Perfect Weekend?

Lookin' good, feelin' good!

Wow! Was that a great weekend or what Midwesterners? I cannot remember a weekend like this in terms of weather in recent memory. Decent temperatures, low humidity, and while it was a tad breezy, it was one of those "red letter" weekends in terms of what usually happens for weather around here.

Saturday was a four hour outing on the bike. I did all of the 3GR route, but I stopped a few times for different reasons. Once to adjust the saddle, once to relieve myself, and another two times for images. Between those stops I hammered maybe a little too hard for the shape I'm in, because I literally destroyed myself out there. I actually came home and after eating, I laid down for about three hours! I was soooo tired. I couldn't stay awake, and my legs were just weak beyond belief after that ride.

I got a late start, and I began the ride in a windbreaker since it was cool-ish to begin with and it was breezy out in the open. However; after getting warmed up I decided to pack up the wind breaker and go in my jersey alone, and that ended up being the right choice. Jersey pockets are a wonderful thing, by the way!

The gravel was quite varied this time. I saw and rode on everything from fast, smooth hard packed gravel to "normal" conditions, to gravel spread across the entire roadway, and even a bit of "freshie" gravel that was 4 inches deep on a fast down hill section right by Denver. That was sketchy at speed!

Go fast-Turn Left.

Speaking of speed, I went and took my son for a bit of a Father-Son time to Iowa Speedway on Sunday. I've been something of a racing fan all my life as I was brought up into the racing scene by my parents who used to drag me around to all the dirt short tracks in Iowa when I was but a wee lad. In fact, my father was a driver for a short time and then worked as a mechanic and pit crew member for another driver for awhile.

Anyway, I escaped being a racer somehow and ended up being a cyclist, but I do enjoy watching racers push the limits of speed, so I've been watching racing for many years. Of course, my son ended up wanting to see one of these deals and my Mom, who knew all this, bought me season tickets. Well.......what are ya gonna do? You go to the races!

I hadn't attended a race since my late teens or early twenties, I cannot remember, but the sounds were very reminiscent of my youth, and the sights were as well, minus the flying dirt clods and sideways cars. It was fun, and of course the modern race day attendee has a lot more to do and see at the track than we did back in the day, which is great for the times the cars aren't on the track. Anyway, I had a great time, so thank you, Mom!

That capped off a great weekend. Hopefully it was awesome where you were at as well!

Perfect Weekend?

Lookin' good, feelin' good!

Wow! Was that a great weekend or what Midwesterners? I cannot remember a weekend like this in terms of weather in recent memory. Decent temperatures, low humidity, and while it was a tad breezy, it was one of those "red letter" weekends in terms of what usually happens for weather around here.

Saturday was a four hour outing on the bike. I did all of the 3GR route, but I stopped a few times for different reasons. Once to adjust the saddle, once to relieve myself, and another two times for images. Between those stops I hammered maybe a little too hard for the shape I'm in, because I literally destroyed myself out there. I actually came home and after eating, I laid down for about three hours! I was soooo tired. I couldn't stay awake, and my legs were just weak beyond belief after that ride.

I got a late start, and I began the ride in a windbreaker since it was cool-ish to begin with and it was breezy out in the open. However; after getting warmed up I decided to pack up the wind breaker and go in my jersey alone, and that ended up being the right choice. Jersey pockets are a wonderful thing, by the way!

The gravel was quite varied this time. I saw and rode on everything from fast, smooth hard packed gravel to "normal" conditions, to gravel spread across the entire roadway, and even a bit of "freshie" gravel that was 4 inches deep on a fast down hill section right by Denver. That was sketchy at speed!

Go fast-Turn Left.

Speaking of speed, I went and took my son for a bit of a Father-Son time to Iowa Speedway on Sunday. I've been something of a racing fan all my life as I was brought up into the racing scene by my parents who used to drag me around to all the dirt short tracks in Iowa when I was but a wee lad. In fact, my father was a driver for a short time and then worked as a mechanic and pit crew member for another driver for awhile.

Anyway, I escaped being a racer somehow and ended up being a cyclist, but I do enjoy watching racers push the limits of speed, so I've been watching racing for many years. Of course, my son ended up wanting to see one of these deals and my Mom, who knew all this, bought me season tickets. Well.......what are ya gonna do? You go to the races!

I hadn't attended a race since my late teens or early twenties, I cannot remember, but the sounds were very reminiscent of my youth, and the sights were as well, minus the flying dirt clods and sideways cars. It was fun, and of course the modern race day attendee has a lot more to do and see at the track than we did back in the day, which is great for the times the cars aren't on the track. Anyway, I had a great time, so thank you, Mom!

That capped off a great weekend. Hopefully it was awesome where you were at as well!

Tire Guts

Component parts of a tire.

The other day I received a small envelope packed with a bunch of funky fibers and strips of rubber from Challenge Tires. They are most of the component parts of a tire, minus the bead material, which would be made of flexible strands of Kevlar and whatever else they throw in there to make a tire bead!

This stuff is the casing materials and tread material. I'll go through what it all is here for you.

• Starting from the upper left, the hairy looking bunch of strands is the fibers used to make a casing strong enough to resist blowing apart under pressure of the air and helps the tire withstand the blows received while riding. Without these nylon threads, your tire would come apart. Think of this stuff as the foundation of the casing. In this case, these are 60TPI threads. 
• Moving clockwise to the amber looking stuff, this is more nylon thread for casing construction. In this instance, they are 120TPI, the maximum thinness for nylon threads for bicycle tire casings. You can really feel the difference when handling these samples too.
• The white stuff is 300TPI core spun cotton. Think "Grandmas best table cloth". This is soft, luxurious feeling stuff. The cotton gives high end tires their super cushy, smooth ride feel. This is put together with the nylon threads to construct a high end tire casing. 
• Next up we have the middle, black, shiny looking material. This is 1 ply "green", (non-vulcanized), material which has the nylon threads in it to reinforce it. This is folded two to three times and vulcanized with a tread. 
• And finally, we have the tread strip which the rest is bonded to via vulcanization.

