Friday News And Views

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Goodbye....

Leaving Vegas and by the time you read this, I'll likely be home. The "red eye" flight from Sin City. A beautiful thing.

So, how was it? The show did well, I think. Booth vendors were pleased as of Thursday with the traffic and business opportunities. Thursday may have been a bit off of Wednesday, but I thought attendance was on par with last year, if not above that a bit. Good for business.

Bad for "Bike Porn": The show did lack that distinct "wow" product, or trend. There was no, "Did you see that _______in _____'s booth?" going on at all this year. No "buzz" that I detected. Lots of questions about 27.5"ers, and what I felt about that. It seems manufacturers are even hedging their bets on that wheel size, what with the ones having them still carrying 26 and 29 inch wheeled offerings. No one is willing to bet the house on the middling wheels just yet, or so it would seem.

Bummer Doode! We had a technical difficulty of a first order magnitude Thursday when we awoke to a broken website. Gah! That ate up half of the day, and made for some frayed nerves for a bit. However; we got back up, albeit with some lost work, which I now get a "do-over" on. Let's see if I can do better with a second chance!

So Friends, We Meet Again! Ergon invited me to a semi-private wine tasting Thursday afternoon. German Pinot Noir. Nice. Well, anyway.....I saw Jeff, and then Ernesto walked up, Dave was there again, and suddenly here comes Eddie. All were there last year at the same spot, same time, 365 days later. Weird.

Of course, there were others. Let's not forget Sonya, and new people too, like Karen, who was charming. (Nice to finally meet you!) Such a strange thing to see so many great folks only once a year. But......at least I get to see them once a year, right? Thanks Ergon, and everyone I saw at Interbike. Good times, ya'all.

3GR:  Well, after all this non-sense, I am taking a bike ride, I suppose. Want to come? You know the drill if you know what 3GR is. See ya there......

Have a great weekend everyone. Ride those bicycles!

Friday News And Views

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Goodbye....

Leaving Vegas and by the time you read this, I'll likely be home. The "red eye" flight from Sin City. A beautiful thing.

So, how was it? The show did well, I think. Booth vendors were pleased as of Thursday with the traffic and business opportunities. Thursday may have been a bit off of Wednesday, but I thought attendance was on par with last year, if not above that a bit. Good for business.

Bad for "Bike Porn": The show did lack that distinct "wow" product, or trend. There was no, "Did you see that _______in _____'s booth?" going on at all this year. No "buzz" that I detected. Lots of questions about 27.5"ers, and what I felt about that. It seems manufacturers are even hedging their bets on that wheel size, what with the ones having them still carrying 26 and 29 inch wheeled offerings. No one is willing to bet the house on the middling wheels just yet, or so it would seem.

Bummer Doode! We had a technical difficulty of a first order magnitude Thursday when we awoke to a broken website. Gah! That ate up half of the day, and made for some frayed nerves for a bit. However; we got back up, albeit with some lost work, which I now get a "do-over" on. Let's see if I can do better with a second chance!

So Friends, We Meet Again! Ergon invited me to a semi-private wine tasting Thursday afternoon. German Pinot Noir. Nice. Well, anyway.....I saw Jeff, and then Ernesto walked up, Dave was there again, and suddenly here comes Eddie. All were there last year at the same spot, same time, 365 days later. Weird.

Of course, there were others. Let's not forget Sonya, and new people too, like Karen, who was charming. (Nice to finally meet you!) Such a strange thing to see so many great folks only once a year. But......at least I get to see them once a year, right? Thanks Ergon, and everyone I saw at Interbike. Good times, ya'all.

3GR:  Well, after all this non-sense, I am taking a bike ride, I suppose. Want to come? You know the drill if you know what 3GR is. See ya there......

Have a great weekend everyone. Ride those bicycles!

The Resounding Thud?

Or: "What Happens When You Are 64 Stories High In Vegas".

The Empire Suite at Trump Tower

 I wasn't sure about this deal. I mean, it was in one of the fancier hotels in Vegas, and a lot of these events and shindigs have dress codes, which, you know......I don't really go in for. I still have trouble with zip codes, much less a dress code.

But I was not to worry, Grannygear said. No dress code. Okay, cool! I threw on some Twin Six gear and we went on over to Trump Tower. The place was high zoot for sure, and we scooted by the security peoples eyes and were directed to the decidedly wooden elevators to go up to the 64th floor!

