Check Out My Dirty Kanza Recap on Gravel Grinder News...

My story from the 2013 Dirty Kanza 200 has been posted on GravelGrinderNews.com. Check it out when you get a chance...

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend and I hope to see you out on the road or trail.

Cheers,
MG

Singular Bikes in the Wild...

Spotted this weekend in southeastern Nebraska...

The elusive Singular Gryphon... here, headed for home at mile 85 of Saturday's nearly 100-mile pre-Dirty Kanza 200 shakedown run. In a somewhat unprecedented move for me, I'll be running a singlespeed this year at the DK200. You heard it here first...

And the debut of the new Singular Osprey, and my return to owning a road bike... Well, sort of. It's got 32c tires (yes, they're tubeless) and it's just as fast on smoother gravel as it is on pavement. Clearly it's not for DK200-style riding, but for a lot of the gravel roads we have around here, it's gonna' be just the ticket. Oh, I'll ride some pavement too... Just not too much!

May is National Bike Month and it's about the best time of year to get out and ride... Hope to see you out on the roads or trails!

Cheers,
MG

TransIowa v.9: It Just Wasn't My Year...

Sunrise over TransIowa... Photo: Gnat

Gravel road races the length of TransIowa are unique. They're long enough to require months of training, so they aren't undertaken lightly and they aren't something you drop out of on a whim. But one thing years of racing these events has taught me is that, sometimes it just isn't your day. And so it was this year at TransIowa v.9.

The morning of the race started off well enough. I was one of the first riders to show up on the line, actually leaving my hotel for the start line at 3:00am sharp. Guitar Ted had asked us to be there by 3:30 and I was ready a little early, so I decided to get going. When I arrived at the line at 3:10, just one other rider was present that I could see. It was a little eerie, as I knew within minutes a mass of people would descend on the area.

And so they did. I chatted with a number of other riders, including 2012 TransIowa winner, Eric Brunt, who was looking fit, Dirty Kanza 200 race director, Jim Cummins, who was looking equally fit, and other friends from Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and other places. Then, after a short talk from Guitar Ted, he led us out of to the edge of town, to the first gravel, in his truck.

Once we hit the gravel, the pace lit up almost immediately, and a couple of racers started attacking on the early steep climbs. I tried to stay near the front but in the pack so I was in a draft most of the time, but realized after the first couple of hours, when I stopped to remove my jacket, that I was using more energy than I'd thought. The jacket was completely soaked through with sweat... Not a good sign.

Chad Quigley catches me making a funny face at CP1. That's Lance Andre lowering the pressure on the 27c Vittoria tubulars on his Trek Madone. It was a decision he'd later regret, as he'd flat his rear tire less than 15 miles later on some chunky asphalt on a section of bike path.

I pulled into the first checkpoint with Lance Andre, who was riding a Trek Domane similar to the one Jay Thomas used to win Gravel Worlds in 2012. The difference was, here at TransIowa, the gravel was much rougher, fresher and chunkier, so Andre had a much bigger challenge on his hands. On the smooth sections, he was rocket fast, but there were times on the fresh gravel where he found himself on the losing end of the battle for control of the bike and would go careening across the road.

The section of bike path that caused Lance Andre's first flat of the day. Photo: Gnat

When we pulled into the checkpoint, Chad Quigley, a Nebraska homeboy volunteering for the event, told me the leaders had taken a wrong turn and were off-course. That meant we were very close to the race lead, but in all honesty, I didn't really care. I just wanted to get back on-course and catch up to Cornbread, who'd left the checkpoint just ahead of me, so I quickly arranged my second set of cue sheets and was on my way. I caught Cornbread and (I believe) Jay Barre about two miles later, but started having pain in my right knee on a climb shortly after and let them ride away from me while I tried to figure out what was going on.

I eventually stopped and did some stretching to try to loosen my leg up, which helped a little. While I was stopped, I had the good fortune of having a big group ride up on me that included Salsa riders, Tim Ek, Paul Errinton and Jim Cummins. Our group eventually grew to also include several members of the Cycle Works/Moose's Tooth team, eventual women's winner (and 4th place overall finisher), Monika Sattler, and others. It was a group I was stoked to be riding with, and honestly thought I'd end up finishing with.

Our group coming into the first Casey's stop (at approx. mile 80 in the event). Immediately in-front of me is Paul Errington from the UK, with Tim Ek to his left. Eventual women's winner and 4th place overall finisher, Monika Sattler, rides in-front of Tim.