Obviously there is a lot of things missing here, such as processes and the aforementioned tire bead, but it is interesting to see and handle these component parts of a tire and know that tires are one of the most important parts of a bicycle.

Tire Guts

Component parts of a tire.

The other day I received a small envelope packed with a bunch of funky fibers and strips of rubber from Challenge Tires. They are most of the component parts of a tire, minus the bead material, which would be made of flexible strands of Kevlar and whatever else they throw in there to make a tire bead!

This stuff is the casing materials and tread material. I'll go through what it all is here for you.

• Starting from the upper left, the hairy looking bunch of strands is the fibers used to make a casing strong enough to resist blowing apart under pressure of the air and helps the tire withstand the blows received while riding. Without these nylon threads, your tire would come apart. Think of this stuff as the foundation of the casing. In this case, these are 60TPI threads. 
• Moving clockwise to the amber looking stuff, this is more nylon thread for casing construction. In this instance, they are 120TPI, the maximum thinness for nylon threads for bicycle tire casings. You can really feel the difference when handling these samples too.
• The white stuff is 300TPI core spun cotton. Think "Grandmas best table cloth". This is soft, luxurious feeling stuff. The cotton gives high end tires their super cushy, smooth ride feel. This is put together with the nylon threads to construct a high end tire casing. 
• Next up we have the middle, black, shiny looking material. This is 1 ply "green", (non-vulcanized), material which has the nylon threads in it to reinforce it. This is folded two to three times and vulcanized with a tread. 
• And finally, we have the tread strip which the rest is bonded to via vulcanization.

Obviously there is a lot of things missing here, such as processes and the aforementioned tire bead, but it is interesting to see and handle these component parts of a tire and know that tires are one of the most important parts of a bicycle.

Tamland Updates

Yesterday I made mention of the Ultegra 11 speed chain ring "upgrade" I made to my Tamland Two, (more on that in a minute), but I've got a couple of other tweaks that I've made as well.

First up is the obvious- the Ergon SM-3 saddle. It's white and looks nice on the bike, but the ride is what matters. That will be decided upon later, but this is a saddle I have wanted to try out for awhile. The mtb version is one that agrees with my behind. Hopefully this one should be the same. The seat post was a component I was going to consider swapping out here, and I still may, but for now the groovy little Raleigh branded number on here stays put.

The other components here are the WTB Nano 40's which I am running tubed to get a direct comparison with other tires I have been using. So far they are really good. On dirt they are fantastic, but then that shouldn't be any surprise to those who have run Nanoraptors on their mountain bikes. The gravel performance is quite good. Maybe a bit squirrelly in comparison to the Gravel Grinder tires I am also checking out.  The tires are very comparable to Clement MSO 40's, but for one thing, and that is on hard packed road and pavement. The Nano 40's knobs deflect just enough that they steal a little bit of energy on pavement or hard dirt. I can tell there is a huge gap in speed in comparison to the Gravel Grinder, which rolls much freer on harder surfaces than the Nano 40's do. Again- that shouldn't be a big surprise. The Gravel Grinder has a diamond file tread, which is very minimalistic, and edge knobs for stability/cornering traction, which do not hit the road unless the terrain is loose, sandy, or muddy. Of course, if you lean the bike over, they will contact the ground as well.

The Ugly just got Uglier

Okay, I didn't write anything about this yesterday because I did not have the rings in front of me and I didn't know for certain how they might come apart and reassemble. However; it is apparent to me now that not only is the lack of shaping and machining disappointing on the 46T Ultegra 11 speed ring, but the overall look is simply astoundingly ugly and embarrassing. This goes beyond the color of the metal, this is just a kludge, and a very expensive one at that.

Open Letter To Shimano:

Hello! I purchased a bicycle with Ultegra 6800 11 speed parts which was equipped with a "mid-compact" ring set of 52T-36T. Fortunately I was happy to find that Shimano produced a 46T ring for this FC-6800 crankset which suits me more for my style of riding. Thank you for that choice!

However; the 46T ring, while fitting the BCD of the crank perfectly, does not at all fit the look of this crankset. The asking price of this ring, which is easily twice that of other rings its size for competing crank sets, is such that I would expect a seamless look with my crank arms. Not this travesty of visual presentation, which is so far removed from the look of the 52T ring as to suggest that the ring could not have possibly been designed for this crank set.

May I suggest that it is for reasons exampled by the above- and more- why consumers often have a poor opinion of Shimano cycling products? I cannot fathom how one of Shimano's premier road components could have such poor visual integration which is totally uncharacteristic of Shimano and belies its heritage.

Fortunately I can report that the crankset shifts and functions perfectly, but at the price the ring sold for and due to my high expectations for Shimano Ultegra components I must say that I am extremely dissatisfied with this chain ring and crankset combination. (Ring model FC-6800 46T-MB YIP498050)

Regards,
Guitar Ted

Tamland Updates

Yesterday I made mention of the Ultegra 11 speed chain ring "upgrade" I made to my Tamland Two, (more on that in a minute), but I've got a couple of other tweaks that I've made as well.

First up is the obvious- the Ergon SM-3 saddle. It's white and looks nice on the bike, but the ride is what matters. That will be decided upon later, but this is a saddle I have wanted to try out for awhile. The mtb version is one that agrees with my behind. Hopefully this one should be the same. The seat post was a component I was going to consider swapping out here, and I still may, but for now the groovy little Raleigh branded number on here stays put.

