipers are no slouches then, and the most stunning thing is that you can score a pair for a "C note". That's just outrageous, in my opinion. Out of all my bikes, the Shimano GRX brakes are really the only brakes I have (disc brakes) that I would say are really better brakes than these are. But again - The set up, the cables, housings, ferrules, and levers all will affect the outcome, and that is a LOT of variables. So, let's say that the potential for great performance is here. 

But for a hundred bucks? You could do a lot worse, and many competing products are much more expensive. So, consider these with the advisement that you will need to have good complimentary components in the system to get the most out of the All Road Calipers. 

Ponderosa Panniers:

I wrote the introduction for the Ponderosa Panniers (HERE) earlier this year and since then they have lived on the Singular Gryphon fully packed. Several test rides later, I can say the following....

These are good panniers.Maybe even great ones. I feel like you need to have a set of panniers through a few trips before you can really say any pannier is "great". I will say that the Ponderosa Panniers are trending in that direction though. 

They stay put on a rack, which is job number one for a pannier. Loose panniers really hurt handling, not to mention cause one to wonder how many times you'll have to stop to tighten them up, or if they will just randomly fall off. I'd rather have panniers I never have to worry about at all. The Ponderosa bags seem pretty much like "that" pannier to me. 

These bags have tightening straps to cinch the bags against the rack, which work great. The remaining, extra lengths of those straps are supposed to be rolled up and held in place by two short bits of Velcro material. Nice idea, but in practice these can be knocked loose and then you have a streamer waving in the wind. I'd rather see some other more secure way of dealing with the loose ends. 

I mentioned in the intro that the Ponderosa was hard to mount, and because of that, I never tried taking them off, and I wouldn't on a tour. In fact, I would dread having to do that. Not ideal there. It isn't that you can't mount them, but wow.... Is that a tough thing to do or what? Loaded bags would be almost impossible to do without a companion helping to support the bag while you threaded the upper straps to the rack from behind the rack and between that and the rear wheel. 

Yeah.....

But other than that, the Ponderosa Panniers are very well made, they are easily opened and closed, and they really can be cinched down tight for single track usage or rough road riding. Your contents won't be jostling around in a cavernous space here. I just wish that Old Man Mountain could redesign that upper rack mount to be easier to use which would encourage removal when you need to work on the bike, or allow you to take the panniers off and put them in a tent, for instance.

Notice: There may be long-term updates on any of these items in the future here on the blog. Use the search function in the header to find those posts. 

Brown Season: Harvest Finishing Up

Escape Route: Old commute to Andy's Bike Shop

November. The month I generally figure on getting those late season mountain bike rides in and then being shut down for a few months right after Thanksgiving. Snow and ice aren't that far away, and when that stuff hits, it is all over for rides in the country, generally speaking. 

So, subsequently there is a sense of urgency when the leaves fall. A sense that any decent, Sunny day is a day wasted if you haven't ridden a bicycle. I mean, that is, if you are a cyclist. Not everyone is. And when you come across motorists at this time of year, you get the "Alein Freakshow on Parade" stare. It's as if after Labor Day you have to stop wearing white and quit riding bicycles. "The Rules" say so, and ya know.....cyclists are always in the way anyway. So much more so when you "aren't even supposed to be out there".

Trolley Car Trail

The long climb up Grand Boulevard starts in Waterloo.

Well, I was out there, on a weekday, no less, which makes it even more egregious, or marks me as a "retiree" with too much spare time. Whatever it was, the eyeballs were not friendly, for the most part. Only the few random walkers I saw on the bicycle trails going out were nice. Friendly waves and smiles were in stark contrast to much of what I saw in humanity on this day. Oh! And the young child on a porch in Cedar Falls that shouted a "Hello!" to me in a cheery voice as I trundled by on my fully loaded Gryphon. That was nice, but she probably didn't know any better. (sarcasm alert)

Men working on an ancient railroad bridge over the Cedar River in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

 

The last bit of bicycle trail around Big Woods Lake.

Yes, I was riding the Gryphon Mk3 fully loaded with gear to finish off reviewing some items. I was so hoping that this would have been during an actual overnighter or mini-tour, but alas! Things didn't materialize for me that way over the Summer. 

But that said, it was hard to be down about any of the above mentioned things. It was in the 50's already at 9:00am when I left, and the temps were zooming through the 50's to the upper 60's by mid-afternoon. It was Sunny, kind of, and breezy. Sunny, but in that weird "Fall-light" kind of way. That low-angle Sun does some weird things to the atmosphere. 

There still is some harvesting going on.

It's still pretty dusty out, but the roads are primo for riding now.

As the ride went on things warmed up and the Sun shone more. I never was uncomfortable even though I wore baggies and my legs were partially bare. Maybe for the last time on a ride in 2023. I wore a long-sleeved wool jersey with a Twin Six wind vest and no gloves. That turned out to be perfect. 

It is still very dry out as well. The dust was kept down only because of a stiff Southwesterly breeze which swept the dust off the road when a car or truck came by almost immediately. It might rain again Wednesday, but even if it does, it will barely make a dent in this drought. 

A farmer checks his wagon along Mt. Vernon Road

I couldn't spend a lot of time out in the country on this day, since I had to get home to feed the cats. That was probably a blessing anyway, since that loaded Gryphon was heavy and I was working hard to make it go. That was the bad part. The good part was that the load, the big, poofy tires, and the steel frame and fork were so smooth! 

But now that the reviewing is over, and now that any ideas of an overnighter are going to have to be put off again, I am stripping that rack and bag stuff off and going bare with the Gryphon for the rest of the year, such as it is. I want to put in a decent day of riding on just the bike again. 

The nice weather is supposed to last through the week. How many more chances will I get? I bet we'll be able to count them on both hands now, and the number will dwindle quickly. That sense of urgency? It's real.