Friday News And Views

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational Saturday: Looks like we'll have a small crew this go around. maybe five guys, but that's okay. I haven't heard from anybody else, so I won't be bringing any more than a few maps with me. Shout out early today if you want to come, 'cause I'm leavin' town early this afternoon. A report with pics will be up here on Monday, hopefully. If I live through this!

Shimano Comes Through: You might not like Shimano, but they were great to deal with recently in regards to the 10 speed front derailleur swap I needed. I mistakenly spec'ed a low mount instead of a high mount front changer, and the customer service women I dealt with was right on top of things. Very good service, and I thought it was worthy of mentioning. Ya know, 'cause we hear all too many times when someone "effs up", so I thought it would be nice to point out that things often do work out well in business transactions and customer service issues.

I Try To Look The Other Way, But.... When the subject of head butting and road racing are spoken of in the same sentence, well......I had to look into this!  Actually, I just read a short description, didn't even look at the video, but that was just downright goofy, or brilliant, depending upon your point of view. I mean, yes- it wasn't "fair play" or "good sportsmanship", I suppose. However; would any of us be talking about the Tour otherwise? I mean, another ho-hum stage finish turns into a spectacle worthy of being compared to roller girl action.  (Well, actually, the roller girls are tougher!) Look at it this way, the guys are doping, the sport is under investigation.....again......by the U.S. Gubbmint!, and this whole thing could be solved by adding in a few new features. I figure they ought to consider the following.......

- Protective gear for sprinters teams: Check it out- High speed action with high risk and riders wearing full DH gear to protect themselves in the ensuing melee's. Headbutting? Totally  legal! Arm checks, bouncing around. Think of the possibilities. Who wouldn't want to watch that carnage?

- Tour Derby Action: Who wouldn't be down for watching a derby at the finish of a mountain top stage? You make it to the top first, you then have to be the last man riding. Great test of endurance, skill, and toughness of bikes and parts. We all win!

-Tour de Cross: Yeah, yeah, yeah......high speed chasing and posturing on baby-butt smooth roads. Blah! Let's get dirty folks! I'm talking about barriers, mud bogs, and grassy hills mid-stage. Water carriers? Ha! We're talking beer hand ups that must be chugged by each rider before continuing. We're talking about throwing some off road into the on road action. Heck, its gotta be a great idea. Who doesn't remember Lance's off road excursion in Le Tour? Let's have more of it!

-The Doping Lottery: Look, they are not going to stop the doping as long as the stakes are so high for the riders, teams, and sponsors, so if you can't beat them, run the show! The Tour should have a "doping lottery" at the beginning of each Tour. Riders all sign in, grab the needle and inject. Is it "the real thing", or a placebo? Nobody knows! It's all a lottery chance that you'll get the dope advantage. It could be televised live. Look! He cried when he stuck it in! Oooo! He took it like a man! Then later on, maybe someone pulls an incredible stage out of the blue, they test him, and he wins the Dopers Jersey. Cool!

Sound absurd? Maybe, but the Tour couldn't be closer to absurd than it is now anyway, so why not? Doping, head butting, he said-she said finger pointing, I mean, c'mon!

Have A Great Weekend! Lots of big rides, races, and cycling fun is going on, (and I'm not talking about that nutty event in France either), so I hope you are finding something to do on two wheels and having fun!

Friday News And Views

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational Saturday: Looks like we'll have a small crew this go around. maybe five guys, but that's okay. I haven't heard from anybody else, so I won't be bringing any more than a few maps with me. Shout out early today if you want to come, 'cause I'm leavin' town early this afternoon. A report with pics will be up here on Monday, hopefully. If I live through this!

Shimano Comes Through: You might not like Shimano, but they were great to deal with recently in regards to the 10 speed front derailleur swap I needed. I mistakenly spec'ed a low mount instead of a high mount front changer, and the customer service women I dealt with was right on top of things. Very good service, and I thought it was worthy of mentioning. Ya know, 'cause we hear all too many times when someone "effs up", so I thought it would be nice to point out that things often do work out well in business transactions and customer service issues.

I Try To Look The Other Way, But.... When the subject of head butting and road racing are spoken of in the same sentence, well......I had to look into this!  Actually, I just read a short description, didn't even look at the video, but that was just downright goofy, or brilliant, depending upon your point of view. I mean, yes- it wasn't "fair play" or "good sportsmanship", I suppose. However; would any of us be talking about the Tour otherwise? I mean, another ho-hum stage finish turns into a spectacle worthy of being compared to roller girl action.  (Well, actually, the roller girls are tougher!) Look at it this way, the guys are doping, the sport is under investigation.....again......by the U.S. Gubbmint!, and this whole thing could be solved by adding in a few new features. I figure they ought to consider the following.......

- Protective gear for sprinters teams: Check it out- High speed action with high risk and riders wearing full DH gear to protect themselves in the ensuing melee's. Headbutting? Totally  legal! Arm checks, bouncing around. Think of the possibilities. Who wouldn't want to watch that carnage?

- Tour Derby Action: Who wouldn't be down for watching a derby at the finish of a mountain top stage? You make it to the top first, you then have to be the last man riding. Great test of endurance, skill, and toughness of bikes and parts. We all win!

-Tour de Cross: Yeah, yeah, yeah......high speed chasing and posturing on baby-butt smooth roads. Blah! Let's get dirty folks! I'm talking about barriers, mud bogs, and grassy hills mid-stage. Water carriers? Ha! We're talking beer hand ups that must be chugged by each rider before continuing. We're talking about throwing some off road into the on road action. Heck, its gotta be a great idea. Who doesn't remember Lance's off road excursion in Le Tour? Let's have more of it!

-The Doping Lottery: Look, they are not going to stop the doping as long as the stakes are so high for the riders, teams, and sponsors, so if you can't beat them, run the show! The Tour should have a "doping lottery" at the beginning of each Tour. Riders all sign in, grab the needle and inject. Is it "the real thing", or a placebo? Nobody knows! It's all a lottery chance that you'll get the dope advantage. It could be televised live. Look! He cried when he stuck it in! Oooo! He took it like a man! Then later on, maybe someone pulls an incredible stage out of the blue, they test him, and he wins the Dopers Jersey. Cool!

Sound absurd? Maybe, but the Tour couldn't be closer to absurd than it is now anyway, so why not? Doping, head butting, he said-she said finger pointing, I mean, c'mon!

Have A Great Weekend! Lots of big rides, races, and cycling fun is going on, (and I'm not talking about that nutty event in France either), so I hope you are finding something to do on two wheels and having fun!

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitaional: Pre-Ride Report #2

<===This is where you turn left where the pavement ends outside of West Union to get to the campground.

I went up and did some limited recon Wednesday. I didn't have a lot of time, so I focused on the camp ground and the opening part of the route.

The camp ground is in great shape. I was worried that springtime and early summer rains and winds may have damaged some things here, but everything looks in order. One thing I should point out is that there is a low water crossing as you come into the camp grounds. So drive slow and try not to make a huge wake. This is a trout fishing stream that you will be crossing, and we do not want to tick off the local fishermen.

 <===This is where you turn right. It occurs immediately after you make the turn described above.


