Ride For Jacob Report: Part 1

First things first: The Ride For Jacob was a big success. Not in terms of numbers, but in light of why we were riding. It was an expression of love and support for me and my family. All in honor of Jacob Stevenson, who would have marveled at the attention given this ride. 

I thank everyone out there who were not at the ride for your thoughts and doing your own rides, which I know were being done in honor of Jacob. I thank all twelve riders who showed up Saturday to ride with me. I was, and still am, very grateful for all of you. 

Thanks also to Rob Evans, Kevin Fox, and Dan Buettner for sharing images with me which I am using in these reports.  

So, now let's get into the day and the stories which became what made the Ride for Jacob such a success. The ride was attended, as mentioned, by twelve folks. We had Dave, Justin, and Tony from Waterloo. There was Rob, Dave, Doug, and Jackie from Nebraska. We also had Kevin Fox from Nebraska. There were two from the Twin Cities area, Jason and Tom. We had two from Des Moines including Dan and Steve. With myself included we had 13 riders total. 

Escape Route: Right through those shrubs!

My day started out really early when Minka, our cat, barfed up a hairball and woke up Mrs. Guitar Ted. She was not pleased and the ruckus caused me to be pretty much wide awake from that point onward. 

I ended up getting out of bed at 5:00am and having some breakfast. Two eggs and some cheese on top. Then I got dressed and ready to hit the road over to Big Woods Lake.  I was riding my Singular Peregrine Mk4. I almost took the Fargo Gen ! because I had a message from Jason Boucher that he was coming down. Jason was the one who let me have that Fargo I have now, so I kinda feel obligated to ride it when he's going to be around, but the Singular ended up being the call. 

I stepped outside at 7:20am to ride over to Big Woods Lake and the North parking lot. I figured on it taking close to an hour to get there at an easy pace, so that would be about right for the 8:00am start. The weather was odd. Very humid, but on the cooler side, with very little wind. It seemed almost foggy. My camera lens was prone to being covered in moisture it was so humid. You can kind of see that in my "Escape Route" image here. 

I don't know if it was excitement about the ride or what, but I ended up arriving at Big Woods Lake by 7:00am! I thought I'd sit in the shelter house there but the mosquitos were too bothersome, so I sat on a wooden post alongside the parking lot edge instead, and I waited for the first arrival. 

About a half an hour later the first rider showed up. It was obvious who it was by the very distinctive bicycle on the roof rack. A red Soul Craft with red anodized appointments. It could be no one else but Dan Buettner from Des Moines! 

Image credit: Kevin Fox - who is not shown here.

 Soon others rolled in and by about 7:50am everyone that was going to show up had done so. I assembled the riders and gave them my usual "fatherly advice" speech, and ended it by cutting myself short and saying"...Well, you guys all know what to do!" We had the group photo and then we rolled out a few minutes past 8:00am.

Heading up Symons Road

The jack ass and two horses were very interested in our passage

Heading out toward Mount Vernon Road, where the gravel would start, I was surprised to find Symons Road was just chip sealed. Fresh chips are almost like riding on gravel. To boot, Symons Road was a gravel road at one time, and I had ridden it back then. So this was a pleasant surprise, to me, and almost a throwback to the old days. 

Instead of doing the route like last year where I went North up Burton Avenue, we went up Leversee Road instead. I hadn't ridden up Leversee in many years. It's a nice road to ride. It was capped off with a jack ass and some horses which were running with us a bit. Then we zigged and zagged over to our first stop in Janesville at the very busy Kwik Star convenience store. 

Heading toward Janesville. Note the fuzzy image due to all the humidity

Gathering outside the Kwik Star in Janesville. Image by Kevin Fox

The stop at Janesville was nice. I did not go inside, but a few of the others did. A while goes by and then we started out for Shell Rock by heading West out of town over the Cedar River. The road is pretty flat here and there was fresh gravel which was quite dusty as well. My tires were white with the dust. I assume the moist air was partially to blame for the dust sticking to the tires. 

Jason (L) and myself leading the group out of Janesville. Image by Kevin Fox

 

Heading up to new-to-me roads.

Last year this section past Janesville is where I totally messed up in terms of navigation. I missed a turn which would have taken me on some new road along the Shell Rock River. Then I missed a turn-off to Shell Rock. This landed me on Highway 3 and then a not very pleasant run into town on that highway's shoulder. 

Now I have to take a minute to go over my latest GPS failure. You know me, dear readers! I have no good luck with GPS navigation! So, back at the start, I had my GPS on to measure the mileage out to the Big Woods Lake parking lot. It was a little over 8 miles. I then selected the Ride For Jacob route in the ride history and tried to load it. Only it would not load. So.... After N.Y. Roll told me he thought I did not have the Iowa maps loaded (!!), I just opted to start a new ride and record that. All was well. 

Until....

Just outside of Janesville the Wahoo went "WAHOOO!" and flew off the mount! I stopped and Tony fetched it for me. Looking a little worse for the wear, I stared down to see it was on some new page. I tried getting back to start a new ride but it would not do my bidding. So, frustrated, I decided to shut it off, stash it in my jersey pocket, and enjoy the ride. As long as I was with friends who had the route, well everything would take care of itself.  (Note: I checked the Wahoo out afterward and it said I had done a 20+ mile indoor workout. Nice...)

