More Enduro Bearings Stuff

 Enduro Bearings sent over its Torqtite Bottom Bracket, Max Hit Head Set, and Direct Line Pulleys for test and review to Riding Gravel/Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. We are not being paid, nor bribed, for this review, and we always strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout. 

Okay, so a while back I received a Max Hit bottom bracket which I installed on my Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3. That's been going well for me and after some more communications with the PR company rep that is my contact for Enduro, they decided to provide me these three components at no charge to try out on the Twin Six Standard Rando. So, take that as you may. (Standard Disclaimer)

Okay, that's annoying, but this is 2023, and it's the way the gubmint wants things done now. Onward....

Bearings are important and yes, they really do make a difference. As a bicycle mechanic, you learn fairly quickly that a precise bearing system rolls/turns/pivots far more easily and with less unwanted movement than lower quality bearing systems. It isn't just about the ball bearings either. This has to extend to the races, the grease, and the precision to which those all are manufactured. A high quality bearing system costs more. A lot more, but a high quality bearing system will outlast cheaper options and give you a more efficient machine to ride. Who doesn't want more efficiency? Well, maybe single speeders, but other than those freaks..... HA! 

The Max Hit bottom bracket in this bike has made a very noticeable difference.

My experiences so far with the Max Hit bottom bracket have been very encouraging. But let's talk about the practicality of the Max Hit bottom bracket a minute. Keeping in mind that this bottom bracket costs one hundred and eighty bucks, which is pretty expensive. 

The "standard" I will measure against here is the lowly Shimano outboard bearing bottom bracket. You can pick up an XTR version, (Shimano's top of the line bearings) for around $40.00 these days. That's a heck of a lot less expensive than the Enduro Max Hit. I could go through 4 XTR bottom brackets before I spent the money for one Max Hit bottom bracket. So, I get it. If penny-pinching is the only thing you consider here, then you may as well move on from this review. 

Now, remember what I said about efficiency? It matters and it hurts your efforts to be using a less than efficient bottom bracket, or wheel bearings, or what have you. In my personal experience, great bearings are a lot easier to ride, and especially in terms of wheels, where I feel top quality bearings have a huge effect on how a bicycle rides and feels to pedal. (Speaking of pedals, the bearings matter there too.) But next to wheels, what components are spinning on a bicycle that bear more forces than a bottom bracket? I'd say there aren't any that compare. (Okay, maybe pedals!)  So, a really good bottom bracket makes as much sense, or more, to me as a great wheel bearing. Why wouldn't I want a really nice, free-spinning, precision made bottom bracket? 

The Torqtite bottom bracket.

So, there is a difference and the Max Hit bottom bracket pedals so smoothly that I did not realize that the standard Shimano bottom bracket I was using before was so "not very good". The Shimano one "rumbles" when pedaled hard, and that is inefficiency exemplified right there. It's amazing to feel how that affects your ride. I bet it is measurable with a power meter, actually. However; I'm not able to find out. I don't have access to anything that measures power. It would be fun to get a set of those power measuring pedals to see what, if any, differences there are to find. 

Now I also have these Direct Line pulleys which went into the Shimano GRX rear derailleur and that is a component choice which also can make an increase in efficiency for a cyclist. This has been known for decades, but what is new is that now many feel a larger diameter pulley is more efficient still. This is why my GRX lower pulley is larger than what we used to use back in the day. But really....derailleur pulleys that are more efficient? Yes, and there is data to prove this. One report I found is here. (Note: An Enduro model scored pretty highly in this test)

So, I feel that a rear derailleur pulley upgrade isn't maybe cost effective for many, but if you are looking to eek out the last bits of watt savings, well..... You could do worse than buying a new set of jockey wheels. 

The Direct Line pulleys are not cheap, but they do make a demonstrable difference in efficiency.

Finally, we have the Max Hit head set. This component is made entirely of 440C stainless steel. So, it is heavier than your box-stock, ubiquitous Cane Creek type head set. Surprisingly it isn't crazy expensive at about 120 bucks. That's right in there with many aftermarket head sets. 