I poked around and found a short cut across a high flung walking bridge that takes you almost right to the start of the ride. (Which is at the big Echo Valley sign in the first image) I think Jeremy Fry may have found this last year, but I can not remember for sure. Anyway, it avoids having to cross the low water crossing with your bicycle. That may be a good idea this year, since the water is a bit higher than last year, as I recall. We'll be starting at 6:30am SHARP! We will need to get rolling as soon as we can to allow for enough time to get everyone in before dark. Or at least enough time to get me in to Camp!

<===After the first two turns, and a low water crossing, you'll go up to the left. Very steeply! Then you'll see this tree. Stay to the right! This takes you right and up some more.

The gravel leading out to the first miles of the route is loose! The county must have maintained the road recently. This gives me concern for the first big down hill, which has a dogleg curve in the middle of it and is a 10% grade descent. I almost ate it big time here last year, and the road wasn't laden with fresh gravel. Be careful if you come Saturday and ride this! You'll need great bike control and great brakes! I will say that it looked to me like the best line down was to the extreme left as we go down this steep, long hill. It will lead us out into a river valley where the views are spectacular. 

<===When you see this cul-de-sac, look to the right and I should be there! (Well, by Friday evening, any way!)

I specifically didn't take any images of the route to share before hand because I wanted to let it be a surprise to anyone that shows up. I actually had forgotten how cool it is!

At any rate, there are a few rollers to start things out with, then after the aforementioned gnarly downhill, we'll settle into a gentle river valley with a river escorting us along the way for most of the first 25 miles or so. This leads us through the sleepy burg of Elgin, and ultimately to Elkader. This hamlet is pretty picturesque. You'll want to scoot around and grab a few photos of the local architecture and the famous bridge over the Turkey River here before we pull out of the first convenience store stop.

 <===My steed for the ride.


The roads were covered with pretty fresh, very dusty gravel to Elkader where I had to peel off and head for the shed. I can only imagine that the rest of Clayton and Fayette Counties have been similarly maintained, so expect rougher, sketchier roads this year. I have heard that the Impala Road section was ridden this year, so that is still there for all I know. Even if it isn't, we can easily go around on pavement.

Okay, my bike for this ride is a variation of the theme I used at the Dirty Kanza 200 this year.  I swapped out the flat bar and controls for a Woodchipper and STI levers. I did a bit of fine tuning while on recon and I think it'll work okay. I can't get a "Bike With No Name" , so I had to come up with the next best thing! A Salsa Cycles Dos Niner with drop bars! It's light, it has some cush, and I could actually put a suspension fork on it if I so desired. With the Edge Composites carbon wheels, it is a pretty awesome ride so far. I'll give a final judgment on Sunday!

I did do something here that you are not supposed to be able to do. (And I do not recommend that you do this either!) I used mountain BB-7 calipers with road levers. It ain't supposed ta work, but mine does. Just fine too. I slapped on another part that isn't supposed ta work too. An Ultegra long cage derailleur that is shifting a 12-34T cassette. Not enough capacity on that derailleur, they say. Pssshaw! Works just fine. The front gears are 44T/29T by the way, and are rings pinched from an Origin 8 crank set which I mounted to an XT crank. Chris King bottom bracket and a Bontrager Switchblade 38mm offset fork round out the package. Stable handling be good on gravel! Especially with the crazy descents we'll be seeing Saturday.

Well, at least I hope to be able to see those descents on Saturday, barring any crazy weather damage from the overnight storms!

That's it for the Pre-Ride Reports. Look for a Recap of GTDRI on Monday!

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitaional: Pre-Ride Report #2

<===This is where you turn left where the pavement ends outside of West Union to get to the campground.

I went up and did some limited recon Wednesday. I didn't have a lot of time, so I focused on the camp ground and the opening part of the route.

The camp ground is in great shape. I was worried that springtime and early summer rains and winds may have damaged some things here, but everything looks in order. One thing I should point out is that there is a low water crossing as you come into the camp grounds. So drive slow and try not to make a huge wake. This is a trout fishing stream that you will be crossing, and we do not want to tick off the local fishermen.

 <===This is where you turn right. It occurs immediately after you make the turn described above.


I poked around and found a short cut across a high flung walking bridge that takes you almost right to the start of the ride. (Which is at the big Echo Valley sign in the first image) I think Jeremy Fry may have found this last year, but I can not remember for sure. Anyway, it avoids having to cross the low water crossing with your bicycle. That may be a good idea this year, since the water is a bit higher than last year, as I recall. We'll be starting at 6:30am SHARP! We will need to get rolling as soon as we can to allow for enough time to get everyone in before dark. Or at least enough time to get me in to Camp!

<===After the first two turns, and a low water crossing, you'll go up to the left. Very steeply! Then you'll see this tree. Stay to the right! This takes you right and up some more.

The gravel leading out to the first miles of the route is loose! The county must have maintained the road recently. This gives me concern for the first big down hill, which has a dogleg curve in the middle of it and is a 10% grade descent. I almost ate it big time here last year, and the road wasn't laden with fresh gravel. Be careful if you come Saturday and ride this! You'll need great bike control and great brakes! I will say that it looked to me like the best line down was to the extreme left as we go down this steep, long hill. It will lead us out into a river valley where the views are spectacular. 

<===When you see this cul-de-sac, look to the right and I should be there! (Well, by Friday evening, any way!)

I specifically didn't take any images of the route to share before hand because I wanted to let it be a surprise to anyone that shows up. I actually had forgotten how cool it is!

At any rate, there are a few rollers to start things out with, then after the aforementioned gnarly downhill, we'll settle into a gentle river valley with a river escorting us along the way for most of the first 25 miles or so. This leads us through the sleepy burg of Elgin, and ultimately to Elkader. This hamlet is pretty picturesque. You'll want to scoot around and grab a few photos of the local architecture and the famous bridge over the Turkey River here before we pull out of the first convenience store stop.

 <===My steed for the ride.


The roads were covered with pretty fresh, very dusty gravel to Elkader where I had to peel off and head for the shed. I can only imagine that the rest of Clayton and Fayette Counties have been similarly maintained, so expect rougher, sketchier roads this year. I have heard that the Impala Road section was ridden this year, so that is still there for all I know. Even if it isn't, we can easily go around on pavement.

Okay, my bike for this ride is a variation of the theme I used at the Dirty Kanza 200 this year.  I swapped out the flat bar and controls for a Woodchipper and STI levers. I did a bit of fine tuning while on recon and I think it'll work okay. I can't get a "Bike With No Name" , so I had to come up with the next best thing! A Salsa Cycles Dos Niner with drop bars! It's light, it has some cush, and I could actually put a suspension fork on it if I so desired. With the Edge Composites carbon wheels, it is a pretty awesome ride so far. I'll give a final judgment on Sunday!

I did do something here that you are not supposed to be able to do. (And I do not recommend that you do this either!) I used mountain BB-7 calipers with road levers. It ain't supposed ta work, but mine does. Just fine too. I slapped on another part that isn't supposed ta work too. An Ultegra long cage derailleur that is shifting a 12-34T cassette. Not enough capacity on that derailleur, they say. Pssshaw! Works just fine. The front gears are 44T/29T by the way, and are rings pinched from an Origin 8 crank set which I mounted to an XT crank. Chris King bottom bracket and a Bontrager Switchblade 38mm offset fork round out the package. Stable handling be good on gravel! Especially with the crazy descents we'll be seeing Saturday.

