Review: Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar - Intro

The Redshift Sports Top Shelf Handlebar.

 Note: Redshift Sports sent over their Top Shelf drop bar for test and review at no charge to Guitar Ted Productions. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and I will always strive to give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout. 

Drop handle bars for gravel riders keep evolving and one of the latest evolutions in drop bar design for gravel and recreational uses is the Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar. The Top Shelf is at once familiar to to many of you that already have seen or have used a Redshift Sports Kitchen Sink Bar because the Top Shelf is basically that same handle bar at its core. The difference is that the Top Shelf has a riser portion at its center. 

A riser center section maybe is nothing new in a flared drop bar, but the Top Shelf has a continuation of the riser portion that goes all the way across the bar with the riser section being dropped below that and this is where the stem attaches. This gives the Top Shelf Bar a few advantages over other riser drop bars for gravel. 

For one thing, the Top Shelf looks more normal. It almost appears as a standard drop bar until you really look at it. This is probably more descriptive of the 50mm rise (tested) Top Shelf than it is the 70mm rise option. Yes, there are two rise options and two widths available now - a 44cm and a 47cm, (tested).

You also have more options to mount accessories without being hampered by the riser section. Redshift Sports also claims that your handle bar bag won't be flopping around since the bag will have another support in the section that the stem attaches to. By the way, Redshift will be making a handle bar bag for the Top Shelf coming this Summer. 

As stated previously, this new handle bar is identical in back sweep, drop, flare and reach to the Kitchen Sink Handlebar, which I already have tested and still use. With a 50mm rise, I thought this might be a good time to address something I've had an issue with for a while now. That being the low stack height on my 2014 Raleigh Tamland Two. 

The low front end on that bike required that I run my stem in a slight rise, I want to say it is a 7° rise, but I could be wrong there. At any rate, I am loathe to run a stack of spacers and high rise stems on a gravel road bike because (a) a bunch of spacers puts a lot more leverage on a steer tube and headset and (b) I simply just don't like the looks of that. That's me, I guess, but I do have to like the looks of my bicycles, so there ya go. 

The 50mm rise of the Top Shelf Bar gave me some options. I could keep the stem in the "rise" position and add the handle bar. OR - I could flip the stem to the negative rise and add the bar for a higher position than I had, but not too high. I took the latter option and it raised the bar position not quite 50mm, at about 46mm, from where it had been before. So now the drops were easier to get to and stay in. The tops of the handle bar were, obviously, more upright than the previous handle bar's position, which is nice for cruising. 

At a glance the 50mm rise isn't very noticeable.

But not so from the frontal view. Note the cross bar blends into the handle bar tops.

My impressions of the looks are also favorable. The side view looks almost normal, and the cross bar, which is really the handle bar top section all the way across, gives the bike an almost BMX-drop bar feel. Mount a handle bar bag or bikepacking gear on the Top Shelf and anyone that saw the bike may not ever notice that it is a riser bar. 

I received the 47cm version for testing ahead of the official release date. So, I have several rides on it already. On a recent gravel ride I noted that the set up with the Top Shelf did make it more welcoming to stay in the drops. It is a good thing Redshift stuck with the design of the Kitchen Sink as the Top Shelf has similarly good extensions. Add the Cruise Control lower grips and this could be where you ride the Top Shelf bar all the time. 

I used Redshift's "Extra Long Bar Tape" (Sent along with the Top Shelf Bar) to cover the Top Shelf Bar and its grippy, yet somewhat forgiving feel is a nice compliment to the slight bit of compliance that the Top Shelf Bar has going on. Again, a nice addition here would be a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem, but I went full-rigid for this test to focus on the Top Shelf Bar. 

The Top Shelf Bar has a nice, all-day feel to the drop section.

Conclusions: Since this Top Shelf Bar is basically a Kitchen Sink Bar with rise, I have to defer to my take on the Kitchen Sink here which is a very favorable one. Redshift Sports used all the same flares, sweeps and other dimensions for the Top Shelf as they did for the Kitchen Sink Bar. If you like a Kitchen Sink Bar you will like the Top Shelf Bar. 

If you haven't tried the Kitchen Sink Bar, well it is one of the bars that hits the hands well and has a very nice feel in all positions. Like the Kitchen Sink, the Top Shelf is not a lightweight handlebar. I weighed my example in at 510 grams. But you don't buy a Top Shelf Bar for light weight. You get it to relieve stress on the back, or to address a bike with low stack height, or maybe you like the "moto" looks of this particular drop bar. 

Amazingly the Top Shelf Bar has some "give" to it and is not overly stiff, which is nice to find. So, it may be a little on the heavy side for a flared drop bar, but at least it doesn't zing your hands because the material is too stiff. 

I can see this bar being one to solve issues for riders suffering from injuries that keep their flexibility limited, or for those bikepackers that want a drop bar that will accommodate a more "heads-up" riding style and yet function as a drop bar. The extra mounting options have to be seen as a good thing here as well. At least that rise section isn't compromising options to mount stuff, as with some other riser drop bars. 

Stay tuned later this year for a long-term review of the Top Shelf Bar. So far, I like it really well. We'll see how I feel after a few months using it if that holds up in the long term.

 The Top Shelf Bar is available now at Redshift Sports HERE for $139.99 USD.

Review: Redshift Sports Top Shelf Handlebar Bag

Note: Redshift S[ports sent over a Top Shelf Handlebar Bag for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are his own. 

The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag

Redshift Sports' Top Shelf Bar has been quite a popular handlebar with their customers. So, Redshift decided to design a handlebar bag to work with that handlebar. Of course, they called it the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag. 

What It Is: The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is designed specifically to mount to the Top Shelf Bar with four hook and loop straps which can be positioned to accommodate the higher or lower rise versions of the Top Shelf Bar. The "four-point" attachment should make for a very secure and solid mount. 

