Gravel Grinder News: Changes At Gravel Worlds, Big Purse, First To Last Initiative

First To Last Celebration For Final Finisher:

Garmin Gravel Worlds announces today several changes in the event for 2024. The most notable being a celebration of the last place finisher which the event is calling the "First To Last Initiative". This will be a philanthropic initiative "which celebrates every participant’s unique journey", according to the press release. Garmin Gravel Worlds has added professional cyclist, Hannah Shell as the "First To Last Coordinator" to head up this initiative. 

Shell is quoted in a Garmin Gravel Worlds Instagram post announcing the new coordinator as saying, "Gravel worlds is one of the races that’s dedicated to preserving the founding principle of gravel that we celebrate first place to last place equally, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the team making that happen."

Image courtsey of Garmin Gravel Worlds

 Jason Strobehn, the newly minted "Lead Promoter" of Garmin Gravel Worlds, is quoted as saying, "When the sun goes down on the finish line, every rider will be welcomed with a party inside the finish gate...”, underpinning the notion that all late finishers will be getting a big finish line welcome. Central to the efforts to do this for the later finishers of Gravel Worlds' 150 mile distance will be an extended cut off time for the event.

Image courtesy of Garmin Gravel Worlds' Instagram

New Pro Field & $30,000.00 Purse:

New this year will be a $30,000.00 purse sponsored by Goodlife Brands which will be evenly split between the Men's and Women's field which will be capped at 40 riders each. 

The addition of dedicated Pro fields is being done to show the event's commitment to higher levels of competition , yet being able to celebrate each individual effort throughout the field as the event has done in the past. 

Charitable Donations:

Also new this year will be Garmin Gravel Worlds efforts to donate $30,000.00 to, as the press release states, "...causes aligned with the gravel cycling community’s values." A portion of these funds will be derived from $200.00 donations from each Pro cyclists registered in the event to a charity of their choice. The charity each rider chooses will have their name on the number plate of the rider choosing to donate to them. 

Strobehn is quoted in the press release as saying, "Garmin Gravel Worlds has always been about more than just the race, It’s about the shared experience and camaraderie among participants, while also contributing to causes much greater than ourselves. "

Finally, Strobehn ends the announcement by summarizing thusly, "We are out to prove that one event can celebrate the peak of human performance, while also celebrating every participant that’s persevered through their own challenges. Our commitment to inclusivity means we’re elevating the experience for every participant. We invite gravel cycling enthusiasts worldwide to join in the excitement and spirit of the “First to Last” initiative and experience the sense of community and adventure that define the Gravel Family.”

Changes At The Top Not Announced: 

There was one other big change to the event which was not formally announced at this time, but which I became privy to in a curious way on Thursday of last week. This has to do with the two co-founders of Gravel Worlds, Corey "Cornbread" Godfrey and Craig "Schmidty" Schmidt. These two pioneers of gravel grinding left the event under mutually agreed upon terms and along with that it was told to me that the Pirate Cycling League is also no longer affiliated with Garmin Gravel Worlds. This news marks a significant time in gravel cycling history. 

Comments: I need to clear the air concerning something that happened when I learned this news. The information about this parting of ways, when it was presented to me, was not prefaced in any way, or framed as a conversation that should be kept under wraps. In fact, it was quite the opposite as I was told "I don't know if you heard the news..." which indicated to me that the cat was out of the bag for the news to be heard by anyone. I don't know how else one would interpret that. To make matters even more curious, it was not until Friday that I was told not to make the news public by the person (one of the two co-founders of Gravel Worlds, by the way), who told me in the first place, after I had already Tweeted out the news the day before. 

 On Thursday, when I Tweeted about this, (or "X'ed" it), it got around to the current promoters and staff at Garmin Gravel Worlds that the news was out somehow. Not a half an hour later I found out that I had unintentionally stirred up a hornets nest with the Gravel Worlds folks and that the news was not for public consumption just yet. After a bit of explaining on my part, it was understood that I had not intentionally undermined those who had wanted to keep this under wraps at that time. Because things happened in this way, and the news was out, and for other reasons unspecified, the folks at Garmin Gravel Worlds decided to forgo any formal announcement of this fact, as I understand it

My social media post that stirred up some concern.

I am not going to go into all the nitty-gritty concerning the parting of the co-founders from the event. Again, my understanding is that it was a mutually agreed upon separation by both sides. Also, I was not at all surprised by this news. In fact, I was surprised it took this long to happen. A little history to illustrate this is appropriate, I think.

