Friday News And Views

The New Fox Transfer SL Dropper Post.

 FOX Debuts New Dropper For XC/Gravel Bikes:

Dropper posts, the seat posts which have the ability to lower via a mechanical connection to a lever at your handlebar, are generally thought of as a mountain biking thing. The ability to get that saddle down and out of the way is a boon to off-road cyclists on descents. But the aerodynamic benefits to gravel riders seems to be less known. That benefit, perhaps best described when one thinks about that banned 'top tube seated position' that Pro road racers used to use, is definitely something you have to feel to have it be believed. 

FOX, just this week, debuted a new FOX Transfer SL post which has been lightened quite a bit to get around the complaints many gravel and XC MTB riders have about traditional dropper post weight. This new post weighs a little over 300 grams, (327 claimed), which is about 130 grams more than many fancy, carbon seat posts. (Of course, that doesn't include the lever to operate the post, nor the cable and housing)

Posts will be available in 27.2mm, 30.9mm, and 31.6mm at $399.00 for the Factory version and $329.00 for the Elite version. Various dropper lengths will also be available. 

How did FOX drop the weight so far? Well, they made this post operate via a coil spring with only two positions instead of an infinitely settable positioning within limitations of the dropper. FOX claims that most gravel and XC MTB riders only want 'all the way down' or 'all the way up' positions anyway. This allowed FOX to ditch all the air seals, hydraulic fluids, and the attendant mechanisms to house that within the post. 

Comments: So, in other words, FOX remade Specialized's Command Post from almost ten years ago. I happen to have a Command Post and it operates almost identically to this new FOX post. It has two positions: All the way down or what Specialized called a "Cruiser" height. It is a cable operated post, like the new Transfer SL, and the only difference is that Specialized used an air spring versus FOX's coil spring. 

Otherwise this will appeal to those who want light weight and dropper ability. The downsides are that grit and grime from dirt road/gravel road riding will affect the operation of this sort of post negatively, especially when you see that FOX took away all the sealing mechanisms in order to attain the weight target they set. Time will tell, but the seemingly low-tech seat post, which most of us take for granted, undergoes tremendous amounts of stress and torque while riding. Not to mention exposure to dirt, dust, mud, rain, etc. How this post will hold up to all of that is yet to be seen. 

The Cannondale "Bugger" trailer (Image from old Cannondale marketing print)

Cannondale Turns 50:

Hard to believe it, but Cannondale, as a brand, turns 50 years old this month. Back in 1971 the company started by Joe Montgomery offered its first product, a touring trailer towed by the bicycle. The first product of its kind ever offered. 

The idea was to get the load off the back of the cyclist and using the same positioning, the trailer was designed so that the load could be carried with no weight put on the bike at all. This saved wheels from being stressed more than they would have been with the weight bourne by the bicycle. Of course, this all happened at the dawn of the height of bicycle tourism, so the product found an audience fairly quickly. In fact, one could argue that 'bikepacking' was invented by the brand back in the 70's. 

That history can be read on the MOMBAT page for the brand here. I highly recommend that you check it out. Cannondale was not just a bicycle brand! There are a few things I learned there which I had never known before I researched this entry for today's 'FN&V'. 

My introduction to Cannondale was via mountain bikes, of course, and more intimately through my touring days, which you can read about by clicking the "The Touring Series" tab just under the header on the upper right here. I was exposed to cool Cannondale panniers and Cannondale cycling clothing through those experiences. 

Congratulations to Cannondale on 50 years! 

Good Luck Unbound Riders:

Last week I riffed on this new event's name, which has a really weird reason for being in existence. I say that because 99.9% of folks are just rolling over the DK200 into this and basically 'the why' of this has been swept under a rug. Okay....so be it. Not my circus.....

That said, I do wish everyone a safe, fun, successful event.

Looks like the weather will be pretty okay. Basically pretty typical for this event. "High" humidity, which for them is around what? 40%? And there will be wind. Oh yes.... From the South too, so getting back to Emporia will be tougher than going out. 

