Guitar Ted Productions

Friday News And Views

2009-07-17T01:00:00.000-05:00

<===Another special Raleigh project bike....

Here ya go! Another special rig from the fertile mind of marketing wonk Brian Fornes at Raleigh. What does this remind you of? I live in Waterloo, Iowa, so this was instantaneously evident to me! (That's a rack on the Heron in the insignia, by the way!)

Anybody up for "Team Johnny Popper"?

This rig is a one off built from Reynolds 853 pipes and looks to have a split shell eccentric bottom bracket, which I think is a great way to have a clean looking single speed with a reliable tensioning system. My Blackbuck has this, and I love it. No worries with creaks, out of round shells, or stuck wedge type systems. Hopefully the new 2010 XXIX will have the same EBB type.

GTDRI 09: This Is Gonna Be A Cold One! Looks like record low temps for us campers at GTDRI tonight. I'll be bringing arm warmers, but other than that, I'll have to gut out this cold snap- in the middle of July!! Weird huh?

Anyway, we'll be setting out at 6:30am, and if you come, you better have some water ready, 'cause the campgrounds do not have water. You've been warned! Look for a full report Monday.

Get On, Or Get Out Of The Way: Some time ago now, I think it was 2005, Richard Cunningham of Mountain Bike Action said 29"ers were just a passing fad and to "stick a fork in it" as far as a movement. Now a mere four years later in his "Happy Trails" section and he is praising the wheels as the 26"er hard tail killer and short travel full suspension 26"er bane. What gives? Why the sudden change of heart? Well, I think the answer lies in his latest screed on 29"ers. He states that all the fields in the XC races are littered with riders on 29"ers below the Pro class. (And even that is changing rapidly in the U.S.) Basically, the proletariat of mountain biking has had their say, and they are not to be ignored.

Look, R.C. sells a magazine. Saying things that rankle a niche crowd and rings the masses bells are going to make for good sales and exposure. (See 2005's comments) Now however, it can not be ignored that a large segment of his readership is sporting wagon wheels, and if R.C. is going to weigh in with any sort of credibility in the future, as far as perceptions are concerned, he has to start changing his tune. And what better way to do it than with this latest salvo.

Now a couple of observations here. One- MBA just did a glowing tech piece on Niner Bikes R.I.P. 9 which was written by....you guessed it...Richard Cunningham. Niner's Chris Sugai pulls no punches when he talks of the 29"ers eventual domination of the off road world, once declaring that 29"ers would become "the defacto wheel size for mountain bikes in ten years." R.C. isn't quite ready to go there yet, but obviously he has been convinced by someone and their products that something is going on here.

Interestingly, it isn't just R.C. doing this turn about, but I am seeing this from many other corners of the mtb world. Folks saying things as if it hadn't been said about 29"er bikes before, when in fact it had been being said......way back to 2003..... and before.

But we were all just zealots then. Ah......the good ol' days! Being declared worse than a religious, dogmatic robot spewing the faithfuls big wheeled gospel is something I won't miss. I just sit back and chuckle knowing what I know, and seeing more and more 29"er product coming down the pike. Awesome!

Besides, it is all about the ride anyway. I just happen to like big wheels, they work better for me. Now I have choices beyond measure, and big hit bikes are coming now that I'll likely never need. I think it's great that folks will have a big wheeled choice in every category now.

Will it erase some 26"er choices? I still really doubt that it ever will. There are just too many folks riding that wheel size for it to ever go away. (Think 27 inch wheels. When was the last time you saw a new 27 inch wheeled rig, yet they haunt every nook and cranny in every city yet today.)

Whatever, I just find a lot of this "discovery" and covering of old ground quite amusing. Especially by the traditionalists. It has been an interesting ride so far, and I suspect it will only get better as time goes on.

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend! Ride yer bikes folks! Summer is about done with. (Really! It is summer, right?)

New 29"er Stuff: Coming Soon!

2009-07-16T01:00:00.000-05:00

Well, if you had told me last fall that I would be this busy talking about new 29"er stuff now, I would have said you were nuts! But here we are and we have all sorts of stuff flying out of corners far and wide in regards to new products, rumors, and hints. Take a look at a few things I have rounded up for ya here..........

<===New Phil 135mm front hubs.

From Jeff Jone's "Blog" we have a look at Phil Wood's newest hub, a 135mm front for "wide" fork applications. Note: The Paul "Whub" is in the foreground.

I don't know, but to my eye, it looks like a regular Phil hub with a longer axle. I could be wrong, but I like the design of the Paul hub better. That maybe is just me though....

<===As seen on mtbr.com

Maxxis is having some prototype Aspin 2.1 X 29"er and Ardent 2.4" X 29"er tires tested in the field by test riders across the country. We've seen the Ardent befor and the new one is a wider version. I'm not a big fan of the Ardent, but the Aspin does look interesting.

Unfortunately, Maxxis isn't doing anything with tubeless ready beads, so even though they may work tubeless as is, I think it is a mistake not to engineer some better beads into the tire and just call them tubeless ready.

Looks like a great rear tire to mate up with an Ignitor or CrossMark front. At anyrate- Yay for more choices!

The long awaited W.F.O.9's are about to set sail!

Niner Bikes W.F.O.9, the technology laden long travel 29"er is about to hit the trails after a long delay. What is super cool is that finally a manufacturer has stepped up to back the production of the long hidden away WTB Kodiak 2.5 inch monster tires! Folks around here won't be interested much in these shoes, since they are really made for abusive, gnarly, high speed chunk riders. That and the projected weight is 1400 grams each! Still, they are the answer to a lot of folks prayers that live in technical, rocky mountainous areas.

Word is that the casings on these monsters are 62mm wide and that they are 66mm wide at the knobs. If true, these are now the biggest 29"er tires, taking away that crown from WTB's own WeirWolf LT tires.

Tidbits: I'm hearing Norco has a 29"er in their line up for 2010 that will feature the Gates Carbon Belt Drive System. (Obviously a single speed) and that Banshee Bikes is working on their own 5 inch travel FS rig which should be interesting given that companies gravity driven roots.

Finally, I hope to be getting some new information soon on some other interesting 29 bikes for 2010, so stay tuned here, and of course, on Twenty Nine Inches.

GTDRI 09: Route Info

2009-07-15T01:00:00.000-05:00

Okay kiddies! I spent an inordinate amount of time tonight mapping out this dang route for ya'all that may or may not be coming to the GTDRI on Saturday morning. Of course, some of us will be camping out at Echo Valley, so you are all welcomed to join in that fun which will be occurring on Friday afternoon/evening.

Keep in mind- We'll be bugging out for the ride at 6:30-ish. So if you won't be there Friday night, you will have to get crackin' early on Saturday morning at "dark thirty" to make this little gravel party.

Secondly, it is NOT A RACE!! It is a no rider left behind, fun, challenging ride. How challenging you ask? Let me tell you.......

First off, it will be 117 miles and most of that will be gravel roads with a few miles of pavement and B-Maintenance roads thrown in. We'll need the whole day to do the route at the leisurely pace I suspect we'll all be going at. Why so lazy? 'Cause it is NOT A RACE and it will be dang tough. Think Iowa doesn't have any climbing? Well, if you show up fer this one, you will ride two- count em- two!- multi-mile climbs. Yep! I said "multi-mile". I found two climbs that both go over three miles each and one of those is over four miles. Sure, they aren't too steep, but they are long!

Then there are a couple in the mile plus range that are steep! Whoa! This is gonna hurt folks! But then again, it is the "Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational" afterall!

I lull everyone asleep to start off with on the first 25 miles which are gently rolling hills along the Turkey River for the most part. However, once we get past Elkader, things will start to get roller coasty! In a big, big way too. Then in about the 50 mile mark, the first multi-mile climb will hit ya. After a few more rollers, I give everyone a break on a section of flat stuff that takes us through Strawberry Point where we'll likely be refueling. After turning north, we'll hit one of the most heinous sections of rollers I ever threw at a Trans Iowa for just over a mile. Then at the outskirts of Volga, we start our next multi-mile climb, although this one has a much more palatable gradient! Following a flattish to downhill run in to Wadena, we'll get to enjoy the corkscrew ascent out of the Volga River Valley on Fox Road. Yeah! Steep and twisty!

Then we finish it all off with some big ol' rollers back to Echo Valley, and hopefully some cold brews!

See ya Friday night, and if not then, Saturday bright and early.

p.s.: If the weather is violent, or super crappy, I'll cancel the event. Stay close to your weather and stay tuned to the GTDRI site for updates!

Oh! And Here is the link to the route.