The bag is sort of a trapezoidal shape with the front being a bit narrower than the back and the top being larger than the bottom. Much like the Kitchen Sink Bag, the new Top Shelf bag has a magnetic closure for the lid which can also be zipped shut on each side. Riders can either leave the zippered sides open and use the magnetic closure for easy on-the-bike access to the bag's interior space, or zip the sides for the most secure containment of your cargo. You can carry a lot in this bag as well with its 1.75L capacity. 

As for other pockets you will find the Top Shelf Bag has many ways to organize your stuff. There is a padded pocket against the back on the inside, two mesh "stash" pockets on the inner sides, and a zippered mesh pocket under the lid. Plus there is another pocket on the front inside. I have an image below that will help illustrate one way you could use the Top Shelf Bag to organize you things. 

As you can see, there are a lot of ways one could organize inside this bag, or you could simply use the interior space as one open area if that suits you. Options are good to have at hand and the Top Shelf Bag has them. By the way, there is one exterior mesh pocket on the bag on the left side. I would imagine this as a place to stash trash, used gel packets, or something smaller you wanted at hand without opening the top. 

We're not quite done with the versatility and features of the Top Shelf Bag though. Much like the Kitchen Sink Bag, the Top Shelf Bag uses Redshift Sports' GPS mounting system which is comprised of two halves in a plastic which connect into the bar-tacked strips on the Top Shelf bag's lid and which is held together by a single screw. There are mounts for both Garmin and Wahoo GPS units available. 

There is also a bar-tacked strip across the front of the Top Shelf Bag allowing you to attach a small light, or another smaller bag via hook and loop strips. 

Here you can see the strip you can attach things to along with the elasticized securing string in case you use this bag with other handle bars.

The outer mesh side pocket has an elasticized opening

The two open slots are where the attachment strips would go if you have the 70mm ride Top Shelf Bar.

A close up of the GPS mounting system. This is a Wahoo mount.

First Impressions: The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag came out of the box and was what I expected from Redshift Sports. This is a very high-quality piece and every detail has been attended to. The zippers work smoothly, the magnetic lid opens and closes faultlessly, the GPS mount is super-secure. Add in the features for organization and the bag seems like a bargain at its $110.00 retail price. (Actually, at the time of this writing the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is on sale for under a hundred bucks!)  I don't know how Redshift packs all this in at the asking price, but they do and it is impressive. 

Redshift Sports also offers a "360° Ride Guarantee" which allows the purchaser to try the bag risk-free up to 90 days. See the site for details. 

Ride Impressions: I attached the Top Shelf bag to my Top Shelf handlebar easily and could immediately see it was going to be super stable on rough roads and gravel. But my smile on my face was due to something else that the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag wasn't doing that a lot of other handlebar bags do. This would be how many bar bags rub on the top of the head tube. 

Yeah....helicopter tape it. I hear you, but why bother when you can get a handlebar and bag system like this? This is probably my favorite thing about both of these products. Odd, I know, but somehow I found the way these two handlebar products worked together to be satisfying. You might not see it that way, and you may like the organizational possibilities of this bag, or the magnetic top. Both things are cool. I would agree with that. 

Again, this bag is solid and stable on gravel, and with the lid design being so easy to operate, you can grab stuff from inside the Top Shelf bag easily while riding. I also like that the weight of my GPS makes it so that there is no way the wind is blowing this open and if it were to happen, well I'd probably be getting blown in the ditch anyway! 

So, what's not to like? I really only have one minor issue with this bag. That relates to the GPS mount and to how I prefer my handlebar set up. 

Since I lean more toward having the drop extensions being more parallel to the ground, this puts the plane formed by the Top Shelf handlebar's two cross members perpendicular to the ground as seen from the side, or nearly so. When I attached the Top Shelf Handlebar Bag to this set up it "leaned forward" just a bit. That in turn makes my GPS sit with the front edge of the unit slightly lower than the rear, kind of facing away from me a tiny bit. 

That's not ideal. Not a deal breaker, as I love having the Wahoo there, but it also cannot be adjusted unless I change the attitude of my handle bar, and I'd rather not do this. I like the bar where it is. sigh! 

But listen, there could be a lot worse things to have go against this bag and really, besides that tiny issue this bag is a winner. Especially if you are looking for a bag and already own a Top Shelf Bar. By the way, you can use this bag with other handlebars, but it won't be quite the same as it would be with the Top Shelf Bar. 

So Far... The Top Shelf Handlebar Bag is a well designed, versatile, value-packed item that dovetails right in if you already own a Top Shelf Bar. The magnetic lid, GPS mount, and many pockets are very nice touches. The bag rides stable and is easy to use while riding making your rides more fun and enjoyable. 

I'll be trying out this bag on more rides soon and will come back with a final word in a few weeks time. So far this is quite the impressive product, but I've come to expect nothing less from Redshift Sports.

Review Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar: Final Review

 Note: Redshift Sports sent over their Top Shelf drop bar for test and review at no charge to Guitar Ted Productions. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and I will always strive to give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

The Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar has been ridden in several areas and on several surfaces. I've even gotten a handlebar bag on it to see how that worked out. Now it is time to give my final say on this handlebar and whether it is doing what it was intended for or not. 

My last update on the Top Shelf Bar was in April which you can go back and read HERE. The update there was that I was still prety impressed with the Top Shelf Bar and that hasn't changed since April until now either. 

The Top Shelf has a smart flare and the drop section is shaped really well. I like riding in the drops, so this suits me and with the rise in the Top Shelf Bar making that easier on me to do, I ride in the drops more often. This is one of the design intentions for the Top Shelf Bar, and I would say that they nailed that.

This hand position is not impeded by the rise design. A good thing!

One of the things I've noted with some of the other riser drop bars is that traditional hand positions can be compromised. This is another area where Redshift got things right. I can find no compromises from their Kitchen Sink Bar, which the Top Shelf is based upon, in terms of hand positions. The Top Shelf has all of that. 