Gravel Worlds was an event conceived by Corey and Craig back in 2009 when they were putting on an event called "The Good Life Gravel Adventure". The gist was that there was no "world championships" for gravel, and at that time, no one thought that there should be an event like that, which is exactly why those two, tongues firmly in cheek, decided to call their event "Gravel Worlds". 

It was a thumb to the nose to the entire format of Pro road racing, its drug-fueled riders, and rule-laden governance. The Pirate Cycling League, and Gravel Worlds in particular, was a celebration of the freedom from those rules and all the attendant hoopla. It was, as the original event pointed to, an adventure, not so much a competition, but there was a nod to that element with the jerseys and the name. 

Craig "Schmidty" Schmidt holding the OG Gravel Worlds jersey.

 The formatting of the event was a perfect example of the mixture of adventure and competition that the PCL was trying to balance. The riders followed printed cue sheets for navigation. There were four required stops at businesses that sold Nebraska Power Ball lottery tickets. Each rider had to purchase one ticket to "prove" that they had been to the checkpoint/business. This is somewhat reminiscent of randonnuering events, by the way.

The winners of each category then received a "rainbow jersey" which indicated that they were the "Gravel Worlds Champion" for that year. The integrity of the jersey's meaning was kept intact by the PCL not selling any to folks who did not earn them, and very, very few are in the hands of anyone who did not win a category in any of the Gravel Worlds events. 

Then as time wore on, gravel events changed. Gravel Worlds stuck to its guns for quite a while despite all the changes around it. As late as 2013 Gravel Worlds was still doing post card registration and had no entry fee. But five years later, the 2018 event cost $80.00 to enter. Now, in 2024, the entry fee has ballooned to $175.00. 

The event has an expo, far more categories, and satellite events and collaborations with other events. The event has a presenting sponsor and now, all the changes which were announced today. It has become quite the complex entity. As this all evolved over the past six years, if you paid attention, Corey and Schmidty's presence grew less and less. 

(L-R) Skip Cronin with Corey Godfrey at Trans Iowa v4 in 2008.

I remember talking with Schmidty around that time in 2018 and to my ears, it sounded as though he and Corey were coming to the end of their time with Gravel Worlds. I had just gotten out from underneath Trans Iowa then, and I could see a similar weight on Craig's shoulders.

I think the addition of Jason Strobehn to the Gravel Worlds team around about that time postponed the ending of Corey and Craig's association with their event. Whatever it was that eventually did precipitate  the "end" for them is not known by me. Whatever it was, all I do know is that it is now apparent that Gravel Worlds will no longer reflect Corey or Craig's personalities and talents.

That's neither good nor bad, just different. And to be honest, this event has pretty much been Jason's baby for a few years now. At least that is how I've seen it from my perspective. You could feel this by attending the event, which I had been doing up until a few years ago. All of this, to my mind, is kind of a 'big deal' historically speaking. But maybe no one else really cares.

GT at 2021 Gravel Worlds (Image courtesy of McColgan photography)

 The Future:

In the text exchange over social media with Schmidty on Thursday morning he shared some thoughts with me about  what might happen with the PCL going forward, Out of respect for Corey and Craig, and their important contributions to the gravel scene, I am going to let them spill the beans when they are ready to do that. If they ever are ready to do that. I really cannot say.....

As for Gravel Worlds, these new changes are going to take the event in a significant new direction. How riders respond to this will be seen soon. In my opinion this new round of changes brings Gravel Worlds into the same tier of events as SBT GRVL, Unbound, Big Sugar, and the Belgian Waffle Ride series. The tie-ins to Mid South, with the celebrations of last place, running events, and whatnot may seem as though that Gravel Worlds has the same, or similar vibe, but having been to both events now I would not agree with that. Of course, that could all change as well.

Whatever the future may bring, all I can say right now is that another facet of the early gravel scene is now behind us. That, again to my mind, is a significant story to be told. And again, I'll say it: Hat's off to Corey and Craig. Thanks guys!

Announcing The Twentieth Anniversary Celebration Of Guitar Ted Productions

Today I am announcing that in mid-May, next month, I will start my Twentieth Anniversary here of blogging. Twenty years! It is hard to believe that it has been THAT many years. 

Throughout the rest of 2024 and beginning of 2025, until mid-May next year, I will periodically be doing some special things to mark the occasion. 