The other components here are the WTB Nano 40's which I am running tubed to get a direct comparison with other tires I have been using. So far they are really good. On dirt they are fantastic, but then that shouldn't be any surprise to those who have run Nanoraptors on their mountain bikes. The gravel performance is quite good. Maybe a bit squirrelly in comparison to the Gravel Grinder tires I am also checking out.  The tires are very comparable to Clement MSO 40's, but for one thing, and that is on hard packed road and pavement. The Nano 40's knobs deflect just enough that they steal a little bit of energy on pavement or hard dirt. I can tell there is a huge gap in speed in comparison to the Gravel Grinder, which rolls much freer on harder surfaces than the Nano 40's do. Again- that shouldn't be a big surprise. The Gravel Grinder has a diamond file tread, which is very minimalistic, and edge knobs for stability/cornering traction, which do not hit the road unless the terrain is loose, sandy, or muddy. Of course, if you lean the bike over, they will contact the ground as well.

The Ugly just got Uglier

Okay, I didn't write anything about this yesterday because I did not have the rings in front of me and I didn't know for certain how they might come apart and reassemble. However; it is apparent to me now that not only is the lack of shaping and machining disappointing on the 46T Ultegra 11 speed ring, but the overall look is simply astoundingly ugly and embarrassing. This goes beyond the color of the metal, this is just a kludge, and a very expensive one at that.

Open Letter To Shimano:

Hello! I purchased a bicycle with Ultegra 6800 11 speed parts which was equipped with a "mid-compact" ring set of 52T-36T. Fortunately I was happy to find that Shimano produced a 46T ring for this FC-6800 crankset which suits me more for my style of riding. Thank you for that choice!

However; the 46T ring, while fitting the BCD of the crank perfectly, does not at all fit the look of this crankset. The asking price of this ring, which is easily twice that of other rings its size for competing crank sets, is such that I would expect a seamless look with my crank arms. Not this travesty of visual presentation, which is so far removed from the look of the 52T ring as to suggest that the ring could not have possibly been designed for this crank set.

May I suggest that it is for reasons exampled by the above- and more- why consumers often have a poor opinion of Shimano cycling products? I cannot fathom how one of Shimano's premier road components could have such poor visual integration which is totally uncharacteristic of Shimano and belies its heritage.

Fortunately I can report that the crankset shifts and functions perfectly, but at the price the ring sold for and due to my high expectations for Shimano Ultegra components I must say that I am extremely dissatisfied with this chain ring and crankset combination. (Ring model FC-6800 46T-MB YIP498050)

Regards,
Guitar Ted

Friday News And Views

TIMP News:

Okay folks, I am working on ironing out the final details on the Trans Iowa Masters Program. The cues are being uploaded to the site, with the "First Semester" and "Mid-Term Test" already on the page. I hope to have the final part up within a few days. Here are a few notes of interest:

• There probably will not be a full course recon. I just don't have the resources to do that at this time. I do have a few possibilities for checking out sections of the course, so I hope to be able to get some of it looked at. 
• That said- Riders will be on their own from the standpoint of doing any on-the-fly re-routing. (Which should add to the adventure part.) There is a clause in the Rules that addresses re-routing, (see rule #5 on the TIMP page), so it shouldn't be a big deal. Still.....I hope to check out as much of this course as I can soon.
• There are two riders pledged to do the course already. 

More news on TIMP will be coming soon! Stay tuned......

Charles City Iowa May 1968

46 Years Ago:

Yesterday marked the 46th year since "The Tornado", as we folks who lived through it say. My hometown of Charles City Iowa was devastated by an F-5 tornado a little after 5pm on May 15th, 1968.

I was just a little boy at the time, but this event pretty much shaped my life for years to come afterward, and of course, it isn't something one forgets. Thirteen people lost there lives that day, and thousands were injured. Pretty traumatic for anyone let alone a young child to live through.

Yet, as they say, good things often come out of tragedy, and I witnessed many a good thing that came out of this calamity. One of those very minor things was my attraction to bicycles. You see, since the tornado ripped apart so many households, bicycles were strewn about the surrounding wild areas where we had the pick of the litter, in a way of speaking, for several years afterward. These bikes we would scavenge, tear apart, assemble, and modify without fear of failure or retribution from someone's parents or the authorities.

I gained a very basic understanding of bicycles from this time and I suppose you could say it stuck with me and grew. Would I have been a bicycle nerd without that tornado? Maybe. But you never know..........

Apparently Shimano thinks they are Campy.

How Much For That Chain Ring In The Window?

Okay, so the good news is that my Ultegra 11 speed 46T chain ring has arrived. (Part # coming soon!) That's a good thing, since the 52T ring on there is just not very useful for my preferred gravel riding style.

The bad news? Well, apparently Shimano chain rings have a very special.......something. I'm not sure what it is, but the retail price on the 46T chain ring is........get ready for this! 

$189.99!!!

Yes- that's for one aluminum chain ring with 46T and a bit of fancy forge work. I didn't order a Campy one by mistake, did I? Nope........it's a Shimano ring alright. That's stunning, discouraging, and  seems just plain wrong. Besides the fact that it is uglier than sin, plasticky looking anodized grey/black. If it was beautiful, didn't look like it came off a department store bike, and was......oh say about 100 bucks less at retail, I could swallow that.

But this price for this ring is ridiculous. Plain and simple. But.........I will buy it, because there are no alternatives. At some point, there will be other, more reasonable 11 speed compatible options, and this crankset will be replaced so I can afford to keep buying replacement rings. The gravel is not kind to these things, ya know.

Good Luck To The Almanzo Riders! 

By the time you read this, the long course, which is called the Alexander, will  have riders on it. The Almanzo 100 and Royal 165 will start Saturday. Should be a great weekend, albeit cool, for riding. Good luck to all those taking part in the events out of Spring Valley this weekend!