I guess this one is a bit harder to justify though. I mean, for a little more you can accessorize your bike with an anodized head set, or you can buy the Cane Creek 40 series one for about 50 or 60 bucks and heck, it'll do fine. But for the longevity and durability factors, I can see the Enduro Max Hit one as being something worth checking out. This is a bit heavier head set, but for severe conditions/uses, this might then be a head set that you could get behind. 

It might be a bit tougher to make a case for this.

The stuff all went in correctly, easily, and there were no issues at all. The riding I did over the weekend proved that nothing should fail out of the gate, at least, and that I did my job correctly! 

Sometimes I have worried about non-stock derailleur pulleys not shifting well. A lot of folks may not realize it, but the derailleur jockey wheels are a major player in shifting precision. Get the pulley wrong, in any way, and shifting suffers. 

I will say that I had nothing to worry about there with the Enduro Direct Line pulleys as each shift was accomplished as I expected. Quickly and quietly, just as I have come to know from Shimano. So, that was nice to find out.

The Torqtite bottom bracket is a bit of a mystery as to what it is I am feeling here. At times I feel a vibration, but at times I do not. I wonder if the thread-together system that Enduro uses is so rigid that I am feeling something else through the bottom bracket and that this is not the bottom bracket bearings at all. I need more time on the bike to figure this out. But I will say that the typical Shimano "grumble", or shudder on hard pedaling, is gone. 

The head set did not come loose. Bonus! The bike steered well, and well, what else is there to say about a head set? 

So, there you have it....for the time being. I need to run this stuff for a good, long time, and when that time comes to an end, I'll be doing a final take on these things. Until then.....

More Enduro Bearings Stuff

 Enduro Bearings sent over its Torqtite Bottom Bracket, Max Hit Head Set, and Direct Line Pulleys for test and review to Riding Gravel/Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. We are not being paid, nor bribed, for this review, and we always strive to give our honest thoughts and views throughout. 

Okay, so a while back I received a Max Hit bottom bracket which I installed on my Singular Cycles Gryphon Mk3. That's been going well for me and after some more communications with the PR company rep that is my contact for Enduro, they decided to provide me these three components at no charge to try out on the Twin Six Standard Rando. So, take that as you may. (Standard Disclaimer)

Okay, that's annoying, but this is 2023, and it's the way the gubmint wants things done now. Onward....

Bearings are important and yes, they really do make a difference. As a bicycle mechanic, you learn fairly quickly that a precise bearing system rolls/turns/pivots far more easily and with less unwanted movement than lower quality bearing systems. It isn't just about the ball bearings either. This has to extend to the races, the grease, and the precision to which those all are manufactured. A high quality bearing system costs more. A lot more, but a high quality bearing system will outlast cheaper options and give you a more efficient machine to ride. Who doesn't want more efficiency? Well, maybe single speeders, but other than those freaks..... HA! 

The Max Hit bottom bracket in this bike has made a very noticeable difference.

My experiences so far with the Max Hit bottom bracket have been very encouraging. But let's talk about the practicality of the Max Hit bottom bracket a minute. Keeping in mind that this bottom bracket costs one hundred and eighty bucks, which is pretty expensive. 

The "standard" I will measure against here is the lowly Shimano outboard bearing bottom bracket. You can pick up an XTR version, (Shimano's top of the line bearings) for around $40.00 these days. That's a heck of a lot less expensive than the Enduro Max Hit. I could go through 4 XTR bottom brackets before I spent the money for one Max Hit bottom bracket. So, I get it. If penny-pinching is the only thing you consider here, then you may as well move on from this review. 

Now, remember what I said about efficiency? It matters and it hurts your efforts to be using a less than efficient bottom bracket, or wheel bearings, or what have you. In my personal experience, great bearings are a lot easier to ride, and especially in terms of wheels, where I feel top quality bearings have a huge effect on how a bicycle rides and feels to pedal. (Speaking of pedals, the bearings matter there too.) But next to wheels, what components are spinning on a bicycle that bear more forces than a bottom bracket? I'd say there aren't any that compare. (Okay, maybe pedals!)  So, a really good bottom bracket makes as much sense, or more, to me as a great wheel bearing. Why wouldn't I want a really nice, free-spinning, precision made bottom bracket? 