Okay, back to the story....

The roads I missed last year were super-cool! Image by Dan Buettner

 

I'll be hitting up these roads again soon!

The bit of road on the East side of the Shell Rock river was outstanding. I am so sad I missed that turn last year now! The road I took last year was so boring compared to what we rode Saturday! Some riders could be heard saying they thought the route was really a good one and were remarking on this stretch of road in particular. 

The turn off to Shell Rock was pretty decent as well. This was much better than going alongside the highway! Once we arrived in town we went off route a little bit to find our next Kwik Star convenience store and a bit of rest. We were making great time. It was not even noon yet! 

Not bad for shooting no-look over my shoulder!

 

The final bit before getting into Shell Rock, Iowa.

So, the ride was going very well and everyone was having a good time. Even my GPS nightmare couldn't affect me on this day. The weather was a huge blessing as we were comfortable and cool-ish all the way into Shell Rock. Had the Sun been out? I don't think we'd have had every rider finish the day. Or we may have cut the route short. Hard to say, but I'm glad we didn't have to do that! 

I'll leave you with one last shot for today.... 

Any guesses as to what this is? 

 Tomorrow the report continues with the Shell Rock stop and onward to Cedar Falls. Thanks for reading! 

In Support Of The Adventure Bike

Cotic Escapade (Image courtesy of Cotic Bikes)

Gravel racing this, aero wheels that.... It seems to be that most brands are hyper-focusing on racing again, and since gravel is the hot ticket, they are marketing the daylights out of gravel racing bicycles and gear. 

But "Gravel™" wasn't founded on racing, per se'. It was more about adventure. Of course, many of you long-time readers will immediately think about Salsa Cycles and their "Adventure by Bike" marketing tag line. That idea was way ahead of its time, and the Fargo was the predecessor to a few trends in cycling we see today, such as bike packing, mountain bike-sized tires for gravel, and more. 

But since those late 2000's days of Adventure by Bike, the narrative got lost, and somehow brands did not find the idea to work for them. That may be due to internal predilections towards road bike racing, a misunderstanding of what makes cycling 'fun', or a lack of imagination. Maybe it was due to all of those things. 

But here we are in 2026. I find many press releases and stories about gravel racing bikes made from the latest carbon lay-ups and integrating components with slick looks and price tags which keep most riders out of the market. I don't see a whole lot of things related to having fun, going on an adventure, and at a somewhat more reasonable price. 

Enter Cotic, a bicycle company from the United Kingdom. They offer a model called the Escapade which, in all honesty, is pretty much what a 2008 Fargo modernized might look like. Notice it isn't suspension corrected in terms of its front end geometry. It has a 1X drive train, like most bikes these days with MTB sized rubber. It's made from steel, which probably will outlast you. You don't have to worry if it gets scratched, dinged, or beat up a bit. It even can easily, compared to carbon, be recycled, if need be. 

Here's what I like about how Cotic speaks of this bike and category. From their webpage on the Escapade: "Some bikes are made for roads. Some for trails. The Escapade was made for the in-between; for the lane that dissolves into gravel, the gravel that fades into dirt, and that becomes wherever you feel like going next."

Now that sounds like fun, and it sounds like a bicycle I could ride almost anywhere. To be sure, Cotic is not the only company doing this, but it is one of few that do. And you may balk at the 4K price for a complete, but in 2008 dollars, this a little over 2K, (what a Gen I Fargo cost then) and well, you aren't getting inflation to reverse itself so you can get those old prices you remember.

Between pure smooth tarmac and rough single track is an area where I felt bicycling, for most humans, was being neglected. A place most humans on Earth can find easily. Smooth tarmac exists for cars and trucks and we all know how that works out for cycling. Mountains are few and far between for most folks. MTB areas exist, but you gotta drive to get there, and well.... Wouldn't it be better to have a bike that you can just hop on, and ride almost everywhere where you live? 

Adventures exist right out our front doors. Races? Not so much. Everyday we can go on a bicycle adventure ride. Organized racing? No..... Adventure riding = free. Races? 

We need to think more about adventures on bicycles and less about the latest 10K+ gravel racing rockets. 

Big Ringing It

 The efficiencies of cycling are discussions worth having as we are all limited to a very small amount of power output and maximizing that is important to cyclists who want to enjoy riding for as long as they can. It isn't just for racing. 

I've been observant of what makes cycling easier (more efficient) without resorting to gimmickry or assistance for years. Yes, you can find all sorts of quackery which promises efficiency gains. You also can bypass all of this and get an e-Bike where a lot of the efficiencies for 100% human powered cycling are of no concern.  

I'm not talking about those things here. I'm speaking of things I've learned and which are validated by testing by racers and companies involved in performance cycling. One thing which triggered this post was an inteview of SILCA's Josh Poertner, CEO of the company and who routinely works with top pro cyclists in road and gravel disciplines. 

I wish I'd have paid attention to the site/channel who did the interview because I'd link it here. Josh was spitting some knowledge with facts to back it up. The things I knew inherently to be true from my experiences and observations. Plus he had a bit on aero wheels and tires I found enlightening.  

