Country Views: Pre-Harvest

Escape Route: Lafayette Street

September had 14 days of rain in Waterloo, according to a friend of mine who keeps track of such data. I'm not surprised. It was a terrible month for trying to get out to ride in the country. I was itching for a country ride badly, and now that September has been passed by, October seems to be the month for Fall rides. 

The weather is still weird. We generally have had frost by now and maybe a freeze. We have had nothing even close to this. Maybe upper 40's on a couple of mornings. 

It has dried up quickly and now it has gotten windy again. The temperature for my ride today was in the mid 70\s. Again.....weird. And that isn't the only odd thing going on outside these days. 

Even the lawns and ditches are brilliant green yet. It is as if it were April out there, but the corn and beans are all dried out. The contrast is striking. Generally we have more brown than green by now. Well.....you'll see. Just pay attention to the images in this post. It's 'unnattchural', I say. Weird.....

A most excellent bike path has opened up between Evansdale and Elk Run Heights. 

The winds from the South were strong and gusty on this blue-bird sky day. I decided to do a ride which would put the wind as a crosswind to me. This meant going East and then back West with a little bit of South and North thrown in for good measure. 

I rode the pink Black Mountain Cycles MCD as it has tires and chain lube I am testing out on it. The tires are pretty smooth so that was a good fit for this route which was about half pavement. The City has been digging up portions of the bike trail from downtown Waterloo to Evansdale, so I took the sidewalk along Lafayette Road to Evansdale and then I hopped on this awesome new bike path from Evansdale to Elk Run Heights. From there I took the new sidewalk along their newly paved street South toward where Young Road/Birdland Drive intersects with Gilbertville Road. 

Al this green seems unnatural for this time of the year. 

It doesn't get much better than this.

Now there was one 'silver lining' to all the rain and cloudy weather we had in September. That was the fact that the roads were not maintained and traffic smoothed out the gravel by pushing the gravel into the softened base material. The result was roads so smooth they were better than pavement in most places I rode. 

This creek, (typical), is usually just a small trickle. All the little creeks and rivers I saw were swollen yet. 

 

An 'over-the-shoulder' shot looking back down Young Road the way I came. 

I had felt pretty good going East. But my fear was that the crosswind was actually from the Southwest, and that would mean I was getting a push. Well, the good thing was that I did not have to go too far North if I did not want to, and this ended up how I chose to go. 

We had a top-ten ever (since records have been kept here in Iowa) rainy September, so streams and rivers are very full yet. I saw several little creeks still full of fast-flowing water. Then I also saw ditches in places with standing water. These were all green with algae. Thanks nitrate run-off! I really dislike seeing this.  

When you see a tower reaching into the sky, you know you are pretty high.

It wasn't all smooth sailing!

I went as far East as I could without going into Jesup, Iowa. This meant I turned North on Garling Road. The push from the Southern wind was nice. But I knew it wouldn't be long until I had to pay the piper for this easy passage North. 

Garling ends in a mile, then you have to jig-a-jog to the right and then left as the Northbound Holgate Road is about two tenths of a mile East from where Garling intersects Dubuque Road, which used to be Highway 20 in these parts. 

Holgate ends up becoming part of County road D-20 a mile North from Dubuque Road, so I turned left on Osage Road and ended up taking this all the way back to Evansdale. The first two miles were all chunky gravel. The only 'real gravel' I ran across on the entire loop. 

The Sun is hanging lower in the sky each day now. 

Osage Road finally smoothed out. Good thing too!

My fears were realized when I came back West on Osage Road. The wind was out of the Southwest, so I was bucking that all the way back to Evansdale where I was able to escape its direct effects in the urban environment. 

I decided to check out the bike path from Evansdale to Waterloo and about two thirds of the way to Waterloo I met with a check. There was heavy equipment on the trail and the men there were digging and everything was blocked. So, I had to turn-tail and find another way. I went back about 100 yards and saw where some of that heavy equipment had crawled over a grassy embankment. If they got there stuff down on the trail by coming from that direction, I figured I could retrace their route and get back into Waterloo.

Turns out I was right, and the rest of the trip was no big deal. I ended up with a few ticks shy of 29 miles in for the day. Not bad! I'll take it after not getting much of anything in September!  

Rim And Tire Width Choices

Image courtesy of Velocity USA

We had a comment on our most recent podcast from a listener named "Josh" concerning recommendations for new wheels and specifically concerning tire width in relation to inner rim width. 

I'm not going to get into the wheel recommendation portion of Josh's questions, but I do want to discuss inner rim width and tire width again. This time using external sources to help you understand what tire and rim manufacturers are thinking in regard to this question. 

Inner Rim Width: 

Before I get there, I think it would be wise to cover what "inner rim width" is and what "tire width" is. I know, it sounds simple, but I want to make sure we are all on the same page here. 

As you can see from the cutaway I grabbed off Velocity USA's webpage for their Blunt SS rim, there is a difference between the outer, overall width of the rim and the inner rim width. It appears here that Velocity is using the distance between the "hooks" of the rim to define "inner rim width" and not the distance between the rim wall just above those little shelf looking protrusions we call the hook of the rim. 

On a "hookless rim" design, that "inner rim width" is going to be the inner dimension between the faces of the rim where it interfaces with the tire. So, a bit of a difference there. Some will argue that a hook on a rim design is safer, because it prevents tire blow-offs. Some will say the hookless rim is better for tire aerodynamics, support in corners, and that the rim is better suited to resist damage. Some say there is no real benefit to hookless rims. So, I'll leave this alone for now and say only that I am not a real big fan of hookless designs. 