This will definitely include my special "20th Anniversary Headers" which will recap each of the semi-permanent headers used during most of the first ten years of this blog's existence. These will be replicas of the headers with special 20th anniversary marking.

Don't worry if you are a fan of the constantly rotating header as I will still be interspersing those as the year goes on as well. 

I may also offer some other things to celebrate such as stickers, a t-shirt design, and maybe some other stuff. Maybe.... Stickers are almost a given at this point just because I like stickers! But there will be posts all throughout the 20th Anniversary year looking back on certain aspects of the blog, re-postings of popular themes and maybe even posts that were significant throughout those years. Throughout all of it, I hope that some of you will enjoy seeing where this blog, and myself, have been and how it all ended up here. 

Over the course of twenty years much has changed in our worlds and in cycling in particular. Specifically to this blog, the two themes of 29"ers and gravel bikes and events were certainly central to the writing here. I'll aim to cover it all as the blog showed it coming up soon. If you have any suggestions for topics, or questions, please let me know in the comments or email me at g.ted.productions@gmail.com. 

Notice: A special Gravel Grinder News post will show up here at 8:00am 4/16/24 due to an embargo.

It Has Been Ten Years Already?!

Want to feel "old"? It has been ten years since Trans Iowa v10. So, yeah, that hit me last week and I found it kind of hard to believe. But it has been that long ago now that the tenth (!) Trans Iowa was about to be run. Thanks Facebook memories! Ha!

Of course, I have written reams about Trans Iowa on this blog, since this blog was the de facto secondary source of information on the event back in the day. I wrote a series in 2014 about all the previous Trans Iowa events, and of course, the entire saga of Trans Iowa in the Trans Iowa Stories series. 

However; those Facebook memories stirred up some things I had forgotten about, and that I had not written much about concerning the tenth Trans Iowa. Any of you familiar with the history of the event may remember that this particular Tans Iowa was earmarked by myself as being the last one ever. I had serious plans for never doing the event again. Obviously, there were four more before the tank went dry, but the tenth one holds a special place in my heart, and I am sure it has a special place for those who were a part of that one. It was truly worthy of a ten year celebration, and it was a record setting event for myself, and the event in particular. 

But a lot of that has been beaten to death. What I wanted to point out were a few things I found in Facebook that I had forgotten about and have not really ever made known well enough, in my opinion. Things you all may find interesting. Well.....we'll see about that!

One of the first ten Nano 40 tires in the USA.

2014 was a year that could be said to be the first year of "gravel specific parts". Sure, we had the Warbird two years earlier with those Clement tires, and there was the Challenge Tires' Almanzo model, and maybe one or two other, hard to find bits for gravel by 2014. But beyond those few niche brands and low availability parts, there wasn't anything. 

That all changed in 2014. One of the most highly anticipated introductions that year, or since then, was the tire from WTB called the Nano 40. It was a folding bead, non-tubeless tire with a fairly aggressive tread in a 40mm width. 

WTB, and in particular, then employee Will Ritchie, convinced whomever they had to that Trans Iowa needed to be sponsored by WTB, and in a very special way. The idea was to send Trans Iowa the first batch of Nano 40 tires ever in the USA. A small batch of five pair of tires were sent to me and I was floored! 

There were, by 2014 bigger gravel events with more people attending. There were chances to bring a spotlight to those events, but WTB sent Trans Iowa these rare tires. What?!! I still am amazed that this happened. It is also worth mentioning that these went to the winners of each category, and I did not get any for myself. WTB did send a set later in the year for me to review. 

So, yeah, that was amazing, and what a thing to have happen to Trans Iowa and myself. Just an unprecedented happening, and I haven't heard about anything like that happening to an event since then. That an introduction of a new component would be sent to some bizarre event and given away as prizing? I cannot stress how rare that was. Thanks again to Will Ritchie and WTB! 

But Will and WTB didn't stop there. This isn't T.I.v10 related, but it fits this narrative in this story. That's because for the following year's T.I.v11 I received cases of tubeless Nano 40's to give away. A first for gravel, the Nano 40 TCS was not yet available anywhere in 2015. You could not buy them, look at them, or even touch a box that they were in. But I had a stack of them in my basement! And not only that, they were prizing for riders in T.I.v11. Not for sale! Amazing!

That one got me in hot water with bicycle dealers across the USA as I was getting calls to sell sets of these rare tires to shops for their customers! No doubt, I could have cleaned up on those offers, but that's not how I roll. It was a stressful thing and had I known how much demand for a tubeless gravel tire was motivating these bothersome calls, I wouldn't have made known I had them until after the event was over and I had given them away. 