But on this day it wasn't to be. At about 110 miles into the event, my body began to falter again and I quietly drifted to the back of the group. As I dangled at the back, it became harder and harder simply for me to maintain contact, even with the strong draft from the eight-strong group, and at one point I simply made the decision to cut the cord. I rode alone for about 20 more minutes contemplating my fate before I stopped on the side of the road at the entrance to a field, where I sat down and ate a few Honey Stinger waffles and drank a whole water bottle as I sent a text message to Laura warning her that the end may be drawing neigh on TransIowa v.9. But before I decided conclusively, I hopped back on to my bike for about 30 more minutes to confirm my legs weren't coming back (which they weren't).

My dusty Gryphon sits, awaiting my decision...

At that point, I decided that TransIowa v.9 was over for me. I'd simply burnt too many matches in the early going to make myself last the entire event, and the moment of reckoning was at hand. I made the call with no regrets and nobody to blame for my failure but myself. It's just one of those things that I wish I'd have done better, but I can't do over, so I can just learn from it and move forward.

I want to thank everyone who supported me with their thoughts and comments in the lead-up and during TransIowa this year. It was truly humbling and inspiring to see how many people were following our progress during the event. Thanks again to all who took time to follow along!

It was fantastic to see and ride with lots of old friends, and also meet and ride with a lot of cool new people. I was reminded once again of one of the best things about the gravel racing scene -- the people! Thanks to each of you who made this a special event.

Preparing and competing in TransIowa would not have been possible without the incredible support of my beautiful wife, Laura. Not only was she there to pick me up when I faltered, but she unselfishly allowed me the time necessary to prepare the way I needed to for TransIowa -- and any of you who've done it know that's no small undertaking! And also, thank you to Marty Larson (The Prairie Peddler) and Sam Alison at Singular Cycles, and Rob Versteegh at Oakley for the support of my riding and racing. I feel honored to represent each of you whenever I'm on my bike! And finally, thank you to Guitar Ted and all of the volunteers who made TransIowa v.9 an unforgettable, life-changing event for so many participants. Even though it didn't work out the way I'd hoped, personally, it was still an amazing experience... Thanks again!

Follow TransIowa v.9 This Weekend on Mountain Bike Radio...

Click here to go to the TransIowa v.9 radio page on Mountain Bike Radio.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
MG

Detailing my final TransIowa v9 Bike Setup...

It's time for the one we've all been waiting for -- TransIowa time is here -- and it looks like this year's event is set to be a good one. We're expecting weather in the mid-60s with sunshine during the day, and lows in the upper-40s during the night, but most importantly, it's forecast to be DRY, which is quite alright as far as I'm concerned. You can bet with all the rain the area's gotten over the past week, the B-roads are going to be awfully damp anyway... but the gravel, yes the gravel should be primo.

So, with all that in-mind, my steed for the Big Dance is already packed and ready. No joke. Everything is ready to go, and I wanted to show you all the Singular Gryphon I'll be riding this year. So, without further ado, here it is:

The complete bike -- fully-loaded, I'm not sure what it weighs, but it's well over 30 lbs. That said, I won't need to wear any sort of pack on my body. That was a major consideration in what I did here. 43c Bruce Gordon Rock 'N Road tires are super-stable, reasonably light and pretty darn fast. They're tubeless on my bike (they are designed to run w/tubes, however).

There's a lot going on at "bar central", with a NiteRider Cordless 600 light sharing space with a Garmin Edge 200 GPS computer (on a Tate Labs BarFly mount) and a map holder of an origin I forget (maybe Detours?) The CamelBak drink tube is mounted on a magnetic steerer-mounted retractable leash made by Veleau, which retains the hose very well, even on bumpy roads. A Planet Bike Snack Shack is stuffed to the gills with caffienated Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews. Don't kid yourself. Caffiene is good...

The Garmin Edge 200 is a recent change, and it lets me use one computer on all of my bikes -- a great change. On this bike, the BarFly mount also helps facilitate the multi-tasking necessary during 300-plus mile gravel grinders such as TransIowa. I'm running BarFly mounts on both of my drop-bar Singulars, in fact. The rest of my bikes are stuck with standard Garmin mounts, however. Due to the 16-hour battery life of the Edge 200, I had to come up with a charging solution to get through TransIowa, which is that mini-USB plug you can see in the background, behind the Garmin. It is actually a cable loosely zip-tied to the brake cable, so I can easily plug it into my Edge 200 when the battery runs down, even on-the-fly.

The lithium-ion battery unit sits in the back of the non-drive (shallow) side of my Jandd frame bag.

The cable running out the back of the frame bag, up the seatpost and onto the top of the rack bag goes to a little surprise...

