T.I.V6 Recon Report And Course Conditions

<===This is heading to Checkpoint #2

Well, the recon is DONE! Yes!!! A big load off my back this past weekend as d.p. and I met up at "dark-thirty" to go finish off the recon of the T.I.V6 course. We trashed about 50 miles of the pre-planned route and re-did about 40 to replace it on the spot.

We found some tremendous views. a ton of hills, some really cool B Roads, and a course that will give you a challenge unlike any other Trans Iowa we've ever put on before. One thing I will tell you out there is that the section from Checkpoint #1 to Checkpoint #2 is the flattest part of the course. (See the first photo for reference) As for exact cut off times, I should have those this week. Stay tuned! d.p. is compiling the info on the course and will be feverishly working on the cues now, so much of the info is in his hands at the moment.

<====Rotting corpse!

The course conditions are as weird as I've seen since T.I.V4. d.p. and I therorized that due to the early snow cover, the prolonged nature of the snow cover, and that the real cold weather didn't come until well after the snow fell, that the ground really didn't freeze up as usual. This lead to a lot of roads that we are using to become "sand-like". The heavy vehicular traffic due to planting and grain hauling has turned many of these "sand-like" spots into pits of loose, shifty, momentum-sucking patches that can occur on climbs, on down hills, and even on the flats. The passage of skinnier tired vehicles will be affected most by this since I fear that wash outs will be somewhat of a problem with bicycles shod with less than 35mm rubber, and in some spots, any bicycle short of a Pugsley will be affected!

<===Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player!

Other areas of concern include the loose gravel being thrown down to cover up these spots in places. The counties know that the majority of the seasons planting should occur within the next two weeks. They are not about to grade and repair these ripped up roads just to have them trashed again immediately. So, I think we're going to see these bad spots in a lot of places yet in two weeks. Expect big patches of marbley gravel. Some gravel we encountered was so deep the Truck With No Name was skittering about on it. This will also want to knock your bicycle off track and will suck away your momentum. A quick eye and a good read on the gravel will need to be maintained at all times to find the most efficient line through the morass. It won't be easy!

<===Looks like this one went into "the rough" on this B Road!

The course was especially dry when you take into consideration that the entire area we checked out was doused with a lot of rain just four days ago. You'd never know it though. The ground must have soaked it completely up. Even the B Roads showed minor evidence of the recent torrential down pours. That's a good thing for now.

The weather will play some sort of role in the final outcome, as always. Either good, (unlikely) or bad, the weather could change what we saw in a heartbeat. A rain just before or during T.I.V6 could radically affect how things go down for each rider.

<=== They say the bridge on this road is unsafe......

Speaking of weather, it has been an unusually good spring so far. We dodged a huge bullet by getting the massive snow cover melted with minimal flooding and not having big rains on top of that. In fact, this spring's precipitation has been pretty light so far.

Winds are something that will most likely affect T.I.V6, and of course, with a loop course, you are going to get a headwind at some point, most likely. Will it be an epic head wind? Will it be a light breeze? Who knows? One thing for certain: There will be wind! The wind wasn't noticeable today from the seat of the truck, and it was about seasonal for temps- upper 50's to low 60's. Late afternoon cloud cover caused the temps to dip back towards 50 in a hury though. dress accordingly! Oh yeah, by the way, it frosted Friday night too!

<==..........but we found it to be a pretty sturdy structure if traveling by bicycle!

I've said it before, and I'll say it here: We have not ever had a Trans Iowa where it went from nice weather to crap and back again. It is going to happen someday. We'll get a day where some rain blows in, it cools down, and then the sun comes back again afterward. (In fact, it did that today to a degree!) Where you are out on course will be part of how that affects you, so be prepared for any circumstance.

I'll chime in with more updates, but right now I am excited about this course and I can say that it does show another side to Iowa that many that live here may not be aware of. I saw some sights and things today that were new to me, and were very cool to drive through. I know riding a bicycle through this course will be a great adventure. I just hope that the weather co-operates and allows you folks to experience a bit of what d.p. and I have cooked up for you in T.I.V6.

T.I.V6 Recon Report And Course Conditions

<===This is heading to Checkpoint #2

Well, the recon is DONE! Yes!!! A big load off my back this past weekend as d.p. and I met up at "dark-thirty" to go finish off the recon of the T.I.V6 course. We trashed about 50 miles of the pre-planned route and re-did about 40 to replace it on the spot.

We found some tremendous views. a ton of hills, some really cool B Roads, and a course that will give you a challenge unlike any other Trans Iowa we've ever put on before. One thing I will tell you out there is that the section from Checkpoint #1 to Checkpoint #2 is the flattest part of the course. (See the first photo for reference) As for exact cut off times, I should have those this week. Stay tuned! d.p. is compiling the info on the course and will be feverishly working on the cues now, so much of the info is in his hands at the moment.

<====Rotting corpse!

The course conditions are as weird as I've seen since T.I.V4. d.p. and I therorized that due to the early snow cover, the prolonged nature of the snow cover, and that the real cold weather didn't come until well after the snow fell, that the ground really didn't freeze up as usual. This lead to a lot of roads that we are using to become "sand-like". The heavy vehicular traffic due to planting and grain hauling has turned many of these "sand-like" spots into pits of loose, shifty, momentum-sucking patches that can occur on climbs, on down hills, and even on the flats. The passage of skinnier tired vehicles will be affected most by this since I fear that wash outs will be somewhat of a problem with bicycles shod with less than 35mm rubber, and in some spots, any bicycle short of a Pugsley will be affected!

<===Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano player!

Other areas of concern include the loose gravel being thrown down to cover up these spots in places. The counties know that the majority of the seasons planting should occur within the next two weeks. They are not about to grade and repair these ripped up roads just to have them trashed again immediately. So, I think we're going to see these bad spots in a lot of places yet in two weeks. Expect big patches of marbley gravel. Some gravel we encountered was so deep the Truck With No Name was skittering about on it. This will also want to knock your bicycle off track and will suck away your momentum. A quick eye and a good read on the gravel will need to be maintained at all times to find the most efficient line through the morass. It won't be easy!

<===Looks like this one went into "the rough" on this B Road!

The course was especially dry when you take into consideration that the entire area we checked out was doused with a lot of rain just four days ago. You'd never know it though. The ground must have soaked it completely up. Even the B Roads showed minor evidence of the recent torrential down pours. That's a good thing for now.

The weather will play some sort of role in the final outcome, as always. Either good, (unlikely) or bad, the weather could change what we saw in a heartbeat. A rain just before or during T.I.V6 could radically affect how things go down for each rider.

<=== They say the bridge on this road is unsafe......

Speaking of weather, it has been an unusually good spring so far. We dodged a huge bullet by getting the massive snow cover melted with minimal flooding and not having big rains on top of that. In fact, this spring's precipitation has been pretty light so far.