First, I have read before, and Josh reiterated the fact, that big rings and cogs are more efficient than smaller ones. So, that 10T cog on your SRAM cassette? Highly inefficient. This is why Pro road riders have jacked up their big chain rings and cassettes,  Josh claims many of those cassettes for the Pros are custom assembled for 12T small cogs and up from there. All with an eye to keep the chain as straight as possible in races where flat terrain or time trials are going to occur.  

This is also why many Pro riders prefer 2X set ups. Especially if they are going to be using the entirety of the cassette. That way the chain can be kept as straight - and thus efficient - as possible. 

Cross-chaining, normally thought of as a double or triple crankset thing, is a huge deal in 1X set ups. The single front chain ring has some advantages, but chain efficiency is certainly not one of them. The 1X does allow for bigger tires on MTB's, gravel bikes, and it does allow for full suspension designs which would not be possible if a front derailleur were necessary. However; most of us gravel folk don't need  1X and would benefit from 2X crank sets more than we would 1X. 

Then Josh shared what he has found to be the "fastest" chain. I was not surprised to hear him say it was a Shimano Dura Ace chain. That's what I use on some of my bicycles, or an Ultegra or XTR chain, which are all proven to me to be superior chains to anything SRAM has ever made. But I was surprised to hear the fastest chain wasn't something else. So that was news to me. I would not have been surprised to hear Josh say that a KMC chain or maybe a Wipperman chain was better, but he claims it is Dura Ace, and I'm inclined to believe it based upon what Josh does for testing. 

Image courtesy of Corima

Finally, the aero thing for gravel. Josh was saying that wind tunnel testing is showing that if your gravel tires are wider than your rims then whatever the depth/aero profile is of the rim pretty much gains you little. There are watt savings, but they are minimized by that big tire. 

This makes sense to me. Josh was saying the airflow off the tire has to flow off the tire seamlessly to the transition to the rim for the best aero gains. He claimed the rim should ideally be slightly wider than the tire, to gain the maximum efficiency in aero. 

He went on to say that if you are using a big tire all rim depth really does on most gravel set ups is shorten the spokes. Interesting.... 

Then additionally on the wider tire thing. Josh is saying wider is better if terrain/road surfaces are rough. Okay, I've seen this said as well from several sources. However; when gravel racers start running MTB width tires my eyebrows raise. At what point does tire/wheel weight start to erode gains from wider tires? 

Yes, there are light, wide-ish MTB tires. However; how much less efficient is a lighter, 45mm tire and is that narrower tire actually gaining back watts from aerodynamics? I'm not seeing these two things being connected nor discussed. My inclination is to say wider tires are better on rougher roads to a point, and then tire weight and aerodynamics start to take away any benefits you gained from rolling resistance. Or.....maybe I'm nuts? 

Anyway, it's all stuff that matters and maybe if you are wanting to see the best gains from your equipment which would enhance your riding, these are things to consider. 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Crust Bikes

 Crust Bikes Didn't Want 26+ To Die:

Crust Bikes released a new 26"er tire this week in 26 X 2.8" size, which is commonly called "plus sized" in mountain bike terms, by most folks anyway.  

The new tire is called the Mateo, and is a modestly knobbly affair with a 120TPI tubeless ready casing, foldable bead, and weighs approximately 750 grams. 

Available now via Crust Bikes website in black sidewall only and in the 2,8" width only. 

Comments: I think this is a great idea. However; there are not a lot of bicycles this tire will fit into. Some Surly bikes will allow for this to slide in, and of course, rim choice will determine fit with this tire as well. A wider rim will yield wider tire widths and narrower rims will make the same tire less wide. 

I'm not sure this would fit my Big Dummy without some modification of the rear end. I have Northstar 45mm wide rims on the bike now running 26" x 2.4" tires and that is pushing the limits already. I ran 26" x 2.5" tires on Velocity Cliffhangars on my old 1X1 single speed bike, which I loved for urban commuting. So, I almost want to get a set of these tires to try on my Big Dummy. 

Image courtesy of Surly Bikes

Speak Of The Devil:

Surly pulled the Big Dummy out of their range in 2023. However; now it is back again as a complete or as a frame set with bags. The new offering can handle 26" x 2.5" tires with fenders and comes with a center mount kickstand in the complete offering. 

Sporting a 1X Shimano CUES 9 speed drive train and Tektro two-piston hydraulic brakes, the Big Dummy is rated for 499lbs of weight bearing. 

Prices for the Twilight Zone blue complete is $2,699.00 and the frame set is in the same color for $1,999.00. See the Surly webpage for the Big Dummy HERE. 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

32: Fargos Arriving Soon:

The Salsa Cycles Fargo, it's longest running model, takes a leap into another level with the advent of 32" wheels. According to an email blast sent out this week riders can expect to be able to grab a steel Fargo 32" frame set sometime in August. The titanium frame set will follow in the Fall, according to the email.

Also there will be wheels and tires on offer, (likely the Teravail components, but possibly something else as well), to flesh out your build. It should be noted that complete 32" bikes are not available yet from Salsa Cycles. No indication of when completes might become available with 32" wheels was made either. 