Tire Width:

 This seems pretty simple. The widest portion of the tire casing is "tire width". However; I feel more folks are thinking "tire tread width" because the tread is the "business end" of a tire design since it is the part that hits the surface you are riding on. 

That is a misconception, if you are thinking in this way. What really matters, and what most never talk about, define, or even understand, is the contact patch. That is really what matters most as it helps to define a tires rolling resistance, traction, and over all handling traits. It doesn't natter if a tire is wide at the casing if you air it up too much and only a thin strip of the center of the tread hits the riding surface. 

All this to say that "tire width" is probably more important to how a tire might fit into your bicycle first and foremost.. The rider comfort and handling part is also very important, but tire width is only a piece of that equation, not the ultimate defining factor. 

Putting Both Together:

Tire width and inner rim width work together to help define rider comfort, handling, and overall performance factors like aerodynamics, rolling resistance, and more. 

Tire pressure, rider weight, overall loaded weight, the bicycle's geometry, conditions of the riding surface, and weather all conspire to bring another level of complexity to this equation. The tire construction method, materials used, and quality controls also factor in. One tire from a manufacturer can be very different from another tire from the same manufacturer with similar weights, widths, and mounted to the same rim. Even tires from different manufacturing dates, with model, size, and wheel being the same, can ride noticeably different. 

All this to say that there is no "easy button" to make a choice. But you can get yourself into a ballpark of "good" if you follow recommendations given by the manufacturers for rim inner width and tire width match-ups. 

Wilderness Trail Bikes offers an excellent chart with tire and rim width recommendations. I like their chart because it also shows combinations to avoid. Light Bicycle, a Chinese manufacturer of carbon frames, carbon accessories, and carbon rims and wheel sets, also has a nice, easier to read chart. The WTB chart is HERE. Light Bicycle's chart is HERE. 

As long as you stick to the recommended ranges, you should be okay with the tires and rims of your choice. If you are looking to eek out every drop of performance from your tire and rim choices you will have to do more of your own trial and error research. 

I hope this helps clear up any misconceptions about tire and rim widths. Thanks to Josh for the great question. 

Thirty-Point-Five Wheels

 So....thirty-two inch wheels are the "Next Big Thing"? Hold on! We got solid rumors out there about a new wheel size. Thirty-Point-Five. 

I know you all are really excited about this! 

And before you type in a comment with an April Fools reference, this is actually a wheel size you can already buy. It exists, and I found a bike HERE.  

I know...I know. It isn't something you'd likely buy because of the unknown brand, but apparently the industry is gearing up to bring this alternative wheel size to fruition. The "Escape Collective" ran an article on Schwalbe's intentions to bring out this size wheel/tire and if they are doing this, again - you know an OE contract is behind this. In fact, the article pretty much says this straight up.  

Supposedly this size sits perfectly between 29" and 32". The obvious thing here is this would fit more people than 32" bikes could. The other obvious thing is we already have this wheel size. 

This bike with 29" x 3.0 tires would be effectively a 30.5"er.

Take any "plus-sized" 29"er, or a Jones bike with 29 x 3.0" tires. These measure 30.5" in diameter already. But yeah......I get it. With a larger diameter rim the tire doesn't have to be so poofy to get to 30.5". 

But this should point out to many of us that 30.5" is possibly a more viable alternative to a "bigger wheel" than 32" because we already know 29+ fits a lot of people out there. 

I also get how this will only enrage the already stirred up hornets nest of negativity over the bicycle industry. The perception is already that things like 32" wheels and "gravel bikes" are inventions we do not need. 

Thirty-Point-Five? Yeah.....That's going to help that right along! I don't know how all of this might play out, but whether or not it is just a play to garner more interest and create sales is a fair argument. Do we really need this? 

It is fun to think about, but.....yeah. I don't think we need this. 

Mechanic Shortage Reported In Europe

 

We talked about the mechanic shortage on the latest Guitar Ted Podcast.

A recent study conducted in Europe revealed that there may be a severe shortage of bicycle mechanics and this is forecast to only get worse. The story was posted by "Bike Radar" and was referred to me by a podcast listener, or one of you dear readers, I'm not sure which.  (Oh....and N.Y. Roll pointed it out also)

I've done some research into the reactions to this article, and I mentioned some of those comments in the podcast episode posted last week. (HERE) 

The article resonated with me on several levels. I wanted to address some of this here and also give my considered opinions on the fate of local bike shops (LBS) in the future. 

The issues facing bicycle shops are very difficult to overcome due to, in large part, our overall perceptions of bicycles, the size of the USA, and by our climate. These three barriers to cycling participation present a bar so high that, as I've always thought and said, will not allow the USA to be anything like Europe when it comes to cycling. 

Briefly then: Weather changes with the seasons, severe weather occurrences, and  American's aversions to be subject to the whims of weather are insurmountable as long as we have automobiles to insulate us from the onslaught of oftentimes difficult weather conditions for cycling. Be that heat, cold, wind, or precipitation, all are huge hindrances for many folks when cycling is suggested as a transportation alternative. 

The sheer distances Americans have to travel to get basic goods and services is another huge barrier to cycling. As an example, citizens of Waterloo, Iowa's East and North reaches have to travel upwards of four to five miles, one way,  to get to a grocery store and this is in a town of 70,000 folks. While this seems like nothing to some of you, cycling that distance is difficult for many people now. Yes - there are solutions to this issue, however - in concert with the weather issue, this becomes a mountain too tall to scale for many. 

The final issue is how bicycles are perceived here. If you "have to ride a bike" this generally puts you in the criminal categories. "Oh! This person must have gotten too many Driving Under the Influence (DUI's) tickets to drive", or they are too poor to own a car, etc. Bicycles are only ridden by 'normal citizens' for recreational purposes. Then we get into the entire infrastructure issues and most folks won't even consider riding a bicycle. 