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour: Day Five: In To The West Part II

2009-07-14T01:00:00.000-05:00

The "Race Against Death Tour" moves on from Wood, South Dakota on an extremely brutal, hot day....

Leaving Wood, we encountered some big rolling hills. The combination of the days heat and miles was taking it's toll on me. Well, that and the fact that there wasn't any water in Wood. I ran out of water somewhere on this last stretch of the day's road. I thought I was really done for. This is where one of the enduring phrases describing myself arose from. Right from this moment on this very day.

I was "Barney-ing".

I am pretty sure it was Ryan that coined the term. He saw my face as I toiled up a climb he and Troy were waiting for me at the top of. Ryan exclaimed, "He looks like Barney Fife when he had that long face, ya know? He's "Barney-ing"!" Troy saw the resemblance, I guess, and laughed. The term was forever cemented in my mind as what I looked like when I was bonking. Barney Fife. I suppose I could look worse.

Troy said something about the fact that we were all about out of water, but that White River was just up the road, and that we probably should cut the day short, wash clothes, re-supply, and hit it hard the next day. We all agreed to that, then just like that, Troy and Ryan were gone, leaving me to toil up the big rollers in the incessant heat.

I reached the turn off to White River and I could see Troy and Ryan up the road. I was angry, and I suppose the adrenaline helped get me the rest of the way into town. I was going to be really glad to get into a town of a reasonable size, the first since we left Winner, and get something to eat and drink. What I didn't know was that I would never forget White River for other reasons, but at this point, I just wanted this day to come to a merciful end.

As we reached the outskirts of the town we pulled off the highway to the business section of town and found that there wasn't a street. Well.......they had a street, it was just torn up. It was as if they had been doing construction, but the cars were just driving through the dirt. There were no "Road Construction" signs, just some orange netting and some sawhorses with blinking lights here and there. It was a bizzarre scene, but that would be just the tip of the iceberg of the strange things that we would find in White River.

Next Week: White River Weirdness

GTDRI 09: Recon Report III

2009-07-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it is almost here! The 2009 version of the Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational is Saturday, July 18th. I will be camping out, hopefully, Friday night at Echo Valley Park just east of West Union, weather permitting. Here's the fine details on the camping situation:

Directions: To get to the park from West Union, take Highway 18 east into town. When you get to Pine Street, which is a stop light, hang a right/south and follow Pine Street all the way to the southern outskirts of town where it will flow to the left. just keep following this East/Southeasterly blacktop out of town. When you go about a mike and a half, it turns suddenly to gravel. Don't go into the gravel!! At this point there will be a sign that says Echo Valley on your left. turn left here. It looks like you could go left or right on this gravel road, but stay right. You will be going steeply down to a low water crossing. Go across, the road goes left and up. Then you will see a right hander. I will be at the top of this, if the weather is good.

More Info: Now, here's the deal with this place. It is totally primitive. No water, pit toilets, and no bathroom/showers. So be prepared if you come to camp. There is a fire ring, so if you want a fire, bring some wood. We'll be just hanging out, maybe having a drink, and then sleeping until the next morning.

Figure on being set to go around 6:30 at the latest. We will set off from the point where the Echo Valley Road turned to gravel at the entrance to the campground. We will be taking Echo Valley Road eastwards from there. Cue sheets will be available either printable on-line or at the start, but once we leave, we're not coming back until we finish the loop. Distance should be about 110 miles.

Hit me with an e-mail if you want to let me know you'll be there or if you have any questions. I'll post up any last minute changes later if there are any. Stay tuned!

What's In The Stand And A Big Mama

2009-07-10T01:00:00.000-05:00

<===The Latest Version.

I am still refining the Big Mama. I've been riding this rig, and even though its been muddy more often than not, (just look at them dirty tires!), it has been an awesome rig. Funny how a "big" bike can claw its way up stuff. That suspension helps in that regard for sure.

So, I have some Quad Dime XC brakes in white here with the new GA-1 white grips from Ergon. I have used the brakes before and for the money, they can't be beat. Better modulation than Avid Juicys and Elixirs for less money. Then the Ergon grips are awesome on this sort of bike. Full grip for power moves and just plain hanging on when things point waaay down! Plus, they are pimpy white! (You can only really see the green end caps here, but trust me, hit the link, you'll see they come in white!)

Next up? Crank refinements. Maybe a new bottom bracket. We'll see.

<====Is it just another Trek Fuel.....

<=====........or not???

Well, you never know, but pros do sell their old rigs some times. Could this have been Travis Brown's rig at one time? Hmmm.......looks a size too big, but......ya never know!

I thought it was funny that it had Specialized tires on it though!

Okay, that's all I got today. Have a great weekend, ride your bikes, and will somebody please stop the rain already!!!

Drop Bars, Pink Stuff, Hall Of Famers and More!

2009-07-09T01:00:00.000-05:00

<===New Pink Velocity Blunt rims on the Blackbuck.

Okay, this is a mega-packed post today. Sit back and grab yer coffee!

I rode my Blackbuck at Cedar bend yesterday since it was the only place that was ready to ride after our recent deluge within a reasonable driving distance. Still, it was pretty greasy in spots and sure enough, I had a right hand off camber after a down hill that sent me sprawling.

I came to a halt with my nose about three inches from the critter you see in the pic on the left here. The critter was not amused, and quickly scurried away from me, but not before I captured its image for you all here!

I did some damage to my right hamstring in the wreck, and I cramped, or nearly cramped the rest of the ride. It was painful, but at least I was riding. The single speedness of my Blackbuck surely didn't help, but I wasn't about to turn around and go home just yet!

Mike Curiak Nominated To The Mountain Bike Hall Of Fame: Okay, on behalf of Mr. Curiak, I am making this announcement that he is up for a vote to get in the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. I helped craft his nomination write up, which is in the list here for you to look at. Just click on Mike's name to read it.

If you think Mike is worthy, you can vote for him, but it'll cost ya! $20.00 to be exact. That said, that $20.00 helps keep the Hall running and will let you have a chance to vote in Mike. But hurry! As in all good things, this comes to an end on July 15th, so hurry!

Ellsworth Bikes to do a carbon hard tail 29"er: In my poking around on the web, I came across an announcement for Ellsworth Bikes carbon 26"er hard tail rig. So I read it, and sure enough, a 29"er is also in the works. No word on whether it'll be a U.S. made product, like Ellsworth is proud of. I'm betting it won't be.

Shed Fire Does A Off Road Drop Bar: Okay, the cat is out of the bag. Brant Richards, formerly of On One and now running his own outfit called Shed Fire has done up another off road drop bar.

<=====Shows the flare from the front, albeit upside down!

<====That's some sweep there on that drop section folks! 120 degrees from the bar top.

<===A longer drop extension with little reach. You do not like how long it is? Cut it off! It's hard to add to a bar that's too short to begin with here.

<===A look from underneath. The center section is 31.8mm all the way across to each drop section. It'll take road controls, of course.

<====And one from the top. Note that the drops don't slope out a lot, so your brake levers won't be slanted too badly. Should please those who insist on using the hoods while they ride.

Okay, I have to admit that I helped out with this one. Brant had me do a rendering and picked my brain a bit about this, as I am sure he did with several other drop bar aficionados. At any rate, I am hoping he will also make this available in different widths, but at this time the outer width will be 580mm/23 inches or so.

This is the rough prototype, so much can change, but I think Brant is pleased with it so far and this likely will be close to production shape. No word on when it'll be out, or for how much moolah it'll sell for, so don't ask me!

And the name? Brant calls it the Luxy Bar. I like the factories numerical designation- "D62". Kind of reminds me of Allis Chalmers model designations for its orange tractors from back in the day!

Okay, that's it for Thursday!

So, Like....You're Kidding, Right? Part II

2009-07-08T01:00:00.000-05:00

Note: In Part I I introduce the premise that Mountain Bike Magazine is going to tell us "The Truth" about 29 inch wheels, which ends up being a treatise circa 2005 about the characteristics of 29"ers and then descends into a discussion of 26 inch versus 29 inch wheels. I give some examples today and my commentary....

Okay, so let's see what this mag is calling "The Truth" about 29"ers, shall we? First off, it all starts out well enough with the obvious roll over benefit of larger wheels. They introduce a scientist and he tells us there is something to it, but it is hard to measure. Then they get around to correcting a misunderstanding some have about the contact patch of a 29"er wheel. It isn't larger, it is longer. Yep! I've been saying that all along. But here's where the scientist goes off the rails and Mountain Bike sort of contradicts themselves in regards to his statement.

The science guy says that even though there is an advantage to the longer contact patch, it "is so small it's unlikely to be noticeable." Then Mountain Bike says that they "know" that 29"er tires have more grip and traction on climbs, provide more grip in corners, and that they perform better in mud and sand.