Comments: While this is great news for 32" wheel curious folks, there has been no indication of what exact pricing will be on the steel frame set. Those hoping for an inexpensive option will likely have their hopes dashed though, as I am expecting these frame sets to top out over 2K and you still need wheels and tires to boot.  

Not to say this won't be a great option, because it probably will be a great option in my opinion. It just won't be a "32 curious friendly" option. I do like what appears to be color-shift paint on the steel Fargo 32"er though. 

Image courtesy of Selle Italia

Selle Italia Introduces New SLR Gravel Range:

News came out this week about a new gravel oriented saddle range from venerable saddle maker Selle Italia. Their SLR model was one of the darlings of the early ultra-MTB scene in the early 2000's, and now this range looks to become a top choice for gravel riders. 

Focusing on rider comfort over rough terrain, this new saddle range has what Selle Italia calls a "Bow Rail System" to deal with vibrations. This particular saddle shown here, the SLR Gravel Elite, has another unique feature in the included Protective Insert. The small sliver of material fills the cut-out to help prevent riders from getting wet or from having debris contact their shorts while riding in inclement weather or over looser terrain. This insert can be left out as needed by the rider also. 

The SLR Gravel Elite comes in two widths and sells for $249.90 USD. 

Comments: Perhaps a lot of younger riders do not know Selle Italia, but their saddles are legendary in the older annals of MTB and ultra-MTB racing. This new saddle seems a bit different than most gravel oriented saddles. I especially like seeing this protective insert option, which whether or not is effective, seems smart from a marketing perspective. 

Image courtesy of West High Wahawks Football

A Dedication:

Today would have been my son Jacob's birthday. I wanted to dedicate this FN&V column to his memory. I have an image of him here at football practice from 2020. Thanks to Waterloo West High Wahawk Football for the image.  

Tomorrow I will be hosting the Ride For Jacob. The 46 mile, mostly gravel route will be a good one and I am expecting at least a small number of folks to show up to help me remember my son.

One thing I wanted to add here, and that is my sincere thanks and deep gratitude to you, the readers of Guitar Ted Productions, who have steadfastly supported me through this past year. Your kind comments and even your silence when I posted some intensely personal feelings concerning the death of my son a year ago were noted.  

One never knows if things expressed which are intense in nature and not the ordinary content for a cycling related blog will be acceptable to the readership, but I felt I could trust you all with this. I was certainly not disappointed in doing so. And so I thank you all for your kindness, your consideration, and yes, even your silence, all which has allowed me to express myself freely without condemnation of any kind.  

A report on the ride will appear Monday.

Thanks again. Now get out there and ride those bicycles! 

Two Things

From the 2005 RAGBRAI

Cycling Season Is Over (Here)

In Iowa if you ride a bicycle you've probably been asked about RAGBRAI, the annual recreational, week-long ride across the state started in 1973. 

It's as if you don't ride a bicycle unless you are going on RAGBRAI. It gets annoying sometimes. I was asked this past Tuesday (while RAGBRAI was in progres), by a passing motorist if I was going on RAGBRAI. 

Ya know, people actually ride bicycles for more reasons than just RAGBRAI. But for the non-cycling public here, RAGBRAI is cycling. There is no other reason to ride a bicycle. That is fact, at least here it is. 

Another fact: Cycling season ends after RAGBRAI. Most roll their bikes into the garage after RAGBRAI and never look at those two wheels again until June of the following year. I know this as I was a retail bicycle mechanic for decades in Iowa. Other folks quit cycling as school openings approach, football season kicks into gear, and Fall yard work beckons. 

I see it every August. The precipitous fall off of cycling related activities, sales, and interest in the spot overall. The Collective just experienced one of its best months over the period I tracked from late June into July. This will be the pinnacle of our year. From here on out the business dwindles like the Sun in the horizon, with darkness coming sooner every day. 

I'll keep on riding all year, as I have, and as long as I can do that. But I'm a weirdo around these parts. 

Image courtesy of the Street Collective

Debate Rages On:

I've written a lot about conflicts between motorists and electrified vehicle users here already. I hate to have to continue this conversation,but this Summer the issue has reached a fever pitch here in Iowa. 

Local law enforcement departments across the state, local hospitals, and local cycling advocates are all voicing concerns over the sharp increase of wild, out of control use of electric scooters, e-Motos, and e-Bikes, mostly by under-aged folks who are not being safe in terms of themselves or others around them. 

Solutions voiced range from awareness/education to outright bans on cycling of any sort. The latter by ordinary citizens tired of dodging these vehicles.  

One hospital here in Waterloo had an emergency doctor advocating for motorcycle related helmets and full-coverage clothing for any two-wheeled electric device capable of going faster than 20mph. Some have advocated for users to have to obtain certificates by going through classes run by governments. Some are advocating for the licensing of the vehicles themselves, while others just want all of it to go away. 

 This issue has blown up this year to be a big-time problem and regular 100% human powered cyclists had best be aware of what is going on within their communities. If you ignore this issue you may find you are on the other side of the law when it comes to where you can ride and at what speeds you can ride at. 

I'm sure other parts of the USA are also wrestling with these issues. My gut tells me it won't be solved this year, at least here in Iowa, but when this all blows up again in 2027, and it will, something will have to give.  