Winds are something that will most likely affect T.I.V6, and of course, with a loop course, you are going to get a headwind at some point, most likely. Will it be an epic head wind? Will it be a light breeze? Who knows? One thing for certain: There will be wind! The wind wasn't noticeable today from the seat of the truck, and it was about seasonal for temps- upper 50's to low 60's. Late afternoon cloud cover caused the temps to dip back towards 50 in a hury though. dress accordingly! Oh yeah, by the way, it frosted Friday night too!

<==..........but we found it to be a pretty sturdy structure if traveling by bicycle!

I've said it before, and I'll say it here: We have not ever had a Trans Iowa where it went from nice weather to crap and back again. It is going to happen someday. We'll get a day where some rain blows in, it cools down, and then the sun comes back again afterward. (In fact, it did that today to a degree!) Where you are out on course will be part of how that affects you, so be prepared for any circumstance.

I'll chime in with more updates, but right now I am excited about this course and I can say that it does show another side to Iowa that many that live here may not be aware of. I saw some sights and things today that were new to me, and were very cool to drive through. I know riding a bicycle through this course will be a great adventure. I just hope that the weather co-operates and allows you folks to experience a bit of what d.p. and I have cooked up for you in T.I.V6.

Trans Iowa Thoughts: The Countdown! 2!

Recon Extravaganza! This weekend brings the recon to a close, (hopefully!), and then it will be on to the finer details of cue sheets and mileage crunching for time cut offs. I'll be on the road today with d.p. doing a ton of gravel travel.

Thoughts On The Course So Far: I am aware that the T.I.V6 roster is about as stacked as it ever has been with some stout riders. Not since T.I.V1 has a roster this potent been gathered, (asuming everyone shows up). I also know that these guys haven't been laying low and taking things easy. (That's right, I hear about you guys!) Mileage totals have been getting piled up, tactics have been refined, and plans made for alliances to dominate and demoralize the other competitors. The "carrot" of the sub-24 hour Trans Iowa finish is dangling out there too, and many would like to attach their name to "first" on that list.

But regardless of all of these things, I will make public a comment I made to a good friend just this past week: "I will be super surprised if anyone can tame this course in less than 24 hours." So, there ya go. I think it would be a near miracle for any rider to pull it off.

I have many reasons as to why this is, not least of which is the fact that I know most of the course. But let's think this through a minute:

Last year the course was just over 320 miles. The weather was near perfection. The gravel conditions were above avaerage. The B Roads were nearly a non-factor. Only a navigational error stopped three guys from nipping the 24 hour barrier. Will all those things that went right go right this year? I do not believe they will.

There is more to it than this, but suffice it to say, the sub-24 hour Trans Iowa is going to be really, really hard to accomplish. Everything would have to go 100% perfectly for it to happen.

Pre-Race Meat-Up: If you are reading this, and have not responded, or even seen the e-mail that I sent out, here it is in its entirety. Please skip over this if you've seen this to the end:
Hello All!



I am writing to you all who are listed on the Trans Iowa V6
Roster


If this has reached you in error, I apologize. If you are on the roster, but will be unable to attend the April 23rd Pre-Race Meat-Up at The Grinnell Steakhouse, please indicate that *you will not be racing in Trans Iowa* by e-mailing me back a reply saying that. If you plan on attending, and thus racing in T.I.V6, read on............


If you will be at the meeting, *which is mandatory to race in T.I.V6*, you must reply to this e-mail with the number of people you will be attending the meeting with. Please include yourself in this number. I need a head count for The Grinnell Steakhouse and for the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce who will be giving each racer a pair of Dining Dollars gift certificates worth $10.00 each which can be redeemed at The Grinnell Steakhouse, or at any Chamber member resturaunt in Grinnell Iowa. (Yes- this means your support people could use the Dining Dollars on Saturday or Sunday)


You will be able to pick up a Welcome Bag with the Dining Dollars and other promotional materials at The Comfort Inn And Suites Grinnell Iowa upon your arrival on Friday.


So, to recap: I need to know if you are coming to the Pre-Race Meat-Up and if anyone else will be attending with you. So, if you are racing, and you are bringing a person to the meeting with you, indicate "2" in your reply.


If you will be the only person there, indicate "1" in your reply.
For details on the Pre-Race Meat-Up go to the T.I.V6 site

If you have not seen this or replied to this, I need to know by the 17th what your answer is to give the resturaunt a head count. Please respond here if you need to.

Look for a recon report and course conditions update coming next week. Weather updates will also be on the way. It's getting close! T.I.V6 is nearly here!

Trans Iowa Thoughts: The Countdown! 2!

Recon Extravaganza! This weekend brings the recon to a close, (hopefully!), and then it will be on to the finer details of cue sheets and mileage crunching for time cut offs. I'll be on the road today with d.p. doing a ton of gravel travel.

Thoughts On The Course So Far: I am aware that the T.I.V6 roster is about as stacked as it ever has been with some stout riders. Not since T.I.V1 has a roster this potent been gathered, (asuming everyone shows up). I also know that these guys haven't been laying low and taking things easy. (That's right, I hear about you guys!) Mileage totals have been getting piled up, tactics have been refined, and plans made for alliances to dominate and demoralize the other competitors. The "carrot" of the sub-24 hour Trans Iowa finish is dangling out there too, and many would like to attach their name to "first" on that list.

But regardless of all of these things, I will make public a comment I made to a good friend just this past week: "I will be super surprised if anyone can tame this course in less than 24 hours." So, there ya go. I think it would be a near miracle for any rider to pull it off.

I have many reasons as to why this is, not least of which is the fact that I know most of the course. But let's think this through a minute:

Last year the course was just over 320 miles. The weather was near perfection. The gravel conditions were above avaerage. The B Roads were nearly a non-factor. Only a navigational error stopped three guys from nipping the 24 hour barrier. Will all those things that went right go right this year? I do not believe they will.

There is more to it than this, but suffice it to say, the sub-24 hour Trans Iowa is going to be really, really hard to accomplish. Everything would have to go 100% perfectly for it to happen.

Pre-Race Meat-Up: If you are reading this, and have not responded, or even seen the e-mail that I sent out, here it is in its entirety. Please skip over this if you've seen this to the end:
Hello All!



I am writing to you all who are listed on the Trans Iowa V6
Roster


If this has reached you in error, I apologize. If you are on the roster, but will be unable to attend the April 23rd Pre-Race Meat-Up at The Grinnell Steakhouse, please indicate that *you will not be racing in Trans Iowa* by e-mailing me back a reply saying that. If you plan on attending, and thus racing in T.I.V6, read on............