Interestingly, I saw in a social media post where Redshift says that you can use a 25.4mm clamp diameter stem and clamp to the top secton of the Top Shelf Bar. This would result in the "U" shaped section below the tops becoming an accessory mounting point or it could be utilized as a stabilizer for bags. I did not try this, but it might be an interesting option for some users. 

The Top Shelf Bar works very well with handlebar bags.

I did attach a Velo Orange Burrito Supreme handlebar bag to the Top Shelf Bar and it worked like peanut butter and jelly. That riser section does help support this bag, at any rate, and the set up is solid and secure enough that I wouldn't be afraid to use this over really rough roads. (Note: I talked a bit about this handlebar bag HERE)

The Good: 

The Top Shelf Bar does the thing where you get rise/height in the front end without goofy stems and without shelling out the bucks for a new bike with tall stack height. You get a decent looking, very functional handlebar that has some unexpected versatility and is designed smartly. 

The Not-So-Good: 

There isn't much to say here. The Top Shelf Bar is aluminum, and while not a zinger on bumps, it is still a stiff bar. Pair this with the excellent ShockStop stem and you'd have a very comfortable set up. Additionally, Redshift Sports makes the Cruise Control grips which could be added to this handlebar increasing comfort even more. So, there are options to overcome the stiffness of the bar. 

I tested this "full rigid" and even with my hand issues it wasn't bad as far as comfort goes. Ultimately you would have to be the one to decide here, but in my opinion the Top Shelf Bar has no real faults in design or use in the field. 

Conclusions: 

Again, the Top Shelf Bar is designed well with great ergonomics in the drops and with not too much flare. You get a taller front end without resorting to unsightly stems and without getting a different bike. 

I should mention that Redshift is coming out with a bag specifically designed for the Top Shelf Bar, but any handle bar bag probably will work fine. The Burrito Supreme Bag, shown to the left here on the Top Shelf Bar, is well supported and the straps worked out well to safely and securely mount this bag. The design of the riser section allows for this and does not impede accessory mounting of other things like computers or lights as well. 

So, if you've got a bike that you think might be a touch too low in the front, or an old favorite that your body isn't getting along with so well anymore, the Top Shelf Bar could prove to be a great solution fopr those issues and more.

Review Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar: Mid-Term

The new Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar on the Tamland Two.

Update On The Top Shelf Bar:

 Note: Redshift Sports sent over their Top Shelf drop bar for test and review at no charge to Guitar Ted Productions. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and I will always strive to give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

It has been about a month and a half now that I have been riding the Top Shelf Bar from Redshift Sports. You can see my introduction and initial impressions of this handlebar HERE. 

This update on the handlebar comes at a time where this option is in short supply. Apparently, Redshift Sports has a hit on its hands with the Top Shelf bar. I've seen replies to comments on social media threads on the Top Shelf from Redshift saying more handle bars are incoming, so while you may not be able to get one right now, these will be in stock, hopefully, very soon. 

This reaction to the Top Shelf Bar has caught me a bit by surprise, to be honest, but as I thought about that, I feel as though it has to do with Redshift Sports' design decisions and from their basing the design for the Top Shelf on the popular Kitchen Sink Bar, which was a smart thing to do. The design of the Top Shelf Bar doesn't do that much different than other riser drop bars, in terms of easing rider positioning, but it does have a very different look and functionality than its competition. 

The main difference is that the central section of a Top Shelf Bar is usable for accessories like GPS heads, lights, or even a bell, if you roll that way. The competitor's handle bars mid-sections have too many curves to be usable for most accessories, and that can present problems that the riser bar section causes even though the position for the rider may be improved. 

One more thing that I'll mention that I've seen brought up in online comments and that is to reiterate that the Top Shelf Bar has exactly the same flare, reach, and drop dimensions as the Kitchen Sink Bar. So again - If you have ridden the Kitchen Sink Bar, or thought that it might be a good option, the Top Shelf should serve you similarly. 

My continued riding on the Top Shelf Bar has only reinforced my earlier opinions on it. Of course, since I got on so well with the Kitchen Sink Bar, I would naturally be inclined to like the Top Shelf Bar as well. It only makes sense. But what about that rise? 

I think there are use cases where that riser section makes sense. Perhaps you have a bike that you have had for years, but now you aren't quite in the same physical shape you once were in and a riser bar might just breathe new life into that old bike. Or perhaps you are going to do a very long distance event and a bit of a more relaxed position would be a boon to helping you be successful in that endeavor. Bike packing situations and the Top Shelf Bar would make a lot of sense. I am probably going to get a handle bar bag in soon to help illustrate that option. 

So, yeah.....Again I am just impressed with the design, ride quality, and options that the Top Shelf Bar provides. Stay tuned for more in the near future.

Redshift Sports Top Shelf Handlebar Bag: Final Word

 Note: Redshift Sports sent over a Top Shelf Handlebar Bag for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. Guitar Ted is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and all opinions are his own. 

I've stuffed the Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bag full and ridden it enough now that I can come back with a final word on this roomy handlebar bag. If you missed the previous part of this review you can check that out HERE. 

In this 'final word' post I wanted to address a couple of things and then we will get to my take on this handlebar bag at the end. First let's take a look at my experiences with a fully loaded bag. 

In the previous post on this bag I showed an image with the bag fully loaded with the exception of the central area. I ended up utilizing that left over space to carry a light wind vest. It barely  rolled up small enough to fit, and I did not feel 100% secure about the magnetic top keeping everything inside on its own. Fortunately those two side zippers will securely hold the top down and my slightly overstuffed bag was safe and did not cause me any worries. 

I even utilized the mesh outer pocket to hold my gloves, and they did that well. These were Summer weight, Hand-Up brand gloves, for reference. I did not carry the GPS device on my last rides before this update, and you can see in the image above how the bag wasn't "level", which I found slightly annoying. However; Erik at Redshift suggested that I could level the bag by using some "bag shims". Essentially these are foam blocks with a slot in the middle. The strap, which would attach the lower part of the bag to the Top Shelf Bar where it passes through the stem, is where this foam shim would go. It would sit between the bag and the handle bar with the strap passing though the shim, then around the handlebar. 