The Torqtite bottom bracket.

So, there is a difference and the Max Hit bottom bracket pedals so smoothly that I did not realize that the standard Shimano bottom bracket I was using before was so "not very good". The Shimano one "rumbles" when pedaled hard, and that is inefficiency exemplified right there. It's amazing to feel how that affects your ride. I bet it is measurable with a power meter, actually. However; I'm not able to find out. I don't have access to anything that measures power. It would be fun to get a set of those power measuring pedals to see what, if any, differences there are to find. 

Now I also have these Direct Line pulleys which went into the Shimano GRX rear derailleur and that is a component choice which also can make an increase in efficiency for a cyclist. This has been known for decades, but what is new is that now many feel a larger diameter pulley is more efficient still. This is why my GRX lower pulley is larger than what we used to use back in the day. But really....derailleur pulleys that are more efficient? Yes, and there is data to prove this. One report I found is here. (Note: An Enduro model scored pretty highly in this test)

So, I feel that a rear derailleur pulley upgrade isn't maybe cost effective for many, but if you are looking to eek out the last bits of watt savings, well..... You could do worse than buying a new set of jockey wheels. 

The Direct Line pulleys are not cheap, but they do make a demonstrable difference in efficiency.

Finally, we have the Max Hit head set. This component is made entirely of 440C stainless steel. So, it is heavier than your box-stock, ubiquitous Cane Creek type head set. Surprisingly it isn't crazy expensive at about 120 bucks. That's right in there with many aftermarket head sets. 

I guess this one is a bit harder to justify though. I mean, for a little more you can accessorize your bike with an anodized head set, or you can buy the Cane Creek 40 series one for about 50 or 60 bucks and heck, it'll do fine. But for the longevity and durability factors, I can see the Enduro Max Hit one as being something worth checking out. This is a bit heavier head set, but for severe conditions/uses, this might then be a head set that you could get behind. 

It might be a bit tougher to make a case for this.

The stuff all went in correctly, easily, and there were no issues at all. The riding I did over the weekend proved that nothing should fail out of the gate, at least, and that I did my job correctly! 

Sometimes I have worried about non-stock derailleur pulleys not shifting well. A lot of folks may not realize it, but the derailleur jockey wheels are a major player in shifting precision. Get the pulley wrong, in any way, and shifting suffers. 

I will say that I had nothing to worry about there with the Enduro Direct Line pulleys as each shift was accomplished as I expected. Quickly and quietly, just as I have come to know from Shimano. So, that was nice to find out.

The Torqtite bottom bracket is a bit of a mystery as to what it is I am feeling here. At times I feel a vibration, but at times I do not. I wonder if the thread-together system that Enduro uses is so rigid that I am feeling something else through the bottom bracket and that this is not the bottom bracket bearings at all. I need more time on the bike to figure this out. But I will say that the typical Shimano "grumble", or shudder on hard pedaling, is gone. 

The head set did not come loose. Bonus! The bike steered well, and well, what else is there to say about a head set? 

So, there you have it....for the time being. I need to run this stuff for a good, long time, and when that time comes to an end, I'll be doing a final take on these things. Until then.....

Country Views: Wild Flowers

Escape Route: 5th St turns into 6th St. What?!!

Sunday was a chance for me to get a roll in so I did that with two goals in mind for the ride. One was to give a recently received set of Enduro components a whirl (more on that tomorrow) and to run the turn-by-turn directions on the Wahoo Elemnt ROAM, (more on that Wednesday)

It was fine and hot, with a touch of humidity, and barely any wind at all. Almost a "dog day" of Summer, but it wasn't quite to that level just yet. They say mid-week it should get there. Fun times people, fun times!

But I wasn't too worried about any of that on this ride. I got a move on at about a quarter to ten and made the Wahoo wake up to guide me on my "Southern Black Hawk County" route. It's about 30-ish, maybe 35 miles, depending upon how I do it. On the computer its listed at just shy of 35 miles. So, off I went. I won't say much about the computer here. You'll have to wait till Wednesday for that story.

They are still working on the dike on the way to Evansdale, but....