If you will be at the meeting, *which is mandatory to race in T.I.V6*, you must reply to this e-mail with the number of people you will be attending the meeting with. Please include yourself in this number. I need a head count for The Grinnell Steakhouse and for the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce who will be giving each racer a pair of Dining Dollars gift certificates worth $10.00 each which can be redeemed at The Grinnell Steakhouse, or at any Chamber member resturaunt in Grinnell Iowa. (Yes- this means your support people could use the Dining Dollars on Saturday or Sunday)


You will be able to pick up a Welcome Bag with the Dining Dollars and other promotional materials at The Comfort Inn And Suites Grinnell Iowa upon your arrival on Friday.


So, to recap: I need to know if you are coming to the Pre-Race Meat-Up and if anyone else will be attending with you. So, if you are racing, and you are bringing a person to the meeting with you, indicate "2" in your reply.


If you will be the only person there, indicate "1" in your reply.
For details on the Pre-Race Meat-Up go to the T.I.V6 site

If you have not seen this or replied to this, I need to know by the 17th what your answer is to give the resturaunt a head count. Please respond here if you need to.

Look for a recon report and course conditions update coming next week. Weather updates will also be on the way. It's getting close! T.I.V6 is nearly here!

The Big Mama Is Back.

Wow! Is it Friday already? I had such a great week that it seems that it went by in a whirl of activity without any rest. Crazy!

Well, even though that seems to be the case, I did manage to "hen peck" my way through a drive train replacement and freshening on the Big Mama.

It really needed it too! Last time I rode it was out at The Camp in the fall with the big, meaty WTB Kodiaks on it and the drive train was skipping and barking back at me like crazy after a year of abuse. The cassette was shot along with the chain, and the lower jokey pulley in the X-9 derailluer froze up! It was a sorry mess.

I actually overhauled the cartridge bearing in the jockey wheel and got it re-greased. Spins like a champ now. New 9 speed chain, new "Tango" X-0 cassette, and back in bidness!

I never intended for the Big Mama to get all pimped out in white components, but there ya go. Things worked out that way. I bought the Manitou Minute thinking it was a 100mm fork, and it was for another project entirely. Well, when it came, it turned out to be a 120mm fork. Oh well! On the Big Mama it went! Then these Sun Ringle' Charger Pro wheels came in for testing on Twenty Nine Inches. Hmm.......well, on the Big Mama with ya! May as well go white with the wheels too!

I just slapped on some Bontrager FR3 tires on this, which are pretty aggressive but great rolling tires....so far.....and they are tubeless, of course. Now I am ready to tear it up on some trails, but first......

T.I.V6: Saturday will be a big day in T.I.V6 preparations. You'll get your regular dose of T.I.V6 Thoughts, and I'll be out driving a bunch of gravel with d.p. figuring out the last bits of the course. If it is actually there and useable. Once we have that part put to bed, d.p. will take over on the cues. We should have mileages dialed in a few days later, and I can announce the time cut offs and distances.

So, it's going to get crazy and this blog will be all Trans Iowa-all the time, seemingly for a while. Sorry! That's the way it goes in April here!

The Big Mama Is Back.

Wow! Is it Friday already? I had such a great week that it seems that it went by in a whirl of activity without any rest. Crazy!

Well, even though that seems to be the case, I did manage to "hen peck" my way through a drive train replacement and freshening on the Big Mama.

It really needed it too! Last time I rode it was out at The Camp in the fall with the big, meaty WTB Kodiaks on it and the drive train was skipping and barking back at me like crazy after a year of abuse. The cassette was shot along with the chain, and the lower jokey pulley in the X-9 derailluer froze up! It was a sorry mess.

I actually overhauled the cartridge bearing in the jockey wheel and got it re-greased. Spins like a champ now. New 9 speed chain, new "Tango" X-0 cassette, and back in bidness!

I never intended for the Big Mama to get all pimped out in white components, but there ya go. Things worked out that way. I bought the Manitou Minute thinking it was a 100mm fork, and it was for another project entirely. Well, when it came, it turned out to be a 120mm fork. Oh well! On the Big Mama it went! Then these Sun Ringle' Charger Pro wheels came in for testing on Twenty Nine Inches. Hmm.......well, on the Big Mama with ya! May as well go white with the wheels too!

I just slapped on some Bontrager FR3 tires on this, which are pretty aggressive but great rolling tires....so far.....and they are tubeless, of course. Now I am ready to tear it up on some trails, but first......

T.I.V6: Saturday will be a big day in T.I.V6 preparations. You'll get your regular dose of T.I.V6 Thoughts, and I'll be out driving a bunch of gravel with d.p. figuring out the last bits of the course. If it is actually there and useable. Once we have that part put to bed, d.p. will take over on the cues. We should have mileages dialed in a few days later, and I can announce the time cut offs and distances.

So, it's going to get crazy and this blog will be all Trans Iowa-all the time, seemingly for a while. Sorry! That's the way it goes in April here!

A Day On The Bike With A Good Friend

So "Super Secret Mode" was still on all of Wednesday morning, but I can reveal that I was able to hook up with my good friend Jason Boucher and get in some dirt on a bright, clear, cold morning.

Our destination was St. Paul, Minnesota. We stopped along the river downtown where it didn't take long for Jason to whip out a camera and start hunting for a shot of the city in the early morning light.  Downtown is a beautiful area, and the image capturing opportunities are many. The fact that it was so clear and bright this morning only made the images more tempting to grab.

I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off this particular morning and spaced off the all important clipless pedals for the ride Jason brought for me to use. So, we hopped back into the car and ran back to where I had the pick'em up truck parked to grab that necessity.

 Just before we sped off we were treated to a train pasing by that had nine engines! Pretty cool!

I see a lot of cool trains on the way to El Paso everytime I go, but the backdrop is always the sage and scrub of the Southwest. To get this train in an urban setting was pretty cool, or at least I thought so.

Jason must have thought so too, as he was snapping off shots of it going by.

If you turned about 180 degrees from the train, this is what you would see. Bridges and a swollen river from the snow melt of recent weeks. Jason said the river crested last week, but it still looked pretty high Wednesday.

Even though it looks nice here, the temperature was 34 degrees with a stiff Northerly breeze which made it feel pretty dang cold! Jason forgot to bring any gloves, and he gutted it out anyway, I don't know how. It was freezing at the start by the time we got going.

We had to traverse some paved bicycle path for a mile or so, and then we hit the single track at a place called Battle Creek. (I think!) At any rate, MORC is doing their magic here and that means that these trails, which are already awesome, are only going to get better.

With the steep climbs that were also long-ish, I was getting pretty gassed. Of course, the rig I was using was a 1X9, which was tough for me and this sort of terrain, but I did my best. Jason was kind and stopped a few times to let me get my wits about me and chase away the pink elephants. (I swear they were real!)