Oh well! 

Look for another story or two in the coming weeks before April ends concerning the tenth Trans Iowa.

Country Views: Battling The Wind

The flags were about to rip from the flag poles on Friday.

The weather warmed a bit on Friday, the skies were beautiful, but there was an invisible enemy of cyclists about. The Wind! It was really blowing hard Friday at 25mph -30mph with a few higher gusts. Did I let that stop me? 

Not this time!

Early to mid-April can be warm, even in a stiff wind, so I just wore my Twin Six Thermal jersey and a Twin Six wind vest and I was all good to go. Had this happened in March it would have been a no-go due to the wind chills, and as it was, I probably should not have ventured out. You'll read why in a bit here. 

When the wind is out of the Northwest, as it was on Friday, I have the perfect route which keeps me sheltered going North and West until I get to gravel heading East and South. This is the route I used on Friday, and it was a good thing I did. If I had been out in the open going those directions I wouldn't have ridden very far and I would have been beaten to death by that brutal wind.

Part of the route out to gravel was on the Big Wood Lake bike path.

The second I hit gravel I am headed East.

The thing was, my route out gave me a false sense of security. I had no idea how violent the winds were out in the open. Going East on Mt. Vernon Road did not really give me the full read either, not at first, as I was just doing some rollers and there were trees enough that I wasn't getting the full brunt of the winds. 

This field looked planted.

The only vehicle I saw on the entire ride on the gravel roads.

The fields look worked up in a lot of places now. Some looked planted, but I have no idea with what. I imagine that it would be corn, but I could be wrong about that. I also imagine that farmers will be stepping up the planting around here as the days are getting warmer and the nights are starting to be almost always above freezing. 

This long down hill run provided a little more excitement than I would have asked for typically.

Just visiting......this time!

As I crested the hill at the intersection of Streeter Road and Mount Vernon Road, I began to understand that this wind might be more than I had bargained for. I was immediately going something above 30mph and then there were the gusts! The bike was getting pushed hard from the left side and I had to catch it a couple of times before I decided to lean harder on the front wheel to pin it down a bit more so I wouldn't have to react to another wind induced swerve. And of course, I was going even faster by this time. 

It was definitely one of those "I'm not in control here" moments that I just had to hang on, try to guide the bike into the best lines, and hope that everything stayed vertical. This went on for a bit over a half a mile before I felt like I had control back again. Mt. Vernon Cemetery was coming up, so I decided to gather myself back together there for a few moments before carrying on again. 

The County has been using this weird disc-like implement pulled behind a tractor to disc up the gravel off the edges of the road and kick it out into the roadway for the maintainer to re-spread across the roadway. They had done this over Mt. Vernon Road and while it was ten times easier to navigate than deep, fresh chunky goodness, it was soft and slowed your momentum down. 

That's a new one on me and I wonder if it is a cost-saving measure the County is employing to help avoid having to pay for more fresh gravel. The prices on fresh gravel have risen sharply, so I have to think this has influenced the County to take other measures to maintain the roads. 

Heading South was like being on a self-propelled vehicle. The tailwind was amazing. But this made every downhill a sketchy ride and the fresh patches of loose gravel the County was spreading at the bottom of every hill wasn't helping me out there at all. So, I wasn't too sad to get back to Waterloo. I had seen and experienced enough of that. 

Maybe I'll reconsider riding if the winds are that high again. No need to subject myself to possibly being blown off the road and injuring myself! But to have experienced that and to have made it home in one piece was nice to have behind me.

Review: Caterpy Laces - Update

Caterpy Laces in my Shinao XC-500 shoes.

 Note: the Caterpy Laces were sent out for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review and I will always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

The Caterpy Laces have been in use for a couple of weeks now so I thought I would pop in and give my first impressions of how they are doing in my shoes. In case you missed it, the introduction to these laces and this review can be read HERE. 

After I installed the laces in my shoes I heard back from my contact for Caterpy Laces and he shared with me how he treats these laces if they are too long for the shoes you are trying to use them in. He suggested cutting them to length, once you are satisfied with their use in your particular shoes, and then "healing" the cut ends with a lighter, as you might do with a tent rope made out of Nylon, as an example. I decided that as I have the laces set up, that this would not be necessary, but that is an option if you get these and want to shorten them up a bit. 