Well, at least I hope to be able to see those descents on Saturday, barring any crazy weather damage from the overnight storms!

That's it for the Pre-Ride Reports. Look for a Recap of GTDRI on Monday!

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitaional: Pre-Ride Report #1

The Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational is this weekend! Here's some scoop on this gravel grinder for those who are curious.

Big Name-Not A Big Deal! This is a "no rider left behind" type ride. It is free- no entry fee. If you show up, don't plan on "racing", or dropping the group, 'cause that won't be cool. This is a fun ride for enjoyment, and challenge. Oh yeah..... and about the "challenge" part........

Get Yer Climbing Gear On! This will be a tough day in the saddle. Take a look at the image here. (click to enlarge) It is a typical climb that you will see a lot of all day long. The image here is about 85 miles into the 118 mile distance. We were walking climbs by the time we got to 50 miles in! Only two guys in our little group cleaned everything. And.....it wasn't very hot or humid. Bring lots of water, food to eat, and patience, because it likely will be hotter and more humid than last year.

A Note On Self Support: This is a self supported ride. You get in, you get yourself out. Bring what you need to survive a 40 mile stint without services. Bring some money! We'll have access to convenience stores at approximately Mile 27, Mile 42, Mile 64.5, and Mile 95.5. (Note, the availability of stuff at the Mile 42 opportunity is very limited)  You'll be doing a big loop, and you will be furthest away from your vehicles at approximately 58 miles into it. Just so you know. This ride took about 13 hours to complete last year with over 9 hours saddle time. Start time is slated at 6:30am!

Make sure you have spare tubes, a pump or inflation device, a spare link of chain or two, and a chain tool. A cell phone is an excellent idea, although you'll be in a lot of "no reception zones" on this ride. When I say, "no reception", I mean zero, nada, nuttin'. You want to make a call, you'll need to find a land line out in those valleys! On top of the hills, yeah....maybe!

Bring a camera! This route has some stunning views. 

Weather:  It looks like a perfect summer day is forecast, so bring some sunscreen! Sunny, high of 87 degrees, and a wind from the SSW at 10-15 gusting to 22mph.

The Campground: It's totally primitive. No lights, toilets, (pit toilet nearby), or nuthin'! That said, West Union is about three miles to the west of the campground and has convenience stores, a motel, and fast food. We'll be camping out after the ride, and I'll be up on Friday evening to camp beforehand. The rule of thumb will be early to bed Friday night, stay up late Saturday night!

Attendance: I don't expect too many riders. Maybe a half a dozen. Maybe ten. Possibly three or four. Doesn't matter if I am the only one. The deal is come if you want, and this is what to expect. I'll have about a half dozen route maps. If you want to know more, or tell me you are or are not coming, e mail me. I'd appreciate that!

Tomorrow, expect a recon report with up to date info on the course and camping.

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitaional: Pre-Ride Report #1

The Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational is this weekend! Here's some scoop on this gravel grinder for those who are curious.

Big Name-Not A Big Deal! This is a "no rider left behind" type ride. It is free- no entry fee. If you show up, don't plan on "racing", or dropping the group, 'cause that won't be cool. This is a fun ride for enjoyment, and challenge. Oh yeah..... and about the "challenge" part........

Get Yer Climbing Gear On! This will be a tough day in the saddle. Take a look at the image here. (click to enlarge) It is a typical climb that you will see a lot of all day long. The image here is about 85 miles into the 118 mile distance. We were walking climbs by the time we got to 50 miles in! Only two guys in our little group cleaned everything. And.....it wasn't very hot or humid. Bring lots of water, food to eat, and patience, because it likely will be hotter and more humid than last year.

A Note On Self Support: This is a self supported ride. You get in, you get yourself out. Bring what you need to survive a 40 mile stint without services. Bring some money! We'll have access to convenience stores at approximately Mile 27, Mile 42, Mile 64.5, and Mile 95.5. (Note, the availability of stuff at the Mile 42 opportunity is very limited)  You'll be doing a big loop, and you will be furthest away from your vehicles at approximately 58 miles into it. Just so you know. This ride took about 13 hours to complete last year with over 9 hours saddle time. Start time is slated at 6:30am!

Make sure you have spare tubes, a pump or inflation device, a spare link of chain or two, and a chain tool. A cell phone is an excellent idea, although you'll be in a lot of "no reception zones" on this ride. When I say, "no reception", I mean zero, nada, nuttin'. You want to make a call, you'll need to find a land line out in those valleys! On top of the hills, yeah....maybe!

Bring a camera! This route has some stunning views. 

Weather:  It looks like a perfect summer day is forecast, so bring some sunscreen! Sunny, high of 87 degrees, and a wind from the SSW at 10-15 gusting to 22mph.

The Campground: It's totally primitive. No lights, toilets, (pit toilet nearby), or nuthin'! That said, West Union is about three miles to the west of the campground and has convenience stores, a motel, and fast food. We'll be camping out after the ride, and I'll be up on Friday evening to camp beforehand. The rule of thumb will be early to bed Friday night, stay up late Saturday night!

Attendance: I don't expect too many riders. Maybe a half a dozen. Maybe ten. Possibly three or four. Doesn't matter if I am the only one. The deal is come if you want, and this is what to expect. I'll have about a half dozen route maps. If you want to know more, or tell me you are or are not coming, e mail me. I'd appreciate that!

Tomorrow, expect a recon report with up to date info on the course and camping.

Special Edition: DK 200 XXC Mag And GGN Vaya Review

Usually this is "Bike Shop Tales" day, but I have a couple of announcements that won't wait. "Bike Shop Tales" will return at its regularly scheduled slot next week!

 The XXC Magazine Dirty Kanza 200 Special Edition

If you have hung around here for very long, you know I like riding gravel roads and you probably have heard about The Dirty Kanza 200 . It is an epic, tough, beautiful event in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. This past June, 160 intrepid souls took the start line of this event in downtown Emporia, Kansas. Relive the event through the eyes of its participants in this latest issue of the XXC Mag. You can down load a copy on your hard drive, or opt for the "in your hands" approach and get a printed copy. Just hit the link and get yerself sum!

If you were one of the event participants, you owe it to yourself to get this issue. It is chock full of great photography that will bring the memories rushing back, (and show your unbelieving friends and loved ones how remote and awesome the Flint Hills really are!), while you read about several participants experiences that are sure to be something you can relate to. (Oh yeah, and some hack writer that wrote an introduction is in there too!) At any rate, this is really good stuff.

A Guest Review Of Salsa Cycles Vaya by Matt Gersib

I also am humbled and super grateful that my friend, Matt Gersib, wrote an awesome piece for Gravel Grinder News which is also re-posted on The Cyclist. It is a review of Salsa Cycles Vaya frame and fork.

For those of you that are unacquainted with Matt, or "MG" as he is also known as, he is a racer of mountain bikes and of gravel road events and has well over 20 years experience doing these things. He knows a thing or three about bicycles, and has worked in the cycling industry in the past as well. Matt gives a great viewpoint on the differences between a Fargo and a Vaya, which should help readers looking at both bikes, and gives a great look at what the Vaya is capable of after six months of thrashing the bike on all sorts of courses.