Example: I dropped my vehicle off Friday at a body shop for an adjustment to the end gate. I planned on riding home after I dropped of my vehicle. It's 4 miles from my home. The lady at the front desk of the auto body shop was amazed I would even consider riding and tried to talk me into taking a ride. This is pretty representative of how people think about bicycles, at least around here. 

All of these issues affect mechanics. If the vast majority of people think like the lady at the body shop, (and I am pretty convinced most folks do), then why would anyone ride a bicycle outside of primo recreation days found in Summer, maybe Fall, and late Spring? Late Fall through early Spring are completely dead times. Keeping a mechanic well-paid through those months is next to impossible for many shops. Lower pay? Maybe the shop will keep you around with severely reduced hours for six months. You surely are not going to get ahead of monthly bills being a bicycle mechanic in the Mid-West. 

Of course we have poor infrastructure for cycling, people do not value cyclists as humans when they are riding, and bicycles are getting far too complicated. Add in the ever increasing "innovations" which require new tools, knowledge, and experience, and it is easy to see how we got to this point  And the pay? Ha! It's horrendous. Why would any young person want to consider being a bicycle mechanic? It's a curious, dead-end career with little upside and it has been this way for decades. 

And we wonder why mechanics and LBS are disappearing? 

Another Classic Schwinn Shows Up

 The Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective has a few missions, but the original idea for this collective focused on one thing. That was keeping bicycles out of the landfill. 

To that end the non-profit Collective has gathered donations of bicycles from the community since 2014. There have been thousands of old bicycles kept out of the local landfill because of the efforts by the Collective. The mission has expanded since those early days and now we do advocacy, education, events, and we facilitate putting people in need on bicycles for their transportation needs. 

As I've said here before, it is very rewarding work. But sometimes a bit of the old cycling nerd gets brought out when an old, unusual bicycle gets donated to the Collective.  This happened this past week. We received two old cruiser bikes, and one of them had a couple of features I had not seen before. 

It is a green Schwinn American cruiser style bicycle which would have been a youth model in the Schwinn range at the time. Schwinn called it a "middle-weight" range bike. If we are describing the bike by weight, I would hate to have to heft a Schwinn "heavy-weight" bike in a stand because this bike probably weighs about 40- 50lbs. 

From doing some online research, I found that Schwinn named the model "American" because every part of the bike was American made. Wow! Imagine that today. Every part from the USA? Tires, tubes, chain....everything? I cannot imagine it. But there you go. At one time it wasn't unusual. 

 The next thing I learned was that this bike came with a two-speed lever action shifter and hub. The Bendix lever was in low gear, as you see it here. By pulling in the lever you shifted to a high gear. Flicking the lever back out gave you the low gear again. Note the original Schwinn logo grip. 

The cable operates a typical clevis/shift rod arrangement similar to a Sturmey-Archer 3 speed hub. The hub works and the gears can be selected but it needs a good cleaning, lube, and possibly a little adjustment to the cable. 

The Schwinn American came into Schwinn's range in 1955. It ran for three years and then was dropped until 1962, according to a page I found on the internet about Schwinn Americans. When the American model returned it had a kick-back style, color-banded rear hub, and not the lever action shifter. This version of the American was in the range until the late 1960;s. Near as I can tell this is a 1957 model which was donated to the Collective. The American was offered in four colors in the 50's: Opal Green, Blue, or Red. and a Black enamel. Along with the lever action two-speed Bendix drive train, the checkerboard seat tube decal was also only found on these 1950's Americans. 

 While most folks think of the two-speed kick-back hubs, which had ridges in the hub shell and colored bands, this Bendix two speed hub is rather plain and unadorned. I read on another site that this hub is finicky as far as cable adjustment goes. Perhaps this was one of the drivers for Schwinn to ask for a kick-back style 2 speed hub which would not rely on cable actuated shifting. It may also have been done as a cost-saving measure, but I am only speculating here.

The cantilever front brakes are clamped around the classic Schwinn flat, forged steel fork legs. The cantilevers pivot on a plate which is part of the clamp. The cable is most unusual as it resembles the type of split cable you might find on a 20" trick bike with a detangler set up. Interestingly there is no exposed cable in this design. The brake works effortlessly, by the way. 

Does this reflector have "BIKE" spelled out or am I seeing things which are not there?

The images show the bike as it was when it came into the door. I did inflate the tires and so far, they hold air. I am pretty certain this bike is 100% original, and for a boys bike from 69 years ago, that's pretty outstanding. I thought it was unusual and perhaps some of you might find this bicycle interesting. It certainly is a fine example of a Schwinn from the company's heyday. 

I'll probably get it all cleaned up and rideable this Winter and yes - it is for sale, along with our other two Schwinn cruisers, a 1963 Schwinn Typhoon with a two speed kick-back hub and a 1959 Jaguar three speed.  Call the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00pm to 6:00pm or on Saturdays from 8:00am - Noon. 

Friday News And Views

NAHBS Shuffles Show Date To 2028:

When the MADE Show happened in August we learned that the original custom bicycle show, the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, was returning after a hiatus of several years. NAHBS was last scheduled to happen in 2022 but was cancelled by the organizer, Don Walker, due to a stated "lack of interest" from frame builders at the time. MADE debuted in 2023 and has occurred every year since that time. 

NAHBS had announced a return for 2027 at the same time MADE was to occur in 2027,. The conflict in dates was obviously not ideal, but it has been announced by NAHBS that it will now change the plans. The show likely will happen in early 2028, avoiding the conflicting date set earlier. 

See the NAHBS site HERE for further updates in the future.