As you can see from my image above, the Caterpy Laces in the Short size were perfect These are the 20" length laces. You can see that just the ends are exposed past the uppers, which is fine for cycling. Those bits are very unlikely to get caught up in the whirling machinery. The longer, "Standard" length laces I installed in my Chrome street shoes are 30" long. That was a bit too long for those shoes, however; I just stick the loose ends under the laces as they pass over the shoe's tongue and I am okay with that.  

Riding Performance: The most important thing here is how the Caterpy Laces work for riding. I still am in the process of figuring this all out, but I have ridden enough times with these laces to have an initial impression.

First of all, I've never had these particular shoes fit my foot as well as they do now. The Caterpy Laces draw the sides of the shoe up against my foot with even pressure and quite snugly, as if I had the shoes formed to my foot. This is remarkable, to me at least, because I have a very narrow foot, and I have never had shoes fit me "right" due to that. 

No BOA system, no straps, ratchets, or lace-up shoes have ever fit my foot with the sort of support I am getting from the addition of the Caterpy Laces. This translates to the bike as a shoe that seems 'more at one' with my foot. No sloppy, wasted micro-shifting of my foot around in the shoe, as I am quite used to having to put up with all these years. 

This feeling actually translates over to the Chrome shoes I am using daily for everyday living and bicycle commuting, errands, and goofing off on the bike. The extra lace ends on the longer Caterpy Laces in the Chrome shoes also allow me to adjust the tension to my feet in different areas by pulling through the "bumps" in the laces to make a certain area feel tighter or by passing a bump through the other way through an eyelet to lessen pressure. It is a pretty enlightening experience for me. Having shoes that actually fit my weird foot is a very new thing. 

This makes riding in the Chrome shoes even better since the shoe is, once again, not moving around in a way that detracts from my cycling experience. If I had traditional laces I would have had to have the shoe tied on so tightly that my foot would start to tingle or feel pain to get the same cycling related results as I am getting with the Caterpy Laces.  

So Far... The Caterpy Laces are definitely worth doing more riding with and they have made life easier just from the standpoint of basically turning both pairs of the shoes I am using the laces with into slip-on shoes. 

The Shimano cycling shoes are a bit more difficult to 'slip-on', and the tongue always needs a tug to sit right, but that is a function of the design of the XC-500's and my unusually narrow forefoot which kind of binds the not-very-slippery uppers material in a way that causes that issue. That is not a ding on the Caterpy Laces. 

Okay, with that I will get back to some riding. I will try to get in a couple multi-hour rides in to really test these laces out and then I will be back with a final review.

Friday News And Views

 A Weekly Appearance in Today's FN&V:

Cycling Sports Fantasy League Announced:

Life Time Sports announced last week that they are promoting a fantasy league where individuals can choose riders who they think will do well on Life Time's Grand Prix series. 

The Grand Prix is a series of seven events spread across MTB and gravel disciplines. 60 riders are taking part, evenly split amongst Men and Women. The riders must appear at five of the seven events and one of those has to be the season concluding Big Sugar 100 mile gravel event in the Ozarks. 

The top 15 Male and Female athletes at the end of the series will be invited back for the 2025 season with the remaining slots to be filled by invitation. 

Fans of the series now can choose five Men and five Women who they think will finish best at each event. Fans can only pick the same rider twice, making the fantasy league more challenging, and making each fan get to know more athletes in the series. Points for the best choices will be awarded for each event and then a season champion will be crowned at the end of the series. Details can be found at this link HERE. 

Comments: It is no secret than fan based fantasy sports leagues are very popular. While fantasy sports are typical in stick and ball sports, it is rare to see this in the cycling niche. Life Time, no doubt, gets information and that can be sold to advertisers and marketers. Maybe some day they monetize the league further, but besides the harvesting of info, they also will hopefully get more engagement and possibly more people buying into their events via registration fees. 

It is an interesting twist in the continued monetization of cycling sports and gravel events in particular.

The Stinner MADE Photo Stick

Portable Bike Prop For Photos Announced:

At the last MADE Show, (custom bicycle show, sort of like what NAHBS used to be), Stinner, a custom bicycle brand, showed a "Photo Stick". This is a device that is, essentially, a stand to lean a bike on for remote photo shooting. 

The device got its name from the MADE Show so it is called the MADE Photo Stick. It breaks down into three pieces which can screw together by the use of water bottle bosses and threaded bits which are welded into the steel rods that make up the MADE Photo Stick. 