The rain from the day before had made the trail fall into all sorts of conditions from bone dry to greasy. We had some excellent, rippin downhills at times and at others we were picking our way carefully so as to not wipe out. Sometimes we had excellent climbing, other times it was too greasy and slick. Either way it was good times and it kept us on our toes for sure!

This trail is also an old trail system. I was surprised to hear Jason say that he had helped create several of them. I know one thing, I will go back to ride here for sure!

Here's a view from part way up a long, long climb. We started this section at the paved road and immediately started grinding upwards all the way to the top of the bluff. You can see the thin ribbon of the single track as it comes into the central part of the image and then it sweeps to the right as we look at this, just out of view. Then back up to the left, as you can see. It looped back around to the point where this shot was taken. (Click on the pic!)

This is in "flatlander Minnesota" ya'all!

At the top, you could see way out over the river and the Twin Cities, which lay below. The views were awesome from several other places which were more secluded as well.

After this we started the way back down, but not all at once! No, no! There were several other shorter, but tough climbs that demanded our attention. For sure, the park here was far, far more difficult than the others I have ridden in the Twin Cities area. I blew a few cobwebs out today, that's for certain!

Then I jumped in the car and headed back home. The Super Secret Mode is over, but the secrets will be told. Just not now. I have been sworn to secrecy by several different "entities".

One thing that can be told, there isn't anything better than riding dirt with a good friend, no matter what else can't be told!

A Day On The Bike With A Good Friend

So "Super Secret Mode" was still on all of Wednesday morning, but I can reveal that I was able to hook up with my good friend Jason Boucher and get in some dirt on a bright, clear, cold morning.

Our destination was St. Paul, Minnesota. We stopped along the river downtown where it didn't take long for Jason to whip out a camera and start hunting for a shot of the city in the early morning light.  Downtown is a beautiful area, and the image capturing opportunities are many. The fact that it was so clear and bright this morning only made the images more tempting to grab.

I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off this particular morning and spaced off the all important clipless pedals for the ride Jason brought for me to use. So, we hopped back into the car and ran back to where I had the pick'em up truck parked to grab that necessity.

 Just before we sped off we were treated to a train pasing by that had nine engines! Pretty cool!

I see a lot of cool trains on the way to El Paso everytime I go, but the backdrop is always the sage and scrub of the Southwest. To get this train in an urban setting was pretty cool, or at least I thought so.

Jason must have thought so too, as he was snapping off shots of it going by.

If you turned about 180 degrees from the train, this is what you would see. Bridges and a swollen river from the snow melt of recent weeks. Jason said the river crested last week, but it still looked pretty high Wednesday.

Even though it looks nice here, the temperature was 34 degrees with a stiff Northerly breeze which made it feel pretty dang cold! Jason forgot to bring any gloves, and he gutted it out anyway, I don't know how. It was freezing at the start by the time we got going.

We had to traverse some paved bicycle path for a mile or so, and then we hit the single track at a place called Battle Creek. (I think!) At any rate, MORC is doing their magic here and that means that these trails, which are already awesome, are only going to get better.

With the steep climbs that were also long-ish, I was getting pretty gassed. Of course, the rig I was using was a 1X9, which was tough for me and this sort of terrain, but I did my best. Jason was kind and stopped a few times to let me get my wits about me and chase away the pink elephants. (I swear they were real!)

The rain from the day before had made the trail fall into all sorts of conditions from bone dry to greasy. We had some excellent, rippin downhills at times and at others we were picking our way carefully so as to not wipe out. Sometimes we had excellent climbing, other times it was too greasy and slick. Either way it was good times and it kept us on our toes for sure!

This trail is also an old trail system. I was surprised to hear Jason say that he had helped create several of them. I know one thing, I will go back to ride here for sure!

Here's a view from part way up a long, long climb. We started this section at the paved road and immediately started grinding upwards all the way to the top of the bluff. You can see the thin ribbon of the single track as it comes into the central part of the image and then it sweeps to the right as we look at this, just out of view. Then back up to the left, as you can see. It looped back around to the point where this shot was taken. (Click on the pic!)

This is in "flatlander Minnesota" ya'all!

At the top, you could see way out over the river and the Twin Cities, which lay below. The views were awesome from several other places which were more secluded as well.

After this we started the way back down, but not all at once! No, no! There were several other shorter, but tough climbs that demanded our attention. For sure, the park here was far, far more difficult than the others I have ridden in the Twin Cities area. I blew a few cobwebs out today, that's for certain!

Then I jumped in the car and headed back home. The Super Secret Mode is over, but the secrets will be told. Just not now. I have been sworn to secrecy by several different "entities".

One thing that can be told, there isn't anything better than riding dirt with a good friend, no matter what else can't be told!

Super Secret Mode

I am writing to you from a remote location today where I was privy to future mountain bike technology that I can't tell you about..............yet! Pretty soon I will, but not today. At any rate, it was an interesting night, and I got to meet some mountain biking luminaries.

Tomorrow I get to view a couple new things having to do with mountain bikes as well, but from a different company, and again........there will be stuff I can not talk about!

What  can I say? I guess since I was asked to look, I did, but if I want to see more in the future, I better keep my trap shut now. Ya know, it ain't easy! It's pretty cool stuff. So, I am sorry for the super short blog post today, but since everything is sooooo secret, I can't write about it, and well, you don't really want to hear about my hotel room now, do you?

Hopefully tomorrow I will have something worth posting up, eh? Ha!

Super Secret Mode

I am writing to you from a remote location today where I was privy to future mountain bike technology that I can't tell you about..............yet! Pretty soon I will, but not today. At any rate, it was an interesting night, and I got to meet some mountain biking luminaries.

Tomorrow I get to view a couple new things having to do with mountain bikes as well, but from a different company, and again........there will be stuff I can not talk about!

What  can I say? I guess since I was asked to look, I did, but if I want to see more in the future, I better keep my trap shut now. Ya know, it ain't easy! It's pretty cool stuff. So, I am sorry for the super short blog post today, but since everything is sooooo secret, I can't write about it, and well, you don't really want to hear about my hotel room now, do you?

Hopefully tomorrow I will have something worth posting up, eh? Ha!

Bike Shop Tales: Brands II

I thought all bike shops were like Advantage Cyclery in terms of brands carried, but I was very wrong about that!

One of the crazy things about the old shop was the various brands that were represented. In fact, there were so many, I can't even remember them all! Not like some shops where you have one to maybe five brands represented. Nope! Advantage Cyclery had literally at least a dozen brands in the shop. Really!

Here's a rundown of the ones that I can remember. It's a big list!