Salsa Cycles posted this collage of images on its social media

A Full-Suspension Salsa Cycles 32"er?

Early this week a collage of images was posted to Salsa Cycles Facebook page with the following caption:

 "It's not quite a Bigfoot sighting, but we do have photographic evidence of Salsa product managers Joe and Ethan at Marji Gesick this weekend testing a new bike with a pretty big footprint. #BigWheelsBigAdventure #32intheYoop "

Comments: Now there was no indication given that this would ever become a production bike, but Salsa is promoting this on their socials. One has to think this is a gauging of interest type of marketing move.  

My suspicion is this is going to be offered at some point. This also points to Salsa trying to maneuver itself  into a position where the brand is seen as a leader in this category. What the other big brands will do has yet to be seen, but it would appear that Salsa Cycles is buying into 32" wheels wholeheartedly. 

From Singular Cycles social media

X-Fusion 32" Fork Appears:

Also in 32" news, Singular Cycles shared a special build of one of their 32" Albatross hard tails sporting an X Fusion 32" fork. The rumor mill earlier this season had pointed to some second tier suspension brands having interest in making 32" suspension forks. This would seem to prove the rumor true in one case. 

X Fusion makes a wide range of suspension products. While they do have top performing forks and rear shocks, they are not as well spec'ed on the upper end of most brands products. A range where Rock Shox and Fox have everything pretty much tied up in terms of spec. 

Rumors were that forks for mid-level hard tails were coming with 32 inch wheels. This would indicate that big brands were buying into making 32" hard tails which would be not quite so expensive. Singular is a niche brand and while they may be using the X Fusion fork, my bet is some big brand put in an order for OE spec which made this fork become a reality. 

Time will tell soon enough, but I suspect 2027 will be the year 32" wheels make a big splash in the retail sector of cycling. Will consumers buy in or simply turn up their noses and leave 32" wheels to sit on showroom floors? 

Image courtesy of Efficient Velo Tools

Efficient Velo Tools Shows New Consumer Portable Repair Stand:

As the seasons turn and the days get shorter, many cyclists start to focus on other sports, indoor cycling, or the gym. Meanwhile those nagging issues with your bicycle sit in the garage, basement, or wherever you keep you bicycles. Spring will come, and you'll be in some mad rush to get things squared away, as will thousands of other folks waiting until the last minute. 

You could avoid all of this and do your own basic maintenance with a quality repair stand like this EVT unit.  Called the "Field Unit Comp", the stand weighs a little over 13lbs, can hold bicycles up weighing up to 44lbs, and utilizes EVT's stellar clamp design. 

Working on a bicycle is infinitely easier and more fun when you have a proper repair stand. This one goes for a very reasonable $299.95. You'll save that much money doing three tune-ups on your own bike. Plus, the stand is portable, so you can take it with you to events, vacations, or visits to friends. 

EVT is a respected name in mechanic circles and this clamp is often times lauded as the best in the business. I highly recommend this stand. I have no affiliation with EVT at all, by the way.  

CORRECTION: On my article this past week on the new CGR i23 wheels from WTB I indicated incorrectly that the rims are hooked. This was cleared up after I sent a question in to WTB and received a reply on 10/2/26 letting me know the rims are hookless. I apologize for any inconvenience caused by this error.  

There you go! Another FN&V for 2026 in the books. Now go ride those bicycles!

Second Chance Shoes

The year was 2018. The Almanzo 100 event was still around and this iconic event was the choice for Shimano engineers and top brass to attend and ride US gravel and to check out the scene. 

To commemorate this occasion, Shimano commissioned 1,000 pairs of a camo-themed XC5 shoe. This shoe was a model meant for XC MTB racing, but Shimano was also marketing it as a gravel shoe. (Introductory story on this shoe by PEZ Cycling can be read HERE) 

As an interesting side note, I was there at the Cherry Grove checkpoint along with my then 'Riding Gravel' partner, my son, Jacob, and a local named Ross. (Story HERE)

I was able to see the Shimano folks roll through the checkpoint and as I was trying to sneak peeks at their bicycles I was told they were testing the waters for gravel components. Then the very next year GRX was introduced. 

Anyway, those were heady days in the gravel scene. It may seem odd to those just getting started in the gravel cycling world now, but the gravel cycling niche had already become a big deal back then. I always shake my head when I see people talk about how this gravel riding stuff is "new". 

But back to the shoes.... I had heard the only way to get one of the 1,000 pairs of these was via a bike shop. I happened to work at one then, so I asked our buyer to put in an order for a pair of the XC5 camo shoes in a size 46. I wasn't sure I'd get them, but obviously, I did, and I was thrilled....at first. 

The original laces sent with the shoes were your typical flat, cloth laces in a highlighter yellow with a spare set in black also in the box. The holes the laces were to pass through were smaller, round holes which prevented the laces from smoothly moving through them. This made getting an even tension over the forefoot difficult, if not impossible. I was dismayed. The shoes didn't really work all that well. 

I tried a fancy set of those elastic laces some runners use, but they were too tight and made my foot fall asleep after riding just a short while. So, I parked them in my shoe rack. I had several other pairs of shoes also, so it was easy to forget about the XC 5's. 

About a couple of weeks ago, I came across a new set of small, round boot laces my son, Jacob had purchased as a back-up set for his work boots. Well, since he's no longer with us,the laces had no purpose. I looked at them and after a moment or two of grief, I had an idea. I could use these in those old XC 5 shoes! 

While the laces are waaaaay too long, they worked great and now those old special edition shoes feel fantastic. I want to wait until I put in a multi-hour ride, but I am probably going to cut the laces shorter and I'm very optimistic this has solved my issues with those shoes. 

