Announcing The "Victory Ride"

This is Warren Weibe. The "Victory Ride" is his idea.

 I've had the privilege to have met many fine individuals throughout the years that I have been involved in gravel cycling. One of those people is Warren Weibe. 

You may not know Warren, but he has been a fixture in the gravel scene since way-back. Always a single speeder too. Anyway, Warren and I go way back and he has always been very encouraging of my events, especially Trans Iowa. 

Well, Warren most recently had his nephew track me down at Mid-South to say hello. I'm not sure why, but maybe this got Warren to thinking about something in the realm of riding with me and he cooked up an idea. 

The basics are that Warren, and probably his nephew, are planning on coming all the way up here to just ride with me. Warren calls it the "Victory Ride", so I don't know why the ride is being called that other than this is what Warren wanted. Since he is coming all this way to do this, I am deferring to his wishes. This and keeping the ride chill and intimate are the only requirements he had for this. Oh...that and it has to be low stress for me. 

So, I turned to N.Y. Roll for a route and he has come up with one that is just shy of 50 miles that will start and end in Urbana, Iowa which is located about halfway between Waterloo and Cedar Rapids Iowa on I-380. The ride will happen on Saturday June 15th. 

So, this is being announced here because I wanted you all to have the knowledge and at least the chance to consider this as an an invitation. My thoughts being that if I did not say anything, and the ride happened, and I talked about it here afterward that I'd get, "Why didn't you say anything ahead of time?" type comments. Well, now this is out there and you know if you are reading this. If you need a reference for what this ride will be and a few images from the same area it will be held in, SEE THIS POST.

Now for the part you should know, but it has to be said: You Are Responsible For You. No sag. It is NOT A RACE. Don't come if you are not in a mood to talk, stop a few times, and have a chill experience on gravel. Come prepared to ride with water, food, and a repair kit. There will be one resupply stop. 

More details soon. 

Got questions? Hit me up in the comments. I'll do my best to get answers.

Gravel Grinder News: Gravel Worlds Changes Venue

Image courtesy of Gravel Worlds social media.

Last week it was announced that Gravel Worlds would be changing its venue to be at the Sandhills Global Event Center on the Eastern edge of Lincoln, Nebraska. 

The change from the Fallbrook neighborhood means that the Gravel Worlds organization can now offer camping, with over 1000 camping spots. The event will begin and end on gravel, instead of the several miles of pavement running into and out of Fallbrook Neighborhood. Parking should be improved as well as access to more motels and hotels near to the event center. The finish will have grandstands for better public/support people's enjoyment.

Ironically enough, this is the very same venue that the first two Gravel Worlds events were run out of in 2010 and 2011. 

Comments: This is a nearly 100% positive change for this event. Nothing against the Fallbrook start and finish, but I felt the event had outgrown that venue and was impinging upon local Fallbrook residents who lived out that way. 

The Sandhills Global Event Center, while sounding a bit pretentious in name, is really a lot more "grassroots" feeling than Fallbrook. It is, in effect, a county fairgrounds, at its roots, so a gravel event kind of fits right in here, I think. 

Well, not really, I know it fits, because I was there in 2010. The event is about 50 times larger than it was back then, (not really, but you know what I mean) , but this events center is huge and will accommodate the event as it is now in a far better way. At least potentially it should. 

In my opinion this is a big move to the good for Gravel Worlds, but let me know if you think differently in the comments. 

Country Views: Ditch Harvest

Escape Route: Burton Avenue in Northern Waterloo.

 Rain. Lots of it too. We went from having Extreme Drought conditions only three weeks ago to now a "moderate" condition for drought, all thanks to near daily rains over the past week or so. 

Not just your garden variety showers here and there either. Day-long soakers. Big downpours. Inches of rain at a crack sometimes. We have a flood warning! I see overflowing ponds and water standing in the ditches in places. It's a total turnaround from the last two years of very dry conditions and rain coming, at times, months apart from each other instead of near daily events. 