I'm kind of wondering how long this might take, because, you know......I've ridden in vators before, and they are kinda slow. However; I hadn't accounted for the "high performance" elevator I had just stepped into. Yeah, I about had my legs buckle underneath me when the thing took off. Next thing ya know, my ears are feeling a distinct air pressure change. The altitude was rapidly increasing here, and then the vator slowed, which hit my legs again with some G force. Ding! A soft, female voice announced "Sixty.....fourth floor."

We stepped out and followed the signage to the "Empire Suite". My, my, my......definitely a room with a view!

Bright lights-Big City

 The large window, which took up most of the western wall in the room, overlooked the twinkling lights of Vegas. It appeared as though I was looking from an airplane's viewpoint. Weird.

The shindig was about BMC Bikes vision for becoming a major player in the U.S./North American market. The CEO spoke, and he was actually quite good to hear. He spoke of humble farm beginnings in Switzerland to becoming a bike maniac, to becoming an executive in charge of a growing bicycle group. Yeah....a Swiss dream come true.  We used to have those in America too....

Anyway, there was Swiss cheeses, fine  hors d'oeuvres, wine, and plenty of chit-chat. One of the topics put to a Swiss engineer for BMC was whether the 27.5"er wheel size was going to be considered in BMC's future mountain bike line up. He responded with something along the lines of "..we've already tested it, and it makes so little difference from 26 inch that we decided it wasn't worth pursuing." (Note- not an exact quote, but the meaning was the same.)

Huh......wouldn't have guessed by what some are saying out there. But what if? A resounding thud? Might be, or maybe it's the "new shiny object" that some companies need to perk up sales? We'll see.

The Fall Of Rome Is Nigh...

 Then we had the indoor portion of Interbike kick off today. Usually, there is the excitement of new releases, or some new product innovation to get excited about. A lot of "Did you see....?", but not so much this time.

In fact, I would submit everybody was a bit taken aback by the lack of excitement in the air at the show. at least of those I polled. Oh sure- there was some traffic, and folks getting re-connected, or  introduced for the first time, but as for products?

It was more like a "(yawn), Seen that already..." Makes one wonder if folks like myself are even needed anymore at this "show". Maybe I am not, or maybe I am. Don't really know, but it was a very odd experience this year.

Perhaps I have a more "romantic" vision of Interbike, as it was once, when you were waiting with baited breath for the news of what was going to be new for the coming year. But with all these dealer shows, Eurobike, and press camps before Interbike, there really isn't much to "show and tell" these days that ya'all haven't had crammed down yer eyeballs up to this point anyway.

Hmm......so another resounding thud? Maybe. I gotta say that for people connecting, it's been much better though, and maybe on the business side, it has helped as well. I'll have to see about that later. For now, there's one more day in this town, then I'm outta here!

The Resounding Thud?

Or: "What Happens When You Are 64 Stories High In Vegas".

The Empire Suite at Trump Tower

 I wasn't sure about this deal. I mean, it was in one of the fancier hotels in Vegas, and a lot of these events and shindigs have dress codes, which, you know......I don't really go in for. I still have trouble with zip codes, much less a dress code.

But I was not to worry, Grannygear said. No dress code. Okay, cool! I threw on some Twin Six gear and we went on over to Trump Tower. The place was high zoot for sure, and we scooted by the security peoples eyes and were directed to the decidedly wooden elevators to go up to the 64th floor!

I'm kind of wondering how long this might take, because, you know......I've ridden in vators before, and they are kinda slow. However; I hadn't accounted for the "high performance" elevator I had just stepped into. Yeah, I about had my legs buckle underneath me when the thing took off. Next thing ya know, my ears are feeling a distinct air pressure change. The altitude was rapidly increasing here, and then the vator slowed, which hit my legs again with some G force. Ding! A soft, female voice announced "Sixty.....fourth floor."

We stepped out and followed the signage to the "Empire Suite". My, my, my......definitely a room with a view!

Bright lights-Big City

 The large window, which took up most of the western wall in the room, overlooked the twinkling lights of Vegas. It appeared as though I was looking from an airplane's viewpoint. Weird.

The shindig was about BMC Bikes vision for becoming a major player in the U.S./North American market. The CEO spoke, and he was actually quite good to hear. He spoke of humble farm beginnings in Switzerland to becoming a bike maniac, to becoming an executive in charge of a growing bicycle group. Yeah....a Swiss dream come true.  We used to have those in America too....