Of course, I could have done this literally years ago, but with my over-abundance of footwear I just had forgotten all about those shoes until I saw Jacob's back-up pair of boot laces. Now I have no idea why I thought about those shoes just then, but I am glad I did. 

When Wide Is Too Wide

Rim widths have sure changed a lot in the past ten years. I've noted this in several earlier articles on this site. A good historical reference point can be seen HERE for instance. 

That article was written exactly six years ago now. So, even since 2020 things have radically changed in terms of what people are thinking about for inner rim widths. I'm speaking to what gravel riders use here. So, while references to mountain biking will be made, I am primarily thinking about gravel/all-roads riding. 

Why Is This Important?

The most influential facet of a bicycle ride - besides the all-important rider - is the wheel. Wheels have obvious influences over your riding experience, but I want to focus in on how inner rim width works in concert with tire volume and width. 

What happens with this relationship can greatly affect your comfort, efficiency, and overall experience on a bicycle. Take a look above at the image above. I was trying to visually show what happens to a tire when the beads of the tire are set further apart by the inner rim width when it is arguably too wide for the tire being mounted on that rim. In this example I have a 700 x 42mm WTB Resolute mounted on a Spank rim with an inner width of 30.5mm. 

The 30.5mm inner width with 2.8" tires

The profile of the Resolute gets flattened out. This might seem to be a good thing on the surface of it. However; what happens in reality is that the more tire you get to hit the surface laterally makes rolling resistance increase. Furthermore; if the casing gets too squared off you will start to notice a self-steering effect which is not desirable. This increases the rider's efforts to steer the bicycle through corners and in difficult terrain. 

I allude to some of this in my 2021 article on the Spank rims and those Resolute tires HERE. What I did not show there, or talk about much, is how having the beads of the tire set too widely apart from each other affects ride quality. 

There is an optimal shape tire manufacturers design to which allows what they have designed for to be fully expressed during a ride. These qualities are many. What we feel most is influenced by how the tire casing works against the surface you are riding on and the results of the steering/riding inputs the rider exerts on those tires. 

What happens when the beads of a tire are too far apart usually affects how well the tire casing can conform to the riding surface. Generally speaking, a tire sidewall should bow outward, not being a straightened out line from surface to rim bead seat. The straighter the tire sidewall gets the worse that tire works at doing its job of conforming to the surface. It affects negatively how the tire responds to rider input. Combine this with a flattened out tread area and the problems get more magnified. 

Of course, I am describing a worst case scenario, but this happens incrementally when we go from 25mm wide internal widths to anything around 30mm with gravel tires in the 45mm - 50mm range, which is arguably the sweet spot for tire width in gravel now.  Most gravel racing rims are not 30mm wide internally either, so why the worry?

Image courtesy of Continental Tire

 Aero vs Comfort & Handling:

The problem is aero related and how an aero focus in racing influences what you and I get to ride.  Most road cyclists who follow Pro racing know that aero is everything these days. Teams spend gobs of cash trying to find every advantage in aero to make their riders more efficient and faster. Of course, this has spilled over to gravel racing as well. 

Pro gravel riders are pushing the limits on tire widths. We are seeing wider than 2" tires being used in some cases. Aerodynamics dictate that a smoother airflow is achieved when a tire side wall seamlessly transitions off of the rim side wall on a deep section rim. Just like you see on skinnier road racing aero set ups. This affects choices in rim width.

The accompanying image here is from Continental showing the 700 x 50mm Dubnital on a wide, deep section rim. You can see the smoother transition from tire to rim clearly. This is all driven by aero concerns. 

Of course, this causes the tire to have some undesirable effects, as outlined above. In every gain in one area you often get compromise in another area. Racing isn't about comfort, at least not in a top-of-mind design sense. It matters, but these days, aero is king. 

I feel the wider tire thing is going to pull back a little bit from the excesses we see now. I also feel that rider comfort and handling will start to become more important in gravel racing as courses world-wide start to reflect a more MTB-XC feel than a true gravel road type experience. This is because, well, what I see most being called "gravel" isn't gravel at all. 

But this is a subject for another article. 

For now I think it is fair to say that the outlandishly wide inner rim widths and hyper-focus on aero for gravel will relax in favor of better handling and rider comfort leading to faster racing in the long run. I could be wrong, but this is my opinion. Got any thoughts? Hit me up in the comments section.

Gravel Grinder News: WTB Introduces CGR Gravel Wheelset

 NOTE: All images and information in this article were provided by Wilderness Trail Bikes. "Comments" are Guitar Ted's opinions. NOTE: UPDATED 10/2/26 to reflect that the CGR Light rims are hookless. 

Today WTB has released information on its newest and fastest gravel wheel set, the CGR i28. If you are at all familiar with WTB's naming convention, you already know the internal rim width is a nice, wide 28mm. 

However; this is only a small fraction of what is going on with these new wheels. WTB has built these wheels up around the new, World Cup proven Frequency 7X hubs which are incredibly light, strong, and feature larger ball bearings for improved axle stability and durability. 

Frequency 7X Hubs:

Starting off with the hubs we have the patent-pending ratchet design of the free hub which is over-sized and coated with what WTB calls "DLC" which is an acronym for Diamond-Like Carbon. This coating is claimed to lend a slickness to the ratchet which is said to "significantly lower friction" between the ratchet parts over traditional hard chrome plated ratchet parts. WTB also employs a splined inner (hub side) ratchet ring over the traditional threaded type ring. WTB claims this gives the Frequency 7X rear hub an ability to handle twice the torque of a threaded in ring.  WTB says this keyed ratchet ring requires no specialist tools to service it. 

WTB is also using larger than typical Enduro bearings which they claim increases the load rating by a margin of 38% over competing rear hubs. This is claimed to create a stiffer axle assembly. This also lessens the amount of times the hub would need servicing, theoretically. 