Friday News And Views

TIMP News:

Okay folks, I am working on ironing out the final details on the Trans Iowa Masters Program. The cues are being uploaded to the site, with the "First Semester" and "Mid-Term Test" already on the page. I hope to have the final part up within a few days. Here are a few notes of interest:

• There probably will not be a full course recon. I just don't have the resources to do that at this time. I do have a few possibilities for checking out sections of the course, so I hope to be able to get some of it looked at. 
• That said- Riders will be on their own from the standpoint of doing any on-the-fly re-routing. (Which should add to the adventure part.) There is a clause in the Rules that addresses re-routing, (see rule #5 on the TIMP page), so it shouldn't be a big deal. Still.....I hope to check out as much of this course as I can soon.
• There are two riders pledged to do the course already. 

More news on TIMP will be coming soon! Stay tuned......

Charles City Iowa May 1968

46 Years Ago:

Yesterday marked the 46th year since "The Tornado", as we folks who lived through it say. My hometown of Charles City Iowa was devastated by an F-5 tornado a little after 5pm on May 15th, 1968.

I was just a little boy at the time, but this event pretty much shaped my life for years to come afterward, and of course, it isn't something one forgets. Thirteen people lost there lives that day, and thousands were injured. Pretty traumatic for anyone let alone a young child to live through.

Yet, as they say, good things often come out of tragedy, and I witnessed many a good thing that came out of this calamity. One of those very minor things was my attraction to bicycles. You see, since the tornado ripped apart so many households, bicycles were strewn about the surrounding wild areas where we had the pick of the litter, in a way of speaking, for several years afterward. These bikes we would scavenge, tear apart, assemble, and modify without fear of failure or retribution from someone's parents or the authorities.

I gained a very basic understanding of bicycles from this time and I suppose you could say it stuck with me and grew. Would I have been a bicycle nerd without that tornado? Maybe. But you never know..........

Apparently Shimano thinks they are Campy.

How Much For That Chain Ring In The Window?

Okay, so the good news is that my Ultegra 11 speed 46T chain ring has arrived. (Part # coming soon!) That's a good thing, since the 52T ring on there is just not very useful for my preferred gravel riding style.

The bad news? Well, apparently Shimano chain rings have a very special.......something. I'm not sure what it is, but the retail price on the 46T chain ring is........get ready for this! 

$189.99!!!

Yes- that's for one aluminum chain ring with 46T and a bit of fancy forge work. I didn't order a Campy one by mistake, did I? Nope........it's a Shimano ring alright. That's stunning, discouraging, and  seems just plain wrong. Besides the fact that it is uglier than sin, plasticky looking anodized grey/black. If it was beautiful, didn't look like it came off a department store bike, and was......oh say about 100 bucks less at retail, I could swallow that.

But this price for this ring is ridiculous. Plain and simple. But.........I will buy it, because there are no alternatives. At some point, there will be other, more reasonable 11 speed compatible options, and this crankset will be replaced so I can afford to keep buying replacement rings. The gravel is not kind to these things, ya know.

Good Luck To The Almanzo Riders! 

By the time you read this, the long course, which is called the Alexander, will  have riders on it. The Almanzo 100 and Royal 165 will start Saturday. Should be a great weekend, albeit cool, for riding. Good luck to all those taking part in the events out of Spring Valley this weekend!

A Mid-Fat Future?

Buzzin' on the Buzzard

I dug out the Singular Cycles Buzzard yesterday and aired up the tires for a bit of a runaround to see if I needed to do anything else mechanically to it after my earlier gravel escapades with MG this past late Winter. It seemed to be operating just fine, and the new to me WTB Pure V on this bike is heavenly! Love that saddle on this bike.

I hit up some of the downtown urban stuff and the Buzzard basically just laughed it off. I tell ya- this bike is way more capable than the rider! I basically would have to start looking for trouble to get into before the bike would be pushed to its limits and the margin for error would be slim to none with dire consequences for missing it. That's how good this bike is. That said, there is one thing holding it back right now and that is a poor fork for the Velocity Dually/On One tire combination I have on it now.

That is the only reason I didn't go to the dirt Wednesday. Lean the bike to the left very hard at all and bzzzzzzzzttttttt! I'm not interested in an unplanned sudden stoppage of fun. So, hopefully a plan for a new fork comes to fruition that will clear the big "half-fats" better.

Which brings me to another point- that being that the "new" thing in mountain bikes will be "mid-fat" sized bikes. Not true fat bikes, because they are too heavy and cumbersome for many folks. Not 29+ because that requires a totally new rig, and smaller sizes are simply out of the question. So what then? I'm thinking a 584ISO wheel with a 2.8"-3.0" tire, bringing the overall diameter to 29-ish inches is what wiill be the ticket. Why? Because it will fit many current frames, and it gives folks a lighter than 29+ wheel with all the benefits of that size.

Or maybe I'm totally nuts.

A Mid-Fat Future?

Buzzin' on the Buzzard

I dug out the Singular Cycles Buzzard yesterday and aired up the tires for a bit of a runaround to see if I needed to do anything else mechanically to it after my earlier gravel escapades with MG this past late Winter. It seemed to be operating just fine, and the new to me WTB Pure V on this bike is heavenly! Love that saddle on this bike.

I hit up some of the downtown urban stuff and the Buzzard basically just laughed it off. I tell ya- this bike is way more capable than the rider! I basically would have to start looking for trouble to get into before the bike would be pushed to its limits and the margin for error would be slim to none with dire consequences for missing it. That's how good this bike is. That said, there is one thing holding it back right now and that is a poor fork for the Velocity Dually/On One tire combination I have on it now.

That is the only reason I didn't go to the dirt Wednesday. Lean the bike to the left very hard at all and bzzzzzzzzttttttt! I'm not interested in an unplanned sudden stoppage of fun. So, hopefully a plan for a new fork comes to fruition that will clear the big "half-fats" better.