... solar charing. With the capacity to take the Li-ion cell from zero-to-full in eight hours of sunlight, I figured it was two ounces of weight worth carrying, as I can charge not only my Garmin, but also my Niterider headlight with the same cable. The solar cell is always plugged-into the Li-ion cell, so it'll charge the battery anytime there's enough light.

My Salsa Minimalist rack securely carries the Arkel TailRider bag, and also offers an easy mounting point for an old Zefal clip-on fender, which I secured with zip-ties.

I also made myself up a homebrew QR nut light mount out of an old broken carbon fiber handlebar, a Bontrager QR nut and some 10-minute epoxy. I knew that carbon bar would be good for something!

Finally, in-case we end up needing to portage our bikes, I decided to pad the underside of my saddle with a piece of an old camping pad. It actually works pretty well. Since it works better to portage the Gryphon with the nose of the saddle (due to the frame design), this is a good solution. We'll see how much it ends up getting used (I hope not much).

I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of friends in Grinnell at TransIowa v.9. Thanks to my wife Laura for giving me the opportunity to attempt this again, and to Marty Larson (the Prairie Peddler) and Sam Alison at Singular Cycles, and Rob Versteegh at Oakley, for the support of my riding and racing. Also, thanks to Guitar Ted for once again putting on TransIowa -- the granddaddy of gravel grinders!

I feel good this year and believe that, with luck on my side, anything is possible. This is the type of event where to finish is to win, so when you're listening to the TransIowa Radio broadcasts, don't be surprised if you don't hear my name among the race leaders in the early going. There's a good chance you'll hear my name among the finishers though -- I'm confident of that much.


Wish me luck! And thanks for reading...

Pre-TransIowa Equipment Changes...

After an incredibly dry 2012, we've resumed a more abundant precipitation pattern thus far in early 2013. This increase in moisture is of particular note for those of us planning for TransIowa v.9, as it increases the likelihood of encountering mud during the event, which will be held April 27-28.

While I can't speak for anyone else, the increased likelihood of a "moist" T.I. has caused me to completely re-think my equipment setup for the 2013 event. To that end, this past weekend I took my singlespeed Singular Gryphon and stripped it of its drivetrain, replacing it with a fully-geared setup, optimized to take on the Iowa mud. And with a 43c Bruce Gordon Rock 'n Road on the front, and a 42c Continental Cyclocross Speed on the rear, the bike has more than an inch of mud clearance at any point around both tires. I think this setup will be a key to getting to the finish this year.

Of course, my training has to be on-track, but I feel good about where I'm at there. And now, I feel great about my equipment as well. I know I'll be on a bike that can go the distance.

So, with that said, here are some shots of the evolution of my TransIowa v.9 race bikes...

The grey Singular Kite was my first choice for TransIowa. It has fantastic clearance in the fork and seatstays (for a CX bike), but lacks the massive clearance of a true 29-inch mountain bike like the Gryphon. It'll make an awesome steed for summer gravel grinders and fall 'cross races though!

With massive mud clearance, a retro 8-speed rear end and inexpensive 'parts bin' components I don't have to worry about trashing, my 'V2' Gryphon can roll into muddy conditions with confidence.

Where should we ride today? Regardless of the conditions, I'm fortunate to have a drop-bar dirt bike that's perfect for the job, thanks to Singular Cycles.

24 Hours in the Old Pueblo... Yeah, it was fun.

Sunset on the Tucson desert. Photo: Sean Buckman

The 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is a race I've always wanted to do, but is also one I honestly never thought I'd do. The necessary 24 hour drive to Tucson for the event is undoubtedly a tough one. This year however, a guest spot opened up on the Colorado-based Oskar Blues/Dale's Pale Ale 4-person singlespeed team, and my readiness to escape the cold for a bit to rip some singletrack gave me motivation to do the drive. Game on!

Lucky for us, the wind blew from the south, as I was 'camped' in the green Subaru at the bottom of the image. Photo: Sean Buckman

After making the long drive down, the Thursday before the (Saturday) race, I pulled into the camp my Colorado-based friends had chosen (conveniently located near a bank of Port-a-Potties). My teammate, Jordan Carr (tech editor for Mountain Flyer magazine), had already arrived with co-pilot and pro solo racer, Jari Kirkland. The balance of the crew was made up of Lyons, CO locals, Doug Mers, Keith Johnson and the always entertaining, Sean Buckman. Mers, Johnson and Buckman were riding on a 4-person team and were trying to figure out who would anchor their team.

Carr and I wouldn't see our singlespeed teammates, Chad Melis (marketing guy for Oskar Blues Brewery and REEB Cycles), and Jeremy Rudolf (brewery manager at Oskar Blues Brewery), until late Friday evening. That's all I'm going to say about that... I'll let them tell whatever stories they want about their adventures getting to the event. Heh heh heh...