....there is a nice dirt work-around.

The skies looked hazy, but this wasn't bad wildfire smoke haze. Nope. Just a mild case this time. So, I was good to ride and I could not smell any smoke. In fact, the sky cleared up as the ride went on.So, that was nice. Now it was just a matter of getting out of Evansdale and out into the country.

A nice patch of chicory here on Foulk Road.

It is very dusty and dry again out in the country.

I finally got to the gravel and it was dusty! At one point I had to sit up for a bit to let the dust settle after a car passed me by. I could not see anything and with little to no wind, that dust just hung in the air for a long while. After the car got about a quarter mile up the road I could begin to see the road clearer than before. 

The other thing about this ride that became very evident once I reached gravel was that the Qeen Anne's Lace and Chicory was running riot now in the ditches. In some places it was nearly as tall as myself on the bike. 

Seeing elevations above 1000 feet in this area is not common. I ran across a hill later that was over 1100 ft!

You can see that the skies cleared up a bit here.

I didn't plan this, but since I was feeling pretty good on the bike, I did not stop to rest. I only got off briefly for a quick nature break and then at the end so I could text Mrs. Guitar Ted my ETA at the G-Ted Headquarters so she could coordinate the lunchtime festivities. Otherwise I rode solid for the entire loop, minus traffic stops. 

Chicory, Queen Anne's Lace, and Red Clover here in this ditch.

The flowers along Quarry Road are awesome right now.

Since I was pushing the pace kind of hard, I ended up feeling it in the legs towards the end of the ride, but this was the best I'd felt on the bike in a long while. It was fun, so I tried to savor every last bit that I could. 

The only nit I had was that the Easton handle bar I was running had little to no flare and my left arm/hand/shoulder weren't real happy about that. So, that'll be coming off the Twin Six soon and something more flared will be going back on there. 

I spied this helicopter doing crop spraying off Ansborough Avenue.

The Standard Rando v2. It's a great bike.

Well, it was a fantastic day for a ride and I got in a good one. I was out for 2hrs 20 minutes, so not a bad speed for 30+ miles in the bag. I wasn't super keen on the outbound and inbound pavement, but that's the price I pay for riding from the home unit. 

hopefull I'll have a few more rides this good yet this year!

Country Views: Wild Flowers

Escape Route: 5th St turns into 6th St. What?!!

Sunday was a chance for me to get a roll in so I did that with two goals in mind for the ride. One was to give a recently received set of Enduro components a whirl (more on that tomorrow) and to run the turn-by-turn directions on the Wahoo Elemnt ROAM, (more on that Wednesday)

It was fine and hot, with a touch of humidity, and barely any wind at all. Almost a "dog day" of Summer, but it wasn't quite to that level just yet. They say mid-week it should get there. Fun times people, fun times!

But I wasn't too worried about any of that on this ride. I got a move on at about a quarter to ten and made the Wahoo wake up to guide me on my "Southern Black Hawk County" route. It's about 30-ish, maybe 35 miles, depending upon how I do it. On the computer its listed at just shy of 35 miles. So, off I went. I won't say much about the computer here. You'll have to wait till Wednesday for that story.

They are still working on the dike on the way to Evansdale, but....

....there is a nice dirt work-around.

The skies looked hazy, but this wasn't bad wildfire smoke haze. Nope. Just a mild case this time. So, I was good to ride and I could not smell any smoke. In fact, the sky cleared up as the ride went on.So, that was nice. Now it was just a matter of getting out of Evansdale and out into the country.

A nice patch of chicory here on Foulk Road.

It is very dusty and dry again out in the country.

I finally got to the gravel and it was dusty! At one point I had to sit up for a bit to let the dust settle after a car passed me by. I could not see anything and with little to no wind, that dust just hung in the air for a long while. After the car got about a quarter mile up the road I could begin to see the road clearer than before. 

The other thing about this ride that became very evident once I reached gravel was that the Qeen Anne's Lace and Chicory was running riot now in the ditches. In some places it was nearly as tall as myself on the bike. 

Seeing elevations above 1000 feet in this area is not common. I ran across a hill later that was over 1100 ft!