I did not have access to these shims and I did not have time to make anything, but I agree that this would be a great solution. I hope to try that out when I have more time to fiddle with things like this during the Winter. 

The bag rode really well, even fully loaded. The straps held the bag against the Top Shelf Bar with no wiggling or any sort of shifting around despite traversing some rugged dirt road and chunky, fresh gravel roads. 

I did have to stop and fetch a multi-tool for a repair. With all the organizing pockets in the Top Shelf Bag, finding and retrieving the tool was easy. So, that was another plus for this bag that I found. 

Overall I think this handlebar bag has provided me with  a great experience even though I don't think I've plumbed all the benefits that the Top Shelf Bag has to offer. 

Final Word: Besides the tilt of the bag overall in my situation, this bag gave me no problems and I enjoyed using it on casual rides and longer gravel rides where self-support requires that I carry a bit more than usual. The Top Shelf Bag has great capacity overall and excellent pockets with which you can organize your things. 

The construction, fit and finish, and looks overall are very good. The bag is a perfect fit for the Top Shelf Bar, as you would expect, which is a nice benefit of staying in the Redshift family of products. I did not try the bag on other handlebars, but I don't think the experience would be a good with other handlebars which don't have the Top Shelf's design. In my opinion, the Top Shelf bar design is a key factor in why the bag works better than most handlebar bags I have tried.

I would like to see Redshift provide the foam shims for leveling the bag in the future, but otherwise I would highly recommend this bag to any Top Shelf Bar owner.

Review: Redshift Sports Top Shelf Flat Bar

Note: Redshift Sports sent out a sample of their Top Shelf Flat Bar for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. Guitar Ted is neither being paid, nor bribed, for this review. All opinions are Guitar Ted's and Redshift Sports has no say or influence on this review. 

Redshift Sports now offers a flat bar style handlebar in the Top Shelf.

  Recently I was asked to try out a new handlebar from Redshift Sports, I was initially thinking this would be another version of their great drop bars, but not this time! Instead, it is a flat bar, with rise, of course, and it is called the Top Shelf Flat Bar. 

The Top Shelf Bar on my 2003 Surly Karate Monkey

What It Is:

The Top Shelf Flat Bar comes in two rises. A 50mm rise and a 70mm rise. (50mm shown) The aluminum bar uses a 800mm width, which can be trimmed down. The bar features a five degree upsweep and a 14 degree backsweep for a comfortable hand and arm position. Claimed weight for a 50mm rise version is 544 grams and the 70mm rise version weighs in at a claimed 552 grams. 

Price for the Top Shelf Flat Bar is $129.99 USD and boasts a Lifetime Warranty. You can see the webpage for this bar HERE.  

Like its drop bar sibling, the Top Shelf Flat Bar has a 31.8mm diameter clamping section for the stem attachment. The top of the handlebar is a continuous hollow bar of 6061 T6 aluminum with a 22.2mm diameter which means this is a great part of the bar for your accessories.

Other riser bar designs often use a smaller diameter crossbar between the riser sections, or have no crossbar at all. This leaves very little room to mount accessories to those types of bars. Redshift avoids this hassle by employing the design they have with this riser flat bar. I think this is smart. 

The Top Shelf Flat Bar is really great for handlebar mounted bags like this one from Velo Orange.

Impressions:

The Top Shelf Flat Handlebar has a nice width, in my opinion. While you can cut it down, I happened to find the stock length "just right" for my Karate Monkey. The width lends a great amount of control. Leverage is perfect for grinding up a hill in single speed mode. 

There are a lot of handlebars with backsweep and everyone has an opinion on how much is too much or not enough. The Top Shelf Flat Bar has 14° of backsweep and I felt it was right in the pocket for my single speed. This amount of sweep feels natural, and not weird when standing and mashing the pedals. 

Thankfully this handlebar is not so stiff it "zings" your hands on sharp hits or abrupt surface changes. In fact, I can detect a little give to the extensions of the bar, and while I'd never mistake this for vibration reduction, it serves as a bit of relief from the pounding meted out by riding rigid. 

 Final Verdict:

This is a great handlebar with a design detail which makes it practical and easy to get along with. The backsweep is in the sweet-spot, the width is great, and the way the top section can be used for accessories is very handy. Plus it rides well and feels natural in the hands.  

 All in all, another hit from a long line of great products from Redshift Sports. It isn't flashy, but it gets the job done and in a smart way.  www.redshiftsports.com

Rear View 2024: Top Ten Posts Of 2024

 Every year of late I have been looking back at the Top Ten posts here on the blog. Last year's Top Ten can be seen HERE. I thought it was another fun way to look back over the year via the perspective of what caught the reader's attention here. 

 I thought it would be fun to rank the Top Ten posts again. This time from the blog during the calendar year 2024. These posts are ranked according to what Blogger stats tell me were the most read posts of the year. 

I'll start with #10 and work up to #1. Each post will be linked so you can go back and read it if you so choose. Then I will comment a bit on each post. 

#10: Gravel Grinder News: Hall Of Fame Inductees & Rock Cobbler Race Report:

At Number 10 on this year's list I have a post about two disparate things, so one may wonder which of the two subjects garnered the looks over the other. In my opinion, it was my take on the GCHoF class of 2024. Here is a quote from the article. " I was a bit surprised at first when I saw who had been elected into the Hall,.... but what the electors are seeing as "important" is not necessarily what I see as the Hall's reason for being. I think all you have to do is look at the first class, compare it to last year's, and then see the progression to this year's class and - if you've been around the gravel scene since the early days, you start to see a pattern developing. "

This got the attention of one of the GCHoF Board members and has still seemed to be a bone of contention with that particular Board member if recent communication is any indication of caring on that person's part. I still hold to this opinion, and I know that most of the electors do not know the history, or seemingly do not care. It's obvious as the nose on my face, but maybe only to those older gravel riders. If you don't know - you don't know, and so you get what you get. 