So they "noticed" the "unlikely to be noticeable". Wow.

Then they explain 29"ers stability, but first they take a stab at the oft repeated, "you can't turn that long board in tight trails" saw. Funny thing about that. If you compare the wheel bases of 26 inch trail bikes and 29"er trail bikes the differences are often less than an inch and sometimes 29"ers have (gasp!) shorter wheel bases! Let's just say I've never had any problem going around the same tight turns on my 29"ers that I did on my old 26"ers. That's my experience. I've heard similar from other 29"er guys. Your mileage may vary.

At any rate, they tell us that a longer wheel base and heavier wheels make the 29"er feel more stable. Really? What about my sub 1500 gram wheel set? You could hardly say that was heavy, yet it is more stable feeling than my old lightweight 26"er wheels that weighed the same. Hmm.... I think they missed it slightly. True, gyroscopic effect is at work, but the geometry of a 29 inch wheeled bike has a lot to do with this, and they do not even mention that.

Then they hit the old "more weight, less stiffness" argument. Yes, at one time this was true, but it is quickly becoming a thing of the past. I can point to any 29"er specific component and show you several examples of stiffer components that relegate this argument as being archaic. Also, the weight thing, that isn't much of a concern anymore either. I mean, we have guys riding geared 29"er hard tails in the low 20's for weight, and single speeders riding 29"ers that rival most road bikes in weight. The thing is, if you followed this logic, roadies would be riding 26 inch wheeled road bikes. They don't, and for good reasons besides the fact that the 700c wheels are a mandated size these days. (That wasn't always the case)

Then we see the old "handle bars are too high" argument. Funny, but I see tons of 26 inch trail bikes with riser bars, and handle bar heights that are above the saddle height. This is pretty common these days with 26"ers. So why pick on 29"ers? And added to this, I have plenty of spacers under my stems on several of my bikes, and not one has the handle bars higher than the saddle. Go figure. I must be an oddball, or a circus freak at 6'1" and a 34" inseam. I mean, if they are right, then I must be all wrong!

Then they talk about trail as if the new crop of suspension forks, (forks that have been out for two seasons already) were never developed. Weird!

Okay, there is more, but this is getting to be pretty obvious. If this is "The Truth" I don't want any part of it.

See ya'all in fantasy land as I ride off on my fairy tale 29"er that doesn't really exist. You know, the one that carves tight turns, accelerates like a rocket, is stiff where it should be, and has great positioning and handling characteristics. Yeah........that bicycle.

C'mon! You're kidding me, right Mountain Bike Magazine? This stuff can't be for real.

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour- Into The Wild West Part II

2009-07-07T01:00:00.000-05:00

The "Race Against Death Tour" rides into another blazing hot summer day on a lonely stretch of State Highway 44 in South Dakota.....

As we rolled along, the heat increased and the cloudy haze began to give way to more intense, bright sunshine. We were going through water like crazy with the temperatures hitting around 100 degrees that day. So it was that we came to a tiny spot in the road that on our maps said was a town named Witten. We pulled off the road to see what looked like a feed mill and grain elevator operation in a dusty, unpaved "cul de sac" with a few houses back behind that. We noted that there was a little water spigot located right behind a small shack. We didn't need to knock, as our conversation alerted a few of the operations employees to step outside in the blazing heat to see what the heck all the commotion was about.

After one of them gave the okay to use the water spigot, he quickly ducked back into the air conditioned shack, leaving a short-ish, wiry fellow to speak with us. I quickly found Troy taking my bottles so I would have to be the one to talk to this fellow. Ryan sort of shadowed me for a bit, but when it became apparent this guy was slightly odd, he too shrank away, leaving me to deal with our latest "V.I.P" (Village Idiot Person) Actually, I thought this guy was okay, just sheltered, shall we say?

He kind of was a cross between that character on the 60's show "Gunsmoke" named "Festus" and a town drunk. Anyway, you have to think his dialogue in a western drawl....

Him: "So, where ya'all headed?

Me: "We're going to the Black Hills, and then to Rocky Mountain National Park."

Him: "So, yer goin straight up 44, eh? That's Injun country, ya know. Those folks is a little waspy. Why I carry me a pistol by my side on the seat in the truck whenever I go through there.

Me: So those folks aren't too friendly?

Him: "Well theys shoot ya soon as talk ta ya, but it depends on what yer doin'.

Me: "Huh! No kiddin? "

He then goes on to tell me he trades in horses. He says he carries large sums of money at times from the sales of the animals, and that he needs the protection of the side arm.

Him: "Did yew know that it's zactly two hunnert miles from here ta the race track at the edge of Rapid City? Two hunnert miles! From right here!" He points to the ground at his feet.

Me: "No kiddin?"

Him: "Yep! And didja ever go up in any of them caves? "

He goes on to tell me of a family vacation where he describes the stalagmites and stalactites as "icicles" that shown like "jew-wells" in the lights and "didja know its a constant 49 degrees in there?"

Well, you get the point by now, I am sure! Troy and Ryan finally tore me away from this guy and we were off to the road, but not before Troy could voice his fear of the Native Americans. He had overheard the "V.I.P's" comments about the "waspy" folks and heard "guns" and was thinking we should re-route. I said that we were not in danger of anything. Heck, the guys the "V.I.P." was afraid of were after his horse money, and we had nothing any Native American could want. We were about as poor, destitute, and stinky as they come. What would they point a gun at us for? Our stinky chamois? And with that we went off down the road again.

It wasn't long though, and we were in need of more water. We saw a spot on the map and aimed our bikes for there. The town was named Wood, and it was slightly off the road. As we approached on the blacktop leading into this tiny town, we saw busted off trees, broken buildings, and there wasn't a green leaf to be found. A small pack of dogs took up to barking and gave chase as we rode up to the first outliers.

It wasn't so much like a tornado had hit this place, even though it may have, but it looked like one of those WWII pictures from my high school history books. Bombed. That's what Wood looked like. A bombed out town. We scattered as the dogs approached, Ryan with his frame pump held high, ready to strike, me barking back, and Troy yelling at them in a stern tone of voice. The dogs finally relented, we rolled up to a gas station, and searched for something to drink.

Next week: The Tour continues to the shock and horror of our overnight stop......

So, Like....You're Kidding, Right? Part I

2009-07-06T01:00:00.000-05:00

A week ago, a co-worker of mine hands me an issue of Mountain Bike and asks me if I am interested in a few things in the issue. It turns out it was the July '09 issue and their were a few pages bent over at the corners to help me find the articles he was wanting me to see.....and comment on. Oh! I know that wasn't really the point that was made, but the inference was there. I get it. So, here goes............

First off, this issue is emblazoned in the lower left corner of the cover with this gem: Why 29ers Are All Wrong! (Or Right). Okay, I don't usually go out looking for this sort of thing, so please understand, I don't really mind what the established media says about big wheels, but this title already says to me- "We're straddling the fence on this issue." Interesting. I guess it is an admission that a certain portion of the readership might get offended. That's always good for some feedback and increasing the numbers of units sold. Can't blame them for doing their job, ya know.

Next, I go to the first tabbed article my co-worker was curious about. Good ol' Wes Williams of Willits! Well, if you wanted to upset the apple cart, Wes is your man. He is a smart, experienced, talented guy that has no "mind filter". You know- He just processes stuff in his head in raw form and out it comes. Like it or not. You get about 10 seconds to figure out where Wes is coming from in regards to 29"ers. If you can't figure it out after that, you are either deaf, dead, or too stoned to understand. Let's just say this: If I were a public relations dude for 29"ers in general, Wes would be far from my first choice for the uninitiated to talk to. Don't get me wrong. I like Wes. But he is what he is, and he ain't gonna sugar coat it. So, an interesting salvo to start out your latest issues 29"er coverage with. (By the way, the piece is hilarious, in my opinion. Some real corkers are let off by Wes here.)

So, on to the main article. Under their "Gear" sector in the aptly named "Tecnobabble" area is an article named "The Three Inch Difference- Finally, the truth about 29- inch wheels" Okay, this is promising. "The Truth" about big wheels! This ought ta be good! (Oh! And ironies of ironies, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski is shown in a full page pic on his 29"er. He just won a National Marathon Championship aboard his Superfly 100, beating a course record and his wife, Heather Irminger also won a Championship the same day aboard a Superfly.)

Okay, so anytime a mag lays down the claim that they have "The Truth", you know it is going to be good, right? Well, I couldn't have been more disappointed. The article read as if it had been written circa 2005. Amazing statements showing the lack of current 29"er technology and geometry are made. Scientists are brought in to ferret out "The Truth" and even they couldn't agree on several points.