I am thankful for Matt's contributions to my sites and I believe his write up will be quite useful for folks looking into an adventure bike of their own, or for a perfect gravel sled. Check out his review and see for yourself.  You can catch Matt out riding gravel and single track in Nebraska and all over the Mid-West. Also, stop by his blog for periodic updates of what he's been up to.

Special Edition: DK 200 XXC Mag And GGN Vaya Review

Usually this is "Bike Shop Tales" day, but I have a couple of announcements that won't wait. "Bike Shop Tales" will return at its regularly scheduled slot next week!

 The XXC Magazine Dirty Kanza 200 Special Edition

If you have hung around here for very long, you know I like riding gravel roads and you probably have heard about The Dirty Kanza 200 . It is an epic, tough, beautiful event in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. This past June, 160 intrepid souls took the start line of this event in downtown Emporia, Kansas. Relive the event through the eyes of its participants in this latest issue of the XXC Mag. You can down load a copy on your hard drive, or opt for the "in your hands" approach and get a printed copy. Just hit the link and get yerself sum!

If you were one of the event participants, you owe it to yourself to get this issue. It is chock full of great photography that will bring the memories rushing back, (and show your unbelieving friends and loved ones how remote and awesome the Flint Hills really are!), while you read about several participants experiences that are sure to be something you can relate to. (Oh yeah, and some hack writer that wrote an introduction is in there too!) At any rate, this is really good stuff.

A Guest Review Of Salsa Cycles Vaya by Matt Gersib

I also am humbled and super grateful that my friend, Matt Gersib, wrote an awesome piece for Gravel Grinder News which is also re-posted on The Cyclist. It is a review of Salsa Cycles Vaya frame and fork.

For those of you that are unacquainted with Matt, or "MG" as he is also known as, he is a racer of mountain bikes and of gravel road events and has well over 20 years experience doing these things. He knows a thing or three about bicycles, and has worked in the cycling industry in the past as well. Matt gives a great viewpoint on the differences between a Fargo and a Vaya, which should help readers looking at both bikes, and gives a great look at what the Vaya is capable of after six months of thrashing the bike on all sorts of courses.

I am thankful for Matt's contributions to my sites and I believe his write up will be quite useful for folks looking into an adventure bike of their own, or for a perfect gravel sled. Check out his review and see for yourself.  You can catch Matt out riding gravel and single track in Nebraska and all over the Mid-West. Also, stop by his blog for periodic updates of what he's been up to.

Steamed Singletrack

The weekend was a good one. Finally, I was able to dodge the rain drops and ride some single track. The Camp was dried out from the previous days of dry weather, so I hit up the South side and took the Big Mama with me for the ride. It was a good thing I took the full suspension goodness of the Big Mama too, because the Camp is rough! Rougher than I remember it being since we've been riding back there.

I didn't check in with the atmospherical authorities before leaving, but according to my arms and hands, which the sweat was running off of like a water faucet was up my sleeve, I'd say it was pretty darn humid. That meant that the air was plenty steamy under the canopy of the woods. It's definitely summer! Better than winter, so I am not complaining.

Sunday I got out again, but since we had rain over night, I hit up Cedar Bend this time on the Cielo 29"er. The air wasn't quite as steamy as Saturday, but the humidity wasn't gone, just not as brutal. The corn on the far side of Cedar Bend must be nine feet tall, by the way!

There is something pretty weird going on with this bike. I was sent a size, (19.5"), that should fit me perfectly, if you had a typical, mass produced, big name 29'er. But this isn't a typical bike at all. First of all, it has a lot of classic cues, the more level top tube, the seat stay arrangement, and the frame tubing sizes are all classic mtb. The deal that strikes me as weird though is the top tube length. It is 25.3" long! I usually go for an inch shorter top tube than this.

Okay, the bike fits me, albeit I am "stretched" more, not a bad thing at all. The bike handles just peachy this way, and that is what I find weird. It shouldn't handle well for me. It should feel like a big truck. It doesn't.

So now I'm full of questions.

That's a good thing. I think it's always good to learn and look at things outside your "box"

Steamed Singletrack

The weekend was a good one. Finally, I was able to dodge the rain drops and ride some single track. The Camp was dried out from the previous days of dry weather, so I hit up the South side and took the Big Mama with me for the ride. It was a good thing I took the full suspension goodness of the Big Mama too, because the Camp is rough! Rougher than I remember it being since we've been riding back there.

I didn't check in with the atmospherical authorities before leaving, but according to my arms and hands, which the sweat was running off of like a water faucet was up my sleeve, I'd say it was pretty darn humid. That meant that the air was plenty steamy under the canopy of the woods. It's definitely summer! Better than winter, so I am not complaining.

Sunday I got out again, but since we had rain over night, I hit up Cedar Bend this time on the Cielo 29"er. The air wasn't quite as steamy as Saturday, but the humidity wasn't gone, just not as brutal. The corn on the far side of Cedar Bend must be nine feet tall, by the way!

There is something pretty weird going on with this bike. I was sent a size, (19.5"), that should fit me perfectly, if you had a typical, mass produced, big name 29'er. But this isn't a typical bike at all. First of all, it has a lot of classic cues, the more level top tube, the seat stay arrangement, and the frame tubing sizes are all classic mtb. The deal that strikes me as weird though is the top tube length. It is 25.3" long! I usually go for an inch shorter top tube than this.

Okay, the bike fits me, albeit I am "stretched" more, not a bad thing at all. The bike handles just peachy this way, and that is what I find weird. It shouldn't handle well for me. It should feel like a big truck. It doesn't.

So now I'm full of questions.

That's a good thing. I think it's always good to learn and look at things outside your "box"

Friday News And Views

<===Buzzy!

Chris King hubs: Love em or hate em, they are definitely unique. I like 'em. They are buzzy, come in cool colors, and are dead reliable, at least for me. Yeah.......they are spendy!  But you'll have them a long time, if you want to,  so they seem worth it to my mind.

Anyway, I bring this up because the Cielo 29"er I have here on test for Twenty Nine Inches has them onboard. I haven't ever really seen the gold anodized stuff before, but man! Does that color glow! Makes me want to set up a bike with gold stuff like this one now.

That's the trouble when you are an anodized parts freak like me. I just love anything other than black anodized parts which are so......common! It gets tiring seeing all that black anodized stuff. Even silver is better, at least to my mind. I should talk though! I own one set of Chris King hubs and guess what color they are? Yup! Black! Boring ol' me!

 Here's something else that's gold- flowers! Have you noticed the wild flowers are popping like crazy right now? I have and it is amazing here in the Mid-west. One of my favorite things is to ride some gravel and see the wild flowers, which reminds me, next weekend is the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational Think you might be interested in this? Are you planning on showing up? Then hit that link and it'll take you to the link to print out directions for the ride. I'll be up there a week from today in the evening to help get things kicked off. Hope to see you there.

 <===The gears are turning......


I have a plan for the bike I'll be riding next weekend too. It'll be somewhat unusual, that's for certain. Hopefully I can get it together for a test ride this weekend. If that doesn't pan out, I'll probably show up on the Fargo like last year. Either way, I'll be ready with a bicycle, but maybe not so ready with my body! I've been not having any luck getting out on the gravel roads of late, and long rides......ha!

Well, let's just say that the "death" part of the GTDRI may be more literal in terms of describing my riding than usual! Hopefully I'll be okay, but ya never know.