There is a move afoot to induct a few people this time around that might change my mind about this position I hold to concerning the GCHoF. We will see..... Link to post HERE. 

#9: The Mid-South Report: Getting Home & Thoughts On The Events: 

There is no denying that Mid-South is a very unique gravel event on the calendar. It has grown to be a super-popular early season stop for many gravel riders, yet it retains its roots in the basic tenets of the early gravel scene. This event, in my opinion, has usurped Gravel Worlds spot as the event that is best at walking that thin line between being "too big and fancy" and yet run in a way that makes you feel like it is a "professionally run or serious event". While many events have run off the deep end of the corporate, money-driven, for-profit end of the spectrum, Mid-South retains that passion from the organizers that permeates everything that happens each Spring in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

My take on the event was one of the most popular posts of 2014. You can read it HERE. 

#8: Unbound's Evolutionary Changes Further Distances Event From Its Roots:

Again, another early gravel event that has changed to the point that it no longer resembles anything of its early roots. This was written before Life Time announced that Unbound would now pay out cash prizes to the winners. This post spurred a lot of interesting thoughts in the comments. And why shouldn't it have? It is well understood that Unbound is the gravel event regarded as being the pinnacle of competitive gravel racing, bar none. 

My stance on Unbound was set out in a specific comment which I have taken a quote from here:  "Unbound is a "premier gravel event" because many believe that. You don't have to believe that at all. You also do not have to subscribe to my - or anyone else's definition of "grassroots gravel". This is one of the biggest reasons "Gravel™" became as big as it has become. It wasn't hamstrung by ONE governing oversight of what IT is." Read the entire post and comments HERE. 

#7: Honeman Flyer Update: Finished & Test Ride Impressions:

Here is a take on the weird, (compared to most gravel bikes) 1930's inspired Honeman Flyer single speed gravel bike I had made by King Fabrications. This was one of my "Bikes of 2024" and I've written reams about the thing over the past year extending back to late 2023. So, I am not going to get back down that rabbit hole again. Suffice it to say that there is not another gravel bike in the world right now like this and you can read all about why that is HERE.  

#6:Review: Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar - Intro: 

The year 2024 was my first complete year outside of a separate reviewing website, and bringing reviews back to the blog was a big risk. Would I lose opportunities? I figured that is exactly what might happen. However; I was surprised to find that it was not what happened. The Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar was one such review that brought a LOT of eyeballs to "Guitar Ted Productions" for the very first time. 

I'm pretty sure a lot of the traffic this post has garnered over the year is being driven by Redshift's own link or by some other forum links I am unaware of now. But whatever the case may be, it was not the only review that stacked views in 2024. You can read the post HERE.

#5: Review: Ortlieb Fuel-Pack & Toptube-Bag: 

Reviews of products often focus on fine details, subjective takes on functionality, and "value". However; every once in a while a product comes along that has some baffling characteristics which impinge upon its function and appeal. Such was the case with one of the Ortlieb bags I received to review last Summer. Both had weird, overly complicated mounting systems and seemed to be a bit fiddly to deal with on skinny-top tubed bikes such as what I have the most of in my stable. 

Once again, I have a feeling the traffic on this post was generated via a marketing firm, the brand, or a forum somewhere. However it went, this post garnered top five viewage in 2024. You can read the review HERE. 

#4: Review: WTB Vulpine 45, Vulpine S 45, and Resolute 50 Tires:

Tires get views. It is a fact, and it doesn't matter if it is a social media post, You Tube, blog, or website. Tires, especially MTB and gravel tires, get hits like no other product. So seeing these three new WTB treads in the trendy wider widths for gravel get the views that this post has gotten, (and continues to get, by the way), is no surprise to me. 

This was the opener and I broke out the tires as individual reviews later throughout the rest of the Summer and into Fall. You can read the initial introductory post, which lands at number 4 for 2024, HERE. 

#3: Review: Camp Snap Camera:

Another review kind of outside the cycling realm, but Velo Orange was pushing these, and it seemed like an interesting bikepacking or knock-about camera, so I bought one to try out. Once again, this proved that not all products have 100% 'good' things about them. 

I was disappointed in this thing. It is a cheaply made toy, really, if I am honest. I would have been thrilled to claw one out in a carnival midway machine with my quarter spent in fun, but at the price this thing sells for, it came off as a poor experience. Again, not everything is a home run, or even gets you to first base. You can check out the review here. To be completely fair, Camp Snap has a version two out now which claims to have addressed some of my concerns, although I have not handled that version myself. 

#2: WTB Nano Air TPU Tubes Reviewed:

 At number 2 is this post about WTB's TPU tubes. It missed being number 1 but bot by much! But between this one and #1, these posts were nearly double the views of #3 on this list! That's crazy. But the other thing is that TPU tubes are really gaining some ground now and the buzz on them was high this past Summer. I'm still running the TPU WTB tube I wrote about in this review HERE. I don't see any downsides and for those who do not need puncture protection, the TPU tube is better than tubeless as far as maintenance is concerned, and I think performance is very similar.

#1: The Six String Side: Boss IR-2 Amp & Cabinet Pedal:

 And at Number One in views for 2024 - Another oddball product for the blog, but I figured since I am "Guitar Ted", and I actually do play guitar, why not? Last year I reviewed a Roland JC-40 amplifier and it is the number one viewed post on this blog all-time. I get views on the post into the hundreds of views every month.

So when I purchased a Boss IR-2 Amp and Cabinet Pedal, I decided to review that as well. Odd to review an audio product without sound samples, but hey! That's how it used to be when I was young. Magazines were printed on paper and did not reproduce sound! 