Oh, and did I mention that the entire piece was a 26"er versus 29"er one? Yeah.........imminent fail.

Before I write Part II and get into the specifics, I am going to lay out my position again, as I have from the beginning, on what the deal with 29"ers and 26"ers is. This hasn't changed in my mind since about March 2003:

29"ers are better at keeping me from having endos, wipe outs, and other crashes when I ride out in the woods. They do smooth out bumps, climb steeps better, and descend in a more stable, controlled manner than my former 26 inch wheeled bikes. This is more fun for me. I suggest you actually ride a 29"er to see for yourself whether you too might benefit from this larger wheel size.

There! That's it in a nutshell. We can have all the science guys babbling all day long, have experts yak the yak, and even racers winning on them, but the real and "true" way to figure it out is to ride one and see. I've always held to this belief. No science guys, magazine writers, or even me, can convince anyone without them actually riding one first. The wheels sell themselves, that is the bottom line.

With that said, I'll return Wednesday with some fodder and comments regarding this article. Stay tuned!

T.I.V.6 News: To Move The Date- Or Not? The Verdict

2009-07-03T01:00:00.000-05:00

Well, you had your chance to speak, and now the verdict is in. But before I go any further, let me make a few comments..........

First, the reasonings why the organizers of the DK 200 wanted to move their date had to do with the fact that Memorial Day falls at the very end of May next year. They don't really want to move up into the month of May for two reasons- Graduations and getting too close to Trans Iowa. Then if they go into June, they are afraid that it will get waaaay too hot. So that is what I understand is the reasonings on their part. Of course, if I switched their problems would become my problems. Heh heh!

Secondly, I distinctly got the feeling that you guys are concerned that d.p. and I stay happy with what we do so you can come and do what you do at Trans Iowa. Ya know.....I am to blame for that! I fostered that "if this starts to suck I am done with it" attitude. I understand, and that is cool that some of you expressed that sentiment. I get that.

Then there were the votes not to change it, and some of you basically said it doesn't matter when it is, you are coming. That's cool too.

So, in the final analysis, I don't see any overwhelming reason to stop what we're doing and move Trans Iowa's date. If anything, I will slide it back to the end of April, but that has yet to be determined. If my other gig takes me back to Sea Otter, I may not, but to be honest, I'm about Sea Ottered out. We'll see.

So, reast assured as you pedal about this 4th of July weekend that Trans Iowa will not be moving it's date. Be thankful you live somewhere that there are such cycling events, and celebrate your freedom on yer bicycle! Have a safe and happy 4th of July folks!

GTDRI 09: Recon Report II

2009-07-02T01:00:00.000-05:00

<===Nearing the highest point of the route, you can see for miles....

Okay, I have the route reconned. Here's some more highlights.... You can see more of the opening sections of the GTDRI ride here.

Leaving Elkader, we'll go out on County C1X, which rolls along a stream valley, then heads right and up to this ridge view. Where C1X joins Harbor Rd, the views are outstanding in all directions. I bet I could see for up to five miles from there across valleys and lower hill tops. Amazing views!

<===The first B Maintenance road of the day.

After winding up and down some rollers, we get off C1X and on Imperial Rd. This is a B Maintenance road that starts out loose and steep with some pretty big, chunky gravel. Then it levels off, just a wee bit, to what you see in the photo here. A long, double track climb to 302nd Street. After this, we go down and up a couple of amazingly steep rollers to a bit of chip seal road for a couple of miles. Then we turn on to Impala Rd. This starts out with a couple ridiculous rollers, then makes a hard left, turns to B maintenance, and goes down sharply.

<===Loose, chunky rip-rap on Impala Road

Now Impala Road goes down a ridge side in a roller coaster fashion. We'll be picking our way down though, since it is all big, chunky, loose rock. This ain't yer garden variety chunk gravel folks! This is fresh outta the quarry limestone that is going to be tricky. It is steep in sections, and I had to crawl it with my SUV recon vehicle, like walking speed crawl it! Yeah, this is going to be fun! Especially if you bring a cross bike.

Impala Road dumps out to some fairly benign dirt and goes along the Turkey River for about a mile where we join X3C for a bit more pavement. We cross another stream and turn right on Iowa. This winds along the stream valley for a bit until we hit a cool little iron bridge.

<===Turning off Iowa to head back into the hills!

Then I hit a bit of a conundrum. I have two choices for the route to go across C7X and eventually to a heinous climb up above Bixby State Preserve. First choice is a rather nice gravel climb that eventually leads to spectacular views of the Volga River valley. The other goes left, turns right, goes across a low water crossing, gets narrower, with bigger chunk gravel, goes up, and then does something pretty amazing. Something I'm not sure anyone is up for. Here's the deal...

<===The low water crossing which leads to the worst "road" I've ever seen.

There is pretty fresh gravel after the low water crossing for about 200 yards of steep, double tracked road. Then the fresh gravel veers left into an Amish farmstead. The "road", if you can call it that, disappears quickly into a severely rutted dirt path that has been the playground of some monster trucks at one point. The ruts are literally three feet deep, and there is no way you can ride a bike up this steep climb. There is no ditch, it is literally walled in by brush and trees. Added to this is the fact that there are weeds choking the way, and did I mention it was steep?

This would be purely hike-a-bike for what I estimate would be a third of a mile, getting increasingly steeper until it pops out onto C7X right by.......I bet you can't guess......a cemetery! Then across the road for some big rollers, downhill to the river valley, and the heinous climb I mentioned previously, which we get no matter which way we choose!

I may let this be a "game time" decision.

Anyway, we get another mile of B Maintenance on top of a ridge then descending into Bixby State Preserve, I hear there is another low water crossing. (Yep! I have not seen it, because you can not drive a car down there!) Then back up to just north of Edgewood, turning west, we hit up Mission Road.

This is an old stage coach route that survived the "grid" pattern imposed upon the land back in the day. Mission Road is decidedly angular, and flattish! We'll go right through Strawberry point on this. Then heading northwards, we zig-zag across some very hilly terrain at times to Volga. Out of there, we have an engaging climb that lasts for miles. (Really!) Then we get to see parts of the T.I.V3 course as we roll past Wadena, going across the Volga, up a winding climb, to the backside of the Volga Recreation Area. Then we'll head northwards through the "hated Dove Road section" (Just ask EnduroSnob sometime!), and back to Echo Valley State Park.

It should end up being 100-120 miles or so.

I'll have more details coming soon. Stay tuned!

T.I.V.6 News: To Move The Date- Or Not?

2009-07-01T01:00:00.000-05:00

<===Iowa weather can go from suck to blow at anytime of year. I know- I've been there, done that! (2007 GTDRI)

So from time to time I get suggestions about Trans Iowa. You know, they usually are about making the event easier. (As you can guess, I don't go for that!) Anyway, one of the perennial suggestions has to do with moving the date. Things like, "It would make training for it easier" or this one, "You could avoid all that bad weather in the spring." Uh-huh......yep! I've heard that all before. But think about it, could training for a 300 plus mile event ever be easy? No matter when it is held, that's going to take some dedication. Then you have the weather thing. Yeah.......right! Look, I'd rather ride in the wind, cold, and springtime mists than be caught out in a severe thunderstorm anyday! Or how about some mega-humidity? Yeah, like we just had for the past two weeks up here. That would be really nice!

So none of that works for me. Besides, Trans Iowa is a springtime event. At least it has been cemented so in my mind, I suppose others as well.

However; there has been a request made that I am considering. A request made that would essentially have Trans Iowa switching dates with the Dirty Kanza 200. This is the deal- If you care about Trans Iowa, or have been in it before, please consider leaving a yes or no comment by clicking the comments link at the top of this post. I want to know what riders are thinking about this.

Trust me, I will look at, respond if necessary, and carefully consider all comments. That said, I have a "position" on this and d.p. is also in that camp with me. However; so as not to tilt your thoughts one way or the other, I will defer commentary until I post an update on this Friday.

I would appreciate your input. Thanks!

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour- Into The Wild West

2009-06-30T01:00:00.000-05:00

The "Race Against Death Tour" boys awake after a 119.9 mile day, (not counting Jo's truck ride!) to face Day 6 of the tour in South Dakota.....

Friday, August 11th: We awoke and got to our usual morning routine of breaking camp, boiling water for oatmeal, and suiting up for another day in the saddle. Perhaps a bit of a description is in order for what I mean by "suiting up".

We all had minimal clothing for riding. Three days worth of bibs, t-shirts, and our socks. These we washed however we could along the way, and dried them in the air as we rode. Each morning, you grabbed another pair of riding bibs, a t-shirt, and your socks. We usually took turns getting stuff on in the tent, so you had some semblance of privacy.

