The Touring Series: Burgers In Nemeha

A Guitar Ted Productions Series

Thanks for joining me again on another adventure in "The Touring Series". This tour was dubbed the "Race Against Death Tour". This tour occurred in August of 1995. The three participants, Ryan, Troy, and your's truly, left from Cedar Falls, Iowa to try and get to Winter Park, Colorado in two weeks. Here I am reproducing the tale as it was posted on the blog in 2009. I also will add new remarks and memories where appropriate at the end of each post. 

 Once again, there were no cell phones, internet, social media platforms, or digital cameras in use by we tourers in 1995. I will post images where I can, but this tour wasn't well documented in images, so there probably will be very few sprinkled throughout. A modern image will be used only where it depicts things I want to clarify, like where we were in that part of the tour via a map image, or the like.
 
The "Touring Series" will appear every Sunday until it ends. Look for past entries by scrolling back to a previous Sunday's post, or type in "Touring Series" in the search box to find more. 
 
The "Race Against Death Tour" leaves Barnum, Iowa on Day Two.........
___________________________________________________________________________

Tim's bike (see last week's post) as it appears in 2018.

Tuesday, August 8th- Barnum, Iowa: We awoke from the labors of our first day's riding to a very humid, warm, and uncomfortable morning. Having spent most of the night warding off mosquito attacks, setting up our tent, and tossing and turning trying to get comfortable in the stifling air of the enclosure, we were all a bit slow to get going. The day looked to be starting out overcast, with a heaviness from the humidity and temperature that made moving through the air seem like a greater effort than it should have been.

Once packed up, we found our way along a highway headed directly west. This road was a State highway, but seemed to have little traffic. After agreeing upon our route, Troy took the job of setting the pace once again. I found his early morning pace a bit fast, but Ryan seemed to be okay with it, so I just kept to myself and dug in. The road was mainly flat with a few rollers thrown in, but I was not fully rested from the day before and I felt tired yet.

Soon the State highway took a turn, but a county blacktop continued onward in a direction we wanted. Namely- due west! The road was a bit boring. The only thing we found that broke up the monotony was a huge grain bin that was being constructed near an intersection we passed by. The weather was clearing up and heating up. This was going to be a hot day. A hot, humid day with little to no wind.

As noon approached we reached the little town of Nemeha, Iowa which was halfway to Sioux City. We were hungry and hoping for a convenience store. We turned off into the small town but were disappointed to find only a small cafe' named "Hazel's" that seemed to be run out of a residence with a "business addition" in a white clapboard building. Having no other choice, we dismounted and walked inside.

It was a small cafe' with maybe five booths, some of which hadn't seen use in a long time judging from the piles of boxes and things in their seats. We found an elderly lady there and she asked us to be seated and "What would you guys want?". We politely asked if she had any menus to look at. Instead she explained that she'd have to check and see what she had on hand to cook. She dug around and told us all she had were some hamburgers. Well.......hamburgers all around then!

As Hazel cooked up our burgers the story had to be told of what we were up to. Hazel listened and asked a few questions, marveling that we would be taking on such a challenge. She also gave us some background on her little town. As we munched our burgers, she went about doing some tidying up. Afterwards, we payed our bill, but we couldn't go until Hazel had her picture taken with all of us. We obliged her. It was a kind of quirky lunch, but I think we were amazed as much as Hazel was by each others oddness.

As we left town, Hazel bade us farewell, and we turned our faces westward into the sweltering heat and incessant sunshine.
_____________________________________________________________________________

This was pretty much the day we went into "uncharted territory" for all three of us. The first day was like that at the end, but this entire day would be into an area we knew little about. The terrain was pretty flat, easily ridden, but equally as boring as you might imagine. Long stretches of corn and bean fields with little else to break up the monotony were the main scene on tap for this morning stretch.

Meeting Hazel was cool. We actually all enjoyed that bit. That would be, probably, the last "normal" interaction we would have with a "civilian" for the rest of the tour. Unlike the year before on the "Beg, Borrow, and Bastard Tour", we ended up speaking with a lot of adults on this tour, albeit many were unwelcome encounters! 

As we left the quaint village of Nemeha, population 85 in 2010, we were hopeful of having a decent shot at getting to Sioux City, as we had already covered half the distance there already. But the weather would take a turn and we would find ourselves struggling.

Next: Superheated

The Touring Series: Burgers In Nemeha

A Guitar Ted Productions Series

Thanks for joining me again on another adventure in "The Touring Series". This tour was dubbed the "Race Against Death Tour". This tour occurred in August of 1995. The three participants, Ryan, Troy, and your's truly, left from Cedar Falls, Iowa to try and get to Winter Park, Colorado in two weeks. Here I am reproducing the tale as it was posted on the blog in 2009. I also will add new remarks and memories where appropriate at the end of each post. 

 Once again, there were no cell phones, internet, social media platforms, or digital cameras in use by we tourers in 1995. I will post images where I can, but this tour wasn't well documented in images, so there probably will be very few sprinkled throughout. A modern image will be used only where it depicts things I want to clarify, like where we were in that part of the tour via a map image, or the like.
 
The "Touring Series" will appear every Sunday until it ends. Look for past entries by scrolling back to a previous Sunday's post, or type in "Touring Series" in the search box to find more. 
 
The "Race Against Death Tour" leaves Barnum, Iowa on Day Two.........
___________________________________________________________________________

Tim's bike (see last week's post) as it appears in 2018.

Tuesday, August 8th- Barnum, Iowa: We awoke from the labors of our first day's riding to a very humid, warm, and uncomfortable morning. Having spent most of the night warding off mosquito attacks, setting up our tent, and tossing and turning trying to get comfortable in the stifling air of the enclosure, we were all a bit slow to get going. The day looked to be starting out overcast, with a heaviness from the humidity and temperature that made moving through the air seem like a greater effort than it should have been.

Once packed up, we found our way along a highway headed directly west. This road was a State highway, but seemed to have little traffic. After agreeing upon our route, Troy took the job of setting the pace once again. I found his early morning pace a bit fast, but Ryan seemed to be okay with it, so I just kept to myself and dug in. The road was mainly flat with a few rollers thrown in, but I was not fully rested from the day before and I felt tired yet.

Soon the State highway took a turn, but a county blacktop continued onward in a direction we wanted. Namely- due west! The road was a bit boring. The only thing we found that broke up the monotony was a huge grain bin that was being constructed near an intersection we passed by. The weather was clearing up and heating up. This was going to be a hot day. A hot, humid day with little to no wind.

As noon approached we reached the little town of Nemeha, Iowa which was halfway to Sioux City. We were hungry and hoping for a convenience store. We turned off into the small town but were disappointed to find only a small cafe' named "Hazel's" that seemed to be run out of a residence with a "business addition" in a white clapboard building. Having no other choice, we dismounted and walked inside.