Anyway, there was Swiss cheeses, fine  hors d'oeuvres, wine, and plenty of chit-chat. One of the topics put to a Swiss engineer for BMC was whether the 27.5"er wheel size was going to be considered in BMC's future mountain bike line up. He responded with something along the lines of "..we've already tested it, and it makes so little difference from 26 inch that we decided it wasn't worth pursuing." (Note- not an exact quote, but the meaning was the same.)

Huh......wouldn't have guessed by what some are saying out there. But what if? A resounding thud? Might be, or maybe it's the "new shiny object" that some companies need to perk up sales? We'll see.

The Fall Of Rome Is Nigh...

 Then we had the indoor portion of Interbike kick off today. Usually, there is the excitement of new releases, or some new product innovation to get excited about. A lot of "Did you see....?", but not so much this time.

In fact, I would submit everybody was a bit taken aback by the lack of excitement in the air at the show. at least of those I polled. Oh sure- there was some traffic, and folks getting re-connected, or  introduced for the first time, but as for products?

It was more like a "(yawn), Seen that already..." Makes one wonder if folks like myself are even needed anymore at this "show". Maybe I am not, or maybe I am. Don't really know, but it was a very odd experience this year.

Perhaps I have a more "romantic" vision of Interbike, as it was once, when you were waiting with baited breath for the news of what was going to be new for the coming year. But with all these dealer shows, Eurobike, and press camps before Interbike, there really isn't much to "show and tell" these days that ya'all haven't had crammed down yer eyeballs up to this point anyway.

Hmm......so another resounding thud? Maybe. I gotta say that for people connecting, it's been much better though, and maybe on the business side, it has helped as well. I'll have to see about that later. For now, there's one more day in this town, then I'm outta here!

The Two Sides Of Vegas

Sparse crowd this year

If you are a regular reader here, around this time of year, anyway, you know what I think about Vegas. (Hint- not much!) That has to do with where I go when I am here, for the most part, which is right around the Sands Convention Center, obviously, since that is where Interbike has been held of late.

But there is more to Vegas than The Strip. The last few years here I have gotten over to the Northeast and Eastern sides of the city, far from The Strip. Things are more "normal" over there.

You get the feeling there are more good things over there than over here on The Strip. More "realness" to life. Less "circus freak" stuff. And maybe there isn't anything wrong with that for you, but the whole vibe of The Strip isn't about being real, I think we can all agree on that, and I for one think it wears thin. Fast. So, all of Vegas isn't a soul sucking pig on crack in a constantly noisy, never dark part of town.  No, just that one part of the city is.

________________________________________________________________________

Vee Rubber Speedster 3.5"er

 Okay, nuff of that nonsense. On to some more fun here. This tire I saw was interesting. A tire claimed at 3.5 inches on the hot patch. Looked like it might come in narrower, but hey....it wasn't mounted. Anyway, it may be a great choice for those looking for summer rubber for their fat bikes. No details for ya here. I didn't talk to the guys since they were busy at time.

Many folks are looking for smaller sized stuff for their fat bikes, but I am not seeing it out there.....yet. This was the only thing I saw that may be coming out.

I did see what a Marge Lite rim does for a Kenda Slant Six tire, and honestly, it's pretty impressive. I can see why tire manufacturers aren't in a big hurry to satify this very niche "need" for closer to 3" wide tires for fat bikes.

The Marge Lite thing also dials up my idea for the Big Dummy once again. Man.....too many bikes, too little time!

_____________________________________________________________________________

45NRTH Dillinger studded fat bike tire

I got a first hand look at the Dillinger, a new fat bike tire from 45NRTH. It seems to be a flattish crowned tire, so those miniature studs should get a great grip on ice and frozen snow. The widely spaced knobs should also prove to be good at clearing snow and mud. I liked the way it looks. I think it'll do well, as long as those studs don't come flipping out right away.

In fact, these may be the first tires with studs I'll like since the old IRC Blizzards I used to use. Those were okay, but every studded tire I've tried since was no good. Hopefully I can say differently with these.

Finally, there was one thing I saw and rode I might want to get for myself because it does two things really well. #1- This thing rolls over and smooths out stuff like crazy. #2- Because of #1, I think this product will be a great bikepacking rig, and stuff like normal single tracking will be FUN like crazy.

What is "it"? The Krampus, that is what it is. Big, fun, and bass boat green sparkly goodness.