Fleet Review: Part 3

 Finalizing the Fleet review today which will close out this look at all the bicycles I have at Guitar Ted Headquarters. This post will cover my "utility fleet" of bikes. Bikes with different purposes and uses. The last Fleet review can be seen HERE. A link on that post will take you back to Part 1. 

2020 Twin Six Standard Rando Fixed Gear:

When I received the Singular peregrine Mk4 last year, I retired the Twin 6 Standard Rando v2 bike. The entire point being that the Singular had better tire clearance and an even more classically inspired look than the T-6 did. Then I got an idea....

I retired my old Shogun fixie conversion due to its limited tire clearances and built up the T-6 Standard Rando as a disc brake fixie. I could run fenders with 37mm tires, and this was perfect for what I needed to get around in the city with. 

It has become a great commuter bike and errand bike. If anything it is too nice, as people might want to make it their own, whereas the Shogun looked old, and not very desirable. But be that as it amy, I do like the T-6 as a fixed gear bike. 

2012 Surly Big Dummy:

Back several years ago I obtained an Xtra Cycle long tail conversion and bolted it to a late 1980's Schwinn Sierra. My goodness! I was hooked, but I found the limitations of the set up rather quickly. The donor bike attached to the Xtra Cycle longtail conversion made for a flexy, not super-capable rig. I had cantilever brakes which weren't good enough, and the drive train was old as well. The purpose-built Surly Big Dummy sure looked a lot more attractive to me! 

Well, along about 20 16 I posted a "Wish List" all about wanting a Big Dummy. The post was read by a local, Mike Johnson, who just so happened to have a Big Dummy which he was willing to pass along. We negotiated a price, and by the middle of the Summer I had a Big Dummy! 

I use it most to do our recycling and to pick up items for the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. Once in a while I use it for another errand, but those are its main uses these days. 

The bike probably needs to have parts upgraded or replaced, since I haven't touched anything on it since I got it ten years ago! Better get on that! 

 2013 Singular Cycles Buzzard:

Well, this one came out of nowhere, seemingly, as I had not ridden this bike in years and, in fact, it had been retired for quite some time.  I had zero interest in bringing it back into the fleet until an idea popped into my brain one day back in 2024. "What if I had a bike which had front and rear identical wheel axle widths which could be swapped out like a Surly Pugsley's? 

I had a Salsa Cycles Enabler fork, the early fat bike fork in steel which was made to accept a 135mm quick release rear hub. This was an influence of the Surly Pugsley, which had swappable wheels in case your derailleur got whacked. The idea being that you had either a fixed cog on that front wheel, (really a rear wheel mounted on the front), or a free wheel single speed cog, and you could bail yourself out of a tight place.  

The Buzzard was just early enough that still had a quick release rear drop out. Perfect! So I got around to lacing up a new front wheel out of the old Buzzard front wheel. I used a thread-on rear hub for a single speed and there ya go! I had a swappable front wheel bike packing bike! 

Not that I've actually used this bike for anything. Well, anything other than testing. My intentions are to use it for an actual sub-24 event this year yet, So, stay tuned! 

Pieces and Parts:  

No pictures,but I do have four frames sitting around here too. A Salsa Cycles Big Mama, a Gary Fisher HiFi, a Badger Cycles Dorothy, and a Mongoose All Mountain Pro. I also have an Ibis Trials Bike stuffed away somewhere down there that needs brakes. 

And that does it! Those are the bicycles I have. I'm working on whittling down the numbers of bikes, and in fact, I've already broken down one from the Part 2 of this series, the On One Inbred. So, this list should get smaller as time goes on. That's my hope, at least. 

GT's Ride For Jacob: Final Update

Well, this coming Saturday is the day for the Ride For Jacob, a 46 mile loop from Big Woods Lake, North of Cedar Falls, Iowa. 

I had really wanted to get out to ride the route to recon it, but between heat advisories, having to mow lawns at two different places, air quality issues, and work, I did not find any time for it. I'm not super concerned, as I know the roads and rode most of this last year. There is a small chance I get out today, or maybe Thursday, but unless there is some major rerouting needing to be done, the GPS file should not change. 

Speaking of that, here is the Ride With GPS page link. 

Details on how to get to the parking lot at Big Woods lake are HERE. Look for the July 10th update. 

Weather: As of now it is looking perfect.  

Finally, I've heard some rumblings about a few folks making a trip out to ride with me on this route Saturday. I'm sure some locals are thinking about the ride. I haven't gone out of my way to promote this other than on the blog here. So, I really cannot say how many folks will show up. I'm guessing it will be between 20-30 riders. 

If that is the case, that parking lot may get pretty full. If you are a local, please consider riding to the venue, or maybe park in Cedar Falls at the Gateway Park area which sits just across the Cedar River from downtown Cedar Falls. From there you can ride the Big Lake Loop bike path out to the North parking lot, adding maybe a couple of miles to your ride. 

Okay, so that's all I have for you. Again, if you want to do a virtual "Ride For Jacob" because you cannot make the trip to Cedar Falls you can do that. See the last FN&V HERE for more on that idea. Otherwise I'll see whomever shows up a little before 8:00am on Saturday. Thanks in advance for wanting to be a part of this. It means a lot to me and my family. 
 