Which brings me to another point- that being that the "new" thing in mountain bikes will be "mid-fat" sized bikes. Not true fat bikes, because they are too heavy and cumbersome for many folks. Not 29+ because that requires a totally new rig, and smaller sizes are simply out of the question. So what then? I'm thinking a 584ISO wheel with a 2.8"-3.0" tire, bringing the overall diameter to 29-ish inches is what wiill be the ticket. Why? Because it will fit many current frames, and it gives folks a lighter than 29+ wheel with all the benefits of that size.

Or maybe I'm totally nuts.

Randomonium

Note: "randomonium" isn't a word, officially- not that I know of. It is a word I use when I don't have a cohesive body of words to throw together for a blog post. You know- like a "miscellaneous" post, or a bunch of tidbits of thoughts, or.....well whatever! Here is today's post!

A fat bike fork with less calories.

Snow Dog Updates: 

As I hinted back late last Winter, I have plans to upgrade the fat bikes here. The first project is to upgrade the Snow Dog. That's the blue, 2011 Mukluk that was purchased by a consortium of friends for my 50th birthday present. (Yes.....I am a Geezer! 24-7!! ) Anyway, the first bit for that project has been sourced and is coming from the U.K. The Carbon Fatty Fork features a straight 1 1/8th steer tube in carbon and a rear brake standard brake mount, so it will slot right in on my Muluk which has a standard steer tube and the rear brake standard for the front brake. The offset is 55mm and the axle to crown is 470mm. Pretty much spot on to where the Enabler fork is in all regards, except that the Fatty Fork is ridiculously light and is covered in orange bird doo-doo decals with a cartoonish cupcake. Who wouldn't want that?

This fits into the fat bike master plan as such: The Snow Dog will become the "all-terrain" fat bike in the stable. It will be the bike I ride in summertime when I ride a fat bike, or whenever 3.8-4.2" tires are appropriate in Winter. The Snow Dog will also be upgraded to a ten speed drive train soon as well. I have other bits and pieces in mind for this rig, so stay tuned for more there.

The Ti Muk, or "By-Tor", will be my "expedition" fat bike. I aim to put 90-100mm rims on this rig, probably some funky drive train to clear big ol' tires, and keep it simple. This is going to be the rig I pull out when the snow is deep and I need maximum flotation and traction. I have hubs lined up for it already, and there may be a fork swap on this bike as well. I may be getting my rims later this Summer or early in the Fall, so this upgrade won't happen until the Snow Dog is done first.

Optimizing my combination

Gravel Gearing:

My Tamland Two is an awesome rig, but as stock it came with a 52T/36T "mid-compact" front gearing set up. That's a problem for where I live and ride.

See, here in the Mid-West we have plenty of climbing, but it consists of the short, steep, punchy type of climbing, not the extended up or downhill kind of riding featured in more mountainous areas of the World at large. I find that a close ratio front chain ring set with lower than "he-man racing gears" works great. Just like the 46/36 combo on "Orange Crush". On gravel around here, often times just popping down to that 36 from a 46 is all you need to clean the top of the hill, then you jam back into the 46 and motor on. One shift down, one up, done.

So anyway, that 46T ring is a special little deal on the new Ultegra 11 speed, since it has to matchy-match the flowing lies of the crank, not to mention the special four bolt pattern of the crank spider. The special 3-D shape of that ring certainly does contribute to the exceptional stiffness of the ring, and thus allows for smoother, faster shifting, but this also means there is no other alternative than getting one of these rings from Shimano. Thankfully Shimano saw that cyclo crossers might want the 46T outer and I have one coming from Shimano which should arrive any day now. If Shimnao had not seen the wisdom of doing a 46T, well.......I'd have had to do an entirely different crankset. So while I like the technology and what it does, the availability of options suffers, which stinks. Oh........and by the way, so does the black, plasticky look. Blecch!

Lost & Found:

Looking for a tough, fun day on the bike? California has a cool backroad event cooked up that may tickle your adventure fancy. Here's a short description of the course:

The route is 100 miles with 7,000' of elevation gain and is 80% dirt. Also available are two shorter course options; 30 miles and 60 miles. The BIG route starts at Lake Davis, located 15 minutes north of Portola, and takes racers on a rolling tour around the lake, up into the surrounding mountains and then sends them through some of the most beautiful and empty alpine valleys California has to offer.

The event costs $100.00, but it benefits the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, which supports not only cycling interests, but multi-use facets of trail use as well. In other words, lots of folks could benefit from the entry fee monies.  The event features a free food feed, and other things, but for all the pertinent details, go to their website here. The ride happens on May 31st, and there is plenty of spaces left to grab for this inaugural event featuring some of California's most scenic byways of unpaved awesomness. (<====that's a technical description) 

Geezer Ride Update: Thanks for the many votes of attendance and kind words about the Geezer Ride idea. I appreciate that and look for updates coming later in the Summer. 

And......that's enough randomonium for one post. Thanks for reading!

Randomonium

Note: "randomonium" isn't a word, officially- not that I know of. It is a word I use when I don't have a cohesive body of words to throw together for a blog post. You know- like a "miscellaneous" post, or a bunch of tidbits of thoughts, or.....well whatever! Here is today's post!

A fat bike fork with less calories.

Snow Dog Updates: 

As I hinted back late last Winter, I have plans to upgrade the fat bikes here. The first project is to upgrade the Snow Dog. That's the blue, 2011 Mukluk that was purchased by a consortium of friends for my 50th birthday present. (Yes.....I am a Geezer! 24-7!! ) Anyway, the first bit for that project has been sourced and is coming from the U.K. The Carbon Fatty Fork features a straight 1 1/8th steer tube in carbon and a rear brake standard brake mount, so it will slot right in on my Muluk which has a standard steer tube and the rear brake standard for the front brake. The offset is 55mm and the axle to crown is 470mm. Pretty much spot on to where the Enabler fork is in all regards, except that the Fatty Fork is ridiculously light and is covered in orange bird doo-doo decals with a cartoonish cupcake. Who wouldn't want that?