Look, we need that rain badly, so I am not complaining, but the riding has suffered due to that. A respite from the rain occurred, finally, on Friday, so I got the bike out and headed North. I did not feel that great because the previous week was riddled with poor amounts of sleep for many reasons. Storms at night being one of them. That said, I was going for this ride regardless. 

It was pretty breezy out of the West-Southwest, and the skies were beautifully peppered with puffy clouds and blown apart contrails from jet traffic. We have a LOT of jet traffic overhead here in this part of Iowa and having a completely clean sky is super rare. I've only seen it twice in the last quarter century. Once after 9-11 and then most recently four years ago at the beginning of the pandemic. 

The Cedar River at Waterloo. Brown water filling the banks. Hasn't been seen in several years!

The Solar Farm off Burton Avenue finally had some Sun to work with.

I also had to climb up out of the Cedar Valley on my way North which requires covering several rollers, always gaining a little elevation as you go North. The wind wasn't helping as it was shoving me sideways a bit, so I had to kind of ride herd on the bike to stay in a straight line. Fortunately the gravel was excellent, as it has been to start out this season. 

While we have a "grid system" for roads, that doesn't necessarily mean the roads are straight!

Something not seen for a few years: Standing water in the ditches.

I really didn't know how far North I'd go. I always think in my head I'm going further than I actually do most rides. This one was no exception. I reached the corner of Bennington Road and Burton Avenue and decided to take a break. There is a little community of homes here in the Southeastern corner of this intersection. As I stopped I noted a UPS truck straight ahead that was stopped at the corner farm on the Northeast side of the intersection, and to my right, a hundred yards or so down Bennington Road, a Ford F-150 sat idling. 

That's a lot to have going on in the country! Usually I don't hardly see anyone or any vehicles in this region. The F-150, an older model, with stickers all over the back bumper, was my main concern. The truck was just sitting there for several minutes. Should I go around it or go up Burton? I wanted to start heading back to Waterloo but not back the way I came. I also did not want to go the two miles North to get to the next East-West gravel road. I stood by my bike for several minutes debating what to do. I felt uneasy about passing by the running truck, but I did not feel very great and riding more miles than I wanted was not appealing either. 

The intersection where I stopped dead ahead here.

 I eventually decided just to go for it and ride by the truck. I felt pretty unsure about how this might go. The rear window of the cab wasn't very transparent and the Sun made a glare off it as well which precluded my being able to see if anyone was in the truck. That only added to my fears. But my fatigue was such that I was willing to just go ahead and ride by the thing. 

As I approached the rumbling Ford, I could hear rock music emanating from the open driver's window. A heavy riff on guitar and really, not a bad sounding tune. This made me think the driver was a male and probably younger than I. I glanced over to the truck as I was passing it, expecting some encounter, but to my surprise the truck was empty! 

I looked up the road just then and I noted some movement in the ditch about 30 yards up the road from the truck. It looked to be a young male, maybe in his twenties, seemingly looking side to side in the knee-high grass, and holding a bundle of something green in his right hand. As I approached it became apparent to me what was going on here and I relaxed and smiled.

"Asparagus?", I asked, and the young man replied, "Yes Sir!", to which I replied, "Nice!". And I was happy to understand that the young man was doing something positive and healthy. I mean, many older folks are into harvesting wild stuff, so when I see younger folk doing that it warms my heart a bit, I guess.

The blue color of the metal roofs on this farm is jarringly vivid.

I saw these ducks beside the road which are scurrying for cover here, but the goat stopped out of curiosity.

Heading East now I had the wind mostly at my back and I felt hot. Hot for the first time in 2024. While it was only in the mid-70's, I am not yet heat acclimated. I'd better get there soon because in a month or so 70-ish degrees will feel like air conditioning! 

I thought about heading as far as Sage Road but then thought better of that because I'd likely end up battling a headwind up Airline Highway and I wasn't up for that on this day. So I made the lazy right hander on to Moline Road instead. 