Pre-race hangin' in camp. Photo: Sean Buckman

But Jordan, Jari and I had a great time checking the course out Friday morning. I could tell the 2-to-1 gearing I was running (34x17t), while a bit tall in the headwind, was just right when the wind was at my back. I rode my drop-barred Singular Gryphon on this lap, but later in the day decided I'd race my flat bar Singular Swift hardtail for its slightly more forgiving ride (mostly due to the suspension).

Chad (in the Dale's Pale Ale jersey) and Tinker Juarez run together at the front during the start.

On race day, Chad led us off, Jordan went second, Jeremy was third while I rode the anchor leg. It was one of the first times I'd not been the first rider when riding a team 24-hour event, so it was a decidedly different feeling not having to even begin getting ready to ride for more than three hours after the start of the race. In fact, I got just one daytime lap on Saturday before having to put the headlights on for my second lap, at around 8:45pm.

I didn't mind this at all, as I love night riding, and was also rewarded for my effort with the sunrise lap, so I can't complain at all. It was an absolutely awesome experience, as our team, while not the absolute fastest singlespeed team, was at least competitive, and we alternated between second and third place during the night. Ultimately, some interesting team strategy on the part of the other team gave them the upper hand late in the event, and they ended up taking second place by one lap. Apparently they came in about six minutes ahead of us and since that was six minutes before noon, they were allowed to go out for another lap.

I finished our team's 20th lap at noon, right on the nose (which was the plan for us). I'd actually ridden the longer "skip the bitches" route, so it added a few minutes to my last lap time, as insurance I wouldn't come in ahead of noon. Chad didn't want to go out for another lap... We were content with third and had a lot of beer to drink.

Dropping in at the end of my final lap, headed for a 12:00 noon, third-place finish. Photo: Sean Buckman

Overall, the experience of the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo was fantastic. I got the opportunity to ride for the first time of the year in shorts and short sleeves, and with a bunch of friends I haven't ridden with in a long time (or ever, in some cases). Even with the super-long drive, it was still totally worth it. I won't do a lot of crazy drives like that each season, but for an event like that, every once and a while, it's worth the effort... and the trip really isn't that bad.

Thanks to my awesome teammates: Chad Melis, Jordan Carr and Jeremy Rudolf, and to Oskar Blues/Dale's Pale Ale for sponsoring our shenanigans at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. Thanks also to Marty Larson, The Prairie Peddler, and to Sam Alison at Singular Cycles for the fantastic bikes I am blessed with riding this season. Edit: Thanks also to everyone involved in our 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo effort this year, including our camp-mates, the FILFy Bastards (who finished 19th place out of 151 teams in the 4-man open class -- stellar!!).

Cheers!

First ride: Singular Gryphon...

I had nearly forgotten how much I like riding singlespeed mountain bikes, but the recent build-up of a new Singular Gryphon reminded me how much fun singlespeeding can be. In fact, I've been enjoying it so much, it's got me thinking about which 2013 events I might be able to ride on a singlespeed.

Classic steel lines, drop-bars and a clean singlespeed setup = a good looking bike!

First introduced in 2009, the Gryphon frameset bears a striking resemblance in profile to the Salsa Fargo (a bike that itself is very close to my heart for a number of reasons). And while it's true there are some similarities in geometry and fit, the ride quality of each frame is determined largely by its intended use. For while the Fargo is designed to be used for long-haul bike packing, the Gryphon is designed as more of a standard mountain bike. So, while the current version of the frame does include a rear rack mount, it's not designed as a bikepacking rig. As such, the tube diameters and wall thicknesses have not been beefed up to accommodate the increased load of a cyclist plus a week's worth of gear.

Color coodination... When the parts are here to make it work, why not?

This manifests itself as a distinctly smoother, faster, more compliant ride on the Gryphon frame, when compared head-to-head with a steel Fargo. When you ride a steel Fargo, you are constantly reminded of the "bigness" of the bike. You never get the feeling that the bike is particularly fast, but you do feel like it can take whatever you can give it, in terms of terrain or load. Conversely, the Gryphon feels like a light, fast, lively frame that just so happens to be able to accommodate fat tires. The difference between the two frames can be felt in first five pedal strokes. It's that distinct.

A fantastic fork... Reynolds 520 steel fork blades deliver a ride quality that must be ridden to be believed. Carbon? Pfffffttt...

The fork is a specific area where the Gryphon positively shines. It is perhaps one of the finest riding chromoly forks I've ridden. It simultaneously tracks accurately and offers a fantastic ride quality -- notably smoother than a Fargo fork.