This fits into the fat bike master plan as such: The Snow Dog will become the "all-terrain" fat bike in the stable. It will be the bike I ride in summertime when I ride a fat bike, or whenever 3.8-4.2" tires are appropriate in Winter. The Snow Dog will also be upgraded to a ten speed drive train soon as well. I have other bits and pieces in mind for this rig, so stay tuned for more there.

The Ti Muk, or "By-Tor", will be my "expedition" fat bike. I aim to put 90-100mm rims on this rig, probably some funky drive train to clear big ol' tires, and keep it simple. This is going to be the rig I pull out when the snow is deep and I need maximum flotation and traction. I have hubs lined up for it already, and there may be a fork swap on this bike as well. I may be getting my rims later this Summer or early in the Fall, so this upgrade won't happen until the Snow Dog is done first.

Optimizing my combination

Gravel Gearing:

My Tamland Two is an awesome rig, but as stock it came with a 52T/36T "mid-compact" front gearing set up. That's a problem for where I live and ride.

See, here in the Mid-West we have plenty of climbing, but it consists of the short, steep, punchy type of climbing, not the extended up or downhill kind of riding featured in more mountainous areas of the World at large. I find that a close ratio front chain ring set with lower than "he-man racing gears" works great. Just like the 46/36 combo on "Orange Crush". On gravel around here, often times just popping down to that 36 from a 46 is all you need to clean the top of the hill, then you jam back into the 46 and motor on. One shift down, one up, done.

So anyway, that 46T ring is a special little deal on the new Ultegra 11 speed, since it has to matchy-match the flowing lies of the crank, not to mention the special four bolt pattern of the crank spider. The special 3-D shape of that ring certainly does contribute to the exceptional stiffness of the ring, and thus allows for smoother, faster shifting, but this also means there is no other alternative than getting one of these rings from Shimano. Thankfully Shimano saw that cyclo crossers might want the 46T outer and I have one coming from Shimano which should arrive any day now. If Shimnao had not seen the wisdom of doing a 46T, well.......I'd have had to do an entirely different crankset. So while I like the technology and what it does, the availability of options suffers, which stinks. Oh........and by the way, so does the black, plasticky look. Blecch!

Lost & Found:

Looking for a tough, fun day on the bike? California has a cool backroad event cooked up that may tickle your adventure fancy. Here's a short description of the course:

The route is 100 miles with 7,000' of elevation gain and is 80% dirt. Also available are two shorter course options; 30 miles and 60 miles. The BIG route starts at Lake Davis, located 15 minutes north of Portola, and takes racers on a rolling tour around the lake, up into the surrounding mountains and then sends them through some of the most beautiful and empty alpine valleys California has to offer.

The event costs $100.00, but it benefits the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, which supports not only cycling interests, but multi-use facets of trail use as well. In other words, lots of folks could benefit from the entry fee monies.  The event features a free food feed, and other things, but for all the pertinent details, go to their website here. The ride happens on May 31st, and there is plenty of spaces left to grab for this inaugural event featuring some of California's most scenic byways of unpaved awesomness. (<====that's a technical description) 

Geezer Ride Update: Thanks for the many votes of attendance and kind words about the Geezer Ride idea. I appreciate that and look for updates coming later in the Summer. 

And......that's enough randomonium for one post. Thanks for reading!

Geezer Ride: Details

It'll be chilly, maybe wet, and ya better bring yer wool!

This post is to officially carve in stone some details for the "Geezer Ride", (so named by another, but I happen to like it!), and that way you can- if you so choose - make future plans to join us. If you didn't see this post, I will give you the short overview here for your convenience:

• No drop, casual ride pace that may feature several stops for image geekery.
• Held North of the Amana Colonies and the Iowa River Valley where the views are spectacular and the roads are fun.
• There will be some tough hills.
• There will be dead flat parts.
• Expect to pedal around 40-ish miles or so. 
• There will be dirt roads. 
• You may have to walk in mud. 
• There will be story telling, adult beverages, and food consumed afterward.

Sound like fun? Then pencil in October 18th on your plans and I and at least two others have already committed to be there at Amana Iowa where the ride will start kitty-corner from the Casey's Convenience store on Highway 150 where there is a gravel public parking lot. Ride time will be 8:00am sharp.

Depending on weather, we may get a bit wet!

I'm going to play the exact route by ear. I probably will decide a week or so out based on what the weather may do, and how the water situation lays out. Ideally I would like to reprise most if not all of my experience on these roads recently with some of the Dirty Dog Pack crew. That ride featured some river crossings through "low water" areas but if the river is too high, I won't make us go that way. Getting a little wet is one thing, getting soaked is quite another!

Anyway, however the route goes, the plan is to do a fun 40-ish miles then return to the Amana village for some brews and food before bailing out back home. It should be a good time. I'll have more on this event as time draws near, but for now I'll be focusing on some other upcoming events I have on my plate and we'll get back to this come late Summer and pick up where we left off here.

Suggestions? Concerns? Comments? You know where to leave them. Thanks for considering the Geezer Ride!

Geezer Ride: Details

It'll be chilly, maybe wet, and ya better bring yer wool!

This post is to officially carve in stone some details for the "Geezer Ride", (so named by another, but I happen to like it!), and that way you can- if you so choose - make future plans to join us. If you didn't see this post, I will give you the short overview here for your convenience:

• No drop, casual ride pace that may feature several stops for image geekery.
• Held North of the Amana Colonies and the Iowa River Valley where the views are spectacular and the roads are fun.
• There will be some tough hills.
• There will be dead flat parts.
• Expect to pedal around 40-ish miles or so. 
• There will be dirt roads. 
• You may have to walk in mud. 
• There will be story telling, adult beverages, and food consumed afterward.

