More News!

Just a few quickies!

1. Looks like, barring any body shutdowns, injuries, or other wierdness, that Mr. 24 will be wrapping up another solo win at 24hrs. of Seven Oaks! As of 7am. he had the thing "wrapped up", according to Jeff Yielding, who also is participating in the event on Team Bike Tech Racing.
We got a little rain here last night, but nothing compared to the soaking they are getting at the World Solo Mountain Bike Championships in Whistler, B.C. I'm sure Jeff would rather have won that event, but seeing as how he is "banned", I'm sure a win here in his home state of Iowa, in reletively dry conditions is going to be pretty darn sweet!

2. I reported, in yesterdays post, about some new 29"er goodness that is heading our way. One thing I didn't get to was the Specialized Fast Track 29 inch tire. This really makes me laugh when you know that Specialized has turned it's nose up at any suggestion that they make a 29"er. Yes, you can buy tires from them, but not a bike that they can be mounted to! Hilarious! At any rate, these are supposed to be some fast rolling tires, so for you racers, these just might be the ticket. Contact your local Specialized dealer for more info. Or, maybe not! The dealers may not even be aware of what a 29"er is, or that they can sell tires for one. Tell them that Guitar Ted says the part number is in their '06 dealer catalog!

3. And finally....... In some more local news, I see that Citron Rob has fallen under the spell, and gone off to get himself a righteous ride! Apparently, it is a new Fisher X-Cal! Congrats on the new sled, Rob! I'm glad to not be the only 29 inch wheeled rider around! You might wonder how this may affect the nickname. Well, not to worry! The beautiful X-Cal for '06, (You did get an '06....riiiggght?) Is orange metalflake, with a green pearl clearcoat! So, there is some element of "green" in there yet to connect with the nickname!

Today, it's off to the shop at 11:30-5:00pm. and then a gravel grinder 60 miles to Alden, Iowa to meet up with my family. (Only one car, so I gotta ride!) I'll be back later on Monday, so ya'all have a wonderfull Labor Day holiday!

More News!

Just a few quickies!

1. Looks like, barring any body shutdowns, injuries, or other wierdness, that Mr. 24 will be wrapping up another solo win at 24hrs. of Seven Oaks! As of 7am. he had the thing "wrapped up", according to Jeff Yielding, who also is participating in the event on Team Bike Tech Racing.
We got a little rain here last night, but nothing compared to the soaking they are getting at the World Solo Mountain Bike Championships in Whistler, B.C. I'm sure Jeff would rather have won that event, but seeing as how he is "banned", I'm sure a win here in his home state of Iowa, in reletively dry conditions is going to be pretty darn sweet!

2. I reported, in yesterdays post, about some new 29"er goodness that is heading our way. One thing I didn't get to was the Specialized Fast Track 29 inch tire. This really makes me laugh when you know that Specialized has turned it's nose up at any suggestion that they make a 29"er. Yes, you can buy tires from them, but not a bike that they can be mounted to! Hilarious! At any rate, these are supposed to be some fast rolling tires, so for you racers, these just might be the ticket. Contact your local Specialized dealer for more info. Or, maybe not! The dealers may not even be aware of what a 29"er is, or that they can sell tires for one. Tell them that Guitar Ted says the part number is in their '06 dealer catalog!

3. And finally....... In some more local news, I see that Citron Rob has fallen under the spell, and gone off to get himself a righteous ride! Apparently, it is a new Fisher X-Cal! Congrats on the new sled, Rob! I'm glad to not be the only 29 inch wheeled rider around! You might wonder how this may affect the nickname. Well, not to worry! The beautiful X-Cal for '06, (You did get an '06....riiiggght?) Is orange metalflake, with a green pearl clearcoat! So, there is some element of "green" in there yet to connect with the nickname!

Today, it's off to the shop at 11:30-5:00pm. and then a gravel grinder 60 miles to Alden, Iowa to meet up with my family. (Only one car, so I gotta ride!) I'll be back later on Monday, so ya'all have a wonderfull Labor Day holiday!