A Case Study : Bicycle Ownwer's Manual

 I work at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective where we receive donations of bicycle related accessories, gear, and bicycles. Occasionally we get an interesting bit of bicycle related ephemera which enlightens me. Case in point: I checked the mail box on Saturday morning to find a bicycle owner's manual inside it. 

No notes. Just the manual. I almost tossed it, but then thought better of it, sat down with it, and checked out the contents. 

Typically, the bicycle owner's manuals I've seen have no real value. They were written as a kind of vague warning which gives lawyers an "out", I am sure, in case the company the manual represents gets in legal trouble with a consumer. There was never any useful knowledge between the covers.  

However; this CyclePro manual was different. It was a little instruction booklet. In fact,  if one had the correct tools, you could have easily built and adjusted a bike out of the box using those instructions, diagrams, charts, and images found on those pages.  

 Of course, the technology represented in the manual is so far out of date it is laughable, but in its day, this manual had value. In fact, it still does for teaching about bicycles, and for old-school knowledge which is becoming scarce these days. 

 There were even diagrams showing how to use some tools. This was a detailed manual, and it displayed a level of care and concern for the consumer which is sorely lacking in many bicycle shop/online transactions these days. 

 There was a section on sizing a bike to a person. There was another section concerning gear shifting, how and why you'd want to shift. This is stuff you never saw in manuals which came with bicycles when I was working in retail bicycle shops. 

A gear chart? Would the average consumer even know what to do with this?

 Anyway, I immediately thought about what you get today when you buy a bicycle. The companies selling stuff today are probably not doing manuals like this, and they are likely very similar to what I recall from the early 2020's. 

What if there were manuals like this included in bicycles sold today? Certainly the technical nature of the information would be deeper. It would have to be! Look at the hydraulic disc brakes, suspension forks, and electronic shifting. Look at the internal cable housing designs. It is a nightmare for mechanics. I don't suppose the average consumer could even start to want to dive into taking care of their bicycles. Not given how specific the tools have become to work on components and not so much when technical demands are so intense. 

Maybe this is a sign we've gone too far...... 

Selle SMP Pro Saddle: Part 2

 Note: This review is of a used Selle SMP saddle Guitar Ted purchased from the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. Selle SMP is not aware of this review and all opinions are Guitar Ted's.

It's another first impressions post on the Selle SMP Pro saddle. This is the second part of the initial review. You can see Par1 HERE. 

This saddle has been on several short test rides and now one two-hour ride to start seeing if I need to change anything about the saddle tilt or setback. 

I've used multiple surfaces to rest this saddle ranging from smooth pavement and bicycle path to dirt single track with gravel of several different types in there as well.

Noting I have the saddle tilted nose-down slightly, I find it rather surprising that I don't find this bothersome. Given I typically cannot live with a nose-down saddle position for any amount of time, I was taken aback by how natural feeling the SMP nose-down position felt. 

Secondly, I found the leather top to be really easy to reposition myself on without it feeling slippery or too grippy. It seems it is either way with most saddles - Too grippy or too slippery. This nice cover is also padded very nicely. 

The saddle feels sort of like a well-broken in Brooks leather saddle. There is a bit of a depression, or as I like to call it, a "bucket" you sit in. It isn't a "one-sweet spot" type of saddle either. You can find multiple small adjustments which all seemed to be as comfortable as the others, in my opinion. I like this as I cannot sit in one place, unmoved, for very long while riding a bicycle.

The weird shaped nose is completely a non-issue. You wouldn't know it was bent downward like it is while riding it. Perhaps this is bent like it is if you are riding something steep and you get way up on the nose of the saddle? Not sure.... 

Okay, that is where I am at now with the SMP Pro. Longer rides to find out if there are any small issues or tweaks to be made are up next.  

American Competitive Cycling's Future

 What Does It Take To Grow Talent In Cycling Racing And Who Really Cares?

I noted a post on Facebook recently bemoaning the status of American competitive cycling and the lack of "opportunity" for talent to be discovered. The thoughts given were that if more barriers to participation were lowered, the more chances we'd get to see an American compete on the worldwide stage. (UCI Pro road, MTB, or gravel, most likely was the thought there)

That's a nice thought, and for sure lowering barriers to accessing racing for youngsters wouldn't hurt, but there are a few other bigger hurdles, in my opinion, which stand in the way of us seeing any significant discoveries of talent which might make a dent in the Pro levels of cycling. 

First of all, we are speaking of the current "ultimate" levels of the sport which is controlled by the UCI, because what else is there? 

And if this is true, then we need to consider what it takes to get to a level where anyone might get hired by a Pro level team to compete. Because that is an extremely high bar to overcome. Hours, hours, and more hours of dedication to the sport. Money, money, and more money on gear, which kids outgrow and need to replace. Racing fees. Places to actually race. (Rare to find on the roadie side, difficult on MTB side) And let's not forget the most important thing - The person has to want to do this. 

To my way of thinking, this quality in a person is the number one determinant for success in any sport. The "want to" factor can be pretty hard to spot for coaches, parents, team owners, and sponsors, because if this trait was easy to spot, well we'd not have any difficulties finding those who would rise to the top of any given sport. Sometimes it is easy to see in a person. Other times, not so much. 