It was a small cafe' with maybe five booths, some of which hadn't seen use in a long time judging from the piles of boxes and things in their seats. We found an elderly lady there and she asked us to be seated and "What would you guys want?". We politely asked if she had any menus to look at. Instead she explained that she'd have to check and see what she had on hand to cook. She dug around and told us all she had were some hamburgers. Well.......hamburgers all around then!

As Hazel cooked up our burgers the story had to be told of what we were up to. Hazel listened and asked a few questions, marveling that we would be taking on such a challenge. She also gave us some background on her little town. As we munched our burgers, she went about doing some tidying up. Afterwards, we payed our bill, but we couldn't go until Hazel had her picture taken with all of us. We obliged her. It was a kind of quirky lunch, but I think we were amazed as much as Hazel was by each others oddness.

As we left town, Hazel bade us farewell, and we turned our faces westward into the sweltering heat and incessant sunshine.
_____________________________________________________________________________

This was pretty much the day we went into "uncharted territory" for all three of us. The first day was like that at the end, but this entire day would be into an area we knew little about. The terrain was pretty flat, easily ridden, but equally as boring as you might imagine. Long stretches of corn and bean fields with little else to break up the monotony were the main scene on tap for this morning stretch.

Meeting Hazel was cool. We actually all enjoyed that bit. That would be, probably, the last "normal" interaction we would have with a "civilian" for the rest of the tour. Unlike the year before on the "Beg, Borrow, and Bastard Tour", we ended up speaking with a lot of adults on this tour, albeit many were unwelcome encounters! 

As we left the quaint village of Nemeha, population 85 in 2010, we were hopeful of having a decent shot at getting to Sioux City, as we had already covered half the distance there already. But the weather would take a turn and we would find ourselves struggling.

Next: Superheated

Minus Ten Review -36

Hard to handle, but imminently ride-able.

Ten years ago on the blog I posted what still is pretty much my thoughts on fork offset, front end geometry, and how that affects handling.

"In the end, most combinations are immanently ride able and most of us would be able to handle the bike with whatever geometry we want to consider. Whether it fits an individuals style and how a bike should handle in their mind is going to vary quite a bit from person to person. That is what I think is great about today versus five years ago. Back then, you were stuck in a box handling-wise, only being able to vary how a bike rode incrementally with a head angle change. Now you can have it spicy or mild, or anywhere in between. I love it and it opens up a whole different set of perspectives on what a good handling bike really is."

There were thoughts shared on Trans Iowa and the recon for v5. I split the course finding duties with David Pals that year. He rode a lot of his bits and eventually I was to join him in doing that for what would become v7 a couple of years later. The recon of the course in this manner was a big lifting of weight off my shoulders and I was very relieved to have David working in the capacity that he did back then. 

Finally, by this point in 2008, Salsa Cycles had introduced the Fargo. The name had been revealed! Now folks had a look at the bike and reactions were.........passionate! Folks either loved it, or slagged it off as Salsa's "rip-off" of custom bikes, or said it was a "Jones Bike clone", or they even tried to draw parallels to Niner Bikes. The commentary was goofy, sometimes extremely negative, and not one of these people had actually ever ridden one yet. I kind of felt like it was a bike that had tons of potential to bring a lot of non-racer types back into a form of cycling I briefly was calling "adventuring". Here's a bit of a snippet from 2008 on what I thought about the Fargo:

"I think that the Fargo will be a trend setter, but maybe I'm off my rocker. I do know that it is a bike a lot of folks have been waiting for. Perhaps a bike that will set off a thousand adventures? Time will tell."

Judging from the Facebook page for the Fargo and the long running Fargo thread on MTBR.com, I'd say I was right about that. The Fargo still sparks that same kind of wonder and curiosity that it did in 2008. Kudos to Jason Boucher, Joe Meiser, Kid Reimer, and all the Salsa Crew who, at that time, had the vision and the passion to bring that bicycle model to life. I and a whole bunch of other folks owe a big debt of gratitude to those people.

Minus Ten Review -36

Hard to handle, but imminently ride-able.

Ten years ago on the blog I posted what still is pretty much my thoughts on fork offset, front end geometry, and how that affects handling.

"In the end, most combinations are immanently ride able and most of us would be able to handle the bike with whatever geometry we want to consider. Whether it fits an individuals style and how a bike should handle in their mind is going to vary quite a bit from person to person. That is what I think is great about today versus five years ago. Back then, you were stuck in a box handling-wise, only being able to vary how a bike rode incrementally with a head angle change. Now you can have it spicy or mild, or anywhere in between. I love it and it opens up a whole different set of perspectives on what a good handling bike really is."

There were thoughts shared on Trans Iowa and the recon for v5. I split the course finding duties with David Pals that year. He rode a lot of his bits and eventually I was to join him in doing that for what would become v7 a couple of years later. The recon of the course in this manner was a big lifting of weight off my shoulders and I was very relieved to have David working in the capacity that he did back then. 

Finally, by this point in 2008, Salsa Cycles had introduced the Fargo. The name had been revealed! Now folks had a look at the bike and reactions were.........passionate! Folks either loved it, or slagged it off as Salsa's "rip-off" of custom bikes, or said it was a "Jones Bike clone", or they even tried to draw parallels to Niner Bikes. The commentary was goofy, sometimes extremely negative, and not one of these people had actually ever ridden one yet. I kind of felt like it was a bike that had tons of potential to bring a lot of non-racer types back into a form of cycling I briefly was calling "adventuring". Here's a bit of a snippet from 2008 on what I thought about the Fargo:

"I think that the Fargo will be a trend setter, but maybe I'm off my rocker. I do know that it is a bike a lot of folks have been waiting for. Perhaps a bike that will set off a thousand adventures? Time will tell."

Judging from the Facebook page for the Fargo and the long running Fargo thread on MTBR.com, I'd say I was right about that. The Fargo still sparks that same kind of wonder and curiosity that it did in 2008. Kudos to Jason Boucher, Joe Meiser, Kid Reimer, and all the Salsa Crew who, at that time, had the vision and the passion to bring that bicycle model to life. I and a whole bunch of other folks owe a big debt of gratitude to those people.

Friday News And Views

Misunderstood Doesn't Mean "Bad"- Part 3:

So, to put a nice ribbon on this week's discussion about 1x and multiple chain ring drive train options, I wanted to talk a bit about cassettes. The chain line notwithstanding, there is one other issue with 1X that many don't stop to consider. 

The number of rear cogs in a cassette has steadily climbed upward since 1990 when Shimano introduced 8 speed cassettes. Nowadays, 11 and 12 cogs in a stack are not uncommon. Why? Where did the impetus  for going with more cogs come from? 