I built my Gryphon using a mix of parts including the wheelset and saddle/seatpost from my old Salsa Vaya, some TruVativ downhill cranks, some Avid BB7s and an old Salsa bar/stem I had in the parts bin. It all went together super smoothly, and the cool Phil Wood-style EBB made achieving perfect tension on the chain very easy. Cool...

Comfortable cockpit -- Long days in the saddle will be spent here.

Long-story-short, my new Gryphon is a keeper -- one I intend to ride and enjoy for a long time to-come. Of course, I'll be posting updates on the bike down the road as I get more miles on it, and will let you know how the relationship progresses. Also, keep your eyes peeled for 'first ride' reviews of my new Singular Kite cyclocross/gravel bike, and my Singular Swift 29-inch hardtail.

Thanks to Marty Larson at The Prairie Peddler and Sam Alison at Singular Cycles Ltd. Marty is the U.S. importer of Singular Cycles and is my 2013 bicycle sponsor. Visit the Prairie Peddler site or e-mail Marty for more information, pricing or availability of Singular framesets.

Thanks for reading! Now get out and ride!!

For Sale: Salsa Ti El Mariachi Frame - Size Large -- SOLD!

Here's a good case of never say "never". Today I'm doing something I said I'd never do -- in the process of making room for my 2013 bikes, I'm putting my beloved Salsa Titanium El Mariachi frame up for sale. It's a 2010 version of the frame. I raced it for one season before basically putting into active retirement, where it's been ever since. Because of sponsorship obligations and the fact that I simply have a lot of bikes, I can count on two hands how many times I've ridden the bike over the past two seasons. It's a total garage queen that needs an owner that's going to ride it the way it was meant to be ridden! This is the exact same frame that has been ridden to victory on the Great Divide Route! Its pedigree is unquestionable... It's one of the best hardtail frames I've ridden, hands-down. It's ride quality and handling are amazing! Here are some photos:

Typical of titanium, this frame is absolutely clean and free of nicks, dings, dents or flaws. The "Salsa" and "El Mariachi" graphics have been muted somewhat over the years from cleaning with ScotchBrite (the preferred method of cleaning titanium) -- a process I didn't dissuade.

A 1.75-inch down tube and 1.375-inch top tube deliver excellent stiffness and the fantastic ride quality for which titanium is renowned.

The welds speak to the quality of care and craftsmanship this frame was hand-built with by the folks at Lynskey Performance Titanium Bicycles in Tennessee.

Hooded, Breezer-style dropouts have a replaceable derailleur hanger. I will include an extra hanger with the frame.

Super-clean welds on the rear disc mount. Perfect alignment means squeal-free brake performance.

More clean welds... this time at the seat stay/seat tube junction.

A view inside the headtube reveals the measures Salsa went to in order to save weight. Notice the vertical breather slot on the downtube? It matches the manipulation of the down tube, removing as much material as possible. On the bottom bracket shell, the breather is a horizontal slot, matching the tubing manipulation at that end of the down tube. Very cool...

Did I mention the welds on this frame are clean? And the frame itself is so clean, you could eat dinner off the surface.

See the previous caption...

So, I guess my question is, does $1,100 seem like a bargain or what? If so, get a hold of me.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my frame! Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers,
MG

For Sale: 58cm Salsa Vaya Frame/Fork -- SOLD...

To prepare for new 2013 bikes to-come, I've decided to part with a couple of my favorite framesets. First up is my 2010 Salsa Vaya -- a 58cm frame, with matching fork. I have been the only owner, and if you know me, you probably also know this bike. It is in very good condition, overall for a three year old frame. Here are some images that I took this morning:

The view from the drive side... Note: the King headset shown is not included. I am only selling the frame and fork.

The non-drive side view. Note the custom PCL downtube sticker. That goes with the frame at no charge. ;-)

Overall paint quality is good throughout the frame, with just a few small nicks, consistent with a nicely kept three year-old frame.

I used thick adhesive-backed Mylar material to protect the frame on a number of paint areas that were subjected to wear, such as this bridge that often had a plastic and metal SKS fender clipped over it.

Post-mount disc brakes front and rear are easy to set up and are designed for 160mm disc rotors. These are far better than the (cheaper to manufacture) "International Standard" mounts Salsa uses on the current Vaya. Ask an engineer...

Three water bottle mounts allow you to choose whether you carry your water on the bike, or on your body, even on adventure-length rides.

This frameset has been sold. Thank you for looking!!
 
Please note: I am selling just the frame and fork. The pictured headset, stem and seatpost are not included, nor are they negotiable to be included. Thanks again!