Lots of Sunshine too, so, as a person who has experienced all of this there in the past, you'd better stay on top of that hydration, measure out your pace, and keep moving. Sitting around will not be a good play unless you are overheating, dehydrated, and hurting. 

The "North" route tends to be the more gnarly way down there, so I suspect that I will hear about a lot of attrition, biffs, flat tires, and stories about dragging tail to Emporia from this one. That's par for the course down there with this sort of weather set up. 

I hear a lot of folks are going with road shoes and pedals. Hope that you do not have to hike-a-bike on some rocky bits with those. Otherwise this event really caters to that sort of set up and the weather is looking to be playing into that set up as well. Should be interesting. 

Anyway, I am not there, obviously, since I have a family to collect tomorrow, which leads me to the next and last entry today......

Been 'Batchin' It: 

So all this week, a short week, I admit, I have been home alone here. My son graduated last week and since the El Paso relatives could not come to celebrate with us, we sent most of the family down to see them. I, of course, stayed behind to take care of our cat, the plants, and to be able to work the days I could. 

So, with the way the timing of everything worked out with this trip, it precluded me from even thinking about going to Emporia. I will be on the road tomorrow to collect my family from the airport down in Des Moines. Yes- we have to go 2 hours to get to an airport sometimes. That's just how it worked out to be the least expensive way for us. 

Never fear though! I will be sneaking in  a ride, I hope, and that will get reported on next week. Until then, be well, stay safe, ride, have fun, and I'll see y'all soon here on G-Ted Productions. Thanks for reading!

Finally Figured It Out

The addition of the ShockStop Stem helped but...

 The saga of the issues I've had with the Whiskey Winston Bar and hand pain has been ongoing for some time now. I had blamed certain elements of the bike's set up, most notably the Panaracer Gravel King SK+ tires and the carbon fork combination, for quite a while now. Then I added a Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem on the bike which I figured would end the problems.

And initially, that is what I felt and what I settled upon as the answer. However; some residual hand pain was felt at times which I was chalking up to a 'post-pulling-on-wrenches' effect. Basically just having been hard on my hands during work. But the other day that cause and effect did not line up. My hands could not find a good place to reside unless I was up around the brake perch. 

As one does, I was thinking as I rode along, trying to figure out why my hands instantly felt better when I was anywhere away from the extensions on the Winston bar. I first felt that it was just an odd angle and this bar would never work. But, how is it that my drop bar extensions feel okay then? They are basically the same thing in terms of sweep and............. That's when the light bulb moment happened. 

The solution: Ergon GC1 grips and wrap the tape differently.

Actually, the Winston Bar and any drop bar have quite a difference in extensions. It is the diameter of the bar at that point. That diameter is about a millimeter and a half smaller, since road bikes use a 23.8mm diameter, and the Winston bar uses MTB standard bar size in the extensions which is 22.2mm. Ah ha! I figured it out! 

Ever tried to ride a MTB bar without grips? Then you know what I was feeling. It's really interesting how less than 2mm difference can feel so huge, but that is how it goes with bicycles, isn't it? Try lowering your saddle height by 2mm someday if you do not believe me. Personally, I may be a 'princess and the pea' sort of guy, but I think there are more of my kind out there than one might think. 

So, the answer then? What was it that I did to rectify the issue? Well, thankfully I have in my possession a rather rare set of Ergon GC1 grips meant for swept handlebars. It is something they came out with in the mid to late 00's. They are like standard Ergon grips but slightly tweaked in shape to better work on swept back bars. So, I took those and installed them on the Winston Bar and boom! Problem rectified. 

These grips are working in a similar way, ironically, to how the Redshift Sports Drop Bar grips work. Obviously, that grip works on the larger, road bike sized bars, so it was not suitable for the Winston Bar. So, I just used that GC1 grip and set it up as I had with the Redshift grips I reviewed recently. I'm pretty stoked that I was able to finally realize what the issue was stemming from, although it should have been quite obvious to me. It was right under my nose all the time! 

That said, those Gravel King SK Plus tires are still harsh and I won't be taking the ShockStop stem off anytime soon. But I am happy that the Winston Bar can remain on the bike now. It is a really great bar and works so well for this bike.