This post cruised at Number 1 all year. You can read the highest viewed post of 2024 HERE.

Comments: What a year! I noted that several top-viewed posts were review posts. I also noted that not a single "Country Views" post even sniffed getting into the Top Ten for this year. The once popular post series I do for rides seems to have lost its shine since 2022 when I had several of those in the Top Ten.

But overall, those posts - the "Country Views" ones - get the same or maybe a bit more views as they did two or three years ago. It's just that the other posts have boomed in terms of views since. For instance, #10 on this year's list would have been nearly #1 three years ago! And #10 this year was beaten by #1 on this year's list by over three times the views!

So, the viewership of certain posts has skyrocketed here while others have gained views compared to last year making 2024 the most viewed on this blog all-time! Thank you one and all for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

Review News: Velo Orange Items

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Note: The items mentioned in this post have been paid for out-of-pocket by Guitar Ted. Velo Orange has no affiliation with Guitar Ted Productions, nor are they aware that this review is starting. Hey! Maybe they will get tipped off to it later, but all I know is I am independently conducting these reviews and I will give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Okay, it is time for a few new review items to show up here any day now, so I figured that I would introduce each item and why I am getting that item in so you will know my plans here. Truth be told, there is a common purpose here which you will see shortly.

First up we have the Velo Orange "Burrito Supreme Handle Bar Bag". This is one of those ubiquitous barrel shaped bags you see often now for cycling. The main purpose for this bag was to have it tested with the Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar which I am reviewing. That and I've wanted to try a barrel shaped bar bag for quite some time now. The Velo Orange example here is actually made in the USA by Road Runner Bike Bags. 

This bag runs $85.00USD and has one main compartment which holds its shape via an internally sewn in sheet of plastic. It's canvass, of course, and attaches via two straps for the handle bar and one for the stem. We will see how that all works for the Top Shelf Bar soon. 

I'm also planning on using this bag for a trip/over night gravel ride I have planned out. Stay tuned for that....

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Mojave Water Bottle Cage:

This one is for my quest to carry large amounts of water but not on my back, while cycling. I have used over-sized bottles in traditional and extendable cages, but the Mojave Cage is a bit of a different way to solve the puzzle.

This cage fits big Nalgene water bottles, as shown. I like the concept and the Mojave Cage should be a good solution for a longer trip by bicycle, like the one mentioned above here.

This cage has several mounting holes in a plate on the base of the cage allowing for various ways to mount it including using a Three-Pack Boss. 

This cage comes in silver or black and runs $39.99 USD. This will be going directly on to the Singular Gryphon Mk3 rig. I am kind of hoping to put it on underneath the down tube so we will see how that works out soon. 

Finally, and the entire reason I purchased all these things from Velo Orange in the first place, is something you might not have considered at all. It is a camera! 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Camp Snap Digital Camera:

So, I've been using an Olympus TG - 5 camera for years now. I don't know a lot about how it works. I'd estimate I know maybe 10% of it, as far as what it can do. The TG -5 is a very capable outdoors camera, and it has a fair amount of features and normal "camera-guy" things that can be adjusted, tweaked, or whatever.  Most of that is completely lost on me. I usually set it on "Aperture", adjust the light balance a bit, and shoot while riding. I almost never use the viewfinder/screen. It's fairly useless to me due to glare, bright Sun light, and my old, fading eyesight. 

So, when I saw the Camp Snap camera, I immediately knew that I was the person this was made for. Well.....at least I feel that way. A truly "point it and shoot" camera with a whopping 8 megapixel sensor. You get what you get for a shot, and I am okay with that. This is almost exactly how I shoot almost every image that you've seen here in the last ten years. Point. Shoot. Download into computer. Tweak in the box. Publish. 

So, we'll see if this thing can handle gravel travel. I'll be taking images with it for the blog here and for documenting my trip I mentioned earlier. By the way, this camera costs $65.00 USD, so it isn't all that dear and if it gets biffed or craps out, well we will all know better.

So, that's what is coming up. Look for more on these items here soon. 

Rearview 2024: Second Quarter

  Hello! it's time again to review the year on Guitar Ted Productions. The "Rear View" has been a staple of the blog since almost the very beginning. This year there will be four Rear View posts looking back on the year in quarters. I'll also have a post looking ahead at 2024. Enjoy the look back and thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions!

As April kicked in here at Guitar Ted Productions, so did the review work! The move off from Riding Gravel was expected to a be marker for a decline in reviews that I would be offered to do, but it did not seem that there was much fall-off in that area at all. I was surprised by the amount of products I reviewed during this period when I did my research for this post.

Here is a listing of the products I wrote about during the second quarter of 2024:

• Ritchey Design SuperLogic Carbon Venture Handlebar
• Velo Orange Burrito Supreme Handlebar Bag
• Ortlieb Fuel Pack & Top Tube Bags
• Redshift Sports ShockStop Pro seat post
• Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar
• Camp Snap Camera
• Velo Orange Mojave Bottle Cage
• Caterpy Laces
• Effetto Mariposa Shelter frame protection tape
• Equipt Sardine Multi-Tool

And of course, I reviewed my Honeman Flyer single speed gravel bike I had made by King Fabrications. So, there was a LOT going on there. Probably more than I had going on while I was with Riding Gravel for those three months, which I found really surprising. 

It also bears mentioning that many of these reviews garnered record viewing numbers. You'll see this manifested when I post my "Top Ten Posts of 2024" article later in the month here. So, while my assumption that leaving Riding Gravel would hurt my reviewing side of writing, (which I was totally fine with, if that happened, by the way), it did not decrease as expected. In fact, as I said, I may have actually been busier than ever.  