Shreds of jet contrails are blown overhead as a lone vehicle travels North on Moline Road.

Clouds begin to gather as the afternoon wears on.

I was out during the warmest and windiest part of the day. Heading back South on Moline Road wasn't too awful. In fact, it was better than I expected it to be. The wind seemed mostly to be out of the West. I'd only have a mile of headwind to get back to town once I turned off Moline Road. 

There still is not much growing out in the fields yet.

The farm fields seem dormant yet. I think this cool, wet weather has had an effect that way. The ditches showed signs of life. I spotted at least one Prairie Rose, a few violet/purple colored flowers, and some random bunches of yellow that were not dandelions. I am hopeful that with this injection of moisture that the wild flower action will be very good this year. 

Waterloo is an old "train town". Here were some idling locomotives just off 4th street at the rail yards.

I had a decent ride. I made it home and felt a bit worn down, but not awful, so that was good. My decision not to go longer was a good one on this day. At least I got out there again after sitting watching the rain fall for so many days. 

I will be getting back out there sooner than later with all this Velo Orange stuff that landed on Friday. Stay tuned for that coming soon....

This Wasn't My Idea....

In celebration of the twentieth year of this blog, I have a few tales to tell. This post is one of them. This series will occur off and on throughout this anniversary year, I hope to illuminate some behind-the-scenes stories and highlights from the blog during this time. Enjoy!

The Influencer:

The entire existence of this blog really hinges upon one individual, and that person is not me! I was, as they might say now, pushed into this gig by an "Influencer" from the internet. 

Influencers. Those personalities that companies will flock to because their social media content is followed by a large number of people that are "influenced" by their content. The "social media" in this instance was a blog. There wasn't really anything else you might call "social media" back in 2005. 

There were "chat rooms". Remember those? There were niche sites where comment threads were commonplace. "Forums", as they are referred to, were really where the discourse happened back then across the internet. The person that influenced me was also a big draw on a specific forum on mtbr.com's Endurance Forum. His name? Jeff Kerkove.

Jeff Kerkove, circa 2004, clowing up for the camera at work.

I knew Jeff better than most at the time because I had the privilege to work beside him from late 2002 to early 2007. For most of that time we were both shop mechanics at a local bike shop called Europa Cycle and Ski. He worked on one side of a Park repair stand, I on the other. It was inevitable that we would get to know one another at that time.

Our lives could not have been more different. I was a good dozen years his senior in age. I had a family and with two young children, I was very busy with that part of my life. Jeff was fresh out of college, single, and very very driven. His main focus was on training for, and participating in 24hr solo mtb races. 

He had a blog which detailed his training regimen, nutrition, and tactics in regard to racing. This blog ended up becoming quite popular and Jeff was fielding questions about his training and racing on a near daily basis back then. It didn't take long for sponsors to come around, and Jeff was excellent at landing more backers to help him in his quest for 24hr racing dominance. 

Meanwhile, here I was having near daily banter with Jeff while we toiled over hybrid bikes and creaky bottom brackets. I seemed to hit it off with Jeff right away, despite our differences. In fact, after the first few weeks of working with Jeff, I was approached by our boss on a day when Jeff wasn't there. He wanted to know what it was I was doing in regard to Jeff. How was it that I was able to "make him laugh" and have conversation with him, because my boss told me that no one had been able to crack him yet. 

Jeff had worked at the bike shop through college, and no one had really gotten to know him, or have animated banter with him like I was able to do. Why that was is anyone's guess. Only Jeff could really illuminate that for us all. But the fact remained that - for whatever reasons - I was the one Jeff seemed to open up to at work. 

Jeff at the GCHoF Group Ride in Emporia, Kansas 2023.

Jeff seemed to think I had a good amount of knowledge regarding cycling and he thought I was 'funny and interesting" enough that others should have the opportunity to get to know me as well. It was around late 2004 when Jeff started insisting that I should start a blog like he had. 