WTB claims the hubs are weather sealed and have been "rigorously tested" to show that these hubs keep dirt and water out.  

The hubs are laced to the new CGR Light rims with 24 straight pull spokes. The Frequency 7X hubs come with a choice of Shimano HG or MicroSpline free hub or a SRAM compatible free hub. 

CGR Light Rims:

The new deep section CGR Light rims feature an offset spoke bed design to help achieve a more balanced spoke tension for the 24 spokes used on each wheel build. The spokes also sit in WTB's 4D, internally reinforced spoke beds. This design keeps the spokes from exiting the rim perpendicular to the hub axis and instead better aims each spoke to its corresponding hub flange.  

The new rims are 40mm deep and feature a 28mm inner rim width chosen to allow tires from 45mm - 54mm in width to perform their best. WTB believes that this width is ideal to allow for the best balance of tire stability, traction, suppleness, and rolling efficiency. 

The CGR Light rims are hooked and feature WTB's patented TCS tubeless design for simple, easy tubeless tire set ups. NOTE: After sending an email to clarify the hook or hookless feature I received a reply on 10/2/26 that the CGR Light rims are hookless. I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.) As of this time, neither the rims or hubs are sold separately. So, wheel weights and pricing will reflect current wheel assembly options offered by WTB. 

Weights & Pricing:

 USD:  Front $850 / Rear $950 / Wheelset $1,800
EUR:  Front €727.45 / Rear €822.45 / Wheelset €1,549.90
GBP:  Front £563 / Rear £636 / Wheelset £1,199

Ride With Confidence Guarantee. If you break a WTB carbon rim
while riding, as long as you’re the original owner, we’ll send you a
replacement for free. No exceptions.

Front Wheel: 644 grams

Rear Wheel Weight: SRAM XDR 729 grams, Shimano MicroSpline 729 grams, Shimano HG 740 grams

All hubs utilize Shimano CenterLock rotor mount standard.

For availability see your authorized WTB dealer or check out the wheels at wtb.com 

 Comments:

I saw this wheel set in the release for the WTB aero gravel tires which are on review here. I was informed these would be coming, so it was with some anticipation that I awaited this news. I have to say that I am a little bit surprised by the inner rim width choice and thoughts behind this. I know it will seem unlikely to readers here, but I had an article written up before the press release landed concerning this very subject, and that will appear here tomorrow. 

This new wheel set also falls right into line with current gravel trends for deep section wheels, wider internal rim widths, and light overall weight, which - honestly - when have light weight wheel sets not been a thing?  

At a bit under 1,400 grams for both wheels (1,373), this isn't bad for a deep section wheel set. In fact, it is quite good. I'm a little surprised WTB did not go for a carbon spoke, or a fiber spoke option to lower weight even further, but given the price at well under 2K, maybe WTB did not want to go there. Carbon or fiber spokes would have raised the prices significantly. And who knows? Maybe this will be an upgrade for a future CGR wheel. 

 Beyond this, I will say that I am not at all surprised WTB designed a wheel set to compliment its tire release. It makes sense to do this, since WTB has traditionally done complete wheel systems and tires since the early 2010's.

PSA: News & Notes

Your regularly scheduled Guitar Ted Productions morning post has been delayed till 11:00am CST due to an embargoed press release. However; I will use this opportunity to highlight upcoming happenings and notes for the Fall and early Winter here. 

It's soon to be October and with that the regular "Country Views" posts will likely cease for 2026. You never know, but I suspect "Brown Season" posts will be coming sooner than later. 

I hope to get in a couple longer rides yet. Weather permitting, of course, and speaking of weather.... It's been a rotten stretch for weather here for months. You have to think the odds have to change here and we'll swing to more favorable riding conditions soon. I'm hoping so.

I'm planning on bringing back the "Virtual Turkey Burn Ride Challenge" again for 2026. In case you are new here, the VTBRC is a challenge for you to ride a metric or full century ride (100 miles or a "metric" which is approximately 63 miles) between Thanksgiving Day and November 29th, 2026. That's four days to "git 'er duuuun!". You decide the course, the bike, and when you want to ride in those four days. Of course, I encourage gravel and dirt, but you do not have to do this that way. More details as the day draws closer. 

Late November will be filled with recaps of VTBRC reports sent to me. Last year this took up the first week or two of December as well. Then it will be on to the end-of-year recaps which I have done here for many years now. Those include monthly highlights, bike reviews of bikes used during the year, and final looks at things like 2026's best images and people from 2026 who made an impact on my year here. 

Then it will be a final look at 2026 and a post on New Year's Eve to look forward to 2027. 

Twenty-twenty seven! What?!! How can this be already? 

Stay tuned......

Press release due at 11:00am CST. Make sure you come back to check it out!
 

Upon Further Review

The rain.... Well, there is no need to go over all that again. I've been forced into different decisions of late though. One of those was grabbing a bike with fenders so I could at least get some sort of cycling in outdoors. 

This meant that I had one choice. My fixed gear, Twin Six Standard Rando v2. I've actually put a fair amount of time on this bike over 2026. But there has been a bit of a break in between where I had not ridden it much. 

The last time I reviewed this bike was about nine months ago. But I've ridden it a bunch since then. Mostly around town, but there have been a few longer rides thrown in around the city here. 

One thing which may seem weird here is the stem. It is a Redshift Sports ShockStop stem. Seems weird on a fixie, but it works and since you can get caught out running over stuff and not in a position to unweight the saddle, it sure comes in handy. In fact, maybe I should put on a suspension seat post.... 