Finally Figured It Out

The addition of the ShockStop Stem helped but...

 The saga of the issues I've had with the Whiskey Winston Bar and hand pain has been ongoing for some time now. I had blamed certain elements of the bike's set up, most notably the Panaracer Gravel King SK+ tires and the carbon fork combination, for quite a while now. Then I added a Redshift Sports ShockStop Stem on the bike which I figured would end the problems.

And initially, that is what I felt and what I settled upon as the answer. However; some residual hand pain was felt at times which I was chalking up to a 'post-pulling-on-wrenches' effect. Basically just having been hard on my hands during work. But the other day that cause and effect did not line up. My hands could not find a good place to reside unless I was up around the brake perch. 

As one does, I was thinking as I rode along, trying to figure out why my hands instantly felt better when I was anywhere away from the extensions on the Winston bar. I first felt that it was just an odd angle and this bar would never work. But, how is it that my drop bar extensions feel okay then? They are basically the same thing in terms of sweep and............. That's when the light bulb moment happened. 

The solution: Ergon GC1 grips and wrap the tape differently.

Actually, the Winston Bar and any drop bar have quite a difference in extensions. It is the diameter of the bar at that point. That diameter is about a millimeter and a half smaller, since road bikes use a 23.8mm diameter, and the Winston bar uses MTB standard bar size in the extensions which is 22.2mm. Ah ha! I figured it out! 

Ever tried to ride a MTB bar without grips? Then you know what I was feeling. It's really interesting how less than 2mm difference can feel so huge, but that is how it goes with bicycles, isn't it? Try lowering your saddle height by 2mm someday if you do not believe me. Personally, I may be a 'princess and the pea' sort of guy, but I think there are more of my kind out there than one might think. 

So, the answer then? What was it that I did to rectify the issue? Well, thankfully I have in my possession a rather rare set of Ergon GC1 grips meant for swept handlebars. It is something they came out with in the mid to late 00's. They are like standard Ergon grips but slightly tweaked in shape to better work on swept back bars. So, I took those and installed them on the Winston Bar and boom! Problem rectified. 

These grips are working in a similar way, ironically, to how the Redshift Sports Drop Bar grips work. Obviously, that grip works on the larger, road bike sized bars, so it was not suitable for the Winston Bar. So, I just used that GC1 grip and set it up as I had with the Redshift grips I reviewed recently. I'm pretty stoked that I was able to finally realize what the issue was stemming from, although it should have been quite obvious to me. It was right under my nose all the time! 

That said, those Gravel King SK Plus tires are still harsh and I won't be taking the ShockStop stem off anytime soon. But I am happy that the Winston Bar can remain on the bike now. It is a really great bar and works so well for this bike.

Guitar Ted Lube-Off Update: Blue Devil Lube Results

NOTICE:  The Guitar Ted 'Lube-Off' is a comparison of different lubrication products for bicycle chains that is undertaken in 'real world' conditions in a set way. Then I compare and contrast the results with past 'Lube-Off' products to see "which one is best for me". This is done for entertainment purposes and the reader should apply their own reasoning and discernment while reading my 'Lube-Off' entries. What works for me may not work for you at all. 

These articles are done with no support from any bicycle entity unless where noted. All the lubricants in this round were purchased by me and I am not being paid, nor bribed for these posts. Now, please read that and understand that before commenting. 

Now, on with my latest findings! I decided that since I was limiting the test to six hours of actual road riding on crushed rock or dirt roads during the last round of testing, that I would continue on with that format this time. The first lubricant used for at least six hours has been the NixFrixShun Blue Devil product. 

As you may recall, this was applied to a new chain, per NixFrixShun's instructions, and then I have ridden this bike with this lubricant now for just past the six hour time check. So, with that, lets' take a look at what I have found. 

Not the worst, but not the best ether.

Here we have residue, but it is mostly along the edges of the side plates. The lubricant also left a darkened color on the cassette cogs it ran on. I did not detect any 'gunk' build-up on the jockey wheels of the derailleur either. The rollers themselves seem to be free from any dirt, dust, or build-up of lubricant/dirt/dust combinations. 