I scoffed at the idea. Me? Who cares about what I have to say? Jeff was, well......a racer. People respected his accomplishments and saw value in his knowledge of training, race tactics, and athlete sponsorship. People wanted to know what Jeff had to say. His blog was a requisite morning stop for many cyclists. Me? No one had ever heard of me. Why would anyone read a blog I wrote?

But blogs were a 'thing' yet in 2004 and 2005. A lot of cyclists had a blog then because there wasn't really anywhere else one could express themselves and their activities. Now? Well now you've got two dozen ways to do that. But back then? Blogging was it. Jeff thought I should join in the fun. He kept insisting I start a blog. He even allowed me to write posts on his blog starting in 2004. Then we cooked up Trans Iowa and that forced me to communicate via Jeff's blog as that was how we presented ideas in longer form than the Trans Iowa blog allowed for due to its format. 

Then post-Trans Iowa Jeff really started twisting my arm to do this blog. He even helped me format the first version of this blog. He taught me how to do a few things, and then, well.... You know the rest of the story. The point is, without Jeff Kerkove being in my life at that time I would never have doine what I have done in regard to cycling. 

Thanks Jeff!

The Twentieth Year Starts Now

 On this day 19 years ago I started "Guitar Ted Productions" and began my first year in a string of almost daily blog posts, sometimes multiple posts on a single day, ever since then. Now, today, I am starting my 20th year of blogging. Next May 11th I will complete that 20th year.

Twenty-freakin'-years!

To those who have been here reading for a day or for longer, I want to personally thank you from the bottom of my heart. I never went into this thinking that anyone would pay any attention to my writing at all. In fact, I took it so unseriously that I wrote a LOT of goofy stuff. Why not? No one was going to read this blog anyway, right?

Right?

Wrong. Lots of people started reading this blog, and I don't mean to brag, but this thing went from "zero to sixty" so fast it made my head spin. It wasn't a year into this that I was getting attention from other sites writing about cycling, or that people in the industry were anonymously hanging out to see what I would write up next. 

Then things went nuts. Really nuts. I was a bicycle mechanic in 2005, and that was it. But within a year things had changed and people had "heard about me" or had read the blog. I remember going to Interbike in 2006 and having people ask me "Are you Guitar Ted?", and saying that they read the blog. Whoa! How strange was that? 

The very first header seen 19 years ago today.

It was super-strange, that is how strange it was. But now it has become part of who I am. Now entering into my 20th year of this, I want to spend it by taking some time here and there to celebrate the milestone of blogging for my 20th year. I may trot out some stories from way back but I wrote up a pretty good history of this blog in 2015 called "A Decade Of Nonsense" which you can plug into the search bar at the top left corner here and have some fun with. 

I'll likely stick to stuff from the last ten years here, and cover that. But whatever I do there, it should be fun and a good read from time to time. You will also note that there are some special blog headers which I have created based upon some of the past headers used here. And there may be some other fun stuff happening too, so stay tuned..... There may even be a ride. No......not Trans Iowa, or the GTDRI. Just a ride on gravel, most likely, and a gathering for anyone that can make it. 

More soon.....

Unbound's Evolutionary Changes Further Distances Event From Its Roots

The routes and event details for this year's Unbound were announced Friday.

 Routes Announced Along With Other Details:

Life Time Events has announced its routes for the Unbound 200 and other satellite events which will occur the first weekend of June. 

Last year the event featured staggered start times for the Pro Men, Pro Women, and the "Amateur" participants. This year's events will also feature this with greater amounts of time between the Pro and Amateur classes.This year the splits will be Pro Women, or "Elites", as Unbound calls them, at five minutes past 6:00am when the Male "Elites" take off, but the Amateur class will leave at 6:30am. The extending of the cut-off time for the event was also done which is now 3:00am. 