Articles of note on the blog for the second quarter included my news of the introduction of Shimano's 12 speed Di2 GRX group. News came out concerning Gravel Worlds changing venues. I also announced my 20th Anniversary year of looking back on the history of this blog. That will wrap up in May next year when the 20th anniversary happens. I announced my "official" reasons for departing Riding Gravel. Then finally, on a sadder note, I received news of the death of Trans Iowa supporter, volunteer, image maker extraordinaire, and friend, Wally Kilburg. I wrote a eulogy in response here on the blog.

(L-R) Bobby Kennedy, GT, Curt Young

A few trips happened during this period. One was to Des Moines to visit the Des Moines Street Collective and Bobby Kennedy. Bobby's work there is similar to what I do at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective. One of the CVBC's board members, Curt Young, and I went down to Des Moines to pick up some extra bikes the Street Collective needed to move on. It is always fun to visit there and Bobby is a great guy to catch up with over a cup of coffee.

Then it was off to Emporia, Kansas with Mrs. Guitar Ted to take in another induction ceremony at the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame. I got another ride in there and caught up with many of my gravel riding friends there as well.

Probably the highlight of the trip was meeting with Japanese journalist, Taiki Sakamoto. Getting to contribute to the publication Sakamoto-san works for was a true honor!

Finally there was the Victory Ride in June which I was really floored by. Warren Weibe was the organizer and the route was planned by N.Y. Roll. We even had "bandit" spray can t-shirts being made to commemorate the ride in the parking lot afterward. So cool! 

I was able to write up several "Country Views" posts over this period as well, so I was getting out there and riding, which was a good thing. It was a busy second quarter of 2024! Stay tuned for what the third quarter of 2024 brought next week in my Rear View 2024 series.

Frostbike 2013 Part 1: Carbon Fat Bike Dream Come True?

Carbon Beargrease: Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Frostbike 2013:

Everyone has probably heard by now, but the show was all about the carbon fiber fat bike, Salsa Cycles 2014 Carbon Beargrease.

The shop where I work is a Salsa Cycles dealer. So, I got to pre-view some of the 2014 line up. I signed a "NDA", so you are not going to hear me say, or read anything about most of what I know, but they did say we could run with one thing they showed, and honestly, it is one of the coolest things they are doing for 2014 anyway, so here ya go......

I saw this pre-production rig up close. I will say that there are things going on with the frame, fork, wheels, and drive train that no one is doing now in fat bikes. These are things that make the idea of a fat bike better. Much better. Never mind that it is a carbon frame and fork. And what a frame and fork!

Cartoonish frame tubes here. Huge, huge fork crown, legs that slant inward  toward the through axle front end. Tapered steer tube, inset head set, and the look is sleek, and every bit as top shelf looking as any high end road bike carbon fiber you can name. Check out that downtube/bottom bracket junction! Whoa! A through axle rear? Are you kidding me? 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

 Internally routed cables here, and note the fit of the fork to the head tube. This is a pre-production rig, so I was pretty impressed by this. The graphics aren't right, and there will be a bit of color, as I understand it, here and there. Still, the bike is stunning, both in appearance, and in technological level.

The weight? I've heard 24lbs for the XX-1 spec level. Oh yeah.......there will be an XX-1 spec'ed crank set, cassette, rear derailleur, and chain. The whole XX-1 deal on a fat bike. Awesome.

So, here's the thing: The bike does do a lot of things that I would have hoped a carbon fat bike would do. One is the shapes carbon can be used for were applied here. That aforementioned fork? Yeah- the crown flows out and around the top of the tire for maximum clearance, and that slants back to the axle, as I stated. The down tube is spread out to provide a shape that looks to me to be something that should resist twisting and prevent a lot of torsional twist in the chassis.

And of course, there is the weight. Wow. 24lbs for the pre-production bike, that has tubed tires, and no trickery besides the cool XX-1 drive train. You thought fat bikes were too heavy? Not anymore. This is a year round choice for mountain biking now, with the only caveat that tire prices are pretty dang prohibitive, so if you ride a lot, you may need to cut back on the beer budget a bit to save up for new skins eventually. I don't think you'll mind, if this is as fun of a bike as I imagine it must be.

So, there was that! There will be far more to say about this in the future. Of course, there was a lot more to Frostbike- both at the show and outside of it. Look for all of that later. Tomorrow and throughout the week.

Frostbike 2013 Part 1: Carbon Fat Bike Dream Come True?

Carbon Beargrease: Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Frostbike 2013:

Everyone has probably heard by now, but the show was all about the carbon fiber fat bike, Salsa Cycles 2014 Carbon Beargrease.

The shop where I work is a Salsa Cycles dealer. So, I got to pre-view some of the 2014 line up. I signed a "NDA", so you are not going to hear me say, or read anything about most of what I know, but they did say we could run with one thing they showed, and honestly, it is one of the coolest things they are doing for 2014 anyway, so here ya go......

I saw this pre-production rig up close. I will say that there are things going on with the frame, fork, wheels, and drive train that no one is doing now in fat bikes. These are things that make the idea of a fat bike better. Much better. Never mind that it is a carbon frame and fork. And what a frame and fork!

Cartoonish frame tubes here. Huge, huge fork crown, legs that slant inward  toward the through axle front end. Tapered steer tube, inset head set, and the look is sleek, and every bit as top shelf looking as any high end road bike carbon fiber you can name. Check out that downtube/bottom bracket junction! Whoa! A through axle rear? Are you kidding me? 

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

 Internally routed cables here, and note the fit of the fork to the head tube. This is a pre-production rig, so I was pretty impressed by this. The graphics aren't right, and there will be a bit of color, as I understand it, here and there. Still, the bike is stunning, both in appearance, and in technological level.

The weight? I've heard 24lbs for the XX-1 spec level. Oh yeah.......there will be an XX-1 spec'ed crank set, cassette, rear derailleur, and chain. The whole XX-1 deal on a fat bike. Awesome.