Well, this particular morning, I forgot to add the chamois creme when I was in the tent. So, I dipped a three finger full glob of the stuff and walked around the back of the tent to apply without having an immediate audience. As fate would have it, just as I am assuming the position to apply the cold, moist creme in the "affected area", a breeze comes up and blows the unsecured tent across the shelter house floor. As the poles make a scudding noise on the concrete, I am left face to face with Troy and Ryan with what must have been a priceless look on my face. They looked aghast for a moment, then busted out laughing hysterically.

It was pretty funny, even if I was embarrassed!

That made for a very light hearted morning pack up. We took to the road with giggles and a fair amount of verbal abuse hurled my way, (all in good fun, I might add) and we pulled out of Burke with a breeze in our faces and a humid, hazy morning on tap. The plan was to follow Highway 18 until we reached Winner, South Dakota, and then just north of there we were to head due west on Highway 44 for a long, long way.

The first town out was Colome, and we stopped at a convenience store briefly for some additional morning grub, but we were back at it very soon afterwards. The highway was somewhat busy, and we were not able to converse much along the way. Soon we were drawing near to Winner and I noticed the landscape was turning decidedly different. Row crop farming, ordered fields, and regular road crossings was giving way to a more desolate, grassy, ranch land sort of look. This wasn't what I was familiar with at all anymore.

Winner was all hustle and bustle. Lots of folks running around with a higher number of Native Americans than I had seen before in my lifetime. We were a bit put out at one point by the roads and where we were supposed to be at, but this was short lived. We saw a convenience store and hit it before leaving town for some grub, even though it wasn't quite lunch time yet. It was getting quite hot though, and we were working hard against a northly wind that was at times in our faces, and at times a cross wind.

The road out of Winner was kind of a borderline. A crossing from the Mid-West that I grew up in and knew into the wider, wilder, more desolate expanses of the Great Plains. Trees were scarce. Rolling grassy hills were the norm. No gravel road crossings every mile, and no farm houses every so often. It was kind of scary in a way. You felt more exposed, more vulnerable, and yet it was exciting to see what was over the next hill.

Around about three miles after hitting Highway 44 and turning out of the tough northly head wind, we came across a couple guys in the middle of no where. One in a truck, the other standing next to a Harley Davidson parked on the road in the midst of a pool of oil. As we rolled by slowly on our bicycles, I caught the eye of the guy with the motorcycle and said, "How's it goin?". I meant it as a friendly "hello", but as soon as I said it, I realized how stupid that was to say. I put my head down, pedalled harder, and was glad I didn't hear any footsteps running behind me, or worse, a gun shot!

Next week: The "Race Against Death Tour" meets its next "V.I.P." and sees a "bombed out town".

A Nebraska Single Track Primer

2009-06-29T01:00:00.000-05:00

Note: This article originally appeared on The Cyclist and is about my trip from the beginning of this month which I blogged about here.

A Nebraska Single Track Primer

By Guitar Ted

Nebraska: Yeah, you know….that “fly over” state. That state that everyone on I-80 wishes was about 399 miles shorter. That “Nebraska” is what most people think of when they are presented with the idea of bicycling there. Well, those who have been there, live there, and more importantly, have ridden there, know a lot better than that. I’ll admit, I’ve had my eyes opened to a new way of thinking about Nebraska as a place to ride off road, that’s for sure.

My education in cycling in Nebraska started in 1995 while doing a tour on paved roads from my home state of Iowa. We traversed the northeastern corner of the state and I found it to be a beautiful country of rolling hills. That would be just a foretaste of what was to come much later though.

Fast forward 14 years: I was invited by a Nebraska resident and friend, Matt Gersib, to try out some off road single track in the eastern part of Nebraska near Bellevue. I was to be staying with some friends and decided to take him up on it. So I took my bicycle with me to Nebraska once again. Only this time I was in search of some dirt.

I wasn’t to meet with Matt until Friday, but on Thursday, I found some free time and looked up a local park to explore. Swanson Park, in Bellevue, turned out to be only about a mile from where I was staying, so I pedaled over to check it out. I was not expecting a whole lot, I mean, it is Nebraska, right? So I figured it would be a good little jaunt through a city park and that would be that.

Boy, did I ever get that wrong!

Swanson Park is a great piece of single track sweetness. I was really surprised by how well it was marked and kept up. I found out that the local trail maintenance group, T.H.O.R.(Trails Have Our Respect), was responsible for that and the upkeep of a few other trail areas in and around the Omaha area. Having a trail well marked, clean, and weed free is a big selling point for folks coming from out of state, and Swanson Park measured up on all fronts there

But you have to have good riding too. That is important as well. Swanson Park isn’t a technically challenging trail by any measure, but what it lacks in technical difficulties, it makes up for with fast, swoopy, roller coaster like trails. Guaranteed smile inducing dirt here. I was also pleasantly surprised by a nice ascent into some open prairie. This wide open section was filled with tall grass punctuated by trees here and there, giving a distinctly different feel to the riding experience than you get in the thick canopy of Swanson Park’s wooded sections. I was told later by Matt that this particular section was a reclaimed dump area. That was just a great example of an eyesore turned into a beautiful green space that can be accessed by bicyclists and hikers alike.

Following the prairie section was a fast down hill around the volunteer fire department training area and back into the roller coaster single track hidden under the vast green roof formed by Swanson Park’s trees. It was such a fun loop, I did it twice!

The following day, I met up with Matt and we searched out another little “gem” of single track in the area. Jewel Park is near the Missouri River, and a great, steep hill marked with several ravines was host to another fun single track here. Up, up, up we went on a switch backed trail on to the top of the hill. The tight, twisty trail that included several steep drops and climbs out of ravines, made for a very challenging experience, quite unlike Swanson Park.

Now after having pegged my heart rate at Jewel Park, Matt had one more stop on our single track adventure planned for the day. Platte River State Park, which is just in between Omaha and Lincoln, was the destination. Here horse riders and bicyclists share the trail in a unique arrangement that allows the equestrians use of the trail in the early part of the afternoon until 4:00pm. Then the mountain bikers have the trails all to themselves for the remainder of the day.

“Platte River”, as the locals refer to it, or simply “Platte”, is an awesome network of trail that winds in and out of hills, ravines, and even some open prairie along the Platte River before it meets the Missouri. Matt guided me and another rider that day on the trails which were technically challenging, fast, swoopy, and most of all, a ton of fun. The single track here I would rate as good as or better than anything I have ridden in the nation. It is that good. Yes……in Nebraska!

My conclusion after the two days of riding? I have to come back! I had a blast on the trails I rode on, and I would highly recommend them to anyone coming into the Omaha/Lincoln area. You will find the trails well kept, marked, and clear of blow downs. The access to these areas is easy, and one could feasibly hit all three areas I did in a single day, if you wanted to. I say that you should stay longer and savor each one. I know I wish I could have!

Nebraska off road riding opportunities exists beyond this area as well. In fact, I will be attending a festival in another area of Nebraska in the fall that offers a great single track experience. It is called the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo, and you can come too. Check the website out here at www.bigwheeledballyhoo.com

The 411:The best off road trail information is available on the local T.H.O.R. webpage. There you will find directions and trail maps for all three of the trails mentioned here and others in the area. (Yes! There is much, much more.) Most of the single track I rode in Nebraska is all accessible from Bellevue, Nebraska’s oldest city. There are several motels and lodging choices in the area that you can base your operations out of. The Lincoln and Omaha areas are also a great place for restaurants, entertainment, and other recreational opportunities. Omaha and the surrounding area also has an excellent paved trail network as well, if you are wanting a more “civilized” cycling experience. More information on the Metropolitan Area Trails Network can be found here:. http://www.bellevuenebraska.com/Parks-Rec.aspx

More Information on Platte River State Park can be found here: http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/parks/guides/parksearch/showpark.asp?Area_No=224

You can find out more about the great state of Nebraska and the things to do and places to stay at the

official Nebraska Tourism site: http://www.visitnebraska.gov/

Last Of The Holdouts: Update

2009-06-28T06:40:00.004-05:00

<===A Santa Cruz test mule in the back and a production prototype Tall Boy.

Well since my Friday post, a couple of the companies I mentioned have had images leaked of their work on 2010 29"er models. We have the Santa Cruz "Tall Boy" here in respendant orange to show you. It is a carbon fiber frame with just a hair over 4 inches of travel.

Funny name, "Tall Boy". I don't think anyone here in the Mid-West calls the big cans-o-beer tall boys anymore. We would have dubbed this rig the "Orange Silo", if we were thinking along those lines. But be that as it may, this bike will be available this fall, and expect to make a big payment!