The MADE Photo Stick is Cerekoted steel and has rubber tips. There will be a raw, bead blasted titanium version edition in limited numbers available soon as well. Price for the steel version has been set at $59.99. 

Image courtesy of Ridley Bikes

Ridley Bikes Debuts Entry Level Gravel Bike:

Ridley Bikes, located in Belgium where the UCI Gravel World Championships will be held (??!!) has announced a new, entry level model for gravel riding and urban cycling called the "Kalazy"

The Kalazy will be offered in three types, one with a flat bar. The spec is 8 speed Claris or 10 speed Sora. Drop bar models have flat mount mechanical disc brakes from Tektro while the flat bar model has hydraulic brakes. 

While the bikes have a focus on gravel, and share the same geometry as Ridley's Kanzo gravel bikes, these Kalazy models also have some nods to urban cycling as well. The frames feature braze ons for a stand brake, and there is a mount for a rear mount kickstand as well. Traditional rack and fender mounts, along with top tube "bento bag" mounts are also featured. 

Image courtesy of Ridley Bikes

Probably the most surprising feature of the Kalazy frame is the use of fully internalized cable routing. Cables will exit the handlebar and pass through a boot where the stem spacers would normally be visible and then through the headset and frame. This is a feature normally not seen on entry level bikes. 

Prices range from about $1299.00 - $1599.00 USD. 

Comments: This introduction is something of a surprise from Ridley Bikes who normally have not dabbled in "entry level bikes" in the past. It is a welcomed thing, as far as I am concerned, to see a company at least try to serve this market and it could launch Ridley in the US as a contender for the average gravel cycling fan's dollar. It could also serve the gravel cyclist that is looking for a gravel bike to use for general purpose riding and therefore save the race bike for racing.  

However "entry level" bikes at over 1K is something I'll have to get used to. The floor for entry keeps getting raised, and I understand that everything is more expensive these days, but still... 

Image courtesy of Ridley Bikes

That said, where have you seen any company send out a presser for a gravel bike that sits in this price range? Maybe Salsa Cycles Journeyer, but besides that? This is pretty rare and I applaud Ridley Bikes for at least trying this. 

I'm not sure how it will play in North America, as the Ridley dealer base is not widespread, but if the presser is to be believed, these Kalazy bikes should be a hit in Belgium and Europe. 

The presser said that the features which are more urban oriented are maybe a bit unusual for a gravel bike, but this sentiment only underlines, in my opinion, how "gravel" was the wrong term all along for these bikes. To my mind, the Klazy represents exactly what I thought the "all - around" bicycle should have been from the get-go. Yes - you could ride gravel, but the bike should also be a practical bike for everyday use as well.  This Kalazy model is a prototypical example of my ideal "all - arounder" bike. 

By the way, the Kalazy can handle up to 47mm tires, which really makes this bike even more interesting from a practicality standpoint. The geometry, again based on the Kanzo, so it is dialed in to what I would consider to be a good, all - around stable geometry for everyday riding. So, overall, I like the bike and besides the goofy all-internal routing, I have no quibbles with the Kalazy.

Image courtesy of YT Industries

YT Industries Announces More Affordable Szepter Gravel Bike:

Another shot at making a bike nmore affordable here with YT Industries announcing a spec level addition to its Szepter range. 

The Szepter Core 2 model features the same carbon frame and geometry as the other models in the range but has a spec that lowers the retail price to $3,499.00 USD. 

The Szepter Core 2 features a Suntour GVX 32 40mm travel gravel fork, DT Swiss G1800 wheels and a Shimano GRX drive train. 

Comments: The term "affordable" can mean different things. Obviously, a boutique MTB brand offering a gravel bike in carbon is not going to be able to reduce costs at the same level as a brand moving more numbers, so you have to look at this in context. 

It is interesting how the MTB-centric brand's gravel bikes all feature geometry reflective of the 'geo-du jour' reflected in MTB bikes in 2024. Slack (for gravel) head tube angles and steep seat tube angles. The slack head tube angles do not scare me, but I am not sure that steep seat tube angles are the answer, even if you use the bike on single track. YT says the steep seat tube angle benefits climbing. But at 74.3°, it feels like we are talking about a tri-bike geometry. It just seems like it is the wrong direction to go for a gravel bike. 