There is some other stuff, but that will be spoken of later.

The Two Sides Of Vegas

Sparse crowd this year

If you are a regular reader here, around this time of year, anyway, you know what I think about Vegas. (Hint- not much!) That has to do with where I go when I am here, for the most part, which is right around the Sands Convention Center, obviously, since that is where Interbike has been held of late.

But there is more to Vegas than The Strip. The last few years here I have gotten over to the Northeast and Eastern sides of the city, far from The Strip. Things are more "normal" over there.

You get the feeling there are more good things over there than over here on The Strip. More "realness" to life. Less "circus freak" stuff. And maybe there isn't anything wrong with that for you, but the whole vibe of The Strip isn't about being real, I think we can all agree on that, and I for one think it wears thin. Fast. So, all of Vegas isn't a soul sucking pig on crack in a constantly noisy, never dark part of town.  No, just that one part of the city is.

________________________________________________________________________

Vee Rubber Speedster 3.5"er

 Okay, nuff of that nonsense. On to some more fun here. This tire I saw was interesting. A tire claimed at 3.5 inches on the hot patch. Looked like it might come in narrower, but hey....it wasn't mounted. Anyway, it may be a great choice for those looking for summer rubber for their fat bikes. No details for ya here. I didn't talk to the guys since they were busy at time.

Many folks are looking for smaller sized stuff for their fat bikes, but I am not seeing it out there.....yet. This was the only thing I saw that may be coming out.

I did see what a Marge Lite rim does for a Kenda Slant Six tire, and honestly, it's pretty impressive. I can see why tire manufacturers aren't in a big hurry to satify this very niche "need" for closer to 3" wide tires for fat bikes.

The Marge Lite thing also dials up my idea for the Big Dummy once again. Man.....too many bikes, too little time!

_____________________________________________________________________________

45NRTH Dillinger studded fat bike tire

I got a first hand look at the Dillinger, a new fat bike tire from 45NRTH. It seems to be a flattish crowned tire, so those miniature studs should get a great grip on ice and frozen snow. The widely spaced knobs should also prove to be good at clearing snow and mud. I liked the way it looks. I think it'll do well, as long as those studs don't come flipping out right away.

In fact, these may be the first tires with studs I'll like since the old IRC Blizzards I used to use. Those were okay, but every studded tire I've tried since was no good. Hopefully I can say differently with these.

Finally, there was one thing I saw and rode I might want to get for myself because it does two things really well. #1- This thing rolls over and smooths out stuff like crazy. #2- Because of #1, I think this product will be a great bikepacking rig, and stuff like normal single tracking will be FUN like crazy.

What is "it"? The Krampus, that is what it is. Big, fun, and bass boat green sparkly goodness.

There is some other stuff, but that will be spoken of later.

Trans Iowa Radio

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Trans Iowa Radio

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Trans Iowa Radio

powered by Hipcast.com

Trans Iowa Radio

powered by Hipcast.com

Gone For Awhile....

Brilliant morning....

Saturday morning dawned bright and somewhat hazy. You know....that golden/silverish haze that comes with early Fall mornings?  You don't? You should get up on a clear Fall morning and go check that out sometime then.

3GR was happening again, and once more I thought I would be on my own. No one met me at the Gateway Park parking lot. I resigned myself to another solo ride when after about a mile, I ran into Mike coming back the other way to hook up with me.

So it was that we chatted and rode away the morning. A very pleasant, warm Fall morning. We remarked on how much corn had already been harvested. The recent rains have made the roads nearly dust free, and the roads super smooth. The Clement USH tires were run at a slightly lower, tubeless setting, and were dreamy smooth. The ride went off without a hitch.

Of course, the traditional, (by now), Cup of Joe's stop happened. Finally, I took my leave of Mike and made my way back home. I had a quick grilled cheese sandwich, and in the time it took to make it and eat it, the rear tire on the Orange Crush was flat!

I investigated, and I found a small-ish slit in the side wall, right on the hot patch. I tried to get it to seal up, took it off the bicycle and tried the usual things, but to no avail.....so far.  I'll have to wait until after Interbike to deal with that now. Kinda disappointing, really.

Oh well, I'll be gone for awhile now, so what are ya gonna do......

Gone For Awhile....

Brilliant morning....

Saturday morning dawned bright and somewhat hazy. You know....that golden/silverish haze that comes with early Fall mornings?  You don't? You should get up on a clear Fall morning and go check that out sometime then.