<===From Lincoln, NE with love......

Tomac Bikes, which is located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is coming out with a 29"er for 2010 and this apparently is it. The Flint 29 will likely be something along the lines of this aluminum hardtail. The bottom bracket on this prototype appears to be an eccentric compatible one, indicating geared or single speed use. No word on whether this will be production spec or not.

So the leaks keep on coming. One thing is for certain, and that is that 2010 will be a big, big year for big wheelers!

Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational 2009

2009-06-26T06:14:00.002-05:00

The Guitar Ted Death Ride Invitational 2009

What: A long gravel road group ride for fun. Nobody gets left behind.

Who Is It For?: For anyone that loves to ride gravel, loves a challenge, and likes to have fun.

Where's It At?: In and around the North East Iowa communities of West Union, Strawberry Point, Elkader, and Elgin Iowa, with a few smaller burgs thrown in.

When Is It Goin' Down?: Friday, July 17th, 2009- We will be gathering at Echo Vlley State Park to chat, and have an Adult Beverage or two, then....Saturday, July 18th, 2008. We'll probably start sometime early morning, just after sunup till sundown or just after, who knows?!!

The Commentary: The GTDRI is nothing to fear, it's just a fun, yet challenging ride that anybody can come and try. The approximate distance of this years trek will be about 115 miles. Here's a look at the proposed route: http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ia/west-union/787324184315 You can expect lots of hills! I figured this route on another program that indicates total climbing and it shows around 6,000 plus feet overall. That's only a guesstimate though. The point is, there will be lots and lots of hills. Part of the course will take in sections of the T.I.V4 route, (including the dreaded Dove Road section) and some of it will be totally new course.

Typical modus operandi is as follows: Get up at dark-thirty, gather for a pre-event breakfast, or not. Get riding by first light. Take an easy pace, yet keep moving as much as possible. There will be breaks to keep the group together. Stop somewhere for lunch. Continue onwards until the finish. Maybe a group supper, maybe everyone will go home, and maybe everyone will just want a cold beer! Who knows? Find out and join the fun.

Things to seriously consider: While GTDRI is a group ride that "leaves no one behind", you are still responsible for you! It is a self supported ride, so be aware that none of us are going to bail you out in the boonies. Ya gotta ride out yerself, or have a "Plan B" for getting picked up if you can't make it. Bring plenty of water, energy food, anti-cramp remedies, whiskey, or silver bullets to bite on in case of pain! Bring money, you'll need it! A cell phone wouldn't hurt either. There will be cue sheets, so if you fall off the back, or feel adventurous and racy, you can self navigate it, but most prefer the group mentality and follow the leaders.You had better be in some semblance of riding condition since this course will be brutal. We've been known to slog it through storms, heat, and wind. We've also finished well after dark before too, so think about bringing a light. Oh! Yeah.......there will be B roads too!

So that's it in a nutshell. It is a ride borne out of the times when I worked in an auto repair shop, didn't have time to ride much, and took one weekend off in the middle of summer to put in an all day road ride. I ended up referring to those rides as "death rides" since I usually bonked, got dehydrated, and suffered like a pig. I usually was waaaay out of shape, and I didn't know squat about nutrition on a bike back then. Now I do the ride on gravel and B roads, call it by a big, fancy name, eat and drink a little smarter, and still suffer like a pig! Ha ha!

So, if you have a mind to come, just show up. The more the merrier. I'll have more recon info and a link to cue sheets soon. Stay tuned!

Get out and ride yer bikes and have some fun already!

Handle Bar News And Notes

2009-06-25T05:55:00.005-05:00

A whole post dedicated to handle bars? Yep! You wouldn't believe the number of hits I get on this blog that are handle bar related. Some days, it is the highest rated search topic!

Drop Bars For Mountain Biking: Here's the big one. The topic my blog gets hit on more than any other by far. Weird isn't it? Well..........anyway........

-The Midge Bar: This was an On One product that sold really well in off road drop bar circles. (Which are really tiny circles, by the way!) Two things happened here. The Fargo came out and Brant Richards left On One to start up his own design firm and brand. These two events have caused the Midge Bar to disappear from the market place. On One seemingly has ceased to exist on the mtb/mtb accessory side and supplies of the Midge have all but dried up. On the other hand, the Fargo has folks scrambling for bars like the Midge. Obviously Midge Bars are in high demand now with little to no supply.

-The Gary Bar: The Gary Bar is J&B Importers version of a Midge with some important differences. Mainly, the slope of the bar is rather severe, which puts off a lot of folks, and they do not accept bar end shifters. Other than those two things, the Gary Bar is a cheaper, widely available option for off road drop bar users. The thing is, those two issues I mention with the Gary Bar are pretty serious issues for a lot of folks, so the appeal of this offering has been somewhat limited by those quirks.

-The WTB Bar: Here we have a really nice, wide, flared drop bar that is offered in 31.8 and 25.4mm clamp sizes. The WTB bar does have a bit more drop than the Midge or Gary, so if you have to have your bars high, it becomes an issue. Also, the WTB bar has a somewhat of an "ergo" bend to the drop section which some find to be a negative. Personal preference I suppose.

-The Future: Soon we will have two more choices in off road drop bars. They should be available soon. Here's what I know.........

Shed Fire/Ragley: When Brant Richards left On One he took with him some ideas to improve some stuff he had done at On One. One of those ideas, apparently, was to do another off road drop bar design. Seeing as how I had been spouting off about the shortcomings of all the off road drop bar offerings, Brant asked me to give him a solution, instead of grousing! So.....I did. Some of what I told him/showed him is incorporated into the new design, but I assure you, it is a Brant Richards take on drop bars for off road. (Yes, I have seen the computer renderings, and no- I am not going to tell you anything!) These bars are in prototype stages now. I haven't a clue as to when they will be ready, but I assume it would be quite soon.

Salsa Cycles: When the Fargo was announced, certain of us drop bar aficionados were thinking, "Ah ha!- There must be an appropriate bar in the works!" Well, we were right. Many of us drop bar freaks were asked to add some input for the design. I do not know what the final product will look like, and I do not know when it will be done, I just know they are working on this. I would assume that something will surface soon. Trust me.....I'm keeping an eye out for this one. All I can say is that with a bike like the Fargo in Salsa's line, it just doesn't make sense not to have a bar to go with it. I mean, it isn't like Salsa Cycles doesn't do handle bars, ya know?

So, that covers the drop bar arena, but wait! There's more alt bar madness!

-The "J-Bar": The ridiculously ugly Titec H-Bar has now been rendered in a true "Jones" style called the Titec "J-Bar". (Sounds like a western cattle brand name, eh?) Anyway, it is a great rendering of the uber-spendy titanium Jones Bar in aluminum. Available now.

-Space Bar: The J&B Importers Space Bar, a close rendering of On One's Mary Bar, was a hit with me until I noticed a bunch of failures with that bar. I then ceased using it, and J&B Importers started marketing it as not suitable for off road. Then J&B had a beefier version done, which they dubbed the "Space Bar OR". Saying it is now up to the rigors of off road use, the Space Bar OR is now available. I will be trying one soon, so stay tuned....

-Sweep Bar: J&B also noticed that a lot of flat bars were being rendered with more sweep. Anything from 10 to 12 degrees is common now with Salsa Cycles doing a 17 degree sweep. Well, J&B saw that and decided to split the difference and do a 15 degree sweep bar. The "Pro Pulsion Sweep" is coming in 31.8mm clamp size for a 166 gram bar. There is a heavier, less expensive version as well that is offered in 25.4mm or 31.8mm clamp sizes. Look for a Pro Pulsion Sweep review from me in the future.

That wraps up my Handle Bar News and Notes. Go ride yer bike!

Update: Know yer MTB history! This is long, so get a beverage, sit back, and relax while you learn where this sport started from: http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R906241000 Highly recommended listening!

The Last Of The Holdouts

2009-06-24T01:00:00.001-05:00

<===Giant's "29er-1"

Well, it seems that the days of 29"ers being different, niche, a fad, or even unknown are about to fade into the depths of time. Now the last holdouts are caving in. 29"ers will soon just be another mountain bike.

Of course, I am being just a bit sarcastic, but only just a bit. I really do think 29"ers will become "just a mountain bike" someday, and the new offerings that are being shown here, and others to come, are hastening that day.