New 29"er News!

EuroBike is going on in Germany right now, and a bit of news for 29"er fanatics has come from there. It seems that Salsa, a small bicycle and component company based in Bloomington, Minnesota, are going to release a new rim for 29"er use.

In the past, Salsa has produced the now classic Delgado, which turned out to be a workhorse rim for many 29"er advocates. Now, Salsa has seen fit to produce a rim specifically made for 29"er usage! The new rim, (Name unknown at this point) is to be a disc specific rim. Most importantly, it is slated to be 29 millimeters wide! Right now, rims in that width neighborhood are few and far between for the 29"er. This news would be enough for most of us, but to add icing to the cake, Salsa expects these rims to come in at a sub- 500 gram weight! I find this to be a tall order, but if Salsa can pull this off, then they are to be commended. I only hope that the strength is as astounding as well. Release date is scheduled for the Spring of '06. I will definitely be building a set of wheels around these rims utilizing my purple anodized Surly singlespeed disc hubs that are chillin' out here at Guitar Ted Labratories.

The other bit of news comes from the high country of Colorado. White Brothers Suspension has been secretly field testing it's new "platform" suspension technology for a year now. Having passed Mike Curiak's thrashing, White is now ready to unleash this technology on all the rest of us! The new technology should be just what the 29"ers out there need to bring their front fork technology up to par with what the 26"ers have.

Well, the news keeps tricklin' in! Interbike should be very interesting! New 29" stuff, Monkeytron nuttiness, and there is a high probability that Mr. 24 himself will be in a vendor booth! A chance to shake the hand of the man whose words are golden in Lost Wages! Awesome!

New 29"er News!

EuroBike is going on in Germany right now, and a bit of news for 29"er fanatics has come from there. It seems that Salsa, a small bicycle and component company based in Bloomington, Minnesota, are going to release a new rim for 29"er use.

In the past, Salsa has produced the now classic Delgado, which turned out to be a workhorse rim for many 29"er advocates. Now, Salsa has seen fit to produce a rim specifically made for 29"er usage! The new rim, (Name unknown at this point) is to be a disc specific rim. Most importantly, it is slated to be 29 millimeters wide! Right now, rims in that width neighborhood are few and far between for the 29"er. This news would be enough for most of us, but to add icing to the cake, Salsa expects these rims to come in at a sub- 500 gram weight! I find this to be a tall order, but if Salsa can pull this off, then they are to be commended. I only hope that the strength is as astounding as well. Release date is scheduled for the Spring of '06. I will definitely be building a set of wheels around these rims utilizing my purple anodized Surly singlespeed disc hubs that are chillin' out here at Guitar Ted Labratories.

The other bit of news comes from the high country of Colorado. White Brothers Suspension has been secretly field testing it's new "platform" suspension technology for a year now. Having passed Mike Curiak's thrashing, White is now ready to unleash this technology on all the rest of us! The new technology should be just what the 29"ers out there need to bring their front fork technology up to par with what the 26"ers have.

Well, the news keeps tricklin' in! Interbike should be very interesting! New 29" stuff, Monkeytron nuttiness, and there is a high probability that Mr. 24 himself will be in a vendor booth! A chance to shake the hand of the man whose words are golden in Lost Wages! Awesome!

Good Luck, Mr.24!!!!

This is it! The 24hrs. of Seven Oaks, and there better not be any plans for sleeping on the racers parts, because I know one guy who won't! In case your wondering what it is that keeps somebody like Mr.24 going all night long, well here is the secret!

It's not "Enduro-plasma", or "Cyto-lete", or any other weirdly named nutritional product you may have heard of. It's not a gel, an electrolyte, or carb booster either. (Hey! my first car had a carb!) It's not EPO, cocaine, or methane! Nope!

It's the intense burning desire that only an elite few have. The desire to get through the whole thing so he can relax with a Coke and a Golden Creme while perusing the latest Mad Magazine! You know, some things are just so simple! Sometimes you just miss it!