You may think "talent" is all that is necessary, but I'd caution against putting all your chips on that bet. I personally have seen very talented athletes who did not have the "want to" who were never discovered, or never progressed,  in whatever sport they showed talent. So, to my way of thinking, the number one thing which will determine success for Americans in cycling on a worldwide stage is to find the person who wants to get there. Sure, they need talent, but talent is secondary, to a degree, to the mental side. 

And even then you still have all the financial, social, and opportunity barriers to hurdle after that. I mean, where does one go to even get road racing experience anymore? Especially here in the USA. Fortunately we do have some support on the off-road side, and even gravel has some opportunities for juvenile racers. But when people are getting smoked on road rides in rural areas, how do you think parents would feel about putting their kids out there for training? 

Even the Pros who are currently racing are expressing concerns over the intensity of being on the highest levels of the sport. Expressing concerns for mental and physical well-being, now you have to wonder if it is even a good thing for us to see an American at the top levels of the sport. Maybe we're just being selfish and desire this against the odds of the well-being of the riders?  

A recent post by "The Cycling Week" on social media quotes current road Pro Jonas Vinegegaard as saying, ""As a cyclist, you feel like you're constantly on a diet. You always have to think about your weight, and you're always out training," he said. He described the current demands (by teams) taking a toll on both body and mind". 

Finally, culturally we have no support whatsoever for road, MTB, or gravel racing in the USA.  Conversely, if you want to be a Tik-Tok star we have all kinds of peer support for that. Even traditional stick and ball sports have vastly more cultural relevance here than cycling does. A kid wanting to be a road racer, mountain biker, or gravel cyclist in 2026 is walking into a social and cultural vacuum of sorts. They would be declaring their freak nature simply by wearing Lycra bib shorts and a jersey. That doesn't sound like a winning strategy for being a teenager wanting to smoothly navigate adolescence to me, but I would certainly support such rebellion.  

Anyway, good luck and safe riding to any youngsters willing to tackle that path. I hope they are successful. I just do not feel there is an easy answer to seeing top cycling athletes in the sport coming from the USA. Not that it cannot happen, but it's gonna take a lot more than just lowering barriers to "finding talent". 

Friday News And Views

 

Image courtesy of Gravel Worlds

 

 Gravel Worlds Re-brands:

 On Friday of last week news broke concerning a re-branding of Gravel Worlds. The event held annually in Lincoln, Nebraska, is going on its seventeenth year. The event is generally held around the second or third week of August and the course is a loop in and out of Lincoln. 

 Citing Nebraska's status as a top beef producer, the agricultural nature of the Gravel Worlds course, and the fact that the roads Gravel Worlds uses are primarily farm to market roads, the team at Gravel Worlds has designed an iconic logo. A logo which embodies the spirit of these facts. It has also incorporated the name of one of Gravel Worlds sponsors, McGrills, an outdoor grill brand which is manufactured in Beatrice, Nebraska. 

Following is a review of old Gravel Worlds logos, just for kicks..... 

Gravel worlds branding used most through the 2010's

 

Garmin comes on as a sponsor

In 2018 the site header lost the rainbow colors due to a cease and desist from the UCI

 

Celebrating 10 years in 2019

Obviously....

Logo from 2024, the year the founders of the event left and when the current team took over the event.

2025 header/logo

That's a good overview of how this event branded itself for most of its existence. Originally it was just a Pirate Cycling League event and the logo used was the PCL logo, but I did not include those in this mini-review. 

Virtual Ride For Jacob:

I was thinking the other day that there may be a few of you who might want to do a "ride for Jacob" but cannot come to Cedar Falls on the 25th to join me. Well.....what about a virtual Ride For Jacob? 

Here's what you can do. Let me know you've dedicated a ride for my son and tell me a bit about it. I'll send you a "Jacob" sticker. 

Just make sure I get an address to send it to. If you haven't seen one of these stickers they look like the sticker below. 

The story of your ride and why you did it can be sent to me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com.There is no time date stamp, so if you want to do this now, next week, or on the 25th, that is fine with me. I know of one fellow who is doing RAGBRAI who is dedicating a day to this. 

I guess if we want to make this a thing you could also send in a image or two and I'd post your story and images on the blog, much like I do for the Virtual Turkey Burn Ride. 

Or.....you don't have to do anything. Please do not feel obligated to write up anything, or even do a special ride. I'll still send you a sticker if you want one. 

Okay, that's really all I have for this idea. Thanks to "Tim" for the spark which led to this idea.  

Image courtesy of social media post

Wildfires In Northern Minnesota/Canada Affecting Air Quality:

Look, it's wildfire season again! And - of course - we need to be thinking about those losing their homes and livelihoods to these fires. And we need to be thinking about air quality. 

The map here is showing air quality for the Northeastern US for yesterday. Wildfire smoke issues are affecting a wide swath of this part of the nation. 

Whether or not we start seeing this in Iowa will depend on winds and air currents, but as of now we do not have issues here. However; we have had issues in the past and a few years ago, wildfire smoke pretty much shut down outdoor cycling for the month of June. 