Sound like fun? Then pencil in October 18th on your plans and I and at least two others have already committed to be there at Amana Iowa where the ride will start kitty-corner from the Casey's Convenience store on Highway 150 where there is a gravel public parking lot. Ride time will be 8:00am sharp.

Depending on weather, we may get a bit wet!

I'm going to play the exact route by ear. I probably will decide a week or so out based on what the weather may do, and how the water situation lays out. Ideally I would like to reprise most if not all of my experience on these roads recently with some of the Dirty Dog Pack crew. That ride featured some river crossings through "low water" areas but if the river is too high, I won't make us go that way. Getting a little wet is one thing, getting soaked is quite another!

Anyway, however the route goes, the plan is to do a fun 40-ish miles then return to the Amana village for some brews and food before bailing out back home. It should be a good time. I'll have more on this event as time draws near, but for now I'll be focusing on some other upcoming events I have on my plate and we'll get back to this come late Summer and pick up where we left off here.

Suggestions? Concerns? Comments? You know where to leave them. Thanks for considering the Geezer Ride!

Getting Back To Normal

Lots of freshly planted fields

Saturday I got out for a morning ride. As it was supposed to be windy from the Southeast, the plan was to go South and East on the grid of gravel roads South of Waterloo. The Sun was up and the skies looked okay starting out. The temperature was in the upper 40's but it was supposed to climb quickly to the 70's within a couple hours of my start.

The ride Southeast out of town on the bike path was pleasant as the path is mostly shielded from the wind by brush and low trees. Many songbirds make this strip of vegetation home now and I spied my first Goldfinches of the season while headed out to the countryside. I reached my jumping off point and hit the gravel.

The wind was pretty stiff. I'd say it was around 20mph to start out with some slightly higher gusts. It was enough to make the rollers a hard grind, for sure. Not only that, but Black Hawk County hasn't been idle and there was several stretches of fresh gravel to slog through as well. The upside was that the temperatures were indeed rising, the scenery was great with all the freshly planted fields, and the aroma of freshly turned soil in the air. Definitely a Springtime in Iowa ride!

The skies darkened whilst I was out there!

Of course, the Springtime also brings occasional showers, and this day was no exception. I could see the gathering clouds. My marvel of post-modern technology, the iPhone, showed me the weather radar and I determined that I'd probably be okay since my route was taking me around the rain clouds, mostly, and I also had my packable rain jacket, just in case. With that bit of insurance I motored onwards down new-to-me gravel in search of the Tama County line where I would make my turn back towards home.

The wind was making that quest quite a workout, and speeds were not all that high, but I was moving and I wasn't tired......yet! Of course, I haven't been on my game since Trans Iowa happened and I didn't know when, or even if, I was going to run out of gas. Added to this was the fact that I was experimenting with riding on a light breakfast of two Clif Bars instead of my regular fare. I was definitely committed to the strategy as I brought three water bottles with two having electrolytes in them and one gel packet. If I bonked, I was going to be in trouble, but typically I ride well on a more empty stomach than on a full breakfast of any sort.

Stop to swap out water bottles.

I didn't get very many images since the demise of my Fuji means that I am now packing my Panasonic LX-3 which isn't a very friendly "shoot-while-you-ride" camera. Especially since I am pretty vigilant about using the lens cap when it isn't in use. I've got my eye on this camera as a replacement for the Fuji which should rectify that situation and allow me more freedom to shoot from the saddle again. So there were only images from my two brief stops. I passed a few choice barns, so this route will have to be revisited!

Eventually I ran into the pahas of Hickory Hills and turned West. I noted that my return trip may not feature the hoped for tailwinds to push me. The wind strength had become more varied, and lessened than when I had started. Going North I was working a lot less though, so apparently there was still some benefits left to getting going in the opposite direction!

Along about twenty minutes later I ran into sprinkles. I stopped at a right turn briefly to assess whether or not to grab the rain jacket. I didn't think it would be necessary, and in the end that proved out to be correct. The rest of the journey in was uneventful. I turned in almost 3.5 hours of riding which I was pleased with. The bonus was that I wasn't dead or really wasted when I got back. The single gel was enough, and I felt pretty okay on Sunday as well. I am not sure if I've actually figured something out, was lucky, or if I am all the way back from the hit of Trans Iowa, but it was a good ride for a change More "normal" than not, which is progress. I'll take it.

Getting Back To Normal

Lots of freshly planted fields

Saturday I got out for a morning ride. As it was supposed to be windy from the Southeast, the plan was to go South and East on the grid of gravel roads South of Waterloo. The Sun was up and the skies looked okay starting out. The temperature was in the upper 40's but it was supposed to climb quickly to the 70's within a couple hours of my start.

The ride Southeast out of town on the bike path was pleasant as the path is mostly shielded from the wind by brush and low trees. Many songbirds make this strip of vegetation home now and I spied my first Goldfinches of the season while headed out to the countryside. I reached my jumping off point and hit the gravel.

The wind was pretty stiff. I'd say it was around 20mph to start out with some slightly higher gusts. It was enough to make the rollers a hard grind, for sure. Not only that, but Black Hawk County hasn't been idle and there was several stretches of fresh gravel to slog through as well. The upside was that the temperatures were indeed rising, the scenery was great with all the freshly planted fields, and the aroma of freshly turned soil in the air. Definitely a Springtime in Iowa ride!

The skies darkened whilst I was out there!