•  Mongoose
• Diamondback
• Raleigh
• Gary Fisher
• Specialized
• GT Bikes
• Marin
• Scott U.S.A.
• Barracuda
• Bridgestone
• Bianchi
• Bontrager
• Guerciotti
• Park Pre
• Muddy Fox
• KHS
• American
• Cinelli (mtb)
• (Some brand Riteway used to carry similar to Trek's Jazz line, can't remember the name)
• Dyno
• Miyata

Told ya it was a big list! Now not all these were in the shop all at the same time. Advantage could be aged by the brands that came out of the shop. The early Advantage years, before I worked there, were marked by Park Pre, American, Bridgestone, and even earlier by Muddy Fox, KHS, and Miyata. While I worked there we had the GT, Mongoose, Gary Fisher, Bianchi, and Diamondback brands fully represented and supplemented by Scott, Raleigh, and Barracuda. Yeah........we had a lot of bikes!

Not only that, but Tom, the owner, had a penchant for framesets. So we would have odd ball frame sets hanging on the wall all the time. Orbit was one of the frame sets we had with a wild pink and purple paint job in two sizes. We had Alan, Colnago, Guerciotti, DeBernardi, and other roadie frame sets hanging from the wall all the time. I wasn't much of a roadie, but this was a cool aspect of working there.

Then there were the accessories. Tons of stuff from all sorts of brands were hanging from the walls there for sale. Pumps, saddles, grips, bar ends, and tires of all sorts and sizes. Water bottles, water bottle cages, and all sorts of gadgets were too numerous to mention. You know, I can't remember ever doing an inventory count while I worked there. It would have taken a decade I think!

Next Week: Back In The Shop Area........

Bike Shop Tales: Brands II

I thought all bike shops were like Advantage Cyclery in terms of brands carried, but I was very wrong about that!

One of the crazy things about the old shop was the various brands that were represented. In fact, there were so many, I can't even remember them all! Not like some shops where you have one to maybe five brands represented. Nope! Advantage Cyclery had literally at least a dozen brands in the shop. Really!

Here's a rundown of the ones that I can remember. It's a big list!

•  Mongoose
• Diamondback
• Raleigh
• Gary Fisher
• Specialized
• GT Bikes
• Marin
• Scott U.S.A.
• Barracuda
• Bridgestone
• Bianchi
• Bontrager
• Guerciotti
• Park Pre
• Muddy Fox
• KHS
• American
• Cinelli (mtb)
• (Some brand Riteway used to carry similar to Trek's Jazz line, can't remember the name)
• Dyno
• Miyata

Told ya it was a big list! Now not all these were in the shop all at the same time. Advantage could be aged by the brands that came out of the shop. The early Advantage years, before I worked there, were marked by Park Pre, American, Bridgestone, and even earlier by Muddy Fox, KHS, and Miyata. While I worked there we had the GT, Mongoose, Gary Fisher, Bianchi, and Diamondback brands fully represented and supplemented by Scott, Raleigh, and Barracuda. Yeah........we had a lot of bikes!

Not only that, but Tom, the owner, had a penchant for framesets. So we would have odd ball frame sets hanging on the wall all the time. Orbit was one of the frame sets we had with a wild pink and purple paint job in two sizes. We had Alan, Colnago, Guerciotti, DeBernardi, and other roadie frame sets hanging from the wall all the time. I wasn't much of a roadie, but this was a cool aspect of working there.

Then there were the accessories. Tons of stuff from all sorts of brands were hanging from the walls there for sale. Pumps, saddles, grips, bar ends, and tires of all sorts and sizes. Water bottles, water bottle cages, and all sorts of gadgets were too numerous to mention. You know, I can't remember ever doing an inventory count while I worked there. It would have taken a decade I think!

Next Week: Back In The Shop Area........

Things Have Been Better- Things Have Been Worse

Feeling drained after a busy weekend. Here's a quick run down from two different perspectives....

Things Have Been Better: The week ended last Friday with the decision that our main vehicle for the family was unreliable and we would have to get a new/different vehicle. We were now down to the Truck Without A Name which is a standard cab truck that won't fit four in the bench seat. Too tight, and there are only thre safety belts anyway. To top that off, I had a tire going bad on it which reared its ugly head Saturday and will require a replacement today. Down to bumming rides for the weekend since Mrs. Guitar Ted and I were playing/singing in the church band Saturday night and Sunday for a total of four services. We had to cancel plans to go visit relatives, and I didn't get any bike rides in. Boo!

Things Have Been Worse: I got to spend a bunch of time with my family this weekend. I got to play my guitar really loud and make some noise. I got to be part of an awesome Easter Service. I got some e-mails jetted off to the T.I.V6 volunteer crew. I got to wrench on some bikes down in the Lab. I was able to do some logistical work on T.I.V6. I also got some writing done. We got our new I-Mac set up. I get to start looking for a different vehicle. I got to go to bed early Sunday night. (I needed to after being up since 4:30am!)

So it was a weekend of two extremes. Now it is back to another crazy week at work with trying to fit in all the last minute T.I.V6 stuff. I'll be busy, that's for sure!

Things Have Been Better- Things Have Been Worse

Feeling drained after a busy weekend. Here's a quick run down from two different perspectives....

Things Have Been Better: The week ended last Friday with the decision that our main vehicle for the family was unreliable and we would have to get a new/different vehicle. We were now down to the Truck Without A Name which is a standard cab truck that won't fit four in the bench seat. Too tight, and there are only thre safety belts anyway. To top that off, I had a tire going bad on it which reared its ugly head Saturday and will require a replacement today. Down to bumming rides for the weekend since Mrs. Guitar Ted and I were playing/singing in the church band Saturday night and Sunday for a total of four services. We had to cancel plans to go visit relatives, and I didn't get any bike rides in. Boo!

Things Have Been Worse: I got to spend a bunch of time with my family this weekend. I got to play my guitar really loud and make some noise. I got to be part of an awesome Easter Service. I got some e-mails jetted off to the T.I.V6 volunteer crew. I got to wrench on some bikes down in the Lab. I was able to do some logistical work on T.I.V6. I also got some writing done. We got our new I-Mac set up. I get to start looking for a different vehicle. I got to go to bed early Sunday night. (I needed to after being up since 4:30am!)

So it was a weekend of two extremes. Now it is back to another crazy week at work with trying to fit in all the last minute T.I.V6 stuff. I'll be busy, that's for sure!

Trans Iowa Thoughts: The Countdown! 3

Recon Report: I got in a bit more recon on Wednesday and this is the latest on the course conditions in this sector.

Here's a B Road that will be on the course. You can see a big wet spot where frost is still coming up out of the ground. The rest of this one is rock hard dirt.

This sector has a series of rollers. The roads have been maintained in many places already along this part of the course.

The gravel was pretty fresh and loose for many miles in this part. Very dry gravel meant lots of dust as well.