First, a comment about what I think of these companies coming on with 29"ers- I think it is great from a product standpoint. More accessories, more aftermarket parts, and more price points will be targeted with 29"er specific designs. It'll be easier to get stuff, and the days of trying to find a Fisher dealer to get tires and tubes will be long gone. (Remember that? And remember trying to find a Fisher dealer that knew anything about 29"ers? )

I don't like a couple things about it. First, the limited selections and limited price points these two specific brands are bringing. Maybe in time, we'll see better stuff from Scott and Giant in these two areas, but both companies are talking $1000 plus for these bikes. Which brings up another point- why do 29"ers cost so much more than similarly spec'ed 26"ers? The only big ticket item that would possibly make a difference here is the fork. And that can't be too different. That's always bothered me about production 29"ers. Maybe companies are losing their hindmost parts on 26"ers or something, but the price disparity raises my eyebrows. (Perhaps somebody can "'splain" that to me some day. I'm all ears!)

<===Scott's Scale series 29"er. (pic courtesy of Carlton Reid: http://www.quickrelease.tv/ )

One might also say that other holdouts are out there yet as well. However; that may not be the case for long. Here's a few rumored 29"er entries and a confirmed one.....

Tomac Bikes
Trek
Santa Cruz
Ibis

That doesn't leave much but free ride/All Mountain/down hill specific brands, and dirt jump brands.

Yep, 29"ers have come a long way since I started lookin' into them. Maybe Chris Sugai of Niner Bikes was right when he said that 29"ers would replace 26"ers as the mountain bike of choice in ten years. By the looks of it today, not many companies won't have at least one 29"er in their 2010 line up, that's for sure!

Then I can change my header, start writing about guitars, and ride more. People won't care about "29"ers", 'cause they will be just another mountain bike. Ha ha! We'll see...............

Touring Tuesdays: The Race Against Death Tour: Day Four- A Ride In Jo's Truck Part II

2009-06-23T01:00:00.001-05:00

The three "Race Against Death Tour" riders wait for a convenience store worker to end her shift in Niobrara, Nebraska....

With our plans up in the air, and the day wasting away, we weren't too comfortable with just waiting it out to see what would happen. We fidgeted, we paced, and basically clock watched for 12:00 noon to happen, and have Jo assess whether we were in for some much needed assistance, or chasing smoke.

When noon arrived, we still had about a ten minute wait on our hands since Jo had to close out her register, talk to the next employee on shift, and get out of her work garb. After what seemed like an eternity, she walked out, asked to see our rigs, and we went outside. Well, as it turned out, our fears were all for naught. Jo had a truck! Not just any old pick'em up truck, mind you, but an honest ranchers truck. A three quarter ton Ford 4X4 with a crew cab and a full box. Yeah......our bikes fit fine. It was another thing to lift them six feet into the bed of that rig though!

So with that done, and our minds at ease, we piled into the cab, settled in, and Jo took us on an incredible 20 mile ride through the Niobrara River back country. It was really cool, and Jo filled us with a ton of information about the area, the struggles the ranchers were having with the Feds, and how we were lucky that we met her since this was the only road around the construction. It was lucky! These roads were crushed rock, steep, and finding our way without a detailed map would have been really hard. Jo basically saved us from losing at least a day on this tour. Not to mention the rest our tired bodies got riding in an air conditioned truck!

Well, we finally came to the end of that ride at the highway west of Niobrara. Jo pointed us in the right direction as we unloaded our rigs slowly and carefully. We were super grateful, and a little bit sad to have to part ways. Jo was an incredibly gracious help, and we wouldn't soon forget her and her big truck. But that's the way it goes sometimes. You meet for just a little bit, and life sweeps you down the road again, far away.

So we turned our faces westward. It was hilly, hot, and we had a long way to go before we got anywhere we could find a proper overnight. Troy wanted to get out of Nebraska, and we all did, really. But that would be a big effort on our route. It was time to go to work.

Our maps showed us we weren't far from a town called Verdel, but there wasn't much of anything there, and the next town was much the same. Finally we pulled into a town that had a convenience store that was called Lynch. We sat for a bit, got the tent out to dry in the southwesterly wind, and tried to cool off from the intense heat of the day. We sat for about a half an hour, then we saddled back up and headed westwards again. The road bent northwards a hair, then we joined another highway. About this time, we started seeing riders headed to Sturgis for the annual motorcycle rally. Things were getting a bit more interesting after a long afternoon of dreary heat and brutal hills.

We went straight north into Spencer, and the after passing through that town we went directly west again for a spell. South Dakota was nearing, it was within reach. I think we all got a bit of a boost from that thought as the pace began to pick up a bit now. It was late afternoon, and we were rolling together at a really good rate.

Now the highway turned due north again, and we were going through a little town called Butte when just by an old closed up lumberyard, a dog came out and gave chase. It was mean and meant business. Ryan whipped out his pump, and Troy was yelling. I did what I normally do when dogs come out after me. I barked back! Well......that and I rode faster! We were a bit scared and shook up by that, but we were okay. We stopped up the road to regroup, then we forged ahead to the border.

Five more miles and we made it. We didn't stop though, and we didn't really mark the occasion. We forged ahead another mile to the meeting of Highways 12 and U.S.18. There was nothing special about this intersection. It was in the middle of nowhere really. But we needed to figure out a plan for crashing for the night. The maps came out, and our noses went into them! As we were pouring over our options, we saw a few motor bikers stop and don silly plastic helmets. It seemed that it was a way to skirt the helmet law and not wear a "real" helmet. I thought it was weird, but whatever. We were not wearing helmets, and I suppose the bikers were jealous of that, judging by the looks we got.

Troy had a plan. He wanted to see just how far we could push it. We were already at nearly a hundred miles of riding for the day, not including Jo's ride. Bonesteel looked appealing to me, but Troy thought it wasn't far enough out. He was thinking we could swing Burke if we tried real hard. That was about 20 more miles in, and the sun was westering fast. I was rather dubious of the plan, but once again, Ryan was game, so I fell in.

As we went by Bonesteel, I wistfully looked, wishing we would pull over, but Troy was up front and was hammering out an incessant pace, so I knew we were in for more miles before this day would end. The little spot in the road of St. Charles passed by, and then Herrick, just off the road to the south. Still we went on. I noticed lots of dump truck traffic and heavy equipment. I would soon find out why.

We hadn't passed Herrick by when we saw the construction signs. Road Closed. We rolled up where a construction worker told us that if we stayed to the right, we'd be okay. At first, it was. Then the hammers that bust up old pavement had crushed the surface of the road to bits, which made riding slow and difficult. Then we were obliged to walk around the very machine doing the crushing. It was loud and we were not wanted there, that was plain. We quickly moved around the machine, and the deafening din, we got on the left side for a bit, and rode onwards. Soon we had to jump back over, and the blacktop paving machine was busy laying down new blacktop. Dump trucks with full loads of the hot, sticky substance then came roaring by to meet us on their way to refill the paver. As each one went by, a hot shower of mini-meteorites came down upon us. Hot black top stings when it hits you, and sticks to frames and bags alike. This went on all the rest of the way into Burke. A fine welcome to South Dakota! I thought I was in Hell.

Once off the road, we quickly found a shelter in a park that allowed camping. There were showers- that was a welcome site! We each got cleaned up in succession so the bikes wouldn't be left alone. Then we were trying to figure out where to set up the tent. We had it erected under the shelter when Troy said, "Let's just leave it under here!" We all agreed to that, and started making dinner while the sun sank in the west.

Just about the time I got back from cleaning up, a local police officer pulled up. It was the Chief of Police of The City of Burke, South Dakota, no less. He tried sticking us with a $15.00 fee for camping. I politely explained that we were all in one tent, and that the sign, not more than three feet away, indicated that it was $5.00 per tent. Reluctantly, he agreed to the $5.00. I handed it to him, and he slipped it into his shirt pocket. As The Chief pulled away in his squad car, I told the other two, "Well, we just bought his beer for the night!" Troy and Ryan laughed, we crawled into our sleeping bags, and fell asleep without further adieu.

Next: Day Five- Into The Wild West

Maintenance Time

2009-06-22T01:00:00.001-05:00

I had a great weekend, but never rode a bicycle! How can that be, you might ask? Well, I took some time for maintenance. It really worked out for the best anyway.

Friday was taken up with work, then a quick meal before heading out to get to a band rehearsal for a wedding I played guitar in. Saturday was almost all wedding and then playing guitar in the church service that evening.

Sunday was Father's day. So, with two little ones that are not going to be little much longer, you know.....ya gotta be there when it's happening. Bicycle rides are great, but my kids are not going to be here forever. Priorities.

So as things were progressing through the day, the kids decided to watch some movies, which was my cue to hit the Lab. I did a bit of re-organizing, then hit some of the rigs with some tweaks that I had to make. Add a link to a chain, straighten a chain line, lube some chains, air up some tires, and started the "HiFi Rebuild Project". Some plans were laid, and I made some progress on cleaning too.