Was it to provide a wider range of gearing? No. The overall range for gearing hasn't changed significantly for any bike since that time. Then why do we have more cogs? You have to look in the mirror for the answer. it's because you are the "motor". Humans don't have a lot of power, so what we do have has to be doled out in an efficient manner. We see it in how we analyze our power output to the watt, how we interface with our machines based on that power output, and in how meticulously we set up our bikes in order to eek out the best possible power output. 

So, the move toward more cassette cogs was made to help keep our cadence in a range that is best for our power output. Ideally, in a perfect world, you would have an ideal cadence which produced the best power over a period of time and that would never vary even though you shift gears to different ratios. Therefore, the jumps between gears is critical to maintaining a high level of performance. More cogs can/should mean less change in cadence when shifting from one ratio to the next. That's why we have 11 speed drive trains. But what about 12? 

Well, that was done for 1X where all that mattered was the range of gearing. You saw it in the press releases and initial "reviews" of that system. However; you will note that without a way to shift in front, the only way to cover that range was to add an extra cog and have big jumps between gearing. In terms of jumps between gears, 1X is sub-optimal. Not only that, but the overall range might have to be adjusted up or down, as it were, and the only way to do that is with a front chain ring swap. You know.......basically manually shifting gears, only by doing it the hardest way possible. 

I just wanted to conclude this little series by once again stating that I do not "hate" 1X, nor do I wish for it to go away. It has its places. But that said, please keep it away from my gravel bike. 

 Signed Up:

Well, I alluded to something going on with me in a cryptic manner a few days ago. Now you know......I signed up for a gravel event. This time it is the ICGravel event which is being held on October 27th in River Junction, Iowa.

This will be year 2 for this event and they have two course length options of 100 miles or 100 kilometers (63 miles for you non-metric folk). I signed up for maximum punishment, of course, so I will be out for the hundy that day.

This is kind of an interesting event in that it happens at a time when you don't think about a gravel event, but doing one makes so much sense this time of the year. Yes......it could be wet, and in their inaugural year, it was, and it looked pretty sucky. But Fall riding rules if it is dry, and I like that time of year to put in big rides, so this makes sense to me. 

They have registration open, so if you'd like to join me, please do, and I bet it will be a rousing good time. No matter what the weather. I'm hoping that I will actually live up to that previous statement and really have a good time. But to do that, I have a lot of work to get going on. I need miles now, and I need to work consistently. 

Fortunately the weather has straightened out and the next ten days look great, so I look forward to getting on the right track and getting good and ready for this day on gravel in late October. 

I just might be running these tires at ICGravel

Michelin Power Gravel 40's:

Gravel this, gravel that. You can hardly keep up anymore these days. I remember when WTB was going to make the Nano 40 tubeless ready and that was the very first gravel specific tire you could get tubeless. Seems like eons ago, but it wasn't but maybe five years ago (?). Crazy. 

All that to say that if you weren't aware that Michelin had a gravel tire, well, you could easily be forgiven. Why would you know? These things pop up on a daily basis anymore. But in reality, these have been out for a while. I waited until the 40's came out as they first were out in a 35 or 38, I can't recall right now, but that wasn't what I wanted. 

So, I waited for these and we'll see how they go. Michelin tires always impressed me when I tried their 29"er tires, so I am expecting big things here. I will say that the tread pattern looks susceptible to being a "gravel flinger" type tread, but time will tell. They could be the bee's knees for all I know. Tubeless ready, of course. What tire shouldn't be tubeless ready for gravel? As far as I am concerned, all bicycle tires should be tubeless ready. At least higher end ones. 

I plan on sticking these on the Raleigh Tamland Two for the time being, but maybe they will be going on a different wheel set. This will depend upon how tight they fit. My Irwin wheels fit tires really tightly, so the Michelin may be a "no-go" there. If so, I think they will end up on my White Industries/WTB wheels. 

Stay tuned for more on the Power Gravel tires, which I purchased myself, by the way, just to be up front about that.

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

Friday News And Views

Misunderstood Doesn't Mean "Bad"- Part 3:

So, to put a nice ribbon on this week's discussion about 1x and multiple chain ring drive train options, I wanted to talk a bit about cassettes. The chain line notwithstanding, there is one other issue with 1X that many don't stop to consider. 

The number of rear cogs in a cassette has steadily climbed upward since 1990 when Shimano introduced 8 speed cassettes. Nowadays, 11 and 12 cogs in a stack are not uncommon. Why? Where did the impetus  for going with more cogs come from? 

Was it to provide a wider range of gearing? No. The overall range for gearing hasn't changed significantly for any bike since that time. Then why do we have more cogs? You have to look in the mirror for the answer. it's because you are the "motor". Humans don't have a lot of power, so what we do have has to be doled out in an efficient manner. We see it in how we analyze our power output to the watt, how we interface with our machines based on that power output, and in how meticulously we set up our bikes in order to eek out the best possible power output. 

So, the move toward more cassette cogs was made to help keep our cadence in a range that is best for our power output. Ideally, in a perfect world, you would have an ideal cadence which produced the best power over a period of time and that would never vary even though you shift gears to different ratios. Therefore, the jumps between gears is critical to maintaining a high level of performance. More cogs can/should mean less change in cadence when shifting from one ratio to the next. That's why we have 11 speed drive trains. But what about 12? 

Well, that was done for 1X where all that mattered was the range of gearing. You saw it in the press releases and initial "reviews" of that system. However; you will note that without a way to shift in front, the only way to cover that range was to add an extra cog and have big jumps between gearing. In terms of jumps between gears, 1X is sub-optimal. Not only that, but the overall range might have to be adjusted up or down, as it were, and the only way to do that is with a front chain ring swap. You know.......basically manually shifting gears, only by doing it the hardest way possible. 

I just wanted to conclude this little series by once again stating that I do not "hate" 1X, nor do I wish for it to go away. It has its places. But that said, please keep it away from my gravel bike. 

 Signed Up:

Well, I alluded to something going on with me in a cryptic manner a few days ago. Now you know......I signed up for a gravel event. This time it is the ICGravel event which is being held on October 27th in River Junction, Iowa.

This will be year 2 for this event and they have two course length options of 100 miles or 100 kilometers (63 miles for you non-metric folk). I signed up for maximum punishment, of course, so I will be out for the hundy that day.

This is kind of an interesting event in that it happens at a time when you don't think about a gravel event, but doing one makes so much sense this time of the year. Yes......it could be wet, and in their inaugural year, it was, and it looked pretty sucky. But Fall riding rules if it is dry, and I like that time of year to put in big rides, so this makes sense to me. 

They have registration open, so if you'd like to join me, please do, and I bet it will be a rousing good time. No matter what the weather. I'm hoping that I will actually live up to that previous statement and really have a good time. But to do that, I have a lot of work to get going on. I need miles now, and I need to work consistently. 