Now here is a really cool corner of the course, but look very closely at the image. The gravel in the fore ground is very loose and sandy. This was a very prevalent feature of the roads in this area. Lots of sandy/gravel sections that were inches deep. The surface was like powder/sand and the Truck With No Name was wallowing and pitching in it a lot. I suspect that bicycles will find this a bit slow going where it was the worst, unless we get a fair amount of rain just before the event, in which case the B Roads will be slow. Seems like either way these roads in this sector are going to be toughies. Oh yeah, that white patch by the A pillar of my truck? That's snow that was still in the ditch! 

Re-Supply Options Limited Near The End!! Several years ago I made an effort to try and make convenience stores show up about every 40-50 miles on course. With the change in policies of many of these rural stores to not being open 24 hours, and with several of the towns and cities being so small, it has become increasingly more difficult to make the convenience store appear on route where it is most "convenient" for you racers.

So, here is the skinny on the course with regards to convenience store opportunities. After Checkpoint #3, there are no convenience stores on route!! None! Zip! nada! The towns on the route are very small, and the route is in a remote area (for Iowa) which has no need for convenience stores. There are bars though, and a bar can be a good place to get water, if need be. Bars close at about 1:30am, (real time), maybe closer to 2am in some cases. Are there towns just off route with a convenience store? Yes, one. It has a convenience store that closes at 9pm on Saturday night and is about 80 miles from the end of the event. It is located about a mile off course, which means you'd have a two mile round trip just to use it. (We'll indicate on the cues where this is)

Okay, that's the bad news. The good news is that you can plan for this. In past Trans Iowas I was roundly criticized for not making riders aware that the stores would be closed after a certain time Saturday evening in these remote rural towns and villages. Now you know. You should be prepared to ride the last section without re-supply. You'll likely need to carry your water, and definitely anything you want to eat for the last section of T.I.V6.

What About Convenience Stores On The Rest Of The Route? Before Checkpoint #3 there are good opportunities for re-supply at regular intervals. The route either goes right in front of, or within a quarter mile of convenience stores that are in plain sight. The last store is a 24 hour convenience store and is about ten to 15 miles from Checkpoint #3. You can not possibly miss it. Again: Now you know. If you pass this one up, just know that you won't be seeing another one again on the route. Pass it at your own risk!

So, I know a lot of you will be upset by this news, but again, you have time to figure out a plan. Part of T.I.V6 is logistical. This does indeed make things more difficult, but far from un-doable. It is what it is. We do not have time to do a re-route and you do not have to come and do Trans Iowa if this ruffles your feathers or throws your plans into a tizzy. Like I said, now you know. You can plan for it. It is possible to deal with it, if you think it through.

I'll have more recon reports and time cut off info in the coming days. Please let us know if you can not make the event this year. It makes life a lot easier for us if we are not preparing for someone that won't be there. Hit me with an e-mail and let me know if you won't make it.

Trans Iowa Thoughts: The Countdown! 3

Recon Report: I got in a bit more recon on Wednesday and this is the latest on the course conditions in this sector.

Here's a B Road that will be on the course. You can see a big wet spot where frost is still coming up out of the ground. The rest of this one is rock hard dirt.

This sector has a series of rollers. The roads have been maintained in many places already along this part of the course.

The gravel was pretty fresh and loose for many miles in this part. Very dry gravel meant lots of dust as well.

Now here is a really cool corner of the course, but look very closely at the image. The gravel in the fore ground is very loose and sandy. This was a very prevalent feature of the roads in this area. Lots of sandy/gravel sections that were inches deep. The surface was like powder/sand and the Truck With No Name was wallowing and pitching in it a lot. I suspect that bicycles will find this a bit slow going where it was the worst, unless we get a fair amount of rain just before the event, in which case the B Roads will be slow. Seems like either way these roads in this sector are going to be toughies. Oh yeah, that white patch by the A pillar of my truck? That's snow that was still in the ditch! 

Re-Supply Options Limited Near The End!! Several years ago I made an effort to try and make convenience stores show up about every 40-50 miles on course. With the change in policies of many of these rural stores to not being open 24 hours, and with several of the towns and cities being so small, it has become increasingly more difficult to make the convenience store appear on route where it is most "convenient" for you racers.

So, here is the skinny on the course with regards to convenience store opportunities. After Checkpoint #3, there are no convenience stores on route!! None! Zip! nada! The towns on the route are very small, and the route is in a remote area (for Iowa) which has no need for convenience stores. There are bars though, and a bar can be a good place to get water, if need be. Bars close at about 1:30am, (real time), maybe closer to 2am in some cases. Are there towns just off route with a convenience store? Yes, one. It has a convenience store that closes at 9pm on Saturday night and is about 80 miles from the end of the event. It is located about a mile off course, which means you'd have a two mile round trip just to use it. (We'll indicate on the cues where this is)

Okay, that's the bad news. The good news is that you can plan for this. In past Trans Iowas I was roundly criticized for not making riders aware that the stores would be closed after a certain time Saturday evening in these remote rural towns and villages. Now you know. You should be prepared to ride the last section without re-supply. You'll likely need to carry your water, and definitely anything you want to eat for the last section of T.I.V6.

What About Convenience Stores On The Rest Of The Route? Before Checkpoint #3 there are good opportunities for re-supply at regular intervals. The route either goes right in front of, or within a quarter mile of convenience stores that are in plain sight. The last store is a 24 hour convenience store and is about ten to 15 miles from Checkpoint #3. You can not possibly miss it. Again: Now you know. If you pass this one up, just know that you won't be seeing another one again on the route. Pass it at your own risk!

So, I know a lot of you will be upset by this news, but again, you have time to figure out a plan. Part of T.I.V6 is logistical. This does indeed make things more difficult, but far from un-doable. It is what it is. We do not have time to do a re-route and you do not have to come and do Trans Iowa if this ruffles your feathers or throws your plans into a tizzy. Like I said, now you know. You can plan for it. It is possible to deal with it, if you think it through.

I'll have more recon reports and time cut off info in the coming days. Please let us know if you can not make the event this year. It makes life a lot easier for us if we are not preparing for someone that won't be there. Hit me with an e-mail and let me know if you won't make it.

Friday News And Views

Wheels Go Roundy-Round: My Dad always said I had wheels in my head. Maybe he was right about that! I love bicycle wheels and I like to build them from scratch too. These new Sun Ringle' Charger Pro wheels are pre-built, so I didn't get the fun of lacing and tensioning these bad boys up, but I do get to ride them. Should be interesting too. Tubeless ready out of the box. Look for more on TNI soon.

Speaking of Twenty Nine Inches, I have put up a Facebook page for the site. Check it out. I am going to try to post up some of the behind the scenes goings on and scuttlebutt from time to time, so it will be a bit different from the TNI site proper.

I figured I would give that a try, as I was posting all the Twenty Nine Inches stuff on Facebook under my personal page anyway, and I wasn't using the page for stuff I was doing personally. (I probably won't much either!)