You can see that the skies cleared up a bit here.

I didn't plan this, but since I was feeling pretty good on the bike, I did not stop to rest. I only got off briefly for a quick nature break and then at the end so I could text Mrs. Guitar Ted my ETA at the G-Ted Headquarters so she could coordinate the lunchtime festivities. Otherwise I rode solid for the entire loop, minus traffic stops. 

Chicory, Queen Anne's Lace, and Red Clover here in this ditch.

The flowers along Quarry Road are awesome right now.

Since I was pushing the pace kind of hard, I ended up feeling it in the legs towards the end of the ride, but this was the best I'd felt on the bike in a long while. It was fun, so I tried to savor every last bit that I could. 

The only nit I had was that the Easton handle bar I was running had little to no flare and my left arm/hand/shoulder weren't real happy about that. So, that'll be coming off the Twin Six soon and something more flared will be going back on there. 

I spied this helicopter doing crop spraying off Ansborough Avenue.

The Standard Rando v2. It's a great bike.

Well, it was a fantastic day for a ride and I got in a good one. I was out for 2hrs 20 minutes, so not a bad speed for 30+ miles in the bag. I wasn't super keen on the outbound and inbound pavement, but that's the price I pay for riding from the home unit. 

hopefull I'll have a few more rides this good yet this year!

The GTDRI Stories: The 10th One - Part 3

Off to the hardest hills of the day.

 "The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

Now the day was hot and very humid. Not unlike the previous year, yet perhaps a touch hotter,if that was possible. The road went gently upward at first out of Elkader, but soon it was one steep hill after another until we reached pavement for a bit and relief from the gravel. Only the pavement reflected more heat than the gravel. 

Soon we were into my favorite part of this course, the two Level B sections of road, Imperial and Impala roads. There was shade and smooth dirt. While Imperial was a long climb, Impala Road started out as gravel, and that gravel bit just about had all of us undone. Working such grades in the hot Sun was taxing. Well, not for the entire group! Jeremy and a couple others bypassed this section, not wanting to be challenged by the rough beginnings of the dirt section of Impala Road. 

Ascending Imperial Road.

The roller-coaster ride on the gravel section of Imperial Road.

We rested just a bit before the entry to the dirt section of Impala Road. Then we descended onto the flat plain along the Turkey River. Coming out onto pavement again in Garber, we met back up with the others. Then a bit of respite in the A/C of the small convenience store at Elkport. 

Cooling off in the shade of the convenience store at Elkport.

Here we cross the bridge and enter into the big hills beyond it.

Big, long climbs awaited us with the last being the long, arduous climb of Fantail Road. Each pedal stroke a labor for me by this time. I was over-heated and tired. We were 80 miles into the ride and coming onto the end of the loop, but this was the hardest part and because of the way I had the loop clocked, it came at the worst time for us. The heat of the afternoon was at its zenith and our strength was at its ebb. 

Yard sale time. Note the height we were at by the background in the distance.

This is the view back down Fantail Road from the steepest part. Note the wheel tracks in the gravel.

Eventually I made it to the spot where, a year before, I had been struck by the drunk driver. I did not know how I would react when I saw the spot. Maybe it was the fact that I was drained of all energy by that point. Maybe I was numb to it. Either way, I came up upon the spot with no other desire or feeling other than that I wanted to rest. 

Tony and Jeremy were there ahead of me, reminiscing on the details of the incident. I watched casually but I was so drained that I couldn't really respond, nor did I want to. Soon we all got up and just rode away. 

I didn't get far before I needed to stop again. The heat was just too much. Martin was there and tried to help me out with some encouragement to eat and drink. I wasn't feeling it, but his positive attitude sure lifted my spirit a little bit. Enough that I could just pound out the final miles just to get the thing over with.

Lance Andre and his daughter descending the North road into Bixby State Preserve.

I made it to Strawberry Point and walked into the convenience store, relishing the cool air conditioned air inside. I plopped myself in a booth behind lance Andre and his wife and daughter. He was going back to get the car and pick them up, take them back to the campground, and get ready to head back to Dubuque where they lived. He asked if I wanted to sit and wait for him and if so, I could also hitch a ride back to the State Park where my truck was. 