To Jeff, Carl, J.Y., and all those pedaling in anger this weekend, good luck, and good ridin'! Don't forget to have loads of fun, ya'all!

Good Luck, Mr.24!!!!

This is it! The 24hrs. of Seven Oaks, and there better not be any plans for sleeping on the racers parts, because I know one guy who won't! In case your wondering what it is that keeps somebody like Mr.24 going all night long, well here is the secret!

It's not "Enduro-plasma", or "Cyto-lete", or any other weirdly named nutritional product you may have heard of. It's not a gel, an electrolyte, or carb booster either. (Hey! my first car had a carb!) It's not EPO, cocaine, or methane! Nope!

It's the intense burning desire that only an elite few have. The desire to get through the whole thing so he can relax with a Coke and a Golden Creme while perusing the latest Mad Magazine! You know, some things are just so simple! Sometimes you just miss it!

To Jeff, Carl, J.Y., and all those pedaling in anger this weekend, good luck, and good ridin'! Don't forget to have loads of fun, ya'all!

Monkeytron Invades Europa Cycle and Ski! Part II

There are some strange things going on, now that Monkeytron has come. Check this out! Mr.24 was seen with Monkeytron whispering into his ear for part of the day. One can only guess what the devious little primate was up to! Next thing I know, I catch Monkeytron riding Jeff's NRS rigs, both at the same time! He quickly jumped off as I grabbed the digi-cam. As I snapped the photo of the now swollen and enlarged Brown Menace, all he had to say for himself was, "WHAT!............." Looking closely at the photo later, I saw the banana that he ripped from Jeff's secret supply. That would account for his sudden increase in size. D*#@ that corpulent chimp!! Obviously, there is much more training that must occur before we can safely allow this animal to run around the shop unsupervised. I'll be keeping a VERY close eye on you, Monkeytron!!

Monkeytron Invades Europa Cycle and Ski! Part II

There are some strange things going on, now that Monkeytron has come. Check this out! Mr.24 was seen with Monkeytron whispering into his ear for part of the day. One can only guess what the devious little primate was up to! Next thing I know, I catch Monkeytron riding Jeff's NRS rigs, both at the same time! He quickly jumped off as I grabbed the digi-cam. As I snapped the photo of the now swollen and enlarged Brown Menace, all he had to say for himself was, "WHAT!............." Looking closely at the photo later, I saw the banana that he ripped from Jeff's secret supply. That would account for his sudden increase in size. D*#@ that corpulent chimp!! Obviously, there is much more training that must occur before we can safely allow this animal to run around the shop unsupervised. I'll be keeping a VERY close eye on you, Monkeytron!!

Monkeytron Invades Europa Cycle and Ski!

Well, as you can see, I managed to get the digi-cam pryed from the hairy brown mits of our Overlord of the past few days. At his first appearing, you can see in the upper photo where he was crushing the Man of Steel into a pint sized joke! This he did in order that he might show his superiority, and then came the demands! Well, needless to say, we had to go into "damage control" mode. We ushered Monkeytron into the oft vacant office of Leans on Wood, and told him to assume the role of our leader. We motioned that he should sit in the "Throne of Power", and take up the "Scepter of Sabaceous Secretions". After ensconcing him in the royal posistion, he was content to pronounce several maledictions, and inevitably became an instant meglo-maniac. Perfect! Now we could twist things to make it seem that what we wanted was his idea! It was only after several small steps, and very patient handling that we were able to actually convince Monkeytron to give up. Of course, Jeff's bananas were quite helpful!

Now, Monkeytron has become our friend. We have convinced him to become the Europa Crash Test Pilot! Look for him doing QC on Jeff's 24hr rigs in tomorrows post!

Monkeytron Invades Europa Cycle and Ski!