Let's see what the 'Touch-Test' shows. 

So, as I suspected, this is just build-up along the edges of the side plates. I'm not going to condemn the Blue Devil lubricant for that. However; the top dogs in my long running 'Lube-Off' tests- DuMomde Tech and Muc-Off C3 Ceramic Dry Lube- do not seem to do this much, or at all. They also tend not to leave a discoloration on my cassette cogs. So, in that I still hold those two lubricants as better than this NixFrixShun lube. That's just my take on things so far here. 

But I do like how this Blue Devil lubricant has affected shifting, which is positively, and there is zero grittiness on the drive train bits, so that is impressive. It just is not as clean as the others. That said, I plan on sticking with this lubricant and seeing how long I can run it before it needs reapplying. I've a feeling that this lubricant will run quite a while. 

It also bears noting that this is not necessarily just a dry lube. NixFrixShun claims it is an extreme conditions lubricant, and so I might give this a bit of grace when it comes to leaving some residue behind as it does not necessarily claim to run super-clean. While running it in the wetter conditions might prove interesting, I am going to stick to dry conditions riding as much as possible for this test. Maybe I'll run this later in the year in a "wet" edition of the 'Lube-Off'.

So for now, no.....this is not going to be top-dog in my testing, but it is intriguing enough that I want to keep going with it to find out more, if I can. I'll likely run this until it either gives up the ghost and needs reapplying, or if I get annoyed by the dirt accumulation. 

I'll also have an update on the other lubricant in the test soon. 

Stay tuned.....

Guitar Ted Lube-Off Update: Blue Devil Lube Results

NOTICE:  The Guitar Ted 'Lube-Off' is a comparison of different lubrication products for bicycle chains that is undertaken in 'real world' conditions in a set way. Then I compare and contrast the results with past 'Lube-Off' products to see "which one is best for me". This is done for entertainment purposes and the reader should apply their own reasoning and discernment while reading my 'Lube-Off' entries. What works for me may not work for you at all. 

These articles are done with no support from any bicycle entity unless where noted. All the lubricants in this round were purchased by me and I am not being paid, nor bribed for these posts. Now, please read that and understand that before commenting. 

Now, on with my latest findings! I decided that since I was limiting the test to six hours of actual road riding on crushed rock or dirt roads during the last round of testing, that I would continue on with that format this time. The first lubricant used for at least six hours has been the NixFrixShun Blue Devil product. 

As you may recall, this was applied to a new chain, per NixFrixShun's instructions, and then I have ridden this bike with this lubricant now for just past the six hour time check. So, with that, lets' take a look at what I have found. 

Not the worst, but not the best ether.

Here we have residue, but it is mostly along the edges of the side plates. The lubricant also left a darkened color on the cassette cogs it ran on. I did not detect any 'gunk' build-up on the jockey wheels of the derailleur either. The rollers themselves seem to be free from any dirt, dust, or build-up of lubricant/dirt/dust combinations. 

Let's see what the 'Touch-Test' shows. 

So, as I suspected, this is just build-up along the edges of the side plates. I'm not going to condemn the Blue Devil lubricant for that. However; the top dogs in my long running 'Lube-Off' tests- DuMomde Tech and Muc-Off C3 Ceramic Dry Lube- do not seem to do this much, or at all. They also tend not to leave a discoloration on my cassette cogs. So, in that I still hold those two lubricants as better than this NixFrixShun lube. That's just my take on things so far here. 

But I do like how this Blue Devil lubricant has affected shifting, which is positively, and there is zero grittiness on the drive train bits, so that is impressive. It just is not as clean as the others. That said, I plan on sticking with this lubricant and seeing how long I can run it before it needs reapplying. I've a feeling that this lubricant will run quite a while. 