Further separation of Pro (Elite) classes and the Amateurs will happen at the finish line as the Elites will have their own, separated "finishing chute" and the Amateurs their own "finishing chute". How that will look in practice is not yet known at this time. 

Finally, the event has a new director in Sean Thurman who takes the reins from Ben Sachs. Thurman will also oversee the Big Sugar event which Sachs was listed as race director of as well. There was no word on why the change was made. 

In a separate article posted on "Cycling Weekly" authored by Anne-Marije Rook, a subplot has developed that entails the Pro Women's field (or representatives of that field) who have asked Unbound to implement a no drafting rule for Elite riders, because the faster women most likely will intermingle with the slower Elite males. The fear is that an unfair advantage will be gained by some of the faster women latching on to drafting partners who are stronger athletes in the male field and pull away from the remaining females. This suggestion was rebuffed by the Unbound organizers for reasons of the drafting ban being unenforceable.

 NOTE: Large doses of "my opinion" will be handed out in gloppy dollops from this point onward. You've been forewarned.....

Comments: The event hasn't even been held yet and we have Pro Women disappointed and potential "gravel beef" within the Elite field. That's all I'll say concerning that for right now, but again - When big payouts and sponsorships are on the line, you are going to get this sort of complaint within the Pro field. This has to do with the females, but males wanting to be separated from the masses of amateur riders have now pretty much had their case addressed. So much for "lining up with the Pros" for being a reason to do Unbound.

The press release stated that this year's course will be only the third time the event has "ventured North". The presser stated that those previous North routes were done in 2019 and 2021. This could be construed as being correct under Life Time's ownership but it is definitely incorrect if Life Time is annexing the DK200's history, as they have done since they took over the event. 

In fact, we left going North in 2006. I remember Dan Hughes crashing out on Little Egypt Road back in the day, a road that is far North of Emporia in Western Wabaunsie County. In my memory, I want to say that Jim and Joel used to alternate going North or South every year. So the press release is either only referring to its history under Life Time, or it is incorrect information. 

The change at the director's chair is curious. At the time of this writing, Ben Sach's Instagram still listed himself as the "Race Director" of Unbound and Big Sugar. What exactly caused the change is a curious mystery at this point. It is noteworthy that Sach's oversaw last year's highly controversial use of a stretch of muddy minimum maintenance road that had a workaround that was not utilized. This was highly criticized by Pro and amateur racers afterward. Whether this was a factor in the change at the race director's position is not known.

Further Separation: I have speculated all along that the Pro fields and the "amateur" fields would be separated and possibly end up having events on different days. This news of having more time gap between "Elites" and "Amateurs", (Don't you just get a feeling of "inclusiveness here?), gives the ideas I have written about concerning Pros vs Everyone Else more credence. No knock on Pro athletes, but all along I have stated that the goals of Pro Racing, both on the racer's part and the promoter's part, were at odds with grassroots gravel and where gravel sprouted up from and why gravel became the popular sport it has become. It surely did not reach the heights of popularity it has because we had Pro athletes vying for big money on a sanitized stage. It was quite the opposite of that, in fact. 

The fact that Unbound will now make "Amateurs" cross the finish line down a separate chute further shows how the organizers feel about what is more important. More stringent controls over traffic and pedestrian movements around the finish area will also be enforced to ensure a fair and safe atmosphere for the Pros. While this will undoubtedly benefit the amateurs as well, you can bet the Pro's concerns were the impetus for that change. 

Again, the evolution of this event has been front and center as the example why Pro and grassroots gravel are not compatible, or even the same thing. Should there be Pro racing on other than paved surfaces? Sure, why not? But that sort of event is not inclusive, it does not focus on stretching one's personal boundaries, nor is it a place where life-long friendships are forged through shared and equal challenges, courses, and all without any expectations for financial gain.  