I remember saying that would be great, and well, I must have made it home, but now I hardly remember anything about the day after the convenience store stop. I guess I had mentally shut down and that was the end of the 10th GTDRI for me. 

And I also don't recall saying goodbye to anyone else. It was as if everyone just vaporized at the end of that loop. I do know that a few rode out the entire course, another 8 miles past Strawberry Point. I considered myself a finisher, since I could have ridden in, but well.....why? I'd had more than enough riding that day. 

Next: The aftermath and thoughts on the 10th GTDRI.
 

The GTDRI Stories: The 10th One - Part 3

Off to the hardest hills of the day.

 "The GTDRI Stories" is a series telling the history, untold tales, and showing the sights from the run of Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitationals. This series will run on Sundays. Thanks for reading!

Now the day was hot and very humid. Not unlike the previous year, yet perhaps a touch hotter,if that was possible. The road went gently upward at first out of Elkader, but soon it was one steep hill after another until we reached pavement for a bit and relief from the gravel. Only the pavement reflected more heat than the gravel. 

Soon we were into my favorite part of this course, the two Level B sections of road, Imperial and Impala roads. There was shade and smooth dirt. While Imperial was a long climb, Impala Road started out as gravel, and that gravel bit just about had all of us undone. Working such grades in the hot Sun was taxing. Well, not for the entire group! Jeremy and a couple others bypassed this section, not wanting to be challenged by the rough beginnings of the dirt section of Impala Road. 

Ascending Imperial Road.

The roller-coaster ride on the gravel section of Imperial Road.

We rested just a bit before the entry to the dirt section of Impala Road. Then we descended onto the flat plain along the Turkey River. Coming out onto pavement again in Garber, we met back up with the others. Then a bit of respite in the A/C of the small convenience store at Elkport. 

Cooling off in the shade of the convenience store at Elkport.

Here we cross the bridge and enter into the big hills beyond it.

Big, long climbs awaited us with the last being the long, arduous climb of Fantail Road. Each pedal stroke a labor for me by this time. I was over-heated and tired. We were 80 miles into the ride and coming onto the end of the loop, but this was the hardest part and because of the way I had the loop clocked, it came at the worst time for us. The heat of the afternoon was at its zenith and our strength was at its ebb. 

Yard sale time. Note the height we were at by the background in the distance.

This is the view back down Fantail Road from the steepest part. Note the wheel tracks in the gravel.

Eventually I made it to the spot where, a year before, I had been struck by the drunk driver. I did not know how I would react when I saw the spot. Maybe it was the fact that I was drained of all energy by that point. Maybe I was numb to it. Either way, I came up upon the spot with no other desire or feeling other than that I wanted to rest. 

Tony and Jeremy were there ahead of me, reminiscing on the details of the incident. I watched casually but I was so drained that I couldn't really respond, nor did I want to. Soon we all got up and just rode away. 

I didn't get far before I needed to stop again. The heat was just too much. Martin was there and tried to help me out with some encouragement to eat and drink. I wasn't feeling it, but his positive attitude sure lifted my spirit a little bit. Enough that I could just pound out the final miles just to get the thing over with.

Lance Andre and his daughter descending the North road into Bixby State Preserve.

I made it to Strawberry Point and walked into the convenience store, relishing the cool air conditioned air inside. I plopped myself in a booth behind lance Andre and his wife and daughter. He was going back to get the car and pick them up, take them back to the campground, and get ready to head back to Dubuque where they lived. He asked if I wanted to sit and wait for him and if so, I could also hitch a ride back to the State Park where my truck was. 

I remember saying that would be great, and well, I must have made it home, but now I hardly remember anything about the day after the convenience store stop. I guess I had mentally shut down and that was the end of the 10th GTDRI for me. 

And I also don't recall saying goodbye to anyone else. It was as if everyone just vaporized at the end of that loop. I do know that a few rode out the entire course, another 8 miles past Strawberry Point. I considered myself a finisher, since I could have ridden in, but well.....why? I'd had more than enough riding that day. 

Next: The aftermath and thoughts on the 10th GTDRI.
 