Of course, the Springtime also brings occasional showers, and this day was no exception. I could see the gathering clouds. My marvel of post-modern technology, the iPhone, showed me the weather radar and I determined that I'd probably be okay since my route was taking me around the rain clouds, mostly, and I also had my packable rain jacket, just in case. With that bit of insurance I motored onwards down new-to-me gravel in search of the Tama County line where I would make my turn back towards home.

The wind was making that quest quite a workout, and speeds were not all that high, but I was moving and I wasn't tired......yet! Of course, I haven't been on my game since Trans Iowa happened and I didn't know when, or even if, I was going to run out of gas. Added to this was the fact that I was experimenting with riding on a light breakfast of two Clif Bars instead of my regular fare. I was definitely committed to the strategy as I brought three water bottles with two having electrolytes in them and one gel packet. If I bonked, I was going to be in trouble, but typically I ride well on a more empty stomach than on a full breakfast of any sort.

Stop to swap out water bottles.

I didn't get very many images since the demise of my Fuji means that I am now packing my Panasonic LX-3 which isn't a very friendly "shoot-while-you-ride" camera. Especially since I am pretty vigilant about using the lens cap when it isn't in use. I've got my eye on this camera as a replacement for the Fuji which should rectify that situation and allow me more freedom to shoot from the saddle again. So there were only images from my two brief stops. I passed a few choice barns, so this route will have to be revisited!

Eventually I ran into the pahas of Hickory Hills and turned West. I noted that my return trip may not feature the hoped for tailwinds to push me. The wind strength had become more varied, and lessened than when I had started. Going North I was working a lot less though, so apparently there was still some benefits left to getting going in the opposite direction!

Along about twenty minutes later I ran into sprinkles. I stopped at a right turn briefly to assess whether or not to grab the rain jacket. I didn't think it would be necessary, and in the end that proved out to be correct. The rest of the journey in was uneventful. I turned in almost 3.5 hours of riding which I was pleased with. The bonus was that I wasn't dead or really wasted when I got back. The single gel was enough, and I felt pretty okay on Sunday as well. I am not sure if I've actually figured something out, was lucky, or if I am all the way back from the hit of Trans Iowa, but it was a good ride for a change More "normal" than not, which is progress. I'll take it.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Barn For My Mom

Hey, it's Mothers Day here and I wanted to wish my Mom, (who reads this blog, amazingly enough!), a Happy Mothers Day.

And to my wife, thanks for being an excellent Mother to our two children.

Finally, to all you Mothers that may read this, I wish you all a great day. Thanks for what you do and for what you mean to your children.

I chose this image because my Mom grew up on a farm and I thought she might like this barn. Its on a road I hadn't ridden on before Saturday, and I'll have the story on that tomorrow.

Happy Mother's Day!

A Barn For My Mom

Hey, it's Mothers Day here and I wanted to wish my Mom, (who reads this blog, amazingly enough!), a Happy Mothers Day.

And to my wife, thanks for being an excellent Mother to our two children.

Finally, to all you Mothers that may read this, I wish you all a great day. Thanks for what you do and for what you mean to your children.

I chose this image because my Mom grew up on a farm and I thought she might like this barn. Its on a road I hadn't ridden on before Saturday, and I'll have the story on that tomorrow.

Geezer Ride

Geezer Vision

Okay, I get blamed for making up these super tough routes all the time. Folks seem to like them, but I was reminded recently that not everyone wants or needs a beat-down of a ride. So, I've come up an idea for something a bit more chill if you might be interested in doing a shorter, no-drop ride.

Here's the loose details: Approximately 40-ish miles of remote, beautiful, wooded territory in Iowa and Johnson Counties. Casual pace, food and drink afterward, (or maybe during the ride?),  lots of stopping for photo ops. The date will likely be mid-October. That's hopefully when the leaves will be in high color. This route will feature some climbing and some dead flat roads with a sprinkling of pavement.

The route will feature parts of Trans Iowa courses and the B Maintenance road shown at the left here will also be part of that loop. There may be another dirt road section or two as well. I've ridden much of what I want to use for this ride and the final route choice will be determined by weather conditions.

My vision for this is to have the ride happen on a Saturday morning. At a casual pace, it should be no problem getting done by noon/early afternoon. Then I was thinking there should be a lunch and beverages stop for those that want to hang out, and then everyone could bug out late Saturday afternoon.

So, who would want to come and do this ride? I need to hear some suggestions and everything will be considered. Yes- there will be conflicts with other rides, but most of those are the types of rides this one would not be like. (Basically, if you want to race- this isn't for you!) I'll do this if one other person decides to come or 50. Let me know........

Geezer Ride

Geezer Vision

Okay, I get blamed for making up these super tough routes all the time. Folks seem to like them, but I was reminded recently that not everyone wants or needs a beat-down of a ride. So, I've come up an idea for something a bit more chill if you might be interested in doing a shorter, no-drop ride.

Here's the loose details: Approximately 40-ish miles of remote, beautiful, wooded territory in Iowa and Johnson Counties. Casual pace, food and drink afterward, (or maybe during the ride?),  lots of stopping for photo ops. The date will likely be mid-October. That's hopefully when the leaves will be in high color. This route will feature some climbing and some dead flat roads with a sprinkling of pavement.

The route will feature parts of Trans Iowa courses and the B Maintenance road shown at the left here will also be part of that loop. There may be another dirt road section or two as well. I've ridden much of what I want to use for this ride and the final route choice will be determined by weather conditions.

My vision for this is to have the ride happen on a Saturday morning. At a casual pace, it should be no problem getting done by noon/early afternoon. Then I was thinking there should be a lunch and beverages stop for those that want to hang out, and then everyone could bug out late Saturday afternoon.

So, who would want to come and do this ride? I need to hear some suggestions and everything will be considered. Yes- there will be conflicts with other rides, but most of those are the types of rides this one would not be like. (Basically, if you want to race- this isn't for you!) I'll do this if one other person decides to come or 50. Let me know........