Pro racing is not "gravel". Despite the surface the Pro's race on. Calling it such and trying to equate it with what gravel was all along is a false equivalency. I'll be interested in how Life Time further evolves Unbound and its other events, and also how traditional cycling media treats "grassroots gravel" going forward. My bet is that the picture will be the same as it ever was. Racing, in all its Pro glory, will be the only story they cover and grassroots gravel will appear to be invisible. 

I hope that more people become aware that this narrative is not the truth.

Friday News And Views

Image courtesy of Chris King

 News Of More Speeds And Plastic Tubes Today

Chris King Announces Gen 4 Hubs:

The venerable component company, Chris King, has announced an evolution to their hub range. The new Gen 4 hubs feature the same style drive system but it is now compatible with all current drive types without needing to be completely different for each type. 

The streamlining of the drive and axle systems will reduce costs in manufacturing, and this will be passed down to consumers as a lowering of the retail price. Not only that, but now drive systems can be changed by consumers at a lower cost. For instance, it used to cost $380.00. Now, riders using Gen 4 hubs will pay only $80.00 for a switch to a different drive system. 

For more details see Chris King Precision Components site HERE. 

Comments: This is good news for Chris King fans or anyone that might want to support the brand. As long as the durability and quality control remains at a high level, this should help the brand going forward. 

I like Chris King stuff, but whoo!  They are an expensive brand to get into. Their Ring Drive system is pretty bomber though and I found that the hubs are very worthwhile as an investment into a component that you can maintain and keep going for years and years. That even despite heavy abuse. The press release even stated that the free-coasting resistance has been lowered with the new Gen 4 design, so that's even better news.

Image sourced from Google

Shimano Rumored To Be Introducing 13 Speed Wireless Dura Ace Soon:

It's all over the internet - Shimano's long rumored move to 100% wireless shifting is going to happen and with that will come an extra cog. Thirteen to be exact.

Shimano has often filed patents just ahead of releases of new group sets and with Dura Ace needing a refresh it makes sense that this might happen. Additionally, the Tour de France often sees new groups introduced unofficially, or officially, and so this rumor lines right up with that. 

Comments: As I have oft told the story here, I will not delve into the full details, but I have been aware that Shimano has had working group sets up to and including 14 rear cassette speeds since 2010, (or before that, most likely). That they would periodically march out something new with an extra cog out back is not a surprise to me. 

But at some point you reach a place of diminishing returns and\or a place where no further technical advances can be made within the current parameters. Keeping in mind that 130mm rear spacing,(excepting the road disc specific142mm) has been around since the late 1980's for road bikes and you can probably guess that something will have to change radically for any further additional gears past 14 speeds. 

Can that happen? Will that happen? I would guess that we will know the answer in less than ten years from now. It's a no-brainer that we will see 14 speed cassettes in my opinion. This jump to 13 will last a few years, maybe five, and then you will see the 14's coming out. And what about SRAM? 

Stay tuned next week for more on their offering. 

Gravel Amplifier: Prairie Burn 100 -

Next month, on June 8th, the Prairie Burn 100 and 5K run will occur, starting in Downtown Grinnell, and utilizing the fantastic gravel roads surrounding the area. 

This year the loops are all new. That's right - loops. You will ride approximately 25 mile loops each ending back in Grinnell and if you want to continue, you can, or you could just hang and have some fun with the other activities scheduled for that event in Grinnell. Those include a beer garden, food trucks, a farmer's market, and live music by the Surf Zombies.

To learn more, see their website:  https://www.prairieburn100.com/event-info Registration is $50.00 and you can sign up HERE. 

Note: I have no affiliation with this event and I do not benefit if you use the links from here in any way.

Continental Tires Gets Into The TPU Tube Game:

Continental announced on Wednesday that they now have a range of TPU tubes for 700c tires and wheels ranging from sizes that will work with 25mm all the way through to 29"er sizes. 

Their TPU material and construction of the tubes is all done in Germany using the highest quality materials and processes. This is reflected in the use of clear TPU which Continental also claims is free from imperfections that can occur when TPU is dyed. You can read the full press release on Conti's website HERE. 