It also bears noting that this is not necessarily just a dry lube. NixFrixShun claims it is an extreme conditions lubricant, and so I might give this a bit of grace when it comes to leaving some residue behind as it does not necessarily claim to run super-clean. While running it in the wetter conditions might prove interesting, I am going to stick to dry conditions riding as much as possible for this test. Maybe I'll run this later in the year in a "wet" edition of the 'Lube-Off'.

So for now, no.....this is not going to be top-dog in my testing, but it is intriguing enough that I want to keep going with it to find out more, if I can. I'll likely run this until it either gives up the ghost and needs reapplying, or if I get annoyed by the dirt accumulation. 

I'll also have an update on the other lubricant in the test soon. 

Stay tuned.....

Country Views: New Roads

Patterns in the Earth and in the Sky: An early-ish start.

 Sunday-funday... Yep, I got out and did a bit of a route that I have had in mind since I was doing "The Quest" out in Northeastern Black Hawk County last Fall. A few roads that went into Buchanan County sure looked like they might loop up into a great route for about a 50 miler ride. 

I had stared at maps for long enough that I figured I didn't need cues. I just got up Sunday, ate some breakfast, and had a couple cups of coffee. Then I got ready to ride and threw everything in the truck and headed to Gates Park and the parking lot on Mildred Street by the tennis courts. It all worked out that I was rolling by ten after eight in the morning. 

Ironically I had no idea what the weather was going to be. I did stop a minute to check the hourly forecast for rain, because things looked dark in the West. But the app said no worries! So I took off and went on my way North first. My aim was to get up into the Northeastern part of Black Hawk County and from there the new roads for me would begin. 

So, I decided to use Moline Road and take that up to Bennington Road, then East all the way down, with a slight detour around the Lester Township Cemetery because Bennington is interrupted up there by a small creek. Then back on Bennington, across the blocked off steel gable bridge over the Wapsipinnicon, and then over towards the county line. 

To start out things were cool and calm. I could not discern any wind at all, so I had no idea if I was in trouble later or if I had this planned perfectly, according to wind direction and speed. I'd have to wait quite a long time to find out, as things turned out on this ride. 

The roads were fast and smooth, for the most part of this ride.

Things vacillated from looking rainy to almost sunny throughout the ride.

Then later on as I was riding I ended up figuring out that I had done 'it' again. What was 'it'? Well, I ended up turning East, which was part of the plan, but I turned on Mt. Vernon Road, not Bennington Road. I did the same darn thing last year while doing 'The Quest' on the day I was trying to bag the East end of Bennington Road. 

So, I had to take some pavement to rectify my error. No harm, no foul here though. There was very little traffic anyway since it was Sunday morning and I had the road to myself, for the most part of that mile. Then, once back on track, I had no further issues with getting off line.

Too early for church! St. John's Lutheran Church is one of the rare, modern looking churches out here.

Lester Township Cemetery on Owen Road.

I was feeling good on the bike. Really good. The best I've felt all year, probably. Was it the wind at my back? There maybe was a breeze by now, but I was rolling really well for quite a while already. Was it the smoother roads? That probably had a lot to do with it, yes. The roads, for the most part, were still really fast. Maybe taking time off from riding during all that rainy stretch we had was a factor? Couldn't have hurt to get some rest. Speaking of, I had gotten a fantastic night's sleep before the ride. That, more than anything, I think, was what was going on here. 

I had to get a portrait of a couple of pretty flowers on the deck of the old abandoned bridge.

These pink beauties always remind me of Kansas' Flint Hills.

I made it over to the blocked off bridge over the Wapsipinnicon River on Bennington Road with great time. I was planning on deciding here whether I would venture out into Buchanan County, or if things weren't going well, if I might turn back at this point. Once I had crossed the river, I was pretty much committed to the idea. So, I gave myself a bail-out point, if needed, but fortunately I did not need it.

This fella was patient with me as I stopped to get his portrait.

Buck Creek Road in Buchanan County

Finally I made it over to Buck Creek Road in Black Hawk County where I flushed a beautiful rooster pheasant out of the ditch. Then it was a short jaunt over to Buck Creek Road in Buchanan County via Black Hawk-Buchanan Road. Now I was off on new roads to me. So, you know what THAT means, right? 