Let's hope we all can get out there and enjoy some cycling this weekend!

Friday News And Views

<===Buzzy!

Chris King hubs: Love em or hate em, they are definitely unique. I like 'em. They are buzzy, come in cool colors, and are dead reliable, at least for me. Yeah.......they are spendy!  But you'll have them a long time, if you want to,  so they seem worth it to my mind.

Anyway, I bring this up because the Cielo 29"er I have here on test for Twenty Nine Inches has them onboard. I haven't ever really seen the gold anodized stuff before, but man! Does that color glow! Makes me want to set up a bike with gold stuff like this one now.

That's the trouble when you are an anodized parts freak like me. I just love anything other than black anodized parts which are so......common! It gets tiring seeing all that black anodized stuff. Even silver is better, at least to my mind. I should talk though! I own one set of Chris King hubs and guess what color they are? Yup! Black! Boring ol' me!

 Here's something else that's gold- flowers! Have you noticed the wild flowers are popping like crazy right now? I have and it is amazing here in the Mid-west. One of my favorite things is to ride some gravel and see the wild flowers, which reminds me, next weekend is the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational Think you might be interested in this? Are you planning on showing up? Then hit that link and it'll take you to the link to print out directions for the ride. I'll be up there a week from today in the evening to help get things kicked off. Hope to see you there.

 <===The gears are turning......


I have a plan for the bike I'll be riding next weekend too. It'll be somewhat unusual, that's for certain. Hopefully I can get it together for a test ride this weekend. If that doesn't pan out, I'll probably show up on the Fargo like last year. Either way, I'll be ready with a bicycle, but maybe not so ready with my body! I've been not having any luck getting out on the gravel roads of late, and long rides......ha!

Well, let's just say that the "death" part of the GTDRI may be more literal in terms of describing my riding than usual! Hopefully I'll be okay, but ya never know.

Let's hope we all can get out there and enjoy some cycling this weekend!

Okay, That's About Enough Of That!

<===The corner of Baltimore and 2nd on Wednesday, 8:30am.

Yeah.........it can stop anytime now! The rain, that is. We received 5 inches in less than 24 hours, and in probably less than a few hours, truth be known, on top of an already saturated water table. No where for the water to go but where we don't want it. Basements, roadways, etcetera, were all flooded out on Wednesday morning here. Places that never even saw a drop of water in the basement during the record floods of  '08 were getting flooded. Weird!

So you can imagine how our off road trails are about now! ha!

It rained until about 9:30am, and sputtered awhile after that. The waters subsided to a degree, but even at 6:00pm, you could see water flowing out of cracks in the street yet!  Thankfully we are scheduled for three days of drying out, although I believe I think we need about three weeks of drying out to really do the trick.

And for much of the day, we had the lovely experience of having the percentage of humidity way above the actual temperature, which meant that you were sweating bullets standing still. Just the thing you need for frazzled nerves and grumpy people. To say it was a bogus day would be putting it mildly. That said, there were some extremely bright, bright spots to this otherwise not so great day.

First off, I found out that XXC Mag has accepted my submission for an introductory piece to open up a special issue coming out soon. This is pretty humbling and awesome. I am happy to be a small part of this (what I think will be) smash hit. It's gonna be very cool! More on that later. 

Then I got a text message from a co-worker that another test rig for Twenty Nine Inches came in. It is a Cielo, which is Chris King's handmade bicycle marque. many folks don't realize this, but Chris King was a frame builder first. He didn't like the headsets available back in the late 70's, so he made his own and, well.......the rest is history, as they say. It got to where Chris couldn't keep up with the frame building side of it, so he started Chris King Precision Components. Just within the last few years, Chris started back in making road and cyclo-cross bikes again. The 29"er thing happened by accident, kind of. The rest of that story will be told on TNI. For now I'll just say that by popular request, we have this 29"er to check out for a short time. It's a pretty sweet machine, so I can't wait to get out on it.........if it'd ever stop raining!

Oh yeah! And I got a sneak peek of the following...........

 Have a great Thursday!

Okay, That's About Enough Of That!

<===The corner of Baltimore and 2nd on Wednesday, 8:30am.

Yeah.........it can stop anytime now! The rain, that is. We received 5 inches in less than 24 hours, and in probably less than a few hours, truth be known, on top of an already saturated water table. No where for the water to go but where we don't want it. Basements, roadways, etcetera, were all flooded out on Wednesday morning here. Places that never even saw a drop of water in the basement during the record floods of  '08 were getting flooded. Weird!

So you can imagine how our off road trails are about now! ha!

It rained until about 9:30am, and sputtered awhile after that. The waters subsided to a degree, but even at 6:00pm, you could see water flowing out of cracks in the street yet!  Thankfully we are scheduled for three days of drying out, although I believe I think we need about three weeks of drying out to really do the trick.

And for much of the day, we had the lovely experience of having the percentage of humidity way above the actual temperature, which meant that you were sweating bullets standing still. Just the thing you need for frazzled nerves and grumpy people. To say it was a bogus day would be putting it mildly. That said, there were some extremely bright, bright spots to this otherwise not so great day.

First off, I found out that XXC Mag has accepted my submission for an introductory piece to open up a special issue coming out soon. This is pretty humbling and awesome. I am happy to be a small part of this (what I think will be) smash hit. It's gonna be very cool! More on that later. 

Then I got a text message from a co-worker that another test rig for Twenty Nine Inches came in. It is a Cielo, which is Chris King's handmade bicycle marque. many folks don't realize this, but Chris King was a frame builder first. He didn't like the headsets available back in the late 70's, so he made his own and, well.......the rest is history, as they say. It got to where Chris couldn't keep up with the frame building side of it, so he started Chris King Precision Components. Just within the last few years, Chris started back in making road and cyclo-cross bikes again. The 29"er thing happened by accident, kind of. The rest of that story will be told on TNI. For now I'll just say that by popular request, we have this 29"er to check out for a short time. It's a pretty sweet machine, so I can't wait to get out on it.........if it'd ever stop raining!

Oh yeah! And I got a sneak peek of the following...........

 Have a great Thursday!

Dyna-Sys 10 Speed: "Dyna-mite, or Dyna-Thud"?!

It's here! The dreaded day has come when your 9 speed stuff is "old school". Yep, that's right my dirt bikin' friends, you are off the back now with the introduction of Shimano's XT Dyna-Sys 10 speed, and SRAM's already famous XX 10 speed. SRAM is also set to soon be flooding the market with 10 speed groups all the way down to its X-7 level. New XTR is, of course, 10 speed, and so is Shimano's workhorse SLX group. Yep! You can officially start hording 9 speed stuff and call yourself a "retro-grouch" if you are into 9 speed stuff.

Of course, I jest, but to some degree, this is our perception of the new 10 speed, no? I recall when 9 speed XTR came out. Wow! There was a lot of grousing and folks murmured how they were "never going to ride 9 speed", and how Shimano was "ramming it down our throats". Hmm..........I wonder how many riders still feel that way about 9 speed in 2010? Especially now that 10 speed mtb is a reality. 