Comments: One thing that surprised me about TPU in general is something I saw on the press release that stated that "TPU tubes must never be used in conjunction with rim brakes. Excessive heat exposure can lead to a sudden loss of air pressure." I don't recall seeing this stressed regarding TPU tubes before and it comes as something of an alarm to me as I run a TPU tube in my Karate Monkey which has rim brakes currently. Something to consider there if you have long hills or will be riding in such an area and you have rim brakes and TPU tubes.

That's a wrap for this week. Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to those who celebrate that.

Review News: Velo Orange Items

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Note: The items mentioned in this post have been paid for out-of-pocket by Guitar Ted. Velo Orange has no affiliation with Guitar Ted Productions, nor are they aware that this review is starting. Hey! Maybe they will get tipped off to it later, but all I know is I am independently conducting these reviews and I will give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.

Okay, it is time for a few new review items to show up here any day now, so I figured that I would introduce each item and why I am getting that item in so you will know my plans here. Truth be told, there is a common purpose here which you will see shortly.

First up we have the Velo Orange "Burrito Supreme Handle Bar Bag". This is one of those ubiquitous barrel shaped bags you see often now for cycling. The main purpose for this bag was to have it tested with the Redshift Sports Top Shelf Bar which I am reviewing. That and I've wanted to try a barrel shaped bar bag for quite some time now. The Velo Orange example here is actually made in the USA by Road Runner Bike Bags. 

This bag runs $85.00USD and has one main compartment which holds its shape via an internally sewn in sheet of plastic. It's canvass, of course, and attaches via two straps for the handle bar and one for the stem. We will see how that all works for the Top Shelf Bar soon. 

I'm also planning on using this bag for a trip/over night gravel ride I have planned out. Stay tuned for that....

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Mojave Water Bottle Cage:

This one is for my quest to carry large amounts of water but not on my back, while cycling. I have used over-sized bottles in traditional and extendable cages, but the Mojave Cage is a bit of a different way to solve the puzzle.

This cage fits big Nalgene water bottles, as shown. I like the concept and the Mojave Cage should be a good solution for a longer trip by bicycle, like the one mentioned above here.

This cage has several mounting holes in a plate on the base of the cage allowing for various ways to mount it including using a Three-Pack Boss. 

This cage comes in silver or black and runs $39.99 USD. This will be going directly on to the Singular Gryphon Mk3 rig. I am kind of hoping to put it on underneath the down tube so we will see how that works out soon. 

Finally, and the entire reason I purchased all these things from Velo Orange in the first place, is something you might not have considered at all. It is a camera! 

Image courtesy of Velo Orange

Camp Snap Digital Camera:

So, I've been using an Olympus TG - 5 camera for years now. I don't know a lot about how it works. I'd estimate I know maybe 10% of it, as far as what it can do. The TG -5 is a very capable outdoors camera, and it has a fair amount of features and normal "camera-guy" things that can be adjusted, tweaked, or whatever.  Most of that is completely lost on me. I usually set it on "Aperture", adjust the light balance a bit, and shoot while riding. I almost never use the viewfinder/screen. It's fairly useless to me due to glare, bright Sun light, and my old, fading eyesight. 

So, when I saw the Camp Snap camera, I immediately knew that I was the person this was made for. Well.....at least I feel that way. A truly "point it and shoot" camera with a whopping 8 megapixel sensor. You get what you get for a shot, and I am okay with that. This is almost exactly how I shoot almost every image that you've seen here in the last ten years. Point. Shoot. Download into computer. Tweak in the box. Publish. 

So, we'll see if this thing can handle gravel travel. I'll be taking images with it for the blog here and for documenting my trip I mentioned earlier. By the way, this camera costs $65.00 USD, so it isn't all that dear and if it gets biffed or craps out, well we will all know better.

So, that's what is coming up. Look for more on these items here soon.