Anyway, I've gotten used to the gearing. That took me a while. The Dura Ace 16T cog can be a bear at times. But in the beginning of this builds riding I was hurting every time I rode it. Now? I seem to be getting on with it fine. 

I'm spoiled by big, poofy tires. So much so that these 37mm Panaracer tires seem too harsh to me. But with fenders, this is about a big a tire I can squeeze in there. I used to ride that old 1X1 Surly I had as a fixed gear bike with Extraterrestrials on the wheels. 2.5" of nice, smooth tire makes riding fixed a lot nicer experience. But this bike is not that bike. It is fine for what it is and I'm not planning any changes soon. Except for one thing. 

Riding fixed is hard on things which you wouldn't think about on a geared bike. Things like saddles. I think I may have broken the one on this bike. I'll likely change it out for one of my spare Brooks saddles soon. 

On My Plate....

There are three more days in September and then we're in arguably the last month of the year I can consistently expect to get out in the country. Maybe, if I am blessed, I can see good weather to start out November. But by Thanksgiving time the chances of good riding weather in the country go way down. 

So, I might have four weeks - maybe six - to get a LOT of stuff done. The loose ends list is ridiculous. This post is pretty much for myself. It will be a list of things I need to get to. 

I have several reviews undone yet. Ergon bar tape and saddle being perhaps the longest in terms of waiting to complete. I wanted to do a nice review of the SMP saddle as well, and that has been in limbo for weeks. There are also those Aeron TPU tubes I need to wrap up. Of course, the new WTB tires are the latest on the plate to get completed. 

Then there is the Guitar Ted Lube-Off to get through. I'll tell ya, this stretch of wet weather has really thrown a wrench into this whole Lube-Off for 2026. Hopefully this weather will cooperate now so I can at least get some drier, dustier rides in before Thanksgiving. That is, if I can dodge what will certainly be a mad rush to harvest corn and beans. 

Hang on.....it's gonna be crazy around here for a few weeks if the weather holds up.  

 

Feeling Cranky

Image courtesy of MRCC social media

Feeling cranky and you live in the Mid-West? Maybe you haven't ridden enough in the last two months. Gee.....I wonder why? 

Well, this map I saw the other day from the Midwest Regional Climate Center may help you understand why. In the last 134 years in the time period between August 1st and September 23rd, Iowa has had the 7th most rainy precipitation ranking. 

Which translates into a lot of cloudy, rainy days which you probably did not ride. Lightning is not listed in this data, but yeah.... A lot of those days were filled with lightning as well. 

This also does not list the days it was brutally hot and humid with "feels like" temperatures over 100°. Those are days I do not ride as well since I am prone to heat related issues. 

So, as I sat here the other day watching it rain (again!), I was somewhat consoled by the fact that I wasn't crazy. It hasn't been the greatest end to Summer or beginning of Fall here. 

Two months of hit or miss riding opportunities has hurt in many ways, I certainly am hoping October pans out a bit differently, because, well.....After that, it's going to be Winter, and getting any meaningful rides in the country in November and December is never a good bet. 

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Whaleroad

Fourteen Sprockets:

Almost ten years ago now I posted concerning the stir a story caused back then about a patent drawing for a 14 speed Shimano cassette. I wrote about that HERE. It was something Shimano had in its back pocket for years already by that time. So, I knew it was only a matter of time till we saw this in reality. 

But to see it first from a Chinese company called Whaleroad? I did not have this on my 2026 bingo card, as the saying goes. And how about the name of the company? Gotta hand it to the Chinese. When they try to hit on an English language name for a company it doesn't always make sense. It makes for some interesting reactions. 

Anyway - the point Guitar Ted? Ah! Yes...... The point being that I wonder how Whaleroad can pull this off without Shimano having some sort of legal reaction to it. Then my second thought is concerning the "why do this?" question which I am sure many of you are thinking about as well.  

The cassette is an 11T - 46T. The cassette is part of the R7 road group. My feeling is Whaleroad is trying to reduce the differential in tooth count between cogs and to allow a 1X road drivetrain to be competitive with a 2X set up with a similar range of gearing. It is wireless, of course, with the rear derailleur having a removable battery. (SRAM nay have something to say about this as well.) The cassette fits on a standard HG free hub body (Shimano). 

Comments: This may be pointless now, because you probably cannot easily get this stuff, and taking a chance on a new drive train with little track record of success can seem like a bad decision now. And maybe you cannot fathom ever wanting or needing 14 speed cassettes. I get that. We thought 10 speed was crazy in 2010 too.  

But this is coming. Someday new bicycles will have 14 speed cassettes and it will be commonplace. Where it goes from there? I do not know, and maybe more importantly, I do not care. I'm still using 11 speed cassettes and I see no reason to get more than 11 sprockets back there. In fact, two of my bicycles are 9 speed. Think about this - It's 2026 and you can still buy good quality 9 speed components. So, I guess the bottom line here is don't let 14 speed stuff upset your apple cart. You do not have to buy into it. 

Podcast Update:

Just a reminder that the "Guitar Ted Podcast" has been pumping out a new episode about every two weeks. In case you haven't checked out this content, the two latest episodes can be accessed HERE and HERE (Spotify), or from any podcast outlet. 

N.Y. Roll has the new SILCA tires in reserve for his upcoming Twin Six 3X2 32"er build. We talk about our opinions on the Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame, cycling in general, and on other subjects as well. We've gotten some great feedback on the episodes so far this year, and we thank you listeners for the encouragement. 

The next and newest episode is one where we talk about the lack of marketing focus on fun and community by cycling brands.I also share my wheel building thoughts.  