So, here's the thing: The bike does do a lot of things that I would have hoped a carbon fat bike would do. One is the shapes carbon can be used for were applied here. That aforementioned fork? Yeah- the crown flows out and around the top of the tire for maximum clearance, and that slants back to the axle, as I stated. The down tube is spread out to provide a shape that looks to me to be something that should resist twisting and prevent a lot of torsional twist in the chassis.

And of course, there is the weight. Wow. 24lbs for the pre-production bike, that has tubed tires, and no trickery besides the cool XX-1 drive train. You thought fat bikes were too heavy? Not anymore. This is a year round choice for mountain biking now, with the only caveat that tire prices are pretty dang prohibitive, so if you ride a lot, you may need to cut back on the beer budget a bit to save up for new skins eventually. I don't think you'll mind, if this is as fun of a bike as I imagine it must be.

So, there was that! There will be far more to say about this in the future. Of course, there was a lot more to Frostbike- both at the show and outside of it. Look for all of that later. Tomorrow and throughout the week.

News Season: More On Salsa And Surly For 2017

The venerable Vaya- A throwback color? The first Vaya was brown, as I recall.

More thoughts on the rest of the 2017 tweaks to the Salsa and Surly lines are in store here today. First up, the Vaya. This hasn't changed a ton since it was introduced nearly 8 years ago. We see a larger, tapered steer tube compatible head tube, and a carbon fork option now, but other than this, the Vaya is much the same steel touring/gravel/all road bike it has always been. And that's a good thing, in my opinion, because a bike like this- sensible, value packed, and versatile, is rare these days. The Vaya gets even more practical for 2017 with the addition of an 8 speed Claris equipped model.

That bike for 2017 comes in a little over a grand, and has really smart component spec. This is your gateway drug to gravel rides, touring, RAGBRAI, or commuting. It is really good at all those things, and presents the best option for most getting their feet wet in all road type cycling. Solid tire choice in the Nano 40 too, by the way. Great gravel tire and perfect on dirt, but pavement treads like the Challenge Strada Bianca 33's in the vulcanized version would really sweep you off your feet on paved roads. Anyway....

Great bike and I am glad to see it is still around. (No more Ti Vaya, by the way) Even though I just parted out my Vaya and sold the frame/fork, I really do like this bike most as a gravel road racing/riding/exploring rig. I'd not turn my nose up at getting a chance to ride another one of these great bikes.

Carbon forks on this GX spec and on the Deore spec Vaya for 2017. I wonder how stiff that bugger is.....

Warbirds are largely the same for 2017. I like purple.... Ha! This is an Alu frame 105 spec bike.

Warbird:

This bike is really a great road all arounder, even though it is heavily pitched as a gravel racing bike by Salsa. We like to think of this rig as a "Domane with huge tire options". It really works as an endurance roadie bike with sensible gearing and a truly smoother ride, even in aluminum.

There is a top shelf, Ultegra hydro Carbon Warbird now.

I noticed that the striped graphic is a bit more subdued this time, and the WWII inspired color schemes, (along with that Rasta one), are replaced now with tasty, nice, unoffensive colors instead.

They added fender mounts, finally, to an otherwise great choice for gravel road competition riding. I have not spent quality time with a carbon version of this bike, but I am hoping to change that this coming year. The aluminum version really does work as advertised, so I can only imagine that a carbon Warbird is a pretty sweet ride.

I like that Salsa gave riders a Shimano choice in spec for a top end 'bird. The Ultegra 11 speed group works great on gravel, as I have found in two years plus of using it. I also have SRAM on a bike, but to my mind, Shimano's stuff, at least the road groups, are a head above SRAM in terms of performance. Last year's carbon 'bird was SRAM only, so that was a bit of a turn-off from my perspective.

Supply chain logistics made Warbirds a tough bike to get in 2016, but the promise this coming year is that they will be much easier to come by. I suspect I'll see a lot more of them around at the gravel events I attend in 2017.

Surly flat bar Cross Check

Surly Flat Bar Cross Check:

Dang if I don't love a nice, sensible, urban oriented, versatile bike. They make doing a quick errand, going to the local farmer's market, or meeting folks at a bar a practical, fun thing to do. They save you a ton of money, wear and tear on the vehicle, and get you healthier to boot. Plus, who doesn't like riding a bicycle for fun? Seriously!

So when I see this flat bar Cross Check for way under a grand retail, I get really excited at first. Now this is really getting to the core of it! But then I realize that many folks that would jump on this don't see the value unless it is half of what Surly is asking for it, or more than half of that price less. It's like there is some disconnect between what people in the mainstream see as a price for a bike, (Mart bikes), and what these quality, purposeful, value packed rigs should cost. I am afraid that until the industry can figure out how to bridge that gap, bikes like the flat bar Cross Check, which should be in every freakin' garage and apartment, will be mostly lost on deaf ears because it "costs too much".

Maybe if it had an iPhone attached and came with an electric assist motor and a free Pokemon Go! capture guide book or something........ Bah!

World Tour '17 and beyond! The new Troll.

 Troll:

Back in the day when I did my loaded tours, (Search "Touring Tuesdays), I did them on a 26 inch wheeled mountain bike. It was my opinion back then, and still is, that a good, purpose built 26"er was going to be the ticket for a solid, reliable touring rig. In fact, back in the day, the shop where I worked had a race team that was sponsored for a year by Croll Cycles, a semi-custom shop out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. (By the way, it is where Erik Noren of  Peacock Groove got his start from). I always thought they should do a 26"er touring bike and call it the "Croll Troll". Ha!

Anyway, there is a Troll touring bike and it has 26"er wheels. Weird, huh? It isn't a Croll, but it is a Surly. I like it more than I did because Surly finally decided that it didn't need to be suspension corrected. Kudos! More of this needs to happen. (Hello! How about a non-sus corrected Fargo?) And it has the excellent Extraterrestrial tires on there, which I like a lot. I could totally see this as a 1X1 replacement vehicle for myself, with the ability to go full on touring mode down the road.

NOTE: Today's images courtesy of Salsa Cycles and Surly Bikes