3GR was happening again, and once more I thought I would be on my own. No one met me at the Gateway Park parking lot. I resigned myself to another solo ride when after about a mile, I ran into Mike coming back the other way to hook up with me.

So it was that we chatted and rode away the morning. A very pleasant, warm Fall morning. We remarked on how much corn had already been harvested. The recent rains have made the roads nearly dust free, and the roads super smooth. The Clement USH tires were run at a slightly lower, tubeless setting, and were dreamy smooth. The ride went off without a hitch.

Of course, the traditional, (by now), Cup of Joe's stop happened. Finally, I took my leave of Mike and made my way back home. I had a quick grilled cheese sandwich, and in the time it took to make it and eat it, the rear tire on the Orange Crush was flat!

I investigated, and I found a small-ish slit in the side wall, right on the hot patch. I tried to get it to seal up, took it off the bicycle and tried the usual things, but to no avail.....so far.  I'll have to wait until after Interbike to deal with that now. Kinda disappointing, really.

Oh well, I'll be gone for awhile now, so what are ya gonna do......

Just One More Before I Go...

Fat bike single trackin'

It was the last day I had to work before being off for a week for Interbike. In fact, it was the last day of my tenth year of wrenching at the shop.

Yep! It was just ten years ago that I left a good paying, 60 hour a week job wrenching on cars to wrench on the noble bicycle once again. I had been a mechanic for three years prior to that at my first shop job, but sandwiched in between was a five and a half year stint working on automobiles.

And now, I leave for Interbike, which will mark the beginning of a new year of wrenching on bicycles at the same place. Lots has changed since I first started where I am now.

But enough about my past. This day I took off a bit early and went out on "the long way home" route which includes some nice single track. The Snow Dog was doing great, and I even found some deep sandy stretches which the Snow Dog just laughed at. Other mountain bikes surely would have been washing out and dumping their riders, but not the Snow Dog. Not with Big Fat Larry's on Rolling Darryl's. Nope.

It was great to get in a short, but sweet ride. I get the 3GR gravel ride today, then two days of dusty desert riding out West, but afterward is a stretch of three days off the bike, which will seem like forever to me. Can't wait to get by all of that and get back to riding regularly again soon.

Just One More Before I Go...

Fat bike single trackin'

It was the last day I had to work before being off for a week for Interbike. In fact, it was the last day of my tenth year of wrenching at the shop.

Yep! It was just ten years ago that I left a good paying, 60 hour a week job wrenching on cars to wrench on the noble bicycle once again. I had been a mechanic for three years prior to that at my first shop job, but sandwiched in between was a five and a half year stint working on automobiles.

And now, I leave for Interbike, which will mark the beginning of a new year of wrenching on bicycles at the same place. Lots has changed since I first started where I am now.

But enough about my past. This day I took off a bit early and went out on "the long way home" route which includes some nice single track. The Snow Dog was doing great, and I even found some deep sandy stretches which the Snow Dog just laughed at. Other mountain bikes surely would have been washing out and dumping their riders, but not the Snow Dog. Not with Big Fat Larry's on Rolling Darryl's. Nope.

It was great to get in a short, but sweet ride. I get the 3GR gravel ride today, then two days of dusty desert riding out West, but afterward is a stretch of three days off the bike, which will seem like forever to me. Can't wait to get by all of that and get back to riding regularly again soon.

Friday News And Views

The "Tweeners" are coming!

Interbike 2012:

As I posted a couple of days ago, Interbike is on the radar here and I leave On Sunday to attend the yearly shindig held in Las Vegas: (pronounced- "lawst-way-jez": N. The city that sucks money, souls, and character like a Hoover.)

The "big" news will be 27.5"er mountain bike stuff, carbon fiber, electric bicycles, carbon fiber, road bikes with disc brakes, carbon fiber, and carbon fiber wheels, components, frames, and carbon fiber.

Get the picture?

So, yeah........I don't expect to see anything "mind blowing", but you just never know. There could be a through axle rear, front suspended fat bike, with or without rear suspension, at the show. Maybe. That would blow my mind a wee little bit. But other than that, you know, it probably won't be a show that gets described by the term "innovation". More like"tweakage", is what it probably will be. I could be wrong though.....stay tuned. 

Trek "Earl" fixie

Salsa Cycles Beargrease

How Fat Is "Fat"?