Noted This Oddity: While driving around doing T.I.V6 recon Wednesday, I was struck by the fact that I was having to turn on the A/C in the cab of the Truck Without A Name while I was routinely passing snow banks still in ditches. I think that's a first in my lifetime!

And About That Gravel Grinder: I will be making some important announcements concerning T.I.V6 and posting the results of my latest recon efforts tomorrow on this blog. Be there!

Preparing For The Season: Captain Bob shot me a call yesterday to tell me that about a third of the North Side of The Camp is ready to ride for us locals. Whoopee! If it doesn't rain buckets, I'm heading out there Saturday morning for the first Saturday AM test session of many this year! If you go, remember to sign in and PAY YER DUES! No carpetbaggers! I was out there and saw some tracks that were recent but no one had signed in, and I am betting they didn't pay either. If ya want ta lose these trails fer you and everyone else, keep it up, losers! You know who you are!

Captain Bob says he sees this "rig" parked in front of the Black's Building in downtown Waterloo alot. He snapped this photo with his camera phone and shared it with me. It was too good not to share with you all. (Click it to make it bigger).

I really don't know quite what to say about this.

Amazing!

Have a great Easter Weekend, ride yer bikes, and have fun!

Friday News And Views

Wheels Go Roundy-Round: My Dad always said I had wheels in my head. Maybe he was right about that! I love bicycle wheels and I like to build them from scratch too. These new Sun Ringle' Charger Pro wheels are pre-built, so I didn't get the fun of lacing and tensioning these bad boys up, but I do get to ride them. Should be interesting too. Tubeless ready out of the box. Look for more on TNI soon.

Speaking of Twenty Nine Inches, I have put up a Facebook page for the site. Check it out. I am going to try to post up some of the behind the scenes goings on and scuttlebutt from time to time, so it will be a bit different from the TNI site proper.

I figured I would give that a try, as I was posting all the Twenty Nine Inches stuff on Facebook under my personal page anyway, and I wasn't using the page for stuff I was doing personally. (I probably won't much either!)

Noted This Oddity: While driving around doing T.I.V6 recon Wednesday, I was struck by the fact that I was having to turn on the A/C in the cab of the Truck Without A Name while I was routinely passing snow banks still in ditches. I think that's a first in my lifetime!

And About That Gravel Grinder: I will be making some important announcements concerning T.I.V6 and posting the results of my latest recon efforts tomorrow on this blog. Be there!

Preparing For The Season: Captain Bob shot me a call yesterday to tell me that about a third of the North Side of The Camp is ready to ride for us locals. Whoopee! If it doesn't rain buckets, I'm heading out there Saturday morning for the first Saturday AM test session of many this year! If you go, remember to sign in and PAY YER DUES! No carpetbaggers! I was out there and saw some tracks that were recent but no one had signed in, and I am betting they didn't pay either. If ya want ta lose these trails fer you and everyone else, keep it up, losers! You know who you are!

Captain Bob says he sees this "rig" parked in front of the Black's Building in downtown Waterloo alot. He snapped this photo with his camera phone and shared it with me. It was too good not to share with you all. (Click it to make it bigger).

I really don't know quite what to say about this.

Amazing!

Have a great Easter Weekend, ride yer bikes, and have fun!

Dusty Roads

I did Trans Iowa recon again yesterday, (full report to be posted Saturday) and I saw some awesome roads and scenery. I love this part about putting this event on. I get to go drive roads I wouldn't normally ever consider, and I find stuff I never knew about, which inspires me to want to ride more.

I am pretty pumped about it, and the thing is, I can't say anything now without giving too much away about the course. I'll comment on it all later this summer, and maybe I'll even ride some of this stuff too. Like the B Maintenance road pictured here. It isn't on T.I.V6, but I had to stop and look longingly at this wonderful old pathway. I would love to ride this, and I would have any other time, but time is so short, and we have so much recon to do yet that all I could afford to spend was a few minutes staring down this quiet back road. (You can click on the pic to really get a good look if you want to)

Stuff like this makes me want to quit my job and just ride dusty roads for weeks at a time. Too bad the pay isn't much for that job! And the thing is, there are some beautiful views tucked out of the way in this state. No wonder they called Iowa "the beautiful land" back in the day. You wouldn't know if all you've done is sped down the interstate. Nope! This stuff is out of the way on roads to nowhere. You have to "turn over a few rocks", as it were, to find the gems.

Get out and explore some of your own "back yards". You might just find your eyes opened and your jaw slack a few times at what you discover.

Happy trails!

Dusty Roads

I did Trans Iowa recon again yesterday, (full report to be posted Saturday) and I saw some awesome roads and scenery. I love this part about putting this event on. I get to go drive roads I wouldn't normally ever consider, and I find stuff I never knew about, which inspires me to want to ride more.

I am pretty pumped about it, and the thing is, I can't say anything now without giving too much away about the course. I'll comment on it all later this summer, and maybe I'll even ride some of this stuff too. Like the B Maintenance road pictured here. It isn't on T.I.V6, but I had to stop and look longingly at this wonderful old pathway. I would love to ride this, and I would have any other time, but time is so short, and we have so much recon to do yet that all I could afford to spend was a few minutes staring down this quiet back road. (You can click on the pic to really get a good look if you want to)

Stuff like this makes me want to quit my job and just ride dusty roads for weeks at a time. Too bad the pay isn't much for that job! And the thing is, there are some beautiful views tucked out of the way in this state. No wonder they called Iowa "the beautiful land" back in the day. You wouldn't know if all you've done is sped down the interstate. Nope! This stuff is out of the way on roads to nowhere. You have to "turn over a few rocks", as it were, to find the gems.

Get out and explore some of your own "back yards". You might just find your eyes opened and your jaw slack a few times at what you discover.

Happy trails!

March Blows Outta Here!

<===From white to shades of brown. March changed the color of the landscape.

Wow! March went from "slow to go!" in about a weeks time. From not riding much but roads packed with ice and snow to back riding at The Camp already, it has been pretty amazing.

Add in T.I.V6 madness, and things really leaped into hyper-drive for me! Recon started again, and there still is a ways to go with that. In fact, I'll be out doing some of that today.

Warm weather is back already too. 70's and sunshine where three weeks ago we were getting "treated" to our first days with highs in the upper 30's. Things changed in a big hurry, that's for sure.

It seems that this spring is bringing lots of changes all over. I am noticing that anyway. People, things, and events seem to be in a state of flux more so than I can remember in the recent past, or maybe it's just me. I don't know. Anyway............

Seeing as how I get hits about drop bar mountain biking all the time, let's talk about the Gryphon from Singular Cycles a bit, shall we? Singular was developing the Gryphon along about the same time as Salsa Cycles developed the Fargo. So no one copied the other here. The designs were done separately and that's that. Having said this, it is amazing how similar these two bikes are to each other. At least in terms of handling and to a great degree, fit.