Back out of the Lab to re-join the family for the remainder of the day. It sure was good to just relax and hang out with everyone.

Hope you Father's Day was great too.

Racers Begin To Use And Win On 29"ers

2009-06-19T06:24:00.004-05:00

When 29"ers were yet seen as a curiosity, a fad, or something far worse, (some folks are still thinking all three things!), the idea of someone racing a 29"er in the upper ranks of mountain biking was not even on the radar, much less a serious thought. Now things have changed dramatically in those regards.

Of course, the Fisher-Subaru Team has raced 29"ers for a couple of seasons now at selected races. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski and Sam Schultz are regularly using the big wheels now, but that's to be expected. Fisher Bikes is the 29"er company, by any one's measure, so having the team use 29ers isn't taken too seriously outside of their fan base as a rule. Now though, several others are looking at, and using big wheels in racing at the sports top level, and folks are taking notice.

Let's tick off a few highlights just from this season.......

-Todd Wells uses a Specialized carbon 29"er hardtail to put in a spectacular ride. He breaks a chain at the start line. Fixes it, is dead last in a 120 plus man field, and rides in for a top five finish in Fontana, California.

-Niner Bikes sends riders John "Fuzzy" Milne, Deejay Birtch, Rebecca Tomaszewski, and a couple others to Italy where they dominate the Finale 24hr event. Niner takes the 8 man team category- with 6 riders- ......on single speeds against geared riders! Tomaszewski won the solo female category on her geared Niner hardtail. All against top riders in Italy.

-Salsa Cycles first Selma single speed in the U.K. is ridden to the U.K. Single Speed Championship.

-Heather Irminger wins a short track XC event on a Superfly hardtail recently with Todd Wells and JHK coming in one, two on big wheels in the men's event.

Get the picture?

Could it be that now 29"ers will be another "tool in the box" of all top pro racers? Well, maybe if the Europeans start to ride them, and with the recent accomplishments in Italy and the U.K., this may not be far off. But then again, who in their right mind would race a 29"er? It's just silly, right?

It's going to take more wins and top finishes, but I think that it is just silly enough it will happen sooner or later.

That's it for today. Dodge the rain drops this weekend and ride your bikes!

Swamp Thing

2009-06-18T01:00:00.000-05:00

<===Badger Dorothy at Cedar Bend.

Well, it is muggy and hot, isn't it? This is that time of year when vegetation reaches its zenith, moisture levels are at a peak, and every insect known to man is crawling, creeping, and flying all at the same time out in the woods of Iowa.

The ground is saturated, swollen, and even under water in spots. Cedar Bend, with it's combination of clay and sand, drains this moisture really well. So that's where I went yesterday, since my Dirty Blue Box has a wobble in the rear tire that about shakes the thing to bits at highway speeds. I was going to recon the GTDRI course, but that wheel wouldn't allow that and be safe, so I went as far as I thought I could on back roads to Cedar Bend.

<===A little relief from all the "green-ness"!

I took the Dorothy up to test it out. It rides fantastic. Then quickly I swapped over to the Dos Niner to get some stuff done on that review on the wheels that are on it, and the crank set.

The course was pretty slippery, and the mud was flying at times. It was so hot and muggy that I was drenched within seconds of leaving the car. Everytime I stopped, the swarm of flying insects would swarm my head. Yeah.....this is summer in Iowa all right!

<====Got any 'gators out there?

But you know, a good day of riding is better than about anything, even if it is uncomfortable out. At least, that's what I think!

So I tested the wheels, (they are great, by the way) and the crank set, which is 2X9, worked really well. More detailed reports are coming.

For now though I am glad that it is warm, and it is riding time! Got to get it while you can. Remember, only four more days till we start getting shorter on the daylight! (Better start recharging those night lights now!)

This Is Big

2009-06-17T01:00:00.001-05:00

<===Your wheels are not big. These wheels are big.

Today we are going to have a lesson in what is big, and what is not big. Too much hype and hysteria is used these days in touting certain things and aspects of our culture as "big", so I thought a reset was in order.

Like this red bicycle here. It has 36 inch wheels. That's one yard folks! The guys running around, bragging on their bling 22 inchers? Yeah......whatever! 29"er bicyclists giving you a hard time about your "kiddie wheels"? Ha! They haven't got a thing on these hoops, which make a 29"er wheel look like a child's plaything. Now that's big, I tell ya!

<===From Russia with love.

And here we have a beer. Yes folks.....two liters of lager! That's big. It comes from Russia. That's a big, big country. You got a micro-brew that you think is "the bomb"? Ha! This beer comes from the country that made us get into a lot of bombs. Now that's big!

Big taste? Whatever dude! Our American lagers "pale" in comparison to the taste of this heady brown beauty. It actually has a taste! Now that's really big. I tell ya what, the Russians could teach us a thing or two about lager. (And drinking, but that might be a lesson better left un-learned!)

Now when you hear all the hype on the inner-webs and the media about something that is "big" or that is "big news", you'll know better. Just bookmark this blog post for future reference so you will always be grounded in what is really big, and what is not.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Craig Severson for the ballistic missile sized beer and Mrs. Guitar Ted for graciously being my hand model.

Oh yeah! Did I mention that Cannondale is doing a carbon 29"er called the "Flash"? No? Well it's a 2010 product. Stay tuned.......(by the way, that's BIG!)

The Race Against Death Tour: Day Four- A Ride In Jo's Truck

2009-06-16T01:00:00.000-05:00

As "The Race Against Death Tour" wakes up in Wynot, Nebraska after a 93 mile day, the riders look forward to knocking another state off the list....

Thursday, August 10th: After a fitful night of sleep that was interrupted by a local softball game and the requisite party afterwards, along with the rumbles of thunder all night long, I awoke and quietly got packed to head out. We quickly ate our morning oatmeal and headed out of Wynot for the main road and a turn westwards.

The road was hilly, there was a fair amount of climbing in this region of Nebraska. It certainly wasn't flat! Along the first miles, we saw a road sign warning of road construction in a town called Niobrara up ahead. We saw the sign pointing cars up the road northwards to Yankton, South Dakota. We stopped there for a moment and debated about what to do, but in the end we opted for the planned route and a first stop in Crofton. It couldn't come soon enough for me, since the climbing had burned up the oatmeal and I was hungry.

Coming into Crofton, we found a gas station that had just opened up and they had some meager pickings, but that would suffice for me, because by now, I would have eaten the bark off a tree, I was so hungry. The fellows at the station seemed a bit put out by our presence. The sideways glances were not well concealed. They told us that on bicycles, we could "probably" make it through. Probably was good enough for us, so we hit the road westwards.

The day was getting hotter, and it was not very windy. What wind there was came from an easterly direction, so we did have a wee bit of an assist. We would get an even bigger one later. At one point during the late morning, we topped out on a high ridge that offered a view for miles. The resulting downhill was one I won't forget for a long time. It was just one of those times that everything gelled on the bike, not just for me, but all three of us. I don't recall how long that descent was, but I do know that it was a long, long way. Maybe three miles. And after that, we had the tailwind with the big ring engaged, laughing, soft pedalling......well, you get the idea. It was one of those moments that you wish you could repeat again. Maybe someday.....

At any rate, after several miles that seemed to drift off into a dreamy haze, we reached the approach to Niobrara. The river here had flooded the road into town earlier in the year, so the State was in the process of raising the roadbed three feet higher. It got kind of rough in spots, almost off-roadish. We dodged big end loaders, dump trucks, and other equipment at times. At one or two spots we were obliged to dismount and walk our rigs, but we did get into town on that ribbon of dry land bordered by water, weeds, and waterfowl.

Once we got into town, we spied a big convenience store. Food! It was about 11:30am, so the time was right for some grub. We parked the bikes and sauntered in to find some good stuff there. What wasn't good was the news we got from the lady at the register. She told us we had no way out on pavement westward, and that the construction was heavy out that way, so bikes wouldn't be allowed. (Yes, there was only one way in and out of Niobrara on pavement!) We took our purchases and with deflated countenances, we mused on what our next move could be. That was when the lady at the register started asking us more questions. She was curious about our trip, what our rigs were like, and where we were headed. We politely answered her, but we were really not here to engage in story telling. We had a big problem in front of us. We needed to figure out a plan.

Well, wouldn't ya know it, but the lady behind the counter mentioned that she just might have a plan. Maybe, if we could fit everything in, she could give us a ride. But she wasn't sure. Don't get our hopes up, and all of that. She was getting off in a half an hour, so if we could wait, she would see what she could do.

Well, that was really the only option that we could consider a possibility then, so we definitely took her up on it.

Next Week: Would our stuff fit? Would we ever get out of Niobrara? Stay tuned.....