I saw something that struck me in a funny way today, so I thought I would share this observation.

The single gear, stripped down Earl, (left, in orange), weighs 26.7lbs. The Beargrease, on the right, with 20 speeds, and is definitely not stripped down, weighs 28.5lbs.

For a bit of levity here, keep in mind that most average hybrid bikes weigh more than either one of these two bikes, and also that the Beargrease costs a lot more than the Earl. But I was struck by how far fat bikes have come, and I think it could even get better. Not a lot better/lighter, but a Beargrease modded to what that Earl weighs stock? I think it is entirely possible.

Again, the fat bike costs way, way more than an Earl, but judging by the looks, I think the actual weights are astounding in comparison. Well, you decide......do these wheels make me look fat, Honey?

 Trans Iowa News Update: 

Okay, I have been toying with a couple of things and I am going to throw this out there for anyone that cares to comment on it....

Registration: The thought right now is to move registration forward a bit more than last year. I am thinking very early in November right now. Don't do anything just yet! I'll make a formal announcement after Interbike, but let me know any thoughts on that, if you care....

Field Limit: For reasons I am not ready to 'splain just now, I may be increasing the field limit a hair. As of now, that figure may be 115, or as high as 125 people. My thinking is that I can handle about 75-85 actual racers in the event, and as anyone knows that follows this, the roster never stays maxed and actually shrinks down come event day to much lower levels. (Last year we had 67 of a possible 100) So,  you may see a bit of my thinking there. Let me know what you think if you care to.

3GR: 

Yes- despite my imminent departure to western lands, I am going out on a gravel ride Saturday morning starting at the usual spot, (Gateway Park), at 8:30am. It's supposed to be sunny and quite pleasant, so come on and ride some gravel.

Next Week: Being gone at Interbike means sparse posts here normally. I may opt to Audio-blog instead, which will be easier for me, but there won't be pictures! The headings will all show up as "Trans Iowa Radio" here if I do that, so you've been forewarned!

Have a great weekend, and go ride yer bicycles!

Friday News And Views

The "Tweeners" are coming!

Interbike 2012:

As I posted a couple of days ago, Interbike is on the radar here and I leave On Sunday to attend the yearly shindig held in Las Vegas: (pronounced- "lawst-way-jez": N. The city that sucks money, souls, and character like a Hoover.)

The "big" news will be 27.5"er mountain bike stuff, carbon fiber, electric bicycles, carbon fiber, road bikes with disc brakes, carbon fiber, and carbon fiber wheels, components, frames, and carbon fiber.

Get the picture?

So, yeah........I don't expect to see anything "mind blowing", but you just never know. There could be a through axle rear, front suspended fat bike, with or without rear suspension, at the show. Maybe. That would blow my mind a wee little bit. But other than that, you know, it probably won't be a show that gets described by the term "innovation". More like"tweakage", is what it probably will be. I could be wrong though.....stay tuned. 

Trek "Earl" fixie

Salsa Cycles Beargrease

How Fat Is "Fat"?

I saw something that struck me in a funny way today, so I thought I would share this observation.

The single gear, stripped down Earl, (left, in orange), weighs 26.7lbs. The Beargrease, on the right, with 20 speeds, and is definitely not stripped down, weighs 28.5lbs.

For a bit of levity here, keep in mind that most average hybrid bikes weigh more than either one of these two bikes, and also that the Beargrease costs a lot more than the Earl. But I was struck by how far fat bikes have come, and I think it could even get better. Not a lot better/lighter, but a Beargrease modded to what that Earl weighs stock? I think it is entirely possible.

Again, the fat bike costs way, way more than an Earl, but judging by the looks, I think the actual weights are astounding in comparison. Well, you decide......do these wheels make me look fat, Honey?

 Trans Iowa News Update: 

Okay, I have been toying with a couple of things and I am going to throw this out there for anyone that cares to comment on it....

Registration: The thought right now is to move registration forward a bit more than last year. I am thinking very early in November right now. Don't do anything just yet! I'll make a formal announcement after Interbike, but let me know any thoughts on that, if you care....

Field Limit: For reasons I am not ready to 'splain just now, I may be increasing the field limit a hair. As of now, that figure may be 115, or as high as 125 people. My thinking is that I can handle about 75-85 actual racers in the event, and as anyone knows that follows this, the roster never stays maxed and actually shrinks down come event day to much lower levels. (Last year we had 67 of a possible 100) So,  you may see a bit of my thinking there. Let me know what you think if you care to.