Fat Tires On Gravel: From Krampus To Gryphon

 The Experimental Phase - Part 1

 Continuing on with this series concerning my thoughts and experiences with 29+ tires and gravel, today I am going to tell the story behind one of two ideas I had to mimic the Mukluk/29+ idea I had seen work so well at Odin's Revenge in 2014. You can go back to read that post here. 

That year, 2014, was a pivotal year for alternative wheel sizes. But first, we have to understand one thing about bicycle design that, without this innovation, none of what followed would have happened. That means this innovation is very influential, and to my mind has been the biggest influence on bicycle design in the last 30 years. What is it? 

The disc brake.

Without the disc brake, alternative wheel sizes and tire sizes would have been hindered by having to make a frame and fork for each wheel size instead of allowing for anyone to slap any sized disc wheel in a frame to  'just see what would happen'. It is arguable that 650B for MTB, 650B for gravel bikes, all "plus-sized" tires, and fat bike conversion wheels would have never happened without the disc brake. 

So, a shout out to disc brakes for, at the minimum, making all these niche wheel choices possible. Following is one example of a story that would not have happened without the disc brake's existence on bicycles. 

A "spy-shot" of a 650B+ WTB Trailblazer sent to me in 2014.

Not long after the 2012 (I think it was this time period) Interbike show I got a message from 29"er pioneer, Bob Poor which tipped me off to an idea he had for a 650B tire that was wider than most and due to that, it had an overall diameter which approximated a 29" wheel. This was all hush-hush at the time, but the word was that WTB was the company that was going to push this idea forward.

During late 2013 and into 2014 I kept hearing bits and pieces of news that led me to believe that 650B+, as it was being called, was actually going to happen. The idea was that many then current 29"ers could convert to a fatter, more plush ride by simply swapping in a 'B+" wheel set. Initial tires for this size were set to come out as 2.8" wide and on wider rims the ride was claimed to be transformative. 

I made mention of this development, which was to be released at Interbike in 2014, on my blog in August of that year. I got so much blow-back, saying the idea was preposterous and would never happen, that a "spy-shot" was sent to me to prove that the idea did, in fact, exist already. And as we all know, it still is around these days, albeit in a much less popular form.

This all led up to myself getting one of the very first sets of "B+" tires made. A set of WTB 650B X 2.8" Trailblazers. This was a significant development for myself in terms of gravel riding, but that would take some time to evolve into what became, for me, the most successful use of 650B+ wheels. 

Much wheel swapping between bikes in my stable happened. The whole idea was that you could put these B+ wheels into almost any 29" frame and make it go. Well.....not really in reality. No, that did not pan out 100%. In fact, I had three 29"ers in which the rear wheel would not work in my possession alone. This raised a question. What other 29"ers existed that this idea wasn't going to work out on? So, it was obvious to me that the promise of the B+ idea, at least in its conceptual form, was not what it was cracked up to be. Not 100%.

That's not to say it was a bad idea. But it was an idea that, in the end, got its own frames and forks which made the fitment issues with 29"ers go away. Meanwhile, I came to the conclusion that this was a wheel for things beyond singletrack. 

One of the first bikes I tries 'B+" tires on was my OS Bikes Blackbuck

The Fargo Gen I with the B+ wheels.

After a while my experimentation led me to try these new wheels and tires on my Gen I Fargo. One ride on that set up revealed a couple of things. First that the bike didn't really accommodate the width and lowered bottom bracket resulting from the wide tires and slightly smaller diameter of the B+ wheels. Secondly, Holy cow! Was this idea a home run or what? 

Forget about mountain biking on B+ wheels and tires, this entire set up for bikepacking would be the bomb, and I knew this immediately. A non-suspension corrected frame was 100% the only way it would ever really work, in my mind, at least. So, with that thought in mind, I looked for something that would do what I was thinking. There was nothing commercially viable at that point though. Yes, I could go custom, but that was outside of my means. 

But that attempt was the seed that grew toward a result that has been manifested in my Gryphon Mk3. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. A lot happened between 2014 and now which factors into this story. 

Next, The second idea I had and its eventual demise, but with an element to it that made a big difference to this story.