Fortunately the weather has straightened out and the next ten days look great, so I look forward to getting on the right track and getting good and ready for this day on gravel in late October. 

I just might be running these tires at ICGravel

Michelin Power Gravel 40's:

Gravel this, gravel that. You can hardly keep up anymore these days. I remember when WTB was going to make the Nano 40 tubeless ready and that was the very first gravel specific tire you could get tubeless. Seems like eons ago, but it wasn't but maybe five years ago (?). Crazy. 

All that to say that if you weren't aware that Michelin had a gravel tire, well, you could easily be forgiven. Why would you know? These things pop up on a daily basis anymore. But in reality, these have been out for a while. I waited until the 40's came out as they first were out in a 35 or 38, I can't recall right now, but that wasn't what I wanted. 

So, I waited for these and we'll see how they go. Michelin tires always impressed me when I tried their 29"er tires, so I am expecting big things here. I will say that the tread pattern looks susceptible to being a "gravel flinger" type tread, but time will tell. They could be the bee's knees for all I know. Tubeless ready, of course. What tire shouldn't be tubeless ready for gravel? As far as I am concerned, all bicycle tires should be tubeless ready. At least higher end ones. 

I plan on sticking these on the Raleigh Tamland Two for the time being, but maybe they will be going on a different wheel set. This will depend upon how tight they fit. My Irwin wheels fit tires really tightly, so the Michelin may be a "no-go" there. If so, I think they will end up on my White Industries/WTB wheels. 

Stay tuned for more on the Power Gravel tires, which I purchased myself, by the way, just to be up front about that.

That's all for this week. Have a great weekend and get out and ride!

Misunderstood Doesn't Mean "Bad"- Part 2

A misunderstood component of a multiple speed drive train.

Today I wanted to continue the discussion of multiple speed drive trains for bicycles, specifically derailleur based drive trains and the 1X and multiple chain ring set ups which are popular nowadays.

Misunderstandings and misconceptions mixed in with a lack of education make this area of bicycle components and usage a murky water which in turn yields lots of conclusions which are not correct. First and foremost of these misunderstandings is how the multi-front chain ring system was meant to be used versus how many folks actually use the multi-ring front derailleur set up.

The first rule to understand is that your chain should always be kept as straight as possible. There are many reasons this is advantageous, but the one you will want to focus on is that it makes the rider more efficient. I talked about this yesterday in terms of chain line, which is what it sounds like- The "line" the chain makes between the front and rear cogs. This "line" should be as straight as possible. When it gets diagonal, or "cross chained", it is time to shift to a straighter combination. Poor choices in chain line make the rider less efficient and cause higher wear on parts. In case you haven't caught on to what I am saying- this is bad. Don't do it! (Unless you have 1X, then you are stuck, sorry!)

Keith Bontrager had a great set of 4 rules for derailleur drive trains which was published in a "Dirt Rag" back in the 90's which succinctly explained the way you should use a triple front crank set, but I've not been able to dig that up. So, I am going by memory here on what it was that Mr. Bontrager was pointing out. The principles are the same whether I get it exactly as Keith put it or not. That was one of the "rules" above, by the way.

1X set ups have inherent cross chaining issues that cannot be avoided.

 The second issue people generally have a hard time wrapping their minds around is that not all the gear combinations are good, should be used, or are meant to be used at all. 

That may come as a shock to many of you, but this is something that can squarely be blamed on marketing, public perception, and lack of understanding. Derailleur drive trains with multiple front chain rings have what is termed as overlapping gears. Now, the gears do not literally overlap one another, of course, but what is meant is that the final "gain ratio" of any given combination of front sprocket and rear cog may end up being very close to, or exactly the same as, another combination found on the same system. In other words, you may have certain gear combinations that are, effectively, the same thing on your bicycle. Your 2X 11 set up may not actually have 22 , different, sequential gears. In fact- it doesn't. Thinking that you go from "1" in the front, then shift from 11 to 1 in back, then go to "2" in the front, and shift sequentially from 11-1 again is not how it works at all. 

You would be surprised to know how many folks think it is that way though. Getting your mind off of a numerical (mis)understanding of the drive train is critical to making the system work efficiently and how it was designed to work by the manufacturer. Can you cross chain your bike? Yes. Should you? Absolutely not, and many times you can find technical documents from Shimano and SRAM pointing this out. Trouble is, these documents are not often shared with the riding public, if at all. Why? Because is complicates the selling process at bicycle shops. Bicycles are very technical machines that require a high degree of skill and understanding to operate if they are equipped with multiple gear drive trains, not to mention suspension, or electronics, or the like. You simply just do not "get on and ride" these machines, although the bike industry basically says that is how it works through sales and marketing.

1X road didn't work out very well in the Pro ranks.

This is one reason why 1X appeals to many riders. It simplifies their experience. I get that. But it also introduces things that, if understood properly, may change some folks minds about eschewing multiple front chain ring set ups. On the other hand, 1X has its places- fat bikes, which when equipped with front derailleurs, just collect debris on the front derailleur mount and mechanism. Mountain bikes which feature complex suspension systems and/or short chain stays work with 1X where they wouldn't be possible with a front derailleur. 1X is great for cyclo cross and MTB due to cyclo crosser's and MTB's having to do more shifting under extreme pressure and where quick momentum changes happen. So, again- I am not advocating for 1X to go away. I actually like it on my fat bike. Not so much on a gravel bike.

Finally, for this post, I wanted to cover the point Bontrager made in his original rules for gearing which stated  that you should always use the biggest cog/chain ring combination if you have the choice, and you are not cross chaining. This is easier to figure out with a 2X system, but if you think hard enough, it can become a natural thing on a 3X crank set as well. The thinking is that a bigger cog/chain ring combo is more efficient since the power is being applied to a wider area (less wear) and the chain isn't being bent around in a tighter radius, which is less efficient. Minor, nit-picking, perhaps, but my observations agree with this. I would also add that bigger cogs/chain rings have less pressure on the shift ramps/pins/pick-up teeth enabling faster, more efficient shifting, so that would be another reason to use this philosophy.

Tomorrow I will cover why 1X may not be preferred in terms of cassettes.

Misunderstood Doesn't Mean "Bad"- Part 2

A misunderstood component of a multiple speed drive train.

Today I wanted to continue the discussion of multiple speed drive trains for bicycles, specifically derailleur based drive trains and the 1X and multiple chain ring set ups which are popular nowadays.

Misunderstandings and misconceptions mixed in with a lack of education make this area of bicycle components and usage a murky water which in turn yields lots of conclusions which are not correct. First and foremost of these misunderstandings is how the multi-front chain ring system was meant to be used versus how many folks actually use the multi-ring front derailleur set up.