3GR: 

Yes- despite my imminent departure to western lands, I am going out on a gravel ride Saturday morning starting at the usual spot, (Gateway Park), at 8:30am. It's supposed to be sunny and quite pleasant, so come on and ride some gravel.

Next Week: Being gone at Interbike means sparse posts here normally. I may opt to Audio-blog instead, which will be easier for me, but there won't be pictures! The headings will all show up as "Trans Iowa Radio" here if I do that, so you've been forewarned!

Have a great weekend, and go ride yer bicycles!

Making Plans To Go: Part V

More updates on the S24O situation today....

Stove Mod V3

Yesterday, after getting a couple of bikes shipped off, I had some time to start getting ready for Interbike. Well, in that process I stumbled into my long lost stainless steel cook set I'd been wondering about of late. The set was originally purchased to go on a self supported tour to New Orleans that never materialized in 1996.

This cook set was still in its box that I got it in and I knew I had it, but where? Well, the point is, I found it finally. It isn't light, it isn't cutting edge, but I own it. So I got it out and discovered that I would need to make some plan for a new pot stand addition to the current stove/pot stand that I posted about recently here.

Well, an idea came  upon me and I got busy modifying my original stainless steel spoke design to hold my pot above the bean can pot stand so the fire wouldn't go out when I set the pot on the stove.

Well, with some deft bending action and a test fitting, I was ready for a quick test firing of the set up outside. Fueled up the stove, lit it, slammed the penny over the fueling hole, set the pot on, and.......waited. 

This was about the same amount of water I used before, maybe a tad more. With no lid on the pot, it didn't get to the roiling boil I had before, but it did boil the water. It was very breezy out, and the stove stayed lit, the water got hot, and nothing tipped  over or went awry with this test. Okay- good. Now about some other fine details.

Sweet! It all fits.

Details like the pot, which if grabbed by the handle like to dump its contents out. It took a very deft hand to not spill my boiling hot water when I took it off. I think I will pack a pair of bent nosed Vice Grips, just because, when I finally go on this trip .

Then I had to figure out how to pack this hybrid set up. Fortunately, it all fits into the original format for the cook set, minus the cook set's plastic drinking cup and fork, knife, and spoon. That's cool. I'll figure out my own cup, and the utensils can go elsewhere. Besides, I have to use my titanium Salsa Cycles spork, right? 

Now this gets my cooking situation dialed pretty well. Next is to pack that on the bike, along with whatever else I think I may need for a S24O, and pick a date and actually go do this now. It's been over a month in the making since I purposed to get going on this project, so to finally get to a place where I feel comfortable about actually trying this is good.

Of course, Interbike will eat up an entire two weeks of my time here soon what with going there, coming back, and clearing up the aftermath. So this S24O won't happen for a bit. Having made this detail a check on the list is big progress for me though, so I am happy about that part.

Making Plans To Go: Part V

More updates on the S24O situation today....

Stove Mod V3

Yesterday, after getting a couple of bikes shipped off, I had some time to start getting ready for Interbike. Well, in that process I stumbled into my long lost stainless steel cook set I'd been wondering about of late. The set was originally purchased to go on a self supported tour to New Orleans that never materialized in 1996.

This cook set was still in its box that I got it in and I knew I had it, but where? Well, the point is, I found it finally. It isn't light, it isn't cutting edge, but I own it. So I got it out and discovered that I would need to make some plan for a new pot stand addition to the current stove/pot stand that I posted about recently here.

Well, an idea came  upon me and I got busy modifying my original stainless steel spoke design to hold my pot above the bean can pot stand so the fire wouldn't go out when I set the pot on the stove.

Well, with some deft bending action and a test fitting, I was ready for a quick test firing of the set up outside. Fueled up the stove, lit it, slammed the penny over the fueling hole, set the pot on, and.......waited. 

This was about the same amount of water I used before, maybe a tad more. With no lid on the pot, it didn't get to the roiling boil I had before, but it did boil the water. It was very breezy out, and the stove stayed lit, the water got hot, and nothing tipped  over or went awry with this test. Okay- good. Now about some other fine details.

Sweet! It all fits.

Details like the pot, which if grabbed by the handle like to dump its contents out. It took a very deft hand to not spill my boiling hot water when I took it off. I think I will pack a pair of bent nosed Vice Grips, just because, when I finally go on this trip .