But this is probably the "enduro-dude's" gravel bike and is built to appeal to such folks. Probably not so much aimed at a Mid-Western, miles upon miles of rollers type of rider. I get that, if that is what YT is doing here. 

Image courtesy of Wolf Tooth Components

Wolf Tooth Announces New Ripsaw Flat Pedals:

And you thought we'd get out of this FN&V without a mention from Wolf Tooth? Ha! No way! 

I honestly don't plan this, but it seems that Wolf Tooth's marketing strategy for 2024 is to release some news once a week. Well, this time it is a pedal machined and assembled in their Minnesota headquarters called the Ripsaw.

The Ripsaw is a $199,99 pedal that is CNC machined from a block of aluminum billet and, according to Wolf Tooth, that takes 37 minutes per pedal body. 

The Ripsaw pedals have replaceable pins and are rebuildable as well. They are 118mm long and 102mm in width. The platform is thin, being about 12mm at the thickest end, and have a slight, concave shape to help hold the foot. The Ripsaw pedals are available in Raw, Black, or Purple anodized finishes. 

That's a wrap for this week! Thanks for reading Guitar Ted Productions and I hope that you get out for some riding this weekend!

The Gravel Paper: Reactions And Comments - Part 2

Being at one with nature. Trans Iowa recon 2010 (Image by David Pals)

This is Part 2 of my reactions to a recently published collegiate study on gravel riding. If you missed part 1 it can be seen by clicking this link HERE. 

One of the themes in the paper I discussed yesterday was that of riders in events feeling that they were able to become "one with nature" yet have a community experience and a social element to the event that previous types of cycling events either neglected or did make not available. 

The freedom to enjoin in both facets of these characteristics of gravel events was also seen as important by the study participants. One can move from a more communal scene - a checkpoint, as an example - then minutes later find themselves in a serene, peaceful setting alone, or nearly so. Typically gravel events also provide the freedom at which level one wants to experience these things as well. Varying distances, and at times, different courses, allow an individual the freedom to craft an experience that appeals to them, or is appropriate for them. 

Communing with others: Checkpoint at Mid-South

With the passing of time, I think a lot of people have either forgotten about how events used to be in cycling or perhaps never knew. To be sure, many younger folks probably don't have any memory of such things today, having been born too late to experience such things, Because of this, I think it bears reminding us all that at one time, (and in some cases, this still is how it is done) , you signed up for an event, showed up, rode the required course "X" amount of times, rolled back to your car, and went home. That is, unless you won, at which point you may have been required to have a podium appearance, which usually wasn't a big deal and was more of an inconvenience than anything. 

This bland, single-focus on competition was pretty much all you had to choose from. Sure, there were some charity rides, RAGBRAI, or maybe you could go to a 24hr MTB event. The latter were very popular for the inclusion of social factors such as group settings in "the pits" and entertainment during the night. However; even those events became cumbersome due to the time commitment and style of racing, which meant venues to engage in such activities were extremely limited. 

Then along came gravel events which had several advantages over previous styles of cycling events and were more engaging, on many levels, than other cycling events. My discussion of this study bears a lot of this out,and the paper itself pretty much spells out why gravel became as popular as it did, once you realize that nothing like it existed previous to 2005. This was a new way to enjoy cycling which could be replicated worldwide. You actually do not even have to have "gravel" to "gravel", if that makes any sense. 

Breaking the mold in events: Almanzo 2018

 Previously held rule structures, or preconceived notions about how a cycling event must be run, were shattered with the advent of gravel events. Course design, venues, pricing structures, and even intent in terms of what and who the event benefits were all redefined with the new form of cycling called "gravel". 

This paper bears this out and with the perspective of history, one can easily see how gravel cycling has become, and still is, the most popular form of cycling event in North America. 

The paper also points to why other forms of cycling events have diminished over the past nearly 20 years now. Their old ways of doing things just are not as satisfying and dynamic as what one can find in the gravel scene. Road racing has probably been the most notably affected form of cycling in this regard. Yet mainstream cycling media still tries to prop up Pro Road racing as being the thing to emulate. I will admit that road racing is a spectacle, but it is not nearly as engaging, nor satisfying to participate in, as gravel cycling, and that for several reasons. 

While many decried the advent of Pro level gravel racing, I think it is readily apparent that the form of gravel racing and riding that brought us to this point is not going away anytime soon. This paper I have been a part of, (in a VERY small way, to  be sure) is evidence of this fact. 

That's my take. Let me know what you think in the comments.