The first rule to understand is that your chain should always be kept as straight as possible. There are many reasons this is advantageous, but the one you will want to focus on is that it makes the rider more efficient. I talked about this yesterday in terms of chain line, which is what it sounds like- The "line" the chain makes between the front and rear cogs. This "line" should be as straight as possible. When it gets diagonal, or "cross chained", it is time to shift to a straighter combination. Poor choices in chain line make the rider less efficient and cause higher wear on parts. In case you haven't caught on to what I am saying- this is bad. Don't do it! (Unless you have 1X, then you are stuck, sorry!)

Keith Bontrager had a great set of 4 rules for derailleur drive trains which was published in a "Dirt Rag" back in the 90's which succinctly explained the way you should use a triple front crank set, but I've not been able to dig that up. So, I am going by memory here on what it was that Mr. Bontrager was pointing out. The principles are the same whether I get it exactly as Keith put it or not. That was one of the "rules" above, by the way.

1X set ups have inherent cross chaining issues that cannot be avoided.

 The second issue people generally have a hard time wrapping their minds around is that not all the gear combinations are good, should be used, or are meant to be used at all. 

That may come as a shock to many of you, but this is something that can squarely be blamed on marketing, public perception, and lack of understanding. Derailleur drive trains with multiple front chain rings have what is termed as overlapping gears. Now, the gears do not literally overlap one another, of course, but what is meant is that the final "gain ratio" of any given combination of front sprocket and rear cog may end up being very close to, or exactly the same as, another combination found on the same system. In other words, you may have certain gear combinations that are, effectively, the same thing on your bicycle. Your 2X 11 set up may not actually have 22 , different, sequential gears. In fact- it doesn't. Thinking that you go from "1" in the front, then shift from 11 to 1 in back, then go to "2" in the front, and shift sequentially from 11-1 again is not how it works at all. 

You would be surprised to know how many folks think it is that way though. Getting your mind off of a numerical (mis)understanding of the drive train is critical to making the system work efficiently and how it was designed to work by the manufacturer. Can you cross chain your bike? Yes. Should you? Absolutely not, and many times you can find technical documents from Shimano and SRAM pointing this out. Trouble is, these documents are not often shared with the riding public, if at all. Why? Because is complicates the selling process at bicycle shops. Bicycles are very technical machines that require a high degree of skill and understanding to operate if they are equipped with multiple gear drive trains, not to mention suspension, or electronics, or the like. You simply just do not "get on and ride" these machines, although the bike industry basically says that is how it works through sales and marketing.

1X road didn't work out very well in the Pro ranks.

This is one reason why 1X appeals to many riders. It simplifies their experience. I get that. But it also introduces things that, if understood properly, may change some folks minds about eschewing multiple front chain ring set ups. On the other hand, 1X has its places- fat bikes, which when equipped with front derailleurs, just collect debris on the front derailleur mount and mechanism. Mountain bikes which feature complex suspension systems and/or short chain stays work with 1X where they wouldn't be possible with a front derailleur. 1X is great for cyclo cross and MTB due to cyclo crosser's and MTB's having to do more shifting under extreme pressure and where quick momentum changes happen. So, again- I am not advocating for 1X to go away. I actually like it on my fat bike. Not so much on a gravel bike.

Finally, for this post, I wanted to cover the point Bontrager made in his original rules for gearing which stated  that you should always use the biggest cog/chain ring combination if you have the choice, and you are not cross chaining. This is easier to figure out with a 2X system, but if you think hard enough, it can become a natural thing on a 3X crank set as well. The thinking is that a bigger cog/chain ring combo is more efficient since the power is being applied to a wider area (less wear) and the chain isn't being bent around in a tighter radius, which is less efficient. Minor, nit-picking, perhaps, but my observations agree with this. I would also add that bigger cogs/chain rings have less pressure on the shift ramps/pins/pick-up teeth enabling faster, more efficient shifting, so that would be another reason to use this philosophy.

Tomorrow I will cover why 1X may not be preferred in terms of cassettes.

Misunderstood Doesn't Mean "Bad"- Part 1

Shimano variable chain line patent for 1X drive trains.

The double and triple chain ring drive train set ups that many are eschewing these days are, in my opinion, misunderstood, unfairly maligned, and have benefits for certain applications that outweigh their negatives. To be sure, I have tried and use 1X set ups. So, please do not read this as a "1x's are a bad thing and should go away" post. It isn't that at all. But on the other hand, 2X and 3X have a place, and they shouldn't go away either. 

A little over a year ago now I wrote this post about some new ideas Shimano and SRAM patented which would address some inefficiencies inherent in 1X drive train set ups. That points up the fact that whenever you move to innovate in one area of bicycle design, you will in turn compromise something else. There is never any free lunch, it seems, no "win-win" situations. Something gets presented as a benefit but some other area suffers.

In my opinion, this is due mostly to the fact that in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, the bicycle's mechanical properties were honed to a point where the efficiencies and mechanical properties, at least on paper, were optimized to their furthest extent. Consider the lowly chain. Nothing- not even belt driven drive trains- in real world use have been proven to be more efficient. There are many more examples of this which I could share. So, when we tweak out one area of the system, some other part suffers. We are tinkering with a device that was honed to its zenith over a 100 years ago.

SRAM's solution involves an articulating chain ring system.

So, 1X has inefficiencies having to do with chain line. The most efficient chain line is "dead straight" from one cog to another, front to back. In other words, think "single speed" chain line. Derailleurs, by their very nature, introduce an inefficiency merely by the fact that the chain line has to deflect from straight to accommodate using multiple cogs out back. The more the chain goes sideways, the less efficient the mechanism becomes. This was a compromise introduced in the early 20th Century and has reached its zenith now with 1X 12 systems and their sibling 11 and 10 speed variations.

The public perception is that "front derailleurs are bad", so marketing has asked R&D to solve the inefficiency issues with these patented ideas being shown again today on the blog. Now, I want you to consider, if you will, what this would look like: Imagine there had never been a front derailleur before. Let's say one was introduced tomorrow. I guarantee we would all be ditching 1X in a heart beat. Why? Because with a front derailleur, we could keep our chain lines more straight, and thus- more efficient use of our energy would result. But that isn't what happened.

Instead, we have forgotten that 2X and 3X drive trains require skill and understanding to operate efficiently. To be sure, we have the very best front derailleurs we've ever been able to get now days. We have the very best chain rings to allow for front shifting to happen. We have the best chains we've ever been able to get for front shifting. That doesn't matter. We still see 1X road and gravel set ups being touted as "better". 1X MTB for everyone is thought to be "better". I'm saying it isn't always better, and it is mostly due to marketing and that people don't understand multiple front ring drive trains.  

Misunderstood Doesn't Mean "Bad"- Part 1

Shimano variable chain line patent for 1X drive trains.