And I'll be the first to admit that I have been on record as saying this 10 speed thing was/is a bad idea. Road 10 speed is none too impressive, in terms of durability and wear life. I was and still am expecting that 10 speed mtb stuff will also fall short of 9 speed in this critical area. One thing I will also admit is that the SRAM XX 10 speed stuff I have ridden is dreamy! The best shifting I have experienced in the field yet, hands down. Especially the amazing front changer. I used to hate front derailleurs until I met the XX front derailleur and shifter.

My co-writer on Twenty Nine Inches and The Cyclist, Grannygear, and I talked about the implications of 10 speed groups for off roading just the other day. He wrote this excellent post on his blog about the subject, which I highly recommend reading. I pretty much agree with his estimation that the biggest downfall of the ongoing race to add another gear to our cassette, (and in many instances, take away a chain ring too), isn't so much about lack of performance, but about cost of ownership. This stuff will be expensive to replace once the parts wear out.

In the end, the riders will decide what will happen. Will Dyna-Sys be a Dyna-thud, or a huge hit? Riders embraced 9 speed eventually, and the market fully supports it now. However; if the cost to replace an XT cassette and chain, not to mention that composite middle chain ring, is astronomical, and we find ourselves racing to replace those XT bits with Deore, or SLX just so we can afford to ride, it isn't going to go over too well. The flip side is how will those lower priced 10 speed options perform? It's going to be hard to accept an X-9 cassette that doesn't shift as well as a high dollar XX 10 speed one, even if you did save some money. Maybe that gulf between the lower end's pricing and the upper end's will just be too much to take, or maybe it won't.

At any rate, it's a new day. A 10 speed mountain bike day, and you can choose to not play along, but it isn't going away any time soon. I'll have the XT Dyna-Sys group on test on Twenty Nine Inches and locals can check it out in the flesh. Just give me a shout out here in the comments or by e-mail, and I'll be glad to let you check it out.

Hmm...........I think I'll go for a ride on my single speed today! Have a great Wednesday!

Dyna-Sys 10 Speed: "Dyna-mite, or Dyna-Thud"?!

It's here! The dreaded day has come when your 9 speed stuff is "old school". Yep, that's right my dirt bikin' friends, you are off the back now with the introduction of Shimano's XT Dyna-Sys 10 speed, and SRAM's already famous XX 10 speed. SRAM is also set to soon be flooding the market with 10 speed groups all the way down to its X-7 level. New XTR is, of course, 10 speed, and so is Shimano's workhorse SLX group. Yep! You can officially start hording 9 speed stuff and call yourself a "retro-grouch" if you are into 9 speed stuff.

Of course, I jest, but to some degree, this is our perception of the new 10 speed, no? I recall when 9 speed XTR came out. Wow! There was a lot of grousing and folks murmured how they were "never going to ride 9 speed", and how Shimano was "ramming it down our throats". Hmm..........I wonder how many riders still feel that way about 9 speed in 2010? Especially now that 10 speed mtb is a reality. 

And I'll be the first to admit that I have been on record as saying this 10 speed thing was/is a bad idea. Road 10 speed is none too impressive, in terms of durability and wear life. I was and still am expecting that 10 speed mtb stuff will also fall short of 9 speed in this critical area. One thing I will also admit is that the SRAM XX 10 speed stuff I have ridden is dreamy! The best shifting I have experienced in the field yet, hands down. Especially the amazing front changer. I used to hate front derailleurs until I met the XX front derailleur and shifter.

My co-writer on Twenty Nine Inches and The Cyclist, Grannygear, and I talked about the implications of 10 speed groups for off roading just the other day. He wrote this excellent post on his blog about the subject, which I highly recommend reading. I pretty much agree with his estimation that the biggest downfall of the ongoing race to add another gear to our cassette, (and in many instances, take away a chain ring too), isn't so much about lack of performance, but about cost of ownership. This stuff will be expensive to replace once the parts wear out.

In the end, the riders will decide what will happen. Will Dyna-Sys be a Dyna-thud, or a huge hit? Riders embraced 9 speed eventually, and the market fully supports it now. However; if the cost to replace an XT cassette and chain, not to mention that composite middle chain ring, is astronomical, and we find ourselves racing to replace those XT bits with Deore, or SLX just so we can afford to ride, it isn't going to go over too well. The flip side is how will those lower priced 10 speed options perform? It's going to be hard to accept an X-9 cassette that doesn't shift as well as a high dollar XX 10 speed one, even if you did save some money. Maybe that gulf between the lower end's pricing and the upper end's will just be too much to take, or maybe it won't.

At any rate, it's a new day. A 10 speed mountain bike day, and you can choose to not play along, but it isn't going away any time soon. I'll have the XT Dyna-Sys group on test on Twenty Nine Inches and locals can check it out in the flesh. Just give me a shout out here in the comments or by e-mail, and I'll be glad to let you check it out.

Hmm...........I think I'll go for a ride on my single speed today! Have a great Wednesday!

Bike Shop Tales: Skid Lid

This "Bike Shop Tales" post, like last weeks,  is also inspired by "Ears"..............

When work got out at the bike shop, or before the shift was to begin, or- of course- on our days off, it was easy to find a bunch of guys and hit up the trails in George Wyth State Park. We usually hit up a big loop of the faster stuff and then headed home. Many times folks that hung out at the shop would join us.

I can't remember who all was on this particular Saturday afternoon ride, but Ears was one of the riders. He was young, and probably the only fellow in those days that was close to my size. We would usually make good riding partners because of this. We rode at similar speeds, and even though I was older than he was by a fair amount, I could keep up with the whippersnapper!

Well, on this particular day, we were heading back out of the woods towards the end of the Park, and further on, the shop. We all spilled out of some tight, single file only single track into a much wider path. This was pretty smooth, so we all spread out and big ringed it for all we were worth. This was all fine and dandy until the really wide path necked down a bit, and went into a slight turn.

I was up ahead, no worries. All I had to do was aim for the best line through and work on what needed to be done in the next section. Then I heard a commotion behind me, and Ears yelled out.

"On yer Left!

Ahhhh! On yer right! I mean.....(huff huff)....ON YER LEFT! 

Okay, so by this time, I have no idea what side he's coming up on. I veered slightly to the left, only because I was reacting to his second call, and his loud protest of "ON YER LEFT" at the end was too late. We bumped off each other like two bumper cars at a cheap county fair. Ears had the advantage, as he saw it coming. I didn't.

I swerved hard to the right, recovered to swerve hard to the left, and then I lost the front wheel, went over the bars to the left, and landed.

Right on top of my head!

It had rained a day before our ride, and Geo Wyth was a park covered in fine silt and sand here and there. Silt turns to a grease when it gets wet enough, and although the surface of the trail didn't show it that day, just beneath the crust the grease from the rain was still there. My Giro helmet caught that grease as I skidded on my head and packed in the silt all the way down to my head. I rolled over and ended up in a sitting position with a curious crown. There was grass on top, and even a small flower was sticking out of my helmet that just moments before had been growing peacefully alongside the trail. I was okay, but just a bit shook up. As I started to assess my condition, and think of some terrible malediction to direct at Ears, I heard laughter.

"Dude! You should see your helmet! That's awesome!"

Now I was curious. I unbuckled my lid to check out what all the fuss was about. Then I laughed too, forgetting all about my wrath at being knocked off my bicycle at a high rate of speed. We carefully escorted the bicycle themed planter to the shop where it was ceremoniously placed right outside the back door. We actually watered it, and the grass and the flower actually stayed alive a few days. Then I decided I needed to wear it again, so the end of the "helmet planter" was at hand.