Be safe out there! Inhaling smoke-riddled air is no joke, so consider not doing any cycling if your air quality is poor. 

 

Image courtesy of Trek Bikes

Trek Announces E-Fat Bike Models:

Trek announced a new e-Bike range on Thursday.. The new bikes are called "Borrego" and feature fat tires with a hub drive and 80mm suspension forks. 

Two models exist and the price starts at about $2,500.00.  

Comments: This looks a whole lot like the common e-Bike style we've seen from Radpower and other brands sold online. It's fairly obvious Trek is trying to reach those types of consumers here who would otherwise probably not look to Trek for an e-Bike at all.  

The price point may seem a bit steep, compared to the likes of other look-a-like e-Bikes, but here you have a dealer network and ostensibly a dealer network that will actually work on the bike when it inevitably needs work.  Try that with your Amazon sourced e-Fat bike. 

Maybe Trek will make a dent into this market, but it could be also that they are a little too late to jump on this bandwagon. I mean, this bike is totally ten years behind the times, in terms of tech and what is cutting edge now. We shall see how it goes....  

Not much else in the way of news for the week. So, that's a wrap for now. Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions! Now get out there and RAGBRAI, or ride however you ride!

Used Fat Bike Market Crash

 Lately I've noted several way undervalued fat bikes for sale on Facebook Marketplace. BBikes with carbon frames for between 1K and 1.5K where any bicycle with a carbon frame these days costs 2K plus just for a frame and fork. 

Aluminum framed fat bikes are even worse. Most I see are well under 1K asking price. This seems weird to me. 

I know. I wondered if the whole fat biking thing was over a while back and wrote about it HERE.  This latest observation of mine concerning used prices seems to reinforce this feeling I have concerning fat bikes. 

As one commenter on that linked post wrote, "Fat bies are for nerds..." and most of us have our fat bikes. They do not go out of style and there hasn't been any real innovations in fat bikes for years. So, maybe the market isn't "dead" as much as it is stagnant. Of course, either way, both would lead to these smoking deals on fat bikes I am seeing now. 

I don't see much analogous to the fat bike used market with the possible exception of used plus bikes. Everything else seems about right in terms of pricing. And maybe all this devaluing of fat bikes just shows that it isn't what the frame and fork are made out of or even what group is on the bike. It's more about what the bike can do for the rider, or maybe more precisely- What the rider thinks the bike can do for them. 

I don't know, but I've seen some alarmingly low prices on some really nice fat bikes. That much I do know!  

Review: Aeron TPU Tubes Update #4

Last week I posted Update #3 of the Aeron TPU Tube Review. Click that link in case you missed it. The main theme of that update was to see if and how an Aeron TPU tube could be transferred from one tire to another. 

My test involved going from a bigger tire to a slightly less bigger tire. I was asked in the comments if the Aeron tube, which is rated for anything from a 700 X 32mm to a 700 X 52mm tire would actually work in something even less wide than I tried. This update will cover that use case. 

This particular Aeron TPU tube was previously installed in a 700 X 47mm Teravail Cannonball tire. I decided to try the Aeron tube in a 700c X 40mm tire I had laying around. It was an ancient 700 X 40mm Donnelly MSO tire. (Remember those?) 

So, following is a pictorial showing how things worked out. I'll have a bit more to say at the end, so check out the images and descriptions and look for further comments below.

This is the Aeron TPU tube with a minimal amount of air. Just enough to give it some shape. 

Aeron recommends a very minimal amount of air be inflated into the TPU tube to give the tube shape. You do not want to insert a TPU tube with no air in it! Damage could occur rendering the tube worthless or cause a flat while in use. 

You can see the residual talcum powder I put on the Cannonball tire's inner casing to allow the TPU and rubber casing to more easily move against each other while installing the tube and inflating it. You can also barely make out the reinforcement around the base of the very long valve stem. I was happy to see this as I've experienced failure of a TPU tube due to the valve stem coming off which wasn't reinforced at its junction with the TPU tube like this one is. 

Here you get some context for how wide the TPU tube from AERON is after being in a 700 X 47mm tire. 

 

The 700 x 40mm Donnelly MSO and the Aeron TPU tube installed inside of it. 

Here you see the side view of the Aeron TPU tube in the Donnelly tire

The one nit I have regarding these Aeron TPU tubes is that they are trying to be a solution for too many variances in tire size. As an example, you can see above how the TPU is peeking out of the left side of the Donnelly tire. This is due to Aeron's making this tube to be compatible with 650B diameter tires. 

That's all well and good, but it makes getting this tube inside a 700c wheel and tire a chore. It also puts the user at risk of pinching the TPU material in a place where a patch probably wouldn't work well. Just make these 700c diameter and IF you feel you are missing sales because 650B exists, make some in that diameter. As far as I am aware, Aeron is the only TPU tube available which does things this way and I feel it is misguided and may cause unwanted issues. 

It should be noted that I did not want to use a 40mm tire with this tube so I ended up putting it in the matching Rene Herse tire mentioned in the previous update. I'll be running those wheels and tires as an alternate set for my Salsa Cycles Fargo Gen I. I will also be pitting these against the previously reviewed Rene Herse TPU tubes. 

Stay tuned for future updates to this review.