The double and triple chain ring drive train set ups that many are eschewing these days are, in my opinion, misunderstood, unfairly maligned, and have benefits for certain applications that outweigh their negatives. To be sure, I have tried and use 1X set ups. So, please do not read this as a "1x's are a bad thing and should go away" post. It isn't that at all. But on the other hand, 2X and 3X have a place, and they shouldn't go away either. 

A little over a year ago now I wrote this post about some new ideas Shimano and SRAM patented which would address some inefficiencies inherent in 1X drive train set ups. That points up the fact that whenever you move to innovate in one area of bicycle design, you will in turn compromise something else. There is never any free lunch, it seems, no "win-win" situations. Something gets presented as a benefit but some other area suffers.

In my opinion, this is due mostly to the fact that in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, the bicycle's mechanical properties were honed to a point where the efficiencies and mechanical properties, at least on paper, were optimized to their furthest extent. Consider the lowly chain. Nothing- not even belt driven drive trains- in real world use have been proven to be more efficient. There are many more examples of this which I could share. So, when we tweak out one area of the system, some other part suffers. We are tinkering with a device that was honed to its zenith over a 100 years ago.

SRAM's solution involves an articulating chain ring system.

So, 1X has inefficiencies having to do with chain line. The most efficient chain line is "dead straight" from one cog to another, front to back. In other words, think "single speed" chain line. Derailleurs, by their very nature, introduce an inefficiency merely by the fact that the chain line has to deflect from straight to accommodate using multiple cogs out back. The more the chain goes sideways, the less efficient the mechanism becomes. This was a compromise introduced in the early 20th Century and has reached its zenith now with 1X 12 systems and their sibling 11 and 10 speed variations.

The public perception is that "front derailleurs are bad", so marketing has asked R&D to solve the inefficiency issues with these patented ideas being shown again today on the blog. Now, I want you to consider, if you will, what this would look like: Imagine there had never been a front derailleur before. Let's say one was introduced tomorrow. I guarantee we would all be ditching 1X in a heart beat. Why? Because with a front derailleur, we could keep our chain lines more straight, and thus- more efficient use of our energy would result. But that isn't what happened.

Instead, we have forgotten that 2X and 3X drive trains require skill and understanding to operate efficiently. To be sure, we have the very best front derailleurs we've ever been able to get now days. We have the very best chain rings to allow for front shifting to happen. We have the best chains we've ever been able to get for front shifting. That doesn't matter. We still see 1X road and gravel set ups being touted as "better". 1X MTB for everyone is thought to be "better". I'm saying it isn't always better, and it is mostly due to marketing and that people don't understand multiple front ring drive trains.  

Monsoon Season

Rain, rain....go away!

Labor Day weekend is generally not a bad weekend here weather-wise. However; this one we just lived through was.......very wet!

I'm not sure I've ever seen it so bad on Labor Day weekend. Ever. In my life..... This typically is more like, say, Memorial Day Weekend, when it rains and ruins the party. Or maybe more like Halloweeen, when the kids have to wear rain jackets or parkas because the weather sucks. I can't count the number of scary parkas I've seen on Halloween. Little blighters!

So, when it is "too wet to plow", as they say in farmer-speak around these parts, you do something else. Something maybe you've been putting off for.......you know, a rainy day! In my case that generally includes bicycle maintenance to the fleet here. So, I did do some of that. But I also did a lot of work on the Riding Gravel Events calendar this past weekend. That is super-tedious work. I'm not a big fan of it, but I was the one that started a gravel events calendar in 2008 or so and I haven't given up yet. With nearly 500 events to keep tabs on all over the world, it gets pretty hard to ride herd over it all. I remember when I had less than 30 events and I thought THAT was amazing!

Now there are a few others keeping tabs on gravel events. I know some one or two have copied my work, and continue to do so. It does bother me a bit, but in these days of "copy and paste", I am not at all surprised by it. Really, there isn't anything I can do about it either.

Then sometimes when you are not busy, you start thinking about things too much and.......maybe.....you might get yourself into a bit of trouble you weren't planning on. In my case that entails something happening in a bit less than two months. I also have to start dialing up a few things before "that" happens.

More soon.......

Monsoon Season

Rain, rain....go away!

Labor Day weekend is generally not a bad weekend here weather-wise. However; this one we just lived through was.......very wet!

I'm not sure I've ever seen it so bad on Labor Day weekend. Ever. In my life..... This typically is more like, say, Memorial Day Weekend, when it rains and ruins the party. Or maybe more like Halloweeen, when the kids have to wear rain jackets or parkas because the weather sucks. I can't count the number of scary parkas I've seen on Halloween. Little blighters!

So, when it is "too wet to plow", as they say in farmer-speak around these parts, you do something else. Something maybe you've been putting off for.......you know, a rainy day! In my case that generally includes bicycle maintenance to the fleet here. So, I did do some of that. But I also did a lot of work on the Riding Gravel Events calendar this past weekend. That is super-tedious work. I'm not a big fan of it, but I was the one that started a gravel events calendar in 2008 or so and I haven't given up yet. With nearly 500 events to keep tabs on all over the world, it gets pretty hard to ride herd over it all. I remember when I had less than 30 events and I thought THAT was amazing!

Now there are a few others keeping tabs on gravel events. I know some one or two have copied my work, and continue to do so. It does bother me a bit, but in these days of "copy and paste", I am not at all surprised by it. Really, there isn't anything I can do about it either.

Then sometimes when you are not busy, you start thinking about things too much and.......maybe.....you might get yourself into a bit of trouble you weren't planning on. In my case that entails something happening in a bit less than two months. I also have to start dialing up a few things before "that" happens.

More soon.......

Happy Labor Day!

The weekend is a wet and rainy one around these parts, so I hope it is better than where I am where you are.

Or something like that........

Anyway, have a great Labor Day and hopefully, a great bicycle ride. If the weather is inclement where you are, I can empathize.

Things get back to a regular rotation here tomorrow and into Fall. You all know Fall is my favorite riding time of the year. I'm hoping to start putting in some fun rides on gravel and maybe even dirt. Depends upon when it stops raining around here though!

Hopefully you are enjoying this last big holiday weekend of the Summer and are getting some stellar rides in. See ya tomorrow and on down the road here at G-Ted Productions.

Happy Labor Day!

The weekend is a wet and rainy one around these parts, so I hope it is better than where I am where you are.

Or something like that........

Anyway, have a great Labor Day and hopefully, a great bicycle ride. If the weather is inclement where you are, I can empathize.

Things get back to a regular rotation here tomorrow and into Fall. You all know Fall is my favorite riding time of the year. I'm hoping to start putting in some fun rides on gravel and maybe even dirt. Depends upon when it stops raining around here though!

Hopefully you are enjoying this last big holiday weekend of the Summer and are getting some stellar rides in. See ya tomorrow and on down the road here at G-Ted Productions.

The Touring Series: Onward Through The Fog!