Maybe not the best story for helmet advocacy, but there ya go!

Bike Shop Tales returns next Tuesday, stay tuned...................

Bike Shop Tales: Skid Lid

This "Bike Shop Tales" post, like last weeks,  is also inspired by "Ears"..............

When work got out at the bike shop, or before the shift was to begin, or- of course- on our days off, it was easy to find a bunch of guys and hit up the trails in George Wyth State Park. We usually hit up a big loop of the faster stuff and then headed home. Many times folks that hung out at the shop would join us.

I can't remember who all was on this particular Saturday afternoon ride, but Ears was one of the riders. He was young, and probably the only fellow in those days that was close to my size. We would usually make good riding partners because of this. We rode at similar speeds, and even though I was older than he was by a fair amount, I could keep up with the whippersnapper!

Well, on this particular day, we were heading back out of the woods towards the end of the Park, and further on, the shop. We all spilled out of some tight, single file only single track into a much wider path. This was pretty smooth, so we all spread out and big ringed it for all we were worth. This was all fine and dandy until the really wide path necked down a bit, and went into a slight turn.

I was up ahead, no worries. All I had to do was aim for the best line through and work on what needed to be done in the next section. Then I heard a commotion behind me, and Ears yelled out.

"On yer Left!

Ahhhh! On yer right! I mean.....(huff huff)....ON YER LEFT! 

Okay, so by this time, I have no idea what side he's coming up on. I veered slightly to the left, only because I was reacting to his second call, and his loud protest of "ON YER LEFT" at the end was too late. We bumped off each other like two bumper cars at a cheap county fair. Ears had the advantage, as he saw it coming. I didn't.

I swerved hard to the right, recovered to swerve hard to the left, and then I lost the front wheel, went over the bars to the left, and landed.

Right on top of my head!

It had rained a day before our ride, and Geo Wyth was a park covered in fine silt and sand here and there. Silt turns to a grease when it gets wet enough, and although the surface of the trail didn't show it that day, just beneath the crust the grease from the rain was still there. My Giro helmet caught that grease as I skidded on my head and packed in the silt all the way down to my head. I rolled over and ended up in a sitting position with a curious crown. There was grass on top, and even a small flower was sticking out of my helmet that just moments before had been growing peacefully alongside the trail. I was okay, but just a bit shook up. As I started to assess my condition, and think of some terrible malediction to direct at Ears, I heard laughter.

"Dude! You should see your helmet! That's awesome!"

Now I was curious. I unbuckled my lid to check out what all the fuss was about. Then I laughed too, forgetting all about my wrath at being knocked off my bicycle at a high rate of speed. We carefully escorted the bicycle themed planter to the shop where it was ceremoniously placed right outside the back door. We actually watered it, and the grass and the flower actually stayed alive a few days. Then I decided I needed to wear it again, so the end of the "helmet planter" was at hand.

Maybe not the best story for helmet advocacy, but there ya go!

Bike Shop Tales returns next Tuesday, stay tuned...................

All Washed Up

Well, if not for deciding at the last minute to check out the July 3rd fireworks in Waterloo, and an errand ran on my fixed gear bike the same day, this weekend would have been a big washout. Rain returns and with the stuff being flung from the sky at intermittent intervals, it pretty much shot my ride plans for the 4th up like a cheap bundle of Missouri fireworks.

I will say that I got an extended ride in on the fixie and with all the back pressure I was applying to control my speed, I managed to put a burn in my legs that lasted all through Sunday! Funny how that works. I don't know if any of you regular fixie guys can testify to that feeling, but I know it happens whenever I work my legs in that way that only a fixed gear bike can.

The other thing I seem to find is that whenever I ride a "skinny" tired bike, (skinny for me is 40mm or less), I seem to get a flat tire. Yes, I flatted Saturday. Makes me not like them thar skinny tires, it does! But they is fast on the pavement, they is!

The fireworks were pretty crazy in Waterloo.Well, at least at the end they were. I think it was somewhat like a ammunition dump explosion more than a fireworks display, but at any rate, it was most impressive. I don't think I've seen that much smoke in the air since that Pink Floyd concert I went to in The Dome back in the 80's. But that was a smoke from a different fire there!

So, Monday is an extension of the holiday for me, as I am sure it is for many of you. I sure hope I can salvage a ride out of this extended three day weekend, but if not, I'll just go and recon some of the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational route. If you have the day off, I hope you have a good one. If not, well..............Happy Monday!

All Washed Up

Well, if not for deciding at the last minute to check out the July 3rd fireworks in Waterloo, and an errand ran on my fixed gear bike the same day, this weekend would have been a big washout. Rain returns and with the stuff being flung from the sky at intermittent intervals, it pretty much shot my ride plans for the 4th up like a cheap bundle of Missouri fireworks.

I will say that I got an extended ride in on the fixie and with all the back pressure I was applying to control my speed, I managed to put a burn in my legs that lasted all through Sunday! Funny how that works. I don't know if any of you regular fixie guys can testify to that feeling, but I know it happens whenever I work my legs in that way that only a fixed gear bike can.

The other thing I seem to find is that whenever I ride a "skinny" tired bike, (skinny for me is 40mm or less), I seem to get a flat tire. Yes, I flatted Saturday. Makes me not like them thar skinny tires, it does! But they is fast on the pavement, they is!

The fireworks were pretty crazy in Waterloo.Well, at least at the end they were. I think it was somewhat like a ammunition dump explosion more than a fireworks display, but at any rate, it was most impressive. I don't think I've seen that much smoke in the air since that Pink Floyd concert I went to in The Dome back in the 80's. But that was a smoke from a different fire there!

So, Monday is an extension of the holiday for me, as I am sure it is for many of you. I sure hope I can salvage a ride out of this extended three day weekend, but if not, I'll just go and recon some of the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational route. If you have the day off, I hope you have a good one. If not, well..............Happy Monday!

Unchained

If you've hung around here awhile, you probably have figured out that I like my single speeds. Road, gravel, and in the dirt, it's all good with one gear. Really! Ya ought ta try it some time. Anyway, this isn't about trying to convince you of that....

Nope! This is about something else having to do with single speeding, and that a very integral part of the single speed bike: The Chain.

The Single Speed Nation has a triumvirate of power. These are The Chain, The Crankset, and The Cog. The Three C's. You can not have single speeding without The Three C's. Well, you couldn't, that is, until some devious beings came up with a spawn of evil called The Belt.

The Belt has been lauded in certain circles as being The Savior of Single Speeding. It is not.  Believe me, it is a terrible lie.

They said the belt would rid us of the greasy chain. Hmm...........really? I never have had a problem with that part. Okay, they said The Belt would be quieter. Hmm............how can it be quieter than "quiet"? (And I've heard some pretty squeaky belts, by the way) Well, then they said The Belt was lighter, and "almost as efficient as The Chain. S'cuse me, but I'll take "heavier and more efficient" any day. They said The Belt was better than The Chain in bad conditions. Really? I've ridden a chain in horrible conditions, never had an issue. I've seen The Belt fail in dry dust, and I've seen The Belt fail in mud. Oh yeah, and when The Belt fails, you need an entire "The Belt" to fix it.  The Chain can be fixed easily, without breaking the frame, with a simple tool and a couple spare chain links, or "quick links". Simple.