I have the luxury of having a Fargo in a size large and a Gryphon in a size large which I have measured side by side. The differences are pretty minimal in terms of geometry. The details are hugely different, of course, but basically, these two bikes could be very complimentary stablemates in either companies line up, or better yet, in your stable! They handle very similarly. They fit very similarly, and in terms of function, they are different enough to warrant having both. Quite frankly, I was surprised by this.

You see, I figured since the Fargo fit me like a glove, and had the versatility of a Swiss Army knife down pat, I figured the Singular couldn't possibly hope to have anything but the novelty of single speed-ness on its side in comparison. Boy! Was I wrong about that. The Singular has the fit, as I said, down to a "T" and does drop bar mtb "right proper-like". It doesn't pretend to be anything other than a drop bar, rigid specific mountain bike that does single speed very well. The Fargo doesn't pretend to be a single speed, and doesn't pidgeon hole itself as "just a trail bike". That's why I say both bikes fit into any drop bar mtb aficianados stable. (Well, as long as you like 29"ers. )

I am doing a proper side by side comparo for Twenty Nine Inches later. So, please wait for that and your specific questions will be answered there, I hope. Suffice it to say that since I really like the Fargo, you'll probably be able to guess what I think of the Gryphon. It's good stuff, that's what it is.

March Blows Outta Here!

<===From white to shades of brown. March changed the color of the landscape.

Wow! March went from "slow to go!" in about a weeks time. From not riding much but roads packed with ice and snow to back riding at The Camp already, it has been pretty amazing.

Add in T.I.V6 madness, and things really leaped into hyper-drive for me! Recon started again, and there still is a ways to go with that. In fact, I'll be out doing some of that today.

Warm weather is back already too. 70's and sunshine where three weeks ago we were getting "treated" to our first days with highs in the upper 30's. Things changed in a big hurry, that's for sure.

It seems that this spring is bringing lots of changes all over. I am noticing that anyway. People, things, and events seem to be in a state of flux more so than I can remember in the recent past, or maybe it's just me. I don't know. Anyway............

Seeing as how I get hits about drop bar mountain biking all the time, let's talk about the Gryphon from Singular Cycles a bit, shall we? Singular was developing the Gryphon along about the same time as Salsa Cycles developed the Fargo. So no one copied the other here. The designs were done separately and that's that. Having said this, it is amazing how similar these two bikes are to each other. At least in terms of handling and to a great degree, fit.

I have the luxury of having a Fargo in a size large and a Gryphon in a size large which I have measured side by side. The differences are pretty minimal in terms of geometry. The details are hugely different, of course, but basically, these two bikes could be very complimentary stablemates in either companies line up, or better yet, in your stable! They handle very similarly. They fit very similarly, and in terms of function, they are different enough to warrant having both. Quite frankly, I was surprised by this.

You see, I figured since the Fargo fit me like a glove, and had the versatility of a Swiss Army knife down pat, I figured the Singular couldn't possibly hope to have anything but the novelty of single speed-ness on its side in comparison. Boy! Was I wrong about that. The Singular has the fit, as I said, down to a "T" and does drop bar mtb "right proper-like". It doesn't pretend to be anything other than a drop bar, rigid specific mountain bike that does single speed very well. The Fargo doesn't pretend to be a single speed, and doesn't pidgeon hole itself as "just a trail bike". That's why I say both bikes fit into any drop bar mtb aficianados stable. (Well, as long as you like 29"ers. )

I am doing a proper side by side comparo for Twenty Nine Inches later. So, please wait for that and your specific questions will be answered there, I hope. Suffice it to say that since I really like the Fargo, you'll probably be able to guess what I think of the Gryphon. It's good stuff, that's what it is.

Bike Shop Tales: Brands

I'm taking a break from bikes I owned to talk about all the bikes we sold............

I still work in a shop and every once in awhile I will see a bike come in for repair that I either put together out of the box, worked on, or sold. Sometimes all three in the same bike! Last week I saw one that inspired this post.

One of our sales people was walking a rig back to the hold area when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that it was a steel framed mountain bike that was teal in color. Now it is funny when that is all the visual info I need to bring to mind what the bike is and whether or not Advantage Cycles sold it.

I turned my head and looked closer. Yup! 90's era rigid steel in a teal color. Well, by this this time I am 75% sure I am looking at a Scott U.S.A. mountain bike and I knew it had a strong chance of being an Advantage Cycles rig. I leaned over the service counter and said, "That's a Scott, isn't it?" The sales guy looked at the down tube and said, "Uhh........yeah. I guess it is!" I said, "Look and see if it has an Advantage Cycles sticker on it."

He fumbled around looking, but before he found it I saw the familiar black rectangle outlined in silver and said, "Don't bother. It is an Advantage bike." (And I even knew by that sticker it was sold in 1994 or early 1995, because the stickers changed in mid '95 to blue and silver.)

Funny how old bicycles seem like long lost friends, yet I would have zero clues as to who owned it. Probably because I didn't sell most of the bikes I see from Advantage, but I did build a lot of them, and I worked on a lot of them. Sometimes an owner and bike will be ingrained in my memory, but those instances are rare.

Next week, more about Brands.

Bike Shop Tales: Brands

I'm taking a break from bikes I owned to talk about all the bikes we sold............

I still work in a shop and every once in awhile I will see a bike come in for repair that I either put together out of the box, worked on, or sold. Sometimes all three in the same bike! Last week I saw one that inspired this post.

One of our sales people was walking a rig back to the hold area when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that it was a steel framed mountain bike that was teal in color. Now it is funny when that is all the visual info I need to bring to mind what the bike is and whether or not Advantage Cycles sold it.

I turned my head and looked closer. Yup! 90's era rigid steel in a teal color. Well, by this this time I am 75% sure I am looking at a Scott U.S.A. mountain bike and I knew it had a strong chance of being an Advantage Cycles rig. I leaned over the service counter and said, "That's a Scott, isn't it?" The sales guy looked at the down tube and said, "Uhh........yeah. I guess it is!" I said, "Look and see if it has an Advantage Cycles sticker on it."

He fumbled around looking, but before he found it I saw the familiar black rectangle outlined in silver and said, "Don't bother. It is an Advantage bike." (And I even knew by that sticker it was sold in 1994 or early 1995, because the stickers changed in mid '95 to blue and silver.)

Funny how old bicycles seem like long lost friends, yet I would have zero clues as to who owned it. Probably because I didn't sell most of the bikes I see from Advantage, but I did build a lot of them, and I worked on a lot of them. Sometimes an owner and bike will be ingrained in my memory, but those instances are rare.

Next week, more about Brands.