It's almost October already! That means we will be coming up on our traditional December mini-break soon. I suspect we will have about 5-6 more episodes before we call it an end to Season #4. If you have any suggestions for content you'd like to hear us speak on, please let me know either in the comments or at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. We listen to any and all feedback and would welcome any suggestions or comments you may have. 

We're having a banner year so far with as many episodes in the can already as we had all of last year. Thanks for the support, and if you are a new listener, Welcome!

Image courtesy of Tailfin

Tailfin Acquired By MVC Group:

It was announced Thursday on several online outlets that the bike packing rack company, Tailfin, had been acquired by the MVC group, a family owned business out of Italy. 

The MVC Group, according to its Linkedin profile, also owns Sportful, Karpos, Castelli and the triathlon brand Zoot. The MVC Group - according to its own press release, is backed by the private equity fund, Equinox.

Comments: I normally do not report on business transactions in the world of cycling, but I was made aware recently that there are some of you folks out there who really do not like "private equity" getting involved in companies you support. or used to support. 

It also dawned on me that the entire thought of private equity funds being involved in a bike packing company acquisition is kind of weird. Bike packing might be the ultimate expression in these times of an independent, self-governed life style. Private equity is seen by some to be one of the things that is wrong with business today and a thing that sucks the life out of brands which were started as family businesses. 

To be fair, the MVC Group is a family business, and maybe this acquisition is a good thing. I do not know. I only point this out since I have found there is a subset of people who find private equity distasteful. At the very least, this high-level business decision seems like an uncomfortable bedfellow with bike packing.

Image courtesy of Teravail 

QBP Brands To Be Sold On Amazon:

Earlier this week news spread across the internet regarding a letter sent to QBP (Quality Bicycle Products) dealers which detailed a strategy QBP would be implementing on the Amazon platform. 

In the communication QBP stated it would become an seller of record and would be offering proprietary brands on Amazon for sale to consumers. A list of those brands included Teravail and 45NRTH amongst others. 

Comments: This should not be a surprise. Independent bicycle shops are becoming scarcer and consumers buying habits have changed dramatically. Amazon is open 24-7, 365. Your local bike shop is not. It is the way it is and this move is, I think, due in part to this new reality. 

By the way, Teravail is blowing out tires at about half price right now on their site. If you are in need of some tires this might be a good time to shop. 

 That's it for this week! Have a great weekend and get out and ride those bicycles!

Review: WTB Course & Byway Aero Gravel Tires - First Impressions

 Note: WTB sent over a pair of the 700 x 50mm Byway tires and a pair of the 700 x 52mm Course tires for test and review. Guitar Ted Productions was neither paid or bribed for this review. All thoughts and opinions are Guitar Ted's. 

Singular Peregrine Mk4 with WTB Course tires

The WTB aero gravel tires are being put to the test here - that is when it isn't raining buckets and lightning outside. Whew! It's been a rough September here so far. 

But be that as it may, I have some impressions of these tires to share so far, So, this post will be about sharing those thoughts. If you missed the technical stats and measurement articles, please go back and read those articles HERE and HERE. 

As a reminder, the two tire sets I received to be reviewed are the 700 X 50mm Byway and the 700 X 52mm Course tires. While getting "real gravel riding" in has been next to impossible, I do have rides on many surfaces including decomposed gravel, dirt, broken pavement, and regular paved streets and bike paths. 

700 x 50mm WTB Byway tires on the BMC MCD

Impressions:

Visually the two models of WTB aero gravel tires look very rounded. I don't think I've run a tire with such a round casing since I had the Challenge Tire Getaway model  on for review back in 2020. 

Rounded off tires seem to be a good idea if you are trying to make things more aero, I would guess. But however this was decided upon at WTB, it does do certain things to handling. Things like less tire hitting the surface you are riding on. There is one other trait here which I will touch upon when I speak to the Byway specifically. For now, I want to focus in on the speed aspect. 

Less tire hitting paved surfaces means a fast roll, and that is great. However; I remember looking at that Challenge Getaway and thinking it was going to act like a prow of a boat and try to push its way through loose gravel instead of rolling up and over the loose rocks. I'm not sure how the WTB tires will hndle this yet. With the 120TPI casings the hope is the tire will be supple enough that it will be like the Getaway and absorb the rocks, go over them, and not plow through them. We shall see. 

The Byway essentially is a slick

Now, getting to the Byway. This tire is essentially a road slick. Sure, there are some tread blocks....kind of, but I'm not leaning over that far to find out whether they will work or not. 

You might think, "Well, air it down and see if you can get tread block engagement that way>" Okay, I did this. First of all, it did not help with traction. The tire is sketchy on anything slick, muddy, or wet. It acts like it looks. I'm not surprised by this at all. 

What I was surprised by was the self-steer in the front and how much drag I was feeling compared to when the tire was at 35psi - 40psi. I was running a little above 20psi, and well, this tire doesn't work well down that low. Not for myself. I'll try something closer to 30psi next time and see if I can find a sweet spot. The point was that the Byway doesn't gain much, if any, traction at lower psi settings. It is just going to act like a slick tire, in my opinion. 

The Course is very happy at 35 psi and rolls fast. The tread on this tire does lend traction and I found going through corners on decomposed gravel, dirt, and even on pavement was fun. 

This tire is also very fast feeling. I've not run the pressures down on this tire yet, and given how the Byway responded to very low pressure, I'll likely stick to something around 30psi for that test. 

I think both tires have a nice, damped ride quality. It isn't super impressive in this regard, but it is very good, I think. 

Both have held air well enough and I see no concerns with that. There has been no signs of casing weep, nothing negative at all in this regard, and I think the short term outlook is great with these tires. Whatever WTB did with materials and construction has been proven to be good....so far. 

In the next post I will have some "real gravel rides" logged in and then we will learn even more about these new tires from WTB.