Well, as you can see, I managed to get the digi-cam pryed from the hairy brown mits of our Overlord of the past few days. At his first appearing, you can see in the upper photo where he was crushing the Man of Steel into a pint sized joke! This he did in order that he might show his superiority, and then came the demands! Well, needless to say, we had to go into "damage control" mode. We ushered Monkeytron into the oft vacant office of Leans on Wood, and told him to assume the role of our leader. We motioned that he should sit in the "Throne of Power", and take up the "Scepter of Sabaceous Secretions". After ensconcing him in the royal posistion, he was content to pronounce several maledictions, and inevitably became an instant meglo-maniac. Perfect! Now we could twist things to make it seem that what we wanted was his idea! It was only after several small steps, and very patient handling that we were able to actually convince Monkeytron to give up. Of course, Jeff's bananas were quite helpful!

Now, Monkeytron has become our friend. We have convinced him to become the Europa Crash Test Pilot! Look for him doing QC on Jeff's 24hr rigs in tomorrows post!

Monkey Business

In order to recover my digi-cam, and to restore order at Europa, I have had to resort to calling in an expert to disarm Monkeytron!
Guitar Ted Productions

Well, there's no business like monkey business! So, without further delay, let me introduce you to this contraption. I'm not sure if it's a Zefal pump gone bad, or something out of George Jetsons closet. You tell me! I just love Interbike time! We used to go to the lower level, where they'd squirrel away all of the nuttiest stuff, and have at it. That had to be one of my favorite things to do there. A veritable cornucopia of optimism gone awry. Maybe if I get rid of Monkeytron, I can convince somebody to take him to Interbike. He could sniff out all the "monkeybusiness" going on in the basement there! Sounds like a good idea. Hmmm.......

Monkey Business

In order to recover my digi-cam, and to restore order at Europa, I have had to resort to calling in an expert to disarm Monkeytron!
Guitar Ted Productions

Well, there's no business like monkey business! So, without further delay, let me introduce you to this contraption. I'm not sure if it's a Zefal pump gone bad, or something out of George Jetsons closet. You tell me! I just love Interbike time! We used to go to the lower level, where they'd squirrel away all of the nuttiest stuff, and have at it. That had to be one of my favorite things to do there. A veritable cornucopia of optimism gone awry. Maybe if I get rid of Monkeytron, I can convince somebody to take him to Interbike. He could sniff out all the "monkeybusiness" going on in the basement there! Sounds like a good idea. Hmmm.......

Airbourne Becomes Flyte: New 29"er Alu. Frame!

The new Flyte Celsius-9 aluminum 29 inch wheeled hardtail frame. $399.99!!
Guitar Ted Productions

The Airbourne Bicycle Company has had to change it's name, due to a licensing agreement, to Flyte Bicycles. Okay, now that that is out of the way, we can get to the really important stuff!
The once promised, then nixed 29 inch wheeled aluminum hardtail frame is now available! What's more, it's only 399.99! This is great news, as the 29 inch world is chock full of single speed hardtail choices, but very few geared frames. The geared frames that are available are usually custom ones, which isn't bad, just not budget friendly. Now it will be possible for anyone to swap over most of their existing drivetrain parts, get a fork, and a wheelset, and have a 29 inch wheeled bike to check out for less than a grand. Of course, you could also choose one of Flyte's complete bike kits, or get a complete bike under a grand from Fisher. The choices are starting to proliferate, so if you've ever had a hankerin' to check out the larger wheeled format, now's a good time!

Airbourne Becomes Flyte: New 29"er Alu. Frame!

The new Flyte Celsius-9 aluminum 29 inch wheeled hardtail frame. $399.99!!
Guitar Ted Productions

The Airbourne Bicycle Company has had to change it's name, due to a licensing agreement, to Flyte Bicycles. Okay, now that that is out of the way, we can get to the really important stuff!
The once promised, then nixed 29 inch wheeled aluminum hardtail frame is now available! What's more, it's only 399.99! This is great news, as the 29 inch world is chock full of single speed hardtail choices, but very few geared frames. The geared frames that are available are usually custom ones, which isn't bad, just not budget friendly. Now it will be possible for anyone to swap over most of their existing drivetrain parts, get a fork, and a wheelset, and have a 29 inch wheeled bike to check out for less than a grand. Of course, you could also choose one of Flyte's complete bike kits, or get a complete bike under a grand from Fisher. The choices are starting to proliferate, so if you've ever had a hankerin' to check out the larger wheeled format, now's a good time!