A Guitar Ted Productions series

 Thanks for joining me again on another adventure in "The Touring Series". This tour was dubbed the "Race Against Death Tour". This tour occurred in August of 1995. The three participants, Ryan, Troy, and your's truly, left from Cedar Falls, Iowa to try and get to Winter Park, Colorado in two weeks. Here I am reproducing the tale as it was posted on the blog in 2009. I also will add new remarks and memories where appropriate at the end of each post. 

 Once again, there were no cell phones, internet, social media platforms, or digital cameras in use by we tourers in 1995. I will post images where I can, but this tour wasn't well documented in images, so there probably will be very few sprinkled throughout. A modern image will be used only where it depicts things I want to clarify, like where we were in that part of the tour via a map image, or the like.

The "Race Against Death Tour" sets sail in foggy conditions from Cedar Falls, Iowa.......
____________________________________________________________________________

August 7th: Cedar Falls, Iowa- 6:30am: The tour was set to begin. It was seemingly overcast, humid, and coolish. Everything was drippy with this weather. It seemed surreal, and yet somehow very appropriate. Since this was such a huge undertaking, the fog sort of represented the walking into the unknown. The ends couldn't be seen, nor imagined, since we hadn't a clue just how it would all play out, even though Troy and I had done the tour the year before.

All along, Tim had been thinking he might come along, but as he showed up that morning with his bike unloaded, we didn't need to ask what his decision had been. We all took off down familiar westward leading blacktops. Tim was coming along just for awhile as a send off. We reached the black top leading south out of Dike, Iowa, and Tim bade us farewell with tears in his eyes. It was rather uncomfortable, but as soon as he turned around, the fog enveloped him and his bike, and it was as if it were a dream that he had even been there.

The fog was super thick, and Troy was concerned. We double checked that our "blinkie" lights were on, but still Troy was not comfortable with riding in such thick fog. His response was to ride harder. So we were almost left behind and Ryan and I had no time to think about cars or fog.

It wasn't long before the sun sent the fog packing and a normal, hot, humid August day was in the making. The wind was a non-factor. In fact, we wished for some wind. At least it may have felt cooler. But with or without the wind, it didn't really matter. We were on the road, and we were excited to be riding into an adventure.

Along about 60 miles in, we were met with a conundrum as to which road to take. I had chosen a blacktop, but due to the construction of a four lane highway, things were different than my map showed. Troy didn't like the thought of going too far out of our way, because we needed to log big miles westward, not wandering around looking for a black top that took us out of our way. So he insisted we get on an open chunk of the four lane and ride it. I wasn't too keen on this, but it turned out okay.

Ryan was pretty quiet this first day. I think he was just figuring it all out, how to fit in and just how to ride this loaded beast of a bike. I can still see him whipping his arm out with flair, reaching for the down tube shifter, making his selection, and whipping his arm back flamboyantly as he pedaled along. It was a signature move he employed every time he shifted his derailleur.

Troy was off on the front, as usual. Not to be denied this objective, he was serious and was working hard to keep our average speed up above what we needed to make it. By the time we reached I-35, he was pleased and said as much. He was a bit more relaxed after that, and that was a relief to Ryan and I, as it was cooking our gooses to ride at Troy's infernal pace.

Things were slower paced after that and fairly uneventful. Things got a wee bit tense going through Fort Dodge, Iowa due to traffic and route finding. The crossing of the Des Moines River was a doozy! That climb out of the river valley had me off the bike and walking in the heat.

Due to the extra time getting through Fort Dodge, we didn't feel too great about the afternoon's mileage. Troy pounded out a furious pace as we set off for a little town west of there called Barnum. It was blazing hot and we were roasting in the late afternoon sunlight. Troy thought about bypassing Barnum because it was off the highway a bit, but he relented and we got to pack it in for the day. It was great to have the thoughts of sleep and rest that would come none too soon!

Well, at least I thought it would come. We had done 120 miles that day, and I figured after some chow, we would get some quick sleep. Not too fast there, partner! It was not quite that way! First, the park we were in was about the size of someones small back yard. We didn't have any facilities, and the heat was oppressive! No wind, humid, and mosquitoes were everywhere! We thought we'd just set up our sleeping bags on the picnic tables, but the insects wouldn't allow it. They were eating us alive!

So, we all had to get up and set up the tent in the dark. The thoughts of sleeping in that tent were not good, as it was so still and hot yet. Any enclosure would only make it worse. But those mosquitoes!

So we got a fitful nights sleep from Day #1. Hopefully we could pull off another big day. Tuesday was going to be a bit tougher though.............
_________________________________________________________________________

 Big day and big miles to kick the tour off with. The morning incident with Tim was......I am not sure how to describe it. He got very emotional and turned and disappeared into the enveloping mists, almost as if it were a scene from a movie where you see a dead relative then they return to the afterworld, or the like. I will never forget that memory.....

Then the next big moment was the snafu with the then new construction for Highway 20. The corridor through Hardin County had been in dispute for years so parts of the road were complete and others were still just getting started. I remember going through Owasa, Iowa, which was then just a sleepy village in the middle of no where. Now a busy four lane highway snakes right through its backyard. We ended up finding a very suitable round-a-bout which paralleled the new four lane, but we also were forced to take parts of that new road in places.

Then it was the Fort Dodge area that proved to be difficult on a hot, sweltering August day with zero air moving. That was a big issue at Barnum, where we tried to get some rest. It was very uncomfortable, but we ended up becoming quite good at being very uncomfortable before this trip was over.

Next: Burgers In Nemaha

The Touring Series: Onward Through The Fog!

A Guitar Ted Productions series

 Thanks for joining me again on another adventure in "The Touring Series". This tour was dubbed the "Race Against Death Tour". This tour occurred in August of 1995. The three participants, Ryan, Troy, and your's truly, left from Cedar Falls, Iowa to try and get to Winter Park, Colorado in two weeks. Here I am reproducing the tale as it was posted on the blog in 2009. I also will add new remarks and memories where appropriate at the end of each post. 

 Once again, there were no cell phones, internet, social media platforms, or digital cameras in use by we tourers in 1995. I will post images where I can, but this tour wasn't well documented in images, so there probably will be very few sprinkled throughout. A modern image will be used only where it depicts things I want to clarify, like where we were in that part of the tour via a map image, or the like.

The "Race Against Death Tour" sets sail in foggy conditions from Cedar Falls, Iowa.......
____________________________________________________________________________

August 7th: Cedar Falls, Iowa- 6:30am: The tour was set to begin. It was seemingly overcast, humid, and coolish. Everything was drippy with this weather. It seemed surreal, and yet somehow very appropriate. Since this was such a huge undertaking, the fog sort of represented the walking into the unknown. The ends couldn't be seen, nor imagined, since we hadn't a clue just how it would all play out, even though Troy and I had done the tour the year before.