Barns For Jason #1

 

Barns For Jason #2: This was a 'barn-mahal'.

Buck Creek Road looked a lot more like a Level B Maintenance Road than a typical gravel road in Iowa. The road was mostly, if not all, dirt, and it was rutted. I had to be careful not to allow my front wheel to snag a rutted edge and perhaps send me out of control. The roadway eventually did improve, but the dirt section seemed to last quite a while. 

Barns For Jason #3

Barns For Jason #4

These roads in Buchanan County around the area of the Wapsipinicon River are very twisty-turny, wandering roads and many dump out onto pavement, or go off in directions which would have added significantly to my mileage total. So, I was being very careful throughout this stretch and I stopped to consult the iPhone map a few times to get through here. I should have made cues, but I didn't. Next time....

Barns For Jason #5

Back in Black Hawk County on Teem Road.

I decided on the shortest possible gravel route in and out of Buchanan County, since anything else would have been 10+ more miles, mostly due to having to go so far East to get around the rivers in the area. I was kind of hoping I'd have that kind of time, but I didn't, and I was not really prepared to do a 60+ mile day either. 50-ish? Yes, I could do that with what I had brought for water and food, but while ten extra miles doesn't sound like much, I didn't want to feel like death when I got back to the house either. 

Allis in Wonderland

Big Rock Road was more like "Big Smoothie Road" on Sunday.

I ended up cruising back and found that the beginnings of my journey to the truck back in Black Hawk County were on fresh, chunky gravel. The first real rough road riding of the day. That didn't last long though as by the time I got West of Dunkerton on Big Rock Road the road went smooth again. I was not complaining!

Oh yeah! I rode this for the route Sunday.

I made a quick stop at the 'Big Rock' to eat a bit and rest. The ride went well, and I even felt pretty good going against the wind, which had come up significantly about halfway through the ride. I felt so good it was uncanny to me. Like I said, I felt the best I had felt on a bike all year. 

So, I was pretty pleased with it all. I have to get back out there and add a bit into Buchanan County to make this maybe a century ride at some point this year. It's already going a bit over 50 miles from the house and just about that from Gates Park. I figure it could take in some Amish/Mennonite country up by Fairbank/Hazelton and that should about do it with a trip around Littleton thrown in for good measure and resupply. 

Stay tuned...

Country Views: New Roads

Patterns in the Earth and in the Sky: An early-ish start.

 Sunday-funday... Yep, I got out and did a bit of a route that I have had in mind since I was doing "The Quest" out in Northeastern Black Hawk County last Fall. A few roads that went into Buchanan County sure looked like they might loop up into a great route for about a 50 miler ride. 

I had stared at maps for long enough that I figured I didn't need cues. I just got up Sunday, ate some breakfast, and had a couple cups of coffee. Then I got ready to ride and threw everything in the truck and headed to Gates Park and the parking lot on Mildred Street by the tennis courts. It all worked out that I was rolling by ten after eight in the morning. 

Ironically I had no idea what the weather was going to be. I did stop a minute to check the hourly forecast for rain, because things looked dark in the West. But the app said no worries! So I took off and went on my way North first. My aim was to get up into the Northeastern part of Black Hawk County and from there the new roads for me would begin. 

So, I decided to use Moline Road and take that up to Bennington Road, then East all the way down, with a slight detour around the Lester Township Cemetery because Bennington is interrupted up there by a small creek. Then back on Bennington, across the blocked off steel gable bridge over the Wapsipinnicon, and then over towards the county line. 

To start out things were cool and calm. I could not discern any wind at all, so I had no idea if I was in trouble later or if I had this planned perfectly, according to wind direction and speed. I'd have to wait quite a long time to find out, as things turned out on this ride. 

The roads were fast and smooth, for the most part of this ride.

Things vacillated from looking rainy to almost sunny throughout the ride.

Then later on as I was riding I ended up figuring out that I had done 'it' again. What was 'it'? Well, I ended up turning East, which was part of the plan, but I turned on Mt. Vernon Road, not Bennington Road. I did the same darn thing last year while doing 'The Quest' on the day I was trying to bag the East end of Bennington Road. 