And I won't even get into the "ratcheting" deal involving The Belt.

As far as I'm concerned, going "Unchained" is only good if you're a Van Halen fan. Otherwise, I'll take The Chain every time on my single speed, thank you very much.  (Best use of a flanger EVER! by the way)

Have a great 4th of July weekend and ride those bikes folks!

Unchained

If you've hung around here awhile, you probably have figured out that I like my single speeds. Road, gravel, and in the dirt, it's all good with one gear. Really! Ya ought ta try it some time. Anyway, this isn't about trying to convince you of that....

Nope! This is about something else having to do with single speeding, and that a very integral part of the single speed bike: The Chain.

The Single Speed Nation has a triumvirate of power. These are The Chain, The Crankset, and The Cog. The Three C's. You can not have single speeding without The Three C's. Well, you couldn't, that is, until some devious beings came up with a spawn of evil called The Belt.

The Belt has been lauded in certain circles as being The Savior of Single Speeding. It is not.  Believe me, it is a terrible lie.

They said the belt would rid us of the greasy chain. Hmm...........really? I never have had a problem with that part. Okay, they said The Belt would be quieter. Hmm............how can it be quieter than "quiet"? (And I've heard some pretty squeaky belts, by the way) Well, then they said The Belt was lighter, and "almost as efficient as The Chain. S'cuse me, but I'll take "heavier and more efficient" any day. They said The Belt was better than The Chain in bad conditions. Really? I've ridden a chain in horrible conditions, never had an issue. I've seen The Belt fail in dry dust, and I've seen The Belt fail in mud. Oh yeah, and when The Belt fails, you need an entire "The Belt" to fix it.  The Chain can be fixed easily, without breaking the frame, with a simple tool and a couple spare chain links, or "quick links". Simple.

And I won't even get into the "ratcheting" deal involving The Belt.

As far as I'm concerned, going "Unchained" is only good if you're a Van Halen fan. Otherwise, I'll take The Chain every time on my single speed, thank you very much.  (Best use of a flanger EVER! by the way)

Have a great 4th of July weekend and ride those bikes folks!

Saw An Old Friend

Usually on my day off I am busy doing web related work and riding test bikes and parts. Well, my co-worker, Craig had told me that he wanted to go check out Cedar Bend Park and well.......it was too nice out to work! 

So I rode a bike just for fun!

I decided to give ol' Grimace the call up today, the 2007 Salsa Cycles El Mariachi with the Gun Kote finish and the purple Chris King head set I was gifted by George Wissell. As always, it rode awesome!

Craig and I had a great time riding, and Grimace was behaving well, climbing up all the steeps and handling like a champ. Funny thing about this bike is that it is a medium. Salsa Cycles  did things a wee bit differently back then, and I prefer the old medium over a large. (I'd definitely ride a large now!) It reminds me a bit of how things were sized in the 90's. A bit shorter top tube, a bit longer stem. I slapped on the 47mm offset On One fork on this too. Makes the Salsa come alive, and this bike just rips single track. The Industry 9 single speed wheels are great, and the free hub sounds like a cicada in August. Amazingly buzzy and loud. Someday I may upgrade to a titanium seat post, but this ThudBuster is a great post on this bike. Makes my back happy, it does!

Anyway, Craig and I decided a stop for something to drink afterward was in order. We pulled into the Janesville convenience store and what to my surprise did I see but my old "Dirty Blue Box"! I was floored! Someone decided it was worth fixing up and driving. Cool! It even had all my old cycling related stickers still on the end gate too! A little worse for the wear, perhaps. It was missing the entire rear bumper, and the right front fender was wrinkled, but when the lady who was driving it started it up, she sounded like a champ.

Don't get me wrong! I am waaaay better off with the "Truck Without A Name", but it was cool to see an "old friend" that I had spent tons of hours and thousands of gravel miles in still alive and kicking. 

I spent the rest of my day with Mrs. Guitar Ted, who also had the day off. We had lunch, and then I took her to the jewelry store to look for something special. See, Mrs. Guitar Ted has completed all her course work for her B.S. in Nursing at a local college, so I am going to get her something special to commemorate her graduation, which takes place in August.

Then we swung by the shop where I picked up the Shimano DynaSys 10 speed group. Yep! I'll be a busy bee mounting up some fresh componentry here soon.

Overall, it was about as perfect a day as you can get. So good that it makes you wonder: "When is the other foot gonna fall?" A definite "red letter" day for me! 

I sure hope everyone reading this has a great day today, and if not today, real soon. Get out and ride yer bikes folks. Grab that ride when ya can. You never know when "the other foot is gonna fall", ya know what I mean? Life is too short to not take those chances when ya can.

Saw An Old Friend

Usually on my day off I am busy doing web related work and riding test bikes and parts. Well, my co-worker, Craig had told me that he wanted to go check out Cedar Bend Park and well.......it was too nice out to work! 

So I rode a bike just for fun!

I decided to give ol' Grimace the call up today, the 2007 Salsa Cycles El Mariachi with the Gun Kote finish and the purple Chris King head set I was gifted by George Wissell. As always, it rode awesome!

Craig and I had a great time riding, and Grimace was behaving well, climbing up all the steeps and handling like a champ. Funny thing about this bike is that it is a medium. Salsa Cycles  did things a wee bit differently back then, and I prefer the old medium over a large. (I'd definitely ride a large now!) It reminds me a bit of how things were sized in the 90's. A bit shorter top tube, a bit longer stem. I slapped on the 47mm offset On One fork on this too. Makes the Salsa come alive, and this bike just rips single track. The Industry 9 single speed wheels are great, and the free hub sounds like a cicada in August. Amazingly buzzy and loud. Someday I may upgrade to a titanium seat post, but this ThudBuster is a great post on this bike. Makes my back happy, it does!

Anyway, Craig and I decided a stop for something to drink afterward was in order. We pulled into the Janesville convenience store and what to my surprise did I see but my old "Dirty Blue Box"! I was floored! Someone decided it was worth fixing up and driving. Cool! It even had all my old cycling related stickers still on the end gate too! A little worse for the wear, perhaps. It was missing the entire rear bumper, and the right front fender was wrinkled, but when the lady who was driving it started it up, she sounded like a champ.

Don't get me wrong! I am waaaay better off with the "Truck Without A Name", but it was cool to see an "old friend" that I had spent tons of hours and thousands of gravel miles in still alive and kicking. 

I spent the rest of my day with Mrs. Guitar Ted, who also had the day off. We had lunch, and then I took her to the jewelry store to look for something special. See, Mrs. Guitar Ted has completed all her course work for her B.S. in Nursing at a local college, so I am going to get her something special to commemorate her graduation, which takes place in August.

Then we swung by the shop where I picked up the Shimano DynaSys 10 speed group. Yep! I'll be a busy bee mounting up some fresh componentry here soon.

Overall, it was about as perfect a day as you can get. So good that it makes you wonder: "When is the other foot gonna fall?" A definite "red letter" day for me! 

I sure hope everyone reading this has a great day today, and if not today, real soon. Get out and ride yer bikes folks. Grab that ride when ya can. You never know when "the other foot is gonna fall", ya know what I mean? Life is too short to not take those chances when ya can.