All along, Tim had been thinking he might come along, but as he showed up that morning with his bike unloaded, we didn't need to ask what his decision had been. We all took off down familiar westward leading blacktops. Tim was coming along just for awhile as a send off. We reached the black top leading south out of Dike, Iowa, and Tim bade us farewell with tears in his eyes. It was rather uncomfortable, but as soon as he turned around, the fog enveloped him and his bike, and it was as if it were a dream that he had even been there.

The fog was super thick, and Troy was concerned. We double checked that our "blinkie" lights were on, but still Troy was not comfortable with riding in such thick fog. His response was to ride harder. So we were almost left behind and Ryan and I had no time to think about cars or fog.

It wasn't long before the sun sent the fog packing and a normal, hot, humid August day was in the making. The wind was a non-factor. In fact, we wished for some wind. At least it may have felt cooler. But with or without the wind, it didn't really matter. We were on the road, and we were excited to be riding into an adventure.

Along about 60 miles in, we were met with a conundrum as to which road to take. I had chosen a blacktop, but due to the construction of a four lane highway, things were different than my map showed. Troy didn't like the thought of going too far out of our way, because we needed to log big miles westward, not wandering around looking for a black top that took us out of our way. So he insisted we get on an open chunk of the four lane and ride it. I wasn't too keen on this, but it turned out okay.

Ryan was pretty quiet this first day. I think he was just figuring it all out, how to fit in and just how to ride this loaded beast of a bike. I can still see him whipping his arm out with flair, reaching for the down tube shifter, making his selection, and whipping his arm back flamboyantly as he pedaled along. It was a signature move he employed every time he shifted his derailleur.

Troy was off on the front, as usual. Not to be denied this objective, he was serious and was working hard to keep our average speed up above what we needed to make it. By the time we reached I-35, he was pleased and said as much. He was a bit more relaxed after that, and that was a relief to Ryan and I, as it was cooking our gooses to ride at Troy's infernal pace.

Things were slower paced after that and fairly uneventful. Things got a wee bit tense going through Fort Dodge, Iowa due to traffic and route finding. The crossing of the Des Moines River was a doozy! That climb out of the river valley had me off the bike and walking in the heat.

Due to the extra time getting through Fort Dodge, we didn't feel too great about the afternoon's mileage. Troy pounded out a furious pace as we set off for a little town west of there called Barnum. It was blazing hot and we were roasting in the late afternoon sunlight. Troy thought about bypassing Barnum because it was off the highway a bit, but he relented and we got to pack it in for the day. It was great to have the thoughts of sleep and rest that would come none too soon!

Well, at least I thought it would come. We had done 120 miles that day, and I figured after some chow, we would get some quick sleep. Not too fast there, partner! It was not quite that way! First, the park we were in was about the size of someones small back yard. We didn't have any facilities, and the heat was oppressive! No wind, humid, and mosquitoes were everywhere! We thought we'd just set up our sleeping bags on the picnic tables, but the insects wouldn't allow it. They were eating us alive!

So, we all had to get up and set up the tent in the dark. The thoughts of sleeping in that tent were not good, as it was so still and hot yet. Any enclosure would only make it worse. But those mosquitoes!

So we got a fitful nights sleep from Day #1. Hopefully we could pull off another big day. Tuesday was going to be a bit tougher though.............
_________________________________________________________________________

 Big day and big miles to kick the tour off with. The morning incident with Tim was......I am not sure how to describe it. He got very emotional and turned and disappeared into the enveloping mists, almost as if it were a scene from a movie where you see a dead relative then they return to the afterworld, or the like. I will never forget that memory.....

Then the next big moment was the snafu with the then new construction for Highway 20. The corridor through Hardin County had been in dispute for years so parts of the road were complete and others were still just getting started. I remember going through Owasa, Iowa, which was then just a sleepy village in the middle of no where. Now a busy four lane highway snakes right through its backyard. We ended up finding a very suitable round-a-bout which paralleled the new four lane, but we also were forced to take parts of that new road in places.

Then it was the Fort Dodge area that proved to be difficult on a hot, sweltering August day with zero air moving. That was a big issue at Barnum, where we tried to get some rest. It was very uncomfortable, but we ended up becoming quite good at being very uncomfortable before this trip was over.

Next: Burgers In Nemaha

Minus Ten Review -35

More review tires and things were coming in for "Twenty Nine Inches".

Ten years ago this week on the blog I was yapping a lot about the upcoming Interbike trade show I was scheduled to attend for "Twenty Nine Inches", which was the website I worked for back then that covered all things 29"er. There were a lot of things up in the air that year, and we were supposed to all meet up in a rented Vegas house that year.

Then I was yapping about the Green Belt. 2008 was the first year the City of Waterloo decided to do clean up in the Green Belt using an end loader, the size you would use to fill a dump truck with. Before this they went through twice a year with a Brush Hog type mower which kind of retained the natural single track tread, for the most part, which had been established for......maybe decades. But then....

The damn end loader obliterated a lot of that old tread. The fact that the thing was ginormous made the City take it around bigger trees we used to go in between.  Of course, this radically changed the Green Belt and ever since, this sort of "trail maintenance" has been the rule more so than not.

Fortunately they left "Marky-Mark" alone, which was the trail connector I put in along Ridgeway Avenue in 1997-98. I've only seen that trail become "publicly" acknowledged once, on a trail map published by the City recently. They named it some dorky, obvious name, but whatever. At least it is seen as an "official trail" in some aspect, instead of a bandit trail, which it was for many, many years.

Minus Ten Review -35

More review tires and things were coming in for "Twenty Nine Inches".

Ten years ago this week on the blog I was yapping a lot about the upcoming Interbike trade show I was scheduled to attend for "Twenty Nine Inches", which was the website I worked for back then that covered all things 29"er. There were a lot of things up in the air that year, and we were supposed to all meet up in a rented Vegas house that year.

Then I was yapping about the Green Belt. 2008 was the first year the City of Waterloo decided to do clean up in the Green Belt using an end loader, the size you would use to fill a dump truck with. Before this they went through twice a year with a Brush Hog type mower which kind of retained the natural single track tread, for the most part, which had been established for......maybe decades. But then....

The damn end loader obliterated a lot of that old tread. The fact that the thing was ginormous made the City take it around bigger trees we used to go in between.  Of course, this radically changed the Green Belt and ever since, this sort of "trail maintenance" has been the rule more so than not.

Fortunately they left "Marky-Mark" alone, which was the trail connector I put in along Ridgeway Avenue in 1997-98. I've only seen that trail become "publicly" acknowledged once, on a trail map published by the City recently. They named it some dorky, obvious name, but whatever. At least it is seen as an "official trail" in some aspect, instead of a bandit trail, which it was for many, many years.