So, I had to take some pavement to rectify my error. No harm, no foul here though. There was very little traffic anyway since it was Sunday morning and I had the road to myself, for the most part of that mile. Then, once back on track, I had no further issues with getting off line.

Too early for church! St. John's Lutheran Church is one of the rare, modern looking churches out here.

Lester Township Cemetery on Owen Road.

I was feeling good on the bike. Really good. The best I've felt all year, probably. Was it the wind at my back? There maybe was a breeze by now, but I was rolling really well for quite a while already. Was it the smoother roads? That probably had a lot to do with it, yes. The roads, for the most part, were still really fast. Maybe taking time off from riding during all that rainy stretch we had was a factor? Couldn't have hurt to get some rest. Speaking of, I had gotten a fantastic night's sleep before the ride. That, more than anything, I think, was what was going on here. 

I had to get a portrait of a couple of pretty flowers on the deck of the old abandoned bridge.

These pink beauties always remind me of Kansas' Flint Hills.

I made it over to the blocked off bridge over the Wapsipinnicon River on Bennington Road with great time. I was planning on deciding here whether I would venture out into Buchanan County, or if things weren't going well, if I might turn back at this point. Once I had crossed the river, I was pretty much committed to the idea. So, I gave myself a bail-out point, if needed, but fortunately I did not need it.

This fella was patient with me as I stopped to get his portrait.

Buck Creek Road in Buchanan County

Finally I made it over to Buck Creek Road in Black Hawk County where I flushed a beautiful rooster pheasant out of the ditch. Then it was a short jaunt over to Buck Creek Road in Buchanan County via Black Hawk-Buchanan Road. Now I was off on new roads to me. So, you know what THAT means, right? 

Barns For Jason #1

 

Barns For Jason #2: This was a 'barn-mahal'.

Buck Creek Road looked a lot more like a Level B Maintenance Road than a typical gravel road in Iowa. The road was mostly, if not all, dirt, and it was rutted. I had to be careful not to allow my front wheel to snag a rutted edge and perhaps send me out of control. The roadway eventually did improve, but the dirt section seemed to last quite a while. 

Barns For Jason #3

Barns For Jason #4

These roads in Buchanan County around the area of the Wapsipinicon River are very twisty-turny, wandering roads and many dump out onto pavement, or go off in directions which would have added significantly to my mileage total. So, I was being very careful throughout this stretch and I stopped to consult the iPhone map a few times to get through here. I should have made cues, but I didn't. Next time....

Barns For Jason #5

Back in Black Hawk County on Teem Road.

I decided on the shortest possible gravel route in and out of Buchanan County, since anything else would have been 10+ more miles, mostly due to having to go so far East to get around the rivers in the area. I was kind of hoping I'd have that kind of time, but I didn't, and I was not really prepared to do a 60+ mile day either. 50-ish? Yes, I could do that with what I had brought for water and food, but while ten extra miles doesn't sound like much, I didn't want to feel like death when I got back to the house either. 

Allis in Wonderland

Big Rock Road was more like "Big Smoothie Road" on Sunday.

I ended up cruising back and found that the beginnings of my journey to the truck back in Black Hawk County were on fresh, chunky gravel. The first real rough road riding of the day. That didn't last long though as by the time I got West of Dunkerton on Big Rock Road the road went smooth again. I was not complaining!

Oh yeah! I rode this for the route Sunday.

I made a quick stop at the 'Big Rock' to eat a bit and rest. The ride went well, and I even felt pretty good going against the wind, which had come up significantly about halfway through the ride. I felt so good it was uncanny to me. Like I said, I felt the best I had felt on a bike all year. 

So, I was pretty pleased with it all. I have to get back out there and add a bit into Buchanan County to make this maybe a century ride at some point this year. It's already going a bit over 50 miles from the house and just about that from Gates Park. I figure it could take in some Amish/Mennonite country up by Fairbank/Hazelton and that should about do it with a trip around Littleton thrown in for good measure and resupply. 

Stay tuned...