The Gravel Paper: Reactions And Comments - Part 1

Haley Hunter-Smith

In 2022 I was contacted by Haley Hunter-Smith, a professional cyclist who won the inaugural Gravel Grand Prix on the women's side and is a past representative of Canada as a Canadian Olympic mountain biker. Ms Hunter-Smith was interested in interviewing me for a collegiate research paper. I agreed to the interview and waited patiently for the paper to be completed and published. That has now happened. This post will be my commentary and reaction to the contents of the study.

First of all, you can read a portion of my interview with Ms. Hunter-Smith which I published on the blog previously. This is in two parts. Click these links to read those parts of the interview. Part 1  Part 2

 If you want to read the entire paper, I have a link which the PDF of this study can be downloaded 50 times. HERE. If that doesn't work for you, let me know as I have the PDF file and Ms. Hunter-Smith has given me permission to share that "far and wide", as she said to me. Update 4/11/24: It appears the 50 downloads have been taken, so please email me @ g.ted.productions@gmail.com for a copy.

 This paper was based on the interviews of nine individuals carefully chosen for their representation across the gravel scene. Racers, promoters, influential individuals, para-athlete, non-binary, transgendered, and marginalized individuals, some representing more than one of these groups, were included.  The interviews were all conducted via Zoom and were transcribed, then the data was considered and the paper was based on this information to hopefully contextualize what the "spirit of gravel" might be and how gravel provides freedom, challenge, and connection. This information was gathered to hopefully help future gravel event promoters to further the cause of gravel cycling and to engage more people in the activity. 

Reactions: With all that out of the way I will get on with my thoughts on the paper. First of all, I am humbled to have been considered for a part in this paper. I applaud Ms. Hunter-Smith for taking up this idea for this study and I can say that I have been enlightened by what I have read.
 

The first theme I drew from the paper was the idea that there is a two-part way of looking at the people who sign up for a gravel event. The paper described the fields as being made up of those who were competing and those who were 'completing' events. The idea here was to try to discern the motivations for those event participants. Competitors are there for a different reason than those who are there to finish a challenge, let's say. Some might even go so far as to interpret that as being the difference between "racing and riding an event". 

My thought was that this resonated with me but not on a binary scale. In my view, this can be a multi-faceted thing for an individual in one event, or it could be internal-external in nature. A person could, for example, be competing against themselves by setting goals, not necessarily being "in it to win it". Or a person could change thier viewpoint during an event based upon circumstances. One moment you might be competing and the next just hoping that you could finish. 

That said, I thought the paper gave some good context to why people enjoin in gravel riding and this is a good way to jump off into further discussions about why people choose gravel events and what their motivations might look like. 

Image from March of 2010. I *think* this is from the Trans Iowa Tune-Up Ride. Image taker David Pals? [not sure on that]

Freedom: The paper showed that the concept of "freedom" seemed to be important in gravel. The paper divided this from 'autonomy' which the researchers felt was important "as it encompasses both autonomy and this broader sense of empowerment that participants value."

Here again I was struck by how the paper found that core values of gravel riding: self-sufficiency, freedom of choices, lack of over-arching rule structures - were important enough that the interviewees mentioned these things. The freedoms of choice were also mentioned alongside of freedom of movement, freedom from fears, and freedom to be at one with self/nature/activity as being core things in gravel. All things I could attest to or have personally experienced myself. 

October 2011 T.I.v7 recon. Image by David Pals.

Community: The theme of being at one with nature, having to accomplish a hard task being in a remote area and doing so based on one's own decision making skills alone, was there. Ironically, this was in contrast to the sense of community many found at events and the encouragement that this allowed for simply by being in a group of people who were accepting and of like mind to the event participants. That said, these were both things I always found important in gravel events and I was in agreement with the findings. Not surprisingly, perhaps, since I was involved as one of the participants in this study, but then again, the others may have disagreed with me as well. 

Conclusions: Of course, there is a lot more in the paper and that described in much more academic terms. I was impressed that this research even happened, and was astounded to read that other studies concerning gravel cycling have been undertaken. I would never have thought that gravel cycling would ever be the subject of any academic research, or that a paper of this caliber would ever have been produced about the subject. Much less that I was actually tabbed for my thoughts on the subject, which is simply mind-blowing to me. 

I think that the paper is a positive thing overall and I hope that it will be an influence, as the researchers hope it to be, upon the future of gravel cycling. Tomorrow I will consider how cycling events have been changed forever because of gravel riding.