Why Children Quit Riding Bikes

The frame sticker reads, "Super Lite", "1020", "Taper Wall Main Tubes". So, I guess they aren't solid! They sure felt that way!
Guitar Ted Productions

We got this childrens 20" wheeled bike in the shop for a flat rear tire repair. When I went to put it in the repair stand, I about threw out my back! This thing was solid! (Not in the funky, good way, either) I had to weigh it! Yeeeeeaaaah! Riiiiggghhht! 30 and a third el-bees! You've got to be kidding me. A kids bike that weighs thirty plus! No wonder they give up on bikes at an early age. Think about it. If you are a kid, and your bike is this heavy, then how heavy is an adult bike going to be? (I'm using kid logic here, so bear with me) And something else that would bother me is how often the thing breaks! I mean, here I am, ready to head over to my friends house to hit the X-BOX, and my tire is flat, my chain threw off, and the front wheel wiggles worse than it did when Dad brought it home from Mall-Wart. Man! This bike sucks! I can't wait to get one of those tuner cars! Or a H2 with spinners! That'd be sooo pimp! Soooo tight!

I'm beggining to think that the oil companies have to be behind this somehow! How else can you explain this! The bikes would make me hate any form of two wheeled travel! Then there is the question of how? Like, how can this bike be that heavy? Is it made from some secret material that the government of China is using to infect our wee ones with a genetically altered disease that causes the kids to grow up corpulent, lazy, and complacent? If it is that, then it's working!

All I know is that my back hurts! I'm going to have to look for one of those lumbar belts if this keeps up!

Why Children Quit Riding Bikes

The frame sticker reads, "Super Lite", "1020", "Taper Wall Main Tubes". So, I guess they aren't solid! They sure felt that way!
Guitar Ted Productions

We got this childrens 20" wheeled bike in the shop for a flat rear tire repair. When I went to put it in the repair stand, I about threw out my back! This thing was solid! (Not in the funky, good way, either) I had to weigh it! Yeeeeeaaaah! Riiiiggghhht! 30 and a third el-bees! You've got to be kidding me. A kids bike that weighs thirty plus! No wonder they give up on bikes at an early age. Think about it. If you are a kid, and your bike is this heavy, then how heavy is an adult bike going to be? (I'm using kid logic here, so bear with me) And something else that would bother me is how often the thing breaks! I mean, here I am, ready to head over to my friends house to hit the X-BOX, and my tire is flat, my chain threw off, and the front wheel wiggles worse than it did when Dad brought it home from Mall-Wart. Man! This bike sucks! I can't wait to get one of those tuner cars! Or a H2 with spinners! That'd be sooo pimp! Soooo tight!

I'm beggining to think that the oil companies have to be behind this somehow! How else can you explain this! The bikes would make me hate any form of two wheeled travel! Then there is the question of how? Like, how can this bike be that heavy? Is it made from some secret material that the government of China is using to infect our wee ones with a genetically altered disease that causes the kids to grow up corpulent, lazy, and complacent? If it is that, then it's working!

All I know is that my back hurts! I'm going to have to look for one of those lumbar belts if this keeps up!

This bike weighs more than most adult bikes! How do they do it?
Guitar Ted Productions

This bike weighs more than most adult bikes! How do they do it?
Guitar Ted Productions

Trek Fuel EX 7 Hits Europa!

Well, here it is. "Part time employee" Ron Saul's new Trek EX-7.
Check out Mr. 24, as he assembles it with love!



The bike comes out of the box almost assembled, but we do several checks, and test ride the bike before the customer
gets thier hands on it.





Jeff made several adjustments to the bike's suspension, based
on the customers, ahem!.....measurements!