Then I had to figure out how to pack this hybrid set up. Fortunately, it all fits into the original format for the cook set, minus the cook set's plastic drinking cup and fork, knife, and spoon. That's cool. I'll figure out my own cup, and the utensils can go elsewhere. Besides, I have to use my titanium Salsa Cycles spork, right? 

Now this gets my cooking situation dialed pretty well. Next is to pack that on the bike, along with whatever else I think I may need for a S24O, and pick a date and actually go do this now. It's been over a month in the making since I purposed to get going on this project, so to finally get to a place where I feel comfortable about actually trying this is good.

Of course, Interbike will eat up an entire two weeks of my time here soon what with going there, coming back, and clearing up the aftermath. So this S24O won't happen for a bit. Having made this detail a check on the list is big progress for me though, so I am happy about that part.

It's Interbike Time Again

What "home" will look like next week

Yeah.......it is Interbike time again in the cycling world. Yee-haw! (Or something, something, or another.....)

This is "show season" for the cycling industry. Eurobike already happened, and there wasn't much hoopla with regard to "the latest, greatest thing".  I suspect Interbike will follow suit there.  I have no good leads on anything "spectacular", so if something does prove to be "the shiny new object" I'll be as surprised as anyone.

Here's a brief listing of things having to do with Interbike. First, the "Negative List"

• Las Vegas: I'm sorry if you call this place home, but it is what it is. Soul Sucking, "Love Removal Machine". Nuff said.....
• Outdoor Demo: Dust, heat......did I say it was dusty? 
• Expensive food
• The Strip- It deserves it's own mention.
• Flying: Yep...it's official. I do not like the Flying Germ Tube.

Now for the "Positive List".

• Bicycles: Lots of them too. 
• People: Lots of those as well. Some of them I really miss and see only here.
• Outdoor Demo: I get to ride bikes. See people. Did I say there are lots of bicycles?
• Leaving Las Vegas on Friday's "Red Eye Express". 

So, what else? Living in a hotel room on The Strip for five days, walking endless miles of casino and motel hallways, and smelling smoke indoors. Nine billion wild cab drivers with foreign names, hand bills for.....ah...yeah. Let's not go there. Hmm.....what else? maybe a surprise or two.

Seriously though, the industry really uses this as an excuse to hang out, see each other, and jibba-jabba about this or that. Oh yeah.....there is the hardware. But that's really secondary for industry folks, cause, well....you know- they see this stuff all day, every day. Now maybe they have never met you, or only get to see you once in a year. People. That's what Interbike is really about.

Look for some posts to report on the goings on starting next Monday. 

It's Interbike Time Again

What "home" will look like next week

Yeah.......it is Interbike time again in the cycling world. Yee-haw! (Or something, something, or another.....)

This is "show season" for the cycling industry. Eurobike already happened, and there wasn't much hoopla with regard to "the latest, greatest thing".  I suspect Interbike will follow suit there.  I have no good leads on anything "spectacular", so if something does prove to be "the shiny new object" I'll be as surprised as anyone.

Here's a brief listing of things having to do with Interbike. First, the "Negative List"

• Las Vegas: I'm sorry if you call this place home, but it is what it is. Soul Sucking, "Love Removal Machine". Nuff said.....
• Outdoor Demo: Dust, heat......did I say it was dusty? 
• Expensive food
• The Strip- It deserves it's own mention.
• Flying: Yep...it's official. I do not like the Flying Germ Tube.

Now for the "Positive List".

• Bicycles: Lots of them too. 
• People: Lots of those as well. Some of them I really miss and see only here.
• Outdoor Demo: I get to ride bikes. See people. Did I say there are lots of bicycles?
• Leaving Las Vegas on Friday's "Red Eye Express". 

So, what else? Living in a hotel room on The Strip for five days, walking endless miles of casino and motel hallways, and smelling smoke indoors. Nine billion wild cab drivers with foreign names, hand bills for.....ah...yeah. Let's not go there. Hmm.....what else? maybe a surprise or two.

Seriously though, the industry really uses this as an excuse to hang out, see each other, and jibba-jabba about this or that. Oh yeah.....there is the hardware. But that's really secondary for industry folks, cause, well....you know- they see this stuff all day, every day. Now maybe they have never met you, or only get to see you once in a year. People. That's what Interbike is really about.

Look for some posts to report on the goings on starting next Monday.