We were pretty impressed with the parts spec, and the minimal test rides we got. This bike seems pretty dialed in for what it's intended use is. That is, long, epic trail riding and endurance events. While it's not XC light, it's pretty stout, and I thought it pedaled way lighter than it was. Of course, that might all change if things got more vertical. However; the tires seemed pretty grippy, so as long as you can turn over the cranks, this thing should haul up a climb pretty well. I thought the suspension felt a little more "bike like" than the Cannondale Rush I rode a week or so ago. That bike felt a little more dissconnected to the ground than the Trek. Both are great bikes. The Cannondale had a great parts spec, and the Trek was less money, but still pretty good. In fact, you could buy 1.5 Trek Fuel EX-7's for the price of the Rush we saw. (Not sure if you can buy half a bike!) To be fair, Cannondale has less spendy Rush bikes. ( sorta like a cheap high!)

Well, I don't expect Mr. Saul to be hangin' around the shop much for awhile! That's for sure! Enjoy your new ride!


Check out the coversation going on concerning this morning's earlier post on the Trek "69er".
The veiwpoints vary, and it's interesting to see that the concept is not immediately understood. It's another reason that Trek may want to reconsider issuing this bike to the public. (And they thought that Fishers 29"ers were hard to sell!)

The "Big Announcement": Well, to one young fella, anyway! I decided that the bike I loaned out to Jimmy this weekend for the race at Ingawanis fit him so well, that he had to have it! I made him a rediculus offer to take it off my hands, more so that he would feel some ownership in it. I suspect he is still in shock over the whole thing, but he really seemed to enjoy the rides he got in on it, so what the heck! I wish him miles of smiles, and I am glad to see someone getting some use out of that sled. Go Jimmy!

So, here's to two new mountain bikers out on the loose! Ron and Jimmy will be tearin' up the local trails soon, so look out for them and say hi!

Trek Fuel EX 7 Hits Europa!

Well, here it is. "Part time employee" Ron Saul's new Trek EX-7.
Check out Mr. 24, as he assembles it with love!



The bike comes out of the box almost assembled, but we do several checks, and test ride the bike before the customer
gets thier hands on it.





Jeff made several adjustments to the bike's suspension, based
on the customers, ahem!.....measurements!








We were pretty impressed with the parts spec, and the minimal test rides we got. This bike seems pretty dialed in for what it's intended use is. That is, long, epic trail riding and endurance events. While it's not XC light, it's pretty stout, and I thought it pedaled way lighter than it was. Of course, that might all change if things got more vertical. However; the tires seemed pretty grippy, so as long as you can turn over the cranks, this thing should haul up a climb pretty well. I thought the suspension felt a little more "bike like" than the Cannondale Rush I rode a week or so ago. That bike felt a little more dissconnected to the ground than the Trek. Both are great bikes. The Cannondale had a great parts spec, and the Trek was less money, but still pretty good. In fact, you could buy 1.5 Trek Fuel EX-7's for the price of the Rush we saw. (Not sure if you can buy half a bike!) To be fair, Cannondale has less spendy Rush bikes. ( sorta like a cheap high!)

Well, I don't expect Mr. Saul to be hangin' around the shop much for awhile! That's for sure! Enjoy your new ride!


Check out the coversation going on concerning this morning's earlier post on the Trek "69er".
The veiwpoints vary, and it's interesting to see that the concept is not immediately understood. It's another reason that Trek may want to reconsider issuing this bike to the public. (And they thought that Fishers 29"ers were hard to sell!)

The "Big Announcement": Well, to one young fella, anyway! I decided that the bike I loaned out to Jimmy this weekend for the race at Ingawanis fit him so well, that he had to have it! I made him a rediculus offer to take it off my hands, more so that he would feel some ownership in it. I suspect he is still in shock over the whole thing, but he really seemed to enjoy the rides he got in on it, so what the heck! I wish him miles of smiles, and I am glad to see someone getting some use out of that sled. Go Jimmy!

So, here's to two new mountain bikers out on the loose! Ron and Jimmy will be tearin' up the local trails soon, so look out for them and say hi!